Science news

• Facebook made some private posts public for up to 14 million users

  07-06-2018 23:22 via cbc.ca
  Facebook says a software bug made some private posts public for as many as 14 million users over several days in May.
  
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• Facebook glitch made private posts public for millions

  07-06-2018 23:22 via cbc.ca
  Facebook says a software bug made some private posts public for as many as 14 million users over several days in May.
  
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• Bees join an exclusive crew of animals that get the concept of zero

  07-06-2018 22:58
  
  Honeybees can pass a test of ranking ‘nothing’ as less than one.
  
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• Kilauea helping scientists better understand volcanoes

  07-06-2018 22:09 via cbc.ca
  Hawaii's Kilauea volcano may be disrupting life in paradise with its bursts of ash and bright-orange lava, but it also has scientists wide-eyed, eager to advance what's known about volcanoes.
  
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• NASA reveals new discoveries suggesting there was once life on Mars

  07-06-2018 21:35 via cbc.ca
  New Mars discoveries are advancing the case for possible life on the red planet, past or even present.
  
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• NASA reveals new discoveries strengthening case of a once-habitable Mars

  07-06-2018 21:35 via cbc.ca
  New Mars discoveries are advancing the case for possible life on the red planet, past or even present.
  
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• Study suggests honeybees have zero knowledge

  07-06-2018 21:16 via cbc.ca
  A new study published in Science has shown that honeybees are capable of understanding the concept of zero. It’s a first for invertebrates and it joins a class of animals that include dolphins, birds, primates and humans.
  
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• Structure of the maize photosystem I supercomplex with light-harvesting complexes I and II

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Plants regulate photosynthetic light harvesting to maintain balanced energy flux into photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII). Under light conditions favoring PSII excitation, the PSII antenna, light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), is phosphorylated and forms a supercomplex with PSI core and the PSI antenna, light-harvesting complex I (LHCI). Both LHCI and LHCII then transfer excitation energy to the PSI core. We report the structure of maize PSI-LHCI-LHCII solved by cryo–electron microscopy,
  
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• Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells amplify allergic asthma responses

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) are rare airway epithelial cells whose function is poorly understood. Here we show that Ascl1-mutant mice that have no PNECs exhibit severely blunted mucosal type 2 response in models of allergic asthma. PNECs reside in close proximity to group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) near airway branch points. PNECs act through calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to stimulate ILC2s and elicit downstream immune responses. In addition, PNECs act through the neurot
  
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• Plants send small RNAs in extracellular vesicles to fungal pathogen to silence virulence genes

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Some pathogens and pests deliver small RNAs (sRNAs) into host cells to suppress host immunity. Conversely, hosts also transfer sRNAs into pathogens and pests to inhibit their virulence. Although sRNA trafficking has been observed in a wide variety of interactions, how sRNAs are transferred, especially from hosts to pathogens and pests, is still unknown. Here, we show that host Arabidopsis cells secrete exosome-like extracellular vesicles to deliver sRNAs into fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Th
  
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• Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Establishing the presence and state of organic matter, including its possible biosignatures, in martian materials has been an elusive quest, despite limited reports of the existence of organic matter on Mars. We report the in situ detection of organic matter preserved in lacustrine mudstones at the base of the ~3.5-billion-year-old Murray formation at Pahrump Hills, Gale crater, by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite onboard the Curiosity rover. Diverse pyrolysis products, including thi
  
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• Numerical ordering of zero in honey bees

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Some vertebrates demonstrate complex numerosity concepts—including addition, sequential ordering of numbers, or even the concept of zero—but whether an insect can develop an understanding for such concepts remains unknown. We trained individual honey bees to the numerical concepts of "greater than" or "less than" using stimuli containing one to six elemental features. Bees could subsequently extrapolate the concept of less than to order zero numerosity at the lower end of the numeric
  
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• Noninvasive blood tests for fetal development predict gestational age and preterm delivery

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Noninvasive blood tests that provide information about fetal development and gestational age could potentially improve prenatal care. Ultrasound, the current gold standard, is not always affordable in low-resource settings and does not predict spontaneous preterm birth, a leading cause of infant death. In a pilot study of 31 healthy pregnant women, we found that measurement of nine cell-free RNA (cfRNA) transcripts in maternal blood predicted gestational age with comparable accuracy to ultrasoun
  
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• Imaging-based molecular barcoding with pixelated dielectric metasurfaces

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Metasurfaces provide opportunities for wavefront control, flat optics, and subwavelength light focusing. We developed an imaging-based nanophotonic method for detecting mid-infrared molecular fingerprints and implemented it for the chemical identification and compositional analysis of surface-bound analytes. Our technique features a two-dimensional pixelated dielectric metasurface with a range of ultrasharp resonances, each tuned to a discrete frequency; this enables molecular absorption signatu
  
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• High-resolution comparative analysis of great ape genomes

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Genetic studies of human evolution require high-quality contiguous ape genome assemblies that are not guided by the human reference. We coupled long-read sequence assembly and full-length complementary DNA sequencing with a multiplatform scaffolding approach to produce ab initio chimpanzee and orangutan genome assemblies. By comparing these with two long-read de novo human genome assemblies and a gorilla genome assembly, we characterized lineage-specific and shared great ape genetic variation ra
  
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• Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Theoretical models of critical mass have shown how minority groups can initiate social change dynamics in the emergence of new social conventions. Here, we study an artificial system of social conventions in which human subjects interact to establish a new coordination equilibrium. The findings provide direct empirical demonstration of the existence of a tipping point in the dynamics of changing social conventions. When minority groups reached the critical mass—that is, the critical group
  
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• Evidence for a quantum dipole liquid state in an organic quasi-two-dimensional material

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Mott insulators are commonly pictured with electrons localized on lattice sites, with their low-energy degrees of freedom involving spins only. Here, we observe emergent charge degrees of freedom in a molecule-based Mott insulator -(BEDT-TTF)2Hg(SCN)2Br, resulting in a quantum dipole liquid state. Electrons localized on molecular dimer lattice sites form electric dipoles that do not order at low temperatures and fluctuate with frequency detected experimentally in our Raman spectroscopy experimen
  
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• Background levels of methane in Mars atmosphere show strong seasonal variations

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Variable levels of methane in the martian atmosphere have eluded explanation partly because the measurements are not repeatable in time or location. We report in situ measurements at Gale crater made over a 5-year period by the Tunable Laser Spectrometer on the Curiosity rover. The background levels of methane have a mean value 0.41 ± 0.16 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) (95% confidence interval) and exhibit a strong, repeatable seasonal variation (0.24 to 0.65 ppbv). This variation is
  
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• A tetrapod fauna from within the Devonian Antarctic Circle

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Until now, all known fossils of tetrapods (limbed vertebrates with digits) and near-tetrapods (such as Elpistostege, Tiktaalik, and Panderichthys) from the Devonian period have come from localities in tropical to subtropical paleolatitudes. Most are from Laurussia, a continent incorporating Europe, Greenland, and North America, with only one body fossil and one footprint locality from Australia representing the southern supercontinent Gondwana. Here we describe two previously unknown tetrapods f
  
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• A silicon Brillouin laser

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Brillouin laser oscillators offer powerful and flexible dynamics as the basis for mode-locked lasers, microwave oscillators, and optical gyroscopes in a variety of optical systems. However, Brillouin interactions are markedly weak in conventional silicon photonic waveguides, stifling progress toward silicon-based Brillouin lasers. The recent advent of hybrid photonic-phononic waveguides has revealed Brillouin interactions to be one of the strongest and most tailorable nonlinearities in silicon.
  
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• A selfish genetic element confers non-Mendelian inheritance in rice

  07-06-2018 20:37
  Selfish genetic elements are pervasive in eukaryote genomes, but their role remains controversial. We show that qHMS7, a major quantitative genetic locus for hybrid male sterility between wild rice (Oryza meridionalis) and Asian cultivated rice (O. sativa), contains two tightly linked genes [Open Reading Frame 2 (ORF2) and ORF3]. ORF2 encodes a toxic genetic element that aborts pollen in a sporophytic manner, whereas ORF3 encodes an antidote that protects pollen in a gametophytic manner. Pollens
  
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• A LIMA1 variant promotes low plasma LDL cholesterol and decreases intestinal cholesterol absorption

  07-06-2018 20:37
  A high concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although LDL-C levels vary among humans and are heritable, the genetic factors affecting LDL-C are not fully characterized. We identified a rare frameshift variant in the LIMA1 (also known as EPLIN or SREBP3) gene from a Chinese family of Kazakh ethnicity with inherited low LDL-C and reduced cholesterol absorption. In a mouse model, LIMA1 was mainly expressed in the small intest
  
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• NASA finds ancient organic material, mysterious methane on Mars

  07-06-2018 20:29
  NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet.
  
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• Curiosity rover sees seasonal Mars methane swing

  07-06-2018 20:27 via bbc.co.uk
  Methane on the Red Planet waxes and wanes with the seasons - another clue in the search for life.
  
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• Blood Test Could Predict Premature Birth Risk, Due Date

  07-06-2018 20:15 via rss.sciam.com
  A teaspoon of a pregnant woman’s blood would be required for this experimental tool-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Tipping point for large-scale social change

  07-06-2018 20:10
  A new study finds that when 25 percent of people in a group adopt a new social norm, it creates a tipping point where the entire group follows suit. This shows the direct causal effect of the size of a committed minority on its capacity to create social change.
  
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• New laser makes silicon 'sing'

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Scientists have created a new type of silicon laser that uses sounds waves to amplify light.
  
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• New computational tool predicts progression of metabolic syndrome in mice

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Scientists have developed a new computational model that accurately predicts the gradual, long-term progression of metabolic syndrome in mice.
  
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• Malaria: Cooperating antibodies enhance immune response

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Scientists have studied how the human immune system combats malaria infections. In this study, the researchers discovered a previously unnoticed characteristic of antibodies against the malaria parasite: They can cooperate with each other, thus binding even stronger to the pathogens and improving the immune response. The results, now published in Science, are expected to help develop a more effective vaccine against the disease.
  
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• Improved ape genome assemblies provide new insights into human evolution

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Higher-quality assemblies of great ape genomes have now been generated without guidance of the human reference genome. They provide a clearer view of genetic differences that arose as humans diverged from other primates. The newest investigation offers the most comprehensive catalog of genetic variants that were gained or lost in different ape lineages. The influence of these variants was explored in brain development, dietary needs and anatomy. A fossil virus found in ape but not human genomes
  
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• Cattle, sheep and goats may transmit leptospirosis to humans in Tanzania

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Leptospirosis, which affects more than one million people worldwide each year, is known to be transmitted to humans from a wide range of animals. Now, researchers have discovered that more than 7 percent of the cattle and 1 percent of sheep and goats in local slaughterhouses in northern Tanzania are infected with Leptospira bacteria.
  
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• Cattle may spread leptospirosis in Africa, study suggests

  07-06-2018 20:10
  The bacterial infection leptospirosis is increasingly recognized as an important cause of fever in Africa. Now, researchers have analyzed the major risk factors for contracting leptospirosis and discovered that rice and cattle farming are associated with acute infection.
  
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• Caloric intake and muscle mass at high altitude

  07-06-2018 20:10
  New research looks at why a group of young, healthy adults residing at high altitude lost muscle mass while severely underfed and consuming the same high-protein diet that preserved muscle during weight loss at sea level.
  
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• Bees understand the concept of zero

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Scientists have discovered honeybees can understand the concept of zero, putting them in an elite club of clever animals that can grasp the abstract mathematical notion of nothing.
  
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• Active HIV in large white blood cells may drive cognitive impairment in infected mice

  07-06-2018 20:10
  Macrophages, large white blood cells that engulf and destroy potential pathogens, harbor active viral reserves that appear to play a key role in impaired learning and memory in mice infected with a rodent version of HIV.
  
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• A nanotech sensor that turns molecular fingerprints into bar codes

  07-06-2018 20:10
  A new system can detect and analyze molecules without the need for an infrared spectrometer. The system uses nanostructured metapixels to detect and then translate molecules' unique signatures into bar codes. The technology can be integrated into a compact sensor chip. It opens the door to large-scale image-based detection of materials using machine-learning technology.
  
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• Study identifies cellular 'death code'

  07-06-2018 20:08
  Dying cells generally have two options: go quietly, or go out with a bang.
  
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• Why using genetic genealogy to solve crimes could pose problems

  07-06-2018 20:00
  
  Rules governing how police can use DNA searches in genealogy databases aren’t clear, raising civil rights and privacy concerns.
  
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• Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface

  07-06-2018 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  After decades of searching, scientists are at last closing in on the sources of carbon-rich material in the Red Planet’s air and soil-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons

  07-06-2018 20:00
  
  The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.
  
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• Oldest 'footprints' found in China

  07-06-2018 19:19 via bbc.co.uk
  The oldest known "footprints" left by an animal have been uncovered in China.
  
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• In a conservation catch-22, efforts to save quolls might endanger them

  07-06-2018 18:33
  
  After 13 generations isolated from predators, the endangered northern quoll lost its fear of them.
  
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• Secret location off N.S. may host world's 1st sanctuary for captive whales and dolphins

  07-06-2018 17:21 via cbc.ca
  Two years ago, U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project announced it was looking at sites across North America to establish a first ever large seaside enclosure for whales and dolphins. Nova Scotia is one of two locations being considered.
  
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• Key 'step forward' in cutting cost of removing CO2 from air

  07-06-2018 17:10 via bbc.co.uk
  A Canadian firm says new technology has dramatically cut the cost of removing carbon from the air.
  
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• Fatal Tesla Autopilot crash driver did not have hands on wheel: U.S. agency

  07-06-2018 16:42 via cbc.ca
  A U.S. government transportation agency says the driver using autopilot in a fatal Tesla Inc. Model X crash in California in March did not have his hands on the wheel in the six seconds before the crash.
  
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• Grey whale skeleton dug up from Vancouver Island landfill

  07-06-2018 16:35 via cbc.ca
  When the body of a young female whale washed up in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve more than three years ago, museum officials had to decide whether to haul it out to sea or bury it at the nearby dump and save the skeleton.
  
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• Single-use plastics won't be banned at G7 sites

  07-06-2018 16:08 via cbc.ca
  The federal government is reducing but not banning outright the use of single-use plastics at the G7 summit this week in Quebec.
  
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• At-home telomere testing is not a reliable marker of aging, researcher says

  07-06-2018 16:00
  
  Telomere testing for consumers offers a poor measure of “biological age,” says Johns Hopkins oncologist Mary Armanios.
  
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• Plastic waste in Antarctica reveals scale of global pollution

  07-06-2018 14:49 via cbc.ca
  Plastic waste and toxic chemicals found in remote parts of the Antarctic this year add to evidence that pollution is spreading to the ends of the Earth, environmental group Greenpeace says.
  
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• Evidence Builds for New Kind of Neutrino

  07-06-2018 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  “Sterile neutrinos” that ignore all other particles might be showing up in experiments—and could even help solve the mystery of dark matter-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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