Science news

• 25% of Earth will be drier even if Paris climate targets met, study predicts

  01-01-2018 23:43 via cbc.ca
  At least a quarter of the land surface of the Earth will become "considerably" drier even if global warming is kept below the upper international target of two degrees Celsius, according to new research.
  
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• Rules that limit boat noise off B.C. coast are helping endangered killer whales, study says

  01-01-2018 20:49 via cbc.ca
  The regulations have helped southern resident orcas without hurting tourism, according to The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  
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• Speed breeding technique sows seeds of new green revolution

  01-01-2018 20:47
  A new technology, speed breeding, allows plants to be grown more rapidly. The technology produced wheat, from seed-to-seed in 8 weeks.
  
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• Curbing climate change

  01-01-2018 20:47
  Humans may be the dominant cause of global temperature rise, but they may also be a crucial factor in helping to reduce it, according to a new study that for the first time builds a novel model to measure the effects of behavior on climate.
  
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• U.K. may tax tech giants in fight against extremism, minister says

  01-01-2018 18:02 via cbc.ca
  Britain may impose new taxes on tech giants like Google and Facebook unless they do more to combat online extremism by taking down material aimed at radicalizing people or helping them to prepare attacks, the country's security minister says.
  
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• 'We are moving into uncharted territory': Futurists shed light on the robotic revolution

  01-01-2018 13:23 via cbc.ca
  "It is inevitable. The train left the station, the boat has left the slip — and I don't think there's preparation."
  
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• Large meteor spotted in skies across UK

  01-01-2018 12:52 via bbc.co.uk
  People across Britain reported seeing a large greenish light streak across the sky on Sunday evening.
  
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• The End of Night: Global Illumination Has Increased Worldwide

  01-01-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The spread of lit areas could threaten animal ecology and human health-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Sniffing out weevils: How Chili the dog is saving greenhouse peppers

  01-01-2018 11:00 via cbc.ca
  One of North America's largest greenhouse bell pepper growers in Leamington, Ont., has turned to a dog to sniff out a potentially devastating pest.
  
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• Bitcoin's gender divide could be a bad sign, experts say

  01-01-2018 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Bitcoin, and the world of cryptocurrency, is a boys' club, say some experts, and that should be cause for concern.
  
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• 2017 was a spectacular year for science stories

  01-01-2018 11:00 via cbc.ca
  In 2017, did you catch the solar eclipse, the first video footage of ruby sea dragons and the news about the first asteroid from outside our solar system? Here’s a look back at some of the most popular science stories of the past year on CBC News.
  
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• UK faces build-up of plastic waste

  01-01-2018 08:38 via bbc.co.uk
  UK does not have capacity to deal with extra plastic waste after a Chinese import ban, says industry group.
  
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• Supermassive black holes control star formation in large galaxies

  01-01-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Santa Cruz) Young galaxies blaze with bright new stars forming at a rapid rate, but star formation eventually shuts down as a galaxy evolves. A new study, published Jan. 1, 2018, in Nature, shows that the mass of the black hole in the center of the galaxy determines how soon this 'quenching' of star formation occurs.
  
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• Single metalens focuses all colors of the rainbow in one point

  01-01-2018 06:00
  (Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) Metalenses -- flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light -- promise to revolutionize optics by replacing the bulky, curved lenses currently used in optical devices with a simple, flat surface.But, these metalenses have remained limited in the spectrum of light they can focus well. Now a team of Harvard researchers has developed the first single lens that can focus the entire visible spectrum of light -- including whit
  
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• Keeping egg cells fresh with epigenetics

  01-01-2018 06:00
  (Babraham Institute) Keeping egg cells in stasis during childhood is a key part of female fertility. New research sheds light on the role of epigenetics in placing egg cells into stasis through childhood. A team from Cambridge, Dresden and Munich discovered a distinctive pattern of epigenetic marks that are needed for egg cell stasis. If egg cells don't go into stasis they can't become mature eggs and they will never have the chance to form new life.
  
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• Hidden threat to health

  01-01-2018 06:00
  (Rothamsted Research) Poorly nourished communities in the developed West will benefit from one of the most ambitious programs to provide lasting improvements in nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. The program begins today when a diverse multinational team of experts from agriculture to ethics start looking for ways to end dietary deficiencies in essential micronutrients.
  
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• Science stories coming up in 2018

  01-01-2018 03:12 via bbc.co.uk
  The BBC's global science correspondent, Rebecca Morelle, reveals what to watch out for in the new year.
  
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• A science news preview of 2018

  01-01-2018 01:29 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News looks ahead to some of the biggest science and environment stories coming up in 2018.
  
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