Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Nov 12

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 12, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Twisted light waves sent across Vienna
- 'Smart' drugs won't make smart people smarter
- Shaking the topological cocktail of success
- Atomic timekeeping, on the go
- Study explains atomic action in high-temperature superconductors
- Virtual reality study shows echolocation in humans not just about the ears
- A piece of the quantum puzzle: High level of controllability needed to explore ideas in quantum simulations
- Cosmic first: European spacecraft lands on comet (WATCH LIVE)
- Team discovers lung regeneration mechanism
- Study suggests how mosquitoes evolved an attraction to human scent
- Learning languages is a workout for brains, both young and old
- A tale of two seas: Last Ice Age has shaped sharks across Europe
- New study shows healthier food choices could dramatically decrease environmental costs of agriculture
- YouTube adds subscription service to music mix
- Brain protein influences how the brain manages stress; suggests new model of depression

Astronomy & Space news

	Cosmic first: European spacecraft lands on comet (WATCH LIVE) Landing with a bounce after traveling 4 billion miles, a European spacecraft made history Wednesday by successfully reaching the icy, dusty surface of a speeding comet—a cosmic first designed to answer big questions about the universe.
	Venturing into the upper atmosphere of Venus As the end of its eight-year adventure at Venus edges ever closer, ESA scientists have been taking a calculated risk with the Venus Express spacecraft in order to carry out unique observations of the planet's rarefied outer atmosphere. First results from this aerobraking campaign were reported today at the 2014 Division for Planetary Science meeting, in Tucson, Arizona.
	Astronomers thrilled by extreme storms on Uranus The normally bland face of Uranus has become increasingly stormy, with enormous cloud systems so bright that for the first time ever, amateur astronomers are able to see details in the planet's hazy blue-green atmosphere.
	Comet lander may not be securely anchored: ESA A European probe Wednesday made the first-ever landing on a comet in a quest to explore the origins of the Solar System, but there were concerns over whether it was fastened securely enough to carry out its mission.
	All systems go for historic comet landing (WATCH LIVE) The European Space Agency (ESA) ordered a probe to attempt Wednesday the first landing on a comet and investigate one of the great mysteries of the Solar System.
	NASA hails comet landing as 'breakthrough moment' NASA on Wednesday hailed the first-ever landing of a spacecraft on a comet as a "breakthrough moment" in the history of space exploration.
	Rosetta begins descending to comet 67P (WATCH LIVE) Hundreds of millions of miles from Earth, a speeding European spacecraft released a lander toward the icy, dusty surface of a comet on Wednesday, setting off a seven-hour countdown to an audacious attempt to answer some of the biggest questions about the origin of the universe.
Planetary scientist explains the significance of the historic Rosetta satellite mission After 10 years and four billion miles NASA's Rosetta satellite is poised make space science history tomorrow when it launches its Philae lander onto the surface of the ancient comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
	Image: Rosetta solar wing This is one of Rosetta's two massive solar wings, keeping ESA's comet-chaser powered out in the cold depths of space, currently some 448 million km from the Sun.
	Explainer: Why the Rosetta comet mission is such a big deal The first attempted landing on the surface of a comet is a huge landmark in the history of space exploration that will not only uncover further details about comets but could unlock further clues about the origins of our solar system and the development of life on Earth.
	From doomsday to fact: Science lifts veil on comets For millennia, the sight of a comet filled humans with awe or dread.
	Giant sunspot returns – and it's bigger and badder than ever The largest sunspot seen in 24 years is rotating back to face the Earth, and it looks to have grown even bigger.
	Guide to the 2014 Leonid meteors If there's one meteor shower that has the potential to bring on a storm of epic proportions, it's the Leonids. Peaking once every 33 years, these fast movers hail from the Comet 55P Temple-Tuttle, and radiate from the Sickle, or backwards "question mark" asterism in the constellation Leo. And although 2014 is an "off year" in terms of storm prospects, it's always worth taking heed these chilly November mornings as we await the lion's roar once again.
	NASA sun probe silent now for six weeks No one knows exactly why a NASA solar probe stopped talking to Earth six weeks ago, but it's possible the spacecraft is out of power and is drifting without a way of calling for help, the agency said in an update.
	Relief as signal arrives from comet lander Europe's Rosetta spacecraft made contact with its robot craft Philae soon after the lander embarked Wednesday on a solo, seven-hour descent to a comet, ground controllers said. (WATCH LIVE)
	Space station dodges Chinese space junk The International Space Station is out of harm's way after flying higher to avoid space junk.
	Space pilot 'unbuckled' himself as craft split apart (Update) The surviving pilot of the Virgin Galactic spaceship that crashed last month unbuckled himself and was thrown free from the disintegrating craft, investigators said Wednesday.
	Five questions about the historic comet landing The European Space Agency has achieved a historic first—landing a washing machine-sized spacecraft on a comet speeding through our solar system at 41,000 mph (66,000 kph). Here are answers to five questions about the space mission:
European probe lands on comet, fails to anchor (Update) Europe made history Wednesday by placing the first-ever lander on a comet—but the robot failed to anchor itself properly, raising concerns at ground control.
	Spaceship pilot unaware co-pilot unlocked brake The pilot of the Virgin Galactic spaceship that tore apart over the Mojave Desert didn't know his co-pilot had prematurely unlocked its brakes, despite protocol requiring the co-pilot to announce the step.
	NASA's new capsule at launch pad for test flight NASA's new Orion spacecraft is now at the launch pad for next month's test flight.
	Rosetta's comet sings strange, seductive song Scientists can't figure exactly why yet, but Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been singing since at least August. Listen to the video – what do you think? I hear a patter that sounds like frogs, purring and ping-pong balls. The song is being sung at a frequency of 40-50 millihertz, much lower than the 20 hertz – 20 kilohertz range of human hearing. Rosetta's magnetometer experiment first clearly picked up the sounds in August, when the spacecraft drew to within 62 miles (100 km) of the comet. To make them audible Rosetta scientists increased their pitch 10,000 times.

Technology news

	Startup working to turn hoverboards into reality The more your knees quiver, the more the 90 pound board you're perched on, floating above a pillow of air, seems about to shoot out from under your feet. A high-pitched engine scream bounces from the sheet of copper as you swivel and glide your way a few feet forward.
	Wearable for state-of-mind shift set for 2015 How will neuroscience impact daily life? A more topical question might be, how will neuroscience play a role in the business of electronic-device vendors of headsets and other wearables? One entry to this niche is Thync, which is in the business of neurosignaling products. Their motto is "Forward thinking in every sense." They have a device that enables the person to shift the state of mind. This represents a new realm in wearable products based on advanced neuroscience. We might now become accustomed to neuroscience-inspired "lifestyle" wearables to optimize a state of mind, whether one feels a need for a calm mood or more energetic mood. The company uses neurosignaling algorithms– waveforms that signal neural pathways –to shift and optimize people's state of mind related to energy, calm and focus. MIT Technology Review ran an article on them on Monday, defining their product as a smartphone-connected device that delivers electrical stimulation to nerves in the head. It consists of a set of electrodes connected to a phone, said the author, Kevin Bullis.
	DMI wins Nokia Sensing X Challenge with handheld medical device Officials with the Nokia Sensing X Challenge have announced the second grand prize winner in their competition—DNA Medicine Institute (DMI) has won for its cutting edge medical testing device, the rHEALTH X. The team has received $525,000 in prize money and an enormous amount of publicity and prestige.
	YouTube adds subscription service to music mix Google is remixing the music on its YouTube video site with the addition of an ad-free subscription service and a new format designed to make it easier to find millions of songs that can still be played for free.
	Quirky and GE unveil seven products for smart home New York-based Quirky and GE have seven new smart home products. Each product represents the building blocks of an affordable and accessible smart home, said the Quirky CEO, Ben Kaufman. The other special part of this announcement is the quirky nature of Quirky, founded in 2009, which uses an online community of tinkerers, inventors and collaborators to seed and develop product ideas. An in-house team of designers and engineers collaborate with Quirky's online community on development. When a product is sold, Quirky shares revenue with every community member that had an impact.
	Moving cameras talk to each other to identify, track pedestrians It's not uncommon to see cameras mounted on store ceilings, propped up in public places or placed inside subways, buses and even on the dashboards of cars.
	Japan's smartphone 'zombies' wreak havoc on the streets When the lights change at the Shibuya crossing in Japan's capital, one of the world's busiest pedestrian thoroughfares, hundreds of people with their eyes glued to smartphones pick their way over the road.
Gas can be a bridge to a low-carbon future Major new research by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) suggests that gas could play an important role as a 'bridging fuel' to a low-carbon economy, but warns that it won't be long before gas becomes part of the problem rather than the solution.
	China's online holiday sets record $9.3B sales China's largest Internet retailer rang up more than $9 billion during the country's biggest online shopping holiday, smashing last year's figure to set a record for a single day of sales.
	Drone sightings up dramatically (Update) The U.S. government is getting near-daily reports—and sometimes two or three a day—of drones flying near airplanes and helicopters or close to airports without permission, federal and industry officials tell The Associated Press. It's a sharp increase from just two years ago when such reports were still unusual.
	Sandia releases interface to help standardize supercomputer power and energy systems To help moderate the energy needs of increasingly power-hungry supercomputers, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have released an application programming interface (API) with the goal of standardizing measurement and control of power- and energy-relevant features for high-performance computing (HPC) systems.
New approaches needed for protecting vulnerable ICT infrastructure Internet attacks that are able to bring organizations to a full standstill, are no longer new to us. At the same time, we don't seem to be aware of the vulnerability of the ICT infrastructure and of the privacy aspects of the information we share. Government organizations spend billions of euros on finding security leaks, but it would be better if they also invested in the development and maintenance of crucial Internet software. This is the view of Aiko Pras of the University of Twente in The Netherlands, in his inaugural address as a Professor of Network Operations and Management, November 13.
	Using 3D printers to print out self-learning robots When the robots of the future are set to extract minerals from other planets, they need to be both self-learning and self-repairing. Researchers at Oslo University have already succeeded in producing self-instructing robots on 3D printers.
	From video camera to driverless shuttle vehicle A new type of driverless shuttle vehicle has been developed thanks to innovative computer vision guidance technology that enables the vehicle to locate itself on a roadway reliably and inexpensively. The technology, which is based on the use of simple video cameras, was developed by researchers at Institut Pascal (CNRS/Université Blaise Pascal de Clermont Ferrand/IFMA). It lies at the heart of the EZ-10 autonomous shuttle vehicle developed by Ligier Group, which will be unveiled at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Chengdu (China) from 11 to 14 November 2014.
	Superconducting cable reliably supplies 10,000 households with electricity 180 days or 4300 hours – for this period, the AmpaCity superconducting cable in Essen, Germany, has been conducting power so far. On October 27, the project partners, inclusive of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, are taking positive stock. The superconductor transports five times more electricity than conventional copper cables with hardly any losses. Since its commissioning on April 30 this year, the cable of one kilometer in length has distributed about 20 million kilowatt hours, corresponding to the consumption of about 10,000 households in Essen.
	Dutchman has bitcoin 'wallets' inserted in hands A Dutch bitcoin entrepreneur has had two microchips containing the virtual currency injected into his hands to help him make contactless payments.
	Researchers test first 'smart spaces' using light to send data One of the problems in the high-tech field of visible light communication (VLC) - or using light to send data wirelessly - is decidedly low tech: The data transmission stops whenever the light is blocked by people's movements, shadows or other obstacles.
	Americans wary of snooping from government, advertisers Americans are worried about being tracked—both by the government and by online marketers.
Fighting crime through crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing utilizes the input of a crowd of online users to collaboratively solve problems. To advance this emerging technology, researchers at the University of Miami are developing a computing model that uses crowdsourcing to combine and optimize human efforts and machine computing elements.
Apple iPod antitrust trial: Consumers say iTunes was monopoly It's been shuffling through the courts for a decade, a class-action suit that challenges Apple's iPod and iTunes grip on the digital song market. Now, it's time to face the music.
Uber and Lyft battle it out on roads, in court Keep your head down - the flak is flying again on the ride-sharing battlefield.
Pentagon moves to integrate technology with wearable equipment The Department of Defense wants to give airmen and soldiers an advantage in combat by integrating technology with lightweight wearable equipment.
	Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rewards good penmanship I'm an iPhone user, but I really admire some things about the Android phone operating system - mainly the number of handsets available.
Q-and-A: Tim Berners-Lee, professor, inventor of World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee hasn't been idle since he invented the World Wide Web 25 years ago.
	Review: Amazon Fire tablets can compete with iPads, but that may not matter Amazon has garnered far less success than it deserves in consumer electronics, and its latest line of tablets may well continue that trend despite comparing favorably with Apple's latest iPad.
	As sensors proliferate, opportunities are emerging in the field of machine learning Biological learning systems run the gamut from the lowly roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans) with its 300 or so neurons, all the way up to the adult elephant brain, with its 200 billion neurons. Whether they're located in fruit flies or cockroaches, chimpanzees or dolphins, all neurons do the same thing: they process and transmit information. And the reason for this is the same across the biological board: To avoid danger and maximize success in sustaining and propagating themselves, all organisms must be able to sense the environment, respond to it accordingly, and remember those stimuli that indicate risks and rewards.
Research will raise efficiency of construction industry The Norwegian construction industry is seeking to become more research-based and thus more profitable, productive, sustainable and professional. The Research Council of Norway and a number of relevant R&D institutions are among those that have contributed to developing the industry's new Bygg21 strategy document.
Comcast announces 'talking TV guide' for vision-impaired Comcast Corp.'s blind TV executive Tom Wlodkowski says the company's "talking TV guide" for the visually impaired will go live on the nation's largest cable-TV system by Dec. 1.
US confirms climate agency websites hacked A U.S. Congressman says hackers from China were able to breach computer systems operated by the federal agency that oversees the National Weather Service and other climate-related programs.

Medicine & Health news

	'Smart' drugs won't make smart people smarter It is claimed one in five students have taken the 'smart' drug Modafinil to boost their ability to study and improve their chances of exam success. But new research into the effects of Modafinil has shown that healthy students could find their performance impaired by the drug.
	Scientists discover new properties of microbes that cause common eye infection Scientists from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology have used the power of new genomic technology to discover that microbes that commonly infect the eye have special, previously unknown properties. These properties are predicted to allow the bacterium—Streptococcus pneumoniae—to specifically stick to the surface of the eye, grow, and cause damage and inflammation.
	Facial structure predicts goals, fouls among World Cup soccer players The structure of a soccer player's face can predict his performance on the field—including his likelihood of scoring goals, making assists and committing fouls—according to a study led by a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Molecular profiling of Ketamine's rapid antidepressant effect One third of the patients with major depressive disorder suffer from treatment resistance and do not respond to commonly used antidepressants. Ketamine, a drug that works through a different mechanism, improves depressive symptoms within hours and is particularly effective in treatment-resistant patients. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have for the first time identified metabolite alterations, affected pathways and biomarker candidates for the Ketamine treatment response in mice. An improved understanding of the molecular events causing the rapid antidepressant effect of Ketamine will allow the development of alternative drugs with a similar mode of action but fewer side effects.
	Research links tobacco smoke and roadway air pollution with childhood obesity New research from Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) bolsters evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke and near-roadway air pollution contribute to the development of obesity.
	Bilingual brains better equipped to process information Speaking more than one language is good for the brain, according to new research that indicates bilingual speakers process information more efficiently and more easily than those who know a single language.
	Discovery opens up possibility of slowing cancer spread A trawl through a library of more than 50,000 'small molecules' has identified a potential candidate to inhibit the spread of cancer cells throughout the body. Reported today in the journal Nature Communications, the molecule targets a mechanism of tumour development that had previously been considered 'undruggable'– in other words, extremely difficult, if not impossible, to target with a drug – and could open the door to further promising new candidates.
	Scientists unveil new targets, test to develop treatments for memory disorder In a pair of related studies, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a number of new therapeutic targets for memory disorders and have developed a new screening test to uncover compounds that may one day work against those disorders.
Best supporting actors in your ears? Research points to potential way to restore hearing There's a cast of characters deep inside your ears—many kinds of tiny cells working together to allow you to hear. The lead actors, called hair cells, play the crucial role in carrying sound signals to the brain.
	Team discovers lung regeneration mechanism A research team led by Jackson Laboratory Professors Frank McKeon, Ph.D., and Wa Xian, Ph.D., reports on the role of certain lung stem cells in regenerating lungs damaged by disease.
	Virtual reality helps people to comfort and accept themselves Self-compassion can be learned using avatars in an immersive virtual reality, finds new research led by UCL. This innovative approach reduced self-criticism and increased self-compassion and feelings of contentment in naturally self-critical individuals. The scientists behind the MRC-funded study say it could be applied to treat a range of clinical conditions including depression.
	Semen directly impairs effectiveness of microbicides that target HIV In the fight against HIV, microbicides—chemical compounds that can be applied topically to the female genital tract to protect against sexually transmitted infections—have been touted as an effective alternative to condoms. However, while these compounds are successful at preventing transmission of the virus in a petri dish, clinical trials using microbicides have largely failed. A new study from the Gladstone Institutes and the University of Ulm now reveals that this discrepancy may be due to the primary mode of transportation of the virus during sexual transmission, semen.
	World's oldest people share no genetic secrets, study finds Think the reason some people live beyond the age of 100 is because of their genes? Think again.
	Learning languages is a workout for brains, both young and old Learning a new language changes your brain network both structurally and functionally, according to Penn State researchers. "Learning and practicing something, for instance a second language, strengthens the brain," said Ping Li, professor of psychology, linguistics and information sciences and technology. "Like physical exercise, the more you use specific areas of your brain, the more it grows and gets stronger."
	Errors in single gene may protect against heart disease Rare mutations that shut down a single gene are linked to lower cholesterol levels and a 50 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, and other institutions.
	Brain protein influences how the brain manages stress; suggests new model of depression The brain's ability to effectively deal with stress or to lack that ability and be more susceptible to depression, depends on a single protein type in each person's brain, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published November 12 in the journal Nature.
	The backwards brain? Study shows how brain maps develop to help us perceive the world Driving to work becomes routine—but could you drive the entire way in reverse gear? Humans, like many animals, are accustomed to seeing objects pass behind us as we go forward. Moving backwards feels unnatural.
	Humans' big brains might be due in part to newly identified protein A protein that may partly explain why human brains are larger than those of other animals has been identified by scientists from two stem-cell labs at UC San Francisco, in research published in the November 13, 2014 issue of Nature.
	Triple drug combo benefits lupus nephritis (HealthDay)—In a trial of 368 Chinese patients with lupus nephritis, those who were given a trio of medications were more likely to see a complete remission. The researchers, led by Zhihong Liu, M.D., of the Nanjing University School of Medicine in China, reported the findings online Nov. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	T2DM risk up with increased serum calcium levels (HealthDay)—For individuals at high cardiovascular risk, serum calcium concentrations correlate with increased diabetes risk, according to research published in the November issue of Diabetes Care.
	PSA rise with testosterone gel tied to specific factors (HealthDay)—Factors predicting greater prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increases with use of testosterone gel (T-gel) include age 60 years and older, baseline testosterone (T) ≤250 ng/dL, and percentage of free PSA
Oral cancer-causing HPV may spread through oral and genital routes Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections were more common among men who had female partners with oral and/or genital HPV infection, suggesting that the transmission of HPV occurs via oral-oral and oral-genital routes, according to a McGill University study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Scoring system masks variation between GPs' communication skills A large-scale study has revealed that the system of aggregating practice scores on GPs' communication skills may mask variation between individual doctors in lower-scoring centres.
Experts urge US to change organ donation policies A group of more than 300 prominent doctors, religious leaders and ethicists on Wednesday urged President Barack Obama to change the current system for organ donation, saying too few people get life-saving transplants.
Psychotropic drug prescriptions: Therapeutic advances or fads? Why are psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants, psychostimulants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics are increasingly prescribed in North America? Drawing a parallel between the dilemmas facing medicine in the nineteenth century and those that currently exist in the field of mental health, the sociologist and historian Johanne Collin, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Pharmacy, believes this increase in prescriptions is partly explained by the therapeutic reasoning of physicians.
	Mothers nurture emotions in girls over boys, new study finds A new study published today in The British Journal of Developmental Psychology has found that conversations mothers have with their daughters tend to contain more emotional words and content, than the conversations they have with their sons.
Researchers studying blood test that could reduce antibiotic use A new blood biomarker test that indicates whether bacteria is the cause of a patient's lung infection is now being studied at UPMC Presbyterian, launching a national multicenter trial. The information could help doctors decide when to prescribe antibiotics and possibly reduce overuse of the drugs, which can lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
HPV vaccine uptake among girls is lowest in states with highest rates of cervical cancer The proportion of adolescent girls receiving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines was much lower in states with higher rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Nov. 9–12.
	Implementing ACA-mandated health risk assessments will stretch primary care providers beyond capacity Primary care practices are willing to implement behavioral and mental health assessments required by the Affordable Care Act, but lack the resources to do so effectively, and if they implement the assessments, the high number of health risks identified will likely stretch many practices beyond treatment capacity, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University-led study that produced two articles published this month in the Annals of Family Medicine.
	Researchers help China to better predict dengue fever outbreaks Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers have found the habit of Googling for an online diagnosis before visiting the doctor can be a powerful predictor of infectious diseases outbreaks.
New 'care bundle' achieves drop in death rate for emergency abdominal surgery patients Four UK hospitals have achieved a huge reduction in the number of patients dying following emergency abdominal surgery, after adopting a 'care bundle' devised by patient safety specialists.
	People with social anxiety come across better than they might think, study finds (Medical Xpress)—Making friends is often extremely difficult for people with social anxiety disorder and to make matters worse, people with this disorder tend to assume that the friendships they do have are not of the highest quality. The problem with this perception, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis, is that it's not necessarily true from the point of view of their friends.
Researcher publishes results of treatment for atopic dermatitis CU College of Nursing's Noreen Heer Nicol, PhD, RN, FNP, recently published results of a study on the benefits of supervised Wet Wrap Therapy (WWT) as an acute intervention in improving atopic dermatitis severity. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease among children.
Previously unrecognized flame retardant found in Americans for the first time A new peer-reviewed study found that people are contaminated with several toxic flame retardants rarely studied in the US, including one that has never before been detected in Americans called TCEP. Scientists tested urine samples of California residents for biomarkers of six chemicals, all of which were present.
	Chronic care coordinators improve diabetes monitoring but not blood sugar control Getting support from a chronic care coordinator increases blood-glucose testing and foot and eye exams in people with type 2 diabetes, but it may not improve blood-sugar control, a new study in the journal Health Services Research indicates.
Study reveals key differences in how primary tumors, metastasis respond to neoadjuvant antiangiogenic therapy In a joint effort with the Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) in Toronto, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers have developed a novel preclinical methodology for examining the effects of neoadjuvant therapy in animal models. Their approach may enable oncologists to distinguish which antiangiogenic therapies, or treatments designed to block blood vessels from assisting tumor growth, are optimal for improving overall survival after treatment has stopped and the tumor has been surgically removed.
	How our brains view other people Race-related demonstrations, Title IX disputes, affirmative action court cases, same-sex marriage bans.
	A look at who supports legal marijuana The United States is experiencing a drastic change in attitudes towards marijuana and marijuana policy.
Positive relationships strengthen nurses' performance in low-income countries When health workers develop positive, collaborative relationships with managers and local community leaders in rural Guatemala, their capacity to help vulnerable populations is increased, according to a dissertation from Umeå University.
	All vaginal estrogens effective for genitourinary sx of menopause (HealthDay)—All vaginal estrogens are effective for women with genitourinary syndrome of menopause, according to a review published online Nov. 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Computerized dashboard can ID potentially inappropriate meds (HealthDay)—A computerized potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) dashboard can allow identification of older inpatients on high-risk medication regimens, according to research published online Nov. 3 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Proactivity can help practices meet peak demands (HealthDay)—Actions can be taken to meet peak demand in practices, according to an article published Nov. 10 in Medical Economics.
Innovative approach to treating pancreatic cancer combines chemo- and immuno-therapy VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) researchers discovered a unique approach to treating pancreatic cancer that may be potentially safe and effective. The treatment method involves immunochemotherapy - a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which uses the patient's own immune system to help fight against disease. This pre-clinical study, led by Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., and Luni Emdad, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., found that the delivery of [pIC]PEI - a combination of the already-established immune-modulating molecule, polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (pIC), with delivery molecule polyethlenimine (PEI), a polymer often used in detergents, adhesives and cosmetics - inside pancreatic cancer cells triggers cancer cell death without harming normal pancreatic cells.
High blood pressure puts one in four Nigerians at risk, study says High blood pressure - already a massive hidden killer in Nigeria - is set to sharply rise as the country adopts western lifestyles, a study suggests.
Focusing on executive functions in kindergarten leads to lasting academic improvements An educational approach focused on the development of children's executive functions - the ability to avoid distractions, focus attention, hold relevant information in working memory, and regulate impulsive behavior - improved academic learning in and beyond kindergarten, according to a new study by researchers at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Thousands of patients recalled in Britain over HIV fears Thousands of dental patients in Britain are being recalled for tests over fears that they could have been infected with HIV or other blood-borne viruses, health officials said Wednesday.
Single-dose, needle-free Ebola vaccine provides long-term protection in macaques Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that a single-dose, needleless Ebola vaccine given to primates through their noses and lungs protected them against infection for at least 21 weeks. A vaccine that doesn't require an injection could help prevent passing along infections through unintentional pricks. They report the results of their study on macaques in the ACS journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.
How does the brain develop in individuals with autism? Geneticists at Heidelberg University Hospital's Department of Molecular Human Genetics have used a new mouse model to demonstrate the way a certain genetic mutation is linked to a type of autism in humans and affects brain development and behavior. In the brain of genetically altered mice, the protein FOXP1 is not synthesized, which is also the case for individuals with a certain form of autism. Consequently, after birth the brain structures degenerate that play a key role in perception. The mice also exhibited abnormal behavior that is typical of autism. The new mouse model now allows the molecular mechanisms in which FOXP1 plays a role to be explained and the associated changes in the brain to be better understood.
	Moderate consumption of sugary drinks has little impact on adolescents' metabolic health Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of added sugar in the diets of adolescents in the United States, and young adults ages 15-20 consume more of these drinks than any other age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adolescent obesity rates, which have quadrupled over the past thirty years, led to widespread scrutiny of added dietary sugars, especially those found in carbonated beverages. Now, MU researchers have found that short-term, moderate consumption of high-fructose and high-glucose beverages has little impact on the metabolic health of weight-stable, physically active adolescents.
	Team identifies genetic variant linked to better memory performance People with a newly identified genetic variant perform better on certain types of memory tests, a discovery that may point the way to new treatments for the memory impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease or other age-associated conditions.
Single molecular switch may contribute to major aging-related diseases A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has identified what appears to be a molecular switch controlling inflammatory processes involved in conditions ranging from muscle atrophy to Alzheimer's disease. In their report published in Science Signaling, the research team found that the action of the signaling molecule nitric oxide on the regulatory protein SIRT1 is required for the induction of inflammation and cell death in cellular and animal models of several aging-related disorders.
Not all elderly Americans will surf to health Providing health information on the internet may not be the "cure all" that it is hoped to be. It could sideline especially those Americans older than 65 years old who are not well versed in understanding health matters, and who do not use the web regularly. So says Helen Levy of the University of Michigan in the US, who led the first-ever study to show that elderly people's knowledge of health matters, so-called health literacy, also predicts how and if they use the internet. The findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
	Rapid Heme Panel speeds treatment decisions for blood cancer patients For patients with aggressive types of leukemia and other blood cancers, quickly identifying and starting the right treatment can make all the difference.
Predicting US Army suicides after hospital discharge It has long been known that patients recently discharged from psychiatric hospitalizations have a significantly elevated suicide risk. However, the rarity of suicide even in this high-risk segment of the population makes it impractical to justify providing intensive post-hospital suicide prevention programs to all recently discharged patients. Targeted programs for patients at especially high suicide risk would be more feasible, but it is difficult for clinicians to predict with good accuracy which patients are at high risk for suicide.
Vitamin B may not reduce risk of memory loss, study says Taking vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements may not reduce the risk of memory and thinking problems after all, according to a new study published in the November 12, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study is one of the largest to date to test long-term use of supplements and thinking and memory skills.
Quarter of patients have subsequent surgery after breast conservation surgery Nearly a quarter of all patients who underwent initial breast conservation surgery (BCS) for breast cancer had a subsequent surgical intervention, according to a report published online by JAMA Surgery.
	Picture emerges of how kids get head injuries A study in which more than 43,000 children were evaluated for head trauma offers an unprecedented picture of how children most frequently suffer head injuries, report physicians at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine.
Prostate cancer researchers develop personalized genetic test to predict recurrence risk Prostate cancer researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for their prostate cancer to come back after localized treatment with surgery or radiotherapy.
	Ebola death toll passes 5,000-mark: WHO More than 5,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak, which was first identified in Guinea in March, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday, marking another grisly toll in the epidemic.
	Researchers confirm important brain reward pathway Details of the role of glutamate, the brain's excitatory chemical, in a drug reward pathway have been identified for the first time.
	Ezetimibe not tied to higher cancer risk, mortality (HealthDay)—Treatment with the lipid-lowering therapy ezetimibe/simvastatin is not associated with an increased risk of developing cancer or an increased risk of dying from cancer, according to research published in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
	Axillary hair, deodorant don't affect testosterone absorption (HealthDay)—After application of testosterone solution, serum testosterone concentration is unaffected by the presence or absence of axillary hair or by the use of deodorant/antiperspirant, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
	Patient preference for anticoagulant tx outcome varies (HealthDay)—Patients' preferences for outcomes of anticoagulation therapy vary and are affected by previous stroke or myocardial infarction experience, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Trouble swallowing pills? You're probably doing it wrong, study says If you have trouble swallowing pills, it's not your fault. You've just been doing it wrong. And now a group of German experts is ready to show you a better way. Two ways, in fact.
Solving the mystery of early labor Pregnant with her first child, Jamie Antisdel was determined to give her baby the best start. She did all the things she was supposed to do, such as exercising, eating well and maintaining a healthy weight. Yet, at 28 weeks, Antisdel's blood pressure soared dangerously high.
Puree helps kids make smooth transition to vegetables Adding tiny amounts of vegetable puree to milk and then rice at the time of weaning makes children more likely to eat vegetables, new University of Leeds research shows.
	Gene sequencing projects link two mutations to Ewing sarcoma subtype with poor prognosis An international collaboration has identified frequent mutations in two genes that often occur together in Ewing sarcoma (EWS) and that define a subtype of the cancer associated with reduced survival. The research, conducted by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital-Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project and the Institut Curie-Inserm through the International Cancer Genome Consortium, appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Cancer Discovery.
New scientific review reveals huge gaps in understanding preterm birth Preterm birth is now the leading cause of death for children under 5 worldwide, and a new scientific paper reveals a startling lack of knowledge about what causes it and how to prevent it.
	Depression, overwhelming guilt in preschool years linked to brain changes In school-age children previously diagnosed with depression as preschoolers, a key brain region involved in emotion is smaller than in their peers who were not depressed, scientists have shown.
Older women with sleep-breathing problems more likely to see decline in daily functions Older women with disordered breathing during sleep were found to be at greater risk of decline in the ability to perform daily activities, such as grocery shopping and meal preparation, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of California, San Francisco.
UC Davis investigational medication used to resolve life-threatening seizures in children In its first clinical application in pediatric patients, an investigational medication developed and manufactured at UC Davis has been found to effectively treat children with life-threatening and difficult-to-control epileptic seizures without side effects, according to a research report by scientists at UC Davis and Northwestern University.
Gene study boosts interest in heart drug Zetia Scientists have discovered gene mutations that give people naturally lower cholesterol levels and cut their risk of heart disease in half.
	Ebola workers ask Congress for help Health workers on the front line of the Ebola crisis say the need for urgent help is not letting up, as the U.S. Congress begins considering President Barack Obama's $6.2 billion emergency aid request to fight the disease.
New Ebola death hits Mali as Liberia hails drop in cases A second person from Mali has died from Ebola, just as hardest-hit Liberia hailed a dramatic drop in infections and the last-known sufferer in the United States was declared cured on Tuesday.
Public to comment on 1st-in-nation tobacco ban Health officials in Westminster are holding a public hearing on a draft regulation that would make the central Massachusetts town the first in the nation to ban sales of all tobacco products.
GigaScience publishes a virtual box of delights to aid the fight against heart disease Published today in the Open Access and Open Data Journal GigaScience, researchers from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in Spain and the National Institutes of Health in the USA provide a fantastic example of open data sharing to help build these exact tools: a wealth of patient imaging data[1]. Even better: to enable reproducible comparisons between new tools, the researchers and journal have taken the unusual step of publishing and packaging the data alongside tools, scripts and the software required to run the experiments. This is available to download from GigaScience's GigaDB database[2] as a "virtual hard disk" that will specifically allow researchers to directly run the experiments themselves and to add their own annotations to the data set.
	Docs rush to help after India sterilization deaths A team of doctors rushed to central India on Wednesday after at least 12 women died and dozens of others fell ill following sterilization surgery held as part of a free, nationwide program aimed at limiting births in the world's second-most populous nation, officials said.
Mali battles new Ebola outbreak as cleric, nurse die (Update) Mali scrambled Wednesday to prevent a major Ebola outbreak after the deaths of an Islamic cleric who brought the killer virus in from neighbouring Guinea and the nurse who treated him.
	Six reasons Australia should pilot 'pill testing' party drugs The death of 19-year-old Georgina Bartter at a music festival on the weekend from a suspected ecstasy overdose could possibly have been avoided with a simple harm-minimisation intervention. Pill testing, or drug checking as it's known in Europe, provides feedback to users on the content of illegal drugs, allowing them to make informed choices.
Family history of breast or ovarian cancer is linked to triple-negative breast cancer in women of Mexican descent Breast cancer patients of Mexican descent who had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer were almost twice as likely to have triple-negative breast cancer than other subtypes of breast cancer, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Nov. 9–12.
Even with equal health care access, cancer survival rates are worse in American Indians and Alaskan natives Five- and 10-year cancer survival rates were lower among American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AIANs) compared with non-Hispanic whites even when they had approximately equal access to health care, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Nov. 9–12.
	Nursing students hone skills in simulation with deaf patients Studies show that health care providers enhance patient outcomes in high-risk situations when they participate in plenty of patient simulation exercises to mimic real-world scenarios.
Mali reports two new Ebola deaths in capital Malian authorities on Wednesday reported two new deaths from Ebola that are not believed to be linked to the nation's only other known case, an alarming setback as Mali tries to limit the epidemic ravaging other countries in the region.
Furin – the answer to the Ebola crises? With an estimated fatality rate of 52%, the need to discover a cure for Ebola has never been more urgent. New research published in Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics this month suggests that scientists currently investigating potential cures for the Ebola virus should focus more attention on the protein furin.
New survey of US workers reveals two in five survey participants missed work due to depression Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of U.S. respondents indicated they have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime and two in five (nearly 40 percent) of those patients reported taking time off of work - an average of 10 days a year - as a result of their diagnosis. These findings are just a few of the key outcomes stemming from The Impact of Depression at Work Audit (IDeA), evaluating the societal and economic burden of depression in the workplace. Employers Health, an Ohio-based employer coalition, announced results for the U.S. survey at the National Business Coalition on Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 12.
	With western medicine, Ebola may have met its match (HealthDay)—Doctors in the United States have a near-perfect record of treating Ebola patients, with only one out of nine patients losing their lives while under hospital care in this country.
	Time to enroll, or re-enroll, in an 'Obamacare' health plan (HealthDay)—The "Obamacare" marketplaces are now gearing up for a new challenge: persuading Americans who slogged through last year's troubled open enrollment to renew their coverage.
Mental health providers not well prepared to care for military veterans, study finds Most community-based mental health providers are not well prepared to take care of the special needs of military veterans and their families, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation that was commissioned by United Health Foundation in collaboration with the Military Officers Association of America.
In preschoolers, office test overestimates eye's ability to change focus In preschool-aged children, a simple test performed in the ophthalmologist's or optometrist's office greatly overestimates the eye's ability to "flex and focus" in order to see small objects clearly, reports a study in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
Vets issue advice on pets that may have Ebola A veterinarians' group has put out guidance on handling pets that may have been infected by Ebola. It says that if an animal tests positive, it should be euthanized.
Colombia's Senate moves to pass medical marijuana Legislation to allow marijuana for medical use has cleared an important hurdle in Colombia.
Britain's 700 Ebola beds for SLeone 'ready by January' Britain's foreign secretary announced plans Wednesday for hundreds of Ebola treatment beds in Sierra Leone within weeks, admitting the global response had been too slow as he visited the former colony.
	Ebola drug testing sparks ethics debate Health officials are scrambling to begin human testing of a handful of experimental drugs for Ebola. But the effort has sparked an ethical debate over how to study unproven medicines amid an outbreak that has killed nearly 5,000.
Large-scale study on vein filter use launches The first large-scale, multispecialty prospective clinical research trial to evaluate the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters and related follow-up treatment in the United States—initiated by a collaboration between the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS)—is set to enroll the first patient in spring 2015 with participation from seven filter manufacturers.
Diabetes and sleep loss: Evil twins that can wreak further health havoc David Lombrozo was never a good sleeper. "Then I started my own company, and it got worse," said the Marietta, Ga., owner of an information-technology management company. "I got to bed later, got up earlier, wasn't eating well. I gained 15 pounds, which made me snore and woke me up even more."
Experts address challenges of delivering critical care in resource-poor countries Critical care is defined by life-threatening conditions, which require close evaluation, monitoring, and treatment by appropriately trained health professionals. Cardiovascular care bears these same requirements. In fact, cardiovascular disease will soon surpass even human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the leading cause of mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the latest issue of Global Heart, researchers discuss the challenges of delivering critical care in resource-limited countries.

Biology news

	Virtual reality study shows echolocation in humans not just about the ears (Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany has found that echolocation in humans involves more than just the ears. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Ludwig Wallmeier and Lutz Wiegrebe describe how echolocation is thought to work in humans as compared to other animals, and the results of a study they conducted using volunteers and a virtual reality system.
	The more the merrier: Ecologists say larger group aids wolves' bison hunting Some 15 years ago, when Utah State University ecologist Daniel MacNulty told his faculty advisor he planned to watch wolves hunt bison in a remote area of Yellowstone National Park, the latter shook his head.
	'Eyespots' in butterflies shown to distract predatory attack Research has demonstrated with some of the first experimental evidence that coloration or patterns can be used to "deflect" attacks from predators, protecting an animal's most vulnerable parts from the predators most likely to attack them.
	Tools and primates: Opportunity, not necessity, is the mother of invention Whether you are a human being or an orang-utan, tools can be a big help in getting what you need to survive. However, a review of current research into the use of tools by non-human primates suggests that ecological opportunity, rather than necessity, is the main driver behind primates such as chimpanzees picking up a stone to crack open nuts.
	Researchers outline the process by which viruses spread from bats to humans (Phys.org) —A large team of researchers with members from the U.S. and Australia has created a paper that delineates the cross-species spillover dynamic involved with viruses that spread from bats to humans. In that paper, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the team concludes that the relatively recent trend of humans contracting more and more diseases that originate in bats is likely due to human activities such as encroachment on land already being used by bats.
	Calculating evolution: Program predicts the development of influenza viruses For a long time, prognoses forecasting the evolutionary future of organisms were considered mere speculation. Together with researchers from Cambridge and Santa Barbara scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen have developed an algorithm that can predict the evolution of asexual organisms such as viruses or cancer cells. The researchers tested the programme for the first time on the historical development of the A/H3N2 influenza virus: retrospectively, the algorithm was able to determine the upcoming season's virus type with good or very good accuracy in most cases. In the near future, combining this approach with other methods could further increase the accuracy of the prognoses. Furthermore, the method developed by the researchers is not restricted to influenza viruses – it can even be applied to predict the development of HIV and noroviruses, as well as cancer cells.
	Study suggests how mosquitoes evolved an attraction to human scent The female mosquitoes that spread dengue and yellow fever didn't always rely on human blood to nourish their eggs. Their ancestors fed on furrier animals in the forest. But then, thousands of years ago, some of these bloodsuckers made a smart switch: They began biting humans and hitchhiked all over the globe, spreading disease in their wake.
	Team says non-genetic changes can help parents or offspring, not both A new study from The University of Texas at Arlington biologists examining non-genetic changes in water flea development suggests something human parents have known for years - ensuring a future generations' success often means sacrifice.
	Stock market models help researchers predict animal behavior In an unexpected mashup of financial and mechanical engineering, researchers have discovered that the same modeling used to forecast fluctuations in the stock market can be used to predict aspects of animal behavior. Their work proposes an unprecedented model for in silico—or computer-based—simulations of animal behavior. The findings were published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
	A tale of two seas: Last Ice Age has shaped sharks across Europe Shark populations in the Mediterranean are highly divided, an international team of scientists, led by Dr Andrew Griffiths of the University of Bristol, has shown. Many previous studies on sharks suggest they move over large distances. But catsharks in the Mediterranean Sea appear to move and migrate much less, as revealed by this study. This could have important implications for conserving and managing sharks more widely, suggesting they may be more vulnerable to over-fishing than previously thought.
	Do homing pigeons navigate with gyroscope in brain? No one knows how homing pigeons do it, but now a team of Swiss and South African scientists have discovered that the bird's navigation is affected by disturbances in gravity, suggesting that they navigate using a gravity map and that they may carry an internal gyroscope to guide them home.
Many microbiome studies flawed by contamination Many published microbiome studies are likely to have been contaminated and may incorrectly report the presence of microorganisms unintentionally introduced from the laboratory environment, says a study published in the open access journal BMC Biology. The findings could explain why unexpected bacteria have been previously identified in clinical samples and suggests that studies may have prematurely proposed links to disease.
Bison mating observations fall short of predicting reproductive success Most mammal reproduction studies aim to not only discover who the fathers are but also to learn why some males sire more offspring than others. This is complicated since many male animals, including American bison, mate with multiple females, making it difficult to estimate which males will be the most successful at passing on their genes.
	The flight of the frisky tui New Zealand's endemic tui (Prosthemadera novaseelandiae) have a tendency to 'jump the fence' when looking to breed, a study by Massey University researcher Dr Sarah Wells shows.
	"Bioleaching" bugs present viable mining method Salt and acid-tolerant bacteria with the potential to be used in mining processing have been uncovered in the Wheatbelt.
	High ant diversity underfoot in urban environments Cities have more species diversity than you'd expect. A study of ants in Manhattan found not only a wide range of species, but also significant differences in the levels of biodiversity in different urban areas.
	Hi-tech punch on nose for sharks could keep swimmers safe A high-tech version of the reputedly life-saving punch to a shark's nose is being tested in an effort to protect humans without harming the toothy predators or other sea creatures.
	HIV virulence depends on where virus inserts itself in host DNA The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can insert itself at different locations in the DNA of its human host - and this specific integration site determines how quickly the disease progresses, report researchers at KU Leuven's Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy. The study was published online today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Giant otter's repertoire includes 22 distinct vocalizations Giant otters may have a vocal repertoire with 22 distinct vocalization types produced by adults and 11 neonate vocalization types, according to a study published November 12, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Christina Mumm and Mirjam Knörnschild from University of Ulm, Germany.
	Program models more detailed evolutionary networks from genetic data The tree has been an effective model of evolution for 150 years, but a Rice University computer scientist believes it's far too simple to illustrate the breadth of current knowledge.
Climate change puts coastal crabs in survival mode, study finds Porcelain crabs can adapt to a warming climate but will not have energy for much else beyond basic survival, according to new research published today from San Francisco State University.
Colombian condor repopulation program gets technology upgrade Their wings spanning 10 feet or more as they glide serenely above Colombia's Andes, condors are majestic physical specimens. They have been important symbols here since pre-colonial times, when indigenous tribes saw them as messengers of the gods and harbingers of good fortune.
	Australia unveils new park ahead of World Parks Congress Australia unveiled its newest national park, Everlasting Swamp, on Wednesday as thousands gathered in Sydney for the start of the once-in-a-decade World Parks Congress.
Visitors "can help save our national parks" Increasing nature-based tourism may be one of the keys to saving Australia's endangered wildlife in a time of budget stringency, a new scientific study suggests.

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