Science news

• Canadian company linked to data scandal pushes back at whistleblower's claims

  24-04-2018 23:08 via cbc.ca
  AggregateIQ is disputing allegations about its ties to Cambridge Analytica and its parent company, SCL. But executives were still challenged by Canadian MPs on Tuesday to explain how they worked with three groups that campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union in 2016.
  
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• Organoids reveal how a deadly brain cancer grows

  24-04-2018 22:02
  Scientists developed a new model for glioblastoma using gene-edited organoids.
  
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• Doctors may soon be able to see a brain tumor burned away in real time

  24-04-2018 22:02
  A team of researchers are now making it easier, faster and safer for doctors to use an emerging procedure -- one that involves burning away tumors in more patients, including those with brain tumors.
  
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• Billions of gallons of water saved by thinning forests

  24-04-2018 22:02
  There are too many trees in Sierra Nevada forests, say scientists. That may come as a surprise to those who see dense, verdant forests as signs of a healthy environment. After all, green is good, right? Not necessarily. When it comes to the number of trees in California forests, bigger isn't always better.
  
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• Fancy a French farm for free?

  24-04-2018 21:47 via bbc.co.uk
  This Brittany farm could be available to someone who will preserve its traditional methods.
  
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• Private web browsing doesn’t mean no one is watching

  24-04-2018 21:30
  
  Many people misunderstand what private web browsing actually is. Web browsers’ explanations don’t help.
  
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• Genetically modified plant may boost supply of a powerful malaria drug

  24-04-2018 20:56
  
  Using a DNA study and genetic engineering, researchers tripled the amount of an antimalarial compound naturally produced by sweet wormwood plants.
  
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• Transient inflammatory signaling promotes beige adipogenesis

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Inflammatory signaling has been implicated in adipose tissue remodeling and metabolism. In this issue of Science Signaling, Babaei et al. report that lipolysis induced by β3-adrenergic signaling triggers transient inflammation that directs progenitor cells toward beige adipogenesis.
  
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• Parkin mediates mitophagy during beige-to-white fat conversion

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  In this issue of Science Signaling, Lu et al. reveal a role for Parkin-mediated mitophagy in beige-to-white adipocyte transition. In the absence of Parkin, mitochondria in thermogenic beige adipocytes are preserved even after the elimination of cold mimetic stimuli—in contrast to their typical elimination during the white transition.
  
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• New connections: Ewings sarcomas driver is its Achilles heel

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Several studies identify drug combinations that target or exploit the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein to kill Ewing’s sarcoma cells.
  
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• Mitophagy controls beige adipocyte maintenance through a Parkin-dependent and UCP1-independent mechanism

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Beige adipocytes are an inducible form of mitochondria-enriched thermogenic adipocytes that emerge in response to external stimuli, such as chronic cold exposure. We have previously shown that after the withdrawal of external stimuli, beige adipocytes directly acquire a white fat–like phenotype through autophagy-mediated mitochondrial degradation. We investigated the upstream pathway that mediates mitochondrial clearance and report that Parkin-mediated mitophagy plays a key role in the bei
  
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• Jak-TGF{beta} cross-talk links transient adipose tissue inflammation to beige adipogenesis

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The transient activation of inflammatory networks is required for adipose tissue remodeling including the "browning" of white fat in response to stimuli such as β3-adrenergic receptor activation. In this process, white adipose tissue acquires thermogenic characteristics through the recruitment of so-called beige adipocytes. We investigated the downstream signaling pathways impinging on adipocyte progenitors that promote de novo formation of adipocytes. We showed that the Jak family of kinas
  
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• A defect in KCa3.1 channel activity limits the ability of CD8+ T cells from cancer patients to infiltrate an adenosine-rich microenvironment

  24-04-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The limited ability of cytotoxic T cells to infiltrate solid tumors hampers immune surveillance and the efficacy of immunotherapies in cancer. Adenosine accumulates in solid tumors and inhibits tumor-specific T cells. Adenosine inhibits T cell motility through the A2A receptor (A2AR) and suppression of KCa3.1 channels. We conducted three-dimensional chemotaxis experiments to elucidate the effect of adenosine on the migration of peripheral blood CD8+ T cells from head and neck squamous cell carci
  
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• GM plant tech boosts malaria drug yield

  24-04-2018 18:57 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists have modified a plant's genes to make it produce high levels of a key malaria drug, potentially helping meet the large global demand.
  
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• Though often forgotten, the placenta has a huge role in baby’s health

  24-04-2018 18:30
  
  Recent research in mice suggests that a lot of early problems in the embryo may actually have roots in the placenta.
  
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• Arctic sea ice jammed with plastics from Pacific garbage patch

  24-04-2018 17:36 via cbc.ca
  Sea ice from the remote Arctic Ocean may look clear and pristine, but up to 12,000 tiny pieces of plastic may be embedded in a single chunk small enough to sit on your hand, researchers have found.
  
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• Record concentration of microplastics found in Arctic

  24-04-2018 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  Discovery prompts fear that melting ice will allow more plastic to be released back into the oceans.
  
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• Federal government not doing enough to manage risk of fish farms, environmental watchdog says

  24-04-2018 16:54 via cbc.ca
  The federal government isn't doing enough to manage the risks associated with salmon farming, from failing to set national standards to prevent fish escapes to regulate how much drugs and pesticides companies can use, the environmental commissioner says in her spring report.
  
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• Get into my car ... Amazon begins delivery to vehicles in U.S.

  24-04-2018 16:49 via cbc.ca
  Amazon on Tuesday began offering delivery in 37 U.S. cities to Amazon Prime members who own newer General Motors or Volvo vehicles.
  
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• How to revive drowsy bees

  24-04-2018 15:50 via bbc.co.uk
  A vet gives advice on how to assist dehydrated bumblebees emerging from hibernation.
  
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• Cambridge researcher says Canadian whistleblower in Facebook data scandal was 'duplicitous'

  24-04-2018 13:14 via cbc.ca
  A researcher at the centre of a scandal over the alleged misuse of the data of nearly 100 million Facebook users said on Tuesday that the work he did was not useful for micro-targeted advertisements.
  
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• Cambridge researcher downplays his work amid Facebook data harvesting

  24-04-2018 13:14 via cbc.ca
  A researcher at the centre of a scandal over the alleged misuse of the data of nearly 100 million Facebook users said on Tuesday that the work he did was not useful for micro-targeted adverttisements.
  
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• Stellar Effort: Chart of the Milky Way Includes More Than 1 Billion Stars

  24-04-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The second data set release from Europe’s Gaia mission could provide clues to the galaxy’s past and future-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Stellar Effort: Chart of Milky Way Includes More Than One Billion Stars

  24-04-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  The second data set release from Europe’s Gaia mission could provide clues to the galaxy’s past and future-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• How to turn compost into food — through maggots

  24-04-2018 10:30 via cbc.ca
  Someday, the fly larvae, which feed on organic waste, could become your pet's lunch — or even yours.
  
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• Probing your DNA could trigger future privacy violations

  24-04-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  In the wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data scandal, experts are warning about the potential dangers of handing over your genetic code to private international corporations.
  
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• Paying surrogates in Canada could present new problems for parents-to-be, experts say

  24-04-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  Being a surrogate is legal in Canada, but the logistics and legalities of the practice are much different than they are elsewhere and in need of updating, families and medical experts say.
  
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• User control and transparency are key to trusting personalized mobile apps

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Penn State) As concerns about privacy increase for people using mobile apps, users' trust and engagement may hinge on perceptions about how the app uses their data and whether it seeks user input before delivering personalized services, according to researchers. However, their reactions may also depend on how familiar a user is with technology, they added.
  
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• Uncovering the secret law of the evolution of galaxy clusters

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Osaka University) Using observational data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, the size and mass of galaxy clusters have precisely been measured. Osaka University-led research team analyzed those data and found a simple law that regulates the growth of the clusters. They also showed that the clusters are still young and growing. The newfound law will serve as a tool to clarify the evolutionary history of clusters and the universe.
  
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• Thousands of mobile apps for children might be violating their privacy

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (IMDEA Networks Institute) Thousands of the most popular apps and games available, mostly free of charge, in the Google Play Store, make potentially illegal tracking of children's use habits, according to a large-scale international study co-authored by Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez, a researcher at the IMDEA Networks Institute in Madrid and ICSI, the International Computer Science Institute at the University of California, Berkeley (USA).
  
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• The Matryoshka effect: USU researchers describe underwater phenomenon

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Utah State University) A team of engineers and fluid dynamicists uncovered the physics behind a unique underwater phenomenon that's been likened to the Matryoshka doll -- the traditional Russian doll within a doll.
  
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• The dispute about the origins of terahertz photoresponse in graphene results in a draw

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology) Physicists at MIPT and their British and Russian colleagues revealed the mechanisms leading to photocurrent in graphene under terahertz radiation. The paper published in Applied Physics Letters not only puts a period to a long-lasting debate about the origins of direct current in graphene illuminated by high-frequency radiation but also sets the stage for the development of high-sensitivity terahertz detectors. Such detectors are highly demanded in me
  
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• Technology used to map Mars now measuring effect of treatment on tumors

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Manchester) A machine learning approach for assessing images of the craters and dunes of Mars, which was developed at The University of Manchester, has now been adapted to help scientists measure the effects of treatments on tumors.
  
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• Surgery recovery program slashes opioid use, benefits patients, cuts costs, study finds

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Virginia Health System) A special recovery program for thoracic surgery patients developed at the University of Virginia Health System is getting patients home sooner while decreasing both healthcare costs and opioid use, a review of the first year of the program shows.
  
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• Study shows newspaper op-eds change minds

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Yale University) Researchers have found that op-ed pieces have large and long-lasting effects on people's views among both the general public and policy experts. The study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Political Science, also found that Democrats and Republicans altered their views in the direction of the op-ed piece in roughly equal measure.
  
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• Study identifies overdose risk factors in youth with substance use disorders

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Massachusetts General Hospital) A team of Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has identified factors that may increase the risk of drug overdose in adolescents and young adults.
  
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• Stricter gun control could stop violent men killing their partners and themselves

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Springer) Men who use guns to kill their partner are also likely to commit suicide. Those planning to commit suicide are not deterred by severe penalties, and therefore the most successful way of preventing such homicides is to restrict gun access to batterers. So says Sierra Smucker of Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy in the US. She is the lead author of a study in Springer's Journal of Urban Health.
  
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• Stem cells from adults function just as well as those from embryos

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Frontiers) A review of research on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) finds that donor age does not appear to influence their functionality. This validates iPSCs as a viable alternative to embryonic stem cells in regenerative medicine, and highlights the enormous potential of iPSCs derived from elderly patients to treat their age-related diseases.
  
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• Ride-sharing platforms may be taking the place of managers in the gig economy

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Penn State) Ratings, ride assignments and other aspects of Uber's ride-sharing computer platform in some ways subtly serve as the manager for the company's drivers, according to an international team of researchers.
  
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• Rhythm crucial in drummed speech

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) An international team of researchers, including Frank Seifart and Sven Grawunder of the former Department of Linguistics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Julien Meyer from the Université Grenoble Alpes carried out research into the drummed speech system of the Bora people of the Northwest Amazon. They found the Boras not only reproduce the melody of words and sentences in this endangered language, but also t
  
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• Researchers use smart phone to make a faster infection detector

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Washington State University) Washington State University researchers have developed a low-cost, portable laboratory on a phone that works nearly as well as clinical laboratories to detect common viral and bacterial infections.The work could lead to faster and lower-cost lab results for fast-moving viral and bacterial epidemics, especially in rural or lower-resource regions where laboratory equipment and medical personnel are sometimes not readily available.
  
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• Research explains link between exercise and appetite loss

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) Ever wonder why intense exercise temporarily curbs your appetite? In research described in today's issue of PLOS Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers reveal that the answer is all in your head -- more specifically, your arcuate nucleus.
  
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• Power of negative example

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (National Research University Higher School of Economics) While peers are significant, family remains highly important for adolescents as well, according to HSE researchers. However, many young people do not see their parents as role models.
  
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• New study explains antibiotic resistance in apple, pear disease

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) When humans get bacterial infections, we reach for antibiotics to make us feel better faster. It's the same with many economically important crops. For decades, farmers have been spraying streptomycin on apple and pear trees to kill the bacteria that cause fire blight, a serious disease that costs over $100 million annually in the United States alone.
  
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• New studies show dark chocolate consumption reduces stress and inflammation

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center) Findings from two Loma Linda University Health studies being presented today at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego show dark chocolate consumption reduces stress and inflammation, while improving memory, immunity and mood.
  
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• New robot for skull base surgery is very accurate and alleviates surgeon's workload

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Eindhoven University of Technology) Drilling out a hole in the skull base has to be done with great precision and often takes many hours, which requires the maximum from a surgeon. Researchers of Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a surgery robot to take over this task, with sub-millimeter precision. The robot is expected to perform its first surgery within five years.
  
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• New mechanism of radio emission in neutron stars revealed

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (ITMO University) Young scientists from ITMO University have explained how neutron stars generate intense directed radio emission. They developed a model based on the transitions of particles between gravitational states, i.e. quantum states in gravitational field. The researchers were the first to describe such states for electrons on the surface of neutron stars. Physical parameters obtained with the developed model are consistent with real experimental observations. The results are published
  
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• NASA's Aqua satellite sees wind shear affecting Tropical Cyclone Fakir

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Fakir was southeast of La Reunion Island in the Southern Indian Ocean when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead in space. Visible imagery from Aqua showed that wind shear was affecting Fakir.
  
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• NASA teams study the agency's future in astrophysics

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) What does NASA's future look like? Will the next-generation telescope investigate the first black holes in the distant universe or will it look for life on an Earth-like planet light-years away? As in past decades, the agency won't make that decision in a vacuum or without understanding the technical obstacles, which are formidable.
  
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• More than 1 in 20 US children and teens have anxiety or depression

  24-04-2018 06:00
  (Wolters Kluwer Health) About 2.6 million American children and adolescents had diagnosed anxiety and/or depression in 2011-12, reports an analysis of nationwide data in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
  
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