news 2016

Languages still a major barrier to global science, new research finds
Over a third of new conservation science documents published annually are in non-English languages, despite assumption of English as scientific ‘lingua franca'. Researchers find examples of important science missed at international level, and practitioners struggling to access new knowledge, as a result of language barriers.

Hidden Rivers Form Deep Down in the Earth’s Subsurface Layers
Findings of Study by Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and Utrecht University Published in "Nature Geoscience" ‘ 444/2016 from Dec 29, 2016 Earth scientists from among others Utrecht University and Freie Universität Berlin have found new clues how water moves inside the Earth's deep subsurface layers and ultimately back to the surface through volcanic activity.

Can paint strokes help identify Alzheimer’s?
A new University of Liverpool study published in ‘Neuropsychology!' shows that it may be possible to detect neurodegenerative disorders in artists before they are diagnosed. Psychologist Dr Alex Forsythe from the University's School of Psychology and her team, working with Dr Tamsin Williams of Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys NHS Trust, Vale of York and Maynooth University, Ireland, examined 2092 paintings from the careers of seven famous artists who experienced both normal ageing and neurodegenerative disorders.

Divide and rule, or how plant diversity enhances the sustainability of their resistance
In the Yuanyang region of China where rice cultivation is a tradition, scientists from INRA and CIRAD, working in collaboration with a Chinese team, have focused on the defence mechanisms of rice against its pathogenic agents.

Divide and rule, or how plant diversity increases the sustainability of their resistance
In the Yuanyang region of China where rice cultivation is a tradition, scientists from INRA and CIRAD, working in collaboration with a Chinese team, have focused on the defence mechanisms of rice against its pathogenic agents.

First movie of energy transfer in photosynthesis solves decades-old debate
Using ultrafast imaging of moving energy in photosynthesis, scientists have determined the speed of crucial processes for the first time. This should help scientists understand how nature has perfected the process of photosynthesis, and how this might be copied to produce fuels by artificial photosynthesis.

Christmas holidays linked to rise in heart attacks
University of Melbourne researchers have found an increase in heart attacks around the festive period may be due more difficult access to hospitals, combined with stress, an excess of alcohol and a fatty diet. Previous research from the USA has established that the Christmas holidays are related to more heart attacks, however, it was thought it could be due to the season - winter -  when mortality rates are at their highest.

Christmas holidays linked to rise in heart attacks
University of Melbourne researchers have found an increase in heart attacks around the festive period may be due more difficult access to hospitals, combined with stress, an excess of alcohol and a fatty diet. Previous research from the USA has established that the Christmas holidays are related to more heart attacks, however, it was thought it could be due to the season - winter -  when mortality rates are at their highest.

Study named as People’s Choice for Science magazine’s ‘Breakthrough of the Year 2016’
Cambridge research that will enable scientists to grow and study embryos in the lab for almost two weeks has been named as the People's Choice for Science magazine's ‘Breakthrough of the Year 2016' It's a natural human instinct to be curious about where we come from, but until now, technical hurdles have meant there's been a huge gap in our understanding of how embryos develop Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz The work, led by Professor Magdalena Ze

Tapping into long-lived sound waves in glass
Yale scientists have shown how to enhance the lifetime of sound waves traveling through glass - the material at the heart of fiber optic technologies. The discovery will be described in the January edition of. Everyday experience tells us that glass (silica) is highly transparent. In fact, silica is one of the most transparent materials on earth.

Protein that activates immune response harms body’s ability to fight HIV
UCLA-led researchers suggest that blocking type I interferon may help combat the virus that causes AIDS Enrique Rivero In findings they call counterintuitive, a team of UCLA-led researchers suggests that blocking a protein, which is crucial to initiating the immune response against viral infections, may actually help combat HIV.

Study suggests hydraulic fracturing boosts local economies
The first nationwide study of the comprehensive local impacts of hydraulic fracturing finds that when costs and benefits are added up, communities on average benefit from allowing it.

Healthy behaviors determine weight-loss surgery success
Bariatric surgery can slim your body, but attitude and behavior also play key roles in long-term weight loss, according to new research from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. ‘Although very effective, bariatric surgery is a not a low-effort means of losing weight,' said lead author Anna-Leena Vuorinen of VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, who performed the research as a visiting scholar at the Food and Brand Lab.

Predictive kinetic model paves the way for designing microbial factories
A representation of k-ecoli457 model of E. coli metabolism. Red X's denote the location of reaction deletions in the mutant data sets. Reactions in the previously developed core model15 are shown in grey (no flux data) and blue (with flux data) while the additional reactions in k-ecoli457 are shown in green (no flux data).

The fight against creeping cables
Switzerland's overhead power lines are showing signs of old age and can be damaged by power surges. But how long will they actually last? Empa researchers have developed a tool to keep tabs on the aging process.

Study provides roadmap to more personalized cancer treatment
FINDINGS Researchers have found that people with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the KRAS-variant inherited genetic mutation have significantly improved survival when given a short course of the drug cetuximab in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiation. The study was led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Joanne Weidhaas in collaboration with colleagues at the NRG Oncology RTOG.

How Social Factors Can Influence Hunting
Due to a shortage of natural predators, wild animal populations are often controlled through hunting. Whether a hunter shoots at an animal depends not only on specific hunting criteria, but is also significantly influenced by social factors - such as competition with other hunters. This was demonstrated in a study directed by Florian Diekert, economist at Heidelberg University.

New record set for world’s most heat resistant material
Researchers have discovered that tantalum carbide and hafnium carbide materials can withstand scorching temperatures of nearly 4000 degrees Celsius. These materials may enable spacecraft to withstand the extreme heat generated from leaving and re-entering the atmosphere. Dr Omar Cedillos-Barraza In particular, the team from Imperial College London discovered that the melting point of hafnium carbide is the highest ever recorded for a material.

Solved: mystery that was holding back development of next-generation solar cells
Scientists have identified an unexpected cause of poor performance in a new class of flexible and cheap solar cells, bringing them closer to market. Solar cells are the building blocks of photovoltaic solar panels. They are made from light-absorbing materials that convert sunlight into electricity. Normally the light-absorbing material is silicon, which has an energy-intensive manufacturing process.

Bigger brains outsmart harsh climates
It helps to have a larger brain if you're living in an extreme climate, according to a study of birds published in Nature Communications . The research suggests that birds have evolved larger brains to cope in harsh environments where the tasks of finding food, evading predators and finding shelter are more demanding.