April 22, 2015

Wildlife and habitat

Major changes in world's leaf growth patterns over past several decades
Study outlines threat of ocean acidification to coastal communities in U.S.
Grey whale's record migration may reveal bad news
Deadly Frog Fungus Pops Up in Madagascar, an Amphibian Wonderland
Ringling Bros. to Retire Its Circus Elephants
    Also see: Ringling Bros. to give up elephant acts in 3 years
The fiasco that is the Nicaragua Canal, explained
For first time, a fish is removed from US endangered species list
Shale Gas Development on Public Lands in Pennsylvania
New map shows America's quietest places
30 never-before-seen species of flies discovered in Los Angeles
Wayward Grand Canyon Wolf Was Killed in Utah, DNA Confirms
U.S. Constricts Snake Trade, But Boa Wriggles Free
Pennsylvania: Tiny turtle stops big housing development in Cocalico
An 8-year-old girl receives gifts from the crows she feeds

Discoveries about the natural world

Researchers may have solved origin-of-life conundrum
Brown-headed cowbirds use distance to judge threat of approaching cars
Crocodiles Play, Too, Study Says—Why Do Animals Have Fun?

Bumblebees make false memories too
Spiders found able to custom build webs to trap best food source
Genetic evidence shows loss of three basic tastes in penguins
Baby mantises harness mid-air 'spin' during jumps for precision landings
Study shows long tail on luna moth helps to thwart bat attacks (w/ Video)
This Could Be the Tiniest Organism on Earth
No reason to believe Yeti legends to be inspired by an unknown type of bear
Mass Deaths in Americas Start New CO2 Epoch
Forged in a Flash: Volcanic Lightning Forms Glass Balls

Weather forecast for early Earth involved iron rain

Weather and climate

2015 Already Setting Heat Records
135 Years of Rising Temperatures in 20 Seconds
First Direct Observation of Carbon Dioxide’s Increasing Greenhouse Effect at the Earth’s Surface
Warm ocean water is making Antarctic glacier vulnerable to significant melting
    More info: The melting of Antarctica was already really bad. It just got worse.
US sea level north of New York City 'jumped by 128mm'
Northeast U.S. left out in the cold in Earth’s warmest winter on record
Interaction of ocean oscillations caused 'false pause' in global warming
A global natural gas boom alone won't slow climate change
Microcapsule method offers new approach to carbon capture and storage at power plants
    Related: How Much Fuel We Need To Leave Buried To Beat Climate Change
University offering free online course to demolish climate denial
New Theory Behind Dozens of Craters Found in Siberia
    More info: Wikipedia on the formation of pingos

Environmental policy

Obama orders 40 percent cut in government's greenhouse gases
Obama Administration Unveils Federal Fracking Regulations
Carbon Pricing Pays the Way for Cleaner Energy
Europe Lays Out Vision for Climate Change

Energy

A better method for making perovskite solar cells
Japan’s Growth in Solar Power Falters as Utilities Balk
GM bacteria convert solar energy to liquid fuels
Lucid Energy announces Portland water pipeline now producing renewable energy
    More info: Portland Is Going To Generate Its Electricity From Water Pipes
Why the perfect, long-lasting battery for your smartphone seems like it’ll never come
Japan firm marks one small step for solar energy in space
Bounce a Battery to Learn If It Is Still Good—Really [Video]

Water

California has about one year of water left. Will you ration now? (op-ed)
System to turn wastewater into fresh water developed
 
Air

Pennsylvania: Air pollution from natural gas production surged in 2013: Search the database

Chemical concerns, radiation, waste management, recycling

Passive exposure to bleach at home linked to higher childhood infection rate
Weed Killer, Long Cleared, Is Doubted
    Also see: Expert reaction to the WHOs carcinogenicity classification of glyphosate
Fukushima’s Food Is Safe, but People Are Still Freaked Out

Agriculture and food, livestock and pets

Researchers find the genome of the cultivated sweet potato has bacterial DNA
Canada’s Largest Food Retailer To Sell Ugly Produce At Low Prices To Cut Food Waste
A Vacant Lot In Wyoming Will Become One Of The World's First Vertical Farms
Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows
Feeding Babies Foods With Peanuts Appears To Prevent Allergies
    Also see: A nutty weapon to fight peanut allergy
Peanut Consumption Associated with Decreased Total Mortality and Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases
How Healthy Is Genetically Modified Soybean Oil?
We don’t need labels on genetically modified foods (editorial)
Pasta? Ruby grapefruits? Why organic devotees love foods mutated by radiation and chemicals (GLP)
Widely used food additive promotes colitis, obesity and metabolic syndrome, research shows
    More info: Expert reaction to study on dietary emulsifying agents and inflammation in mice
Popular soda ingredient poses cancer risk to consumers

Lawsuits Say Protein Powders Lack Protein, Ripping Off Athletes
Study Says Organic Milk Offers No Nutrition Boost
It’s Hard To Know Where Gluten Sensitivity Stops And The Placebo Effect Begins
A short video about assessing the health of honey bees
New Beehive Lets Honey Be Harvested Without Disturbing Bees
Minnesota finds lethal bird flu in two more turkey flocks
In Hawaii, Chickens Gone Wild

Health and medicine, human behavior

Germ Line Engineering with CRISPR Leads to Designer Human Embryos
Dangerous C. Difficile Germ Infects 500,000 Americans a Year: CDC

Deadly CRE Germs Linked to Hard-to-Clean Medical Scopes
The Limits of Tylenol for Pain Relief
New Approach to Blocking H.I.V. Raises Hopes for an AIDS Vaccine
800,000 Using HealthCare.gov Were Sent Incorrect Tax Data
People with disabilities experience unrecognized health disparities, new research shows
Medicare drug costs shrinking under ObamaCare
Physician 'Open Payments' Data Available for Public Viewing
    More info: Why Pharma Payments to Doctors Were So Hard to Parse
                     Has Your Health Professional Received Drug Company Money?
7 charts that show what Obamacare critics are getting wrong
White House announces plan to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Antibiotics can give rise to new communities of harmful bacteria
Bacterial flora of remote tribespeople carries antibiotic resistance genes
Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines (data visualization)
$1 Test Developed at UCF Outperforms PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer
HPV Cancers in Men Take Off
Vitamin D May Keep Low-Grade Prostate Cancer From Becoming Aggressive
Here's What '60 Minutes' Didn't Tell You About The 'Miracle' Glioblastoma Treatment
Signs Ebola Spreads in Sex Prompt a C.D.C. Warning
Why do we have allergies?
Genetically speaking, mammals are more like their fathers
New Therapy Unleashes 'Serial Killer' Cells in Leukemia

New Study Reveals How to Improve Chemotherapy Use in Prostate Cancer
Bad luck and cancer: A science reporter’s reflections on a controversial story
Prolonged Shortened Sleep Increases Blood Pressure at Night
The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous -- dozens of other treatments are more effective
Robust evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is a biological illness
What 23andMe's FDA Approval Means For The Future Of Genomics
Two-Father Babies Could Soon Be Possible, With No Egg Donor Required
The idea of two sexes is simplistic. Biologists now think there is a wider spectrum than that.
Bionic Eye Lets Blind Man See Again
Safety and life-saving efficacy of statins have been exaggerated, says USF scientist
Vanderbilt team first to blend high-end imaging techniques of mass spectrometry and microscopy
The Science Behind Commonly Used Anti-Depressants Appears to Be Backwards, Researchers Say
Major study led by autistic scientist challenges long-held preconceptions about the condition
Link between autism genes and higher intelligence, study suggests
Genetic Link Between Autism And Better Cognitive Ability Found
Science debunks fad autism theories, but that doesn’t dissuade believers
    Related: Why debunked autism treatment fads persist
                  The Parents Who Give Their Children Bleach Enemas to 'Cure' Them of Autism

Homeopathy not effective for treating any condition, Australian report finds
    Related: Naturopathic Delusions
New insight on how brain performs mental time travel
Lots of Cases of Synesthesia Are Based on Alphabet Magnets
This is why you shouldn’t believe that exciting new medical study
Stop blaming the moon: Study highlights flaws in research on hospital admissions and the lunar cycle
Your Brain Is Primed To Reach False Conclusions
New memories implanted in mice while they sleep
Brain Hackers Beware: Scientist Says tDCS Has No Effect
Finally, the State of Florida acts against Brian Clement and the Hippocrates Health Institute (blog)
New Mexico: State Considers Turning Buses Into Mobile Showers For The Homeless
How luck works

Education

Virginia school suspends an 11-year-old for one year over a leaf that wasn’t marijuana

Law

FBI overstated forensic hair matches in nearly all trials before 2000
California Supreme Court rejects blanket ban on where sex offenders can live

Supreme Court: Cops can’t hold suspects to wait for drug-sniffing dog
Supreme Court Will Not Take Up Morgan Hill American Flag T-Shirt Case
Justice Department Report on Shooting of Michael Brown
Ferguson police report: Most shocking parts
Police don't ask: Why are we getting sued?
Religious ignorance kills kids: How two Nixon aides sneakily altered a law that still costs children’s lives
Missouri executes brain damaged man for 1996 killing of sheriff's deputy
Loretta Lynch's Secret Prosecutions
Check Out The Bullet Attachment That Might Just Save Countless Lives…
In Bid to Allow Guns on Campus, Weapons Are Linked to Fighting Sexual Assault
Florida state employee punished for speaking about climate change

Archeology, anthropology, art and history

Scientists have unearthed the jawbone of what they claim is one of the very first humans
Archaeologists Take Wrong Turn, Find World’s Oldest Stone Tools
Palaeolithic remains prove cannibalistic habits of human ancestors
Elaborate 'Red Lady' Grave Yields Secrets Of Ice-Age Culture
    Also see: Red Lady cave burial reveals Stone Age secrets
Europe's Languages Were Carried From the East, DNA Shows
Research shows belief in supernatural punishment, rather than 'big gods' of religion gave rise to complex societies

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-03-belief-supernatural-big-gods-religion.html#jCp
Northern Europeans were slow to adopt farming, say researchers
Complex societies evolved without belief in all-powerful deity
History Repeats Itself: Ancient Cities Grew Much Like Modern Ones
Neanderthals Wore Eagle Talons As Jewelry 130,000 Years Ago
    Related: Did Dog-Human Alliance Drive Out the Neanderthals?
                  Neanderthals manipulated the bodies of adults and children shortly after death
                  A New Theory on How Neanderthal DNA Spread in Asia
                  Are Neanderthal bone flutes the work of Ice Age hyenas?
Britain Imported Wheat 2,000 Years before Growing It
Rats May Be Exonerated in European Plague, Say Scientists With a Gerbil Theory
New paper deals blow to hypothesis that Native Americans have European ancestry
Over 1,000 Ancient Stone Tools, Left by Great Basin Hunters, Found in Utah Desert
Eastern Oregon Dig Uncovers Ancient Pre-Clovis Stone Tool

National security, defense

Republicans are crossing a dangerous new line: sabotaging US foreign policy
Study Links Syria Conflict to Drought Made Worse by Climate Change
U.S. to allow wider export of armed drones
Leaked cables show Netanyahu’s Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad
China drops leading technology brands for state purchases

Astronomy and cosmology, spaceflight

What If The Universe Isn't Accelerating The Way We Think?
Search for advanced civilizations beyond Earth finds nothing obvious in 100,000 galaxies
Sun experiences seasonal changes, new research finds
Another Ocean in Space: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede
    Related: Evidence for Hydrothermal Vents on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Hints at Conditions for Life
NASA launches four spacecraft to solve magnetic mystery
Hubble and Chandra discover dark matter is not as sticky as once thought
Bizarre Martian Plumes Discovered by Amateur Astronomers
Breakthrough in energy harvesting could power life on Mars
Pluto a Planet Again? It May Happen This Year
Giant methane storms on Uranus
Amazing Photo of Green Comet Lovejoy Captured by Dark Energy Camera
Does dark matter cause mass extinctions and geologic upheavals?
Gigantic Black Hole From the Dawn of Time Pushes Theories of the Early Universe to the Limit
Searching for a “quantum foam” bubbling through the Universe
Star Buzzed Earth During Neanderthal Times
The sun won't die for 5 billion years, so why do humans have only 1 billion years left on Earth?
NRAO files complaint against iRobot’s Roomba Lawnmowers

Physics, chemistry and materials science, mathematics

New tabletop detector 'sees' single electrons
Buckybomb shows potential power of nanoscale explosives
With New Nonstick Coating, the Wait, and Waste, Is Over
Scientists find ‘strongest’ natural material
Liquid metal brings shape-shifting robot a step closer
Researchers Address Long-standing Mysteries Behind Anti-wear Motor Oil Additive
German city uses hydrophobic paint to splash public urinators with pee
Man Puts His iPhone Inside A Guitar and Begins To Play. What It Captures? Stunning
    More info: iPhone video enhanced by rolling shutter effect

Technology and engineering, robotics

Quantum Dots to Bring 1 Million Colors to TVs
Fake Mirrors May Soon Ensnare Shoppers in Web of Lies
See here now: Telescopic contact lenses and wink-control glasses
USGS Release: Researchers Test Smartphones for Earthquake Warning
The Microwave Gets Its First (and Possibly Best) New Feature in Decades

Computers and software, the Internet

The FCC approves strong net neutrality rules
    Also see: The FCC rules against state limits on city-run Internet
The Memetic Immune System of the Internet: Ending the threat of misinformation online...
    Related: Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links
Google search now helps you find your lost Android phone
Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence aces Atari gaming challenge
Destroying your hard drive is the only way to stop this super-advanced malware
Lenovo PCs ship with man-in-the-middle adware that breaks HTTPS connections

    More info: Lenovo CTO admits company 'messed up' and will publish Superfish removal tool on Friday
Bank Hackers Steal Millions via Malware
Microsoft blacklists latest rogue SSL certificates
    More info: Like Google, Mozilla set to punish Chinese agency for certificate debacle
Facebook clarifies rules for content, including definition of nudity and hate speech
Windows 10 to launch 'this summer' with free upgrades even for pirated copies

Of note

Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?
U.S. slips again in press freedom ranking with blame on Obama administration
The art of science - Wellcome Images 2015

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