Science news

• Swallowed button batteries add to safety concerns about 'fidget spinners'

  26-01-2018 22:38
  A report of two young children with burns of the esophagus caused by swallowed button batteries from 'fidget spinners' highlights a risk of severe injuries involving these popular toys, according to a series of reports.
  
  Read more

• Superconducting synapse may be missing piece for 'artificial brains'

  26-01-2018 22:38
  Researchers have built a superconducting switch that 'learns' like a biological system and could connect processors and store memories in future computers operating like the human brain.
  
  Read more

• New marking technique could halt counterfeit goods

  26-01-2018 22:38
  Researchers have developed the world's most secure marking system for combating pirated goods including pirated pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, designer merchandise and artwork. The system could be on the market in a year and because the markings are random, it cannot be hacked.
  
  Read more

• Entomologist discovers millipede that comes in more color combinations than any other

  26-01-2018 22:38
  The thumb-sized millipede that crawls around the forest floor of Southwest Virginia's Cumberland Mountains has more color combinations than any other millipede discovered.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Anxiety can make you bad at math

  26-01-2018 21:43 via cbc.ca
  Math anxiety can hijack a student's brain causing them to underperform in class, but study strategies can help.
  
  Read more

• Controversial Fossil Hints Homo sapiens Blazed a Trail Out of Africa Earlier Than Thought

  26-01-2018 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  The jaw fragment suggests our species began traveling abroad 50,000 years earlier than previously thought -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Controversial Fossil Hints Homo sapiens Blazed a Trail Out of Africa Earlier Than Thought

  26-01-2018 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  The jaw fragment suggests our species began traveling abroad 50,000 years earlier than previously thought -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Tiny scales could serve as safe material in implants to reinforce bones and joints

  26-01-2018 19:06
  Researchers have published a concept to use a naturally occurring mineral called calcite to “grow” scales that can attach to soft materials. The setup could one day serve as waterproof implants to reinforce bones or joints.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Colonoscopy may be linked to appendicitis

  26-01-2018 19:06
  Although the incidence of appendicitis in the United States has been in decline for many years, the condition still affects approximately seven percent of Americans annually.
  
  Read more

• Using imaging to identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely

  26-01-2018 19:05
  Ultrasound is traditionally used on pregnant women to study the anatomy, movement and blood flow of the developing fetus, but nurse researchers are now using the imaging technique to identify women who are at risk of giving birth prematurely.
  
  Read more

• Novel solution to better secure voice over internet communication

  26-01-2018 19:05
  Security researchers develop automated verification model to better secure voice over internet communication from eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
  
  Read more

• Retinal injury caused by laser pointers

  26-01-2018 19:04
  In recent years, a substantial increase in the number of eye injuries caused by laser pointers has been observed, especially in children and adolescents. Researchers report sometimes severe retinal injuries and irreversible impairments to vision/visual acuity.
  
  Read more

• Pyridostigmine treatment reverses pediatric complications of botulinum toxin therapy

  26-01-2018 19:03
  Physicians report that complications from botox therapy for nerve disorders can be reversed with pyridostigmine, a common treatment for myasthenia gravis.
  
  Read more

• Choose Omega-3s from fish over flax for cancer prevention, study finds

  26-01-2018 19:03
  Omega-3s from fish pack a stronger punch than flaxseed and other oils when it comes to cancer prevention, according to a new study.
  
  Read more

• Canada's privacy commissioner proposes right to change inaccurate search engine results

  26-01-2018 18:30 via cbc.ca
  Canada's privacy commissioner thinks you should have the right to ask that inaccurate, incomplete or outdated search engine information be either amended or removed — and that under Canadian law, internet companies should have to comply.
  
  Read more

• Site of 1st chlamydia exposure makes big difference

  26-01-2018 18:28
  Exposing the gut to chlamydia protects against subsequent infection in the genital tract and other tissues, researchers have discovered. Chlamydia is the nation's most common sexually transmitted disease and causes infertility, ectopic pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease if left untreated.
  
  Read more

• Botulinum-type toxins jump to a new kind of bacteria

  26-01-2018 18:28
  A toxin much like the one that causes botulism has unexpectedly turned up in a completely different type of bacteria - Enterococcus. Where it came from is unclear, but the finding is concerning because enterococci have lately become a leading cause of multi-drug-resistant infections, especially in health care settings.
  
  Read more

• Graphene oxide is ‘sensed’ by specialized cells of the immune system

  26-01-2018 17:01
  A new study shows that our immune system handles graphene oxide in a manner similar to pathogens, paving the way for safer biomedical applications of this two-dimensional material.
  
  Read more

• The sugar-attaching enzyme that defines colon cancer

  26-01-2018 17:00
  Researchers have identified an enzyme that is absent in healthy colon tissue but abundant in colon cancer cells, according to a new report. The enzyme appears to drive the conversion of normal colon tissue into cancer by attaching sugar molecules, or glycans, to certain proteins in the cell.
  
  Read more

• Could the biological clock be a key ally in the fight against inflammatory disease?

  26-01-2018 17:00
  What if the symptoms and seriousness of certain inflammatory diseases were linked to time of day? Researchers have been working on this hypothesis, after noting that the seriousness and mortality associated with fulminant hepatitis were dependent on the time at which the disease was induced. Their study, conducted on human cells and mice, shows that the anti-inflammatory action of a biological clock protein could prevent the onset of fulminant hepatitis, by alleviating symptoms and increasing su
  
  Read more

• Plastic pollution causes deadly flesh-eating diseases in corals

  26-01-2018 16:36 via cbc.ca
  Garbage like disposable diapers, plastic bags and snack wrappers is getting into the ocean and snagging on some coral reefs, leading to deadly infections that literally eat the corals alive, a new study suggests.
  
  Read more

• Cape Town water crisis prompts rationing to prevent Day Zero tap shutoff

  26-01-2018 16:32 via cbc.ca
  Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in an upscale suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the country's second largest city in just over two months, an occasion ominously known as Day Zero.
  
  Read more

• Netherlands alerted U.S. to Russian hack of State Department, Dutch media claim

  26-01-2018 16:07 via cbc.ca
  The Netherlands' spy service broke into the computers used by a powerful Russian hacking group and may be sitting on evidence relating to the breach of the U.S. Democratic National Committee, a Dutch newspaper and television show jointly report.
  
  Read more

• Starving cancer cells of sugar -- does it work?

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Researchers from the Duke-NUS Medical School and collaborators from Austria have demonstrated for the first time a novel cell death pathway that describes how depletion of sugar causes cancer cell death.
  
  Read more

• Potential enzyme as therapeutic target for diabetes

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Researchers report a new mechanism for regulating glucose uptake by the liver which has implications for type 2 diabetes and its treatment.
  
  Read more

• Polio labs equipped to study rare tropical diseases

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Researchers have investigated the possibility of utilizing the Polio network of 145 labs set up around the world to help tackle neglected tropical diseases which impact on the lives of about a billion of people.
  
  Read more

• Particle collision in large accelerators is simulated by using a quantum computer

  26-01-2018 15:53
  In 2011 an innovative theoretical proposal to reproduce particle collisions like those taking place in large accelerators but without having to use these huge infrastructures. Now they have confirmed the validity of the proposal by using a trapped-ion quantum simulator.
  
  Read more

• Nearly one out of five NSAID users exceed daily limit

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Chances are you or someone you know has used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within the last month. NSAIDs, such as Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen) and Celebrex, are among the most commonly used medicines in the US. Now, for the first time, researchers have found that 15 percent of adult ibuprofen users exceed the maximum recommended dose of ibuprofen or other NSAIDs in a one-week period.
  
  Read more

• Kisspeptin: Mouse study shows how the brain controls sex

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Kisspeptin has already been identified as the key molecule within the brain responsible for triggering puberty and controlling fertility. A new study in mice reveals that a subset of neurons in an evolutionarily ancient part of brain, the hypothalamus, drive both attraction to the opposite sex and sexual behavior by two independent mechanisms.
  
  Read more

• Highly stretchable aqueous batteries

  26-01-2018 15:53
  A team of researchers has succeeded in developing world's first stretchable aqueous Li-ion batteries that may power the next generation of wearable devices.
  
  Read more

• From stem cells to a functional heart: The role of the Mesp1 gene

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Researchers have identified the role of key gene Mesp1 in the earliest step of cardiovascular lineage segregation. This discovery may help to better understand congenital heart defects.
  
  Read more

• Drug trial protocol redactions by industry sponsors exposed

  26-01-2018 15:53
  New research exposes the extent of redactions in protocols for industry-sponsored randomized drug trials. Trial protocols are needed for a proper assessment of the veracity of drug trial reports. The researchers found widespread redactions in the protocols for commercially sponsored trials.
  
  Read more

• Archaeologists say they may have discovered one of the earliest examples of a 'crayon'

  26-01-2018 15:53
  Archaeologists say they may have discovered one of the earliest examples of a 'crayon' -- possibly used by our ancestors 10,000 years ago for applying color to their animal skins or for artwork.
  
  Read more

• Clumps of dark matter could be lurking undetected in our galaxy

  26-01-2018 15:00
  
  Dark matter, assumed to form featureless blobs, might clump together into smaller objects.
  
  Read more

• Rainfall and ocean circulation linked in past and present

  26-01-2018 14:54
  Research has found that changes in ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean influence rainfall in the Western Hemisphere, and that these two systems have been linked for thousands of years.
  
  Read more

• Paleontology: The eleventh Archaeopteryx

  26-01-2018 14:54
  Researchers report the first description of the geologically oldest fossil securely attributable to the genus Archaeopteryx, and provide a new diagnostic key for differentiating bird-like dinosaurs from their closest relatives.
  
  Read more

• Many second hand plastic toys could pose a risk to children's health, study suggests

  26-01-2018 14:54
  Scientists have discovered high concentrations of hazardous elements including antimony, barium, bromine, cadmium, chromium and lead in many second hand plastic toys.
  
  Read more

• How microbes emerged from hot springs to conquer early Earth: DNA exchange

  26-01-2018 14:54
  Many researchers assume the first life on Earth evolved in hot springs. A new study provides insights into how one type of extremophile microbe may have moved from hot springs to conquer more moderate environments across the globe. The first-ever analysis of DNA of one ammonia-oxidizing hot-spring microbe living today reveals that evolution of the necessary adaptations may have been helped by highly mobile genetic elements and DNA exchange with a variety of other organisms.
  
  Read more

• High body fat levels associated with increased breast cancer risk in women with normal BMI

  26-01-2018 14:54
  Among postmenopausal women with normal body mass index (BMI), those with higher body fat levels had an increased risk for invasive breast cancer.
  
  Read more

• View to a Kill: Galápagos Sea Lions Team Up to Capture Huge Tuna

  26-01-2018 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  In a newly documented behavior, sea lions use teamwork to trap their prey along shorelines-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Life may have been possible in Earth’s earliest, most hellish eon

  26-01-2018 13:00
  
  Heat from asteroid bombardment during Earth’s earliest eon wasn’t too intense for life to exist on the planet, a new study suggests.
  
  Read more

• Chemical sunshade to slow warming may not be feasible: U.N. draft

  26-01-2018 12:27
  OSLO (Reuters) - The idea of spraying a haze of sun-dimming chemicals high above the Earth as a quick way to slow global warming faces so many obstacles that it may not be feasible, a leaked draft U.N. report says.
  
  Read more

• Italy must think of partnership with France for space: minister

  26-01-2018 12:21
  MILAN (Reuters) - Italy needs to start thinking of a partnership in the space industry with France after the two countries have joined forces over the naval sector, Industry Minister Carlo Calenda said on Friday.
  
  Read more

• X-ray experiments suggest high tunability of 2-D material

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Researchers used MAESTRO, an X-ray platform at Berkeley Lab, to zero in on signatures of exotic electronic behavior in a 2-D material. They found that the material may be highly tunable, with potential applications in spintronics and other emerging fields.
  
  Read more

• What are memories made of?

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (University of Colorado at Boulder) CU Boulder researchers have identified the distinct roles and locations in the brain of a protein called AKT believed to be instrumental in memory formation and synaptic plasticity.
  
  Read more

• VTT's hyperspectral imaging technology enables new artificial intelligence applications as a part of consumer devices

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a highly cost-efficient hyperspectral imaging technology, which enables the introduction of new artificial intelligence applications into consumer devices.
  
  Read more

• UNIST researchers develop highly stretchable aqueous batteries

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)) A team of researchers, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has succeedeed in developing world's first stretchable aqueous Li-ion batteries that may power the next generation of wearable devices.
  
  Read more

• UA earthquake engineers conduct NSF-funded research on steel collectors

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (University of Arizona College of Engineering) Earthquake engineers studying buildings' seismic safety usually focus onwalls and braces. The University of Arizona's Robert Fleischman and researchers at UC San Diego and Lehigh University are testing steel collectors' ability to transfer seismic forces horizontally from floors to walls and braces to bolster building stability.
  
  Read more

• Trauma support for welfare recipients helps them earn more

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (Drexel University) Research shows that addressing Welfare recipients' past and current trauma help them earn more at their jobs -- providing hope for an exit from the program.
  
  Read more

• The well-being paradox: We are getting richer, but not more satisfied

  26-01-2018 06:00
  (Eindhoven University of Technology) For decades, there was a single main indicator of how countries were faring: Gross Domestic Product, and its growth. But what we earn does not say much about how healthy we are or about how we deplete minerals. Jan-Pieter Smits, professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), is the spiritual father of a new measuring instrument that gives policymakers a better understanding of what society is about. The statistics bureaus of 65 countries have already
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!