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Top Science News

October 1, 2016

Zika Transmission from Tears or Sweat

Universal Flu Vaccine Designed

Record-Breaking Binary in Galaxy Next Door

Good Food Puts Bees in Good Mood

Sep. 30, 2016 — The first Zika virus-related death in the continental U.S. occurred in June of this year, but even now, months later, two aspects of this case ... read more

Sep. 30, 2016 — Scientists have designed a new generation of universal flu vaccines to protect against future global pandemics that could kill millions. Researchers researchers have devised two universal vaccines; a ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — Scientists have found the first gamma-ray binary in another galaxy and the most luminous one ever seen. The dual-star system, dubbed LMC P3, contains a massive star and a crushed stellar core that ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — After bumblebees drink a small droplet of really sweet sugar water, they behave like they are in a positive emotion-like state, scientists have ... read more

Latest Top Headlines

updated 7:58am EDT

What's in a Face? Study Shows Puberty Changes Facial Recognition

Sep. 30, 2016 — Faces are as unique as fingerprints and can reveal a great deal of information about our health, personalities, age, and feelings. Researchers recently discovered adolescents begin to view faces differently as they prepare for the transition to adulthood. The ability of adolescents to retune their ... read more

Heavy Hitters: Obesity Rate Soars Among Professional Baseball Players

Sep. 30, 2016 — Major League Baseball players have become overwhelmingly overweight and obese during the last quarter century, say health researchers. They found that the athletes' weight held steady for over 100 years, with the majority of them weighing in at what is considered "normal," -- i.e., with a body mass ... read more

Moderate Activity Helps Older Adults Maintain Mobility, Independence

Sep. 28, 2016 — By adopting a walking routine and other moderate physical activities, older adults can recover from a major disability more quickly, and maintain their independence over time, according to a ... read more

Scientists Track Unexpected Mechanisms of Memory

Sep. 29, 2016 — Our brains hold on to memories via physical changes in synapses, the tiny connections between neurons. Unexpected molecular mechanisms by which these changes take place have now been revealed by ... read more

Final Descent Image from Rosetta Spacecraft

Sep. 30, 2016 — A new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft shortly before its controlled impact into the comet's surface on Sept. 30, 2016. The final descent gave Rosetta the opportunity to study the comet's gas, dust and plasma environment very ... read more

Rosetta Instrument Provided First-Ever Ultraviolet Observations of a Comet

Sep. 29, 2016 — After a two-year orbital tour around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft -- carrying the Alice ultraviolet spectrograph -- will end its mission on Sept. 30. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to orbit and escort a comet, and Alice, developed and operated for NASA, is the first ... read more

Food Additive Key to Environmentally Friendly, Efficient, Plastic Solar Cells

Sep. 29, 2016 — An efficient, semi-printed plastic solar cell has now been created without the use of environmentally hazardous ... read more

Curiosity Finds Evidence of Mars Crust Contributing to Atmosphere

Sep. 29, 2016 — NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence that chemistry in the surface material on Mars contributed dynamically to the makeup of its atmosphere over time. It's another clue that the history of the Red Planet's atmosphere is more complex and interesting than a simple legacy ... read more

Ancient Global Cooling Gave Rise to Modern Ecosystems

Sep. 30, 2016 — Sea surface temperatures dipped dramatically during a period from 7 million to 5.4 million years ago, a time of massive global ecological change, scientists ... read more

Current Weak Spots in Greenland's Ice Sheet Have Been Weak for Thousands of Years

Sep. 28, 2016 — Earlier recent work has shown that the east, southeast and northwest regions of the Greenland ice sheet have contributed to 77% of the total mass loss over the last century. Now, researchers have used GPS data to show that the east, southeast and ... read more

First Evidence of Deep-Sea Animals Ingesting Microplastics

Sep. 30, 2016 — Scientists working in the mid-Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean have found evidence of microfibers ingested by deep sea animals including hermit crabs, squat lobsters and sea cucumbers, revealing for the first time the environmental fallout of ... read more

Feral Chickens Spread Light on Evolution

Sep. 30, 2016 — Different genes are involved during the adaptation of a domestic animal to life in the wild than when a wild animal becomes domesticated, concludes a new study. The results increase our understanding of what happens as a ... read more

Earth's Carbon Dioxide Levels May Have Passed The Point Of No Return

Pigeons Can Distinguish Words from Non-Words, Study Says

Measles Has Officially Been Eliminated In The Americas

9 Out Of 10 People On Earth Are Breathing Polluted Air

Game Theory Work Reveals Fragility of Resources

Emotional Disorders Share Brain Disruptions

New Devices Emulate Human Biological Synapses

Body-Worn Cameras and Complaints Against Police

Sep. 29, 2016 — People are naturally predisposed to over-use "common-pool resources" such as transportation systems and fisheries even if it risks failure of the system, to the detriment of society as a whole, new ... read more

Sep. 28, 2016 — In an analysis of existing studies that used MRI images to study the brain’s white matter, researchers describe common brain abnormalities found in multiple emotional ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — A new type of nanodevice for computer microprocessors is being developed that can mimic the functioning of a biological synapse -- the place where a signal passes from one nerve cell to another in ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — The introduction of wearable cameras led to a 93% drop in complaints made against police by the public – suggesting the cameras result in ... read more

Latest Health Headlines

updated 7:58am EDT

'Advances and Refinements' in Neuromodulators for Facial Rejuvenation

Sep. 29, 2016 — Plastic surgeons have a range of effective products and minimally invasive techniques for patients seeking to reverse the signs of facial aging. A review and update on facial rejuvenation using botulinum toxin "neuromodulators" has now been ... read more

Formaldehyde Damages Proteins, Not Just DNA

Sep. 30, 2016 — Formaldehyde, a common toxicant and carcinogen recently subjected to new federal regulations, may be more dangerous than previously thought, a new ... read more

Fat Cells That Amplify Nerve Signals in Response to Cold Also Affect Blood Sugar Metabolism, Researchers Report

Sep. 30, 2016 — When exposed to cold, clusters of cells within the body's white fat become beige -- a color change that reflects the creation of more energy-producing mitochondria, cellular components that enable cells to burn calories and give off heat. But since ... read more

With Worrisome Animal Research, More Focus Needed on Effects of Cannabis on Human Development

Sep. 30, 2016 — In this new era of legalized marijuana, far too little research has been conducted on the effect of cannabis on the development of human embryos, say researchers who scoured medical literature on the topic and found what they say is worrisome animal ... read more

From Pokemon Go to Birdwatching: How We Express Our Inner Hunter

Sep. 30, 2016 — Interested in birding or wildlife photography? Enjoy playing Pokemon Go and catching imaginary creatures? If so, you may simply be expressing your inner hunter. So says a new study from Vladimir Dinets, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, research assistant professor of ... read more

Caffeine-Based Compounds Show Promise Against Parkinson's Disease

Sep. 30, 2016 — Two caffeine-based chemical compounds have been developed that show promise in preventing the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease attacks the nervous system, causing uncontrolled shakes, muscle stiffness, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly in middle-aged and elderly people. It is caused by the loss of brain cells (neurons) that produce dopamine, an essential ... read more

Today's Parents Spend More Time With Their Kids Than Moms and Dads Did 50 Years Ago

Sep. 28, 2016 — Guilt-ridden busy moms and dads take heart: mothers – and fathers – across most Western countries are spending more time with their children than parents did in the mid-’60s, according to a study. And time spent with kids is highest among better-educated parents – a finding that somewhat surprised study ... read more

Exercise Not Shown to Reduce Women's Risk of Developing MS

Sep. 28, 2016 — A large, new study shows no evidence that exercise may reduce a woman's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous small studies had shown conflicting ... read more

Minimalist Shoes Increase Leg and Foot Muscles, Study Shows

Sep. 28, 2016 — Running in minimalist shoes can increase leg and foot muscle volume, indicating its potential application in rehabilitation program, say researchers in a ... read more

CDC Urging Men at Risk of Zika to Postpone Fatherhood

Sep. 30, 2016 — CDC today announced updates to its interim guidance for pre-pregnancy counseling and prevention of sexual transmission of Zika based on ongoing assessment of available data, primarily extending the timeframe for men with possible Zika exposure but no Zika symptoms to wait before attempting pregnancy with their partner and extending the time for use of condoms by these men to protect against ... read more

Now Is the Lightest You Will Weigh All Year

Sep. 28, 2016 — As swimsuit season wanes and the holiday season edges closer, Americans everywhere should take a moment to enjoy the current state of their waistline. For the average person, the time just before the start of the holiday season is the low point in an annual weight gain pattern that peaks during the holidays and takes nearly half a year to fully ... read more

Yours or Mine? How We Handle Objects Depends on Who Owns Them

Sep. 29, 2016 — From scissors and staplers to car keys and cell phones, we pass objects to other people every day. We often try to pass the objects so that the handle or other useful feature is facing the appropriate direction for the person receiving the item, but new research shows that we are less accommodating when it comes to handing over our own ... read more

In Bali's Deaf Village, Silence Is Golden

CDC: No Excuse Not To Get Flu Vaccination

Kratom Could Be Moved To Illegal Drug List As Soon As Friday

Phages Offers Virus Alternative to Antibiotics

Spiral Arms in Protoplanetary Disk

Rosetta May Be Crashing, but Its Legacy Lives On

'Incomprehensible' Birth of Supercrystal

Stellar Cocoon With Curious Chemistry

Sep. 29, 2016 — Astronomers have found distinct spiral arms in the disk of gas and dust surrounding the young star Elias 2-27. While similar features have been observed on the surfaces of such disks before, this is ... read more

Sep. 28, 2016 — ESA's Rosetta spacecraft arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014, following a ten-year journey through the Solar System after its launch on 2 March 2004. The Philae lander was ... read more

Sep. 28, 2016 — Two years ago, a research team published an article explaining how they had created a material with unique and extremely interesting electronic characteristics. In this 'supercrystal', the electrons ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — A hot and dense mass of complex molecules, cocooning a newborn star, has been discovered astronomers using ALMA. This unique hot molecular core is ... read more

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 7:58am EDT

Controlled Rogue Wave Created in Realistic Oceanic Conditions

Sep. 30, 2016 — Potentially extremely dangerous realistic rogue waves - also called as freak waves - can now be controlled and generated at will in laboratory environments, in similar conditions as they appear in the ocean. This will help us not only to predict oceanic extreme events, but also in the design of ... read more

World's Tallest Wood Building Completed: 18 Storeys

Sep. 30, 2016 — The mass wood structure and façade has been completed for UBC's Brock Commons student residence -- the world's tallest wood building at 18 storeys (53 metres, about 174 feet) -- four months ahead of schedule, showcasing the advantages of building ... read more

Scientists Pair Up Two Stars from the World of Chemistry

Sep. 28, 2016 — Many scientists consider graphene to be a wonder material. Now, a team of researchers has succeeded in linking graphene with another important chemical group, the porphyrins. Porphyrins are well-known because of their striking functional properties which for example play a central role in ... read more

Physicists Develop a More Sensitive Microscope

Sep. 28, 2016 — Physicists have figured out how to make low-light microscopy clearer without increased risk of damaging ... read more

Solving a Heavy-Duty Mystery

Sep. 26, 2016 — To determine how the universe's heavy elements -- gold, silver and many others -- came about, a team of international researchers is studying both the largest and smallest things known to us -- stars and atoms. The team is providing critical data to computer models of what are known as stellar events -- supernovas and neutron stars mergers, to be ... read more

Australian Technology Installed on World’s Largest Single-Dish Radio Telescope

Sep. 26, 2016 — The world’s largest filled single-dish radio telescope has launched, and it relies on a piece of West Australian innovation. The telescope -- known as FAST -- uses a data system developed at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy in Perth ... read more

A Perfect Sun-Storm

Sep. 28, 2016 — A geomagnetic storm on January 17, 2013, provided unique observations that finally resolved a long-standing scientific problem. For decades, scientists had asked how particles hitting Earth's magnetosphere were lost. A likely mechanism involved certain electromagnetic waves scattering particles ... read more

Cosmic Dust Demystified

Sep. 27, 2016 — Besides providing substantive information about the atmospheres of other planets, cosmic dust particles can impact radio communications, climate and even serve as fertilizer for phytoplankton in the oceans. A team of researchers has developed a new experimental Meteoric Ablation Simulator (MASI) ... read more

Identifying Children and Saving Lives One Thumbprint at a Time

Sep. 29, 2016 — Digital scans of a young child's fingerprints can be correctly identified one year later, a first-of-its-kind study demonstrates. A child could be identified by a simple fingerprint scan at each medical visit, allowing them to get proper medical care such as life-saving vaccinations or food ... read more

Encryption Method Takes Authentication to a New Level, Improves Privacy Protection

Sep. 29, 2016 — New kinds of encryption methods have been developed for improving the privacy protection of consumers to enable safer, more reliable and easier-to-use user authentication than current systems allow. The method combines safety, usability and privacy protection, when, until now, implementing all three at the same time has been a ... read more

Optical Fiber Transmits One Terabit Per Second

Sep. 28, 2016 — Researchers have achieved unprecedented transmission capacity and spectral efficiency in an optical communications field trial with a new modulation technique. The breakthrough research could extend the capability of optical networks to meet surging data ... read more

The Urge to Upgrade

Sep. 27, 2016 — In order to properly decide if an upgrade is worth the cost, consumers should compare the new product with what they already own. But new research shows there‘s a wide gap between what buyers should do and what actually happens when it comes to the most cutting-edge gadgets, products and ... read more

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New Jersey Train Crash Kills 1, Injures More Than 100

OPEC Deal Bullish for U.S. Shale

Why You Shouldn't Google Amy Schumer — Or A Bunch Of Other Celebrities

Earth Doesn't Exactly Have The Best View For Studying The Milky Way

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Environment News

October 1, 2016

How to Be a Male Without the Y Chromosome

Water Crisis in Bangladesh

Human Arrived in Americas Much Earlier

Genes Underlying Dogs' Warmth

Sep. 30, 2016 — Key sex-determining genes continue to operate in a mammalian species that lacks the Y chromosome, taking us a step further toward understanding sex ... read more

Sep. 28, 2016 — Overpumping of groundwater to supply one of the planet's largest cities could be jeopardizing the future water supply for citizens living outside the city center, say researchers working in Dhaka, ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — Humans occupied South America earlier than previously thought, according to the recent discovery of ancient artifacts found at an archeological site in ... read more

Sep. 29, 2016 — The social ability of dogs is affected by genes that also seems to influence human behavior, according to a new study. The scientists have found a relationship between five different genes and the ... read more

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 7:58am EDT

New Way to Open Insects' Exoskeletons for Study

Sep. 28, 2016 — Insects are tough animals to study. One reason is their armor-like coating, called an exoskeleton, which protects their organs. Researchers have discovered a technique to open the exoskeleton in order to study living organs ... read more

Lake Brownification, Eutrophication Decrease the Content of Essential Fatty Acids in Fish Used in Human Diets

Sep. 30, 2016 — Eutrophication and brownification change phytoplankton community structure and decrease the production of essential omega-3 fatty acids in lakes. Perch growing in oligotrophic clear-water lakes contain 1.5-1.9 times more essential omega-3 fatty acids than those grown in eutrophic and brown-water ... read more

Plants: Defying Frost and the Cold With Hormones

Sep. 28, 2016 — Plants cannot simply relocate to better surroundings when their environmental conditions are no longer suitable. Instead, they have developed sophisticated molecular adaptation mechanisms. Scientists have been able to demonstrate that brassinosteroids, which until now have mainly been regarded as growth hormones, increase the resistance of plants against ... read more

Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe, Review of Studies Finds

Sep. 30, 2016 — Genetically engineered crops are no different from conventional crops in terms of their risks to human health and the environment, according to a new ... read more

Co2 Record at Mauna Loa, the Music Video: The Sounds of Climate Change

Sep. 30, 2016 — Two scientists put the carbon dioxide record at Mauna Loa to music, and made a music video of climate ... read more

Wind Turbines Killing More Than Just Local Birds

Sep. 29, 2016 — Wind turbines are known to kill large birds, such as golden eagles, that live nearby. Now there is evidence that birds from up to hundreds of miles away make up a significant portion of the raptors that are killed at these wind energy ... read more

New Technique for Finding Weakness in Earth's Crust

Sep. 29, 2016 — Scientists have developed a method to estimate weakness in the Earth’s outer layers which will help explain and predict volcanic activity ... read more

Are Suburban Garden Ponds Spreading Lethal Frog Disease?

Sep. 29, 2016 — Keen gardeners stocking their domestic ponds with exotic or wild aquatic species could be inadvertently fueling the rapid spread of the lethally infectious frog disease ranavirus in England, according to new ... read more

Ancient Reptile Fossils Claw for More Attention

Sep. 29, 2016 — Newly recovered fossils confirm that Drepanosaurus, a prehistoric cross between a chameleon and an anteater, was a small reptile with a fearsome finger. The second digit of its forelimb sported a massive ... read more

News from the Primordial World

Sep. 28, 2016 — A new study offers a twist on a popular theory for how life on Earth began about four billion years ago. The study questions the "RNA world" hypothesis, a theory for how RNA molecules evolved to create proteins and DNA. Instead, the new research offers evidence for a world where RNA and DNA ... read more

Ear Ossicles of Modern Humans and Neanderthals: Different Shape, Similar Function

Sep. 27, 2016 — Scientists have scanned the skulls of Neanderthals and found the small middle ear ossicles, which are important for hearing, still preserved within the cavities of the ear. To their surprise, the Neanderthal ossicles are morphologically distinct ... read more

Fossils Can Help Predict Future Species Survival

Sep. 27, 2016 — Many people are concerned about conservation of the planet's cute and cuddlies. But in a world of global climate change, sometimes we must prioritize which species we can and should save from extinction. Scientists are helping us make those determinations by looking at the ... read more

Earth's Carbon Dioxide Levels May Have Passed The Point Of No Return

OPEC Deal Bullish for U.S. Shale

Turns Out Meerkats Are Super Violent. Who Knew?

Visitors Bring Trouble to Norway's Polar Bears

Americas Declared Free of Measles

Marsh Erosion from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Cheaper Next-Generation Solar Modules

Global Rise in Methane from Agriculture?

Sep. 28, 2016 — The Region of the Americas is the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death. ... read more

Sep. 27, 2016 — The Deepwater Horizon oil spill six years ago caused widespread marsh erosion that may be permanent in some places, according to a new analysis of 270 miles of the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama ... read more

Sep. 27, 2016 — Thin-film technologies can dramatically reduce the cost of next-generation solar modules, say scientists. Whereas their production cost is low, it is in particular the combination of complementary ... read more

Sep. 27, 2016 — Recent rises in levels of methane in our atmosphere is being driven by biological sources, such as swamp gas, cow burps, or rice fields, rather than ... read more

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 7:58am EDT

Upswing in Prescription Opioid Use Disorder and Heroin Use Among Young Adults, Study Finds

Sep. 29, 2016 — From 2002 to 2014, there was an increase in the probability of having a prescription opioid use disorder among young adults using prescription opioids for non medical purposes, new research has ... read more

Contrary to Popular Belief, Coca Not the Driving Force of Deforestation, Report Reveals

Sep. 29, 2016 — Most of the world’s coca—the plant source of cocaine—grows in the Amazon forests of the Andean countries of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, where many think this illicit crop causes deforestation. However, a team of researchers shows that most ... read more

Smoking Bans Persuade Light Users to Give Up the Habit

Sep. 28, 2016 — For the first time, research shows how smoking bans in cities, states and counties led young people living in those areas to give up, or never take up, the use of ... read more

Status Drives Men's Reproductive Success Across Non-Industrial World

Sep. 29, 2016 — The reproductive success of men in non-industrialized societies is closely tied to their social status, finds a new ... read more

Sociologists Examine Shift from 'No Child Left Behind' to 'Children Left Behind'

Sep. 27, 2016 — Sociologists look back to 2007 to understand how the No Child Left Behind Act acquired an alternative meaning: "NCLB means children left ... read more

Automated Screening for Childhood Communication Disorders

Sep. 23, 2016 — For children with speech and language disorders, early-childhood intervention can make a great difference in their later academic and social success. But many such children -- one study estimates 60 percent -- go undiagnosed until kindergarten or ... read more

Research Shows That How Students Engage With Feedback Is as Important as Its Content

Sep. 21, 2016 — A new research review takes a novel approach to feedback by focusing not on how it is delivered, but how students engage with and use it. The key message from the study is that effective feedback needs to be a dialogue – not a one-way ... read more

Health Benefits of Evening Classes Revealed

Sep. 20, 2016 — Those with a taste for adult education classes have long known it, but now scientists have confirmed that taking part in the weekly sessions can boost wellbeing -- regardless of the ... read more

Rushing to Complete Work on Deadline Could Mean More Mistakes

Sep. 19, 2016 — When deadlines are in place, workers tend to complete their tasks at the last minute, often leading to lower quality outcomes, shows a new ... read more

'Sleeper Effect' Accounts for Durability of Weak Messages from Credible Sources

Sep. 13, 2016 — The least convincing arguments can reverberate in the public consciousness over time -- provided they're delivered by a credible source, explains new ... read more

Group Work Can Harm Memory

Sep. 13, 2016 — Collaborating in a group to remember information is harmful, new research suggests. The research statistically analysed 64 earlier collaborative remembering studies and found that groups recall less than their individual members would if working ... read more

Women Do Ask for Pay Rises but Don’t Get Them

Sep. 5, 2016 — New research shows that women ask for wage rises just as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get a raise when they ... read more

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