Science X Newsletter Friday, Mar 20

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 20, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Two languages offer two 'minds' for bilinguals
- New approach uses 'twisted light' to increase efficiency of quantum cryptography systems
- New transitory form of silica observed
- Plasmonic ceramic materials key to advances in nanophotonics for extreme operational conditions
- Mercury pollution danger for arctic ivory gulls
- Study raises questions about cause of global ice ages
- Study shows orangutans use their hands to make their voices deeper
- Ordinary paper and pencil used to create primitive sensor
- Chilly Philae still slumbering, says comet mission
- HAWC Observatory to study universe's most energetic phenomena
- Squid enrich their DNA 'blueprint' through prolific RNA editing
- Shrinking habitats have adverse effects on world ecosystems
- Food-delivery process inside seeds revealed
- Popular weed killer deemed probable carcinogen by UN
- Potential new drug target may protect against certain neurodegenerative diseases

Astronomy & Space news

	Comet probe Rosetta detects the 'most wanted molecule' ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made the first measurement of molecular nitrogen at a comet, providing clues about the temperature environment in which Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko formed.
	Theoretical study suggests huge lava tubes could exist on moon Lava tubes large enough to house cities could be structurally stable on the moon, according to a theoretical study presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on Tuesday (March 17).
	Magical views from top of the world for solar eclipse All eyes will be on the skies Friday for a total solar eclipse expected to offer spectacular views, if only in the far northern Svalbard archipelago and Faroe Islands.
	Unusual asteroid suspected of spinning to explosion A team led by astronomers from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, recently used the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to observe and measure a rare class of "active asteroids" that spontaneously emit dust and have been confounding scientists for years. The team was able to measure the rotational speed of one of these objects, suggesting the asteroid spun so fast it burst, ejecting dust and newly discovered fragments in a trail behind it. The findings are being published in Astrophysical Journal Letters on March 20, 2015.
	Ring of light: Total eclipse over Svalbard islands in Arctic (Images) Sky-gazers looked up in awe Friday as the moon blocked the sun in a total solar eclipse that momentarily darkened a slice of northern Europe.
	The mystery of nanoflares When you attach the prefix "nano" to something, it usually means "very small." Solar flares appear to be the exception.
	Chilly Philae still slumbering, says comet mission European space managers Friday ended an eight-day vigil for a wakeup call from the robot lander Philae, but remained hopeful the scout will revive as it rides on a comet nearing the Sun.
	HAWC Observatory to study universe's most energetic phenomena Supernovae, neutron star collisions and active galactic nuclei are among the most energetic phenomena in the known universe. These violent explosions produce high-energy gamma rays and cosmic rays, which can easily travel large distances—making it possible to see objects and events far outside our own galaxy.
	Search for extraterrestrial intelligence extends to new realms Astronomers have expanded the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into a new realm with detectors tuned to infrared light. Their new instrument has just begun to scour the sky for messages from other worlds.
	Protecting Earth from space weather This week's spectacular glowing auroras in the night sky further south than usual highlighted the effect that 'space weather' can have on Earth.
	Dazzled by the bright Southern Lights The past week saw a fantastic treat for aurora watchers. Generally it is the southern part of the country, Tasmania in particular, that sees the most impressive displays. But this aurora has been so intense that it was even seen across New South Wales and up around Brisbane it added a red glow to the sky.
	Could the death star destroy a planet? In the movie Star Wars, the Darth Vader's Death Star destroyed a planet. Could this really happen?
	Millions across Britain enjoy partial solar eclipse Armed with telescopes, protective glasses and home-made viewers, millions of people across Britain witnessed Friday's partial solar eclipse, though cloud cover blocked out the view for many.
	Woman hoping for a chance to explore Mars, but skeptics question mission Laura Smith-Velazquez is a dreamer - and she has been dreaming of going to space since the first time she looked into a telescope as an 8-year-old, later imagining herself commanding a starship while watching "Star Trek."
Physicists seek answers on supermassive black holes with the next-gen X-ray telescope University of Waterloo Professor Brian McNamara along with two Canadian astronomers will be part of the science working group directing ASTRO-H, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA's) newest flagship x-ray astronomy observatory.
	PHOTOS: Millions in Europe view eclipse with odd devices A solar eclipse briefly darkened the sky over northern Europe on Friday, and millions used sun viewers ranging from a welder's mask to a dental X-ray to watch the cosmic phenomenon.
	Astronaut plus Proba minisats snap solar eclipse As today's partial solar eclipse crossed Europe, it was also visible from space. ESA's Proba-2 captured a near-total eclipse from orbit, at the same time as its sister minisatellite Proba-V peered down to snap the shadow of the eclipse on Earth.
	NASA image: Astronaut spacesuit testing for orion spacecraft Engineers and technicians at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston are testing the spacesuit astronauts will wear in the agency's Orion spacecraft on trips to deep space.
	Solar eclipses and the middle ages Dr Anne Lawrence from the University of Reading's Department of History examines what solar eclipses meant to our ancestors.

Technology news

	Toyota rolls into TED with zippy new way to get around Steve Gundrum was grinning on Thursday when he climbed out of a Toyota some might call a cross between a zippy scooter and an eco-friendly electric car.
	Ordinary paper and pencil used to create primitive sensor (Phys.org)—A team of researchers at China's University of Science and Technology has found that lines drawn on paper by an ordinary pencil can be used as a simple sensor. In their paper published in Advanced Functional Materials, the team describes how they tested the paper and pencil sensor idea and suggest applications for which it might be useful. Newscientist offers some background on the work done by the team.
	Android Wear with ADM will ring out phone location A message for you on Thursday from Andrew Flynn, software engineer, on the official Android blog: Android Device Manager, which was launched in 2013 to help find your Android phone, has a new twist. The Android blog said thus far the Android Device Manager has helped reunite almost 30 million users with their phones and tablets and has just become even more useful. Keep "watch" on your phone. In short, they announced support for Android Wear.
	China finally gets official PlayStations, minus some games Japanese electronics giant Sony on Friday launched its PlayStation gaming console in China, where authorities impose strict controls on content, but some popular titles including "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty" were not available.
	Software developer hopes to turn rehab into video game A broken arm as a boy led Cosmin Mihaiu and some inventive colleagues to turn tedious physical rehabilitation exercises into a game that they hope can make it easier for people to recover from injuries.
	It's too late to debate metadata What has been so frustrating throughout the metadata "debate" is that we have been kept in ignorance as to what it was that the law enforcement agencies actually wanted to retain.
	Internet Explorer: Reports of its death are greatly exaggerated There are claims that Microsoft is to retire its Internet Explorer web browser and replace it with an all-new browser called Spartan with the upcoming release of Windows 10.
	Lack of effective timing signals could hamper 'Internet of things' development Our fast-approaching future of driverless cars and "smart" electrical grids will depend on billions of linked devices making decisions and communicating with split-second precision to prevent highway collisions and power outages. But a new report released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) warns that this future could be stalled by our lack of effective methods to marry computers and networks with timing systems.
	Flight control breakthrough could lead to safer air travel Commercial air travel safety could see significant improvements thanks to a breakthrough in aircraft flight control technology from researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
California taxis sue Uber, allege false advertising, unfair competition Taxi drivers in California must submit to fingerprinting for criminal background checks. UberX drivers don't have to. Yet Uber Technologies advertises itself as "the safest rides on the road" and executives tout Uber as "safer than a taxi."
	Review: Helios Smart battery has charging options, including the sun I love options. Most of us are familiar with external batteries that can be used to charge up a cellphone or tablet when a plug is not handy. I have several, and most of them get their power by plugging into a USB port. They're great until you use up the power. Then they're dead weight until you plug them in to recharge.
Apple TV 'skinny' package likely to accelerate cord cutting Apple's ambition to be a dominant player in television is expected to accelerate the unraveling of the pay-TV bundle.
Twitter's Sharon Ly, on closing tech's gender gap Sharon Ly was in the fifth grade when a computer programming class at a community center in Vietnam sparked her interest in technology.
	Pins and needles for Apple Watch app makers Developer Curtis Herbert worries that a winter's worth of work on an Apple Watch app will come to nothing.
Apple's ResearchKit could be boon for medical research, but there are concerns You will soon be able to participate in cutting-edge medical research - from the comfort of your iPhone.
	USB-C connector featured on Apple's MacBook has fascinating promise Get ready to replace your computer cables and buy some new adapters - the ports and plugs you use with your computers, tablets and smartphones are about to start changing.
	Can't remember your password? Here are two new ways to log in Tired of trying to remember a different password for each of your online accounts? Or worried about re-using the same password too many times? You're not alone. Tech experts agree that traditional passwords are annoying, outmoded and too easily hacked.
	On US campaign trail, your 15 Meerkats of fame As the 2016 presidential race comes into view, social media app-of-the-moment Meerkat offers American candidates a promising but perhaps risky way to reach out to the masses.
China web freedom group faces online disruption A U.S.-subsidized advocacy group that helps Internet users inside China bypass blockages on censored content says it is suffering a mysterious denial-of-service attack disrupting its operations.
	Reuters websites blocked in China Reuters news websites were inaccessible in China on Friday, the latest Western news organisation to be blocked in a country where censors keep a tight grip over information.
	An 'octopus' robot with eight limbs developed to clear rubble in Fukushima, Japan Researchers in Japan have jointly developed a robot with four arms and four crawlers which can perform multiple tasks simultaneously to help clean up the rubble left after the 2011 quake-tsunami disasters in Minamisoma, Fukushima.
Data retention plan amended for journalists, but is it enough? The House of Representatives has finally passed the third tranche of national security legislation, concerning the mandatory retention of all Australians' data when they use telecommunications services.
Digital leaders blame schools for lack of female role models in tech The role that schools play in nurturing creative talent was at the centre of an audience-led digital debate in Birmingham this week.
	The welding system of the future is self-learning Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) is developing an entirely new kind of welding system, one which solves quality and productivity problems related to automated and mechanised welding. The system is self-adjusting, flexible and adaptable, such that it can be integrated as part of different robotic systems and different manufacturers' power supplies.
	UNM fuel cell research may provide electrical backup at home Research faculty members in the Center for Micro-Engineered Materials and Chemical and Biological Engineering Alexey Serov, Plamen Atanassov, Kateryna Artyushkova and Ivana Gonzales will spend the next two years working to develop materials for a cheaper, more durable and stable electrocatalyst for fuel cells.
	Near breakthrough for thermoplastic composites in the automotive industry Researchers are on the verge of a breakthrough that will allow for the wide-scale use of thermoplastic composites in the automotive industry. These 'futuristic materials' are ultra-light, while being strong and rigid and also sustainable and recyclable. Researchers at the ThermoPlastic Composite Research Center (TPRC) in Enschede (Netherlands) were recently successful in overcoming the last hurdle, which was to design practically faultless components and to make the process for doing so predictable. This makes it possible to determine at an early stage of the design process whether a component can be manufactured at all. This means that the two biggest requirements made by the automotive industry, namely weight reduction and reduced costs, can be satisfied.
	With 'Dead Rising,' a new approach for a game adaptation When a pair of filmmakers first approached video game publisher Capcom about crafting a live-action movie based on their popular zombie series "Dead Rising," they were asked to prove themselves in a very specific way: The creators behind such video game franchises as "Street Fighter" and "Resident Evil" handed the movie producers a game controller.
	Turkey moves to tighten control on Internet Turkey's parliament has approved legislation to tighten the government's control over the Internet by allowing it to block websites without prior judicial authorisation, official media said Friday.
	Chinese anti-censorship group says it's under attack The Chinese activist group GreatFire, which operates websites that circumvent the country's censorship, said its online service has come under attack in an effort to shut it down.

Medicine & Health news

	Two languages offer two 'minds' for bilinguals (Medical Xpress)—If you meet someone who speaks another language that you do not understand, you may not just miss what is being said but what is being perceived. Prof. Panos Athanasopoulos of Lancaster University works in areas of experimental psycholinguistics, cognitive linguistics, bilingual cognition, linguistic and cultural relativity, first, second and additional language learning—all of which indicate that language learning today is being studied and measured by scientists in ways that go beyond handling vocabulary and sentence structure.
	Stinging nettle chemical improves cancer drug A cancer drug could be made 50 times more effective by a chemical found in stinging nettles and ants, new research finds.
	Having a purpose in life may improve health of aging brain Having a strong sense that your life has meaning and direction may make you less likely to develop areas of brain damage caused by blockages in blood flow as you age. This research is reported in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
	Autistic and non-autistic brain differences isolated for first time The functional differences between autistic and non-autistic brains have been isolated for the first time, following the development of a new methodology for analysing MRI scans.
Popular weed killer deemed probable carcinogen by UN One of the world's most popular weed-killers—and the most widely used kind in the U.S.—has been labeled a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
	Potential new drug target may protect against certain neurodegenerative diseases Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that hypermethylation - the epigenetic ability to turn down or turn off a bad gene implicated in 10 to 30 percent of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) - serves as a protective barrier inhibiting the development of these diseases. Their work, published this month in Neurology, may suggest a neuroprotective target for drug discovery efforts.
America's aging population will require more neurosurgeons for increased brain bleeds By 2030, chronic subdural hemorrhage (SDH) will be the most common adult brain condition requiring neurosurgical intervention in the U.S., according to a new study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center. And hospitals and neurosurgeons may be under-manned to handle the projected onslaught of patients.
FDA panel backs Glaxo inhaler for adults, not adolescents Government health advisers say a once-a-day respiratory inhaler from GlaxoSmithKline appears safe and effective for adults with asthma, but not for adolescents.
	Peak cognitive skills not strictly a feature of youth, study finds New research is changing long-held ideas of how our minds age, painting a richer picture of different cognitive skills peaking across a lifetime, with at least one—vocabulary—peaking at a time when many are considering retirement.
	The pursuit of happiness You probably already have it in your diaries, but just in case you don't, 20 March is the International Day of Happiness. You know it's real because there's an official website and everything (www.dayofhappiness.net/about/).
Suspension leads to more pot use among teens, study finds Suspending kids from school for using marijuana is likely to lead to more—not less—pot use among their classmates, a new study finds.
	More than a third of 12-year-olds embarrassed to smile because of their teeth More than a third (35%) of 12-year-olds and 28% of 15-year-olds say they have been embarrassed to smile or laugh due to how they felt about their teeth, finds a new UCL-led report commissioned by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	How our DNA may prevent bowel cancer A new study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests the link between aspirin and colon cancer prevention may depend on a person's individual genetics.
	Thinking of drinking and driving? What if your car won't let you? If every new car made in the United States had a built-in blood alcohol level tester that prevented impaired drivers from driving the vehicle, how many lives could be saved, injuries prevented, and injury-related dollars left unspent?
	Bright new hope for beating deadly hereditary stomach and breast cancers Deadly familial stomach and lobular breast cancers could be successfully treated at their earliest stages, or even prevented, by existing drugs that have been newly identified by University of Otago cancer genetics researchers.
	Economic benefits of medical innovation undervalued, study says A new analysis co-written by a University of Illinois expert in health care economics concludes that increases in the pace of medical innovation reduce overall physical risks to health, and thus function in a manner similar to an expansion of or improvement in the efficiency of health insurance markets.
Measuring treatment response proves to be a powerful tool for guiding leukemia treatment Measuring the concentration of leukemia cells in patient bone marrow during the first 46 days of chemotherapy should help boost survival of young leukemia patients by better matching patients with the right intensity of chemotherapy. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators led the research, which appears in the March 20 edition of the journal Lancet Oncology.
	Power naps produce a significant improvement in memory performance A team of researchers at Saarland University headed by Professor Axel Mecklinger have shown that a short nap lasting about an hour can significantly improve memory performance. The study, which was coordinated by graduate research student Sara Studte, involved examination of memory recall in 41 participants. The volunteers had to learn single words and word pairs. Once the learning phase was over, the participants were tested to determine how much information they could remember. About half of the participants were then allowed to sleep, while the others watched a DVD. After that, the participants were re-tested and those who had taken a nap were shown to have retained substantially more word pairs in memory than the participants in the control group who had watched a DVD. The results of the study have been published in the respected academic journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
First blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be available The first blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be developed, thanks to research by the University of Warwick.
Review of global guidelines for sepsis needed Experts are calling for a global review of guidelines used to diagnose sepsis, after a study found one in eight patients with infections severe enough to need admission to an Intensive Care Unit in Australia and New Zealand, did not meet current criteria.
	Breastfeeding may offset leukemia risk Breastfeeding could help reduce the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, according to a WA-led study.
	Public outcomes reporting tied to lower PCI rates for acute MI (HealthDay)—Public reporting of outcomes may be tied to lower rates of percutaneous revascularization and higher in-hospital mortality among acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in reporting states, compared to nonreporting states, according to a study published in the March 24 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Serious risks from common IV devices mean doctors should choose carefully, experts say Every day, patients around the country get IV devices placed in their arms, to make it easier to receive medicines or have blood drawn over the course of days or weeks. But these PICC lines, as they're called, also raise the risk of potentially dangerous blood clots.
	Scientists must reduce antibiotic use in experiments Scientists should reduce antibiotic use in lab experiments - according to a researcher at the University of East Anglia.
	Less futile end-of-life care observed where palliative care knowledge is greater When a nursing home patient is dying, aggressive interventions such as inserting a feeding tube or sending the patient to the emergency room can futilely exacerbate, rather than relieve, their distress. Palliative care focuses nursing home resources on providing comfort at the end of life, but nursing directors vary widely in their knowledge of it. A new large national study found that the more nursing directors knew about palliative care, the lower the likelihood that their patients would experience aggressive end-of-life care.
	Handheld echocardiography ups rheumatic heart disease detection (HealthDay)—Handheld echocardiography (HAND) and auscultation improves detection of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) compared with auscultation alone, according to a study published online March 16 in Pediatrics.
	Skin cancer rates rise for hispanic, asian women (HealthDay)—While most white people who develop skin cancer are older men, the reverse is true in Asian and Hispanic populations, a new study suggests.
	CDC: Decline in TB rates in the united states slowing down (HealthDay)—As health officials in Kansas struggle with an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) at a local high school, federal officials reported Thursday that the annual decline in U.S. cases is slowing. The report was published in the March 20 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers ID potential prognostic marker for recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma A new study provides the first evidence that the mediator complex subunit 15 (MED15) may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). MED15 overexpression was found to be associated with higher mortality rates in HNSCC patients with cancer recurrence, particularly in oral cavity/oropharyngeal tumors, according to the study published in The American Journal of Pathology. MED15 overexpression was also associated with heavy alcohol consumption, which is an HNSCC risk factor.
More than 25 percent of acne patients fail to get prescribed medications Medicine obviously can't do much good if it sits on a pharmacy shelf. Yet more than one-quarter of the acne patients surveyed by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers didn't get medications prescribed by their dermatologists.
	Research team discovers backup system that helps sustain liver during crisis Scientists from Montana State University and Sweden have discovered an antioxidant system that helps sustain the liver when other systems are missing or compromised.
Team finds navigators are integral to clinical research process A study reported in this week's Science Translational Medicine found that qualified investigators are more likely to respond to opportunities for clinical trials if they are contacted by an institution-specific point person, or navigator.
	From soda bans to bike lanes: Which 'natural experiments' really reduce obesity? Banning sodas from school vending machines, building walking paths and playgrounds, adding supermarkets to food deserts and requiring nutritional labels on restaurant menus: Such changes to the environments where people live and work are among the growing number of solutions that have been proposed and attempted in efforts to stem the rising obesity epidemic with viable, population-based solutions. But which of these changes actually make an impact?
Health experts defend e-cigarettes despite concerns Health experts at an anti-tobacco conference in Abu Dhabi defended e-cigarettes on Friday, dismissing widespread concerns that the devices could lure adolescents into nicotine addiction.
	New treatment for scaffold creates healthier engineered bladder tissue A new technique to create tissue-engineered bladders has been shown to decrease scarring and significantly increase tissue growth. The bladders are produced using scaffolds coated with anti-inflammatory peptides. Tissue-engineered organs such as supplemental bladders, small arteries, skin grafts, cartilage, and even a full trachea have been implanted in patients, but the procedures are still experimental, very costly, and often fail.
Texas hospital TB probe ends with no active cases seen Health officials say they found no active tuberculosis cases among infants possibly exposed to a TB-infected El Paso hospital worker.
Life-saving treatments learned from war being missed Trauma is responsible for more global deaths annually than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Yet healthcare systems in many countries are missing out on life-saving treatments learnt on the battlefield, according to a review by King's College London and published today in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
	Newborn with heart defect saved after 13-hour operation The baby's condition, tetralogy of Fallot, was complicated by the fact that he was also missing his pulmonary valve and one of his pulmonary arteries was detached. But a doctor gave the distraught parents a glimmer of hope.
Novel therapy to treat patients with hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer European scientists recently discovered a novel therapy to treat a subgroup of patients with hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. Both the EU and the US have approved an accelerated procedure to market this promising new treatment with few side effects. On the web portal HorizonHealth.eu, the researchers reveal that they have now also developed a special technique to keep tumour tissue alive outside the human body. They can use this to identify patients that are likely to respond to the new therapy. The first results suggest that more than a thousand patients in the Netherlands alone may benefit from the new treatment every year.
Sipuleucel-T in prostate cancer: Indication of added benefit Sipuleucel-T (trade name Provenge) has been approved since September 2014 for men with metastatic prostate cancer who have few or no symptoms and do not yet require chemotherapy. In the dossier assessment conducted by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in January 2015, no added benefit could be derived for sipuleucel-T.
	Emails: UN health agency resisted declaring Ebola emergency In a delay that some say may have cost lives, the World Health Organization resisted calling the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a public health emergency until last summer, two months after staff raised the possibility and long after a senior manager called for a drastic change in strategy, The Associated Press has learned.
The Oldest Old are changing Canada In 1971 there were 139,000 Canadians aged 85 and over. By 2013 their numbers had risen to 702,000. The Oldest Old as they have become known today represent 2% of the total Canadian population. "They are a demographic reality which has to be taken into account in formulating public policy", according to Jacques Légaré, a demographer at the University of Montreal, who is presenting a report on this phenomenon this week to more than a hundred experts meeting at the Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster in Ottawa.
	Researchers combat prostate cancer at cellular level Florida International University scientists are battling prostate cancer at the cellular level. Researchers from FIU's Biomolecular Sciences Institute (BSI) believe they can eradicate prostate cancer that returns in patients who were previously treated by castration. Castration-resistant prostate cancer has no known cure, with 75 percent of patients dying within the first five years of onset.
Liberia officials: New patient tests positive for Ebola A patient has tested positive for Ebola in Liberia's capital, officials said Friday, deflating hopes that the West African nation had beaten the disease after weeks with no new cases.
Lawsuit: Dangerous arsenic levels found in California wine More than two dozen California vintners are facing a lawsuit claiming their wines contain dangerously high levels of arsenic.
New growth monitoring tools enable better detection of growth disorders in children Children's growth disorders can be detected earlier and more efficiently with the help of new growth monitoring tools, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland. These tools include up-to-date growth reference curves, evidence-based screening cut-off values for abnormal growth and automated growth monitoring based on electronic health records.

Biology news

	'Attract and kill:' Trapping malaria mosquito mums before they lay eggs In a world first, researchers have found that a naturally occurring chemical attracts pregnant malaria-transmitting mosquitoes - a discovery which could boost malaria control efforts.
	Mapping redox switches in cyanobacteria advances use as biofuel Chemical reactions involving reduction and oxidation, or redox, play a key role in regulating photosynthesis in plants and metabolism in animals and humans, keeping things running on an even keel. Now, in a study reported in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, a team of scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington University in St. Louis shed light on the role redox plays in cyanobacteria, tiny organisms with the potential to produce a lot of energy. The research team discovered more than 2,100 molecular locations inside a cyanobacterium where an amino acid known as cysteine either switched on or off by redox processes when the cyanobacteria were exposed to light or dark. The work significantly expanded the current repertoire of known redox changes within cyanobacteria.
	Mercury pollution danger for arctic ivory gulls A paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B today says that mercury levels in arctic ivory gulls have risen almost 50 fold over the last 130 years. Scientists think this increase in mercury pollutants could be to blame for plummeting population figures.
	Study shows orangutans use their hands to make their voices deeper (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with affiliations to institutions in Belgium, the U.K. and The Netherlands has found that orangutans use hand placement around their mouths to make their voices deeper, perhaps attempting to seem as if they are bigger to threats. In their paper published in The Journal of Experimental Biology, the researchers explain their study and why they believe their results might offer clues about the development of language in a species.
	Squid enrich their DNA 'blueprint' through prolific RNA editing One of the surprising discoveries to emerge from the young field of comparative genomics is that drastically different organisms—humans, sea urchins, worms, flies —are endowed with a more or less common set of genes. Given a similar DNA blueprint, then, how do species develop such vast differences in physical shape, size, and complexity?
	Shrinking habitats have adverse effects on world ecosystems An extensive study of global habitat fragmentation - the division of habitats into smaller and more isolated patches - points to major trouble for a number of the world's ecosystems and the plants and animals living in them.
	Food-delivery process inside seeds revealed Inside every seed is the embryo of a plant, and in most cases also a storage of food needed to power initial growth of the young seedling. A seed consists mainly of carbohydrates and these have to be is transported from the leaf where they are assimilated into the seed's outer coat from the parent plant and then accessed by the embryo. If not enough food is delivered, the seeds won't have the energy to grow when it's time to germinate. But very little is understood about this delivery process.
	Letting go of the (genetic) apron strings A new study from Princeton University sheds light on the handing over of genetic control from mother to offspring early in development. Learning how organisms manage this transition could help researchers understand larger questions about how embryos regulate cell division and differentiation into new types of cells.
	Statistician helps resolve dispute about how gene expression is controlled The differences between different tissues, such as brain and muscle, and between healthy and unhealthy human cells are largely defined by changes in the abundance of proteins in the cells. Transcription—the process that governs the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA—was long believed to play the dominant role in determining the quantity of proteins in a cell. But over the past decade, many studies have claimed that in animals, differences in the rate at which RNA is translated into proteins are a more important factor.
Healthy grain fibre helps barley resist pests Research at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus has shed light on the action of the serious agricultural pest, cereal cyst nematode, which will help progress improved resistant varieties.
	Birds flying high over the Great Lakes have a new strategic plan The Great Lakes are named for their size. And for migrating forest birds, navigating their long shores and big, open waters is an annual obstacle course that makes the Iron Man triathlon look easy.
	Field tests needed to help control feral cats Local wildlife ecologists have analysed research into feral cat habitat use from around the world in a bid to better manage the pest, which is one of the major threats to biodiversity globally.
	DNA in regions far from target genes governs cell state transitions through a coordinated wave of regulatory activity By comparing RNA expression patterns across many different tissues and time points, an international research team led by RIKEN scientists has discovered some basic rules of biological regulation. The findings, obtained by mapping the sequence of gene activation when cells undergo a state change, could pave the way for regenerative therapies that modulate cell fate.
UN urged to ensure open access to plant genomes A plant scientist from The Australian National University (ANU) has called for the United Nations to guarantee free and open access to plant DNA sequences to enable scientists to continue work to sustainably intensify world food production.
	Researchers develop detailed genetic map of world wheat varieties Kansas State University scientists have released findings of a complex, two-year study of the genomic diversity of wheat that creates an important foundation for future improvements in wheat around the world.
	Green sea turtles recover in Florida, Mexico Long considered an endangered species, green sea turtles in Florida and Mexico have bounced back and officials said Friday they are seeking to change the turtles' protected status to "threatened."
Zoo innovations has animals foraging for food When red pandas go on exhibit for the first time at Brookfield Zoo in July, they'll be housed around a broad tree that looks like a giant bonsai and has magical qualities.
	FDA approves genetically engineered potatoes, apples as safe Potatoes that won't bruise and apples that won't brown are a step closer to grocery store aisles.
	Alaska prepares for wood bison return after a century Alaska wildlife officials are preparing to release North America's largest land mammal into its native U.S. habitat for the first time in more than a century.
	Team studies DNA of tigers Tigers - they are some of nature's most beautiful, deadly and endangered species. In fact, living tigers are severely endangered in fragmented geographic areas across Asia - some reports show their numbers as low as 3,000 wild individuals. While there are efforts to help protect these magnificent creatures, more was needed in terms of research into the genetics of tigers.
African parasite that spreads poverty by killing cattle tamed by its less lethal cousins African cattle infected with a lethal parasite that kills one million cows per year are less likely to die when co-infected with the parasite's milder cousin, according to a new study published today in Science Advances. The findings suggest that "fighting fire with fire" is a strategy that might work against a range of parasitic diseases.
	Why you should celebrate World Sparrow Day For the past five years there has been a growing movement to recognise March 20 as World Sparrow Day – a day to celebrate the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) with art, poems, stories and events like office parties and school activities.
Redundant egg layers can become food Three million egg-laying hens are destroyed each year. Researchers believe that this practice is inadequately sustainable and want to see the hens exploited for food, oils and proteins.
	Ethiopia torches ivory stock, vows 'zero tolerance' to poachers Ethiopia on Friday torched a six-tonne pile of seized elephant ivory, the country's entire stock, vowing a "zero tolerance" policy towards poachers and traffickers.
Pigs gain the same with corn-ethanol co-product as with corn-soybean meal diet, says study Distillers dried grains with solubles, or DDGS, are increasingly common in swine diets in the United States. In recent years, different types of DDGS have come on the market.
Team shows how female spiders play an active role in courtship Single women aren't passive when it comes to the world of dating, and neither are female spiders, according to researchers at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa.

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