Nobel Intent - Science News

Lucy en open source
▻http://www.toolinux.com/Lucy-en-open-source

Le squelette le plus connu au monde devient open source pour découvrir les détails de sa mort.

Le squelette de Lucy intrigue toujours. On ne sait pas exactement les causes de son décès. Des chercheurs ont donc eu l’idée de partager des fichiers tomodensimétriques (structures anatomiques reconstruites via un scanner) des os de Lucy afin que la communauté de chercheurs, partout à travers le monde, puisse aider à résoudre ce mystère. A l’aide d’une imprimante 3D, il est même possible de reproduire ces os. Cela devrait permettre de faire avancer les recherches, en se basant sur le modèle contributif de l’open source. Il faut faire une demande en ligne afin d’avoir accès à ces fichiers.
Mais certains chercheurs émettent tout de même des doutes quant à l’utilisation possible de ces fichiers, notamment à des fins commerciales.

Liens :
– Le site eLucy.org
– Plus d’information sur le site ArsTechnica

Lucky find offers our first look at a dinosaur tail, complete with feathers | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/12/lucky-find-offers-our-first-look-at-a-dinosaur-tail-complete-with-feath

https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/microscopic-barbules-on-tail-feathers4-760x380.jpg

Geoscientist Lida Xing was shopping at an amber market in Myitkyina, Myanmar in 2015 when he saw an unusual piece of amber. Trapped inside was a small object that the amber merchants thought was a sprig of leaves. But Xing thought something much more interesting was going on (…) eight fully preserved vertebrae from a young, non-avian dinosaur called a coelurosaur. As an adult it would have been about the size of an ostrich, but this juvenile was still tiny enough to get trapped in tree sap and never escape. Feathers covered its tail, but at the tip they fluffed out in a pattern that suggested this animal may have had a fan-shaped tail.

(…)

Bristol University paleobiologist Jacob Vinther told NPR’s Rae Ellen Bichell that this structure also meant that colorful, iridescent feathers may have evolved before ones capable of flight.

#plumes de #dinosaure #recherche #évolution #beau

Two recent court decisions make climate scientists’ e-mails public
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/08/two-recent-court-decisions-make-climate-scientists-e-mails-public

Courts continue to find this tricky ground, balancing the terms of the Freedom of Information Act against the harassment of scientists by political groups. Successful suits may embolden groups like CEI and E&E Legal to attempt even more of these requests in their continuing quest to discredit climate science.

#climat #sciences #recherche

SpaceX takes another crack at launching, landing today [Updated] | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/05/watch-live-spacex-takes-another-crack-at-launching-landing-today

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/landedrocket1-640x400.jpg

SpaceX did it, successfully delivering its payload and landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket for the third time in a row on an autonomous drone ship. It’s safe to say the future has arrived.

On passe doucement à la routine…

Sweet drug clears #cholesterol, reverses heart disease—and was found by parents
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/sweet-drug-clears-cholesterol-reverses-heart-disease-and-was-found-by-p

Des parents de jumelles atteintes d’une maladie héréditaire grave ont fait des recherches tellement intenses sur la molécule qui a fini par être utilisée (avec un certain succès) pour combattre ladite maladie, qu’ils ont fini par trouver une autre indication thérapeutique à la molécule en question,

Two parents’ quest to save their twin daughters’ lives from a rare, degenerative genetic disorder may end up saving and improving the lives of millions.

After digging through medical literature and fitting pieces of data together, the non-medically trained couple contacted German researchers and suggested that a chemical called cyclodextrin may be able to treat atherosclerosis—the hardening of arteries with cholesterol-rich plaques, which is a precursor to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.

The researchers, Eicke Latz at the University of Bonn and colleagues, followed up on the parents’ hypothesis and found that in mice, cyclodextrin indeed blocked plaque formation, melted away plaques that had already formed in arteries, reduced atherosclerosis-associated inflammation, and revved up cholesterol metabolism—even in rodents fed cholesterol-rich diets. In petri dish-based tests, the researchers found that the drug seemed to have the same effects on human cells and plaques.

Cyclodextrin promotes atherosclerosis regression via macrophage reprogramming
▻http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/333/333ra50

La maman, Chris Hempel, fait partie des auteurs de l’étude.

#cyclodextrine #hypercholestérolémie #athérosclérose #infarctus #santé

Ex-EPA scientist publishes Wyoming fracking study that agency abandoned
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/ex-epa-scientist-publishes-wyoming-fracking-study-that-agency-abandoned

Study stands by initial finding of contamination.

#fracturation_hydraulique #pollution #eau

New evidence: Easter Island civilization was not destroyed by war | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/new-evidence-easter-island-civilization-was-not-destroyed-by-war

For centuries, observers believed that the Rapa Nui suffered a catastrophic population crash. But there is no scientific evidence to support this idea, say a group of researchers in the latest issue of the journal Antiquity. That story about environmental collapse and warfare you read about in Jared Diamond’s bestseller #Collapse? Totally wrong.

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Screenshot-21716-1057-AM-640x714.jpeg

Democrats and Republicans agree : If you can mine it in space, it’s yours | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/11/democrats-and-republicans-agree-if-you-can-mine-it-in-space-its-yours

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/eros20140616-full-640x480.jpg

On Tuesday evening Congress took a key step toward encouraging the development of this industry by passing on H.R. 2262, the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, with bipartisan support. The legislation provides a number of pro-business measures, such as establishing legal rights for US citizens to own resources in outer space

#espace #propriété_privée décidée par les #États-Unis

“#WikiGate” raises questions about Wikipedia’s commitment to open access
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/09/wikigate-raises-questions-about-wikipedias-commitment-to-open-access

Scientific publisher Elsevier has donated 45 free ScienceDirect accounts to “top #Wikipedia editors” to aid them in their work. Michael Eisen, one of the founders of the open access movement, which seeks to make research publications freely available online, tweeted that he was “shocked to see @wikipedia working hand-in-hand with Elsevier to populate encylopedia w/links people cannot access,” and dubbed it “WikiGate.” Over the last few days, a row has broken out between Eisen and other academics over whether a free and open service such as Wikipedia should be partnering with a closed, non-free company such as Elsevier.

Eisen’s fear is that the free accounts to ScienceDirect will encourage Wikipedia editors to add references to articles that are behind Elsevier’s #paywall. When members of the public seek to follow such links, they will be unable to see the article in question unless they have a suitable subscription to Elsevier’s journals, or they make a one-time payment, usually tens of pounds for limited access.

CERN: LHCb discovery of a new class of particles: pentaquark

▻http://press.web.cern.ch/press-releases/2015/07/cerns-lhcb-experiment-reports-observation-exotic-pentaquark-particles

(pentaquarks = group of 5 quarks: 2 upquarks, 1 down, 1 charm and 1 anticharm quark)

“The pentaquark is not just any new particle,” said LHCb [b for beauty, a type of very massive quark previously called “bottom” quark] spokesperson Guy Wilkinson. “It represents a way to aggregate quarks, namely the fundamental constituents of ordinary protons and neutrons, in a pattern that has never been observed before in over fifty years of experimental searches. Studying its properties may allow us to understand better how ordinary matter, the protons and neutrons from which we’re all made, is constituted.”

Researchers now need to find out how these pentaquarks are configured, ie. in what configuration they are bound together.

#quantum_physics

Association Between Connecticut’s Permit-to-Purchase Handgun Law and Homicides
▻http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302703
ABSTRACT

Objectives. We sought to estimate the effect of Connecticut’s implementation of a handgun permit-to-purchase law in October 1995 on subsequent homicides.

Methods. Using the synthetic control method, we compared Connecticut’s homicide rates after the law’s implementation to rates we would have expected had the law not been implemented. To estimate the counterfactual, we used longitudinal data from a weighted combination of comparison states identified based on the ability of their prelaw homicide trends and covariates to predict prelaw homicide trends in Connecticut.

Results. We estimated that the law was associated with a 40% reduction in Connecticut’s firearm homicide rates during the first 10 years that the law was in place. By contrast, there was no evidence for a reduction in nonfirearm homicides.

Conclusions. Consistent with prior research, this study demonstrated that Connecticut’s handgun permit-to-purchase law was associated with a subsequent reduction in homicide rates. As would be expected if the law drove the reduction, the policy’s effects were only evident for homicides committed with firearms. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 11, 2015: e1–e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302703)

#paywall
repris ici :
Gun killings fell by 40% after Connecticut passed this law – so why are other US states not following its lead?
▻http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/gun-killings-fell-by-40-after-connecticut-passed-this-law--so-why-are
et là :
Connecticut gun controls estimated to have cut fatal shootings by 40%
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/06/connecticut-gun-controls-estimated-to-have-cut-fatal-shootings-by-40
notamment.
#armes

The female mathematician who changed the course of physics—but couldn’t get a job
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/05/the-female-mathematician-who-changed-the-course-of-physics-but-couldnt-

And that’s when a woman—one Emmy Noether—created what may be the most important single theoretical result in modern physics.

▻http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Noether

Les travaux mathématiques d’Emmy Noether ont été divisés en trois « époques ». Durant la première (1908 - 1919), elle apporte des contributions significatives en théorie des invariants algébriques et des corps de nombres. Son théorème sur les invariants différentiels dans le calcul des variations est « l’un des plus importants théorèmes mathématiques jamais prouvé dans l’orientation du développement de la physique moderne »

#science #femmes

Is there a creativity deficit in science? | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/09/is-there-a-creativity-deficit-in-science

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Screen-Shot-2014-08-20-at-3.54.12-PM-640x413.png

Researchers search for genes behind #intelligence, find almost nothing | Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/09/researchers-search-for-genes-behind-intelligence-find-almost-nothing

All of which suggests that intelligence isn’t a matter of a handful of genes. Sure, there are some genes that, when damaged, have a catastrophic effect on cognitive abilities. But, assuming you avoid these, it seems that your intelligence is likely to be the product of a huge collection of minor genetic effects, combined with a very large helping of your environment.

Un bon exemple d’étude où l’absence de résultat (de mise en évidence d’un écart significatif) est un résultat.

#éducation #génétique

La série noire continue pour #Roscosmos

Russian gecko satellite unresponsive in transit orbit — RT News
▻http://rt.com/news/175200-foton-satellite-unresponsive-orbit

The Russian space agency Roscosmos is struggling to re-establish contact with the Foton-M satellite, launched last Saturday. The spacecraft is not responding to commands from the ground, probably indicating mission failure.

The satellite is currently in low-earth orbit and broadcasting a telemetry signal, but it’s not responding to orders from mission control. This has already prevented the firing of the spacecraft’s engine as planned, which would bring it to a higher and permanent orbit.

The engineers on the ground say they are not time-constrained in bringing the unruly satellite under control.

“Results of the analysis show that the service systems of the spacecraft are functioning in full concordance with the control system logic. The design and the instrumentation allow for a prolonged autonomous functioning of the spacecraft,” a spokesperson for Progress, the builder of the satellite, told Itar-Tass.

Foton-M was scheduled to be lifted to a higher orbit on Wednesday, according to mission control. Communication problems emerged shortly post launch, after it had circled earth several times.

Hope remains that the mission can still be salvaged. The previous stage of the flight, which involved rebooting the satellite’s systems and beginning some of its scientific experiments have been carried out as planned.
(…)
Among them are containers with living organisms, including five geckos, fruit flies and fungi, which are supposed to be jettisoned after two months in orbit and land in Russia. There is no update on the status of the living cargo, since the containers are not designed to broadcast any telemetry while in space.

Greenland may lose more ice than expected | Ars Technica

▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/05/greenland-may-lose-more-ice-than-expected

A pair of reports in the last couple of weeks has delivered bad news for future ice loss in Antarctica. One described the possibility of committing ourselves to several meters of sea level rise if ice in the Wilkes Basin were to become destabilized. The other concluded that we likely have already committed ourselves to over a meter of long-term sea level rise from a portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. In both cases, the ice loss tipping points are a result of the shape of the valleys in which the glaciers sit, which deepen as you move inland, reaching below sea level.

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/morlighem_map-640x1156.jpg

That configuration has long been known to exist below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, but it wasn’t thought of as a factor in Greenland. Now, a new study from some of those same researchers has revealed that Greenland, too, has a number of deep valleys that dip below sea level. That means Greenland is susceptible to larger, more rapid losses of ice than previously thought.

#climat #arctique #groenland

C’est à partir de 24 ans que se dégradent les performances motrices et cognitives. La preuve par #Starcraft…

Study says we’re over the hill at 24 - Public Affairs and Media Relations - Simon Fraser University
▻http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/media-releases/2014/study-says-we_re-over-the-hill-at-24.html

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but if you’re over 24 years of age you’ve already reached your peak in terms of your cognitive motor performance, according to a new Simon Fraser University study.

SFU’s Joe Thompson, a psychology doctoral student, associate professor Mark Blair, Thompson’s thesis supervisor, and Andrew Henrey, a statistics and actuarial science doctoral student, deliver the news in a just-published PLOS ONE Journal paper.

In one of the first social science experiments to rest on big data, the trio investigates when we start to experience an age-related decline in our cognitive motor skills and how we compensate for that.

The researchers analyzed the digital performance records of 3,305 StarCraft 2 players, aged 16 to 44. StarCraft 2 is a ruthless competitive intergalactic computer war game that players often undertake to win serious money.

Their performance records, which can be readily replayed, constitute big data because they represent 870 hours worth of strategic real-time cognitive-based moves performed at varied skill levels.

Using complex statistical modeling, the researchers distilled meaning from this colossal compilation of information about how players responded to their opponents and more importantly, how long they took to react.

La publication originale est accessible ici ▻http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0094215

3305 joueurs (dont 29 de sexe féminin)

Avec incertitude, l’intervalle de confiance pour la dégradation de performance est entre 20 et 30 ans.

Le déclin (inexorable…) ne dépend pas du niveau du joueur.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0094215.g005/largerimage#.jpg

(soit, en calculant, de 10 ms de latence en plus par année au delà de 24 ans pour les meilleurs (400 ms, au top) à 25 ms par an pour les moins bons (1000 ms, au top)

Néanmoins, les « vieux » conservent leur niveau global. Il est donc émis l’hypothèse qu’ils compensent la dégradation de performance, sans doute en « diminuant leur charge cognitive » .

Experience nevertheless allows one to compensate for these declines indirectly. In our study, older players appear to hold their own despite their declines, perhaps by decreasing their cognitive load through the use of simplified strategies or improved use of the game interface.

Les données individuelles (par niveau/ligue)

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0094215.g003/largerimage#.jpg

Les chercheurs mettent en garde contre la montée de la démesure des Big Data - Ars Technica
►http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/03/researchers-warn-against-the-rise-of-big-data-hubris

Dans « Science » - ▻http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1248506 -, des chercheurs mettent en garde contre l’utilisation des Big Data en soulignant qu’elles sont souvent pas très bonnes, à l’image de Google Flu Trends, qui a fait une surestimation toujours plus forte que la réalité de la contagion. Les raisons sont multiples : quand on parle de la grippe dans l’actualité, les gens font plus de recherches sur elle. Le fait que les termes de requête soient discrets ce qui rend difficile l’amélioration du système. Quand Google change ses algorithmes, les résultats sont modifiés sans rapport avec la grippe... Et Google est dans une guerre constante avec ceux qui veulent jouer avec son système de mesure. Google Flu est inutile. Il serait plus utile s’il étai reproductible. Pour les chercheurs, malgré leur (...)

#bigdata #algorithme

Les métaux de vos smartphones pourraient être irremplaçables - Ars Technica
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/the-metals-in-your-smartphone-may-be-irreplaceable

La diversité des matériaux est sans aucune mesure. Une simple puce de téléphone contient quelques 60 éléments différents. Nos vies sont désormais dépendantes de la rareté d’une poignée de matériaux... Dans la revue Pnas, des chercheurs de l’université de Yale ont enquêté sur les métaux rares que nous utilisons au quotidien et notamment d’essayer de regarder si des substituts étaient envisageables. 12 des 62 éléments que l’on trouve dans les puces de nos smartphones n’ont pas de substituts connus ni envisageables... estiment les chercheurs qui ont mis en place un indice de criticité des éléments. Tags : internetactu2net internetactu fing #metaux #developpementdurable (...)

#écologie

Textbook publishers ignoring Texas school board’s inane interventions
▻http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/10/textbook-publishers-ignoring-texas-school-boards-inane-interventions

Textbook publishers have largely ignored the suggestions made by reviewers appointed by the Texas State School Board. Various members of the board have been attempting to undercut the teaching of evolution when formulating new science standards. After a tough fight that resulted in some confusing requirements, textbook makers were given the chance to implement the new standards. Naturally, when it came time to review the texts, the school board appointed a handful of creationists to the review group.

Just as naturally, those individuals requested that “’creation science’ based on biblical principles should be incorporated into every biology book that is considered for adoption” and complained about how evolution was presented. The textbooks were supposed to be revised to reflect these complaints. Now, the publishers have submitted the texts they were supposed to have revised in light of these complaints. And, the good news is that the texts seem fine.

#science #créationnisme