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Monday, March 7, 2016

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Australia's ugly mammals fail to catch the eye of scientists, study shows

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pushed out of the limelight by cuddly koalas and kangaroos, Australia's less glamorous native bats and rodents have failed to catch the eyes of scientific researchers, a new study shows. Just 11 percent of scientific studies on Australian wildlife since 1901 have looked at native bats and rodents, although they make up 45 percent of all species, says the study published in the Mammal Review Journal. ...

Australia's ugly mammals fail to catch the eye of scientists, study shows

Pushed out of the limelight by cuddly koalas and kangaroos, Australia's less glamorous native bats and rodents have failed to catch the eyes of scientific researchers, a new study shows. Just 11 percent of scientific studies on Australian wildlife since 1901 have looked at native bats and rodents, although they make up 45 percent of all species, says the study published in the Mammal Review Journal. Australia has already had some unique bat species become extinct and there is a risk more could follow without anyone noticing, said Trish Fleming, a wildlife biologist from Murdoch University.

Now you're talking: human-like robot may one day care for dementia patients

By Paige Lim SINGAPORE (Reuters) - With her brown hair, soft skin and expressive face, Nadine is a new brand of human-like robot that could one day, scientists hope, be used as a personal assistant or care provider for the elderly. The 1.7-metre tall Nadine was created in the likeness of its maker, Nadia Thalmann, a visiting professor and director of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's Institute of Media Innovation who has spent three decades researching into virtual humans. Nadine is not commercially available, but Thalmann predicted robots could one day be used as companions for people living with dementia.

Ancient Burial Ground with 100 Tombs Found Near Biblical Bethlehem

An ancient necropolis that once held more than 100 tombs from as far back as 4,000 years ago has been discovered near the Palestinian town of Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2014 a team from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine excavated some of the tombs, and in 2015 a joint Italian-Palestinian team surveyed the necropolis and created a plan for future exploration. The archaeologists found that the necropolis covered 3 hectares (more than 7 acres) and originally contained more than 100 tombs in use between roughly 2200 B.C. and 650 B.C.

How Speedy Beetles 'Ski' Across the Water

Prakash, an assistant professor with the Department of Engineering at Stanford University in California, filmed the beetles as they skittered over plates filled with water, explaining in a statement that working with them in the lab was difficult because they were hard to find when they got loose. "Although these potholes are being generated by the insect itself," Prakash added.

Rare Amber-Entombed Lizards Preserved in Amazing Detail

The tiny, trapped fossils, found in Myanmar, represent an unparalleled sampling of species diversity for tropical lizards from the Cretaceous era, which lasted from 145.5 million years ago to about 65.5 million years ago. The fossils are astonishingly well-preserved, the researchers said, including specimens with intact skin, visible skin pigment and soft tissues — and in one case, a lolling tongue. One individual's spindly toes earned it the nickname "Nosferatu," after the long-fingered silent-movie vampire, said study co-author David Grimaldi, a curator in the division of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Earth's Fiery Depths Filled with Brimstone

Earth's inner core is a metallic mix of iron and light elements such as sulfur, hydrogen and silicon, a new study finds. This isn't the first time scientists have proposed that Earth's fiery depths are filled with brimstone, another name for sulfur. Researchers at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, mimicked the inner core in a laboratory equipped with a laser-heated diamond anvil cell.

Zika Virus May Infect, Kill Neural Stem Cells

The Zika virus may infect and kill a type of brain cell that is crucial for brain development, according to a new study done in human cells growing in lab dishes. Although the results don't prove the Zika virus can cause the condition called microcephaly in babies, the findings do suggest where and how the virus may cause damage in the brain, the researchers said. The researchers showed that the Zika virus can infect brain cells, in lab dishes; however, the researchers still don't know if the same thing happens to cells in a developing fetus that is infected with the virus, Song added.

The Brain Science Behind Raising the Tobacco Buying Age to 21

San Francisco's new tobacco ordinance — which raises the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 — could help improve the health of a new generation of people by preventing addiction, health officials said. Nationally, 18-year-olds can buy tobacco products, including cigarettes and cigars. These new policies could lead to better brain development among young adults who might have otherwise chosen to smoke at a younger age, said Brian King, the deputy director for research translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health.

Time short to protect Africa's food supply from climate change - scientists

By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Without action to help farmers adjust to changing climate conditions, it will become impossible to grow some staple food crops in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, with maize, beans and bananas most at risk, researchers said on Monday. In a study of how global warming will affect nine crops that make up half the region's food production, scientists found that up to 30 percent of areas growing maize and bananas, and up to 60 percent of those producing beans could become unviable by the end of the century. Six of the nine crops - cassava, groundnut, pearl millet, finger millet, sorghum and yam - are projected to remain stable under moderate and extreme climate change scenarios.

Doesn't Make Scents? Snakebite Causes Man to Lose Ability to Smell

In an unusual medical case, a man in Australia lost his sense of smell for more than a year after he was bitten by a venomous snake, according to a new report of his case. The man has since regained some of his sense of smell, but he is still unable to fully detect smells the way he did before his encounter with the reptile, called the mulga snake, said the doctors and other experts who examined the man's neurological condition about a year after he was bitten and who wrote the report of his case. "As far as I know, he is still affected but somewhat improved," said Kenneth D. Winkel, a toxinologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, who co-authored the report.

Time short to protect Africa's food supply from climate change - scientists

Can You Outrun a Supervolcano? Maybe, Study Finds

Can you outrun a supervolcano? "I wouldn't recommend anyone try to outrun a volcano, but there's a few of us that could," said Greg Valentine, a volcanologist at the University at Buffalo in New York. By analyzing rocks trapped in volcanic ash, Valentine and his colleagues discovered the lethal ash flow spread at street speeds — about 10 to 45 mph (16 to 72 km/h).

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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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