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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

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If Hitomi is Lost, What Science is Lost With It? (Op-Ed)

Elizabeth received her doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Oxford and a Master in Science in theoretical physics from Durham University. At 4:40 p.m. JST (07:40 GMT) on Saturday, March 26, scientists at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) waited to communicate with the five-week-old X-ray space observatory Hitomi. Hitomi's name comes from the Japanese word for "eye pupil." But unlike our eyes that focus visible light, Hitomi's four telescopes focus X-ray radiation.

Fever: Federal report says global warming making US sick

WASHINGTON (AP) — Man-made global warming is making America sicker, and it's only going to get worse, according to a new federal government report.

Orbital presses U.S. lawmakers to end ban on retired missiles

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Orbital ATK is pressing U.S. lawmakers to end a 20-year ban on using decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) for launching commercial satellites and the effort has raised concern among companies that have invested millions of dollars in potential rival rockets. Orbital Vice President Barron Beneski said in an interview on Friday that the company was pushing Washington to get the ban lifted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act that sets defense policy for fiscal 2017, which begins Oct. 1. Virgin Galactic and other space startups said in interviews last week they worry that lifting the ban would give Orbital an unfair competitive advantage if it was allowed to use surplus government rocket motors in its commercial launch vehicles.

At Venus, a Japanese Spacecraft is Almost Ready for Big Science

A Japanese spacecraft's long-awaited Venus campaign is finally about to begin. Japan's Akatsuki probe was originally supposed to arrive at Venus in December 2010, but an engine failure caused the spacecraft to miss its target and zoom off into orbit around the sun.

Size vs. Shape: What's More Important for Heart Health?

When it comes to heart health, body shape matters: A new study finds that having an apple-shaped body may increase the risk for heart disease in people with diabetes. In the study, people who had a higher waist circumference were more likely to have problems with the left ventricle of their heart, which is a common cause of heart disease, compared with people with smaller waists, according to the findings presented today (April 2) at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in Chicago. "This study confirms that having an apple-shaped body — or a high waist circumference — can lead to heart disease, and that reducing your waist size can reduce your risks," Dr. Joseph Muhlestein, the director of cardiovascular research at Intermountain Medical Center in Utah and the senior author on the study, said in a statement.

Concussions and Cognitive Skills: What's the Impact?

Concussions may have lasting and widespread effects on a person's cognitive abilities, according to two new studies presented here at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's annual meeting. There's been an assumption that a concussion can affect a person's thinking skills for several weeks, the researchers said. Each group included some people who had a concussion and some who had never experienced one.

Grilling Danger: Wire Brushes Cause Injuries, Doctors Warn

In a new study, researchers attempted to estimate how many Americans are injured by ingesting wire bristles from grill brushes. The study found that between 2002 and 2014, nearly 1,700 Americans visited the emergency room for injuries related to ingesting grill-brush bristles. Among these cases, injuries to the mouth, throat and tonsils were the most common, but people also suffered injuries to the stomach or intestines.

How a Sleepless Night Affects Your Ability to Focus

In the study, the researchers confirmed that sleep deprivation can impair what's known as "selective attention," or the ability to focus on specific information when other things are occurring at the same time. A classic example of a setting that requires your selective attention is a cocktail party, said Eve Wiggins, a former student at Willamette University in Oregon and the lead researcher on the study. Selective attention is the ability to focus on a conversation you're having with someone at that party, even though you can hear other conversations going on all around you, she said.

Curse Tablets Discovered in 2,400-Year-Old Grave

The grave would have provided the tablets a path to such gods, who would then do the curses' biddings, according to ancient beliefs. One of the curses targeted husband-and-wife tavern keepers named Demetrios and Phanagora. The word kynotos literally means "dog's ear," an ancient gambling term that "was the name for the lowest possible throw of dice," Jessica Lamont, an instructor at John Hopkins University in Baltimore who recently completed a doctorate in classics, wrote in an article published recently in the journal Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik.

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Monday, April 4, 2016

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Religious Reveal: Men Lag Behind Women in Devoutness

The new survey results represent six faith groups (Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated) from 84 different countries, according to the Pew Research Center, which collected the data from 2008 to 2015.

California's Extreme Droughts Blamed on 'Ridiculously Resilient Ridge'

The weird weather pattern that hatched California's ongoing drought is becoming more common, and could bring more extreme dry spells in the future, a new study finds. California is suffering its worst drought in 1,200 years because of a persistent atmospheric "high" parked just offshore. This high-pressure ridge — aptly named the "ridiculously resilient ridge" — deflects winter storms northward, away from California, according to the researchers.

Possible Viking Settlement in Canada Revealed in Satellite Images

Scientists have uncovered what may be a previously unknown Viking settlement in Newfoundland, Canada, news sources report. The newly identified site, known as Point Rosee, contains a hearthstone that was likely used for working iron, making it only the second known pre-Columbian, iron-processing site in North America, the researchers told National Geographic. The public can follow their progress by tuning into "Vikings Unearthed," a 2-hour NOVA special that can be watched online Monday (April 4) and on TV Wednesday (April 6).

Are You Ready for America's 1st Virtual-Reality Roller Coasters?

Buckle up, roller coaster enthusiasts! The amusement park Six Flags has joined forces with Samsung to bump up the thrill factor of rides with virtual-reality roller coasters that are set to be the first of their kind in North America. Virtual reality (VR) is already changing how people experience museum exhibits and conduct medical training, and now roller coasters that blend physical sensations with digital worlds can be added to the list. Park-goers will be able to experience these new rides at six different Six Flags locations, with another opening up next Friday (Apr 9) at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, and two more at Six Flags The Great Escape in Lake George, New York, and La Ronde in Montreal, Canada, later this spring.

Strangely in Sync: Scientists Solve 350-Year-Old Pendulum Clock Mystery

The 350-year-old mystery of why pendulum clocks hanging from the same wall can influence each other and synchronize over time may hold even more secrets than previously thought, researchers say. In 1665, the inventor of the pendulum clock, Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens, was lying in bed sick, watching two of his clocks, when he noticed something odd: No matter how the pendulums on these clocks started, they ended up swinging in exactly the opposite direction from each other within about a half-hour. Solving the puzzle could help shed light on the mysterious phenomenon of synchronization, scientists say.

Giant Mammoth Skull Discovered by Bulldozer Operator

A bulldozer operator at a sand pit in northwestern Oklahoma got quite a surprise this month when he spotted a huge skull that belonged to a Columbian mammoth. These giants were plentiful across the plains of Oklahoma during the Pleistocene epoch, which lasted from about 1.8 million to 11,700 years ago, said Leland Bement of the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey. The discovery was not unheard of, as the Survey typically receives about three "mammoth-sighting" calls a year, Bement said.

Great Barrier Reef Coral Bleaching is 'Worst in its History'

Australia's Great Barrier Reef corals are in trouble. The northern part of the world's largest coral reef ecosystem is experiencing "the worst mass bleaching event in its history," according to a statement released Tuesday (March 29) by the Australian Research Council. Documented by the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce (NCBT) in aerial surveys, observations of more than 500 coral reefs spanning 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) showed that the majority of reefs were undergoing extensive and severe bleaching.

Scientists bemoan SeaWorld decision to stop breeding orcas

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — There's one last orca birth to come at SeaWorld, and it will probably be the last chance for research biologist Dawn Noren to study up close how female killer whales pass toxins to their calves through their milk.

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Sunday, April 3, 2016

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FDA May Limit Arsenic in Infant Cereals

The Food and Drug Administration today proposed a new limit for the level of arsenic allowed in infant rice cereal. After an extensive study of arsenic levels in food, the FDA proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. The agency's testing has shown that most infant rice cereals now on the market (around 80 percent) already meet, or are close to meeting, this requirement, the FDA said.

Obesity Numbers Overtake Underweight Population

Now, new research finds that more of the world's population is obese than underweight. "Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity to one in which more people are obese than underweight," Majid Ezzati, senior author of the paper and professor of public health at Imperial College London, said in a statement. The researchers looked at the percentage of adults who were underweight (which the researchers defined as having a body mass index, or BMI, below 18.5), obese (a BMI from 30.0 to 34.9), severely obese (a BMI from 35.0 to 39.9) or morbidly obese (a BMI greater than 40.0).

Protecting Pregnant Women in the US from Zika Is a Top Priority, Officials Say

More than 300 local, state and federal officials met today (April 1) to discuss these plans at a "Zika Action Summit" in Atlanta. Although the virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, is not yet spreading in the United States, officials stressed that action is needed now to prevent the virus from affecting pregnant women here.

Lab-Grown Skin Sweats and Sprouts Hair

In a lab in Japan, researchers have grown complex skin tissue, complete with hair follicles and sweat glands, according to a new study. The findings may one day help researchers create better skin transplants for human patients with severe burns or skin diseases. Prior to the new study, researchers had already developed a more basic type of skin substitute that had been used successfully in human patients, said Takashi Tsuji, a team leader at RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan.

Bezos praises third Blue Origin launch-and-land rocket test as 'perfect'

By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - Jeff Bezos' space transportation company Blue Origin successfully launched and landed for the third time a suborbital rocket capable of carrying six passengers, taking another step on its path in developing reusable boosters, the company said on Saturday. "Perfect booster landing," Bezos wrote on Twitter. Blue Origin declined to comment on the test but said on Twitter, "Congrats Blue team on today's (flight)!" Saturday's flight marks the third successful launch-and-land for the rocket, with similar missions completed in January and November.

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