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Top Science News

November 15, 2016

Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing

ALS Patient Uses Mind to Operate Computer

2016 Is Set to Break Temperature Records

Low Growth in Global Carbon Emissions Continues

Nov. 14, 2016 — Marty McFly's self-lacing Nikes in Back to the Future Part II inspired a scientist who has developed filaments that harvest and store the sun's energy -- and can be woven into textiles. The ... read more

Nov. 14, 2016 — A brain implant has been placed in a patient enabling her to operate a speech computer with her mind. The researchers and the patient worked intensively to get the settings right. She can now ... read more

Nov. 14, 2016 — It is very likely that 2016 will be the hottest year on record, with global temperatures even higher than the record-breaking temperatures in 2015. Preliminary data shows that 2016's global ... read more

Nov. 14, 2016 — Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels did not grow in 2015 and are projected to rise only slightly in 2016, marking three years of almost no growth, according to ... read more

Latest Top Headlines

updated 1:18am EST

Teenage Binge Drinking Can Affect Brain Function of Future Offspring

Nov. 14, 2016 — Repeated binge drinking during adolescence can affect brain functions in future generations, potentially putting offspring at risk for such conditions as depression, anxiety, and metabolic disorders, a study ... read more

Keeping Our Balance: A Tale of Two Systems

Nov. 14, 2016 — The transition from being sea creatures to living on land, even if it happened over 300 million years ago, seems to have left its traces on the way we keep our ... read more

Large Decrease in Coronary Heart Disease in US

Nov. 13, 2016 — The incidence of coronary heart disease in the U.S. declined nearly 20 percent from 1983 to 2011, according to a ... read more

Catching a Tumor in a Spider's Web

Nov. 10, 2016 — After a decade of research, medical researchers have revealed a new designer molecule that inhibits a well-validated cancer driver through the mechanism of amyloid formation. This work demonstrates that amyloid structures can be used to rationally develop a novel class of biotechnological molecules ... read more

Simulations Show Swirling Rings, Whirlpool-Like Structure in Subatomic 'Soup'

Nov. 10, 2016 — Powerful supercomputer simulations of high-energy collisions between atomic cores provide new insights about the complex structure of a superhot fluid called the ... read more

Solar Physicist Finds New Way to Study the Inner Workings of the Sun

Nov. 10, 2016 — Neutrinos from the sun carry information about its fiery core but they are extremely hard to detect. Now, researchers may have found a much easier and less expensive way to study these ... read more

Meteorites Reveal Lasting Drought on Mars

Nov. 11, 2016 — The lack of liquid water on the surface of Mars today has been demonstrated by new evidence in the form of meteorites on the Red Planet examined by an international team of ... read more

Breakthrough in the Quantum Transfer of Information Between Matter and Light

Nov. 10, 2016 — From stationary to flying qubits at speeds never reached before…. This feat brings us a little closer to the era when information is transmitted via ... read more

Red Squirrels in the British Isles Are Infected With Leprosy Bacteria

Nov. 10, 2016 — Microbiologists have discovered that red squirrels in Britain and Ireland carry the two bacterial species that cause leprosy ... read more

Underwater Stone Age Settlement Mapped out

Nov. 14, 2016 — Six years ago divers discovered the oldest known stationary fish traps in northern Europe off the coast of southern Sweden. Since then, researchers have uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved Stone Age site. They now believe the location was a lagoon environment where Mesolithic humans lived ... read more

Dinosaurs' Rise Was 'More Gradual,' New Fossil Evidence Suggests

Nov. 10, 2016 — Researchers have discovered two small dinosaurs together with a lagerpetid, a group of animals that are recognized as precursors of dinosaurs. The discovery made in Brazil represents the first time that a dinosaur and a dinosaur precursor have ever been ... read more

How Lightning Strikes Can Improve Storm Forecasts

Nov. 11, 2016 — Real-time lightning observations could significantly improve forecasts of large storm events, say scientists. Apart from ground stations, weather forecasts are heavily dependent on weather satellites for information to start or "initialize" the numerical weather prediction models that are the ... read more

'Supermoon' Spectacle Wows Sky-Watchers

Major Quake, Aftershocks Hit New Zealand

Looks Like 2016 Will Be The Hottest Year On Record

New Dinosaur Fossil Has A Lot In Common With Its Bird Relatives

Cystic Fibrosis: Multi-Drug Resistant Infection

Trauma Alters Brains of Boys, Girls Differently

Skin Bacteria Protects Against Disease?

Particle Clusters: Culprit in Premature Birth?

Nov. 10, 2016 — A multi-drug resistant infection that can cause life-threatening illness in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and can spread from patient to patient ... read more

Nov. 11, 2016 — Traumatic stress affects the brains of adolescent boys and girls differently, according to a new brain-scanning study. Among youth with post-traumatic stress disorder, the study found structural ... read more

Nov. 11, 2016 — There are more and more examples of the ways in which we can benefit from our bacteria. According to new research, this is true for the skin as well. The work has shown that the most common bacteria ... read more

Nov. 10, 2016 — A new study of more than 100 pregnant women pinpoints the abnormal buildup of mineral-protein clusters in amniotic fluid (AF) as a potential culprit in premature birth. The findings open the door to ... read more

Latest Health Headlines

updated 1:18am EST

Scientists Discover How Protein Senses Touch

Nov. 14, 2016 — A protein first discovered in 2010 is directly responsible for sensing touch, scientists have discovered. Knowledge about this protein, called Piezo 1, could be relevant for designing better pain medications and exploring future therapies for blood disorders, hypertension and ... read more

'Sweet' Solution Kills E. Coli in Drinking Water

Nov. 14, 2016 — Paper strips laced with sugar could be the sweetest solution so far, literally, to kill E. coli in contaminated water. A researcher says the “DipTreat” discovery will be key to developing a new generation of inexpensive and portable water treatment devices, with human health benefits in Canada and around the ... read more

Researchers Identify Biomarker to Speed Diagnosis in Brain and Spinal Cord Inflammation

Nov. 14, 2016 — Research identifies a new biomarker for brain and spinal cord inflammation, allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment of ... read more

Stress-Induced Changes in Maternal Gut Could Negatively Impact Offspring for Life

Nov. 14, 2016 — Prenatal exposure to a mother’s stress contributes to anxiety and cognitive problems that persist into adulthood, a phenomenon that could be explained by lasting – and potentially damaging – changes in the microbiome, according to new research in ... read more

Brain Training Can Help in Fight Against Dementia, Meta-Analysis Shows

Nov. 14, 2016 — Engaging in computer-based brain training can improve memory and mood in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, say researchers, but training is no longer effective once a dementia diagnosis has been made, ... read more

How Internal Circadian Clocks in Neurons Encode External Daily Rhythms of Excitability

Nov. 14, 2016 — Researchers have identified a key mechanism linking the master molecular clock in the brain to changes in the external firing activity of those circadian clock neurons. It involves the GSK3 kinase enzyme, which is also the target of mood-stabilizing drugs used to treat bipolar ... read more

Nutrition Protects Against the Impact of Stress on the Brain in Early Life

Nov. 14, 2016 — Young mice that grow up in stressful circumstances go on to have fewer cognitive-impairments and memory problems as adults if they are given enriched breast milk, scientists ... read more

Long-Term Use of Opioid Patches Common Among Persons With Alzheimer's Disease

Nov. 14, 2016 — Approximately seven per cent of persons with Alzheimer’s disease use strong pain medicines, opioids, for non-cancer pain for a period longer than six months, according to a recent study. One third of people initiating opioid use became long-term users, and long-term use was heavily associated with transdermal opioid ... read more

Mostly Meat, High Protein Diet Linked to Heart Failure in Older Women

Nov. 14, 2016 — Women over the age of 50 who follow a high-protein diet could be at higher risk for heart failure, especially if much of their protein comes from meat, according to preliminary ... read more

Bystander CPR Improves Survival, Neurological Outcomes in U. S. Children

Nov. 13, 2016 — Children who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting are more likely to survive, and to have better neurological outcomes, when they receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Researchers studying a large U.S. registry of cardiac arrests compared outcomes for two bystander resuscitation techniques, and also recommend improving provision of bystander CPR in minority ... read more

Online Password Guessing Threat Underestimated

Nov. 7, 2016 — Reusing similar passwords across many online accounts may make you more vulnerable to cyber criminals’ guessing than people realise, new research ... read more

Victims of Childhood Bullying More Likely to Be Overweight as Young Adults

Nov. 11, 2016 — Children who are bullied in primary and secondary school are nearly twice as likely to be overweight at the age of 18 than non-bullied children, according to a ... read more

Prisons Fight Opioids With $1,000 Injection

Celebrity, Screenings Seek to Raise Diabetes Awareness in France

Gadget Makers Target Health At CES Unveiled

For Rats (And Humans) Ticklish Is A State Of Mind

Beagle 2 Did Not Crash, Say Scientists

Tiniest Magnifying Glass: Atom Bonds Visible

Invisibility Cloak for Processing Chips

Watching the Buildup of Quantum Superpositions

Nov. 10, 2016 — The Mars lander Beagle 2 deployed at least three or all four of its solar panels, scientists report. The probe was discovered on the Red Planet in November 2014, but uncertainty surrounded what had ... read more

Nov. 10, 2016 — For centuries, scientists believed that light, like all waves, couldn't be focused down smaller than its wavelength, just under a millionth of a ... read more

Nov. 9, 2016 — A cloaking device for microscopic photonics integrated devices has now been created in an effort to make future processing chips smaller, faster and ... read more

Nov. 10, 2016 — Scientists have observed how quantum superpositions build up in a helium atom within femtoseconds. Just like in the famous double-slit experiment, there are two ways to reach the final ... read more

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 1:18am EST

First Observations of Tongue Deformation of Plasma Based Upon the Artsimovich Prediction

Nov. 14, 2016 — Aiming for the achievement of fusion energy, research on confining a high temperature, high density plasma in a magnetic field is being conducted around the world, report ... read more

2-D Material a Brittle Surprise

Nov. 14, 2016 — An atom-thick material being eyed for flexible electronics and next-generation optical devices is more brittle than researchers expected, a new report ... read more

Radioisotopes Have Potential for Medical Diagnosis and Treatment

Nov. 14, 2016 — Using its electron linear accelerator, researchers have enabled two companies to demonstrate new methods for the production of molybdenum-99, the parent isotope of technetium-99m – a medical isotope that could face short supply. The laboratory is also expanding its radioisotope program with the ... read more

Memories and Energy Landscapes of Magnetic Glassy States

Nov. 14, 2016 — Researchers have revealed the intricate relation between how the systems remember their past and their complex ... read more

A Funnel on Mars Could Be a Place to Look for Life

Nov. 10, 2016 — A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a new study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for ... read more

Peculiarities of Huge Equatorial Jet Stream in Saturn's Atmosphere Revealed

Nov. 10, 2016 — The atmosphere of the planet Saturn, a gas giant ten times bigger than the Earth consisting mostly of hydrogen, has a wider, more intense jet stream than all the planets in the Solar System. Winds gusting at speeds of up to 1,650 km/h blow from West to East in the equatorial atmosphere, thirteen ... read more

Comet Chury Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought

Nov. 9, 2016 — Based on computer simulations, astrophysicists conclude that the comet Chury did not obtain its duck-like form during the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Although it does contain primordial material, they are able to show that the comet in its present form is hardly more than a ... read more

Sculpting Solar Systems: Instrument Reveals Protoplanetary Discs Being Shaped by Newborn Planets

Nov. 9, 2016 — Three teams of astronomers have made use of SPHERE, an advanced exoplanet-hunting instrument on the Very Large Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory, in order to shed light on the enigmatic evolution of fledgling planetary systems. The explosion in ... read more

Researchers Have a Better Way to Predict Flight Delays

Nov. 14, 2016 — Researchers have devised a new computer model that can more accurately predict delays faster than anything currently in ... read more

3D Printing: Customized Insoles for Diabetes Patients

Nov. 14, 2016 — In the past, insoles for patients with diabetes were hand-made by orthopedic shoemakers. In the future, these specialist shoemakers will be able to produce insoles more cost-effectively thanks to new software and the use of 3D printers. This approach means the mechanical properties of each insole ... read more

Researchers Found Mathematical Structure That Was Thought Not to Exist

Nov. 14, 2016 — Researchers found mathematical structure that was thought not to exist. The best possible q-analogs of codes may be useful in more efficient data ... read more

Even Physicists Are 'Afraid' of Mathematics

Nov. 11, 2016 — Physicists avoid highly mathematical work despite being trained in advanced mathematics, new research ... read more

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Burn Not Bury When It Comes to Trash in China

Skygazers Gawp at Extra Bright 'supermoon' In Bali

Skygazers Gather for Extra Bright 'supermoon'

Scientist Builds Device That Turns Urine Into Biogas

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Environment News

November 15, 2016

Neanderthal Genes Helped Early Humans Adapt

Why Are People, and Rats, Ticklish?

Male Chimpanzees Can Be Players and Good Dads

Chimps Use Babysitters to Wean Young Faster

Nov. 10, 2016 — As the ancestors of modern humans made their way out of Africa to other parts of the world many thousands of years ago, they met up and in some cases had children with other forms of humans, ... read more

Nov. 10, 2016 — Of all physical sensations, ticklishness is perhaps the most mysterious. Why do we laugh in response to tickling? Why are certain body parts more ... read more

Nov. 9, 2016 — Male chimpanzees are focused on offspring rather than building relationships with females, new research on humans' closest living relatives ... read more

Nov. 9, 2016 — A babysitter can make a big difference in a parent's life. For wild chimps in Uganda, it may even mean that mothers can wean their infants faster, which can allow them to reproduce again more ... read more

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 1:18am EST

Pest Control: Wicked Weeds May Be Agricultural Angels

Nov. 11, 2016 — Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of Cornell agricultural scientists: Let nature be nature – to a ... read more

Near-Death Experiences Investigating Complex Signals Behind Basic Cell Behavior

Nov. 11, 2016 — Cells are often likened to computers, running an operating system that receives signals, processes their input, and responds, according to programming, with cellular output. Yet untangling computer-like pathways in cells is anything but simple, say ... read more

Mirroring a Drop in Emissions, Mercury in Tuna Also Declines

Nov. 10, 2016 — For years, public health experts have warned against eating certain kinds of fish, including tuna, that tend to accumulate mercury. Still, tuna consumption provides more mercury to U.S. consumers than any other source. But recently, as industry cuts down on its mercury emissions, research has found mercury concentrations in some fish are ... read more

Competitive Males Are a Blessing and a Curse, Study Reveals

Nov. 14, 2016 — Showy ornaments used by the male of the species in competition for mates, such as the long tail of a peacock or shaggy mane of a lion, could indicate a species' risk of decline in a changing climate, according to a new ... read more

Safest Locations for Wastewater Injection

Nov. 11, 2016 — New maps of the geologic forces contributing to earthquakes in Texas and Oklahoma could help reduce the likelihood of humanmade temblors associated with wastewater injection, ... read more

Can We Meet Global Energy Demands With Nuclear Power?

Nov. 9, 2016 — An international team of scientists suggests that we must ramp up energy production by nuclear power if we are to succeed in warding off the worst effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change. The team suggests that beginning in 2020 we could achieve an annual electricity output of 20 terawatts without needing to develop carbon dioxide trapping and storage technology for the tens of ... read more

People Who Know About Genetically Modified Food Agree With Science: They're Safe

Nov. 9, 2016 — People who know about genetically modified food agree with science, that they're safe. On the other hand, those who know plenty about global warming are cautious about the science that says humans cause the phenomenon, a new study shows. Furthermore, the study showed some people still make what researchers call "illusionary correlations," such as ... read more

Double Wonder of Worms: Clean Compost and Animal Feed from Waste

Nov. 9, 2016 — In North America, a whopping 30 to 40 per cent of our residential waste is organic -- biodegradable garbage that could be composted but is often sent to landfills. A new study shows that one method of composting could yield high quality compost and high value by-products. The catch? There are worms ... read more

City Dwellers in Middle Ages No Worse Off Than Village Dwellers

Nov. 11, 2016 — City dwellers in the Middle Ages were probably no worse off than people living in villages. Both groups had very different health risks, one experts has ... read more

Dinosaur Discovery Casts Light on Final Flurry of Animals' Evolution

Nov. 10, 2016 — A dinosaur fossil that almost went undiscovered is giving scientists valuable clues about a family of creatures that flourished just before the ... read more

Changing Views of Evolutionary Factors at Work on Earliest Mammals

Nov. 9, 2016 — Using 3D-printed replicas of 200-million-year-old mammal teeth and polymers that mimic insect prey, scientists provide the first laboratory-tested evidence that the ability for teeth to damage prey is a more significant factor driving evolutionary changes in tooth shape than either bite force or ... read more

Key Indicator of Carbon Sources in Earth's Mantle

Nov. 9, 2016 — Researchers have found evidence of varying ratios of boron isotopes in igneous rocks, known as carbonatites, of different ... read more

Burn Not Bury When It Comes to Trash in China

Heavy Pollution Shuts Schools in Iran's Capital

Scientist Builds Device That Turns Urine Into Biogas

'World's Saddest Polar Bear' Gets A Break From Chinese Mall

Birth Year Dictates Immunity to Flu Strains

Major Advance in Cheap Flexible Solar Cells

Positive School Climates Can Narrow Grade Gaps

Graphic Pictures On Cigarette Packs Save Lives

Nov. 10, 2016 — We are not blank slates with regard to how susceptible we are to emerging strains of flu virus, researchers have discovered. These findings could provide relevant information for the development of a ... read more

Nov. 8, 2016 — Physicists have boosted the efficiency of material that holds promise as base for next-generation solar cells. Perovskite solar cells are made of a mix of organic molecules and inorganic elements ... read more

Nov. 1, 2016 — Positive school climates contribute to academic achievement and can improve outcomes for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, according to a ... read more

Nov. 4, 2016 — Using prominent, graphic pictures on cigarette packs warning against smoking could avert more than 652,000 deaths, up to 92,000 low birth weight ... read more

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 1:18am EST

Retail Clinics Do Not Reduce ER Visits for Minor Ailments

Nov. 14, 2016 — A new study provides further evidence that retail clinics may not cut health costs. There has been hope that retail clinics will help lower health care costs by diverting care from costly emergency departments to more convenient and lower-cost retail clinics, but the new findings do not support that ... read more

Pneumonia, Diarrhea Continue to Kill Hundreds of Thousands of Young Children in Many Countries

Nov. 10, 2016 — A new report finds some progress in combating pneumonia and diarrhea among young children in the nations most severely impacted by the two diseases, but they remain responsible for hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths around the ... read more

Probable Scientific Misconduct in Bone Health Studies, New Study Suggests

Nov. 9, 2016 — A new study suggests probable scientific misconduct in at least some of 33 bone health trials published in various medical journals. The study used statistical methods to detect scientific misconduct or research fraud and calls into question the validity of a body of research work led mainly by one researcher in ... read more

Global Progress on Reducing Child Deaths Largely Due to Fewer Cases of Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Death During Birth, Malaria and Measles

Nov. 10, 2016 — Estimates for 2015 suggest that 5.9 million children worldwide died before reaching the age of five, including 2.7 million newborns. Globally, four million fewer child deaths occurred in 2015 than in 2000, mainly thanks to reductions in deaths from pneumonia, diarrhea, death during birth, malaria and measles. However, progress on reducing newborn ... read more

When Do Speech Difficulties in Children Matter for Literacy?

Nov. 7, 2016 — Speech difficulties are linked with difficulties in learning to read when children first start school, but these effects are no longer apparent at 8 years of age, new research ... read more

New Theory Debunks Consensus That Math Abilities Are Innate

Nov. 1, 2016 — A new theory regarding how the brain first learns basic math could alter approaches to identifying and teaching students with math learning disabilities. Now researchers offer a better understanding of how, when and why people grasp every day ... read more

Closed Captions, Transcripts Aid Learning for Almost All Students

Nov. 1, 2016 — Most college and university students who use closed captions and transcripts on video and multimedia find them helpful as a learning tool, despite them not regularly being made available, according to new ... read more

Understanding Mind-Wandering Could Shed Light on Mental Illness

Oct. 31, 2016 — If you think the mind grinds to a halt when you're doing nothing, think again. Spontaneous thought processes -- including mind-wandering, but also creative thinking and dreaming -- arise when thoughts are relatively free from deliberate and automatic constraints. Mind-wandering is not far from creative ... read more

Massive Cyberattack Poses Policy Dilemma

Oct. 25, 2016 — The coordinated cyber attack that crippled parts of the internet on Friday highlighted key policy problems, a cybersecurity scholar ... read more

Fragranced Products: Risks for People and Profits?

Oct. 24, 2016 — Over one-third of Americans report health problems -- from asthma attacks to migraine headaches -- when exposed to common fragranced consumer products such as air fresheners, cleaning supplies, laundry products, scented candles, cologne, and personal care products. The same study also found that fragranced products may affect profits, with more than 20% of respondents entering a business, but ... read more

Workplace Weight Management Lowers Costs, Improves Quality of Life

Oct. 20, 2016 — Employees who participate in a workplace weight management program—even those without significant weight loss—have reduced health care costs and improved quality of life (QOL), reports a new ... read more

'Lurking Malice' in Cloud Hosting Services, Study Finds

Oct. 18, 2016 — A study of 20 major cloud hosting services has found that as many as 10 percent of the repositories hosted by them had been compromised -- with several hundred of the "buckets" actively providing malware. Such bad content could be challenging to find, however, because it can be rapidly assembled ... read more

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