Sunday, February 21, 2016

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Redefining part of 300 year-old classification system for grouping members of the animal kingdom

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:59 PM PST

Fish, flies and bears, oh my! A new research breakthrough gives genetic proof of how differences in (very different) animals develop.

New satellite with superior x-ray vision launched

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:59 PM PST

Although the star-covered night sky is regarded by many as a synonym of serenity, the cosmos is in fact a rather hostile place. It hosts many extreme environments that would instantaneously eradicate any life nearby. A new space mission is about to reveal this violent nature in greater detail than ever before: On Feb. 17, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its ASTRO-H satellite -- a very precise and sensitive eye for X-rays emerging from hot and energetic processes in space.

Are big-city transportation systems too complex for human minds?

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:52 PM PST

A team of researchers has attempted to work out the amount of information an urban transportation system map can contain before it exceeds human cognitive limits.

Blood test could transform tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment in developing countries

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:52 PM PST

A simple blood test that can accurately diagnose active tuberculosis could make it easier and cheaper to control a disease that kills 1.5 million people every year.

60 years after pioneering survey, Wisconsin prairies are changing rapidly

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:52 PM PST

Between 1947 and 1956, researchers conducted their prairie relic study, surveying more than 200 undisturbed prairie remnants in Wisconsin. Today a graduate student has published a third survey based on Curtis' legacy work. They found that human influence has accelerated the rate of species change in these prairies.

Researchers demonstrate 'quantum surrealism'

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 03:52 PM PST

New research demonstrates that particles at the quantum level can in fact be seen as behaving something like billiard balls rolling along a table, and not merely as the probabilistic smears that the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics suggests.

Moving electrons around loops with light: A quantum device based on geometry

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 11:14 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to generate a quantum logic operation, or rotation of the qubit, that is intrinsically resilient to noise as well as to variations in the strength or duration of the control.

Ancient lone star lizard lounged in lush, tropical Texas

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 11:14 AM PST

Researchers have discovered a new species of extinct worm lizard in Texas and dubbed it the 'Lone Star' lizard. The species -- the first known example of a worm lizard in Texas -- offers evidence that Texas acted as a subtropical refuge during one of the great cooling periods of the past.

Researchers discover new Ebola-fighting antibodies in blood of outbreak survivor

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 11:14 AM PST

A new group of powerful antibodies to fight Ebola virus has been discovered by a team of scientists. The antibodies, isolated from the blood of a survivor of the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the largest panel reported to date, could guide the development of a vaccine or therapeutic against Ebola.

New drug reverses the effects of blood thinner in patients with brain hemorrhage

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST

A new treatment can quickly and completely reverse the effects of the blood thinner dabigatran (Pradaxa) in patients suffering a brain bleed. The treatment, idarucizumab (Praxbind), is the first medication on the market designed to neutralize the blood thinner dabigatran.

Stroke survivors using mail order pharmacies more likely to take meds

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST

Stroke survivors who get medications by mail are more likely to take them as directed than patients who get medications from local pharmacies, according to new research.

Powerful tool predicts wave behavior at all depths of sea

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:14 AM PST

A new harbor or windmill park at sea will continuously undergo the forces of breaking water waves. Those waves have, on their way from the deepest ocean to more shallow coastal waters, undergone lots of changes. Researchers developed mathematical models for very fast calculation of the wave behavior, for each water depth and taking into account slopes, quay walls or ships.

Topological insulators: Magnetism is not causing loss of conductivity

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:12 AM PST

If topological insulators are doped with impurities that possess magnetic properties, they lose their conductivity. Yet contrary to what has been assumed thus far, it is not the magnetism that leads to this, researchers have demonstrated. Understanding these effects is crucial for applications of topological insulators in information technology.

Faster airport queues with facial recognition

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:25 AM PST

New technology detects and tracks you from the second you arrive at the airport until you're out of the arrivals hall at your destination. Face recognition is the preferred method to identify people at airports, say researchers, because it is easy for users. It is a means of authentication that does not require contact, and it is not distracting to the user. In actuality, people being identified will not notice anything at all.

Nebraska researcher finds gold, other metals

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:24 AM PST

A chemist is developing inexpensive, portable and reusable sensors that use a component of DNA to detect gold, mercury, silver, lead and other metals.

Bath salts difficult to detect in biological samples, study finds

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:22 AM PST

Synthetic cathinones or 'Bath salts' continue to be popular among recreational drug users and a new study highlights the challenges associated with the detection of these drugs in biological evidence.

Stretchable nano-devices towards smart contact lenses

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:22 AM PST

A stretchable nano-scale device has been created to manipulate light. Using the technology, high-tech lenses could one day filter harmful optical radiation without interfering with vision -- or in a more advanced version, transmit data and gather live vital information or even show information like a head-up display, say authors of a new report.

Smart skin made of recyclable materials may transform medicine and robotics

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:21 AM PST

Smart skin that can respond to external stimuli could have important applications in medicine and robotics.