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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

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KKR wins battle for forensic science firm LGC

By Hannah Brenton LONDON (Reuters) - KKR has won the auction to buy UK forensic sciences group LGC from Bridgepoint, the private equity firm said on Tuesday, after fighting off competition from three other sponsors that also submitted second round bids. KKR fought off bids from rivals EQT, Carlyle Group and CVC. The investment in LGC will be made primarily by the KKR European Fund IV.

No hiatus in global warming, says IPCC chief

By Nina Chestney PARIS (Reuters) - Global warming has not paused, but more research is needed to understand the level that might cause tipping points, or irreversible damage to the earth's climate system, the chair of the U.N. panel of climate scientists told Reuters on Tuesday. In 2013, the panel reported a slowdown or "hiatus" in warming since about 1998, despite rising man-made emissions of greenhouse gases, heartening skeptics who said the risks of climate change had been exaggerated. However, more recent research by the U.S. ...

US Life Expectancy Holds Steady; Infant Death Rate Drops

Infant mortality dropped to a record low in the United States in 2014, and mortality rates for several leading causes of death among adults have decreased as well, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When the researchers looked more closely at this drop, analyzing the rates of the 10 leading causes of infant death, they found that the rates remained largely the same from 2013 to 2014. The only significant change was in the rate of deaths from respiratory distress in newborns, which dropped from 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births to 11.5 infant deaths per 100,000 births, according to the authors of the report.

Rare 'Flasher' Squid Caught on Video

A squid with shiny, bioluminescent "spotlights" tipping two of its arms and what look like waxy red lips shared a close encounter with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in deep ocean waters near Hawaii. And the underwater face-to-face was captured in a spectacular video by cameras attached to the ROV, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. The squid even attached itself to the vehicle and "hung out there for several minutes," according to a dive update posted on NOAA's Okeanos Ocean Explorer website.

Gene Gems: Ultrapersonalized Jewelry Encapsulates Your DNA

Diamonds may be forever, but what's more unique and rare than even the most precious stones on Earth? The code of life, said Swiss chemist Robert Grass, the mastermind behind Identity Inside, a project that aims to create ultrapersonalized jewelry embedded with a loved one's DNA. "We started playing around with the idea of what we could do with this technology," he told Live Science.

74 Years Later, Sunken Pearl Harbor Plane Still Filled with Mystery

A ghostly, sea-life-encrusted airplane that has been resting at the bottom of Oahu's K?ne?ohe Bay for three-quarters of a century was recently photographed underwater by archaeologists in Hawaii. The U.S. Navy plane, a Catalina PBY-5 "flying boat," went down during the first few minutes of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Just before bombing the Pearl Harbor naval base, Japanese planes dropped bombs on the nearby Naval Air Station on the east coast of Oahu.

China's Latest 'Airpocalypse' Seen from Space

Severe air pollution is choking China with thick veils of smog, and yesterday (Dec. 7), Beijing issued a red alert — the highest possible — due to poor air quality in the Chinese capital city. Recent satellite images of the country show large hazy clouds covering portions of northeastern China that are so thick they can be seen from space. The images, taken by NASA's Earth-watching Suomi NPP satellite on Nov. 30, show some of the most severe pollution that cities in eastern China, including Beijing, have seen this year.

No strings attached -- but 'virtual guitar' wails

By Matthew Stock and Anastasia Gorelova LONDON (Reuters) - A guitar with no strings attached has become a reality. British researchers have created a "stringless" virtual guitar that is putting the power of music in the palms of people's hands.The Kurv Guitar does not look much like a guitar - it consists of a button pad that fits neatly into the player's hand and an oversized, sensor-packed guitar pick that recognizes strumming movements. The player strums the air with a pick-style controller, simulating real guitar playing. This elevates Kurv above a novelty or gaming device, such as the Guitar Hero video games, he said.

Vermont medical school delves into marijuana science

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — As more states allow for the use of medical marijuana, the University of Vermont is offering a course in the science of the drug — and the professors say they are challenged by a lack of research on what has long been a taboo topic.

Sunken Treasure Ship Worth Billions Possibly Found After 300 Years

The wreck of a lost treasure ship has been found 307 years after it vanished beneath the waves. The galleon San Jose was found at the bottom of the Caribbean off the Colombian coast on Nov. 27, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia said in a statement on Saturday (Dec. 5). Built in 1696, the Spanish galleon was lost in a sea battle with the English in 1708.

Don't tell Ahab: scientists find the real great white whale

Call me "Albicetus." Scientists on Wednesday said fossils unearthed in 1909 in Santa Barbara, California, that had been wrongly categorized for decades as belonging to a group of extinct walruses were the remains of a fearsome sperm whale that swam the Pacific Ocean 15 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch. "Because the fossil specimen is a pale white color, and an ancient sperm whale, it seemed appropriate to honor Melville's infamous whale," said researcher Alex Boersma of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History in Washington.

Don't tell Ahab - scientists find the real great white whale

Call me "Albicetus." Scientists on Wednesday said fossils unearthed in 1909 in Santa Barbara, California, that had been wrongly categorized for decades as belonging to a group of extinct walruses were the remains of a fearsome sperm whale that swam the Pacific Ocean 15 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch. "Because the fossil specimen is a pale white colour, and an ancient sperm whale, it seemed appropriate to honour Melville's infamous whale," said researcher Alex Boersma of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History in Washington.

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Scientists assembled for Monsanto say herbicide not carcinogenic, disputing WHO report

By Karl Plume CHICAGO (Reuters) - A panel of scientists is disputing a World Health Organization report published earlier this year that concluded glyphosate, the world's most widely used weed killer and main ingredient in Monsanto Co's Roundup herbicide, is probably carcinogenic to humans. The 16-member panel, assembled by Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy, will present its findings to the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis on Monday, aiming to publish the study at a later date after peer review. Monsanto paid Intertek for the panel's work.

Scientists assembled for Monsanto say herbicide not carcinogenic, disputing WHO report

Disease-resistant pigs latest win for gene editing technology

By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - A British animal genetics firm, working with U.S. scientists, has bred the world's first pigs resistant to a common viral disease, using the hot new technology of gene editing. Genus, which supplies pig and bull semen to farmers worldwide, said on Tuesday it had worked with the University of Missouri to develop pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSv). By using precise gene editing, the team from the University of Missouri was able to breed pigs that do not produce a specific protein necessary for the virus to spread in the animals.

Women in Combat: Physical Differences May Mean Uphill Battle

The Pentagon announced last week that it would open up all positions in the military to women — including combat positions. But in one way, the sex difference is stark: Men are physically stronger than women, on average.

Death by Flatfish: Whales Suffocate After Soles Clog Blowholes

Two long-finned pilot whales died along the Dutch coast last winter after flatfish got stuck in the whales' blowholes and suffocated the giant mammals, a new study finds. Blowhole suffocation due to fish is rare, and the researchers called it a "lose-lose situation," because both the whale and the flatfish, which were common sole (Solea solea), died during the event. It just went wrong," said study lead researcher Lonneke IJsseldijk, a biologist and a faculty member of veterinary medicine at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Thunder-Thighed Dinosaurs Arose Quickly from Predecessors

Dinosaurs took less than 5 million years to evolve from their reptile predecessors, the early dinosauromorphs, a new study finds. The finding revamps the time line between the dinosaurs and early dinosauromorphs. Until now, researchers thought that it took at least 10 million to 15 million years for the early dinosauromorphs to evolve into dinosaurs.

Raytheon's GPS control system is 'a disaster': U.S. Air Force general

General John Hyten, commander of Air Force Space Command, on Tuesday called Raytheon Co's work on a new ground control system for GPS satellites "a disaster," and said the Pentagon would undertake "significant" changes with the company to address the issues. Hyten said he attended a "deep dive" on the program hosted by the Pentagon's chief arms buyer, Frank Kendall, last Friday, and said significant changes were planned to get the program on track.

Childhood Allergies Could Signal Heart Disease Risk

Researchers found that kids with such allergies had higher rates of being overweight or obese — risk factors for heart disease — than children who don't have these allergic conditions. The investigators also found that children and teens with asthma or hay fever were twice as likely to have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which are also risk factors for heart disease, according to the study, published today (Dec. 8) in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

Marijuana Extract May Help Treat Epilepsy, Small Study Suggests

A medicine derived from marijuana may help treat children with severe epilepsy, new studies suggest. In one of the new studies, researchers administered the medicine to 261 people with severe epilepsy for three months. The study included children as young as 4 months and adults as old as 41, but most of the patients in the study were children, whose average age was 11.

Meet a Hibernating Primate: Vietnam's Slow Loris

Hibernation is well-documented in a number of animal species, and is common across the mammal family tree. Until recently, the only primates known to hibernate were Madagascar lemurs. Researchers conducted the first-ever study of hibernation in pygmy slow lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus), working with six adult animals at Vietnam's Endangered Primate Rescue Center.

Laser-Armed Cameras Can 'See' Around Corners

With the help of lasers, cameras can track moving objects hidden around corners, scientists say. Laser scanners are now regularly used to capture 3D images of items. This measurement reveals how far the light pulses have traveled, which can be used to recreate what the objects look like in three dimensions.

No hiatus in global warming, says IPCC chief

By Nina Chestney PARIS (Reuters) - Global warming has not paused, but more research is needed to understand the level that might cause tipping points, or irreversible damage to the earth's climate system, the chair of the U.N. panel of climate scientists told Reuters on Tuesday. In 2013, the panel reported a slowdown or "hiatus" in warming since about 1998, despite rising man-made emissions of greenhouse gases, heartening sceptics who said the risks of climate change had been exaggerated. "There is no hiatus (in global warming).

Why It's Time to Map the Microbiome (Kavli Roundtable)

Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights

Friends for Life: How Good Bugs Keep You Healthy (Op-Ed)

Body by Darwin: How Evolution Shapes Our Health and Transforms Medicine Not A Chimp: The Hunt For The Genes That Make Us Human

Saint West? Kim & Kanye Choose Baby Name That Fits Trend

Though Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West may be trendsetters, in one way, they are swimming with the current. "Kimye," as the couple is often called, have named their newborn son Saint West, who joins older sister North West in the high-profile Kardashian-West clan. "Though some may be scratching their heads at their [Kim and Kanye's] name choice, the name could take off because it actually reflects a growing trend in society," said Laura Wattenberg, the founder of the baby-name website babynamewizard.com and the author of "The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby" (Three Rivers Press, 2013).

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