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 04:00pm 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
Death highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight
Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to new research.
First drug to significantly improve heart failure mortality in over a decade
Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to new results. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade and should be added to standard treatment, according to experts.
Heart failure accelerates male 'menopause'
Heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome (AS), according to new research. AS, also referred to as male 'menopause', was four times more common in men with heart failure.
Newly understood circuits add finesse to nerve signals
An unusual kind of circuit fine-tunes the brain’s control over movement and incoming sensory information, and without relying on conventional nerve pathways. The work may provide insight into the design of drugs for autism and movement disorders.
Understanding the past and predicting the future by looking across space and time
Scientists have validated a fundamental assumption at the very heart of a popular way to predict relationships between complex variables.
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]
