Science News

06-Apr-2017 Honey Bees Have Sharper Eyesight Than We Thought Research conducted at the University of Adelaide has discovered that bees have much better vision than was previously known, offering new insights into the lives of honey bees, and new opportunities for translating this knowledge into fields such as ... – University of Adelaide Scientific Reports Embargo expired on 06-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET TV Crowd to Help Crush Alzheimer's EyesOnALZ (http://eyesonalz.com) – a project to crowdsource Alzheimer’s research is launching an online competition to #CrushALZ on April 6th, in partnership with The Crowd & The Cloud – a public television documentary series about citizen scie... – Human Computation Institute Embargo expired on 06-Apr-2017 at 06:00 ET Breakthrough Next-Gen NIF Optics Boost Energy and Limit Damage A new anti-reflective coating and a novel chemical process for laser optics, developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers, represents an important breakthrough in its effort to boost the energy of the National Ignition Facility’s... – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Optics Express Control Pest Fungi in an Environmentally Friendly Way The St. Gallen-based Empa biotech spin-off, MycoSolutions AG, has developed a new fungal product that improves the soil and controls pest fungi in an environmentally friendly way. Wooden poles remain in use much longer, leading to cost savings of mil... – Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology PLOS Bumblebees Boost Blueberry Yield This good news comes as Florida growers head into the heart of blueberry season. – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Pollinators Find a Safe Haven on ESF Campus The College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., has become a designated pollinator-friendly campus by agreeing to avoid the use of bee-toxic pesticides. – SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry ‘Kissing Bug’ Parasite Study Searches for Drug Therapy With funding from the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association, Veronica Jimenez is guiding a study to fight the “kissing bug” parasite targeted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public health action. Her d... – California State University, Fullerton WIU Graduate Student Combines Research with Multi-Agency Duck Banding Project The opportunities offered by Western Illinois University's Kibbe Life Science Station in Warsaw, IL, are drawing students and natural resource professionals to the region for a chance to learn more about the migration and health of ducks. – Western Illinois University 05-Apr-2017 Addictive Nut’s Derivatives Could Help Smokers Break the Nicotine Habit As many as 600 million people in Southeast Asia chew areca nuts with betel leaves, sometimes adding tobacco leaves. Many users are addicted to this harmful “betel quid” preparation, which can create a sense of euphoria and alertness. Yet research... – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET Green Laser Light Probes Metals for Hidden Damage (Animation) Imagine being able to check the structural integrity of an airplane, ship or bridge, without having to dismantle it or remove any material for testing, which could further compromise the structure. That’s the promise of a new laser-based technique ... – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET Seaweed: From Superfood to Superconductor Seaweed, the edible algae with a long history in some Asian cuisines, and which has also become part of the Western foodie culture, could turn out to be an essential ingredient in another trend: the development of more sustainable ways to power our d... – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET “Spiderman” Worm-Snails Discovered on Florida Shipwreck Scientists have discovered a new species of worm-snails that are brightly colored, live on shipwrecks, filter-feeds like a whale, and shoot webs. Their discovery could play an important role in coral reef restoration work. – PeerJ PeerJ Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 07:00 ET New Measurements Suggest ‘Antineutrino Anomaly’ Fueled by Modeling Error Results from a new study involving Berkeley Lab scientists could explain a mismatch between predictions and recent measurements of ghostly particles streaming from nuclear reactors -- the so-called “reactor antineutrino anomaly” that has puzzled ... – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 08:00 ET Cover, Crimp, Cultivate? Can organic growers fight weeds and increase soil health? To grow crops organically, farmers fight weeds with chemical-free weapons. But it takes heavy tractors to efficiently turn soil and rip out weeds, compressing the soil. And after a field is t... – American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Agronomy Journal, February 9, 2017 Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 12:00 ET Arizona Ecologist Leads Effort to Quantify Economic Value of Biodiversity A collaboration of scientists, led by Northern Arizona University professor Bruce Hungate, has created a model to measure the dollars saved by having healthy and diverse ecosystems. – Northern Arizona University Science Advances Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 14:00 ET Coming Together, Falling Apart, and Starting Over, Battery Style Scientists built a new device that shows what happens when electrode, electrolyte, and active materials meet in energy storage technologies. – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNAS 113(47): 13324-13329. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1608730113 Research Links Decline in Hemlock Forests to Changes in Water Resources An insect infestation that is killing hemlock trees in New England forests is having a significant impact on the water resources of forested ecosystems that provide essential water supplies to one of the nation's most populous regions. – Indiana University Geophysical Research Letters, 15-March-2017 Seagrasses in World Heritage Site Not Recovered Years After Heat Wave Massive seagrass beds in Western Australia’s Shark Bay — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — haven’t recovered much from the devastating heat wave of 2011, according to a new study demonstrating how certain vital ecosystems may change drastically ... – Mote Marine Laboratory Marine Ecology Progress Series, Computer Simulations of DIII-D Experiments Shed Light on Mysterious Plasma Flows Article describes how pumping heat into the core of plasmas can create sheared rotation that improves the performance of fusion devices. – Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Male Jumping Spiders Court Whomever, Whenever; Females Decide Who Lives, Dies Male jumping spiders will try to mate with any female, but that lack of discretion could cost them their lives, says a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher. – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences PLOS ONE High-Schooler Solves College-Level Security Puzzle From Argonne, Sparks Interest in Career 15-year-old Jocelyn Murray and her classmates solved a series of college-level cyber puzzles. This weekend they had a front row seat to watch college-level competitors who are older and more experienced defend their networks from constant attack. – Argonne National Laboratory Skyrmions Created with a Special Spiral Researchers at Argonne have found a way to control the creation of special textured surfaces, called skyrmions, in magnetically ordered materials. – Argonne National Laboratory Entomologist Gives Tips on Staying Safe During Tick Season Now that the snow has finally melted and Manitobans are getting out an about, some are venturing into wooded or grassy areas. And that’s a problem. U of M entomologist Kateryn Rochon cautions that tick season is upon us, and we should be vigilant. ... Expert Available – University of Manitoba 04-Apr-2017 Hair Strands Could Reveal Lifestyle Secrets of Criminals (Video) Hair fiber analysis, a forensic crime tool with a questionable past, could soon have a brighter future thanks to the development of a more refined scientific technique that could reveal much about a person’s lifestyle. Scientists say the new techni... – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET Bio-Sensing Contact Lens Could Someday Measure Blood Glucose, Other Bodily Functions Transparent biosensors embedded into contact lenses could soon allow doctors and patients to monitor blood glucose levels and a host of other telltale signs of disease without invasive tests. Scientists say the bio-sensing lenses, based on technology... – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET Materials May Lead to Self-Healing Smartphones Taking a cue from the Marvel Universe, researchers report that they have developed a self-healing polymeric material with an eye toward electronics and soft robotics that can repair themselves. – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET Stopping Zika From Crossing the Placenta Although the World Health Organization ended its global health emergency on Zika last November, the virus could still make a comeback as temperatures get warmer and mosquito season ramps up. – American Chemical Society (ACS) 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 05:00 ET How Nanoparticles Affect Flow Through Porous Stuff in Surprising Ways Viscous fingering occurs in porous media where fluids of differing viscosity converge in finger-shaped patterns as a result of growing disturbances at the interface. Such instabilities are encountered in a wide variety of fields. Understanding differ... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET Streamlining Mass Production of Printable Electronics While memory devices are becoming progressively more flexible, their ease of fabrication and integration in low performance applications have been generally been treated as being of secondary importance. But now, thanks to the work of researchers at ... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET The Inner Lives of Molecules Researchers from Canada, the U.K. and Germany have developed a new experimental technique to take 3-D images of molecules in action. This tool can help scientists better understand the quantum mechanics underlying bigger and more complex molecules. T... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET Scientist Discovers Neptune's Journey During Early Planet Formation Was "Smooth and Calm" A Queen’s University Belfast expert has made a major discovery on the formation of icy bodies within the Kuiper Belt, unlocking unique evidence that Neptune’s movement during early planet formation was a “smooth and calm” journey. – Queen's University Belfast Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 10:00 ET Study Reveals Future CO2 and Climate Warming Potentially Unprecedented in 420 Million Years New research led by the University of Southampton suggests that, over the next 100 to 200 years, carbon dioxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere will head towards values not seen since the Triassic period, 200 million years ago. Furthermore... – University of Southampton Nature Communications (10.1038/NCOMMS14845) Embargo expired on 04-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET New Research Could Help Speed Up the 3D Printing Process A team of researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York and MIT have identified some bottlenecks in 3D printers, that, if improved, could speed up the entire process – Binghamton University, State University of New York Additive Manufacturing, March-2017 Supercomputers Reveal How Cell Membranes Keep Cancer-Causing Proteins Turned Off Two biophysicists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have used supercomputers to show how cell membranes control the shape, and consequently the function, of a major cancer-causing protein. – Case Western Reserve University Structure, Apr-2017; R01GM112491; R01GM116961 For More Accurate Echolocation, Bats Wiggle Ears and Noses Virginia Tech researchers have discovered that these tiny movements pack more information into ultrasound pulses the bats send and receive, helping them locate objects around them. – Virginia Tech Physical Review Letters, Apr-2017 Tailoring Nanoparticles to Evade Immune Cells and Prevent Inflammatory Response A Houston Methodist-led research team showed that the systemic administration of nanoparticles triggers an inflammatory response because of blood components accumulating on their surface. – Houston Methodist ACS Nano, March-2017 Set Strawberry Alarm Clock for Post-Apple Bloom Growers who time their strawberries to bloom just after apples do can reap a better harvest, according to new Cornell University research. – Cornell University Tracing Aromatic Molecules in the Early Universe A UC Riverside-led team of astronomers have taken us a step closer to better understand the formation and destruction mechanisms of dust molecules in the distant universe. – University of California, Riverside Astrophysical Journal Modeling Protein Interactions Critical to Understanding Disease Now Simplified with Computer Server Stony Brook University-led research team through the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology has created a user-friendly automated computer server that calculates complex computations of modeling protein interactions with a handful of cli... – Stony Brook University Nature Protocols Studying the Brain's Suspension System in TBIs Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can be devastating and debilitating. Researchers know that the membranes separating the skull from the brain play a key role in absorbing shock and preventing damage caused during a head impact, but the details remain ... – Washington University in St. Louis Journal of Biomechanical Engineering; R01 NS055951 Jumping Droplets Extinguish Unpredictable Hotspots in Electronics The performance of electronic devices is constrained by their inability to evenly dissipate the waste heat they produce. Since the waste heat isn’t uniformly distributed, hotspots are all too prevalent in electronics. While a few options for hotspo... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Methane Emissions From Trees A new University of Delaware study is one of the first to show that tree trunks in forests in high or hilly lands emit methane rather than store it, representing a previously unaccounted source of the powerful greenhouse gas. Because of methane’s g... – University of Delaware Predicting the Limits of Friction: Sandia Looks at Properties of Material Sandia National Laboratories materials scientists have developed a model to predict the limits of friction behavior of metals based on materials properties — how hard you can push on materials or how much current you can put through them before the... – Sandia National Laboratories Journal of Materials Science NUS Engineers Develop Novel Lens for Super-Resolution Imaging A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Engineering has developed a novel lens for super-resolution imaging which breaks resolution limitations in microscopy and has potential applications in high precision failur... – National University of Singapore Advanced Materials Time to Mow More: It’s Good for the Environment and for Curb Appeal Environmentally, proper lawn care can help prevent nutrients from flowing into nearby waterways, said Jason Kruse, a UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture. Mowing helps increase canopy density, increases soil stability and prevent... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences What Will Congress Do? PredictGov Has a Pretty Good Idea Users can look up any pending bill on PredictGov or find predictions through its partner, legislation tracker GovTrack, which now includes a “prognosis” line in its overview of each bill. – Vanderbilt University A 'Switch' for Switchgrass A hardy perennial is a promising source of biofuel, and a UW-Milwaukee scientist is developing a technique to make a GMO version that cannot "infect" the genes of natural plants around it. – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee New Lab Helps Scientists Study the Earth’s Oldest Fossils, Minerals, Rocks A new facility at the University of Arkansas combines laser ablation and mass spectrometry for quick, efficient analysis of trace elements and radiogenic isotopes. – University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 03-Apr-2017 Photonic Crystal and Nanowire Combo Advances 'Photonic Integration' While bigger nanowires can improve light confinement and performance, it increases both energy consumption and device footprint -- both of which are considered “fatal” when it comes to integration. Addressing this problem, researchers came up wit... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Embargo expired on 03-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET Domesticated Rice Goes Rogue We tend to assume that domestication is a one-way street and that, once domesticated, crop plants stay domesticated. A new study of rice shows, however, that different methods of farming change the evolutionary pressures on crop plants, and the plant... – Washington University in St. Louis Nature Genetics, April 3, 2017 Embargo expired on 03-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET Typologies: Women Drinkers Are More Diverse Than Men Drinkers People drink alcohol for a number of reasons. This study focused on understanding why people drink and the consequences of their drinking. First, researchers identified “clusters” of drinkers in New Zealand, based on how much alcohol they drank, ... – Research Society on Alcoholism Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Embargo expired on 03-Apr-2017 at 17:00 ET Speciation Driven by Alleles Adapted to Local Conditions Using the flowering mustard plant Boechera stricta, a team including researchers at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and Duke University offers the first direct evidence showing that QTLs, genome regions on chromosomes to which genetic traits can be ma... – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Embargo expired on 03-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET New Study Finds Political Echo Chambers in Consumption of Science Reader preferences for liberal or conservative political books also attract them to different types of science books, according to a new study. The result supports observations that the divisiveness of politics in the United States has spread to scie... – Computation Institute Nature Human Behaviour Embargo expired on 03-Apr-2017 at 11:00 ET Soil in HD, New Fossil Finds, Toxic Fishing, Reducing Waste, and More in the Environmental Science News Source The latest research on the environment in the Environmental Science News Source – Newswise Rock Exposed in World War I Trenches Offers New Fossil Find An unusual fossil find is giving scientists new ideas about how some of the earliest animals on Earth came to dominate the world’s oceans. – Ohio State University Geologica Acta Google's AI Tool for Video Searches Can Be Easily Deceived University of Washington security researchers have shown that Google’s new tool that uses machine learning to automatically analyze and label video content can be deceived by inserting a photograph periodically into videos. After they inserted an i... – University of Washington Open-Source Software Unlocks 3-D View of Nanomaterials Now it's possible for anyone to see and share 3-D nanoscale imagery with a new open-source software platform developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, Cornell University and open-source software company Kitware Inc. – University of Michigan Set Strawberry Alarm Clock for Post-Apple Bloom Growers who time their strawberries to bloom just after apples do, can reap a better harvest, according to new research. – Cornell University Biochar Provides High-Definition Electron Pathways in Soil Cornell University scientists have discovered a new high-definition system that allows electrons to travel through soil farther and more efficiently than previously thought. – Cornell University Global Climate Trend Since Nov. 16, 1978: +0.12 C Per Decade Global Temperature Report: March 2017 – University of Alabama Huntsville Story Tips From the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, April 2017 ORNL-led team joins quantum, high-performance and neuromorphic computing architectures that could yield more flexible, efficient intelligent computing; ORNL uses electron beam precision to instantly adhere coatings for lithium-ion batteries; ORNL’s... – Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sleeping Soils Get a Wake Up Call Ever heard of a bed that gets tired? The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) April 1 Soils Matter blog post explains how to wake up raised garden bed soils and keep them healthy. – American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Renovated Nuclear Reactor Building Opens as World-Class Labs More than a decade after the Ford Nuclear Reactor shut down for the last time, the building comes back to life today as the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory. – University of Michigan Researcher Finds Ways to Reduce Stress in Shelter Dogs Researcher explores behavior in dogs involved in shelter sleepover program to determine suitability for pet owners. – Arizona State University (ASU) SciWire Policy and Public Affairs Young Researchers Head to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Science Young scientists from colleges and universities across the United States will arrive on Capitol Hill on Thursday to talk with senators and representatives about the value of biomedical research. – American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) SciWire Announcements American Chemical Society's 253rd National Meeting & Exposition Press Conference Schedule Attend press conferences live -- online at http://bit.ly/ACSLive_SanFrancisco or in person -- at the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Press conferences will be held Monday, April 3, through Wednesday, April ... – American Chemical Society (ACS) Embargo expired on 05-Apr-2017 at 14:00 ET Breakthrough Telescope to Map Origins of Stars, Galaxies and the ‘Cosmic Dawn’