Science X Newsletter Monday, Mar 7

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 7, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Death by gamma-ray bursts may place first lower bound on the cosmological constant
- Scientists use synthetic gene and magnets to alter behavior of mice, fish
- Leaf mysteries revealed through the computer's eye
- World's oldest chameleon found in amber fossil
- Shipwrecks, tree rings reveal Caribbean hurricanes in buccaneer era
- New type of bioegradable nanogenerator for use inside the body does not need external power source
- Mercury's mysterious 'darkness' revealed
- 'Person-on-a-chip': Engineers grow 3-D heart, liver tissues for better drug testing
- Creation of first practical silicon-based laser: Researchers take giant step towards 'holy grail' of silicon photonics
- Scientists tap the smarts of mice, capture problem-solving in action
- How rivers of hot ash and gas move when a supervolcano erupts
- Bitcoin transaction delays: Is block size increase the final answer?
- Google envisions delivery of AR elements to physical books
- New material can control excitons at room temperature
- Researchers identify cause of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics

Astronomy & Space news

	Mercury's mysterious 'darkness' revealed Scientists have long been puzzled about what makes Mercury's surface so dark. The innermost planet reflects much less sunlight than the Moon, a body on which surface darkness is controlled by the abundance of iron-rich minerals. These are known to be rare at Mercury's surface, so what is the "darkening agent" there?
	SpaceX launches satellite, but fails to land rocket on barge SpaceX has another launch under its belt, but not another rocket landing.
	Hubble and a stellar fingerprint Showcased at the center of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is an emission-line star known as IRAS 12196-6300.
	Citizen scientists help NASA researchers understand auroras Space weather scientist Liz MacDonald has seen auroras more than five times in her life, but it was the aurora she didn't see that affected her the most.
	Q&A: Total eclipse of the sun to darken slice of Indonesia The rare and awe-inspiring spectacle of a total solar eclipse will unfold over parts of Indonesia and the Indian and Pacific Oceans on Wednesday, weather permitting. The full eclipse may be visible to several million people within its narrow path including eclipse chasers who have traveled from around the world for a chance to witness it.
	Swaths of Britain, Germany treated to northern lights Parts of Britain and Germany have been treated to a display of the northern lights, a colorful phenomenon that is usually only seen further north.

Technology news

	Bitcoin transaction delays: Is block size increase the final answer? The good news: the Bitcoin network had not reached the widely predicted saturation point as recently feared. The bad news: The spam that caused the problem is suggesting to some Bitcoin watchers that saturation is not that far away. I Programmer said, "Observers are waiting for a Bitcoin crunch as the community fails to tackle the transaction bottle by increasing the block size."
	Google envisions delivery of AR elements to physical books The mind at its laziest sees the old—books in print—and the new—the digital universe—as opposites, in an either-or historic transition from one to the other. Goodbye, brick and mortar book shops, hello, Kindle. Reading words on paper with binding, so yesterday. Reading the same words off a screen, so now.
	Leaf mysteries revealed through the computer's eye A computer program that learns and can categorize leaves into large evolutionary categories such as plant families will lead to greatly improved fossil identification and a better understanding of flowering plant evolution, according to an international team of researchers.
	Dartmouth's 'magic wand' pairs medical devices to Wi-Fi Doctors could keep better tabs on their patients between visits with a simple wave of a magic wand-like device being developed at Dartmouth College.
Electric supercar wins young Croatian global fame He's the name behind the world's first electric supercar, winning international plaudits for his ingenuity. But for Croatia's 28-year-old Mate Rimac, it all started as a hobby in his garage.
	Samsung VR on roller coasters in nine thrill-vending parks Samsung's VR technology is coming to nine Six Flags locations starting this month. Six Flags Entertainment and Samsung Electronics America are the two partners in a move that involves nine Six Flags parks.
	Email inventor Ray Tomlinson dies at 74 Ray Tomlinson, the US programmer credited with inventing email in the 1970s and choosing the "@" symbol for the messaging system, died at the age of 74, his employer said Sunday.
	AI crossword-solving application could make machines better at understanding language A web-based machine language system solves crossword puzzles far better than commercially-available products, and may help machines better understand language.
	System lets web users share aspects of their browsing history with friends, researchers Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new system that allows web users to share self-selected aspects of their online activity with their friends and the general public. The hope is to give users themselves, as well as academics and other scientists conducting research in the public interest, access to the same type of browsing data that big web companies currently collect and mine to better target products to individual consumers.
	'Deep learning'—a giant step for robots The prospect of robots that can learn for themselves—through artificial intelligence and adaptive learning—has fascinated scientists and movie-goers alike. Films like Short Circuit, Terminator, Millennial Man, Chappie and Ex Machina flirt with the idea of a machine intelligence beyond the restricted rules of a set program. Pieter Abbeel is on a mission to create architectures to do just that. He is part of a growing cadre of scientists exploring deep machine learning.
	WiFi breadcrumbs reveal pedestrian patterns By using anonymized WiFi data collected on campus, EPFL researchers were able to analyze students' motivations in a fundamental activity: eating. More broadly, this method offers a low-cost way of studying pedestrians' comings, goings and destinations.
	BMW shows off concept car for the self-driving future Luxury automaker BMW AG is showing off a sleek concept car aimed at a future in which drivers choose between the pleasures of high-performance driving and letting the car take control.
	Google opens access to mobile phone service Project Fi Google on Monday opened its Project Fi mobile phone service to anyone in the United States using its latest model Nexus smartphones.
	Surgical tools made smaller with origami to make surgery less invasive Brigham Young University mechanical engineering professors Larry Howell and Spencer Magleby have made a name for themselves by applying the principles of origami to engineering. Now they're applying their origami skills to a new realm: the human body.
	Prosecutor: iPhone could ID unknown San Bernardino attacker Information contained in an encrypted iPhone could help finally answer whether there was a third assailant in the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people, according to court papers filed by the county's district attorney.
	Does an extremist's iPhone contain a "cyber pathogen"? A local prosecutor has offered an unusual justification for forcing Apple to help hack an iPhone used by a San Bernardino mass killer: The phone might have been "used as a weapon" to introduce malicious software to county computer systems.
	In Apple vs FBI case, compromise appears elusive As Apple's legal battle with the FBI over encryption heads toward a showdown, there appears little hope for a compromise that would placate both sides and avert a divisive court decision.
	France's oldest nuclear plant to close this year France is to close down its oldest nuclear power plant, at the centre of a row with neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, by the end of this year, a green minister said Sunday.
	Five years later, nuclear expert offers three lessons from the Fukushima disaster It has been five years since the emergency sirens sounded at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant following the massive 2011 earthquake and subsequent devastating tsunami. The partial meltdown of three reactors caused approximately 170,000 refugees to be displaced from their homes, and radiation releases and public outcry forced the Japanese government to temporarily shut down all of their nuclear power plants. The events at Fukushima Daiichi sent waves not only through Japan but also throughout the international nuclear industry. Rodney Ewing, an expert on nuclear materials, outlines three key lessons to be taken from the tragedy at Fukushima.
	3-D bioprinter allows students to create building blocks for new tissue Advances in technology have made it possible to produce bone, muscle and even organs using a 3D bioprinter, which allows scientists to generate tissue in a laboratory environment.
	The supremely intelligent rat-cyborg When Deep Blue battled the reigning human chess champion the world held its breath. Who was smarter … man or machine? A human victory would confirm the superiority of human intelligence, while a victory for Deep Blue would offer great promise for the potential applications of artificial intelligence to benefit mankind. And with the defeat of Garry Kasparov by an algorithm, the debate heated over what constitutes intelligence and whether computers can possess it. But perhaps the answer to the man-versus-machine debate isn't so black and white. Perhaps both synthetic and biological systems have unique, complementary strengths that, when merged, could yield an optimally functioning "brain" – a supremely intelligent cyborg, if you will. In their new PLOS ONE paper, Yipeng Yu and colleagues tested this possibility, comparing the problem-solving abilities of rats, computers and rat-computer "cyborgs."
Research for lithium ion batteries that can assist in utilising wind and solar energy "The issue is that solar energy is only produced during the day, and wind energy only on windy days. It's not always in sync with consumers' demands of electricity and unused energy has nowhere to go."
	The complex chemistry of combustion A billionth of a second: That's how quickly some of the most critical chemical reactions of combustion occur.
	The fight for encryption gets new allies as tech companies join Apple against the FBI Apple's defiance of the FBI's request to unlock the work phone of one of the San Bernadino shooters has become an all out PR and legal battle being waged on all fronts.
	Who (or what) is behind the wheel? The regulatory challenges of driverless cars A legal opinion by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set the internet alight in February.
	Fighting food poisoning in Las Vegas with machine learning It's happened to many of us. We eat at a restaurant with less than ideal hygiene and come down with a nasty case of food poisoning.
	US Supreme Court affirms ruling in Apple e-books case (Update) The US Supreme Court on Monday upheld a ruling that Apple was part of a price-fixing conspiracy for electronic books, clearing the way for a $450 million settlement to be paid.
Verizon to pay $1.4M in 'supercookie' FCC settlement Verizon will pay a $1.35 million fine over its "supercookie" that followed phone customers on the Internet and the government says it's required to get an explicit "yes" from customers for some kinds of tracking.
	Microsoft ends work on 'Fable Legends' video game Microsoft on Monday announced it has stopped work on the long-delayed "Fable Legends" action video game and is mulling the closure of the British-based studio that was handling the project.
	Electric E-Cutter can reach oil palm trees as high as 30 feet Harvesting of oil palm fruits is now made easier and faster – thanks to Universiti Putra Malaysia and Malaysian Palm Oil Board which have jointly developed a new electric cutter innovation, known as E-Cutter.
Big data for text: Next-generation text understanding and analysis News portals and social media are rich information sources, for example for predicting stock market trends. Today, numerous service providers allow for searching large text collections by feeding their search engines with descriptive keywords. Keywords tend to be highly ambiguous, though, and quickly show the limits of current search technologies. Computer scientists from Saarbruecken developed a novel text analysis technology that considerably improves searching very large text collections by means of artificial intelligence.

Medicine & Health news

	Scientists tap the smarts of mice, capture problem-solving in action Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have captured unique images of problem-solving in action by tapping into the minds of mice. The study shows rapid rewiring in the frontal brains of mice after they learn by trial and error.
	Scientists use synthetic gene and magnets to alter behavior of mice, fish University of Virginia scientists have demonstrated that neurons in the brain that have been supplemented with a synthetic gene can be remotely manipulated by a magnetic field. The finding has implications for possible future treatment of a range of neurological diseases, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
	The brain's gardeners: Immune cells 'prune' connections between neurons A new study out today in the journal Nature Communications shows that cells normally associated with protecting the brain from infection and injury also play an important role in rewiring the connections between nerve cells. While this discovery sheds new light on the mechanics of neuroplasticity, it could also help explain diseases like autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia, which may arise when this process breaks down and connections between brain cells are not formed or removed correctly.
	Cellular aging process unexpectedly enhances insulin secretion New research shows that a cellular program that causes aging can also bring unexpected benefits in the function of pancreatic beta cells and the production of insulin in mice and humans. The findings are reported in the journal Nature Medicine, in a paper entitled "p16Ink4a-induced senescence of pancreatic beta cells enhances insulin secretion". The study was conducted by post-doctoral fellow Dr. Ronny Helman at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the guidance of Dr. Ittai Ben-Porath and Prof. Yuval Dor and in collaboration with scientists from Canada and the USA.
	Research provides insight into the role of the western diet in Alzheimer's disease Recent research has established associations between certain environmental factors, including eating a western diet and being sedentary, with an increased susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, it is estimated that a combination of diet and inactivity contributes to as many as 25% of Alzheimer's cases. Nonetheless, little is known about the exact disease mechanisms and how or why this increasingly common middle-age lifestyle can play such a big role in subsequent cognitive function.
	New insights into HIV's evolution that can improve pharmaceutical testing techniques Treatment of HIV/AIDs has evolved greatly since the disease's emergence in 1981. When antiretrovirals were first introduced, almost every patient developed drug resistance within the first year of drug use. Today, however, drug resistance is fairly uncommon and HIV patients can typically maintain healthy lives.
	Novel molecular processes controlling key genes in prostate cancer uncovered Researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oulu in Finland have elucidated gene regulatory mechanisms that can explain how known genetic variants influence prostate cancer risk. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics, reveal widespread deregulation of androgen receptor function, a key player in prostate cancer.
	Scientists map roots of premeditated, violent 'intent' in animal brain The bad intentions that often precede violence originate in a specific brain region, according to a study in mice led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published in Nature Neuroscience online March 7.
Immunology meets single-cell sequencing Research from the Single-Cell Genomics Centre on the Wellcome Genome Campus could change the way we look at gene expression and immune response. Published in Nature Methods, the new method, TraCeR, provides a powerful tool for research into immune response, vaccination, cancer and autoimmunity.
	Huntington's disease gene dispensable in adult mice Adult mice don't need the gene that, when mutated in humans, causes the inherited neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease.
	Songbirds pinpoint effects of Huntington's disease Although Huntington's disease is caused by mutations in a single gene, understanding how it ravages the brain and body has been anything but simple.
	Researchers identify cause of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics More than 29 million Americans are currently living with diabetes. The majority have type 2 diabetes, and for them insulin resistance - their body's inability to effectively process sugar - is a part of daily life. Therefore, understanding the cause of insulin resistance is critical to tackling this chronic disease. A new link between high levels of certain amino acids and type 2 diabetes was found by a team led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, using mouse and human muscle and blood samples to evaluate the mechanisms that lead to insulin resistance. The findings of this study appear online in Nature Medicine ahead of the print issue.
	Team finds new approach to curbing cancer cell growth Using a new approach, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and collaborating institutions have discovered a novel drug candidate that could be used to treat certain types of breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma.
	Preemies' gut bacteria reveal vast scope of antibiotic resistance A new study of gut bacteria in premature infants reveals the vast scope of the problem of antibiotic resistance and gives new insight into the extreme vulnerability of these young patients, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
	Eye cells may use math to detect motion Our eyes constantly send bits of information about the world around us to our brains where the information is assembled into objects we recognize. Along the way, a series of neurons in the eye uses electrical and chemical signals to relay the information. In a study of mice, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists showed how one type of neuron may do this to distinguish moving objects. The study suggests that the NMDA receptor, a protein normally associated with learning and memory, may help neurons in the eye and the brain relay that information.
	Scientists surprised to find that amino acids, not sugar, supply most building blocks for tumor cells Cancer cells are notorious for their ability to divide uncontrollably and generate hordes of new tumor cells. Most of the fuel consumed by these rapidly proliferating cells is glucose, a type of sugar.
Bioprinting technique creates thick 3-D tissues composed of human stem cells and embedded vasculature A team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has invented a method for 3D bioprinting thick vascularized tissue constructs composed of human stem cells, extracellular matrix, and circulatory channels lined with endothelial blood vessel cells. The resulting network of vasculature contained within these deep tissues enables fluids, nutrients and cell growth factors to be controllably perfused uniformly throughout the tissue. The advance is reported March 7 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	ACOG issues recommendations on prenatal screening (HealthDay)—Recommendations on screening for genetic disorders and fetal aneuploidy have been updated, according to two Practice Bulletins published online March 3 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Colombia reports more than 47,700 Zika cases Colombia has seen more than 47,700 cases of Zika, including thousands of pregnant women infected with the mosquito-borne virus, the country's National Health Institute reported Saturday.
	Omalizumab decreases colds in inner-city children with asthma, study reports Treatment with omalizumab significantly decreases the number of colds in inner-city children with allergic asthma, researchers reported at a press conference today at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) 2016 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Omalizumab, sold under the brand name Xolair, is an injectable antibody that can be used to treat asthma cases not controlled by inhaled corticosteroids.
	Asthma symptoms linked to increased stress, anxiety levels in teens A Henry Ford Hospital study has found that common asthma symptoms like waking up in the middle of the night and shortness of breath are associated with increased levels of stress and anxiety in teens with asthma.
	Gene variation in athletes might signify longer recovery following concussion Genetic research on concussions is progressing in many different avenues. However, researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day, believe there may be a new genetic connection regarding recovery rates following a sports-related concussion.
Rise in lower extremity injuries possible result of new concussion prevention rules NCAA tackling rule changes that penalize head to head contact, and encourage tackling of the lower extremity have had some proven impacts in collegiate football. However, according to researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day, an unintended consequence of these rule changes may be higher rates of knee, ankle and thigh injuries.
	Fatigue contributing factor in kid's pitching injuries Shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent pitchers are becoming more and more prevalent each year. Researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day, highlight how fatigue can affect pitching mechanics and potentially result in injuries.
First case of Zika virus detected in Philippines since 2012 An American woman was infected with the Zika virus while visiting the Philippines, health department officials said Sunday, the first case detected in the country for several years.
UK diagnoses children's kidney cancer at a later stage than Germany The UK diagnoses Wilms' tumours - the most common children's kidney cancer - when they are larger and more advanced compared with those diagnosed in Germany, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded stud published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, today (Monday).
	HIV/AIDS long-term costs high—and unaffordable to most-affected countries There will be a significant shortfall in the funding needed for HIV control in sub-Saharan Africa in the coming years and those countries with the highest HIV burden will be unable to meet their obligations on their own to sustain control efforts, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They calculate that the price tag for providing long-term HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in 2015-2050 in the nine sub-Saharan countries most affected by the epidemic ranges from $98 billion at current coverage levels to $261 billion if coverage is scaled up.
	Blood test may give early warning of skin cancer relapse A blood test may be able to sound early warning bells that patients with advanced melanoma skin cancer are relapsing, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Discovery today (Monday).
Time to rethink your vegetable oil? Risk of heart disease and diabetes may be lowered by a diet higher in a lipid found in grapeseed and other oils, but not in olive oil, a new study suggests.
Cleveland hospital to discuss first uterus transplant in US Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are set Monday to discuss details about the first uterus transplant performed in the U.S.
Constant cough? Don't ignore persistent 'minor' symptoms Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic adult lung disease in which normal lung tissue is slowly replaced by scar tissue, affecting seven to 16 of every 100,000 Americans. Though the name is similar, IPF differs from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes thickening of bodily fluids (particularly in the lungs) and first appears in newborns and children.
Vaccine against pneumococcal disease halves rates in African children A vaccine against pneumococcal disease, which is a major killer of children in Africa, has cut the disease rate by more than half, new research has found.
	Lack of enzyme promotes fatty liver disease in thin patients Researchers observe protection against obesity and insulin resistance but at the cost of prominent fatty liver disease in mice lacking the PEMT enzyme and patients with low levels of PEMT.
	Ultra-fast detection of breast density using MRT helps determine breast cancer risks A high breast density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer. MRT is the safest method for breast cancer diagnosis and is now used for early diagnosis. Medical University Vienna researchers at the University Clinic for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine have now successfully developed a method for the exact measurement of breast density using magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) examinations with the Dixon sequence. With this, in addition to a better breast cancer diagnosis, a better assessment of the risk is also possible.
	Promising malaria drug to undergo clinical trials Malaria killed about 440,000 people – mostly young children – last year, but a new drug candidate discovered at Rutgers may help fight the long-dreaded disease. The compound, which literally blows up malaria parasites in the blood stream, is about to undergo clinical trials, said Spencer Knapp, a chemistry professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
	Teen girls see big drop in chemical exposure with switch in cosmetics A new study led by researchers at UC Berkeley and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas demonstrates how even a short break from certain kinds of makeup, shampoos and lotions can lead to a significant drop in levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the body.
	Zika linked to abnormal pregnancies, fetal death, new research finds New research presents strong evidence that the Zika virus can indeed cause a range of abnormalities in pregnant women infected with the virus—with the effects manifesting any time during pregnancy. Some of the abnormalities noted have not been reported in connection with the virus.
'Smart soles' help patients recover from a broken hip Hip fractures are one of the most common injuries sustained by the elderly population following a fall. This often results in a number of complications, and many patients never fully recover. A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by clinician scientist Dr. Suzanne Morin, in partnership with Greybox Solutions Inc., decided to tackle this problem by developing a rehabilitation and e-learning program using a "smart" shoe sole which connects to a tablet to provide remote monitoring and coaching.
	Illuminating the hidden causes of the Ebola outbreak When a diamond miner named Sahr arrived at the Ebola treatment unit in Kenema, Sierra Leone, in December 2014, he saw red fences surrounding the area where people with suspected and confirmed cases of the disease were to be treated and he panicked.
	Earlier intervention for type 1 diabetes sought with new staging classification For many people, a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes occurs late in the development of the disease, even at the time when they have ended up in the emergency room with life-threatening complications.
	Researchers study brain changes in depression Depression is more than just sadness. Sufferers may lose interest in favorite activities or lose motivation to complete routine tasks. They may also lose some brain cells, say University of Mississippi Medical Center neuroscientists.
The importance of depression screenings in pregnant, postpartum women In January, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new recommendations for health providers to provide more screenings for depression in pregnant and postpartum women. This came on the heel of studies indicating that depression occurs in as many as one in seven women, both during pregnancy and up to a year after a baby is born, and left untreated can be detrimental to the well-being of the mother and child.
	A bit of claustrophobia is normal – stop treating it as a disease "Claustrophobia" is generally described as an irrational fear of confined spaces, and it has been estimated to affect some 5-7% of the world population. Clearly, some people are more distressed than others when they are in confined spaces, but a fear of physical restraint is so normal that it seems illogical not to be somewhat claustrophobic.
Depression and anxiety may reduce chances of IVF pregnancy Depression and anxiety, and not necessarily the use of antidepressant medication, are associated with lower pregnancy and live birth rates following in vitro fertilisation, according to a large register study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings are published in the journal Fertility & Sterility and can be of interest to clinicians treating infertility and for women with depression or anxiety planning to undergo fertility treatment.
	Predicting avoidable 30-day readmissions In an international, multicenter study researchers have found that the HOSPITAL score, an acronym created to identify the variables associated with hospital readmissions, successfully predicted patients at high risk of a 30-day potentially avoidable readmission. Researchers believe this score may help easily identify patients in need of intense transitional care interventions to prevent avoidable hospital readmissions.
Could cutting urban blight reduce teen murders? Analyzing the immediate neighborhood surroundings of teenaged homicide victims, Philadelphia researchers found that neglected conditions—vacant lots, poor street lighting, fewer parks and less-traveled thoroughfares—were in much greater abundance compared to neighborhoods where adolescents were safer. Without attributing cause-and-effect, the new study adds to previous research suggesting that modifying specific outdoor features with low-cost improvements may foster community interaction and potentially reduce youth violence in cities.
	Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may increase risk of MS in children Children of mothers with vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy appeared to be at greater risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.
N95 respirators v. surgical masks: Protecting health workers from respiratory infections Accumulated evidence does not indicate superiority of N95 respirators over surgical masks in protecting health care workers from contracting acute respiratory infections from patients, according to a systematic review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
	Team performs genomic analysis of basal cell carcinoma The skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common types of cancer. 90 per cent of the population are at risk to develop it one day, notably because of their age and exposure to the sun UV-rays. Although common, this cancer is rarely fatal and has until now been little studied. But now geneticists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, sequenced the DNA of these skin tumors, in order to determine the genes that are responsible for the cancerogenesis. Their discovery of new cancer genes that cause BCC can pave the way for new treatment methods personalized for each tumor. The results can be read in Nature Genetics.
Bid to beat baby chest infection boosted by immune study Babies at risk of a serious lung infection could be helped by a therapy based on the body's natural immune defences.
New mothers with postpartum psychiatric disorders face increased risk of suicide Over a period spanning four decades, a total of eight Danish women committed suicide within a year of being diagnosed with a birth-related psychiatric disorder, including severe episodes of postpartum depression or psychosis. Despite the modest number, statistical evidence of a causal link between postpartum disorder and suicide is extremely strong, highlighting the need for medical staff to be aware of the risk, according to the researchers who carried out the study.
Variation in medical marijuana program regulations impacts enrollment A study published today in Health Affairs found that while 14 of the nation's 24 medical marijuana programs were essentially nonmedical in practice, they enrolled more than 99 percent of overall participants. Fewer than one percent were enrolled in "medicalized" programs that adhere to accepted professional standards in medicine.
	Alzheimer's more versatile than previously known Accumulation of the substance amyloid beta in the brain impairs the memory and cognitive ability in people with Alzheimer's. New findings from Lund University in Sweden show that the cause of amyloid beta pathology might be more versatile than previously known. Researchers believe that these new findings may be of significance to the development of new medications.
	Scientists work to bring about a new treatment for rare childhood cancer Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that develops in very early forms of nerve cells in the embryo or fetus, and it accounts for the most pediatric deaths for any tumor outside of the brain. The most lethal form of this tumor is often associated with amplification of the gene MYCN, and now scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Philips Institute for Oral Health Research may have developed a combination therapy that uses this gene to kill the cancer, instead of making it grow.
Quality of life not notably better for women choosing double mastectomy Although having a double mastectomy has shown little impact on reducing deaths among women with cancer in only one breast, increasing numbers of women are electing to undergo the procedure.
	Where prostate cancer spreads in the body affects survival time In the largest analysis of its kind, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute and other top cancer centers have found that the organ site where prostate cancer spreads has a direct impact on survival.
Retail clinics may increase health spending, study finds Retail clinics, seen as a convenient and cost-saving alternative to physician offices and hospital emergency departments, may actually drive up medical spending by creating demand for new medical services, according to a new study.
	High white blood cell ratio linked to recurrence risk in early stage breast cancer A high ratio of two types of immune system cell is linked to an increased risk of disease recurrence after a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer, finds the first study of its kind, published on the eve of international Women's Day (March 8) in the online journal ESMO Open.
'Tommy John' reconstructive surgeries on the rise among young athletes A new study found a dramatic increase in the number of adolescents undergoing "Tommy John" surgery to repair a pitching-related elbow injury in recent years, outstripping growth among major league pitchers.
	Immune factor allows viral infections to become chronic Many viral diseases tend to become chronic - including infections with the HI virus. In persons affected, the immune response is not sufficient to eliminate the virus permanently. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now identified an immune factor which is partially responsible for this. Their results give rise to hopes for new therapeutic approaches. The work, which included researchers from the University of Cologne and the Technical University of Munich, is being published in the renowned journal Nature Immunology.
Clinician communication reduced distress related to the detection of incidental nodules A cross-sectional survey showed a quarter of patients with detected incidental pulmonary nodules experienced significant distress related to the nodule. Detailed clinician communication increased patient knowledge, relieved distress, and improved patient experience.
Womb transplant recipient grateful for chance at pregnancy The recipient of the nation's first uterus transplant says she prayed for years to be able to bear a child, and is grateful to the deceased donor and surgeons who've given her a chance.
	Mutated gene safeguards against heart attacks People with a specific gene mutation have a 50 percent lower risk of suffering a heart attack. This is what an international team of researchers headed by the cardiologist Prof. Heribert Schunkert, medical director of the German Heart Center at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), discovered in a broad comparative study. If this gene were switched off with medications it could reduce the risk of coronary disease significantly.
A toxic byproduct of hemoglobin could provide treatments for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a novel mechanism that could be used to protect the brain from damage due to stroke and a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, including sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
Foster mom of 3 received first US uterus transplant A 26-year-old woman who is the foster mother of three boys was revealed on Monday to be the recipient of the first uterine transplant in the United States.
I'd like to thank... myself When Leonardo DiCaprio accepted his Oscar for Best Actor in "The Revenant" this year, he acknowledged the hard work of the movie's entire team. But such generosity isn't always the case. On large teams—such as big film production crews—size can lead people to inflate their own contributions while diminishing their team members' work.
	Cancer cells eat their neighbors' 'words' Cancer cells are well-known as voracious energy consumers, but even veteran cancer-metabolism researcher Deepak Nagrath was surprised by their latest exploit: Experiments in his lab at Rice University show that some cancer cells get 30-60 percent of their fuel from eating their neighbors' "words."
	New drug class offers potential new treatment for lethal bacteria A new class of drugs has shown promise for treating the bacteria that cause legionnaires' disease, a potentially fatal lung infection.
	Penn team reverses signs of naturally occurring chronic periodontitis Periodontitis, a gum disease present in nearly half of all adults in the United States, involves inflammation, bleeding and bone loss. In its severe form, it is associated with systemic inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Few treatment options exist beyond dental scaling and root planing, done in an attempt to reduce plaque and inflammation.
Dementia plaques attack language center of brain The recent ability to peer into the brain of living individuals with a rare type of language dementia, primary progressive aphasia (PPA), provides important new insights into the beginning stages of this disease—which results in language loss—when it is caused by a buildup of a toxic protein found in Alzheimer's disease.
	Nutrition scientists provide updated MyPlate for older adults Nutrition scientists at the Jean Mayer U. S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University with support from AARP Foundation are introducing an updated MyPlate for Older Adults icon today. The updated icon emphasizes the nutritional needs of older adults in a framework of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The icon and an accompanying website can be viewed at hnrca.tufts.edu/myplate.
New therapeutic target in myeloma discovered Despite new therapies, Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains incurable causing most patients to ultimately develop drug resistance and succumb to the disease. The pursuit of drugs that inhibit cell cycle regulators especially cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), has been an intense focus of research in cancer. A new study by researchers at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has shown that targeting both CDK4 and ARK5, proteins responsible for maintaining energy balance within the cell, was extremely effective in causing cell death in myeloma. Their research, published in the March issue of the journal Cancer Research, identifies new targets for myeloma drug development.
Discovery identifies new RX target for age-rleated macular degeneration and Alzheimer's For the first time, researchers at LSU Health New Orleans have shown that a protein critical to the body's ability to remove waste products from the brain and retina is diminished in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), after first making the discovery in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. The research team, led by Walter Lukiw, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center, also discovered a key reason, identifying a new treatment target. The paper, microRNA-34a-mediated down-regulation of the microglial-enriched triggering receptor and phagocytosis-sensor TREM2 in age-related macular degeneration, was published March 7, 2016, online at in the journal, PLOS ONE.
'Me-search': Students analyze their own biological samples to study how microbes affect human health A "me-search" lab for University of Michigan biology undergraduates gives students a close look at what might be the most compelling study subject of all: themselves.
	'Thinking and feeling' So you had a terrible day at work. Or the bills are piling up and cash is in short supply. Impending visit from the in-laws, perhaps?
	Trust your aha! moments, experiments show they're probably right When a solution to a problem seems to have come to you out of thin air, it turns out you've more than likely been struck with the right idea, according to a new study.
New study finds troubling health care outcomes for US workers without paid sick leave The United States lags behind 22 other highly ranked countries in terms of economic and human development when it comes to mandating employers to provide paid sick leave. In the U.S., only four states (Connecticut, California, Massachusetts and Oregon) along with a few dozen municipalities, now mandate paid sick leave as an employee benefit. That leaves 49 million U.S. workers without paid sick leave, causing an even greater divide in health care disparities as well as undesirable health care outcomes.
Holding mirror to docs who overprescribe addictive drugs doesn't stem prescriptions Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, with colleagues at the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), conducted a randomized trial of informative letters aimed at suspected inappropriate prescribers of addictive substances like opioids and amphetamines. Top prescribers of these substances were identified and sent a letter informing them of their high prescribing rate. The investigators were unable to detect a statistically significant effect of the intervention on prescribing practices. Findings are published in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs.
Single-bundle ACL reconstruction offers positive results for patients Single and double-bundle techniques may provide similar outcomes in patients undergoing ACL reconstruction, as noted in research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day. The study shows patients in both groups demonstrate similar performance during recovery.
Graft choice in ACL reconstruction important for surgeons, patients Using soft tissue allografts (cadaver tissue) in ACL reconstructions may increase the risks for a revision reconstruction postoperatively, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day. The study adds to research demonstrating that the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft (graft harvested from the surgical patient) remains a strong choice for these surgeries.
New procedure for massive rotator cuff tears restores stability better, say researchers Repairing massive rotator cuff tears is often a tricky proposition, especially for those who have failed prior surgery. Researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day today, discussed how a new arthroscopic procedure to treat large rotator cuff tears may help patients return to sports and work quicker.
	AP Investigation: American company bungled Ebola response An American company that bills itself as a pioneer in tracking emerging epidemics made a series of costly mistakes during the 2014 Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa—with employees feuding with fellow responders, contributing to misdiagnosed Ebola cases and repeatedly misreading the trajectory of the virus, an Associated Press investigation has found.
	Comfort food leads to 'Kummerspeck' People who overeat when they are depressed should be treated differently than those who lose their appetite. And eating while happy does not lead to weight gain.
Lung cancer screening: New Canadian guideline Adults aged 55-74 years who are at high risk of lung cancer—current or former smokers (i.e., have quit within the past 15 years) with at least a 30 pack-year history or more—should be screened annually up to three times using low-dose computed tomography (CT), according to a new guideline from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Combining two techniques to 'rewire' the brain may improve arm and hand movement for stroke survivors Used in combination, two innovative rehabilitation approaches can promote better long-term recovery of arm and hand movement function in stroke survivors, suggests a paper in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists.
Penn professor urges physicians to help victims of torture seeking asylum Refugees seeking asylum in the United States are twice as likely to be granted protection if their application is supported by medical documentation of torture, writes Jules Lipoff, MD, an assistant professor of Clinical Dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and two colleagues in the March 7, 2016 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Spider toxin analogue may help relieve pain New research suggests that a compound based on a spider toxin may be effective for treating pain.
	Towards the goal of precision therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma Advances in understanding the molecular genetics of hepatocellular neoplasia have been made, and developing targeted therapeutics in combination with molecular tumor profiling may help accomplish the goal of precision treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Children know best whether an allergy spray works for them A recent 14-day study that compared the efficacy of an allergy spray in 304 children aged 6-11 years with seasonal allergic rhinitis showed that the result depended on who assessed symptoms: children themselves or their caregiver.
Healthy lifestyle advice provides long-term benefits In a recently published study, providing advice over a 5-year period about leading a healthy lifestyle reduced the risk of heart-related deaths over the next 40 years.
	Genes influence sleep/wake timing of seizures in people with epilepsy New research from the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project shows that genetics plays a role in sleep/wake timing of seizures. Researchers studied 1,395 individuals with epilepsy in families containing multiple people with epilepsy to determine whether sleep/wake timing of seizures runs in families.
Blood clots pose major risks for patients undergoing bladder cancer surgery In a study of 3879 patients who underwent radical cystectomy to treat bladder cancer, 3.6% were diagnosed with a venous thromboembolism (VTE)—which occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein, potentially breaking loose and traveling to the lung—within 1 month of their surgical admission date. This increased to 4.7% at 2 months and 5.4% at 3 months. Fifty-five percent of VTE events occurred after hospital discharge, generally when patients are not treated prophylactically with drugs to decrease this risk.
Two percent of US employees go to work each week despite being sick Each week, up to three million US employees go to work sick, with roughly half of these incidents due to a lack of paid leave coverage. The findings come from an analysis of information from the 2011 Leave Supplement of the American Time Use Survey.
Hospitals participating in accountable care organizations tend to be large and urban  A new study led by researchers from the The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice examines the extent and ways in which accountable care organizations (ACOs) involve hospitals in their operations. Accountable care organizations are groups of providers that are collectively held responsible for the care of a defined population of patients, and the study's authors state that the extent to which ACOs involve hospitals in their operations may 'prove to be vitally important, because managing hospital care is a key part of improving health care quality and lowering cost growth.'

Biology news

	Scientists: Possible new octopus species found near Hawaii Scientists say they have discovered what might be a new species of octopus while searching the Pacific Ocean floor near the Hawaiian Islands.
	Urinary tract infection: How bacteria nestle in Almost every second woman suffers from a bladder infection at some point in her life. Also men are affected by cystitis, though less frequently. In eighty percent of the cases, it is caused by the intestinal bacterium E. coli. It travels along the urethra to the bladder where it triggers painful infections. In Nature Communications researchers from the University of Basel and the ETH Zurich explain how this bacterium attaches to the surface of the urinary tract via a protein with a sophisticated locking technique, which prevents it from being flushed out by the urine flow.
	Salmon hearts get oxygen boost from enzyme Salmon have an ace up their sleeve—or in their gills—when facing challenging conditions that could affect their hearts, according to a study led by a University of Guelph researcher.
	Zebrafish and humans have new biomedical friend in the spotted gar The genome of a slowly evolving fish, the spotted gar, is so much like both zebrafish and humans that it can be used as a bridge species that could open a pathway to important advancements in biomedical research focused on human diseases.
	Daily dose of antibiotics helps bacteria develop multi-drug tolerance Antibiotics do not easily eradicate the gut bacteria Escherichia coli, as some bacteria survive treatment in a dormant state. Once treatment is stopped, these dormant cells can become active again and recolonize the body. Researchers from KU Leuven, Belgium, have shown that the more frequently bacteria receive antibiotics, the more of them survive. What is more, these survivors have evolved into bacteria with multi-drug tolerance.
	Non-natural biomedical polymers produced from microorganisms Renewable non-food biomass could potentially replace petrochemical raw materials to produce energy sources, useful chemicals, or a vast array of petroleum-based end products such as plastics, lubricants, paints, fertilizers, and vitamin capsules. In recent years, biorefineries which transform non-edible biomass into fuel, heat, power, chemicals, and materials have received a great deal of attention as a sustainable alternative to decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels.
	Potential Western Atlantic spawning area found for Atlantic bluefin tuna Scientists from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and the University of Massachusetts Boston have found evidence of Atlantic bluefin tuna spawning activity off the northeastern United States in an area of open ocean south of New England and east of the Mid-Atlantic states called the Slope Sea.
	Novel reprogramming factor yields more efficient induction of human pluripotent stem cells Kejin Hu, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has found a robust reprogramming factor that increases the efficiency of creating human induced pluripotent stem cells (HiPSCs) from skin fibroblasts more than 20-fold, speeds the reprogramming time by several days and enhances the quality of reprogramming.
	Molecule induces lifesaving sleep in worms Sometimes, a nematode worm just needs to take a nap. In fact, its life may depend on it. New research has identified a protein that promotes a sleep-like state in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Without the snooze-inducing molecule, worms are more likely to die when confronted with stressful conditions, report researchers in the March 7, 2016 issue of the journal Genetics.
	Giant reed is a photosynthetic outlier, study finds Arundo donax, a giant reed that grows in the Mediterranean climate zones of the world, isn't like other prolific warm-weather grasses, researchers report. This grass, which can grow annually to 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in height, uses a type of photosynthesis that is more common to crop plants like soybeans, rice and peanuts.
	Once extinct, world's last wild horse returns to Russian steppes If the world's only surviving wild horses had a say in the matter, they might opt for a cosy stable and fresh daily oats, scientists studying them joke.
	Australia's 'ugly' animals attract less study Koalas and kangaroos are subject to more scientific study than Australia's twitching rodents and bats, according to new research which finds 'ugly' animals attract less funding and investigation.
Thousands of dead fish wash up on the banks of India river Thousands of dead fish washed up on the banks of a polluted lake on Monday in India's southern technology hub of Bangalore.
	Popped sorghum making its way onto snack scene Orville Redenbacher might not have envisioned grain sorghum in his air poppers, but the niche snack is finding its way onto U.S. grocery shelves, and a Texas A&M AgriLife Research program is conducting research into the genetic inheritance of popping in grain sorghum.
Mitochondrial coding genome analysis of tropical root-knot nematodes The polyphagous parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne are considered to be the most significant nematode pest in sub-tropical and tropical agriculture. Despite the crucial need for correct diagnosis, identification of these pathogens remains problematic. Scientists of Ghent University (Belgium), the National Plant Protection Organization (the Netherlands) en het International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (Nigeria) refined the identification of the nematodes.
	Fish populations revealed through seawater analysis A research group led by YAMAMOTO Satoshi, a research fellow at the Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, has shown that measuring quantities of fish DNA in seawater can reveal how many fish inhabit that environment. This discovery could enable quicker and more effective surveys of fish distribution, and has potential applications in long-term monitoring. The findings will be published on March 3 in the online science journal PLOS ONE.
	Antibiotics use affects the abundance of resistant bacteria in soil The use of animal manure increases the soil content of antibiotic-resistant genes. However, this is not an irreversible situation.
	Scientists have discovered a code of signals that regulates genome duplication Three years ago, the research team directed by Óscar Fernández-Capetillo, head of the Genomic Instability Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), obtained, for the first time, a panoramic view of the proteins that intervene in one of the most important and delicate cellular processes: the copying of genetic material during cellular division. They observed that the parts of the genome where the DNA was copied were also very rich in the modification by some very particular proteins, SUMOylations, and poor in others, ubiquitinations, but they were unable to understand why.
	Assessing GM canola's threat to native bushland Can genetically modified (GM) canola (Brassica napus) survive outside a controlled paddock environment, and is it a biodiversity threat to our remnant bushland?
Few studies focus on threatened mammalian species that are 'ugly' Many Australian mammalian species of conservation significance have attracted little research effort, little recognition, and little funding, new research shows. The overlooked non-charismatic species such as fruit bats and tree rats may be most in need of scientific and management research effort.

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