Science news

• Staring into a baby’s eyes puts her brain waves and yours in sync

  05-12-2017 21:30
  
  Brain waves line up when adults and babies lock eyes.
  
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• How freezing a soap bubble turns it into a ‘snow globe’

  05-12-2017 21:00
  
  Frigid air makes soap bubbles shimmering orbs thanks to surface tension.
  
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• The receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2 promotes glutamine metabolism in tumors by activating the transcriptional coactivators YAP and TAZ

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Malignant tumors reprogram cellular metabolism to support cancer cell proliferation and survival. Although most cancers depend on a high rate of aerobic glycolysis, many cancer cells also display addiction to glutamine. Glutamine transporters and glutaminase activity are critical for glutamine metabolism in tumor cells. We found that the receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2 activated the TEAD family transcriptional coactivators YAP and TAZ (YAP/TAZ), likely in a ligand-independent manner, to promote g
  
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• Subtle modifications to oxytocin produce ligands that retain potency and improved selectivity across species

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Oxytocin and vasopressin mediate various physiological functions that are important for osmoregulation, reproduction, cardiovascular function, social behavior, memory, and learning through four G protein–coupled receptors that are also implicated in high-profile disorders. Targeting these receptors is challenging because of the difficulty in obtaining ligands that retain selectivity across rodents and humans for translational studies. We identified a selective and more stable oxytocin rece
  
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• Stimulating NETosis instead of mitosis

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Cell cycle regulators control the production of neutrophil extracellular traps.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (418)

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe a way to treat or prevent pulmonary distress and a way to boost treatments against anemia.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 358 (6367)

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles focus on cross-talk between lung tumors and bone, the druggable kinome, and the structure of a DNA damage sensor.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 551 (7682)

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight proteostasis in the germ line, tumor cell survival in high-oxygen environments, and gut symbiont metabolites that affect intestinal physiology and systemic immunity.
  
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• IL-33 and ST2 mediate FAK-dependent antitumor immune evasion through transcriptional networks

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) mediates tumor cell–intrinsic behaviors that promote tumor growth and metastasis. We previously showed that FAK also induces the expression of inflammatory genes that inhibit antitumor immunity in the microenvironment. We identified a crucial, previously unknown role for the dual-function cytokine interleukin-33 (IL-33) in FAK-dependent immune evasion. In murine squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells, specifically nuclear FAK enhanced the expression of the genes en
  
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• HemITAM: A single tyrosine motif that packs a punch

  05-12-2017 19:55 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Innate immune cells sense danger through a plethora of germline-encoded receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or cellular molecules that are exposed only by stressed, infected, malignant, or dead cells. Many of these danger-sensing receptors belong to the C-type lectin-like superfamily (CLSF) and therefore are called C-type lectin-like receptors (CTLRs). Certain activating CTLRs, namely, CLEC-2, Dectin-1, DNGR-1, NKp80, and NKp65, which are encoded by genes that
  
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• Rats join mosquitoes as targets for 'gene drive' pest control

  05-12-2017 18:02
  LONDON (Reuters) - Rodents have joined mosquitoes in the cross-hairs of scientists working on a next-generation genetic technology known as "gene drive" to control pests.
  
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• What parents need to know about Facebook's new messenger app for kids

  05-12-2017 18:00 via cbc.ca
  Facebook has launched Messenger Kids, a messaging app for children under 13 that lets them send texts, videos and photographs as well as add stickers and doodle on their photos. So what could go wrong?
  
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• New Facebook product targets children: Here's what parents need to know about Facebook Messenger Kids

  05-12-2017 18:00 via cbc.ca
  Facebook has launched Messenger Kids, a messaging app for children under 13 that lets them send texts, videos and photographs as well as add stickers and doodle on their photos. So what could go wrong?
  
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• Youtube promises 10,000 workers to tackle disturbing content

  05-12-2017 16:41 via cbc.ca
  YouTube says it plans to add more people next year to identify inappropriate content as the company responds to criticism over extremist, violent and disturbing videos and comments.
  
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• Hinkley Point's Cardiff Bay toxic mud claim 'alarmist'

  05-12-2017 13:26 via bbc.co.uk
  300,000 tonnes of mud from Hinkley Point C is due to be dumped in the sea off Cardiff Bay.
  
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• Facebook launches parent-controlled Messenger app for kids

  05-12-2017 12:56 via cbc.ca
  Facebook has launched a messaging app for children to chat with their parents and with friends approved by their parents.
  
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• Parents in a Remote Amazon Village Barely Talk to Their Babies--and the Kids Are Fine

  05-12-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Ignoring a Western child-rearing practice does not seem to matter for the Tsimané of Bolivia
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• The only ship still afloat that survived the Halifax Explosion is rusting away

  05-12-2017 12:30 via cbc.ca
  Known as the "Grand Old Lady" of Halifax harbour, the Acadia served in both world wars and survived the Halifax Explosion. But corrosion, leaky decks and marine growth on its hull are eroding it.
  
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• Pizza night aboard the International Space Station

  05-12-2017 11:44 via bbc.co.uk
  Crew members aboard the International Space Station are treated to a special meal.
  
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• Why Canada's greenest apartments are shockingly affordable

  05-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  You don't need to be wealthy to live in a green dream home. Affordable housing providers are pioneering the design and construction of some of Canada's greenest apartment buildings. Here's why.
  
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• The greenest apartments in Canada are among its most affordable

  05-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  You don't need to be wealthy to live in a green dream home. Affordable housing providers are pioneering the design and construction of some of Canada's greenest apartment buildings and renting the units to people with disabilities for less than $500 a month.
  
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• Cellphone unlocking charges and unreadable contracts are now banned

  05-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  The big breakthroughs in Canada's new wireless code are a ban on cellphone unlocking fees and a rule that teenage users cannot give permission for extra data or roaming charges. Other changes include a 15-day trial on any contract and rules to make contracts understandable.
  
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• Australia's frog count: App calls on citizen scientists

  05-12-2017 09:25 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists hope the public will help them record the sounds of the amphibians via an app.
  
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• IUCN Red List: Wild crops listed as threatened

  05-12-2017 08:08 via bbc.co.uk
  Wild relatives of modern crops deemed crucial for food security are threatened with extinction.
  
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• Zeriscope mobile telemedicine system receives US patent

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Medical University of South Carolina) Key components of Zeriscope, a comprehensive mobile telemedicine examination system, received a United States patent Nov. 14.
  
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• Working memory positively associated with higher physical endurance and better cognitive function

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine) Mount Sinai researchers have found a positive relationship between the brain network associated with working memory -- the ability to store and process information relevant to the task at hand -- and healthy traits such as higher physical endurance and better cognitive function.
  
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• Women who attempt suicide exhibit different protein levels years after the attempt

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Binghamton University) Women with a history of suicide attempts exhibit different levels of a specific protein in their bloodstream than those with no history of suicide attempts, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
  
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• When contact sports cause concussion injuries, who comes out ahead?

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Concussions are common injuries among contact sport athletes. While most athletes experience full recovery within a few weeks and can return to their sport, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, female athletes tend to experience a higher concussion injury rate than male athletes.
  
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• WASP-18b has smothering stratosphere without water

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) A NASA-led team has found evidence that the oversized planet WASP-18b is wrapped in a smothering stratosphere loaded with carbon monoxide and devoid of water. The findings come from a new analysis of observations made by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.
  
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• UTA researchers show that sexual harassment on the job still carries large impact

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Two University of Texas at Arlington researchers have revisited workplace sexual harassment issues after the initial study was done nearly 20 years ago.
  
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• UTA researcher helping to improve Corps of Engineers' watershed modeling capability

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Assistant Professor Nick Fang will receive $150,000 for 2017 under the contract, which is renewable annually for the next five, to help the Corps of Engineers produce highly accurate hydrologic and hydraulic models that will help the Fort Worth District Water Resources Branch better cope with changing climate and land use.
  
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• USDA's NIFA announces support for tribal extension and research programs

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (National Institute of Food and Agriculture ) The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced grants to fund programs that promote learning, opportunity, and health within the American Indian community. The funding is made possible through two NIFA programs: the Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program and the Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program.
  
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• US transportation and water infrastructure not broken

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (RAND Corporation) Transportation and water infrastructure funding and finance in the United States are not nearly as dire as some believe, but a national consensus on infrastructure priorities, accompanied by targeted spending and selected policy changes, is needed, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
  
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• University of Pittsburgh faculty among 'rising stars' in energy research

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Pittsburgh) Two junior faculty members in the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering were among a class of early-career researchers recognized for their nascent research in energy storage. James McKone and Christopher E. Wilmer, both Assistant Professors of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, along with their peers were honored as new Fellows at the first Scialog: Advanced Energy Storage meeting in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 2-5, hosted by the Research Corporation for
  
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• Two Super-Earths around red dwarf K2-18

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Toronto) New research using data collected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has revealed that a little-known exoplanet called K2-18b could well be a scaled-up version of Earth. Just as exciting, the same researchers also discovered for the first time that the planet has a neighbor.
  
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• The quantum waltz of electrons hints at the next generation of chips

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) EPFL researchers have successfully measured some of the quantum properties of electrons in two-dimensional semiconductors. This work in the field of spintronics could one day lead to chips that are not only smaller but that also generate less heat.
  
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• Study shows lithium chloride blunts brain damage linked to fetal alcohol syndrom

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (NYU Langone Health / NYU School of Medicine) A single dose of lithium chloride, a drug used to treat bipolar disease and aggression, blocks the sleep disturbances, memory loss, and learning problems tied to fetal alcohol syndrome, new experiments in mice show.
  
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• Study finds link between fragile X syndrome gene and dysregulated tissue growth

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Indiana University) A study led by Indiana University researchers found a previously undetected link between the gene that causes fragile X syndrome and increased tissue growth in the intestines of fruit flies modified to model the disease.
  
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• Student-led protests for inclusive campuses are more likely at selective universities

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Southern Methodist University) A diverse student body on campus isn't sufficient to deflect student criticism that a campus feels oppressive. A new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, found that students from marginalized groups -- either by race, gender, sexual orientation or income -- are more likely to initiate activist campaigns such as 'I, Too, Am Harvard' at public universities that are highly selective and where there are fewer students receiving financial aid.
  
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• Storytellers promoted cooperation among hunter-gatherers before advent of religion

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University College London) Storytelling promoted cooperation in hunter-gatherers prior to the advent of organized religion, a new UCL study reveals.
  
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• Scientists shed light on a tumor-suppressive protein in metastases

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)) ?A new study conducted at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology in Belgium has labeled the protein Caveolin-1 as a high-potential pursuit in the fight against cancer. Many research projects have already implicated this protein in both tumor-promotive and suppressive functions, but its exact role remained elusive. By examining macrophages at the sites of metastases, the scientists have now described the 'anti-metastatic surveillance' role of
  
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• Safer opioid drugs could treat pain and save lives

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (American College of Neuropsychopharmacology) Opioid drugs are the most widely prescribed and effective type of pain medication. But they are highly addictive and have some unpleasant and potentially deadly side effects. Now a group of researchers, led by Dr. Laura Bohn at The Scripps Research Institute, may have found a way to make opioids safer by separating the drugs' pain relieving effects from their most dangerous side effect, respiratory suppression, which, in very severe cases, causes pat
  
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• Rooftop wiretap aims to learn what crows gossip about at dusk

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Washington) An interdisciplinary team is using a covert sound-based approach, worthy of an avian CSI, to study the link between crows' calls and their behavior.
  
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• Restless sleep may be an early sign of Parkinson's disease

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Aarhus University) Researchers from Aarhus University have discovered that patients with the RBD sleep behavior disorder lack dopamine and have a form of inflammation of the brain. This means that they are at risk of developing Parkinson's disease or dementia when they grow older.
  
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• Researchers examine role of gene variation linked to Major Depressive Disorder

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) A new study assessed the effects of a SLC6A15 gene variant on resting-state brain function in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), comparing the results with those in healthy individuals.
  
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• Researchers create unique bioengineered organoids for modeling colorectal cancer

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) A new study describes a unique bioengineered tissue construct, or organoid, into which colorectal cancer cells are embedded, creating a model of the tumor and surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM).
  
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• Promoting the public's understanding of regenerative medicine in society

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Future Science Group) EuroStemCell, in partnership with the Future Science Group MEDLINE-indexed journal Regenerative Medicine, have launched a digital platform which provides free-to-access summaries ofhot-topic articles from leading international academics published in the journal's recent two-part Special Focus Issue entitled, 'Regenerative Medicine in Society: Interdisciplinary Perspectives'.
  
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• Preschool program helps boost skills necessary for academic achievement

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (Penn State) Children growing up in poverty face many challenges, but a preschool program that aims to improve social and emotional skills may help increase their focus and improve learning in the classroom, according to researchers.
  
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• Pregnant women with PTSD have higher levels of stress hormone cortisol

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Michigan) Research has shown that a woman's emotional and physical health during pregnancy impacts a developing fetus. However, less is known about the effect of past stressors and posttraumatic stress disorder on an expectant woman.
  
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• PolyU reveals high prevalence of bacteria that carry gene mcr-1 in ecosystem

  05-12-2017 06:00
  (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ) Food Safety and Technology Research Centre of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, PolyU recently found that bacteria that carry the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 commonly exist in human and various types of food and environmental samples collected from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. The prevalence of mcr-1 in our ecosystem challenges the role of colistin as the last resort antibiotic to treat infections caused by carbapenem res
  
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