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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 31, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- New studies give strong boost to binary-star formation theory- Assessing others: Evaluating the expertise of humans and computer algorithms
- Researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world
- Vapor nanobubbles rapidly detect malaria through the skin
- Study: Marmoset success with twin gestation
- Tobacco hornworm found to use nicotine to create 'defensive halitosis'
- Researchers use Neutral SNVs to estimate human population growth
- Researchers find new rhinovirus infection insights
- Wireless networks exposed as electricity grid weakest link
- Cloud mystery solved: Global temperatures to rise at least 4C by 2100
- Simulation helps unravel ancient Roman puzzle
- Image: Hubble eyes galaxy as flat as a pancake
- Local factors cause dramatic spikes in coastal ocean acidity
- X-ray laser at SLAC maps important drug target
- North Atlantic atmospheric oscillation affects the quality of cava
Astronomy & Space news
China's lunar lander spotted by orbiting spacecraft
Not much on the Moon escapes the eyes of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and China's Chang'e-3 lander and Yutu rover are no exception! The pair touched down on the lunar surface on Dec. 14, and just over a week later on Dec. 25 LRO acquired the image above, showing the lander and the 120-kg (265-lb) "Jade Rabbit" rover at their location near the Moon's Sinus Iridum region.
The Quadrantid meteor shower
If there's one thing we love, it's a good meteor shower from an obscure and defunct constellation.
Researchers extend capabilities of computer simulation of tidally locked exoplanets
(Phys.org) —A pair of researchers at Peking University in Beijing China, has extended the capabilities of an existing computer simulation that is used to study tidally locked exoplanets. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Yongyun Hu and Jun Yang describe the improvements they've made and also how those improvements give a new perspective on the range of possible tidally locked exoplanets that may be habitable.
Image: Hubble eyes galaxy as flat as a pancake
(Phys.org) —Located some 25 million light-years away, this new Hubble image shows spiral galaxy ESO 373-8. Together with at least seven of its galactic neighbors, this galaxy is a member of the NGC 2997 group. We see it side-on as a thin, glittering streak across the sky, with all its contents neatly aligned in the same plane.
Researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world
Weather forecasters on exoplanet GJ 1214b would have an easy job. Today's forecast: cloudy. Tomorrow: overcast. Extended outlook: more clouds.
New studies give strong boost to binary-star formation theory
(Phys.org) —Using the new capabilities of the upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), scientists have discovered previously-unseen binary companions to a pair of very young protostars. The discovery gives strong support for one of the competing explanations for how double-star systems form.
Technology news
Netflix plans 50 pct pay hike for CEO Hastings
Netflix Chairman and CEO Reed Hastings is getting a 50 percent pay bump in 2014 after a year in which shares of the online video subscription company quadrupled to an all-time high.
The catfish, spies and regulators who changed social media
It was an extraordinary year for social media. We saw sites such as Twitter shift from being a fun pastime to a fundamental part of life. The change might not have been unexpected but each time a new incident occurred online, lawmakers and service providers alike scrambled to bring in new rules and amend old ones. Surprised, no, but unprepared, yes.
Facebook isn't dead and buried, but dodgy journalism lives on
When I saw the recent eruption of stories claiming Facebook is "dead and buried to teens" I was at first intrigued, but, once I had read through to their original sources, quickly disappointed – though not, I am afraid, surprised. Once again there has been an outbreak of "churnalism" – lazy journalists half-reading a source, misreporting its findings and copying each others' errors across the web. Here's how we got there and an overview of the evidence of what's really going on with Facebook and teens.
Debunking myths on nuclear power
It is the received wisdom that nuclear weapons and nuclear power are inseparable. Consequently, any country that builds a civilian nuclear power station is able to build an atomic bomb within a couple of years.
CEO predictions for the next 100 years of flying
Millions of people step aboard airplanes each day, complaining about the lack of legroom and overhead space but almost taking for granted that they can travel thousands of miles in just a few hours.
Hewlett-Packard says 5,000 more job cuts needed
Struggling US computer giant Hewlett-Packard plans to slash 5,000 more jobs than previously announced because of a difficult business environment, a regulatory filing shows.
Wireless networks exposed as electricity grid weakest link
Smarter, more efficient electricity meters aim to revolutionise energy distribution but WA researchers fear hackers could easily exploit numerous security flaws and wreck havoc on power grids.
Medicine & Health news
Small improvement for Schumacher after 2nd surgery (Update)
Michael Schumacher underwent a second surgery after a brain scan showed small, "surprising" signs of improvement, but grim doctors said Tuesday they could offer no insight into the prognosis for the Formula 1 champion.
Boston approves ban on smoking in city-run parks
The Boston Parks and Recreation Commission has approved a ban on smoking in city-run parks.
Curtain rises Wednesday on 'Obamacare'
(HealthDay)—It survived a U.S. Supreme Court challenge, multiple repeal attempts, delays of key provisions and a disastrous rollout, and now the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," marks a major milestone.
Sleep to protect your brain
A new study from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that one night of sleep deprivation increases morning blood concentrations of NSE and S-100B in healthy young men. These molecules are typically found in the brain. Thus, their rise in blood after sleep loss may indicate that a lack of snoozing might be conducive to a loss of brain tissue. The findings are published in the journal SLEEP.
Annual lung cancer screening benefits outweigh risks for some
(Medical Xpress)—You may have heard in recent days about new guidelines on lung cancer screening put forth by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
Dr. Oz's questionable wizardry
Miracles are pretty rare events. Except on television's Dr. Oz Show, where they appear with astonishing frequency. Oz of course doesn't claim to raise the dead or part the Red Sea, but he does raise people's hopes of parting with their flab. And he's certainly not shy about flinging the word miracle about. But it seems miracles fade as quickly as they appear. Raspberry ketones, acai berries, and African mango, once hyped as amazing "fat busters," have already given way to newer wonders.
Researchers investigate bone substitute from synthetic materials
When Lucia Téllez Jurado and her research team at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) were working in the synthesis of diverse materials, they realized that synthetically obtained hydroxylapatite, the medullar component of bone, could be used as a bone substitute.
New molecular targets identified in some hard-to-treat melanomas provide potential treatment option
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., a Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Dream Team investigator, William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., a 2009 Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant recipient and colleagues identified two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas previously considered to be negative for molecular targets, and that melanomas with these fusions were found to be potentially sensitive to anticancer drugs called MEK inhibitors, according to a study recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Two SNPs predict lithium response in bipolar I disorder
(HealthDay)—For patients with bipolar I disorder, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in glutamate decarboxylase-like protein 1 (GADL1) predict response to lithium, according to a study published online Dec. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Extra steps urged for regulating compounding pharmacies
(HealthDay)—Additional steps are needed for regulating compounding pharmacies, according to a perspective piece published online Dec. 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Avoiding that new year's hangover
(HealthDay)—Hangover headaches are a common problem over the holidays, but there are ways to prevent them, an expert says.
The best New Year's resolutions are those you can keep
(HealthDay)—You'll be more likely to stick to your New Year's resolutions if you establish realistic and achievable goals, an expert suggests.
Orthopedic spine surgeon gives advice on avoiding workout injuries
Those fitness resolutions will do you no good if they lead you to visit the likes of Hooman Melamed.
Study finds medical students concerned about desensitization to dying patients
The imminent death of a patient is riddled with emotions for a patient and family as well as the medical team. A study based on the reflections of third-year Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine students is shedding light on the struggle physicians in training often face when trying to control their own emotions while not becoming desensitized to the needs of the dying patient and his or her family.
Infectious disease dominated health news in 2013
The USA began 2013 in the midst of a severe flu season. Then came renewed concern over improving mental health care in response to a mass shooting. And communities across the USA this year saw outbreaks of measles in areas with low vaccination rates.
Researchers find new rhinovirus infection insights
(Medical Xpress)—On average, each of us catches a cold two to three times a year. However, how the common cold virus actually infects us is only partly understood. Researchers from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, in collaboration with two Spanish groups, have now provided new insights into this process.
Researchers use Neutral SNVs to estimate human population growth
(Medical Xpress)—A team of US researchers from several universities has used single nucleotide variants (SNVs) to estimate human population growth. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe how they applied principal component analysis (PCA) to whole-genome genotyping to a dataset of 9,716 people of European ancestry from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) database and found evidence that suggests a human population growth rate of approximately 3.4 percent over the past 140 generations.
Vapor nanobubbles rapidly detect malaria through the skin
(Medical Xpress)—Rice University researchers have developed a noninvasive technology that accurately detects low levels of malaria infection through the skin in seconds with a laser scanner. The "vapor nanobubble" technology requires no dyes or diagnostic chemicals, and there is no need to draw blood.
Assessing others: Evaluating the expertise of humans and computer algorithms
(Medical Xpress)—How do we come to recognize expertise in another person and integrate new information with our prior assessments of that person's ability? The brain mechanisms underlying these sorts of evaluations—which are relevant to how we make decisions ranging from whom to hire, whom to marry, and whom to elect to Congress—are the subject of a new study by a team of neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Biology news
Bilby toothache answered by advanced technology
Scientists have gained a better understanding of severe dental problem in bilbies and how to treat them by using advanced CT scans and 3D printed models.
Moluccan woodcock is 'not so endangered' after all
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers has captured the first known photographs of the elusive Moluccan Woodcock (Scolopax rochussenii) and, in a rare case of good conservation news, suggest that it may be less threatened than previously believed.
Impact of urban areas on fish restoration
The restoration of salmon and steelhead habitat in the Pacific Northwest has focused largely on rural areas dominated by agricultural and forested lands, but researchers increasingly are looking at the impact of urban areas on the well-being of these fish.
A paradigm-shifting step in stem cell research
(Phys.org) —A team of engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a process that may revolutionize stem cell research. The process, outlined in a paper published in Stem Cells on December 19, 2013, will improve the state of the art in the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research.
Study: 50 percent of mass fish kills attributed to natural causes
An analysis of mass fish kills in WA has found that more than 50 per cent can be attributed to natural causes.
Why science can't really tell us whether pets are good for health
Links between human health and pet ownership are of widespread community interest but there's little clarity about the issue in scientific circles.
Redbay trees lost to laurel wilt disease
In a new study just published in the journal Biological Invasions, ecologists at Sewanee: The University of the South and James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, have documented the loss of yet another major tree species from North American forests.
Competition in a rough neighborhood: Plant success in a desert environment
Many people think of deserts as inhospitable places devoid of life, but numerous plants and animals have adapted to this harsh environment, where they often compete for limited resources. In desert environments, the most limited resource is usually water, forcing plants to adopt different strategies to compete with their neighbors for this precious resource.
Tobacco hornworm found to use nicotine to create 'defensive halitosis'
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany has found that a species of hornworm uses nicotine it gets from eating tobacco plants, as a means of defense. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how they found changes in defensiveness in hornworms when fed genetically altered (low-nicotine) tobacco plants.
Study: Marmoset success with twin gestation
(Phys.org) —How can the tiny marmoset – a New World monkey – regularly successfully bear twins and sometimes triplets and quadruplets when much larger humans often face a difficult pregnancy and delivery?
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