Science news

• Newly-Discovered Ancient Diabetes-Related Gut Virus 'CrAssphage' Lives in Half of World's Population

  25-07-2014 12:31
  
  Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus that exists in half of the population of the planet and could play a major role in obesity and diabetes. A new study led by biologists at San Diego State University unearthed a newly-described virus called crAssphage, which infects one of the most common types of gut bacteria, Bacteroidetes. This phylum of bacteria is thought to be connected with obesity, diabetes and other gut-related diseases, and as the virus is so widespread, researchers
  
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• These birds are known to 'walk underwater' and are perfectly fine with icy cold streams

  10-04-2021 14:00 via cbc.ca
  
  You may have heard of birds swimming underwater — but how about walking?
  
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• Resilience against replay attacks in computer systems

  10-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Chinese Association of Automation) From power grids and telecommunications to water supply and financial systems, digital data controls the infrastructure systems on which society relies. These complex, multi-tier systems depend on layered communications to accomplish their tasks. Researchers from Italy has developed the first predictive control scheme that can help distributed networks with multiple agents not only identify these attacks but also protect against them.
  
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• Better metric for thermoelectric materials means better design strategies

  10-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Tokyo Metropolitan University) Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that a quantity known as "thermoelectric conductivity" is an effective measure for the dimensionality of newly developed thermoelectric nanomaterials. Studying films of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes and atomically thin sheets of molybdenum sulfide and graphene, they found clear distinctions in how this number varies with conductivity, in agreement with theoretical predictions in 1D and 2D ma
  
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• Suggestions of new force echo the ancient quest for fundamental elements

  09-04-2021 21:19 via cbc.ca
  
  Bob McDonald's blog: The quest to understand the nature of matter and reality is ancient — and continuing
  
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• Unsettling currents: Warm water flowing beneath the 'Doomsday Glacier'

  09-04-2021 20:58 via sciencedaily.com
  Researchers have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the 'Doomsday Glacier'. They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melting and accelerating ice flow.
  
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• Stress from work and social interactions put women at higher coronary heart disease risk

  09-04-2021 18:47 via sciencedaily.com
  Psychosocial stress - typically resulting from difficulty coping with challenging environments - may work synergistically to put women at significantly higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to a new study.
  
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• 'Explosive eruption' reported at La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent

  09-04-2021 17:40 via cbc.ca
  
  La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent explosively erupted on Friday morning, spreading ash across surrounding villages, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre said.
  
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• 'Explosive' eruption of La Soufrière volcano rocks St. Vincent

  09-04-2021 17:40 via cbc.ca
  
  La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent "explosively" erupted on Friday morning, spreading ash across surrounding villages, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre said.
  
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• Eruption of La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent forces thousands from their homes

  09-04-2021 17:40 via cbc.ca
  
  La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent "explosively" erupted on Friday morning, spreading ash across surrounding villages and forcing thousands of people from their homes.
  
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• Abrupt ice age climate changes behaved like cascading dominoes

  09-04-2021 16:45 via sciencedaily.com
  Throughout the last ice age, the climate changed repeatedly and rapidly during so-called Dansgaard-Oeschger events, where Greenland temperatures rose between 5 and 16 degrees Celsius in decades. When certain parts of the climate system changed, other parts of the climate system followed like a series of dominos toppling in succession. Today, sea-ice extent is being rapidly reduced, and it is uncertain whether this part of the climate system can trigger sudden future climate change.
  
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• Preseismic atmospheric radon anomaly associated with 2018 northern Osaka earthquake

  09-04-2021 16:44 via sciencedaily.com
  The concentration of the radioactive element radon is known to change in the ground before and after earthquakes. Previous studies have shown elevated radon levels in the atmosphere before the mainshock of a large inland earthquake due to foreshock activity and slow slip.
  
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• Metabolic changes in fat tissue in obesity associated with adverse health effects

  09-04-2021 16:44 via sciencedaily.com
  A twin study indicates that the machinery responsible for energy handling in fat tissue is working poorly in obesity. In the study, a clear reduction was seen in the activity of mitochondrial genes in obesity in fat tissue, while similar genome-level change in muscle mitochondria was minor. A link with adverse health effects was identified in the mitochondria of fat tissue only.
  
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• A sulfosugar from green vegetables promotes the growth of important gut bacteria

  09-04-2021 16:44 via sciencedaily.com
  A team of scientists has analyzed how microbes in the gut process the plant-based, sulfur-containing sugar sulfoquinovose. Their study discovered that specialized bacteria cooperate in the utilization of the sulfosugar, producing hydrogen sulfide. This gas has disparate effects on human health: at low concentrations, it has an anti-inflammatory effect, while increased amounts of hydrogen sulfide in the intestine, in turn, are associated with diseases such as cancer.
  
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• Bird blood is a heating system in winter

  09-04-2021 16:42 via sciencedaily.com
  Researchers have discovered that bird blood produces more heat in winter, when it is colder, than in autumn.
  
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• Scientists unearth skunk that walked among dinosaurs

  09-04-2021 16:09 via cbc.ca
  
  A fossil of a skunk-like mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Chilean Patagonia, adding further proof to recent evidence that mammals roamed that part of South America a lot earlier than previously thought.
  
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• Toward a reliable oral treatment for sickle cell disease

  09-04-2021 15:36 via sciencedaily.com
  For those who have sickle cell disease, there are only a few treatment options, which include bone marrow transplants, gene therapy or other treatments that address a subset of symptoms. Now, researchers report discovery of a small molecule that could treat sickle cell disease by boosting levels of fetal hemoglobin, a healthy form that adults normally do not make.
  
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• Health benefits of breastfeeding, for mother: Lactation and visceral, pericardial fat

  09-04-2021 15:36 via sciencedaily.com
  As demonstrated by multiple studies, women who breastfeed have a lower risk for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, though the mechanisms by which these risks are reduced for lactating women are still not fully understood. Scientists recently completed a study to see if the presence of excess fat, specifically visceral and pericardial fat, could help explain this finding.
  
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• New Arkansas Law--and Similar Bills--Endanger Transgender Youth, Research Shows

  09-04-2021 15:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The legislation runs counter to evidence that puberty blockers and hormone treatments are safe and save lives-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Brood X Cicadas Could Cause a Bird Baby Boom

  09-04-2021 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Billions of emerging insects will likely trigger predator population surges—but some species mysteriously opt out of such bounties-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• COP26: Greta Thunberg says Glasgow summit should be postponed

  09-04-2021 12:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The climate campaigner is concerned about the impact of Covid on attendance at the Glasgow summit.
  
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• Ontario ups battle against wild pigs to keep province from going to the hogs

  09-04-2021 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has introduced a "wild pig protocol" to encourage people to document and report sightings in hopes of preventing the highly destructive animals from establishing themselves in the province.
  
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• A mysterious fog has shrouded Newfoundland for days. Here's why

  09-04-2021 10:30 via cbc.ca
  
  Here's the science behind the mist blocking sunlight from hitting swaths of the island.
  
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• Canada is touting hydrogen as crucial to its climate action plan, but how green is it?

  09-04-2021 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at Canada's pursuit of "green" hydrogen and California's findings on the connection between carbon emissions reductions and GDP.
  
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• Ocean noise: Study to measure the oceans' 'year of quiet'

  09-04-2021 08:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Marine scientists set out to study the 'year of the quiet ocean' following the pandemic.
  
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• X-ray study recasts role of battery material from cathode to catalyst

  09-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) An international team working at Berkeley Lab used a unique X-ray instrument to learn new things about lithium-rich battery materials that have been the subject of much study for their potential to extend the range of electric vehicles and the operation of electronic devices.
  
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• Vaping vs. smoking: Impact on cells compared

  09-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Imperial Brands) Peer reviewed and published in the journal Mutagenesis, results show that under the conditions of test, undiluted vape e-liquids and their aerosol extracts exhibited entirely absent or vastly reduced indications of DNA damaging potential in cells, compared to smoke from combustible cigarettes. Imperial scientists are the first to publish results using the ToxTracker cell assay system for the assessment of vape e-liquids and aerosols.
  
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• Using genetics, researchers identify potential drugs for early treatment of COVID-19

  09-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Veterans Affairs Research Communications) This is about a new study using human genetics that suggests researchers should prioritize clinical trials of drugs that target two proteins to manage COVID-19 in its early stages. Based on their analyses, the researchers call for prioritizing clinical trials of drugs targeting the proteins IFNAR2 and ACE2. The goal is to identify existing drugs, either FDA-approved or in clinical development for other conditions, that can be repurposed for the early ma
  
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• US children, adolescents diagnosed with COVID-19

  09-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (JAMA Network) What The Study Did: In this observational study, data are used to assess the association of demographic and clinical characteristics with severe COVID-19 illness among hospitalized U.S. pediatric patients with COVID-19.
  
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• The European Hexa-X project for the development of 6G technology starts

  09-04-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is participating in the development of the European Hexa-X project, through the Network Technologies research group and coordinated by Nokia, to promote the development of technologies that will make up 6G from Europe.
  
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