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Friday, June 17, 2016

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The Secret Behind Birds' Brainy Feats Revealed

The next time someone calls you a "bird brain," you may want to plant a big, fat kiss on their overgrown primate noggin. Inch for inch, birds cram more neurons into their pea-size brains than primates do, new research suggests. "For a long time, having a 'bird brain' was considered to be a bad thing: Now, it turns out that it should be a compliment," Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said in a statement.

Search for Another King Under a Parking Lot Begins

Nearly four years after the body of King Richard III was discovered under a parking lot, a new search is on for an English monarch under pavement. On Friday (June 10), archaeologists began a survey of the grounds of the long-closed Reading Abbey, the final resting place of King Henry I, who ruled England from 1100 to 1135. In order to image the subsurface, they relied on ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which uses reflected radar waves to reveal buried structures.

Centuries-Old Shipwreck Recreated with 3D Printing

Now, archaeologists in the United Kingdom are using 3D printing to bring two historical shipwrecks to life for history enthusiasts and experts alike. Using data from photogrammetry (measuring the distance between objects from photographs) and sonar imaging, the researchers have produced scale models of a 17th-century shipwreck near Drumbeg, in Scotland, and the remains of the HMHS Anglia, a steamship that was used as a floating hospital during World War I. "It was a proof of concept for us, trying to establish what could be done using sound and light, but there are so many different applications you could use this for," said maritime archaeologist John McCarthy, a project manager at Wessex Archaeology who carried out dives at the Scottish site and was in charge of producing the 3D models.

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

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Freaky! New Frog Mating Position Discovered

A new frog mating position, only the seventh type ever observed, has been discovered in the monsoonal forests of India. "Species such as the Bombay night frog, which are endemic to small regions (most often outside protected areas and threatened with anthropogenic activities), definitely require conservation prioritization," study leader Sathyabhama Das Biju, an amphibian researcher at the University of Delhi, told Live Science in an email. This made fieldwork a "very challenging experience," Biju said.

Mysterious Earthen Mounds Discovered in Ancient Cambodian Cities

Using airborne laser-scanning equipment, archaeologists have discovered vast fields of dome-shaped earthen mounds, arranged into gridded patterns, in 1,000-year-old Cambodian cities. The scientists are puzzled as to what these vast "dome fields" (as archaeologists sometimes call them) would have been used for around 1,000 years ago, calling them "the most enigmatic features" from this archaeological landscape. In addition to the dome fields, archaeologists also found mounds shaped into geometric patterns, such as spirals.

The Science of Mass Shooters: What Drives a Person to Kill?

Just days after a gunman opened fire in a gay club in Orlando, Florida, a complex and sometimes contradictory picture of his motivations is emerging. He called 911 during the attack to pledge allegiance to the jihadist group ISIS and its rival, the al-Nusra Front, according to the FBI. He was known to spew hatred against women, Jews, black people and gays, but apparently used gay dating apps and visited Pulse (the nightclub he would later attack) regularly for years, according to multiple people who knew him before the shooting.

Satellite tags aim to shed light on endangered hawksbill sea turtle migration

By Matthew Stock June 16 (Reuters) - Scientists are tagging hawksbill sea turtles in a key South Pacific breeding ground, hoping that information fed to satellites will help them better understand the endangered species' nesting, feeding and migration patterns. With Thursday marking World Sea Turtle Day, environmental organization Nature Conservancy said it and local conservation officers are carrying out the project in the Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area in the Solomon Islands, the largest hawksbill rookery in the South Pacific. Turtle tagging is not new but a hawksbill satellite program on this scale has never previously been done in the Arnavons, Richard Hamilton of the Nature Conservancy said in a video release.

Apple's New App: Can Deep Breathing Lower Stress?

A new app from Apple coaches you through breathing exercises, but do these exercises really help reduce stress? This week, Apple announced a number of new features for the Apple Watch, including an app due out this fall called Breathe, which will "encourage users to take a moment in their day to do deep breathing exercises for relaxation and stress reduction," the company said in a statement. The watch can track a user's heart rate, and so at the end of a session, users will see a summary of their heart rate data, Apple said.

Procrastinators Beware: Insomnia Linked with Putting Things Off

People who procrastinate may be more likely to have insomnia, according to a new study. The new results show that sleep problems may be an important and overlooked outcome of procrastination, the researchers said in their study, which will be published in the October issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Sharks' Evening 'Rush Hour' Discovered

If sharks at the Pacific atoll of Palmyra used Google Maps, they'd see a lot of red dashes for traffic between 7 and 8 o'clock every evening. "Sharks are in trouble worldwide, so we need to be thinking about new tools and new technologies for studying them, and this one — which wasn't designed for scientific applications — worked very well," lead study author Douglas McCauley, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a statement.

High-Tech Toothbrush Corrects Common Brushing Errors

More commonly, people hold their toothbrushes perpendicular to their teeth and gums, said Alexander Kandemir, inventor of the new iBrush 365. The gums should make a tight seal with the teeth, but holding a toothbrush perpendicular to the teeth pushes the gums upward and makes them start to pull away, he added.

Get in the Action: 'Transformers' Director Tackles Virtual Reality

It looks like Michael Bay is jumping on the virtual reality bandwagon. The director, known for Hollywood blockbusters such as "The Rock," "Armageddon" and "Transformers," is joining forces with The Rogue Initiative, a production studio that specializes in creating interactive virtual reality experiences. The partnership was announced today (June 15), with Bay and the Los Angeles-based studio saying they will create immersive virtual reality (VR) content that blends traditional storytelling in filmmaking with action sequences that viewers will be able to experience up close with VR tech.

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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

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Gunshot Wounds Are Getting Deadlier, One Hospital Finds

Just days after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a new study from Denver finds that deaths from gunshot wounds at a trauma center there have increased over the past decade and that gunshot injuries have become more severe. "Our study provides an objective measure of something trauma surgeons across the country already know: The firearms used in our communities are becoming more harmful and more lethal," said study co-author Dr. Angela Sauaia, a professor of public health, medicine and surgery at the University of Colorado Denver. During that time, a total of about 1,680 people were treated for gunshot wounds at the hospital, and the number of people hospitalized yearly for gunshot injuries was about the same from year to year, according to the findings.

Can coffee cause cancer? Only if it's very hot, say WHO scientists

By Kate Kelland LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - There is no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer, the World Health Organization's cancer agency will say as it downgrades its warning, but it will also say all "very hot" drinks are probably carcinogenic. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as "possibly carcinogenic" but has changed its mind. On Wednesday it will say its latest review found "no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect".

Can coffee cause cancer? Only if it's very hot, say WHO scientists

By Kate Kelland LONDON, (Reuters) - There is no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer, the World Health Organization's cancer agency will say as it downgrades its warning, but it will also say all "very hot" drinks are probably carcinogenic. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as "possibly carcinogenic" but has changed its mind. On Wednesday it will say its latest review found "no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect".

Airplane-Size Seabird Flew Above Antarctica 50 Million Years Ago

A prehistoric seabird that was the size of a small airplane and had a mouthful of sharp teeth once soared over ancient Antarctica, occasionally stopping to snag fish and squid, a new study finds. Researchers found a broken 3.3-inch-long (8.5 centimeters) piece of the bird's humerus (upper arm bone) on Seymour Island in West Antarctica. They dated the bird's humerus to the Lower Eocene, between 53 million and 49 million years ago, said study lead author Marcos Cenizo, the director of the Provincial Museum of Natural History in La Pampa, Argentina.

From green slime to jet fuel: algae offers airlines a cleaner future

As airlines struggle to find cleaner ways to power jets and with an industry-wide meeting on CO2 emissions just months away, scientists are busy growing algae in vast open tanks at an Airbus site at Ottobrun, near Munich. The European aerospace group is part-financing the Munich Technical University project to grow algae for biofuel and, although commercial production is a long way off, hopes are high. Thomas Brueck, Munich TU's associate professor of industrial biocatalysis, says that the biofuel from algaculture could cater for 3-5 percent of jetfuel needs by about 2050.

Low Vitamin Levels May Be Linked with Migraines in Kids

Kids who frequently get migraines may have lower levels of certain vitamins and antioxidants in their blood, a new study suggests. Researchers found that, of the children and teens in the study who visited a headache clinic for migraine pain, relatively high percentages had mild deficiencies of vitamin D, riboflavin (a B vitamin) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — a vitamin-like substance that is made in the body and is used to produce energy within cells — compared with kids in the general population. For example, the study found that 42 percent of kids with migraines had riboflavin levels that were at or below the level at which supplementation is recommended.

Orlando Shooting: Should Curbs on Blood Donations from Gay Men Be Lifted?

Gay and bisexual men who want to donate blood after the shooting in Orlando, Florida, are largely unable to do so, because of a federal rule that prohibits men who are currently sexually active with other men from donating blood. Now, some are suggesting that it's time for the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider the policy. Unfortunately the Gay blood ban is still in place.

Do Weight-Loss Drugs Work? 5 Medications Compared

People who take some of the newest weight-loss prescription medications on the market typically lose about 5 percent of their body weight over one year, a new review of studies suggests. In the study of overweight and obese people who took one of five different prescription weight-loss drugs designed for long-term use, 40 to 70 percent (depending on which medication they took) achieved a loss of at least5 percent of their body weight. In comparison, 23 percent of adults who were given a placebo lost at least 5 percent of their body weight, according to the findings, published today (June 14) in the journal JAMA.

Einstein 2.0: gravitational waves detected for a second time

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., (Reuters) - The ground-breaking detection of gravitational waves, ripples in space and time postulated by Albert Einstein 100 years ago, that was announced in February was no fluke. The researchers said they detected gravitational waves that washed over Earth after two distant black holes spiraled toward each other and merged into a single, larger abyss 1.4 billion years ago. The first detection of gravitational waves was made in September and announced on Feb. 11.

Coral 'bright spots' offer clues to protecting threatened reefs

By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - Some coral reefs are thriving and scientists say they may guide efforts to curb threats such as over-fishing and climate change which are blamed for widespread global declines. A major study identified 15 "bright spots" among more than 2,500 coral reefs in 46 nations, including off Indonesia, the Solomon islands and Kiribati where given local stresses there were far more fish than predicted. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, facing a tight re-election battle, on Monday pledged an A$1 billion ($740 million) fund for the reef, which scientists say is suffering widespread coral bleaching due to climate change.

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Tuesday, June 14, 2016

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Scientists discover largest planet orbiting 2 suns to date

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Astronomers say they have discovered the largest planet outside the solar system that orbits two suns.

UN weather agency warns of more global warming in May

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. weather agency is warning of "fundamental change" afoot in the global climate and continued warming, accompanied recently by unusually high rainfall in parts of the US and Europe.

Children's Sleep: New Guidelines on Shut-Eye for Kids

New guidelines from doctors who specialize in sleep disorders map out how much sleep children of every age should get. Babies ages 4 months to 1 year should sleep 12 to 16 hours per day, including naps, according to the guidelines. Children ages 3 to 5 should sleep 10 to 13 hours per day, whereas children ages 6 to 12 should sleep 9 to 12 hours per day, the guidelines said.

Whole Grains Each Day Linked to Longer Life

Eating a diet rich in whole grains may reduce your risk of dying early, a new meta-analysis finds. People who reported eating at least three servings of whole grains daily were 20 percent less likely to die early from any cause compared with people who reported eating less than one serving a day, the researchers found. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend eating three or more servings of whole grains each day.

Kids' Mental Health Risks Rise with Poor Air Quality

Higher levels of air pollution may correspond to higher rates of mental health disorders in kids and teens, according to a new study conducted in Sweden. Researchers found that, in areas with higher levels of pollution, there were more medications dispensed for psychiatric conditions in children and teens, compared with areas with lower levels of pollution. "The results can mean that a decreased concentration of air pollution — first and foremost, traffic-related air pollution — may reduce psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents," lead study author Anna Oudin, a public health researcher at Umeå University in Sweden, said in a statement.

How Kevlar Saved an Orlando Police Officer's Life

A helmet made of Kevlar saved the life of an Orlando, Florida, police officer on Sunday (June 12) after police engaged in a gun battle with a man who killed 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub, according to news sources. Thanks to its unique chemistry, Kevlar body armor has saved the lives of countless people who were wearing it. In a tweet Sunday morning, the Orlando Police Department applauded the tough fiber: "Pulse shooting: In hail of gunfire in which suspect was killed, OPD officer was hit.

Mysterious Monumental Structure Found at Ancient Petra

Carved into desert cliffs, the towering, ancient city of Petra can trace its origins back at least 2,000 years. For two centuries, archaeologists have extensively studied what is left of Petra, but they continue to make new discoveries. By combining data gathered by Google Earth and satellite sensors, they observed the shape of what may have once been a giant stoneplatform, located about 0.6 miles (900 m) outside Petra's city center.

Whistling Sling Bullets Were Roman Troops' Secret 'Terror Weapon'

Some 1,800 years ago, Roman troops used "whistling" sling bullets as a "terror weapon" against their barbarian foes, according to archaeologists who found the cast lead bullets at a site in Scotland.

Stegosaurus had bite like a sheep

Professor Paul Barrett, dinosaur researcher at London's Natural History Museum, said advanced technology has given exciting new insights into dinosaur biology - something that would not have been possible several years ago. "Stegosaurus was actually an animal that could get up to 9 metres in length and weigh several tonnes," Barrett said while holding a Stegosaurus tooth. Lead author Dr Stephan Lautenschlager, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bristol, used engineering software to give the digital skulls the material properties to match as closely as possible to the real thing.

NASA to set fire in space for science, safety

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An unmanned cargo ship pulled away from the International Space Station on Tuesday to stage the first of three planned NASA experiments on how big fires grow in space, an important test for astronaut safety. Previous experiments in space were limited to the incineration of samples no bigger than an index card, said David Urban, lead researcher for the Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or Saffire. "We tried for years to find a vehicle and a circumstance where this would work and initially we'd get a 'not on my spacecraft' reaction," Urban said during a NASA TV interview.

Asymmetric molecule, key to life, detected in space for 1st time

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Scientists for the first time have found a complex organic molecule in space that bears the same asymmetric structure as molecules that are key to life on Earth. The researchers said on Tuesday they detected the complex organic molecule called propylene oxide in a giant cloud of gas and dust near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Akin to a pair of human hands, certain organic molecules including propylene oxide possess mirror-like versions of themselves, a chemical property called chirality.

NASA to set fire in space for science, safety

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