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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 22, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Spiral galaxy NGC 5523 could be an isolated product of soft galaxy mergers, study suggests(Phys.org)—The spiral galaxy NGC 5523 is believed to be an example of an isolated galaxy whose evolution was not influenced by other objects. However, a new study conducted by U.S. astronomers shows that the isolation of NGC 5523 could be due to its past minor mergers with surrounding low-mass galaxies. The findings are detailed in a paper published Nov. 18 on arXiv.org. |
 | Mars ice deposit holds as much water as Lake SuperiorFrozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what's in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, a team of scientists led by The University of Texas at Austin has determined using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. |
 | Astronomers use light from X-ray source to study nearby stellar cloudA snapshot of the stellar life cycle has been captured in a new portrait from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array (SMA). A cloud that is giving birth to stars has been observed to reflect X-rays from Cygnus X-3, a source of X-rays produced by a system where a massive star is slowly being eaten by its companion black hole or neutron star. This discovery provides a new way to study how stars form. |
 | Record-breaking faint satellite galaxy of the Milky Way discoveredAn international team led by researchers from Tohoku University has found an extremely faint dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The team's discovery is part of the ongoing Subaru Strategic Survey using Hyper Suprime-Cam. The satellite, named Virgo I, lies in the direction of the constellation Virgo. At the absolute magnitude of -0.8 in the optical waveband, it may well be the faintest satellite galaxy yet found. Its discovery suggests the presence of a large number of yet-undetected dwarf satellites in the halo of the Milky Way and provides important insights into galaxy formation through hierarchical assembly of dark matter. |
 | New family of stars discovered in Milky Way shed new light on galaxy's formationAn astronomer from LJMU's Astrophysics Research Institute has discovered a new family of stars in the core of the Milky Way Galaxy which provides new insights into the early stages of the Galaxy's formation. |
 | Cassini prepares for 'ring-grazing orbits'A thrilling ride is about to begin for NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Engineers have been pumping up the spacecraft's orbit around Saturn this year to increase its tilt with respect to the planet's equator and rings. And on Nov. 30, following a gravitational nudge from Saturn's moon Titan, Cassini will enter the first phase of the mission's dramatic endgame. |
 | Spiral-like patterns of star formation discovered in old galaxiesUsing data from the SDSS and CALIFA surveys, a team of astronomers, led by Jean Michel Gomes and Polychronis Papaderos from the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA), in Portugal, discovered in the optical faint star-forming spiral-arm-like features in the periphery of nearby early-type galaxies. This work was presented yesterday, during the 2nd SELGFIS Advanced School on Integral-Field Spectroscopic Data Analysis , ongoing in Madrid until the 25th of November 2016. |
 | Less secrecy could help astronomy stop the bullying and harassment within its ranksShocking allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual assault at CSIRO's Astronomy and Space Sciences (CASS) division were revealed on Sunday by the ABC's Background Briefing program. |
 | Thanksgiving in space: Turkey, green beans and even footballTurkey and football will be the main Thanksgiving headliners up on the International Space Station. |
 | Stellar simulators: Astrophysicists will use supercomputer to explore driving forces behind mass loss in massive starsIt's an intricate process through which massive stars lose their gas as they evolve, and a more complete understanding could be just calculations away—if only those calculations didn't take several millennia to run on normal computers. |
Video: United space for EuropeEuropean spirit, identity and cohesion are the overarching aspects for Europe to achieve the best of outcomes for its states and citizens in space and for a globally successful European space sector. | |
 | Clearing the polar air on cosmic dustBy developing several innovative experimental systems, EU-funded researchers now have a better indication of how much cosmic dust enters the Earth's atmosphere and what impact it has. |
Technology news
 | Tesla shows a self-driving car with all its eyes on the road(Tech Xplore)—A self-driving car from Tesla: what does it see? Finding answers could be quite important because there are people who, although treated to regular reports of technology advancements in self-driving cars braking, changing lanes, and arriving safely, cannot get their raw nerves to catch up to their brains. |
 | NBCUniversal doubles investment in news site BuzzFeedNBCUniversal announced it is doubling its investment in BuzzFeed, pumping another $200 million into the internet media company. |
 | Facebook in crosshairs as fake news battle heats upHillary Clinton was about to be indicted, Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump: the battle over fake news is heating up after a White House campaign in which the misinformation industry may have swung the outcome of the vote. |
 | Volkswagen bets on new technology to bounce back from crisisVolkswagen's namesake brand hopes to bounce back from its diesel emissions scandal with a broad restructuring that will mean more battery-powered cars, digital services such as ride-sharing, and more SUVs for the U.S. market. |
 | US allows GM to delay recall to prove safety of air bagsU.S. auto safety regulators are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving the company time to prove that the devices are safe and to possibly avoid a huge financial hit. |
 | What Apple needs to get right to make its rumoured smart glasses a successThe Apple rumour mill is spinning with gossip that the company is reportedly developing and testing a set of augmented reality glasses. There's little we know for certain about the plans, and the firm has reportedly not made a final decision about whether to commit to releasing a "smart glasses" product. But Apple has been enthusiastically recruiting engineers with expertise in both augmented and virtual reality. |
 | 10 ways to keep your house warm (and save money) this winterIn Britain, people typically switch their central heating on in October and use it daily until March or April. This coincides with the clocks going back, the drop in temperature and Winter Fuel Payments – to anyone who receives the state pension. |
 | Over half of world's population does not use internet: UNMore than half the world's population does not use the internet, with prohibitive broadband costs keeping billions off line, a United Nations report said Tuesday. |
 | Malware that turns PCs into eavesdropping devices demonstratedResearchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have demonstrated malware that can turn computers into perpetual eavesdropping devices, even without a microphone. |
 | Get ready to build! Hands-on toys that teach are hotToys that teach aren't a new thing, but a growing number are calling for kids to build with blocks, circuits or everyday items before reaching for a tablet screen. |
 | Gift Guide: Cool tech toys for the kid in your lifeLooking for a cool tech gift for a kid in your life? |
 | Self-driving car group urges US regulators to clear roadAn industry-backed autonomous car lobbying group on Tuesday urged US regulators to go further to remove speed bumps than what was laid out in guidelines published two months ago. |
Microsoft joins Linux Foundation in another nod to open-source codeMicrosoft has joined the Linux Foundation, the latest sign that the software giant is embracing open-source technologies it formerly treated with hostility. | |
 | Review: Google Home, Amazon Echo mix convenience with creepinessHaving a smart speaker like Amazon Echo or Google Home in the house can feel like you've stepped into the future. |
 | Food data at your fingertipsEPFL is launching openfood.ch, a website that provides the public with data on more than 14,000 food products sold in Switzerland. The website's data set will be a real gold mine when it comes to developing applications and innovative projects aimed at improving people's diet. |
Tracking the sun, from utility planner to entrepreneurDan Shugar was the kind of kid who hustled to earn a few bucks doing yard work and odd jobs for neighbors. Going to work for a large, public utility like the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, commonly called PG&E, after college didn't dampen his entrepreneurial spirit. | |
Review: Keep tabs on your front porch with Ring Video DoorbellI get asked a lot of questions about technology, and the topic I get asked about most is how best to set up video cameras for home security. | |
Interpol: Use biometric data to find extremist fightersInterpol urged all countries on Tuesday to obtain biometric data from fighters for the Islamic State and other extremist groups to help law enforcement track them down, especially when they return home. | |
 | Most expensive destroyer in Navy history breaks downThe most expensive destroyer ever built for the Navy suffered an engineering problem in the Panama Canal and had to be towed to port. |
Madison Square Garden hit by data breachThe Madison Square Garden Co. says customers at five of its locations may have been affected by a data breach. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Protein and salt drive post-meal sleepinessSleepiness after a large meal is something we all experience, and new research with fruit flies suggests higher protein and salt content in our food, as well as the volume consumed, can lead to longer naps. |
 | Young blood does not reverse aging in old mice, study findsA new study from UC Berkeley found that tissue health and repair dramatically decline in young mice when half of their blood is replaced with blood from old mice. The study argues against the rejuvenating properties of young blood and points to old blood, or molecules within, as driving the aging process. |
 | Study finds decreasing activity in the eye can help overcome amblyopiaThe visual system can be "rebooted," offering hope for restoring sight to the visually impaired, according to research at MIT. |
 | Biologists link levels of Mena protein to breast cancer cells' sensitivity to chemotherapyMIT biologists have identified a new biomarker that can reveal whether patients with a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer will be helped by paclitaxel (commercially known as Taxol), one of the drugs most commonly used to treat this cancer. |
CRISPR-Cas9 technique exploits pancreatic cancer cells' vulnerabilities to develop new treatmentsResearchers at the University of Toronto have developed a process that dramatically cuts the amount of time it takes to create new cancer treatments. Using a new breakthrough technology, their study, published today in Nature Medicine, identified a new potential target for the treatment of a class of pancreatic cancer, and unveiled a new treatment option that exploits genetic faults to destroy cancer cells. | |
Research suggests new treatment strategy for deadly metastatic lung cancerThe ability of lung tumor cells to spread rapidly within the body makes lung cancer difficult to eradicate and contributes to its status as the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths in both men and women. But according to a new study led by UC San Francisco scientists, the cancer's ability to spread may often be due to the inactivation of a single protective protein within tumor cells. | |
 | Mouse model reveals extensive postnatal brain damage caused by Zika infectionA team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia has developed a new mouse model that closely mimics fetal brain abnormalities caused by the Zika virus in humans. |
 | Computer modeling could lead to new method for detecting, managing prostate cancerNew research coauthored by Brigham Young University researchers may lead to a more accurate system for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer. |
 | How do you mend a broken heart?Many lower forms of life on earth exhibit an extraordinary ability to regenerate tissue, limbs, and even organs—a skill that is lost among humans and other mammals. Now, a University of Pittsburgh researcher has used the components of the cellular "scaffolding" of a zebrafish to regenerate heart tissues in mammals, specifically mice, as well as exhibiting promising results in human heart cells in vitro. |
 | Researchers uncover a survival mechanism in cancer cellsAn international study led by scientists from the Crick Institute in London and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem revealed a survival mechanism in cancer cells that allows the disease to erupt again even after aggressive treatment. In a paper published in Science (LINK) the researchers describe the mechanism by which cancer tumor cells become cancer stem cells that can sustain long-term growth. |
 | Cancer cells 'talk' to their environment, and it talks backInteractions between an animal cell and its environment, a fibrous network called the extracellular matrix, play a critical role in cell function, including growth and migration. But less understood is the mechanical force that governs those interactions. |
 | Secretion rates and amounts of insulin trigger different responses in gene expressionJapanese researchers have found that genes respond differently to the amount and rate of secretions of insulin, a hormone whose malfunction can lead to obesity and diabetes. Some genes express themselves quickly when stimulated by high levels of insulin, while others pick up on low sustained levels of the hormone, and repress themselves instead. |
 | Research finds google glass technology may slow down response timeHeads-up display technology—think Google Glass—offers lots of information to users in seconds, literally in front of their eyes. Access to information is critical in today's fast-paced world, but new research at the University of Central Florida indicates that the multitasking needed to process that readily available information may slow down the brain's response time. |
 | Largest study of its kind finds rare genetic variations linked to schizophreniaMany of the genetic variations that increase risk for schizophrenia are rare, making it difficult to study their role in the disease. To overcome this, the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, an international team led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, analyzed the genomes of more than 41,000 people in the largest genome-wide study of its kind to date. Their study, published November 21 in Nature Genetics, reveals several regions of the genome where mutations increase schizophrenia risk between four- and 60-fold. |
Sex, gender, or both in medical researchNo one can deny that men and women have different genes, biology and anatomical features. However, only a minority of medical studies take this into account when analyzing and reporting research results. Time to hold researchers accountable, argue two leading experts on sex and gender, not just for the sake of equity, but mainly for the sake of health. | |
 | Global brain initiatives generate tsunami of neuroscience dataThree years ago the White House launched the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative to accelerate the development and application of novel technologies that will give us a better understanding about how brains work. |
 | Emergency video telemedicine positively impacts newborn resuscitationApproximately 10 percent of newborns require help breathing after birth, and 1 in 1,000 newborns require more intensive resuscitation measures. These infrequent, high-risk deliveries may present challenges to community hospitals less familiar with advanced newborn resuscitation interventions. Telemedicine consultations are a good option to help meet these challenges and positively impact patient care, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. |
Street triage halves the rate of Mental Health Act detentionsAn on-street assessment by a specialist team has been shown to more than half the number of police detentions under the Mental Health Act and potentially save large health trusts £1 million a year. | |
Coordinated approach essential to care after ICU and hospital discharge, new research findsNew research published today in the British Journal of General Practice has found inconsistencies in the experiences of patients once they were discharged from hospital, following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), impacting detrimentally on the continuity of care they received. | |
Comoros say on the cusp of eradicating malariaThough victory is yet to be officially declared, Comoros health authorities believe the three islands of the Indian Ocean archipelago are on the cusp of being malaria-free. | |
China to control public smoking nationwide by year-endChina, the world's biggest cigarette producer and consumer, aims to impose national smoking-control regulations by the end of this year, authorities said Tuesday. | |
British teens drink a 'bathtub' of sugary drinks a yearBritish teenagers drink almost a bathtub full of sugary drinks each year, Cancer Research UK said on Tuesday as the charity urged the government to do more to improve children's diets. | |
 | New studies provide more insight into Zika effectsThree new studies reporting on the effects of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). |
Diabetes proves deadly for smokersWhile it is well known that smoking causes lung cancer, heavy smokers with diabetes are also at increased risk of death from causes other than lung cancer, according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). | |
Palliative care improves quality of life, lessens symptomsPeople living with serious illness who receive palliative care have better quality of life and fewer symptoms than those who don't receive palliative care, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the study is the first meta-analysis of the effect of palliative care as it relates to patients' quality of life, symptom burden and survival. | |
Palliative care helpful for cancer patients receiving bone marrow transplantsIntegrating palliative care into the treatment of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) - commonly known as bone marrow transplantation - for cancers like leukemia and lymphoma can improve their quality of life, relieve symptoms associated with the procedure, and reduce depression and anxiety, not only during the three- to four-week hospitalization required for the procedure but also several months later. In their paper published in the Nov. 22/29 issue of JAMA, the research team from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) also reports that caregivers of patients receiving palliative care experienced less depression and were better at coping with the stress associated with the illness of their family member or friend. | |
Study examines trends in infectious disease mortality in USIn a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA, Heidi E. Brown, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona, Tucson, and colleagues investigated trends in infectious disease mortality in the United States from 1980 through 2014. | |
Study examines rates, causes of emergency department visits for adverse drug eventsThe prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States was estimated to be 4 per 1,000 individuals in 2013 and 2014, and the most common drug classes involved were anticoagulants, antibiotics, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics, according to a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA. | |
 | New antiretroviral drugs decrease chances of HIV sexual transmissionMore than 2 million people were infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2015 via sexual transmission. Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Dr. Daniel Podzamczer, have evaluated the speed at which a new antiretroviral drug, Dolutegravir, is able to reduce the viral load in semen, considered to be a reservoir of the virus difficult to access with drugs. The results, published in Journal of Infectious Diseases, show the potential of these new treatments to reduce the chances of sexual transmission of the virus. |
Successful use of a new type of peritoneal dialysis fluid, makes procedure more tolerableThe addition of a new type of fluid for use in peritoneal dialysis makes it easier to tolerate and protects the cells in the abdominal cavity. This could make the peritoneum more resilient to harmful effects, e.g. peritonitis. These are the findings of a recently published clinical study conducted by MedUni Vienna. | |
 | Food research prevents illness in infantsAssociate Professor Dereck Chatterton at the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen has spent more than 15 years carrying out research in order to improve infant formula for children who cannot be breastfed. The goal is to improve the health of children by manufacturing and processing infant formula so that it more closely resembles the composition of breast milk. |
 | Food scientists hunting for biological "blood trail" left by musclesBy the age of 50, people begin to lose muscle mass (a process called sarcopenia), which increases our risk for diseases, resulting in reduced quality of life and costing society dearly. By screening all older people for degrees of sarcopenia, it will be possible to take preventative measures that could delay the condition and may prevent it from becoming debilitating. That is why researchers at the Department of Food Science (FOOD) at the University of Copenhagen are looking for a new biomarker that can detect the risk a person has for developing sarcopenia quickly and cheaply. |
 | New sensor to monitor heart failure symptoms, reduce hospitalizationCardiologists at UR Medicine's Strong Memorial Hospital have introduced a new implantable miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensor to manage heart failure and reduce the number of times people with this life-threatening disease need to be hospitalized. |
Scientists call on California to provide reparations to forced sterilization victimsCalifornia should consider offering reparations to more than 800 survivors of the state's 20,000 forced sterilizations that took place between 1919 and 1952, say University of Michigan researchers. | |
Integrated care interventions can reduce hospital activity for patients with chronic diseasesNew research has shown that integrated care interventions can be effective in reducing hospital activity, but the evidence base is poor and suggests that transforming services to integrate health and social care may not be enough to meet national policy targets for halting the rise in hospital activity. | |
Paradigm shift in surgical treatment of mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysmsA new study from researchers at Uppsala University and the Uppsala University Hospital shows a paradigm shift in the surgical treatment of mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysms. The study shows that since 2001 a majority of repairs are being performed with endovascular aortic repair, an alternative surgical approach in which the aorta is repaired through small incisions in the groins. | |
Study questions recent relaxation of recommended blood pressure targets for diabeticsStrict blood pressure control is associated with a reduced chance of long-term kidney damage in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a new long-term study led by UC San Francisco researchers. | |
How do white blood cells move so fast?If you fall and scrape a knee, it's the job of white blood cells called neutrophils to rush to the site of infection and chase down invading bacteria. | |
 | Questions you should ask yourself before getting cryogenically frozenA dying 14-year-old child recently won the right to be cryogenically frozen after her death following a UK court battle. In a letter to the judge, the child wrote: "I think being cryo-preserved gives me a chance to be cured and woken up, even in hundreds of years' time. I don't want to be buried underground … I want to live and live longer and I think that in the future they might find a cure for my cancer and wake me up." |
 | Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate brown adipose tissue metabolismOmega-3 fatty acids are able to stimulate the activation of brown and beige adipose tissues, a discovery that would promote the development of new therapies for obesity and other metabolism diseases, according to a research study published in the journal Nature Communications under the supervision of Professor Francesc Villarroya, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine and the Biomedical Research Center Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) of the Institute of Health Carlos III. |
 | Unique structure of brain blood vessel amyloid latest clue to Alzheimer's development?Accumulating amounts of amyloid, which is a fragment of a larger protein, in the brain have been associated with the development of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Now a team of neuroscience and biochemistry researchers at Stony Brook University have made a novel discovery that illustrates for the first time the difference between amyloid buildup in brain blood vessels and amyloid buildup around brain neurons. Their findings, which may provide a new path to research on Alzheimer's disease and its cause, will be published November 21 in Nature Communications. |
 | Prostate cancer—what you need to knowIn 2016, more than 180,890 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Next to skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in American men. |
Nitrous oxide re-emerges as a pain-relief option for women in laborSince the mid-1800s, nitrous oxide been used for pain relief, but it's usually associated with a visit to the dentist. | |
In America, the rich outlive the poor by up to 9.5 years, study saysThe United States is one of the richest countries in the world, but it would look dramatically different if its 50 states were organized according to income instead of geography. | |
Researchers use computer algorithms to diagnose HCM from echosComputer algorithms can automatically interpret echocardiographic images and distinguish between pathological hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and physiological changes in athletes' hearts, according to research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), published online yesterday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. | |
Drug-caused deaths among health care professionals: New insights revealedAn Australian-first study conducted by Monash University has found that from 2003-2013 nearly five deaths per 1000 employed Australian health care professionals were caused by drugs, with a significant association between specific professions and drug type. | |
 | Study finds cause of pulmonary fibrosis in failure of stem cells that repair lungsCedars-Sinai investigators have pinpointed a major cause of pulmonary fibrosis, a mysterious and deadly disease that scars the lungs and obstructs breathing. The disease, which has no known cure, appears to result from the failure of special lung stem cells that help airways recover from injury, the investigators reported in the journal Nature Medicine. |
No association between sex-discordant blood transfusions and risk of deathNew research from Karolinska Institutet refutes the findings of a previous study indicating a possible higher risk of death after sex-discordant blood transfusions for cardiac surgery. | |
 | Novel type of cell death in Huntington's disease may lead to effective new therapiesResearchers centered at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) identify novel type of cell death in Huntington's disease that may uncover new treatments. |
 | Pregnant women at risk of getting the flu are not getting vaccinatedHealth-care professionals are hesitant to administer the flu vaccine to pregnant women, despite the potential life-saving benefits, according to a UBC study. |
Strange bedfellows: Dangerous link between driver distraction and sleepinessDriver distraction combined with sleepiness creates a perfect storm when young people get behind the wheel, warns QUT road safety researcher Dr Chris Watling. | |
Hope for people who struggle after suffering brain traumaPharmacological therapy combined with a rehabilitation program that teaches how to compensate for memory and attention problems offers new hope for people who suffer the consequences of traumatic brain injury. Such a combined approach may even improve their brain functioning months and years after the initial trauma of a blow to the head or the accident they experienced, says Brenna McDonald of the Indiana School of Medicine in the US, lead author of a study published in Springer Nature's journal Neuropsychopharmacology. | |
Do stress and strain lead to deviant behavior?Chances are good that youngsters growing up around family members who gamble will also start doing so to release the strains of daily living. This is not necessarily true for adolescents whose family members find their escape in alcohol or drugs. Given that gambling and substance abuse are both potentially addictive, and often go hand in hand, this is a significant finding and one of the many interesting results of a new study just published. Romy Greco and Antonietta Curci of the Libera University SS Maria Assunta (LUMSA) in Italy conducted the research, which appears in Springer's Journal of Gambling Studies. | |
Hypertension and prehypertension underdiagnosed and undertreated in US childrenHypertension and prehypertension in children often go undiagnosed, according to a new study published today in Pediatrics. The study focused on children with abnormal blood pressures across the United States, and is the first to show a widespread underdiagnosis of these conditions by pediatricians in children ages 3 to 18. | |
 | Zika-caused birth defect may become clear only after birthResearchers say a severe birth defect caused by Zika infection may not be apparent at birth but develop months afterward, further confirmation that the virus can cause unseen damage to developing babies. |
 | Do children inherently want to help others?Prosocial behavior is often defined in developmental science research as "voluntary behavior intended to benefit another." This can include behaviors like helping, sharing, comforting, or volunteering. Developmental scientists have discovered that although some forms of prosocial behavior emerge early in childhood, different prosocial behaviors involve cognitive, social, and regulatory processes that mature at varying rates. A new special section of the journal Child Development, "The Motivational Foundations of Prosocial Behavior: A Developmental Perspective," extends this discussion to encourage researchers to explore how human beings' differing motivations can lead to variation in prosocial behavior and its development. Of many possible motivations, the Special Section highlights several, notably "empathy for a distressed other; concern about another's goal; desire to act in accordance with norms; and guilt." |
 | Five fast facts about norovirusCruise ships, nursing homes, and daycare centers are common breeding grounds for norovirus, a contagious stomach bug that infects 685 million people around the world each year. Despite its prevalence, norovirus—which has no specific treatment and is particularly dangerous in infants and the elderly—has received surprisingly little attention from researchers. In a review article published November 22 in Trends in Molecular Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine scientists and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical School discuss what we know about the virus. |
 | Giving older children preventive malaria drugs reduces cases and transmissionThe large randomised study of 200,000 children was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal. It found Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) also reduced cases in those above 10 years of age by a quarter, demonstrating that the intervention had contributed to reducing transmission of the disease. |
Minimally invasive autopsies in lower-income countries: Reliability, acceptabilityHigh concordance rates were observed between diagnoses obtained using a simplified minimally invasive autopsy method and those determined from complete autopsies in a series of deceased adult patients in Mozambique, according to research published in PLOS Medicine by Jaume Ordi and colleagues from ISGlobal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. In a linked research article, Khátia Munguambe and colleagues from the Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique, observed that the hypothetical acceptability of the minimally invasive autopsy and willingness to know the cause of death were high across five settings in Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. | |
Men have a lot to learn about their own fertilityThe first large-scale study of its kind has revealed that Canadian men generally lack knowledge about the risk factors contributing to male infertility. Research led by Dr. Phyllis Zelkowitz, head of psychosocial research at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, found that men could only identify about 50% of the potential risks and medical conditions that are detrimental to their sperm count and, thus, their prospects to father children. While risk factors such as cancer, smoking, and steroid use were more commonly known, other modifiable risks like obesity, frequent bicycling, and frequent use of a laptop on your lap, were not on their radar. | |
 | Most nursing home patients refuse dental care during stay, study concludesNearly 90 percent of patients at long-term care facilities don't take advantage of dental services, even when they are free, a recent study by University at Buffalo researchers has found. |
 | Study sheds light on parasite that causes river blindnessThe parasite that causes river blindness infects about 37 million people in parts of Africa and Latin America, causing blindness and other major eye and skin diseases in about 5 million of them. A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on the genetic makeup of the parasite, a step toward the goal of eradication. |
 | Precise nerve stimulation via electrode implants offers new hope for paralysis patientsPatients with spinal cord injuries might one day regain use of paralyzed arms and legs thanks to research that demonstrates how limbs can be controlled via a tiny array of implanted electrodes. |
 | Investigators pinpoint cause, possible treatment for rare form of sarcomaResearchers at Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered a potential cause and a promising new treatment for inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors, a rare soft tissue cancer that does not respond to radiation or chemotherapy. |
 | Yogic breathing helps fight major depression, study showsA breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not fully respond to antidepressant treatments, reports a new study published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study bolsters the science behind the use of controlled yogic breathing to help battle depression. |
Aspartame may prevent, not promote, weight loss by blocking intestinal enzyme's activityA team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has found a possible mechanism explaining why use of the sugar substitute aspartame might not promote weight loss. In their report published online in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, the researchers show how the aspartame breakdown product phenylalanine interferes with the action of an enzyme previously shown to prevent metabolic syndrome - a group of symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They also showed that mice receiving aspartame in their drinking water gained more weight and developed other symptoms of metabolic syndrome than animals fed similar diets lacking aspartame. | |
 | Photography-based therapy offers new approach to healing for sexual assault survivorsOne out of every six American women has experienced a sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault or rape in her lifetime, according to the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While more than half of female survivors of rape report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), previous research has found that not all survivors respond to traditional treatments for PTSD, causing their symptoms to resurface over time. Abigail Rolbiecki, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, says that photovoice interventions, where participants express their thoughts and feelings through photos, combined with traditional PTSD treatments, could result in a more complete recovery for survivors of sexual assault. |
 | Why radiologists should make their practice more personalWhen it comes to visibility, radiologists, in many cases, are out of sight. |
 | Mothers' early support boosts children's later math achievementEarly math knowledge is as important as early literacy for children's subsequent achievement. In fact, research has shown that early math skills predict later school success better than early reading skills, and can even predict income in adulthood. Yet little research has directly examined how parents' support of early math learning affects children's development of later math skills. Now a new longitudinal study has found that young children whose mothers supported them during play, specifically in their labeling of object quantities, had better math achievement at ages 4-½ and 5 years. |
First dengue vaccine goes on sale in GuatemalaThe world's first vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that causes fever and pain and can be fatal, will go on sale in Guatemala within weeks, the French company making it said Tuesday. | |
 | No benefit from routine thyroid cancer screening: task force(HealthDay)—Doctors should not screen for thyroid cancer in patients who have no symptoms of the disease, according to a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force draft recommendation. |
 | US health care spending up five percent in 2015(HealthDay)—Privately insured Americans spent nearly 5 percent more on health care last year than in 2014, largely because of escalating prices, new research shows. |
 | How to prepare that holiday turkey safely(HealthDay)—The traditional turkey centerpiece on Thanksgiving tables may come out looking scrumptious, but cooks in the kitchen need to be concerned about preparing the bird safely to prevent the spread of foodborne illness. |
 | Oct4 found to be a prognostic marker for digestive cancers(HealthDay)—Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) is a predictive marker for patients with digestive system cancers, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. |
 | Arsenic metabolism linked to development of type 1 diabetes(HealthDay)—Arsenic metabolism seems to be associated with type 1 diabetes in young people, with a potential interaction by folate levels, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in Diabetes Care. |
 | Discussing opioid risks with patients reduces misuse(HealthDay)—Discussing the risk of long-term opioid use disorder with patients is associated with reduced misuse of opioids, according to research published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. |
 | Acne treatment often not in line with current guidelines(HealthDay)—Among U.K. general practitioners, acne treatment is often not in accordance with current guidelines, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. |
London 2012 Olympics inspired many local kids to get more involved in sportThe London 2012 Olympic Games inspired many local children to get more involved in sport, reveal the results of a before and after study, published in the online journal BMJ Open. | |
Boxers confront long-term brain damage from repeated blows to the headBoxers know they risk injury in the ring. But there's a more insidious danger they don't often talk about: the long-term brain damage that repeated blows to the head can cause. Lyra McKee meets the families who are breaking the silence. | |
Infectious diseases A-Z: infants, babies and germsIt's important to provide a safe and healthy environment for children, especially infants. You should always try to protect children from cigarette smoke, chemical irritants and others hazards, and people who have contagious diseases. But, what about that cookie your baby picked up from the kitchen floor and put in his mouth, or when your little one snuggles with the family dog? | |
 | Better surveillance and more cohesive policies needed against Rift Valley fever outbreaksResearch on the mosquito-borne Rift Valley fever in east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula shows that current surveillance systems are unable to detect the virus in livestock before it spreads to humans. A coherent policy is needed to combat the viral disease, which has the potential to spread to previously unaffected areas, according to studies at Umeå University in Sweden. |
 | AGS sets sights on better care, more responsive policies for 'unbefriended' older adultsExperts at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today unveiled new guidance on care and decision-making for a unique and growing group of older adults: the "unbefriended." Proposed clinical practice and public policy changes would support some of society's most vulnerable individuals while also helping protect more of us from becoming unbefriended as we age. |
Trifluridine/tipiracil in colorectal cancer: Added benefit only for some patientsThe fixed combination of trifluridine/tipiracil (trade name: Lonsurf) has been approved since April 2016 for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The drugs are an option for adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose disease has progressed despite treatment or who cannot be given other treatments. | |
Pembrolizumab in lung cancer: Indication of considerable added benefitPembrolizumab (trade name: Keytruda) was initially introduced for the treatment of melanoma. Since July 2016, the monoclonal antibody has also been available for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose tumours express the T-cell receptor ligand PD-L1 and who have received a prior chemotherapy regimen. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether the drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy also for these patients. | |
Health officials clear part of Miami Beach Zika zoneFlorida health officials have cleared part of the Miami Beach Zika transmission zone. | |
Biology news
 | Sequencing of environmental DNA offers information on whale shark populations(Phys.org)—A team of researchers with members from Denmark, the U.K. and Qatar was able to calculate whale shark populations in the Persian Gulf using only environmental DNA (eDNA) found in seawater samples. In their paper published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, the team describes their analyses of sea water samples, what it revealed and the ways in which such information can be useful. |
 | A synthetic biological metabolic pathway fixes CO2 more efficiently than plantsIn future, greenhouse gas carbon dioxide could be removed from the atmosphere by deploying a new biological method. A team headed by Tobias Erb, Leader of a Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, has developed a synthetic but completely biological metabolic pathway based on the model of photosynthesis that fixes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere 20% more efficiently that plants can photosynthetically. The researchers initially planned the new system, which they presented in the magazine Science this week, on the drawing board and then turned it into reality in the laboratory. |
 | Researchers solve key problems involving gene drive technology to stop spread of disease-carrying mosquitoesA team of researchers, including two from the University of California, Riverside, have made a key discovery that could potentially help eliminate disease-spreading mosquitoes on a continent-wide scale. |
 | Reshaping our ideas of bacterial evolutionThe shape of bacteria does not influence how well they can move – this is the surprising finding of new research which could have major implications for the future of the scientific and medical industries. |
 | Living color: Rainbow-hued blood stem cells shed new light on cancer, blood disordersA new color-coding tool is enabling scientists to better track live blood stem cells over time, a key part of understanding how blood disorders and cancers like leukemia arise, report researchers in Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Research Program. |
 | What marine midges can tell us about clocks and calendarsThe non-biting marine midge Clunio marinus lives along Europe's tide-shapen coasts, where precise timing is of existential importance: Reproduction and oviposition must occur when the tide is at its lowest. The tides, and therefore also low tide, are influenced by both the sun and the moon. To foresee the ideal time of reproduction, Clunio has two internal clocks: a circadian (daily) clock, comparable to a watch, set by the sun, and a circalunar (monthly) clock, comparable to a calendar, set by the moon. |
 | Researchers study plant aging, gain insights into crop yields and moreNew insights into the mechanism behind how plants age may help scientists better understand crop yields, nutrient allocation, and even the timing and duration of fall leaf color. |
 | Feast without fear: Scientist says more snake species resist toxinIn the animal kingdom, survival essentially boils down to eat or be eaten. How organisms accomplish the former and avoid the latter reveals an immense array of defense mechanisms. Maybe you can outrun your prey. Perhaps you sport an undetectable disguise. Or maybe you develop a death-defying resistance to your prey's heart-stopping defensive chemicals. |
 | New insights from the most comprehensive tree of prokaryotic life assembled to dateBacteria were the original masters of their domain, having the Earth to themselves for the majority of their existence, filling every environmental niche, nook and cranny, from mountain peaks to the thermal vents at the ocean's floor. |
 | Global change threatens high-mountain plants able to adapt to new environmental conditionsHigh-mountain plant communities are one of the most vulnerable groups to global change. This phenomenon could threaten species living in the highest areas, such as Saxifraga longifolia, a plant in the Pyrenees with sophisticated mechanisms to adapt to environmental changes. |
Fly larvae clean bee-eater's nestBird nests are home not only to the bird parents and their offspring but also to other inhabitants, such as insect larvae, which take advantage of the favourable climatic conditions and abundant supply of food in the nests. So far, there has been no research into the possible benefit for birds from this living arrangement. A team of researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna has now shown that fly larvae in nests of European bee-eaters help clean the nest by foraging on faeces and uneaten food. This "waste removal" has a positive effect on offspring development and benefits the nest ecosystem. The study was published in the Journal of Ornithology. | |
 | Glowing geckos show trees vital to farm biodiversityResearchers at ANU have used glow-in-the-dark geckos to help shed light on the mysteries of animal navigation and to help improve biodiversity in farming landscapes. |
Towards a better understanding of the puzzling 'droplets' in the cell cytoplasmLiquid-like droplets are highly dynamic cytoplasmic aggregates of proteins with no apparent structure. Over the last two years they have attracted considerable attention due to their key functions in the cell and their relation to several diseases. Although first observed many years ago—Ramón y Cajal detected them—the attention they are receiving is as recent as the name given to describe them. Scientists are intrigued because these protein aggregates, which resemble drops of oil in the aqueous medium of the cell cytoplasm, are relevant for cell activity and regulation—so much so that they are described as being membraneless organelles. | |
 | Road salt can change sex ratios in frog populations, study saysNaturally occurring chemicals found in road salts commonly used to de-ice paved surfaces can alter the sex ratios in nearby frog populations, a phenomenon that could reduce the size and viability of species populations, according to a new study by scientists at Yale and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). |
Research shows preference for non-lethal protection of speciesAmericans believe endangered species are best protected when their habitats are protected and not when animal predators are killed, according to new Indiana University research. | |
 | Scientists unveil software that revolutionizes habitat connectivity modelingA trio of Clemson University scientists has unveiled a groundbreaking computational software called "GFlow" that makes wildlife habitat connectivity modeling vastly faster, more efficient and superior in quality and scope. |
 | Compounds emitted by phytopathogen microbes encourage plant growthA wide range of microorganisms, including fungi and phytopathogenic bacteria, are capable of emitting volatile compounds which boost plant growth and flowering, and in accumulating up reserves as demonstrated in a study led by scientific researchers at Navarra's Institute of Agro biotechnology, in northern Spain, which is a mixed centre shared between Spain's National Research Council (CSIC), the Public University of Navarra, and the Regional Government of Navarra. |
 | Butterfly mother's food choice for offspring changes with experiencePlants communicate with animals using a blend of signals that influence animal behavior. The balance of plant attractants and deterrents partly determine the ultimate level of damage that an animal herbivore imposes on a plant. These intricate communications between the herbivore and the plant support sustainable relationships in their mutual native homelands. However, the ease of international travel in today's connected world has led to invasive alien arthropod herbivores showing up in many novel locations containing alternative host plants. |
 | New dominant ant species discovered in Ethiopia shows potential for global invasionA team of scientists conducting a recent biodiversity survey in the ancient church forests of Ethiopia made an unexpected discovery—a rather infamous ant species (Lepisiota canescens) displaying signs of supercolony formation. According to D. Magdalena Sorger, a post-doctoral researcher with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and a key member of the team, the discovery is significant for two reasons. First, supercolony formation in ants is rare, with documented cases of only around 20 species worldwide. Second, other species in the Lepisiota genus have recently made headlines as worrisome invasive species, one in South Africa's Kruger National Park and another that shut down Australia's Darwin Port for several days. The team's findings, were published in Insectes Sociaux in November. |
 | New grasses neutralize toxic pollution from bombs, explosives, and munitionsOn military live fire training ranges, troops practice firing artillery shells, drop bombs on old tanks or derelict buildings and test the capacity of new weapons. |
Invasive winter moths making late November appearanceWinter moths, an invasive insect that defoliates trees, could be particularly problematic this spring for drought-stressed trees in New England. | |
Grounded whale in Long Island bay appears to be ailing (Update)A 25-foot-long humpback whale that has become grounded on a sandbar off the coast of Long Island appears to be ill. | |
 | A squirt at 6 feet: Baby giraffe to debut at Los Angeles ZooIt's stretch time for a family at the Los Angeles Zoo. |
25 stranded sea turtles rescued from cold waters of Cape CodTwenty-five stranded sea turtles have been rescued from the chilly waters of Cape Cod. | |
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