Life Science Controversies of 2016

Two ongoing disputes brought The Scientist to the courtroom to listen in on the proceedings this year. The first is a defamation suit that former Wayne State University researcher Fazlul Sarkar brought against anonymous commenters on the post-publication peer review website PubPeer. Sarkar...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/life-science-controversies-2016/

'Hidden Figures,' 'The Glass Universe,' And Why Science Needs History

Editor’s Note: This story originally gave the time it takes light to travel from the sun to Earth as just over eight seconds. The correct time is just over eight minutes. Your editor is very embarrassed.
Earth spins at 1,040 mph. Light travels 186,000 miles per second. It takes...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/hidden-figures-glass-universe-science-needs-history/

Study: This practice, lost to time, likely made a Stradivarius sing

For hundreds of years, violins by Antonio Stradivari have been considered the best in the world, some fetching millions of dollars. The only other instruments vying for the title were crafted by a man named Giuseppe Guarneri, who toiled away in his workshop in the same northern Italian city...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/study-practice-lost-time-likely-made-stradivarius-sing/

Video shows false killer whale snagging tuna bait

HONOLULU, Dec. 23 (UPI) — Researchers trying to cut down on the number of false killer whales being caught in longline fishing gear in the Pacific have captured video of the marine mammal’s attempts to remove fish from the line.
In the video, the false killer whale successfully...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/video-shows-false-killer-whale-snagging-tuna-bait/

Quora: What Are the Most Common Pitfalls New Programmers Face?

What are the most common pitfalls that new programmers face? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.


Answer by Colleen van Lent, lecturer at the University of Michigan and an Instructor at Web...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/quora-common-pitfalls-new-programmers-face/

Woman's 'Immortal' Cells To Be Regulated Under New Plan

For decades, the immortal line of cells known as HeLa cells has been a crucial tool for researchers. But the cells’ use has also been the source of anxiety, confusion and frustration for the family of the woman, Henrietta Lacks, from whom the cells were taken without consent more than...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/womans-immortal-cells-regulated-new-plan/

J. H. McKenna, Ph.D.: Filthy Little Atheist

President Teddy Roosevelt called Thomas Paine a ‘Filthy Little Atheist,’ a phrase with as many errors in it as words, since Paine was fastidiously clean, stood taller than most of his contemporaries at five feet ten inches, and was a professed believer in God.


Paine was often...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/j-h-mckenna-ph-d-filthy-little-atheist/

Why Is Santa Always White?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
It is that time of year again: People are dusting off their holiday decorations in order to make their homes and public spaces...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/santa-always-white/

European court deals blow to controversial UK surveillance law

A slapdown for snooping

Ben Birchall – WPA Pool / Getty Images


By Victoria Turk
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has delivered a blow to the UK’s controversial new surveillance law, the Investigatory Powers Act.
The Act, which is commonly known as the “snoopers’ charter” and receiv...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/european-court-deals-blow-controversial-uk-surveillance-law/

US Postdocs Grapple with Salary Changes

US Department of Labor headquartersWIKIMEDIA, AGNOSTICPREACHERSKIDPostdocs across the country have been on a financial rollercoaster since the end of November. In order to be compliant with new federal regulations from the US Department of Labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/us-postdocs-grapple-with-salary-changes/

One Small Step for NASA, One Giant Leap for GIFs

Photo



Credit
NASA


Last week, NASA announced that it would open an official account at Giphy, a GIF database and social media platform, bringing the space agency up to speed with the way young people communicate in the internet...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/one-small-step-for-nasa-one-giant-leap-for-gifs/

China wants 23 northern cities put on red alert for smog

BEIJING Environmental authorities in China have advised 23 northern cities to issue red alerts, the highest possible air pollution warning, on Friday evening, against the “worst” smog the country has experienced since autumn, state media said.

China issued its first ever red...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/china-wants-23-northern-cities-put-on-red-alert-for-smog/

Muhammad Ali letter to Nelson Mandela up for auction in the UK

A rare letter from boxing legend Muhammad Ali to Nelson Mandela is up for auction in the U.K. this weekend.
In the typed and signed letter, dated April 13 1993, Ali expresses his condolences to Mandela for the death of his friend and anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani, who was assassinated...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/muhammad-ali-letter-to-nelson-mandela-up-for-auction-in-the-uk/

Brave New World: UK Is First To Legalize Three-Parent Babies

It’s now legal in Britain to create a three-parent baby using healthy DNA from a donor to fix debilitating genetic problems.
U.K. fertility clinic regulator Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has approved the “cautious use” of the technique, developed by British scientists, t...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/brave-new-world-uk-is-first-to-legalize-three-parent-babies/

3D Scanners Erase Dinos From History

Were scientists all wrong when it came to Psittacosaurus — or “parrot lizard” — dinosaurs? A new study has found that multiple skulls of a single species were mislabeled for years as three different species. Oops.


Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/3d-scanners-erase-dinos-from-history/

Imaging Advance May Soon Show Unborn Babies in 3D

This image shows a 3-D virtual model of a fetus at 26 weeks.
Credit: Radiological Society of North America




Someday, a mother-to-be may be able to put on a virtual reality headset and get a clear, 360-degree look at her own fetus...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/imaging-advance-may-soon-show-unborn-babies-in-3d/

Robust defence of string theory wins Physics World's 2016 Book of the Year

Physics World‘s choice for the 2016 Book of the Year is Why String Theory? by Joseph Conlon, while Stuart Lowe and Chris North’s Cosmos: the Infographic Book of Space is Highly Commended

Our 2016 Book of the Year
Abstract, mathematically complex and (so far) unsupported by direct...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/robust-defence-of-string-theory-wins-physics-worlds-2016-book-of-the-year/

First test of rival to Einstein’s gravity kills off dark matter

Gravitational lensing is a famous prediction of Einstein’s gravity
NASA, N. Benitez (JHU), T. Broadhurst (Racah Institute of Physics/The Hebrew University), H. Ford (JHU), M. Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), G. Illingworth (UCO/Lick Observatory), the ACS Science Team and ESA


By Mark A...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/first-test-of-rival-to-einsteins-gravity-kills-off-dark-matter/

Meet Mimas: Saturn's Death Star Moon

Mimas Is Also Space Pac-Man
Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC/SWRI/SSI

Herschel Crater on Mimas
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
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Mimas’ Color Near Herschel Crater
...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/meet-mimas-saturns-death-star-moon/

America’s First Offshore Wind Farm Spins to Life

Until this week, all of the wind power generated in the United States was landlocked.
But in a first for America, the ocean breeze is now generating clean, renewable power offshore — electricity that will supply a small island community off the coast of Rhode Island. Renewable energy, i...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/americas-first-offshore-wind-farm-spins-to-life/

In Canada, case spurs concern over misconduct secrecy

In early 2013, scientists working in a laboratory led by a prominent cancer researcher at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, were getting worried. They were unable to reproduce results from several of the researcher’s experiments, and suspected some of the o...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/in-canada-case-spurs-concern-over-misconduct-secrecy/

Here's Why You Don't Have A Penis Bone

No other bone, arguably, has been the subject of such debate as the human penis bone. Mainly, why other animals have them – in diverse sizes and varying lengths – and we don’t. 
Monkeys’ penises are as short as a fingernail, while walruses’ can be two feet long. The absence of the...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/heres-why-you-dont-have-a-penis-bone/

COOL: 20 Visual Puns Link Scientists With Their Achievements

When you hear Darwin’s name, you probably think of evolution. But for lesser known scientists, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of their groundbreaking achievements.


Here’s a series of clever mash-ups that combine the names of scientific game-changers with their...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/cool-20-visual-puns-link-scientists-with-their-achievements/

62-Foot Wave Off Iceland Smashes World Record

A giant wave (not the one that broke the record).
Credit: Lauren Simmons | Shutterstock.com




A monstrous swell in the North Atlantic that rose up as high as a six-story building is now the world’s tallest wave measured by a...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/62-foot-wave-off-iceland-smashes-world-record/

Tracing the path towards totality

Sun Moon Earth: the History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets Tyler Nordgren
2016 Basic Books $26.99hb 256pp

Eclipse chasing
On 21 August 2017 a total solar eclipse will cast its sweeping shadow across the US. Starting around 10 a.m. in Oregon on the west...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/tracing-the-path-towards-totality/

Keeping CRISPR in Check

Cas9 protein structure from Staphylococcus aureus WIKICOMMONS, THOMAS SPLETTSTOESSER A team of scientists that previously identified genes within bacteriophage genomes that code for anti-CRISPR proteins has now discovered phages that harbor an antidote to the Cas9 enzyme that is a key...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/keeping-crispr-in-check/

Curiosity Rover Encounters Technical Difficulties On Martian Mountain

This is the Curiosity rover’s robotic arm, a part of which has gotten stuck, endangering its scientific mission.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

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https://skpsoft.com/science/curiosity-rover-encounters-technical-difficulties-on-martian-mountain/

Scientists push for agricultural monitoring

Network would collect environmental and socioeconomic data from around the world.

Scientists want to monitor agriculture in Africa and elsewhere to learn how humans are affecting the planet.ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images
A global agricultural monitoring network moved a step closer to reality...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/scientists-push-for-agricultural-monitoring/

Archaeologists discover mysterious 2,500-year-old 'lost city' in Greece

An international team of experts has discovered a mysterious ‘lost city’ in central Greece that could offer new clues to the region’s history.
Archaeologists from Greece, Sweden and the U.K. are involved in the research project at a village called Vlochós, about five hours north of Athens in ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/archaeologists-discover-mysterious-2500-year-old-lost-city-in-greece/

When is the supermoon in December 2016? How to watch the supermoon THIS WEEK

Many stargazers across Britain were left disappointed after clouds obscured the huge November supermoon in many parts of the UK.  
Astronomers are once again praying for clear skies tonight because it is their last chance to see a supermoon in 2016. 


When is the December supermoon 2...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/when-is-the-supermoon-in-december-2016-how-to-watch-the-supermoon-this-week/

PHOTOS: 18 Science Greats When They Were Cute Kids

Albert Einstein wasn’t always the old guy with the bushy white hair. Once upon a time he was once just a cute little three-year-old — and the same is true, of course, for all scientific geniuses. Just have a look at this amazing collection of “baby scientist” photos...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/photos-18-science-greats-when-they-were-cute-kids/

What Is Consciousness? Physicists Look for Answers

Renowned physicist Edward Witten recently suggested that consciousness might forever remain a mystery. But his words haven’t discouraged other physicists from trying to unravel it.

Yes, physicists.

In the past, consciousness was almost entirely relegated to the musings of p...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/what-is-consciousness-physicists-look-for-answers/

Viruses may have evolved to hit men hard but go easy on women

Why do men get worse symptoms?
Hero Images/Getty


By Sam Wong
Is man-flu a quirk of viral evolution? Some viruses might cause weaker symptoms in women than in men because it makes them more likely to spread.
Many infections cause more severe illness in men than women. Men infected with...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/viruses-may-have-evolved-to-hit-men-hard-but-go-easy-on-women/

Galileo gets ready for take off

Europe’s satellite navigation system enters test phase.

A launch of two satellites on 20 October means Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system is ramping up.ESA – S. Corvaja, 2011
Galileo, the largest programme ever launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) will...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/galileo-gets-ready-for-take-off/

Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Vow To Fight Through Fierce Winter

The teeth of winter are closing on the makeshift camp in North Dakota where demonstrators are trying to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Some are heeding tribal calls to leave, while others are digging in. But the company building the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline was in federal court...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/dakota-access-pipeline-protesters-vow-to-fight-through-fierce-winter/

Updated: Innovation bill dies after Senate approval, at least for this year

In the predawn hours Saturday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to bolster innovation and research activities at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and various research and education programs managed by the White House Office of Science and...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/updated-innovation-bill-dies-after-senate-approval-at-least-for-this-year/

Treated sawdust could clean up icy oil spills

SEQUIM, Wash., Dec. 12 (UPI) — Cleaning up oil is difficult. Cleaning up oil in the stormy, ice-filled seas of the Arctic is even harder. As sea ice melts and fossil fuel extraction shifts northward, oil spells will inevitably follow.
Researchers Department of Energy’s Pacific...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/treated-sawdust-could-clean-up-icy-oil-spills/

Dan Rockmore: Encoding a Next Generation

In my last post I argued (or cried) for a renewed valuing of and inculcation of “critical thinking” skills as a bulwark and counteroffensive to the increased primacy of screaming and bullying in our new “post-truth” marketplace of ideas. As a part of this, I...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/dan-rockmore-encoding-a-next-generation/

LISTEN: Physics Legend Explains The One Thing We Don't Get About Science

In a science career that has spanned more than 60 years, Freeman Dyson has worked alongside some of the greatest minds in theoretical physics, including Albert Einstein, Edward Teller, Hans Bethe, and Richard Feynman.


Of course, Dyson, 90, is himself a mathematical physicist of almost...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/listen-physics-legend-explains-the-one-thing-we-dont-get-about-science/

ISIS May Face War-Crime Charges for Destruction of Historic Sites

As a combined Iraqi-Kurdish force fights its way into Mosul, the last major Iraqi city held by the Islamic State group (also known as Daesh, ISIS or ISIL), there have been reports that some ISIS fighters have chosen to surrender rather than fight to the death.

Photos released by Agence...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/isis-may-face-war-crime-charges-for-destruction-of-historic-sites/

LIGO's gravitational-wave discovery is Physics World 2016 Breakthrough of the Year

The Physics World 2016 Breakthrough of the Year goes to “the LIGO Scientific Collaboration for its revolutionary, first-ever direct observations of gravitational waves”. Nine other achievements are highly commended and cover topics ranging from nuclear physics to material science...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/ligos-gravitational-wave-discovery-is-physics-world-2016-breakthrough-of-the-year/

Potential diabetes therapy: Engineered cells that control blood sugar

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To program cells to produce insulin in response to glucose, bioengineers used three proteins. Glucose transporters shuttle the sugar into the cells, where it is metabolized to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Increasing ATP levels shut ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/potential-diabetes-therapy-engineered-cells-that-control-blood-sugar/

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Show Signs of Donor Age

WIKIMEDIA, CSIROAfter human somatic cells are reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the resulting cells retain both genetic and epigenetic indicators of the age of the person who donated the somatic-cell progenitors, scientists have found. Ali Torkamani, Kristin...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-show-signs-of-donor-age/

John Glenn, American Hero of the Space Age, Dies at 95

To the America of the 1960s, Mr. Glenn was a clean-cut, good-natured, well-grounded Midwesterner, raised in Presbyterian rectitude, nurtured in patriotism and tested in war, who stepped forward to risk the unknown and succeeded spectacularly, lifting his country’s morale and restoring its s...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/john-glenn-american-hero-of-the-space-age-dies-at-95/

Schools shut, navy on alert as cyclone bears down on south India

NEW DELHI Indian authorities closed schools and colleges on Monday and prepared to move people out of low-lying areas as a cyclone bore down on the southeast coast.

Cyclone Vardah is moving westwards over the Bay of Bengal and is expected to hit the city of Chennai and neighboring areas...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/schools-shut-navy-on-alert-as-cyclone-bears-down-on-south-india/

Feathered dinosaur tail fragment trapped in amber amazes scientists

It’s a discovery that’s straight out of “Jurassic Park.” Scientists have found a tiny section of a dinosaur’s tail trapped in amber, and not only that, it has feathers.
Dating to about 99 million years ago, or the mid-Cretaceous period, the amber containing the eight dinosaur vertebrae ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/feathered-dinosaur-tail-fragment-trapped-in-amber-amazes-scientists/

Japanese cargo ship blasts off for space station

By Irene Klotz
| CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. An unmanned H-2B rocket blasted off from Tanegashima island in southern Japan on Friday to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast showed.

The delivery of about 4.5 tons...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/japanese-cargo-ship-blasts-off-for-space-station/

Moon May Be MUCH Younger Than We Thought

The moon is quite a bit younger than scientists had previously believed, new research suggests.


The leading theory of how the moon formed holds that it was created when a mysterious planet — one the size of Mars or larger — slammed into Earth about 4.56 billion years ago, just after the s...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/moon-may-be-much-younger-than-we-thought/

Why Don't Monkeys Talk Like Us?

There is little doubt that non-human primates like Koko the gorilla are very intelligent. Koko, for example, uses sign language to communicate with people, telling them that she loves her pet cats, Miss Black and Miss Grey. Koko, however, is noticeably the strong and silent type, at least...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/why-dont-monkeys-talk-like-us/

Between the lines: Christmas special

An eclectic mix of popular-science books, from everyday physics to loop quantum gravity to collider cartoons, reviewed by Matin Durrani, Kate Gardner, Hamish Johnston, Margaret Harris and Louise Mayor

You are here

What has the US military ever done for us? While it is possible to respond to...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/between-the-lines-christmas-special/

Exclusive: Mexico clinic plans 20 ‘three-parent’ babies in 2017

Alejandro Chavez-Badiola: director of New Hope Fertility Center
Eduardo Verdugo/AP/PA


By Michael Le Page
Many more three-parent babies will soon be on their way. A clinic in Mexico is planning to use the technique in 20 pregnancies in the first half of 2017, according to its medical...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/exclusive-mexico-clinic-plans-20-three-parent-babies-in-2017/

Building the James Webb Space Telescope: Hubble's Successor (Gallery)

“>
Webb Telescope’s Fine Guidance Sensor Moved into Position





It takes a lot of guidance to correctly move flight instruments. Critical lift operations involving flight instruments require patience, precision, and many pairs of eyes....

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https://skpsoft.com/science/building-the-james-webb-space-telescope-hubbles-successor-gallery/

Trilobites: Rapid Evolution Saved This Fish From Pollution, Study Says

Photo


The Atlantic killifish, which researchers found was able to adapt to pollution.

Credit
Andrew Whitehead


The State of New Jersey says you can’t eat the fish or shellfish from the Lower Passaic River and ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/trilobites-rapid-evolution-saved-this-fish-from-pollution-study-says/

Stopping CRISPR’s genome-editing scissors from snipping out of control

Scientists have found several proteins that stop the Cas9 enzyme (white) from cutting DNA. 
Val Altounian



In an episode of the resurrected X-Files TV show that ran earlier this year, aliens attack Earth with a bioweapon based on CRISPR, the genome-editing tool that vastly ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/stopping-crisprs-genome-editing-scissors-from-snipping-out-of-control/

The Rise In C-Sections Could Be Changing Human Evolution

C-sections have been on the rise for decades, now making up more than 30 percent of all deliveries in the United States.
An intriguing new study out of Austria suggests that as C-sections have become more common, they might also be altering the course of human evolution. More babies are ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/the-rise-in-c-sections-could-be-changing-human-evolution/

Scientist Answers Key Question About Human Evolution

WASHINGTON — Is human evolution over? That’s the question Briana Pobiner, an anthropologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, asked an audience here Saturday (May 17).


Humans are evolving at an increasing rate, thanks to medical advances and a larger population, Po...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/scientist-answers-key-question-about-human-evolution/

Having Family for Dinner: 'Cannibalism' Author Dishes

When you think of cannibals, you may picture the headline-grabbing psychopaths who, every so often, committ horrific crimes.

But elsewhere in the animal kingdom, cannibalism might involve a self-sacrificing mother or a hungry fetus snacking down on its siblings.

Now, Bill...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/having-family-for-dinner-cannibalism-author-dishes/

Sonic Lamb shift detected in ultracold atoms

Sound measurement: artist’s impression of polarons in a BEC
The tiny influence that quantized sound waves called phonons have on atomic energy levels has been measured for the first time by physicists at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Known as the “phononic Lamb...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/sonic-lamb-shift-detected-in-ultracold-atoms/

CRISPR creators duke it out in U.S. patent court

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In CRISPR, the guide RNA (red) directs the Cas9 enzyme (white) to a specified region of DNA (green).
Credit: Ian Slaymaker and Lauren Solomon/Courtesy of the Broad Institute



In the biggest science showdown of the year, attorneys defending ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/crispr-creators-duke-it-out-in-u-s-patent-court/

3-D Models Capture Endangered Species Before They Go Extinct

A gecko in the BeastcamUNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETS AT AMHERSTIt is too late for the the Bramble Cay melomys and the Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frog—both declared extinct in 2016. It’s probably too late for the Northern White Rhino and the San Cristobal Vermillion Flycatcher, as well. As conse...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/3-d-models-capture-endangered-species-before-they-go-extinct/

Japan Sends Long Electric Whip Into Orbit, To Tame Space Junk

A rendering in a video by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows an electrodynamic tether being deployed to help reduce the amount of space junk in orbit.

JAXA

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https://skpsoft.com/science/japan-sends-long-electric-whip-into-orbit-to-tame-space-junk/

Brazil cooks up transgenic bean

Approval draws criticism over transparency and safety tests.

Pinto beans, a Brazilian staple, could soon be resistant to the devastating golden mosaic virus.J. STOKES/SPL
Paired with rice or steeped in feijoada stew, beans are an essential feature of Brazilian cuisine. So great is...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/brazil-cooks-up-transgenic-bean/

Haunting photos of Japanese mini-submarine sunk during Pearl Harbor attack

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released photographs of a Japanese mini-submarine that was sunk at the very beginning of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, and they’re haunting.
On Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of the “date which will live in infamy,” the NOAA ship Oke...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/haunting-photos-of-japanese-mini-submarine-sunk-during-pearl-harbor-attack/

Feathered Dinosaur Tail Found In Perfect Conidition In Myanmar

A feathered dinosaur tail has been discovered in perfect condition in Myanmar. 
The unique find, preserved in amber, is believed to be more than 99 million years old. 
Researchers believe the tail belonged to a feathered dinosaur about the size of a sparrow.
It was found by Lida Xing, a g...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/feathered-dinosaur-tail-found-in-perfect-conidition-in-myanmar/

IN MEMORIAM: Scientists Who Died In 2013

Janet Rowley, M.D.
(April 5, 1925 – December 18, 2013)
A pioneer in cancer genetics research, Rowley linked cancer with abnormal genes and identified the genetic process called translocation. Her work led to targeted drug treatment for leukemia, and won her the the National Medal of...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/in-memoriam-scientists-who-died-in-2013/

Mystery Solved! Cause of London's 1952 'Killer Fog' Revealed

Despite the death of thousands, the killer fog has largely remained a mystery for decades.
Credit: Courtesy of Texas A&M University




London may be known for its drizzly weather, but in 1952 the city’s quintessential...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/mystery-solved-cause-of-londons-1952-killer-fog-revealed/

Flash Physics: Graphene meets Silly Putty, new linear-collider bosses, Majorana pairs spotted

Flash Physics is our daily pick of the latest need-to-know developments from the global physics community selected by Physics World‘s team of editors and reporters

Graphene and Silly Putty make an excellent strain sensor
Not so silly: graphene and Silly Putty join forces
Extremely...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/flash-physics-graphene-meets-silly-putty-new-linear-collider-bosses-majorana-pairs-spotted/

Brain waves clear Alzheimer’s plaques

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When stimulated by gamma waves, microglia take up amyloid-β from their surroundings.
Credit: Nature



Our brains can get quite rhythmical as groups of neurons fire together in oscillating patterns during different activities, such as p...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/brain-waves-clear-alzheimers-plaques/

Monkeys should be able to talk just like us – so why don’t they?

Yes, scratch right there
Visual China Group/Getty


By Andy Coghlan
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ee, ee, ee! Shouting monkeys may have more sophisticated vocal abilities than we give them credit for.
It seems that the anatomy of their vocal tract is theoretically capable of producing the five basic...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/monkeys-should-be-able-to-talk-just-like-us-so-why-dont-they/

Climate researchers warn of data crisis

Looming gaps in satellite coverage challenge sustained climate observation.

The next generation of Earth-observing satellites will not be ready in time for a seamless transition from the current generation.NOAA
Climate scientists warn that critical gaps in climate data could open up after...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/climate-researchers-warn-of-data-crisis/

Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Shakes California

The epicenter of Thursday’s earthquake was about 100 miles off the coast of Northern California.

USGS National Earthquake Information Center

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Virus found in child mummy suggests recent rise of deadly smallpox

A mummy found in the same Lithuanian crypt where researchers extracted smallpox DNA from a small child.
Kiril Cachovski of the Lithuanian Mummy Project, 2015



Ancient rashes that scar the faces of Egyptian mummies have long been cited as evidence that smallpox ravaged the region...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/virus-found-in-child-mummy-suggests-recent-rise-of-deadly-smallpox/

Meet Fyodor – the humanoid robot that Russia will use in SPACE

The Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects has developed Fyodor, which will be used to protect its cosmonauts in future space exploration.
Fyodor, the humanoid robot, will be used to perform complex tasks outside of the International Space Station (ISS) and Russia’s national o...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/meet-fyodor-the-humanoid-robot-that-russia-will-use-in-space/

Evaggelos Vallianatos: Archimedes: The Greatest Scientist Who Ever Lived

The scientist who personifies the greatest achievements of Greek and Western science was Archimedes. He applied mathematics for the understanding of the natural world and the cosmos.


In one of his books, Ψαμμιτης (Psammites), or The Sand-Reckoner, Archimedes attempted to measure the size ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/evaggelos-vallianatos-archimedes-the-greatest-scientist-who-ever-lived/

Giraffes Are Threatened with Extinction

Giraffe numbers have plummeted over the past three decades.
Credit: Volodymyr Burdiak / Shutterstock.com




Earth’s tallest land mammal, the giraffe, is now threatened with extinction, according to an update to an...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/giraffes-are-threatened-with-extinction/

Life as we do and don't know it

Goldilocks and the Water Bears: the Search for Life in the Universe Louisa Preston
2016 Bloomsbury £16.99 288pp

Brave new worlds
Is there life beyond Earth? This fundamental and as yet unresolved question has long confronted humanity. With a limited understanding of the natural world around ...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/life-as-we-do-and-dont-know-it/

Phages Carry Antibiotic Resistance Genes

WIKIMEDIA, CDC/JJ FARMERViromes from a variety of environments harbor antibiotic resistance genes, according to a study published last month (November 24) in Environmental Pollution. The results suggest that bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—may play a role in the transfer of gen...

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https://skpsoft.com/science/phages-carry-antibiotic-resistance-genes/

Little African primate's talents inspire leaping robot

By Will Dunham
| WASHINGTON


WASHINGTON Inspired by the remarkable jumping ability of an African primate called a galago, scientists have fashioned a small robot with unique leaping capabilities they hope can someday be used in tricky search-and-rescue...

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https://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/little-african-primates-talents-inspire-leaping-robot/

Fingernails on a Chalkboard: Why This Sound Gives You the Shivers

If you’re like most people, you probably can’t stand the sound of fingernails scraping across a blackboard. You’re probably cringing just thinking about it. This ear-piercing noise is so universally disliked, perhaps it’s no surprise that dozens of scientists have...

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https://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/fingernails-on-a-chalkboard-why-this-sound-gives-you-the-shivers/

DEA ban puts damper on research into kratom’s painkilling effects

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DEA’s ban will stop kratom from being sold at herb shops such as this one.
Credit: David Becker/ ZUMA Press/Splash News/Newscom



The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced it will temporarily list two compounds that occur na...

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https://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/dea-ban-puts-damper-on-research-into-kratoms-painkilling-effects/

Naive T Cells Find Homes in Lymphoid Tissue

WIKIMEDIA, NCIAt birth, the human body is brimming with naive T cells, immune cells generated in the thymus that have yet to encounter a pathogen. Production of these cells declines with age, but they persist in the body to muster an immune response against novel invaders. In a Science...

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https://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/naive-t-cells-find-homes-in-lymphoid-tissue/

Scientific challenges in the Arctic: Open water

Published online 12 October 2011 |
Nature
478,
174-177
(2011)
| doi:10.1038/478174a

As the ice melts, fresh obstacles confront Arctic researchers.

The icebreakers Louis S. St-Laurent (top) and Healy are taking part in a multi-year international Arctic survey...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/scientific-challenges-in-the-arctic-open-water/

All Human-Made Objects on Earth Amount to 30 Trillion Tons

Humanity’s imprint on the planet weighs in at trillions of tons.
Credit: University of Leicester




It’s safe to say that humans have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. Scientists recently discovered that all...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/all-human-made-objects-on-earth-amount-to-30-trillion-tons/

REVEALED: Bizarre Physiological Benefit Of Watching

Earlier this year, Dartmouth researchers added support to mounting evidence about the way that exercise affects learning and mental acuity: it boosts the production of “brain derived neurotrophic factor” — or BDNF – a protein that is thought to help with mental acuity, learning and...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/revealed-bizarre-physiological-benefit-of-watching/

U.S. presidential candidates answer 20 questions on science

The leading U.S. presidential candidates have detailed their stances on important science, medical, and environmental issues. They prepared these policy positions in response to questions from ScienceDebate.org, a coalition of fifty-six leading U.S. nonpartisan organizations, including the...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/u-s-presidential-candidates-answer-20-questions-on-science/

Virgin Galactic takes first solo glide flight since 2014 crash

By Leah Crane
Virgin Galactic’s newest space plane has finally left the nest for its first free flight. VSS Unity, the second iteration of the company’s SpaceShipTwo, had five assisted flights since September, but the 3 December flight marks the first time pilots have steered and landed it a...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/virgin-galactic-takes-first-solo-glide-flight-since-2014-crash/

Team Hits Snag In Attempt To Rescue Vintage Spacecraft

The quest to rescue a 36-year-old NASA spacecraft will go on for at least another day, as a private group controlling the probe achieved only partial success with an engine firing Tuesday (July 8).


The private team operating NASA’s International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 spacecraft...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/team-hits-snag-in-attempt-to-rescue-vintage-spacecraft/

Why Do Sore Muscles Feel Worse On The Second Day?

Welcome to Ask Healthy Living — in which you submit your most burning health questions and we do our best to ask the experts and get back to you. Have a question? Get in touch here and you could appear on Healthy Living!


“Ask Healthy Living” is for informational purposes...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/why-do-sore-muscles-feel-worse-on-the-second-day/

Aramco buys Novomer’s CO2-based polyols business

Saudi oil company says carbon dioxide-based polyols will flourish with its backing


Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Saudi Aramco, is making a big investment in green chemistry with the purchase, valued at up to $100 million, of Novomer’s Converge polyols business.
Novomer produces the po...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/aramco-buys-novomers-co2-based-polyols-business/

PubPeer Loses Battle, Hopes to Win War on Anonymous Comments

WIKIMEDIA, BLOGTREPRENEURAs The Scientist reported yesterday, the Michigan Court of Appeals has denied a motion to enter into the record the full report from a Wayne State University investigation of misconduct allegations made against Fazlul Sarkar.

Alex Abdo, the American Civil...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/pubpeer-loses-battle-hopes-to-win-war-on-anonymous-comments/

Justin Kitch: From Rosie the Riveter to Olympic Ties: This Week's Curios

Every day of the year, Curious.com CEO Justin Kitch writes a quirky fact, known as the Daily Curio, intended to tickle the brains of lifelong learners everywhere. This is a weekly digest.


Last week’s Curios covered Rosie the Riveter, broken heart syndrome, and why we get so...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/justin-kitch-from-rosie-the-riveter-to-olympic-ties-this-weeks-curios/

The Surprising Reason Why West Coast NFL Teams May Have An Advantage In Night Games

The way the body’s natural circadian rhythms work could give West Coast NFL teams an advantage when they play night games against East Coast teams, a new study suggests.


Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego,...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/the-surprising-reason-why-west-coast-nfl-teams-may-have-an-advantage-in-night-games/

Isotope analysis points to violent moon origin

[+]Enlarge



 



En esta recreación artística de un instante remoto de nuestro sistema solar, un hipotético cuerpo del tamaño de Marte colisiona con la Tierra, lo que dio lugar a la formación de la Luna
Credit: Dana Berry/National Geographic



Un nuevo análi...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/isotope-analysis-points-to-violent-moon-origin/

Europe’s green energy policy is a disaster for the environment

Biofuels or fossil fuels?
Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty


By Michael Le Page
The European Union’s proposals for revising its renewable energy policies are greenwashing and don’t solve the serious flaws, say environmental groups.
The EU gets 65 per cent of its renewable energy from biofuels – main...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/europes-green-energy-policy-is-a-disaster-for-the-environment/

News Report on Global Temperatures Is Wrong, Scientists Say

Photo



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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/news-report-on-global-temperatures-is-wrong-scientists-say/

Leslie Reece Schichtel: Golf, Baseball and Biomechanics: The Underlying Science of Sports

It’s Game Six of the 2013 World Series. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha steps up to the mound, winds up and smoothly delivers a pitch on its way to meet the Boston Red Sox Shane Victorino’s bat. The bat makes contact with a “whack,” delivering a...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/leslie-reece-schichtel-golf-baseball-and-biomechanics-the-underlying-science-of-sports/

Elegant way to build β-lactams

Volume 94 Issue 46 | p. 8 | News of The WeekIssue Date: November 21, 2016 | Web Date: November 18, 2016


The strained cyclic amides known as β-lac­tams have shown up in the skeletons of many medicinally important molecules, including the antibiotic penicillin and the cardiac drug Zetia (...

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Opinion: An Ethical Code for Conferences

This fundamental form of scientific communication is threatened by modern recording technology and researchers who refuse to adhere to an age-old ethical code.




FLICKR, ARISEXPRESSI recently attended several conferences and saw rampant recording of lectures and posters. Because my talk...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/opinion-an-ethical-code-for-conferences/

Redrawing the Arctic map: The new north

Published online 12 October 2011 |
Nature
478,
172-173
(2011)
| doi:10.1038/478172a

News Feature
Getting to grips with a changing polar landscape.


The Arctic covers around 5% of the planet’s surface, but it is capturing a disproportionate...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/redrawing-the-arctic-map-the-new-north/

WATCH: The Fascinating Physics Of Figure Skating

What makes figure skaters so graceful on the ice? It’s a question many will be asking during the upcoming winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.


Sure, figure skating is all about skill and practice — lots of practice. But ultimately it’s about science. Just check out the...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/watch-the-fascinating-physics-of-figure-skating/

Casual Sexism In The Workplace May Affect Women More Than We Realize

Academic studies can be fascinating… and totally confusing. So we decided to strip away all of the scientific jargon and break them down for you. 
The Background
Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, but their ubiquity doesn’t protect them from gendered discr...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/casual-sexism-in-the-workplace-may-affect-women-more-than-we-realize/

Flash Physics: LIGO resumes its search, sound moves magnetic domains, asteroid is tiny and bright

Flash Physics is our daily pick of the latest need-to-know developments from the global physics community selected by Physics World‘s team of editors and reporters

LIGO resumes search for gravitational waves
Up and running: the LIGO detector at Livingston
The Laser Interferometer...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/flash-physics-ligo-resumes-its-search-sound-moves-magnetic-domains-asteroid-is-tiny-and-bright/

Boron nitride unexpectedly converts propane to propene

[+]Enlarge



 



Experiments and computations suggest that oxygen-terminated edges of BN (green and gray) can abstract hydrogen from propane to form propene.
Credit: Science



Boron nitride has made news repeatedly in recent years as a material with an ...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/boron-nitride-unexpectedly-converts-propane-to-propene/

Concerns as face recognition tech used to ‘identify’ criminals

Let’s face it: tech is throwing up many new ethical challenges
Maikid/Getty


By Timothy Revell
What can your face say about you? Face recognition technology can pick up on things like your age, gender and maybe even your mood. Now, two researchers say it could even tell whether you’re a cr...

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http://skpsoft.com/view/science+news/concerns-as-face-recognition-tech-used-to-identify-criminals/