Science news

• Bottled water could soon be sold in plastic-free, biodegradable bottles

  08-05-2018 23:51 via cbc.ca
  A British bottled water company wants to start selling water in a paper-based, plastic-free disposable bottle that breaks down within weeks when littered in the ocean or forest or dumped in a landfill.
  
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• How long will Kilauea’s eruption last?

  08-05-2018 23:16
  
  A volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey answers burning questions about the ongoing Kilauea eruption.
  
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• Climate change threatens Marine Protected Areas

  08-05-2018 23:09
  New research found that most marine life in Marine Protected Areas will not be able to tolerate warming ocean temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The study found that with continued 'business-as-usual' emissions, the protections currently in place won't matter, because by 2100, warming and reduced oxygen concentration will make Marine Protected Areas uninhabitable by most species currently residing in those areas.
  
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• Breast cancer linked to the body's internal clock

  08-05-2018 23:09
  For years, doctors have associated the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations with an increased risk of breast cancer. But researchers have now identified another gene that may have an impact on breast cancer --associated with the body's circadian rhythm.
  
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• People who travel by car are four times more likely to be injured than people who travel by city bus

  08-05-2018 23:08
  Taking the bus is a whole lot safer than taking the car -- and it's also safer for cyclists and pedestrians who take the same routes, according to a new study.
  
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• Leopard meals: Females go for diversity

  08-05-2018 23:08
  Leopards, top predators of the African savannah, are known to feed on a variety of prey species. It has been largely unknown, however, whether they specialize in certain prey animals and which factors might influence prey preferences. Scientists investigated these questions by studying the diet of leopards on commercial farmland in central Namibia.
  
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• ONC201 kills breast cancer cells in vitro by targeting mitochondria

  08-05-2018 21:50
  TRAIL, a member of the TNF family of ligands, causes caspase-dependent apoptosis through activation of its receptors, death receptor 4 and DR5.
  
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• Inequality is normal: Dominance of the big trees

  08-05-2018 21:50
  The top 1 percent of the forest has been sharing some vital information with researchers. Ninety-eight scientists and thousands of field staff have concluded the largest study undertaken to date with the Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), and what they have found will have profound implications toward ecological theories and carbon storage in forests.
  
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• Virus that has contributed to 'mass mortality' in reptiles confirmed in Canadian turtle for 1st time

  08-05-2018 21:43 via cbc.ca
  The Ranavirus virus has been found in a turtle in Hamilton's Cootes Paradise wetland. It generally leads to organ failure and death within four weeks.
  
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• How Kilauea's Lava Invades Neighborhoods

  08-05-2018 21:30 via rss.sciam.com
  Following underground routes, molten rock moves from crater pools to people’s yards-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• MRI 'glove' provides new look at hand anatomy

  08-05-2018 21:03
  A new kind of MRI component in the shape of a glove delivers the first clear images of bones, tendons and ligaments moving together.
  
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• Migratory animals carry more parasites

  08-05-2018 21:03
  Every year, billions of animals migrate across the globe, carrying parasites with them and encountering parasites through their travels. Now, a team of researchers has discovered that animals known to migrate long distances are infected by a greater number of parasite species than animals that do not migrate.
  
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• Machine learning flags emerging pathogens

  08-05-2018 20:50
  A new machine learning tool that can detect whether emerging strains of the bacterium, Salmonella are more likely to cause dangerous bloodstream infections rather than food poisoning has been developed. The tool greatly speeds up the process for identifying the genetic changes underlying new invasive types of Salmonella that are of public health concern.
  
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• Insight into blood signatures of inflammation

  08-05-2018 20:50
  A new study identifies a pattern of inflammation associated with cardio-metabolic risks among participants in the Black Women's Health Study, as well as two independent groups of vulnerable women. These findings could help under-served patients benefit from precision medicine and personalized profiles of disease risk.
  
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• Some gut bacteria may protect against intestinal infection

  08-05-2018 20:49
  Scientists have for the first time found evidence that a microbe in the human gut is associated with protection from typhoid fever infection. If the research is borne out, it could offer an exciting new way to reduce intestinal infections.
  
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• Fringe benefits: Drug side effects could treat human hair loss

  08-05-2018 20:49
  A new drug could ease the distress of men and women who suffer from baldness.
  
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• Edmonton app Frettable transcribes live sound into sheet music

  08-05-2018 19:57 via cbc.ca
  The Edmonton man who created an app that transcribes the sound of an instrument into sheet music hopes it reduces geographic barriers for composers.
  
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• Uber to provide data support for NASA's urban air mobility program

  08-05-2018 19:54
  (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said on Tuesday it signed an agreement with U.S. space agency NASA to explore concepts and technologies needed for passenger and cargo air transportation within an urban area.
  
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• The receptor tyrosine kinase TrkB signals without dimerization at the plasma membrane

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Tropomyosin-related tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) is the receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and provides critical signaling that supports the development and function of the mammalian nervous system. Like other receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), TrkB is thought to signal as a dimer. Using cell imaging and biochemical assays, we found that TrkB acted as a monomeric receptor at the plasma membrane regardless of its binding to BDNF and initial activation. Dimerization occurred only aft
  
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• How to recruit a GRK

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The dopamine D2 receptor recruits and activates the kinase GRK2 without the need for G protein activation.
  
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• Highlight: A tasteful conversation with atypical mitochondria at atypical synapses

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Atypical mitochondria produce ATP used as a neurotransmitter by type II taste cells to transduce sweet, bitter, or savory flavors.
  
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• Gene expression kinetics governs stimulus-specific decoration of the Salmonella outer membrane

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Lipid A is the innermost component of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules that occupy the outer leaflet of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria. Lipid A is recognized by the host immune system and targeted by cationic antimicrobial compounds. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, the phosphates of lipid A are chemically modified by enzymes encoded by targets of the transcriptional regulator PmrA. These modifications increase resistance to the cationic peptide antibiotic polymyxi
  
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• Chemical synapses without synaptic vesicles: Purinergic neurotransmission through a CALHM1 channel-mitochondrial signaling complex

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Conventional chemical synapses in the nervous system involve a presynaptic accumulation of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles, which fuse with the plasma membrane to release neurotransmitters that activate postsynaptic receptors. In taste buds, type II receptor cells do not have conventional synaptic features but nonetheless show regulated release of their afferent neurotransmitter, ATP, through a large-pore, voltage-gated channel, CALHM1. Immunohistochemistry revealed that CALHM1 was localize
  
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• CCR5 adopts three homodimeric conformations that control cell surface delivery

  08-05-2018 19:51 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Biophysical methods and x-ray crystallography have revealed that class A G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) can form homodimers. We combined computational approaches with receptor cross-linking, energy transfer, and a newly developed functional export assay to characterize the residues involved in the dimerization interfaces of the chemokine receptor CCR5, the major co-receptor for HIV-1 entry into cells. We provide evidence of three distinct CCR5 dimeric organizations, involving residues
  
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• Why does the Sun's Corona sizzle at one million °F?

  08-05-2018 19:10
  The Sun's corona, invisible to the human eye except when it appears briefly as a fiery halo of plasma during a solar eclipse, remains a puzzle even to scientists who study it closely. Located 1,300 miles from the star's surface, it is more than a hundred times hotter than lower layers much closer to the fusion reactor at the Sun's core.
  
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• Switching off insatiable hunger

  08-05-2018 19:10
  Researchers have successfully treated patients whose obesity is caused by a genetic defect. Aside from its beneficial effects on the patients, the researchers also provided insights into the fundamental signaling pathways regulating satiety of the new drug.
  
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• 'League of Legends' to gain insights into mental models

  08-05-2018 19:10
  Psychology researchers have used the game League of Legends to advance our understanding of how people build 'mental models' -- the mental tools that allow people to make use of complex systems. The researchers found that mental models are developed in three distinct stages -- findings that have the potential to inform everything from workplace training to video-game development.
  
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• Despite mutations in makona Ebola virus, disease consistent in mice, monkeys

  08-05-2018 19:10
  Early during the West African Ebola epidemic, scientists speculated that the genetic diversity of the Makona strain of virus (EBOV-Makona) would result in more severe disease and more transmissibility than prior strains. However scientists have determined that certain mutations stabilized early during the epidemic and did not alter Ebola disease presentation or outcome. Their work offers evidence to support previous findings that the diversity of EBOV-Makona did not significantly impact the cour
  
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• Cellular messengers communicate with bacteria in the mouth

  08-05-2018 19:10
  Cellular messengers in saliva may be able to regulate the growth of oral bacteria responsible for diseases, such as periodontitis and meningitis. A new study suggests that a body's cellular messengers play an important role in managing the amount of good and bad bacteria in the mouth.
  
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• Invasive procedures should be reserved for a sub-group of acid reflux patients, study says

  08-05-2018 19:09
  As the number of Americans with acid reflux grows, a new study says invasive procedures to treat those who don't respond to medication should be done for select patients.
  
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• Equal subsidies 'surprisingly powerful,' in promoting use of gold-standard medications

  08-05-2018 19:09
  International aid groups promoting gold-standard anti-malarial treatments subsidize each pharmaceutical companies equally. The goal is to reduce the price consumers ultimately pay, encouraging more of them to choose the most effective drugs. While in general equal subsidies are still somewhat inefficient, that compromise is not as bad as it might seem, according a new study. Even under the worst theoretical conditions, an equal subsidy policy still gets at least half the treatments out the door.
  
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• Is it an invasion of your kids’ privacy to post pictures of them on social media?

  08-05-2018 18:00
  
  Growing up in an online world doesn’t mean that kids don’t care about privacy. Parents should keep this in mind when posting pictures of their kids to social media.
  
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• Voltage loss in cable bacteria

  08-05-2018 17:17
  An international research group has shed new light on cable bacteria. Using laser light, researchers have followed electrons as they travel through the current-conducting bacteria, and on the basis of the electrical potential in the bacteria, they have calculated that the bacteria because of voltage loss cannot function efficiently at depths exceeding 3 cm into the sediment.
  
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• Tissue-engineered human pancreatic cells successfully treat diabetic mice

  08-05-2018 17:17
  Researchers tissue-engineered human pancreatic islets in a laboratory that develop a circulatory system, secrete hormones like insulin and successfully treat sudden-onset type 1 diabetes in transplanted mice. The scientists use a new bioengineering process they developed called a self-condensation cell culture. The technology helps nudge medical science closer to one day growing human organ tissues from a person's own cells for regenerative therapy, say study investigators.
  
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• The secret of a long life

  08-05-2018 17:17
  Why termite queens live exceptionally long and, at the same time, are extraordinary fertile.
  
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• How a T cell passes HIV sexually to a new host

  08-05-2018 17:17
  While it's well known that HIV is transmitted sexually, how the virus crosses genital mucus membranes to reach its targets in the immune system is less understood. Previous research has looked at biochemical measurements or morphology at various points during HIV transmission, but now researchers have constructed an in vitro model of urethral mucosa in order to view the process from start to finish.
  
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• Emojis used to develop a modern face scale for product testing

  08-05-2018 17:17
  A new study finds that emojis are a viable alternative to words when it comes to accurately measuring how kids feel about food, products and other experiences. With that discovery, researchers developed an emoji scale that may help companies better test products in non-Western cultures.
  
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• Bird migration strategies revealed

  08-05-2018 17:17
  Using weather surveillance radar and citizen-science data, researchers are learning how migratory birds return to their breeding grounds in North America each spring with near-pinpoint accuracy.
  
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• Film scholar, 'accidental scientist' among winners of $100K Killam Prize

  08-05-2018 16:37 via cbc.ca
  Five academics from universities across the country are being awarded the prestigious Killam Prize, which honours researchers, scientists, doctors and scholars whose body of work has bettered the lives of people in Canada and beyond.
  
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• Taking CRISPR from clipping scissors to word processor

  08-05-2018 16:22
  Researchers have developed a new platform that makes CRISPR less like a cutting tool and more like a word processor with a search-and-replace function.
  
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• Oilseed crop's waste product yields compounds that protect skin from the sun

  08-05-2018 16:22
  Meadowfoam, a native Pacific Northwest plant cultivated as an oilseed crop, has emerged as a potential new source of protection against the sun's harmful effects on the skin.
  
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• A new connection between glucose and lipid regulation in cancer metabolism

  08-05-2018 16:22
  Researchers have identified an enzyme that helps cancer cells make the building materials they need to quickly proliferate. Inhibiting this enzyme could be a strategy to slow down cancer growth, leading to more effective treatments.
  
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• Help with homework can affect child's persistence

  08-05-2018 16:21
  Different types of maternal homework assistance have a different impact on the child's way of completing school assignments in grades 2 to 4 of elementary school, according to a new study. Although all homework assistance presumably aims at helping the child, not all types of homework assistance lead to equally positive outcomes.
  
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• Cardiac arrhythmias: Expression of connexin 43 in infarct scar cuts cardiac arrhythmias after heart attack

  08-05-2018 16:21
  Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias often occur after a heart attack, as the scar tissue can interfere with the spread of electrical impulses that activate the heart. Scientists have now developed a method to improve electrical transmission in the heart by transferring a single gene, Connexin 43, to cells that form the infarct scar.
  
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• Carbon satellite to serve as an important tool for politicians and climate change experts

  08-05-2018 16:21
  A new satellite that measures and provides detailed carbon balance information is one of the most important new tools in carbon measurement since infrared light. The researchers expect the satellite to be a valuable tool for the UN's work on climate change related to the Paris climate accord.
  
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• Uber won't confirm if software caused self-driving car to kill pedestrian

  08-05-2018 16:03 via cbc.ca
  Uber Technologies Inc on Monday said it has hired a former U.S. regulator to advise the company on safety, but would not confirm a technology website's report that a software flaw was responsible for a fatal accident involving one of its self-driving cars in March.
  
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• Real numbers don’t cut it in the real world, this physicist argues

  08-05-2018 16:00
  
  Physicist Nicolas Gisin argues that real numbers don’t properly represent the natural world, which is a good thing for free will.
  
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• Tracing the footprints of a tumor: Genomic 'scars' allow cancer profiling

  08-05-2018 15:50
  Mutations driving cancer development leave behind specific 'scars,' so-called mutational signatures, in the genome. In principle, they allow for profiling of the cancer type and its development -- but the noisy environment of a cancer genome makes correlations difficult. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, researchers were able to show for the first time that specific genetic alterations indeed lead to the predicted mutational signatures observed in human cancers.
  
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• Prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to genetic changes in rat brains, study finds

  08-05-2018 15:50
  Prolonged exposure to particulate matter in air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin triggered inflammation and the appearance of cancer-related genes in the brains of rats, a new study has found.
  
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• Symptoms of osteoarthritis may be lessened with simple changes to the diet

  08-05-2018 15:49
  One gram of fish oil a day could help reduce the pain of patients with osteoarthritis, a new study finds. Researchers also found that a reduction of weight for overweight and obese patients and the introduction of exercise tailored to mobility could also help ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
  
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