Science X Newsletter Friday, Mar 27

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 28, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Seeing the (UV) light: Previously undetected difference in human mutation rate unique to Europeans
- Astronomers identify the best supernovae for measuring cosmic distances
- New insights found in black hole collisions
- New lobster-like predator found in 508 million-year-old fossil-rich site
- Nanoscale worms provide new route to nano-necklace structures
- Optically activating a cell signaling pathway using carbon nanotubes
- Festo has BionicANTs communicating by the rules for tasks
- Integrative approaches key to understanding cancer, developing therapies
- DARPA seeks new positioning, navigation, timing solutions
- Russia announces plan to build new space station with NASA
- Disrupted biological clock linked to Alzheimer's disease
- Researchers discover how body's good fat tissue communicates with brain
- Study provides evidence against the fetal origins of cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Astronauts board space station for one-year mission (Update)
- Sexual selection isn't the last word on bird plumage, study shows

Astronomy & Space news

	Video: NASA Mercury mission may hold clues to Earth's origins and evolution Sean Solomon, director of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, has been leading NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury for the last four years. MESSENGER is the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.
	'Teapot' nova begins to wane A star, or nova, has appeared in the constellation of Sagittarius and, even though it is now waning, it is still bright enough to be visible in the sky over Perth through binoculars or a telescope.
	Russian, American ready for a year in space The Russian astronaut heading off for a year in space says he'll miss the natural landscapes on Earth. His American counterpart jokes he won't miss his twin brother.
	Scuttling satellites to save space It takes a lot of ingenuity – not to mention a massive quantity of sheer force – to get satellites into orbit. Now space engineers are applying comparable ingenuity to the challenge of getting their missions out of there, too.
	Dark matter is darker than once thought This panel of images represents a study of 72 colliding galaxy clusters conducted by a team of astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope. The research sets new limits on how dark matter - the mysterious substance that makes up most of the matter in the Universe - interacts with itself, as reported in this article. This information could help scientists narrow down the possibilities of what dark matter may be.
	Astronomer finds multiple ways to get a fix on near-Earth asteroids For eons, ancient objects have slipped stealthily past Earth, their anonymity assured in the vastness of space. But now the clumps, chunks and misshapen islands of rock are being observed and measured within hours of their discovery, thanks to ingenuity, technology and the curiosity of David Trilling.
	No, a giant asteroid isn't going to "skim" Earth on Friday There are ways to report on occasional close approaches by near-Earth objects (NEOs) that convey the respectful awareness of their presences and the fact that our planet shares its neighborhood with many other objects, large and small… and that sometimes their paths around the Sun bring them unnervingly close to our own.
	Is the universe finite or infinite? Two possiblities exist: either the Universe is finite and has a size, or it's infinite and goes on forever. Both possibilities have mind-bending implications.
	More evidence for groundwater on Mars Monica Pondrelli and colleagues investigated the Equatorial Layered Deposits (ELDs) of Arabia Terra in Firsoff crater area, Mars, to understand their formation and potential habitability. On the plateau, ELDs consist of rare mounds, flat-lying deposits, and cross-bedded dune fields. Pondrelli and colleagues interpret the mounds as smaller spring deposits, the flat-lying deposits as playa, and the cross-bedded dune fields as aeolian. They write that groundwater fluctuations appear to be the major factor controlling ELD deposition.
	Europe poised to launch navigation satellites after mishap Europe was set to launch two navigation satellites Friday for its rival to America's GPS, the first additions to the Galileo constellation since a technical mishap misdirected two orbiters last year.
	Europe resumes Galileo satnav deployment (Update) Europe resumed deployment of its beleaguered Galileo satnav programme on Friday, launching a pair of satellites seven months after a rocket malfunction sent two multi-million euro orbiters awry.
	NASA asteroid hunter spacecraft data available to public Millions of images of celestial objects, including asteroids, observed by NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft now are available online to the public. The data was collected following the restart of the asteroid-seeking spacecraft in December 2013 after a lengthy hibernation.
	A new look at the sun's magnetic field Sunspots, bursts of radiation and violent eruptions are signs that our sun is permanently active. Researchers have long known that this activity varies in a cycle of around eleven years' duration. Even if many questions are still unresolved, one thing is certain: magnetic fields which emerge on the surface of our sun from within its depths are the cause of the manifold activities. Robert Cameron and Manfred Schüssler from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen have now proved that it is possible to deduce what the internal mechanism is simply by observing the magnetic processes on the surface. This even allows predictions to be made about the strength of a forthcoming activity cycle.
	Astronauts board space station for one-year mission (Update) Two Russians and an American floated into the International Space Station on Saturday, beginning what is to be a year away from Earth for two of them.
	Russia announces plan to build new space station with NASA Russia on Saturday announced initial plans to build a new orbital space station together with NASA to replace the International Space Station (ISS), which is set to operate until 2024.
	Astronomers identify the best supernovae for measuring cosmic distances The brilliant explosions of dead stars have been used for years to illuminate the far-flung reaches of our cosmos. The explosions, called Type Ia supernovae, allow astronomers to measure the distances to galaxies and measure the ever-increasing rate at which our universe is stretching apart.

Technology news

	Microsoft wants US suppliers to give employees paid time off Microsoft said Thursday that it will push its U.S. suppliers to give their employees paid time off—but that only applies for the staffers that do work for Microsoft.
	MESA complex starts largest production series in its history Sandia National Laboratories has begun making silicon wafers for three nuclear weapon modernization programs, the largest production series in the history of its Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications complex.
	A tool to improve the sustainability of the transport sector Transport is responsible for a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, so the European Commission has developed various strategies and directives designed to reduce dependence on oil, and the transport gas emissions responsible for this effect, thus leading to an increase in air quality in cities.
	Things to know about Internet vulnerabilities in the US Internet outages can disrupt emergency services, business transactions and basic communication. Here are few things to know about the nation's Internet infrastructure and its vulnerabilities.
	Yahoo boosts share buyback plan by $2 billion Yahoo on Thursday told US regulators that it will spend another $2 billion buying back shares as the pioneering US Internet search firm continues an effort to re-invent itself.
	Google's new CFO gets $70M for defecting from Morgan Stanley Google just found out that luring a top executive from Wall Street to Silicon Valley is expensive.
	Wearable device helps vision-impaired avoid collision People who have lost some of their peripheral vision, such as those with retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, or brain injury that causes half visual field loss, often face mobility challenges and increased likelihood of falls and collisions. As therapeutic vision restoration treatments are still in their infancy, rehabilitation approaches using assistive technologies are often times viable alternatives for addressing mobility challenges related to vision loss.
	Facebook moves ahead toward Internet drone air fleet Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday proclaimed the successful test of a wide-winged, solar-powered drone built to deliver wireless internet service to remote spots.
	Meerkat vs. Periscope: Live-streaming app battle & buzz Download Periscope, Twitter's just-launched live video-streaming app, and you'll find people broadcasting all sorts of mundane stuff: waiting for AT&T to fix their wiring, getting out of bed in Silicon Valley, looking outside their office window in Chicago.
	New sensor design reveals path to innovative imaging technologies Researchers at The University of Queensland are a step closer to designing a seamlessly-integrated and more affordable image sensor that would recognise colours much like the human eye does.
	Novel graph method detects cyber-attack patterns in complex computing networks As the perils of cyber security breaches continue to plague industries, governments, and citizens throughout the world, the need to detect these infiltrating events, as well as identify their attack patterns, in complex computing networks as they emerge in real time remains a paramount concern and growing challenge. In their work involving streaming graphs, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University, devised a novel framework called StreamWorks that categorizes cyber attacks as graph patterns, which then can be examined using a continuous search (query) on a single, large streaming dynamic graph. "Continuous Query" focuses on finding matches for queries in a data stream as soon as they happen, which is in contrast to ad hoc querying supported by databases such as MySQL or Neo4J that aim to efficiently query a large, non-changing data set.
	Cosmic-ray muon technology to be used to image debris inside Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors Toshiba Corporation and the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) today announced the development of a muon-based technology for imaging and mapping nuclear fuel debris inside the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The system was developed as the part of sub-project for "Development of Fuel Debris Sensing Technology for Nuclear Reactors" financed by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.
	Technology to look inside Fukushima reactors faces challenge The cutting-edge technology was billed as a way to decipher where exactly the morass of nuclear fuel might sit at the bottom of reactors in the Japanese power plant that went into multiple meltdowns four years ago.
	BlackBerry tops 4Q profit forecasts BlackBerry posted a surprise profit in the fourth quarter, but saw a sharp drop-off in revenue as the once-iconic smartphone company said it reached the halfway mark of its turnaround effort.
	Internet outages reveal gaps in US broadband infrastructure When vandals sliced a fiber-optic cable in the Arizona desert last month, they did more than time-warp thousands of people back to an era before computers, credit cards or even phones. They exposed a glaring vulnerability in the nation's Internet infrastructure: no backup systems in many places.
	Microsoft says data requests down, reforms needed Microsoft said Friday the number of global law enforcement requests for user data fell in 2014 as the tech giant renewed its call for surveillance reforms.
	Backup options for Internet lines can be costly, complicated Hunter Newby describes himself as a real estate entrepreneur, even if he's not marketing houses or land. Instead, he's selling space on a new fiber-optic transmission line to Internet providers, telecommunications companies and anyone wanting high-speed data.
	Apple chief Cook to give his wealth away: Fortune Apple chief Tim Cook is joining Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other technology titans who have vowed to donate their wealth to charities, according to a report in Fortune magazine.
	Smartphone domination pretty close to complete In case you haven't raised your head long enough to notice the throngs of people gazing hypnotically at their smartphones, the nation has passed a milestone.
	Facebook outlines plans for virtual reality Facebook and virtual reality, at first glance, might seem like pieces of a puzzle that don't exactly fit in the social network's future.
	Firm combines 3-D printing with ancient foundry method A century-old firm that's done custom metal work for some of the nation's most prestigious buildings has combined 3-D printing and an ancient foundry process for a project at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
	Amazon says FAA drone approval already obsolete The approval federal aviation officials gave Amazon.com last week to test a specific drone design outdoors is already outdated, the company's top policy executive said Tuesday in written testimony to a Senate subcommittee.
	Intel in talks with Altera on tie-up US tech giant Intel is in talks with rival Altera on a tie-up to broaden the chipmaker's product line amid growth in Internet-connected devices, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
	Jury says Silicon Valley firm did not discriminate (Update) A jury decided Friday that a prestigious venture capital firm did not discriminate or retaliate against a female employee in a case that debated gender imbalance and working conditions for women in Silicon Valley.
	Microsoft buys Office collaborator app LiveLoop Microsoft said Friday it has purchased the office mobile app LiveLoop, which allows multiple users to collaborate on PowerPoint presentations simultaneously.
	Future US Navy: Robotic sub-hunters, deepsea pods The robotic revolution that transformed warfare in the skies will soon extend to the deep sea, with underwater spy "satellites," drone-launching pods on the ocean floor and unmanned ships hunting submarines.
	Big data allows computer engineers to find genetic clues in humans Big data: It's a term we read and hear about often, but is hard to grasp. Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis' School of Engineering & Applied Science tackled some big data about an important protein and discovered its connection in human history as well as clues about its role in complex neurological diseases.
	Google patent focuses on pedestrian protection in vehicle impact Accidents happen. Motorized vehicles may collide with other vehicles or people. Conventional bumpers may protect the car against damage in the event of a collision but are not so kind to pedestrians. Imagine a bumper system with protective material that could sit on the outside of the car, as a buffer for pedestrians. Any pedestrian who has been hit by a car, and sent flying to the pavement on impact, might agree: a kinder, softer bumper is a nice idea.
	Review: Galaxy S6 phones are Samsung's best yet A better design, a sharper camera and easier-to-use software make the new Galaxy S6 phones the best Samsung has yet to offer.
	Saudi Arabia's role in global energy markets is changing, paper finds Saudi Arabia's role in global energy markets is changing, according to a new paper from an energy expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The researcher found that the kingdom is reshaping itself as a supplier of refined petroleum products while moving beyond its long-held role as a simple exporter of crude oil.
	New technology to help users combat mobile malware attacks University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have developed simple but effective techniques to prevent sophisticated malware from secretly attacking smartphones. This new malware defense is being presented at the IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications, or PerCom, today in St. Louis.
	Study identifies the challenges facing large-scale deployment of solar photovoltaics In a broad new assessment of the status and prospects of solar photovoltaic technology, MIT researchers say that it is "one of the few renewable, low-carbon resources with both the scalability and the technological maturity to meet ever-growing global demand for electricity."
	Indiegogo project 'Switchmate' lets you run light switch from your phone without rewiring A team at PCH International within a group known as Highway1 has posted an Indiegogo project that appears to be popular with would-be investors—the Switchmate—a project that has already drawn more than triple the targeted funding goal.
	SolarCity launches community microgrids with Tesla batteries SolarCity, well-known for rooftop solar systems, is expanding to so-called microgrids, larger power systems that can be tapped by communities when the power grid goes down.
	Do biofuel policies seek to cut emissions by cutting food? A study published today in the journal Science found that government biofuel policies rely on reductions in food consumption to generate greenhouse gas savings.
	DARPA seeks new positioning, navigation, timing solutions The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), writing about GPS, said: "The military relies heavily on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), but GPS access is easily blocked by methods such as jamming. In addition, many environments in which our military operates (inside buildings, in urban canyons, under dense foliage, underwater, and underground) have limited or no GPS access." This raises the questions of what DARPA plans as a step up. Will DARPA introduce relevant new technologies? Let DARPA say it in its own words: "GPS has provided a tremendous strategic advantage to the U.S. military, but heavy reliance on GPS has also become a strategic vulnerability. The need to be able to operate effectively in areas where GPS is inaccessible, unreliable or potentially denied by adversaries has created a demand for alternative precision timing and navigation capabilities."
	Festo has BionicANTs communicating by the rules for tasks Germany-based automation company Festo, focused on technologies for tasks, turns to nature for inspiration, trying to take the cues from how nature performs tasks so efficiently. "Whether it's energy efficiency, lightweight construction or function integration – over time, nature has developed a wealth of optimization strategies for adapting to its environment, and these strategies can be applied to the world of engineering," a Festo sentiment shared by many engineers outside of Festo.

Medicine & Health news

	Bundled payments: Study finds causes of hospital readmissions following joint replacements A new study from researchers at NYU Langone's Hospital for Joint Diseases identifies common causes of hospital readmissions following total hip and knee arthoplasty procedures. By finding these common causes, researchers believe quality can be increased and hospital costs decreased.
	Fracture liaison services prevent fractures and save lives Using a simulation model, Swedish researchers have shown that the implementation of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) could considerably reduce the human and healthcare costs associated with osteoporotic fractures. The results from the model were presented today at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases in Milan.
	New system aims to simplify patient transfers in emergency In an emergency, hospitals need to be able to quickly and safely transport patients to other facilities, along with all the specialized equipment, such as ventilators and intravenous medications, that patients need. That can be a monumental task, particularly in the heat of a crisis.
	Interactive map aims to improve cancer care in developing nations Most people don't associate cancer with people living in developing nations, yet 60 percent of new cancer cases and 70 percent of cancer deaths occur there, according to the World Health Organization.
	Diagnosing infectious diseases at the point-of-care A major problem with current testing for infectious diseases in Africa is that it focuses on individual diseases and cannot reliably discriminate between them. Since most infectious diseases have the same feverish symptoms, diagnosis is often inaccurate, resulting in thousands of deaths and increased resistance to antimicrobial drugs.
	Recombinant peptide for transplantation of pancreatic islets in mice models of diabetes Fujifilm Corporation has developed the micro-sized petaloid µ-pieces of Recombinant Peptide (RCP), a scaffold material required for cell cultivation and transplantation in regenerative medicine. It has been verified that the "CellSaic (Cell and Scaffold, forming Mosaic)," which is a three-dimensional mosaic cell structure that consists of RCP petaloid µ-pieces and cells, substantially increases the cells' survival rate in mice transplantation compared to cell-only transplantation. In the study using Type I diabetic model mice, the co-transplantation of CellSaic, which combines RCP petaloid µ-pieces with the human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and the cells from pancreatic islet, which controls blood glucose level, successfully lowered the blood glucose level to a normal level.
	Major increase in bowel cancer screening uptake shown with new screening test A large pilot study of a new bowel cancer screening test has demonstrated a major increase in participation rates across population groups.
	Sierra Leoneans to stay home in final push to stop Ebola Sierra Leone's 6 million people were told to stay home for three days, except for religious services, beginning Friday as the West African nation attempted a final push to rid itself of Ebola.
	Understaffed nursing shift impacts patients Patients exposed to understaffed nursing shifts have a significantly greater chance of suffering conditions such as surgical wound infections, pressure injuries, urinary tract infections and pneumonia.
	No need to delay rotator cuff surgery, study shows Delaying rotator cuff surgery on patients with shoulder stiffness may not be necessary, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day.
	UK nurse cured of Ebola after receiving new treatment (Update) A British army reservist who contracted Ebola while working as a volunteer nurse in Sierra Leone has fully recovered after becoming the first patient in the world to receive an experimental new treatment.
	For drivers with telescopic lenses, driving experience and training affect road test results For people with low vision who need bioptic telescopic glasses to drive, previous driving experience and the need for more training hours are the main factors affecting performance on driver's license road tests, according to a study in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
	Researchers highlight shoulder and elbow injury possibility in youth players Pitching speed, player's height, and pitching for multiple teams may correlate with a history of shoulder and elbow injuries, according to new research released today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day.
	Young athletes at greater risk for re-injury after ACL Surgery One in three young athletes who undergo ACL surgery experiences re-injury, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day. The study examined the long term success of surgery for patients aged 18 years and younger.
	New way to evaluate meniscus tear outcomes An individual's meniscus (cushion in the knee) is one of the most important ligaments in the leg providing stability, load bearing and preservation of the knee joint. It is also one of the most easily injured areas and difficult to fully heal. Researchers presenting their study at today's Specialty Day meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) utilized MRI data to determine the potential for biologic healing following a meniscus tear.
	For type V AC joint injuries, early surgery may not be the best approach Early surgery may not be the best treatment option for patients with Type V AC joint injuries, according to new research from Tripler Army Medical Center. The study, presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day, showed military personnel returned to duty faster when surgery was not performed.
	Bariatric surgery before joint replacement can improve outcomes in obese patients Obesity is not only a risk factor for developing knee and hip arthritis. It is also linked to less favorable outcomes after joint replacement surgery. Two new studies at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City find that bariatric surgery prior to joint replacement is a cost-effective option to improve outcomes after hip or knee replacement.
	Swiss authorities target 'live cell' injection clinics Swiss health regulators announced Thursday they have launched a criminal probe into clinics suspected of giving clients potentially dangerous animal cell injections as part of anti-ageing treatments.
	Carnival game mimics eye growth The motion of coins in a "Penny Pusher" carnival game is similar to the movement of cells in the eye's lens, as described in a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). This new insight may help scientists understand how the eye maintains its precise shape—critical for clear vision—and how cataracts develop.
	Mexican Americans confront high disability rates in later life Life expectancy for Hispanics in the U.S. currently outpaces other ethnic groups, yet a new study finds that Mexican Americans—especially women who were born in Mexico—are spending a high proportion of their later years with some form of disability, a fact that suggests a growing need for community assistance and long-term care in the future.
	Teenagers shape each other's views on how risky a situation is Young adolescents' judgements on how risky a situation might be are most influenced by what other teenagers think, while most other age groups are more influenced by adults' views, finds new UCL research.
	Most NFL players with injuries to the midfoot return to game action, study finds Nearly 93 percent of National Football League (NFL) athletes who sustained traumatic injuries to the midfoot returned to competition less than 15 months after injury and with no statistically significant decrease in performance, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings, which focus on Lisfranc injuries - characterized by fracture of the midfoot bones and/or disruption of the midfoot ligaments - between 2000-2010, were presented today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual conference in Las Vegas.
	Little vetting of pilots for mental health, US experts say Despite U.S. and international regulations requiring that airline pilots be screened for mental health problems, little effective, real-world checking takes place, pilots and safety experts say.
	Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear safe says US agency Two experimental Ebola vaccines, tested in Liberia on more than 600 people in a phase 2 clinical trial appear to be safe, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said Thursday.
	Love the cook: Attraction to comfort food linked to positive social connections A big bowl of mashed potatoes. What about spaghetti and meatballs? Sushi? Regardless of what you identify as comfort food, it's likely the attraction to that dish is based on having a good relationship with the person you remember first preparing it, according to the results of a new study by a University at Buffalo research team.
	Genetic test for inherited kidney diseases developed Many kidney disorders are difficult to diagnose. To address this problem, scientists and clinicians have developed a diagnostic test that identifies genetic changes linked to inherited kidney disorders. This testing is now available nationwide through Genomic Pathology Services (GPS) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
	Study finds urban farmers' markets may fall short compared to neighborhood stores Farmers' markets located in urban areas may not contribute positively to nutrition or health according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center. Their study, published online in the journal Appetite in February, is the first to itemize farmers' market products in an entire urban county—in this case the Bronx—and compare them with what's available in nearby stores.
	Discontinuing statin therapy for patients with life-limiting illnesses is found safe and beneficial Maryjo Prince-Paul, an assistant professor of nursing from Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, and other researchers in palliative care can now answer questions from patients with terminal illnesses about stopping statin medications.
	How the brain remembers pain Scientists from Berne have discovered a mechanism, which is responsible for the chronification of pain in the brain. The results of their study suggest new strategies for the medical treatment of chronic pain.
	New stent devices can limit stroke damage, says neurosurgeon Elizabeth Celli was experiencing a moderate-to-severe stroke when she arrived at Loyola University Medical Center's Emergency Department.
	Controlling inflammation in fat cells to fight obesity-induced diabetes The excess fat tissue associated with obesity causes inflammation and reduces glucose tolerance, which increases the risk of diabetes. The mechanism responsible for these physiological effects, however, has been unclear. An international team including researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) has now identified a signaling pathway that is crucial for controlling obesity-associated inflammation, offering hope for a therapeutic target to prevent glucose intolerance.
	Clues to a city's health may be found in its sewage Research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee suggests that sampling a city's sewage can tell scientists a great deal about its residents – and may someday lead to improvements in public health.
	Research on medical abortion and miscarriage may change international routines Two scientific studies led by researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet are expected to form the basis of new international recommendations for the treatment of medical abortions and miscarriages. One of the studies, both of which are being published in The Lancet, shows that it is possible to replace the clinical follow-up examinations recommended today with medical abortions that include a home pregnancy test. The other study shows that midwives can safely and effectively treat failed abortions and miscarriages in rural districts of Uganda.
	Biomarker set forms the basis for new blood test to detect colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer globally and the second most common cause of cancer deaths. The chance of a cure is high if the cancer is detected early enough, but early detection is not a given. Researchers from VIB and KU Leuven - together with various European oncology centers, including UZ Leuven - have identified biomarkers that can be incorporated in a new diagnostic test. This should make it possible to detect colorectal cancer in an early stage using a simple blood test.
	US aims to cut antibiotic use US President Barack Obama on Friday rolled out plans to cut inappropriate antibiotic use by half, in an effort to tackle drug resistance.
	CDC: Hypertension-related deaths on the rise in US (HealthDay)—The overall death rate from high blood pressure in the United States has increased 23 percent since 2000, even as the death rate from all other causes has dropped 21 percent, health officials reported Thursday.
	Physicians should be aware of signs of burnout (HealthDay)—Burnout can be prevented if physicians are aware of the warning signs, according to an article published by the American Medical Association.
	CDC launches new round of graphic anti-smoking ads (HealthDay)—U.S. health officials on Thursday released a new round of graphic anti-smoking ads featuring former smokers living with the ravages of tobacco.
	Perception of crisis mode tied to patient info exchange issues (HealthDay)—Hospital staff members who perceive their unit is trying to do too much too quickly are more likely to also perceive problems in exchanging patient information across units, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
	Intraperitoneal chemo offers lasting benefit in ovarian cancer (HealthDay)—Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy offers lasting benefit for patients with advanced ovarian cancer, according to a study published online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Prevalence of subclinical disease ID'd in African-Americans (HealthDay)—African-Americans have a moderately high prevalence of subclinical disease, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study published online March 12 in Diabetes Care.
	E-health intervention feasible in lumbar spinal stenosis (HealthDay)—For obese patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), an e-health intervention is feasible and effective for increasing physical activity and decreasing fat mass, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
	First fully-implantable micropacemaker designed for fetal use A team of investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have developed the first fully implantable micropacemaker designed for use in a fetus with complete heart block. The team has done preclinical testing and optimization as reported in a recent issue of the journal Heart Rhythm. The micropacemaker has been designated a Humanitarian Use Device by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The investigators anticipate the first human use of the device in the near future.
	More than one-third of Division I college athletes may have low vitamin D levels A new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that more than one-third of elite, Division I college athletes may have low levels of vitamin D, which is critical in helping the body to absorb calcium needed to maintain bone mass, and to minimize musculoskeletal pain and injury risk.
	Smell test helps spot brain trauma in combat zones, study says (HealthDay)—Testing soldiers' sense of smell can help diagnose those with traumatic brain injury, a new study shows.
	Three drinks per day may raise liver cancer risk, but coffee lowers it (HealthDay)— People who have three or more alcoholic drinks per day could be raising their odds for liver cancer, according to a report from a panel of experts.
	COPD takes big toll on employment, mobility in US (HealthDay)—The respiratory illness known as COPD takes a toll on mobility and employment, with a new report finding that nearly one-quarter of Americans with the condition are unable to work.
	AAFP issues comprehensive breastfeeding toolkit (HealthDay)—A new breastfeeding toolkit is available, which includes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) business case for why employers should support breastfeeding, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
	Playing music by professional musicians activates genes for learning and memory Although music perception and practice are well preserved in human evolution, the biological determinants of music practice are largely unknown. According to a latest study, music performance by professional musicians enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission, motor behavior, learning and memory. Interestingly, several of those up-regulated genes were also known to be responsible for song production in songbirds, which suggests a potential evolutionary conservation in sound perception and production across species.
	C. difficile doubles hospital readmission rates, lengths of stay Patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital as patients without the deadly diarrheal infection, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
	Google teams with J&J on robotic surgery US health care giant Johnson & Johnson announced plans Friday to collaborate with Google on surgical robotics.
	Is painful knee and hand osteoarthritis in women associated with excess mortality? Research looking at risk of early mortality of British middle-aged women and osteoarthritis was presented today at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases. It shows that any painful knee osteoarthritis is strongly associated with early overall and cardiovascular mortality. Interestingly these findings are independent to most of the known risk factors linked with early mortality. The study was based on the data from the Chingford Study. This is community based data from a cohort of middle-aged women followed up for 24 years. It was used to evaluate the effect of knee and hand pain with or without radiographic osteoarthritis on early overall and disease specific mortality.
	Depression, suicide and the workplace - Q&A Expert opinions on the potential link between depression and the suspected mass murder-suicide of a Germanwings co-pilot who flew an Airbus into the French Alps Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board:
	Kidney patients living longer on dialysis, study shows (HealthDay)—New statistics suggest that kidney patients on dialysis are surviving longer.
	E-cigarettes may pose a risk in pregnancy and to children (HealthDay)—Nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes may damage the developing brains of infants in the womb, as well as the brains of children and adolescents, suggests a new review of nicotine's effects.
	Innovative prototype presented for post-ICU patients (HealthDay)—A collaborative care model, the Critical Care Recovery Center (CCRC), represents an innovative prototype aimed to improve the quality of life of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, according to a report published in the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing.
	Physician/Pharmacist model can improve mean BP (HealthDay)—A physician/pharmacist collaborative model can improve mean blood pressure (BP), according to a study published online March 24 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
	Early palliative care improves survival in advanced cancer (HealthDay)—Early initiation of palliative care (PC) interventions improves survival and caregiver burden in advanced cancer, according to two studies published online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Nocturnal GERD tied to non-infectious rhinitis (HealthDay)—Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) appears to be a risk factor for non-infectious rhinitis (NIR), according to a study published online March 24 in Allergy.
	Second western Minnesota turkey farm hit by bird flu outbreak A second Minnesota turkey farm has been struck by a form of bird flu that's deadly to poultry and will lose 66,000 birds, state and federal officials said Friday.
	Pain injections for hip arthroscopy patients may not predict surgical outcomes How best to treat and recover from complicated hip injuries is a growing field in orthopaedic medicine. While diagnostic hip injections are commonly performed for patients with labral tear to confirm the pain etiology, research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day suggests that pain relief from this diagnostic injection may not predict better outcomes following arthroscopic hip surgery.
	Ebola virus has mutated less than scientists feared, study finds The Ebola virus is not mutating as quickly as scientists had feared, which is good news for treating the disease and preventing its spread, a study showed Thursday.
	The switch that might tame the most aggressive of breast cancers Australian researchers have found that so-called 'triple-negative breast cancers' are two distinct diseases that likely originate from different cell types. This helps explain why survival prospects for women with the diagnosis tend to be either very good or very bad.
	MRI based on a sugar molecule can tell cancerous from noncancerous cells Imaging tests like mammograms or CT scans can detect tumors, but figuring out whether a growth is or isn't cancer usually requires a biopsy to study cells directly. Now results of a Johns Hopkins study suggest that MRI could one day make biopsies more effective or even replace them altogether by noninvasively detecting telltale sugar molecules shed by the outer membranes of cancerous cells.
	Disrupted biological clock linked to Alzheimer's disease New research has identified some of the processes by which molecules associated with neurological diseases can disrupt the biological clock, interfere with sleep and activity patterns, and set the stage for a spiral of health concerns that can include a decreased lifespan and Alzheimer's disease.
	Researchers offer update on immunotherapy based cancer fighting drugs (Medical Xpress)—A quartet of researchers affiliated with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, have written and published a State of the Art Review piece in a special edition issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine—they describe recent advances in immunotherapy drugs that are being used to treat various types of cancers. The Review piece by the authors was but one of three articles published in the special edition that are focused on offering updates on current research, clinical trial information, drugs and other pertinent information related to immunotherapy and the inroads that are being made to advance the effectiveness of boosting the body's natural ability to fight off diseases.
	Researchers discover how body's good fat tissue communicates with brain Brown fat tissue, the body's "good fat," communicates with the brain through sensory nerves, possibly sharing information that is important for fighting human obesity, such as how much fat we have and how much fat we've lost, according to researchers at Georgia State University.
	Study provides evidence against the fetal origins of cancer and cardiovascular disease A study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues in the Netherlands evaluated the relationship between nutritional conditions in very early life and adult health, and found that famine exposure during the first pregnancy trimester was associated with increases in mortality from a variety of causes other than cancer or cardiovascular disease.
	Integrative approaches key to understanding cancer, developing therapies Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are using integrative approaches to study cancer by combining mathematical and computational modeling with experimental and clinical data. The use of integrative approaches enables scientists to study and model cancer progression in a manner that conventional experimental systems are unable to do.
	When attention is a deficit: How the brain switches strategies to find better solutions Sometimes being too focused on a task is not a good thing.

Biology news

	Sea otter rescued in California oil spill dies of shark bite A sea otter that became an ambassador for her species after a remarkable recovery from an oil tar soaking off the coast of Northern California has been killed by a shark.
	Ecologist tracks tick-borne diseases beyond their usual borders As spring blooms, people in the Northeast and Midwest look forward to spending more time outdoors—which also means plotting ways to avoid the disease carrying black-legged deer tick. This year new research shows that people outside of these areas may also want to take precautions. Black-legged ticks are rapidly growing in number, expanding geographically and carrying pathogens that can lead to ailments like Lyme disease and babesiosis into places where they were relatively unknown.
	Marbling research shows healthy fat in beef has benefits Beef with reasonable marbling and juicy taste is preferred among consumers, and industry leaders continue to monitor how to consistently produce a product with these traits. A recent research article addresses the biology and biochemistry of beef marbling and its effects on production systems, carcass and fat quality.
	Predicting pesticide loads more accurately The EU wants to further improve the authorization process for plant protection products. The different national procedures for this are supposed to be further harmonized. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a software for estimating the transfer of pesticides into surface water initially in Germany.
	Italian olive tree disease stumps EU EU member states are divided on how to stop the spread of a disease affecting olive trees in Italy that could result in around a million being cut down, officials said Friday.
	Wood bison make it to Alaska village; April release planned A hundred wood bison that will be the foundation for the first wild herd on U.S. soil in more than a century have been safely delivered to a rural Alaska village, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
	Research finds reef fish can adjust for gender as oceans warm Using a multigenerational experiment UTS research has shown for the first time that when reef fish parents develop from early life at elevated temperatures they can adjust their offspring gender through non-genetic and non-behavioural means.
	Scottish puffins found with plastic pellets in their stomachs Autopsies of dead puffins collected from the Isle of May in Scotland have revealed that, along with their usual diet of sand eels, these charismatic seabirds have been eating plastic pellets, known as nurdles.
	Researchers explain mysterious migratory journey of wild salmon As we prepare to adjust to the shifting day length caused by the change in clocks, a team of scientists has discovered how changes in the light are used in the completion of one of nature's most amazing migratory journeys.
	A protein controlling root structure could play a widespread role in plant cellular signaling A novel protein, PUB4, that regulates cell division in root tips has been uncovered by genetic research led by the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science.
	Whale watching impacts on minke whales are not likely to be a conservation threat Wildlife tourism, like whale watching, can substantially disrupt the activities of the animals targeted but does it threaten populations with extinction?
	Evolutionary novelties in vision A new study from SciLifeLab at Uppsala University published in PLOS ONE shows that genes crucial for vision were multiplied in the early stages of vertebrate evolution and acquired distinct functions leading to the sophisticated mechanisms of vertebrate eyes.
	A long-standing mystery in membrane traffic solved In 2013, James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, and Thomas C. Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of molecular machineries for vesicle trafficking, a major transport system in cells for maintaining cellular processes. Vesicle traffic acts as a kind of "home-delivery service" in cells. Vesicles package and deliver materials such as proteins and hormones from one cell organelle to another. Then it releases its contents by fusing with the target organelle's membrane. One example of vesicle traffic is in neuronal communications, where neurotransmitters are released from a neuron. Some of the key proteins for vesicle traffic discovered by the Nobel Prize winners were N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF), alpha-soluble NSF attachment protein (α-SNAP), and soluble SNAP receptors (SNAREs).
	China starts relocating endangered porpoises: Xinhua Chinese authorities on Friday began relocating the country's rare finless porpoise population in a bid to revive a species threatened by pollution, overfishing and heavy traffic in their Yangtze River habitat, state media reported.
	Researchers develop computational model to simulate bacterial behavior University of Notre Dame applied mathematician Mark Alber and environmental biotechnologist Robert Nerenberg have developed a new computational model that effectively simulates the mechanical behavior of biofilms. Their model may lead to new strategies for studying a range of issues from blood clots to waste treatment systems.
	Antibiotic effectiveness imperiled as use in livestock expected to increase Antibiotic consumption in livestock worldwide could rise by 67 percent between 2010 and 2030, and possibly endanger the effectiveness of antimicrobials in humans, according to researchers from Princeton University, the International Livestock Research Institute, the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy.
	Honey bees use multiple genetic pathways to fight infections Honey bees use different sets of genes, regulated by two distinct mechanisms, to fight off viruses, bacteria and gut parasites, according to researchers at Penn State and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
	Researchers find patterns in evolving genomes of thousands of species A pair of genetics researchers at Iowa State University found striking patterns in the building blocks of DNA in a wide variety of species, according to their recently published paper.
	Study considers how coalition-building by monkeys relates to human social structures Despite his yellow teeth, orange eyes and odd spiky 'do, the crested black macaque is undeniably engaging, not the least to primatologist Maura Tyrrell, a PhD candidate in the University at Buffalo Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior.
	A peek at the secret life of pandas Reclusive giant pandas fascinate the world, yet precious little is known about how they spend their time in the Chinese bamboo forests. Until now.
	Sexual selection isn't the last word on bird plumage, study shows In the world of bird fashion, the guys seem to have all the fun: brighter feathers, sharper accessories, more pizzazz.
	Seeing the (UV) light: Previously undetected difference in human mutation rate unique to Europeans (Phys.org)—Although humans are a single species, not all genetic variation is shared between populations – and the ability to sequence our entire genome has allowed scientists to catalogue mutations that occur in one ethnic group alone. These so-called population-private mutations give researchers a unique window into recent human history. Recently, graduate student Kelley Harris – a scientist at University of California, Berkeley – revealed a previously undetected difference between Europeans and other ethnic groups by comparing population-private mutation frequencies from Europe, Asia, and Africa, finding that Europeans experience higher rates of a specific mutation type that has known associations with UV light exposure. Harris concludes that while it is unclear whether the excess mutations are harmful or directly related to the UV sensitivity of light skin, her results demonstrate that the human mutation rate has evolv! ed on a much faster timescale than previously believed, with implications for cancer genetics, anthropology and other fields of inquiry.

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