Thursday 23 May 2019

Study reveals the evolution and diversity of Leptospira bacteria

Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease that affects more than one million people around the world each year. Researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have now sequenced the genomes of Leptospira collected from environments around the globe and revealed 30 new species and new patterns of species diversity.

* This article was originally published here

Building a better salt trap: Scientists synthesize a molecular 'cage' to trap chloride

Indiana University researchers have created a powerful new molecule for the extraction of salt from liquid. The work has potential to help increase the amount of drinkable water on Earth.

* This article was originally published here

Marching for climate change may sway people's beliefs and actions

Americans have a long tradition of taking to the streets to protest or to advocate for things they believe in. New research suggests that when it comes to climate change, these marches may indeed have a positive effect on the public.

* This article was originally published here

What we think we know—but might not—pushes us to learn more

(Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the "Game of Thrones" season finale)

* This article was originally published here

Barcelona taxi drivers to lodge legal case against Uber

A Barcelona-based association of taxi drivers on Thursday announced it would lodge a legal complaint against ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify for fraud and other offences.

* This article was originally published here

Huawei could be stripped of Google services after US ban

Huawei could lose its grip on the No. 2 ranking in worldwide cellphone sales after Google announced it would comply with U.S. government restrictions meant to punish the Chinese tech powerhouse.

* This article was originally published here

Politics, killings stifle wolf recovery amid hefty price tag

Illegal killings and longstanding political resistance have undercut the return of two species of endangered wolves to the wild, frustrating government efforts that already cost more than $80 million but have failed to meet recovery targets.

* This article was originally published here

Video: Could there be life without carbon?

One element is the backbone of all forms of life we've ever discovered on Earth: carbon.

* This article was originally published here

Why a patient may need a companion to speak for them—and the difficult choices they face

When a person whose communication is affected by a developmental disability (like Down syndrome or autism) needs to speak with a doctor, they often have to rely on a companion to help them. Whether it's a family member, a friend, or a professional support worker, that companion has to gauge very carefully what to say and when to say it.

* This article was originally published here

Trace metal exposure among pregnant women living near fracking wells in Canada

The Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology last week revealed the findings of a 2016 pilot study that measured pregnant women's exposure to environmental contaminants in northeastern British Columbia, an area of intensive natural-gas production through hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The study, directed by Marc-André Verner, a professor at the School of Public Health (ESPUM) of Université de Montréal (UdeM), showed that the women had higher concentrations of some metals, especially barium, aluminum, strontium and manganese, in their hair and urine compared to the general population.

* This article was originally published here

Soft, social robot brings coziness to home robotics

A few years ago, when social robots began appearing in stores and homes, Guy Hoffman wondered why they all looked so much alike.

* This article was originally published here

Microsoft and Sony team up for video games in the cloud, but what's it mean for gamers?

Microsoft and Sony usually battle it out for dominance in console video games. But in the growing realm of cloud gaming, in which games stream over the internet just as Netflix does, the two tech titans have decided to team up.

* This article was originally published here