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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 13, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | French, US astronauts install batteries outside space station (Update)French astronaut Thomas Pesquet floated into space on his first-ever spacewalk Friday, and helped install three new, refrigerator-sized lithium-ion batteries to upgrade the power system at the International Space Station. |
 | Hubble gazes into a black hole of puzzling lightnessThe beautiful spiral galaxy visible in the center of the image is known as RX J1140.1+0307, a galaxy in the Virgo constellation imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and it presents an interesting puzzle. At first glance, this galaxy appears to be a normal spiral galaxy, much like the Milky Way, but first appearances can be deceptive! |
 | Sentinel-2B launch preparations off to a flying startSome of us may be easing ourselves gently into the New Year, but for the team readying Sentinel-2B for liftoff on 7 March it's full steam ahead. |
 | Catching Cassini's callThis week, ESA deep-space radio dishes on two continents are listening for signals from the international Cassini spacecraft, now on its final tour of Saturn. |
 | Image: Well-preserved impact ejecta on MarsThis image of a well-preserved unnamed elliptical crater in Terra Sabaea, is illustrative of the complexity of ejecta deposits forming as a by-product of the impact process that shapes much of the surface of Mars. |
 | Researcher hunts DNA on MarsAstrobiologist alumna Alexandra Pontefract, PhD'13 (Geology), knows finding DNA on the Red Planet will be no easy feat. But it is possible. What's more, if DNA is found, it's not far-fetched to think it would be proof of shared ancestry between Earth and Mars. |
 | How old is our moon?Most scientists agree that the Earth has pretty much always had its moon. Details of the moon's composition (in particular the "isotopic mixture" of heavier and lighter versions of various elements) are too similar to the Earth's for it to have been captured from somewhere remote. However, some compositional details differ enough to rule out the idea that the moon is simply a chunk of the Earth that broke loose. |
 | Image: MetOp-C payload moduleThe payload module of MetOp-C, Europe's latest weather satellite, is in place at ESA's technical centre in the Netherlands for rigorous testing in space-like conditions. |
 | Video: Huygens' descent to TitanOn December 25, 2004, the piggybacking Huygens probe was released from the 'mothership' Cassini spacecraft and it arrived at Titan on January 14, 2005. The probe began transmitting data to Cassini four minutes into its descent through Titan's murky atmosphere, snapping photos and taking data all the while. Then it touched down, the first time a probe had landed on an extraterrestrial world in the outer Solar System. |
Technology news
 | WhatsApp vulnerable to snooping: reportThe Facebook-owned mobile messaging service WhatsApp is vulnerable to interception, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday, sparking concern over an app advertised as putting an emphasis on privacy. |
 | First 3-D platform for simulating zebrafish behavior may replace animals in some researchEvery year, approximately 20 million animals are used in scientific research. Increasingly these animals are zebrafish, which are quickly eclipsing rodents and primates as a favored species in biomedical research because of their genetic similarity to humans and their versatility. However, concerns voiced by policymakers, citizens, and scientific authorities about the number of animals used in experiments have led researchers to explore alternative, computer-based methodologies that could help reduce animal usage without compromising results. |
 | Blitab Technology develops tablet for the blind and visually impaired(Tech Xplore)—Blitab, a tablet with a Braille interface, looks like a promising step up for blind and low vision people who want to be part of the educational, working and entertainment worlds of digital life. |
 | Nintendo debuts hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch consoleNintendo is trying to Switch it up. |
 | Phone hacking company falls victim to hackersCellebrite, a digital forensics firm known for helping law enforcement crack into locked smartphones, has itself fallen victim to hackers. |
Court revives suit alleging Apple monopoly on iPhone appsA federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit accusing Apple of having an illegal monopoly on the sale of iPhone apps. | |
 | Nintendo: Nintendo Switch game console to launch in MarchThe Nintendo Switch video game console will sell for 29,980 yen (about $260) in Japan, starting March 3, the same date as its global rollout in the U.S. and Europe. The Japanese company promises the device will be packed with the fun features of all its past machines and more. |
 | What can history tell us about today's infrastructure crisis?On Tuesday, the University of Virginia's Miller Center released the eighth volume in its far-reaching First Year Project, an ongoing initiative to provide nonpartisan, history-based insight into major issues facing the next president during his first year in office. |
 | Renault targeted in new 'dieselgate' scandalA year and a half after Volkswagen's "dieselgate" erupted, Paris prosecutors are probing Renault over possible "cheating" in diesel emissions, sending the carmaker's shares sliding on the stock exchange. |
 | 3-D scans for the automotive industryHow does an automotive assembly line have to be retrofitted for a change of model? 3-D scanners are an elegant way to find this out. Professor of computer science, Andreas Nüchter, is a specialist for the job. |
Amazon offers Anime Strike, first subscription TV channelOnline giant Amazon has created its first subscription channel, Anime Strike, in an expansion of its streaming television offerings. | |
Venture capitalist says 2017 looks bright for tech startup marketAfter a tough slog through 2016, tech startups (at least the good ones) have reason to be optimistic about the year ahead, says Scott Kupor, managing partner of Andreessen Horowitz. | |
Why mobile payment technology is leap-frogging in Latin AmericaThe world of mobile payments is one of the hottest segments of the financial technology industry. Based in Miami, YellowPepper has been a pioneer of mobile payment technology in Latin America, where an immense market need and a millennial-rich population of early adopters converge. | |
Satellite constellations could be poised to challenge the broadband industryIt's been more than a decade since a handful of ambitious entrepreneurs saw their plans to provide global telecommunications service through massive satellite constellations blow up, doomed by runaway costs. | |
Troy Wolverton: At CES, voice assistants assert themselvesIn the very near future, instead of controlling your gadgets by pressing buttons or tapping on screens, you may just talk to them. | |
 | Auto show concepts: Would you build them or forget them?Car companies don't just show current models at auto shows. They also unveil prototypes that could be built in the future. These so-called concept cars help them gauge the public's reaction to new designs or technology. They can also amp up excitement about a company's future. |
 | Driverless electric shuttle being tested in downtown VegasThere's a new thrill on the streets of downtown Las Vegas, where high- and low-rollers alike are climbing aboard what officials call the first driverless electric shuttle operating on a public U.S. street. |
 | Italy under pressure over regulation of Fiat ChryslerItaly has come under pressure over how it regulates Fiat Chrysler, which Germany and the U.S. accuse of using software that can allow some diesel engines to emit more pollution than legally permitted. |
 | Tech review: A quality phone that's affordableAlcatel. You've heard of the brand from France but you're not sure about its products. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Teens unlikely to be harmed by moderate digital screen useParents and pediatricians alike may worry about the effects of teens' screen time, but new findings from over 120,000 adolescents in the UK indicate that the relationship between screen time and well-being is weak at best, even at high levels of digital engagement. The research is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. |
 | Australian parasite discovery raises concern about neglected tropical diseasesA chance encounter in northern Australia with a previously undocumented parasite has allowed scientists to join important evolutionary dots, highlighting the need for closer monitoring of exotic and neglected tropical diseases. |
 | Multiregional brain on a chipHarvard University researchers have developed a multiregional brain-on-a-chip that models the connectivity between three distinct regions of the brain. The in vitro model was used to extensively characterize the differences between neurons from different regions of the brain and to mimic the system's connectivity. |
 | Study finds association between eating hot peppers and decreased mortalityLike spicy food? If so, you might live longer, say researchers at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, who found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13 percent reduction in total mortality - primarily in deaths due to heart disease or stroke—in a large prospective study. |
 | Nigeria: Clean-burning stoves improve health for new mothersIn a small clinical trial that replaced widely used biomass and kerosene cookstoves with clean-burning ethanol stoves, a team of researchers from the University of Chicago and the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) was able to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in pregnant women. |
 | Cannabis can relieve pain, but carries risks: US reportMarijuana and cannabis can help to safely alleviate pain for some patients but many uncertainties remain about their health and safety risks, according to a major scientific review published Thursday. |
 | New research sheds light on why older mothers more likely to face birth complicationsPregnant women over 35 years old are more likely to have complications at birth due to delayed and longer labour stages, suggests new research published in The Journal of Physiology. |
 | Children gain more weight when parents see them as 'overweight'Children whose parents considered them to be 'overweight' tended to gain more weight over the following decade compared with children whose parents thought they were a 'normal' weight, according to analyses of data from two nationally representative studies published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings indicate that children whose parents identified them as being overweight perceived their own body size more negatively and were more likely to attempt to lose weight, factors that partly accounted for their weight gain. |
Sunbed users get melanoma at a younger ageMelanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer with the strongest increase in incidence in the last decade, and the incidence rates have never been as high as in 2014 (www.kreftregisteret.no). Now there are about 2,000 new cases of melanoma each year in Norway. The World Health Organization based International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified UV-emitting tanning devices as "carcinogenic to humans" in 2009 (www.iarc.fr). However, sunbed use is still popular in western countries, especially among young women. | |
 | Electroconvulsive therapy—a history of controversy, but also of helpCarrie Fisher's ashes are in an urn designed to look like a Prozac pill. It's fitting that in death she continues to be both brash and wryly funny about a treatment for depression. |
 | Sugar stands accusedSugar was in the dock at Harvard Law School this week, accused of a prime role in the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes sweeping the country. |
 | Despite lower profile, Zika remains a high concernEven though the Zika virus hasn't been in the news as much lately, it remains a serious public health concern. |
Chronic illness and depression increase likelihood of problem drinking in older adultsOlder adults suffering from multiple chronic health conditions and depression are nearly five times as likely to be problem drinkers as older adults with the same conditions and no depression, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. Their study is the first to document the connection between multiple chronic illnesses, depression and alcohol use in seniors. | |
Protein that inhibits and reduces the effects of chemotherapy identifiedResearchers at Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues from Science for Life Laboratories (SciLifeLab) and Heidelberg University have identified a protein that determines the efficacy of cytarabin – the most important drug for treating acute myeloid leukaemia. Their results are published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine. | |
Good long-term results of obesity surgery in young peopleBariatric surgery on teenagers gives results that are equally as good as for adults, but the operations carries complications. Five years after surgery, the patients weighed on average 28 per cent less than beforehand, a new study shows. | |
 | Complexity of humour is no joke, researcher saysRod Martin remembers when humour wasn't serious business. |
Researchers call for ban on alcohol sponsorship of sportWatching televised sport means watching advertisements for alcohol, say researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington (UOW). | |
 | Researchers say depression as bad for the heart as obesity and cholesterolDepression poses a risk for cardiovascular diseases in men that is just as great as that posed by high cholesterol levels and obesity. This is according to a report recently published in the 'Atherosclerosis' journal by researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, together with colleagues from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Center for Cardiovascular Disease (DZHK). |
 | Helping universities combat depression with mobile technologyDepression is the leading mental health issue on college campuses in the U.S. In 2015, a survey of more than 90,000 students at 108 American colleges and universities found that during the previous year, more than one-third of them had felt so depressed at some point that it was difficult to function. More than two-thirds had felt hopeless in the preceding academic year. |
Statins may reduce the risk of blood clots in the veinA study published by Dr Setor Kunutsor of the Musculoskeletal Research Unit in the School of Clinical Sciences, with colleagues from the University of Leicester, has confirmed that statins could play an important role in reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism. | |
 | Five tips for preventing cervical cancerSilent but deadly. These are words often used to describe cervical cancer—a slow-growing disease that rarely causes symptoms in its early stages. |
 | Workouts with fewer reps could yield better resultsTime-poor people who do fewer repetitions during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts may get better fitness benefits than those who complete more, according to a University of Stirling analysis. |
Increased cooperation between preschool and CHC to identify children with mental health problemsIt is beneficial to systematise the exchange of information between parents, preschool and child care centres (CHCs) to increase the focus on young children with mental health problems. This is shown in a recently conducted study from Uppsala University, published in the journal PLOS One. | |
 | Sensory stimuli control dopamine in the brainRegardless of whether we are sitting in a loud aeroplane or walking through a quiet forest clearing, how humans perceive their environment depends on the stimuli. This, in turn, affects our behaviour – sometimes consciously, sometimes subconsciously. In their study of fish larvae, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Driever and his team of neurobiologists at the University of Freiburg have discovered that a group of nerve cells in the forebrain release the neurotransmitter dopamine when activated by tactile or certain visual stimuli. These dopaminergic nerve cells send connections to almost all parts of the brain and spinal cord, thereby affecting the functions of many circuits. These new findings could play a role in the future treatment of such illnesses as restless leg syndrome, a condition in which patients have unpleasant sensations in their limbs during sleep. The researchers have published their research results in the journal Current Biology. |
 | Older, fitter adults experience greater brain activity while learningOlder adults who experience good cardiac fitness may be also keeping their brains in good shape as well. |
The global toll of fetal alcohol syndromeWorldwide, an estimated 119,000 children are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows. | |
 | Reducing the radioresistance of cancerMost people recognize that many forms of cancer are treated with radiation therapy. However, some may not realize that there are cancer cells with the ability to survive this type of treatment. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of these forms of cancer, and is the reason why researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan began searching for methods to combat resistance to radiotherapy. Rather than going after the cancer cells directly, they attempted to find a way to control the biological mechanisms that aid in radioresistance. This meant looking at interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine known for signaling the inflammatory response, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is a protein that protects against oxidative stress. |
 | CDC: higher risk of death from leading causes in rural America(HealthDay)—Americans who live in rural areas have a higher risk of death from five leading causes than people who live in urban locations, according to research published in the Jan. 13 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
In search of a vaccine to vanquish the plagueThe plague is best known for wiping out as much as a third of Europe's population during the Black Death pandemic of the 14th century, but it's not entirely a thing of the past. It's enough of a present-day threat - either as a bioterrorism weapon or because of antibiotic resistance - that scientists are trying to develop a vaccine. | |
Study: Heroin resurgence an 'unintended consequence' of attempt to curb OxyContin abuseIn an attempt to stem abuse of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma spent a decade and several hundred million dollars developing a version of the painkiller that was more difficult to snort, smoke or inject. Since those "abuse-deterrent" pills debuted six years ago, misuse of OxyContin has fallen and the company has touted them as proof of its efforts to end the opioid epidemic. | |
Older adults walk more for money and opportunity to donate to charityPersonal and social goals may be effective in motivating older adults to exercise, according to a study this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Although numerous studies have demonstrated significant health benefits from walking - including decreased risk of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and premature mortality - fewer than half of all adults achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Adults 65 and older are least likely to be physically active. In a 16 week period, both financial incentives and opportunity to donate to charity increased walking in older adults, by 2,348 steps and 2,562 steps per day, respectfully. | |
Targeted therapy for sleep disorders helps patients with muscular dystrophyMyotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common adult muscular dystrophy, and many patients with DM1 suffer from various sleep and respiratory disorders. In a study in the current issue of the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases, researchers found that because there is wide range of sleep problems, treatments do not fit a "one size fits all" model. | |
Cleverly designed tuberculosis vaccine shows promise in miceA clever new tuberculosis vaccine has shown promise in trials in mice. If it succeeds, it will be the first new TB vaccine in a century. With the rise of multidrug resistant tuberculosis, the difficulty of curing the disease, and the large annual death toll, a successful vaccine could be a huge benefit to public health—especially in low- and middle income countries. The research is published January 13th in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. | |
 | Tobacco counseling for youth, adults cuts smoking prevalence(HealthDay)—Tobacco counseling for youth or adults can reduce the prevalence of smoking cigarettes during adult years, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. |
 | Left ventricular assist device ups QoL in ambulatory heart failure(HealthDay)—Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) improve quality of life in ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure, but increase lifetime costs, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in JACC: Heart Failure. |
 | Case series demonstrates safety of trichloroacetic acid peel(HealthDay)—Universal trichloroacetic acid peel is safe for light and dark skin, according to research published online Jan. 12 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. |
 | Modest links for systemic medication use, IOP in glaucoma(HealthDay)— Some systemic medication has a modest effect on intraocular pressure (IOP) among Asian patients with glaucoma, according to research published online Jan. 12 in JAMA Ophthalmology. |
 | 'Allergy diary' phone app classifies phenotypes in rhinitis(HealthDay)—The Allergy Diary phone app can identify phenotypic differences between rhinitis groups, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Allergy. |
 | Effect of providing price info varies for type of clinician(HealthDay)—The effect of price information varies for pediatric- and adult-focused clinicians, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in Pediatrics. |
 | Cognitive stress reduces levodopa effect in Parkinson's(HealthDay)—Cognitive co-activation is associated with a significantly smaller levodopa effect on resting tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a study published online Jan. 10 in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. |
 | Thinking of changing your behavior in 2017? Try moving first41% of Americans make New Year's resolutions but only 9% feel they were successful in keeping their resolutions. The problem may be in the timing. According to research being presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention the time for successful habit change isn't based on the calendar, but on big changes to our everyday lives like moving to a new home. |
 | Congress to complete first step to repealing health lawThe House is poised to back legislation that is the first—and by far the easiest—step toward gutting President Barack Obama's divisive health care law. |
 | 3 million deaths linked to outdoor air pollution annuallyIn a report released in 2016, the World Health Organization revealed that more than 90 percent of the world's population lives in areas with high levels of air pollution, and that every year, close to three million deaths are linked to outdoor air pollution. Many of those deaths are due to cardiovascular disease or stroke, and now a University of North Texas assistant professor of Biological Sciences, Amie Lund, is researching that connection. |
 | Home delinquency rates lower among ACA householdsIf you are on Obamacare, you are likely a better tenant or homeowner. |
 | A necessary retelling of the smallpox vaccine storyA curious confluence of events unfolded Tuesday night. Just hours before President Obama uttered the powerful "science and reason matter" in his farewell address, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the incoming president had tapped him to head a committee on vaccine safety. |
Treatment strategy provides mental health benefits to war trauma survivorsA study shows that a certain intervention called testimony therapy plus ceremony reduced symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression among Khmer Rouge torture survivors from across Cambodia. | |
Bloodstream infections: Most common type of health care-associated infections in childrenA study published by The Lancet Infectious Diseases establishes the prevalence and type of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in children in Europe and describes risk factors for infection in this population. | |
 | Surge in traffic deaths outpaces increase in travelTraffic deaths surged about 8 percent in the first nine months of last year, continuing an alarming upward spiral that may be partially explained by more Americans on the roads due to the economic recovery, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates released Friday. |
In Puerto Rico, the joy of pregnancy is tempered by fear of ZikaBefore the virus overwhelmed Puerto Rico, Zika already lurked in Keishla Mojica's home. | |
NIAID officials call for continued Zika researchAlthough cases of Zika virus infection appear to be decreasing, the mosquito-borne virus likely will become endemic in the Americas and continue to cause outbreaks and sporadic cases. Given the serious complications of Zika virus infection, particularly in cases of congenital infection, researchers must continue their work to better understand how the virus causes disease and to develop effective vaccines and treatments, according to a new commentary. The article, by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and colleague Catharine I. Paules, M.D. appeared online yesterday ahead of print in the Journal of the American Medical Association. | |
Brazilian state declares emergency after yellow fever deathsBrazil's second most populous state has declared a 180-day state of emergency after eight people died of yellow fever. | |
US Congress approves first step for repealing ObamacareThe US House of Representatives on Friday joined the Senate in passing a critical measure that marks the first major step toward repealing outgoing President Barack Obama's landmark but controversial health care reforms. | |
Biology news
 | Arabica coffee genome sequencedThe first public genome sequence for Coffea arabica, the species responsible for more than 70 percent of global coffee production, was released today by researchers at the University of California, Davis. |
 | Researchers capture first glimpse of ruby seadragons in the wildIn hopes of getting a rare glimpse of the newly discovered third species of seadragon, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego and the Western Australian Museum led a scientific expedition off the coast of Western Australia to find Ruby Seadragons in the wild. |
 | Researchers quantify in high speed a viper's strike in nature for the first timeFeeding is paramount to the survival of almost every animal, and just about every living organism is eaten by another. Not surprisingly, the animal kingdom shows many examples of extreme specialization - the chameleon's tongue, fox diving into snow, cheetah sprinting - for capturing prey or escaping predators. |
 | Researchers find neurons that orient bats toward destinationNavigating to a destination, whether you are a human or a bat, requires a complex set of calculations and interactions among brain cells. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers, working with bats, have now revealed the network of cells that encode the direction of one's destination. Among other things, their findings may help explain how memory loss and "getting lost" tend to go together in Alzheimer's patients. |
 | Climate change could kill off parasites, destabilizing ecosystemsPhotogenic animals, from polar bears to people, aren't the only creatures under threat from global climate change. A new review led by UC Berkeley suggests the phenomenon threatens parasites with extinction, which could have big consequences for ecosystems. |
 | Metabolic proteins relocate to jump-start an embryo's genome, study findsTo turn on its genome—the full set of genes inherited from each parent—a mammalian embryo needs to relocate a group of proteins, researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have discovered. The metabolic proteins, normally found in the energy-generating mitochondria of cells, move to the DNA-containing nuclei about two days after a mouse embryo is fertilized, according to the new study, led by senior author Utpal Banerjee. |
 | A prion-like protein discovered in bacteria(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers at Harvard Medical School has found an instance of a bacterial protein that behaves like a prion when inserted into another type of bacteria. In their paper published in the journal Science, Andy Yuan and Ann Hochschild describe how they found the protein and the impact it had on its new host bacteria. |
 | Pig gene advance could boost sperm stocks from prized animalsGene-editing techniques could help to improve stocks of farmed pigs by boosting supplies of sperm from prized sires. |
 | Scientists engineer animals with ancient genes to test causes of evolutionScientists at the University of Chicago have created the first genetically modified animals containing reconstructed ancient genes, which they used to test the evolutionary effects of genetic changes that happened in the deep past on the animals' biology and fitness. |
 | MIA transport protein no longer missing in actionJohn Innes Centre scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how valuable anti-cancer compounds are produced in the Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus). |
 | Scientists reprogram embryonic stem cells to expand their potential cell fatesResearchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to reprogram mouse embryonic stem cells so that they exhibit developmental characteristics resembling those of fertilized eggs, or zygotes. |
 | Are herders and livestock bad for rare wildlife? It's complicatedThe Denver Zoological Foundation, WCS(Wildlife Conservation Society) and other partners have published a paper appearing in the early view edition of Conservation Biology that looks at the positive and negative relationships occurring between pastoralists, livestock, native carnivores and native herbivores in the world's largest unfenced grassland and desert. |
 | Reef fish that conquer fear of sharks may help control excess algaeIf there was a top-rated restaurant in a dangerous part of the city, chances are some brave souls would be willing to risk it all for a delicious meal. |
 | Researchers discover how plants assemble tanninsTannins in plants have health benefits and impact the taste of fruits and drinks like tea and wine. While tannins themselves are well known, no one has ever known how plants actually put them together—until now. A team of researchers from the University of North Texas Department of Biological Sciences just made this major discovery. Now, the research by Chenggang Liu, Xiaoqiang Wang, Vladimir Shulaev and Richard Dixon, recently was featured in the journal, Nature Plants. |
 | When aquaculture grows, so does its economic impactFarming of finfish, shellfish and plants in fresh and saltwater is the fastest-growing food production sector in the world and it's growing in Maine, too. |
 | High-resolution pH imaging elucidates energy mechanisms in creating bacterial flagellaBacterial cellular membranes protrude to form flagella, which are composed of up to about 30 distinct proteins and are essential for motility. The bacterial flagellar type III export apparatuses utilize energy derived from ATP hydrolysis and proton motive force (PMF) across the cell membrane to translocate flagellar proteins across the membrane. Previous studies have demonstrated that the flagellar transmembrane export gates play crucial roles in energy transduction to unfold and transport flagellar proteins for construction of the flagella in a PMF-powered manner. However, the energy transduction mechanisms have not been completely understood. |
 | Tremors in newborn piglets attributed to previously unidentified virusSymptoms of tremors and shaking in newborn piglets are not a sign that the animals are cold, but rather that they are suffering from a specific viral infection. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna have now been able to prove this correlation for the first time using a newly developed test. The scientists detected a previously unknown virus, termed atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), in "shaking piglets", making it possible to clearly diagnose the potentially fatal disease. The virus remains in the animals for a long time following an infection and may also be transmitted sexually. The findings were published in the journal Veterinary Research. |
 | Video: Tracking data and shark behaviourAnimals often share space as they move through their environment. Capturing these aggregations and co-occurrence events has proven extremely difficult in elusive, wide-ranging animals. |
 | New evidence that humans choose their partners through assortative matingA team of Australian researchers have published a new paper that argues people choose their life partners through a form of assortative mating, which is having a distinct impact on the evolution of the human genome. |
 | Cyanobacteria—the future of sunscreen?Sunscreens and moisturizers derived from biological sources such as cyanobacteria could represent a safer alternative to current, synthetically produced cosmetics, research published in the European Journal of Phycology suggests. |
 | Exeter research helps protect loggerhead turtlesA long-running research and conservation project is helping save an at-risk species of turtle. |
 | Biofuel matchmaker: Finding the perfect algae for renewable energyA dozen glass cylinders containing a potential payload of bright green algae are exposed to hundreds of multi-colored lights, which provide all of sunlight's natural hues. The tiny LEDs brighten and dim to mimic the outdoors' constantly changing conditions. To further simulate a virtual cloud passing overhead, chillers kick in and nudge the algae a little cooler. |
 | Bay in Scandinavia claims world record in carbon storingForests are potent carbon sinks, but oceanic seagrasses also store enormous amounts of carbon. And researchers report that a little bay in Denmark stores a record amount of carbon. |
 | International collaboration working to enhance protections for spinner dolphinsAn international study involving researchers from Western Australia and the United States has unlocked a key behavioural schedule in spinner dolphins, which could provide crucial insight to conservation measures for the free-ranging animals. |
Watch the picnic basket: Bear sightings surge in ConnecticutKeep an eye on the picnic basket. Bear sightings are surging across Connecticut. | |
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