30 June, 2016

Scientists just found a compound that kills 98% of a drug-resistant bacteria (MRSA)


Ozone layer on the mend, thanks to chemical ban


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Ozone layer on the mend, thanks to chemical ban

Study finds first evidence of risk-taking behavior in plants. Scientists found that pea plants will make risky or risk-averse decisions depending on environmental resource levels


Scientists Find Solid Proof the Ozone Hole is Healing


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Scientists Find Solid Proof the Ozone Hole is Healing

They can fly nonstop for 56 days at a time without resting, can soar 2.5 miles up into the air, and can glide over 400 miles per day -- the fascinating flight patterns of Great Frigate seabirds are described for the first time in a new study in the journal Science.


New Cell study uncovers 570 clinics across the U.S. that are selling unproven stem cell interventions to treat everything from MS to autism


Common fMRI analysis software found to produce disturbingly high rates of false positives


New study shows 59% of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked: "In other words, most people appear to retweet news without ever reading it"


Scientists discover new species of Tarantula - the Colombian spider was identified in part because males have uniquely serrated genitals.


Antarctica Could Lose Most of Its Penguins to Climate Change - A new study finds significant impact, and a possible silver lining, for the iconic birds over the next century.


Scientists stabilize HIV structure, design potential AIDS vaccine candidates


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Scientists stabilize HIV structure, design potential AIDS vaccine candidates

Little to no association between butter consumption, chronic disease or total mortality


Human use of artificial light is causing spring to come at least a week early in the UK, researchers have found.


Chemists at the University at Albany, SUNY, have described a new method for quickly but accurately determining a person’s age range based only on a blood sample.


Deceptive sexual signals help maintain peace in a bonobo society


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Deceptive sexual signals help maintain peace in a bonobo society

A new study found no link between eating butter and heart disease.


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A new study found no link between eating butter and heart disease.

Science AMA Series: Hi, we’re NOAA scientists Jennifer Koss, Mark Eakin, and Randy Kosaki. We are here to talk about the global coral bleaching event that we are experiencing right now. Ask Us Anything!


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Hi Reddit! I’m Jennifer Koss, director of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. I’m Mark Eakin, a coral scientist with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and coordinator for NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch. And I’m Randy Kosaki, deputy superintendent for research and field operations at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

We’re here to answers your questions on the longest global coral bleaching event on record and what we can, and are, doing to help.

Did you know that in October 2015, NOAA declared the third ever global coral bleaching event on record? Since then, we’ve reported that it could extend well into 2017. This bleaching event is hitting U.S. coral reefs disproportionately hard. Here at NOAA, we estimate that as of March 31, 2016, all U.S. coral reefs have been exposed to ocean conditions that can cause corals to bleach.

Coral bleaching and disease, brought on by climate change and coupled with events like the current El Niño, are the largest and most pervasive threats to coral reefs around the world.

While this news has us worried, don’t count corals out! They are remarkably resilient organisms. Here at NOAA we are working with marine resource managers and communities all over the US and internationally to reduce local stressors—like fishing pressure and pollution—to promote reef health and help these amazing creatures resist or recover from bleaching events.

We’re here today to discuss the latest information on this bleaching event, what happens to corals when they bleach, explore what this all means, and identify what NOAA scientists are doing to address this threat.

We’ll be here from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. today to answer your questions on corals and the ongoing bleaching event. Ask us anything!

">Science AMA Series: Hi, we’re NOAA scientists Jennifer Koss, Mark Eakin, and Randy Kosaki. We are here to talk about the global coral bleaching event that we are experiencing right now. Ask Us Anything!

Mounting evidence suggests 'hobbits' were wiped out by modern humans' ancestors 50,000 years ago.


29 June, 2016

Butter consumption is only weakly associated with total mortality, not associated with cardiovascular disease, and slightly inversely associated with diabetes, according to a new epidemiological study


84% of American women groom pubic hair with 62% opting for complete removal


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84% of American women groom pubic hair with 62% opting for complete removal

Cannabinoids remove plaque-forming Alzheimer's proteins from brain cells


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Cannabinoids remove plaque-forming Alzheimer's proteins from brain cells

Human activity has created a new mosquito species. The "London Underground mosquito" established an underground population and can no longer breed with its surface counterpart


Scientists have found preliminary evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.


New research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology has found a link between boredom and political extremism.


Testing for malaria—or cancer—at home, via cheap paper strips; Chemist develops tech to save lives in rural Africa


If your child has eczema it is fine to give them a dunk in the bath every day, as long as you apply lots of moisturising emollient cream to their skin afterwards, say US researchers.


PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi Reddit, we’re Roslyn Dakin and Suzanne Amador Kane. We published a study in PLOS ONE assessing the physics behind displays of courtship from male peacocks – Ask Us Anything!


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Hi Reddit,

Our names are Roslyn Dakin and Suzanne Amador Kane. We study animal behavior and vision.

Roz is a postdoctoral fellow in zoology at the University of British Columbia. She studies bird courtship, mating behavior, and flight. Suzanne is a biological physics professor at Haverford College. Her research focuses on how physics influences animal behavior.

Along with coauthors Owen McCrossan, Jim Hare, and Bob Montgomerie, we recently published a study in PLOS ONE titled, "Biomechanics of the Peacock's Display: How Feather Structure and Resonance Influence Multimodal Signaling".

When peacocks try to impress females, they fan their feathers and vibrate them at a very high rate, causing the eyespots to hover against an undulating, shimmering background. We explored the physics of this display. We found that the individual feathers move as standing waves. Furthermore, the peacock’s tail as a whole has a resonant peak frequency matching the vibration frequency of the display (about 25 times per second). This indicates that the tail is well-suited to perform the display efficiently. However, when we studied individual peacocks in the field, we found that individuals with longer feathers used slightly higher frequencies on average, suggesting that the display may reveal a male’s capacity to generate muscular force. It’s still an open question as to how (or if) this display influences the female, her perception of the peacock's iridescent colors, and how she chooses a mate.

We are excited to answer your questions at 1pm ET. Ask Us Anything!

Also, be sure to watch a video on vibrations of peacock feathers and our lab experiments from this study.

">PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi Reddit, we’re Roslyn Dakin and Suzanne Amador Kane. We published a study in PLOS ONE assessing the physics behind displays of courtship from male peacocks – Ask Us Anything!

People more open to Fantasy, which results in them being more cognitively attentive to music, are more likely to experience “frisson”, according to a study published this May in Psychology of Music.


"Helicopter parenting" has deleterious effect on the mental health of college students


Don't abandon national referendums, but smaller groups often make wiser choices: Randomly selected moderately-sized groups outperform larger ones.


28 June, 2016

New study of over 1,000 teenagers finds that popularity with ingroup but not outgroup members predicts self-esteem. In turn, self-esteem predicts self but not peer perceptions of popularity. This indicates that how popular one perceives themselves to be in their ingroup is central to self-esteem.


Trials in the US found that a single immunization shot made from a purified and inactivated form of the Zika virus gave mice total protection against the illness.


The sun has ‘gone blank’ for the second time this month. Here’s what that means.


Study finds that after controlling for playing time and membership in players guilds, there is no difference in ability between male and female performance in video games


Previously unknown global ecological disaster discovered that took place 250 million years ago and reshaped flora on the planet


Dinosaur-Era Bird Wings Found in Amber


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Dinosaur-Era Bird Wings Found in Amber

Researchers Find 320 Million-Year-Old Plant Root Stem Cells


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Researchers Find 320 Million-Year-Old Plant Root Stem Cells

"California may have a huge groundwater reserve that nobody knew about."


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"California may have a huge groundwater reserve that nobody knew about."

Even if countries adhere to the Paris climate agreement hammered out last fall, capping global warming at 2°C would likely require net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2085 & substantial negative emissions over the long term, according to scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.


Scientists determine structures of proteins involved in sperm-egg recognition, providing new opportunities for the development of non-hormonal birth control compounds


A meta-analytic review of brief guided self-help education for chronic pain - guided-self help for chronic pain is a reasonable addition for clinical practice


Gross motor skills in infants (standing, walking) and the association with future development


Astronomers have detected what may be the most rapidly rotating, ultra-cool, brown-dwarf star ever seen.


American Chemical Society AMA: I’m Brian Hogg, the Senior Historic Preservation Planner at the University of Virginia (UVA). Ask me anything about restoring old buildings, like a 19th century chemistry hearth we recently discovered.


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Hi Reddit! I am Brian Hogg and I’m the Senior Historic Preservation Planner at the University of Virginia (http://ift.tt/29bgz7C). I work with a small group of colleagues to plan, design, and execute renovation projects on the buildings that Thomas Jefferson designed for the University of Virginia, as well as for other historic buildings on Grounds (we don’t call it a campus).

The Academical Village (Jefferson’s term) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (http://ift.tt/1FnWscF), a National Historic Landmark (http://ift.tt/29bgxg5), and is on the Virginia Landmarks Register. One of my current projects is the renovation of the Rotunda, which Jefferson designed as a classroom and library, the physical and intellectual centerpiece of this place. The building has a complicated history – additions, a fire, a renovation, another renovation – but through that we’ve tried hard to find a balance between preserving its historic character while adding enough amenities and equipment to make it function well in a 21st century academic environment. The renovation work has also been a blend of traditional techniques and materials with modern ones. For instance, we replaced the 16 exterior marble capitals with new ones that were carved on six-axis CNC machines. It took three weeks of carving 24/7 to rough them out on the machines, and another three to finish them by hand.

There have been some discoveries, like our chemistry hearth and the design of the original north elevation (http://ift.tt/291KjH9), as well as a few surprises. The project will wrap up before the start of classes this fall – August 23, 2016, a non-negotiable deadline. I graduated from UVA, and got a degree in historic preservation from Columbia. Before returning to the University in 2004, I spent 17 years on the regulatory staff of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

As we approach the 4th of July, Ask Me Anything about restoring buildings at a University designed by one of the USA’s Founding Fathers, or anything else about the restoration and preservation of old structures.

I’ll be back at 3:00pm EDT to answer your questions!

">American Chemical Society AMA: I’m Brian Hogg, the Senior Historic Preservation Planner at the University of Virginia (UVA). Ask me anything about restoring old buildings, like a 19th century chemistry hearth we recently discovered.

Structural Classification of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Vocalizations - advances understanding of vocal variation and animal emotion


Scientists found Helium reserves in Tanzania.


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Scientists found Helium reserves in Tanzania.

Scientists Connect Brain to a Basic Tablet—Paralyzed Patient Googles With Ease


Violent crime rates are higher near the equator. New research suggests that hot climates and less variation in seasonal temperatures lead to a faster life strategy, less focus on the future, and less self-control.


Genome-wide association studies suggest that migraines may be a vascular (blood vessel) disorder, rather than a disorder of the neurons. 38 genes were linked to migraines and the majority of these were associated with vascular and smooth muscle tissues