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Saturday, December 19, 2015

FeedaMail: Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Hubble telescope shows image of new 'lightsaber' star system

GREENBELT, Md. - NASA'S Hubble telescope captured an image of a baby star buried in interstellar gas and dust with massive jets emitting from it that seem to resemble a double-bladed lightsaber from the new film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Dr. Jennifer Wiseman said the image of dark clouds with a long gold line through it shows the birth stage of a new star system. "This particular protostar system looks like a double-bladed lightsaber, which is timely with all the Star Wars frenzy going on right now," she added.

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Friday, December 18, 2015

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Glimpse of Possible New Particle Intrigues Physicists

The biggest particle accelerator in the world might have found a hint of an entirely new fundamental particle — or it might be seeing ghosts. But even if it turns out to be nothing, particle physicists have written a spate of studies to coincide with the new experimental results, proposing different ideas about what might have been found. Theories in the new research papers range from positing new flavors of the Higgs boson (the particle thought to explain how other particles get their mass) to proposing candidates for dark matter.

Ancient 'Loch Ness monster' reptiles swam like penguins

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Plesiosaurs, marine reptiles that thrived in the world's seas when dinosaurs ruled the land, swam much like penguins by using their flippers to "fly" underwater, scientists said on Thursday, resolving a debate that began nearly two centuries ago. Plesiosaurs had four large flippers, and many had remarkably long necks. Nessie, Scotland's mythical Loch Ness monster, often is portrayed as looking like a plesiosaur.

MERS Vaccine Protects Camels, Which Is Good for People

A vaccine that protects against the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has been shown to be effective in camels, a new study finds. The vaccine, which was developed by German scientists, reduces the amount of the virus found in the camels infected with the disease, according to the study. Camels are considered the primary host for the virus, said the study, published today (Dec. 17) in the journal Science.

Targeting Gut Microbes Could Lower Risk of Heart Disease

For the first time, researchers find a compound in some red wines and olive oils can interfere with gut microbes in ways that could potentially help to prevent heart disease in humans. This new study, which was done in mice, also might reveal why the Mediterranean diet, which usually includes olive oil and red wine, is healthy for the heart, the scientists said. In the study, the researchers targeted the mice's gut microbes with a compound called DMB,— which naturally occurs in some cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils, red wines, balsamic vinegars and grape seed oils.

Analysis of crickets' jumps could lead to new, tiny robots

By Jillian Kitchener Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are dissecting crickets' jumps, not with a scalpel, but with high-speed cameras to analyze their patterns of movement. Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, Rajat Mittal, says he now sees spider crickets as much more than pests. Spider crickets are said to leap a distance equal to about 60 times their body length.

Is a Real Lightsaber Possible? Science Offers a New Hope

Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab, the United States' biggest Large Hadron Collider research institution. Lincoln contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This is the how a lightsaber was introduced to viewers nearly 40 years ago.

Shields Up! How the Earth Got a Force Field

Paul Sutter is a visiting scholar at the Ohio State University's Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics (CCAPP). Sutter is also host of the podcasts Ask a Spaceman and RealSpace, and the YouTube series Space In Your Face. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

How Forests Could Bridge the Energy Transition (Op-Ed)

Richard Houghton is a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, an independent research institute where scientists investigate the causes and effects of climate change to identify and implement opportunities for conservation, restoration and economic development. Negotiators in Paris face a tough job hammering out a global agreement to slash greenhouse gas emissions far enough and fast enough to prevent the worst effects of climate change. If governments could reverse tropical deforestation, the planet could buy some time, a point my colleagues and I highlighted in a recent commentary in the current issue of Nature Climate Change.

7 Animals with 'Star Wars'-Inspired Names

Species' scientific names are in Latin and have two parts. Take our own scientific name, Homo sapiens, for example — the first part of the name, Homo, describes our genus, a grouping that includes our closest relatives. If it shares enough traits with a known genus, the scientist who discovered the new species starts there, selecting a species name that can reflect anything from the new species' looks to the scientist's favorite celebrity.

For Hippos, Their Charismatic Looks Won't Keep Them Safe (Photos)

Julie Larsen Maher is staff photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the first woman to hold the position since the society's founding in 1895. Hippos rely on freshwater habitats, which puts the animals at odds with humans, who have growing needs for the same.

Adorable 'Star Wars' BB-8 Droid Brought to Life with 3D Printing

A software engineer in Canada recently created a 3D-printed replica of the adorable BB-8 robot from the new "Star Wars" movie. J.R. Bedárd was inspired to build his own version of the roly-poly robot after the real BB-8 droid (the one used in the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens") took to the stage at Star Wars Celebration, a fan convention held in April in Anaheim, California. Fans like Bedárd were amazed that the bot — which has a half dome for a head and a spherical body that rolls over the ground — actually appeared in the film and that the robot was not the product of computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Beware 'Star Wars' Spoilers: Enjoyment Suffers When Plot Revealed

The much-anticipated film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in U.S. theaters Friday (Dec. 18), and if you're not already waiting in line to see the very first screenings, you might be worried about spoilers ruining the experience. A recent study found that spoilers — or giving away key plot details — may not ruin an experience entirely, but can reduce suspense and decrease overall enjoyment. "Our study is the first to show that people's widespread beliefs about spoilers being harmful are actually well-founded and not a myth," the study's corresponding author, Benjamin Johnson, an assistant professor of communication science at VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, said in a statement.

Paris Climate Deal Could Stave Off Disaster, Al Gore Says

The world may have just turned the corner in the battle against climate change, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore says. The Paris agreement, which 195 nations signed over the weekend, could be the breakthrough that lets humanity avoid a looming climate catastrophe, Gore said here Wednesday (Dec. 16) at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The plan of action laid out by the accord, "while far from ideal, nevertheless sets in motion a process of change that gives us an excellent chance of accelerating the measures that could actually bring us to a point where we can start stabilizing the climate," Gore said.

Elephant Daughters Step into Murdered Matriarchs' Roles

When older members of an elephant family are killed, younger female elephants assume the roles once held by their mothers, maintaining the networks that keep extended families together, a new study has found. Over a 16-year period, researchers evaluated the changing social dynamics in groups of elephants in western Kenya as mature matriarchs were killed by poachers who hunt elephants for the ivory in their tusks. Not only did younger female elephants take up new social positions when an older matriarch died, but the links they forged with other elephant daughters mirrored connections once held by their mothers.

Ancient Marine Reptiles Flew Through the Water

The ancient, four-flippered plesiosaur didn't swim like a fish, whale or even an otter — but instead like a penguin, a new study finds. Plesiosaurs, giant marine reptiles that lived during the dinosaur age, likely propelled themselves forward underwater by flapping their two front flippers, much like penguins do today, the researchers said. "This is the first time plesiosaur locomotion has been simulated with computers, so our study provides exciting new information on how these unusual extinct animals may have swum," said study co-author Adam Smith, a curator of natural sciences at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

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Unusual 'sail-backed' dinosaur roamed Spain 125 million years ago

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Along a lush river delta in what is now northeastern Spain, a herd of dinosaurs munched on ferns and conifers similar to modern-day cypresses 125 million years ago. Scientists announced on Wednesday the discovery near the town of Morella in Spain's Castellón Province of the fossil remains of a medium-sized dinosaur they named Morelladon, a four-legged herbivore that measured 6 metres (20 feet) long. "The sail could help in heat exchange - thermoregulation - focused on releasing excess body heat into the environment, like the ears of the modern-day elephants, or as a storage place for fat to be used during periods of low food supply," said paleontologist Fernando Escaso of the National University of Distance Education's Evolutionary Biology Group in Spain.

Unusual 'sail-backed' dinosaur roamed Spain 125 million years ago

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Along a lush river delta in what is now northeastern Spain, a herd of dinosaurs munched on ferns and conifers similar to modern-day cypresses 125 million years ago. Scientists announced on Wednesday the discovery near the town of Morella in Spain's Castellón Province of the fossil remains of a medium-sized dinosaur they named Morelladon, a four-legged herbivore that measured 6 meters (20 feet) long. "The sail could help in heat exchange - thermoregulation - focused on releasing excess body heat into the environment, like the ears of the modern-day elephants, or as a storage place for fat to be used during periods of low food supply," said paleontologist Fernando Escaso of the National University of Distance Education's Evolutionary Biology Group in Spain.

Men with moustaches outnumber women in top U.S. academic medical jobs: researchers

By Alex Whiting LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Men sporting moustaches are more likely than women to head medical departments in 50 leading U.S. medical schools, highlighting a need to redress the balance of sexes, researchers said on Wednesday. Women accounted for 13 percent of department leaders in the top U.S. medical schools funded by the National Institutes of Health, while mustachioed men made up 19 percent, the U.S. team of researchers said in a study published in The BMJ. "We want to increase the representation of women in academic medical leadership by drawing attention to sex disparities," they said.

Crews remove equipment from contested Hawaii telescope site

Construction crews for what would be one of the world's largest telescopes have removed equipment from the dormant volcano in Hawaii where it was set to be built after the state Supreme Court revoked its permit, project officials said on Wednesday. The move by TMT International Observatory signals the project faces a potentially significant delay if the team behind it ever applies to state officials for a new permit to build at the Mauna Kea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. The Hawaii Supreme Court found on Dec. 2 that the permit for the project issued by state officials in 2013 was invalid because at that time, a public hearing to air objections to the plan had not been held.

Lawmakers call for British trials of genetically modified insects

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Britain should challenge "woefully inadequate" European regulations and launch field trials of genetically modified insects that are designed to wipe out disease-carrying bugs that harm crops and people, lawmakers said on Thursday. An influential committee of parliament's upper house said GM insects, such as mosquitoes altered to be sterile or "self-limiting" diamondback moths, had powerful potential against diseases like malaria and dengue, and in controlling crop pests that cost billions in lost production. "But the development of GM insect technologies has come to a screeching halt because the EU (European Union) regulatory system is woefully inadequate," the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said in a report.

Hairy Situation: More Mustaches, Fewer Women in Top Medical Spots

Even if you count only the men who have mustaches, you'll find a group that holds more leadership positions in medicine than women, a new study finds. Women hold 13 percent of department leader positions at U.S. medical schools, whereas men with mustaches hold 19 percent of these positions, according to the study, published today (Dec. 16) in the annual Christmas issue of the BMJ, which is a tongue-in-cheek edition of the medical journal that normally publishes serious research. For the study, the researchers looked at photos of department heads in 19 specialties at the top 50 NIH-funded medical schools in the U.S. They chose to compare the number of women heading departments to the number of men with mustaches heading departments because mustaches are rare, according to the study.

US Ebola Survivors Suffering Health Problems, Report Finds

The small number of people in the U.S. who contracted Ebola have all experienced complications from the disease after they recovered, including hair loss, joint pain and eye problems, according to a new report. Five survivors said they had eye problems, including pain, discomfort or blurriness, and two patients — Dr. Ian Crozier and Dr. Richard Sacra — required treatment for eye inflammation. The findings suggest that Ebola survivors may benefit from evaluation for eye, muscle, bone and nerve problems, the researchers said.

The Truth about Pre-Workout Supplements

Everyone wants to get the most out of the time they spend exercising, and "preworkout" supplements claim to help you do exactly that. It might be tempting to try one of these supplements before hitting the gym or heading out for a run, in hopes of increasing your energy levels, muscle power or endurance during your workout. Preworkout supplements often contain a mystery blend of ingredients ranging from caffeine to guarana to creatine.

Marijuana's THC May Increase 'Noise' in Your Brain

Marijuana's main psychoactive compound, THC, may increase random neural activity — or neural noise — in the brain, according to a new study. In the study, researchers gave THC to study participants through an IV, and found that the participants showed increased levels of random neural noise after the compound was administered. "At doses roughly equivalent to half or a single joint, [THC] produced psychosis-like effects and increased neural noise in humans," senior study author Dr. Deepak Cyril D'Souza, a professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, said in a statement.

Zombie Alert! Medical Journal 'Warns' of Walking Dead

In horror movies, "the way most zombie outbreaks happen is through an infection," Smith told Live Science. That's why Smith wrote the tongue-in-cheek piece for the BMJ's traditionally goofy Christmas issue. "We spread zombie science around the country," Smith said.

Arctic Temperatures Rising at Breakneck Speed

Last year was the warmest on record for the Arctic, and sea ice extent was at an all-time low since record keeping began in 1979. "Warming is happening more than twice as fast in the Arctic than anywhere else in the world," said Rick Spinrad, the chief scientific officer a the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), here in a press briefing at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. In addition, the sea ice extent during those months was the lowest since 1979, when record keeping began.

Ancient Mouse-Size Creature Uproots Mammal Family Tree

Three-dimensional computer models of fossils from a tiny mouse-size creature that lived about 210 million years ago in what is now Greenland clear up a long-standing mammal mystery. The high-tech analysis of the fossils suggests that mammals originated more than 30 million years more recently than previously suggested, the researchers say. Paleontologists analyzed fossils of haramiyids, extinct relatives of modern mammals that lived about 210 million years ago.

Got Calcium? Wild Parrots Use Tools During Snack Time

The black-feathered greater vasa parrot has a new skill to add to its resume — the use of tools to grind shells to create calcium powder, which it then proceeds to lick up with its pink tongue, a new study finds. The vasa parrot is now the only known species besides humans to use tools for grinding, the researchers said. The finding was an "entirely fortuitous discovery," said study lead author Megan Lambert, a doctoral student of psychology at the University of York.

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