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Top Science News

May 23, 2017

How Volkswagen Cheated The Emissions Tests

How Sherpas Evolved Superhuman Efficiency

52 Genes for Intelligence; 40 Brand New

Extreme Heat of Part of Earth's Mantle

May 23, 2017 — An international team of researchers has uncovered the mechanism that allowed Volkswagen to circumvent US and European emission tests over at least six years before the Environmental Protection ... read more

May 23, 2017 — Sherpas have evolved to become superhuman mountain climbers, extremely efficient at producing the energy to power their bodies even when oxygen is ... read more

May 23, 2017 — Scientists have made a major advance in understanding the genetic underpinnings of intelligence. Using a large dataset of more than 78,000 individuals with information on DNA genotypes and ... read more

May 23, 2017 — Deep portions of Earth's mantle might be as hot as it was more than 2.5 billion years ago, an international team of researchers has recently ... read more

Latest Top Headlines

updated 2:23pm EDT

Humanizing, Harmonizing Effects of Music Aren't a Myth

May 23, 2017 — Listening to music from other cultures furthers one's pro-diversity beliefs, new research concludes. The findings have important implications for music education, K-12 education and efforts to improve cross-cultural intergroup dialogue ... read more

3.3-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals Origins of the Human Spine

May 23, 2017 — Analysis of a 3.3 million-year-old fossil skeleton reveals the most complete spinal column of any early human relative, including vertebrae, neck and rib cage. The findings indicate that portions of the human spinal structure that enable efficient walking motions were established millions of years ... read more

Traffic-Related Air Pollution Linked to DNA Damage in Children

May 19, 2017 — Children and teens exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution have evidence of a specific type of DNA damage called telomere shortening, reports a ... read more

Brain Blood Vessel Lesions Tied to Intestinal Bacteria

May 18, 2017 — Bacteria in the gut can influence the structure of the brain's blood vessels, and may be responsible for producing malformations that can lead to stroke or epilepsy, new research suggests. The study adds to an emerging picture that connects intestinal microbes and disorders of the ... read more

Climate Stabilization: Planting Trees Cannot Replace Cutting Carbon Dioxide Emissions

May 18, 2017 — Growing plants and then storing the carbon dioxide they have taken up from the atmosphere is no viable option to counteract unmitigated emissions from fossil fuel burning, a new study shows. The plantations would need to be so large, they would ... read more

History of Titan's Landscape Resembles That of Mars, Not Earth

May 18, 2017 — In a paper published in Science, researchers report that Titan, like Mars but unlike Earth, has not undergone any active plate tectonics in its recent past. The upheaval of mountains by plate tectonics deflects the paths that rivers take. The team found that this telltale signature was missing from ... read more

Moon Orbits Third Largest Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System

May 18, 2017 — Astronomers have uncovered a moon orbiting the third largest dwarf planet, 2007 OR10, in the frigid outskirts of our solar system called the ... read more

Icy Ring Surrounds Young Planetary System

May 18, 2017 — ALMA has made the first complete millimeter-wavelength image of the ring of dusty debris surrounding the young star Fomalhaut. This remarkably well-defined band of rubble and gas is likely the result of exocomets smashing together near the outer edges of a planetary system 25 light-years ... read more

Supercomputing Helps Researchers Understand Earth's Interior

May 23, 2017 — Geologists have created a computer model of tectonic activity so effective that they believe it has potential to predict where earthquakes and volcanoes will occur. Scientists focused on the deep mantle and its relationship to ... read more

Sunflower Genome Sequence to Provide Roadmap for More Resilient Crops

May 23, 2017 — Researchers have completed the first sunflower genome sequence. This new resource will assist future research programs using genetic tools to improve crop resilience and ... read more

Rare Tooth Find Reveals Horned Dinosaurs in Eastern North America

May 23, 2017 — A chance discovery in Mississippi provides the first evidence of an animal closely related to Triceratops in eastern North America. The fossil, a tooth from rocks between 68 and 66 million years old, shows that two halves of the continent previously thought to be separated by seaway were probably ... read more

7.2-Million-Year-Old Pre-Human Remains Found in the Balkans

May 23, 2017 — Scientists analyzing 7.2 million-year-old fossils uncovered in modern-day Greece and Bulgaria suggest a new hypothesis about the origins of humankind, placing it in the Eastern Mediterranean and not -- as customarily assumed -- in Africa, and earlier than currently accepted. The researchers ... read more

Storing a Memory Involves Distant Parts of Brain

Blood Discovery May Help End Platelet Shortages

Human Antibodies That Work Against Ebolaviruses

Teeth Tell the Story of Our Relationship With Sun

May 19, 2017 — In studies with mice, researchers discovered that to maintain certain short-term memories, the brain’s cortex relies on connections with the ... read more

May 19, 2017 — A new discovery may be the key to stopping shortages of vital blood-clotting cells that can represent the difference between life and death. The finding also could offer big benefits for premature ... read more

May 18, 2017 — After analyzing the blood of a survivor of the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak, a team of scientists from academia, industry and the government has discovered the first natural human antibodies that can ... read more

May 18, 2017 — Researchers have developed a new method to read imperfections in teeth caused by a lack of sunlight, creating a powerful tool to trace events ranging ... read more

Latest Health Headlines

updated 2:23pm EDT

Growth Hormone Therapy Enhances Recovery of Patients With Spinal Damage

May 22, 2017 — Growth hormone treatment combined with physical therapy over six months significantly improved sensory function in patients with complete spinal injuries. This research is the first human study to investigate the link between spinal injuries and growth hormone deficiency (GHD). These findings could lead to life-improving treatments for patients with spinal ... read more

Effective Intervention for Binge Drinking in Adolescents

May 22, 2017 — An intervention program based on school class groups has a preventive effect on subsequent drinking behavior, especially binge drinking, in adolescents who had previously consumed ... read more

Genes Responsible for Severe Congenital Heart Disease Identified by Researcher

May 23, 2017 — Genes responsible for hypoplastic left heart syndrome have been identified by researchers using mouse models, outline a ... read more

Fibrosis Chemical Signal Suppressed to Block Haywire Healing

May 23, 2017 — An injured body always seeks to heal. But that process is far from simple. A host of cells organize to restore what was damaged. Then, critically, the process tapers off. And when it doesn't, the effects can be disastrous. Fibrosis is the thickening and scarring of tissue due to an overactive healing ... read more

Rise in Lung Adenocarcinoma Linked to 'Light' Cigarette Use

May 22, 2017 — So-called 'light' cigarettes have no health benefits to smokers and have likely contributed to the rise of a certain form of lung cancer that occurs deep in the lungs, new research ... read more

Tobacco Advertising and Susceptibility to Use Tobacco Among Youth

May 22, 2017 — Among 12- to 17-year-olds who have never used tobacco products, nearly half were considered receptive to tobacco marketing if they were able to recall or liked at least one advertisement, report researcher. Receptivity to tobacco ads is associated with an increased susceptibility to smoking cigarettes in the ... read more

Baby Boxes, Sleep Education Reduced Bed-Sharing in First Week of Infancy

May 22, 2017 — Bed-sharing, the unsafe practice in which parents sleep in the same bed as their babies, is associated with sleep-related deaths in infants, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. Researchers have now found that face-to-face postpartum education about safe infant sleep, combined with the distribution of a baby box, a cardboard bassinet, ... read more

Smokers Will Spend Around £2000 a Year on Cigarettes as Plain, Standardized Packs Come Into Full Force

May 20, 2017 — All tobacco products sold in the UK will now come in plain standardized packaging, as decades of harmful marketing tactics by the tobacco industry draw to a ... read more

Strong Evidence of the Benefits of Exercise Therapy in Chronic Diseases

May 22, 2017 — There is strong evidence of that aerobic exercise, strength training and condition-specific therapeutic exercise affect positively on the functional capacity of patients with chronic diseases. A systematic review of meta-analyses evaluates the effects of exercise therapy on more than twenty of the most common chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary artery disease, ... read more

People Perceive Attractive Scientists as More Interesting but Less Able, Studies Show

May 23, 2017 — A new study suggests that when it comes to judging scientists, we are more likely to find an attractive scientist interesting, but more likely to consider their less attractive colleagues to be better ... read more

Parents' Reasons for Not Vaccinating Children Influence Public Attitudes Toward Them

May 23, 2017 — Mothers are viewed negatively if their child hasn't been vaccinated, no matter the reason. But mothers who outright refuse to vaccinate their children are viewed in a harsher light compared to those who delay vaccines because of safety concerns or who aren't up to date due to time ... read more

Organized Sports Not Enough to Fulfill Activity Requirements

May 23, 2017 — Organized sports don't provide children with nearly as much exercise as many parents might expect, according to a ... read more

Strongest Artificial Spider Silk Ever Created

New 3-D World With World's Thinnest Hologram

Space Weather Events Linked to Human Activity

3-D-Printed, Soft, Four Legged Agile Robot

May 17, 2017 — Possibly the strongest hybrid silk fibers yet have been created by scientists using all renewable resources. Combining spider silk proteins with ... read more

May 18, 2017 — Researchers pave way towards integration of 3-D holography into electronics like smart phones, computers and TVs, with development of nano-hologram 1,000 times thinner than a human ... read more

May 17, 2017 — Human activities, like nuclear tests and radio transmissions, have been changing near-Earth space and weather, and have created artificial radiation belts, damaged satellites and induced ... read more

May 16, 2017 — Engineers have developed the first soft robot that is capable of walking on rough surfaces, such as sand and pebbles. The 3-D-printed, four-legged robot can climb over obstacles and walk on different ... read more

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 2:23pm EDT

Secondary Mirror of ELT Successfully Cast: Largest Convex Mirror Blank Ever Created

May 22, 2017 — The casting of the secondary mirror blank for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) has been completed by SCHOTT at Mainz, Germany. The completed mirror will be 4.2 metres in diameter and weigh 3.5 tonnes. It will be the largest secondary mirror ... read more

Let There Be Light: Controlled Creation of Quantum Emitter Arrays

May 22, 2017 — Graphene Flagship research demonstrates large scale, fully integrable arrays of single photon quantum dots in layered materials, which may lead to hybrid on-chip photonics devices for networks and sensing. This method is transforming the way researchers work with transition metal dichalcogenide ... read more

Graphene-Based Sensor Could Improve Evaluation, Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma

May 22, 2017 — Scientists have created a graphene-based sensor that could lead to earlier detection of looming asthma attacks and improve the management of asthma and other respiratory diseases, preventing hospitalizations ... read more

Camera-Equipped Drones Preserve Framing When Shooting Video

May 18, 2017 — Researchers have developed a system that allows a director to specify a shot's framing -- which figures or faces appear where, at what distance. Then, on the fly, it generates control signals for a camera-equipped autonomous drone, which preserve that framing as the ... read more

A New Approach to Forecasting Solar Flares?

May 22, 2017 — The emerging discipline of space meteorology aims to reliably predict solar flares so that we may better guard against their effects. Using 3D numerical models, an international team has discovered a proxy that could be used to forecast an eruptive event. The proxy is associated with magnetic ... read more

Kepler Telescope Spies Details of TRAPPIST-1 System's Outermost Planet

May 23, 2017 — A team of astronomers has used data gathered by the Kepler Space Telescope to observe and confirm details of the outermost of seven exoplanets or-biting the ... read more

CAST Project Places New Limitations on Dark Matter

May 23, 2017 — CERN research results deliver no evidence for the existence of ... read more

Mapping Super Massive Black Holes in the Distant Universe

May 19, 2017 — Astronomers have constructed the first map of the Universe based on the positions of supermassive black holes, which reveals the large-scale structure of the ... read more

Network Traffic Provides Early Indication of Malware Infection

May 22, 2017 — By analyzing network traffic going to suspicious domains, security administrators could detect malware infections weeks or even months before they're able to capture a sample of the invading malware, a new study suggests. The findings point toward the need for new malware-independent detection strategies that will give network defenders the ability to identify network security breaches in a more ... read more

Consumers See Much Greater Risk Than Reward in Online Ads

May 18, 2017 — The risks far outweigh the benefits for most consumers in their response to personalized online ads, known as online behavioral advertising, suggests a study. The perception of risk drives consumers to greater privacy concerns and to avoid the advertising. The ad industry may want to reconsider its approach as a result, suggests a new ... read more

Zinc Effects on Common Cold Duration Illustrate Problems of Routine Statistical Analyses

May 18, 2017 — Two randomized trials that examined the effects of zinc lozenges for the duration of common cold symptoms found that colds were shortened on average by 4.0 days and by 1.77 days. However, the shortest colds in the placebo groups of both studies lasted for only two ... read more

Molecular Lego for Nanoelectronics

May 18, 2017 — The ability to assemble electronic building blocks consisting of individual molecules is an important objective in nanotechnology. An interdisciplinary research group is now significantly closer to achieving this goal. The team of researchers has successfully assembled and tested conductors and networks made up of individual, newly developed building block molecules. These could in future serve ... read more

more top physical/tech stories

Environment News

May 23, 2017

Kamchatkan Volcanic Ash Travels Half the World

Sea Level as a Metronome of Earth's History

Life in the Precambrian Surprisingly Lively

Even Non-Migratory Birds Use a Magnetic Compass

May 19, 2017 — Geochemical fingerprinting links microscopic ash found on the bottom of a Svalbard lake to volcanic event happening 7,000 years ago and 5,000 km ... read more

May 19, 2017 — Sedimentary layers contain stratigraphic cycles and patterns that precisely reveal the succession of climatic and tectonic conditions that have occurred over millennia. Researchers have been working ... read more

May 19, 2017 — The strange creatures that lived in the Garden of the Ediacaran more than 540 million years ago, before animals came on the scene, may have been much more dynamic than experts have ... read more

May 18, 2017 — Not only migratory birds use a built-in magnetic compass to navigate correctly. A new study shows that non-migratory birds also are able to use a built-in compass to orient themselves using the ... read more

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 2:23pm EDT

Discovery of an Alga's 'Dictionary of Genes' Could Lead to Advances in Biofuels, Medicine

May 23, 2017 — A team of plant biologists and biochemists has produced a gold mine of data by sequencing the genome of a tiny, single-celled green alga that could be used as a source of sustainable biofuel and has ... read more

Eating a Diet Rich in Fruit and Vegetables Could Cut Obesity Risk

May 18, 2017 — Pro-vegetarian diets (with a higher consumption of plant-based foods compared to animal-based foods) could provide substantial protection against obesity, according to new ... read more

Eating More Fruits and Vegetables May Lower Risk of Blockages in Leg Arteries

May 18, 2017 — Eating three or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day may lower your risk of developing blockages in leg ... read more

Why More Juvenile Sharks Off California's Coast Is a Good Thing

May 19, 2017 — Young great white sharks are using California’s coasts as a sort of nursery, suggests ... read more

Weathering of Rocks a Poor Regulator of Global Temperatures

May 23, 2017 — Evidence from the age of the dinosaurs to today shows that chemical weathering of rocks is less sensitive to global temperature, and may depend on the steepness of the surface. The results call into question the role of rocks in setting our planet's temperature over millions of ... read more

Rethinking Role of Viruses in Coral Reef Ecosystems

May 23, 2017 — Viruses are thought to frequently kill their host bacteria, especially at high microbial density. A state called lysogeny, in which viruses lie dormant but don't kill their hosts, has been thought to be relatively rare , mostly occurring at low bacterial concentrations. A new study suggests lysogeny might be much more common than previously believed. These findings could lead to a better ... read more

Eating Beans Instead of Beef Would Sharply Reduce Greenhouse Gasses

May 23, 2017 — If Americans would eat beans instead of beef, the United States would immediately realize approximately 50 to 75 percent of its GHG reduction targets for the year ... read more

Two New Proteins Connected to Plant Development Discovered by Scientists

May 22, 2017 — The discovery of two new proteins could lead to better ways to regulate plant structure and the ability to resist crop stresses such as drought, thus improving ... read more

Two Missing World War II B-25 Bombers Documented by Project Recover Off Papua New Guinea

May 23, 2017 — Two B-25 bombers associated with American servicemen missing in action from World War II were recently documented in the waters off Papua New Guinea by Project Recover -- a collaborative team of marine scientists, archaeologists and volunteers who ... read more

How RNA Formed at the Origins of Life

May 19, 2017 — A single process for how a group of molecules called nucleotides were made on the early Earth, before life began, has been suggested by a team of ... read more

Evolution in Butterfly Eye Dependent on Sex, Scientists Find

May 18, 2017 — By analyzing both the genes that control color detecting photoreceptors and the structural components of the eye itself, evolutionary biologists have discovered male and female butterflies of one particular species have the unique ability to see the world differently from each another because of ... read more

Warm-Bloodedness Possibly Much Older Than Previously Thought

May 18, 2017 — Warm-bloodedness in land animals could have evolved much earlier than previously thought, suggests a study of the bones of the long-extinct mammal ... read more

Drought in California: Tracking Groundwater Loss

CVD Causes One-Third of Deaths Worldwide

In Heat Waves, Urban Trees Can Increase Ozone

Dams a Major Driver of Environmental Change

May 18, 2017 — Significant groundwater loss in California's Central Valley during the recent drought and sparks questions of sustainability for the important agricultural area, a new study ... read more

May 17, 2017 — Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart diseases and stroke, account for one-third of deaths throughout the world, according to a new scientific study that examined every country over the past ... read more

May 17, 2017 — Planting trees is a popular strategy to help make cities 'greener,' both literally and figuratively. But scientists have found a counterintuitive effect of urban vegetation: during heat waves, it can ... read more

May 17, 2017 — Water reservoirs created by damming rivers could have significant impacts on the world's carbon cycle and climate system that aren't being accounted for, a new study ... read more

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 2:23pm EDT

How Diesel Fumes Could Cause 'Flare Up' of Respiratory Symptoms

May 22, 2017 — Scientists have shown how diesel fumes trigger respiratory reflexes which could potentially worsen underlying conditions, such as ... read more

City Life Could Present Psychosis Risk for Adolescents

May 23, 2017 — Living in a city could significantly increase young people's vulnerability to psychotic experiences, according to a new ... read more

Standardized Assessment for Students Graduating from UK Medical Schools

May 22, 2017 — A new study describes a standardized assessment that ensures that students who graduate from UK medical schools have achieved a minimum standard of knowledge and skill related to prescribing ... read more

Triple Play Boosting Value of Renewable Fuel Could Tip Market in Favor of Biomass

May 19, 2017 — A new process triples the fraction of biomass converted to high-value products to nearly 80 percent, also tripling the expected rate of return for an investment in the technology from roughly 10 percent (for one end product) to ... read more

Strategic Brain Training Positively Affects Neural Connectivity for Individuals With TBI

May 23, 2017 — A new study shows that a specific instructor-led brain training protocol can stimulate structural changes in the brain and neural connections even years after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The findings further suggest that changes in cortical ... read more

Critical Thinking Can Be Taught

May 23, 2017 — 10-12-years-olds can be taught how to think critically at school, even with few teachers and limited resources. Parents can also be taught to assess claims about health ... read more

Are We Educating Educators About Academic Integrity?

May 17, 2017 — A study has found that student academic integrity is not a core concept taught to academics in Higher ... read more

After Receiving Bad Advice, Bullying Victims Say They Would Give Same Bad Advice to Others

May 16, 2017 — Targets of workplace bullying get plenty of advice from coworkers and family on how to respond to the situation and make it stop. While well intentioned, much of the advice victims receive is impractical or only makes their situation worse. Despite the bad advice, most victims said they would tell others in their situation to do the same ... read more

Abusing Power Hurts Leaders, Too

May 9, 2017 — We know that power can corrupt, making people act in ways that harm others. But new research shows that when the powerful misbehave, they hurt themselves, ... read more

Personality Factors Are Best Defense Against Losing Your Job to a Robot

May 9, 2017 — New research has found that IQ, along with an early interest in the arts and sciences, predicts who is likely to fall victim to automation in the ... read more

Autonomy in the Workplace Has Positive Effects on Well-Being and Job Satisfaction, Study Finds

Apr. 24, 2017 — Employees with higher levels of autonomy in their work reported positive effects on their overall well-being and higher levels of job satisfaction, new research into workplace culture has ... read more

Who Are You on Social Media? New Research Examines Norms of Online Personas

Apr. 11, 2017 — The majority of adults on the internet have more than one social networking profile on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Although the core purpose of these sites are similar -- to digitally connect with peers and loved ones -- new research found users often adopt different personas unique to each social ... read more

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