Science X Newsletter Friday, Jan 20

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 20, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Violations of energy conservation in the early universe may explain dark energy

Study shows that nanoparticles serve as a good tumor deoxygenation agent

Humans, not climate change, wiped out Australian megafauna

Children with asthma are more likely to become obese

Team discovers how bacteria exploit a chink in the body's armor

Neutrons and a 'bit of gold' uncover new type of quantum phase transition

New genetic engineering technique could help design, study biological systems

Tracking movement of immune cells identifies key first steps in inflammatory arthritis

Freeze-dried food and 1 bathroom: 6 simulate Mars in dome

Pocket Operator newcomer is a drum and percussion synthesizer

Image: Wavemaker moon Daphnis

Chemists cook up new nanomaterial and imaging method

Observations of Ceres indicate that asteroids might be camouflaged

Researchers build carbon nanotube transistors that outperform those made with silicon

Ultrasound waves propel rapid delivery of RNA to treat colon inflammation

Astronomy & Space news

	Freeze-dried food and 1 bathroom: 6 simulate Mars in dome Crammed into a dome with one bathroom, six scientists will spend eight months munching on mostly freeze-dried foods—with a rare treat of Spam—and have only their small sleeping quarters to retreat to for solace.
	Image: Wavemaker moon Daphnis The wavemaker moon, Daphnis, is featured in this view, taken as NASA's Cassini spacecraft made one of its ring-grazing passes over the outer edges of Saturn's rings on Jan. 16, 2017. This is the closest view of the small moon obtained yet.
	Observations of Ceres indicate that asteroids might be camouflaged The appearance of small bodies in the outer solar system could be deceiving. Asteroids and dwarf planets may be camouflaged with an outer layer of material that actually comes from somewhere else.
	The evolution of massive galaxy clusters Galaxy clusters have long been recognized as important laboratories for the study of galaxy formation and evolution. The advent of the new generation of millimeter and submillimeter wave survey telescopes, like the South Pole Telescope (SPT), has made it possible to identify faint galaxy clusters over large fractions of the sky using an effect first recognized by Rashid Sunyaev and Yakov Zel'dovich in 1969: When hot electrons in the cluster gas interact with light from the ubiquitous cosmic microwave background they increase its brightness very slightly.
	Video: A colorful 'landing' on Pluto What would it be like to actually land on Pluto? This movie was made from more than 100 images taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft over six weeks of approach and close flyby in the summer of 2015. The video offers a trip down onto the surface of Pluto—starting with a distant view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon—and leading up to an eventual ride in for a "landing" on the shoreline of Pluto's informally named Sputnik Planitia.
	Scientists will live in a dome for 8 months to simulate Mars Six carefully selected scientists have entered a man-made dome on a remote Hawaii volcano as part of a human-behavior study that could help NASA as it draws up plans for sending astronauts on long missions to Mars.
	Work begins in Palo Alto on NASA's dark energy hunter Lockheed Martin is helping NASA begin the hunt for dark energy, a mysterious force powering the universe's accelerating expansion. An instrument assembly the company is developing, if selected by NASA for production, will be the core of the primary scientific instrument aboard the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), whose mission aims to uncover hundreds of millions more galaxies and reveal the physics that shapes them.
	Image: Hubble's slice of Sagittarius This stunning image, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), shows part of the sky in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). The region is rendered in exquisite detail—deep red and bright blue stars are scattered across the frame, set against a background of thousands of more distant stars and galaxies. Two features are particularly striking: the colors of the stars, and the dramatic crosses that burst from the centers of the brightest bodies.
	NASA reviewing proposal for next-generation lunar astrophysics mission Next-generation astrophysics research using the moon as home base and The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) as its world-class data center are the goals of a multiyear, $237 million NASA satellite mission proposed by a UAH astrophysicist's collaborative group.
	eROSITA travels to Russia for launch into deep space in 2018 On 20 January 2017, the completed eROSITA X-ray telescope boarded a cargo plane and was transported from Munich, where it had been built at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, to Moscow. Like any other passenger, it had to pass customs before journeying onwards towards the premises of Lavochkin Association, in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where it is expected to arrive on 25 January. There it will be further tested and integrated with the 'SRG' spacecraft in preparation for launch in spring 2018. It will then take another three months to arrive at its final destination, about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. From there, eROSITA will produce a new map of the Universe in X-rays, revealing how the largest cosmic structures evolve.
	Public to choose Jupiter picture sites for NASA Juno Where should NASA's Juno spacecraft aim its camera during its next close pass of Jupiter on Feb. 2? You can now play a part in the decision. For the first time, members of the public can vote to participate in selecting all pictures to be taken of Jupiter during a Juno flyby. Voting begins Thursday, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) and concludes on Jan. 23 at 9 a.m. PST (noon EST).
	Auto-Gopher—drilling deep to explore the solar system The ability to penetrate subsurfaces and collect pristine samples from depths of tens of meters to kilometers is critical for future exploration of bodies in our solar system. SMD is supporting development of a deep-drill sampler called the Auto-Gopher for potential deployment in future space exploration missions.
	Image: ISS transits the moon Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is the International Space Station as it flies in front of the moon as seen from ESA's space science centre near Madrid, Spain, on 14 January.
	Researchers produce vital component in search for earth-like planets Researchers at Uppsala University plan to manufacture a new type of coronagraph for the VLT, the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The coronagraph is a key component of the telescope which will be used to search for planets in the neighbouring star system Alpha Centauri.
	What is the Alcubierre "warp" drive? It's always a welcome thing to learn that ideas that are commonplace in science fiction have a basis in science fact. Cryogenic freezers, laser guns, robots, silicate implants… and let's not forget the warp drive! Believe it or not, this concept – alternately known as FTL (Faster-Than-Light) travel, Hyperspace, Lightspeed, etc. – actually has one foot in the world of real science.
	STO2 landed and data secured The STO2 telescope with Dutch detectors on board that circled around the South Pole in December 2016 to investigate gas clouds between the stars landed safely on 30 December.
	Amazing SpaceX images highlight perfect Falcon 9 landing SpaceX was able to celebrate a successful return to flight this week with a picture-perfect launch of the Falcon 9 rocket on January 14, 2017 that successfully delivered a fleet of ten advanced Iridium NEXT mobile voice and data relay satellites to orbit. But the icing on the cake was the dead-center landing and recovery of the Falcon 9 booster on their drone barge (named "Just Read The Instructions") in the Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of California.

Technology news

	Pocket Operator newcomer is a drum and percussion synthesizer (Tech Xplore)—A little pocket synthesizer is making a stir among those who are into creative life of beats and sounds.
	Energy scenarios provide useful decision-support tools for policymakers and investors Fulfilling the promise of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change—most notably the goal of limiting the rise in mean global surface temperature since preindustrial times to 2 degrees Celsius—will require a dramatic transition away from fossil fuels and toward low-carbon energy sources. To map out that transition, decision-makers routinely turn to energy scenarios, which use computational models to project changes to the energy mix that will be needed to meet climate and environmental targets. These models account for not only technological, economic, demographic, political, and institutional developments, but also the scope, timing, and stringency of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
	Society set for head-on collision with driverless cars Evangelists for driverless cars see a bright future coming down the road: thousands of lives saved, countless driving hours freed up, cityscapes transformed with traffic jams vanquished.
	Samsung to announce cause of Galaxy Note 7 fire on Jan. 23 Samsung Electronics said Friday it will announce on Jan. 23 the reason why its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones overheated and caught fire.
Engineers seek to improve industrial electric drives The same mechanical principles underlie whether a DVD player skips and whether the most advanced surgical robot will rotate its scalpel arm toward the wrong organ. Both depend on the stable performance of motors, where there's room for improvement.
Humans must overcome distrust of robots, say researchers Social pedestrian navigation, such as walking down a crowded sidewalk, is something humans take for granted, but the actual process is quite sophisticated – especially if you're a robot.
	New vibration-proof 'metamaterial' that could save premature babies' lives There are 16,000 transfers of premature babies to medical facilities each year in the UK alone. The babies are often transported over large distances from rural to city locations over significant periods of time, in some cases two hours or more. The ambulances, helicopters or aircraft used are miniaturised intensive care units, containing all the equipment required to keep the baby alive.
Emotional security system A security system that analyses a user's brainwaves could determine whether the user is in a fit mental state to be granted access to resources. Details are published in the International Journal of Advanced Intelligence Paradigms.
Video: How machine learning is transforming the world around us "Siri, will it rain today?", "Facebook, tag my friend in this photo." These are just two examples of the incredible things that we ask computers to do for us. But, have you ever asked yourself how computers know how to do these things?
	Why UPS drivers don't turn left and you probably shouldn't either It might seem strange, but UPS delivery vans don't always take the shortest route between stops. The company gives each driver a specific route to follow and that includes a policy that drivers should never turn through oncoming traffic (that's left in countries where they drive on the right and vice versa) unless absolutely necessary. This means that routes are sometimes longer than they have to be. So, why do they do it?
Samsung probe finds faulty batteries triggered fire: report A Samsung probe into the exploding batteries that forced the electronics giant to scrap its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones has found irregularly sized batteries caused overheating, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
	New Mexico targets Takata, auto makers over faulty air bags New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is suing Japanese manufacturer Takata and a long list of automakers in connection with the sale of cars with dangerous air bag inflators.
Traders use algorithms that capture Trump's remarks and then buy or sell affected stocks The jaw-dropping speed at which certain stocks have moved in response to Donald Trump's tweets about corporate America makes it seem as if Wall Street already was waiting for the president-elect's words.
Firm believes it can tap the potential of geothermal energy TerraCOH's vision is grand. The fledgling firm would use carbon dioxide emissions - a nemesis to the planet - to power a geothermal energy system, which would in turn produce low-cost, clean electricity.
	Apple antitrust suit: Qualcomm overcharged 'billions' (Update) Apple on Friday sued Qualcomm, accusing the California chipmaker of abusing its market power to demand unfair royalties, echoing charges filed days earlier by US antitrust regulators.
Uber pays $20 million to settle claims of driver deception Uber Technologies is paying $20 million to settle allegations that it duped people into driving for its ride-hailing service with false promises about how much they would earn and how much they would have to pay to finance a car.
Navy: Wind farm opposed by GOP lawmakers won't harm radar The Pentagon says it disagrees with Republicans in North Carolina who claim a $400 million clean energy project slated to power data centers for Amazon.com Inc. poses a threat to national security.
	Is part of Chelsea Manning's legacy increased surveillance? The military's most prolific leaker of digital documents has ushered in an age of even more increased surveillance over government workers. The legacy of Chelsea Manning's actions is under discussion in the wake of the announcement that the former Army private will be released from military prison in May. In one of his last official acts, President Obama commuted her sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and copying and disseminating classified information. The commutation reduced her sentence from 35 years to the seven years she has already served, plus four additional months needed to effect her release.

Medicine & Health news

	Children with asthma are more likely to become obese New USC research finds that children with asthma were 51 percent more likely to become obese over the next decade compared to kids who did not have asthma.
	Team discovers how bacteria exploit a chink in the body's armor Scientists have discovered how a unique bacterial enzyme can blunt the body's key weapons in its fight against infection.
	Tracking movement of immune cells identifies key first steps in inflammatory arthritis Using a novel approach for imaging the movement of immune cells in living animals, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases (CIID) have identified what appear to be the initial steps leading to joint inflammation in a model of inflammatory arthritis. In their report published in Science Immunology they describe how expression of a specific molecule - complement C5a - is required to cause the immune cells called neutrophils to adhere to joint surfaces and migrate into the joint, a process known to set off the inflammatory cascade.
	Ultrasound waves propel rapid delivery of RNA to treat colon inflammation MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers have demonstrated that they can deliver strands of RNA efficiently to colon cells, using bursts of ultrasound waves that propel the RNA into the cells. Using this approach, the researchers dramatically turned down the production of a protein involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in mice.
	Unmasking previously misunderstood gene, scientists discover potential drug target for gastrointestinal cancers Like a bank robber on the lam, Gpr182 had assumed a variety of identities over several decades: G10D, HrhAMR, Gamrh, 7TMR, ADMR. Unable to put a finger on what exactly the gene does, scientists largely left it alone. The protein it codes for was designated an "orphan" receptor – a lock on the surface of cells without a known key.
	Researcher investigates the science behind love When University of Missouri–St. Louis psychology faculty member Sandra Langeslag tells people that she researches love, the reactions she gets are mixed.
	Brain's connections that keep related memories distinct identified in new study Neuroscientists at the University of Bristol are a step closer to understanding how the connections in our brain which control our episodic memory work in sync to make some memories stronger than others. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveal a previously unsuspected division of memory function in the pathways between two areas of the brain, and suggest that certain subnetworks within the brain work separately, to enhance the distinctiveness of memories.
France to investigate food additive that harmed rats France ordered an inquiry on Friday after scientists reported that a food additive widely used in Europe to whiten toothpaste and chewing gum could cause precancerous lesions in rats.
	Team uncovers cellular responses to bird flu vaccine New research from Vanderbilt eavesdrops on gene expression in human immune system cells before and after vaccination against bird flu.
	One in four men with suspected prostate cancer could avoid unnecessary biopsy if given an MRI scan first Giving men with suspected prostate cancer an MRI scan could improve diagnosis and save those who do not have aggressive cancers from having an unnecessary biopsy, according to a study published in The Lancet.
US city sues maker of painkiller OxyContin A small US city on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the maker of the pain reliever OxyContin, accusing the company of helping fuel an opioid crisis that has devastated the town.
	Internet of Things smart needle probes the brain during surgery A "smart" needle with an embedded camera is helping doctors perform safer brain surgery.
	Why time seems to fly – or trickle – by No one is born with an innate understanding of time, and babies must learn to synchronize and coordinate their behavior with the rest of the world. Until then, they demand attention at all hours of the day and night, completely upending their parents' schedules. And for all of us, travel can be disorienting and disruptive, especially if we visit a place where time is organized quite differently from what we're used to (like in Spain, with its afternoon siesta).
Drug that 'switches off' faulty gene in cancer cells could reverse treatment resistance New insights into a gene linked to the development of blood cancers could help to explain why some patients are resistant to a common drug used in cancer treatment.
Video: The yin-yang of cancer and infectious disease Doctors have had great success using vaccines to boost the immune system to fight infectious diseases like smallpox and measles, but only recently have immune system boosters been tried against cancer.
	Women's cognitive decline begins earlier than previously believed UCLA researchers have found that mental sharpness in women begins to decline as early as their 50s. The study, which followed the same group of healthy women for 10 years after menopause, found that their average decline in mental processing ability was 5 percent during the decade-long period. Cognitive processing speed, which includes speed of perception and reaction, showed an average decline of around 1 percent every two years and verbal memory declined on average around 1 percent every five years.
	Telling the tale of midlife in the United States There are no shortcuts. To get to old age, one has to steer through midlife.
	Sexual minorities at greater risk of suicidal behavior, being victims of violence Sexual minorities are more likely than heterosexuals to be victims of physical violence and to exhibit suicidal behavior, according to a recently published study by researchers at seven institutions and community agencies.
	Study: Impulsivity may weigh down some people Researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas have found a link between having an impulsive personality and a high body mass index (BMI).
	New trial may revolutionise treatment of spinal cord injury patients Queensland researchers are launching a world-first clinical trial aimed at improving recovery from spinal cord injuries.
	Study explores how to tell children they have HIV For the past two years, Rachel King, PhD, MPH, an academic coordinator at UCSF Global Health Sciences, has been helping Ugandan parents and caregivers find developmentally appropriate ways to tell their children that the child has HIV.
	Can cancer research findings be replicated? It's complicated The Center for Open Science, headed by University of Virginia psychology professor Brian Nosek, has published the first results of its Reproducibility Project on cancer biology.
	Red pigment in red peppers and oranges linked to a lower risk of lung cancer Xiang-Dong Wang, a cancer researcher at Tufts, has spent a long time trying to figure out why carotenoids, the main pigments providing colors that range from yellow and pink to deep orange and red in most fruits and vegetables, seem to keep chronic diseases at bay. When a 2004 study by other researchers showed that eating foods containing beta-cryptoxanthin (BCX)—a red pigment abundant in sweet red peppers, paprika, winter and butternut squash, oranges. and tangerines, among other foods—was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in people who smoke, he made BCX a focus of his research.
The type, not just the amount, of sugar consumption matters in risk of health problems The type of sugar you eat—and not just calorie count—may determine your risk for chronic disease. A new study is the first of its kind to compare the effects of two types of sugar on metabolic and vascular function. The paper is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
Smoking cessation services may boost mental health of people with depression Smokers with depression who successfully quit smoking using stop smoking services may see an improvement in their mental health, according to new research, funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Annals of Behavioural Medicine.
Obesity is barely covered in medical students' licensing exam Obesity is one of the most significant threats to health in the U.S. and is responsible for the development of multiple serious medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. Yet obesity is barely covered in medical training, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Breast implant victims win payout from German safety body (Update) A French court on Friday ordered German safety certifier TUV to pay 60 million euros ($64 million) in compensation to 20,000 women who received defective breast implants that the group had approved.
	8 people infected in rare U.S. outbreak of rat virus (HealthDay)—Eight people who worked at several rat-breeding facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin have been infected with a virus not commonly found in the United States, federal health officials said Friday.
	Overall survival poor in unresected anaplastic thyroid CA (HealthDay)—For patients with unresected anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), overall survival (OS) is poor, but radiation therapy (RT) dose is associated with improved survival, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in Cancer.
	Iatrogenic cushing's syndrome described in 9-year-old girl (HealthDay)—In a case report published online Jan. 19 in Pediatrics, iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (CS) is described in a 9-year-old girl who received topical ocular glucocorticoid (GC) treatment for bilateral iridocyclitis.
	Can't sleep? More technology devices promise relief Do you believe drinking coffee is keeping you up at night? It's not - as long as you're consuming less than four cups per day.
Trump wants to ditch 'Obamacare' but keep the gains Health coverage for all: the promise of President-elect Donald Trump was also the vow of his predecessor Barack Obama, whose signature domestic achievement is now under serious threat of repeal.
Fixes, not repeals, more typical for major legislation like Obamacare The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, came closer to repeal as the U.S. Senate and House last week passed a "budget reconciliation" order to launch a formal legislative process that may lead to substantial repeal. Or maybe not.
Pre-operative liquid feeding reduces complications following Crohn's disease surgery Despite improvements in medical care, about two-thirds of patients with Crohn's disease develop complications requiring intestinal surgery at some time, and post-operative healing can be complicated. Clinicians now report that pre-operative optimisation of patients with Crohn's disease with exclusive enteral nutrition (liquid nutrition formula) is associated with reduced rates of post-operative abscess or intestinal leakage by nine-fold.

Biology news

	New genetic engineering technique could help design, study biological systems A new technique will help biologists tinker with genes, whether the goal is to turn cells into tiny factories churning out medicines, modify crops to grow with limited water or study the effects of a gene on human health.
	Bacterial discovery solves 20-year-old molecular paleontology mystery A fatty molecule thought to be unique to flowering plants has turned up in bacteria skimmed from the Adriatic Sea. The surprising finding solves a 20-year-old paleontological mystery and could affect how scientists interpret the presence of this molecule in the ecological record. Where once it suggested the presence of land and flowering plants, it could indicate marine or freshwater-dwelling bacteria instead.
	Study pinpoints how skin cells' identity can be disassembled to create stem cells Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have published a study demonstrating how specialized proteins are able to change the identity, or cellular characteristics, of skin cells and create induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to turn into any cell type in the body. This research, led by senior authors Kathrin Plath and Jason Ernst, could influence the creation of healthy tissues to cure disease.
	Cell fate regulation by LIN41 determined by binding location Helge Großhans and his group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) have elucidated the mode of action of the RNA-binding protein and stem cell factor LIN41. In an animal model, they showed that LIN41 silences four specific mRNAs, by two distinct mechanisms. They found that the choice of mechanism is determined by where on the mRNA LIN41 binds. As the proteins whose production LIN41 inhibits are responsible for cell maturation, these new findings could be relevant for future stem cell therapies.
	We all need contacts—how organelles hug in cells Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how different compartments (or organelles) of human cells interact.
	Seals found able to find hidden fish by using whiskers to trace aspiration currents A team of researchers with the University of Rostock in Germany has found that seals are able to use their whiskers to find fish hiding in the sand on the ocean floor. In their paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the team describes experiments they carried out with seals in a near-native environment and what they learned from them.
	New hope for the future of chocolate In an article published in PLOS ONE, Brazilian scientists detail the genetic structure and molecular diversity of the varieties of cocoa grown in the state of Bahia for over 200 years, and identify trees resistant to witch's broom.
	Engineering students design experiment to test whether beer can be brewed on the moon Can beer be brewed on the moon? A team of UC San Diego engineering students is hoping to find out. They are finalists in the Lab2Moon competition being held by TeamIndus, one of the four teams with a signed launch contract to send a spacecraft to the moon as part of the Google Lunar XPRIZE challenge. The experiment will test the viability of yeast on the moon—and result in a freshly brewed batch of beer.
	Anti-sea lice drugs may pose hazard to non-target crustaceans To treat sea lice infections in aquaculture, veterinary medicines are widely used. However, these medicines may cause collateral damage.
	Scientists show how the Venus flytrap uses its prey's nitrogen compounds to extract energy The Venus flytrap captures insects for more than just nutritional purposes: A research team lead by Prof. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg and Lukas Fasbender from the Institute of Forest Sciences at the University of Freiburg has proven the carnivorous plant extracts also energy from its prey. The scientists recently presented their findings in the scientific journal New Phytologist.
	Data should smash the biological myth of promiscuous males and sexually coy females That males are naturally promiscuous while females are coy and choosy is a widely held belief. Even many scientists – including some biologists, psychologists and anthropologists – tout this notion when interviewed by the media about almost any aspect of male-female differences, including in human beings. In fact, certain human behaviors such as rape, marital infidelity and some forms of domestic abuse have been portrayed as adaptive traits that evolved because males are promiscuous while females are sexually reluctant.
	Croc kills Australian man at dangerous river crossing A large crocodile has killed a man at a notorious crossing on the East Alligator River in northern Australia, police said Friday.
	Interpol opens new front in war against wildlife crimes International police body Interpol announced a new project Friday that will identify and dismantle origanised crime networks between Africa and Asia that have devastated wildlife and made ivory a sought-after luxury.

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