GoogleTrends: 08/12/15

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

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Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

These are Data's Dark Ages, and That Needs to Change (Op-Ed)

Satyen Sangani is an economist and CEO of Alation, which helps businesses better find, understand and use internal data. Sangani spent nearly a decade at Oracle following positions with the Texas Pacific Group and Morgan Stanley & Co. This Op-Ed is part of a series provided by the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers, class of 2015. Sangani contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Understanding the 'Shape' of Data to Shape Our World

Gurjeet Singh is the co-founder and CEO of data analytics company Ayasdi. This Op-Ed is part of a series provided by the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers, class of 2015. What lies within that data represents the chance for this generation to solve its most pressing problems — from disease and climate change to healthcare and customer understanding.

Does Testosterone Improve Men's Sex Lives?

Testosterone may not rev up men's sex lives as much as they expect it to: Older men with slightly low testosterone levels did not experience improvement in their desire or intimacy after they took testosterone supplements, according to a new study. In the study, about 150 men age 60 and older were given daily testosterone supplements, and another 150 took a placebo. The men's testosterone level at the study's start was a little over 300 nanograms per deciliter, on average, which is on the lower end of the normal range for men.

Coca-Cola Controversy: Is Exercising More or Eating Less Better for Weight Loss?

Coca-Cola has given a million dollars to a new research organization that has pushed a message that lack of exercise is a bigger factor in the obesity epidemic than is calorie consumption. Although exercise makes people healthier, cutting calories usually plays a bigger role in weight loss, experts say. "There's an overwhelming amount of research demonstrating that, from an individual perspective, the key is decreasing calories modestly to successfully lose weight over time," said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Your Vote Wanted to Help Name 32 Alien Worlds

A global contest to name 32 alien planets has entered the home stretch. Voting is open through Oct. 31, and the winning names will be announced in mid-November, IAU representatives said. NameExoWorlds kicked off in July 2014, when the IAU — which assigns "official" names to celestial objects and their surface features — chose an initial group of 260 extrasolar systems containing 305 well-characterized alien worlds.

Promising Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight: How to See It

The potentially dazzling meteor shower will reach its peak in the overnight hours tonight, and you can watch it live online - courtesy of NASA - if bad weather rains out your view. The annual Perseid meteor shower will be at its best late tonight (Aug. 12) and early tomorrow, with the best time to catch the celestial fireworks display coming at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT). NASA will host at free webcast of the meteor shower beginning at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT) on NASA TV.

For the Love of Spock! Leonard Nimoy Documentary Surpasses Kickstarter Goal

A documentary commemorating the life of Leonard Nimoy and his iconic "Star Trek" character, Spock, will likely require more funding after exceeding its Kickstarter goal, the film's director says. Nimoy's son, Adam Nimoy, began working on the film project, called "For the Love of Spock," in November 2014 in consultation with his father, who died in February at age 83. The younger Nimoy has been busy preparing plans to film the documentary at conventions and other events.

Mysterious Sunken Ship May Have Belonged to French Baron

By poring over records and documents from the 1800s, researchers were able to tie the wreck to the Baron de Rothschild (1845-1934), or Edmond James Rothschild, one of the preeminent French bankers of his day. Still, without a name, number or other identifying feature on the ship, the case is still circumstantial, said study co-author Deborah Cvikel, a nautical archaeologist at the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel.

LOL, Haha or Hehe? Online Laughter Differs by Age, Gender

A team of analysts at Facebook recently looked at data from the social media site, to see how people communicate their giggles and chortles to other users. The researchers discovered that men tended to use "haha" more than all other expressions of laughter considered, which also included "hehe," "LOL" and laughter-related emoji. The second most common form of Facebook laughter for men was emoji (e.g., smiley faces), followed by "hehe," the researchers said.

Perseid Meteor Shower: Best Places to See 'Shooting Stars' This Week

The annual Perseid meteor shower is typically the most spectacular "shooting star" display for people in the Northern Hemisphere, and this week, skywatchers could be in for a remarkable show. The meteor shower peaks during the overnight hours tomorrow (Aug. 12) and Thursday (Aug. 13), and weather permitting, stargazers can expect to spot an average of one meteor per minute radiating from the constellation Perseus in the northern sky, somewhat near the North Pole. At the meteor shower's peak, skywatchers could see as many as 100 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

Medieval Sword Carries Mysterious Inscription

A medieval sword inscribed with a mysterious message is stumping researchers and causing a stir among armchair historians. The 13th-century weapon was found in the River Witham in Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, in 1825. It now belongs to the British Museum, but is currently on loan to the British Library, where it's being displayed as part of an exhibit on the 1215 Magna Carta.

Trans Fat Linked to Heart Disease, Huge Study Review Concludes

The amount of trans fat in a person's diet is linked with his or her risk of developing or dying from heart disease, a new review of studies suggests. However, the source of trans fats in the diet may be important, said Russell de Souza, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. "Industrially produced" trans fats, which are man-made fats added to foods such as shortening and baked goods, appear to be more harmful than "ruminant" trans fats, which naturally occur in smaller amounts in foods such as butter and beef, de Souza told Live Science.

Omega-3s May Prevent Full-Blown Schizophrenia

Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent the development of full-blown schizophrenia in people who are at high risk of the disease, new research suggests. What's more, omega-3s seemed to prevent the study participants from developing psychosis for several years after people stopped taking them, according to the study. Currently, people with schizophrenia are treated with antipsychotic medications, but the drugs don't work for everyone, have side effects, and typically have to be taken for life, meaning they aren't suitable for people who have some symptoms, but no diagnosis of schizophrenia.

2 Hours of Standing at Work May Boost Your Health

You've probably heard that sitting all day is bad for you, but just how long do you need to spend standing up at your desk, or ambling on a treadmill at the office, to see health benefits? "These findings provide important preliminary evidence that strategies to increase the amount of time spent standing or walking rather than sitting may benefit the heart and metabolism," study researcher Genevieve Healy, of the University of Queensland's School of Public Health, said in a statement. On average, the participants spent 8.8 hours a day sitting, 4.9 hours a day standing and 2 hours a day stepping.

Orbital ATK buys second Atlas rocket launch for space station run

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) - Orbital ATK Inc is buying a second Atlas rocket launch to fly supplies to the International Space Station for NASA while it redesigns its Antares booster following a launch accident last year, the aerospace company said on Wednesday. The Oct. 28 accident, which occurred seconds after launch from Virginia's Wallops Island, destroyed a Cygnus capsule filled with cargo bound for the space station. In December, Orbital said it had bought an Atlas rocket launch from United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, to help fulfill its $1.9 billion cargo delivery contract with NASA while it recovers from the accident.

Armed and dangerous: octopus genetic secrets unveiled

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have unlocked the genetic secrets of one of Earth's underwater wonders - the octopus - whose eight sucker-studded arms bestow an otherworldly appearance and large brain place it among the smartest invertebrates. Researchers on Wednesday unveiled the first complete genome of an octopus or any species of cephalopod, the class of mollusks also including squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses. "Octopuses and other cephalopods are indeed remarkable creatures," said University of Chicago biology graduate student Caroline Albertin, who helped lead the study published in the journal Nature.

Armed and dangerous: octopus genetic secrets unveiled

Bright Jet Erupts from Rosetta Spacecraft's Active Comet (Photo)

The European Space Agency's Rosetta orbiter has been keeping a close eye on the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko – snapping amazing photos as the celestial wanderer hurls dust and gas into space as it approaches its closest point to the sun this week. All rights reserved.

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