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Sunday, March 6, 2016

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Fossilized lizard, 99 million years old, is a clue to 'lost ecosystem'

A fossilized lizard found in Southeast Asia preserved in amber dates back some 99 million years, Florida scientists have determined, making it the oldest specimen of its kind and a "missing link" for reptile researchers. The lizard is some 75 million years older than the previous record holder, according to researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History, who announced the finding this week. "It was incredibly exciting to see these animals for the first time," Edward Stanley, a member of the research team, said on Saturday.

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Saturday, March 5, 2016

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Revamped satellite data shows no pause in global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) — Climate change doubters may have lost one of their key talking points: a particular satellite temperature dataset that had seemed to show no warming for the past 18 years.

Back on Earth, U.S. astronaut faces science labs without the view

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - The return of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from the longest U.S. space mission on record will kick off a wave of medical tests and experiments intended to pave the way for extended human missions to Mars. Kelly, 52, is scheduled to give a news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday to discuss his 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. "I'm used to going 17,500 miles per hour, but this airplane doesn't quite do that," Kelly quipped after a belated 2:30 a.m. EST/0730 GMT touchdown on Thursday at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center.

Scientist George Washington Carver's fungi found in Wisconsin

By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - U.S. inventor George Washington Carver, known for his creativity with the peanut, has excited modern scientists with an unexpected find: century-old specimens of fungus. University of Wisconsin officials said on Friday they discovered about 30 samples of the renowned African American inventor's fungus over the last month in old wooden cabinets in a hallway. Carver, who died in 1943, collected microfungi and sent samples to the University of Wisconsin and other institutions such as Field Museum in Chicago and the University of Illinois, Feist said.

Astronaut Scott Kelly Is Home from a 1-Year Mission, But the Science Continues

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is back on Earth after a 340-day stay in space, but the "one-year mission" is far from over. The goal of sending Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko to the International Space Station for nearly a year was to learn about the ways that long-duration spaceflight affects the human body and psyche. The two space travelers returned home to Earth on March 1, but the science experiments that will study the two men are still in progress.

SpaceX rocket blasts off on satellite-delivery mission

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on Friday on a satellite-delivery mission that was to involve an attempt to make a return landing at sea. There was no immediate word from Elon Musk's privately owned Space Exploration Technologies on whether the first stage of the rocket returned intact to a landing platform floating in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida. The rocket, carrying the 12,613-pound (5,721 kg) Boeing-built satellite, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:35 p.m. EST/2335 GMT.

SpaceX rocket blasts off on satellite-delivery mission

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on Friday and delivered a communications satellite into orbit, as mission controllers waited to learn whether the launch vehicle's first stage succeeded in making a return landing at sea. More than half an hour after launch, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's privately owned Space Exploration Technologies still issued no word on whether the rocket's main stage had returned intact to a landing platform floating in the Atlantic about 400 miles (645 km) off Florida's coast. The rocket, carrying the 12,613-pound (5,721 kg) Boeing-built satellite, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:35 p.m. EST/2335 GMT.

Trump's 'Big Hands'? What Science Says About Men's Anatomy

At last night's Republican debate, a new issue surfaced when candidate Donald J. Trump responded to Sen. Marco Rubio's previous remark about the size of certain body parts. "And he [Rubio] referred to my hands: 'If they're small, something else must be small.' I guarantee you there's no problem. Some studies have found a correlation between finger length and penis size, and others have not, Herbenick told Live Science.

SpaceX rocket destroyed in failed ocean landing attempt

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A SpaceX Falcon rocket thrust a communications satellite into orbit on Friday before the reusable main-stage booster turned around, soared back toward Earth and was destroyed when it failed to land itself on a platform in the ocean, the company said. SpaceX, owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, previously said the chances of a successful return landing of the rocket's main stage at sea were slim, given its high speed when it separated from the spacecraft. ...

Scientist: Possible new octopus species found near Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Scientists say they have discovered what might be a new species of octopus while searching the Pacific Ocean floor near the Hawaiian Islands.

'Ghostlike' octopus found in Pacific may belong to new species

By Frank McGurty NEW YORK (Reuters) - An underwater research craft has spotted a "ghostlike" octopus that appears to belong to a previously unknown species at a depth of more than two miles (3 km) on the floor of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, U.S. scientists say. The milky white creature, nicknamed "Casper the Friendly Ghost" by Twitter users, was caught on cameras mounted on the craft at a depth of 4,290 meters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Describing the animal as an incirrate octopod, one of two main groupings of octopods, NOAA said it was the first time an incirrate was spotted so deep in the ocean.

The Surprising Things You Shouldn't Say to Someone Who's Lost Weight

Participants were asked detailed questions about their diet, physical activity and the kinds of support they received from friends and family. Surprisingly, the results showed that people who regained weight reported receiving more support overall from their family and friends. For example, compared to people who maintained their weight loss, the people who regained weight reported more frequently that their friends and family reminded them not to eat high-fat foods, or reminded them to be physically active.

Zika Virus: Microcephaly May Be 'Tip of the Iceberg' for Infant Problems

Pregnant women who become infected with Zika virus may be at risk for not only having a child with microcephaly, but also having a fetus with other serious health issues, including problems with the nervous system and even fetal death, according to a new study from Brazil. The study — which provides some of the strongest evidence that Zika virus causes microcephaly — found that nearly one-third of women who had Zika infections during their pregnancy had an ultrasound that showed fetal abnormalities.

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Friday, March 4, 2016

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Nanotechnology makes cheap, improved, water filters

By Ben Gruber BERKELEY, CA (Reuters) - Researchers have developed nano-scaled membranes that could potentially filter contaminants out of water faster and cheaper than current methods. Baoxia Mi, an assistant professor of environmental engineering at the university of California, Berkeley, is developing a water filter comprised of membranes made up of layers of graphene 100,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. "We made it from graphite, which is a material that we use in pencils for example, so it's cheap and relatively abundant. The water enters the maze and passes through a series of layers separated by spaces specifically designed to remove different types of contaminants. "In order to remove different targeted molecules, the most direct way of thinking about it is to control the spacing that we have between the layers," added Mi. Another advantage to these graphene oxide filters is the rate at which water can pass through them, which Mi says is up to five magnitudes higher than conventional filters thanks to the unique properties of the carbon base membranes. The researchers are currently fine tuning their filters.

Happy Events Can Spur 'Broken Heart Syndrome'

A rare condition known as "broken heart syndrome" is usually brought on by an emotionally devastating or stressful event. This is the first time researchers have linked pleasant experiences with broken heart syndrome, which causes a sudden but temporary weakness in the heart muscle, according to the findings, published on Thursday (March 3) in the European Heart Journal. Broken heart syndrome can be easily confused with a heart attack because people who experience the syndrome have symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath, the study said.

What the Deepest Spot in the Ocean Sounds Like

It turns out the ocean is one noisy, riotous place, teeming with the sound of seismic temblors, whale songs and ship propellers — even at the deepest ocean trench.

Hubble telescope's latest find pushes back clock on galaxy formation

Located a record 13.4 billion light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, the galaxy, named GN-z11, was first spotted two years ago in a Hubble Space Telescope deep-sky visible light survey. At the time, astronomers knew they were seeing something very far away, possibly as distant as 13.2 billion light-years from Earth. Being able to use Hubble to peg the galaxy's distance was a surprise, said astronomers who will publish their research in next week's issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Aurora Flight Sciences wins $89 million contract for X-plane

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aurora Flight Sciences has been awarded a contract for more than $89 million for the vertical take off and landing X-plane, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The contract is for the second and third phase of the X-plane research portfolio, the Department of Defense said in its daily digest of major contract awards. Aurora Flight beat out Sikorsky, now with Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co and Karem Aircraft. The work is expected to be completed by September 2018. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Aurora Flight Sciences wins $89 million contract for X-plane

Aurora Flight Sciences has been awarded a contract for more than $89 million for the vertical take off and landing X-plane, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The contract is for the second and third phase of the X-plane research portfolio, the Department of Defense said in its daily digest of major contract awards. Aurora Flight beat out Sikorsky, now with Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co and Karem Aircraft.

U.S. loses control of weather satellite, assigns backup: Air Force

U.S. officials have lost control over one of a series of satellites used to provide weather data to military aircraft, but the use of a backup satellite means there will be no change to service, the Air Force said on Thursday. Control was lost on Feb. 11, and officials are unsure whether it can be regained, the Air Force said in a statement. The military weather satellite program is jointly run in Suitland, Maryland, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Air Force.

Back on Earth, U.S. astronaut faces science labs without the view

Oldest Muslim Graves in France Discovered

Three medieval graves in southern France may hold the remains of three Muslim men, a new study finds. Not only are the individuals' faces oriented toward Mecca, a holy city for Muslims, but the shape of the grave is reminiscent of other Muslim burials, the researchers said. If the individuals were indeed Muslim, these graves would be the earliest Muslim burials on record in France, the researchers said.

There Be 'Baby Dragons'...Ready to Hatch in Slovenian Cave

Biologists at Postojna Cave, a 15-mile-long (24 kilometers) cave system in southwestern Slovenia, are waiting with bated breath for the arrival of up to 55 baby olms (Proteus anguinus). Olms are the largest of all cave-adapted animals, but they have long been enigmatic, Sessions and his colleague, Lilijana Bizjak Mali, of the University of Slovenia, wrote in an email to Live Science. Postojna Cave is a major tourist attraction, complete with an aquarium where visitors can see olms in captivity.

What Caused This Man's Bladder to Be Encased in Calcium?

A man in Qatar who had blood in his urine and pain for more than a month when he peed found out that his symptoms were caused by his body's attempt to fight off a parasitic worm infection, a new case report reveals.

How to Cope with Stress During Pregnancy

There's no doubt that pregnancy can be a stressful time in a woman's life.

Quieter Supersonic Jet Is on the Horizon with New NASA Program

A new passenger jet that can fly at supersonic speeds without the distinctive but earsplitting sonic "boom" generated when these superfast planes travel faster than the speed of sound is one step closer to getting in the air. NASA has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to come up with a preliminary design for the supersonic jet. The company will receive $20 million over 17 months to come up with a preliminary design, according to NASA.

Tornado Clusters Becoming More Deadly And More Common

One terrifying example is the April 25-28 outbreak in 2011, when some 350 tornadoes ripped across the south-central United States, killing more than 300 people. Outbreaks are responsible for 79 percent of tornado-related fatalities, said Michael Tippett, a climate and weather researcher at the School of Applied Science and Engineering and the Data Science Institute, both at Columbia University in New York. The researchers analyzed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tornado records from 1954 to 2014.

Psychosis Plus Pot Could Mean More Hospital Time

People who have certain psychiatric disorders and also use marijuana may spend more time in the hospital for their conditions, a new study from England suggests. Marijuana users in the study who were diagnosed with a psychotic illness for the first time were 50 percent more likely to be admitted to the hospital and also had longer hospital stays compared with people who suffered a first episode of psychosis and did not use weed, according to the findings, published today (March 3) in the journal BMJ Open. Psychotic illnesses are those that involve a break from reality, such as hallucinations or delusions.

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