Science news

• Tesla in autopilot mode crashes into California police vehicle

  29-05-2018 23:32 via cbc.ca
  A Tesla sedan in autopilot mode has crashed into a parked police SUV in Laguna Beach, Calif., authorities say.
  
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• Hurricane Maria killed at least 4,645 people in Puerto Rico, a study estimates

  29-05-2018 23:04
  
  Researchers estimate Puerto Rico’s death toll from Hurricane Maria at more than 4,500 people based on household surveys — dwarfing the official count of 64.
  
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• Hamilton 'hacker for hire' Karim Baratov sentenced to 5 years for Yahoo security breach

  29-05-2018 22:04 via cbc.ca
  A Canadian man has been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with a massive security breach at Yahoo that U.S. federal agents say was directed by Russian government spies.
  
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• Chemical compound produces beneficial inflammation, remyelination that could help treat multiple sclerosis

  29-05-2018 21:31
  Researchers report that indazole chloride, a synthetic compound that acts on one form of the body's estrogen receptors, is able to remyelinate (add new myelin to) damaged axons and alter the body's immune system -- findings that could help treat multiple sclerosis. Drugs available to treat MS alter the immune system but do not induce repair of damaged axons.
  
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• Mathematical model explains why metastasis can occur even when cancer is caught early

  29-05-2018 21:30
  Leaning on evolutionary and ecological theory, researchers modeled how a tumor's various cancer cell lineages compete for dominance. Their findings help explain a surprising observation: Most metastatic tumors derive from cancer cell lineages that emerge at early stages of the disease.
  
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• Lung cancer risk drops substantially within five years of quitting, new research finds

  29-05-2018 21:30
  Just because you stopped smoking years ago doesn't mean you're out of the woods when it comes to developing lung cancer. That's the 'bad' news. The good news is your risk of lung cancer drops substantially within five years of quitting.
  
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• Ceramics can deform like metals if sintered under an electric field, study shows

  29-05-2018 21:30
  Researchers have observed a way that the brittle nature of ceramics can be overcome as they sustain heavy loads, leading to more resilient structures such as aircraft engine blade coatings and dental implants.
  
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• Canadian Facebook whistle-blower: I did no voter targeting for Liberal entities

  29-05-2018 21:24 via cbc.ca
  The Canadian data expert whose allegations set off an international uproar about the inappropriate use of private Facebook data says there was nothing at all nefarious about his work in early 2016 for the federal Liberal caucus research bureau.
  
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• Thrombospondin-1 promotes matrix homeostasis by interacting with collagen and lysyl oxidase precursors and collagen cross-linking sites

  29-05-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Fibrillar collagens of the extracellular matrix are critical for tissue structure and physiology; however, excessive or abnormal deposition of collagens is a defining feature of fibrosis. Regulatory mechanisms that act on collagen fibril assembly potentially offer new targets for antifibrotic treatments. Tissue weakening, altered collagen fibril morphologies, or both, are shared phenotypes of mice lacking matricellular thrombospondins. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) plays an indirect role in collagen h
  
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• R-Ras2 is required for germinal center formation to aid B cells during energetically demanding processes

  29-05-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Upon antigen recognition within peripheral lymphoid organs, B cells interact with T cells and other immune cells to transiently form morphological structures called germinal centers (GCs), which are required for B cell clonal expansion, immunoglobulin class switching, and affinity maturation. This process, known as the GC response, is an energetically demanding process that requires the metabolic reprogramming of B cells. We showed that the Ras-related guanosine triphosphate hydrolase (GTPase) R
  
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• Phagocytosed photoreceptor outer segments activate mTORC1 in the retinal pigment epithelium

  29-05-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transports nutrients and metabolites between the microvascular bed that maintains the outer retina and photoreceptor neurons. The RPE removes photoreceptor outer segments (POS) by receptor-mediated phagocytosis, a process that peaks in the morning. Uptake and degradation of POS initiates signaling cascades in the RPE. Upstream stimuli from various metabolic activities converge on mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), and aberrant mTORC1 signalin
  
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• Dual phosphorylation of Ric-8A enhances its ability to mediate G protein {alpha} subunit folding and to stimulate guanine nucleotide exchange

  29-05-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase-8A (Ric-8A) and Ric-8B are essential biosynthetic chaperones for heterotrimeric G protein α subunits. We provide evidence for the direct regulation of Ric-8A cellular activity by dual phosphorylation. Using proteomics, Western blotting, and mutational analyses, we determined that Ric-8A was constitutively phosphorylated at five serines and threonines by the protein kinase CK2. Phosphorylation of Ser435 and Thr440 in rat Ric-8A (corresponding to Se
  
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• Bacterial manipulation of host cell metabolism

  29-05-2018 19:50 via stke.sciencemag.org
  A Helicobacter pylori exotoxin manipulates host cell metabolism by inducing amino acid starvation and inhibiting mTORC1 signaling.
  
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• 'Will this be on the test?' Even if it isn't, students might remember it

  29-05-2018 19:21
  A new study shows that teachers don't have to test everything they want their students to remember -- as long as the knowledge they want to convey fits together well, and the test questions are well-chosen. The finding builds on a proven phenomenon known as 'retrieval-enhanced learning' -- that the very act of recalling something reinforces it in a person's memory.
  
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• What do animals want?

  29-05-2018 19:21
  Researchers apply machine learning to understand how potential food rewards guide the movements of nematodes, finding that the subjects combine multiple sensations into strategic behaviors that uses the minimal amount of energy.
  
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• Prehistoric teeth dating back two million years reveal details on Africa's paleoclimate

  29-05-2018 19:21
  New research shows that the climate of the interior of southern Africa almost two million years ago was much wetter than the modern environment. This first extensive paleoenvironmental sequence for the interior of southern Africa suggests that human ancestors were living in environments other than open, arid grasslands known from East African research of the same time period.
  
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• E. coli infection induces delirium in aging rats

  29-05-2018 19:21
  Activation of the immune system by an infection may temporarily disrupt formation of long-term memories in healthy, aging rats by reducing levels of a protein required for brain cells to make new connections, suggests new research.
  
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• Communication in the cell: Important step of signal transmission elucidated

  29-05-2018 19:21
  The effectiveness of new drugs depends crucially on a fundamental understanding of the complex processes within the cells of the body. Scientists have deciphered an important molecular step of cellular signal transmission. Their findings could help the development of specific drugs against various diseases, such as asthma and high blood pressure.
  
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• Blame the mother's gene: Discovery for a blinding canine eye disease

  29-05-2018 19:21
  A new gene for canine congenital eye disease has been identified. Defective RBP4 leads to vitamin A deficiency and abnormal eye development during pregnancy. The study defines a novel recessive mode of maternal inheritance, which may underlie other types of birth defects.
  
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• Social stress linked to shortened lifespan in mice

  29-05-2018 19:20
  A new study has demonstrated that psychosocial stress can shorten the lifespan in mice. For years, stress and socio-economic status has been connected to morbidity and mortality in humans, but until now, it has not been mechanically understood or explored in animal models.
  
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• Noninvasive technique to correct vision

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Engineers have developed a noninvasive approach to permanently correct vision that shows great promise in preclinical models. The method uses a femtosecond oscillator for selective and localized alteration of the biochemical and biomechanical properties of corneal tissue. The technique, which changes the tissue's macroscopic geometry, is non-surgical and has fewer side effects and limitations than those seen in refractive surgeries. The study could lead to treatment for myopia, hyperopia, astigm
  
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• Liquid crystal shells: 'Smart' material enables novel applications in autonomous driving and robotics

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Research has shown the potential of liquid crystal shells as enabling material for a vast array of future applications, ranging from autonomous driving to anti-counterfeiting technology and a new class of sensors.
  
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• Key mechanism behind the formation of spider silk

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Scientists have examined the soluble precursor of spider silk and found that a previously undiscovered structural element is key to how the proteins form into the beta-sheet conformation that gives the silk its exceptional strength.
  
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• Invisible barrier on ocean surface can reduce carbon uptake

  29-05-2018 19:20
  An invisible layer of biological compounds on the sea surface reduces the rate at which carbon dioxide gas moves between the atmosphere and the oceans, scientists have reported.
  
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• How to code a functional molecular machine?

  29-05-2018 19:20
  An international team has developed a model that simulates protein evolution. Starting from stiff, unfunctional proteins, the computer model shows how evolving protein components can work together to give rise to dynamic and efficient molecular machines.
  
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• How eye loss occurs in blind cavefish

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Loss of eye tissue in blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus), which occurs within a few days of their development, happens through epigenetic silencing of eye-related genes, according to a new study. Epigenetic regulation is a process where genes are turned off or on, typically in a reversible or temporary manner. This mechanism differs from genetic mutations, which are permanent changes in the DNA code.
  
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• Fruit flies fear lion feces

  29-05-2018 19:20
  New research shows how fruit flies use their sense of smell and humidity to find food, avoid dehydration and discover the best place to lay their eggs -- in overripe marula fruits. Feces from herbivores are also suitable, but the flies reject carnivore excrement.
  
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• Early-life seizures prematurely wake up brain networks tied to autism

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key synapses in the brain that may contribute to further neurodevelopmental delay in children with autism and other intellectual disabilities, suggests a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine.
  
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• Combination pack battles cancer

  29-05-2018 19:20
  For efficient cancer therapy with few side effects, the active drug should selectively attain high concentration in the tumor. Scientists have introduced a new approach, in which two synergistic drug components are combined into a dimer. This dimer can be incorporated into polymeric nanotransporters at exceptionally high concentration. The components are activated when the dimer is split within the tumor. In addition, they enable use of two different imaging techniques.
  
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• Brain scientists identify 'cross talk' between neurons that control touch in mice

  29-05-2018 19:20
  Scientists report they have uncovered a previously overlooked connection between neurons in two distinct areas of the mammalian brain. The neurons, they say, control the sense of touch, and their experiments in mice offer insights into mapping brain circuitry that is responsible for normal and abnormal perception and movements linked to touch.
  
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• Flow in the asthenosphere drags tectonic plates along

  29-05-2018 19:19
  New simulations of the asthenosphere find that convective cycling and pressure-driven flow can sometimes cause Earth's most fluid layer of mantle to move even faster than the tectonic plates that ride atop it.
  
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• Puerto Rican deaths from Hurricane Maria far higher than reported, researchers say

  29-05-2018 19:10 via cbc.ca
  A new estimate suggests that 4,645 people died between Sept. 20 and Dec. 31, 2017 as a direct or indirect result of the Category 4 storm in Puerto Rico.
  
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• Astronomers scrutinized last year’s eclipse. Here’s what they’ve learned

  29-05-2018 17:53
  
  Astronomers observed the 2017 total solar eclipse from the ground and the air, and found some never-before-seen features of the sun’s atmosphere.
  
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• Hackers threaten to reveal personal data of 90,000 Canadians caught in bank hack

  29-05-2018 17:25 via cbc.ca
  Hackers have threatened to release personal information for nearly 100,000 customers of two Canadian banks unless the lenders paid a $1-million ransom in cryptocurrency.
  
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• The mystery of masculinization in Daphnia magna unraveled

  29-05-2018 16:36
  Researchers discovered lncRNAs to activate the male-determining gene doublesex1 (Dsx1) necessary for sex determination in the crustacean Daphnia magna.
  
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• Novel hydrogel harnesses air moisture for practical applications

  29-05-2018 16:36
  A team of researchers has invented a novel gel-like material that not only effectively dehumidifies ambient air to improve thermal comfort, but it also harnesses the moisture in the air for a wide range of practical applications, such as functioning as a sun or privacy screen, conductive ink and even a battery. These interesting properties are inherent in the material after water absorption, without a need for external power.
  
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• Landscape evolution intrinsic to ancient mountain settings

  29-05-2018 16:36
  New research helps explain why the structure of some mountains continues to evolve long after the tectonic forces that formed them cease.
  
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• Archaeologists discover a 1,000-year-old mummy in Peru

  29-05-2018 16:36
  Archaeologists have completed a significant excavation in Pachacamac, Peru, where they have discovered an intact mummy in especially good condition. Pachacamac's status as a Pre-Colombian pilgrimage site under the Inca empire. is confirmed by further evidence.
  
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• A key switch in biological clocks

  29-05-2018 16:36
  An international team of researchers found that CK1 is the priming kinase that 'switches on' a key control point which plays an important role in regulating our biological clock.
  
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• AI software assists design of new material for solar cells

  29-05-2018 16:35
  Researchers have used machine learning to design new polymers for organic photovoltaics (solar cells). After mining data from previous studies, they input the physical properties of polymers, together with the resulting solar cell efficiencies, into a Random Forest model to statistically predict the effectiveness of new materials. This informatics-based screening, combined with traditional knowledge-guided design, could vastly accelerate solar cell development compared with current trial-and-err
  
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• Parkland parents decry game that simulates school shootings

  29-05-2018 16:12 via cbc.ca
  An upcoming computer video game that would allow players to recreate school shootings by stalking school hallways and racking up kills has been condemned as insensitive and inappropriate by the parents of students who were shot to death during the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
  
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• Climate change forced zombie ant fungi to adapt

  29-05-2018 15:22
  Zombie ants clamp on to aerial vegetation and hang for months spewing the spores of their parasitic fungi, but researchers noticed that they do not always clamp on to the same part of the plant. Now the researchers know that the choice of leaves or twigs is related to climate and that climate change forced the fungi to adapt to local conditions.
  
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• Water is not the same as water: Two forms differ

  29-05-2018 15:21
  Water molecules exist in two different forms with almost identical physical properties. For the first time, researchers have succeeded in separating the two forms to show that they can exhibit different chemical reactivities.
  
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• Scientists identify novel cellular mechanism that can lead to cancer metastasis

  29-05-2018 15:21
  Scientists have added a new dimension to the understanding of how cells alter their communication with one another during development, wound healing, and the spread of cancer.
  
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• High protein diet associated with small increased heart failure risk in middle-aged men

  29-05-2018 15:21
  For middle-aged men, eating higher amounts of protein was associated with a slightly elevated risk for heart failure than those who ate less protein. Proteins from fish and eggs were not associated with heart failure risk in this study.
  
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• Framework to stop cyber attacks on internet-connected cars

  29-05-2018 15:21
  A new study examines the cybersecurity risks for new generations of smart which includes both autonomous and internet connected cars.
  
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• Could we work together with our bacteria to stop infection?

  29-05-2018 15:21
  The benefits of antibiotics to both human and animal health are undisputed. However, as microbes have become increasingly resistant to antimicrobials and other drugs, scientists have become interested in new solutions to the growing superbug crisis, including the use of defensive microbes and fecal transplants. In new research, scientists have developed a lab-based approach, creating positive co-dependent relationships between hosts and bacteria, termed 'mutualisms,' quickly. These lab-developed
  
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• Big savings in removing dams over repairs

  29-05-2018 15:21
  A new study finds billions of dollars could be saved if the nation's aging dams are removed rather than repaired, but also suggests that better data and analysis is needed on the factors driving dam-removal efforts.
  
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• Assessment of biomarkers of subconcussive head trauma

  29-05-2018 15:21
  Researchers evaluated the usefulness of biomarker testing in determining the potential extent of brain trauma suffered from repetitive subconcussive head impacts sustained over the course of a college football season.
  
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• Hawaii's Kilauea volcano belches another plume of ash

  29-05-2018 15:06 via cbc.ca
  As an explosive eruption on the Kilauea volcano sent another plume of ash high into the air, and as more residents were evacuated from a nearby subdivision, officials at the U.S. Geological Survey warned against toasting marshmallows over the Hawaiian volcano's vents.
  
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