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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for July 13, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers discover a highly inflated sub-Saturn extrasolar planet(Phys.org)—An international team of astronomers led by Joshua Pepper of the Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has detected an extremely inflated sub-Saturn exoplanet orbiting a bright subgiant star. The newly discovered alien world is one of the most inflated, least dense planets known to date. The findings were presented in a paper published July 6 on arXiv.org. |
 | Stellar outburst brings water snowline into viewA violent outburst by the young star V883 Orionis has given astronomers their first view of a water "snowline" in a protoplanetary disk - the transition point around the star where the temperature and pressure are low enough for water ice to form. |
 | Juno spacecraft sends first in-orbit viewThe JunoCam camera aboard NASA's Juno mission is operational and sending down data after the spacecraft's July 4 arrival at Jupiter. Juno's visible-light camera was turned on six days after Juno fired its main engine and placed itself into orbit around the largest planetary inhabitant of our solar system. The first high-resolution images of the gas giant Jupiter are still a few weeks away. |
 | First virus-hunter in space will test DNA-decoding deviceThe first virus-hunter in space is all set to conduct some cosmic, new DNA research. |
 | ESA commits to next stage of UK revolutionary rocket engineThe UK's Farnborough airshow today saw ESA's commitment to the next step in developing a revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine that could begin test firings in about four years. |
 | Image: Far-out Proba-3ESA's double-satellite Proba-3 mission will be flying where no previous member of the Proba minisatellite family has gone before – up to 60 000 km away, a seventh of the way to the Moon. |
 | Robot would assemble modular telescope—in spaceEnhancing astronomers' ability to peer ever more deeply into the cosmos may hinge on developing larger space-based telescopes. A new concept in space telescope design makes use of a modular structure and an assembly robot to build an extremely large telescope in space, performing tasks in which astronaut fatigue would be a problem. |
 | Why do some galaxies stop making new stars?Galaxies are star-making machines, churning out new stars fuelled by cold gas collapsing under the force of gravity. Some galaxies can produce hundreds of new stars in a single year, and individual galaxies can contain many billions of stars. |
Technology news
 | Nanomaterials and lithium rechargeable batteries(TechXplore)—In a review article in Nature Energy, Yongming Sun, Nian Liu, and Yi Cui from Stanford University survey how nanomaterials have advanced the field of lithium rechargeable batteries and what obstacles still need to be overcome to make high-capacity rechargeable lithium batteries a practical energy source. |
 | Robot earns its shoes, walks like a personWhat do you give a robot when it takes it first steps like a human? Its first pair of shoes. |
 | Analysis of ant colony behavior could yield better algorithms for network communicationAnts, it turns out, are extremely good at estimating the concentration of other ants in their vicinity. This ability appears to play a role in several communal activities, particularly in the voting procedure whereby an ant colony selects a new nest. |
 | Researchers report cybersecurity risks in 3D printingAdditive manufacturing (AM), commonly called 3D printing, is a $4 billion business set to quadruple by 2020. One day, manufacturers may print everything from cars to medicines, disrupting centuries-old production practices. The Federal Aviation Administration recently certified the first 3D-printed part for GE commercial jet engines, and companies like Ford Motor Company are using AM to build products and prototypes. |
 | Robot helps nurses schedule tasks on labor floorToday's robots are awkward co-workers because they are often unable to predict what humans need. In hospitals, robots are employed to perform simple tasks such as delivering supplies and medications, but they have to be explicitly told what to do. |
 | Think a gasoline-direct injection engine is the green choice? Maybe notTrying to think green when buying a car? Whether your new fuel-efficient engine helps or hurts the warming planet depends on where you live and what you're putting in the tank. |
 | Hybrid car motor uses no heavy rare earth, uses light rare earth element(Tech Xplore)—Anticipate this: a car's motor magnet that does not have heavy rare earth elements. That is big, in that it marks a break from several constraints. |
 | Solar plane lands in Egypt in penultimate stop of world tourThe Solar Impulse 2 landed in Cairo on Wednesday for the penultimate stop in the solar-powered plane's world tour, two days after setting off from Spain. |
Pokemon-mania vindicates Nintendo's mobile game shiftWith Pokemon-mania sweeping the planet, Nintendo's nascent shift into mobile gaming has proved a massive hit, vindicating the Japanese videogame giant's decision to unshackle itself from a long-standing consoles-only policy. | |
 | Nissan keeps self-driving simple—and not quite autonomousSelf-driving cars may be all the rage, but when it's a real product, coming soon from Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co., the technology gets toned down. And so don't expect to the driver to disappear for years to come. |
Fiat Chrysler offers hackers bounty to report cyber threatsFiat Chrysler is turning to weekend car tinkerers and good-guy hackers to expose software vulnerability in its cars and trucks. | |
Greater privacy and security measures needed to protect patient info in mobile health techWith over two-thirds of U.S. adults owning a smartphone, and the rise in miniaturized sensors and low-power body area networks that are used for remote health monitoring, mobile health (mHealth) is beginning to experience a boom. While the technology has the potential to increase healthcare quality, expand access to services, reduce costs, and improve personal wellness and public health, such benefits may not be fully realized unless greater privacy and security measures are implemented, according to a new paper published in the June issue of Computer. | |
 | Five questions on Germany's green energy shiftGermany's 'Energiewende' or energy transition is its biggest infrastructure project of the post-World War II era, and its greatest national challenge since reunification in 1990. |
 | Bavarian village pioneers clean energy revolutionA row of wind turbines towers on the edge of the picturesque Bavarian village of Wildpoldsried, population 2,600, where rolling meadows meet pine forests and Alpine peaks line the horizon. |
 | Pokemon Go unleashes legions of monster huntersRoland James Rodas sprang from bed near midnight to race outside and catch a nocturnal Pokemon. |
 | Driving the technology behind fuel-efficient electric carsAn £830K research project to speed up the shift from fossil-fuel reliant to greener, quieter and cheaper electric vehicles, using low carbon propulsion technologies, is being run at The University of Nottingham. |
 | Predicting the patternPatch antennas can now be integrated into mobile devices more efficiently using a model that predicts the signal radiation patterns of installed antennas, developed by A*STAR researchers. The model solves one of the major obstacles faced by communications engineers—predicting how the radiation pattern of a patch antenna will change when it is installed in a device. |
 | The rise of Facebook and 'the operating system of our lives'Recent changes announced by social media giant Facebook have roiled the media community and raised questions about privacy. The company's updates include a higher level of news feed priority for posts made by friends and family and testing for new end-to-end encryption software inside its messenger service. |
User-controlled system makes it possible to instantly revoke access to files hosted on internet cloud serversBy securing data files with a 'need-to-know' decryption key, A*STAR researchers have developed a way to control access to cloud-hosted data in real-time, adding an extra layer of security for data-sharing via the Internet. | |
 | Google says anti-piracy effort has delivered $2 bnGoogle said Wednesday its efforts to fight online piracy have yielded $2 billion paid out to copyright holders whose content is shown on its YouTube platform. |
 | Germans join Pokemon hunt as hit game reaches EuropeThe Pokemon Go mobile gaming craze reached European fans on Wednesday, with players in Germany the first to get their hands on the augmented reality sensation. |
 | Pokemon GO gets people out and about, and that's a good thingOne week since its release and Pokémon GO has not only captured the attention of millions of users eager to "catch them all", it's also caught the eye of the media, authorities and, at times, a somewhat puzzled public. |
 | Conversion efficiency of 18.2 percent achieved using perovskite solar cellsA research group led by Liyuan Han, a leader of the Photovoltaic Materials Group, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), achieved energy conversion efficiency exceeding 18% using standard size (1 cm2) perovskite solar cells for the first time in the world. This measurement was made by the Calibration, Standards and Measurement Team at the Research Center for Photovoltaics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)—an internationally recognized independent organization for solar cell evaluation. |
 | Solar plane flies over Egypt pyramids on globe-circling tripFlying through the haze over the pyramids of Giza, an experimental solar-powered airplane arrived on Wednesday in Egypt as part of its globe-circling voyage. |
 | Breakthrough in powering wireless sensorsResearchers at The Australian National University (ANU) are a step closer to harvesting renewable or ambient energy from mobile phone base stations to power battery-operated wireless sensors used in industries including health and agriculture. |
 | Google wins extra time to fight EU Android probeGoogle won more time Wednesday to answer accusations by the European Commission that the US tech giant abuses the dominance of its Android mobile phone operating system. |
 | Auschwitz museum says no to Pokemon GoThe Auschwitz museum said Wednesday it had asked the makers of the popular Pokemon Go augmented reality game to block players at the former Nazi death camp out of respect for the dead. |
Nokia expects boost from patent licensing pact with SamsungFinnish telecoms company Nokia expects a sales boost this year after agreeing to expand its licensing agreement with Samsung. | |
Study uses text-mining to improve market intelligence on startupsA researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington has created a new method that uses big data analytics and text-mining techniques to improve market intelligence and explain potential mergers and acquisitions of startup companies in the fast-moving high-technology industry. | |
 | Google, LinkedIn complete massive Silicon Valley land swapTech giants Google and LinkedIn may be rivals online, but they're collaborating in the real world on a Silicon Valley land swap. |
 | In video games, spectating is the new advertisingThe rise of online audiences watching video gamers stream themselves playing isn't simply a new form of entertainment seen by millions. It's also driving video game sales, and drawing the attention of federal regulators. |
 | German police launch mass raids over online hate speechGerman police on Wednesday launched nationwide raids targeting social media users who posted racial hatred on Facebook and other online networks. |
Chinese government suspected of hacking into FDIC computersThe Chinese government is believed to have hacked into computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 2010, 2011 and 2013, including the workstation of then-FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, a congressional report says. | |
 | Investors tap mobile message craze as trading begins on LineInvestors looking to ride the mobile messaging craze—get in line. |
 | How apps and other online tools are challenging racist attacksIn the aftermath of Brexit in the UK and the success of Pauline Hanson in the Australian Senate elections, racism seems to be a more present threat than ever. |
 | New dissolvable metal support enables 3-D printing of complex metallic structuresResearchers have fabricated dissolvable carbon steel structures using 3D printing technology that can provide temporary support for components of larger stainless steel structures made by additive manufacturing. The first-of-its-kind soluble metal support is subsequently removed via electrochemical etching in nitric acid with bubbling oxygen, as described in an article in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Humans perceive time somewhere in between reality and our expectationsNew research, using a Bayesian inference model of audio and visual stimuli, has shown how our perception of time lies mid-way between reality and our expectations. |
 | What free will looks like in the brainJohns Hopkins University researchers are the first to glimpse the human brain making a purely voluntary decision to act. |
 | In the gut, nervous cells are the 'eyes and ears' of the immune systemA team of scientists in Portugal has discovered, in the mouse gut, a novel process that protects the bowel's lining against inflammation and microbial aggressions - and fights them when they arise. And, most surprisingly, they have shown that this mechanism is under the control of the intestinal nervous system - the so-called "second brain". |
 | Gut bacteria imbalance increases diabetes riskCurrently, scientists think the major contributors to insulin resistance are excess weight and physical inactivity, yet ground-breaking new research by an EU funded European-Chinese team of investigators called MetaHit have discovered that specific imbalances in the gut bacteria can cause insulin resistance, which confers an increased risk of health disorders like type 2 diabetes. |
 | Sound waves may hold potential to treat twin pregnancy complicationsHigh energy sound waves could treat a potentially deadly complication that affects some twin pregnancies, says new research. |
Tendon, heal thyself: Study reveals gene crucial in keeping tendons healthyWith the Rio Olympics just weeks away, many are wondering how Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will perform. Bolt is the fastest runner ever timed, but he's also been nursing a tendon injury—the kind of injury that can take years to heal. | |
 | New technique targets gene that causes neurodegenerative diseaseNeuroscientists at the University of Chicago studying a unique gene that expresses two proteins, one that is necessary for life and another, that when mutated causes a neurodegenerative disease called spinocerbellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6), have developed a technique to selectively block the disease-causing protein without affecting the other. |
Study showing how primate brain develops can help understand human developmental disordersScientists have elucidated the genetic programs that guide the formation and development of specific regions within the brain of rhesus monkeys. This study is important because it can help better understand how the human brain develops and identify neurodevelopmental processes involved in disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. The results appear today in Nature. | |
 | Shocking new role found for the immune system: Controlling social interactionIn a startling discovery that raises fundamental questions about human behavior, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined that the immune system directly affects - and even controls - creatures' social behavior, such as their desire to interact with others. So could immune system problems contribute to an inability to have normal social interactions? The answer appears to be yes, and that finding could have great implications for neurological conditions such as autism-spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. |
Menopause symptoms and relationship to demographic and psychosocial factorsMore data analysis about hot flashes from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) has been published today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). A study by Ping G. Tepper, PhD, and colleagues shows that the progression of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) across the menopause transition appears to be significantly and independently associated with a number of sociodemographic, reproductive hormone, and psychosocial factors. | |
33 sickened in apparent mass drug overdose in New York CityMore than two dozen people were sickened in an apparent mass drug overdose on a New York City street corner, sparking warnings from police and health officials about the dangers of using K2, also known as synthetic marijuana. | |
 | Simplifying access to gene testing for women with ovarian cancerA new streamlined approach to genetic testing for women with ovarian cancer provides testing rapidly and affordably, allowing many more patients to benefit from personalised cancer management and their relatives to benefit from cancer prevention strategies. |
 | Students' PTSD symptoms fluctuate greatly during first year of collegeA new University at Buffalo study is helping researchers better understand how post-traumatic stress disorder fluctuates in students during their first year of college. |
 | Preventive medicine expert advocates a plant-based dietIn a letter to JAMA, the preventive-medicine expert addresses the failure of the newest USDA Dietary Guidelines to articulate the health and climate benefits of a low-meat diet. |
Psychological treatment may be effective in reducing self-harmA new review, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, investigates the effectiveness of a number of different forms of psychological, or 'talking' therapies, for adults who self-harm. | |
 | Research finds childbirth education program dramatically reduces medical interventions at birthResearch from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) at Western Sydney University shows antenatal education classes focusing on pain relief techniques dramatically reduce the rate of medical interventions during childbirth, such as epidural use and caesarean section. |
 | Environment, the microbiome, and preterm birthEbony Foreman-Broaddus knows she is fortunate. She and her husband served with the Marines in Iraq before they married. They now enjoy a comfortable life in Conyers, Georgia, where they are raising two sons, ages 8 and 6, and a daughter, age 1. All are healthy and were born full term. |
 | We'll spend billions tomorrow for not helping poor people quit smoking todayThe gradual reduction of smoking – the number one cause of preventable death and illness – is one of the triumphs of public health in the United States. About 16.8 percent of Americans smoke today, compared to 42 percent in the 1960s. |
People who feel too specialised to transfer occupations may be at increased risk of suicide-related thinking, behaviorPeople who believe their occupational skills are non-transferable to other professions are potentially at an increased risk of suicide-related thinking and behaviour, a Macquarie University study has found. The study is the first to investigate how a person's perceived skill transferability is linked to suicide-related thinking and behaviour, and has implications for clinical practitioners, human resource managers, and training institutions, such as universities. | |
Scientists present new research on childhood neuroblastomaIn the journal Cell Reports researchers at Karolinska Institutet together with international colleagues present new data on the pediatric tumor neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a nerve cell cancer that affects young children and originates in the peripheral nervous system along the spine and in the adrenal glands. | |
 | Mind over matter could reduce back pain anguishCould mindfulness and meditation be more powerful than opioids for lower back pain? |
The high price of workplace stressSick and tired of your job? You're not alone. Nearly half (44 percent) of working adults say that their current job affects their overall health, but only 28 percent of those believe that effect is a good one. People with disabilities, in dangerous or low-paying jobs, and those in retail are most likely to say their job has a negative impact on their stress levels (43 percent), eating habits (28 percent), sleeping patterns (27 percent) and weight (22 percent), according to a new survey from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with National Public Radio and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. | |
 | Online resource to help family members locate wandering loved ones with dementiaIt is projected that more than 60 per cent of adults with Alzheimer's disease or dementia will wander. That's three out of every five individuals currently living with these conditions – a statistic that is on the rise. |
 | Chinese city migrant children buck obesity trendResearchers at the University of Birmingham have found that the children of migrants to Chinese cities have lower rates of obesity than youngsters in more affluent established urban families. |
 | Global effort needed to fight antimicrobial resistanceFood production is a key cause of the global antibiotic resistance crisis, according to a growing body of scientific evidence. |
Relationship woes could have roots close to home, study saysOne of the biggest stumbling blocks to having successful relationships lies within. | |
 | Study finds differences in care for patients with low-risk prostate cancer based on institution and regionMen with low-risk prostate cancer have a variety of treatment options because of the relatively benign nature of their disease. Among many factors that influence treatment decisions, the type of cancer center a patient visits is a key one, according to a study led by Yale researchers. |
 | Keeping children safe—new guide for preventing child accidental injuries in the under fivesResearchers from The University of Nottingham have worked with the Child Accident Prevention Trust to produce a guide to help commissioners of children's health services ensure accident prevention is a key part of health visiting, children's centres and family services. |
 | Why can't we remember our early childhood?Most of us don't have any memories from the first three to four years of our lives – in fact, we tend to remember very little of life before the age of seven. And when we do try to think back to our earliest memories, it is often unclear whether they are the real thing or just recollections based on photos or stories told to us by others. |
 | A 'key' to metastasis formationResearchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have demonstrated that a molecule called biglycan plays an intrinsic role in attracting tumour cells toward the inner wall of tumour blood vessels. |
New analysis recommends responsible prescription of opioids to pain patientsA recent review and analysis suggests that some policies restricting opioid prescriptions to curb overdose deaths could be harming those who need them the most: pain patients. | |
 | Traumatic brain injury costs £15 billion a year in the UK, says new researchTraumatic brain injury costs a total of £15 billion nationally every year and puts young people at higher risk of poor mental health and offending, according to research published today by Centre for Mental Health, involving a University of Exeter expert. |
 | Researchers say focusing on sugar in the fight against global obesity could be misleadingScientists from the University of Glasgow have concluded that focusing health messages on sugar in isolation may mislead consumers on the need to also reduce overall calories, including those from fat. |
 | Prenatal famine exposure has sex-specific effects on brain sizeA new study, focused on the Dutch famine of 1944-45, has highlighted how prenatal famine exposure has sex-specific effects on brain size. |
Preventing type 2 diabetes: When genes fail to respondIt is widely accepted that physical exercise lowers the risk of developing diabetes. Yet in one in five participants in related studies this positive effect fails to materialize. Researchers and clinicians involved in a collaborative translational project launched by the German Center for Diabetic Research between the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University Hospital Tübingen have now discovered what occurs in the muscle of these so-called "non-responders". The results of their research were published recently in the Diabetes journal. | |
Adolescent birth rate drops across all racial groups, annual report showsThe teen birth rate dropped for another consecutive year, continuing a long-term decline in teen pregnancy, according to the most recent yearly report on the status of America's children and youth. | |
 | Will 'superbug' in Rio's waters harm Olympic athletes?The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have been overshadowed by a plethora of concerns—civil unrest, shoddy construction, and the Zika virus, to name a few—and the Games are still about a month away. Now a new study from a team of Brazilian scientists has found that a drug-resistant bacterium called Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae has been growing off two city beaches bordering Guanabara Bay, where Olympic sailors will compete next month. |
Having an economic safety net encourages struggling Americans to become entrepreneurs, study saysIs it a hand up or a hand out? | |
 | Local drug activation at solid tumor sitesSarcoma is an aggressive form of cancer responsible for up to 20 percent of childhood cancers. Tumors often first appear in the extremities and the abdomen. Surgery is a primary treatment, but it often is combined with chemotherapy. This week in ACS Central Science, researchers propose a scheme to target chemotherapy medications specifically to sarcomas, leading to greater efficacy and fewer side effects. |
 | Your best diet might depend on your geneticsIf you've ever seen a friend have good results from a diet but then not been able to match those results yourself, you may not be surprised by new findings in mice that show that diet response is highly individualized. |
 | Sugar-binding protein galectin-9 found to be a new weapon to cure HIVThe ultimate impediment to a cure for HIV infection is the presence of latent, HIV-infected cells, which can reawaken and produce new virus when antiretroviral drug therapy is stopped. These latent, HIV-infected cells are untouched by antiretroviral therapy and are unseen by the immune system. Moving medicine closer to a cure for HIV, scientists at Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI), the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), and the University of Hawaii have discovered that the human sugar-binding protein galectin-9 potently forces latent HIV out of hiding, and poisons the virus on its way out. |
 | Today's teenagers could become prematurely hearing-impaired, study warnsTeenagers are increasingly experiencing tinnitus, often a symptom of hearing loss, as a result of using ear buds to listen to music for long periods every day, as well as frequenting very noisy places like nightclubs, discos and rock concerts, according to a study performed in Brazil. |
 | Brain cell death in Alzheimer's linked to structural flawResearchers have identified a new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease. In experiments using fruit flies, blocking the pathway reduced the death of brain cells, suggesting that interfering with the pathway could represent a promising new strategy to treat the disease in human patients. |
 | New screening method uses tiny worms to seek serum for healthy agingA new screening approach uses several types of roundworms to identify chemicals that might one day help people stay healthy longer. Researchers will present initial findings from their search for anti-aging compounds at The Allied Genetics Conference, a meeting hosted by the Genetics Society of America. |
 | New insights on how cells regrow after being sliced in halfFor a single celled organism, as with many cells, cell shape is critical to the functions it can perform. However, little is known about how cells regain proper shape after an injury. In a new study being presented at The Allied Genetics Conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers report new insights about the underlying drivers that help cells heal and maintain their shape. |
 | Shedding new light on protein aggregates and the diseases they causeResearchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University have developed a system capable of quickly screening millions of yeast cells to measure protein aggregates. Proteins regulate all of the processes that keep cells alive, but when misfolded they can clump into large aggregations, a phenomenon associated with diseases including Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's. |
Nearly half of California nursing home residents complete end-of-life care ordersUCLA-led research finds broad acceptance of written end-of-life care orders among California nursing home residents, with nearly half completing a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or POLST, form in 2011. | |
 | Nowhere to hide: Treatment targets HIV's last hiding placeWhile HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, we are yet to defeat it entirely. However, a new study from Oxford University offers hope that HIV will eventually have nowhere to hide. Tom Calver spoke to Professor Lucy Dorrell about her work on clearing HIV from the body. |
 | Fat cells may play key role in battle against breast cancerNew research led by York University Professor Michael Connor highlights how fat cells could help determine the most effective way to fight breast cancer; including using exercise to combat the disease. |
Study finds differing treatment options for women smokersA new study led by Assistant Medical Professor Philip Smith of The City College of New York's Sophie Davis Biomedical Education/CUNY School of Medicine, and conducted in collaboration with researchers at Yale University and Yeshiva University, found important differences between women and men in their ability to quit smoking when taking medications commonly prescribed to help smokers quit. | |
 | Simple procedure could improve treatment for common eye diseaseA new, minimally invasive procedure appears to be effective for many patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED), a common eye disease, without the potential side effects and cost of the current standard of care, a cornea transplant. |
New tool to identify persons with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseResearchers have developed a diagnostic model that is highly predictive of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Referred to as the Framingham Steatosis Index (FSI), this novel model may become a cheaper and easier alternative to screen for liver fat, the major feature of this condition. | |
 | Food nudging can help us to eat in a healthier wayWhat we eat in the canteen and buy in the supermarket for dinner depends on the order in which the dishes are presented, and how easy it is to get to the products. This is the conclusion of a collaborative review of existing research into food 'nudging.' Until now there's been very little research on this topic, but researchers behind the review expect healthy food nudging to be a predominant subject in the coming years. |
 | Stand-up comics more likely to die prematurely than film comedians and dramatic actorsThe world's best stand-up comedians - household names including Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfield, Ricky Gervais and Eddie Murphy - are more likely to die than comedic and dramatic screen and stage actors, according to a landmark study published in the International Journal of Cardiology. |
Loss of independence after surgery for older patients associated with increased risk of hospital readmissionIn a study published online by JAMA Surgery, Julia R. Berian, M.D., of the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, and colleagues examined loss of independence (LOI; defined as a decline in function or mobility, increased care needs at home, or discharge to a nonhome destination) among older patients after surgical procedures and the association of LOI with readmission and death after discharge. Currently, quality metrics prioritized by hospitals and medical professionals focus on discrete outcomes, such as readmission or mortality. | |
Stressful trigger events associated with risk of violent crimeA study published online by JAMA Psychiatry of patients in Sweden suggests trigger events, including exposure to violence, were associated with increased risk of violent crime in the week following exposure among patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and among individuals without psychiatric diagnoses who were included for comparison. | |
 | Adipose analysis on microfluidic chipsA Freiburg-based research group has developed a microfluidic chip where more than one hundred apidose-derived adult stem cell cultures can grow and divide. In the human body, adipose tissue acts as a primary energy store. Adult stem cells have the task of maintaining and regenerating this process. The researchers used the new lab-on-a-chip to study how adult stem cells in adipose tissue develop into mature fat cells, conducting their investigations outside the body. Previous experiments have enabled them to decode a signalling pathway involved in adipose cell maturation and to show that calories in the nutrient medium influence this process. |
 | Playing action video games boosts visual motor skill underlying drivingPlaying action-based video games may boost players' ability to coordinate incoming visual information with their motor control, a skill critical to many real-world behaviors including driving, new research shows. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. |
Drug-use may hamper moral judgmentRegular cocaine and methamphetamine users can have difficulty choosing between right and wrong, perhaps because the specific parts of their brains used for moral processing and evaluating emotions are damaged by their prolonged drug habits. This is according to a study among prison inmates by Samantha Fede and Dr. Kent Kiehl's laboratory at the University of New Mexico and the nonprofit Mind Research Network. The findings of the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are published in Springer's journal Psychopharmacology. | |
Blood glucose health is decreasing in obese adults; increasing risks for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular complicationsBlood glucose health is deteriorating in obese adults, despite overall progress in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which may raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. | |
Alzheimer's gene may show effects on brain starting in childhoodA gene associated with Alzheimer's disease and recovery after brain injury may show its effects on the brain and thinking skills as early as childhood, according to a study published in the July 13, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. | |
Immunotherapy benefits relapsed stem cell transplant recipientsFor many patients with advanced blood cancers, a stem-cell transplant can drive the disease into remission. However, about one-third of these patients experience a relapse and face a very poor prognosis. | |
 | Review: Telehealth poised to revolutionize health careTelehealth is growing rapidly and has the potential to transform the delivery of health care for millions of persons. That is the conclusion of a review article appearing today in the New England Journal of Medicine. |
TBI's long-term follow-up—slow progress in science and recoveryEleven years ago in the New England Journal of Medicine, medical journalist Susan Okie, MD, first introduced readers to two U.S. Army veterans who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iraq, and the challenges they faced in the recovery period after returning home. In the July 14 issue of the NEJM, Okie describes her follow-up interviews with the soldiers, and the slow journey to recovery that continues more than a decade later. | |
As overweight and obesity increase, so does risk of dying prematurelyBeing overweight or obese is associated with a higher risk of dying prematurely than being normal weight—and the risk increases with additional pounds, according to a large international collaborative study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Cambridge, UK. The findings contradict recent reports that suggest a survival advantage to being overweight—the so-called "obesity paradox." | |
Discovery of new strains of the HTLV-4 virus in hunters bitten by gorillas in GabonScientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS have identified two new strains of the HTLV-4 virus in two hunters who were bitten by gorillas in Gabon. These findings, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, support the notion that gorillas represent a major source of infectious agents that can be passed on to humans. | |
Nivolumab cost-effectiveness improves by selecting non-squamous NSCLC PD-L1+ patientsNivolumab (NIV), a checkpoint inhibitor approved for all squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in 2015, is not cost-effective when compared to treatment with docetaxel (DOC), chemotherapy medication. However, a Swiss analysis showed the cost-effectiveness of NIV is improved when patients are treated with NIV based on PD-L1 positivity (PD-L1+), or if there is a reduction in dose or drug price. | |
Reducing racial bias possible in older children, study findsResearch has shown children have racial biases from an early age, but a new University of British Columbia study has found that it is possible to combat prejudice in older kids. | |
Low risk in all but 4 countries of Olympics-related ZikaGovernment researchers are predicting that the upcoming Olympics are unlikely to have a major impact on the spread of Zika virus, although four developing countries could face a substantially higher risk. | |
Doubling up to fight painQueen's University researcher Ian Gilron has uncovered a more effective way of treating fibromyalgia, a medical condition characterized by chronic widespread pain typically accompanied by fatigue, as well as sleep, mood and memory problems. | |
 | Preclinical study outlines cardiovascular side effects of breast cancer drugA receptor protein that is the target of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) is needed for proper heart blood-vessel development, reported researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. They published their findings this month in Nature Communications. These discoveries have implications for better understanding the cardiovascular side effects of trastuzumab commonly used for cancer and provide an example of integration at the molecular level of pathways involved in tissue growth and blood-vessel patterning. |
 | Epilepsy may triple ADHD risk, Danish study finds(HealthDay)—Children who suffer from epilepsy or fever-related seizures may face a higher risk of also having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new Danish research suggests. |
 | Apartment dwellers more likely to smoke: CDC(HealthDay)—Apartment residents are more likely to smoke and less likely to have smoke-free rules than people living in single-family homes, U.S. health officials report. |
 | Follow-up of colorectal CA screens lacking in older patients(HealthDay)—A considerable proportion of older patients are not up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening and do not receive timely follow-up of abnormal fecal blood tests, according to a study published online June 22 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. |
 | One week of bed rest lowers muscle mass, insulin sensitivity(HealthDay)—One week of bed rest is associated with a substantial reduction in skeletal muscle mass and decreased whole-body insulin sensitivity, according to a study published online June 29 in Diabetes. |
 | ICD-9 codes not accurate enough for ocular disease(HealthDay)—International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes are not accurate enough for diagnosing ocular diseases, according to a study published online July 7 in JAMA Ophthalmology. |
 | Depression linked to CKD in patients with diabetes(HealthDay)—For patients with diabetes, the presence of depression is associated with increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online June 16 in Diabetes Care. |
 | Allen Brain Observatory launchedThe Allen Institute for Brain Science today announced the release of the Allen Brain Observatory: a highly standardized survey of cellular-level activity in the mouse visual system. This dynamic tool empowers scientists to investigate how circuits in the behaving mouse brain coordinate to drive activity and perception, and lays a crucial foundation for understanding perception, cognition and ultimately consciousness. |
 | Hungry parents may feed their kids more, study findsThe hungrier parents are at mealtimes, a new study shows, the more they may feed their young children, which could have implications for childhood obesity. |
 | More evidence that male and female brains are wired differentlyWhile measuring brain activity with magnetic resonance imaging during blood pressure trials, UCLA researchers found that men and women had opposite responses in the right front of the insular cortex, a part of the brain integral to the experience of emotions, blood pressure control and self-awareness. |
New study shows differences in blood pressure variation across ethnicityDifferences in circadian blood pressure variation due to a combination of genetic and cultural factors may contribute to ethnic differences in cardiovascular morbidity, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. | |
Which strategies are most effective for reducing use of low-value health services?The Institute of Medicine estimates that up to 30% of care provided in the United States is unnecessary and provides little value to patients given the cost and available alternatives. However, a new study by researchers at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice finds that despite growing acceptance of the term "low-value care" by healthcare practitioners, strategies on how to reduce its use have not been studied consistently or compared to one another to determine effectiveness on a broad scale. | |
 | Study finds first evidence that PD-1 antibody could help men with metastatic prostate cancerRestoring tumor-specific immunity is a treatment strategy that works well in melanoma and lung cancer patients. Now a new study out of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is reviving hope that the approach also may help men with life-threatening prostate cancer. |
Certain characteristics predispose women to different hot flash and night sweat patternsMost women will get hot flashes or night sweats at some point in life. However, when these symptoms occur and how long they last can vary dramatically among women. New findings show that women fit into four distinct groups when it comes to getting hot flashes and night sweats, with potential ramifications for therapy and prevention of future health conditions, according to the research led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. | |
 | New peak for US health care spending: $10,345 per personThe nation's health care tab this year is expected to surpass $10,000 per person for the first time, the government said Wednesday. The new peak means the Obama administration will pass the problem of high health care costs on to its successor. |
Peru declares Zika emergency across half of countryPeruvian officials on Wednesday declared a Zika health emergency across the northern half of their country after confirming that 102 people have been infected with the virus. | |
New recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of adrenal incidentalomasThe appropriate clinical response to adrenal incidentaloma should depend on the likelihood of malignancy, according to new guidelines published today by the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), in collaboration with the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) and first presented at ESE's annual European Congress of Endocrinology in May 2016. | |
Health care intervention lessons from the development of eight related malaria intervention studiesRigorous evidence of 'what works' to improve health care is in demand, but methods for the development of interventions have not been scrutinized in the same ways as methods for evaluation. The article "Examining Intervention Design: Lessons from the Development of Eight Related Malaria Health Care Intervention Studies," presents and examines intervention development processes of eight malaria health care interventions in East and West Africa. The article appears in Health Systems & Reform. | |
In cancer and aging, interconnected roles for apoptosis and cellular senescenceA common feature of cancer and aging is cells' reduced ability to respond to stress-induced damage to DNA or cellular structures. Specifically, changes occur in the protective processes of apoptosis and cellular senescence, whose roles in cancer and aging are thoroughly reviewed by Cerella et al. in Current Drug Targets (Bentham Science Publishers). The authors outline the evidence that these processes are regulated by separate but intertwined pathways. Understanding the precise mechanisms, they conclude, could lead to combination therapies for cancer and aging able to harness the benefits of both apoptosis and senescence, while limiting the drawbacks of either. | |
Recent advances in site specific conjugations of antibody drug conjugatesAntibody-drug conjugates take the advantage of antigen specificity of monoclonal antibodies to deliver highly potent cytotoxic drugs selectively to antigen-expressing tumor cells. | |
Deciphering the mutations behind drug resistanceAntimicrobial resistance in disease-causing microbes has garnered attention in recent years, but another persistent area of drug resistance is the ability for tumors to evade chemotherapy drugs. Methotrexate is one of the oldest chemotherapy agents, and although it can be quite effective against many types of cancer and other conditions, in many cases it stops working because the patient becomes resistant to the drug's effects. | |
First drug target identified for children with rare type of brain tumorPrimitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are the largest group of malignant brain tumors in children. They can arise from the brain's cerebellum or, more rarely, from tissue located throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about how CNS-PNETs develop, although these tumors are more aggressive than other PNETs and have an overall survival rate of only about 20 percent. In a new study, researchers for the first time have identified a possible target for a new CNS-PNET therapy. | |
Overcoming barriers in the quest to starve tumors of blood supplyOne of the most exciting strategies researchers are pursuing for fighting cancer is to cut off the blood supply of cancerous cells. However, many initially-promising therapies have failed in part because tumor cells counteract these therapies by increasing their production of "pro-angiogenic" proteins that promote new blood vessel growth and boost tumor blood supply. In a new study, researchers have found a way to turn the tables on this process by disrupting the ability of vascular endothelial cells (blood vessel-forming cells) to respond to these pro-angiogenic signals from tumors. The findings could open the door to new cancer treatments with a lower risk of drug resistance. | |
Rat study shows gut microbes play a role in colon cancer susceptibilityThe microscopic organisms that live in our gut do more than help us digest food. A new study in rats bolsters a growing body of evidence that the complex mix of microorganisms found in the gut, known as gut microbiota, could influence a person's likelihood of developing colon cancer. | |
In the firefly's flash, seeking new insights on evolutionFrom loud calls to flashing lights, animals use a wide array of signals to attract mates. Although these signals play a very important role in whether the organisms will mate and reproduce, scientists don't fully understand how new mating signals arise through evolution. A new study uses the firefly flashes that light up dark summer nights to gain insight into the evolutionary mechanisms that might have brought about the large assortment of signals displayed across the animal kingdom. | |
 | Role of vitamin D in vascular complications and vascular access outcome in patients with chronic kidIn recent years, a growing interest has prompted research to find new links between vitamin D and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), cell proliferation, and anti-apoptotic cell paths in the vascular system. The activation of vitamin D receptors (VDRs) on endothelial cells induces changes in the metabolic activity of the endothelium and is responsible for cell survival, proliferation and neoangiogenesis. |
 | A comparison between quetiapine and aripiprazole for treatment of schizophreniaSchizophrenia is a common cause of incapacity and is ranked as the third-most-disabling illness subsequent to dementia and quadriplegia. Nearly, 75% of persons with schizophrenia have continuing problems with recurrent psychotic episodes. |
Polypharamocological drugs in the treatment of epilepsy: The comprehensive review of marketed and new emerging moleculesThe researchers in the laboratory of Dr. Manisha Tiwari have recently reviewed "Polypharamocological Drugs in the Treatment of Epilepsy: The Comprehensive Review of Marketed and New Emerging Molecules". | |
Cyclic opioid peptidesPeptide based drug candidates are being discovered at an increasingly rapid pace as therapeutics for many diseases and pain management. . For decades the opioid receptors have been an attractive therapeutic target for pain management and many endogenous opioid peptides have been known to produce opioid activity and analgesia. However, their therapeutic potential has been limited due to a major drawback regarding their use as CNS drugs, mainly due to a lack of biodistribution to the brain caused by poor metabolic stability and an inability to penetrate the blood brain barrier. | |
Sexual transmission of AIDS on the rise in Iran: officialA senior Iranian health official warned Wednesday that sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS was on the rise, in part because of taboos about discussing sex. | |
 | Scientists work to stop fat cells from becoming large, dysfunctional on a high-fat dietA high-fat diet makes your fat cells larger, inflamed and dysfunctional, putting you at increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. |
Possible to account for disadvantaged populations in Medicare's payment programsA new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that Medicare's value-based payment programs could take into account social risk factors - such as low socio-economic position, residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods, or race and ethnicity - but any proposal to do so will entail both advantages and disadvantages that need to be carefully considered. This is the third report in a series of five that addresses social risk factors that affect the health care outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries and ways to account for them in Medicare payment programs. It was outside the study's statement of task to recommend whether social risk factors should be accounted for in value-based payment or how. | |
Internists say cost sharing, particularly deductibles, may cause patients to forgo or delay careThe American College of Physicians (ACP) today said that cost sharing, particularly deductibles, may cause patients to forgo or delay care, including medically necessary services. "The effects are particularly pronounced among those with low incomes and the very sick," said Nitin S. Damle, MD, MS, FACP, president of ACP. | |
Juno being sued over leukemia drug studyJuno Therapeutics and its CEO, Hans E. Bishop, are being named in a lawsuit over whether the biotechnology company misled investors about the death of a patient in a key study involving its drug intended to treat leukemia. | |
 | Detecting melanoma early, without a biopsyMelanoma is a form of skin cancer that becomes dangerous when it spreads, but is treatable in its early stages. Doctors diagnose melanoma by cutting away a piece of a suspicious skin lesion—a procedure known as a biopsy—and testing it for malignant cells. |
Blood clots and cancer: UNC professor identifies research priorities for National Institutes of HealthMore than 20 percent of all blood clots in veins occur in cancer patients. These clots, also known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), pose serious threats for cancer patients. Nigel Key, MB, ChB, FRCP, director of the UNC Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, is lead author of an advisory opinion on research priorities to address VTE in cancer patients. | |
NYC law requires tampons in public schools, jailsNew York City is becoming the nation's first city to require free tampons and sanitary pads in public schools, homeless shelters and jails. | |
Biology news
 | Scientists surveying ocean floor turn up new fish off AlaskaFederal biologist Jay Orr never knows what's going to come up in nets lowered to the ocean floor off Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands, which separate the Bering Sea from the rest of the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes it's stuff he has to name. |
 | There are so many Amazonian tree species, we won't discover the last one for 300 yearsThere are more different kinds of trees in the Amazon rainforest than anywhere else on earth, but the exact number has long been a mystery. In 2013, scientists estimated that the number of species was around 16,000—no one had ever counted them all up, though. In a new paper in Scientific Reports, the same scientists delved into museum collections from around the world to confirm just how many tree species have been recorded in the Amazon so far—and how many have yet to be discovered. |
High-resolution imaging reveals the secrets of a bacterial toxinMany bacteria use specialized toxins to attack and infect other cells. Scientists at EPFL and the University of Bern have now modeled a major such toxin with unprecedented resolution, uncovering the way it works step-by-step. | |
 | Breakthrough in scaling up life-changing stem cell productionScientists have discovered a new method of creating human stem cells which could solve the big problem of the large-scale production needed to fully realise the potential of these remarkable cells for understanding and treating disease. |
 | Bees found to use pollens' taste to determine which flowers to visit(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with the University of Nevada has found evidence that suggests bees have different taste preferences when it comes to pollen. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Felicity Muth, Jacob Francis and Anne Leonard describe experiments they carried out with several bee colonies and what they learned by doing so. |
 | New method to model protein interactions may accelerate drug developmentProtein-protein interactions (PPIs) are the basis of cellular functions, and when these processes are compromised diseases such as cancer emerge. For years scientists have tried with mixed success to map out PPIs to understand cellular processes. Now a team of international scientists led by Stony Brook University researchers have created an ultra-fast way to model protein interactions. The method may help pave the way to design drugs that prevent problematic protein interactions that lead to disease. The findings are published in the early online edition of PNAS. |
 | Viruses revealed to be a major driver of human evolutionThe constant battle between pathogens and their hosts has long been recognized as a key driver of evolution, but until now scientists have not had the tools to look at these patterns globally across species and genomes. In a new study, researchers apply big-data analysis to reveal the full extent of viruses' impact on the evolution of humans and other mammals. |
 | Closing parts of the ocean to fishing not enough to protect marine ecosystemsA University of Washington fisheries professor argues this week that saving biodiversity in the world's oceans requires more than banning fishing with marine protected areas, or oceanic wilderness areas. In a three-page editorial published this week in the journal Nature, he argues that this increasingly popular conservation strategy is not as effective as properly managing recreational and commercial fisheries. |
 | Alaska's shorebirds exposed to mercuryShorebirds breeding in Alaska are being exposed to mercury at levels that could put their populations at risk, according to new research from The Condor: Ornithological Applications. |
 | Feather-munching bacteria damage wild bird plumageA new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances links feather-degrading bacteria to damaged plumage on wild birds for the first time, offering new insights into how birds' ecology and behavior might affect their exposure to these little-studied microbes. |
Video show humpbacks feeding against San Francisco skylineA kayaker captured video of humpback whales feasting on fish in a bay with the San Francisco skyline as a backdrop. | |
 | New hybrid sweetgum trees could boost paper, bioenergy productionSweetgum trees thrive under diverse conditions, grow as fast as pine trees and provide the type of fiber needed for specialty papers-and they've long been desired by paper and bioenergy producers. |
 | Uncovering the mystery of DNA replicationBy looking into the mechanism of a backward enzyme, scientists speculate why DNA replication always happens in the forward direction. |
 | Genetic comparisons provide insight into the evolution of a crucial filament protein in animals, plants and bacteriaDivergent evolutionary pathways in different domains of life have resulted in distinct filament systems that underlie cellular structure and polymerizing-protein motors, according to A*STAR researchers. The work focuses on the protein actin, and proposes how divergent systems in animals, plants and bacteria arose. |
 | Modelling picks out prospective homes for rare tortoisesThe western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina) could soon be calling WA's south coast home following extensive modelling to find new sites where populations could thrive. |
 | Cave-dwelling fish could provide clues to staying healthy with diabetesCavefish that live in dark caves with only sporadic access to food show symptoms similar to diabetes, but don't appear to experience any health problems. New findings presented at The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) 2016, a meeting hosted by the Genetics Society of America, reveal the genetic basis of how cavefish have adapted to their extreme environment, information that might one day lead to new kinds of treatments for diabetes and other diseases. |
 | Ravens learn best from their affiliatesOne of the benefits of living together is gaining new information from group members. Once a group member starts displaying a new behavior, it frequently spreads to the rest of the group. In a study on ravens, Cognitive Biologists from the University of Vienna together with the Princeton University and the Leeds University showed that being socially connected to others is critical in gaining new information. Their findings are published in Royal Society Open Science. |
Microalgae—a promising future resource?Microalgae hold tremendous potential for industrial biotechnology. They are an important resource in the production of food and medications, and in many other applications. In comparison to bacteria and fungi, however, they still play only a minor role. The economic use of these organisms has been difficult in the past primarily because existing production procedures are too costly. The algae specialist Professor Michael Melkonian and his team from the University of Cologne have now developed a new method that could make the production of algae easier - and hence reduce the costs of the products based on this material. Their findings are published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology. | |
 | Study links developmental and lipid handling pathways in C. elegansA Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team reports finding that a previously unknown interaction between metabolic pathways in two different tissues within the C.elegans roundworm triggers a key step in maturation. In their report published in Genes & Development, the investigators describe finding how microRNAs in the skin of the roundworm, which are known to control the animals' transition through key developmental stages, link to a signaling pathway that directs the transport of lipids from storage in the intestine to reproductive cells for support of embryonic growth. |
 | Where dreams take flight: Pakistan's pigeon racersA flock of pigeons take off from a Lahore roof top at dawn, rising above the city's Mughal-era minarets before disappearing out of sight. |
 | Hidden moss chloroplast 'wall' discoveredResearchers of Kumamoto University in Japan have succeeded in the world's first visualization of a peptidoglycan 'wall' present in the chloroplasts of bryophytes (moss plants). Until now, chloroplasts of green plants were considered to be surrounded only by two envelopes. The results of this research overturns conventional wisdom about the structure of chloroplasts. |
Genetically improving sorghum for production of biofuelThe bioenergy crop sorghum holds great promise as a raw material for making environmentally friendly fuels and chemicals that offer alternatives to petroleum-based products. Sorghum can potentially yield more energy per area of land than other crops while requiring much less input in terms of fertilizer or chemicals. New research examines how genetic improvement of specific sorghum traits, with an eye toward sustainability, could help maximize the usefulness of sorghum as a bioenergy crop. | |
Life at the extremes: What cold-loving organisms can tell us about adaptation in the face of climateIn Antarctic waters that would kill a person within minutes happily dwells a tiny, single-celled organism known as Euplotes focardii. In a new study, researchers from Italy's University of Camerino examine the genes and proteins behind this organism's remarkable ability to cope with its extreme environment, which is not only unthinkably cold, but also saturated with oxygen at a level that would be very stressful for most organisms. The team's findings reveal new insights about how—and how quickly—life can adapt to a changing climate. | |
How plants can grow on salt-affected soilsIt is common knowledge that salt consists of the cation sodium and the anion chloride. However, the substance used to season food has been a cause of great concern to farmers for some time now: In times of climate change, more and more agricultural areas have to be irrigated. This inevitably leads to the increasing salinisation of soils, that is the accumulation of sodium and chloride ions. | |
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