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Thursday, August 6, 2015

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Ancient Galaxy Is Most Distant Ever Found

Astronomers have spotted the farthest-flung galaxy in the known universe. The discovery team used an infrared spectrograph at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii to detect EGSY8p7's "Lyman-alpha emission line" — basically, hydrogen gas heated up by ultraviolet radiation streaming from the galaxy's newborn stars. Seeing a Lyman-alpha line at such a great distance came as a surprise to the researchers.

Miscarriage: Facts, Myths and Mysteries

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg shared on his social-networking site that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are expecting a baby girl, the father-to-be also revealed some more sobering news: The couple had three miscarriages during the several years they tried to conceive. "It's a lonely experience," Zuckerberg wrote. Recent research shows that Zuckerberg isn't the only person who has worried about feeling blamed for a miscarriage.

New York City Outbreak: What Is Legionnaire's Disease?

At least seven people in New York City have died and 86 have been infected in an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. In addition, most people who do get Legionnaires' can be treated with antibiotics. From its source to its treatment, here are some of the most important things to know about the disease and the current outbreak.

Opuntia or Ogmios? New Exoplanet Names To Be Announced Next Week

The votes are in! Thirty-two exoplanets will get new names that were chosen in an open vote by the general public. The "Name the Exoworlds" campaign, created by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), gave the public the opportunity to vote on new names for stars and planets in 20 exoplanet systems. "This is another attempt by the union to engage the public in the activities of the union," said Piero Benvenuti, IAU's assistant general secretary, in a media briefing on Monday (Aug. 3).

Moon Crosses Earth's Face in Amazing Million-Mile Video

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) studies the solar wind and snaps vivid shots of Earth's surface from its position about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from the planet. Recently, the moon entered DSCOVR's field of view, and the spacecraft caught the amazing lunar transit on time-lapse video. "It's surprising how much brighter Earth is than the moon," Adam Szabo, DSCOVR project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement.

No Tusks: Ancient Walrus Cousin Looked More Like a Sea Lion

About 10 million years ago, a distant cousin of the modern walrus snapped at fish as it swam near the shore of what is now modern Japan, a new study finds.

Rosetta 1 Year Later: Historic Comet Mission Still Intrigues

One year ago today, a spacecraft slipped into orbit around a comet for the first time ever.

Ancient Reptiles Attacked with Giant Fangs

Ancient mammal-like reptiles that once grazed across the globe may have possessed many of the fighting tactics seen in modern herbivores, including head butting and attacks with giant fangs, researchers say. The new finding comes from an analysis of two such bizarre anomodonts, both the size of large dogs: Tiarajudens eccentricus and Anomocephalus africanus. Vertebrate paleontologist Juan Carlos Cisneros at the Federal University of Piauí in Teresina, Brazil, and his colleagues recently discovered Tiarajudens eccentricus, an odd saber-toothed anomodont that once dined on leaves and stems amidst the dunes, ponds and streams of ancient Brazil.

Planet Earth Shines in Weather Satellite's 1st Photo from Space

Africa looked awash in splotches of dusty pink, vibrant green and a swirl of white clouds in an image snapped Tuesday (Aug. 4) by Europe's newest weather satellite, according to an announcement from the European Space Agency (ESA). After ESA scientists spent 11 days configuring the satellite, they handed its controls over to the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) on July 26. EUMETSAT researchers immediately got to work, and had the satellite take its first picture Tuesday using its SEVIRI imager.

Dancing Peacock Spider Is a Web Sensation

If you don't think spiders are super-cute, then you've probably never seen Maratus personatus perform its very elaborate, oh-so-adorable mating dance. The males of this newly described species of peacock spider get seriously groovy when wooing lady spiders, and, luckily for arachnophiles, one biologist thinks their dance moves are worthy of recording (and then setting to funky music). Jürgen Otto, a mite biologist and peacock spider enthusiast at the Australian Department of Agriculture in Sydney, maintains a YouTube channel devoted to sharing the mating dances of these spiders in a way that even arachnophobes can appreciate.

Fly catcher robot to speed up insights into Alzheimer's

By Ben Gruber PALO ALTO, California - Stanford University researchers are using the most sophisticated fly catcher in the world with the potential to speed up the rate of scientific insight into diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Utilizing robotics, computer vision, and high speed cameras along with a powerful suit of sensors, this robot can handle and study fruit flies with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Fruit flies and humans share more than 50 percent of the genes known to affect human disease, making them crucial to genetic research. "Historically the fruit fly has been an important model for the study of various biological processes and has led to important discoveries initially in genetics but then in other fields as well," said Mark Schnitzer, a professor of biology and applied physics at Stanford University.

NASA extends contract with Russia for rides to Space Station

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA extended its contract with Russia to fly astronauts to the International Space Station due to budget cuts that have delayed commercial U.S. alternatives, the U.S. space agency said on Wednesday. Extending the contract through 2017 will cost the United States about $490 million, NASA chief Charles Bolden wrote in a letter to Congress. The deal for U.S. taxpayers to pay Moscow more than $80 million per seat on a Soyuz rocket comes at a time when Washington is ratcheting up sanctions against Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.

Frogs from Hell: Their Venomous Head Spikes Could Kill You

In the wilds of Brazil, researchers have discovered frogs with venomous spikes on their heads. Most amphibians, such as frogs, newts and salamanders, concentrate or secrete poisons in skin glands to ward off predators. Frogs include some of the most toxic animals on Earth — for instance, the 2-inch-long (5-centimeter) golden poison dart frog has enough toxin to kill 10 grown men, and the indigenous Emberá people of Colombia have used its poison for centuries in blowgun darts.

Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's 'Uhura,' Will Fly on NASA's SOFIA Observatory

While it's not quite beaming up to a spacecraft, a "Star Trek" celebrity plans to take part in a special NASA flight to observe the universe. Nichelle Nichols, best known for playing Lt. Nyota Uhura on "Star Trek: The Original Series," will join the crew of the SOFIA (Stratospheric Infrared Observatory) aircraft on Sept. 17, the star announced July 31. "I am honored to say that I will be among the first non-essential personnel to experience NASA's newest telescope: SOFIA," Nichols wrote on StarPower, a website celebrities use to raise money for charities.

Drones in Space! NASA's Wild Idea to Explore Mars (Video)

A team of NASA engineers wants to put drones on Mars. Now, the Swamp Works team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is developing a dronelike robot that works in dark, low- or no-atmosphere environments, and can recharge itself by returning to its lander mothership. "This is a prospecting robot," Rob Mueller, senior technologist for advanced projects at Swamp Works, said in a statement.

Fly Over Ceres' Mysterious Mountain and Bright Spots in Incredible Video

With or without 3D glasses, a newly released video tour of Ceres offers a new perspective on the dwarf planet's dramatic and diverse surface. "This mountain is among the tallest features we've seen on Ceres to date," Dawn science team member Paul Schenk, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, said in a statement.

Warning for Nepal: April Earthquake Didn't Unleash All Its Energy

The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in April released only a fraction of the energy still trapped in the underlying fault, meaning the area has the potential to host another large earthquake in the future, researchers say. "The Main Himalayan Thrust is a fault that has produced large earthquakes every century or so," said study lead author Jean-Philippe Avouac, a geophysicist at the University of Cambridge in England. "Nepal lost two kings to these quakes, one in 1255, another in 1344.

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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

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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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