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Friday, August 28, 2015

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Pockets of Lower Vaccination Rates Remain Across the US

Most infants and kindergartners in the United States are up-to-date with their vaccinations, but there are some areas where vaccination rates are lower, potentially increasing the risk that diseases will spread there, according to two new reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first report found that vaccination rates in 2014 for U.S. infants ages 19 to 35 months were generally high. However, vaccination coverage tended to be lower for vaccines that require more than one dose.

Still Breaking Bad: Meth Lab Injuries on the Rise, CDC Reports

Meth lab injuries are on the rise in some parts of the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These labs put not only the people who produce the drug, but also the general public and law enforcement officials, at risk of injury, according to the CDC. The researchers looked at data from five states — Louisiana, Oregon, Utah, New York, and Wisconsin — and found that meth-related chemical incidents increased from 2001 to 2004 as the drug initially gained popularity.

Photos Show How NASA Removed Tanks from Retired Space Shuttles for Station

New behind-the-scenes photos reveal how the water storage tanks deep inside NASA's retired space shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour were recently removed by the space agency for future use on the International Space Station. The photographs of the shuttle tank removals, which were shared with collectSPACEby NASA workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and by the manager for Endeavour's display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, show how the 3-foot-long (0.9 meters) tanks were accessed under the floor of the orbiters' crew cabins and were then extracted through different hatches on each vehicle. As collectSPACE.com was the first to report, the retired shuttles' potable water tanks were called back into service by NASA to support a new storage system for the space station.

Scientists, tribe study shrinking Washington state glacier

MOUNT BAKER, Wash. (AP) — Glaciers on Mount Baker and other mountains in Washington state's North Cascades are thinning and retreating. Seven have disappeared over the past three decades, and the overall volume of glaciers in the range have lost about one-fifth of their volume.

Leading stem cell scientist cleared of misconduct charges

LONDON (AP) — Sweden's Karolinska Institute says a leading stem cell scientist accused of unethical behavior has been cleared of scientific misconduct though he sometimes acted without due care.

Pentagon teams up with Apple, Boeing to develop wearable tech

By David Alexander NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (Reuters) - The Pentagon is teaming up with Apple, Boeing, Harvard and others to develop high-tech sensory gear flexible enough to be worn by people or molded onto the outside of a jet. The rapid development of new technologies is forcing the Pentagon to seek partnerships with the private sector rather than developing its technology itself, defense officials say. "I've been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in prepared remarks on Friday.

Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin joins Florida university

By Irene Klotz MELBOURNE, Fla. (Reuters) - Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first Americans to land on the moon, will spearhead a new research institute in Florida aimed at paving a path toward Mars exploration and settlement, officials said on Thursday. The Buzz Aldrin Space Institute will be based at the Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, located about 40 miles (64 km) south of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Melbourne. Aldrin, 85, wants to expand his long-term space exploration program that includes human spaceflight, robotics and science initiatives.

Scientists Send Kombucha to Space in Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Kombucha, a fizzy, fermented tea and trendy new favorite of hipsters and health nuts everywhere, has reached stellar heights as part of an experiment on the International Space Station. Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) have placed the same bacteria and yeasts used to make Kombucha tea on the outside of the orbiting laboratory to see how the organisms fare in the unprotected environment of space. The Kombucha experiment is one in a series of "Expose" studies run by ESA to find out if multicellular biofilms — a community of microorganisms that can stick together on a surface — can survive in the unshielded environment above Earth's atmosphere.

Sampling Enceladus: Is Earth Ready for Pieces of Saturn Moon's Plumes?

Many astrobiologists are champing at the bit to bring back samples from Saturn's ocean-harboring moon Enceladus, but others say it may be best to exercise a little patience. In 2005, NASA's Cassini spacecraft discovered that geysers blast from Enceladus' south polar region, sending material from the ice-covered moon's subsurface ocean far out into space. It's tempting to grab samples from Enceladus' plume and return them to labs on Earth for analysis as soon as possible, but a slower, more methodical plan may be the right way to assess the moon's life-hosting potential, one prominent space scientist says.

Creepy Kangaroos: Why They Stand So Still

A field of grey, motionless kangaroos staring down a bicyclist in a recent YouTube video is not evidence of marsupial zombies, scientists say — though the pouched Australians look eerily possessed. The upright kangaroos peer intensely at Ben Vezina, who posted the video on YouTube on Aug. 23, as he approaches them on bike in Hawkstowe Park in Melbourne. "It looks really normal," said Marian Powers, a zookeeper at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Sea Ice: Ancient Oceans Birthed Diamonds

Diamonds can form with the help of ancient saltwater, say researchers who have identified the gems that crystallized with the help of oceanic crust dating back as far as 200 million years ago. Scientists think the jewels usually form 90 to 150 miles (140 to 250 kilometers) below Earth's surface, in the planet's mantle layer, which is sandwiched between Earth's crust and core. The deepest of these precious stones have come from 430 miles (700 km) below Earth's surface.

Pointing the Way: 3D Computer Cursors Could Navigate Virtual Worlds

Researchers have come up with a way to turn cursors into a tool that can navigate around 3D space. Conventional pointers that are controlled with a trackpad and show up as a tiny arrow on a screen will soon be outdated, according to scientists at the University of Montreal in Canada. This futuristic technology could play an integral role in how virtual reality software responds to how users move in real life.

Lost Palace of Sparta Possibly Uncovered

An ancient Greek palace filled with cultic objects and clay tablets written in a lost script may be the long-lost palace of Mycenaean Sparta, one of the most famous civilizations of ancient Greece. The palace, which burnt to the ground in the 14th century B.C., also contained several tablets written in Linear B script, the earliest known form of written Greek, the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement. The ancient palace was uncovered about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) away from the historical Sparta that arose centuries later.

Syfy Channel's 'Dark Matter' Finale Tonight Brings Shocking Revelation

Four of the seven central cast members of "Dark Matter" told members of the press that they didn't know how the series would end until the very last day of shooting. Throughout filming, the cast said they had theories as to how the season would end but were still blown away by the final reveal. It was the show's creator, executive producer and showrunner Joe Mallozzi, who decided to keep it hidden.

Man Has Polio Virus Living in Gut for 30 Years

A man in the United Kingdom experienced a very rare complication of the polio vaccine he received in childhood — he never cleared the virus from his body. As a result, the virus has been circulating in his gut for nearly 30 years, and is still being excreted in his stool today, according to a new report of the case.

Catastrophic Volcanoes Blamed for Earth's Biggest Extinction

Geologists hauling hundreds of pounds of 250-million-year-old rocks from Siberia, through Russian and American customs, say luck was on their side. Not only did they successfully transport the huge haul, but they also may have confirmed the cause of Earth's worst mass extinction. Catastrophic volcanic eruptions that spewed enough lava to cover Australia led to the die-off at the end of the Permian era, the researchers found.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Watch the Milky Way Shine Over California's King Range in This Awesome Video

Robert Wick, photographer for the BLM, contributed this video to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The King Range is one of more than 800 units of the National Conservation Lands, special areas managed for conservation by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. For further information on these spectacular lands visit the BLM special areas site.

Cosmic Forensics Pinpoint Stellar Suspects in Supernovae (Kavli Roundtable)

Adam Hadhazy, writer and editor for The Kavli Foundation, contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. For brief periods, Type Ia supernovae can outshine an entire galaxy of billions of stars. Astrophysicists want to understand the origins of supernovae because they are integral to the evolution of galaxies and the study of dark energy.

Does Marijuana Change the Brain?

The effects of marijuana on the brain may be more complicated than experts previously thought, and may depend on factors related to the person using the drug, such as their genetics, two new studies suggest. Marijuana use does not lead to smaller brain size in teens, one of the new studies found. But in people who are genetically prone to schizophrenia, marijuana could alter their brain development in potentially negative ways, according to the other new study.

Forget the 'Supermoon': What's Actually Happening at Lunar Perigee

A full moon is when the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. As seen from the surface of the Earth, the moon is fully illuminated. Because the Earth is constantly revolving around the sun and the moon is constantly revolving around the Earth, a full moon is an instantaneous event, occurring when the moon is exactly opposite the sun.

New NASA Model Maps Sea Level Rise Like Never Before (Video)

A new NASA model is showing just how fast sea levels are rising around the world as a result of climate change. At a news conference today (Aug. 26), NASA officials described a new computer visualization of sea level change incorporating data collected by satellites since 1992 — it reveals that sea levels are rising quickly but unevenly across the globe. "Sea level rise is one of the most visible signatures of our changing climate, and rising seas have profound impacts on our nation, our economy and all of humanity," Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said at the news conference.

NASA Crashes Plane to Test Emergency Beacons (Video)

NASA sent a small airplane plummeting to Earth today (Aug. 26), for safety's sake. Scientists and engineers at the space agency's Langley Research Center in Virginia dropped a Cessna 172 from a height of 100 feet (30 meters), in a crash test that was captured on video. Two dummies were aboard the 1974 airplane, which was outfitted with a number of cameras and sensors, as well as five emergency locator transmitters (ELTs).

Baby Panda Twin Dies at National Zoo

One of giant panda Mei Xiang's twin cubs died today (Aug. 26), just five days after its birth, the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., reported. The cub showed no signs of decline until this morning, after spending the night with its mother Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), while its twin stayed in an incubator, said Dr. Donald Neiffer, the chief veterinarian of the National Zoo. This arrangement was set up to help Mei Xiang care for the twins.

NASA: Rising Sea Levels More Dangerous Than Thought

The consequences of global sea level rise could be even scarier than the worst-case scenarios predicted by the dominant climate models, which don't fully account for the fast breakup of ice sheets and glaciers, NASA scientists said today (Aug. 26) at a press briefing. The open question, NASA scientists say, is just how quickly the seas will rise in the future. "When heat goes under the ocean, it expands just like mercury in a thermometer," Steve Nerem, lead scientist for NASA's Sea Level Change Team at the University of Colorado in Boulder, said in the press briefing.

FDA wants food companies to hand over their pathogens

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Investigations into foodborne illness are being radically transformed by whole genome sequencing, which federal officials say is enabling them to identify the source of an outbreak far more quickly and prevent additional cases. Previously, samples from sick patients were sent to state and federal labs, where disease detectives ran tests to see if the infections were caused by the same bug. When enough matches emerged, typically a dozen or so, epidemiologists interviewed sick people, looking for a common food that was causing the outbreak.

'Star Trek: Renegades' Fan Film Warps Online on YouTube

A new (but unofficial) "Star Trek" film is out there now for the world to see — for free.

No, Mars Won't Be As Big as the Moon in the Sky Tonight

Sorry, skywatchers: Despite what you may have heard, Mars won't look as big as the moon overhead tonight (Aug. 27). The unknown sender of that message was trying to get people excited about an unusually close approach of Mars to Earth in late August 2003. "The encounter will culminate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles (55,763,108 kilometers) of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky," one paragraph of the email reads.

India's 1st Mars Probe Captures Stunning 3D View of Huge Chasm

India's first mission to Mars has captured a stunning new 3D view of a vast chasm, revealing gullies shaped by erosive forces on the Red Planet. The images, sent back by India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), show Ophir Chasma, a portion of the massive Valles Marineris system that stretches across much of the planet's equator. According to NASA, the chasm is the northernmost connected valley in Valles Marineris, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) long.

What's Blue with Legs All Over? New 3D Avatar Millipede

The 1.5-inch-long (3.8 centimeters) millipede was discovered in Andalusia in Spain, in 2005. It lives in the dirt underneath stones and leaf litter — a decomposer that "acts as an important component of soil fauna," said study lead researcher Nesrine Akkari, the curator of the Myriapoda Collection at the Museum of Natural History in Vienna. The researchers placed the jar containing the millipede in the machine, which then took X-rays of the specimen from different angles.

Why America Is Prone to Mass Shootings

A strange paradox is emerging in America: Overall violent-crime rates are down, but active shooter events — in which a person is trying to kill multiple people in a populated area — appear to be on the rise, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics. Meanwhile, a just-released study finds that although the United States has just about 5 percent of the world's population, the country has 31 percent of the world's mass shooters. The reasons for these numbers are complex, researchers say, but the data suggest that the availability of guns, and perhaps the American obsession with fame, may be to blame.

What Household Dust Says About You

Menageries of microscopic life — veritable zoos with extraordinary diversity — lurk hidden in household dust, and scientists now find that these tiny communities can differ greatly from each other depending of where a person lives, what pets a person has, and how many people in the house are male or female, researchers say. "Our homes are ecosystems," said study co-author Noah Fierer, a microbial ecologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This research could shed light on the impact that dust microbes can have on human health, scientists added.

Mars Hoaxes: Why We Believe

Any emails or Facebook messages to the contrary are, alas, nothing but a hoax. Rumors that Mars would appear as large as the moon first emerged in 2003, when the Red Planet was actually passing closer than usual to Earth. Since then, the hoax has circulated every year and is going around yet again, despite multiple attempts by NASA to debunk this myth.

Mars Hoaxes! 6 Stubborn Red Planet Conspiracy Theories

Every year in August, the same Mars message circulates across the Internet: The Red Planet will appear "as big as the full moon" in the sky, as seen with the naked eye. The so-called Mars Hoax (which started in 2003 after a real-life close approach of Mars to the Earth) is just one of a series of false claims concerning the Red Planet. Readers apparently missed the line saying that it would take a 75-power magnification in a telescope to make Mars appear as big as the full moon.

Why Knut the Polar Bear Died So Suddenly

He spawned millions of fuzzy toys, garnered media attention on everything from his cod-liver diet to his lack of mates and even inspired his own song before his untimely death in 2011. He was Knut the polar bear, the star of the Berlin Zoo. It turns out that Knut was killed by an autoimmune disorder called anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a kind of brain inflammation.

Insecure Men May Be More Prone to Violence

Although it's often assumed that males who feel they are "manly" men are more likely to engage in violence than those who are less concerned about their masculinity, men who feel they don't meet perceived masculine gender norms and are stressed about it may be equally prone to violent acts, a new study finds. "These findings suggest prevention of discrepancy stress may likewise prevent acts of violence with the greatest consequences and costs to the victim, offender and society," the researchers wrote in the study.

'McWhopper' Mega-Burger Would Have Mega-Calories

Burger King is proposing a one-day truce with its fast-food competitor McDonald's to create the "McWhopper," a combination of the Big Mac and the Whopper, the most popular burgers at the respective chains. Neither restaurant has released information about the exact nutritional value of the hypothetical mega-burger, which Burger King wants to sell in honor of World Peace Day in September. According to the Burger King proposal, the McWhopper would be 6 parts Big Mac and 6 parts Whopper.

Birth Order Peril: Firstborn Women More Likely to Be Obese

Second-born siblings may argue that firstborns get all the glory, but there may be a health benefit to coming in second: Firstborn women may be more likely to be overweight or obese than their later-born sisters, according to a new study in Sweden. Firstborn women in the study were 29 percent more likely to be overweight, and 40 percent more likely to be obese, compared with their second-born sisters, according to the researchers. In the study, researchers looked at data from the Swedish Birth Register on nearly 13,500 pairs of sisters. The data included the participants' weight when they were born, as well as their weight and height during their first pregnancies, at their first prenatal visit.

Placenta 'Switch' that Kickstarts Labor May Solve Long-Standing Mystery

As any 40-weeks'-pregnant woman can attest, predicting when labor might start is a dark art — which is to say, basically impossible. Now, a new study suggests that a genetic "switch" in the placenta might kick off the production of the hormones that start labor. "It's 2015, and even now we don't understand how the clock works that governs the length of pregnancy," said study researcher Dr. Todd Rosen, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at the Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Scientists solve mystery of polar bear Knut's death

Knut, the star polar bear who was hand-reared at Berlin zoo after his mother rejected him, had a type of auto-immune inflation of the brain that is found in humans, scientists said on Thursday. Knut, who was just four when he drowned at the zoo in 2011, was reared by his keeper Thomas Doerflein. Knut had an epileptic fit and drowned in a pool in his enclosure.

Scientists solve mystery of polar bear Knut's death

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