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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

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Earth's Gravitational Pull Cracks Open the Moon

Earth's gravitational pull is massaging the moon, opening up faults in the lunar crust, researchers say. Just as the moon's gravitational pull causes seas and lakes to rise and fall as tides on Earth, the Earth exerts tidal forces on the moon. Scientists have known this for a while, but now they've found that Earth's pull actually opens up faults on the moon.

Chilean scientists create contraceptive vaccine for dogs

Veterinary scientists in Chile have invented a contraceptive vaccine for dogs, which can be used in both males and females, and may provide an inexpensive option to help control the country's growing canine population. Scientists from the University of Chile Veterinary and Livestock Faculty developed the vaccine from an existing formula used to sterilize pigs, as professor Leonardo Saenz explains. What we did was to take the concept of immuno-castration which already existed and we developed and improved for use in domestic animals, mainly in dogs, and to create an alternative for pigs, better than what already exists.

Daniel Fells' Infection: How Often Does MRSA Lead to Amputation?

The nasty superbug MRSA has been linked to life-threatening conditions such as body-wide inflammation and organ failure, and now the NFL reports that New York Giants player Daniel Fells may lose his foot due to complications from an MRSA infection. Doctors found that his ankle was infected with a bacterium called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and they fear that the infection might have spread to Fells' bone, which could make an amputation necessary, according to the NFL. Doctors say that people with MRSA infections seldom need to have a limb amputated.

Many Doctors Would Work While Sick with Flu, Fever

The findings are based on a survey of 474 doctors at an academic hospital in California who were at various stages in their medical careers. 6 Superbugs to Watch Out For Copyright 2015 LiveScience, a Purch company.

Ground Control to 'The Martian': Good Luck with Them Potatoes

In the new movie "The Martian," released this week, fictional NASA astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) gets stranded on Mars and must use his wits to survive. In it, Watney is part of NASA's Ares 3 mission to the Red Planet. Watney, impaled by a flying antenna, is assumed dead, while the other crewmembers, scrambling for their own lives, leave his body behind.

A Matter of Class: 2,400-Year-Old Tombs Yield Ancient Aristocrats

A 2,400-year-old underground tomb complex, containing what appears to be an aristocratic family, has been discovered near the ancient city of Soloi in northern Cyprus. The complex contains three burial chambers, two of which were intact while the third had been looted.

Nichelle Nichols, Uhura on 'Star Trek,' Boldly Rides NASA's Flying Observatory

Uhura flies again: "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols had the chance last month to ride aboard NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a telescope-bearing Boeing 747 airplane. Nichols, best known for her role as Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek," joined scientists and educators on board the high-flying telescope, called SOFIA. A recent NASA video documented Nichols' SOFIA ride for Trek fans everywhere to enjoy.

How NASA and 'The Martian' Teamed Up to Inspire Students About Mars

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ? More than 10,000 students from across the country recently participated in a digital learning network at Kennedy Space Center with NASA scientists, astronauts and cast members from the new film "The Martian."

Beyond the Helix: 'Supercoiled' DNA Twists into Crazy Shapes

"This is because the action of drug molecules relies on them recognizing a specific molecular shape — much like a key fits a particular lock," said study co-author Sarah Harris, a physicist at the University of Leeds in England. After molecular biologists James Watson and Francis Crick first published a paper on the structure of DNA in 1953, the double helix became the iconic symbol of the code of life. "When Watson and Crick described the DNA double helix, they were looking at a tiny part of a real genome, only about one turn of the double helix.

More Kids Are Getting Ear Surgery to Avoid Being Bullied

A 6-year-old boy in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently had plastic surgery to make his ears stick out less, and parents everywhere weighed in on the family's decision, perhaps without knowing all of the facts about this operation. The young boy had been bullied because of his ears — his classmates had referred to them as "elf ears," Inside Edition originally reported. In fact, this type of surgery is becoming more common, said Dr. David Staffenberg, chief of pediatric plastic surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Repaired SpaceX rocket to fly by early December, company says

By Irene Klotz JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, expects to return a repaired and upgraded Falcon 9 rocket to flight around the start of December, a company vice president said, less than six months after one exploded shortly after liftoff. The 208-foot-tall (63-meter) rocket carrying a load of cargo for the International Space Station exploded less than three minutes after liftoff from Florida on June 28. The cause of the accident was traced to faulty bracket inside the rocket's upper-stage engine.

Astronauts test high definition 4K camera in space

Astronauts on the International Space Station inserted an effervescent tablet in a floating ball of water to test a new device that can record four times the resolution of a normal high definition camera. NASA said higher resolution images and frame rate videos from the new RED Epic Dragon camera can provide more information when used in scientific experiments.

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Monday, October 12, 2015

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Many Americans Don't Get Recommended Vaccines Before Travel

One study of Americans visiting travel clinics found that more than half of those who were recommended to get a measles vaccination did not do so before traveling. "Americans planning international travel should see their health care providers or visit a travel clinic four to six weeks before the trip to learn what vaccines are recommended before heading to their destinations," said Dr. Emily Hyle, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the measles vaccine study. About half of all U.S. measles case are tied to people who catch the disease while traveling abroad, Hyle said.

Teens Want to Know Genetic Test Results

When genetic testing is done in adolescents, they don't have the option to learn about these types of results — but a new study reveals that teens would overwhelmingly prefer to know. In the new study, the researchers surveyed a group of adolescents and found that 83 percent of them would prefer to know the results of a genetic test, even if the results were about conditions that would not affect them until adulthood. When adults undergo genetic testing, there's a huge consent process, and they can decide whether they want access to any incidental findings, said lead study author Dr. Sophia Hufnagel, a pediatric geneticist at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Destined for Glasses? Firstborn Kids More Likely Nearsighted

Firstborn children may have a slightly higher risk of becoming nearsighted later in life, compared with later-born siblings, new research suggests. In the study, researchers looked at birth order and nearsightedness in about 89,000 people, ages 40 to 69. However, when the researchers adjusted their results for education levels, such as the highest educational degree the people had attained, it turned out education accounted for about 25 percent of the link between birth order and the risk of nearsightedness.

Is Stephen Hawking Right About Hostile Aliens?

"We have brains that are three times bigger than those of our closest relatives," said Mark Flinn, an anthropologist at the University of Missouri who has researched the emergence of human intelligence. "You need to have the better mousetrap every time.

Buzz Aldrin: Apollo 11's 50th Anniversary Should Kick Off Crewed Mars Effort

The 50th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon would be a fine occasion to kick off a serious effort to put astronauts on Mars, Buzz Aldrin says. Buzz Aldrin would like the president of the United States — whomever it happens to be — to announce a firm crewed Mars commitment on July 20, 2019, the "golden anniversary" of the giant leaps Aldrin and fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong took on the lunar surface in 1969. "We can progress with a national holiday of July 20, and begin to remind people of all the great progress that we made in the '60s and '70s, and how that reflects through cooperative means into the future," Aldrin told Space.com.

Great Scott! 'Back to the Future' Documentary to Bring Back Our Favorite Time Machine

Where they're going, they won't need roads: a new documentary spotlighted at New York Comic-Con examines the making of the "Back to the Future" trilogy and its 30-year impact on pop culture and society. Yesterday morning (Oct. 8) at New York Comic Con, 300 fans filed into a panel room at the Javits convention center to get sent back… to 2013, when director Jason Aron first turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to produce a documentary about the beloved time-travel movie trilogy. Fellow filmmakers Louis Krubich and Lee Leshen joined him onstage, where they reminisced about the process and showed clips from the upcoming film that's poised to release right around Oct. 21, 2015 — the time protagonist Marty McFly visits in the second "Back to the Future" movie.

Many Kids with Mental Health Issues See Only Pediatricians

One in three children who were diagnosed and treated for mental health conditions on an outpatient basis saw their primary-care doctors for this care, a new study reports. Using data from a nationally representative survey, the researchers found that about 35 percent of children receiving mental health care in the past year had appointments only with their primary-care physicians compared with about 26 percent who saw only psychiatrists and 15 percent who saw only psychologists or social workers. The findings highlight the role that primary-care providers are playing on a national level in caring for children with mental health conditions, said Dr. Jeanne Van Cleave, a pediatrician at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston.

This Computer Chip Will Self-Destruct in 5 Seconds

The new method uses silicon computer wafers attached to a piece of tempered glass that shatters into smithereens when heated in one spot. The heat can be turned on via a remote, which in the future could conceivably be triggered by anything from Wi-Fi to a radiofrequency signal, said Gregory Whiting, a materials scientist and manager of the Novel Electronics Group that produced the chip at PARC, a Xerox company.

No More Sticky Mess! Scientists Develop Slower-Melting Ice Cream

Indulging in an ice cream cone on a hot summer day can be a refreshing but sticky treat. Now, scientists are trying to take some of the mess out of this simple pleasure by developing ice cream that melts slower than conventional varieties. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee, both in the United Kingdom, discovered that a protein called BsIA, normally found in large bacterial communities in structures called biofilm, can be used as an ingredient to keeps everything combined in ice cream.

Gene editing could pave way for pig organ transplants: U.S. study

U.S. researchers have used a new gene editing technique to trim away potentially harmful virus genes that have impeded the use of pig organs for transplants in humans. The study, published in the journal Science, expands on capabilities of the genome editing tool known as CRISPR–Cas9, which works as a type of molecular scissors that can selectively trim away unwanted parts of the genome. Previous efforts with the technology have only managed to cut away six areas of the genome at one go.

Gene editing could pave way for pig organ transplants - US study

Florida circus elephants find second career in research

At a Florida retirement home for former circus elephants, residents enjoy a steady diet of high-quality hay and local fruits and vegetables, as well as baths and occasional walks. For these majestic beasts, this life of relative leisure at the 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation comes after years on the road, entertaining America in "The Greatest Show on Earth" for Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In March, the circus company announced with some reluctance that it would end its elephant acts by 2018.

Rat Brain Reconstructed in a Computer

Scientists have digitally recreated a slice of a juvenile rat's brain — including 31,000 brain cells, of 207 different types, with 37 million connections. The computer-simulated brain achievement is part of the Blue Brain Project, whose aim is to create a rat brain and, eventually, a human brain inside a computer. The team first conducted tens of thousands of experiments in live juvenile rats, painstakingly cataloging the types of neurons and synapses, or brain cell connections.

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Computer science now top major for women at Stanford University

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Computer science has for the first time become the most popular major for female students at Stanford University, a hopeful sign for those trying to build up the thin ranks of women in the technology field. Based on preliminary declarations by upper-class students, about 214 women are majoring in computer science, accounting for about 30 percent of majors in that department, the California-based university told Reuters on Friday. If more women majored in technological fields like computer science, advocates say, that could help alleviate the dearth of women in engineering and related professions, where many practitioners draw on computer science backgrounds.

Boom in gene-editing studies amid ethics debate over its use

The hottest tool in biology has scientists using words like revolutionary as they describe the long-term potential: wiping out certain mosquitoes that carry malaria, treating genetic diseases like sickle ...

Apollo Photos Redux: The Story Behind the NASA Moon Pics Posted to Flickr

The addition of tens of thousands of the Apollo astronauts' moon photos to an online repository drew worldwide media interest this week, but lost in many of the headlines were the facts behind the four-decade-old photographs. Numerous news articles declared the photos were "never before seen" and attributed the upload to NASA, neither of which were true. "Contrary to some recent media reports, this Flickr gallery is not a NASA undertaking, but an independent one," said Kipp Teague, the founder of the Project Apollo Archive, in an introduction he wrote for the newly-added gallery.

It's a Great Time to Spot the Elusive Planet Mercury: Here's How

Over next three weeks, we're going to be treated to a show being staged in the eastern twilight skies by three bright planets: Jupiter, Mars and Venus. Presently, Jupiter, Mars and Venus can be seen in the predawn sky stretched out in a diagonal line in that order, going from lower left to upper right. In fact, in the coming days Jupiter seems intent on having separate meetings with two his companions.

Scientists predict drier Horn of Africa as climate warms

By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Horn of Africa is becoming drier in step with global warming, researchers said on Friday, contradicting some climate models predicting rainier weather patterns in a region that has suffered frequent food crises linked to drought. A new study using a sediment core extracted from the Gulf of Aden found the East African region covering Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia has dried at an unusually fast rate over the past century. Lead author Jessica Tierney, an associate professor at the University of Arizona, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation the research team was confident the drying was linked to rising emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases, and was expected to continue as the region heats up further.

Nobel laureate chemist Richard Heck, 84, dies in Manila

American chemist and Nobel laureate Richard Heck died in Manila on Saturday after years of illnesses that left him almost penniless, relatives of his Filipina wife said on Saturday. Heck, 84, along with Japanese Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki, won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 2010 for inventing new ways to bind carbon atoms that were used in research to fight cancer and produce thin computer screens.

Ice Age Mammoth Bones Discovered on Michigan Farm

Two Michigan farmers made an unexpected discovery in a wheat field last week: the ice-age bones of a mammoth that was likely slaughtered by ancient humans. An excavation and analysis of the bones suggest they come from an adult male mammoth that had an unlucky end. "We think that humans were here and may have butchered and stashed the meat [in a pond] so that they could come back later for it," Daniel Fisher, a University of Michigan paleontologist who led the excavation, said in a statement.

Killer Show! Murder Weapons and Death Masks Star in New Exhibit

A shovel used to bury the body of a murder victim in 1910, an antique-looking gun that fired a shot at Queen Victoria in 1840 (it missed) and death masks from convicted criminals: These are among the strange and grisly artifacts associated with some of the most notorious crimes in recent British history. And they are now on display in the "Crime Museum Uncovered" exhibit that opens today (Oct. 9) at the Museum of London. The exhibit's storied artifacts are on loan from the Crime Museum — a private gallery of objects retained from prisoners and crime scenes, which is located at the Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard in London.

Marble Caves and Neolithic Stones Shine in UK Photo Contest

On a cold, drizzly afternoon, Brent Bouwsema drove with his wife and two children to photograph some of the oldest stones in the British Isles. Geologists think the Callanish Stones, which are made of an ancient type of rock called Lewisian gneiss, were built in the Neolithic period about 5,000 years ago. Bouwsema took a photo of the moss-covered pillars, and ended up as one of the winners of the "100 Great Geosites" photography contest, The Geological Society of London announced today (Oct. 9).

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