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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

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Kickstarter Launches to Build a Mini-James Webb Space Telescope

As NASA gears up for the launch of its next great space telescope in 2018, a model-making team is asking for help to create miniature versions of the huge observatory for public outreach. The group, MesaTech, which describes itself as a "broadly purposed cooperative founded and managed by our members," launched a Kickstarter campaign asking for $25,000 to produce models of NASA's infrared James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The group said it has spent four years touring NASA centers with a one-sixth-scale deployable model of the telescope, but the model's large size limits its use.

Weight-Loss Surgery Changes Gut Bacteria

Bariatric surgery may lead to long-term changes in people's gut bacteria that contribute to weight loss following the procedure, a new study from Sweden suggests. Researchers analyzed the gut bacteria of 14 women nearly a decade after they underwent bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery. Half of the women had undergone a type of surgery called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, in which doctors create a small pouch out of the top of the stomach and connect it directly to the small intestine.

Fatherhood in Early 20s May Raise Risk of Midlife Death

The findings suggest that young fathers have poorer health than men who become fathers at age 25 or older, but it's not clear why, the researchers said. Future research may tease apart the link between young fatherhood and how a man's family environment, early life circumstances and genetics may affect his risk of midlife death, the researchers wrote in the study, published online today (Aug. 3) in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. It's possible that early fatherhood may interrupt career plans and push young dads into lower-paying jobs, which could impair their health, the researchers said.

Hot Finding: Spicy Food Linked with Longer Life

Firing up the flavors in your food may help you live longer: Eating spicy foods frequently may be tied to a slightly lower risk of an earlier death, according to a new study. In the study, researchers asked nearly 500,000 people in China how often they ate hot, spicy foods. The researchers found that the people in the study who ate spicy foods one or two days a week were 10 percent less likely to die during the study, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week, according to the study published today (Aug. 4) in the journal The BMJ.

U.S. researchers show computers can be hijacked to send data as sound waves

By Joseph Menn LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A team of security researchers has demonstrated the ability to hijack standard equipment inside computers, printers and millions of other devices in order to send information out of an office through sound waves. The new makeshift transmitting antenna, dubbed "Funtenna" by lead researcher Ang Cui of Red Balloon Security, adds another potential channel that likewise be would be hard to detect because no traffic logs would catch data leaving the premises. Hackers would need an antenna close to the targeted building to pick up the sound waves, Cui said, and they would need to find some way to get inside a targeted machine and convert the desired data to the format for transmission.

Satellite Spies Super Typhoon Soudelor from Space (Photo)

Prying eyes from space have helped to observe and characterize the most powerful storm of the year to date.

3 Years on Mars! Curiosity Rover Reaches Milestone

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has now been trundling across the Red Planet for three very productive and eventful years. Curiosity landed on the night of Aug. 5, 2012, pulling off a dramatic and unprecedented touchdown with the aid of a rocket-powered "sky crane" that lowered the 1-ton rover gently to the Martian surface via cables. Curiosity quickly succeeded in this main task.

Malaysian Airlines Mystery: What Newfound Wing Debris Could Reveal

The high-profile disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains a mystery — but the recent discovery of a possible wing part points to an ocean landing, raising hopes for a resolution. There must be other pieces out there," said David Gallo, the director of special projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. The piece, possibly from the wing of the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared almost 500 days ago, made its way to the shores of RéunionIsland, a French island in the Indian Ocean that lies east of Madagascar.

Wild Beauty: Winning Ecology Photos Feature Sunbirds and Zebras

The winning photos from a recent ecology photo contest prove that Mother Nature is always ready for her close-up. Only researchers affiliated with a university or other research institution were eligible to submit photos, and the portraits had to fit into one of five categories related to ecology, or the study of how living things interact with one another and their environments. This year, the journal BMC Ecology invited a guest judge to select an overall winner for the contest.

New tidal energy system could help power UK, say developers

Harnessing tidal power around the UK's coast has so far been limited by the cost of the large dams and barrages required and unpredictable results. A British company, in conjunction with Oxford University researchers, believes it has devised a way to overcome this obstacle by creating a new type of horizontal axis turbine that can be used underwater at depths of up to 30 meters, at an economical cost. Conventional propeller-type turbines are like underwater wind turbines and the number of suitable sites for them are vastly reduced by the size of their large blades, limiting their use to waters at least 30 meters deep.

Superbug Forecast: Infections Will Increase in US

Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are projected to increase in the United States if no action is taken soon, but a national effort could prevent more than half a million infections in five years, a new study finds. In 2011, there were 310,000 cases of infection in the United States from four types of nasty bacteria that are usually acquired in hospitals: carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile.

Extreme Stress May Convert Fat into Calorie Burning Machine

Severe stress may cause ordinary white fat cells to morph into energy-burning brown fat, new research suggests. "If you subject humans to very severe stress for a prolonged period of time, then even humans can turn their white fat into brown fat," said study co-author Labros Sidossis, a geriatric medicine researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The new findings are based on studies of victims with severe burns, and there is no evidence that the stress of work deadlines or even traumatic events would cause the same effect, the researchers said.

Monstrous Whirling Gas Cloud Reveals Clues About Galaxy Formation

For the first time, astronomers have spotted a protogalactic disk — a giant whirling cloud of gas that gives birth to a galaxy — and the discovery could reveal clues about how galaxies form. Galaxies are strung together in filaments separated by immense voids.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Cold Comfort: Why Office Air Conditioning Is Biased Against Women

Office building managers who set air conditioners to frigid temperatures are not only sending shivers up the spines of workers, they're also wasting money and energy, a new study finds. Air-conditioning and heating standards in office environments were originally set based on the resting metabolic rates — a measure of how much energy a person uses at rest — for males, the researchers said. In fact, the standards were developed in the 1960s to accommodate the resting metabolic rate of a 40-year-old man who weighs 154 lbs. (70 kilograms), they said.

Bug Bots! These Insect-Inspired Robots Can Jump on Water

Swarms of robots inspired by water-hopping insects could one day be used for surveillance, search-and-rescue missions and environmental monitoring, researchers say.

U.S. drones capture breath samples from humpback whales in study

BOSTON (Reuters) - Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Cape Cod have begun using a helicopter-style drone to monitor humpback whales off the coast, collecting breath samples from their blowholes and taking aerial pictures. The scientists first deployed the 32-inch "hexacopter" drone in July to help assess the health of whales living in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Boston, where there is significant ship traffic and pollution, Woods Hole said in a release on Monday. ...

Measles Vaccine: Images of Sick Kids May Convince Skeptics

The best ways to convince people of the benefits of vaccinations may be to show them pictures of a child with measles or to have them read a description of the disease written by a mom whose child was infected, according to a new study. These ways are more effective than showing people information summarizing recent research that shows there is no link between vaccines and an increased risk of autism in children, the researchers found. The researchers found that directing people's attention to the risks posed by not getting vaccinated by showing them the pictures of sick children and having them read a mom's written account of her child's disease changed their attitudes, leading them to think more positively about vaccinations, study author Zachary Horne, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, said in a statement.

Picky Eating in Kids Tied to Anxiety, Depression

Almost everyone knows a 4-year-old who's never eaten an apple, subsists off hot dogs and spaghetti or eats only white food. But a new study suggests that such picky eating isn't the norm, and that it may even hint at future mental health issues, in some cases. Children who are selective eaters are likelier to develop anxiety, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to the study, published today (Aug. 3) in the journal Pediatrics.

Vader Crater, Kirk & Spock! 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' Collide on Pluto Moon

The "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" universes are coming together on Pluto's big moon Charon. The team behind NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which performed the first-ever Pluto flyby last month, has unofficially named some Charon craters after characters from both beloved sci-fi franchises. For example, newly released maps created by the New Horizons crew reveal that Charon now has a Vader Crater, as well as impact features named after fellow "Star Wars" principals Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

3D Supernova Simulation Turns Back Clock on Star Explosions

Enormous stars collapse in ultramassive supernova explosions — now in 3D! For the first time ever, researchers have turned back the clock on a star's final moments to simulate how wrinkles in its violent collapse trigger a vast explosion. "Almost all supernova simulations follow about 1 second of physical time," said Sean Couch, a physicist and astronomer at Michigan State University and lead author of the new paper. Such a feat was very technologically demanding, but it proved necessary because models starting right at the collapse just wouldn't explode in a supernova, Couch said.

Can Young Blood Improve Old Brains?

The blood of young people may hold compounds that benefit the brains of older people with Alzheimer's disease, so scientists are now looking at whether transfusions may help people with the condition. Research in animals has shown that the blood of the young may counter some of the effects of aging in older brains. For instance, it might help to improve learning and memory, as well as generate new brain cells.

Soda Fizzles: US Appetite for Sugary Drinks Wanes

America's seemingly bottomless thirst for soda may be waning, according to a new Gallup poll. Diet and regular soda are at the top of the list of things that people said they try to avoid in their diets, with 62 percent saying they avoid drinking diet soda, and 61 percent saying they avoid regular soda, according to Gallup.

Goliath Gates: Entrance to Famous Biblical Metropolis Uncovered

A massive gate unearthed in Israel may have marked the entrance to a biblical city that, at its heyday, was the biggest metropolis in the region. The town, called Gath, was occupied until the ninth century B.C. In biblical accounts, the Philistines — the mortal enemies of the Israelites — ruled the city. The new findings reveal just how impressive the ancient Philistine city once was, said lead archaeologist of the current excavation, Aren Maeir, of Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Apollo Moon Rocket Engines Recovered by Amazon CEO Preserved for Display

Two and a half years after an expedition led by the CEO of Amazon.com raised them off the ocean floor, the historic rocket engine parts that launched NASA astronauts on at least three missions to the moon are now preserved for museum display. The conservation team at the Cosmosphere International SciEd Center and Space Museum (formerly known as the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center) in Hutchinson, Kansas completed researching and stabilizing the 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg) of Saturn V F-1 engine parts in June. The mangled and twisted Apollo artifacts were recovered by a privately-financed effort organized by Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos more than four decades after the engines were used in the launches of the first, second and fifth manned moon landings.

Eco-friendly 3D printed supercar

By Ben Gruber A California automotive start-up is hoping their prototype supercar will redefine car manufacturing. The sleek race car dubbed 'Blade' didn't come off an assembly line - but out of a 3D printer. Kevin Czinger of Divergent Microfactories has spent most of his career in the automotive industry.

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Monday, August 3, 2015

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Gobbling Up Space Debris: A Pac-Man Approach Proposed

The intent is to eliminate threatening, human-made orbital debris. A new entry to de-litter Earth orbit is the Clean Space One project, spearheaded by researchers from eSpace, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne's (EPFL) Center for Space Engineering and Signal Processing 5 Laboratory and HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland. SwissCube is a joint cubesat project of various laboratories at EPFL and universities in Switzerland.

Star Trek-style home elevator could replace stairlifts

By Matthew Stock For people living in a house with more than one storey, stairlifts or home elevators are often a necessity of life as they get older and find it harder to get up and down the stairs. Normal stairlifts have the disadvantage of being a permanent and visible addition to a staircase, while traditional home elevators are bulky and often impractical for most homes. A company in England is hoping their novel design will fill the gap in the market for a new kind of home elevator.

Tree of 40 Fruit: Dazzling Franken-Tree Has Roots in Science

The so-called "Tree of 40 Fruit" — blossoming in a variety of pretty pink hues when completed — is rooted in science. The eye-catching artistic rendering of the tree brought worldwide attention to its creator, Sam Van Aken, a professor in the school of art at Syracuse University in New York. "[Van Aken has] taken the idea of a single root stock and a single variety and amplified it to express something creative, and that's the artistic side of it for him," said Greg Peck, an assistant professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Acceptance of Gays and Lesbians Is Growing Dramatically

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, many gays and lesbians celebrated. A quick glance at most public opinion polls reveals that explicit attitudes toward gays and lesbians have been on the upswing for some time. For example, more than half of Americans — 53 percent — told the Gallup organization that they supported same-sex marriage in 2011, up from 27 percent in 1996.

Remains of Nazi-Destroyed Synagogue Found Using Radar

Ground-penetrating radar is helping archaeologists locate the buried remains of the Great Synagogue of Vilna in Lithuania, a Jewish place of worship that was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) reports. Lithuanian Jews, also known as Litvaks, worshipped there until it was lost during the Holocaust about 70 years ago, according to the IAA. Excavations of the synagogue are scheduled to commence in 2016, and any artifacts found will be put on display as part of a memorial for the synagogue and its congregation, the IAA said.

Weed: Good for the Bones?

Got pot? Marijuana might take a cue from the famous advertising slogan for milk. The compound cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD), which is a nonhallucinogenic chemical in marijuana plants, helps heal bone fractures, the research finds.

Sparse Snow on Cascade's Mount Baker Viewed from Space

New photos taken from space show the significant snow loss this year atop Mount Baker, in Washington state. A camera on NASA's satellite Landsat 8 captured a photograph on July 9 showing snow cover of about 17 square miles (45 square kilometers) atop the mountain. A previous photo, taken July 3, 2013, by the same satellite, shows that the snow cover then extended 47 square miles (123 square kilometers).

International Astronomical Union Meeting Kicks Off in Hawaii

More than 3,500 astronomers and space scientists from 75 countries are expected to attend the XXIX (29th) International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly meeting, being held from Aug. 3 to Aug. 14.

Do Not Pit Animal Welfare Against Starving Children (Op-Ed)

Chetana Mirle is the director of Farm Animal Welfare at Humane Society International. Simply producing more food doesn't always mean that the people who need the food get it. I learned this well before I began my career protecting chickens, pigs and the other billions of animals raised and killed for food each year.

Is Our Universe a Fake?

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer and host of "Closer to Truth," a public television and multimedia program that features the world's leading thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. Kuhn is co-editor, with John Leslie, of "The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything at All?" (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). Kuhn contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Primeval Procreation: Strawberrylike Animal Shows Oldest Reproduction

Many scientists consider the creatures, called rangeomorphs, some of Earth's first complex animals, although it's impossible to know exactly what these organisms were, the researchers said. Rangeomorphs could grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length, but most were about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long. What's more, rangeomorphs don't appear to have been equipped with mouths, organs or the ability to move around, and the animals likely absorbed nutrients from the water, the researchers said.

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