Science news

• Overcoming difficulties developing an HIV vaccine

  26-12-2017 21:42
  The development of an HIV vaccine has proven extraordinarily difficult. One of the reasons is that naïve precursor B cells that can give rise to mature B cells producing broadly neutralizing antibodies are exceedingly rare within the average human. Yet, despite their low frequency these B cell precursors can outcompete their B cell competitors under the right conditions.
  
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• How T-cells navigate the rough-and-tumble environment of the bloodstream

  26-12-2017 21:42
  Helper T cells move toward inflamed tissue using membrane protrusions that stabilize them and provide traction on the vasculature. Using high-resolution microscopy and global molecular analysis, scientists show that immature T cells lack these protrusions but that maturing T-cells switch on a gene expression program to create material to construct them.
  
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• Scientists should be super modelers

  26-12-2017 21:40
  Scholars and conservationists want to aim for the right future to preserve biodiversity and plan sustainable environments. One of those scholars is calling for due diligence to make sure the right data, not conventional wisdom, shapes that target.
  
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• Befriending oneself has benefits, but backup plan recommended

  26-12-2017 21:40
  A self-replicating fish replicates only its own DNA, but researchers have found the mangrove killifish has a remarkable amount of genetic diversity across its species.
  
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• U.S. military turns to oyster reefs to protect against storms

  26-12-2017 20:57 via cbc.ca
  In hundreds of places around the U.S. and the world, oyster reefs are being planted primarily as storm protection measures.
  
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• Pain-free skin patch responds to sugar levels for management of type 2 diabetes

  26-12-2017 19:47
  Researchers have devised a biochemically formulated patch of dissolvable microneedles for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The biochemical formula of mineralized compounds in the patch responds to blood chemistry to manage glucose automatically. In a proof-of-concept study performed with mice, the researchers showed that the chemicals interact in the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar for days at a time.
  
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• Understanding the molecular mechanisms of ALS

  26-12-2017 19:46
  Scientists have revealed more details of the molecular mechanism behind neuronal cell death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a step forward to find ways to control progression of the disease.
  
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• Trees' spring awakening is becoming less and less sensitive to altitude differences

  26-12-2017 19:46
  In the Swiss Alps, the time lag between leafing of trees at high and low altitudes has shortened dramatically since the 1960s due to climate warming.
  
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• Nanowire device to detect cancer with a urine test

  26-12-2017 19:46
  Researchers have developed a nanowire device able to detect microscopic levels of urinary markers potentially implicated in cancer.
  
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• Hackers could guess your phone PIN using its sensor data

  26-12-2017 19:46
  Instruments in smart phones such as the accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensors represent a potential security vulnerability, according to researchers.
  
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• Sea smoke phenomenon on Lake Superior, Minnesota

  26-12-2017 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Footage captures the Christmas Day scene over Lake Superior, US.
  
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• Driverless trucks moving closer to commercial reality on Canadian highways

  26-12-2017 16:52 via cbc.ca
  Autonomous trucks are moving towards commercial reality on Canadian highways as companies look to boost productivity amid a driver shortage and governments seek to reduce deadly crashes.
  
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• Pulmonary fibrosis caused by single transcription factor

  26-12-2017 16:51
  To date, the molecular basis of pulmonary fibrosis has been poorly understood. Scientists have now shown that reduced activity of the transcription factor FoxO3 plays a key role in the development of the disease. In research on mice, the progress of the disease was able to be halted using drugs that boost FoxO3 activity. The researchers are hoping they may have found a possible approach to treatment.
  
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• A classic Darwinian ecological hypothesis holds up -- with a twist

  26-12-2017 16:51
  New research shows that a long-held hypothesis about the factors that govern species ranges largely holds true, but may be the result of a previously underappreciated ecological mechanism.
  
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• Cleaner air, longer lives

  26-12-2017 16:50
  A new study shows that the Clean Air Act is likely responsible for dramatic decline in atmospheric organic aerosol in the U.S.
  
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• Potential path to repair MS-damaged nerves

  26-12-2017 16:49
  Gene expression in specific cells and in specific regions can provide a more precise, neuroprotective approach than traditional treatments for neurological diseases. For multiple sclerosis, specifically, increasing cholesterol synthesis gene expression in astrocytes of the spinal cord can be a pathway to repair nerves that affect walking.
  
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• First-ever hybrid bird species from the Amazon

  26-12-2017 16:49
  Researchers have described the first known hybrid bird species to be found in the Amazon rainforest. Through a series of genetic and other tests the team have revealed that the golden-crowned manakin -- first discovered in Brazil in 1957 but not seen again until 2002 - is in fact a hybrid species.
  
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• Here’s what you might have missed in space this year

  26-12-2017 13:00
  
  Missions to Jupiter and Saturn made big headlines, and 2017 also saw exciting updates from missions of years past.
  
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• How Many Gigs Are You Wearing?

  26-12-2017 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Magnetic clothing could be used to store passwords and other data
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Toronto considers fining residents who don't recycle properly

  26-12-2017 12:00 via cbc.ca
  The confusion of what goes into recycling bins in Toronto is costing the city millions of dollars every year. With the increase of waste over the holidays, the city wants to remind residents what some of the common blue-bin blunders are.
  
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• Rare Amazon bird species arose from ancient interspecies sex

  26-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Hundreds of thousands of years ago, a couple of birds with exotic tastes had an interspecies tryst. Now, a Canadian-led team of scientists has confirmed their descendants are a new species that arose from the hybridization of two separate parent species – a rare occurrence.
  
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• In 2017, tech turned dark

  26-12-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Among experts ranging from the field of AI to big data, and from privacy to entertainment, there's no disagreement that 2017 was the year digital turned to the dark side.
  
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• UNIST startup receives KRW 1 billion investment from KIBO

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) RecensMedical Inc., a venture company at South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has been selected as the first investment enterprise of U-TECH Valley by the Korea Technology Finance Corporation.
  
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• UNIST professor receives award from the Minister of SMEs and Startups

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) Professor Jeong Beom Kim, founder of SuPine Therapeutics Co., Ltd. at South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has been selected to receive an award from the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
  
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• UNIST professor receives 2017 Korea Scientists Awards

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) Distinguished Professor Sang Il Seok at South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has been awarded 2017 Korea Scientists Awards, the Nobel Prize of S. Korea.
  
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• Traditional secrets to keeping cool: Investigating Okinawan textiles

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University) Researchers at OIST and the University of Ryukyus have scientifically analyzed traditional materials and processes involved in the production of Okinawan Basho-fu textiles.
  
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• Thermoelectric power generation at room temperature: Coming soon?

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Osaka University) A research team led by Osaka University created a thermoelectric material with promising performance at room temperature. Ytterbium silicide is a good electrical conductor. It also has a high Seebeck coefficient thanks to Kondo resonance (fluctuation of f-electrons), which increases its power factor. Its layered structure further promotes the thermoelectric effect by blocking heat conduction. This non-toxic, room-temperature thermoelectric material is competitive with conventi
  
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• Technique to allow AI to learn words in the flow of dialogue developed

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Osaka University) A group of researchers at Osaka University has developed a new method for dialogue systems. This new method, lexical acquisition through implicit confirmation, is a method for a computer to acquire the category of an unknown word over multiple dialogues by confirming whether or not its predictions are correct in the flow of conversation.
  
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• Short-term exposure to low levels of air pollution linked with premature death among US seniors

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Short-term exposures to fine particulate air pollution and ozone -- even at levels well below current national safety standards -- were linked to higher risk of premature death among the elderly in the US according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  
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• Short-term exposure to air pollution at levels below current standards and risk of death

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (JAMA Network) Short-term exposure to air pollution at levels below current air quality standards were associated with a higher risk of death in older adults.
  
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• Satellite keeps an eye on US holiday travel weather

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) A satellite view of the US on Dec. 22 revealed holiday travelers on both coasts are running into wet weather. A visible image from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite showed systems affecting the Pacific Northwest, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the areas from the southeastern U.S. to the Mid-Atlantic.
  
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• NTU study finds that hackers could guess your phone PIN using its sensor data

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Nanyang Technological University) Data from the physical sensors in a smart phone could be used by hackers to guess the security PIN and unlock it, says NTU Singapore researchers.
  
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• New strategy for isotope separation with flexible porous material

  26-12-2017 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 succeeded in developing a novel deuterium separation method, using a special class of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) whose pore dimensions change upon gas adsorption.
  
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• Neuroscientists shed light on causes of postpartum depression using new research model

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus) Postpartum depression strikes nearly one in five new mothers. Stress is a significant risk factor for this complex condition. Tufts University neuroscientists have generated a novel preclinical model of postpartum depression and demonstrated involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (the neuroendocrine system that mediates physiological response to stress and is normally suppressed during and after pregnancy). These findings in mice provide
  
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• Mass spectrometric imaging technique makes diagnosis easier and smarter

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)) A research team from Korea succeeded develop mass spectrometry imaging system to analyze living biological samples in the atmospheric pressure environment at resolution of 3 μm. The approach could be applied in molecular biology and medical diagnosis fields.
  
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• Dietary restriction and life span in male and hermaphrodite worms

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Cell Press) An organism's lifespan is known to be affected by its sex and diet, but where these two factors overlap biologically is not well understood. Researchers in Japan looked for clues in worms that have two sexes: hermaphrodite or male. They found that hermaphrodite worms can live over two weeks longer when put on various forms of dietary restriction, whereas male worms show no change in lifespan.The work appears December 26 in Cell Reports.
  
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• Bridging aging research and artificial intelligence

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Biogerontology Research Foundation) Alex Zhavoronkov PhD, director and trustee of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, is now also CEO of a CB Insights AI 100 listed company.
  
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• Are childhood blood lead levels associated with criminal behavior?

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (JAMA Network) Researchers found no consistent association between childhood lead exposure and adult criminal behavior in New Zealand where low socioeconomic status, which confuses the association in settings with socioeconomic disparities, is less of a factor.
  
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• Alaskan microgrids offer energy resilience and independence

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (American Institute of Physics) The electrical grid in the contiguous United States is a behemoth of interconnected systems; if one section fails, millions could be without power. Remote villages in Alaska provide an example of how safeguards could build resilience into a larger electrical grid. These communities rely on microgrids -- small, local power stations that operate autonomously. Recent articles in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy provide reviews of energy technologies an
  
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• A new strategy for efficient hydrogen production

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) An joint research team, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced the Hybrid-SOEC system with highest reported electrochemical performance in hydrogen production.
  
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• 2017 top science news release breaks EurekAlert!'s all-time record

  26-12-2017 06:00
  (EurekAlert!) The most popular news release on EurekAlert! In 2017 is also the most-visited in the science-news service's 21-year history.
  
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