Science news

• U.S. calls on Iran to unblock Instagram, Telegram amid protests

  02-01-2018 21:15 via cbc.ca
  The Trump administration stepped up its support for protesters in Iran on Tuesday, calling on the government to stop blocking Instagram and other social media sites while encouraging Iranians to use special software to circumvent controls.
  
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• AI early diagnosis could save heart and cancer patients

  02-01-2018 20:05 via bbc.co.uk
  The systems will save billions of pounds by enabling the diseases to be picked up much earlier.
  
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• The endoplasmic reticulum-residing chaperone BiP is short-lived and metabolized through N-terminal arginylation

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  BiP and other endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–resident proteins are thought to be metabolically stable and to function primarily in the ER lumen. We sought to assess how the abundance of these proteins dynamically fluctuates in response to various stresses and how their subpopulations are relocated to non-ER compartments such as the cytosol. We showed that the molecular chaperone BiP (also known as GRP78) was short-lived under basal conditions and ER stress. The turnover of BiP was in part driv
  
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• The depalmitoylase APT1 directs the asymmetric partitioning of Notch and Wnt signaling during cell division

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Asymmetric cell division results in two distinctly fated daughter cells. A molecular hallmark of asymmetric division is the unequal partitioning of cell fate determinants. We have previously established that growth factor signaling promotes protein depalmitoylation to foster polarized protein localization, which, in turn, drives migration and metastasis. We report protein palmitoylation as a key mechanism for the asymmetric partitioning of the cell fate determinants Numb and β-catenin throu
  
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• Structural principles of tumor necrosis factor superfamily signaling

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand and receptor superfamilies play an important role in cell proliferation, survival, and death. Stimulating or inhibiting TNF superfamily signaling pathways is expected to have therapeutic benefit for patients with various diseases, including cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. We review our current understanding of the structure and geometry of TNF superfamily ligands, receptors, and their interactions. A trimeric ligand and three receptors, each
  
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• Predicting the future of signaling for 2018

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  In this Editorial, the Chief Scientific Editor of Science Signaling predicts some of the emerging areas to watch for advances in signaling research in 2018.
  
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• New connections: Stimulating immune memory against cancer

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Future immunotherapies may stimulate immune system attack as well as memory against cancer to prevent relapse in patients.
  
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• Blockade of TNFR2 signaling enhances the immunotherapeutic effect of CpG ODN in a mouse model of colon cancer

  02-01-2018 20:00 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Through the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type II (TNFR2), TNF preferentially activates, expands, and promotes the phenotypic stability of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. Those Treg cells that have a high abundance of TNFR2 have the maximal immunosuppressive capacity. We investigated whether targeting TNFR2 could effectively suppress the activity of Treg cells and consequently enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. We found that, relative to a suboptimal dose of the immunosti
  
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• Jazz improvisers score high on creativity

  02-01-2018 18:00
  
  Jazz musicians’ creativity linked to brain dexterity.
  
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• Solving a problem like waste recycling

  02-01-2018 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  The BBC's Dan Johnson visited a plant in Southwark to see how they're dealing with recycling build-up.
  
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• Vlogger Logan Paul apologizes amid backlash for 'dead body' video

  02-01-2018 16:38 via cbc.ca
  American video blogger Logan Paul apologizes after getting slammed for a video he shared on YouTube that appeared to show a body hanging from a tree in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, which is known as a suicide spot.
  
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• Good news for elephants — China bans ivory sales

  02-01-2018 15:49 via cbc.ca
  A ban on ivory sales in China, the world's largest importer and end user of elephant tusks, is now in effect. Wildlife activists call it a vital step to reducing the slaughter of the endangered animals.
  
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• 86 stars get official names

  02-01-2018 15:00
  
  The International Astronomical Union has released 86 newly official star names, based, in part, on historical star names from various indigenous cultures.
  
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• Israel's Spacecom expands deal for satellite service to Nepal

  02-01-2018 13:54
  TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel's Space Communication Ltd, operator of the Amos satellites, said on Tuesday Nepal's Dish Media Network has contracted for more capacity on the Amos-4 satellite starting in the fourth quarter.
  
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• Researchers hope Beaufort Sea beluga tagging will shed light on whale diets, travelling habits

  02-01-2018 13:00 via cbc.ca
  Researchers hope program will provide data to begin a new aerial survey, which will provide an updated population count.
  
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• A sinking, melting ancient tectonic plate may fuel Yellowstone’s supervolcano

  02-01-2018 13:00
  
  The subduction of an ancient tectonic plate may be the driving force behind Yellowstone’s volcanic eruptions.
  
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• Salmon Spawning May Move Mountains

  02-01-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The fish’s reproduction erodes riverbeds over millennia, research suggests-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• National plan looks to slash antibiotic use in livestock in Canada

  02-01-2018 12:00 via cbc.ca
  Starting Dec. 1, 2018, hundreds of over-the-counter antibiotics will require a prescription from a veterinarian.
  
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• Feds to search social media using AI to find patterns of suicide-related behaviour

  02-01-2018 12:00 via cbc.ca
  The federal government will launch a pilot project using artificial intelligence to monitor social media in search of trends that may indicate imminent spikes in suicide rates.
  
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• Feds to search social media using AI to find patterns of behaviour related to suicide

  02-01-2018 12:00 via cbc.ca
  The federal government will launch a pilot project using artificial intelligence to monitor social media in search of trends that may indicate imminent spikes in suicide rates.
  
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• Canadian government to search social media using artificial intelligence to predict suicides

  02-01-2018 12:00 via cbc.ca
  The federal government will launch a pilot project using artificial intelligence to monitor social media in search of trends that may indicate imminent spikes in suicide rates.
  
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• Dogs overdosing on marijuana, veterinarian warns

  02-01-2018 11:55 via cbc.ca
  With impending medical marijuana legalization, a Nova Scotia vet says he's seeing an increase in dogs overdosing on pot, but also a growing interest in the use of cannabis oil as treatment.
  
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• The gene editing tech that uses 'molecular scissors'

  02-01-2018 08:37 via bbc.co.uk
  In 2012 a form of gene editing was discovered, it is called CRISPR Cas9. It uses "molecular scissors" to alter a very specific strand of DNA.
  
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• Mussel power: Bid to save rare shellfish in Wales

  02-01-2018 07:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Young freshwater pearl mussels are being grown at a fishery in Powys
  
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• Zooming in on protein to prevent kidney stones

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Case Western Reserve University) Researchers have applied Nobel prize-winning microscope technology to uncover an ion channel structure that could lead to new treatments for kidney stones. In a recent study published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, researchers revealed atomic-level details of the protein that serves as a passageway for calcium across kidney cell membranes.
  
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• Virtual twin in 10 minutes

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Bielefeld University) Avatars -- virtual persons -- are a core element of ICSpace, the virtual fitness and movement environment at Bielefeld University's Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC). The system makes it possible to practice and improve motion sequences by providing individualized feedback in real time. The system is embodied by a virtual person acting as a coach.
  
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• Tweaking quantum dots powers-up double-pane solar windows

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory) Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboraotry are creating double-pane solar windows that generate electricity with greater efficiency and also create shading and insulation. It's all made possible by a new window architecture which utilizes two different layers of low-cost quantum dots tuned to absorb different parts of the solar spectrum. The approach complements existing photovoltaic technology by adding high-efficiency sunlight collectors to existing sola
  
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• Stress gene regulates brain cell power and connections in rodents

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Society for Neuroscience) A gene activated by stress adjusts energy output and synapse number of prefrontal cortex neurons, finds a study of male mice and rats published in JNeurosci. The results were validated in brain tissue of deceased patients with Alzheimer's disease and depression, two disorders known to be aggravated by stress.
  
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• Standardizing perovskite aging measurements

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) EPFL scientists have produced a data-driven proposal for standardizing the measurements of perovskite solar cell stability and degradation. Published in Nature Energy, the work aims to create consensus in the field and overcome one of the major hurdles on the way to commercializing perovskite photovoltaics.
  
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• Spider's web inspires removable implant that may control type 1 diabetes

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Cornell University) For the more than 1 million Americans who live with type 1 diabetes, daily insulin injections are literally a matter of life and death. And while there is no cure, a Cornell University-led research team has developed a device that could revolutionize management of the disease.
  
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• Social susceptibility

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Santa Barbara) UCSB evolutionary ecologist Jonathan Pruitt and colleagues study the leader-follower dynamics of influential individuals in a social group.
  
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• Silver nanoparticles take spectroscopy to new dimension

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (American Institute of Physics) As medicine and pharmacology investigate nanoscale processes, it has become increasingly important to identify and characterize different molecules. Raman spectroscopy, which leverages the scattering of laser light to identify molecules, has a limited capacity to detect molecules in diluted samples because of low signal yield, but researchers in India have improved molecular detection at low concentration levels by arranging silver nanoparticles on silicon nanowir
  
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• Sensor to monitor orbital debris outside space station

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Johnson Space Center) The Space Debris Sensor (SDS) will monitor the small debris environment around the space station for two to three years, recording instances of debris between the sizes of .05mm to.5mm. Objects larger than 3 mm are monitored from the ground. It will launch to station in the trunk of a SpaceX Dragon during a resupply mission no earlier than Dec. 12.
  
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• Scientists explore mysteries behind diversity of DNA composition among species

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Arizona State University) DNA rules specify that G always pairs with C, and A with T. But, when it's all added up, the amount of G+C vs A+T content among species is not a simple fixed percentage or, standard one-to-one ratio. Michael Lynch's group has now experimentally demonstrated that G+C composition is generally strongly favored by natural selection, regardless of the class of DNA, size of a species' genome, or where the species is found on the evolutionary tree of life.
  
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• Revealing snapshots: Advanced imaging uncovers how the brain responds to vascular injury

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Medical University of South Carolina) In a Jan. 2, 2018, article in Cell Reports, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina report that pericytes, a little-understood cell type on the brain's blood vessels, grow into the empty territory left behind when their neighboring pericytes die. Their findings, made possible by advanced imaging of living pericytes, may help scientists better understand how blood vessel plasticity in the brain changes with common disorders, such as stroke an
  
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• Researchers find differences in infant morbidity-mortality rates in NYC hospitals

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine) Blacks and Hispanic very preterm infants are more likely to be born at hospitals with higher risk-adjusted neonatal morbidity-mortality rates, and these differences contribute to excess morbidity and mortality among black and Hispanic infants. These differences in hospital of birth explained 39.9 percent of the black-white disparity and 29.5 percent of the Hispanic-white disparity in outcomes.
  
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• Researchers discover higher environmental impact from cookstove emissions

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Washington University in St. Louis) Millions of Asian families use cookstoves and often fuel them with cheap biofuels to prepare food. But the smoke emitted from these cookstoves has a definite, detrimental environmental impact, particularly in India. New research from Washington University in St. Louis offers a clearer picture of the topic's true scope.
  
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• Registration open for ATS 2018 International Conference in San Diego

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (American Thoracic Society) Every year in May researchers and clinicians in pulmonary medicine, critical care and sleep join colleagues from around the world for the ATS International Conference. Presentations include clinical and basic sciencediscoveries that are changing medicine's understanding and treatment of patients.
  
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• 'Quantum radio' may aid communications and mapping indoors, underground and underwater

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) NIST researchers have demonstrated that quantum physics might enable communications and mapping in locations where GPS and ordinary cellphones and radios don't work reliably or even at all, such as indoors, in urban canyons, underwater and underground.
  
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• Perfectionism among young people significantly increased since 1980s, study finds

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (American Psychological Association) The drive to be perfect in body, mind and career among today's college students has significantly increased compared with prior generations, which may be taking a toll on young people's mental health, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
  
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• Novel nanomedicine inhibits progression of pancreatic cancer in mice

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (American Friends of Tel Aviv University) A new Tel Aviv University study pinpoints the inverse correlation between a known oncogene -- a gene that promotes the development of cancer -- and the expression of an oncosuppressor microRNA as the reason for extended pancreatic cancer survival. The study may serve as a basis for the development of an effective cocktail of drugs for this deadly disease and other cancers.
  
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• New brain mapping technique highlights relationship between connectivity and IQ

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (University of Cambridge) A new and relatively simple technique for mapping the wiring of the brain has shown a correlation between how well connected an individual's brain regions are and their intelligence, say researchers at the University of Cambridge.
  
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• Nature's smallest rainbows, created by peacock spiders, may inspire new optical technology

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (University of Akron) The mechanism behind these tiny rainbows may inspire new color technology, but wouldn't have been discovered without research combining basic natural history with physics and engineering. These super iridescent spider scales can be used to overcome current limitations in spectral manipulation, and to reduce the size of optical spectrometers for applications where fine-scale spectral resolution is required in a very small package, notably instruments on space missions, or we
  
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• NASA sees Tropical Depression 01W come together

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Depression 1W formed just west of the Philippines in the Sulu Sea as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead early on Jan. 2, 2018.
  
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• Locating the precise reaction path: Methane dissociation on platinum

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (American Institute of Physics) So far, the search for catalysts even better than transition metals has been largely based on trial and error, and on the assumption that catalyzed reactions take place on step edges and other atomic defect sites of the metal crystals. An international research team has combined experiments using advanced infrared techniques with quantum theory to explore methane dissociation reactions in minute detail. They report their findings this week in The Journal of Chemic
  
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• Link between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular death depends on socioeconomics

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (PLOS) Very frequent consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, but only among people in the lowest socioeconomic position, according to a new research study published in PLOS Medicine by Eirik Degerud from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues.
  
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• Hairy skin grown from mouse stem cells

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Cell Press) Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have cultured the first lab-grown skin tissue complete with hair follicles. This skin model, developed using stem cells from mice, more closely resembles natural hair than existing models and may prove useful for testing drugs, understanding hair growth, and reducing the practice of animal testing. The work appears Jan. 2 in the journal Cell Reports.
  
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• Exploring electrolysis for energy storage

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Kyushu University, I2CNER) A research team at Kyushu University's International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) developed a flow-type polymer electrolyte cell for power storage. The cell reduces oxalic acid (OX) to glycolic acid, which has a higher volumetric energy-storage capacity than hydrogen gas. Newly fabricated TiO2 cathode enhanced the speed and efficiency of OX reduction. This competitive energy-storage device could be used to balance out the fluctuations in renew
  
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• Educational video may increase public willingness to become face transplant donors

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (Wolters Kluwer Health) After watching a brief educational video, members of the public are more likely to say they would be willing to donate a facial transplant to a severely disfigured patient, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
  
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• Do young users of noncigarette tobacco products progress to conventional cigarettes?

  02-01-2018 06:00
  (JAMA Network) The use of electronic cigarettes, hookahs, noncigarette combustible tobacco or smokeless tobacco by adolescents were each associated with starting to smoke conventional cigarettes within a year.
  
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