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Thursday, December 10, 2015

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Apple CEO: More computer science and coding education needed

Apple CEO Tim Cook says teaching coding to kids is just as important as teaching any other foreign language. And the younger kids start learning it, the better. Cook spoke to a group of New York third ...

Modest Chinese dinosaur was forerunner to later horned behemoths

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With their elaborate horns, bony neck frills and bulldozer-like bodies, members of the horned dinosaur group like Triceratops were among Earth's most impressive beasts during the Cretaceous Period near the end of the age of dinosaurs. At about 3 feet long (1 meter), it was much smaller than later members of the group, formally called ceratopsians. Triceratops, which lived alongside Tyrannosaurus rex in western North America about 67 million years ago, exceeded 30 feet (9 meters) in length.

First ever test-tube dogs give 'puppy love' a new meaning

By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rarely is a major scientific breakthrough so darn cute. Dogs share more than 350 similar heritable disorders and traits with humans, almost twice as many as any other species, according to the paper.

5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Make Your Gifts Meaningful

Holiday gift buying can feel a little empty, when all of those endless lists, long lines at the mall and dollars spent lead to a 5-minute frenzy of flying wrapping paper and ribbon. Years of scientific research on gift giving have turned up a few ways to make the whole process a little more fulfilling. The following tips can help make gift giving more meaningful for both the giver and the recipient.

Novel Chemical 'Washes Away' Alzheimer's Plaque in Mice

Scientists in Korea have found a small molecule that, when added to the drinking water of mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease, washed away the protein plaques associated with the disease and improved the mice's learning and memory functions. The chemical, called EPPS — short for 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1- piperazinepropanesulphonic acid — posed no ill effect for the mice even at high doses. The scientists hope to conduct further studies to determine whether the EPPS is safe and effective for humans with Alzheimer's disease.

Only Half of Overweight Americans Are Serious About Weight Loss

Most overweight Americans want to lose a few pounds, but only half say they are seriously trying to do so, a new poll suggests. The poll was conducted last month, and participants were asked to report their actual weight and their ideal weight. For men, the average weight was 196 lbs. (89 kg), and the average ideal weight was 183 lbs. (83 kg).

Being Happy Doesn't Really Increase Your Life Span

In other words, poor health, and not unhappiness, was the true cause of early death, the researchers said. "Illness makes you unhappy, but unhappiness itself doesn't make you ill," study researcher Bette Liu, of the University of New South Wales in Australia, said in a statement.

50 Shades of Green? Environmental Attitudes Vary Widely in US

You don't have to be a nature lover to be "green." A new survey suggests that Americans' attitudes about protecting the environment aren't just linked to their love of the great outdoors. Turns out, religion and politics might be strongly tied to how people perceive environmental issues, according to the survey of 1,500 Americans who answered questions about their interactions with the natural world, their religious and political beliefs and their stance on environmental issues, such as global warming. Based on the answers, the researchers created nine distinct profiles, or "shades" of green: Only 10 percent of Americans fall into the group that the researchers labeled "outdoor greens." This group consists of staunch environmentalists who also spend a lot of time enjoying nature.

Dinosaur Blood Vessels Survived 80 Million Years Without Fossilizing

Tiny, delicate vessels that carried blood through a duck-billed dinosaur 80 million years ago never fossilized and still contain the beast's tissue, a new study finds. Researchers discovered the prize specimens on the femur (leg bone) of Brachylophosaurus canadensis, a 30-foot-long (9 meters) duck-billed dinosaur that was excavated in Montana in 2007. Now, several tests show that the specimens are the original blood vessels, making them the oldest blood vessels on record to survive with their original components, the researchers said.

IVF Puppies: First Litter Born by In Vitro Fertilization

The first-ever litter of puppies conceived through in vitro fertilization was born recently, unlocking a reproductive secret in domestic dogs that has helped researchers solve a decades-old canine biology puzzle. The findings, published online today (Dec. 9) in the journal PLOS ONE, outline the eggs-ceptional process that produced seven healthy puppies — five with two beagle parents and two with a cocker spaniel father and a beagle mother — born by scheduled caesarian section to a host female dog. In vitro ("outside the body") fertilization, also known as IVF, combines the egg and sperm in an artificial environment, creating an embryo that is then implanted in a host that carries it to full term.

Angkor Wat Yields Astounding Buried Towers & Spiral Structure

Eight buried towers and the remains of a massive spiral structure created from sand have been discovered at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The massive structure — almost a mile long — contains a spiral design, with several rectangular spirals that form a giant structure, archaeologists say. "This structure, which has dimensions of more than 1,500 m × 600 m (about 1 mile by 1,970 feet) is the most striking discovery associated with Angkor Wat to date.

Da Vinci Droid & Dancing Machines: Japan Convention's Coolest Bots

Leonardo da Vinci (or rather, a robot that looks a heck of a lot like the Renaissance painter and inventor) made an appearance at a robotics show in Japan last week. The humanoid da Vinci bot was on display at the Robot Exhibition 2015 (iREX), a biannual convention that opened in Tokyo on Dec. 2. With its long white beard, bright blue eyes and pensive facial expressions, the da Vinci robot really does bear a striking resemblance to the man best known as the inventor of flying machines and painter of the Mona Lisa.

Bigger Smiles, Less Hair: How Yearbook Photos Have Changed

People now may have more to smile about — at least when it comes to their yearbook photos. High school seniors today are much more likely to smile for the camera in their senior- year snaps, compared with the turn of the 20th century, new research finds. Few young women now would contemplate shellacking their hair into a beehive, instead opting for longer, more natural locks, said study lead author Shiry Ginosar, a doctoral candidate in computer science at the University of California at Berkeley.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

(Sponsor this newsletter)

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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