Science News

BBC Science/Nature


Wet summers down to warmer Atlantic Meteorologists and scientists meeting at the Met Office say the UK's damp summers could be caused by a warmer Atlantic Ocean.
18 Jun 2013 at 9:40am

Echoes reveal the shape of a room The geometric shape of a room can be mapped using the echoes from a sound recorded by four microphones placed inside a room, research finds.
18 Jun 2013 at 2:50am

Applause is a 'social contagion' The quality of a performance does not drive the amount of applause an audience gives, a study suggests.
18 Jun 2013 at 5:04pm

Europe's Mars missions 'on track' Europe's plans to explore Mars with a satellite in 2016 and a rover in 2018 take a big step forward with the signing of new industrial contracts.
18 Jun 2013 at 12:19am

'Quiet epidemic' of UK male cancer Action is needed to fight a "quiet epidemic" of oesophageal cancer, which is on the rise in the UK, particularly in men, say cancer experts.
17 Jun 2013 at 6:08pm

Shark 'nursery' found on coral reef Edinburgh marine biologists discover a deep-sea shark spawning ground on Scotland's only inshore coral reef.
17 Jun 2013 at 4:10am

Herschel telescope switched off Controllers sever all communications with Europe's billion-euro Herschel space telescope, formally bringing to a close the observation phase of the mission.
17 Jun 2013 at 6:58am

Overseas climate change threatens UK A new report suggests that climate change in other countries will impact the UK more quickly than rising temperatures at home.
16 Jun 2013 at 4:02pm

Ash genome reveals fungus resistance Scientists sequence the genome of a type of ash tree which is resistant to the deadly fungal disease sweeping the country.
15 Jun 2013 at 4:20pm

Big freighter docks with station Europe's 20-tonne freighter, the Albert Einstein ATV, docks with the International Space Station high over the Pacific Ocean.
15 Jun 2013 at 7:27am


Guardian Unlimited Science


Australians passing up free bowel cancer screening

Reluctance to be tested puts large numbers of people potentially at risk from second largest cause of cancer

More than three quarters of eligible Australians are not being screened for bowel cancer despite it being offered for free, which is putting them at risk from the second biggest cause of cancer death in the country.

A study, published in BMC Public Health on Wednesday, found that just 25% of eligible men and 20% of women were screened for bowel cancer during the study period.

Spokesperson...


by Helen Davidson
18 Jun 2013 at 5:44pm

Universities urged to sponsor free schools specialising in maths

Plan supported by Office for Fair Access aims to encourage talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Universities are being urged by the government to sponsor new free schools specialising in mathematics, in a plan supported by the Office for Fair Access (Offa) to encourage talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study maths at degree level.

As an incentive to open the new schools, universities will be allowed to fund them using budgets otherwise reserved for improving access...


by Richard Adams
18 Jun 2013 at 5:01pm

Letters: Northern museums

We are concerned at the threatened closure of the northern "national" science museums: Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, the National Railway Museum, York, and the National Media Museum, Bradford (Report, 5 June). These are of enormous value to both scholarly and popular understanding of our industrial and scientific heritage, and represent one of the few areas where there has been a concerted attempt to develop national museums outside London. The news of the threatened closure of i...


18 Jun 2013 at 1:02pm

Country diary: Wenlock Edge: Could the psychedelic blueness of these bugle fl...

Wenlock Edge: This shock of blue, exploded from a scattering of plants here over a century or more, has reached a zenith

Blue as an ambulance light, the patch of bugle flowers in the wood. Once open, maybe a long-abandoned garden before trees took hold, this place becomes the dreamy point of midsummer, with its own reality surrounded by a pervading anxiety. At the entrance to the wood is a pull-in off the lane where cars stop for dog walkers, fly-tipping, canoodling. A man gets out. "A good da...


by Paul Evans
18 Jun 2013 at 1:01pm

Open Access inaction

From time to time, it's important to pause the bureaucratic debate about open access and recognise how stupid scientific publishing is


Like many academics, I am currently trying to work out what I should think and do about Open Access. I share with many scientists strong personal commitments to the idea of openness. I am in this game because I think research is valuable, and I work at a University because I like the idea that research that should be in the public interest should mostly be publ...


by Jack Stilgoe
18 Jun 2013 at 12:24pm

The weather may be grim, but let's learn to enjoy it | Richard Mabey

The Met Office held a crisis meeting today. But why do Brits turn trivial weather nuisances into dashers of hopes?

Everyone bewildered by the seemingly unprecedented weirdness of this year's summer might spare a thought for those living in 1783, who went through another kind of trial by weather. Gilbert White of Selborne's account of the events of 23 June to 20 July is a masterpiece of deadpan gothic: "The sun, at noon, looked as blank as a clouded moon, and shed a rust coloured ferruginous li...


by Richard Mabey
18 Jun 2013 at 11:30am

The GOP's latest abortion ban push is staggeringly stupid | Ana Marie Cox

The white male-dominated Republican party is still living in the stone age on social issues. It just goes from bad to worse

It's a truism verging on dogma that history favors steady progress toward equal rights for gays. The last election cycle saw incredible gains for marriage equality and representation for gays and lesbians in government. There is a movement in the Republican party to at least stop fighting the issue, and at least a recognition that they cannot hope to grow the party as lon...


by Ana Marie Cox
18 Jun 2013 at 10:49am

Is the future of clean energy a pond of algae in every backyard? | Lou Del Bello

The green credentials of biofuel crops have been sullied in recent years. Rienk van Grondelle believes the answer to the world's clean energy needs will be super-efficient algae

Driving through the countryside in the south of France, you would probably be charmed by the vineyards and delighted at the thought of drinking fine French wine. But when Rienk van Grondelle looks at the same view, he envisages something completely different. Where farmers now grow vines or corn to feed animals, he see...


by Lou Del Bello
18 Jun 2013 at 9:53am

G8, build political will to overcome malnutrition

The G8 has the information and tools to prioritise nutrition in development, but it will have to create the right political environment to hold true to commitments

The G8 countries are being asked to make firm financial and strategic commitments to fight malnutrition on a scale never before imagined. Can they do it? If not, we can point to a lack of political will, but not lack of information and viable solutions.

Nutrition researchers, economists, and other champions in the fight against under...


18 Jun 2013 at 8:42am

Nasa selects newest class of astronauts who could lead mission to Mars

Four women and four men made it through pool of 6,100 applicants for opportunity to take part in leading space missions

Members of Nasa's newest astronaut class, a group that includes the highest number of women since the program began more than 50 years ago, have been speaking about their selection.

The agency's 21st astronaut class, announced on Monday, includes four women and four men, who made it through a pool of 6,100 applicants, the largest ever. Those who make it through the program wil...


by Amanda Holpuch
18 Jun 2013 at 6:22am


ScienceDaily


Small satellites soar in high-altitude demonstration Four tiny spacecraft soared over the California desert June 15 in a high-altitude demonstration flight that tested the sensor and equipment designs created by NASA engineers and student launch teams.
18 Jun 2013 at 2:26pm

Finding all asteroid threats to human populations: NASA announces asteroid gr... NASA has announced a Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them. The challenge is a large-scale effort that will use multi-disciplinary collaborations and a variety of partnerships with other government agencies, international partners, industry, academia, and citizen scientists. It complements NASA's recently announced mission to redirect an asteroid and send humans to study it.
18 Jun 2013 at 2:20pm

Cassini probe to take photo of Earth from deep space NASA's Cassini spacecraft, now exploring Saturn, will take a picture of our home planet from a distance of hundreds of millions of miles on July 19. NASA is inviting the public to help acknowledge the historic interplanetary portrait as it is being taken.
18 Jun 2013 at 1:19pm

Academics earn street cred with TED Talks but no points from peers TED Talks, the most popular conference and events website in the world with over 1 billion informational videos viewed, provides academics with increased popular exposure but does nothing to boost citations of their work by peers, new research has found.
18 Jun 2013 at 11:14am

Tiny batteries: 3-D printing could lead to miniaturized medical implants, com... Three-dimensional printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, including many that have lingered on lab benches for lack of a battery small enough to fit the device, yet provide enough stored energy to power them.
18 Jun 2013 at 11:14am

Personality test finds some mouse lemurs shy, others bold In the last 10 years the study of animal personality has gained ground with behavioral ecologists. Researchers have now found distinct personalities in the grey mouse lemur, the tiny, saucer-eyed primate native to the African island of Madagascar.
18 Jun 2013 at 11:14am

Chemical probe confirms that body makes its own rotten egg gas, H2S, to benef... A new study confirms directly what scientists previously knew only indirectly -- that poisonous "rotten egg" gas hydrogen sulfide is generated by the body's blood vessel cells. Researchers made the confirmation by developing a chemical probe that lights up in reaction to rotten egg gas. The scientists observed the process in real-time through a microscope.
18 Jun 2013 at 10:18am

Fiber-optic pen helps see inside brains of children with learning disabilities For less than $100, researchers have designed a computer-interfaced drawing pad that helps scientists see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities while they read and write.
18 Jun 2013 at 10:18am

Getting enough sleep could help prevent type 2 diabetes Getting more sleep increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
18 Jun 2013 at 10:18am

Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities Scientists have found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.
18 Jun 2013 at 10:18am


New Scientist


Google's Project Loon to float the internet on balloons Google admits its new balloon-based connectivity project is a "moonshot" to bring the last two-thirds of the global population online. How realistic is the audacious plan?    


18 Jun 2013 at 1:39pm

Today on New Scientist All the latest on newscientist.com: living without oxygen, writing the body, how the Med is killing the Atlantic, Lego Curiosity, slimy computers, and more    


18 Jun 2013 at 10:00am

China aims to slash its air pollution by 2017 After suffering the worst smog on record earlier this year, China has decided to cut the emission of air pollutants by 30 per cent in 5 years    


18 Jun 2013 at 9:50am

New NASA astronauts headed for destinations unknown Eight people have been selected as the first US astronauts since Apollo to be trained for deep space, but will they visit an asteroid or Mars?    


18 Jun 2013 at 9:29am

Virtual reality display lets fire crews see in a blaze Wearable infrared sensors will give firefighters vital information about temperature and layout when they enter a burning, smoke-filled building    


18 Jun 2013 at 8:05am

Everest's final frontier: Life without oxygen People living at high altitude have evolved different ways to cope with low oxygen levels. Understanding how could benefit people in intensive care (full text available to subscribers)    


18 Jun 2013 at 8:00am

World's first baby born from 'natural' IVF Meet Heath, the first baby born using a new hormone that should reduce risk of a dangerous IVF-related condition    


18 Jun 2013 at 8:00am

New lease of life for hobbled planet-hunter Kepler NASA might not be able to save its damaged space telescope Kepler, but it could begin a second career spotting new worlds with a gravitational lens    


18 Jun 2013 at 7:37am

How should we write about the body? Bright and breezy or complex and serious? Gulp and Life's Vital Link highlight two ways to tell the story of key parts of our anatomy    


18 Jun 2013 at 7:00am

Slime mould could make memristors for biocomputers The ability to "remember" electrical resistance could make slime mould a useful material for building living computers    


18 Jun 2013 at 5:49am


Scientific American


Group Finds Big Feet Fine

All humans evolved to find certain female traits attractive, across cultures, because they signal a potential mate's reproductive potential. Right? Actually, a new study finds that cultural norms can also play a big part. At least when it comes to big feet.

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 5:45pm

Close Shave For Bill Nye The Science Guy [More]
18 Jun 2013 at 4:50pm

Colorado Wildfire Snuffs Over 500 homes; California Fire a Threat

By Keith Coffman and Alex Dobuzinskis

DENVER/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The number of homes destroyed by a Colorado wildfire rose above 500 on Tuesday as rain dampened the flames and allowed damage assessment teams to enter charred neighborhoods, as another threatening blaze grew in California.

Authorities said the so-called Black Forest Fire, which has killed at least two people and has burned in the rolling hills outside Colorado Springs for the past week, was 85 percent contained by Tuesday.

The...


18 Jun 2013 at 4:10pm

NASA's Grand Challenge: Stop Asteroids from Destroying Earth

There may be killer asteroids headed for Earth, and NASA has decided to do something about it. The space agency announced a new "Grand Challenge" today (June 18) to find all dangerous space rocks and figure out how to stop them from destroying Earth.

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 4:00pm

Details in Death of Yuri Gagarin, 1st Man in Space, Revealed 45 Years Later

The circumstances surrounding the death of the first man in space Yuri Gagarin, who was killed in a 1968 jet crash, have long been clouded in theories and rumors. Now, the first man to walk in space says he can reveal what really happened to his friend and fellow Russian cosmonaut.

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 4:00pm

Pesticides Spark Broad Biodiversity Loss

Agricultural pesticides have been linked to widespread invertebrate biodiversity loss in two new research papers.

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 2:45pm

Dog Genetics Spur Scientific Spat

Scientists investigating the transformation of wolves into dogs are behaving a bit like the animals they study, as disputes roil among those using genetics to understand dog domestication.

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 2:00pm

30 under 30: Fueling Industry with Sunlight--and Science with Collaboration

Each year hundreds of the best and brightest researchers gather in Lindau, Germany, for the Nobel Laureate Meeting . There, the newest generation of scientists mingles with Nobel Prize winners and discusses their work and ideas. The 2013 meeting is dedicated to chemistry and will involve young researchers from 78 different countries. In anticipation of the event, which will take place from June 30 through July 5, we are highlighting a group of attendees under 30 who represent the future of c...


18 Jun 2013 at 11:45am

New Astronauts Face Limited Opportunities for Spaceflight NASA announced on Monday its 2013 class of astronaut candidates, but the current state of the agency's human spaceflight program makes it hard to get excited about what lies ahead for these remarkable individuals.To mark the announcement, NASA hosted a Google Hangout on Air with several administrators and former astronauts. [More]
18 Jun 2013 at 11:04am

A Cosmic Map of the Exoplanets [Interactive]

[More]
18 Jun 2013 at 11:00am


PhysOrg


City-life changes blackbird personalities, study shows The origins of a young animal might have a significant impact on its behavior later on in life. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany, have been able to demonstrate in hand-reared blackbirds that urban-born individuals are less curious and more cautious about new objects than their country counterparts. This study sheds light on an interesting debate on whether personality differences between rural and urban birds are behavioral adjustments to urban en...
18 Jun 2013 at 5:10pm

Research shows moves to ban pay-to-delay deals are justified Controversial deals that delay generic versions of drugs coming onto the market can lead to consumers paying significantly more for some treatments, according to new research by an academic from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
18 Jun 2013 at 5:00pm

Origins of 'The Hoff' crab revealed (w/ Video) The history of a new type of crab, nicknamed 'The Hoff' because of its hairy chest, which lives around hydrothermal vents deep beneath the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean, has been revealed for the first time.
18 Jun 2013 at 5:00pm

Older males make better fathers: Mature male beetles work harder, care less a... Researchers at the University of Exeter found that older male burying beetles make better fathers than their younger counterparts. The study found that mature males, who had little chance of reproducing again, invested more effort in both mating and in parental care than younger males.
18 Jun 2013 at 5:00pm

Juiced roads: Volvo explores electric power for trucks, buses (Phys.org) ?How are engineers doing in solving the problem of large-sized all electric transport vehicles traveling long distances without the burden of large batteries? One workaround that has been the topic of much discussion is the use of power lines that are built into the surface of the road. The Volvo Group has issued its state of progress and says it has come a long way in its research but that there's still work and planning decisions ahead. The goal is to find a cost-efficient way to...
18 Jun 2013 at 4:50pm

World's largest all-solar-powered boat shines in NYC The world's largest fully solar-powered boat, "Turanor PlanetSolar," docked in New York on Tuesday during a mission to study the effects of climate change on the Gulf Stream current.
18 Jun 2013 at 4:11pm

DreamWorks says TV revenue to hit $200M by 2015 DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. says its new deal to provide original TV shows to Netflix will help it double the revenue it gets from TV shows to $200 million by 2015.
18 Jun 2013 at 3:59pm

US spy chief: Plot against Wall Street foiled The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence?a set-piece for supporters of the snooping.
18 Jun 2013 at 2:50pm

Poland may delay launch of nuclear plants Poland could delay building its first nuclear power plants as natural gas, including shale gas, becomes less costly, the prime minister of the central European heavyweight said Tuesday.
18 Jun 2013 at 2:40pm

Cassini imaging lead hopes for planet-wide celebration of the Pale Blue Dot (Phys.org) ?On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will be turned to image Saturn and its entire ring system during a total eclipse of the sun, as it has done twice before during its previous 9 years in orbit. But this time, the images that will be collected have been specifically designed for something very special. They will capture, in natural color, a glimpse of our own planet next to Saturn and its rings, during an event that will be the first time Earthlings know in advance their p...
18 Jun 2013 at 2:28pm