Science news

• Last year’s solar eclipse set off a wave in the upper atmosphere

  30-04-2018 20:43
  
  The August 2017 solar eclipse launched a wave in the upper atmosphere that was detected from Brazil after the eclipse ended.
  
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• Selfies from space? Blue Origin rocket tests secret 'space communicator' for orbital tourists

  30-04-2018 19:48 via cbc.ca
  A closer look at the day's most notable stories with The National's Jonathon Gatehouse.
  
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• Retailer stops selling unlicensed remedy made from rabid dog saliva after federal investigation

  30-04-2018 19:36 via cbc.ca
  The online retailer of an unlicensed homeopathic remedy made from rabid dog saliva has agreed to stop selling the product in Canada, according to the federal government.
  
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• New genetic details may help roses come up smelling like, well, roses

  30-04-2018 17:00
  
  A detailed genetic look at China roses and an old European species shows that there’s a built-in trade-off between color and scent.
  
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• Why it took 4 days to release the names of the Toronto van attack victims

  30-04-2018 13:22 via cbc.ca
  Unlike the portrayal often seen in TV crime dramas, the process of officially confirming the identity of someone who has been killed often requires painstaking scientific investigation to prevent mistakes.
  
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• See (and hear) the stunning diversity of bowhead whales’ songs

  30-04-2018 13:00
  
  Bowhead whales display a huge range in their underwater melodies, but the drivers behind this diversity remain murky.
  
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• Island Lizards Shift to Evolutionary Fast-Track after Invasive Goats and Rats Are Eradicated

  30-04-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  In just one year lizards on remote Redonda Island may be changing-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Thwaites Glacier: Biggest ever Antarctic field campaign

  30-04-2018 12:01 via bbc.co.uk
  British and American scientists will assess the stability of one of Antarctica's biggest ice streams.
  
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• Pay-as-you-throw fees and 4 more ways to reduce waste

  30-04-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  There are lots of ways to motivate everybody — including people who don’t care about the environment — to reduce their waste, says a report from the Ottawa-based Smart Prosperity Institute.
  
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• Can't understand clickable online contracts? It's time to legislate them away: Don Pittis

  30-04-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  The Rogers contract reveals the absurd legal fiction that people actually read and understand lengthy online consent forms.
  
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• 5 ways to make everybody reduce their waste

  30-04-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  There are lots of ways to motivate everybody — including people who don’t care about the environment — to reduce their waste, says a report from the Ottawa-based Smart Prosperity Institute.
  
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• World-first synthesis of globalization effects on people and planet

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Sydney) Australian researchers have compiled a world-first conclusive synthesis of the environmental and social impacts of globalization -- using sophisticated computation to provide a bird's eye view of the displacement of wealth-driven consumption into offshore production -- highlighting effects such as child labor. The research reveals the extent developed countries are outsourcing burdensome production to poor countries and points towards a need for consumption-based accountin
  
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• Workplace flexibility bias not just a mother's problem

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Michigan) Work-life balance is not an issue exclusive to women, particularly mothers -- even men and those without children can suffer when they feel that their workplace culture is not family friendly, according to a new study.
  
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• Why Armenia's transition to democracy failed

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Lehigh University) In a paper published online in Nationalities Papers earlier this month in, Arman Grigoryan, assistant professor of international relations at Lehigh University, argues that the main driver of Armenia's failed transition after independence was its war with Azerbaijan and the continued state of belligerence after the ceasefire was signed in 1994.
  
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• Water-repellent surfaces can efficiently boil water, keep electronics cool

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Purdue University) Surfaces that repel water can support efficient boiling if all air and vapor is removed from a system first, according to research featured on the cover of the most recent issue of Physical Review Letters.
  
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• Voters make choices based on looks -- but this doesn't help them pick the best politicians

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Kent) New research, thought to be the the first of its kind, measures the impact of appearance and personality on voting and political performance.
  
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• Vapers and non-smokers have the same flourishing gut flora

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Newcastle University) The first study of its kind has found that people who vape have the same mix of gut bacteria as non-smokers, whilst smokers have significant changes to their microbiome.
  
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• UTA graduate student/veteran studies molecular genetic basis of 'loser' effect

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) UTA biology doctoral student Marquerite Herzog has been awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to study the molecular genetic basis of changes in behavior seen when an individual loses an aggressive conflict. These traits, which often include a period of time of isolation or submissiveness, are often referred to as the 'loser' effect. Herzog's interest in this issue grew from her experiences as a military veteran who worked extensively with mili
  
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• UNICEF 'muted' on tobacco control for children

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of California - San Francisco) The tobacco industry manipulated the renowned children's rights agency UNICEF for more than a dozen years, from 2003 until at least 2016, during which time UNICEF's focus on children's rights to a tobacco-free life was reduced, according to previously secret documents uncovered by UC San Francisco.
  
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• UMD researcher discovers mechanisms and epigenetic markers with implications for diseases ranging from cancers to infertility

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Maryland) A UMD researcher uncovered new mechanisms that dictate the development of germline stem cells. Mechanisms were found to be associated with genes responsible for cancers and viral infections among other major diseases. Markers used to identify male germ cells were discovered, exploring how environmental factors or epigenetics affect these cells and providing significant insight into treatments for male infertility. Findings set the stage for chickens as a more prominent m
  
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• UChicago researchers lay out how to control biology with light -- without genetics

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Chicago) Over the past five years, University of Chicago chemist Bozhi Tian has been figuring out how to control biology with light. In a paper published April 30 in Nature Biomedical Engineering, Tian's team laid out a system of design principles for working with silicon to control biology at three levels -- from individual organelles inside cells to tissues to entire limbs. The group has demonstrated each in cells or mice models, including the first time anyone has used light to
  
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• Topological insulator 'flips' for superconductivity

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Illinois College of Engineering) A groundbreaking sample preparation technique has enabled researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Tokyo to perform the most controlled and sensitive study to date of a topological insulator (TI) closely coupled to a superconductor (SC).
  
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• Therapeutic RNA corrects splicing defect that causes familial dysautonomia

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) Researchers at CSHL have published a proof of concept for a therapeutic RNA drug to correct the error in RNA splicing that causes familial dysautonomia (FD), a rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder.
  
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• The laws of star formation challenged

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (CNRS) An international team led by researchers at CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has challenged currently held ideas about star formation. Published in Nature Astronomy, the findings could challenge the widespread assumption that the mass distribution of a population of star-forming cores is identical to that of the stars they spawn.
  
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• Taking medicine on time seems simple, is anything but

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Houston) UH pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy researcher Susan Abughosh is customizing motivational interviewing conversations to help patients with diabetes and high blood pressure stick to their medication schedules.
  
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• STSI $34 million NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Scripps Research Institute) The Scripps Translational Science Institute has received over $34 million in renewed funding from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to advance medical research and clinical care through genomic and digital technologies.
  
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• Stanford researchers have developed a water-based battery to store solar and wind energy

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Stanford University) Stanford scientists have developed a manganese-hydrogen battery that could fill a missing piece in the nation's energy puzzle by storing wind and solar energy for when it is needed, lessening the need to burn carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
  
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• Stagediving with biomolecules improves optical microscopy

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Technische Universität Dresden) Physicists from Dresden and Würzburg have developed a novel method for optical microscopy. Using biological motors and single quantum dots, they acquire ultra-high-resolution images.
  
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• Seniors more likely to visit emergency department after home care visit from nurse

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Canadian Medical Association Journal) Patients who received home care visits from nurses were more likely to visit the emergency department during the evening on the same day, particularly for non-urgent issues, according to new research in CMAJ.
  
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• Scientists create nanomaterials that reconfigure in response to biochemical signals

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY) A newly published paper in Nature Chemistry details how a research team lead by scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center's Nanoscience Initiative are developing self-assembling electronic nanomaterials that can respond to biochemical signals for potential therapeutic use.
  
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• Researchers say chronic dizziness can result from, or trigger, psychiatric disorders

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (American Osteopathic Association) Dizziness can fall into a number of broad categories, including vertigo (spinning sensation), presyncope (near-fainting), and disequilibrium (imbalance). When a patient's description of symptoms appears consistent with one of these categories, physicians are better equipped to make an accurate diagnosis. Patients who have a difficult time describing their symptoms, or seem to experience several different symptoms, are likely experiencing non-specific dizziness
  
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• Research supports calls for food industry to reduce food product portion sizes

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Liverpool) New research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, highlights the benefits of the food industry changing food product portion sizes in order to make healthier eating more normal.
  
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• Research casts doubt on theories of star formation

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Cardiff University) The birth of stars from dense clouds of gas and dust may be happening in a completely unexpected way in our own galaxy and beyond.
  
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• Proximity to fracking sites affects public support of them, study finds

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Oregon State University) People who live closer to fracking sites are more familiar with and more supportive of hydraulic fracturing, while those who live in proximity to areas of higher oil and gas well density are more familiar with but not necessarily more supportive of the practice.
  
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• Portland State receives NSF grant to battle cyber-security threats

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Portland State University) A research team led by Portland State University computer science professor Fang Song will receive a $275,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to help solve cyber-security problems created by quantum computers.
  
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• Pitt's Mostafa Bedewy receives top honor from Society of Manufacturing Engineers

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Pittsburgh) In recognition of his contributions to the field of nanomanufacturing, Mostafa Bedewy was named a 2018 recipient of the Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Dr. Bedewy is assistant professor of industrial engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, and principal investigator of the NanoProduct Lab at Pitt.
  
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• Pill for breast cancer diagnosis may outperform mammograms

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (University of Michigan) As many as one in three women treated for breast cancer undergo unnecessary procedures, but a new method for diagnosing it could do a better job distinguishing between benign and aggressive tumors.
  
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• Physics of a glacial 'slushy' reveal granular forces on a massive scale

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Emory Health Sciences) The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the findings, describing the dynamics of the clog of icebergs -- known as an ice mélange -- in front of Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier. The fast-moving glacier is considered a bellwether for the effects of climate change.
  
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• PCORI Board approves $74 million to support research of opioid use disorders, obesity

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $74 million to fund nine new comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies.
  
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• PCORI Board approves $10 million to support research on medication-assisted treatment

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $10 million to fund two new comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies on medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for pregnant women with opioid use disorders.
  
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• Old data, new tricks: Fresh results from NASA's Galileo spacecraft 20 years on

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Newly analyzed data from the Galileo spacecraft's flybys of one of Jupiter's moons two decades ago is yielding fresh insights: the magnetic field around the moon Ganymede makes it unlike any other in the solar system.
  
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• New programs address United States' large number of unsubmitted and untested rape kits

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (RTI International) With the launch of a new Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Online Toolkit and training site, the SAKI Virtual Academy, these free, easily downloadable tools supply much needed resources to the nation's law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to help investigators, prosecutors and victim advocates close out cases and bring answers to survivors.
  
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• New materials for sustainable, low-cost batteries

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (ETH Zurich) A new conductor material and a new electrode material could pave the way for inexpensive batteries and therefore the large-scale storage of renewable energies.
  
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• NASA finds wind shear affecting Tropical Cyclone Flamboyan

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Flamboyan, the 21st tropical cyclone of the Southern Indian Ocean season, formed over the weekend of April 28 and 29. Wind shear is expected to weaken Flamboyan over the next several days.
  
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• Medicare kidney failure patients enter hospice too late to reap full benefits

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Brigham and Women's Hospital) Late referrals to hospice drive up end-of-life costs and limit benefits for patients on dialysis.
  
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• Magnetic nanoparticles leap from lab bench to breast cancer clinical trials

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (DOE/Sandia National Laboratories) A long-standing collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories and Imagion Biosystems produced precise magnetic nanoparticles for abreast cancer clinical trial later this year. The nanoparticles stick to breast cancer cells, allowing the detection and removal of even small metastases.
  
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• Lonely and non-empathetic people more likely to make unethical shopping decisions

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Binghamton University) Lonely consumers are capable of behaving morally, but aren't motivated to, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
  
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• Laser frequency combs may be the future of Wi-Fi

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) Researchers have uncovered a new phenomenon of quantum cascade laser frequency combs, which would allow these devices to act as integrated transmitters or receivers that can efficiently encode information.
  
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• Keep calm and carry on: VTCRI scientists make first serotonin measurements in humans

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Virginia Tech) Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have begun to unravel how serotonin acts, based on data collected in a first-of-its-kind experiment that utilized electrochemical probes implanted into the brain of awake human beings.
  
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• Kansas State University researcher part of $3.9 million NASA lava caves study

  30-04-2018 06:00
  (Kansas State University) A Kansas State University researcher is exploring lava caves on Earth as part of a $3.9 million NASA study, which may eventually be used to provide clues in answering the life on Mars question.
  
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