Science news

• Why do healthy children die from the flu? Study offers new insights

  15-02-2018 22:55
  With this year’s severe flu season, one statistic is especially chilling. Each year, around 50 percent of all children under 5 years old who die from the flu were previously healthy. Adults who die from the flu, on the other hand, typically had a medical condition that increased their risk of mortality. A new study offers new insights as to why healthy children are much more vulnerable. It also opens new opportunities for treatment.
  
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• How a carb-restricted diet battles fatty liver disease

  15-02-2018 22:51
  New details about how a carbohydrate-restricted diet improves metabolism were revealed in a new study which could lead to improved treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  
  
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• Strong winds send migrating seal pups on lengthier trips

  15-02-2018 22:32
  
  Prevailing winds can send northern fur seal pups on an epic journey.
  
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• Labs differ widely in BRCA testing protocols

  15-02-2018 22:22
  A new article showcases the wide differences in BRCA testing protocols at labs around the world. The article surveyed 86 laboratories around the world about their BRCA testing practices and found that all the labs differed widely in their approach.
  
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• Digital liver scanning technology could halve the number of liver biopsies needed in the NHS

  15-02-2018 22:22
  A study has revealed that a new scanning technology could almost halve the number of liver biopsies carried out on people with fatty liver disease.
  
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• Startling orangutan population decline recorded in Borneo

  15-02-2018 21:53
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hunting by people and habitation destruction by oil palm, paper, logging and mining industries helped drive a startling drop of about 50 percent in the orangutan population on the island of Borneo from 1999 to 2015, scientists said on Thursday.
  
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• New guideline warns pain benefits of medical cannabis overstated

  15-02-2018 21:39
  A new medical guideline suggests Canada's family physicians should take a sober second thought before prescribing medical cannabis to most patients.
  
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• At last, butterflies get a bigger, better evolutionary tree

  15-02-2018 21:39
  Butterflies offer key insights into community ecology, how species originate and evolve, climate change and interactions between plants and insects. But a comprehensive map of how butterflies are related to each other has been lacking -- until now.
  
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• Enhancing athletic performance on a genetic level

  15-02-2018 21:23 via cbc.ca
  It’s already on WADA’s radar and gene doping may already be happening to enhance athletes’ performance, but its future is much more problematic.
  
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• Physicists speed up droplet-wrapping process

  15-02-2018 20:46
  Experimental physicists report that they have developed a fast, dynamic new process for wrapping liquid droplets in ultrathin polymer sheets, so what once was a painstaking process taking tens of minutes can now be done in a fraction of a second.
  
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• Hearing loss is common after infant heart surgery

  15-02-2018 20:46
  Children who have heart surgery as infants are at risk for hearing loss, coupled with associated risks for language, attention and cognitive problems, by age four. In a cohort of 348 preschoolers who survived cardiac surgery, researchers found hearing loss in about 21 percent, a rate 20 times higher than is found in the general population. This underscores the importance of early hearing evaluations in young children who undergo heart surgery.
  
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• Immune system simulation shows need for multi-target treatments for sepsis

  15-02-2018 20:18
  Using a computational model of the human immune system, scientists have shown that efforts to combat sepsis might be more effective if they targeted multiple steps in the molecular processes that drive the illness.
  
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• How the cuttlefish spikes out its skin: Neurological study reveals surprising control

  15-02-2018 20:18
  Wouldn't it be useful to suddenly erect 3-D spikes out of your skin, hold them for an hour, then even faster retract them and swim away? Octopus and cuttlefish can do this as a camouflage tactic. A new study clarifies the neural and muscular mechanisms that underlie this extraordinary defense tactic.
  
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• Genetics makes Asians, Europeans susceptible to dengue shock syndrome

  15-02-2018 20:18
  As globalization and climate change spread tropical diseases around the globe, not all populations are equally susceptible to infection. Gene variants common in people of Asian and European ancestry, for instance, make them more prone than those of African origin to developing severe dengue shock syndrome, according to a new study.
  
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• 'Evolutionary rescue' areas for animals threatened by climate change

  15-02-2018 20:18
  As winters arrive later and snow melts earlier, the worldwide decrease in snow cover already may have dramatic impacts on animals that change coat colors with the seasons. An international scientific team has set out to discover whether adaptive evolution can rescue these animals in the face of rapidly changing climate.
  
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• Consumer and industrial products now a dominant urban air pollution source

  15-02-2018 20:18
  Chemical products that contain compounds refined from petroleum, like household cleaners, pesticides, paints and perfumes, now rival motor vehicle emissions as the top source of urban air pollution, according to a surprising new study.
  
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• Household products make surprisingly large contributions to air pollution

  15-02-2018 20:00
  
  A study of smog in the Los Angeles valley finds that paints, fragrances and other everyday items are a growing component of the problem.
  
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• Wrapping with a splash: High-speed encapsulation with ultrathin sheets

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Many complex fluids rely on surfactants to contain, protect, or isolate liquid drops in an immiscible continuous phase. Thin elastic sheets can wrap liquid drops in a spontaneous process driven by capillary forces. For encapsulation by sheets to be practically viable, a rapid, continuous, and scalable process is essential. We exploit the fast dynamics of droplet impact to achieve wrapping of oil droplets by ultrathin polymer films in a water phase. Despite the violence of splashing events, the p
  
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• Volatile chemical products emerging as largest petrochemical source of urban organic emissions

  15-02-2018 19:39
  A gap in emission inventories of urban volatile organic compound (VOC) sources, which contribute to regional ozone and aerosol burdens, has increased as transportation emissions in the United States and Europe have declined rapidly. A detailed mass balance demonstrates that the use of volatile chemical products (VCPs)—including pesticides, coatings, printing inks, adhesives, cleaning agents, and personal care products—now constitutes half of fossil fuel VOC emissions in industrialize
  
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• Structures of C1-IgG1 provide insights into how danger pattern recognition activates complement

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Danger patterns on microbes or damaged host cells bind and activate C1, inducing innate immune responses and clearance through the complement cascade. How these patterns trigger complement initiation remains elusive. Here, we present cryo–electron microscopy analyses of C1 bound to monoclonal antibodies in which we observed heterogeneous structures of single and clustered C1–immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) hexamer complexes. Distinct C1q binding sites are observed on the two Fc-CH2 domains
  
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• Species turnover promotes the importance of bee diversity for crop pollination at regional scales

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Ecologists have shown through hundreds of experiments that ecological communities with more species produce higher levels of essential ecosystem functions such as biomass production, nutrient cycling, and pollination, but whether this finding holds in nature (that is, in large-scale and unmanipulated systems) is controversial. This knowledge gap is troubling because ecosystem services have been widely adopted as a justification for global biodiversity conservation. Here we show that, to provide
  
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• Observation of three-photon bound states in a quantum nonlinear medium

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Bound states of massive particles, such as nuclei, atoms, or molecules, constitute the bulk of the visible world around us. By contrast, photons typically only interact weakly. We report the observation of traveling three-photon bound states in a quantum nonlinear medium where the interactions between photons are mediated by atomic Rydberg states. Photon correlation and conditional phase measurements reveal the distinct bunching and phase features associated with three-photon and two-photon boun
  
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• Natural selection and the predictability of evolution in Timema stick insects

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Predicting evolution remains difficult. We studied the evolution of cryptic body coloration and pattern in a stick insect using 25 years of field data, experiments, and genomics. We found that evolution is more difficult to predict when it involves a balance between multiple selective factors and uncertainty in environmental conditions than when it involves feedback loops that cause consistent back-and-forth fluctuations. Specifically, changes in color-morph frequencies are modestly predictable
  
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• Natural noncanonical protein splicing yields products with diverse {beta}-amino acid residues

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Current textbook knowledge holds that the structural scope of ribosomal biosynthesis is based exclusively on α-amino acid backbone topology. Here we report the genome-guided discovery of bacterial pathways that posttranslationally create β-amino acid–containing products. The transformation is widespread in bacteria and is catalyzed by an enzyme belonging to a previously uncharacterized radical S-adenosylmethionine family. We show that the β-amino acids result from an unusua
  
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• Lipopolysaccharide is transported to the cell surface by a membrane-to-membrane protein bridge

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that serves as a barrier to noxious agents in the environment. This protective function is dependent on lipopolysaccharide, a large glycolipid located in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane. Lipopolysaccharide is synthesized at the cytoplasmic membrane and must be transported to the cell surface. To understand this transport process, we reconstituted membrane-to-membrane movement of lipopolysaccharide by incorporating purified inner and outer mem
  
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• Genomic correlates of response to immune checkpoint therapies in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1) improve survival in a subset of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). To identify genomic alterations in ccRCC that correlate with response to anti–PD-1 monotherapy, we performed whole-exome sequencing of metastatic ccRCC from 35 patients. We found that clinical benefit was associated with loss-of-function mutations in the PBRM1 gene (P = 0.012), which encodes a subunit of the PBAF switch-su
  
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• Enantioselective C(sp3)-H bond activation by chiral transition metal catalysts

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Organic molecules are rich in carbon-hydrogen bonds; consequently, the transformation of C–H bonds to new functionalities (such as C–C, C–N, and C–O bonds) has garnered much attention by the synthetic chemistry community. The utility of C–H activation in organic synthesis, however, cannot be fully realized until chemists achieve stereocontrol in the modification of C–H bonds. This Review highlights recent efforts to enantioselectively functionalize C(sp3)&ndas
  
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• Dentate gyrus mossy cells control spontaneous convulsive seizures and spatial memory

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is characterized by debilitating, recurring seizures and an increased risk for cognitive deficits. Mossy cells (MCs) are key neurons in the hippocampal excitatory circuit, and the partial loss of MCs is a major hallmark of TLE. We investigated how MCs contribute to spontaneous ictal activity and to spatial contextual memory in a mouse model of TLE with hippocampal sclerosis, using a combination of optogenetic, electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches. In chron
  
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• A major chromatin regulator determines resistance of tumor cells to T cell-mediated killing

  15-02-2018 19:39
  Many human cancers are resistant to immunotherapy, for reasons that are poorly understood. We used a genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screen to identify mechanisms of tumor cell resistance to killing by cytotoxic T cells, the central effectors of antitumor immunity. Inactivation of >100 genes—including Pbrm1, Arid2, and Brd7, which encode components of the PBAF form of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex—sensitized mouse B16F10 melanoma cells to killing by T cells. Loss of PBAF funct
  
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• Fossil footprints may put lizards on two feet 110 million years ago

  15-02-2018 19:19
  
  Fossilized footprints found in South Korea could be the earliest evidence of two-legged running in lizards.
  
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• Woburn Safari Park: Elephant Tarli survives deadly virus

  15-02-2018 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Tarli, an endangered Asian elephant, has beaten the odds to overcome an Ebola-like virus.
  
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• Scientists have developed a lung probe that finds infections

  15-02-2018 19:09 via bbc.co.uk
  The probe provides access deep inside a patient’s lung, which means doctors will be able to diagnose lung conditions much quicker and more accurately.
  
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• In Borneo, hunting emerges as a key threat to endangered orangutans

  15-02-2018 18:00
  
  Only small numbers of Bornean orangutans will survive coming decades, researchers say.
  
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• Borneo's orangutans at risk of extinction after population decreases by 148,500 in 16 years

  15-02-2018 18:00 via cbc.ca
  Partly due to deforestation and the rise of industrial plantations, Borneo's orangutans are at risk of one day disappearing for good.
  
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• Toxic metals from plastic left on the beach are leaching into the ocean's ecosystems: B.C. study

  15-02-2018 17:33 via cbc.ca
  Researchers say tiny particles only millimetres in size can ferry metal into the ecosystem.
  
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• Feds to unveil 'supercluster' winners of $950 million for innovation

  15-02-2018 14:51 via cbc.ca
  The Trudeau government is poised to unveil the winners of a competition to form technology "superclusters" — a title that will guarantee the victors a piece of up to $950 million in federal funding.
  
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• AIs, oceans and proteins: Ottawa announces winners of $950 million 'supercluster' competition

  15-02-2018 14:51 via cbc.ca
  The Trudeau government has unveiled the winners of a competition to form technology 'superclusters' — a title that will guarantee the victors a piece of up to $950 million in federal funding.
  
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• Google's Chrome browser starts blocking 'disruptive' ads

  15-02-2018 14:31 via cbc.ca
  On Thursday, Google will begin using its Chrome browser to eradicate ads it deems annoying or otherwise detrimental to users. It just so happens that many of Google's own most lucrative ads will sail through its new filters.
  
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• HQ Trivia game has not-so-trivial Canadian connections

  15-02-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  HQ Trivia, the internet sensation out of New York City that attracts nearly a million players a game, has a host with a special affinity for Canada and a tie to an Ottawa trivia mastermind.
  
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• What predicts the quality of children's friendships? Study shows cognition, emotion together play

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Child development researchers at U of I wanted to look at what predicts the quality of children's friendships. In a recent study published in the journal Child Development, the researchers measured a child's cognitions about negative but ambiguous peer events (attribution biases) and the child's tendency to experience and express strong emotions (emotional intensity).
  
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• UMass Amherst physicists speed up droplet-wrapping process

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) Experimental physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today report that they have developed a fast, dynamic new process for wrapping liquid droplets in ultrathin polymer sheets, so what once was a painstaking process taking tens of minutes can now be done in a fraction of a second.
  
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• The CRISPR Journal inaugural issue published, with content from Rodolphe Barrangou, et al

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) The CRISPR Journal, a groundbreaking new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, announces the publication of its inaugural issue.
  
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• The business of bioanalysis: Unique panel discussion from expert pharmaceutical and CRO professional

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Future Science Group) Bioanalysis Zone showcases season two of the business of bioanalysis; a unique panel discussion series featuring key experts from the pharmaceutical and CRO industries, offering perspectives on current issues in the field of bioanalysis.
  
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• Technology may be key to help patients quit smoking

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Medical University of South Carolina) Clinical researcher, Alana Rojewski, Ph.D., receives career development award to study smoking cessation programs in an oncology setting at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and benefits of technology-based interventions for lung cancer screening patients.
  
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• Szent-Györgyi Prize to honor NCI's Douglas R. Lowy and John T. Schiller

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (NIH/National Cancer Institute) The 2018 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research will be awarded to Douglas R. Lowy, M.D., and John T. Schiller, Ph.D., of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They are being recognized for their contributions toward the development of vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV).
  
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• System draws power from daily temperature swings

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) A new device from MIT can draw power out of the daily cycle of temperature swings to power remote sensors or communications systems.
  
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• Study finds opportunity to increase opioid dependence treatment in Ontario jails

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (McMaster University) The study included completion of an online survey by 27 physicians, who reported working in 15 of 26 provincial correctional facilities for adults in Ontario. This included 10 of the 13 facilities with a population of more than 200. The study identified that about half of the physicians prescribed methadone and half prescribed buprenorphine/naloxone to treat opioid dependence.
  
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• Study dispels notion social media displaces human contact

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (University of Kansas) Echoing concerns that grew with the World Wide Web itself a decade earlier, the rise of social media has stoked fears of 'social displacement' -- the alienation of people from friends and family in favor of Facebook and Twitter.A new study co-authored by a University of Kansas professor goes a fair distance toward debunking that notion.
  
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• Student research team accelerates snow melt with 'Melt Mat'

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Virginia Tech) 'The idea for a thermal absorptive blanket is novel, but also very practical,' said Jonathan Boreyko, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics and the team's faculty advisor. 'For novelty's sake, the team really needed to go for a journal publication. For practicality's sake, we went for a patent.'
  
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• Stem cell vaccine immunizes lab mice against multiple cancers

  15-02-2018 06:00
  (Cell Press) Stanford University researchers report that injecting mice with inactivated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) launched a strong immune response against breast, lung, and skin cancers. The vaccine also prevented relapses in animals that had tumors removed. The work appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell on Feb. 15.
  
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