Science news

• Lack of sun could be to blame for winter weight gain, Alberta study suggests

  11-01-2018 23:26 via cbc.ca
  People who are having difficulties shedding some pounds in New Year’s resolution season may have the lack of sun to blame for their struggle, new University of Alberta research has found.
  
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• Tagged tiger shark proving unstoppable

  11-01-2018 22:30
  For more than a decade, researchers have been tagging and tracking sharks in order to study their migratory patterns and more. One tiger shark - Andy - is now the longest-ever tracked tiger shark, providing years worth of data for researchers.
  
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• Supermassive black hole caught burping — twice

  11-01-2018 22:29
  Astronomers have caught a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy snacking on gas and then "burping" — not once, but twice.
  
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• Rising CO2 in lakes could keep water fleas from raising their spiky defenses

  11-01-2018 22:29
  
  Rising CO2 in freshwaters may change how predators and prey interact in lakes.
  
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• Magnified and stretched out image of extremely distant galaxy

  11-01-2018 22:29
  An intensive survey deep into the universe by NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes has yielded the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack: the farthest galaxy yet seen in an image that has been stretched and amplified by a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
  
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• Archeology of our Milky Way's ancient hub

  11-01-2018 22:29
  A new analysis of about 10,000 normal Sun-like stars in the Milky Way's bulge reveals that our galaxy’s hub is a dynamic environment of variously aged stars zipping around at different speeds.
  
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• Scientists identify immune cells that keep gut fungi under control

  11-01-2018 21:50
  Immune cells that process food and bacterial antigens in the intestines control the intestinal population of fungi, according to a new study. Defects in the fungus-fighting abilities of these cells may contribute to some cases of Crohn's disease and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  
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• No planets needed for rings around stars: Disk patterns can self-generate

  11-01-2018 21:50
  A new study shows rings, arcs and spirals in disks around stars may not be caused by planets. They may self-generate.
  
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• Dengue takes low and slow approach to replication

  11-01-2018 21:50
  Dengue virus slowly takes over the endoplasmic reticulum, the production site for a subset of host proteins, and steers clear of the cytosol, the fluid-filled space where the majority of host cellular proteins are synthesized. Its viral RNA template is translated into protein in such an inefficient, lackadaisical manner that it doesn't trip alarms.
  
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• Brown dwarfs found sprinkled among newborn stars in Orion Nebula

  11-01-2018 21:50
  Astronomers have uncovered the largest known population of brown dwarfs sprinkled among newborn stars in the Orion Nebula.
  
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• Biologists peek into the past to see the future through tiny spider eyes

  11-01-2018 21:50
  Biologists look to the past for early genetic development of tiny spider and insect eyes to find potential for research into human visual challenges.
  
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• Fossil of dinosaur swept away in ancient Australian river found

  11-01-2018 21:23
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In sandstone next to the high tide mark at the edge of Bass Strait in southeastern Australia, scientists have unearthed fossils of a two-legged, turkey-sized, plant-eating dinosaur apparently swept away in a large, powerful ancient river.
  
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• Like Oceans, Freshwater Is Also Acidifying

  11-01-2018 20:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Rising CO2 in lakes and reservoirs may harm animals that live in those ecosystems-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Not all strep infections are alike and it may have nothing to do with you

  11-01-2018 20:40
  
  Add-on genes in some bacteria shape the way strains interact with the immune system.
  
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• Citizen scientists discover five-planet system

  11-01-2018 20:40
  In its search for exoplanets -- planets outside of our solar system -- NASA's Kepler telescope trails behind Earth, measuring the brightness of stars that may potentially host planets. The instrument identifies potential planets around other stars by looking for dips in the brightness of the stars that occur when planets cross in front of, or transit, them. Typically, computer programs flag the stars with these brightness dips, then astronomers look at each one and decide whether or not they tru
  
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• The brain's GPS has a buddy system

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Brain cells that reflect self position relative to others have been identified in the rat hippocampus. Sometimes these representations are processed jointly by the same cells, depending on a rat's goals and actions. This discovery deepens our understanding of the hippocampus and its role as the brain's positioning system.
  
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• Steep slopes on Mars reveal structure of buried ice on Red Planet

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Researchers have found eight sites where thick deposits of ice beneath Mars' surface are exposed in faces of eroding slopes. The ice was likely deposited as snow long ago. The deposits hold clues about Mars' climate history and also may make frozen water more accessible than previously thought to future robotic or human exploration missions.
  
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• Solving Darwin's 'abominable mystery': How flowering plants conquered the world

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Researchers have found that flowering plants have small cells relative to other major plant groups, made possible by a greatly reduced genome size, and this may explain how they became dominant so rapidly in ecosystems across the world.
  
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• Risk of non-infectious elephantiasis mapped in Cameroon

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Both the etiology and demographics of podoconiosis, a non-infectious disease which causes massive swelling of the legs, are poorly understood. To help contribute to the global atlas of podoconiosis knowledge, researchers have now described the distribution of podoconiosis in Cameroon.
  
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• Rising CO2 is causing trouble in freshwaters too, study suggests

  11-01-2018 20:17
  As carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere rise, more CO2 gets absorbed into seawater. As a result, the world's oceans have grown more acidic over time, causing a wide range of well-documented problems for marine animals and ecosystems. Now, researchers present some of the first evidence that similar things are happening in freshwaters too.
  
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• Researchers map druggable genomic targets in evolving malaria parasite

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Researchers have used whole genome analyses and chemogenetics to identify new drug targets and resistance genes in 262 parasite cell lines of Plasmodium falciparum -- protozoan pathogens that cause malaria -- that are resistant to 37 diverse antimalarial compounds.
  
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• Human protein may aid neuron invasion by virus that causes hand, foot, and mouth disease

  11-01-2018 20:17
  A human protein known as prohibitin may play a significant role in infection of the nervous system by EV71, one of several viruses that can cause hand, foot, and mouth disease.
  
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• Different strains of same bacteria trigger widely varying immune responses

  11-01-2018 20:17
  Genetic differences between different strains of the same pathogenic bacterial species appear to result in widely varying immune system responses, according to new research.
  
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• The circadian clock sets the pace of plant growth

  11-01-2018 20:16
  Researchers have discovered that the members of a protein family from the plant internal clock act sequentially to limit the plant growth until the end of the night. This knowledge could help to understand how plants face different kinds of stress that affect their growth, such as drought or high temperature.
  
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• Marijuana farms expose spotted owls to rat poison in northwest California

  11-01-2018 20:16
  Spotted owls and barred owls are being exposed to high levels of rat poison in northwest California, with illegal marijuana farms the most likely source point, according to a new study. Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in the state, went into effect this month and is expected to intensify the issue.
  
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• Fast food makes the immune system more aggressive in the long term

  11-01-2018 20:16
  The immune system reacts similarly to a high fat and high calorie diet as to a bacterial infection. Unhealthy food seems to make the body's defenses more aggressive in the long term. Even long after switching to a healthy diet, inflammation towards innate immune stimulation is more pronounced. These changes may be involved in the development of arteriosclerosis and diabetes.
  
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• Faint galactic glow: Intriguing organic molecule benzonitrile in interstellar space

  11-01-2018 20:16
  Astronomers have made the first definitive interstellar detection of benzonitrile, an intriguing organic molecule that helps to chemically link simple carbon-based molecules and truly massive ones known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This discovery is a vital clue in a 30-year-old mystery: identifying the source of a faint infrared glow that permeates the Milky Way and other galaxies.
  
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• By altering bone marrow, training can prepare innate immune system for future challenges

  11-01-2018 20:16
  Researchers have discovered how the innate immune system, which responds more generally to dangers detected in the body, can be trained to 'remember' past threats and respond more robustly to future challenges.
  
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• Breaking bad metals with neutrons

  11-01-2018 20:16
  By combining the latest developments in neutron scattering and theory, researchers are close to predicting phenomena like superconductivity and magnetism in strongly correlated electron systems. It is likely that the next advances in superconductivity and magnetism will come from such systems, but they might also be used in completely new ways such as quantum computing.
  
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• Autism: Brain circuit controls social behavior identified

  11-01-2018 20:16
  A new study has identified a key brain region of the neural circuit that controls social behavior. Increasing the activity of this region, called the habenula, led to social problems in rodents, whereas decreasing activity of the region prevented social problems.
  
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• Shallow ice sheets discovered on Mars could aid future astronauts

  11-01-2018 20:00
  
  Exposed water ice on steep Martian slopes suggest there’s a lot within a meter or two of the surface.
  
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• Molecular Clue to the Mystery of Carbon's Cosmic Origin Uncovered

  11-01-2018 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  A chemical found in a distant gas cloud could help explain where planets like Earth get the seeds of life-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Erosion on Mars reveals ice, moves boulders

  11-01-2018 20:00 via cbc.ca
  When we think of Mars, we think of a dry, desolate planet. But beneath the dust of Mars lies frozen water, and a new study has found that erosion is exposing that water ice, even sending boulders cascading down shallow cliffs.
  
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• Hubble telescope ramps up search for Europa’s watery plumes

  11-01-2018 19:34
  
  Astronomers are redoubling their efforts to confirm that the icy moon Europa spews water from its south pole.
  
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• The epigenetic control of stemness in CD8+ T cell fate commitment

  11-01-2018 19:18
  After priming, naïve CD8+ T lymphocytes establish specific heritable transcription programs that define progression to long-lasting memory cells or to short-lived effector cells. Although lineage specification is critical for protection, it remains unclear how chromatin dynamics contributes to the control of gene expression programs. We explored the role of gene silencing by the histone methyltransferase Suv39h1. In murine CD8+ T cells activated after Listeria monocytogenes infection, Suv3
  
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• Structure of the human TRPM4 ion channel in a lipid nanodisc

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 4 (TRPM4) is a widely expressed cation channel associated with a variety of cardiovascular disorders. TRPM4 is activated by increased intracellular calcium in a voltage-dependent manner but, unlike many other TRP channels, is permeable to monovalent cations only. Here we present two structures of full-length human TRPM4 embedded in lipid nanodiscs at ~3-angstrom resolution, as determined by single-particle cryo–electron microscopy. These struct
  
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• Structure of the cold- and menthol-sensing ion channel TRPM8

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) cation channels are polymodal sensors that are involved in a variety of physiological processes. Within the TRPM family, member 8 (TRPM8) is the primary cold and menthol sensor in humans. We determined the cryo–electron microscopy structure of the full-length TRPM8 from the collared flycatcher at an overall resolution of ~4.1 ångstroms. Our TRPM8 structure reveals a three-layered architecture. The amino-terminal domain with a fold distin
  
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• Spatial representations of self and other in the hippocampus

  11-01-2018 19:18
  An animal’s awareness of its location in space depends on the activity of place cells in the hippocampus. How the brain encodes the spatial position of others has not yet been identified. We investigated neuronal representations of other animals’ locations in the dorsal CA1 region of the hippocampus with an observational T-maze task in which one rat was required to observe another rat’s trajectory to successfully retrieve a reward. Information reflecting the spatial location of
  
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• Social place-cells in the bat hippocampus

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Social animals have to know the spatial positions of conspecifics. However, it is unknown how the position of others is represented in the brain. We designed a spatial observational-learning task, in which an observer bat mimicked a demonstrator bat while we recorded hippocampal dorsal-CA1 neurons from the observer bat. A neuronal subpopulation represented the position of the other bat, in allocentric coordinates. About half of these "social place-cells" represented also the observer’s own
  
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• Rapid hybrid speciation in Darwins finches

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Homoploid hybrid speciation in animals has been inferred frequently from patterns of variation, but few examples have withstood critical scrutiny. Here we report a directly documented example, from its origin to reproductive isolation. An immigrant Darwin’s finch to Daphne Major in the Galápagos archipelago initiated a new genetic lineage by breeding with a resident finch (Geospiza fortis). Genome sequencing of the immigrant identified it as a G. conirostris male that originated on
  
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• Ordered macro-microporous metal-organic framework single crystals

  11-01-2018 19:18
  We constructed highly oriented and ordered macropores within metal-organic framework (MOF) single crystals, opening up the area of three-dimensional–ordered macro-microporous materials (that is, materials containing both macro- and micropores) in single-crystalline form. Our methodology relies on the strong shaping effects of a polystyrene nanosphere monolith template and a double-solvent–induced heterogeneous nucleation approach. This process synergistically enabled the in situ grow
  
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• Mapping the malaria parasite druggable genome by using in vitro evolution and chemogenomics

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Chemogenetic characterization through in vitro evolution combined with whole-genome analysis can identify antimalarial drug targets and drug-resistance genes. We performed a genome analysis of 262 Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to 37 diverse compounds. We found 159 gene amplifications and 148 nonsynonymous changes in 83 genes associated with drug-resistance acquisition, where gene amplifications contributed to one-third of resistance acquisition events. Beyond confirming previously id
  
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• Gene therapy comes of age

  11-01-2018 19:18
  After almost 30 years of promise tempered by setbacks, gene therapies are rapidly becoming a critical component of the therapeutic armamentarium for a variety of inherited and acquired human diseases. Gene therapies for inherited immune disorders, hemophilia, eye and neurodegenerative disorders, and lymphoid cancers recently progressed to approved drug status in the United States and Europe, or are anticipated to receive approval in the near future. In this Review, we discuss milestones in the d
  
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• Fatty acyl recognition and transfer by an integral membrane S-acyltransferase

  11-01-2018 19:18
  DHHC (Asp-His-His-Cys) palmitoyltransferases are eukaryotic integral membrane enzymes that catalyze protein palmitoylation, which is important in a range of physiological processes, including small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) signaling, cell adhesion, and neuronal receptor scaffolding. We present crystal structures of two DHHC palmitoyltransferases and a covalent intermediate mimic. The active site resides at the membrane-cytosol interface, which allows the enzyme to catalyze thioester-exc
  
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• Exposed subsurface ice sheets in the Martian mid-latitudes

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Thick deposits cover broad regions of the Martian mid-latitudes with a smooth mantle; erosion in these regions creates scarps that expose the internal structure of the mantle. We investigated eight of these locations and found that they expose deposits of water ice that can be >100 meters thick, extending downward from depths as shallow as 1 to 2 meters below the surface. The scarps are actively retreating because of sublimation of the exposed water ice. The ice deposits likely originated as
  
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• Detection of the aromatic molecule benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) in the interstellar medium

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles are thought to be widespread throughout the universe, because these classes of molecules are probably responsible for the unidentified infrared bands, a set of emission features seen in numerous Galactic and extragalactic sources. Despite their expected ubiquity, astronomical identification of specific aromatic molecules has proven elusive. We present the discovery of benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN), one of the simplest nitro
  
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• CX3CR1+ mononuclear phagocytes control immunity to intestinal fungi

  11-01-2018 19:18
  Intestinal fungi are an important component of the microbiota, and recent studies have unveiled their potential in modulating host immune homeostasis and inflammatory disease. Nonetheless, the mechanisms governing immunity to gut fungal communities (mycobiota) remain unknown. We identified CX3CR1+ mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) as being essential for the initiation of innate and adaptive immune responses to intestinal fungi. CX3CR1+ MNPs express antifungal receptors and activate antifungal respon
  
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• Coherent band excitations in CePd3: A comparison of neutron scattering and ab initio theory

  11-01-2018 19:18
  In common with many strongly correlated electron systems, intermediate valence compounds are believed to display a crossover from a high-temperature regime of incoherently fluctuating local moments to a low-temperature regime of coherent hybridized bands. We show that inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the dynamic magnetic susceptibility of CePd3 provides a benchmark for ab initio calculations based on dynamical mean field theory. The magnetic response is strongly momentum dependent th
  
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• Antagonism toward the intestinal microbiota and its effect on Vibrio cholerae virulence

  11-01-2018 19:18
  The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a nanomachine that delivers toxic effector proteins into target cells, killing them. In mice, we found that the Vibrio cholerae T6SS attacks members of the host commensal microbiota in vivo, facilitating the pathogen’s colonization of the gut. This microbial antagonistic interaction drives measurable changes in the pathogenicity of V. cholerae through enhanced intestinal colonization, expression of bacterial virulence genes, and activation o
  
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• How green are the Tories?

  11-01-2018 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May's environment policy pledge is the latest step in the party's journey on the issue.
  
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