Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Oct 28

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for October 28, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Spontaneous wave function collapse can suppress acoustic Schrodinger cat states
- Chandra observatory identifies impact of cosmic chaos on star birth
- Researchers use cellphone data to construct population density maps
- Scientists resurrect 700-year-old viruses
- Can the wave function of an electron be divided and trapped?
- Beating battery drain: Power-conserving chip may increase smartphone battery life
- Researchers identify algae-virus DNA in humans
- Google seeks way to search bodies for disease
- LRO spacecraft captures images of LADEE's impact crater
- Study offers evidence of unconscious thinking impacting conscious decision making
- Fundamental change in the nature of chemical bonding upon isotopic substitution
- Here's looking at you: Spooky shadow play gives Jupiter a giant eye
- Metformin beats other type 2 diabetes drugs for first treatment: study
- New satellite technology shows Amazon absorbing less carbon due to less rainfall
- 'Reverse engineering' materials for more efficient heating and cooling

Astronomy & Space news

	Chandra observatory identifies impact of cosmic chaos on star birth (Phys.org) —The same phenomenon that causes a bumpy airplane ride, turbulence, may be the solution to a long-standing mystery about stars' birth, or the absence of it, according to a new study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
	NASA team proposes to use laser to track orbital debris (Phys.org) —As participation in space exploration grows worldwide, so does the impact of orbital debris—man-made "space junk" that poses significant hazards to live spacecraft and astronauts should they cross paths and collide.
	Here's looking at you: Spooky shadow play gives Jupiter a giant eye The Hubble Space Telescope treats astronomers to gorgeous close-up views of the eerie outer planets. But it's a bit of a trick when it seems like the planet's looking back at you! In this view, the shadow of the Jovian moon Ganymede swept across the center of the Great Red Spot—a giant storm on the planet. This gave Jupiter the uncanny appearance of having a pupil in the center of a 10,000-mile-diameter "eye." Now if it blinks, we may really have to worry!
	LRO spacecraft captures images of LADEE's impact crater NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has spied a new crater on the lunar surface; one made from the impact of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.
	Space station supply launch called off in Virginia A space station delivery mission was called off Monday, just hours after the orbiting lab had to sidestep a piece of treacherous junk.
	ESA image: Chaos in Atlantis basin Mars is peppered with craters. Scientists have deduced that the red planet is struck by around 200 meteoroids every year that dig out new craters.
	One giant leap for preservation: Protecting Moon landing sites Who will preserve the first lunar landing site at Tranquility Base for future generations?
	SpaceX spacecraft splashdown, starring Space Station science The return of the SpaceX Dragon brings with it plant samples, data that may impact your facial cream composition and validation of a new way of creating on Earth crystals that are used in our daily electronic devices. This completes the company's fourth contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Dragon carries with it research hardware; samples and data from biology, biotechnology, physical science and human research; and technology development and demonstration studies.
	Forum highlights technology tested on Space Station for deep space exploration Investigations on the International Space Station are not only helping astronauts live and work in space, but also are perfecting valuable tools and technologies that may help us at home and as humans travel to new destinations in our solar system.
	LOFAR discovers largest carbon atoms outside our Milky Way An international team of astronomers under the guidance of graduate student Leah Morabito of Leiden Observatory has for the first time discovered the largest carbon atoms outside our Milky Way with the LOFAR radio telescope. In the future astronomers will be able to measure how cold and dense the gas around these atoms is that influences star formation and the evolution of a galaxy. The results are published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters on October 28th.
	Rosetta's 67P comet compared to everything, including the Death Star We've seen a bunch of pictures comparing Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko with all kinds of cities and objects on Earth, but it's hard to put everything in perspective. Just how big is this thing? How big is it compared to other asteroids and comets we've imaged? What about more familiar objects, like the Burj Khalifa and Central Park?
	W88 warhead program performs successful tests The first flight and drop tests for the latest variant of the W88 nuclear warhead are providing data for Sandia National Laboratories to validate designs, improve computer modeling and update component specifications.

Technology news

	Beating battery drain: Power-conserving chip may increase smartphone battery life Stream video on your smartphone, or use its GPS for an hour or two, and you'll probably see the battery drain significantly. As data rates climb and smartphones adopt more power-hungry features, battery life has become a concern. Now a technology developed by MIT spinout Eta Devices could help a phone's battery last perhaps twice as long, and help to conserve energy in cell towers.
	BeBop Sensors to offer sensor expertise to wearables Keith McMillen has been an innovator in audio and music technology for nearly 30 years. His bio notes tell us that "He has been working his entire adult life on one single problem —how to play live interactive music in an ensemble using extended instruments moderated by computer intelligence." Keith McMillen Instruments, the California-based company, said on its company site that "We believe when a computer is played as a musical instrument it should feel and respond like one, with all the nuance and sensitivity that makes an instrument musical."
	Study finds wider use of premium gas could save fuel, money If the majority of light-duty vehicles in the United States ran on higher-octane gasoline, the automotive industry as a whole would reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 35 million tons per year, saving up to $6 billion in fuel costs, according to a new analysis by MIT researchers.
	With phased-array radar technologies, electrical engineers aim to make car travel safer Making the world safer for car drivers, passengers and pedestrians is the ultimate goal of automotive safety systems and self-driving cars. To get there, electrical engineers from the University of California, San Diego developed hardware for a new generation of automotive radar systems designed to keep drivers, and the pedestrians around them they may not see, safe.
	Now in aisle 3 at Lowe's: robots The robots are coming. Lowe's is testing whether new bots on wheels can improve its customer service, like helping a shopper find a match for something as simple as a nail.
	'Ambulance drone' prototype unveiled in Holland A Dutch-based student on Tuesday unveiled a prototype of an "ambulance drone", a flying defibrillator able to reach heart attack victims within precious life-saving minutes.
	Swiss firm says it can make near invisible solar modules A Swiss research and development company said Tuesday it had discovered a way to make white solar modules, which can blend with a building's "skin" to become virtually invisible.
	Google seeks way to search bodies for disease Google is exploring a way to search inside people's bodies for early signs of deadly illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.
	NIST: Samsung Find My Mobile feature vulnerable Samsung Find My Mobile service is said to be vulnerable to attack. Samsung describes its Find My Mobile as a way to manage your device in a secure way, where you can track and control your device remotely. With the "Locate my device" function, you can locate your lost device with ease; you can remotely lock your device so that no one else can use the device; and the bell rings for one minute at the highest volume regardless of the device's sound and vibration settings. A recent discovery, though, finds the service is vulnerable to exploit. If broken into, the thief gets to remotely control access the smartphone.
Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple Pay a success Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple's new mobile payment system had over 1 million activations in the first three days after it became available, and is now more widely used than any competing payment system.
	Softbank ready to splash $10B on India investments (Update) Japanese telecommunications company Softbank Corp. said Tuesday it bought stakes in two Indian technology companies and could splash $10 billion on investments in the country over the next decade.
Alibaba chairman wants to bring US movies to China The head of China's leading Internet conglomerate wants to bring American movies to China, along with other U.S. products.
	Targeted 'malvertising' reveals move towards more sophisticated hacks At the recent Information Security Solutions Europe conference, former White House cybersecurity adviser Howard Schmidt claimed that most security threats may be persistent, but are not as "advanced" as their common acronym APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) suggests.
	3D printed guitars hit road with Klaxons The UK indie rock band made a tongue-in-cheek announcement last June that their next tour would be played entirely on 3D printed instruments, but their fantasy has been turned at least partially into reality with the help of 3D-printed guitar company Customuse and 3D printing experts from the University of Sheffield.
	The quick brown fox can help secure your passwords online In 2004 Bill Gates pronounced usernames and passwords dead. Gates, a man consistently thinking ahead of the crowd, was right. Most of us – including our employers and the online services we rely on – just haven't caught up yet.
	U.N. task force says new ocean telecom cables should be 'green' The global system of submarine telecommunications cables that supports our connected world is deaf, dumb and blind to the external ocean environment – and represents a major missed opportunity for tsunami warning and global climate monitoring, according to UH scientists and a United Nations task force.
	Greener ship propellers A Norwegian invention is reducing by a third the energy that foundries need to manufacture ship propeller blades.
	Research shows urgent need to address instability of world's power supplies A new study reveals the urgent need to address instabilities in the supply of electrical power to counteract an increase in the frequency and severity of urban blackouts.
Yelp acquires French rival Cityvox The online review website Yelp announced Tuesday it had acquired French-based rival Cityvox in its latest overseas expansion.
China, Russia linked to cyberspying, researchers say The Russian and Chinese governments are likely behind widespread cyberespionage that has hit targets in the US and elsewhere, two separate security reports said Tuesday.
Identifying 'stance taking' cues to enable sophisticated voice recognition In the future, computers may be capable of talking to us during meetings just like a remote teleconference participant. But to help move this science-fiction-sounding goal a step closer to reality, it's first necessary to teach computers to recognize not only the words we use but also the myriad meanings, subtleties and attitudes they can convey.
	Electric-car drivers trading gas for solar power (Update) Owners of electric vehicles have already gone gas-free. Now, a growing number are powering their cars with sunlight.
	Twitter shares sink on worries about usage Shares in Twitter sank more than 12 percent Tuesday as disappointing user numbers overshadowed a doubling of income in its third quarter and sparked several analyst downgrades.
Nearly half of Calif. affected by hacks in 2013 The number of Californians whose personal data was hacked last year jumped sixfold to 18.5 million accounts and as many as one-third of those people will become victims of fraud, says California Attorney General Kamala Harris, in a new report on data breaches in the nation's biggest state.
	FTC says AT&T misled customers with unlimited data AT&T is being sued by the government over allegations it misled millions of smartphone customers about its unlimited data plans.
	YouTube considers offering ad-free subscription YouTube viewers might get the option of paid subscriptions for ad-free access to the popular online video-sharing service.
US eyes cyber 'deterrence' to stop hackers (Update) The US military is looking to flex its muscles in cyberspace as a "deterrence" to hackers eying American targets, the nation's top cyber-warrior said Tuesday.
	Facebook's advertising revenue soars in 3Q Facebook grew its advertising revenue by 64 percent in the third quarter, helped by a boost in mobile ads that are becoming an increasingly large chunk of the social networking giant's overall advertising business.
New Call of Duty out next week, at Wal-Mart first The latest installment in the blockbuster "Call of Duty" video game franchise goes on sale next week and those that need to be first in line will have to head to Wal-Mart.
New intelligence analytics uncover hidden criminal activity in just seconds IBM today announced new high-speed analysis and criminal investigation software that is designed to uncover hidden criminal threats buried deep inside massive volumes of disparate corporate data. IBM i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis (EIA) can find non-obvious relationships masked within hundreds of terabytes of data and trillions of objects in just seconds. By fusing together these multiple data sources, organizations can gain complete visibility into threats across the enterprise, giving companies the ability to transform how they protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Fully integrating solar power into building design The SMARTFLEX project will help architects to fully integrate solar panelling into their building designs in a cost-effective and highly innovative manner.
	Driverless subway line to be extended in Paris The Paris public transportation company Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) is extending its network of driverless subways by six kilometers. Siemens will equip the new section of Line 14 with signaling and operation control technology. The route's four new stations are scheduled to go into operation in 2019. The contract is worth around €45 million.
	Processing milk—how concentrates help to save energy Powdered milk is a vital ingredient in infant formula and also used in a wide a range of baked goods and confectionary products. It is manufactured using an energy-intensive process chain that involves concentrating and drying milk. Researchers at Technische Universität München (TUM) are researching more energy-efficient ways of making concentrates. And they are already seeing promising results: By combining different membrane separation processes, they have succeeded in reducing the amount of energy required to concentrate milk by around 20 percent.
	NTU to build region's first renewable energy integration demonstration micro-grid Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) will be building a hybrid micro-grid which will integrate multiple large-scale renewable energy sources.
Special delivery: Marines dial up faster logistics at tech demo Marines in Hawaii recently demonstrated that handheld devices and automation software could speed delivery of critical supplies to the front lines and even help planners determine when and where items will be needed ahead of time.
Amgen outlines growth plan, rules out break-up Biotechnology company Amgen, facing pressure from activist investor Daniel Loeb, Tuesday unveiled plans to implement deeper job cuts, lift shareholder payouts and increase revenues to more than $20 billion in 2015.
NY voters to decide on digital legislation If New York voters approve proposition No. 2 on the ballot next week, their 213 legislators will join the digital age. Their desks in the ornate chambers of the Capitol will have computers instead of thick stacks of bills they're supposed to read.
	Thousands in Hungary march against Internet tax (Update) Tens of thousands of protesters marched Tuesday against a plan by the Hungarian government to tax Internet use from 2015.
Judge shoots down Noriega 'Call of Duty' lawsuit A California judge on Tuesday shot down a lawsuit filed by former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega after his likeness appeared in a "Call of Duty" video game.

Medicine & Health news

	What makes a criminal? Gene trawl raises questions Is a violent criminal born that way, or shaped by childhood experiences and circumstances?
	DNA repair enzyme can worsen tissue damage caused by stroke and organ transplantation When tissues are deprived of blood, as happens during a stroke or heart attack, the lack of oxygen can cause serious damage. After blood flow is restored, further damage occurs as the tissues become inflamed. This process, known as ischemia/reperfusion, also occurs during organ transplantation, and can induce widespread cell death.
	New approach could kill tumor cells in the brain more effectively and avoid side effects Every year, about 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with brain tumors that have spread from elsewhere in the body. These tumors, known as metastases, are usually treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy, but the cancer often returns.
	Researchers prove mathematical models can predict cellular processes How does a normal cellular process derail and become unhealthy? A multi-institutional, international team led by Virginia Tech researchers studied cells found in breast and other types of connective tissue and discovered new information about cell transitions that take place during wound healing and cancer.
	Study offers evidence of unconscious thinking impacting conscious decision making (Medical Xpress)—A trio of researchers with the University of New South Wales, has found evidence to support the notion that unconscious thinking does impact conscious thinking, without the person even knowing it. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Alexandra Vlassova, Chris Donkin, and Joel Pearson describe the many experiments they conducted with volunteers and why their findings are important.
Scientists find genetic variants influence a person's response to statins A large analysis of over 40,000 individuals on statin treatment has identified two new genetic variants which influence how 'bad' cholesterol levels respond to statin therapy.
	Metformin beats other type 2 diabetes drugs for first treatment: study (HealthDay)—People newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who are initially given the drug metformin are less likely to eventually need other drugs to control their blood sugar, a new study suggests.
Many home blood pressure monitors may be inaccurate Home blood pressure monitors may be inaccurate in up to 15% of patients, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬–16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Radiation exposure linked to aggressive thyroid cancers For the first time, researchers have found that exposure to radioactive iodine is associated with more aggressive forms of thyroid cancer, according to a careful study of nearly 12,000 people in Belarus who were exposed when they were children or adolescents to fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.
Robotically assisted bypass surgery reduces complications after surgery and cuts recovery Robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is a rapidly evolving technology that shortens hospital stays and reduces the need for blood products, while decreasing recovery times, making the procedure safer and less risky, says a study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
Social host laws tied to less underage drinking Teenagers who live in communities with strict "social host" laws are less likely to spend their weekends drinking at parties, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
	Prostate cancer risk reduced by sleeping with many women, but increased with many men Compared to men who have had only one partner during their lifetime, having sex with more than 20 women is associated with a 28% lower risk of one day being diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier. However, having more than 20 male partners in one's lifetime is associated with a twofold higher risk of getting prostate cancer compared to those who have never slept with a man.
Women play dangerous waiting game with heart symptoms When heart symptoms strike, men and women go through similar stages of pain but women are more likely to delay seeking care and can put their health at risk, according to a study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
Most Internet sources on prostate cancer disagree with expert panel's recommendation Only 17 percent of top-ranked consumer health websites advise against screening for prostate cancer, a recommendation made more than two years ago by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), according to a study presented at the 2014 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.
Pop stars climb stairway to heaven early: Australian study It's long been said that pop stars live fast and die young, but a new Australian study has added scholarly credibility to the adage, finding that US musicians die up to 25 years earlier than the general population.
	Novel biosensor technology could allow rapid detection of Ebola virus In 2010, Ahmet Ali Yanik published his first paper on the rapid detection of Ebola virus using new biosensor technology he and colleagues at Boston University had invented. But he found there was little interest at the time in developing the technology further.
	Overweight children who eat vegetables are healthier, research finds Getting children who are overweight to regularly eat even just a helping or two of the right vegetables each day could improve their health in critical ways, a new study in the November edition of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports.
Drug for rare paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria receives FDA orphan status A Penn Medicine-developed drug has received orphan status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis. This designation comes less than two months after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the drug for the same status.
	3D model skin burnt to find better bandages for child burns victims Skin reconstructed in a laboratory will be burnt and then blasted by a new state-of-the-art laser in the search to improve bandaging for children's burns, says leading burns and trauma researcher Dr Leila Cuttle.
	Don't bet on stinginess to keep stress low Is generosity less stressful than being stingy? QUT research, published in scientific journal PLOS ONE, examined the physiological reactions of participants in a financial bargaining game and found that not only those receiving relatively low offers experienced stress but also those that make low offers, when compared to people who made more generous offers.
	New research calls for more action to prevent childhood injuries Young children from socially-deprived households are still most at risk from injuries in the home and more targeted accident prevention is urgently needed, a new study has found.
	Finding out how the nation really feels about physical education A nation-wide survey, launched today, will use our memories of PE at school to identify how our experiences of sports days, shared showers and plimsolls have influenced our relationship with physical activity as adults.
	Nasal spray treats heroin overdose "Every year, drug overdoses are responsible for roughly 1000 ambulance calls in Oslo," says Arne Skulberg, an anaesthesiologist, a PhD candidate at NTNU and the 2014 winner of Norway's Researcher Grand Prix competition.
	Lack of new drugs is being overcome by new ways of delivering old ones Development of new drugs for treatment of disease is an expensive, time-consuming and labour-intensive effort for both pharmaceutical companies and academics. For the past 15 years, "cost per approval" of new drugs has increased steadily. As drug development infrastructure increases rapidly in the pharmaceutical industry and high-throughput screening and huge libraries of potential drugs become more common, is there another way to bring more therapeutics to clinic?
	Gene variation links to autistic-like traits Researchers have confirmed an association between a genetic mutation and a higher level of autistic-like traits in individuals.
Five Halloween candies to avoid for the sake of your kids' teeth A big sack of candy is the top priority for most children on Halloween, but with some easy substitutions, adults can offers kids treats that preserve dental health and Halloween fun.
MS drug candidate also shows promise for ulcerative colitis Positive new clinical data were released today on a drug candidate for ulcerative colitis that was first discovered and synthesized at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).
Ebola vaccine trials to start in Switzerland this week (Update) Ebola vaccine trials are set to start in Switzerland this week after receiving the green light from the country's authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.
New results from VOICE associates tenofovir gel use with lower HSV-2 risk in women The risk of acquiring herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was reduced by half among women in the VOICE trial who used a vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral (ARV) drug tenofovir regularly, according to researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) who conducted the study. The findings provide additional evidence that tenofovir gel, a product developed to protect against HIV, could potentially help in preventing one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections affecting sexually active women in sub-Saharan Africa.
	Generic medications boost adherence to breast cancer therapy Although oral hormonal therapy is known to substantially reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with hormone receptor–positive tumors, about one-half of patients fail to take their medications as directed. A study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has found that the introduction of generic aromatase inhibitors (the most common type of hormone therapy), which are considerably less expensive than their brand-name counterparts, increased treatment adherence by 50 percent.
	Tea and citrus products could lower ovarian cancer risk Tea and citrus fruits and juices are associated with a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Back to basics approach to home cooking the key to turning around Australia's poor eating habits The back to basics approach to home cooking taught through Jamie's Ministry of Food Australia program is successfully changing the eating habits of Australians, Deakin University research has found.
	Pharmacologists identify switches that play an important role for the cardiac gene program Freiburg pharmacologists have succeeded in mapping the epigenome of cardiac muscle cells. They hope the findings will lead to new insights into the development of congenital heart defects and chronic heart failure. The scientists published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
	Self-reported sleep disturbances are linked to higher risk for Alzheimer's disease in men In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University demonstrate that elderly men with self-reported sleep disturbances run a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than men without self-reported sleep disturbances. The results are published in the scientific journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
	Ultra-high-field MRI reveals language centres in the brain in much more detail In a new investigation by the University Department of Neurology, it has been possible for the first time to demonstrate that the areas of the brain that are important for understanding language can be pinpointed much more accurately using ultra-high-field MRI (7 Tesla) than with conventional clinical MRI scanners. This helps to protect these areas more effectively during brain surgery and avoid accidentally damaging it.
Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat linked with lower risk of heart disease People who swap 5% of the calories they consume from saturated fat sources such as red meat and butter with foods containing linoleic acid—the main polyunsaturated fat found in vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds—lowered their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events by 9% and their risk of death from CHD by 13%, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. Substitution of 5% of calories from carbohydrate with linoleic acid was associated with similar reductions in risk of heart disease.
When faced with higher prices, swimming is the activity most likely to take a dive Experts agree that it's a great way of staying fit and healthy at any age, but when faced with higher prices people are likely to swim less often, while other forms of physical activity such as working out or walking are barely affected.
Mushroom extract, AHCC, helpful in treating HPV A Japanese mushroom extract appears to be effective for the eradication of human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a pilot clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.
Blood test may help to diagnose pancreatic cancer Indiana University cancer researchers have found that a simple blood test might help diagnose pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease.
	Study finds asthmatics with Vitamin D deficiency are 25 percent more likely to experience acute attacks Asthma, which inflames and narrows the airways, has become more common in recent years. While there is no known cure, asthma can be managed with medication and by avoiding allergens and other triggers. A new study by a Tel Aviv University researcher points to a convenient, free way to manage acute asthmatic episodes—catching some rays outside.
	Identifying the biological clock that governs female fertility Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have identified the biological clock that governs female fertility. The discovery represents a major contribution to research aimed at finding medical approaches to treating infertility in women.
New insights into the development of ciliopathies Diseases of the sensory or motile cilia play a key role in lung diseases or diabetes. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now discovered the protein Flattop. It regulates the asymmetric positioning of cilia. Malfunctions in this process lead to different clinical phenotypes.
Governments should take active lead to create healthy food environments to prevent CVD Canadian health organizations are calling upon governments to take a leadership role in creating healthy food environments. They say that implementing strategies that facilitate access to affordable healthy foods and beverages in places where Canadians work, live, and play could play a key role in preventing diet-related disease and health risk such as obesity and hypertension, and ultimately improve cardiovascular health, This call for action is published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
	Improving breast cancer chemo by testing patient's tumors in a dish One of the tragic realities of cancer is that the drugs used to treat it are highly toxic and their effectiveness varies unpredictably from patient to patient. However, a new "tumor-in-a-dish" technology is poised to change this reality by rapidly assessing how effective specific anti-cancer cocktails will be on an individual's cancer before chemotherapy begins.
	Text messages could be useful tool in fight against malaria Each year, malaria kills over 600,000 people, more than half of them children. In a study published today in PLOS ONE , researchers with the non-profit Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and Harvard University found that simple text message reminders to take malaria medication can help in the fight against the disease by boosting the rates at which patients complete their medication regimen.
Fewer women than men receive hemodialysis treatment Fewer women than men are treated with dialysis for end-stage kidney disease, according to a new comprehensive analysis of sex-specific differences in treatment published this week in PLOS Medicine. The results of the study, conducted by Manfred Hecking with Friedrich Port and colleagues from Arbor Research Collaborative for Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggest that these findings call for further detailed study for the reasons underlying the sex-specific differences in end-stage renal disease treatment.
Scientists identify key factor in relationship between diet, inflammation and cancer A team of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) researchers has found that a category of lipids known as sphingolipids may be an important link in the relationship between diet, inflammation and cancer. In a paper published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Julie Saba, MD, PhD and her team provide evidence that a sphingolipid metabolite called sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) found in both mammalian food products and generated by normal human cells can contribute to inflammation of the colon, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and inflammation-associated colon cancer, whereas soy and plant-type sphingolipids called sphingadienes may protect against these conditions.
Scientists uncover major factor in development of Huntington's disease Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a major contributor to Huntington's disease, a devastating progressive neurological condition that produces involuntary movements, emotional disturbance and cognitive impairment.
The effect of statins influenced by gene profiles The Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre is once again pushing the limits of knowledge in personalized medicine. A meta-analysis combining the results of several pharmacogenomic studies and involving over 40,000 research subjects now makes it possible to demonstrate a different response to statins according to the patient's gene profile. This important contribution of two Montreal researchers from the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI), Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Centre and Dr. Marie-Pierre Dubé, Director of the Pharmacogenomics Centre, was the subject of a scientific publication released today in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.
	Adolescent binge drinking reduces brain myelin, impairs cognitive and behavioral control Binge drinking can have lasting effects on brain pathways that are still developing during adolescence, say neuroscience researcher Heather N. Richardson and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Louisiana State University. Results of their study using a rodent model of adolescent drinking appear in the October 29 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
	New findings show that different brain tumors have the same origin Glioma is a common name for serious brain tumours. Different types of glioma are usually diagnosed as separate diseases and have been considered to arise from different cell types in the brain. Now researchers at Uppsala University, together with American colleagues, have shown that one and the same cell of origin can give rise to different types of glioma. This is important for the basic understanding of how these tumours are formed and can contribute to the development of more efficient and specific glioma therapies. The results have been published in Journal of Neuroscience.
	Working towards a worm protein pill for inflammatory disease Australian scientists who have successfully regulated the inflammatory response in coeliac patients by infecting them with hookworms are now collaborating with a major pharmaceutical company to develop a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), based on proteins secreted by the worms.
France's second artificial heart recipient 'doing well' A man who in August became the second person in France to receive a new-generation artificial heart "is doing very well," the inventor of the pioneer device said Tuesday.
Patient Zero in Ebola outbreak was Guinean toddler In the Guinean village where the current West African Ebola outbreak began, 14 graves mark the spot where the lethal virus began to spiral out of control.
Screening with tomosynthesis and mammography is cost-effective Adding tomosynthesis to biennial digital mammography screening for women with dense breasts is likely to improve breast cancer detection at a reasonable cost relative to biennial mammography screening alone, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Many older trauma patients would benefit from palliative care Half of older adults who sustain injuries severe enough that they could die in the hospital or become unable to function independently are not asked in the intensive care unit (ICU) if they wish to speak with palliative care specialists about their preferences for end-of-life care, a new study finds. The study results suggest that many older trauma patients have unrecognized needs for palliative care, the authors said at the 2014 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.
Radio in tribal languages spreads Ebola message (Update) Straining to hear the radio held to his ear, Wesley Wudea gestures for his grandchildren to be silent as he picks up rare tips on Ebola prevention in his own language.
	Feds vs states: Who decides on Ebola quarantines For Americans wondering why President Barack Obama hasn't forced all states to follow a single, national rule for isolating potential Ebola patients, the White House has a quick retort: Talk to the Founding Fathers.
US modifies Ebola guidelines after quarantine uproar US health authorities on Monday issued new guidelines for health workers returning from Ebola-hit nations after a firestorm of criticism over state quarantine restrictions, including from the UN chief.
	Preoccupied with life A side effect of the dramatic increase in lifespan over the last century has been the retreat of death from our daily lives. For many of us, that's meant the luxury not to think about mortality until we have little choice.
	Video: Understanding illiteracy is all in the eyes Victor Kuperman wants to stamp out illiteracy - but first, he has to understand its root cause.
Spices and herbs: Improving public health through flavorful eating—a call to action Spices and herbs can play a significant role in improving America's health by helping to reduce sodium, calorie and fat intake while making healthy eating more appealing, conclude the authors of a scientific supplement published this month in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition Today.
Aid workers see hope as Ebola body count drops in Liberia (Update) The Red Cross offered hope Tuesday of a turning point in the battle against the deadly west African Ebola outbreak, saying it had seen a dramatic drop in bodies collected in Liberia's capital.
	In Malaysian prison, researcher gains greater insight into the problem of addiction Recent Yale College graduate Aishwarya Vijay '14 had never set foot in a prison until she traveled to Malaysia, where her work this summer allowed her to learn about the sometimes subtle connections between stigma and treatment-seeking behavior in injection-drug-using prisoners.
	Top UN Ebola official: new cases poorly tracked Authorities are having trouble figuring out how many more people are getting Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone and where the hot spots are in those countries, harming efforts to get control of the raging, deadly outbreak, the U.N.'s top Ebola official in West Africa said Tuesday.
Study explores prevention of heart disease in HIV-infected people The National Institutes of Health has launched a clinical trial to assess the effects of aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, on preventing cardiovascular disease in people with long-term HIV infections. This group, which includes people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) as well as "elite controllers" who can limit the virus without ART, have a higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke compared to the general population. The study is funded by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Lessons learned from SARS pandemic should inform current contagion protocols In 2003, a novel coronavirus caused a pandemic that affected 26 countries. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was most prevalent in Asia; the number of cases in Singapore was second only to China.
	European consensus on methodological recommendations for clinical studies in rare cancers One out of every five new cancer patients is diagnosed with a rare cancer, yet the clinical evidence needed to effectively treat these rare cancer patients is scarce. Indeed, conventional cancer clinical trial methodologies require large numbers of patients who are difficult to accrue in the situation of rare cancers. Consequently, building clinical evidence for the treatment of rare cancers is more difficult than it is for frequent cancers.
	Grant awarded for device to detect newborn heart problems Each year, some 2,000 babies are born in the U.S. with a genetic heart condition, known as long QT syndrome. If not diagnosed in time, babies with long QT syndrome can die from a sudden arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.
Injury prevention intervention cuts distracted driving in half, say trauma surgeons A simple intervention designed to raise awareness about the use of communication devices while driving reduced the incidence of distracted driving by 50 percent in hospital personnel, according to findings from a single site study presented today at the 2014 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.
California surgeon helps man who delivered him A Sacramento obstetrician is getting a late thank you from a baby he delivered 45 years ago.
UK medical schools are not attracting enough GPs UK medical schools are not attracting enough would-be GPs, argues a senior academic in The BMJ this week.
States ask Congress to intervene on drug prices Medicaid chiefs from red and blue states are urging Congress to stem the cost of revolutionary new drugs for hepatitis C, cancer, and other diseases.

Biology news

	Researchers identify algae-virus DNA in humans (Phys.org) —The DNA of a virus once thought confined to the cells of algae may in fact invade the biological kingdom of mice and men, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins and UNL.
	Scientists resurrect 700-year-old viruses (Phys.org) —Eric Delwart of the Blood Systems Research Institute in San Francisco and colleagues have found two 700-year-old viral sequences in frozen caribou dung in an arctic ice patch. The researchers isolated part of a viral RNA genome and the complete genome of a DNA virus. They infected living plants with the DNA virus. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
How did complex life evolve? The answer could be inside out A new idea about the origin of complex life turns current theories inside out. In the open access journal BMC Biology, cousins Buzz and David Baum explain their 'inside-out' theory of how eukaryotic cells, which all multicellular life - including us - are formed of, might have evolved.
	New study uses DNA sequences to look back in time at key events in plant evolution Scientists from North America, Europe and China today published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that reveals important details about key transitions in the evolution of plant life on our planet.
	Biofuels from woody plants and grasses instead of the corn and sugarcane Scientists are using biotechnology to chip away at barriers to producing biofuels from woody plants and grasses instead of the corn and sugarcane used to make ethanol.
Is the outcome of evolution predictable? If one would rewind the tape of life, would evolution result in the same outcome? The Harvard evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould came up with this famous thought experiment. He suggested that evolution would not repeat itself: the role of random processes in the origin of biodiversity was too important and hence evolution was not predictable. Konstanz evolutionary biologists around Prof. Axel Meyer have now described parallel evolution of two closely related, but geographically isolated populations of cichlid fish in Nicaraguan crater lakes. This repeated outcome of evolution is best interpreted as evidence for similar adaptation to similar Darwinian natural selection pressure – and suggests somewhat deterministic evolutionary trajectories. The findings of the Konstanz study have been published in Nature Communications.
	Technique uses bacteria's own CRISPR-Cas system to turn off gene Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique that co-opts an immune system already present in bacteria and archaea to turn off specific genes or sets of genes – creating a powerful tool for future research on genetics and related fields.
	Pair bonding reinforced in the brain In addition to their song, songbirds also have an extensive repertoire of calls. While the species-specific song must be learned as a young bird, most calls are, as in the case of all other birds, innate. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Seewiesen have now discovered that in zebra finches the song control system in the brain is also active during simple communication calls. This relationship between unlearned calls and an area of the brain responsible for learned vocalisations is important for understanding the evolution of song learning in songbirds.
	Variation in antibiotic bacteria in tropical forest soils may play a role in diversity Antibiotic-producing bacteria in soil are the source of many antibiotics used to combat diseases in humans and plants. But, surprisingly little is known about how these microbes impact tropical plant communities and ecosystems, where plant diversity, competition, and pathogen pressures are high.
	What's in a name? Everything—if you're a fruit fly A global research effort has finally resolved a major biosecurity issue: four of the world's most destructive agricultural pests are actually one and the same.
	Researchers discover for the first time that a rare bush frog breeds in bamboo Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a new reproductive mode in frogs and toads - breeding and laying direct developing eggs in live bamboo with narrow openings - which was observed in the white spotted bush frog (Raorchestes chalazodes). This critically endangered frog is currently only one of two species known to adopt this novel reproductive strategy. The findings were published in The Linnean Society of London's Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, in October 2014.
	Frog tracking highlights parasite middleman Radio tracking shows one of the Kimberley's iconic frogs could be picking up a deadly lungworm from cane toads (Rhinella marina).
	The ethical, legal and political minefield of stem cell research Human stem cell research holds promise for combating some of the most recalcitrant of diseases and for regenerating damaged bodies. It is also an ethical, legal and political minefield.
Fish "personality" linked to vulnerability to angling Individual differences in moving activity in a novel environment are linked to individual differences in vulnerability to angling, according to an experimental study completed at the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. The study used novel, long-term observations of individual behaviour in groups and authentic angling trials to analyse if behaviours predict the vulnerability to fishing in brown trout reared in traditional and enriched hatchery rearing environments. Based on the results, it can be predicted that fishing modifies the heritable behavioural traits of fish by favouring cautious fish. The study was carried out in the Paltamo Unit of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. Earlier research has shown that fish in heavily fished populations reach sexual maturity earlier and also grow slower than their ancestors.
Salt-loving plants may be key to global efforts for sustainable food production Farmland is vanishing in part because the salinity in the soil is rising as a result of climate change and other man-made phenomena. In an Opinion piece publishing in the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Sciences, researchers propose a new concept for breeding salt- tolerant plants as a way to contribute to global efforts for sustainable food production.
	Giant tortoises gain a foothold on a Galapagos Island A population of endangered giant tortoises, which once dwindled to just over a dozen, has recovered on the Galapagos island of Española, a finding described as "a true story of success and hope in conservation" by the lead author of a study published today (Oct. 28).

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