Science news

• Some forests aren't growing back after wildfires, research finds

  12-12-2017 23:55 via cbc.ca
  When wildfires burn forests to the ground, some are no longer growing back, new research shows. The findings add to growing evidence that climate change and forest fires are permanently altering forest ecosystems across North America.
  
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• Arctic report card: Permafrost thawing, sea ice melting faster than before

  12-12-2017 22:49 via cbc.ca
  'We are on this deepening trend where the Arctic is a very different place than it was even a decade ago,' said Jeremy Mathis, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic research program.
  
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• Canadian cellular prices declining, mainly for talk and text, report finds

  12-12-2017 22:43 via cbc.ca
  Prices for cellphone service in Canada came down in the last year, but not for heavy users in the vast majority of Canadian cities.
  
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• Jupiter’s massive Great Red Spot is at least 350 kilometers deep

  12-12-2017 22:31
  
  NASA’s Juno spacecraft has measured the depth of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot for the first time.
  
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• Astronomers to eavesdrop on interstellar asteroid for possible signs of intelligent life

  12-12-2017 20:26 via cbc.ca
  Astronomers are turning their 'ears' toward our first-known interstellar visitor to see if it has any signs of intelligent life.
  
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• Europe moves closer to own satnav system with latest Galileo launch

  12-12-2017 20:13
  BERLIN (Reuters) - Europe launched four more Galileo satellites on Tuesday, taking the number in orbit to 22 and moving a step closer to having its own navigation system, lessening its dependence on the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS.
  
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• RhoB controls the Rab11-mediated recycling and surface reappearance of LFA-1 in migrating T lymphocytes

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The regulation of cell adhesion and motility is complex and requires the intracellular trafficking of integrins to and from sites of cell adhesion, especially in fast-moving cells such as leukocytes. The Rab family of guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) is essential for vesicle transport, and vesicles mediate intracellular integrin trafficking. We showed that RhoB regulates the vesicular transport of the integrin LFA-1 along the microtubule network in migrating T lymphocytes. Impairment in RhoB
  
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• Papers of note in Science 358 (6368)

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles report that inhibiting the ion channel TRPC5 prevents the loss of podocytes in rat models of kidney disease.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 552 (7683)

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight a potential therapeutic target for fibrosis; parasite receptors that contribute to malaria; a potential drawback of PD-1 inhibition for cancer immunotherapy; a noncoding RNA that regulates ribosome biogenesis; and a structural analysis of substrate binding by the kinase PINK1.
  
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• Paper of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (419)

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s article describes a way to potentially reduce neurodegeneration in patients with Huntington’s disease.
  
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• Generating heat through Ca2+ cycling

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Beige fat regulates whole-body energy homeostasis by cycling Ca2+ through RyR2 and SERCA2b.
  
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• C-reactive protein promotes bone destruction in human myeloma through the CD32-p38 MAPK-Twist axis

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Bone destruction is a hallmark of myeloma and affects 80% of patients. Myeloma cells promote bone destruction by activating osteoclasts. In investigating the underlying mechanism, we found that C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein secreted in increased amounts by hepatocytes in response to myeloma-derived cytokines, activated myeloma cells to promote osteoclastogenesis and bone destruction in vivo. In mice bearing human bone grafts and injected with multiple myeloma cells, CRP bound to surface CD
  
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• Aging impairs both primary and secondary RIG-I signaling for interferon induction in human monocytes

  12-12-2017 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Adults older than 65 account for most of the deaths caused by respiratory influenza A virus (IAV) infections, but the underlying mechanisms for this susceptibility are poorly understood. IAV RNA is detected by the cytosolic sensor retinoic acid–inducible gene I (RIG-I), which induces the production of type I interferons (IFNs) that curtail the spread of the virus and promote the elimination of infected cells. We have previously identified a marked defect in the IAV-inducible secretion of t
  
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• PepsiCo makes biggest public pre-order of Tesla Semis: 100 trucks

  12-12-2017 19:08 via cbc.ca
  PepsiCo Inc. has reserved 100 of Tesla Inc.'s new electric Semi trucks, the largest known order of the big rig, as the company seeks to reduce costs and emissions.
  
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• Budget watchdog details millions in potential GST revenues on carbon pricing

  12-12-2017 18:46 via cbc.ca
  A new report from Parliament's budget watchdog says carbon pricing in four provinces could net the federal government more than $500 million over two years in GST revenues.
  
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• Jupiter Great Red Spot has deep roots

  12-12-2017 18:22 via bbc.co.uk
  Nasa's Juno probe begins to unlock the workings of the mighty storm that has raged on Jupiter for over 150 years.
  
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• Interstellar asteroid checked for alien technology

  12-12-2017 17:51 via bbc.co.uk
  A project searching for life in the cosmos will scan the first interstellar asteroid for signs of alien technology.
  
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• 'Face of climate change'?

  12-12-2017 17:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Images of a starving Canadian bear go viral - but all may not be as it appears.
  
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• Dracula ticks in amber tell ancient blood-sucking tale

  12-12-2017 17:20 via bbc.co.uk
  Feathered dinosaurs were covered in ticks just like modern animals, according to fossil evidence.
  
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• Ticks had a taste for dinosaur blood

  12-12-2017 17:00
  
  A tick found trapped in amber is evidence the bloodsuckers preyed on feathered dinosaurs, a new study says.
  
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• Researchers discover 'Dracula's terrible tick' trapped in amber with dinosaur feather

  12-12-2017 17:00 via cbc.ca
  Scientists examining 99-million-year-old amber hit pay dirt when they discovered both the first direct evidence of a tick feeding off a feathered dinosaur and an entirely new species of tick.
  
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• France's Macron says world is losing battle against climate change

  12-12-2017 15:28 via cbc.ca
  More than 50 world leaders, plus CEOs, investment fund managers and celebrities, have gathered in Paris for a climate change summit on the 2nd anniversary of the Paris climate accord.
  
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• France awards U.S. climate scientists grants to 'Make Our Planet Great Again'

  12-12-2017 15:19 via cbc.ca
  Eighteen climate scientists from the U.S. and elsewhere hit the jackpot Monday as French President Emmanuel Macron awarded them millions of euros in grants to relocate to France for the rest of Donald Trump's presidential term.
  
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• The Top 10 Science Stories of 2017

  12-12-2017 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Record hurricanes, data breaches, colliding black holes and drug epidemics—the most important science stories of the year
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Not all of a cell’s protein-making machines do the same job

  12-12-2017 13:00
  
  Ribosomes may switch up their components to specialize in building proteins.
  
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• Mini brains may wrinkle and fold just like ours

  12-12-2017 13:00
  
  Brain organoids show how ridges and wrinkles may form.
  
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• Climate change: Trump will bring US back into Paris deal - Macron

  12-12-2017 11:35 via bbc.co.uk
  But the French leader says he will not agree to a demand that America's terms should be negotiated.
  
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• Ontario plans to airlift caribou away from hungry wolves

  12-12-2017 11:03 via cbc.ca
  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is busy making plans on how to move caribou from one remote Lake Superior island to another.
  
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• Ride-hailing service Lyft expands outside U.S. for 1st time to take on Uber in Canada

  12-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Uber rival Lyft launches today in Toronto. The two companies will begin a battle not just for customers, but also for drivers, as many plan to double dip.
  
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• Rescuing whales 'high-risk' work government doesn't want to do, DFO email shows

  12-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Whale rescuers are in limbo, as they wait for the completion of a five-month-old Transport Canada investigation into Joe Howlett’s death while disentangling an endangered whale.
  
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• Uber says 815,000 Canadians affected by data breach as investigation launched

  12-12-2017 07:46 via cbc.ca
  Uber Canada said late Monday that 815,000 Canadian riders and drivers may have been affected as part of its worldwide data breach announced in November.
  
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• World's brain initiatives move forward together

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Forschungszentrum Juelich) A declaration to establish an International Brain Initiative has been made by representatives from some of the world's major brain research projects, including the Human Brain Project. At the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra, representatives from Japan, Korea, Europe, the United States of America and Australia announced a formal declaration to work together to speed up progress on 'cracking the brain's code'.
  
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• Winter months most likely to lead to tragedy for men who disappear on a night out

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Portsmouth) Men are more likely to go missing on a night out and be found dead in December than at any other time of the year, according to a sobering new report from the University of Portsmouth.
  
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• Will people eat relish made from 'waste' ingredients? Drexel study finds they may even prefer it

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Drexel University) A new Drexel University study found strong potential for consumer acceptance of a new category of foods created from discarded ingredients. But the big question has been this: Will consumers accept products made from ingredients that were destined for the garbage? Would a person actually eat -- and pay for -- a granola bar made from spent brewing grains or a relish made from vegetables unfit for the supermarket?
  
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• What role can schools play in preventing and responding to teen dating violence?

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) A nationwide study of school principals has shown that while the majority had assisted a victim of teen dating violence (TDV) recently, most of them had never received formal training in this area and their school did not have a specific protocol for dealing with TDV.
  
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• Water without windows: Capturing water vapor inside an electron microscope

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University) Scientists were able to demonstrate another way of viewing biological samples at high resolution.
  
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• VTT develops device for the simultaneous measurement of several gases reducing indoor air quality

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed a real-time and reliable device that can be used to measure ammonia and formaldehyde concentrations particularly in indoor air simultaneously, unlike with the meters currently in use.
  
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• VTT and the City of Nokia are planning plastic recycling in the ECO3 business park

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the City of Nokia aim to develop a new type of plastic recycling concept in the ECO3 business park for the bio and circular economy in Nokia.
  
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• Visualizing single molecules in whole cells with a new spin

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard) In their new study, a Wyss Institute/Max Planck Institute team adapted DNA-PAINT technology to microscopes that are widespread among cell biology laboratories, called confocal microscopes, and that are used by researchers to image whole cells and thicker tissues at lower resolution. The MPI/Wyss Institute team demonstrates that the method can visualize a variety of different molecules, including combinations of different proteins,
  
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• 'Virtual child' to train workers to treat kids with autism

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Massachusetts Lowell) Nearly one in 50 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, usually before age 3, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the number of people trained to help them isn't keeping pace with the demand.But a UMass Lowell faculty researcher is out to change this with a 'virtual child'to help professionals learn key treatment techniques.
  
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• UTHealth researchers link epigenetic aging to bipolar disorder

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Bipolar disorder may involve accelerated epigenetic aging, which could explain why persons with the disorder are more likely to have -- and die from -- age-related diseases, according to researchers from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston.
  
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• UT Austin researcher Xiaoqin Elaine Li awarded for innovations in quantum materials

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas) Xiaoqin Elaine Li, Ph.D., of The University of Texas at Austin is the recipient of the 2018 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).
  
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• UT Austin professor Delia J. Milliron recognized for advances in smart window technology

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas) Delia J. Milliron, Ph.D. of The University of Texas at Austin is the recipient of the 2018 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Engineering from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).
  
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• USC Viterbi professor designs thermal 'skin' to maintain temperature of satellites

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Southern California) If a satellite's temperature is not maintained within its optimal range, its performance can suffer which could mean it could be harder to track wildfires or other natural disasters, your Google maps might not work and your Netflix binge might be interrupted. This might be prevented with a new material recently developed by USC Viterbi School of Engineering engineers.
  
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• USC Viterbi faculty design thermal 'skin' to maintain temperature of satellites

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (University of Southern California) If a satellite's temperature is not maintained within its optimal range, its performance can suffer which could mean it could be harder to track wildfires or other natural disasters, your Google maps might not work and your Netflix binge might be interrupted. This might be prevented with a new material recently developed by USC Viterbi School of Engineering engineers.
  
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• UNIST researchers develop silicon chip-based quantum photonic devices

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) An international team of researchers, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has presented a core technology for quantum photonic devices used in quantum information processing. Their work has been published in the November issue of the prestigious journal, Nano Letters.
  
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• UNIST professor receives IEIE award

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) Franklin Bien, Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of Public Relations at South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), has been selected awarded the 2017 IEIE Awards.
  
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• UNIST design team receives prestigious 2017 Spark Design Awards

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) A design team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has once again been recognized for its design excellence in the 2017 Spark Design Awards.
  
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• Trust in e-cigarette safety varies by worldview, source of messaging

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (Georgia State University) Public health messaging about the safety of e-cigarettes needs to account for the worldviews of the target audience, with different groups displaying varying levels of trust depending on the source of the message, according to a recent study by the School of Public Health at Georgia State University.
  
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• Toward a brighter economy and the workforce that will build it, NJIT opens Makerspace

  12-12-2017 06:00
  (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Partners from government and industry joined the NJIT community to celebrate the opening of Makerspace at NJIT, a training-focused, rapid prototyping facility that is central to both the university's hands-on learning mission and its growing relationship with New Jersey's manufacturing community.
  
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