Current Science News and Events
The following is a collection of the latest news available on the world wide web. These links will lead you to sites outside of Visionlearning.
Current feeds as of 5/25/13 05:00am EST include the following.
BBC Science
Cockroaches evolving to evade traps
Cockroaches are outsmarting our efforts to kill them by evolving to avoid the taste of sugar traps, a study reveals.
Genetics of white tigers pinpointed
Chinese scientists trace the rare white colouration in Bengal tigers to a single change in a gene that affects a host of animals, including humans.
Richard III buried in 'untidy grave'
The remains of King Richard III, discovered under a city car park, were buried in a "hastily dug, untidy grave", researchers reveal.
Barrick Gold fined for Chile project
Chilean authorities fine the world's largest gold mining company, Barrick Gold Corp, more than $16m for environmental offences at an Andean mine.
Iceland expands volcano monitoring
Installation is under way of an expanded monitoring system for Iceland's volcanoes, which it is hoped will give the world more warning of the next big eruption.
Nasa to lease shuttle launch pad
Nasa is looking for commercial operators to lease a historic launch pad in Florida used for the first Moon missions and by the space shuttles.
Science Daily News
Driving and hands-free talking lead to spike in errors
A pilot study shows driving while talking on a hands-free cellular device leads to more driving errors than driving alone.
Students perform well regardless of reading print or digital books
Students did equally well on a test whether reading from a digital book or a printed one, new research shows.
Cosmic swirly straws: Galaxies fed by funnels of fuel
Computer simulations of galaxies growing over billions of years have revealed a likely scenario for how they feed: a cosmic version of swirly straws. The results show that cold gas -- fuel for stars -- spirals into the cores of galaxies along filaments, rapidly making its way to their "guts." Once there, the gas is converted into new stars, and the galaxies bulk up in mass.
Active or 'extremely active' Atlantic hurricane season predicted for 2013
In its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued today, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an active or extremely active season this year.
Facial-recognition technology proves its mettle
In a study that evaluated some of the latest in automatic facial recognition technology, researchers were able to quickly identify one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects from law enforcement video, an experiment that demonstrated the value of such technology.
Science Magazine News Summaries
[News of the Week] Random Sample
Scientists have now confirmed a long-held suspicion: Penguins prefer to swim because being both a diver and a flyer is costly and inefficient. And researchers have determined that French King Louis XVI carried genetic risk factors for diabetes, obesity, and bipolar disorder.
[News & Analysis] Epidemiology: Report Reignites Battle Over Low-Salt Diets
The Institute of Medicine calls into question recommendations advising people to consume less sodium, reviving a passionate debate.
Author: Kai Kupferschmidt
[News & Analysis] Animal Cognition: Can Animals Envision the Future? Scientists Spar Over New Data
Two researchers who coined the phrase mental time travel, using past memories to construct visions of the future that may never come true, insisted that animals couldn't do it. But now, one of them is changing his tune.
Author: Michael Balter
[News & Analysis] Biology of Genomes: Long Noncoding RNAs May Alter Chromosome's 3D Structure
Abundant but mysterious molecules called long noncoding RNAs have long puzzled scientists, but some now think they could be influencing the shape of chromatin.
Author: Elizabeth Pennisi
[News & Analysis] Biology of Genomes: In Latino Genomes, a Rich Source of History
Analyses of DNA of Latinos in South Florida traced their African, European, and South American ancestries.
Author: Elizabeth Pennisi
Science Magazine This Week in Science
The efficiency of modern internal combustion engines depends on the relative reactivity of the hydrocarbons that comprise the fuel. In particular, branched hydrocarbons are less likely than their linear counterparts … [Read more]
SS Cygni is a well-studied binary star system in the northern constellation Cygnus, consisting of a white dwarf that accretes matter from its companion star. Miller-Jones et al. (p. 950; … [Read more]
The ability to hold a glass being filled with water without dropping it depends on our ability to touch objects and to know the correct pressure to exert. Thus, for … [Read more]
Recently, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) has been implicated as the primary neurotransmitter between itch-sensitive nerve fibers and downstream neurons in the spinal cord. However, Mishra and Hoon (p. 968) challenge this … [Read more]
Isolated congenital asplenia (ICA) is a rare disorder where patients are born without a spleen and are at increased risk of bacterial infection but have no other developmental abnormalities. Through … [Read more]
