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Top Science News

November 23, 2016

Road Salt Can Change Sex Ratios in Frogs

Mars Ice Deposit: As Much Water as Lake Superior

New Method Removes Specific Fears from Brain

Dwarf Galaxies of Very Early Universe

Nov. 22, 2016 — Naturally occurring chemicals found in road salts commonly used to de-ice paved surfaces can alter the sex ratios in nearby frog populations, a phenomenon that could reduce the size and viability of ... read more

Nov. 22, 2016 — Frozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what's in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a way to remove specific fears from the brain, using a combination of artificial intelligence and brain scanning technology. Their technique could lead to a new way of ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — Astronomers have found, for the first time, a large population of distant dwarf galaxies that could reveal important details about a productive period of star formation in the universe billions of ... read more

Latest Top Headlines

updated 2:03am EST

Alarming Disparities in Health Outcomes Could Be Prevented by Breastfeeding

Nov. 22, 2016 — Lack of paid leave and outdated maternity care are barriers to breastfeeding that disproportionately impact families of color. This is the first study to show how these disparities translate into differences in ... read more

Genetic Explanation for Cancer's Higher Incidence in Males Than Females

Nov. 21, 2016 — Scientists offer a genetic explanation for the age-old conundrum of why cancer is more common in males than females. Females, it turns out, carry an extra copy of certain protective genes in their cells -- an additional line of defense against the cells growing out ... read more

Our Brains Have a Basic Algorithm That Enables Our Intelligence

Nov. 21, 2016 — A new Theory of Connectivity represents a fundamental principle for how our billions of neurons assemble and align not just to acquire knowledge, but to generalize and draw conclusions ... read more

Common Probiotics Can Reduce Stress Levels, Lessen Anxiety

Nov. 21, 2016 — Studying how gut bacteria affect behavior in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of how probiotics may affect the central nervous system ... read more

New Views of Dwarf Planet Ceres as Dawn Moves Higher

Nov. 22, 2016 — The brightest area on Ceres stands out amid shadowy, cratered terrain in a dramatic new view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, taken as it looked off to the side of the ... read more

Record-Breaking Faint Satellite Galaxy of the Milky Way Discovered

Nov. 21, 2016 — Astronomers have found an extremely faint dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The satellite, named Virgo I, lies in the direction of the constellation Virgo. At the absolute magnitude of -0.8 in the optical waveband, it may well be the faintest satellite galaxy yet found. Its discovery ... read more

A Phone That Charges in Seconds?

Nov. 21, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new process for creating flexible supercapacitors that can store more energy and be recharged more than 30,000 times ... read more

Researchers Create Living Bio-Hybrid System

Nov. 15, 2016 — A big challenge in cognitive or rehabilitation neurosciences is the ability to design a functional hybrid system that can connect and exchange information between biological systems, like neurons in the brain, and human-made electronic devices. A large effort of researchers in Italy brought ... read more

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Biologists Unearth Sandstone-Excavating Bees

Nov. 22, 2016 — In the popular nursery story The Three Little Pigs, the prudent porker who builds his house of brick is chided by his pals, who choose much easier ways to construct their respective abodes. Only later in the cautionary tale does the reader discover ... read more

Scientists Reconstruct Formation of the Southern Appalachians

Nov. 21, 2016 — Around 300 million years ago, the landmass that is now North America collided with Gondwana, a supercontinent comprised of present-day Africa and South America. That clash of continents lifted tons of rock high above the surrounding terrain to form the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains now ... read more

Widespread Land Losses from 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, Study Finds

Nov. 22, 2016 — Dramatic, widespread shoreline loss is revealed in new NASA/U.S. Geological Survey annual maps of the Louisiana marshlands where the coastline was most heavily coated with oil during the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf ... read more

New Dominant Ant Species Discovered in Ethiopia Shows Potential for Global Invasion

Nov. 22, 2016 — A team of scientists conducting a recent biodiversity survey in the ancient church forests of Ethiopia made an unexpected discovery -- a rather infamous ant species (<em>Lepisiota canescens</em>) displaying signs of supercolony formation. The ... read more

Smart Rats Join Tool-User Club

Chimps Caught on Camera 'fishing' For Algae

This Breakthrough In DNA Editing Could Help Cure Diseases

'Supermoon' Spectacle Wows Sky-Watchers

Reliance on Reason as a Moral Issue Measured

Teens Drink a Bathtub of Sugary Drinks a Year

Sniffing out Cultural Differences

As Life Expectancy Grows, Men Still Lagging

Nov. 21, 2016 — While some people rely more on reason and evidence than others when deciding on their beliefs, a new report suggests people can also come to see a reliance on reason and evidence as a moral issue -- ... read more

Nov. 22, 2016 — Teenagers, aged between 11 and 18, drink almost a bathtub full of sugary drinks on average a year, according to new ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — When two people smell the same thing, they can have remarkably different reactions, depending on their cultural background. Researchers have found that even when two cultures share the same language ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — A new study of mortality patterns in humans, monkeys and apes suggests that the last few generations of humans have enjoyed the biggest life expectancy boost in primate history. Yet males still lag ... read more

Latest Health Headlines

updated 2:03am EST

Aspartame May Prevent, Not Promote, Weight Loss by Blocking Intestinal Enzyme's Activity

Nov. 22, 2016 — A team of investigators has found a possible mechanism explaining why use of the sugar substitute aspartame might not promote weight loss. In their report, the researchers show how the aspartame breakdown product phenylalanine interferes with the action of an enzyme previously shown to prevent metabolic syndrome - a group of symptoms associated ... read more

Largest Study of Its Kind Finds Rare Genetic Variations Linked to Schizophrenia

Nov. 22, 2016 — Genetic variations that increase schizophrenia risk are rare, making it difficult to study their role. To overcome this, scientists analyzed the genomes of more than 41,000 people in the largest study of its kind to date. Their study reveals regions of the genome where mutations increase schizophrenia ... read more

New Clues in Fight Against Leukemia, Other B Cell Cancers

Nov. 22, 2016 — Biochemical “cross talk” in an important pathway can be altered so that immune system cells that have turned cancerous can be eliminated, say scientists. Their findings could have future implications for treating cancer with the help ... read more

Researchers Find Potential Therapy for Brain Swelling During Concussion

Nov. 22, 2016 — A team of biomedical engineering researchers has identified a cause of fluid swelling of the brain, or cellular edema, that occurs during ... read more

Mothers' Early Support Boosts Children's Later Math Achievement

Nov. 22, 2016 — Early math knowledge is as important as early literacy for children's subsequent achievement. In fact, research has shown that early math skills predict later school success better than early reading skills, and can even predict income in adulthood. Now a new longitudinal study has found that young children whose mothers supported them during play, specifically in their labeling of object ... read more

Rates, Causes of Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Drug Events

Nov. 22, 2016 — The prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States was estimated to be 4 per 1,000 individuals in 2013 and 2014, and the most common drug classes involved were anticoagulants, antibiotics, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics, according to a ... read more

Google Glass Technology May Slow Down Response Time

Nov. 22, 2016 — Heads-up display technology -- think Google Glass -- offers lots of information to users in seconds, literally in front of their eyes. Access to information is critical in today's fast-paced world, but new research indicates that the multitasking needed to process that readily available information ... read more

Right Timing Is Crucial in Life

Nov. 22, 2016 — Humans, as well as many other organisms, possess internal clocks. The exact timing, however, can differ between individuals – for instance, some people are early risers whereas others are "night owls". Now scientists have investigated what underlies such timing variations ... read more

Protein, Salt Drive Post-Meal Sleepiness

Nov. 22, 2016 — Sleepiness after a large meal is something we all experience, and new research with fruit flies suggests higher protein and salt content in our food, as well as the volume consumed, can lead to ... read more

Why We Rely on Inaccurate Information

Nov. 22, 2016 — Even when people know better, they often rely on inaccurate or misleading information to make future decisions. But why are we so easily influenced by ... read more

Regular Walking Regimen Can Improve Heart Health

Nov. 21, 2016 — Heart disease, the leading cause of death in America, can be combated by implementing a simple walking regimen. Researchers found that moderately intensive walking improves cardiovascular risk factors in the ... read more

Newborn Screening Practices: Issue of Genetic Ownership Examined

Nov. 21, 2016 — While newborn screening is one of the national public health services that has transformed preventive healthcare, there are certain ethical and legal concerns about what happens to the babies' genetic information beyond the ... read more

U.S. Surgeons Separate Nigerian Conjoined Twins

World's Reportedly Heaviest Man to Undergo Treatment

Conjoined Twins Successfully Separated

Nearing 1,100lbs, Morbidly Obese Mexican Dreams of Walking Again

Dressing Up Like a Peacock: Nanotechnology

Sculpting How Chemicals Spread in Fluid Flows

Radio Bursts Probe Universe's Hidden Matter

Better System for Harnessing Carbon Dioxide

Nov. 17, 2016 — Colors are produced in a variety of ways. The best known colors are pigments. However, the very bright colors of the blue tarantula or peacock feathers do not result from pigments, but from ... read more

Nov. 17, 2016 — Solely adjusting the aspect ratio of a pipe -- regardless of its shape -- precisely controls how medicine, pollutants, nutrients and chemicals travel down it and hit their target, scientists have ... read more

Nov. 17, 2016 — Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are mysterious flashes of radio waves originating outside our Milky Way galaxy. A team of scientists has now observed the most luminous FRB to date, called FRB ... read more

Nov. 17, 2016 — Scientists have reverse engineered a biosynthetic pathway for more effective carbon fixation that is based on a new CO2-fixing enzyme that is nearly 20 times faster than the most prevalent enzyme in ... read more

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 2:03am EST

Supersonic Spray Yields New Nanomaterial for Bendable, Wearable Electronics

Nov. 22, 2016 — An ultrathin film of fused silver nanowires that is both transparent and highly conductive to electric current has been produced by a cheap and simple method devised by an international team of ... read more

Catching Molecular Dance Moves in Slow Motion by Adding White Noise

Nov. 21, 2016 — If you could watch a molecule of medicine attaching to a cell receptor in extreme slow motion, they would look something like a space ship docking with a space station -- some twists, turns, sputters then locking together tight. With a new improvement to atomic force microscopy by engineers, seeing ... read more

Single Photon Converter: Key Component of Quantum Internet

Nov. 22, 2016 — A team of physicists has constructed and tested a compact, efficient converter capable of modifying the quantum properties of individual photons. The new device should facilitate the construction of complex quantum computers, and in the future may become an important element in global quantum ... read more

New 'Electron Gun' Could Help Enable X-Ray Movies

Nov. 22, 2016 — A low-power tabletop source of ultrashort electron beams could replace car-size laboratory devices, ... read more

Optical Clock Technology Tested in Space for First Time

Nov. 17, 2016 — For the first time, an optical clock has traveled to space, surviving harsh rocket launch conditions and successfully operating under the microgravity that would be experienced on a satellite. This demonstration brings optical clock technology much closer to implementation in space, where it could ... read more

Scientists Discover a Nearby 'Super-Earth'

Nov. 16, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a "super-Earth" type planet, GJ 536 b, whose mass is around 5.4 Earth masses, in orbit around a nearby very bright star. The exoplanet is not within the star's habitable zone, but its short orbital period of 8.7 days and the luminosity of its star, a red dwarf which is quite cool and near to our Sun, make it an attractive candidate for investigating its atmospheric ... read more

Distant Star Is Roundest Object Ever Observed in Nature

Nov. 16, 2016 — Stars are not perfect spheres. While they rotate, they become flat due to the centrifugal force. A team of researchers has now succeeded in measuring the oblateness of a slowly rotating star with unprecedented precision. The researchers have determined stellar oblateness using asteroseismology -- ... read more

New Analysis Adds Support for a Subsurface Ocean on Pluto

Nov. 16, 2016 — A liquid ocean lying deep beneath Pluto's frozen surface is the best explanation for features revealed by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, according to a new analysis. The idea that Pluto has a subsurface ocean is not new, but the study provides the most detailed investigation yet of its likely role ... read more

Spray Printed Crystals to Move Forward Organic Electronic Applications

Nov. 22, 2016 — New technology could revolutionize printed electronics by enabling high quality semiconducting molecular crystals to be directly spray-deposited on any ... read more

New Clues Emerge in 30-Year-Old Superconductor Mystery

Nov. 21, 2016 — One of the greatest mysteries of experimental physics is how so-called high-temperature superconducting materials work. Despite their name, high-temperature superconductors operate at chilly temperatures less than minus 135 degrees Celsius. They can be used to make superefficient power cables, ... read more

What Your Choice of Smartphone Says About You

Nov. 21, 2016 — Android users are more honest than iPhone users say psychologists, in a study published this week which is the first to find a link between personality and smartphone ... read more

Bullied Children Excluded from Digital Communication Forums

Nov. 15, 2016 — There is a conception that bullied children with few friends can find new ones online. But a new study reports that bullied children are excluded from new communication forums that have developed as a result of the digital ... read more

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Ariane 5 Rocket Launches Four Galileo Satellites

Star Wars Drones Dogfight in London

Scientists Really Want To Smash A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid

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Environment News

November 23, 2016

New Insights Into Global Warming 'Hiatus'

For Chimps, Mothers Matter

Water Deeper in Planet Than We Thought

Plummage Colors of 130-Million-Year-Old Bird

Nov. 22, 2016 — A new study of the temporary slowdown in the global average surface temperature warming trend observed between 1998 and 2013 concludes the phenomenon represented a redistribution of energy within the ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — Think of all the things your mom taught you - sit up straight, close your mouth when you chew your food, remember to say please and thank you...the list goes on. When it comes to learning how to ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — A mineral far below Earth's surface may hold the key to how much water is stored in the planet, a researcher ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — New research has found evidence of original keratin and melanosome preservation in a 130-million-year-old Eoconfuciusornis specimen. The work extends the timeframe in which original molecules may ... read more

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 2:03am EST

New Grasses Neutralize Toxic Pollution from Bombs, Explosives, and Munitions

Nov. 22, 2016 — Engineers have developed the first transgenic grass species that can take up and destroy RDX -- a toxic compound that has been widely used in explosives since World War II and contaminates military bases across the U.S. and some offsite drinking ... read more

Study Sheds Light on Parasite That Causes River Blindness

Nov. 22, 2016 — The parasite that causes river blindness infects about 37 million people in parts of Africa and Latin America, causing blindness and other major eye and skin diseases in about 5 million of them. A study now sheds light on the genetic makeup of the parasite, a step toward the goal ... read more

Cancer Cells 'Talk' to Their Environment, and It Talks Back

Nov. 22, 2016 — A new method for measuring the mechanical force cells exert on their surroundings has now been devised, which can help scientists design better biomaterial scaffolds for ... read more

Ocean Acidification Accelerates Erosion of Coral Reefs

Nov. 22, 2016 — Scientists studying naturally high carbon dioxide coral reefs in Papua New Guinea found that erosion of essential habitat is accelerated in these highly acidified waters, even as coral growth continues to slow. The new research has important implications for coral reefs around the world as the ... read more

Deep Sea Coral in North Atlantic Faces Threat from Climate Change

Nov. 22, 2016 — North Atlantic coral populations -- key to supporting a variety of sea life -- are under threat from climate change, a study ... read more

How to Monitor Global Ocean Warming Without Harming Whales

Nov. 21, 2016 — Most of the extra heat trapped by human-generated emissions is ending up in the oceans. But tracking the temperature of the world's oceans to monitor the change is trickier than it might seem. While satellites monitor surface temperature, measuring the ocean's interior temperature poses a ... read more

Solar Power Could Become Cheaper, More Widespread

Nov. 22, 2016 — Solar cells can be made with tin instead of lead, scientists find. This breakthrough may make solar power cheaper and more commercially viable, and even usable for mobile phones, laptops and ... read more

Learn Lessons from European Climate Monitoring to Make Paris Agreement a Success, Warn Scientists

Nov. 22, 2016 — Scientists have warned that high hopes for the success of the Paris Agreement could be dashed if lessons aren’t learned from the challenges and experiences of climate monitoring in Europe.The long term success of the Agreement depends on the availability of well-designed and functioning monitoring and review mechanisms, according to a ... read more

Archaeological Excavation Unearths Evidence of Turkey Domestication 1,500 Years Ago

Nov. 21, 2016 — The turkeys we'll be sitting down to eat on Thursday have a history that goes way back. Archaeologists have unearthed a clutch of domesticated turkey eggs used as a ritual offering 1,500 years ago in Oaxaca, Mexico -- some of the earliest evidence ... read more

Native Americans Raised Turkeys Long Before First Thanksgiving

Nov. 21, 2016 — Hundreds of years before the first Thanksgiving, Native Americans were raising and feasting on America's classic holiday meal. This is the first time scientists have suggested that turkeys were potentially domesticated by early Native Americans in the southeastern ... read more

Molasses Creates a Sticky Situation

Nov. 21, 2016 — Fluid dynamics met history for a team of researchers who studied the Boston Molasses Flood, a disaster that claimed 21 lives, injured 150 and flattened buildings in the Commercial Street area of Boston in 1919. A trio of fluid dynamics physicists explain how they were inspired to study this event ... read more

Archaeologist Uses 'Dinosaur Crater' Rocks, Prehistoric Teeth to Track Ancient Humans

Nov. 18, 2016 — Where's the best place to start when retracing the life of a person who lived 4,000 years ago? Turns out, it's simple -- you start at ... read more

Create the Perfect Beer Using Genetics

When Animals Die In Masses, It's Freaky — But Not Unnatural

S Africa Game Industry Counts Drought Costs

Prince William Warns of Looming Threat of Animal Extinction

Dementia On the Downslide, Shows Study

Kids: Risks of Early Household Smoke Exposure

Deepwater Horizon Oil Shows Up in Sparrows

High Blood Pressure Affects 1.13 Billion People

Nov. 21, 2016 — In a hopeful sign for the health of the nation's brains, the percentage of American seniors with dementia is dropping, a new study finds. The ... read more

Nov. 21, 2016 — The more children are exposed to household tobacco smoke in early childhood, the greater their risk of adopting antisocial behavior toward others, ... read more

Nov. 16, 2016 — Scientists have identified the first evidence of Deepwater Horizon oil in a land animal - the Seaside Sparrow. The scientists analyzed the diet and feathers of sparrows collected more than a year ... read more

Nov. 16, 2016 — The number of people in the world with high blood pressure has reached 1.13 billion, according to new research. The largest ever study of its kind, the research involved the World Health Organization ... read more

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 2:03am EST

Trends in Infectious Disease Mortality in US

Nov. 22, 2016 — Trends in infectious disease mortality in the United States from 1980 through 2014 have been released by ... read more

Concrete Jungle Functions as Carbon Sink, Researchers Find

Nov. 21, 2016 — Cement manufacturing is among the most carbon-intensive industrial processes, but an international team of researchers has found that over time, the widely used building material reabsorbs much of the carbon dioxide emitted when it ... read more

New Test for Cocaine in Urine, Oral Fluid Could Lead to Rapid, Low Cost Roadside Testing

Nov. 21, 2016 — Chemistry researchers have developed a simple diagnostic test that can identify the level of cocaine in a person's urine or oral fluid, outlines a new report. The new test offers a low cost, quick method which could be used for testing at the roadside, in the workplace or in ... read more

Scientists Design First Reserve Network Balancing Fishing Benefits, Species Protection

Nov. 17, 2016 — The persistent 'conserve or catch' conflict in marine reserve network design has now been resolved by ... read more

A Father's Influence Makes for Better Grades

Nov. 16, 2016 — The warmth of a father's love has a special influence on young people, and makes them feel optimistic and determined to strive for greater things. It also boosts the math grades of teenage girls and the language ability of ... read more

Even Physicists Are 'Afraid' of Mathematics

Nov. 11, 2016 — Physicists avoid highly mathematical work despite being trained in advanced mathematics, new research ... read more

When Do Speech Difficulties in Children Matter for Literacy?

Nov. 7, 2016 — Speech difficulties are linked with difficulties in learning to read when children first start school, but these effects are no longer apparent at 8 years of age, new research ... read more

Positive School Climates Can Narrow Achievement Gaps, Comprehensive Research Review Confirms

Nov. 1, 2016 — Positive school climates contribute to academic achievement and can improve outcomes for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, according to a ... read more

Massive Cyberattack Poses Policy Dilemma

Oct. 25, 2016 — The coordinated cyber attack that crippled parts of the internet on Friday highlighted key policy problems, a cybersecurity scholar ... read more

Fragranced Products: Risks for People and Profits?

Oct. 24, 2016 — Over one-third of Americans report health problems -- from asthma attacks to migraine headaches -- when exposed to common fragranced consumer products such as air fresheners, cleaning supplies, laundry products, scented candles, cologne, and personal care products. The same study also found that fragranced products may affect profits, with more than 20% of respondents entering a business, but ... read more

Workplace Weight Management Lowers Costs, Improves Quality of Life

Oct. 20, 2016 — Employees who participate in a workplace weight management program—even those without significant weight loss—have reduced health care costs and improved quality of life (QOL), reports a new ... read more

'Lurking Malice' in Cloud Hosting Services, Study Finds

Oct. 18, 2016 — A study of 20 major cloud hosting services has found that as many as 10 percent of the repositories hosted by them had been compromised -- with several hundred of the "buckets" actively providing malware. Such bad content could be challenging to find, however, because it can be rapidly assembled ... read more

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