Science news

• MR spectroscopy imaging reveals effects of targeted treatment of mutant IDH1 gliomas

  18-05-2018 22:40
  Using a novel imaging method, a research team is investigating the mechanisms behind a potential targeted treatment for a subtype of the deadly brains tumors called gliomas.
  
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• Biotin supplements caused misleading test results, almost led to unnecessary procedure

  18-05-2018 22:40
  A new case report describes how a patient's use of a common over-the-counter biotin supplement caused clinically misleading test results and almost resulted in an unnecessary, invasive medical procedure.
  
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• Researchers discover how body temperature wrecks potential dengue, Zika vaccine

  18-05-2018 20:10
  A major route toward creating effective vaccines against dengue virus and Zika involves the E protein that covers the surface of each viral particle. But creating such a vaccine has proven difficult for a number of reasons. Now researchers have delineated the details of one major barrier to a promising vaccine. It's something we all have -- a natural body temperature of about 98.6 degrees.
  
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• Variations in placental microbiota appear related to premature birth

  18-05-2018 19:36
  Researchers have found a surplus of pathogenic bacteria in placentas from premature births, supporting the hypothesis that maternal infection may cause preterm birth.
  
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• New insights into malaria parasite

  18-05-2018 18:19
  Scientists have found that various stages of the development of human malaria parasites, including stages involved in malaria transmission, are linked to epigenetic features and how chromatin -- the complex of DNA and proteins within the nucleus -- is organized and structured in these parasites.
  
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• E. coli tailored to convert plants into renewable chemicals

  18-05-2018 16:59
  Jet fuel, pantyhose and plastic soda bottles: all three could be made from bioengineered bacteria.
  
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• The dark side of our genes -- healthy aging in modern times

  18-05-2018 16:28
  Scientists collate the evidence for the mismatch between past evolutionary adaptation and our modern lives. They also ask whether natural selection linked to modernization might reduce globally the burden of some chronic diseases.
  
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• Matabele ants: Travelling faster with detours

  18-05-2018 16:27
  Ants do not always take the shortest route when they are in a hurry. Their navigational system occasionally makes them take detours to speed up their journey.
  
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• Giraffes surprise biologists yet again

  18-05-2018 16:27
  New research has highlighted how little we know about giraffe behavior and ecology.
  
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• Can a quantum drum vibrate and stand still at the same time?

  18-05-2018 16:27
  Researchers have studied how a 'drumstick' made of light could make a microscopic 'drum' vibrate and stand still at the same time.
  
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• Asian tiger mosquito on the move

  18-05-2018 16:27
  Scientists have compared the ecological niches of the Asian tiger mosquito and the yellow fever mosquito, both of which transmit infectious diseases, on various continents. The invasion time span plays an important role in their expansion and the Asian tiger mosquito has not yet arrived in all regions where it would find a suitable environment.
  
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• To regulate fecal transplants, FDA has to first answer a serious question: What is poop?

  18-05-2018 16:00
  
  Fecal transplants are the treatment of the future for some conditions. But right now, they are entirely unregulated. Here’s why putting regulations in place is so complex.
  
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• Hawaii authorities take added safety measures as ash falls near erupting Kilauea volcano

  18-05-2018 15:46 via cbc.ca
  Authorities handed out around 2,000 masks for protection as people living near Hawaii's Kilauea volcano braced for pulverized rock, glass and crystal to rain down on them after an explosive eruption at the peak's summit.
  
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• Hedgehogs: Thousands sign petition over rat trap threat

  18-05-2018 15:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Hedgehog lovers are worried that a rat trap, licensed by the government in England, could harm their spiky friends.
  
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• 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater, moves objects

  18-05-2018 14:19
  Engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other muscles, along with devices for diagnosing diseases, detecting and delivering drugs and performing underwater inspections.
  
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• How to go plastic free and cut waste in the kitchen

  18-05-2018 14:00 via cbc.ca
  With plastic bags no longer accepted in Saskatoon recycling bins, and the city aiming for 70 per cent waste diversion by 2023, the average resident may be left scratching their heads about what to do with all the plastic.
  
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• The CDC advises: Don’t swallow the water in a hotel swimming pool

  18-05-2018 13:00
  
  In a 15-year period, hotel swimming pools and water parks had the highest number of swimming-related disease outbreaks in the United States.
  
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• Gunshot Sensors Pinpoint Destructive "Fish Bombs"

  18-05-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Technology developed for urban crimes can help localize blasts that destroy coral reefs-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Scientists race to prevent extinction of Atlantic whitefish in Nova Scotia

  18-05-2018 11:00 via cbc.ca
  There are now so few endangered Atlantic whitefish alive in Nova Scotia that researchers are capturing every juvenile they can find this year and whisking them to a fish hatchery for safekeeping.
  
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• How Rogers, Telus and Bell sell access to your location data to third-party companies

  18-05-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  A joint venture between Canada's three largest telecom companies has been selling the real-time location of its subscribers to third parties such as banks and insurance companies that use it for identification verification and other purposes. The telcos say it's always with your explicit consent.
  
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• How and when Rogers, Telus and Bell sell your location to third-party companies

  18-05-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  A joint venture between Canada's three largest telecom companies has been selling the real-time location of its subscribers to third parties — as long they have your consent, the company says.
  
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• Women sometimes feel regret after electing to freeze their eggs

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of California - San Francisco) Most women feel empowered by elective procedures that enable them to bank eggs in case they can't conceive naturally later in life, researchers at UC San Francisco have found. But one in six become regretful, for reasons that researchers do not yet fully understand.
  
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• UTA industrial engineering team partners with Foxconn to improve automation

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) A partnership between a University of Texas at Arlington industrial engineering team and Foxconn, a global electronics manufacturer giant and primary supplier for iPhones, will reduce fraudulent replacement claims for iPhone repairs at its Fort Worth facility. The team also will use automation and data-driven smart manufacturing solutions to allow the company to increase its output.
  
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• Using virtual biopsies to improve melanoma detection

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Colorado State University) Jesse Wilson, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the School of Biomedical Engineering, is one of 15 researchers selected for a Young Investigator Award from the Melanoma Research Alliance.The award will allow Wilson and his team to go a step further in their research to make early detection of melanoma faster and cheaper, without the need for a biopsy.
  
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• Using Tinder doesn't result in more casual sex

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Tinder users don't have more sexual partners than other similarly minded people. Women tend to use the app to feel better about themselves, whereas men are more focused on sex.
  
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• Study finds growing wealth gap between seniors and families with children

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Duke University) The wealth gap between households of seniors and those with children has ballooned since 1989, a new study finds. Also, wealth is now spread very differently within each group: The gap between the richest and poorest seniors has remained stable, but a vast economic divide now exists among families with children.
  
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• Stroke researchers confirm role of frontal lesions in response to prism treatment

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Kessler Foundation) "Our research shows that patients with frontal cortical lesions may benefit from prism adaptation treatment for spatial neglect," said Dr. AM Barrett. "Early identification of patients with hemiparesis and frontal lesions could reduce the substantial costs of stroke care and improve public health. Because spatial neglect often goes undetected, this is a major challenge.Meeting that challenge requires educating stroke professionals about targeted prism treatment, and conducti
  
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• Rutgers researchers create a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater, moves objects

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Rutgers University) Rutgers University-New Brunswick engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other muscles, along with devices for diagnosing diseases, detecting and delivering drugs and performing underwater inspections.
  
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• Robotic assembly of the world's smallest house -- Even a mite doesn't fit through the door!

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (American Institute of Physics) A French nanorobotics team has assembled a new microrobotics system that pushes forward the frontiers of optical nanotechnologies. Combining several existing technologies, the μRobotex nanofactory builds microstructures in a large vacuum chamber and fixes components onto optical fiber tips with nanometer accuracy. The microhouse construction, reported in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, demonstrates how researchers can advance optical sensing tec
  
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• Researchers operate lab-grown heart cells by remote control

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of California - San Diego) Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and their collaborators have developed a technique that allows them to speed up or slow down human heart cells growing in a dish on command -- simply by shining a light on them and varying its intensity. The cells are grown on a material called graphene, which converts light into electricity, providing a more realistic environment than standard plastic or glass laboratory dishes.
  
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• Research offers new insights into malaria parasite

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of California - Riverside) A team of researchers led by a University of California, Riverside, scientist has found that various stages of the development of human malaria parasites, including stages involved in malaria transmission, are linked to epigenetic features and how chromatin -- the complex of DNA and proteins within the nucleus -- is organized and structured in these parasites.
  
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• Particle shows promise for treating the deadliest type of breast cancer

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Southern California - Health Sciences) USC researchers have pinpointed a remedy to thwart a protein that helps the metastatic spread of breast cancer, a leading cause of death for women. The findings appear today in Nature Communications.
  
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• New mechanism essential for eye lens development identified

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Delaware) A team led by a University of Delaware researcher has identified the protein essential for eye lens development and clear vision. Without the protein, eyes will form cataracts; with it, lens cells are cleared and ready to see. The work is providing fundamental new knowledge on the basic underlying mechanisms involved in eye development.
  
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• NBA stars on losing teams follow fewer teammates on social media

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Cincinnati) NBA stars on winning teams are more likely to follow teammates on Twitter than high status players on bad teams are, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati.UC anthropology professor Jeremy Koster examined the relationships of 330 players on 30 NBA teams who used the social network Twitter during the 2014-15 season. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
  
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• NASA's new planet hunter snaps initial test image, swings by Moon toward final orbit

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) After launching April 18, TESS has completed its lunar flyby to put it on track for its final science orbit, and has released a first test image.
  
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• NASA satellite reveals a more prganized Tropical Cyclone Sagar?

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Sagar, formerly known as 01A, appeared more organized on satellite imagery and has strengthened since May 17.
  
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• NASA satellite reveals a more organized Tropical Cyclone Sagar

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Tropical Cyclone Sagar, formerly known as 01A, appeared more organized on satellite imagery and has strengthened since May 17.
  
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• MontanaPBS releases trailer explaining search for new weight standard

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Montana State University) A MontanaPBS trailer for 'The Last Artifact' probes the international race to redefine the standard for the kilogram and reboot the international measurement system.
  
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• Method to identify undetected drug suicides wins top NIDA Addiction Science Award

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse) A project that identified and tested a bioinformatics program that can help identify underreported suicides linked to drug overdoses was awarded the first-place distinction at the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) -- the world's largest science competition for high school students. The awards are coordinated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Friends of NIDA, a coalition
  
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• 'Love displaces violence'

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics") Art historian Eva-Bettina Krems on persistent motifs of peace in art from antiquity to the present day -- dove, rainbow or victory of love: artists draw on recurring motifs. Internationally renowned researchers will attend the Cluster of Excellence's Peace Conference next week.
  
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• Grant to help sustainable urban development for the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Texas at Arlington) Now, the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has signed a five-year, $4 million agreement with UTA's Sahadat Hossain to solve the one major issue for their country -- growing demand for sustainable urban development.
  
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• Gene therapy that restores vision in dogs may help humans, too

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Michigan State University) A Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist has modified a gene therapy that reverses blindness in dogs that have a certain form of a disease known as progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, and is now looking to advance the treatment for human use. Simon Petersen-Jones in the College of Veterinary Medicine has received a five-year, $8.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to further the therapy for people who have a type of retinitis pigmento
  
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• Gay male teens use adult hookup apps to find friends, partners

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Northwestern University) Although hookup apps require users to be 18 or older, a new Northwestern Medicine study found that more than 50 percent of sexually active gay and bisexual boys ages 14 to 17 met male sexual partners on apps such as Grindr and Scruff. It also was common for these teens to use the apps to connect with friends and find new gay, bisexual and queer friends and boyfriends, which sheds new light on who uses adult male hookup apps and why.
  
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• Fingerprints in birefringence

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Wiley) Stimuli-sensitive materials can respond to physical forces with structural phase transitions. This also applies to biopolymer-surfactant mixtures, a study by German and Chinese scientists now reports. Surprisingly, the newly adopted phases persist after removal of the stress and can be detected by a simple optical read-out technology. Biometric fingerprint detection is an attractive application for this technology. The results are published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
  
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• Effective methods for automated design of complex technical objects and systems

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Lobachevsky University) In almost any field of human activity, one has to choose optimal options from a great variety of possible alternatives. When designing new devices, products and systems, researchers and engineers always strive to ensure that the systems created by them have the best characteristics and are economically viable. Thus, for example, a new car being developed must be fast, consume a minimum amount of fuel, be reliable and, in addition, it should not be too expensive.
  
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• Diamond 'spin-off' tech could lead to low-cost medical imaging and drug discovery tools

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) An international team has discovered how to exploit defects in nanoscale and microscale diamonds and potentially enhance the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance systems while eliminating the need for their costly and bulky superconducting magnets.
  
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• Developmental psychotherapy for antisocial adolescents

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Bentham Science Publishers) Working with young offenders is considered difficult activity and often ineffective. Most popular programs focus on behavior control, in the assumption that behavioral problems are a 'lack of something.' Whereas, a developmental approach understands antisocial behavior results from intentions, values and goals that need thorough consideration. A developmental understanding of delinquent youth combines with psychoanalytically informed perspective on treatment in a pro
  
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• CENTECH's Propulsion Program will help Innodem Neurosciences succeed globally

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (McGill University) CENTECH, a Montreal-based technology incubator, announced earlier that it has selected a company founded by Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani for its Propulsion Program, which helps the most innovative start-ups move from the initial development phase to commercializing their products and services on the international market. Dr. de Villers-Sidani is a researcher and neurologist at Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) and member of the Center for Research on B
  
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• Cannabis: It matters how young you start

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Montreal) Canadian researchers find that boys who start smoking pot before 15 are much more likely to have a drug problem at 28 than those who start at 15 or after.
  
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• Annotation tool provides step toward understanding links between disease, mutant RNA

  18-05-2018 06:00
  (Oregon State University) Researchers have developed a computer program that represents a key step toward better understanding the connections between mutant genetic material and disease.
  
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