Science news

• Scientists discover first super salty subglacial lakes in Canadian Arctic

  11-04-2018 23:41
  An analysis of radar data led scientists to an unexpected discovery of two lakes located beneath 550 to 750 meters of ice underneath the Devon Ice Cap, one of the largest ice caps in the Canadian Arctic. They are thought to be the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.
  
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• From property damage to lost production: How natural disasters impact economics

  11-04-2018 23:41
  When a natural disaster strikes, major disaster databases tend to compile information about losses such as damages to property or cost of repairs, but other economic impacts after the disaster are often overlooked -- such as how a company's lost ability to produce products may affect the entire supply-chain within the affected region and in other regions. This may give an incomplete picture of the full financial impact of the disaster.
  
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• Slow-Motion Ocean: Atlantic's Circulation Is Weakest in 1,600 Years

  11-04-2018 22:40 via rss.sciam.com
  If hemisphere-spanning currents are slowing, greater flooding and extreme weather could be at hand-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• You can control what you share on Facebook — but not what Facebook itself collects

  11-04-2018 21:05 via cbc.ca
  The deceivingly simple toggle between public and private sharing obscures the full extent of what data Facebook collects, writes Matthew Braga.
  
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• You can control what you share on Facebook — but not what Facebook collects

  11-04-2018 21:05 via cbc.ca
  The deceivingly simple toggle between public and private sharing obscures the full extent of what data Facebook collects, writes Matthew Braga.
  
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• Scientists find excess mitochondrial iron, Huntington's disease link

  11-04-2018 20:51
  New research identifying a pathway for Huntington's disease helps lay the foundation for developing drug therapies.
  
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• Fossil study sheds light on ancient butterfly wing colors

  11-04-2018 20:51
  Pioneering new research has given an illuminating new insight into the metallic, iridescent colors found on the earliest known ancestors of moths and butterflies, which inhabited the Earth almost 200 million years ago.
  
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• Babies make the link between emotions expressed vocally and facially

  11-04-2018 20:51
  The ability of babies to differentiate emotional expressions appears to develop during their first six months. But do they really recognize emotion or do they only distinguish the physical characteristics of faces and voices? Researchers have just provided an initial answer to this question, measuring the ability of six-month-old babies to make a connection between a voice expressing happiness or anger and the emotional expression on a face.
  
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• A Command Center in the Mammalian Brain Orchestrates Parenting Behaviors

  11-04-2018 20:20 via rss.sciam.com
  A mouse study deconstructs for the first time a neural circuit underlying a complex social behavior-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Colorful moth wings date back to the dinosaur era

  11-04-2018 20:14
  
  Microscopic structures that scatter light to give color to the wings of modern butterflies and moths date back almost 200 million years.
  
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• Super salty lakes discovered in Canadian Arctic could provide window into life beyond Earth

  11-04-2018 19:57 via cbc.ca
  Scientists from the University of Alberta accidentally discovered the first two subglacial lakes found in the Canadian Arctic — and their unique conditions could help scientists in their search for life beyond Earth.
  
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• Brain combats dementia by shifting resources

  11-04-2018 19:17
  The brain continues to put up a fight even as neurodegenerative diseases like dementia damage certain areas and functions. In fact, recent findings in a Baycrest-University of Arizona study suggest that one method the brain uses to counter these diseases is the reassigning of tasks to different regions.
  
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• Scientists discover a role for 'junk' DNA

  11-04-2018 19:16
  Researchers have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be 'junk DNA,' plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.
  
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• Climate change dials down Atlantic Ocean heating system

  11-04-2018 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  An Atlantic Ocean circulation system that warms Europe's climate is weaker today than it has been in 1,000 years, say scientists.
  
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• Einstein’s general relativity reveals new quirk of Mercury’s orbit

  11-04-2018 18:11
  
  A tiny effect of general relativity on Mercury’s orbit has been calculated for the first time.
  
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• 'Absolutely critical' that scientists can speak freely, federal science minister says

  11-04-2018 17:29 via cbc.ca
  Canada’s Science Minister Kirsty Duncan used her time on the TED Talk stage in Vancouver to highlight her government’s record on science and blasted those she accused of silencing researchers.
  
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• Facebook's Zuckerberg testifies before U.S. House committee on data mining scandal

  11-04-2018 15:38 via cbc.ca
  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faces another round of questioning today in Washington over the social network's mishandling of users' data.
  
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• Facebook's Zuckerberg says regulation of social media firms is 'inevitable'

  11-04-2018 15:38 via cbc.ca
  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told a U.S. House panel he believes it's "inevitable" there will be regulation of the social media industry, adding that his own data was included in the personal information sold to malicious third parties.
  
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• Facebook CEO says his own data was shared by Cambridge Analytica

  11-04-2018 15:38 via cbc.ca
  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, testifying at a congressional hearing today, says his own personal data was included with that of millions of other users of the online platform that was improperly shared with political consultant firm Cambridge Analytica.
  
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• Watch a robot build a 3D printed house

  11-04-2018 14:54 via cbc.ca
  A house built by a 3D robot printer has opened to the public in western France, with backers hailing it as a step forward in green construction.
  
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• Nazi legacy found in Norwegian trees

  11-04-2018 14:22 via bbc.co.uk
  The chemical fog used to hide the Tirpitz battleship in WWII stunted the growth of trees.
  
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• Should you bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood? Here’s a guide for thinking through the issue.

  11-04-2018 13:00
  
  The professionals have advice to give, but the decision is ultimately a personal one.
  
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• Can a Pill That Boosts "Resilience" Treat Depression?

  11-04-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  A clinical trial tests a new way to reverse the psychiatric disorder-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Can a Pill that Boosts 'Resilience' Treat Depression?

  11-04-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  A clinical trial tests a new way to reverse the psychiatric disorder-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Oysters and illness: Research suggests potential for norovirus early warning system

  11-04-2018 12:00 via cbc.ca
  Could an early warning system based on ocean conditions predict oyster-related norovirus outbreaks before they happen?
  
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• Striped bass population triples in Gulf of St. Lawrence

  11-04-2018 11:00 via cbc.ca
  Gulf striped bass have gone from a threatened to a thriving species.
  
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• Why do some children read more?

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Wiley) A new study of more than 11,000 7-year-old twins found that how well children read determines how much they read, not vice versa.
  
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• Want computers to see better in the real world? Train them in a virtual reality

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Chinese Association of Automation) Datasets play a crucial role in the training and testing of the computer vision systems. Using manually labeled training datasets, a computer vision system compares its current situation to known situations and takes the best action it can 'think' of -- whatever that happens to be. Scientists have developed a new way to improve how computers 'see' and 'understand' objects in the real world by training the computers' vision systems in a virtual environment.
  
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• Viagra has the potential to be used as a treatment for rare cancers

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (ecancermedicalscience) The class of drugs currently prescribed to treat male erectile dysfunction has been flagged for its potential to be included in new trials for anti-cancer drugs, in a new clinical study published today in the open-access journal, ecancermedicalscience.
  
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• Vascular problems associated with symptoms of menopause and quality of life measures

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) A new study shows that more frequent and severe menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbance, loss of sexual interest, weight gain and other quality of life measures, were associated with markers of vascular aging, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
  
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• US public companies have increasingly shorter lifespans, IU research says

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Indiana University) At a time when more Americans are living longer, the companies where many people spend their working lives have increasingly shorter lifespans, according to research from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
  
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• Unusual climate during Roman times plunged Eurasia into hunger and disease

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Helsinki) A recent study published in an esteemed academic journal indicates that volcanic eruptions in the mid 500s resulted in an unusually gloomy and cold period.
  
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• Thin, flexible polymers record 'conversations' deeper in the brain with less injury-risk

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Southern California) Researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have developed thin, flexible polymer-based materials for use in microelectrode arrays that record activity more deeply in the brain and with more specific placement.
  
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• The thermodynamics of computing

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (ETH Zurich) Information processing requires a lot of energy. Energy-saving computer systems could make computing more efficient, but the efficiency of these systems can't be increased indefinitely, as ETH physicists show.
  
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• The emotions we feel may shape what we see

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Association for Psychological Science) Our emotional state in a given moment may influence what we see, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. In two experiments, researchers found that participants saw a neutral face as smiling more when it was paired with an unseen positive image.
  
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• The brain combats dementia by shifting resources

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care) The brain continues to put up a fight even as neurodegenerative diseases like dementia damage certain areas and functions. In fact, recent findings in a Baycrest-University of Arizona study suggest that one method the brain uses to counter these diseases is the reassigning of tasks to different regions.
  
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• TESS readies for takeoff

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Now, more than a decade since MIT scientists first proposed the mission, TESS is about to get off the ground. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, no earlier than April 16, at 6:32 p.m. EDT.
  
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• Tackling Global Issues vol. 1 Soft Matter: Material of the Future

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Hokkaido University) We are pleased to announce the inaugural publication of our research magazine 'Tackling Global Issues.' This first issue, published on March 23, 2018, spotlights the research field of soft matter, introducing 11 brilliant researchers who work on hydrogels, soft crystals and molecular machines, all of which are expected to be of great use in medicine and industry.
  
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• Swansea scientists discover greener way of making plastics

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Swansea University) A new catalyst that allows for the conversion of the green house gas carbon dioxide to an industrial precursor for many plastics has been developed by scientists in the Energy Safety Research Institute at Swansea University as an alternative to using petroleum raw materials.
  
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• Swamp microbe has pollution-munching power

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Princeton University, Engineering School) Sewage treatment may be an unglamorous job, but bacteria are happy to do it. Sewage plants rely on bacteria to remove environmental toxins from waste so that the processed water can be safely discharged into oceans and rivers. Now, a bacterium discovered by Princeton researchers in a New Jersey swamp may offer a more efficient method for treating toxins found in sewage, fertilizer runoff and other forms of water pollution.
  
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• Student class engagement soars when they use personal data to learn

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Brigham Young University) Brigham Young University life sciences professors have found that giving students access to their personal biological data has a profound impact on their learning experience. In a summary of their experiment, published in high-ranking scientific journal PLOS ONE, the researchers report students with access to data about their own microbiome -- the trillions of tiny microorganisms that live in a person's gut, mouth and skin -- are significantly more engaged and more int
  
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• SPHERE reveals fascinating zoo of discs around young stars

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (ESO) New images from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope are revealing the dusty discs surrounding nearby young stars in greater detail than previously achieved. They show a bizarre variety of shapes, sizes and structures, including the likely effects of planets still in the process of forming.
  
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• Some can combat dementia by enlisting still-healthy parts of the brain

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Arizona) People with primary progressive aphasia, a rare dementia that initially attacks the language center of the brain, recruit other areas of the brain to decipher sentences. People who have had strokes or injuries to the brain have been shown to enlist intact brain regions to accomplish tasks. The new study is one of the first to show that people with a neurodegenerative disease can call upon intact areas of the brain for help.
  
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• Severity of menopause symptoms could help predict heart disease

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)) Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women. A study of 138 menopausal women examined the association of mood, symptoms, and quality of life measures with the key markers of vascular aging, a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.
  
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• Sensing interactions between molecules

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Münster) An experimental approach to visualize structures of organic molecules with exceptional resolution is reported by physicists and chemists from the University of Münster, Germany.The study is published in the scientific journal "Nature Nanotechnology".
  
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• Research reveals new aspects of superconductivity and correlated phenomena

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) The exotic behaviors displayed by organic compounds subjected to low temperatures are explored in a study developed in Brazil, whose results were published in Physical Review B.
  
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• Research brief: Vaccines to treat opioid abuse and prevent fatal overdoses

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Minnesota) A team of scientists from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation at Hennepin Healthcare is developing vaccines against heroin and prescription opioids, such as oxycodone and fentanyl.
  
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• Prototype of most advanced quantum memory presented by two Kazan universities

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (Kazan Federal University) In this paper we experimentally demonstrated a broadband scheme of the multiresonator quantum memory-interface. The microwave photonic scheme consists of the system of mini-resonators strongly interacting with a common broadband resonator coupled with the external waveguide. We have implemented the impedance matched quantum storage in this scheme via controllable tuning of the mini-resonator frequencies and coupling of the common resonator with the external waveguide.
  
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• Personalized tumor vaccine shows promise in pilot trial

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) A new type of cancer vaccine has yielded promising results in an initial clinical trial. The personalized vaccine is made from patients' own immune cells, which are exposed to the contents of the patients' tumor cells, and injected into the patients to initiate a wider immune response. The trial, conducted in advanced ovarian cancer patients, showed that about half of the vaccinated patients had signs of anti-tumor T-cell responses. The study is pu
  
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• Old proteins tell tales of historical artifacts and the people who touched them

  11-04-2018 06:00
  (American Chemical Society) 'Dead men tell no tales' is a common saying, but according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the old proteins on historical artifacts, such as manuscripts and clothing, can tell quite a yarn.
  
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