Science News

09-Feb-2017 Meta-Lenses Bring Benchtop Performance to Small, Hand-Held Spectrometer A research team of physicists from Harvard University has developed new hand-held spectrometers capable of the same performance as large, benchtop instruments. The researchers’ innovation, explained this week in APL Photonics, derives from their gr... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) 08-Feb-2017 First Nuclear Explosion Helps Test Theory of Moon’s Formation Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego Professor James Day and colleagues examined radioactive glass found blanketing the ground after the first nuclear test bomb explosion is being used by scientists to test th... – University of California San Diego Science Advances Embargo expired on 08-Feb-2017 at 14:00 ET Foods That Protect Against Heart Disease, Sitting Not Linked to Incident Diabetes, New Studies on Suppressing the Urge to Eat, and More in the Obesity News Source Click here to go directly to Newswise's Obesity News Source – Newswise Chimpanzee Feet Allow Scientists a New Grasp on Human Foot Evolution An investigation into the evolution of human walking by looking at how chimpanzees walk on two legs is the subject of a new research paper published in Journal of Human Evolution. – New York Institute of Technology Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 104, March 2017, pages 23-31 New Ludwig Research Will Shift How Cancer Diversity and Resistance Are Understood and Studied Ludwig researchers discover that circular DNA, once thought to be rare in tumor cells, is actually very common and seems to play a fundamental role in tumor evolution – Ludwig Cancer Research Nature, Feb-2017 Compound from Deep-water Marine Sponge Could Provide Antibacterial Solutions for MRSA A compound extracted from a deep-water marine sponge collected near the Bahamas is showing potent antibacterial activity against the drug resistant bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) also called the “super bug.” Researche... – Florida Atlantic University Marine Drugs CWRU Researcher Discovers Fish Uses Sneaking Behavior as Stealth Mating Strategy A Case Western Reserve University researcher found and videoed the Cuatro Ciénegas cichlid, Herichthys minckleyi, using the reproductive strategy called sneaking to insert himself between a mating pair and pass his DNA onto the next generation. – Case Western Reserve University Largest Undersea Landslide Revealed on the Great Barrier Reef James Cook University scientists have helped discover the remnants of a massive undersea landslide on the Great Barrier Reef, approximately 30 times the volume of Uluru. – James Cook University Marine Geology Researchers Invent a Breakthrough Process to Produce Renewable Car Tires From Trees and Grasses A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has invented a new technology to produce automobile tires from trees and grasses in a process that could shift the tire production industry toward using renewable resources found right in our... – University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering Scientists' Computational Models Predict Mutations' Effect on Proteins According to new research, the key to a successful, long-term relationship is for each partner to adapt to the other’s changes over time. – University of Texas at Dallas Molecular Biology and Evolution Grow, Mow, Mulch: Finding Lawn’s Value Can grassy lawns affect carbon and nitrogen in the soil? Researchers found grass species and mowing habits can make a difference. – American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Agronomy Journal, December 1, 2016 Reforestation in Urban Landscapes By conducting research at Tifft Nature Preserve, a post-industrial urban site in Buffalo, New York, researchers investigate the reforestation taking place in terms of seed immigration and seedling survival. The research suggests that significant huma... – SUNY Buffalo State Labatore, A.C., Spiering, D.J., Potts, D.L. et al. Urban Ecosyst (2016). doi:10.1007/s11252-016-0601-x Hidden Lakes Drain Below West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier Drainage of four interconnected lakes below Thwaites Glacier in late 2013 caused only a 10 percent increase in the glacier’s speed. The glacier’s recent speedup is therefore not due to changes in meltwater flow along its underside. – University of Washington The Cryosphere UF/IFAS Researchers to Launch New Plants-in-Space Mission People put on sweaters when they’re cold. Plants on the other hand, have to essentially knit one on the fly. Plants “knit” with their genes, and when University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers launch their Fe... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Dr. Jonathan Slaght to Be Honored for Work to Conserve Blakiston’s Fish Owl The WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) announced today that Dr. Jonathan Slaght will be honored for his work in Russia to conserve the Blakiston’s fish owl, an endangered species and the largest owl in the world. – Wildlife Conservation Society 07-Feb-2017 A New Species of Gecko with Massive Scales and Tear-Away Skin Many lizards can drop their tails when grabbed, but one group of geckos has gone to particularly extreme lengths to escape predation with large scales that tear away with ease, leaving them free to escape whilst the predator is left with a mouth full... – PeerJ Embargo expired on 07-Feb-2017 at 07:00 ET Portable Superconductivity Systems for Small Motors Superconductivity is one of modern physics’ most intriguing scientific discoveries. However, practical exploitation of superconductivity also presents many challenges. The challenges are perhaps greatest for researchers trying to integrate supercon... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Embargo expired on 07-Feb-2017 at 11:00 ET Customized Electron Beams, Efficient Ethanol, Bionic Enzymes, and More in the DOE Science News Source Click here to go directly to the DOE Science News Source – Newswise Testing the Theory of Moon's Formation, Mysterious White Dwarf Pulsar Discovered, Black Hole Feeding Frenzy, and More in the Space News Source The latest in space and astronomy in the Space News Source – Newswise Germanium Tin Laser Could Increase Processing Speed of Computer Chips A multi-institutional team of researchers, led by University of Arkansas engineering professor Shui-Qing “Fisher” Yu and a leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, have fabricated an “optically pumped” laser made of the alloy germanium t... – University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Applied Physics Letters High-Energy Electrons Probe Ultrafast Atomic Motion Researchers built a new technique that uses synchronized high-energy electrons with an ultrafast laser pulse to probe how vibrational states of atoms change in time. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Applied Physics Letters 108, 041909 (2016). [DOI: 10.1063/1.4940981] Creating Bionic Enzymes Scientists replace iron in muscle protein, combining the best aspects of chemical and biological catalysts for enhanced production of chemicals and fuels. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Nature 534, 534-537 (2016). [DOI: 10.1038/nature17968]; Science 354, 102-106 (2016). [DOI: 10.1126/science.aah4427] Keep ’Em Separated Researchers found that the metal-organic framework NU-1000 allows separation of toxic furanics from sugars, which is necessary for efficient ethanol production. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Chemical Communications 52, 11791-11794 (2016). [DOI: 10.1039/C6CC05864G]; Chemical Communications 52, 7094-7097 (2016). [DOI: 10.1039/C6CC03266D] Pure as the Driven X-Ray Seeding x-ray free electron lasers with customized electron beams produces incredibly stable laser pulses that could enable new scientific discoveries. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Nature Photonics 10, 512 (2016). [DOI: 10.1038/NPHOTON.2016.101] Meeting the Challenge of Diagnostics for Super-Hot Plasmas in Fusion Reactors New atomic transition found in xenon accurately calibrates neutral hydrogen density measurements in plasma experiments important in the pursuit of fusion energy. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Review of Scientific Instruments 87, 11E504 (2016). [DOI: 10.1063/1.4955489]; Review of Scientific Instruments 87, 11E506 (2016). [DOI: 10.1063/1.4955494]; Physics of Plasmas 21, 055704 (2014). [DOI: 10.1063/1.4873900]... More Order with Less Judgement: An Optimal Theory of the Evolution of Cooperation A research team led by Mathematician Tatsuya Sasaki from the University of Vienna presents a new optimal theory of the evolution of reputation-based cooperation. This team proves that the practice of making moral assessments conditionally is very eff... – University of Vienna Scientific Reports Mobile Phone and Satellite Data to Map Poverty An international team has, for the first time, developed a way of combining anonymised data from mobile phones and satellite imagery data to create high resolution maps to measure poverty. – University of Southampton Royal Society Interface Mysterious White Dwarf Pulsar Discovered An exotic binary star system 380 light-years away has been identified as an elusive white dwarf pulsar – the first of its kind ever to be discovered in the universe – thanks to research by the University of Warwick. – University of Warwick Nature Astronomy, Dec 16 Researchers Find That Some Feel an Invisible Touch University of Delaware researchers have found two out of 100 people have a condition called mirror-touch synesthesia (MTS) in which they feel like they’re being touched while watching someone else get touched. The team plans to use an fMRI to bette... – University of Delaware Scientists Confirm Dorado Catfish as All-Time Distance Champion of Freshwater Migrations An international team of scientists has confirmed that the dorado catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii) of the Amazon River basin holds the record for the world’s longest exclusively freshwater fish migration, an epic life-cycle journey stretchin... – Wildlife Conservation Society Material Can Turn Sunlight, Heat and Movement Into Electricity -- All at Once Many forms of energy surround you: sunlight, the heat in your room and even your own movements. All that energy -- normally wasted -- can potentially help power your portable and wearable gadgets, from biometric sensors to smart watches. Now, researc... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) New Method Improves Accuracy of Imaging Systems New research provides scientists looking at single molecules or into deep space a more accurate way to analyze imaging data captured by microscopes, telescopes and other devices. The improved method for determining the position of objects captured b... – University of Chicago Electricity Costs: A New Way They'll Surge in a Warming World Climate change is likely to increase U.S. electricity costs over the next century by billions of dollars more than economists previously forecast, according to a new study involving a University of Michigan researcher. – University of Michigan Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Three New Uranium Minerals From Utah Three new minerals discovered by a Michigan Tech alumnus are secondary crusts found in old uranium mines in southern Utah. They're bright, yellow and hard to find. Meet leesite, leószilárdite and redcanyonite. – Michigan Technological University Mineralogical Magazine, Dec-2016 Tarantulas Inspire New Structural Color with the Greatest Viewing Angle Inspired by the hair of blue tarantulas, researchers from The University of Akron lead a team that made a structural-colored material that shows consistent color from all viewing directions. – University of Akron Advanced Optical Materials Making a Scavenger -- the Meat-Thieving Traits That Have Stood the Test of Time Nature requires the right mix of biological ingredients to make a good scavenger. – Trinity College Dublin Ecography How Life Survives: UNC Researchers Confirm Basic Mechanism of DNA Repair Day in and day out, the DNA in our cells is damaged for a variety of reasons, and thus DNA-repair systems are fundamental to the maintenance of life. Now UNC scientists have confirmed and clarified key molecular details of one of these repair systems... – University of North Carolina Health Care System Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences UCI Engineers Develop Powerful Millimeter-Wave Signal Generator Irvine, Calif., Feb. 7, 2017 – Your doctor waves a hand-held scanner over your body and gets detailed, high-resolution images of your internal organs and tissues. Using the same device, the physician then sends gigabytes of data instantly to a remo... – University of California, Irvine 06-Feb-2017 Pain During Alcohol Withdrawal: Electroacupuncture May Help Hyperalgesia refers to an increased sensitivity to pain. It can occur during alcohol withdrawal, and may contribute to a relapse to drinking. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA; which combines acupuncture with electr... – Research Society on Alcoholism Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Embargo expired on 06-Feb-2017 at 17:00 ET Genomes in Flux: New Study Reveals Hidden Dynamics of Bird and Mammal DNA Evolution Evolution is often thought of as a gradual remodeling of the genome, the genetic blueprints for building an organism. But in some instance it might be more appropriate to call it an overhaul. Over the past 100 million years, the human lineage has los... – University of Utah Health Sciences PNAS Feb 6, 2017; GM077582 Embargo expired on 06-Feb-2017 at 15:00 ET Researchers Identify ‘Synthetic Essentiality’ as Novel Approach for Locating Cancer Therapy Targets A new method has been found for identifying therapeutic targets in cancers lacking specific key tumor suppressor genes. The process, which located a genetic site for the most common form of prostate cancer, has potential for developing precision ther... – University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Embargo expired on 06-Feb-2017 at 11:00 ET Chemistry for the Bottom of the Periodic Table Techniques to investigate chemical properties of super heavy elements lead to improved methods for separating certain metals. This work could also lead to better methods of re-using indium, a metal that is part of flat-panel displays but is not curre... – Department of Energy, Office of Science Journal of Physical Chemistry B 120(9), 2311-2322 (2016). [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b08924] First Light Shines in Instrument Designed to Solve the Neutrino Controversy KATRIN project achieves transmission of electrons through completed apparatus, opening new doors to understanding the universe. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Journal of Instrumentation 11, P04011 (2016). [DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/11/04/P04011] Supercomputers for Quantum Computers Researchers simulate the design of new quantum bits for easier engineering of quantum computers. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Scientific Reports 6, Article No. 20803 (2016). [DOI: 10.1038/srep20803]; Nature Communications 7, 12935 (2016). [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12935] A Concussion May Affect Your Driving Even After Symptoms Disappear, Says Study The effects a concussion has on driving a vehicle may continue to linger even after the symptoms disappear, according to a new study by University of Georgia researchers. – University of Georgia Exploring the Matter That Filled the Early Universe Theorists and scientists conducting experiments that recreate matter as it existed in the very early universe are gathered in Chicago this week to present and discuss their latest results. – Brookhaven National Laboratory Quark Matter 2017 The Power of Tea A compound found in green tea could have lifesaving potential for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, who face often-fatal medical complications associated with bone-marrow disorders, according to a team of engineers at Washington Univers... – Washington University in St. Louis Journal of Biological Chemistry Study Sheds Light on How Carnivorous Plants Acquired a Taste for Meat A new study probes the origins of carnivory in several distantly related plants — including the Australian, Asian and American pitcher plants, which appear strikingly similar to the human (or insect) eye. Although each species developed carnivory i... – University at Buffalo Nature Ecology and Evolution UF/IFAS Researcher: Cats, Dogs Teaming Up Is Best Way to Keep Rodents Away Cats and dogs may be longtime enemies, but when teamed up, they keep rodents away, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher says. – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Researchers Identify Ion Channel Necessary for Hormone and Anti-Obesity Drug to Suppress Eating UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified an ion channel required for brain cells to suppress eating behavior in response to the hormone leptin or to the anti-obesity drug lorcaserin. – UT Southwestern Medical Center Cell Reports, 2017 UNH Researcher Discovers a Black Hole Feeding Frenzy That Breaks Records A giant black hole ripped apart a nearby star and then continued to feed off its remains for close to a decade, according to research led by the University of New Hampshire. This black hole meal is more than 10 times longer than any other previous ep... – University of New Hampshire Nature Astronomy Size Matters for Marine Protected Areas Designed to Aid Coral For marine protected areas established to help coral reefs recover from overfishing, size really does seem to make a difference. – Georgia Institute of Technology PLOS ONE; OCE- 0929119; U19TW007401 Global Consortium Formed to Educate Leaders on Climate and Health With funding from The Rockefeller Foundation, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health today announces a Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education to share best scientific and educational practices and design model curricula on... – Columbia University Medical Center Top Scientists Join University of Maryland School Of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine announced that it has hired several top scientists in a range of fields, including orthopaedics and brain science. – University of Maryland School of Medicine Looking for Entangled Atoms in a Bose-Einstein Condensate Using a Bose-Einstein condensate composed of millions of sodium atoms, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have observed a sharp magnetically-induced quantum phase transition where they expect to find entangled atomic pairs. The work m... – Georgia Institute of Technology Physical Review A; 1100179 Methylmercury Sleuths Armed with New Spotlight Researchers can now more quickly identify which microbes produce mercury toxins in the environment. These findings will enable a more realistic view of possible methylmercury production in a specific setting. – Department of Energy, Office of Science Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2016). [DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01271-16] Battery-Free Technology for Instant Electronic Inventory of Sensitive Items at a Distance Dirac Solutions’ battery-free sensors offer a one-of-a-kind capability in inventory automation and advanced remote monitoring – Department of Energy, Office of Science Valentine’s Day Means More Than Roses; UF/IFAS Breeds, Suggests Other Plants to Give A plant always makes for a nice gesture on Valentine’s Day, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers are breeding flora that may emit alluring aromas to your sweetheart. – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Sandia Adds Augmented Reality to Training Toolbox Sandia National Laboratories computer scientists have recently adapted augmented reality to enhance training of nuclear power security personnel around the world. – Sandia National Laboratories Fermilab Achieves Milestone Beam Power for Neutrino Experiments Fermilab’s accelerator is now delivering more neutrinos to experiments than ever before. On Jan. 24, the laboratory’s flagship particle accelerator delivered a 700-kilowatt proton beam over one hour at an energy of 120 billion electronvolts. – Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) SciWire Announcements First Worldwide Patient-Powered Research Tool Launched by AARDA Heralds March as National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month AARDA today unveiled the Autoimmune Research Network, known as ARNet, the world’s first fully-functioning patient registry for individuals diagnosed with one or more of the 100-plus known autoimmune diseases (ADs). – American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) UChicago Receives $2.4 Million NIH Grant to Build Visual Prosthesis The University of Chicago Medicine has been awarded a $2.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a system of wireless brain implants that might restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight. – University of Chicago Medical Center UG3NS095557 ADA Funds Kostic Lab to Create Model Linking the Microbiome to Type 1 Diabetes American Diabetes Association awards Aleksandar Kostic, PhD, of Joslin Diabetes Center, $1.625M for the development of a novel experimental system designed to improve our understanding about how bacteria in the gut (the gut “microbiome”) may cont... – Joslin Diabetes Center IFT17: Go With Purpose Registration is Now Open Registration is now open for IFT17: Go With Purpose in Las Vegas, June 25-28 at The Sands Expo Center. Hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), this year’s annual event will host food science and technology thought leaders from more tha... – Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Announces Partnership with Wichita State University Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence today (Tuesday, Feb. 7) announced it has formed a technology partnership with Wichita State University. The company will lease 3,000 square feet of space near the university's 3DExperience Center in the Experiential... – Wichita State University CWRU Researchers Secure $2m NIH Grant to Test Portable Sickle Cell Monitor Researchers at Case Western Reserve University will use a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop and test a small, portable blood-adhesion monitor for sickle cell disease patients. They hope to make the device as useful as... – Case Western Reserve University UCI Named as Partner in New Clean Manufacturing Institute Irvine, Calif., Feb. 6, 2017 – The University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability, has launched the Reducing Embodied-Energy & Decreasing Emissions Institute t... – University of California, Irvine Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Opens Nominations for Board of Directors The Membership Committee of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) is seeking nominations for the organization’s Board of Directors.