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Monday, May 2, 2016

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Mumps Outbreak at Harvard: Why Do Vaccinated People Get Sick?

An outbreak of mumps at Harvard University continues to grow, and experts say the close living spaces in college dorms may make people particularly susceptible to the virus, even if they've been vaccinated. This week, the Cambridge Public Health Department confirmed that more than 40 people at the university have been sickened with the mumps virus. Outbreaks typically don't happen in the general population, but instead are more likely to occur among people who live in close quarters, such as college dorms, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist and a senior associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Health Security.

Why Some Women Are Likely to Have Twins

Twins tend to run in families, and now researchers have identified two genes that make women more likely to conceive nonidentical twins. Both genes are related to the production and processing of the hormone that helps oocytes (egg cells) mature. "There's an enormous interest in twins, and in why some women have twins while others don't," study co-author Dorret Boomsma, a biological psychologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said in a statement.

Simple Trick May Improve an Infant's Attention Span

Parents can help improve their child's attention span in a very simple way: by paying attention to the toy their child is playing with, a new study suggests. The study shows that a young child's attention span can be changed by the real-time behaviors of parents, said Chen Yu, a professor of psychology and brain science at Indiana University in Bloomington and the lead author of the study. The results reveal that social interactions between a parent and an infant can influence the development of the child's attention span.

ITER nuclear fusion project faces new delay, cost overrun: Les Echos

The international ITER project to build a prototype nuclear fusion reactor will be delayed by more than a decade and faces another 4 billion euros of cost overruns, its director told French daily Les Echos. ITER chief Bernard Bigot said the experimental fusion reactor under construction in Cadarache, France, will not see the first test of its super-heated plasma before 2025 and its first full-power fusion not before 2035. "The previous planning, which foresaw first plasma by 2020 and full fusion by 2023, was totally unrealistic," said Bigot, who succeeded Japan's Osamu Motojima at the head of ITER early last year.

Second stage of European-Russian mission to Mars delayed until 2020: Roscosmos

The second stage of a joint European-Russian mission to search for signs of life on Mars will be delayed from 2018 to 2020, Russian news agencies reported on Monday, citing a statement from Russian space agency Roscosmos. The statement said Roscosmos and the European Space Agency had taken the decision to delay the second stage of the ExoMars mission partly because of delays by European and Russian industrial contractors. In March, Europe and Russia launched a spacecraft from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan as part of the ExoMars program.

Jellyfish from Outer Space? Amazing Glowing Creature Spotted

With red and yellow lights seeming to glow inside its bulbous body, a newfound jellyfish looks more alien spaceship than deep-sea cnidarian. Video captured of the jellyfish reveals a stunning sight: The organism sports two sets of tentacles, long and short, that extend from its pulsating bell. When the long tentacles are extended outward, the jellyfish's bell remains still.

Beyoncé Got It Right: Cheating's Emotional Fallout Gushes from 'Lemonade'

Beyoncé hasn't revealed what inspired her to create "Lemonade," a musical album and film that details the emotions felt after learning of a husband's infidelity. "She's speaking a language that so many people have experienced," said Kassia Wosick, a research affiliate at New Mexico State University and an assistant professor of sociology at El Camino College in Torrance, California. In fact, "Lemonade" may show people that "how we move through infidelity is painful, but it's also very strengthening, and there is an afterward," Wosick told Live Science.

Secret Atomic Role of WWII-Era Aircraft Carrier Revealed

A team of underwater archaeologists has pieced together information from declassified government documents and a shipwrecked World War II-era naval vessel to understand the secret role played by one of the most historic U.S. aircraft carriers: the USS Independence. The Independence (CVL 22) was one of 90 vessels assigned to Operation Crossroads — the atomic bomb tests conducted at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands — but it was deliberately sunk, or scuttled, in 1951 and little was known about its career after the atomic bomb tests.

Dinosaurs Migrated Out of Europe as Ancient Supercontinent Broke Up

Between 230 million and 66 million years ago, dinosaurs plodded across the supercontinent Pangea, and migrated from Europe to other parts of the world. The researchers used "network theory" in a new way to see how different dinosaur fossils were connected. The team chose continents as points and then drew connecting lines if the same types of dinosaurs were found on two or more continents.

Portable Device Can Test If Your Food Is Gluten-Free

For people with gluten allergies or celiac disease, the idea of eating out in restaurants can be terrifying. It typically involves scrutinizing menus and food labels, interrogating waiters, or having to bring their own meals wherever they go. Manufactured by San Francisco-based startup 6SensorLabs, the portable gluten-testing device, called Nima, can test food for the presence of gluten, providing results within minutes and reducing people's food anxiety.

Buddhist Sculptures Discovered in Ruins of Ancient Shrine

Sculptures and carvings dating back more than 1,700 years have been discovered in the remains of a shrine and its courtyard in the ancient city of Bazira. The sculptures illustrate the religious life of the city, telling tales from Buddhism and other ancient religions. Also called Vajirasthana, Bazira is located the in the Swat Valley in Pakistan.

To Motivate Kids, Don't Dwell on Their Failures

The way you view failure may influence how your children view their own abilities, a new study finds. In particular, the researchers wanted to know whether a parent's view of failure might influence the way kids think about their intelligence. They found that parents who see failure as a major setback may be encouraging their children to think that intelligence is fixed.

Science Explains Why Your Mom Calls You by Your Brother's Name

Such "misnamings," or when a person calls someone else by the wrong name, occur frequently, according to the study. When people call someone by the wrong name, they tend to call that person by the name of someone in the same social group, the researchers found.

Solar-powered plane departs California on round-the-world flight

A solar-powered airplane midway through an attempt to circle the globe departed northern California on Monday on the next leg of its history-making journey, a relatively short 16-hour flight to Arizona, the project team said. The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft dubbed Solar Impulse took off just after 5 a.m. local time from San Francisco on a flight that will take the plane over the Mojave Desert before its planned arrival in Phoenix shortly before 9:30 p.m. Occupying the plane's tiny cockpit for Monday's trip was Swiss aviator Andre Borschberg, a co-founder of the project.

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Saturday, April 30, 2016

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Astronomers find a tailless comet, first of its kind

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Astronomers have found a first-of-its-kind tailless comet whose composition may offer clues into long-standing questions about the solar system's formation and evolution, according to research published on Friday in the journal Science Advances. The so-called "Manx" comet, named after a breed of cats without tails, was made of rocky materials that are normally found near Earth. Most comets are made of ice and other frozen compounds and were formed in solar system's frigid far reaches.

Simulating Mars exploration, British astronaut guides rover from space

British astronaut Tim Peake drove a rover on Mars on Friday -- or at least pretended to by test-driving the exploration vehicle on earth remotely from space. From the International Space Station (ISS) some 250 miles above earth, the European Space Agency astronaut guided rover prototype "Bridget" around a cave set up in an area simulating Mars's sandy and rocky surface in Stevenage, England. The experiment was part of the Multi-Purpose End-To-End Robotic Operation Network (METERON) program looking at how astronauts can work robots from space.

Africa's giant eye in the sky proving worth its SALT

By Wendell Roelf SUTHERLAND, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa's SALT telescope has helped detect the first white dwarf pulsar, the latest co-discovery that has astronomers eager to use the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere to unlock the galaxy's secrets. Quick reaction times, as well as being significantly cheaper than similar European or American facilities in producing the science are key competitive advantages, said a senior astronomer at the SALT consortium during a media visit. "SALT is now living up to expectations, producing high-quality science data that probe the far reaches of the universe," said Ted Williams, a director at the South African Astronomical Observatory managing the site.

Astronomers find a tailless comet, first of its kind

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Friday, April 29, 2016

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Slumber party: reptiles, like us, have REM sleep and may dream

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Research in a German laboratory involving five lizards called Australian bearded dragons indicates that these reptiles may dream and could prompt a fundamental reassessment of the evolution of sleep. Scientists said on Thursday they have documented for the first time that reptiles, like people, experience rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep and another sleep stage called slow-wave sleep. Because REM sleep is when dreaming occurs in people, the findings suggest that these lizards dream, too.

Do Australian Dragons Dream? Sleep Discovery Surprises Scientists

Maybe, according to new research that finds rapid eye movement (REM) and slow-wave sleep in a lizard, the Australian dragon, for the first time. REM sleep is characterized by brain waves that look similar to waking brain activity. In mammals, the large muscles of the body are immobile, but the eyes twitch randomly during REM sleep.

Repairs to keep ULA rocket grounded until summer, company says

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - United Launch Alliance's workhorse Atlas 5 rocket will remain grounded until this summer while engineers fix a problem that triggered an early engine shutdown during its last flight, the space venture said on Friday. The Atlas 5 rocket that blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 22 successfully delivered an Orbital ATK cargo ship to the International Space Station for NASA. United Launch Alliance, or ULA, is a partnership of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co.. Engineers have traced the problem to a fuel control valve in the RD-180 engine that reduced the amount of kerosene delivered during the boost phase of the flight, ULA said in a statement.

China aims for manned moon landing by 2036

China wants to put astronauts on the moon by 2036, a senior space official said, the latest goal in China's ambitious lunar exploration program. China in 2003 became the third country to put a man in space with its own rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has touted its plans for moon exploration and in late 2013 completed the first lunar "soft landing" since 1976 with the Chang'e-3 craft and its Jade Rabbit rover.

Did Opioids Kill Prince? Why It's So Easy to Overdose

Exactly what caused Prince's sudden death last week is still unknown, but there have been reports that prescription painkillers were found with the singer-songwriter when he died. Experts say there are a number of ways in which prescription opioids can be lethal, particularly if they are taken in combination with other drugs, or if someone starts using the drugs again after a period of sobriety. What's more, people are often not aware of just how easy it can be to overdose on these drugs, said Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York.

Teens Who Do Jell-O Shots More Likely to Binge Drink

About 20 percent of underage drinkers in the United States consume alcoholic Jell-O shots, and these youth are also more likely to engage in binge drinking and other risky behaviors, a new study finds. On average, Jell-O shot users consumed 31 alcoholic drinks per month, compared with 19 alcoholic drinks among nonusers. About 73 percent of Jell-O shot users were binge drinkers, meaning they consumed five or more alcoholic drinks in a row, compared with 48 percent of nonusers.

Having More Friends May Mean Feeling Less Pain

People in the study who had larger social networks appeared to have a higher tolerance for pain, according to the findings, which were published today (April 28) in the journal Scientific Reports. In the study, the researchers wanted to see if people with larger social networks had higher levels of chemicals in the brain called endorphins. Endorphins are linked to feelings of pleasure, as well as reduced feelings of pain.

Spanking Makes Kids More Defiant, Studies Suggest

In fact, kids who were spanked were more likely to defy their parents, have mental health problems and be anti-social, the research finds. "Our analysis focuses on what most Americans would recognize as spanking and not on potentially abusive behaviors," Elizabeth Gershoff, an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a statement. A 2014 UNICEF study found that about 80 percent of parents spank their children worldwide.

'Lost' Medieval Music Performed for First Time in 1,000 Years

The language of music is universal, but can be lost over time. After a 20-year reconstruction effort, a researcher and a performer of medieval music have brought "lost" songs from the Middle Ages back to life. The "Songs of Consolation" were recently performed at the University of Cambridgein the United Kingdom.

Power Up with Pee: New Fuel Cell Could Generate Cheap Electricity

Researchers have developed a way to create affordable and renewable electricity with a fuel cell that runs on urine. The new device relies on natural biological processes of so-called electric bacteria, essentially living cells that eat and breathe electricity. "These electric bacteria are a fascinating type of bacteria that are capable of transferring electrons generated by the breaking down of organic compounds extra-cellularly," said study co-author Mirella Di Lorenzo, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath, in the United Kingdom.

Pop went the weasel and down went the Large Hadron Collider

GENEVA (AP) — It's one of the physics world's most complex machines, and it has been immobilized — temporarily — by a weasel.

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