Science X Newsletter Week 38

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 38:

	You're not irrational, you're just quantum probabilistic: Researchers explain human decision-making with physics theory The next time someone accuses you of making an irrational decision, just explain that you're obeying the laws of quantum physics.
	'Tree of life' for 2.3 million species released A first draft of the "tree of life" for the roughly 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes—from platypuses to puffballs—has been released.
	Ban on microbeads offers best chance to protect oceans, aquatic species An outright ban on the common use of plastic "microbeads" from products that enter wastewater is the best way to protect water quality, wildlife, and resources used by people, a group of conservation scientists suggest in a new analysis.
	Wolves found to be better at problem-solving task than domesticated dogs (Phys.org)—Monique Udell, a researcher with Oregon State University, has found via experimentation, that domestic dogs appear to have lost some of their problem solving abilities as a result of their long history with humans. In her paper published in the journal Biology Letters, she describes a study she carried out and offers some theories on why she believe domesticated dogs may have lost some of their natural skills.
	Making 3-D objects disappear: Researchers create ultrathin invisibility cloak Invisibility cloaks are a staple of science fiction and fantasy, from Star Trek to Harry Potter, but don't exist in real life, or do they? Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have devised an ultra-thin invisibility "skin" cloak that can conform to the shape of an object and conceal it from detection with visible light. Although this cloak is only microscopic in size, the principles behind the technology should enable it to be scaled-up to conceal macroscopic items as well.
	Advanced alien civilizations rare or absent in the local universe Sensitive new telescopes now permit astronomers to detect the waste heat that is expected to be a signature of advanced alien civilizations that can harness enormous energies on the scale of the stellar output of their own galaxy. Professor Michael Garrett (ASTRON General & Scientific Director) has used radio observations of candidate galaxies to show that such advanced civilizations are very rare or entirely absent from the local universe.
	Most precise test of Lorentz symmetry for the photon finds that the speed of light is indeed constant (Phys.org)—The laws of physics are the same no matter which direction you're facing or how fast you're moving—it's such an intuitive concept that most people probably don't know that it has a name: Lorentz symmetry. Over the past several decades, physicists have been testing Lorentz symmetry at ever-higher degrees of precision, as violations of the foundational property are predicted by a number of proposals that aim to unify the two major theories of modern physics: general relativity and the standard model of particle physics.
	Physicists develop key component for terahertz wireless Terahertz radiation could one day provide the backbone for wireless systems that can deliver data up to one hundred times faster than today's cellular or Wi-Fi networks. But there remain many technical challenges to be solved before terahertz wireless is ready for prime time.
	What's the best way to charge millions of electric vehicles at once? (Phys.org)—About 350,000 plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold in the US from 2008—when they first entered the market—to mid-2015. Although EVs still represent a small fraction of the country's 250 million total vehicles, the continual increase in sales suggests that EVs will become even more popular over the next few decades. This raises the question of how millions of EVs may be charged at once on a grid that was not originally intended to supply such large amounts of power.
	Virus in cattle linked to human breast cancer A new study by University of California, Berkeley, researchers establishes for the first time a link between infection with the bovine leukemia virus and human breast cancer.
	Discovery of a highly efficient catalyst eases way to hydrogen economy Hydrogen could be the ideal fuel: Whether used to make electricity in a fuel cell or burned to make heat, the only byproduct is water; there is no climate-altering carbon dioxide.
	New efficiency record for solar hydrogen production is 14 percent An international team has succeeded in considerably increasing the efficiency for direct solar water splitting with a tandem solar cell whose surfaces have been selectively modified. The new record value is 14 percent and thus tops the previous record of 12.4 percent, broken now for the first time in 17 years. Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, TU Ilmenau, Fraunhofer ISE and California Institute of Technology participated in the collaboration. The results are published in Nature Communications.
	Natural defense against HIV discovered Researchers at Michigan State University were part of a team to discover a new natural defense against HIV infection.
	In first, scientists use sound waves to control brain cells Salk scientists have developed a new way to selectively activate brain, heart, muscle and other cells using ultrasonic waves. The new technique, dubbed sonogenetics, has some similarities to the burgeoning use of light to activate cells in order to better understand the brain.
	Chameleon-inspired stretchable e-skin changes color when touched (Phys.org)—Researchers at Stanford University have fabricated a stretchable, color-changing, pressure-sensitive material–basically the closest thing yet to an artificial chameleon skin. Touching the new electronic skin (e-skin) with varying amounts of pressure causes it to change colors, as the pressure indirectly alters the chemical structure, and subsequently the optical properties, of the "electrochromic" material. The e-skin could have applications in interactive wearable devices, artificial prosthetics, and smart robots.
	System can convert MRI heart scans into 3D-printed, physical models in a few hours Researchers at MIT and Boston Children's Hospital have developed a system that can take MRI scans of a patient's heart and, in a matter of hours, convert them into a tangible, physical model that surgeons can use to plan surgery.
	Researchers redefine the rules of chemistry Research by a Northumbria academic could have a significant impact on the teaching of chemistry after he developed a radical new interpretation of a 99-year-old rule featured in all standard textbooks.
	South Africa's new human ancestor sparks racial row Some prominent South Africans have dismissed the discovery of a new human ancestor as a racist theory designed to cast Africans as "subhuman", an opinion that resonates in a country deeply bruised by apartheid.
	Dark matter hiding in stars may cause observable oscillations (Phys.org)—Dark matter has never been seen directly, but scientists know that something massive is out there due to its gravitational effects on visible matter. One explanation for how such a large amount of mass appears to be right in front of our eyes yet completely invisible by conventional means is that the dark matter is hiding in the centers of stars.
	Targeted drug delivery with these nanoparticles can make medicines more effective Nanoparticles disguised as human platelets could greatly enhance the healing power of drug treatments for cardiovascular disease and systemic bacterial infections. These platelet-mimicking nanoparticles, developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, are capable of delivering drugs to targeted sites in the body—particularly injured blood vessels, as well as organs infected by harmful bacteria. Engineers demonstrated that by delivering the drugs just to the areas where the drugs were needed, these platelet copycats greatly increased the therapeutic effects of drugs that were administered to diseased rats and mice.

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