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Thursday, June 2, 2016

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Slain Cincinnati gorilla likely to live on in genetic 'frozen zoo'

After shooting dead a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo to save a 3-year-old boy, zoo officials said they had collected a sample of his sperm, raising hopes among distraught fans that Harambe could sire offspring even in death. "Currently, it's not anything we would use for reproduction," Kristen Lukas, who heads the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Gorilla Species Survival Plan, said on Wednesday.

Scientists: Vibrant US marine reserve now a coral graveyard

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists found most of the coral is dead in what had been one of the world's most lush and isolated tropical marine reserve.

Genes of slain Cincinnati gorilla to live on

Scientists disagree over Zika risk at Brazil's Olympics

One day after a top U.S. health official declared there was no public health reason to cancel or delay this summer's Olympics in Brazil, more than 150 scientists on Friday called for just that, saying the risk of infection from the Zika virus is too high. The scientists, many of them bioethicists, who signed an open letter published online to Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization. The letter urged that the Games, due to be held in Rio de Janeiro in August, be moved to another location or delayed.

Archaeologists vs. robbers in Israel's race to find ancient scrolls

By Ari Rabinovitch TZEELIM VALLEY, Israel (Reuters) - The disposable paper face masks offer little protection from the clouds of dust that fill the cliffside cave where Israeli archaeologists are wrapping up the largest excavation in the Judean desert of the past half-century. The three-week excavation was the first part of a national campaign to recover as many artefacts as possible, particularly scrolls, left behind by Jewish rebels who hid in the desert some 2,000 years ago, before they are snatched up by antiquity robbers. Now Israel wants to uncover whatever may remain in the desert hideouts before it is destroyed or ends up on the black market.

Researchers find 39 unreported sources of major pollution: NASA

(Reuters) - Researchers in the United States and Canada have located 39 unreported sources of major pollution using a new satellite-based method, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said. The unreported sources of toxic sulfur dioxide emissions are clusters of coal-burning power plants, smelters and oil and gas operations in the Middle East, Mexico and Russia that were found in an analysis of satellite data from 2005 to 2014, NASA said in a statement on Wednesday. The analysis also found that the satellite-based estimates of the emissions were two or three times higher than those reported from known sources in those regions, NASA said.

Flour Recall: Do You Really Need to Throw It Out?

General Mills is recalling 10 million pounds of flour that may be linked with an outbreak of E. coli. "I wouldn't want to have it in my home," said Benjamin Chapman, an associate professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University. General Mills announced on Tuesday (May 31) that the company is working with health officials to investigate the cause of a new E. coli outbreak that has sickened 38 people in 20 states, including 10 people who had to be hospitalized.

What the New Superbug Means for the US

Experts say a Pennsylvania woman's recent case of an antibiotic-resistant infection shows the urgency for new antibiotics. In the case, the E. coli bacteria causing the 49-year-old woman's urinary tract infection were found in lab testing to be resistant to an antibiotic called colistin. Doctors consider colistin a "last resort" drug — it can have serious side effects, such as kidney damage, so it is used only when other antibiotics do not work.

Rare Gene Mutation Linked with High MS Risk

People with a rare genetic mutation are very likely to develop a severe form of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds. The findings mark the first time researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that is so strongly tied to the chronic, nerve-damaging disease. This genetic mutation is not common — it appears in only about 1 in every 1,000 MS patients, the researchers said.

Scientists propose project to build synthetic human genome

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of scientists on Thursday proposed an ambitious project to create a synthetic human genome, or genetic blueprint, in an endeavor that is bound to raise concerns over the extent to which human life can or should be engineered. The project, which arose from a meeting of scientists last month at Harvard University, aims to build such a synthetic genome and test it in cells in the laboratory within 10 years. A synthetic human genome could make it possible to create humans who lack biological parents.

Tasmanian devil returns to San Diego Zoo after pacemaker surgery

A Tasmanian devil named Nick is back in his exhibit area at the San Diego Zoo after receiving a pacemaker to make his heartbeat normal. In January, zoo veterinarians discovered that Nick suffered from an abnormally slow heartbeat and his cardiologist decided that surgery was in order. Nick is only the second of his species on record ever to be implanted with a pacemaker, according to staff at the San Diego Zoo. "His heartbeats were too slow and now the pacemaker is going to actually take over (pacing) his heart and is going to determine when to pace fast or slow depending on his activity," said Dr. Joao Orvalho, a cardiologist at the University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medical Center in San Diego.

How dogs became man's best friend - twice over

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Ancient humans made dogs their best friend not once but twice, by domesticating two separate populations of wolves thousands of miles apart in Europe and Asia. It was widely believed dogs were tamed just once, with some experts claiming this happened in Europe and others favoring central Asia or China. "Our data suggests that dogs were domesticated twice, on both sides of the Old World," said Laurent Frantz, a geneticist at the University of Oxford, whose work was published in the journal Science.

Clean fuel from 'bionic leaf' could ease pressure on farmland: scientists

By Chris Arsenault RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new clean technology to turn sunlight into liquid fuel could drastically shrink the need for large plantations to grow crops for biofuels, while combating climate change, Harvard University researchers said on Thursday. Dubbed "bionic leaf 2.0", the technology uses solar panels to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, the scientists said in a study published in the journal Science. Once separated, hydrogen is moved into a chamber where it is consumed by bacteria, and with help from a special metal catalyst and carbon dioxide, the process generates liquid fuel.

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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

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Hurricane 2016 Forecast: A 'Near-Normal' 10 to 16 Storms

Hurricane season officially kicks off tomorrow (June 1), and forecasters expect the Atlantic Ocean will spawn a near-average number of hurricanes in 2016. "Near-normal may sound relaxed and encouraging, but we could be in for more activity than we've seen in recent years," warned Kathryn Sullivan, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Officials with NOAA issued the forecast at a news conference Friday (May 27) in Suitland, Maryland.

Supersponge the Size of a Minivan Found Near Hawaii

An unusual sponge was making waves in waters near the Hawaiian Islands — though it doesn't wear square pants and is far too big to live in a pineapple under the sea. Identified as measuring approximately 12 feet (3.5 meters) in length and 7 feet (2.1 m) in height, the minivan-size creature was discovered at a depth of 7,000 feet (2,134 m) during dives by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system, which was deployed from the ship Okeanos Explorer by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During the 69-day expedition, which extended from July 10 through Sept. 30, 2015, scientists investigated deep-sea ecosystems in Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument and the Johnston Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Distracted Driving May Play a Bigger Role in Teen Crashes Than Thought

And more than half of these crashes involve some form of distracted driving, according to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Nearly 11 percent of the crashes involved the driver looking at or attending to something in the car, the study found.

New Report Doesn't Prove Cellphones Cause Cancer

Part of a new report from a U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) study on the potential association between cellphone use and cancer has renewed attention to this uncertain relationship. In the study, released last week, researchers at the NTP, part of the National Institutes of Health, found that long-term exposure to high levels of this type of radiation might be linked with a small increase in the risk of brain cancer in male rats. "The implications of this for the safety of mobile phone use is between questionable and nonexistent," John Moulder, a professor of radiation oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin who was not involved in the research, said in an email interview with Live Science.

Women with Migraines More Prone to Heart Disease

Women who suffer from migraines may be more likely than other women to develop heart problems, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who have migraines were at greater risk of having a heart attack and angina (chest pain), and of needing to undergo heart-related procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, compared with women who did not get the severe headaches, according to the findings published online today (May 31) in the journal The BMJ. Migraines in women were not only linked with an increased risk of developing heart disease, but they were also associated with a greater chance of dying from heart-related problems than they were in women without migraines, the researchers found.

Has Aristotle's Tomb Been Found? Archaeologists Doubt Claims

An archaeologist thinks he has found the tomb of Aristotle at Stagira, an ancient city where the Greek philosopher lived for much of his life. But several other archaeologists say there is hardly enough evidence to link the tomb to Aristotle, and there's probably no way to confirm it either way. Konstantinos Sismanidis, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb in question, has told media outlets that he cannot be certain that the structure is Aristotle's tomb.

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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

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Extreme weather increasing level of toxins in food, scientists warn

By Kagondu Njagi NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As they struggle to deal with more extreme weather, a range of food crops are generating more of chemical compounds that can cause health problems for people and livestock who eat them, scientists have warned. A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says that crops such as wheat and maize are generating more potential toxins as a reaction to protect themselves from extreme weather.

Extreme weather increasing level of toxins in food, scientists warn

Why Is Mount Everest So Deadly?

In April, climbing season for Mount Everest opened after two years of disasters shuttered the mountain earlier than usual. The other three deaths were climbers, all suspected of having altitude sickness. So what makes Mount Everest such a dangerous place?

Later, Gator: 'Monster' Nile Crocodiles May Be Invading Florida

Florida's native alligators and crocodiles could be facing some new competition — from a bigger and meaner member of their own crocodilian family. Nile crocodiles — American crocodiles' larger, more aggressive cousins from the African continent — have been identified in the wild in southern Florida for the first time, according to a new study. The scientists caught three young crocodiles — one of which was captured on the porch of a Miami home — and, through genetic analysis of tissue samples, confirmed that they were invasive Nile crocodiles, connecting them to crocodile populations in South Africa.

Short-Snouted Sea Monsters Evolved Rapidly After Wipeout

The discovery of a short-snouted, oceangoing reptile with a whip-like tail suggests that some marine reptiles evolved quickly (geologically speaking) after a mass extinction 250 million years ago, a new study finds. The finding turns an old theory on its head, showing that early marine reptiles didn't evolve slowly after the end-Permian extinction. The extinction wiped out about 96 percent of all marine species, largely due to climate change, volcanic eruptions and rising sea levels, the researchers said.

Highest-Altitude Prehistoric Rock Art Revealed

New digital scans reveal the highest-elevation prehistoric rock paintings ever discovered, in living color. The scans were made in the Abri Faravel, a small rock overhang in the southern French Alps. In 2010, researchers found paintings decorating the ceiling of the rock shelter, consisting of parallel lines as well as what look like two animals facing each other.

In Hot Water: Thousands of Public Pools Fail Health Inspections

As temperatures climb this summer, public pools and water parks certainly look like a refreshing way to beat the heat. Before you dive in, you should probably check with the facility about its inspection status, health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn. According to a study published online May 20 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, thousands of venues in the U.S. where people swim or wade in treated water — public pools, hot tubs, water playgrounds and parks — had to be closed in 2013 due to health and safety violations.

The Science of Parenting: Who's the Best Judge of Moms and Dads?

For psychologists studying family dynamics and child development, the new finding that disagreements can be meaningful is important, said study researcher Thomas Schofield, a psychologist at Iowa State University. In any relationship, people don't always see eye-to-eye, Schofield told Live Science. "We were assuming that only the information that shows up across every single [observer] is to be trusted, but that's not really how we behave in real life," Schofield said.

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Monday, May 30, 2016

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As much as 35 percent of northern and central Great Barrier Reef dead or dying: scientists

By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Mass bleaching has destroyed as much as 35 percent of the coral on the northern and central Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists said on Monday, a major blow to the World Heritage Site that attracts about A$5 billion ($3.59 billion) in tourism each year. Australian scientists said in March just seven percent of the entire Great Barrier Reef had avoided any damage as a result of bleaching, and they held grave fears particularly for coral on the northern reef. After further aerial surveys and dives to access the damage across 84 reefs in the region, Australian scientists said the impact of the bleaching is more severe than they had expected.

As much as 35 percent of northern and central Great Barrier Reef dead or dying - scientists

Experimental installations put the social in social science

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The truck-size metal container sitting in a downtown park here isn't meant to raise awareness about the global shipping industry, though it may nudge some people's curiosity in that direction.

Antarctic seas defy global warming thanks to chill from the deep

By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - A persistent chill in the ocean off Antarctica that defies the global warming blamed for melting Arctic ice at the other end of the planet is caused by cold waters welling up from the depths after hundreds of years, scientists said on Monday. The Southern Ocean off Antarctica may be among the last places on Earth to feel the impact of man-made climate change, with a lag of centuries to affect waters emerging from up to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) deep, the U.S. study said. Many people who doubt mainstream scientific findings that human use of fossil fuels is warming the planet often point to the paradox of expanding winter sea ice off Antarctica in recent decades and a rapid shrinking of ice in the Arctic.

Antarctic seas defy global warming thanks to chill from the deep

By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - A persistent chill in the ocean off Antarctica that defies the global warming blamed for melting Arctic ice at the other end of the planet is caused by cold waters welling up from the depths after hundreds of years, scientists said on Monday. The Southern Ocean off Antarctica may be among the last places on Earth to feel the impact of man-made climate change, with a lag of centuries to affect waters emerging from up to 5,000 meters (16,000 ft) deep, the U.S. study said. Many people who doubt mainstream scientific findings that human use of fossil fuels is warming the planet often point to the paradox of expanding winter sea ice off Antarctica in recent decades and a rapid shrinking of ice in the Arctic.

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