GoogleTrends

Thursday, July 21, 2016

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Argentine fossils shed light on vicious group of dinosaurs

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur unearthed in Argentina are shedding new light on an intriguing group of predators that apparently were just as happy to slash victims to death with sickle-shaped hand claws as to chomp them into an early grave. Scientists said on Wednesday the creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensis, lived about 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, measured about 21 feet (6.5 meters) long and was a pursuit hunter more lightly built than some other predatory dinosaurs. Murusraptor was a member of a group of meat-eaters called megaraptors, meaning "giant thieves," that prowled Patagonia, although fossils of relatives have been discovered in Australia and Japan.

Stunning aurora footage captured from ISS

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams shared a stunning aurora display on Sunday as he passed over the Earth. The U.S. Army Colonel's footage showed the green lights flashing across the sky as he passed over them onboard the International Space Station.

Scientists looking for invisible dark matter can't find any

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have come up empty-handed in their latest effort to find elusive dark matter, the plentiful stuff that helps galaxies like ours form.

Robot with Sea Slug Parts Makes Hybrid Debut

Researchers have developed a hybrid robot built with body parts from a novel source: sea slugs. The new robot combines a Y-shaped muscle from the mouth of a California sea hare (Aplysia californica) with a 3D-printed skeleton. The robot was modeled after the way sea turtles crawl, because the researchers wanted to create something that could move with only one Y-shaped muscle, study lead author Victoria Webster, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, told Live Science in an email.

Create 3D Animations with the Stroke of a Pen

With just the stroke of a pen or the click of a mouse, you can now transform your 2D sketches into 3D animations. New computer software, known as Mosketch, allows anyone to try their hand at 3D animation without toiling away at numerous sketches. Now available in beta, Mosketch was developed by Moka Studio and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a research institute in Switzerland that specializes in physical sciences and engineering.

'Witch' Prison Revealed in 15th-Century Scottish Chapel

An iron ring set in the stone pillar of a 15th-century chapel in the Scottish city of Aberdeen may not look like much, but historians say it could be a direct link to a dark chapter in the city's past — the trial and execution of 23 women and one man accused of witchcraft during Aberdeen's "Great Witch Hunt" in 1597. "I was skeptical, to be honest — the ring is not all that spectacular, but it is actually quite genuine," said Arthur Winfield, project leader for the OpenSpace Trust in the United Kingdom, which is restoring the chapel as part of a community-based redevelopment of the East Kirk sanctuary at the historic Kirk of St Nicholas, in central Aberdeen. Winfield told Live Science that two places within the kirk (the Lowland Scots word for "church") had been equipped as a prison for witches snared in the Aberdeen witch hunt: the stone-vaulted chapel of St Mary, and the tall steeple of the kirk, which was at that time the tallest structure in the city.

Chickens May Help Repel Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes

In a perhaps unexpected finding, the smell of live chickens could help in the fight against malaria, new research shows. Researchers looked at the behavior of the malaria-carrying mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in three villages in western Ethiopia, where people commonly share their living quarters with their livestock. BecauseAnopheles mosquitoes primarily use their sense of smell to find hosts, the scientists collected hair, wool and feathers from the cattle, sheep, goats and chickens in the villages, identified scent compounds known as odorants that were unique to each and then investigated how well these odorants repelled the mosquitoes.

Was Zika Contracted in Florida? How the Virus Could Spread Locally

Health officials in Florida are investigating a case of Zika that may have been acquired locally rather than in another country. For someone to acquire Zika in Florida, a person infected with Zika would have to spread the virus to a mosquito, which then would spread it to another human. For example, a new chain of "locally acquired" cases of Zika could happen if a Florida resident were to travel to a country where Zika is spreading, become infected with the virus and then return to Florida, where they would be bitten by a mosquito while the Zika virus was in their blood.

Why Comparing Yourself to Others Is Normal

That's because people automatically compare their own performance with that of others, according to the study, published today (July 20) in the journal Neuron. When they're cooperating with another person, they perceive that person's performance as a reflection on their own: A better partner makes people feel better about their own abilities, while a worse partner makes them feel incompetent, too.

Newly developed wheel converts any bicycle into an electric vehicle

Right off the bat, Michael Burtov said he and his team at technology startup GeoOrbital did not re-invent the wheel. After two years and five prototypes, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup has developed a new type of electric bicycle wheel that steered the company into crowdfunding stardom raising more than $1.2 million at a record-setting pace on Kickstarter. The newly developed bicycle wheel has the major components of an electric vehicle – a 500 watt motor, a lithium battery and a suit of electronics, all arranged to fit perfectly into the radial of a wheel made out of high density foam to avoid a flat. "The unique thing about this wheel is that we rearranged it," Michael Burtov, the CEO & Founder of GeoOrbital said.

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Delievered to you by Feedamail.
Unsubscribe

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Norovirus at the RNC: Why This Virus Spreads So Quickly

A number of members of the California delegates' staff at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland have fallen ill with norovirus, according to news reports. The highly contagious stomach virus is the same type of virus that is well-known for ruining cruise vacations. Norovirus spreads very easily, especially at close-quarters events like conventions and cruises, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist and a senior associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Health Security.

Earth's Tides Can Trigger Earthquakes Along the San Andreas Fault

The same tides that affect ocean waves can trigger earthquakes along California's San Andreas Fault, and scientists unexpectedly find that these quakes are more likely to happen as tides are strengthening, not when they are at their strongest. Previous research found that the tidal effects on Earth's crust could trigger both tremors and earthquakes. The study?s scientists were interested in how the planet's tides might affect small, deep seismic events known as low-frequency earthquakes.

Fish can recognise human faces, study finds

By Matthew Stock Scientists have shown for the first time how a species of tropical fish can distinguish between human faces. The archerfish used in experiments could demonstrate the ability to a high degree of accuracy; despite lacking the crucial neocortex part of the brain which other animals use for sophisticated visual recognition. ...

NASA's new mission: improving food security in West Africa

By Nellie Peyton DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A drive by NASA to stream climate data to West African nations using its earth-observing satellites could boost crop production in a region hit hard by climate change, experts say. NASA last week launched a hub in Niger's capital Niamey that will use space-based observations to improve food security and better manage natural disasters, said Dan Irwin, manager of the SERVIR project, named after the Spanish word meaning "to serve". The project, which will cover Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal and Niger, is one of four regional hubs worldwide, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Stunning aurora footage captured from ISS

Healthy Kids: Homemade Meals Not Always Best

Parents who prepare homemade baby food and meals for their toddlers can not only save money, but may also provide their kids with more nutrients, a new study suggested. The study, led by researchers in Scotland, found that home-cooked foods made based on recipes in cookbooks for infants and preschoolers provided up to 77 percent more nutrients than similar foods that were commercially prepared. However, the study also suggested that meals made from scratch were not necessarily better for babies and toddlers than store-bought counterparts: The data showed that the majority of cookbook recipes contained more calories and fat than are recommended for children ages 4 months to 4 years.

Cutting the Weed: Joints Have Less Marijuana Than Thought

Exactly how much marijuana is in a typical joint may be less than previously thought, a new study finds. Researchers estimated that the average joint contains 0.32 grams (0.01 ounces) of marijuana. Figuring out precisely how much marijuana is in a typical joint can help researchers answer important questions about drug use and trafficking, the researchers said.

Many Teens with Diabetes Don't Know They Have It

About a third of U.S. teens with diabetes don't know they have the condition, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed information from more than 2,600 adolescents ages 12 to 19 who were tested for diabetes at some point from 2005 to 2014, as part of a national health survey conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants underwent three tests of their blood glucose levels, and a person was considered to have diabetes if at least one test showed the individual had the condition.

Mind over gray matter: new map lays out brain's cerebral cortex

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Neuroscientists acting as cartographers of the human mind have devised the most comprehensive map ever made of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as abstract thought, language and memory. Using MRI images from the brains of 210 people, the researchers said on Wednesday they were able to pinpoint 180 distinct areas in the cerebral cortex, the brain's thin, wrinkly outermost layer made of so-called gray matter. The map could assist in the study of brain maladies such as autism, schizophrenia, dementia and epilepsy, and shed light on the differences between the brains of people with such conditions and healthy people, the researchers said.

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Delievered to you by Feedamail.
Unsubscribe

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Zika Virus Mystery: New Utah Case Stumps Researchers

In a puzzling case, a person in Utah became infected with the Zika virus, but health officials can't figure out how the person contracted it. "Zika continues to surprise us," and there's still a lot we don't know about the virus, Dr. Satish Pillai, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Zika response, said at a news conference today (July 18).

8-Year-Old's Fossil Discovery Explains Why Turtles Have Shells

The turtle's shell may serve as a protective shield nowadays, but ancient turtles actually developed shells for an entirely different reason, a new study finds. "Why the turtle shell evolved is a very Dr. Seuss-like question, and the answer seems pretty obvious — it was for protection," lead study author Tyler Lyson, a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, said in a statement. The evolutionary history of the turtle shell has long mystified scientists, largely because of "the scarcity of critical fossils," the researchers wrote in the study.

Ancient Logbook Documenting Great Pyramid's Construction Unveiled

A logbook that contains records detailing the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza has been put on public display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built in honor of the pharaoh Khufu (reign ca. 2551 B.C.-2528 B.C.) and is the largest of the three pyramids constructed on the Giza plateau in Egypt.

Why Florida's Recent Earthquake Is So Rare

The 3.7-magnitude quake had an epicenter that was 104 miles (168 kilometers) east-northeast of Daytona Beach, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). According to the USGS ShakeMap, some weak tremors were reported and picked up by scientific instruments on the mainland, but the quake was too weak to cause any damage. Earthquakes are rare in Florida, and the reason for the relative peace has to do with Florida's position on the North American plate.

Tiny 'Atomic Memory' Device Could Store All Books Ever Written

"You would need just the area of a postage stamp to write out all books ever written," said study senior author Sander Otte, a physicist at the Delft University of Technology's Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in the Netherlands. All in all, this orderly system of markers could help atomic memory scale up to very large sizes, even if the copper surface the data is encoded on is not entirely perfect, they said.

Solar Plane Zooms Over Egypt's Pyramids on Historic Flight

A solar-powered airplane buzzed the pyramids in Egypt, flying over the iconic, haze-cloaked monuments, during the most recent leg of its historic journey around the world. The dramatic photos of Solar Impulse 2 soaring over the pyramids offer a striking contrast between ancient and futuristic technology, with the solar-powered aircraft representing a way that some machines, including airplanes, could be powered one day. "This was an emotional and meaningful leg for me, being able to enjoy once more the incredible sensation of flying day and night thanks only to the energy of the sun and enjoying fully the present moment," pilot André Borschberg, Solar Impulse's co-founder and CEO, who flew the plane from Spain to Egypt, said in a statement.

Living Near a Fracking Site May Increase Your Risk of Asthma

Living close to a site used for hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, may increase a person's risk of developing asthma, a new study finds. "Fracking" is a shorthand term often used to refer to an unconventional way of getting natural gas out of the ground.

Stem Cells Could Replace Hip Replacements

This is a major step toward being able one day to use a patient's own cells to repair a damaged joint, thus avoiding the need for extensive joint-replacement surgery. The new technique may be ready to test in humans within three to five years and may ultimately work with other joints, such as knees, said Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who co-led the project. The work, a collaboration between researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and researchers from Cytex Therapeutics, Inc. in Durham, North Carolina, appears today (June 18) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Pediatricians Should Discuss Sexuality with Kids, Group Says

Pediatricians should help educate their patients about sex and help parents learn how best to talk to their kids about sexuality, advised a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. By acting as an additional source for trustworthy information about sex and sexuality, pediatricians could complement the education that kids may receive at school or at home, the authors of the report said. "Research has conclusively demonstrated that programs promoting abstinence-only [behavior] until heterosexual marriage occurs are ineffective," the lead author of the report, Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a chairperson of the AAP Committee on Adolescence, said in a statement.

(Sponsor this newsletter)

Delievered to you by Feedamail.
Unsubscribe