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Sunday, April 26, 2015

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More Than 1,000 Doctors Say Dr. Oz Should Resign

At least 1,000 U.S. doctors say they think Dr. Mehmet Oz should resign from his faculty position at Columbia University in New York, a new poll finds. Earlier this week, 10 doctors sent a letter calling for Oz, host of the popular TV show "The Dr. Oz Show," to be removed from his academic position as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Columbia. The doctors said that Oz has promoted products and made claims that aren't supported by medical evidence.

New avian flu viruses send U.S. scientists scrambling

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three highly pathogenic avian flu viruses that have infected poultry and wild birds in the U.S. Midwest appear unlikely to present a significant risk to humans. The H parts, which are highly pathogenic in poultry, originated in Asia, and the N parts come from North American, low pathogenic, avian flu viruses, said Dr. Rubin Donis, an associate director for policy and preparedness in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influenza division.

New avian flu viruses send U.S. scientists scrambling

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Saturday, April 25, 2015

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Giant Easter Island 'Hats' Rolled Into Place, Study Says

The distinctive headgear worn by some of the famous Easter Island statues may have been rolled up ramps to reach those high perches, a new study suggests. A simple analysis of the physics suggests that rolling the headwear — bulky cylindrical shapes that look like Russian fur hats — would have been a relatively easy matter, said study co-author Sean Hixon, an undergraduate student in archaeology and geology at the University of Oregon, who presented his findings here on April 16 at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archeology. Since Europeans arrived at the location in the 1700s, people have wondered how the residents of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, off the coast of Chile, raised their majestic statues. Others have argued that the native islanders chopped down the island's forests to roll the stone behemoths across the landscape, leading to environmental devastation and the collapse of the Easter Island civilization.

Moon and Jupiter Rendezvous This Weekend: How to See Them

The terminator — the line separating the light half of the moon (on the right) from the dark half — will appear perfectly straight, and Jupiter will be about 9 degrees above and to the left of the moon's left. These days, Jupiter first comes into view high in the southwest during the early stages of twilight and sets at around 2:45 a.m. local daylight time. In a telescope, Jupiter is a prime attraction, best observed during early evening when it's still high and its image reasonably calm. Admittedly, Jupiter currently appears only 75 percent as big as it did at opposition in early February, but don't let that stop you from searching for the planet.

Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane to Fly Again Next Month

The United States Air Force's X-37B space plane will launch on its fourth mystery mission next month. The unmanned X-37B space plane, which looks like a miniature version of NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter, is scheduled to blast off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 20.

This Country Is the Happiest in the World, United Nations Finds

The happiest country in the world isn't in the tropics, as you might expect, but is known for its snow-covered peaks and delicious chocolate: Switzerland took the top spot in the 2015 World Happiness Report, a United Nations ranking of 158 countries. The U.N. happiness report, published every year since 2012, shows that happiness and well-being are critical indicators of a country's economic and social development, according to a statement from the United Nations. What's more, the 2015 report, released Thursday (April 23), serves as a guide and reminder that world leaders should consider the happiness of their citizens whenever they make policy decisions, the U.N. statement said.

Human Embryo Editing Is Incredibly Risky, Experts Say

With the news that Chinese scientists have attempted to modify the genes of human embryos, many scientists have called for a halt to such technology, saying the techniques are too risky to use in human embryos. In a study published Saturday (April 18) in the journal Protein & Cell, Chinese scientists reported that they had used a genetic engineering technique called CRISPR to cut out a faulty gene and replace it with a healthy one in human embryos. "This paper is a complete confirmation of the issues that were raised about the readiness of the CRISPR platform to be applied in therapeutic genome editing," said Edward Lanphier, president and CEO of Sangamo BioSciences, a company that works on genome editing in adult cells but not embryonic cells. Lanphier, along with other scientists, published a commentary in March in the journal Nature, calling for a moratorium on such research.

Genetically Modified Humans? How Genome Editing Works

Chinese scientists have edited the genomes of human embryos for the first time, confirming a storm of rumors and igniting an ethical debate. Researchers at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, used an experimental gene-editing technique to modify a gene in human embryos that causes a fatal blood disorder. "Their study should be a stern warning to any practitioner who thinks the technology is ready for testing to eradicate disease genes," George Daley, a stem-cell biologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Nature News. First, the CRISPR/Cas9 complex searches through the cell's DNA until it finds and binds to a sequence that matches the CRISPR, said John Reidhaar-Olson, a biochemist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study.

Awesome Hubble Telescope Pics Pop on Times Square Screens in NYC

Advertisements hawking clothing, smart phones and theater tickets usually overwhelm New York City's Times Square — but look closely this week and you'll also see exploding stars, whirling galaxies and bubbling nebulas. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, The Toshiba Vision screen in Times Square is displaying awe-inspiring images taken by Hubble, as well as a few snapshots of the telescope itself. This isn't the first time the Toshiba screens have broadcast amazing images from space. In August 2012, the Toshiba Vision screen also broadcast the Mars rover Curiosity's touchdown on the Red Planet.

Hubble at 25: Space Telescope's Views Have Changed How We See Earth

The Hubble Space Telescope, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in space, has become known for capturing stunning and unprecedented views of the cosmos. Because the telescope can gaze across the solar system and beyond, to alien planets far more distant, Hubble has helped scientists understand how the Earth formed, and has even provided clues about how life came to be, said Frank Summers, an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, which operates the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Friday, April 24, 2015

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Hot times at Yellowstone: huge magma chamber found deeply buried

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deep beneath Yellowstone National Park, one of the world's most dynamic volcanic systems, lies an enormous, previously unknown reservoir of hot, partly molten rock big enough to fill up the Grand Canyon 11 times, scientists say. Researchers on Thursday said they used a technique called seismic tomography to a produce for the first time a complete picture of the volcanic "plumbing system" at Yellowstone, from the Earth's mantle up to the surface. Scientists already knew of a large magma chamber under Yellowstone that fed the eruptions 2 million, 1.2 million and 640,000 years ago. "The existence of the second magma chamber does not make it any more or less likely that a large volcanic eruption at Yellowstone will occur.

Scientists convinced of tie between earthquakes and drilling

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With the evidence coming in from one study after another, scientists are now more certain than ever that oil and gas drilling is causing hundreds upon hundreds of earthquakes across the U.S.

5 Not-So-Miraculous Dr. Oz Claims

Dr. Mehmet Oz has made a name for himself in part by touting "miracle" cures and weight-loss products, but the TV personality is now facing fire from critics for making health claims that are not supported by scientific evidence. Oz was strongly criticized for his claims about weight-loss supplements in a Senate hearing in June 2014. Oz will respond to his critics on Thursday (April 22) in an episode of "The Dr. Oz Show." The doctor announced it in a preview of the show that was released on Tuesday evening.

Whooping Cough Outbreaks Traced to Change in Vaccine

The recent outbreaks of whooping cough in the United States may be due, in part, to a change made two decades ago to vaccine ingredients, a new study finds. In 2012, the United States had about 48,000 cases of whooping cough (also called pertussis) — the most cases since 1955. They used an enormous data set from a variety of sources on whooping cough cases in the U.S. from 1950 to 2009. They found that a change in vaccine ingredients was the best explanation for the recent whooping cough outbreaks, according to the study, published today (April 23) in the journal PLOS ONE Computational Biology.

Woman's 'Embryonic Twin' Is Not Really an Embryo, Or a Twin

An Indiana woman's brain tumor turned out to contain hair, bone and teeth, and has been dubbed her "embryonic twin" — but experts say that such tumors are not actually twins, nor are they embryos. The 26-year-old patient, Yamini Karanam, underwent brain surgery in Los Angeles after she started having problems understanding conversations and things she read, according to NBC Southern California. Doctors discovered she had a teratoma, a type of tumor that can contain all three of the major cell types that are found in an early stage human embryo. At early states, germ cells have the ability to turn into any cell in the body.

Are Chimps Entitled to Human Rights? NY Court to Decide

Though they won't be knuckle-walking into a courtroom any time soon, two chimpanzees will get their day in front of a judge. Next month, the New York State Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether two research chimpanzees, named Hercules and Leo, should be considered persons, not property, entitled to be set free under the law. In response to a petition from the Nonhuman Rights Project, Justice Barbara Jaffe signed a court order this week asking Stony Brook University to prove why it should be allowed to hold Hercules and Leo. "It's a very big deal for us," said Steven Wise, an attorney with the Nonhuman Rights Project, which has been filing lawsuits on behalf of chimpanzees in New York for more than a year.

Titanic Blob of Magma Found Beneath Yellowstone Supervolcano

A giant blob-shaped reservoir of searing-hot rock has been discovered far below the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park — one that could fill the Grand Canyon more than 11 times over, researchers say. The newfound blob-shaped magma reservoir lies in the lower crust, scientists reported today (April 23) in the journal Science. The molten rock extends from about 12 to 28 miles (19 to 45 kilometers) deep, and measures about 30 miles (48 km) long northwest to southeast and 44 miles (70 km) long southwest to northeast. This magma reservoir is about 11,200 cubic miles (46,700 cubic km) in size.

How Will the Hubble Space Telescope Die?

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been circling Earth for 25 years, but the iconic observatory won't last forever. Hubble launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990, and has been capturing stunning views of the cosmos since astronauts fixed a flaw in the telescope's mirror during a 1993 servicing mission.

Letting Babies Nap in Car Seat Could Be Deadly, Experts Warn

Placing infants in car seats and other sitting devices for naps may put their lives in danger, according to a new study. In the study, researchers examined 47 cases of children under 2 years old who died while in device designed for them to sit in, or in which they could be carried. In many cases in the study, the researchers found that children had been placed in the devices to help them fall asleep. "When the baby is asleep, and you don't have eyes on the baby, they should be 'ABC,'" meaning they should be alone, on their backs, and in a crib, said study author Dr. Erich K. Batra, of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Do Mosquitoes Love You? Blame Your Genes

Scientists don't fully understand why mosquitoes seem to feast on some people while only nibbling on others. Past research has shown that attractiveness to mosquitoes could be linked with people's blood type or skin bacteria. In the mosquito study, each participant placed her hands at one end of a Y-shaped tube, while her twin placed her hands on the other branch of the "Y." Mosquitoes were then let into the other end of the tube (the bottom of the "Y"), and the researchers recorded which twin's hands the mosquitoes preferred. Mosquitoes may fly toward certain body odors, which are thought to be partly determined by genes.

Mars Rover Curiosity Spotted from Space (Photo)

NASA's eagle-eyed Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has captured a view of the space agency's Curiosity rover trundling across the Red Planet.

Half the US Faces Earthquake Risk

More than 143 million Americans live in earthquake-prone regions in the Lower 48 states, according to research presented here Wednesday (April 22) at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America. If you include Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, that number rises to about 150 million U.S. citizens, said lead researcher Kishor Jaiswal, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contractor. In a previous estimate prepared in 1991, officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said 75 million people in 35 states were at risk of earthquakes. The USGS has also learned more about earthquake hazards.

Rare, Tiny 'Pocket Shark' Seen for 2nd Time

A juvenile male pocket shark has been discovered, making it the second of this type of shark ever recorded, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say. The teensy shark, extending just 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) in length and weighing a mere half ounce (14.6 grams), was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, though it was only recently identified, when Mark Grace, of NOAA Fisheries' Pascagoula, Mississippi, Laboratory, examined the specimen. The Gulf pocket shark is one of two such sharks ever reported. "Discovering him has us thinking about where Mom and Dad may be, and how they got to the Gulf," Grace said in a statement.

Hunt for ancient royal tomb in Mexico takes mercurial twist

By David Alire Garcia TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico (Reuters) - A Mexican archeologist hunting for a royal tomb in a deep, dark tunnel beneath a towering pre-Aztec pyramid has made a discovery that may have brought him a step closer: liquid mercury. In the bowels of Teotihuacan, a mysterious ancient city that was once the largest in the Americas, Sergio Gomez this month found "large quantities" of the silvery metal in a chamber at the end of a sacred tunnel sealed for nearly 1,800 years. "It's something that completely surprised us," Gomez said at the entrance to the tunnel below Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Mexico City. Some archeologists believe the toxic element could herald what would be the first ruler's tomb ever found in Teotihuacan, a contemporary of several ancient Maya cities, but so shrouded in mystery that its inhabitants still have no name.

Nearby Alien Planets Not So Life-Friendly After All

The star Tau Ceti, which lies just 11.9 light-years from Earth, is thought to host five exoplanets, two of which have been posited to lie in the "habitable zone" — that just-right range of distances that could support the existence of liquid water on the planets' surfaces. However, a new modeling study throws some cold water on the life-supporting potential of these two candidate worlds, which are known as Tau Ceti e and Tau Ceti f. "Planet e is in the habitable zone only if we make very generous assumptions," lead author Michael Pagano, of Arizona State University (ASU), said in a statement. Tau Ceti f has likely resided in the habitable zone for much less than 1 billion years, researchers said.

F1 technology moves into the supermarket fridge

Formula One's cutting-edge aerodynamic technology is moving into the supermarket chill cabinet. Williams Advanced Engineering, part of the Formula One team, said on Friday they had partnered with start-up Aerofoil Energy to develop a device that will save money and energy by keeping more cold air inside open-fronted refrigerators. Williams said their aerofoil system, modeled with computation fluid dynamics and tested at their F1 factory in central England, can be attached onto each shelf to redirect the air flow. Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket chain with 1,100 stores, is among retailers testing the product.

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