Snapzu Science: November 2017

Thursday 30 November 2017

New York City Has Genetically Distinct ‘Uptown’ and ‘Downtown’ Rats

A graduate student sequenced rats all over Manhattan, and discovered how the city affects their genetic diversity.

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Atmosphere, Not Lava Flows, for Exoplanet 55 Cancri e

The exoplanet 55 Cancri e is a cipher. Astronomers have gone back and forth on its nature — waterworld, diamond world, or volcanic hellscape? Part of the riddle has been whether the planet is bare rock or has an atmosphere — previous studies have shown ambiguous results. Now, new research from Isabel Angelo and Renyu Hu (both at JPL-Caltech) published in the November 16th Astrophysical Journal (full text here) seems to have settled the question: 55 Cancri e probably does have an atmosphere and a substantial one at that.

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Face It, The Mighty U.S. Aircraft Carrier is Finished

The first step is acknowledging that in a standoff, it could lose, and badly. By Harry J. Kazianis.

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‘Arrow of time’ reversed in quantum experiment

In quantum systems, heat can flow “backward,” from cold to hot. By Emily Conover.

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[Dutch] - Smoking influences fecal volatile organic compounds composition

In other words, if you smoke or have smoked in the past, your farts smell differently.

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Mystery Solved: How the Ancient Indus Civilization Survived Without Rivers

The rise and fall of the Indus civilization gets a new narrative. By Stephanie Pappas.

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Forget the Blood of Teens. This Pill Promises to Extend Life for a Nickel a Pop.

The more researchers learn about metformin, the more it seems like a medieval wonder drug that could extend lifespans in the 21st century.

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Did Russians Find Alien Life Clinging to the International Space Station?

A surprising number of people believe we already have proof aliens exist. But it’s very rare when that segment of the population overlaps with the segment that’s actually been to outer space. And yet, on Monday, Anton Shkaplerov, a Russian cosmonaut who has already spent two stints aboard the International Space Station and is gearing up for a third mission to launch on Dec. 18, told Russian state media that scientists have found living bacteria sitting on the exterior of the Russian segment of the ISS. He claims the bacteria is not from Earth—it’s extraterrestrial in origin.

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Computer glitch leaves American Airlines without any pilots for Christmas

A computer glitch has allowed all of American Airlines’ pilots to take vacation during the week of Christmas, according to ABC and Reuters. The error could leave thousands of planes grounded during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Citing the union that represents pilots, Reuters reports that over 15,000 planes currently lack pilot assignments in December. “On Friday, management disclosed a failure within the pilot schedule bidding system,” the Allied Pilots Association said in a statement.

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Fully Functioning Artificial Human Heart Muscle Developed

Duke University researchers say they have created an artificial human heart muscle large enough to patch over damage seen in patients who have suffered a heart attack. The advance takes a major step toward the end goal of repairing dead heart muscle in human patients, the team adds.

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Wednesday 29 November 2017

N.B. fisherman finds lobster with Pepsi can imprinted on claw

Karissa Lindstrand had already spent five hours banding lobster claws on a boat called Honour Bound, off Grand Manan, when a blue and red logo she knew well caught her eye. It was a Pepsi can image "tattooed on the lobster's claw," said Lindstrand. Being a huge Pepsi fan — she drinks 12 cans every day — this image would have caught her interest anywhere.

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Poo Pills Really Are Becoming Our Answer to Dangerous Superbug Infections

Since the internet first heard about poo transplants, perceptions of this procedure have changed from everyone freaking out to a growing appreciation of gut microbiota and its complexities.

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G.M. Unveils Its Driverless Cars, Aiming to Lead the Pack

Previously reluctant to show the autonomous vehicles it is developing, General Motors now wants to signal its progress in getting them to market.

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Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

Mercedes-Benz, conducting the biggest test using drones to ship everyday items like ground coffee and cellphones, said the mini aircraft completed 100 drop-offs to strategically placed vans in Zurich with a perfect safety record and more deliveries are planned for next year.

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This guy put fluidised sand in a hot tub and it is utterly mesmerising

Because why have water when you could have fluidised sand?!

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Cosmonaut says space station bacteria 'come from outer space'

The bacteria turned up after swabbing of the space station's exterior. The question is, how did they get there?

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Germany to invest 1 billion euros in lowering air pollution

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the federal government will provide 1 billion euros (1.2 billion dollars) to cities and towns across the country in 2018 in an effort to make traffic more environmentally friendly. The money is to be invested in finding traffic solutions to lower air pollution. Many cities in Germany face driving bans because the air pollution is frequently above the allowed maximum levels due to the many cars' exhaust fumes.

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The Surprising Evolution of Dinosaur Drawings

Since the 1800s, paleoartists have tried to imagine what prehistoric creatures looked like—with wildly different results.

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Exclusive: Age of Jesus Christ’s Purported Tomb Revealed

Over the centuries, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre has suffered violent attacks, fires, and earthquakes. It was totally destroyed in 1009 and subsequently rebuilt, leading modern scholars to question whether it could possibly be the site identified as the burial place of Christ by a delegation sent from Rome some 17 centuries ago.

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What Archaeology Is Telling Us About the Real Jesus

Believers call him the Son of God. Skeptics dismiss him as legend. Now, researchers digging in the Holy Land are sifting fact from fiction.

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Bitcoin just passed $10,000. It's officially one of the world's 30 largest currencies.

While Bitcoin has had its ups and downs this year, its surges and upward trends over the last months have seen the cryptocurrency hitting several historic “all-time highs.” On November 20th for example, it surged past $8,200, then topped out at $9,000 on November 26. But the meteoric rise didn’t stop there. Today, Nov. 28, Bitcoin’s value has officially hit $10,000. A year ago, Bitcoin had its sights set on reaching $1,000, still relatively new to success, and so this new milestone will leave many to reevaluate the future potential of the cryptocurrency.

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12 year study shows dog owners are 30 percent less at risk of death from Cardiovascular disease and other causes

Cardiovascular disease accounts for over 31 percent of deaths worldwide. Every 40 seconds somebody suffers from a Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) in the United States alone, with over 4 million deaths occurring across Europe every year due to various other Cardiovascular diseases. Many of these issues can be attributed to damaging lifestyle choices such as smoking, drug abuse, poor diet, lack of exercise or excessive alcohol intake. Other people simply develop unfortunate infections that lead to endocarditis and other potentially fatal illnesses.

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Tuesday 28 November 2017

Sex Matters in Experiments on Party Drug--in Mice

Ketamine lifts rodents' mood only if administered by male researchers, complicating the hope that we might be able to use it as an antidepressant.

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New Drone Strikes Underscore How Much Power We Give Trump

Americans rolled over for decades while we gave the executive branch unreviewable authority to kill – now that power is in the hands of an idiot. By Matt Taibbi.

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Elon Musk's SpaceX raises an extra $100 million and is now worth an estimated $21.5 billion

SpaceX has raised nearly $500 million as part of the latest funding round valuing the company at $21.5 billion, according to Equidate.

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Bitcoin Mining in Electric Vehicles Raises Other Questions

Some creative Tesla owners came up with a way to make a few bucks from their parked EVs: Cryptocurrency mining. This raises questions that shouldn’t just be aimed at bitcoin mining, or even electric vehicles. For those unfamiliar, cryptocurrencies only work because there is a network of distributed computing that processes the transactions. To reward those offering the computing power, cryptocurrencies give fractions of new bitcoins to those who did...

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Keystone spills larger than company predicted before it was built

Spills from the Keystone pipeline, including one in South Dakota this month, have exceeded the amount predicted by its developer before the pipeline began operating, Reuters

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Monday 27 November 2017

These soldiers cleaned up the US nuclear program, now they're paying with their lives

These soldiers were ordered to clean up the toxic legacy of America's nuclear program, now they're dying, and their Government has abandoned them.

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On a remote atoll, a concrete dome holds a toxic timebomb. And it's leaking

On a remote atoll, thousands of cubic metres of radioactive waste lies buried under a concrete dome. Now rising sea levels are threatening to spill its contents into the Pacific Ocean.

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More Men Than You Think Identify As ‘Mostly Straight’

In 2013, Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson told an interviewer for Out magazine that he was, in his own words, “mostly straight.” “Maybe I could say right now I’m 100 percent straight. But who knows? In a fucking year, I could meet a guy and be like, ‘Whoa, I’m attracted to this person’ … I’ve met guys all the time that I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s a good-looking guy,’ you know? I’ve never been, like, ‘Oh, I want to kiss that guy.’ I really love women. But I think defining yourself as 100% anything is kind of near-sighted and close-minded.”

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China going from 2% electric cars last month to 20% in 2025 to possibly 100% in 2030

China is requiring automakers (making over 30,000 cars per year) to make zero- and low-emission vehicles- of at least 10 percent starting in 2019, rising to 12 percent in 2020. Car makers that do not meet those targets must buy credits or face fines. The targets look achievable for the industry as a whole, McKerracher said. Considering the credit structure, 12 percent in 2020 would translate to about 4 percent to 5 percent of actual vehicle sales.

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Scientists grow baby coral on Barrier Reef

Scientists have stepped in as environmental matchmakers by breeding baby coral on the Great Barrier Reef in a move that could have worldwide significance. Coral eggs and sperm were collected from Heron Island's reef during last November's coral spawning to produce more than a million larvae.

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AI sex dolls are just around the corner

The sex doll industry is on the verge of greatness, in its own special way. Soon the Stepford Wives of science fiction will become real, thanks to the magic of AI. Men will be able to create their perfect, subservient silicon partner that knows their hopes, dreams, fears, and fantasies.

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Scientists created a synthetic molecule, and it could end antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which includes both common bugs and so-called superbugs, is a serious and globally recognized problem. In fact, the United Nations elevated the issue to a crisis level almost a year ago now, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it’s rapidly worsening.

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Guelph researcher heads to Antarctica to hunt for meteorites

An Ontario physicist is embarking on a NASA-funded expedition to Antarctica to collect meteorites, in hopes that the fallen space rocks will give researchers new insight into the outer reaches of the solar system. Scott VanBommel, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Guelph, is joining the annual Antarctic Search for Meteorites for a six-week excursion to the Transantarctic Mountains, about 350 km from the South Pole.

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Sunday 26 November 2017

Decoding the music masterpieces: Bach’s Six Solo Cello Suites

Johann Sebastian Bach was 30 when he became head of music in Anhalt-Cöthen, in what is now Germany. Here he started an uncharted experiment in classical music: solo works for string instruments.

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Where unsellable wine goes to die and become fuel for your car’s gas tank

In the wine industry, when your product outweighs your demand, there are few ways to legally dispose of it. By John Capone.

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Bird gets lost at sea, accidentally spawns an entire new species on a remote island

If you get lost at sea and find yourself on an island you’d probably try to build a fire, pile some sticks and stones into a makeshift home and maybe even try to signal for help. When one misguided bird found himself in the same situation, he didn’t wallow in his own self pity; he created his own entirely new species. Over the past 36 years, scientists have been closely studying the incredible story of an entirely new bird species that seemingly came out of nowhere, and it all started with one poor finch who lost his way.

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Cannabis Expert Thinks 35 States Will Legalize Weed By 2020

The marijuana movement is picking up steam, Krista Whitley, CEO of Nevada-based cannabis company “Altitude Products,” believes and predicts that 35 states will have legal marijuana by the year 2020. “I would hope by 2020 we would have at least 35 thriving regulated cannabis states,” she told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “I am inspired by states like Tennessee and the movements that are happening in traditionally red conservative states, that are seeking out common sense regulated cannabis programs.”

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Ushering My Father to a (Mostly) Good Death

Karen Brown recalls conspiring with her father in his final weeks to find some humor in the pain.

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The Trouble with Big Science

Jim Kozubek on the potential problems of profiteering in biotech.

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Birds Rub Ants on Themselves, and No One Knows Exactly Why

It’s called “anting,” and it is weird. By Eric Grundhauser.

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Math at the Met

Amid the museum’s 2 million works of art lie numerous mathematical curiosities

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Oped: diet the key to diabetes epidemic

Does the present approach of the medical fraternity to diabetes make patients fatter and sicker? Investigative reporter and medical scientist, Dr Maryanne Demasi, looks at the latest evidence. It is ‘World Diabetes’ day and the rise in rates of diabetes is showing no signs of arrest. Globally, over half a billion people will have diabetes …

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Removing iron 'rust' from our brains could prevent Alzheimer’s

New research suggests cleaning out “rust” from the brain could be a way to slow and even prevent Alzheimer’s.

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Something very weird is happening on Saturn’s moon Titan

Thanks to the efforts of NASA and its incredibly reliable Cassini spacecraft, we now know more about Saturn and its moons than ever before, but it seems there are still some surprises in store for scientists studying the planet and its natural satellites. New research by scientists at the University of Bristol has revealed an interesting quirk with Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, and it flies in the face of everything science has predicted.

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