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Monday, November 9, 2015

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Most Allergy Sufferers Not Getting Relief from Over-the-Counter Meds

Many hay fever sufferers are turning to over-the-counter allergy medications to relieve their symptoms, but they may not be happy with the results they are getting from these medicines, a new study reveals.

Bus Driver Suffers Vision Loss from Child's Toy Laser

A boy who aimed a laser pointer from a toy at the rearview mirror inside a public bus in Germany permanently damaged the retina of the bus driver's right eye, a new case report reveals. The boy was playing with a laser pointer while sitting about 50 feet (15 meters) away from the driver, according to the case report. When the child pointed the laser at the rearview mirror inside the bus, a beam of red light emitted by the toy reflected off the mirror and into the eye of the 44-year-old bus driver, according to a report published online Oct. 5 in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

Heart Risks Raised by Just One Energy Drink, Study Suggests

Having just one energy drink can cause short-term changes in healthy adults that, over time, could increase the risk of heart disease, a new study finds. In the study, participants who drank one 16-ounce (480 milliliters) can of Rockstar energy drink showed increases in blood pressure and levels of the hormone norepinephrine, compared with before they consumed the drink. One Rockstar energy drink contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, along with other stimulants, including 2,000 mg (0.7 ounces) of taurine and extracts of guarana seed, ginseng root and milk thistle, according to the study.

Science's 'Breakthrough' winners earn over $21 million in prizes

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Academia just turned a little more glitzy for a select group of scientists. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner handed out $21 million Sunday in seven Breakthrough Prizes, the award for scientific accomplishment he created three years ago alongside technology giants including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 23andme founder Anne Wojcicki and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The prizes are worth $3 million, around three times the sum a Nobel Prize winner receives.

Factbox: Science's 'Breakthrough' prize winners

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The following is a list of winners of the Breakthrough Prizes, worth $3 million each, announced on Sunday in Mountain View, California. Life Sciences: Karl Deisseroth, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the D.H. ...

Science's 'Breakthrough' winners earn over $21 million in prizes

Science's 'Breakthrough' prize winners

For Tracking Your Diet, Smartphones Beat Paper and Pencil

People who want to lose weight or eat healthier might be interested in keeping a food diary, but a new study finds you may be better off ditching the pencil and paper and logging your food on your smartphone. In the study, the researchers found that people were more dilligent with their smartphone, compared with other types of diaries. Tracking the foods you eat is an important part of trying to lose weight, the researchers said here today (Nov. 8), at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting.

Eye-tracking sensor maker makes play for big time

By Helena Soderpalm STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - An accidental breakthrough in a Stockholm laboratory 15 years ago could reap a fortune for the engineers who made it - as long as they can win over some of the most demanding consumers: video gamers. Since John Elvesjo noticed a sensor tracking his eye movements in a lab experiment, the technology he developed with Henrik Eskilsson and Marten Skogo has helped disabled people use a computer by identifying where they are looking on the screen. Eskilsson says eye tracking will one day be found in all laptops, smartphones, tablets and automobiles.

Tennis study serves up the science of sliding

By Matthew Stock Engineers at the University of Sheffield have teamed up with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to measure the effects of friction between tennis court surfaces and footwear in a bid to ensure the world's top players can play their natural game and slide in a controlled manner, with a reduced risk of injury. Sliding is a key skill on clay courts, mastered by the likes of one-time 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal, who enjoyed years of success in the French Open at Roland Garros. The increase in sliding among top players could be a natural reaction to more powerful racket technology, according to mechanical engineering PhD student Daniel Ura.

'Pompeii of the New World' Reveals Power of Mayan Commoners

A Mayan village frozen in time 1,400 years ago by a volcanic eruption reveals that commoners had power in a culture best known for the works of the elite class. Though elites in city centers had an impressive record in developing arts, hieroglyphs and a complex calendar, rural villagers weren't under the thumb of this ruling class, excavations in El Salvador suggest. In fact, nearly all decisions appeared to be under local control, and villagers had a remarkable quality of life, said Payson Sheets, an archaeologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Parents Targeted by TV Ads Putting 'Healthful' Spin on Kid's Drinks

By using this two-pronged approach to marketing to parents and kids, food-manufacturing companies may be trying to increase the chance that their products will be purchased, said study author Jennifer A. Edmond, an instructor at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine. "But then they are marketing to parents with a separate set of ads that promote nutrition and a healthy lifestyle," in what might be the hope of preventing the parents from feeling guilty about buying this product for the child, Edmond told Live Science. This approach to marketing to both kids and parents is concerning when it comes to those children's foods and beverages that may not be that healthy, Edmond said.

Rare Dinosaur Find: Fossil Covered in Feathers, Skin

The skeleton of a heavily feathered, ostrichlike dinosaur has "unparalleled" fossilized feathers and skin — anatomical features that aren't usually preserved in dinosaur remains, a new study reports. The remains indicate that the dinosaur — an Ornithomimus, a fast-moving theropod (bipedal, mostly meat-eating dinosaurs) with an uncanny resemblance to an ostrich — sported a feathery coat during the Late Cretaceous, more than 66 million years ago. Study lead researcher Aaron van der Reest found the partial skeleton in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park in 2009, during his first undergraduate year at the University of Alberta.

What the Flux? No Sign of Aliens Around Strange, Dimming Star

If alien civilizations are broadcasting from around a strangely behaving star, they aren't chatting loud enough for humans to hear them from Earth, new observations show. The star KIC 8462852 garnered popular attention in October, when scientists announced that it showed evidence of periodically dimming by 20 percent or more, which some people theorized could be caused by the shadow of an alien megastructure. "The history of astronomy tells us that, every time we thought we had found a phenomenon due to the activities of extraterrestrials, we were wrong," SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak said in a statement.

On Pluto Time: Q&A with New Horizons Leader Alan Stern

This past July, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft provided the first good looks at Pluto, and the piano-size probe might not be done exploring the solar system's outer reaches. New Horizons performed the first-ever flyby of Pluto on July 14, revealing the dwarf planet to be a complex and diverse world with tall mountains, nitrogen-ice glaciers and some areas of surprisingly young terrain. The spacecraft is now cruising through the frigid Kuiper Belt — the ring of bodies beyond Neptune's orbit — and could make even more history during a potential extended mission.

'Mirror Universes' Might Look and Behave Like Ours, Study Finds

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) discovered that antimatter protons, called antiprotons, act just like their ordinary-matter cousins when they are close enough to interact via the so-called strong nuclear force, which binds protons and neutrons together into atomic nuclei. Antimatter is essentially the opposite of matter, in which the subatomic particles (protons and electrons) of antimatter have charges opposite to those of ordinary matter. In antimatter, the antiprotons are negatively charged, while the antielectrons (called positrons) are positively charged.

The Future of Drones: Uncertain, Promising and Pretty Awesome

The first drone delivery in the United States took place this past summer, marking an important milestone in the development of the new technology. Instead, Australian startup Flirtey, in partnership with Virginia Tech and NASA, used a drone to carry 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of medical supplies from an airfield in Virginia to a remote clinic about a mile away over three 3-minute flights. While the demonstration was a landmark moment for drone technology and policy, it was a far cry from Amazon's vision of a fleet of drones delivering online purchases to customers' doorsteps within 30 minutes.

Meet Your Microbes: Museum Exhibit Reveals a 'Secret World'

This spectacular hidden world is explored in a new exhibit, called "The Secret World Inside You," that opens today (Nov. 7) here at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Why is the microbiome such a significant part our make up? This doesn't mean that human bodies are mostly made of microbes — human cells take up a lot more space.

The Science of Vitamin C: Can Taking It Prevent a Cold?

But does boosting your vitamin C intake do anything to prevent or shorten colds? Some studies suggest taking vitamin C has a modest effect on the common cold, but don't expect miracles, one expert says. "It's fair to say that vitamin C supplementation both shortens duration of cold and offers some protection against colds, though it's not very dramatic," said Stephen Lawson, a researcher at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, who studies micronutrients.

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Sunday, November 8, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Achoo! Solar Sneeze Could Light Up Earth's Atmosphere (Video)

Just in time for the flu season, it looks like the Earth is going to catch a bit of the sun's sneeze, following a solar eruption yesterday (Nov. 4). Earth's stellar neighbor blasted off a loogie of charged particles — called a coronal mass ejection — when sunspot AR2443 had a medium-class eruption, which NASA's fleet of solar satellites captured. The sunspot is nearly 10 times the diameter of Earth from end to end, at roughly 124,000 miles (200,000 km) wide, according to SpaceWeather.com.

Giant Magma Ocean Once Swirled Inside Early Earth

An ancient ocean of magma once existed on top of Earth's core, new experiments suggest. This research could help explain puzzling findings seen deep within the Earth, researchers said. Previous calculations suggested a giant ocean of magma, or molten rock, might have existed in the lowermost part of Earth's mantle layer between the core and crust from very early in our planet's history, from about 4.5 billion years ago to at least about 2.5 billion years ago.

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

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Spacewalking Astronauts Tackle 'High-Flying Plumbing' Job on Space Station

Two American astronauts took a marathon spacewalk on Friday, spending nearly eight hours outside the International Space Station on a truly out-of-this-world plumbing job. NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindrgren spent seven hours and 48 minutes working outside the station to perform the vital maintenance on their spacecraft. The duo's first-ever spacewalk last week, commanded by Kelly, had the two on separate tracks as they performed a variety of long-term maintenance tasks outside the station.

Monsanto to Mexico honey farmers: Our soya seeds not to blame for woes

By P.J. Huffstutter and Tomás Sarmiento CHICAGO/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Monsanto Co on Friday denied that plantings of its genetically modified soybeans have impacted bees, led to deforestation or caused damage to the honey production industry in two Mexican states. Mexico's Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked a move to allow the planting of genetically modified soya seeds in the southern Mexican states of Campeche and Yucatan, arguing that indigenous communities that had fought the move should be consulted before it was approved.

Astronauts carry out marathon spacewalk to recharge cooling system

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Two U.S. astronauts spent nearly eight hours spacewalking outside the International Space Station on Friday, grappling with an escape of potentially hazardous ammonia as they switched out a cooling system, NASA said. Station commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Kjell Lindgren left the station's airlock around 6:30 a.m. EST for what turned out to be a spacewalk lasting nearly eight hours. A few flakes of ammonia escaped when the cooling system was being recharged, but posed no threat to the astronauts and required no decontamination before they returned to the station, said NASA mission commentator Rob Navias.

Six Surprising Facts About 'The Martian'

Here are six surprising things you might not know about this Red Planet survival story. Based on the novel by Andy Weir, "The Martian" tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who, during a mission to the Red Planet, is mistaken for dead by his crewmates and left behind. In order to survive on Mars, Watney has to rely on his incredible problem-solving skills and his sense of humor.

How to Make History as a NASA Astronaut Without Walking on Mars

But with the space agency's schedules pegging a journey to the Red Planet in the mid-2030s timeframe, it may fall to even more future recruits to become the first astronauts to walk on Mars. That's not to say there aren't opportunities to make history as a new NASA astronaut. Although there have been more than 365 NASA astronauts to date, there remains firsts to be achieved and all that you have to do to claim them is get chosen for the corps.

'Star Wars' International Trailer Is Packed with New Footage

Audiences thought they'd have to wait until December to see more scenes from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," but a newly released international trailer features as-yet-unseen footage. More droids, more ships, more Princess Leia, a cameo by C-3PO and Chewbacca blowing some stuff up are among the new bits of footage that appear in the international trailer (released today) that were not featured in the English-language trailer released in October. The villain, Kylo Ren, rasps, "I will complete our destiny," and the cryptic use of the word "our" has people speculating about his identity.

See the Moon and 3 Planets Shine Before Dawn This Weekend

A spectacular gathering of three bright planets and a lovely waning crescent moon will be the chief celestial attraction in the predawn sky this weekend, with the moon, Venus, Mars and Jupiter all making an appearance. On Saturday (Nov. 7), three of these objects – Venus, Mars and the moon – will appear to crowd into a relatively small spot in the sky. On Saturday morning, the moon will shine less than 2 degrees to the right of Venus (your closed fist held out at arm's length covers 10 degrees of the night sky).

Monsanto to Mexico honey farmers: Our soya seeds not to blame for woes

F-35 Fighter Jet Blasts Through 1st-Ever Airborne Gun Test

A four-barrel machine gun blasts a spray of rounds into midair. It was the first of a series of trials meant to test the functionality of the jet's internal 25-millimeter machine gun, according to Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor that developed the fighter jet. The plane is equipped with a four-barrel machine gun, which remains hidden under a trap door in the left wing of the plane, near the cockpit, until it's time to fire.

Jetpack Pilot Soars Over NYC's Hudson River, Salutes Lady Liberty

A man wearing a jetpack soared across the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday (Nov. 3), looping around the Statue of Liberty before landing safely on the deck of a boat. The jetpack-wearing joyrider was David Mayman, an Australian entrepreneur who has spent the past 10 years designing and building prototypes of the wearable flying device.

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