Science X Newsletter Thursday, Mar 26

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 26, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Now you see it: Real-space observation of many-body proton tunneling in water nanocluster
- Quantum compute this—Mathematicians build code to take on toughest of cyber attacks
- Using magnetic fields to understand high-temperature superconductivity
- Chemists make new silicon-based nanomaterials
- Galaxy clusters collide—dark matter still a mystery
- New mitochondrially-derived peptides show what they can do
- Blue Freedom uses power of flowing water to charge
- Swirling currents deliver phytoplankton carbon to ocean depths
- Designer's toolkit for dynamic DNA nanomachines
- How did the chicken cross the sea?
- Deadly Japan quake and tsunami spurred global warming, ozone loss
- Crossing fingers can reduce feelings of pain
- Ebola whole virus vaccine shown effective, safe in primates
- What if the severity of our seasonal influenza were related to our genetic background?
- The brain in the supermarket: Simple 'index strategy' helps consumers make choices

Astronomy & Space news

	Galaxy clusters collide—dark matter still a mystery When galaxy clusters collide, their dark matters pass through each other, with very little interaction. Deepening the mystery, a study by scientists at EPFL and the University of Edinburgh challenges the idea that dark matter is composed of particles.
	Best view yet of dusty cloud passing galactic center black hole The best observations so far of the dusty gas cloud G2 confirm that it made its closest approach to the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way in May 2014 and has survived the experience. The new result from ESO's Very Large Telescope shows that the object appears not to have been significantly stretched. It is most likely to be a young star with a massive core that is still accreting material.
	Japan launches replacement spy satellite Japan on Thursday successfully launched a replacement spy satellite, its aerospace agency said, as an existing device comes to the end of its working life.
	Feud on Earth but peace in space for US and Russia Hundreds of kilometres below on Earth, their governments are locked in a standoff over Ukraine—but up in space, Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts are still working together side by side.
	Image: The colors of sunset over the ISS ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took these images from the International Space Station during her six-month mission. The Progress cargo ship and Soyuz crew spacecraft reflect sunlight as our star sets behind Earth.
	Using 19th century technology to time travel to the stars In the late 19th century, astronomers developed the technique of capturing telescopic images of stars and galaxies on glass photographic plates. This allowed them to study the night sky in detail. Over 500,000 glass plate images taken from 1885 to 1992 are part of the Plate Stacks Collection of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), and is is the largest of its kind in the world.

Technology news

	Morphing wings help drones manage collisions Researchers in the US have taken inspiration from nature to create a robotic wing that can recover from mid-air collisions.
	Intel takes aim at the mobile market — again With a flurry of new chips and strategies, Intel is mounting its biggest push ever into a mobile computing market that threatens one of its key business lines.
	Opel/Vauxhall working on headlamps directed by driver's eyes You might think about adding this to your future driving experience: will you control your headlamp beams with your gaze? Vauxhall/Opel is developing such a system. It aims headlights where a driver is looking. Engineers at Opel/Vauxhall are to deliver eye-tracking technology which will control the direction and intensity of light based on where the driver is looking. You will increasingly hear phrases such as "situation-appropriate lighting" or a "third generation of adaptive lighting," and you get the picture.
	A new kind of light bulb traps insects that carry vector-borne diseases How many researchers does it take to change a light bulb? And how many lives could they save by changing it?
	Engineering students use sound waves to put out fires Two engineering students at George Mason University have found a way to use sound waves to quash fires and have built a type of extinguisher using what they have learned that they hope will revolutionize fire fighting technology. Viet Tran a computer engineering major and Seth Robertson, an electrical engineering major, chose to investigate the possibility of using sound to put out fires as a senior research project and now believe they have found something that might really work.
	Blue Freedom uses power of flowing water to charge Good friends may decide to tell you something that is not true but nonetheless sustaining: Nothing is impossible. That was the case of Blue Freedom co-founder who asked his friend if it would be possible to produce energy himself no matter where he was. The "nothing is impossible" reply evidently worked. He and his team put their heads together and a Blue Freedom device was the result.
Gasoline use at lowest rate in three decades Average fuel consumption by American drivers is at its lowest level in at least 30 years, says a University of Michigan researcher.
	Governments want to regulate bitcoin – is that even possible? The UK government has shown its intention to regulate bitcoin and other digital currencies, drawing them into the realms of financial regulation applied to banks and other financial services. But bitcoin is not a bank or a financial company based in the City. How would regulation apply to something that exists in the cloud?
	Twitter launches Meerkat-killer app Periscope (Update) Twitter on Thursday launched its streaming video application Periscope, a move that could dampen enthusiasm for the rising online rival Meerkat.
Special ops troops using flawed intel software Special operations troops heading to war zones are asking for commercial intelligence analysis software they say will help their missions. But their requests are languishing, and they are being ordered to use a flawed, in-house system preferred by the Pentagon, according to government records and interviews.
	New patent can multiply mobile devices' uploading speed by tenfold A patent held by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) describes a jacket able to increase by tenfold the speed at which mobile devices can upload content. It enables a jacket, in which numerous antennas are camouflaged, to connect to any mobile terminal in order to increase its data transfer speed, reduce its energy consumption and improve its reliability.
	Novel sensor system continuously monitors machinery and plant equipment A new method of continuously monitoring the status of machinery is currently being developed by a research team led by Professor Andreas Schütze of Saarland University. The mobile tablet-based system supplies information on the operational state of industrial machinery and plant equipment and can inform operators if a part needs to be replaced or if a repair can be postponed. The system uses sensors that continuously acquire data on parameters such as vibrational frequency or temperature. The engineers in the research team are working with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the HYDAC group to automatically associate patterns in the data with typical error conditions or failure modes. The researchers will be showcasing the method using a hydraulic test bench at HANNOVER MESSE from April 13th to April 17th.
Applications of optical fibre for sensors Mikel Bravo-Acha's PhD thesis has focused on the applications of optical fibre as a sensor. In the course of his research, conducted at the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre, he monitored a sensor fitted to optical fibre 253 kilometres away. "What is interesting is that the measurement was remote, all the information arrived through the fibre and we didn't need to fit any sockets to power the sensor. This would be very useful, for example, to monitor an oil pipeline crossing the desert where fitting electrical power supply systems for the sensors is not feasible."
	Pioneering techniques in computer vision and robotics for underwater surveying in Cardigan Bay Scientists at the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University have been working with marine conservation group Friends of Cardigan Bay to develop better techniques for studying the seabed which is vital for marine conservation and fisheries management.
	'American Idol'-like talent competition app launches For anyone who's ever dreamed of being on "American Idol" or "The Voice" as a performer or judge, a new app seeks to make their fantasy come true.
	New Samsung, HTC phones coming April 10 in US (Update) New phones from Samsung and HTC will be available in U.S. stores starting April 10.
	Virtual robotization for human limbs Recent advances in computer gaming technology allow for an increasingly immersive gaming experience. Gesture input devices, for example, synchronise a player's actions with the character on the screen. Entertainment systems now use special haptic displays - these are attached to the player's body to provide so-called 'vibrotactile feedback', synthesizing the feeling of being attacked during combat games, for example.
	Twitter chief vows to help Indonesia fight disasters Twitter chief Dick Costolo said Thursday the microblogging site planned to work with Indonesian authorities to warn people about natural disasters that regularly hit the archipelago, from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions.

Medicine & Health news

	Effect of natural sweetener Xylitol in preventing tooth decay still unproven New research from The University of Manchester out today concludes that there is limited evidence to show that xylitol is effective in preventing dental cavities in children and adults.
	Icelandic genome offers clues to human diversity, gene-disease links Scientists who sequenced the entire genomes of 2,636 people in Iceland have produced a trove of information about the nature, location, and frequency of human genetic variations.
	People from different cultures express sympathy differently, say researchers Sympathy is influenced by cultural differences, new Stanford research shows.
	Blocking cellular quality control mechanism gives cancer chemotherapy a boost A University of Rochester team found a way to make chemotherapy more effective, by stopping a cellular quality-control mechanism, according to a study published today in Nature Communications.
	Sea slug provides new way of analyzing brain data Scientists say our brains may not be as complicated as we once thought - and they're using sea slugs to prove it.
	Crossing fingers can reduce feelings of pain How you feel pain is affected by where sources of pain are in relation to each other, and so crossing your fingers can change what you feel on a single finger, finds new UCL research.
	New role uncovered for 'oldest' tumor suppressor gene Scientists have revealed a brand new function for one of the first cancer genes ever discovered - the retinoblastoma gene - in a finding that could open up exciting new approaches to treatment.
	Nerve cells borrow a trick from their synapses to dispose of garbage Genetic defects affecting tiny channels in human nerve cells lead to several neurological diseases that result from aberrant nerve transmission, such as episodic ataxia, absence epilepsy, and migraines. These disorders have also been associated with neurodegeneration, but it has been less clear why this should be.
	What if the severity of our seasonal influenza were related to our genetic background? While most of us recover from influenza after a week, it can be a very severe disease, and even fatal in rare cases, with no reason for physicians to have expected such an outcome. By analysing the genome of a little girl who contracted a severe form of influenza at the age of two and a half years, researchers at the Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, which brings together researchers from Inserm, Paris Descartes University, and physicians from the Paris public hospitals, working at the Imagine Institute, and from The Rockefeller University, have discovered that she has a genetic mutation, unknown until now, that causes a subtle dysfunction in her immune system.
	Ebola whole virus vaccine shown effective, safe in primates An Ebola whole virus vaccine, constructed using a novel experimental platform, has been shown to effectively protect monkeys exposed to the often fatal virus.
	Outcome not affected by family presence during resuscitation (HealthDay)—There are no significant differences in outcomes or processes of care for U.S. hospitals with policies allowing for family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) compared with hospitals without this policy, according to a study published online March 24 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
	Short hospital stays don't impair STEMI outcomes in seniors (HealthDay)—For older patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), outcomes are similar for discharge after 48 hours versus four to five days, according to a study published in the March 31 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Experts unveil two ways to identify joint replacement patients at risk for complication Orthopedic surgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed two new prediction tools aimed at identifying total hip and knee replacement patients who are at-risk of developing serious complications after surgery. The first tool identifies patients who have risk factors that should disqualify them from undergoing same-day (outpatient) or short-stay (overnight) total hip and knee replacement procedures, opting instead for traditional recovery pathways in the hospital. The second tool identifies which patients should be preemptively sent to the intensive care unit immediately following surgery rather than standard patient floors. The investigators unveiled the new models, and study findings on which they are based, on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
Middle-age hip replacements nearly double from 2002-2011 The number of total hip replacements (THRs) nearly doubled among middle-aged patients between 2002-2011, primarily due to the expansion of the middle-aged population in the U.S., according to a new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Continued growth in utilization of hip replacement surgery in patients age 45 to 64, an increase in revision surgeries for this population as they age, and a nearly 30 percent decline in the number of surgeons who perform THR, could have significant implications for future health care costs, THR demand and access.
The state of vaccine confidence: Early results of a Vaccine Confidence Index A decade on from the Northern Nigeria polio vaccination boycott and its global costs to the polio eradication initiative, a new report examines global issues affecting vaccine confidence and hesitation since the new millennium.
Harmless bacteria may be helpful against meningococcal outbreaks Nasal drops of harmless bacteria can inhibit a related bug that sometimes causes meningococcal disease, according to new findings published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study—conducted among college students, a group at higher risk for this often serious illness—suggests a new approach that could help suppress outbreaks of the disease, if supported by future research.
In debated surgical procedure, technique trumps technology A team of orthopedic surgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that modern technology for healing distal femur fractures is as safe and effective as its more established alternative, without a potential shortfall of the older approach. The team found that when done correctly, there are no significant differences between the two approaches - "locked plating" and "non-locked plating" - in terms of healing rates, need for corrective surgery, or hardware failure. The findings are being presented on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
New tool to foretell heart attack / stroke risk Over the age of 40? Want to know your risk of suffering a fatal heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years? Read on.
Public Health Responsibility Deal unlikely to be an effective response to alcohol harms Harmful alcohol consumption in England is unlikely to be reduced by the Public Health Responsibility Deal because the majority of its interventions are ineffective, poorly reported or were already happening anyway, according to two new studies published in Addiction.
Questions over value of new antibiotics to tackle resistance In the first installment of a new series, Peter Doshi, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Associate Editor at The BMJ, asks why authorities are approving drugs with little evidence they do anything to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance.
Black patients more likely to be readmitted after hip, knee replacement surgery A new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that black and Hispanic patients were 62 and 50 percent, respectively, more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after total joint replacement (TJR) surgery compared to white patients. In addition, Medicaid patients were 40 percent more likely to be readmitted to the hospital than patients with private insurance.
	Leukemia like Achilles, has its own weakness Leukemia cells from chronic myeloid leukemia patients, especially those in the advanced stage, lack the BRCA1 protein. Importantly, the protein is not present even if the patient carries the proper, unmutated gene responsible for BRCA1 production.
Healthcare a 'postcode-lottery' for children with cerebral palsy, new study shows Children with cerebral palsy face a 'postcode-lottery' in the healthcare they receive, new research has revealed.
	Obese grandmothers increase risk for children The grandchildren of obese women face a heightened risk of being born and raised to a life of obesity, University of Queensland researchers have found.
Emotion, values called valid in cancer-treatment decisions The doctor says: "We offer two kinds of surgery for your cancer. Both procedures have 80 percent cure rates. After the first kind, 4 percent of patients have serious complications. In the second type, 20 percent simply die. No pressure to decide, but the sooner we start …"
	Alcohol advertising has little effect on overall consumption, study finds Despite alcohol advertising facing increasing regulatory pressure in the U.S. and abroad, new research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that advertising has little if any effect on overall alcohol consumption.
New analysis finds successes, gaps in community-based diabetes prevention programs Lifestyle interventions designed to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes can work well in group-based, community settings, conclude authors from the University of Chicago Medicine in a new report issued by the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) on March 25, 2015.
	Playground washing only temporary solution to children's exposure to lead dust A new study has found that while the washing of playground equipment in mining towns does reduce children's exposure to dust metals by 55.9%, recontamination occurs within 24 hours.
	To beat leukemia, boost cell signaling, study suggests A new study of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) led by UC San Francisco researchers puts an intriguing new twist on anti-cancer strategies. Rather than inhibiting cellular signals that arise from a cancer-driving gene—the most common mode of action of modern targeted therapies—the researchers markedly increased signaling in cancerous cells, causing the cells to self-destruct and eliminating ALL in mouse models of the disease.
Newfound mechanism of chronic inflammatory pain could reduce drug doses A study led by Professor Lucía Hipólito, from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology of the University of Valencia, has revealed a new mechanism to treat chronic inflammatory pain that could help reduce the drug doses necessary for treatments. The project was developed during the researcher's stay at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and it concluded that the small potassium channel plays a fundamental role in regulating the neuronal excitability of the spinal cord. The findings of this work have just been published in the journal Pain.
	Researchers link willingness to apologize with conscientiousness We were all taught to say it in the playground and everyone learnt later to always say it to our spouses but it seems people with particular personality traits are more willing to actually apologise when they transgress.
	The significance of cleanliness and personal hygiene in the pathogenesis of allergies A new study carried out by LMU researchers has found no evidence for the notion that an overemphasis on personal and household hygiene stimulates the development of childhood allergies and asthma. The finding is based on data obtained from 400 families, which was compiled and analyzed by the research group led by Professor Erika von Mutius, Head of the Outpatient Department of Asthma Allergies at Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Munich. The results appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Prostate cancer and treatment choices – a decision shared by doctor and patient? Doctors strive to make treatment decisions together with their patients – but is the decision really shared? According to adjunct professor Kari Tikkinen, shared decision-making isn't easy, and clinicians need help. The international research group led by Tikkinen has studied the decision aids for treatment choice of localised prostate cancer
	Researchers overcome leukemia radiation resistance with an engineered precision medicine A team of researchers led by Fatih M. Uckun, MD, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine has determined that radiation resistance in leukemia can be overcome by using an engineered protein they recently designed and developed as a new precision medicine against leukemia. This study has been published in open access journal EBioMedicine.
	Metabolic imbalance increases risk of respiratory diseases in childhood An imbalance in our metabolism can trigger inflammatory processes in the body and activate the immune system. In a recent study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, UFZ researchers have been able to show that this applies even to newborns and children under one year of age, and is correlated with the development of respiratory diseases in early childhood.
Recycling histones through transcription Cells reuse a part of the histones which are used to pack DNA, according to a current study by Karolinska Institutet. The study, which is published in the journal Genome Research, was conducted on yeast cells, but it is likely that similar mechanisms are important for human beings as well.
	Feast then famine – how fasting might make our cells more resilient to stress Intermittent fasting (also called alternate day fasting) has become a popular diet. In most versions of intermittent fasting, people fast or eat very little a few days each week and then eat normal amounts during the remaining days.
Discovering age-specific brain changes in autism The field of autism research has tried to find a central theory underlying brain changes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Now, a new study shows that individuals with the disorder exhibit different patterns of brain connectivity, when compared to typically developing (TD) individuals and that these patterns adjust as the individual ages.
Superbugs could kill a million Chinese a year: economist China faces a million deaths a year from antibiotic-resistant superbugs and a loss of $20 trillion by 2050, an economist and former top Goldman Sachs executive said Thursday.
	Fitness level associated with lower risk of some cancers, death in men Men with a high fitness level in midlife appear to be at lower risk for lung and colorectal cancer, but not prostate cancer, and that higher fitness level also may put them at lower risk of death if they are diagnosed with cancer when they're older, according to a study published online by JAMA Oncology.
Promising drug target identified in medulloblastoma Scientists at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center have identified a protein critical to both the normal development of the brain and, in many cases, the development of medulloblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumor that usually strikes children under 10 years of age.
	Team develops anti-obesity treatment in animal models Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have shown that partial pharmacological inhibition of the PI3K enzyme in obese mice and monkeys reduces body weight and physiological manifestations of metabolic syndrome, specifically diabetes and hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), without any signs of side effects or toxicities. The work, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, is a collaborative project between the Tumor Suppression Group headed by Manuel Serrano at the CNIO (Madrid, Spain) and the Translational Gerontology Branch headed by Rafael de Cabo at the U.S. National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA), with participation of the NeurObesity group of CIMUS led by Miguel Lopez at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
	HIV can spread early, evolve in patients' brains The AIDS virus can genetically evolve and independently replicate in patients' brains early in the illness process, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered. An analysis of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), a window into brain chemical activity, revealed that for a subset of patients HIV had started replicating within the brain within the first four months of infection. CSF in 30 percent of HIV-infected patients tracked showed at least transient signs of inflammation - suggesting an active infectious process - or viral replication within the first two years of infection. There was also evidence that the mutating virus can evolve a genome in the central nervous system that is distinct from that in the periphery.
Calcium channels play a role in neuronal homeostasis and elimination of toxic buildup of proteins Taking out the garbage is a crucial step in housecleaning. Similarly, autophagy is the body's first-line of defense against the buildup up of toxic substances, degrading old organelles and proteins to provide new substrates and building blocks. In this way, autophagy prevents the buildup of "garbage" that can result in destruction of neurons and cause neurologic diseases.
Study explains why popular antacids may increase chance of bone fractures Newly published research from the Forsyth Institute details a discovery explaining why the 100 million Americans estimated to be taking prescription and over-the-counter antacid and heartburn medications may be at an increased risk of bone fractures.
	One in four high school seniors now try water pipes Despite declines in the number of youths who smoke cigarettes, hookah or water pipe use continues to rise among Canadian youth, a new study from the University of Waterloo reports. Published Monday in Cancer Causes and Control, the study found that almost one in four high school seniors try smoking hookah.
Study finds the role of genes is greater with living to older ages Genes appear to play a stronger role in longevity in people living to extreme older ages, according to a study of siblings led by Boston University and Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers.
International collaboration essential in fight against rabies, new study finds A new study, published today in the journal PloS Neglected Tropical Diseases has given new insights into the spread of rabies in the Middle East, showing that the deadly disease regularly moves between countries in the region.
	Thin air, high altitudes cause depression in female rats In a novel study, University of Utah (U of U) researchers have shown that hypobaric hypoxia (the reduced oxygen experienced at high altitude) can lead to depression.
FDA to scrutinize unproven alternative remedies (Update) Federal officials plan to review the safety and evidence behind alternative remedies like Zicam and Cold-Eeze, products that are protected by federal law, but not accepted by mainstream medicine.
High-fat diet alters behavior and produces signs of brain inflammation Can the consumption of fatty foods change your behavior and your brain?
	How the human immune system keeps tuberculosis at bay A new tissue culture model using human white blood cells shows how people with a latent - or symptom-free - tuberculosis infection are protected from active disease by a critical early step in their immune response, researchers say.
Roseroot herb shows promise as potential depression treatment option Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea), or roseroot, may be a beneficial treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD), according to results of a study in the journal Phytomedicine led by Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, associate professor of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine of University of Pennsylvania.
Blood test may shed new light on Fragile X related disorders A blood test may shed new light on Fragile X syndrome related disorders in women, according to a new study published in the March 25, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Fragile X is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and the most frequent genetic cause of autism.
Research aims to reduce health care disparities The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, queer/questioning and intersex (LGBTQI) population has been largely understudied by the medical community. Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center found that the LGBTQI community experience health disparities due to reduced access to health care and health insurance, coupled with being at an elevated risk for multiple types of cancer when compared to non-LGBTQI populations.
	Chikungunya virus may be coming to a city near you—learn the facts The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus has been the subject of increasing attention as it spreads throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. This painful and potentially debilitating disease is predicted to soon spread to the U.S.
Avoidant coping interferes with military veterans' successful transition to university life Military veterans who use avoidant coping strategies—denying or minimizing distressing thoughts, experiences and emotions—are more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety. However, emotional help and support from family members reduces the negative impacts of these conditions, according to a University of North Texas study on veterans' transition to becoming college and university students.
Female IBD patients: Stay up-to-date on your cervical cancer screening Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk of cervical dysplasia and cancer, according to a new study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
	Study adds evidence on link between PTSD, heart disease In a study of more than 8,000 veterans living in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, those with posttraumatic stress disorder had a nearly 50 percent greater risk of developing heart failure over about a seven-year follow-up period, compared with their non-PTSD peers.
	Novel nanoparticle therapy promotes wound healing An experimental therapy developed by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University cut in half the time it takes to heal wounds compared to no treatment at all. Details of the therapy, which was successfully tested in mice, were published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Top European beers to show calorie counts Beer drinkers in Europe will soon be able to find out the calorie count on their drinks after four of the world's biggest brewers said Thursday that they will list the information.
Stem cells may improve tendon healing, reduce retear risk in rotator cuff surgery An injection of a patient's bone marrow stem cells during rotator cuff surgery significantly improved healing and tendon durability, according to a study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Women fare better than men following total knee, hip replacement While women may have their first total joint replacement (TJR) at an older age, they are less likely to have complications related to their surgery or require revision surgery, according to a new study presented today at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The findings contradict the theory that TJR is underutilized in female patients because they have worse outcomes then men.
Arizona Legislature OKs abortion medication requirement Arizona lawmakers approved legislation that requires abortion providers to tell women they can reverse the effects of a drug-induced abortion and bars women from buying any health care plan through the federal marketplace that includes abortion coverage.
	Consent process for medical research conflicts with standard UK practice A major investigation into the views of volunteers on the consent process for medical research has been found to conflict with the standard practice required for consent in the UK.
	Research explains the formation of long-term motor memory Recent studies of long-term motor memory have pointed out the involvement of synaptic plasticity at multiple sites in the cerebellum, but the physiological mechanism remains unclear. Now results from a collaboration of researchers at the University of Electro-Communications and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, and the University of California, San Diego, in the US, successfully integrated the multiple plasticity mechanisms to explain the formation of long-term motor memory using simulations based on a mathematical model.
	Newly updated treatment guidelines for medullary thyroid carcinoma A Task Force convened by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) released updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The current document is the first revision of the original guidelines published in 2009. The Task Force has presented their recommendations in the article "Revised American Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma"), in Thyroid.
Budget cuts undermine global health innovations protecting against threats like Ebola As the world looks to American innovation to fight Ebola, malaria, tuberculosis, and a host of other health threats, a new report released today on Capitol Hill warns budget battles in Washington are eroding preparedness at home and abroad at a time when scientific advances are poised to deliver new lifesaving drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics.
Most women with early-stage breast cancer avoid extensive lymph node removal A new study of women with early-stage breast cancer finds that surgeons no longer universally remove most of the lymph nodes in the underarm area when a biopsy of the nearby lymph nodes shows cancer—a major change in breast cancer management. The study, which evaluated data from 2.7 million U.S. breast cancer patients, is published as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print publication later this year.
Experts set strategic priorities for lymphoma research A committee of lymphoma experts today unveiled a strategic roadmap identifying key priority areas in both infrastructure and research that will be critical for advancing treatments for people with lymphoma. The report is meant to inform future research directions as well as funding decisions by strategic partners that could include government agencies and the private sector. The strategic recommendations were developed after a review of the state of the science in lymphoma conducted at a special ASH Meeting on Lymphoma Biology held in August 2014. This meeting, part of a two-meeting pilot, was held in response to the lymphoma community's need for a forum focused on basic and translational science relevant to lymphoma.
US Ebola patient's condition improves: NIH An American healthcare worker in treatment after becoming infected with the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone has improved and is now in serious condition, the National Institutes of Health said Thursday.
	Indiana allows needle exchange program to stem HIV outbreak Indiana's governor authorized a short-term needle-exchange program and other steps Thursday to help contain the spread of HIV in a county tied to 79 new infections since January, all of them linked to intravenous drug use.
What to do with kidneys from older deceased donors? A new study highlights the best way to use kidneys from older deceased donors, providing the most benefits to patients and addressing the worsening organ shortage. The study's findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), could lead to changes in current transplant allocation policies.

Biology news

	New mitochondrially-derived peptides show what they can do (Phys.org)—There is a whole lot more to the textbook mitochondrial genome then once was thought. A case in point is a multifunctional peptide named humanin that is dual-encoded deep within 16S ribosomal RNA gene in the mtDNA. Pinchas Cohen's lab was one of three labs that simultaneously co-discovered humanin when screening for proteins that may be involved in Alzheimer's, IGF-1 signaling, and apoptosis. Cohen's group just published a report in Cell Metabolism where they described another mitochondrially derived peptide, this time encoded within the 12S RNA-c gene, which has also has some useful properties. A mere 16 amino acids in length, they have demonstrated that this MOTS-c peptide as they call it (mitochondrial open reading frame of RNA-c) has dramatic effects on obesity and insulin resistance.
	Mobile DNA sequencer shows potential for disease surveillance A pocket-sized device that can rapidly determine the sequence of an organism's DNA has shown its potential in disease detection, according to a study published in the open access, open data journal GigaScience.
	Discovery could lead to biological treatment for common birth defect USC researchers have discovered which stem cells are responsible for the growth of craniofacial bones in mice—a finding that could have a profound impact on the understanding and treatment of a birth defect that can lead to an array of physical and intellectual disabilities in humans.
	Biologist finds animal groups share dominance dynamics The cardinal rules of pecking orders extend well beyond birds and beaks, according to a new study led by a UNL biologist.
	Experiment reveals diet, immunity and gene links in fruit fly A scientific finding in fruit flies on the interplay of genes, nutrition and immunity provides insights that may one day inform personalized medicine.
	Sci-Fly study explores how lifeforms know to be the right size Shakespeare said "to be or not to be" is the question, and now scientists are asking how life forms grow to be the correct size with proportional body parts.
	Photosynthesis hack needed to feed the world by 2050, report says Using high-performance computing and genetic engineering to boost the photosynthetic efficiency of plants offers the best hope of increasing crop yields enough to feed a planet expected to have 9.5 billion people on it by 2050, researchers report in the journal Cell.
	Bats obey 'traffic rules' when trawling for food Foraging bats obey their own set of 'traffic rules', chasing, turning and avoiding collisions at high speed, new research from the University of Bristol, UK has found.
	How did the chicken cross the sea? It may sound like the makings of a joke, but answering the question of how chickens crossed the sea may soon provide more than just a punch line.
Bacteria can use magnetic particles to create 'natural battery' New research shows bacteria can use tiny magnetic particles to effectively create a 'natural battery.' According to study published in journal Science on 27 March, the bacteria can load electrons onto and discharge electrons from microscopic particles of magnetite. This discovery holds out the potential of using this mechanism to help clean up environmental pollution, and other bioengineering applications.
	To survive, a parasite mixes and matches its disguises, study suggests Orchestrated costume changes make it possible for certain nasty microbes to outsmart the immune system, which would otherwise recognize them by the telltale proteins they wear. By taking the first detailed look at how one such parasite periodically assumes a new protein disguise during a long-term infection, new research at Rockefeller University challenges many assumptions about one of the best-known examples of this strategy, called antigenic variation, in the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness.
	Researchers master gene editing technique in mosquito that transmits deadly diseases Traditionally, to understand how a gene functions, a scientist would breed an organism that lacks that gene - "knocking it out" - then ask how the organism has changed. Are its senses affected? Its behavior? Can it even survive? Thanks to the recent advance of gene editing technology, this gold standard genetic experiment has become much more accessible in a wide variety of organisms. Now, researchers at Rockefeller University have harnessed a technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 editing in an important and understudied species: the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which infects hundreds of millions of people annually with the deadly diseases chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue fever.
	Coorong fish hedge their bets for survival Analysis of the ear bones of the River Murray estuarine fish black bream has revealed how these fish 'hedge their bets' for population survival.
	Coyotes filling wolves' niche in southeastern US It's believed that wolves once roamed the southeastern United States before they were eliminated by overhunting and habitat loss. Now the region has a new top dog, the coyote, which may fill the role once played by wolves.
	Scientists look to the indoor biome as new research frontier A cross-disciplinary group of scientists is applying the tools of ecology and evolutionary biology to a new research frontier: indoor spaces.
	Researchers successfully produce genome-edited pigs using revolutionary technology Eighteen piglets born recently are the result of two years of intense research by scientists in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland and represent a breakthrough in the field of genetic engineering. Bhanu Telugu, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal & Avian Sciences (ANSC) and Ki-Eun Park, PhD, a faculty research assistant in ANSC, successfully produced genome-edited pigs using a recently developed, groundbreaking technique called the CRISPR system.
New thesis maps the origin of colour vision Roughly 500 million years ago, the genome of vertebrate animals' early ancestors doubled in size, not just once but twice. This meant that suddenly there were several gene copies which were free to develop new functions. Many of them came to use at different points in time or in new cell types. Then, about 350 million years ago, another doubling of the genome occurred in the ancestor of ray-finned fishes. These ancient events were of dramatic consequences to the evolution of eye-sight.
	Differences over time in the abundance of ant populations Thirty-seven thousand captured ants tell a story of how after a fire they thrive, leave and return hundreds of years later to areas of the Great Western Woodlands (GWW).
	Tasmania's swift parrot now facing population collapse The iconic Tasmanian swift parrot is facing population collapse and could become extinct within 16 years, new research has found.
	CRISPR technology brings precise genetic editing – and raises ethical questions A group of leading biologists earlier this month called for a halt to the use of a powerful new gene editing technique on humans. Known by the acronym CRISPR, the method allows precise editing of genes for targeted traits, which can be passed down to future generations.
	Antimicrobial CRISPR-Cas systems may be better weapons against bacteria than antibiotics Antibiotics are compounds that can kill bacteria. Many antibiotics are produced naturally by bacteria themselves as they compete for food or living space with other bacterial species. Over time, bacteria that are always exposed to antibiotics will be under selective pressure to evolve resistance to them; the members of the population that are more resistant will be the ones to reproduce more often.
Agricultural waste could be used as biofuel Straw-powered cars could be a thing of the future thanks to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
	A new jumping spider with mating plug discovered from the 'Western Ghats' Research endeavours undertaken in the recent past by the Division of Arachnology of Sacred Heart College, Kochi in India, under the leadership of Dr. P.A. Sebastian, have lead to the discovery of many new spiders from "Western Ghats" in southern India, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. Their new finding is a little jumping spider belonging to the family Salticidae and genus Stenaelurillus.
	Pacific-wide study reveals striped marlins' preferred habitat, may help avoid overfishing In the largest study to track striped marlin in the Pacific Ocean, marine ecologists report the preferred habitat of this valuable commercial and recreational fish by using direct observations collected by satellite tags. Details appear this month in an early online edition of Fisheries Research.
Flocks of starlings ride the wave to escape Why does it seem as if a dark band ripples through a flock of European starlings that are steering clear of a falcon or a hawk? It all lies in the birds' ability to quickly and repeatedly dip to one side to avoid being attacked. For a split second, these zigs change the view that observers on the ground have of the birds' wings to cause a so-called agitation wave. This evasive strategy is copied as quick as a flash from one neighboring bird to the next. The escape behavior underlying this was discovered in a study led by Charlotte Hemelrijk of the Centre for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies in the Netherlands and portrayed in a series of video clips. The findings are published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
	Report: Diversity of New England plant life is threatened From picturesque coastal estuaries of Cape Cod to the soaring White Mountains, much of New England's rich native flora is fighting for survival against increasing odds, according to what conservationists call the most comprehensive accounting ever made of the region's plant life.
	DNA chip technology for simultaneously testing 14 food borne pathogens Conventional methods for testing food-borne pathogens is based on the cultivation of pathogens, a process that is complicated and time consuming. So there is demand for alternative methods to test for food-borne pathogens that are simpler, quick and applicable to a wide range of potential applications.
	Cell celebrates intersection of food and science in special issue Science enters the kitchen in a special "Biology of Food" issue from the leading scientific journal Cell. This set of Review and Commentary articles comes on the heels of a recent collaboration between Cell Press and the reality competition "Top Chef" and covers the latest research on such topics as the biology underlying molecular gastronomy, our perception of food, the future of growing crops, how to tackle obesity, and the interplay between diet and the circadian clock.

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