Science news

• Pesticides do harm to bees and should be phased out, Health Canada says

  31-05-2018 23:29 via cbc.ca
  Health Canada is sticking with its proposal to phase out most outdoor and agricultural uses of a common pesticide, even though a recent study found bees are only affected by the substance in certain circumstances.
  
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• Methane ice dunes found on Pluto by Nasa spacecraft

  31-05-2018 23:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Scientists say they have found evidence of dunes of frozen methane on Pluto.
  
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• Newly discovered dunes on Pluto are made of fine grains of frozen methane

  31-05-2018 23:15 via cbc.ca
  Scientists have detected another exotic feature on one of the solar system's most wondrous worlds: a large field of dunes on the surface of the distant, frigid dwarf planet Pluto apparently composed of wind-swept, sand-sized grains of frozen methane.
  
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• Drowsy worms offer new insights into the neuroscience of sleep

  31-05-2018 22:23
  Scientists studying worms have discovered a group of cells that help the body transition from wakefulness to slumber.
  
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• The untapped power and potential of payphones

  31-05-2018 22:10 via cbc.ca
  Finding a payphone today isn't always easy. They're disappearing fast, as most people use cell phones. But they still serve a public need and could be used for much more.
  
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• Wondrous dunes on Pluto are made of grains of frozen methane

  31-05-2018 21:39
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have detected another exotic feature on one of the solar system's most wondrous worlds, a large field of dunes on the surface of the distant, frigid dwarf planet Pluto apparently composed of wind-swept, sand-sized grains of frozen methane.
  
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• Waymo to get more than 60,000 cars from Fiat Chrysler for robotaxis

  31-05-2018 21:22 via cbc.ca
  Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will add up to 62,000 more cars to Alphabet Inc's autonomous driving unit Waymo.
  
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• Discovery reveals how cells try to control levels of key HIV protein

  31-05-2018 20:31
  Scientists uncover potential new targets for antiviral drugs using novel laboratory method.
  
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• Synthetic 'tissues' build themselves

  31-05-2018 20:30
  How do complex biological structures -- an eye, a hand, a brain -- emerge from a single fertilized egg? This is the fundamental question of developmental biology, and a mystery still being grappled with by scientists who hope to one day apply the same principles to heal damaged tissues or regrow ailing organs.
  
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• Research reveals how the same foods create markedly different environmental impacts

  31-05-2018 20:30
  New research highlights the environmental impacts of thousands of food producers and their products, demonstrating the need for new technology to monitor agriculture and environmental labels on food products.
  
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• Price competition for generic drugs linked to increase in manufacturing-related recalls

  31-05-2018 20:30
  Researchers have found that extreme price competition in the generic pharmaceutical market -- designed to make medications more affordable -- may be putting more patients at serious health risk, as evidenced by a higher number of product recalls caused by manufacturing-related problems.
  
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• Mother knows best -- how plants help offspring by passing on seasonal clues

  31-05-2018 20:30
  New research has delved into the genetic memory systems through which plants pass seasonal information down to their seeds to give them the best chance of reproductive success.
  
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• Impact of dengue virus on Ethiopia

  31-05-2018 20:30
  Dengue, a mosquito-borne RNA virus, is one of the most serious and rapidly spreading arboviral diseases in the world. Now, researchers have provided the first baseline data on the prevalence and risk factors of the virus in Ethiopia.
  
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• Dormant cytomegalovirus resides in eyes of healthy mice long after infection

  31-05-2018 20:30
  Infection with cytomegalovirus triggers long-lasting eye inflammation and establishes a dormant pool of the virus in the eyes of mice with healthy immune systems, according to new research.
  
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• Biosecurity reduces invasions of plant pathogens over a national border

  31-05-2018 20:30
  A new study examines more than a century of fungal pathogens, finding well-aimed biosecurity measures cut the spread of unwanted fungi into a nation, even in the face of increased globalized trade.
  
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• Bacteria ensure square meal for bloodsucking ticks

  31-05-2018 20:30
  How do ticks live solely on blood? A study has elucidated the crucial role played by symbiotic bacteria that synthesize B vitamins. These nutrients are scarcely found in the blood ticks ingest but are essential to their life cycle. The study has also shown that the bacteria inherited their B vitamin synthesis pathways from a pathogenic ancestor whose genome underwent gradual degradation.
  
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• Never-before-seen dunes on Pluto spotted in New Horizons images

  31-05-2018 20:01
  
  Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal dunes on Pluto — but the sand-sized grains must have had an unusual boost to get moving.
  
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• The November 2017 Mw 5.5 Pohang earthquake: A possible case of induced seismicity in South Korea

  31-05-2018 19:40
  The moment magnitude (Mw) 5.5 earthquake that struck South Korea in November 2017 was one of the largest and most damaging events in that country over the past century. Its proximity to an enhanced geothermal system site, where high-pressure hydraulic injection had been performed during the previous 2 years, raises the possibility that this earthquake was anthropogenic. We have combined seismological and geodetic analyses to characterize the mainshock and its largest aftershocks, constrain the g
  
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• The effect of partisanship and political advertising on close family ties

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Research on growing American political polarization and antipathy primarily studies public institutions and political processes, ignoring private effects, including strained family ties. Using anonymized smartphone-location data and precinct-level voting, we show that Thanksgiving dinners attended by residents from opposing-party precincts were 30 to 50 minutes shorter than same-party dinners. This decline from a mean of 257 minutes survives extensive spatial and demographic controls. Reductions
  
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• The dynamics of gene expression in vertebrate embryogenesis at single-cell resolution

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Time series of single-cell transcriptome measurements can reveal dynamic features of cell differentiation pathways. From measurements of whole frog embryos spanning zygotic genome activation through early organogenesis, we derived a detailed catalog of cell states in vertebrate development and a map of differentiation across all lineages over time. The inferred map recapitulates most if not all developmental relationships and associates new regulators and marker genes with each cell state. We fi
  
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• Single-cell reconstruction of developmental trajectories during zebrafish embryogenesis

  31-05-2018 19:40
  During embryogenesis, cells acquire distinct fates by transitioning through transcriptional states. To uncover these transcriptional trajectories during zebrafish embryogenesis, we sequenced 38,731 cells and developed URD, a simulated diffusion-based computational reconstruction method. URD identified the trajectories of 25 cell types through early somitogenesis, gene expression along them, and their spatial origin in the blastula. Analysis of Nodal signaling mutants revealed that their transcri
  
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• Single-cell mapping of gene expression landscapes and lineage in the zebrafish embryo

  31-05-2018 19:40
  High-throughput mapping of cellular differentiation hierarchies from single-cell data promises to empower systematic interrogations of vertebrate development and disease. Here we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to >92,000 cells from zebrafish embryos during the first day of development. Using a graph-based approach, we mapped a cell-state landscape that describes axis patterning, germ layer formation, and organogenesis. We tested how clonally related cells traverse this landscape by develo
  
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• Reducing foods environmental impacts through producers and consumers

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Food’s environmental impacts are created by millions of diverse producers. To identify solutions that are effective under this heterogeneity, we consolidated data covering five environmental indicators; 38,700 farms; and 1600 processors, packaging types, and retailers. Impact can vary 50-fold among producers of the same product, creating substantial mitigation opportunities. However, mitigation is complicated by trade-offs, multiple ways for producers to achieve low impacts, and interactio
  
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• Predator-driven natural selection on risk-taking behavior in anole lizards

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Biologists have long debated the role of behavior in evolution, yet understanding of its role as a driver of adaptation is hampered by the scarcity of experimental studies of natural selection on behavior in nature. After showing that individual Anolis sagrei lizards vary consistently in risk-taking behaviors, we experimentally established populations on eight small islands either with or without Leiocephalus carinatus, a major ground predator. We found that selection predictably favors differen
  
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• Feedback regulation of COOLAIR expression controls seed dormancy and flowering time

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Plants integrate seasonal signals, including temperature and day length, to optimize the timing of developmental transitions. Seasonal sensing requires the activity of two proteins, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), that control certain developmental transitions in plants. During reproductive development, the mother plant uses FLC and FT to modulate progeny seed dormancy in response to temperature. We found that for regulation of seed dormancy, FLC and FT function in opposite c
  
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• Dunes on Pluto

  31-05-2018 19:40
  The surface of Pluto is more geologically diverse and dynamic than had been expected, but the role of its tenuous atmosphere in shaping the landscape remains unclear. We describe observations from the New Horizons spacecraft of regularly spaced, linear ridges whose morphology, distribution, and orientation are consistent with being transverse dunes. These are located close to mountainous regions and are orthogonal to nearby wind streaks. We demonstrate that the wavelength of the dunes (~0.4 to 1
  
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• Assessing whether the 2017 Mw 5.4 Pohang earthquake in South Korea was an induced event

  31-05-2018 19:40
  The moment magnitude (Mw) 5.4 Pohang earthquake, the most damaging event in South Korea since instrumental seismic observation began in 1905, occurred beneath the Pohang geothermal power plant in 2017. Geological and geophysical data suggest that the Pohang earthquake was induced by fluid from an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) site, which was injected directly into a near-critically stressed subsurface fault zone. The magnitude of the mainshock makes it the largest known induced earthquake at
  
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• Ancient human parallel lineages within North America contributed to a coastal expansion

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Little is known regarding the first people to enter the Americas and their genetic legacy. Genomic analysis of the oldest human remains from the Americas showed a direct relationship between a Clovis-related ancestral population and all modern Central and South Americans as well as a deep split separating them from North Americans in Canada. We present 91 ancient human genomes from California and Southwestern Ontario and demonstrate the existence of two distinct ancestries in North America, whic
  
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• Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Opportunities to directly study the founding of a human population and its subsequent evolutionary history are rare. Using genome sequence data from 27 ancient Icelanders, we demonstrate that they are a combination of Norse, Gaelic, and admixed individuals. We further show that these ancient Icelanders are markedly more similar to their source populations in Scandinavia and the British-Irish Isles than to contemporary Icelanders, who have been shaped by 1100 years of extensive genetic drift. Fin
  
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• A radical approach to the copper oxidative addition problem: Trifluoromethylation of bromoarenes

  31-05-2018 19:40
  Transition metal–catalyzed arene functionalization has been widely used for molecular synthesis over the past century. In this arena, copper catalysis has long been considered a privileged platform due to the propensity of high-valent copper to undergo reductive elimination with a wide variety of coupling fragments. However, the sluggish nature of oxidative addition has limited copper’s capacity to broadly facilitate haloarene coupling protocols. Here, we demonstrate that this copper
  
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• A bioinspired flexible organic artificial afferent nerve

  31-05-2018 19:40
  The distributed network of receptors, neurons, and synapses in the somatosensory system efficiently processes complex tactile information. We used flexible organic electronics to mimic the functions of a sensory nerve. Our artificial afferent nerve collects pressure information (1 to 80 kilopascals) from clusters of pressure sensors, converts the pressure information into action potentials (0 to 100 hertz) by using ring oscillators, and integrates the action potentials from multiple ring oscilla
  
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• Internet video, music services must pay up to save Canadian content, CRTC says

  31-05-2018 18:16 via cbc.ca
  The CRTC says online giants like Netflix and Spotify should be forced to open their wallets to pay to create local content before Canadians see losses of jobs, services and content.
  
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• 'It's not easy. We need a shift in our mindset': Study says reform best-before labels to reduce food waste

  31-05-2018 17:50 via cbc.ca
  A recent study found every Canadian lost or wasted almost 400 kilograms of food a year. A lot of that waste — 47 per cent — happens at home.
  
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• Giant goldfish who steal sperm to clone selves spotted in Saskatchewan

  31-05-2018 17:37 via cbc.ca
  Hundreds of Prussian carp — a female fish that can replicate itself using sperm from other species — have been found in Saskatchewan waters.
  
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• Scientists hunt down genes behind humankind's big brain

  31-05-2018 17:22
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have pinpointed three genes that may have played a pivotal role in an important milestone in human evolution: the striking increase in brain size that facilitated cognitive advances that helped define what it means to be human.
  
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• Experts advise: Start colorectal screening at 45, not 50

  31-05-2018 16:50
  
  The American Cancer Society recommends that colorectal screening begin at the age of 45 for average-risk individuals.
  
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• Two-faced star reveals a pulsar’s surprising bulk

  31-05-2018 15:00
  
  An ultramassive pulsar is frying its stellar companion so that the star shows two different temperatures.
  
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• Plastic fragment found stuck in dead harp seal's stomach

  31-05-2018 14:08 via bbc.co.uk
  The fragment found inside the harp seal found on Skye may have caused a range of health problems, scientists say.
  
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• Move over, Waterloo and Ottawa: Calgary is now out-innovating you

  31-05-2018 14:00 via cbc.ca
  You might be surprised to know that Calgary has now taken the lead on that front, as measured by one of the most common ways of gauging innovation — patents.
  
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• Serbian archaeologists find sarcophagus with two skeletons and jewellery in ancient city

  31-05-2018 13:55
  KOSTOLAC, Serbia (Reuters) - Serbian archaeologists at the site of the ancient Roman city of Viminacium have found an intact sarcophagus with two skeletons bedecked with gold and silver adornments.
  
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• Current Kilauea lava flows are hottest, fastest of latest eruption

  31-05-2018 13:50 via cbc.ca
  The hottest and fastest-moving lava of Kilauea volcano's latest eruption has spread across new parts of the Big Island, forcing officials to order evacuations in two coastal neighbourhoods.
  
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• Guidelines call for limits to whole genome testing for fetuses

  31-05-2018 13:00
  
  Powerful tests offer unprecedented detail about fetal genomes. But whole-genome tests aren’t ready for widespread use yet, doctors caution.
  
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• Distillery aims to preserve skeleton of minke whale found in Digby

  31-05-2018 13:00 via cbc.ca
  CövenHöven Distillery of Sandy Cove, N.S., wants to display bones for educational purposes. The whale was found dead at a Digby wharf May 25 and a necropsy is underway.
  
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• Where Will the Ad versus Ad Blocker Arms Race End?

  31-05-2018 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  Advertisers and software developers have been trying to outdo one another for years. Is it time for a truce?-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Stick bug eggs can survive being eaten, pooped out by birds: study

  31-05-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  The stick bug has used nature to its advantage by looking like a stick to avoid being eaten. And researchers have discovered that this cleverly disguised insect may be using another bit of nature to its advantage: getting eaten by birds.
  
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• 'Amazing' Manitoba double-data offers spark questions over why only some provinces get the best phone deals

  31-05-2018 10:00 via cbc.ca
  While many Manitobans are revelling in a double-data phone deal, Canadians elsewhere are left wondering why they can't get the same offer.
  
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• UMD-led study shows how Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze

  31-05-2018 06:00
  (University of Maryland) A University of Maryland-led study describes the first observations of the process of electron heating in Earth's bow shock. The researchers found that when the electrons in the solar wind encounter the bow shock, they momentarily accelerate to such a high speed that the electron stream becomes unstable and breaks down. This breakdown process robs the electrons of their high speed and converts the energy to heat.
  
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• The secret to longevity is in the microbiome and the gut

  31-05-2018 06:00
  (McGill University) McGill University scientists fed fruit flies with a combination of probiotics and an herbal supplement called Triphala that was able to prolong the flies' longevity by 60 percent and protect them against chronic diseases associated with aging.
  
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• The right squeeze for quantum computing

  31-05-2018 06:00
  (Hokkaido University) A new theoretical model involving squeezing light to just the right amount to accurately transmit information using subatomic particles is bringing us closer to a new era of computing.
  
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• The link between handgrip strength and healthy lungs in older women

  31-05-2018 06:00
  (American Geriatrics Society) Research has linked handgrip strength to other health problems in older adults. Losing muscle strength as you age also means losing muscle strength in your respiratory system. However, little is known about the link between handgrip strength and lung function in older adults. A team of researchers recently decided to learn whether testing handgrip strength could help identify lung function in older Korean women.
  
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