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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for October 5, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Image: Rover's panorama taken amid Murray Buttes on MarsThis 360-degree panorama was acquired by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover while the rover was in an area called "Murray Buttes" on lower Mount Sharp, one of the most scenic landscapes yet visited by any Mars rover. |
 | Saturn's moon Dione harbors a subsurface oceanA subsurface ocean lies deep within Saturn's moon Dione, according to new data from the Cassini mission to Saturn. Two other moons of Saturn, Titan and Enceladus, are already known to hide global oceans beneath their icy crusts, but a new study suggests an ocean exists on Dione as well. |
 | Blue Origin successfully tests escape system, lands rocketRocket company Blue Origin pulled off a double success Wednesday, coming a step closer to launching people into space. |
 | X-ray telescopes find evidence for wandering black holeAstronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to discover an extremely luminous, variable X-ray source located outside the center of its parent galaxy. This peculiar object could be a wandering black hole that came from a small galaxy falling into a larger one. |
 | Image: Parachute for MarsA full-size model of the ExoMars entry, descent and landing module, Schiaparelli, with its parachute deployed was revealed on ESA's open day last Sunday in the Netherlands. |
 | Researchers work with NASA team on advanced morphing radiatorsA team of researchers led by Dr. Darren Hartl, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected for the second consecutive year by NASA's Johnson Space Center (NASA JSC) to continue development of an advanced passively morphing radiator concept for manned spaceflight. Solutions such as shape adaptive radiators have been identified in the NASA Technology Roadmaps as essential to the success of future manned missions, such as proposed missions to Mars. |
 | Bern-made laser altimeter taking off to MercuryUniversity of Bern's Laser Altimeter BELA has been successfully tested during the last weeks and the last components will be delivered to ESA on 5 October. The first laser altimeter for inter-planetary flight to be built in Europe is part of the ESA BepiColombo mission to Mercury. Starting in 2024, it will provide data about the planet's surface. |
 | NASA flight program tests Mars lander vision systemNASA tested new "eyes" for its next Mars rover mission on a rocket built by Masten Space Systems in Mojave, California, thanks in part to NASA's Flight Opportunities Program, or FOP. |
 | The problematic history of Martian landingsWe may be living in the golden age of Mars exploration. With multiple orbiters around Mars and two functioning rovers on the surface of the red planet, our knowledge of Mars is growing at an unprecedented rate. But it hasn't always been this way. Getting a lander to Mars and safely onto the surface is a difficult challenge, and many landers sent to Mars have failed. |
 | What happens when black holes collide?The sign of a truly great scientific theory is by the outcomes it predicts when you run experiments or perform observations. And one of the greatest theories ever proposed was the concept of Relativity, described by Albert Einstein in the beginning of the 20th century. |
Technology news
 | Hi Emma: A conversational Heek helps you create your website(Tech Xplore)—You make things, you fix things, you help people get to where they want to go. No matter what type of business you plan on starting, the first to-do tasks on your mind include getting a website going. A newly launched conversational website builder by the name of Heek aims to help you do just that. |
 | Engineers seek energy insights by reading a building's electrical signaturesEach of the appliances in your home has its own personality. Not that your coffeemaker and refrigerator are dancing the night away à la Beauty and the Beast, but they do each have their own energy signature. |
 | Keyboard-monitoring technique can detect Parkinson's symptoms at homeParkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the developed world, with around 60,000 people diagnosed in the U.S. each year. |
 | Non-toxic solvent removes barrier to commercialization of perovskite solar cellsScientists at Oxford University have developed a solvent system with reduced toxicity that can be used in the manufacture of perovskite solar cells, clearing one of the barriers to the commercialisation of a technology that promises to revolutionise the solar industry. |
 | Researchers call for global grand challenge strategy to develop clean energyIn a comment in this week's science journal Nature, an international group of researchers from nine countries call for a grand challenges strategy to set global priorities for developing renewable energy. |
 | New FBI head in San Francisco was key figure in iPhone hackSpecial Agent Jack Bennett was at the FBI's computer investigation lab in Quantico, Virginia, on a Sunday in March when an outside company showed the bureau how it could hack into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. |
Fisker relaunches electric car effortFormer BMW designer Henrik Fisker announced plans Tuesday to relaunch his electric vehicle efforts three years after a bankruptcy with his venture that made high-priced cars popular with celebrities. | |
 | Google takes on rivals with Pixel phone, new hardwareGoogle took on rivals Apple, Samsung and Amazon in a new push into hardware Tuesday, launching premium-priced Pixel smartphones and a slew of other devices showcasing artificial intelligence prowess. |
 | 'World Robot Summit' coming to Japan in 2020The robot olympics are coming to Japan in 2020, the same year that the eyes of the world will be on the summer games in Tokyo. |
 | 'Smart speakers' are angling to colonize your living roomDoes your home really need a "smart speaker" that can answer questions, call you an Uber, turn off the lights or play music when you ask? You may be about to find out. |
Samsung's bio-drug unit to raise $2 bn in upcoming IPOSamsung's drug-manufacturing unit plans to raise as much as $2.0 billion in November with what looks set to be South Korea's third-largest initial public offering (IPO). | |
Researchers reconstruct beautiful house in Pompeii by using 3-D technologyBy combining traditional archaeology with 3-D technology, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have managed to reconstruct a house in Pompeii to its original state before the volcano eruption of Mount Vesuvius thousands of years ago. Unique video material has now been produced, showing their creation of a 3-D model of an entire block of houses. | |
 | Google's new gadgets are part of the 'me-too' competition between the tech giantsGoogle and Microsoft have a history of trying, and mostly failing, to be as good at hardware as they are in software. As Google announced new products, Microsoft was busy abandoning some of its own. |
 | Darwin's demons—better video games through natural selectionIf you've played a video game you know what I'm talking about. Getting past the first levels is all about memorizing the landscape, remembering where the extra lives are hidden, and where enemies pop out to get you. Trial and error, and lots of quarters, eventually will get you through the beginning levels. Some understanding of predictable enemy behaviors will help you find your way through the rest. Every level is essentially a memorization and muscle-memory problem to be solved. But for Dr. Barrie Robison, his collaborator Dr. Terrence Soule, and his team of students at University of Idaho, this memorization isn't very interesting at all. |
 | Amazon launches 'unlimited' reading for Prime membersUS online giant Amazon on Wednesday launched a new "Prime Reading" program for US members of its subscription program, allowing unlimited reading of a rotating selection of e-books. |
 | Sled track simulates high-speed accident in B61-12 testSandia National Laboratories has sent a mock B61-12 nuclear weapon speeding down the labs' 10,000-foot rocket sled track to slam nose-first into a steel and concrete wall in a spectacular test that mimicked a high-speed accident. It allowed engineers to examine safety features inside the weapon that prevent inadvertent nuclear detonation. |
 | Solar is a rapidly growing energy source"The sun is a solution," concluded Prof. Arno Smets in his inaugural address given at TU Delft on Wednesday, 28 September. Smets and his group at TU Delft envisage all energy provision being based on sustainable energy sources in the near future. The use of solar energy requires more attention in his opinion, especially because of its high returns and low cost. |
 | New advances in solar cell technologyWith the high environmental cost of conventional energy sources and the finite supply of fossil fuels, the importance of renewable energy sources has become much more apparent in recent years. However, efficiently harnessing solar energy for human use has been a difficult task. While silicon-based solar cells can be used to capture sunlight energy, they are costly to produce on an industrial scale. Research from the Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), led by Prof. Yabing Qi, has focused on using organo-metal halide perovskite films in solar cells. These perovskite films are highly crystalline materials that can be formed by a large number of different chemical combinations and can be deposited at low cost. Recent publications from Prof. Qi's lab cover three different areas of innovation in perovskite film research: a novel post annealing treatment to increase perovskite efficiency and stability, a discovery of the decomposition products of a specific perovskite, and a new means of producing perovskites that maintains solar efficiency when scaled up. |
 | Your next nurse could be a robotThe nursing assistant for your next trip to the hospital might be a robot. This is the implication of research recently published by Dr. Elena De Momi and colleagues in the open access journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence). |
 | Honda brings back Ridgeline pickup for 2017, adds featuresAfter a more than two-year hiatus, Honda's has brought its Ridgeline pickup truck back for 2017, and it's bigger, more powerful and better looking than ever. |
 | Yahoo denies surveillance claims amid privacy outcryYahoo on Wednesday rejected allegations of mass email surveillance amid an outcry from privacy activists over a report that it created a special scanning program at the behest of US intelligence. |
Tech's future is likely to be in goodsIt's easy to imagine a future in which products as mundane as toasters and window blinds will be connected to the internet and controlled by software. | |
How Experian is turning big data into big dollarsAt Experian DataLabs, a team of scientists is thwarting bad guys with math. | |
When startups fail: What happens when the cash runs outSilicon Valley has long lured ambitious entrepreneurs into shiny co-working spaces and startup accelerators, promising them the chance to create the next Google, Facebook or Uber. | |
 | Review: Apple's iPhone 7 is best model yet, but some may wait for betterIt's been an interesting iPhone release season. |
 | Review: No need to say 'Allo' to Google's new chat appIf you're looking for a quick way to fire off a message to a friend or family member from your phone or computer, you have a bewildering array of choices. Now Google has added one more. |
 | Google waives fame-seeking Spain boy's 100,000-euro bill (Update)Fame came at a price for a Spanish boy who mistakenly racked up 100,000 euros ($112,000) in advertising fees with Google as he attempted to make his brass band famous online. |
 | Online software helps citizen scientists solve real-world problemsWith proper training and recently launched online software and web-portal, citizen scientists can follow scientific-based practices to improve environmental decision-making and even secure funding to help solve environmental problems, says a new study. |
Wireless 'data center on a chip' aims to cut energy useA Washington State University research team has designed a tiny, wireless data center that someday could be as small as a hand-held device and dramatically reduce the energy needed to run such centers. | |
 | Albania police with electric cars, but no recharging spotsIn a first for Albania, some police will soon be driving electric cars through the streets. |
 | Halloween attractions: virtual reality and interactionVirtual reality, spooky Airbnb rentals and the start of a final season for Disneyland's Twilight Zone of Terror are all part of this Halloween's freaky fun. |
Amazon expands Dash ordering wand to entire catalogAmazon has updated its barcode-scanning Dash shopping wand so you can now buy anything with it, not just groceries. | |
 | Official: Hackers who hit French TV station are still activeThe hackers who knocked a major French television station offline last year are still regularly trying break in to French government computers, a senior cybersecurity official said Wednesday. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Maximum human lifespan has already been reached, researchers concludeA study published online today in Nature by Albert Einstein College of Medicine scientists suggests that it may not be possible to extend the human life span beyond the ages already attained by the oldest people on record. |
 | Loss of noncoding elements of genome results in heart abnormalities, study findsResearchers have shown that when parts of a genome known as enhancers are missing, the heart works abnormally, a finding that bolsters the importance of DNA segments once considered "junk" because they do not code for specific proteins. |
 | Gene could help explain insulin resistanceHealth researchers have known for decades that type 2 diabetes results from a phenomenon called insulin resistance, but what causes insulin resistance has remained a mystery. |
 | Vaccine targets identified for deadly form of malariaThousands died and more than 13 million people fell ill with malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium vivax last year. There is no vaccine for the disease, partly because multiple strains of P. vivax circulate globally, making it difficult to develop a vaccine that protects against all varieties. |
 | Research reveals individual differences in adult male voices emerge long before pubertyNew research from University of Sussex psychologists shows that voice pitch in males is determined long before a surge of sex hormones at puberty lengthens their vocal folds. In fact, the researchers found that individual differences in voice pitch that are known to play an important role in men's social and reproductive success are largely determined by age seven. |
 | Infants use prefrontal cortex in learningResearchers have long thought that the region of the brain involved in some of the highest forms of cognition and reasoning – the prefrontal cortex (PFC) – was too underdeveloped in young children, especially infants, to participate in complex cognitive tasks. A new study in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests otherwise. Given the task of learning simple hierarchical rules, babies appeared to employ much the same circuits as adults doing a similar task. |
 | Scientists speed up muscle repair—could fight dystrophyAthletes, the elderly and those with degenerative muscle disease would all benefit from accelerated muscle repair. When skeletal muscles, those connected to the bone, are injured, muscle stem cells wake up from a dormant state and repair the damage. When muscles age, however, stem cell number and function declines, as do both tissue function and regenerative ability. Carnegie's Christoph Lepper and team, including researchers from the University of Missouri, investigated muscle stem cell pool size. In particular, they asked if stem cell number could be increased, and if there would be any associated functional benefits. |
 | Understanding how the 'blood-brain barrier' is breached in bacterial meningitisSimon Fraser University researcher Lisa Craig is part of an international team that has uncovered new details about a microbe that invades the brain, sometimes with fatal results. The information is a critical piece of the meningitis puzzle, and could lead to new ways of treating meningococcal infection. |
 | Believing that others understand helps us feel that we do—even when we don'tExperiments described in a new study reveal that our sense of what we know about something is increased when we learn that others around us understand it. The findings are consistent with the idea of a "community of knowledge" in which people implicitly rely on others to harbor needed expertise. Otherwise everyone would have to be omniscient to get by. |
 | Parkinson's disease protection may begin in the gutYour gut may play a pivotal role in preventing the onset of Parkinson's disease. And the reason may be its knack for sleuthing. |
 | Got eczema? It may just be bad evolutionary luck, study findsSome genetic diseases persist for generation after generation because the genes that cause them can benefit human health. |
 | Scientists find new path in brain to ease depressionNorthwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new pathway in the brain that can be manipulated to alleviate depression. The pathway offers a promising new target for developing a drug that could be effective in individuals for whom other antidepressants have failed. |
 | Brain study reveals how teens learn differently than adultsScientists have uncovered a unique feature of the adolescent brain that enriches teens' ability to learn and form memories: the coordinated activity of two distinct brain regions. This observation, which stands in contrast to the adult brain, may be related to teens' oft-derided affinity for reward-seeking behavior. These findings suggest that such behavior is not necessarily detrimental, but instead may be a critical feature of adolescence and the maturing brain. |
 | Studies identify differences underlying the airway responses of patients with asthmaMore than 300 million people worldwide are affected by asthma, 25 million in the U.S. alone, and for most of them, allergy is an underlying cause. But why do some individuals allergic to airborne allergens develop asthma while many do not? Now two research teams from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have used innovative imaging technology and other novel approaches to identify some key differences in both the immune response and the sensitivity of airway cells to inflammation between allergic individuals with and without asthma. Their results are reported in companion papers appearing in Science Translational Medicine. |
 | Scientists devise a more accurate way to gauge blood sugar averages in diabetesCombining the power of advanced math with tests commonly used to measure blood sugar, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have created a new model that more accurately accounts for long-term blood sugar fluctuations in people with diabetes. The disease affects more than 422 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization and more than 29 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | New evidence supports biological link between Zika infection, Guillain-Barre SyndromeIn a collaborative effort with scientists at six Colombian hospitals, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report what they believe to be the strongest biological evidence to date linking Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome. |
 | Bacterial molecule trains the immune system to tolerate infection without inducing illnessPathogen infection has been considered to have one of two general outcomes - either the infected organism develops some level of illness or its immune system fights off and eliminates the invading pathogen. In recent years, however, another outcome has been recognized; in some situations the infected organism, also called the host, can become tolerant to a specific pathogen, allowing the continued presence of a bacteria or virus without experiencing any negative effects. Originally identified and studied in plants, disease tolerance has more recently been recognized in animals, including humans. |
 | Good relationships with parents may benefit children's health decades laterGrowing up in a well-off home can benefit a child's physical health even decades later—but a lack of parent-child warmth, or the presence of abuse, may eliminate the health advantage of a privileged background, according to a Baylor University study. |
Team publishes study on cell signaling mechanismResearchers at Marshall University, the University of Toledo and New York Medical College, continuing their investigative work into the recently discovered signaling function of the sodium-potassium pump, have identified an important application of this discovery that could potentially lead to new treatment options for patients with kidney disease. | |
 | Drinking alcohol during puberty is associated with future psychological disordersAlcohol consumption onset between 11 and 13 years old is associated with an increased risk of psychological disorders in the future, according to a study conducted by the Complutense University of Madrid. The most common symptoms of more than 3,000 adolescents who participated in the research were bodily discomfort, hostility and aggression. |
Conclusions on brain-machine interfaces for communication and rehabilitationIn the journal Nature Reviews Neurology, the researcher Ander Ramos of Tecnalia, with Niel Birbaumer, lecturer at the University of Tübingen, have expounded how brain-machine interfaces (BMI) use brain activity to control external devices, thus enabling seriously disabled patients to interact with the environment. | |
Epigenetics provides new insights into the pathogenesis of lymphomaCancer cells have a different DNA methylation pattern from that of healthy cells. These patterns can be used to explain tumour-specific deviations in gene expression and to identify biomarkers for the detection of tumours, as well as associated prognosis and treatment planning. This is all possible thanks to epigenetics. Epigenetics looks at special regulation mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, which determine the gene expression pattern of different types of cell and are passed on to daughter cells, without there being any specific changes to the DNA base sequence. Using this technology, it is now also possible to identify the original tumour cells, by comparing them with healthy cells. | |
New method to detect aging cells and advance rejuvenation therapiesScientists have discovered a new way to look for ageing cells across a wide range of biological materials; the new method will boost understanding of cellular development and ageing as well as the causes of diverse diseases. | |
 | Men who improve sleep quality may decrease their chances of developing urinary tract issuesResearchers at Baylor College of Medicine have determined a link between sleep quality and lower urinary tract symptoms, or LUTS, in men. In a study published in the Journal of Urology, researchers found that male shift workers, particularly those working night shifts, had greater odds of developing lower urinary tract symptoms. |
Real-time sharing of Zika genomes—the race against a virusAs the global health emergency caused by the Zika outbreak continues, the virus underlying it remains a mystery, with devastating consequences still being identified. More than a year after Zika became widespread in the Americas, scientists have yet to fully unravel its trajectory across the continents, the scale and impact of disease risk, or how the virus might be defeated. | |
 | Mobile eye-tracking system used to study anxiety in childrenEvery child experiences anxiety and fear at one time or another, but some children seem to experience fear more frequently than others. As part of a new project being funded by the National Institutes of Health, Penn State researchers are looking into emerging evidence of a link between fearfulness and anxiety, or lingering apprehension, in young children. |
Higher suicide risk for early self-harmersYoung adult self-harmers run a higher risk of also committing suicide, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Psychological Medicine reports. The risk of suicide is 16 times higher in people who have been treated for self-harming behaviour than in their peers. | |
 | Serious game can help reintegration from secure mental health servicesResearchers from City, University of London have developed a serious game in collaboration with mental health service users to support and prepare people being discharged from secure mental health services into the community. |
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy give same quality of lifeBrain tumour patients that have been treated with radiation have as good quality of life as patients that have undergone chemotherapy. This is revealed in an international study published in The Lancet Oncology, to which Uppsala University researchers have contributed. | |
 | Even low lead levels in children negatively affect test scoresA decrease in the average level of lead in a preschooler's blood reduces the probability of that child being substantially below proficient in reading by the third grade, a new National Bureau of Economics Research working paper reports. And because poor and minority children are more likely to be exposed to lead, the study suggests that lead poisoning may be one of the causes of continuing gaps in test scores between children from different socioeconomic groups. |
 | Insight into a rare genetic syndrome could lead to treatments for basal cell carcinomaWhen she was just 12, Julie Breneiser had her first skin cancer removed and three large tumors carved out of her jawbone. Since then she has undergone surgeries for two more jaw growths and many, many more basal cell carcinomas—"hundreds, probably close to a thousand," she estimates. "You lose count." |
Ability to process speech declines with ageResearchers have found clues to the causes of age-related hearing loss. The ability to track and understand speech in both quiet and noisy environments deteriorates due in part to speech processing declines in both the midbrain and cortex in older adults. The paper, published in the Journal of Neurophysiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for October. | |
Vitamin E may prevent pneumonia in nonsmoking elderly menAdministration of 50 mg per day of vitamin E decreased the risk of pneumonia in elderly male smokers by 72% after they quit smoking, according to a paper published in Clinical Interventions in Aging. | |
 | EBV-derived microRNAs silence immune alarm signals of the host cellEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) prevents infected cells from being attacked by the immune system. The virus drives production of small molecules, so-called microRNAs, that suppress alarm signals sent out by the infected cell. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have elucidated this previously unknown mechanism. |
A new psychotherapy for substance abuseIn the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a report by German investigators headed by professor Brakemeier introduces a new form of psychotherapeutic treatment for substance abuse with depression. The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy | |
Research details industry payments to dermatologistsConnections between industry and clinicians exist and a new study published online by JAMA Dermatology used publicly available data to analyze the nature and extent of industry payments to dermatologists. | |
Opinion: Is consensus possible in neuroscience research?Brain scans involving functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been a media darling for two decades. Images of brains lighting up to external stimuli have proved irresistible and have helped neuroscience achieve popular renown. | |
 | The anti-slouching chair which creates a positive mental attitudeA desk chair designed by a Nottingham Trent University student discourages office workers from slouching and aims to improve their overall health and wellbeing. |
 | Being kind to others does make you 'slightly happier'Researchers conclude that being kind to others causes a small but significant improvement in subjective well-being. The review found that the effect is lower than some pop-psychology articles have claimed, but also concluded that future research might help identify which kind acts are most effective at boosting happiness. |
 | Don't expect Fitbits to improve health, help drop poundsWearing a fitness tracker may help you keep tabs on how many steps you take, but the devices themselves—even with the lure of a cash reward—probably won't improve your health, according to the biggest study yet done on the trendy technology. |
 | New report reveals Scottish patients' experience of cancer careA new report by the University of Stirling has been published on patients' experience of cancer care in Scotland. |
Research aims to improve treatment for chronic bowel conditionsIn Canada, one in every 150 people has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are more than 10,000 new diagnoses of IBD each year, and the number of Canadian children diagnosed with Crohn's disease has almost doubled in the last 20 years. | |
US traffic deaths jump by 10.4 percent in first half of 2016U.S. traffic fatalities rose by an estimated 10.4 percent in the first half of this year, federal officials said Wednesday, and continued an upward trend that started in late 2014 as the economic recovery accelerated. | |
Study highlights measures to boost dementia prevention researchA new study by Alzheimer's Research UK has highlighted the lack of research into dementia prevention and called for changes to the way risk reduction studies are funded and carried out, in a bid to boost evidence on dementia risk factors. The discussion paper, which compiles recommendations from a workshop attended by leading UK academics, clinicians, funders and policymakers, is published in the Journal of Public Health. | |
 | Adults value overcoming temptation, kids value moral purityIs it better to struggle with moral conflict and ultimately choose to do the right thing or to do the right thing without feeling any turmoil in the first place? New research suggests that your answer may depend on how old you are. |
Jet-lag is given the swerve by adjusting meal times on the ground, find researchersA study published today in the journal Psychology and Health has found that jet-lag in long-haul cabin crew is alleviated when meal times are regulated on their days off. | |
 | How the brain consolidates memories during sleepResearchers in the group of Prof Dr Nikolai Axmacher at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have studied which brain processes consolidate memories during sleep. They found clear parallels to findings from experimental animal studies. The RUB's science magazine Rubin reports on the work of the Bochum neuropsychologists. |
 | Tired of getting stuck with needles? Ask your doctor to just say 'once.'There are few worse ways to awake a person than with a needle stick in the arm to draw blood. If you have ever spent the night in a hospital, chances are the first thing that happened in the morning was a vampiric nurse or lab technician, following doctor's orders, standing over your bed and greeting you with a needle and a set of vials. |
Here's looking at you—finding allies through facial cuesAfter being on the losing side of a fight, men seek out other allies with a look of rugged dominance about them to ensure a backup in case of future fights. Women in similar situations however, prefer to seek solace from allies whose faces suggest they can provide emotional support. There is an evolutionary root to the differences in how men and women seek out allies and it is driven by the need for social survival in the long run. This is according to UK researchers Christopher Watkins of Abertay University and Benedict Jones of the University of Glasgow, in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. | |
Alternative treatment approaches may be needed for some children with asthmaA new study by Henry Ford Health System in collaboration with eight other health systems in large U.S. cities, has identified a group of children with asthma that may require a different treatment approach. | |
 | Children who keep HIV in checkSome HIV-infected - and untreated - children do not develop AIDS. A new study shows that they control the virus in a different way from the few infected adults who remain disease-free, and sheds light on the reasons for this difference. |
New technique for quickly diagnosing breastfeeding pain developedA dermatoscope, typically used to provide magnified images for identifying skin lesions, is also useful for quickly diagnosing the causes of breastfeeding pain, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). | |
 | Study shows infants pay more attention to native speakersAlmost from the moment of birth, human beings are able to distinguish between speakers of their native language and speakers of all other languages. We have a hard-wired preference for our own language patterns, so much so that the cries of very young infants reflect the melodies of their native language. |
Strange 'chimeras' defy science's understanding of human geneticsThe human genome is far more complex than thought, with genes functioning in an unexpected fashion that scientists have wrongly assumed must indicate cancer, research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine indicates. | |
Watching stem cells change provides clues to fighting osteoporosis in older womenFor years, scientists have studied how stem cells might be used to treat many diseases, including osteoporosis. One consistent challenge has been observing and monitoring the process through which stem cells transform. Now, using an established scientific method, University of Missouri researchers are able to watch how human fat cells transform into bone tissue cells; in the process the research team has uncovered information about osteoporosis in older women. | |
 | Early marijuana use associated with abnormal brain function, study revealsIn a new study, scientists in London, Ontario have discovered that early marijuana use may result in abnormal brain function and lower IQ. |
Most gay men not aware of treatment to protect them from HIVOnly four in 10 gay and bisexual men in Baltimore without HIV are aware that pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP) may significantly reduce their risk of contracting the virus, even those who had recently visited a doctor or been tested for a sexually transmitted disease, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. | |
Perinatal risk factors linked with higher risk of obsessive compulsive disorderA range of perinatal factors appear to be associated with higher risk for children later developing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry. | |
 | The truth about lying? Children's perceptions get more nuanced with ageParents don't like it when children lie. But what do the kids themselves think about it? New research suggests truth telling isn't black and white. |
 | Preschoolers form body images—but parents are unaware, study saysPreschoolers may express awareness about body-image issues - but their parents may miss opportunities to promote positive body-image formation in their children because parents believe them to be too young to have these concerns, new research suggests. |
Study finds wide hospital variation in medicare expenditures to treat surgical complicationsIn a study published online by JAMA Surgery, Jason C. Pradarelli, M.D., M.S., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues evaluated differences across hospitals in the costs of care for patients surviving perioperative complications after major inpatient surgery. | |
 | Distracted much? New research may help explain whyAmerican professional golfer Tom Kite said two things about distraction that, together, sum up the findings of a new study on the subject: First, "You can always find a distraction if you're looking for one." And second, "Discipline and concentration are a matter of being interested." |
 | Enzyme treatment of gene may reverse effects of Alzheimer'sFor the last 20 years, researchers have focused on amyloid beta peptides and the "plaque" they sprout in diseased brains as the main target of Alzheimer's research. But the pace of progress in treating—not to mention curing—the debilitating, neurodegenerative disease has been painfully slow. |
 | Neural membrane's structural instability may trigger multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is one of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases. It affects some 2.5 million people worldwide. It has no known cure. |
Pokemon Go and the potential for increased accidentsNew research published by Oxford Medical Case Reports indicates that augmented reality games like Pokémon Go, while holding great promise to promote exercise, also increases the potential for distraction-related death. | |
Charity scores small win in Hep C drug battleA medical charity scored a small victory Wednesday in its bid to break a US pharma giant's hold on an eye-wateringly expensive Hepatitis C drug when a European body partially revoked the firm's patent. | |
 | For many women, sex gets better at midlife(HealthDay)—Here's good news for middle-aged women who fear their sexual satisfaction is destined to decline: Aging can provide benefits that might make lovemaking even more enjoyable, a small study suggests. |
 | Better job prospects when young may pay off in better health(HealthDay)— Living in an area where you can quickly climb the career ladder might pay dividends in boosting your health, a new study suggests. |
 | Brain aneurysm: lack of awareness can cost lives(HealthDay)—On March 19, 2015, Emmy-nominated news anchor and New York City TV journalist Lisa Colagrossi was on a routine assignment when she had what her husband, Todd Crawford, described as "a horrific coughing spell." |
 | How one clinic got a big boost in HPV vaccination rates(HealthDay)—The way to increase the number of girls and boys who get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may be as simple as giving it as part of a routine bundle of vaccines, a new study suggests. |
 | Vitamin D doesn't improve glucose measures(HealthDay)—Weekly doses of vitamin D do not improve oral glucose tolerance or markers of glycemic status among those at risk for diabetes, according to a study published online Sept. 26 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. |
 | Ipsilateral ulnar compression cuts radial artery occlusion(HealthDay)—Radial artery occlusion (RAO) after transradial access (TRA) can be cut significantly with prophylactic ipsilateral ulnar compression, according to a study published in the Oct. 10 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. |
 | Exenatide does not promote weight loss in schizophrenia(HealthDay)—For antipsychotic-treated obese patients with schizophrenia, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) do not appear to promote weight loss, according to a study published online Sept. 26 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. |
Heparin derived from cattle is equivalent to heparin from pigs, study findsAs demand for the widely used blood thinning drug heparin continues to grow, experts worry of possible shortages of the essential medication. | |
Volunteering may have benefits for memory among older adultsA new research study has shown that volunteering regularly over time may have benefits for older adults. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. | |
Donald or Hillary? Why listening to them makes a difference to votersDoes listening to Donald Trump's or Hillary Clinton's opinions humanize them to voters more than reading their opinions? A new study examining people's reactions to those with differing political views and found that when they watch or listen to those with opposing opinions, rather than read about them, they tend to view them as more thoughtful, competent, and rational—that is, more human. | |
Redox biomarker could predict progression of epilepsyApproximately 2.9 million people in the United States suffer from epilepsy, according to the CDC. For patients living with this diagnosis and their doctors it is often difficult to predict the onset or progression of chronic seizures. Thanks to a newly published study from the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Anschutz Medical Campus, that may be changing. | |
Can older adults with dementia continue to drive? More study is neededHow do you know when it's time for an older adult with mild dementia to stop driving? Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. It can impact a person's ability to drive safely. Although all people with dementia will have to stop driving eventually, each case can be unique based on the individual. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, we still need to explore mental or physical tests that can best predict when people with dementia should stop driving. | |
Do proactive primary health-care programs preserve functioning for older adults?The population of older adults with complex health needs is growing, and caring for those needs is a challenge primary care providers face. Scientists around the world are researching ways to meet the demand. | |
 | 'Virtual physiotherapist' helps paralyzed patients exercise using computer gamesA simple device can improve the ability of patients with arm disability to play physiotherapy-like computer games, according to new research. |
Medical tech investor Allan Will betting on wireless pacemakerFor decades, Silicon Valley health technology investor and operating executive Allan Will has successfully bet on some of the most innovative medical therapeutic devices created to improve, extend and save lives. | |
Decreasing the most common gynecologic cancerEndometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. An estimated 60,000 new cases of endometrial cancer - also known as uterine cancer - are diagnosed annually. | |
Q&A: Can we conquer all diseases by the end of the century?The goal is lofty and expansive: to cure, prevent or manage all known diseases by the end of the century. | |
 | Med-tech pioneer is chasing a man-made blood vesselCoronary bypass surgery requires a doctor to pry open a patient's chest and sew in new blood vessels to create a "bypass" route for blood that is trying to travel through clogged arteries near the heart. |
When pretend play is real for Alzheimer's patientsSitting beside a neatly made crib, 88-year-old Vivian Guzofsky held up a baby doll dressed in puppy dog pajamas. | |
Study suggests additional benefits to HIV-prevention therapyThe anti-HIV drug Truvada has been shown to be very effective at preventing new infections when taken by people at high risk who strictly adhere to the drug therapy regime. | |
Frontline PARP inhibitor shrinks tumors in BRCA-positive breast patientsAll 13 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations had their tumors shrink significantly when treated with a PARP inhibitor ahead of frontline presurgical chemotherapy in a pilot study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. | |
 | Hard-to-control asthma has distinct features, study showsBronchodilator responsiveness, nasal inflammation and allergy were among the most significant baseline features that distinguished hard-to-control asthma in inner-city children and adolescents. These characteristics identified patients whose asthma did not improve throughout the year, despite adherence to the most intensive treatment based on national guidelines. Patients with hard-to-control asthma also had exacerbations peaking in the spring and fall, and more nighttime symptoms in the fall and winter. These findings from the Inner City Asthma Consortium study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. |
 | Researchers map prostate cancer relapse using C-11 choline PET and MRIA team of Mayo Clinic researchers has, for the first time, successfully mapped patterns of prostate cancer recurrence, following surgery. Using C-11 choline PET imaging and multiparametric MRI, researchers found an anatomically diverse pattern of recurrence, which may help optimize treatment of patients whose prostate cancer returns after surgery. The research findings are published today in the Journal of Urology. |
Panel develops plan for preventing youth suicideAn independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a 10-year roadmap for advancing research to prevent youth suicide. The panel listed 29 recommendations that address three critical issues: improving data systems, enhancing data collection and analysis methods, and strengthening the research and practice community. | |
New survey shows women still don't understand why sex hurts after menopauseThe Women's EMPOWER survey, an internet-based survey of 1,858 US postmenopausal women with symptoms of VVA, was specifically designed to assess women's awareness of VVA and their behaviors and attitudes associated with the treatment of symptoms. The findings came as little surprise to insiders in the medical industry, because they were consistent with six other past VVA surveys that also confirmed that postmenopausal women generally failed to recognize VVA and its chronic progressive course (including urinary problems) and were reluctant to discuss vaginal or sexual symptoms with their healthcare providers. | |
Researchers find that repealing or revising ACA would be challengingIn response to calls to eliminate the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a group of researchers led by Etti Baranoff, Ph.D., associate professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, has released a study depicting the large-scale structure of the U.S. health care system before and after the ACA. The study found that the decline in employer-sponsored group plans coupled with the increase in Medicaid participation has reshaped the health care system, providing a challenge to repealing efforts. | |
 | 'Lifelike' human body to help train surgeonsA researcher has used 3-D printing to create an imitation human body with the tactile qualities of living organs to train surgeons dealing with trauma emergencies. |
Transgender women who begin hormone therapy more likely to quit smokingWhile there has been much concern about the potential harm from transgender medical intervention (hormone therapy), a new study has found that transgender women who receive hormone therapy are more likely to quit or decrease smoking cigarettes as compared to the general population. | |
Reporting of adverse events in targeted therapy and immunotherapy trials is 'suboptimal'A significant number of trials of targeted therapies and immunotherapies in recent years show suboptimal reporting of adverse events, particularly the reporting of recurrent or late toxicities and the duration of the adverse events, researchers have told the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen. | |
Policies and programs to support early child development a 'wise investment'Although child mortality has dropped worldwide, approximately 250 million (43%) children in low and middle income countries are at risk of not meeting their developmental potential because of extreme poverty and stunting. | |
4 uterus transplants from live donors done in Texas; 3 failTexas doctors have done the first womb transplants using live donors in the United States. | |
 | Arm transplant recipient says he can now hold fiancee's hand (Update)A former Marine sergeant who underwent a double arm transplant said Wednesday that the best part about having arms again is that he can hold his fiancee's hand and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a chef. |
 | Rising cost of Medicaid expansion is unnerving some statesThe cost of expanding Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is rising faster than expected in many states, causing budget anxieties and political misgivings. |
African ancestry contributes to kidney disease risk in Hispanics/LatinosAfrican ancestry contributes to the risk of chronic kidney disease among some Hispanic/Latino adults, according to a study co-authored by Loyola University Chicago researchers. | |
 | New report: Almost two-thirds of Texans have stable health insuranceAlmost two-thirds of Texans ages 18 to 64 stayed insured with health care coverage during the past 12 months, according to a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF). |
 | Campaign to give workers paid sick leave gains momentumThe campaign to give workers paid time off when they're sick is picking up momentum. |
Biology news
 | Yawning found to last longer in mammals with higher cortical numbers(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with the State University of New York has found a link between yawn duration and neuron density. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Andrew Gallup, Allyson Church and Anthony Pelegrino describe a study they carried out comparing yawn lengths between species, what they found and their ideas on the purpose of yawning. |
 | New genes linked with bigger brains identifiedA number of new links between families of genes and brain size have been identified by UK scientists, opening up a whole new avenue of research to better understand brain development and diseases like dementia. |
 | Past climate linked to mammal communities in Africa todayScientists are increasingly concerned about the impact of climate change on the world's biodiversity, and much effort has been placed into forecasting the response of species to these changes over the next century. Research aiming to forecast species' responses often assumes that species are adapted to current climate conditions and will follow their preferred climates during future climate change. |
 | Wild capuchin monkeys found able to remember where and when their food was hidden(Phys.org)—Charles Janson, a professor of biological anthropology, zoology and evolutionary biology at the University of Montana, has found that capuchin monkeys have memory abilities that are far more complex than has been realized. In his paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, he describes experiments he designed and carried out with monkeys in the wild, what he observed and why he now believes that the monkeys have integrated memories regarding food sites including where they are located, how much food is likely to be at a particular site and an awareness of how much time has passed since they last visited each site. |
 | Roundworms even more useful than researchers previously thoughtThe one millimetre long roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used as a model organism in scientific research, and has therefore been extensively examined. A research group at Uppsala University has now demonstrated that the worm is an even more complete model system than previously thought, which could enable more detailed research into areas such as early embryonic development. |
 | Science at cusp of 'transformational' grasp of life via cell modeling, researchers sayA paper recently published in the Journal of Molecular Biology shows how advances in molecular biology and computer science around the world soon may lead to a three-dimensional computer model of a cell, the fundamental unit of life. |
 | Common US snake actually three different speciesNew research reveals that a snake found across a huge swath of the Eastern United States is actually three different species. Published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, analyses of the yellow-bellied kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) also indicate that diversification of the snake—and possibly of many other vertebrates living on both sides of the Mississippi River—is influenced not by the river itself, as predominately thought, but by the different ecological environments on each side. |
 | Researchers explain how evolution has equipped our hands with five fingersHave you ever wondered why our hands have exactly five fingers? Dr. Marie Kmita's team certainly has. The researchers at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal and Université de Montréal have uncovered a part of this mystery, and their remarkable discovery has just been published in the prestigious journal Nature. |
 | How do birds dive safely at high speeds? New research explainsTo surprise their prey, some species of seabirds dive into the water at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour. A human diver entering the water that fast would likely sustain serious injuries, but birds, such as gannets and boobies, pull off these dives safely in spite of their slender necks. |
 | Citrus greening disease pathogen has gut-wrenching effect on insect vectorThe bacterium that causes citrus greening disease is not only decimating citrus orchards, but wreaks havoc in the guts of the insect that transmits it. |
 | Photoreactive compound allows protein synthesis control with lightOkayama University researchers control the timing and location of protein synthesis using a photoresponsive compound that is an inactive key molecule until it is activated by brief irradiation. |
 | Peccaries of Mesoamerica now highly threatened, warn expertsHunting, deforestation, and cattle ranching in Mesoamerica have become a triad of trouble for the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), an ecologically important species now threatened with regional extinction, according WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and a group of experts at a recently held meeting in Belize. |
 | New technologies – and a dash of whale poop – help scientists monitor whale healthA lot of people think what Leigh Torres has done this summer and fall would qualify her for a spot on one of those "World's Worst Jobs" lists. |
 | Experts embark on project to save the world from 'bananageddon'Experts are hoping to stop the UK's favourite fruit, the banana, from disappearing from our shops. |
The genome is all about architectureMany serious diseases such as malaria or AIDS present a major challenge for medicine because the causative pathogens use the same strategy although they are completely different: By camouflaging themselves they evade the immune system. | |
 | Species-rich food webs produce biomass more efficientlyResearchers at the Senckenberg have discovered a feedback in complex food webs: Species-rich ecosystems favor large, heavy animals. Even though this increases the amount of plants consumed, the plant biomass remains approximately at the same level as in species-poor ecosystems. This is due to the fact that in species-rich ecosystems, plant communities develop whose growth is more energetically efficient. The extent of biomass production in species-rich ecosystems is more stable and thereby predictable whereas the loss of species leads to unpredictable deficiencies, which would have to be compensated by humans, according to the paper, published today in Nature Communications. |
 | Coral study reveals secrets of evolutionCorals first appeared on earth nearly half a billion years ago during the Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle categorized corals as zoophyta, or "plant-animals", due to their plant-like appearance. Closer examination of corals revealed that they are not plants at all, but instead belong to a group of animals called cnidarians, which includes sea anemones and jelly fish. Corals are generally immobile and colonial; the plant-like structure of corals is actually a colony of multiple coral polyps. Each coral polyp is an individual animal with its own tentacles, digestive filaments and mouth. |
 | Flying jewels spell death for tarantulas: Study of a North American spider fly genusSpider flies are usually a rarely encountered group of insects, except in Western North America, where the North American jewelled spider flies (the Eulonchus genus) can be locally abundant in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevada of California. The brilliantly coloured adults (also known as 'sapphires' and 'emeralds') are important pollinators of flowers. |
 | New discoveries offer critical information for improving crop yieldIn recent years, scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, one of the world's largest independent plant science institutes, have made several scientific discoveries demonstrating the significant roles of Heterotrimeric G proteins in plant development, stress tolerance and yield improvement. In recent months, Sona Pandey, Ph.D., principal investigator at the Danforth Center and her collaborators have published a series of new papers on their research which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The recent publications reveal more information about how G proteins evolved and provide clues to their role in regulating plant growth and abiotic stress response. |
 | Climate change, species invasions harming popular native fish in Ontario lakesA popular recreational and commercial fish - the native walleye - is at risk of disappearing as invasions of the competitive, predatory smallmouth bass move into Ontario lakes, a new study from York University has found. |
Rapid spread of dog disease can be stopped with diligent infection controlDogs aren't exactly famous for their personal hygiene or for maintaining a respectful distance from their canine pals. With a nuzzle, a shared ball or a bark, a dog battling a bug can easily pass it to others and, in some cases, people. | |
 | New ban on pangolin trade may help most trafficked mammalBecause of its distinctive coat of hard shells, the pangolin, or scaly anteater, has been called the world's most heavily trafficked mammal. More than 1 million have been poached in the past decade, threatening the creature with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. |
 | The 'big five' decisions at wildlife trade meetingThe world's largest wildlife meeting wrapped up late Tuesday with conservationists hailing progress in tightening rules on trafficking of endangered species including sharks, grey parrots and pangolins. |
Feds weigh mineral mining ban on 10M acres to protect birdThe federal government is using a new assessment of mineral resources on 10 million acres in six Western states to decide whether to ban potential mining on the land to protect an imperiled bird. | |
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