Experts set threshold for climate-change calamity

Researchers say an emissions tipping point for the planet may be 25 years away.



The world's leading climate scientists have for the first time established a limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be released before the Earth reaches a tipping point and predicted that it will be surpassed within decades unless swift action is taken to curb the current pace of emissions.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/AbGaPOLWkTM/la-me-0928-climate-change-20130928,0,3834345.story

Boxer asks EPA to ensure safety of L.A. neighborhood near oil field

California senator wants the agency to address chemical odors wafting through University Park neighborhood from Allenco oil field.



U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asked federal environmental officials Thursday to ensure the safety of a low-income South Los Angeles community where residents worry that their dizziness, headaches and nosebleeds may be linked to noxious odors from an urban oil field.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/SGhyqjWrMyA/la-me-0927-fumes-20130927,0,6463578.story

Agency ignored best science on sonar, marine mammals, judge rules

National Marine Fisheries Service probably underestimated the level of harm to whales and other animals posed by Navy tests, judge says.



The National Marine Fisheries Service used inadequate science when it approved U.S. Navy training exercises that pose a danger to marine mammals off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, a federal judge has ruled.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/vduHQy7_Xzo/la-me-0927-marine-mammals-20130927,0,3099675.story

At closer look, Mars is not so simple

Recent discoveries by NASA's Curiosity rover show Mars to be more complex than had been known, with water-embedded dust covering its surface and a mature, almost Earthlike, geology.



A series of discoveries from NASA's Curiosity rover are giving scientists a picture of Mars that looks increasingly complex, with small bits of water spread around the surface and an interior that could have been more geologically mature than experts had previously thought.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/08DWWZz2-lU/la-sci-mars-curiosity-dust-20130927,0,3351674.story

Shell Oil's Arctic drilling operations in limbo

Shell Oil has not disclosed new safety measures since a critical federal report in March, and it has not applied to drill in the Arctic in 2014.



SEATTLE — Six months after federal officials chastised Shell Oil for its faulty offshore drilling operations in the Arctic, the company has yet to explain what safeguards it has put in place or when it plans to resume exploring for oil in the vulnerable region.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/-APYLrUrU7I/la-na-arctic-drilling-20130926,0,2117827.story

Bionic leg is controlled by brain power

A team of specialists has designed a bionic prosthetic leg that can reproduce a full range of ambulatory movements by communicating with the brain of the person wearing it.



The act of walking may not seem like a feat of agility, balance, strength and brainpower. But lose a leg, as Zac Vawter did after a motorcycle accident in 2009, and you will appreciate the myriad calculations that go into putting one foot in front of the other.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/tipZyy2c05Q/la-sci-robotic-leg-20130926,0,7310017.story

Caltech brain researcher is among MacArthur Foundation winners

Caltech behavioral economist Colin Camerer, who studies investors' brain activity, is among five winners in California in various fields to each get $625,000.



Caltech behavioral economist Colin Camerer has researched a lot about how the chance of big financial gains affects the human brain. So he knew that his own brain area known as the nucleus accumbens was stimulated by the announcement that he won $625,000 as one of this year's MacArthur Foundation Fellows.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/lOrgJ-JHQTI/la-me-macarthur-grants-20130925,0,2378877.story

Online Obamacare marketplaces offer ample options, report says

Most Americans will have a wide variety of choices for health insurance and young people may find plans costing $100 a month or less, the Department of Health and Human Services says.



WASHINGTON — Most Americans who shop for health insurance on new online marketplaces set up under President Obama's health law will have a wide variety of choices, a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services indicates.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/dHX-cvO4PwQ/la-fi-obamacare-rates-20130925,0,2297148.story

Lawmakers target prescription drug ads on Craigslist

State senators from California and Nevada send letters demanding the site 'stop participating in illegal dealings of narcotics.'



The ad on Craigslist was blunt. It offered drugs for money, just like a street corner dealer.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/2r1M9oMtUpw/la-me-rx-craigslist-20130920,0,4889816.story

Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law

A Hollywood comedy website and others could be key in getting enough Americans to sign up for coverage under the law, especially 18-to-35-year-olds. But opponents are waging their own campaign.



Wedged into the blotter on Mike Farah's desk at the Funny or Die studios in Hollywood is an index card with a list — wrangling talent, polishing scripts and arranging shoots — long enough to keep the comedy website executive fully occupied. But these tasks are part of a different quest: the campaign to ensure the success of President Obama's healthcare law.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/dfs3T_bN2NI/la-na-obamacare-hollywood-20130921,0,999216.story

Caltech economist nets MacArthur genius grant

A Caltech researcher who fused economics and neuroscience to make sense of human decisions that often don’t make cents has won the MacArthur genius grant.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/HgA48U-J520/la-sci-sn-cal-tech-macarthur-grant-20130924,0,3564316.story

Candace Pert dies at 67; neuroscientist discovered opiate receptor

Candace Pert identified the first opiate receptor in 1973, a finding that opened a new field of studying the brain's biochemistry. She later helped found Rapid Pharmaceuticals to explore potential treatments for HIV, autism and Alzheimer's disease.



Shortly before she entered graduate school at Johns Hopkins University in 1970, Candace Pert broke her back in a riding accident. Dulling the pain from her injury with morphine led her to speculate about how the drug exerted its effects on the brain.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xLvvZJqaLvk/la-me-candace-pert-20130924,0,5965937.story

Big chinook run doesn't let Columbia dams off the hook, activists say

Salmon counters at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River are seeing the biggest chinook run since 1938, but environmentalists still worry.



BONNEVILLE DAM, Wash. — The tiny fish-counting station, with its window onto the Columbia River, was darkened so the migrating salmon would not be spooked. And it was silent — until the shimmering bodies began to flicker by.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/T_ROO94GY2I/la-na-chinook-salmon-20130925,0,4305790.story

Estimate for uranium facility goes from $600 million to $11.6 billion

It would be one of the largest nuclear weapons investments since World War II. A watchdog group says the work – which may not be needed – can be done for less elsewhere.



The cost of a proposed uranium processing facility for nuclear weapons in Oakridge, Tenn., has soared as high as $11.6 billion — 19 times the original estimate — even as critics accuse the Energy Department of overstating the need for spare bomb parts.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/UMlo8oQ3YsU/la-na-bomb-factory-20130925,0,4318363.story

Global warming 'hiatus' puts climate change scientists on the spot

Theories as to why Earth's average surface temperature hasn't risen in recent years include an idea that the Pacific Ocean goes through decades-long cycles of absorbing heat.



It's a climate puzzle that has vexed scientists for more than a decade and added fuel to the arguments of those who insist man-made global warming is a myth.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/ExXrfSFCJ5o/la-sci-climate-change-uncertainty-20130923,0,791164.story

Chemical odor, kids' nosebleeds, few answers in South L.A. neighborhood

An oil pumping operation in South L.A., newly ramped up after years of dormancy, has neighbors worried despite officials' assurances.



Monic Uriarte says she began having headaches and bouts of dizziness three years ago, about the time she and her neighbors began smelling a chemical odor on the streets and in their homes.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/A6n5n0v4eF8/la-me-0922-oil-20130922,0,3073993.story

Brain-eating amoeba in water causes high anxiety in Louisiana parish

A boy's death has been traced to a brain-eating amoeba in the water supply in St. Bernard Parish, La. Officials say there are no major health risks, but residents worry.



Officials traced the death of a 4-year-old Mississippi boy in August to a day spent playing on a Slip 'n Slide in a New Orleans suburb.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/53amFzgFHok/la-na-brain-amoeba-20130922,0,7805532.story

Brown signs bill on fracking, upsetting both sides of oil issue

Oil industry says the rules go further than needed for safe drilling. Environmentalists contend there aren't enough protections.



SACRAMENTO — The nation's toughest restrictions on a controversial oil drilling technique known as fracking were signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/XR9KysTaJRE/la-me-brown-bills-fracking-20130921,0,3664351.story

Proposed power plant restrictions raise questions on more limits

Tough curbs on emissions from new plants have supporters and critics wondering what restrictions the EPA will propose for existing facilities.



WASHINGTON — The tough restrictions on new power plant emissions proposed by the Obama administration Friday set the stage for the far thornier and significant decision due next year: What will the Environmental Protection Agency do to rein in greenhouse gases from existing power plants?



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/2mDrVHR73Tc/la-na-epa-coal-20130921,0,5912881.story

Meteorology and geography collide in Colorado flooding

Deadly flooding in Boulder, Colo., was due to the chance collision of meteorology, geography and urban development, according to weather and climate experts.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/h-bYaf2lbR4/la-sci-sn-meteorology-and-geography-collide-in-colorado-flooding-20130916,0,309735.story

How a comet impact may have jump-started life on Earth -- and elsewhere

Did life on Earth come from space? The scientific evidence is mounting.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/JDxrRtzEIek/la-sci-sn-comet-impact-life-20130916,0,165631.story

Global economic crisis spurred 5,000 additional suicides, study says

The global economic crisis that has come to be known as the Great Recession appears to have fueled an increase in suicides, including an estimated 5,000 additional deaths in 2009, a new study says.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/7_YgQxxdnpU/la-sci-sn-great-recession-economic-crisis-suicide-20130917,0,3433128.story

Even before injury, chronic back pain may start in the brain

It's infuriating to chronic pain sufferers to be told their pain in "all in the head." But a new study offers strong evidence that even before a person experiences an injury, the likelihood that the resulting pain will become chronic can be predicted by examining the brain's "white matter" -- the bundles of fatty fibers that carry electrical impulses between the brain's hemispheres and among its dense network of cells and structures.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/vTVUdBiYGiY/la-sci-chronic-back-pain-brain-20130917,0,2071857.story

Use by, sell by, best by a confusing mess for consumers, report says

Sell by, use by, best by. Most consumers use the dates stamped on foods to decide what to toss out — and they are often discarding food that’s good to eat, according to a report out Wednesday.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/8JgxRZFeW-w/la-sn-food-labels-20130917,0,750598.story

Some good news about teen obesity rates

It's little more than a glimmer of hope, but a comprehensive new report suggests that a trend toward healthier habits may have halted the rise of obesity among the nation's teens.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/Hx5VkYa_jZ8/la-sci-teen-obesity-habits-improve-20130916,0,4072557.story

Drug-resistant superbugs multiplying: CDC report IDs 'urgent threats'

Thoughtless use of antibiotic medications continues to promote the growth of drug-resistant superbugs in the U.S., threatening doctors' ability to combat infections, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/ns1xUfUStao/la-sci-sn-cdc-antibiotic-resistance-20130916,0,7651733.story

Brain activity found after 'brain death'

Maybe cats have nine lives, or maybe brain dead people aren’t so dead.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/eTNhksJL720/la-sci-sn-brain-activity-death-20130918,0,541578.story

New EPA rules would crack down on power plant emissions

The Obama administration will propose rules to curb carbon dioxide emissions at new coal-fired power plants. Industry officials say the standards would essentially prohibit such plants.



WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will propose rules Friday to sharply curtail permissible emissions of carbon dioxide from new power plants, an important step toward fulfilling the president's recently reinvigorated commitment to address climate change.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Mjs16nQsjNQ/la-na-epa-coal-20130920,0,5847344.story

Environmental toll compounds the troubles in flooded Colorado

Two large oil spills are reported as the Colorado floodwaters take aim at drilling and storage facilities. Meanwhile, a ninth person is reported dead and hundreds are still missing.



DENVER — When the worst of the flooding began for Weld County last week, Cliff Willmeng, on a hunch, took his 2003 Subaru and drove east.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/O-A-IPoxqJk/la-na-colorado-floods-20130920,0,1514209.story

How much methane on Mars? Zero. Findings a setback in search for life

The most high-fidelity search for methane on Mars has turned up none, a result that significantly reduces the chances of finding microbial life on the Red Planet.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Tx-jGnneRA4/la-sci-mars-methane-20130920,0,993300.story

Methane emissions drop at natural gas drilling sites, study says

The study indicates that new technology has dramatically reduced air pollution emitted during a key step in the drilling process at natural gas wells across the U.S.



WASHINGTON — Emissions of methane from natural gas well sites across the United States have fallen in a key part of the drilling process, despite the boom in natural gas development, according to a study published Monday.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/FXvMECNzDV0/la-na-fracking-methane-20130917,0,7522843.story

UCLA's victory is special, and Bruins might be too

The ability to come from behind, after a tragedy, in a hostile environment, should prove something to Jim Mora and his players.



LINCOLN, Neb. — In the midst of chaos, while Brett Hundley's UCLA teammates celebrated having rallied for an impressive 41-21 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers and a record crowd of 91,471 trudged out of Memorial Stadium, the Bruins quarterback stood alone at midfield with one thought, one person, in mind.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/v_CmCizfeEg/la-sp-0915-elliott-ucla-nebraska-20130915,0,5753353.column

'Weather' at UCLA's Royce Hall marks a first in L.A. for Lucy Guerin

Los Angeles audiences will get to see the choreographer's work for the first time in October in a piece that explores humanity's complex relationship with the environment.



Australian choreographer Lucy Guerin has been recognized for her intriguing and thought-provoking works since the 1990s, when she spent a pivotal seven years performing and choreographing in New York City. Mikhail Baryshnikov took note of Guerin's individuality in 1999, including two of her dances in his White Oak Dance Project's repertory.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Y6ZilQeu4ek/la-et-cm-lucy-guerin-weather-20130915,0,7050414.story

Federal officials recommend $453-million L.A. River restoration plan

Tentative L.A. River plan selected by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would restore 11-mile stretch but leave much of its banks hard to reach.



After seven years of study, federal officials have recommended a $453-million plan that would restore an 11-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River but leave much of its banks steep and hard to reach, disappointing advocates who hoped for a more ambitious alternative that would allow more public access.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/1rSCherK74s/la-me-0914-la-river-20130914,0,2187715.story

UCLA will have to battle Nebraska and the environment

The Bruins have played at Memorial Stadium four times since a victory in 1948 and have come away defeated each time. The Cornhuskers have beaten the last four ranked teams that have come to town.



LINCOLN, Neb. — Savvy travelers should always check their itineraries with those who have been there.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/yS4STsrU99I/la-sp-0914-ucla-nebraska-20130914,0,5170345.story

Value of blood tests near Exide recycling plant questioned

Tests of residents near Exide's Vernon facility won't pinpoint a source of any contamination and come too late, some activists say.



Los Angeles County's plan to offer blood tests for lead poisoning to hundreds of thousands of people in southeast Los Angeles was greeted as a political victory in working-class communities that have long worried about the health effects of emissions from a Vernon battery recycler.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/fnYKNTBbQ04/la-me-exide-20130914,0,2962619.story

Researchers find gears in nature – on planthopper insects

Gears aren't just man-made, say scientists who have found some that help put the spring in planthopper insects.



Gears may seem like a purely human invention. And yet the basic interlocking mechanism found inside grandfather clocks and car steering systems has now turned up in the remarkably powerful legs of young planthopper insects.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/zezirkVyiWg/la-sci-leg-gears-20130914,0,1476077.story

Molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor poses calamity for marine life

As much as 1,400 tons of molasses spill into Honolulu Harbor, killing thousands of fish, and officials say there's no way to clean it up.



Fish began dying en masse in the waters around Honolulu after hundreds of thousands of gallons of molasses spilled into Honolulu Harbor early this week, and there's nothing officials can do to clean it up.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/LLlC93AfTEM/la-na-honolulu-molasses-20130914,0,3754028.story

A grounded view of the empire of insects

For a century, the Lorquin Entomological Society has convened to hear about new discoveries and chase bugs. But a society founded by a kid now has trouble attracting them. Thankfully, there's Max.



Max Ataka loves insects. All kinds, from the beetles on his T-shirt to the Anise swallowtail butterfly perched on the back of his hand. The 12-year-old loves the colors, the weird behaviors, the fact that he can actually handle them.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/00o3N-9dAWI/la-sci-lorquin-20130915,0,76821.story

Extreme life: Microbes grown from Antarctic lake locked under ice

British scientists have reached beneath Antarctic ice and grown bacteria using samples pulled from a former subglacial lake.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/HPjXCgRhloY/la-sci-sn-antarctica-life-microbes-bacteria-lake-hodgson-europa-20130911,0,170641.story

Vaccine seems to clear monkeys of HIV-like infection; humans next?

Scientists have developed a vaccine that protected monkeys against simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, offering fresh hope that a similar vaccine can save humans from HIV.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/xz7e3Elh1Uk/la-sci-sn-siv-vaccine-clears-virus-hiv-20130911,0,2682466.story

E-cigarettes to quit smoking? They're as good as nicotine patches

Electronic cigarettes helped wean smokers off regular cigarettes in a clinical trial – though the quit rate was essentially the same as for nicotine patches.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/nehBXNLWlRM/la-sci-sn-electronic-cigarette-nicotine-patch-quitting-smoking-20130909,0,5555087.story

Financial incentives prompt doctors to step up care for patients

How do you get doctors to do a better job of controlling their patients’ high blood pressure? Pay them, according to the results of an unusual clinical trial.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/ctphEzLEQNU/la-sci-sn-paying-doctors-for-performance-hypertension-20130911,0,7689415.story

NASA confirms Voyager 1's historic frontier crossing

After a months-long scientific debate, NASA scientists have concluded that Voyager 1 last year became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system's heliosphere and enter interstellar space.



And we never even got a chance to say goodbye.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Yftnzt4AMwk/la-sci-voyager-20130913,0,7950328.story

California Legislature passes fracking regulation bill

Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign the bill, which had widespread support from environmental groups, though some withdrew their endorsement at the last minute.



SACRAMENTO — A heavily lobbied bill that would give California the nation's toughest regulation of a controversial oil drilling technique won easy passage Wednesday from the Legislature.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/mE30RX1rDvE/la-fiw-fracking-20130912,0,5130001.story

America's Cup boats use innovative design built for speed and power

The AC72 features a rigid 131-foot wing sail. Think of it as a jumbo jetliner wing stood on its end, but with some flexibility that allows for adjustments to the wind.



The two catamarans zipping across San Francisco Bay in the America's Cup finals each weighs about 163 tons less than America, the winning yacht in 1851 and namesake for sports' oldest active trophy. The lighter load obviously helps these boats achieve speeds up to 50 mph, but there's much more to their design; both are engineering marvels that maximize the energy provided by wind and water.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/yycHIUZhqxY/la-sp-science-americas-cup-20130912,0,2807771.story

Team reportedly grows 'better quality' stem cells in live mice

Researchers have reprogrammed cells inside living mice -- and have discovered that the pluripotent stem cells created in the process are even more flexible than those derived from embryos or grown in laboratory dishes.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/QkSlUxN1Fsc/la-sci-sn-stem-cells-mice-20130911,0,1783287.story

Bill to give Coastal Commission power to levy fines is rejected

The Assembly kills the measure on a 34-30 vote, a victory for business groups and agricultural interests that say the agency already has too much clout.



The state Assembly killed a measure Tuesday that would have granted stronger enforcement powers to the California Coastal Commission.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/TELceSuCM7c/la-me-coastal-bill-20130911,0,1097881.story

Lasker Award: Cochlear implant pioneers took on 'impossible' task

Listen up! Three scientists have won the 2013 Lasker Award for clinical research for pioneering work on cochlear implants that have given the profoundly deaf the ability to hear.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/eqor4rvrQpA/la-sci-sn-lasker-award-cochlear-implant-pioneers-deaf-hearing-20130909,0,5851656.story

FDA orders more stringent labeling for opioid drugs

Physicians will be urged to prescribe OxyContin and other powerful painkillers only for patients with the greatest need. Public health and addiction experts call the action insufficient.



Responding to calls to stem a growing epidemic of prescription drug addiction and overdose deaths, federal officials are urging doctors to reserve the most powerful pain drugs for patients who need long-term, around-the-clock treatment that can't be managed by other means.



via L.A. Times - Health http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/e8G7ixaGjx0/la-sci-fda-pain-drugs-20130911,0,2324712.story