Science news

• Arachnophobes take heed: this ancient spider had a whip-like tail

  05-02-2018 22:55
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If you are not a fan of spiders, you may not like the creepy little arachnid scientists found entombed in chunks of amber from northern Myanmar. Unlike its spider cousins alive today, this guy had a tail.
  
  Read more

• M&M's maker publishes science policy in bid to boost transparency

  05-02-2018 18:05
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mars Inc, which makes M&M's candy and Wrigley's gum, on Monday published its policies on conducting and funding scientific studies for the first time, as it plans to break ties with an industry-backed organization.
  
  Read more

• 'Extraordinary' fossil sheds light on origins of spiders

  05-02-2018 17:03 via bbc.co.uk
  A fossil preserved in amber for 100 million years is shaking up ideas about the evolution of spiders.
  
  Read more

• Some of TRAPPIST-1’s planets could have life-friendly atmospheres

  05-02-2018 17:00
  
  The seven planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 are probably rocky and some may have life-friendly atmospheres, two new papers suggest.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Laser experiment hints at weird in-between ice

  05-02-2018 17:00
  
  Scientists spot signs of an unusual phase of water called superionic ice.
  
  Read more

• Leading investigator of ivory, rhino-horn trade killed in Kenya

  05-02-2018 16:07 via cbc.ca
  Esmond Bradley Martin, an American conservationist whose dogged investigations of the elephant ivory and rhino horn trades over decades were seen as critical in efforts to protect the threatened species, was found stabbed to death in his Nairobi home, Kenyan authorities said Monday.
  
  Read more

• Huge Mayan city with pyramids found hidden under jungle

  05-02-2018 14:33 via cbc.ca
  Researchers using a high-tech aerial mapping technique have found tens of thousands of previously undetected Mayan houses, buildings, fortifications and pyramids in the dense jungle of Guatemala's Peten region.
  
  Read more

• Brain Stimulation Is All the Rage--But It May Not Stimulate the Brain

  05-02-2018 13:30 via rss.sciam.com
  Research indicates that techniques fail to trigger the type of brain activity thought to produce therapeutic benefits-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Wikipedia has become a science reference source even though scientists don’t cite it

  05-02-2018 13:00
  
  Wikipedia is everyone’s go-to source. Even scientists. A new study shows how science on Wikipedia may end up forwarding science itself.
  
  Read more

• Why Do Birds Get Divorced?

  05-02-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  For blue tits, timing can be a factor in whether they remain together or part ways-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
  Read more

• Trudeau government poised to overhaul environmental assessment process on energy projects like pipelines

  05-02-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  The federal Liberal government is poised to introduce legislation this week to overhaul the way the federal government does environmental assessments on major energy projects like pipelines.
  
  Read more

• Plastic pollution: Scientists' plea on threat to ocean giants

  05-02-2018 06:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists call for monitoring of plastic pollution risks to whales, sharks and rays that strain water to feed.
  
  Read more

• Zika brain damage may go undetected in pregnancy

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine) Zika virus may cause significant damage to the fetal brain even when the baby's head size is normal, according to a primate study. The damage can be difficult to detect even with sophisticated brain scans.It may also occur from infections during childhood and adolescence. Hard hit are brain regions that generate new brain cells. Fetal brain structures that may be injured include those where neural stem cells play a role in learning and memor
  
  Read more

• What makes a good egg?

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of California - San Diego) In approximately 15 percent of cases where couples are unable to conceive, the underlying cause of infertility is not known. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and in the Division of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego have identified a protein in mice that must be present in eggs for them to complete normal development. Without the protein, called ZFP36L2 or L2 for short, the eggs appear ordinary, but they cannot be fertil
  
  Read more

• What magnets have to do with pistachios

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Davis) A study using thousands of pistachio trees shows that ecological systems can be governed by the Ising model, which is typically used to explain permanent magnets. It also helps explain synchrony in nature, such as why a field of fruit trees blossom at the same time.
  
  Read more

• Vanadium dioxyde: A revolutionary material for tomorrow's electronics

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Vanadium dioxide's unique properties make it perfect for outperforming silicon and giving rise to a new generation of low-power electronic devices. Under the Phase Change Switch project, which is being funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 research program and coordinated by EPFL researchers, engineers have shown how this compound can be used to create programmable radiofrequency electronic functions for aerospace communication systems. Other ap
  
  Read more

• University of Akron, Ocius Technologies team receive $1.5 million award from DARPA

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Akron) Ocius Technologies LLC and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Akron announce the receipt of a $1.5 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II award in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
  
  Read more

• TRAPPIST-1 planets probably rich in water

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (ESO) A new study has found that planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 are made mostly of rock, and some could hold more water than Earth. The planets' densities suggest that some of them could have up to 5 percent of their mass in the form of water. The hotter planets closest to their parent star are likely to have dense steamy atmospheres and the more distant ones probably have icy surfaces.
  
  Read more

• TRAPPIST-1: Findings show exoplanets made of rock and water

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (European Research Council) In 2016, a team of researchers led by EU-funded astronomer Michael Gillon at the University of Liege, Belgium, discovered three temperate Earth-sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, an ultra-cool dwarf star just 40 light years from Earth. A few months later, Gillon surprised the world with the discovery of a whole planetary system made of a total of seven planets around this star. A set of new studies reveals today the nature and composition of the planets, shedding ligh
  
  Read more

• Toddler formulas and milks -- not recommended by health experts -- mislead with health claims

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (New York University) Misleading labeling on formulas and milks marketed as 'toddler drinks' may confuse parents about their healthfulness or necessity, finds a new study by researchers at the NYU College of Global Public Health and the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.
  
  Read more

• Tests on airway tissue reveal glo vapour has minimal impact compared to smoke

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (R&D at British American Tobacco) Scientists at British American Tobacco used state-of-the-art genomic testing to assess human air-way tissue exposed to glo vapour. Gene profiling revealed just two changes in genes in tissue exposed to glo vapour.This compares to thousands of changes in genes in tissue exposed to cigarette smoke. These results add to evidence suggesting that glo could be reduced risk compared to cigarettes.
  
  Read more

• Studies reveal looming shortage of rheumatologists

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Wiley) Two new articles provide insights on the outlook of rheumatology in the United States, noting that the need for rheumatologists will greatly exceed the projected growth over the next 15 years. This is due to an increasing aging patient population, a wave of impending rheumatologists retiring, and changing practice trends for new rheumatologists. Experts note that even a doubling of the number of fellows being trained would not meet the projected workforce needs in 2030.
  
  Read more

• Smart new method to manufacture organic solar cells

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Linköping University) The ability to use cheap materials and simple manufacturing methods are two huge advantages of printed organic solar cells. Olle Inganäs, professor at Linköping University, is head of a research group that has now developed an even simpler method to manufacture solar cell modules. The results have been published in the scientific journal npj Flexible Electronics.
  
  Read more

• Scientists report big improvements in HIV vaccine production

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Santa Cruz) Research on HIV has led to many promising ideas for vaccines to prevent infection by the AIDS virus, but very few candidate vaccines have been tested in clinical trials. One reason is the technical difficulty of manufacturing vaccines based on the envelope proteins of the virus, according to vaccine expert Phil Berman, who has now developed new methods for the production of HIV vaccines.
  
  Read more

• Round-the-clock power from smart bowties

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)) Innovative diode design uses ultrafast quantum tunneling to harvest infrared energy from the environment.
  
  Read more

• Ridesharing may not reduce number of missed medical appointments, Penn study finds

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) The high number of low-income patients missing medical appointments because of unreliable transportation has led to partnerships between health care systems and ridesharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, in an effort to ease travel and boost attendance. However, a new study from Penn Medicine researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that offering a free Lyft ride to Medicaid patients for an upcoming medical appointment did not reduc
  
  Read more

• Researchers solve a materials mystery key to next-generation electronic devices

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Writing today in the journal Nature Materials, Chang-Beom Eom and his collaborators provided evidence of a hole gas coexisting with two-dimensional electron gas. They designed an ultrathin material, known as a thin film structure, specifically for this research.
  
  Read more

• Researchers receive $1 million for project challenging long-standing paradigm in endocrinology

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Riverside) Researchers at UC Riverside, seeking to upend a long-held theory explaining how hormones freely enter and exit cells, have received a major boost in the form of a $1 million award from the W. M. Keck Foundation. Despite their importance, little is known about how steroid hormones cross cell membranes. Researchers in the field have long believed that diffusion explains the process. Challenging this dogma, the UC Riverside researchers posit that membrane tran
  
  Read more

• Research reveals more about TRAPPIST-1 planets, and the possibility of life

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Birmingham) A series of four studies have shed new light on the properties of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, currently our most optimal hope for evidence of biological life beyond the solar system.
  
  Read more

• Research presents new information about the Flint water crisis

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) The Flint Area Community Health and Environment Partnership research team found that the majority of Legionnaires' disease cases that occurred during the 2014-15 outbreak in Genesee County, Mich., can be attributed to the change in of the City of Flint's drinking water supply to the Flint River. The researchers also found that the specific strain of Legionella isolated from Flint residences as part of FACHEP's sampling in 2016
  
  Read more

• Regular physical activity is associated with better lung function among smokers

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)) The results of this ISGlobal study strengthen the epidemiological evidence supporting a link between physical activity and respiratory health
  
  Read more

• Rapid blood vessel scan tolerated by claustrophobic patients unable to stand longer tests

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (European Society of Cardiology) Doctors have developed a new five-minute procedure to scan the blood vessels which offers hope for claustrophobic patients unable to tolerate the conventional longer test. The research is presented today at CMR 2018.
  
  Read more

• Radical new technology prevents 'freezer burn' in cells, tissues

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Canadian Glycomics Network) Two GlycoNet researchers have founded a startup company, PanTHERA CryoSolutions, to commercialize a revolutionary product for the cryopreservation, or freezing, of cells and tissues, resulting in better cell quality for cellular therapies and superior products. The process that causes the majority of this cellular damage and death is called ice recrystallization. PanTHERA CryoSolutions has discovered a small molecule inhibitor that prevents ice recrystallization -- s
  
  Read more

• Premature babies make fewer friends -- but not for long

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Warwick) Premature babies make fewer friends, feel less accepted by peers and spend less time socialising in early childhood -- but this improves when they get to school -- according to new research by an international research collaboration, including the University of Warwick, UK.
  
  Read more

• Perconti named 2018 Federal Laboratory Director of the Year

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (U.S. Army Research Laboratory) The Federal Laboratory Consortium named Dr. Philip Perconti, director of the US Army Research Laboratory, as its 2018 Director of the Year in a Feb. 2, 2018, announcement.
  
  Read more

• Opioid cessation may be more successful when depression is treated

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Saint Louis University) Opioid cessation in non-cancer pain may be more successful when depression is treated to remission, a Saint Louis University study shows.
  
  Read more

• Online tool speeds up evolution education

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Michigan Technological University) The biology teacher's pedagogical toolbox is evolving. Bright colors, replicating computer code and a digital petri dish bring evolution science to life for students.
  
  Read more

• Novel genetic variants for ADHD linked to educational attainment

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Elsevier) A study published in the February 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that five novel genetic variants associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been identified by exploiting genetic overlap between ADHD and educational attainment.
  
  Read more

• New 'Tomato Expression Atlas' dives deep into the fruit's flesh

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Boyce Thompson Institute) Researchers at BTI, Cornell and USDA published a spatiotemporal map of gene expression across all tissues and developmental stages of the tomato fruit - the genetic information underlying how a fruit changes from inside to out as it ripens. Their data is available in the new Tomato Expression Atlas (TEA).
  
  Read more

• NASA finds wind shear tearing Tropical Cyclone Cebile apart

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Southern Pacific Ocean and found that wind shear was adversely affecting Tropical Cyclone Cebile.
  
  Read more

• Mixed-use developments may actually reduce housing affordability, social diversity

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Waterloo) Making the buildings in neighbourhoods more diverse through mixed residential and commercial developments also makes it too expensive for many people to live in.
  
  Read more

• Meditation has limited role in making you a better person, says study

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Coventry University) New research has suggested meditation's role in making individuals better people is limited.
  
  Read more

• Loved one's death could spur aggressive measures against breast cancer

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Ohio State University) A woman's memories of a loved one's experience with cancer could play a significant role in how she approaches breast cancer prevention in her own life, a new study has found.
  
  Read more

• Late-year change in income tax rate leads to billions in unexpected profits and losses

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Indiana University) In a paper being published Feb. 5 in Tax Notes, professors from Indiana University and the University of Virginia report that Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this could result in unexpected drops in earnings for two thirds of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500, with a median drop of $100 million.
  
  Read more

• IA in pest control increases its eficiency and environmental impact

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) System developed by Brazilian startup uses IoT to equip bug traps with sensores that help farmers apply agrochemicals (www.agrosmart.com.br) at the right time and in the right amount.
  
  Read more

• Hubble delivers first insight into atmospheres of potentially habitable TRAPPIST-1 planets

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (ESA/Hubble Information Centre) An international team of astronomers has used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to look for atmospheres around four Earth-sized planets orbiting within or near TRAPPIST-1's habitable zone. The new results further support the terrestrial and potentially habitable nature of three of the studied planets. The results are published in Nature Astronomy.
  
  Read more

• How brain's reward system lessened distress over 2016 election results

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Los Angeles) Some people disturbed by the 2016 presidential election have suffered a loss of appetite, trouble sleeping and concentrating, and have become easily annoyed, while others equally disturbed by the election result have not suffered such symptoms of depression. A new study by UCLA psychologists explains the differences between these two groups.
  
  Read more

• Highlights for the 2018 American Chemical Society spring national meeting

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (American Chemical Society) Journalists registering for the American Chemical Society's 255th National Meeting & Exposition will have a wealth of new scientific information available for their news stories. More than 13,000 presentations are planned on a wide range of topics from health to the environment. The meeting, one of the largest scientific conferences of the year, will be held March 18-22 in New Orleans.
  
  Read more

• Half of all dementias start with damaged 'gatekeeper cells'

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Southern California) USC research sheds new light on how a breakdown in the brain's vascular system predates the accumulation of toxic plaques and tangles in the brain that bring about Alzheimer's disease. The research suggests an earlier target for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's. Nearly 50 percent of all dementias, including Alzheimer's, begins with the breakdown of the smallest blood vessels in the brain and their protective "gatekeeper cells."
  
  Read more

• From laboratory to marketplace

  05-02-2018 06:00
  (DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) PNNL has been honored with three awards for excellence in transferring technologies to private sector by the Federal Laboratory Consortium.
  
  Read more

Follow @ScienceUKnews on Twitter!