Science X Newsletter Sunday, Mar 13

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 13, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Game over! Computer wins series against Go champion (Update)
- Satellites and shipwrecks: Landsat satellite spots foundered ships in coastal waters
- Human Go champ scores surprise victory over supercomputer
- Coming to a hotel near you: the robot humanoid receptionist
- Brazil uses dammed lake surface for floating solar panels
- Desert cactus purifies contaminated water for aquaculture, drinking and more
- Blueberries, the well-known 'super fruit,' could help fight Alzheimer's
- Getting closer to using beer hops to fight disease
- Tying lipstick smears from crime scenes to specific brands
- A nanoparticle does double duty, imaging and treating atherosclerosis
- DNA 'origami' could help build faster, cheaper computer chips
- Nanomotors could help electronics fix themselves
- Market intelligence group sees boom year for US solar market
- Europe, Russia embark on search for life on Mars
- Year-in-space astronaut hangs up his spacesuit, retires

Astronomy & Space news

	Year-in-space astronaut hangs up his spacesuit, retires After spending nearly a year in space, astronaut Scott Kelly is hanging up his spacesuit.
	Europe, Russia embark on search for life on Mars Europe and Russia are set to launch an unmanned spacecraft Monday to smell Mars' atmosphere for gassy evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet, or may do so still.

Technology news

	Game over! Computer wins series against Go champion (Update) A Google-developed computer programme won its best-of-five match-up with a South Korean Go grandmaster on Saturday, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead to score a major victory for a new style of "intuitive" artificial intelligence (AI).
	Market intelligence group sees boom year for US solar market Energy watchers are taking a look at The US Solar Market Insight Report 2015 Year in Review, written by GTM Research and published in conjunction with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
	Brazil uses dammed lake surface for floating solar panels Two decades ago, a section of the Amazon rainforest was flooded for a dam that currently produces little electricity. Engineers now see that artificial lake as an ideal surface for floating solar panels.
Coming to a hotel near you: the robot humanoid receptionist In a hotel not in a galaxy far, far away, a robot bids you welcome as you pull into the driveway.
	Human Go champ scores surprise victory over supercomputer A South Korean Go grandmaster on Sunday scored his first win over a Google-developed supercomputer, in a surprise victory after three humiliating defeats in a high-profile showdown between man and machine.
	Switzerland-based Wire adds video call encryption Switzerland-based Wire is a package of private communications services which this month took on newer capabilities. It is an encrypted messaging app that first launched in December 2014 but it has been given additional secure messaging capabilities. It not only has end-to-end encryption for messaging traffic but end-to-end encrypted video.
	Toward the Internet of Things—A framework for data analytics on digital device networks The Internet of Things promises to improve our lives by connecting sensors in the objects that surround us - buildings, appliances, gadgets, and vehicles - and the data that they collect. But to realize that potential, programmers need tools that make it easier to create applications that combine devices and the cloud. With the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), researcher Stacy Patterson is building those tools and developing a framework that developers can use to easily perform data analytics over a multitude of devices.
	In debate over encryption, Obama says 'dangers are real' (Update) President Barack Obama is siding with law enforcement in the debate pitting encryption and personal privacy against national security, arguing that authorities must be able to access data held on electronic devices because the "dangers are real."
	Rise of the Machines: Keep an eye on AI, experts warn A Google computer's stunning 3-0 victory in a Man-vs-Machine face-off over the ultimate board game highlights the need to keep Artificial Intelligence under human control, experts said Saturday.
Essay: Will the First Amendment survive the information age? As Apple tries to fend off government demands for access to iPhone content, the company is leaning on free speech arguments as a key part of its defense in a California courtroom.
	Three key start-ups from Africa's top science forum From disease-fighting drones to wristbands bearing health data for expectant mothers—African entrepreneurs pitched ideas to overhaul everything from healthcare to urban planning before an audience of industry figures at the first gathering of the Next Einstein Forum in Dakar, Senegal this week.
	French interior minister backs FBI in Apple battle French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve voiced support Friday for President Barack Obama's administration in its efforts to get Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino attackers.

Medicine & Health news

Researchers find newly identified immunity pathway protects mammals from virus-cause Building upon earlier research, investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center and their collaborators have identified a new innate immunity pathway that protects mammals from viral oncogenesis, the process by which viruses cause normal cells to become cancerous.
	Blueberries, the well-known 'super fruit,' could help fight Alzheimer's The blueberry, already labeled a 'super fruit' for its power to potentially lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, also could be another weapon in the war against Alzheimer's disease. New research being presented today further bolsters this idea, which is being tested by many teams. The fruit is loaded with healthful antioxidants, and these substances could help prevent the devastating effects of this increasingly common form of dementia, scientists report.
Can we predict aggressiveness of prostate cancer before surgery with a blood test? Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer, with 400,000 new cases every year in Europe. The success of surgery depends on a variety of factors. Now a new study from scientists in Milan has shown that for local prostate cancers treated with radical prostatectomy, you can preoperatively predict the aggressiveness of the prostatic disease, via a simple blood test.
Practicing tai chi reduces risk of falling in older adults Recently, researchers compared the effects of tai chi to leg strengthening exercises (a physical therapy called "lower extremity training," or LET) in reducing falls. Falls are a leading cause of serious injuries in older adults and can lead to hospitalization, nursing home admission, and even death. Arthritis, heart disease, muscle weakness, vision and balance problems, dementia, and other age-related health problems can increase an older adult's risk for experiencing a fall. The study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Rapid response for inflammation control in songbirds' brains could lead to therapies in humans A biological process in the brains of zebra finches shows that the songbirds respond quickly to trauma and are capable of controlling the natural inflammation that occurs to protect the brain from injury.
Beta-blockers could reduce the risk of COPD exacerbations Beta-blockers could be used to reduce the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, according to new findings.
Obama health law missed 2015 enrollment target Last year's final enrollment numbers under President Barack Obama's health care law fell just short of a target the administration had set, the government reported Friday.
US gives tentative OK to testing genetically modified mosquitoes US regulators tentatively agreed on Friday to permit a field test of genetically modified mosquitoes that are designed to help limit the spread of Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
	CDC: Travel OK to high-elevation cities in Zika countries The government Friday revised its Zika travel warnings, saying it's OK for pregnant women to travel to Mexico City and other places at high elevation in outbreak regions.
Almost one third of infertile men at increased risk of metabolic diseases as they age Men with fertility problems are at increased risk of metabolic diseases as they age, according to work being presented at the European Association of Urology conference in Munich.
MSF challenges Pfizer's India vaccine patent application Doctors Without Borders has challenged Pfizer's application for an Indian patent for its pneumonia vaccine so cheaper versions can be available to children in poor countries and to humanitarian organizations.
RNA sequencing opens door to accurate, highly specific test for prostate cancer A study on non-coding RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) from prostate cancer patients has identified a series of new prostate cancer markers which can be found in urine. Combining these RNA markers into a single test potentially opens the door for simple, accurate non-invasive testing for prostate cancer. This work is presented at the European Association of Urology Congress in Munich.
A step toward a birth control pill for men Women can choose from a wide selection of birth control methods, including numerous oral contraceptives, but there's never been an analogous pill for men. That's not for lack of trying: For many years, scientists have attempted to formulate a male pill. Finally, a group of researchers has taken a step toward that goal by tweaking some experimental compounds that show promise.
New 'AsthmaMap' could redefine disease and personalize treatment for patients A new digital "map" detailing different mechanisms that contribute to the development of asthma could help researchers redefine the disease. The map works by dividing asthma into different subgroups in order to allow personalised treatment more targeted to the type of asthma patients live with.
How a bad night's sleep might worsen cancer development Recent studies have indicated that patients with sleep apnea may be associated with worse cancer outcomes. Now a new animal study, presented at the European Association of Urology Congress in Munich, uncovers a possible mechanism which may underlie this link.
Honduras reports first death from Zika-linked syndrome Honduras on Friday reported its first death from a paralyzing illness linked to the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne epidemic that is spreading through Latin America and also suspected of causing birth defects.
Wave of suicides roils Canada aboriginal community A string of suicides among young people has hit an impoverished aboriginal reserve in remote central Canada, leading to calls Friday for more social services support for native communities.
Study finds kidney transplant donation rates vary widely across Europe A new Europe-wide survey shows significant country-to-country differences in rates of kidney transplant donors. The survey shows for example within the EU, there is a x5 variation in the number of kidney donors per country (per head of population). This variation is probably due to different legal and social standards across Europe.

Biology news

	Alaska scientists continue researching seabird death mystery The common murre on Sarah Schoen's examination table lived a short, hungry life.
	In Atlantic salmon fight, Greenland proves a sticking point Preventing the long-imperiled Atlantic salmon from disappearing from American waters will require the U.S. to put pressure on Inuit fishermen in Greenland to stop harvesting a fish that has fed them for hundreds of years, federal officials say.

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