Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Jan 10

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 10, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Survey of multiple species suggests mother's preference for cradling baby on left tied to bonding

Inspired by a whirligig toy, bioengineers develop a 20-cent, hand-powered blood centrifuge

Pentagon successfully tests micro-drone swarm

Petrol taxes drop globally despite climate change: study

Visual interpreter for the blind uses smart glasses

Retroviruses 'almost half a billion years old'

'Goldilocks' drug prevents chronic kidney disease in primates

Ancient human disturbances may skewer our understanding of Amazon Basin

Caribbean bats need 8 million years to recover from recent extinction waves

Time-restricted feeding study shows promise in helping people shed body fat

The origin of ultrahigh piezoelectric response

Study shows the mood-enhancing effect of revenge

Electromagnetic wave router could ease the traffic of cellphone signals

Histone degradation accompanies the DNA repair response

NASA study finds a connection between wildfires and drought

Astronomy & Space news

	Next-generation optics offer the widest real-time views of vast regions of the sun A groundbreaking new optical device, developed at NJIT's Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) to correct images of the Sun distorted by multiple layers of atmospheric turbulence, is providing scientists with the most precisely detailed, real-time pictures to date of solar activity occurring across vast stretches of the star's surface.
	Old data reveals space rock poses little threat of hitting Earth any time soon Careful sleuthing through decade-old images has enabled ESA's asteroid team to decide that a newly discovered space rock poses little threat of hitting Earth any time soon.
Ethiopia says to launch satellite into orbit in 3 to 5 years Ethiopia says it will launch a civilian satellite into orbit in three to five years to better predict weather conditions and for remote sensing activities inside the country.
	Hubble's front row seat when galaxies collide This delicate smudge in deep space is far more turbulent than it first appears. Known as IRAS 14348-1447—a name derived in part from that of its discoverer, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS for short)—this celestial object is actually a combination of two gas-rich spiral galaxies. This doomed duo approached one another too closely in the past, gravity causing them to affect and tug at each other and slowly, destructively, merge into one.

Technology news

	Inspired by a whirligig toy, bioengineers develop a 20-cent, hand-powered blood centrifuge Here's how to build a whirligig: Thread a loop of twine through two holes in a button. Grab the loop ends, then rhythmically pull. As the twine coils and uncoils, the button spins at a dizzying speed.
	Pentagon successfully tests micro-drone swarm The Pentagon may soon be unleashing a 21st-century version of locusts on its adversaries after officials on Monday said it had successfully tested a swarm of 103 micro-drones.
	Petrol taxes drop globally despite climate change: study The average tax on petrol in 157 nations fell 13 percent from 2003 to 2015, even as the world acknowledged the need to slash greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, researchers reported Monday.
	Visual interpreter for the blind uses smart glasses (Tech Xplore)—Shopping for clothes and groceries, finding a seat on the train: some of the many tasks we take for granted unless we are among the blind and low vision people who would like to lead more independent lives.
	Electromagnetic wave router could ease the traffic of cellphone signals Mobile phones and computers use electromagnetic waves to send and receive information—they're what enable our devices to upload photos and download apps. But there is only a limited amount of bandwidth available on the electromagnetic spectrum.
	Will AI ever understand human emotions? How would you feel about getting therapy from a robot? Emotionally intelligent machines may not be as far away as it seems. Over the last few decades, artificial intelligence (AI) have got increasingly good at reading emotional reactions in humans.
	Dutch trains now all powered by wind energy All Dutch trains are now 100 percent powered by electricity generated by wind energy, the national railway company NS said Tuesday, calling it a world first.
	New technology will cut plug-in hybrid fuel consumption by one third Engineers at the University of California, Riverside have taken inspiration from biological evolution and the energy savings garnered by birds flying in formation to improve the efficiency of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by more than 30 percent.
	Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer to leave company board after Verizon sale Yahoo confirmed on Monday that chief executive Marissa Mayer will quit the company's board after its merger with Verizon.
	Norway prepares for controversial FM radio shutdown Norway on Wednesday will become the first country in the world to start shutting down its FM radio network in favour of digital radio, a bold move watched closely by other countries around Europe.
	Creating economic growth and industrial opportunity through shale gas optimization To some, "optimization" may simply be a word to use when "better" won't do. But to Ignacio Grossmann, professor of chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, optimization is the key to unlocking huge cost savings for shale gas companies who are struggling to stay afloat as oil and gas prices continue to drop.
Messaging app Snapchat to put European base in UK The company behind messaging app Snapchat will place its European base in Britain in a vote of confidence in the economy following the vote to leave the European Union.
	Ten years on, the iPhone has taken us back as many steps as it has taken us forward The 10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone reminds us that while it was not the first smartphone, it was the first to achieve mass-market appeal. Since then the iPhone has defined the approach that other smartphone manufacturers have taken.
	Wearable sensor device helps visually impaired to sense their environment VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a wearable assistive device for the visually impaired, which enables them to sense their environment and move around more safely. The device, which is worn like a heart rate monitor, has been clinically tested.
	EU proposes greater privacy protection to boost digital economy The EU on Tuesday proposed broadening privacy protections in electronic communications, including tracking by advertisers, in a bid to promote a digital single market worth tens of billions of euros.
Tough drone market forces layoffs at French maker Parrot Shares in French drone manufacturer Parrot crashed more than 17 percent on Tuesday after the group announced mass job cuts, signalling an end to years of expansion in the new technology market.
	UAE to invest $163 bn to diversify energy The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday plans to invest 600 billion dirhams ($163 billion) in projects to generate almost half the country's power needs from renewables.
Drones could soon get crucial medical supplies to patients in need Aerial drones could one day ferry life-or-death medical supplies between hospitals now that Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have figured out how to keep blood, medications and vaccines consistently cool during the flights.
	Italy arrests suspects who tried hacking Draghi, Renzi Italian police have arrested two suspects, a brother-and-sister team, for trying to hack the personal email accounts of leading public figures, including reportedly those of former premier Matteo Renzi and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.
	Snapchat picks London as global base outside US Snap Inc., which runs smartphone messaging app Snapchat, said Tuesday it had chosen London as its international headquarters, praising the UK's creative industries.
	China's GAC could sell SUV in US for small-car price by 2019 Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group aims to sell a well-equipped five-passenger SUV in the U.S. for about the price of a compact car by the end of this decade.
Project will digitize Catholic records of Boston Archdiocese Two of Boston's most venerable institutions are teaming up to create an online database of hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholic Church documents to help people trace their family histories.
	Researcher shows computer users are overconfident when dealing with junk emails UTA researchers show in a new study that people's confidence actually exceeds what they can achieve when judging phishing attacks in the business world.
	Science DMZ is focus of latest library of network training videos aimed at global audience For members of the established research and education (R&E) networking community, attending conferences or sitting in on workshop sessions is the normal way to learn about the latest equipment, architecture, tools and technologies.
Novel method for robotic manipulation A simple, linear robot is easy to control. With known goals and a clear understanding of variables, a controller tells the robot the rules to follow. If button A is pressed, for example, the robot picks up an item from the conveyor belt. The item can either be moved to a different belt, or disposed of completely.
	Image: Breaking boundaries in new engine designs In an effort to improve fuel efficiency, NASA and the aircraft industry are rethinking aircraft design. Inside the 8' x 6' wind tunnel at NASA Glenn, engineers recently tested a fan and inlet design, commonly called a propulsor, which could use four to eight percent less fuel than today's advanced aircraft.
Spy chief says Germany needs ability to counter cyberattacks The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency says the country needs to be able to return fire during a cyberattack, including the ability to disable equipment that's being used to target Germany.
	First-ever system to allow users to build and customise drones depending on their needs MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence lab has come up with the first-ever system to allow any user to build and customise their own drone depending on their needs. The potential of this smart design tool – which was partly enabled by the EU-funded SOMA project – has been demonstrated using a variety of examples, including a five-rotor 'pentacopter' and a rabbit-shaped 'bunnycopter".
	World's first slide-style vein authentication technology based on palm veins Fujitsu Laboratories has announced development of the world's first slide-style palm vein authentication technology. This technology is compact enough to be equipped to future tablets and other handheld mobile devices. As tablets and other small-scale mobile devices have become widespread, there has been interest in embedding an optical unit for vein authentication into the narrow frames of such devices, but making the optical unit smaller had been difficult. Fujitsu Laboratories has now taken strides to overcome this issue. It has succeeded in developing a compact illumination component that lights up a rectangular target area with a uniform intensity using a single LED.
Taking graphics cards beyond gaming The graphics cards found in powerful gaming computers are now capable of solving computationally intensive mathematical problems common in science and engineering applications, thanks to a new solver developed by researchers from the KAUST Extreme Computing Research Center.

Medicine & Health news

	'Goldilocks' drug prevents chronic kidney disease in primates Cells in any organ will die if their blood supply is cut off - such as during a heart attack, stroke, or organ transplant - but restoring circulation can also cause damage. Now a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team, using the kidney as an example, has developed a way to avoid this so-called ischemia/reperfusion injury with a new monoclonal antibody that binds its target in a way that is "just right." They describe their work in the online journal Nature Communications.
	Time-restricted feeding study shows promise in helping people shed body fat University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers are trying to find out whether changing a person's eating schedule can help them lose weight and burn fat.
	Study shows the mood-enhancing effect of revenge When we feel ostracised, we're more likely to behave aggressively. Previous research suggests that vengeance on those who we think have wronged us can be driven by a sense of justice, and may activate neural reward centres. But being ostracised can also lead to generalised aggression, even lashing out at unrelated people, so there seems to be more going on. In new research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, David Chester and C. Nathan DeWall tested the idea that social rejection, by making us feel wounded and unwanted, triggers a need to repair our mood by whatever means available, including through the satisfaction of causing harm to those who have made us suffer. They found that aggression can indeed be a viable method of mood repair.
	Alcohol prevents ability to extinguish fearful memories in mice Experiments in mice by researchers at Johns Hopkins suggest that if the goal is to ease or extinguish fearful emotional memories like those associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol may make things worse, not better. Results of their study demonstrate, they say, that alcohol strengthens emotional memories associated with fearful experiences and prevents mice from pushing aside their fears.
	Cultural differences may leave their mark on DNA A UC San Francisco-led study has identified signatures of ethnicity in the genome that appear to reflect an ethnic group's shared culture and environment, rather than their common genetic ancestry.
	What does it take for an AIDS virus to infect a person? Upon sexual exposure, the AIDS virus must overcome some mighty barriers to find the right target cell and establish a new infection. It must traverse the genital mucosa and squeeze through tightly packed epithelial cells meant to keep invaders out. And then it must thwart the initial immune-system alarm bell in the form of type 1 interferons. In fact, according to some studies, only about 1 in 1,000 unprotected sexual exposures lead to a successful HIV-1 infection.
	How to reap the benefits of exercise: It's in the genes An international team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine in Naples, Italy and other institutions has discovered that the gene TFEB is a major regulator of muscle function during exercise. Exercise triggers TFEB entering into the nucleus of muscle cells where it regulates the processes that provide energy to the muscle. These genes include those involved in glucose use, insulin sensitivity and function of the mitochondria, the energy-producer structures inside cells. This work may lead to the design of future treatments for conditions such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. The study appears in Cell Metabolism.
	High-sugar diet programs a short lifespan in flies Flies with a history of eating a high sugar diet live shorter lives, even after their diet improves. This is because the unhealthy diet drives long-term reprogramming of gene expression, according to a UCL-led team of researchers.
	Plus-sized fly: A model to understand the mechanisms underlying human obesity Why do people become obese? Poor dietary choices and overeating seem like clear causes, but what is at the root of these behaviors? Significantly overweight people may be genetically predisposed to be affected disproportionately when faced with the ready availability of calorie-laden treats. It appears, in others words, that some people's genes place them at particular risk of gaining more weight than others in the modern food landscape.
	'Housekeepers' of the brain renew themselves more quickly than first thought A study, led by the University of Southampton and published in Cell Reports, shows that the turnover of the cells, called Microglia, is 10 times faster, allowing the whole population of Microglia cells to be renewed several times during a lifetime.
	Glia, not neurons, are most affected by brain aging The difference between an old brain and a young brain isn't so much the number of neurons but the presence and function of supporting cells called glia. In Cell Reports on January 10, researchers who examined postmortem brain samples from 480 individuals ranging in age from 16 to 106 found that the state of someone's glia is so consistent through the years that it can be used to predict someone's age. The work lays the foundation to better understand glia's role in late-in-life brain disease.
	Stem cell therapy reverses blindness in animals with end-stage retinal degeneration A stem cell-based transplantation approach that restores vision in blind mice moves closer to being tested in patients with end-stage retinal degeneration, according to a study published January 10 in Stem Cell Reports. The researchers showed that retinal tissue derived from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) established connections with neighboring cells and responded to light stimulation after transplantation into the host retina, restoring visual function in half of mice with end-stage retinal degeneration.
	Certain species of vaginal bacteria can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV Specific bacteria living in the human vagina may play a previously unrecognized role in the sexual transmission of HIV. Ragon Institute researchers, working with young, healthy, South African women, found that individuals with vaginas dominated by pro-inflammatory bacterial species were at a 4-fold higher risk of acquiring HIV than those with "healthy" vaginal bacteria. Meanwhile, viruses in the female genital tract showed no correlation with HIV risk. The study appears January 10 in the journal Immunity.
	Play an instrument? You probably react faster, too Could learning to play a musical instrument help the elderly react faster and stay alert?
Exploiting the placebo effect can improve recovery of heart surgery patients Exploiting the placebo effect significantly improved the recovery of patients undergoing heart surgery according to new research published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
Consumption of low-calorie sweeteners jumps by 200 percent in US children About 25 percent of children and more than 41 percent of adults in the United States reported consuming foods and beverages containing low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) such as aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin in a recent nationwide nutritional survey, according to a study out today. Those numbers represent a 200 percent increase in LCS consumption for children and a 54 percent jump for adults from 1999 to 2012.
Current controls on alcohol marketing are not protecting youth, warn public health experts Leading public health experts warn that youth around the world are exposed to extensive alcohol marketing, and that current controls on that marketing appear ineffective in blocking the association between youth exposure and subsequent drinking. Alcohol is the leading cause of death and disability for young males aged 15-24 in nearly every region of the world, and young females of the same age in the wealthy countries and the Americas.
	Epigenetic changes promote development of fatty liver in mice and humans Mice with a strong tendency to obesity already exhibit epigenetic changes at six weeks of age, inducing the liver to amplify its production of the enzyme DPP4 and release it into the circulation. Over the long term, this favors the development of a fatty liver. Such changes in DNA methylation are also detectable in humans with fatty liver and suggest a similar causal chain. These are the results of a study of an international research team led by Annette Schürmann, Robert Schwenk, Christian Baumeier and Sophie Saussenthaler of the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).
Nothing fishy about better nutrition for mums and babies Researchers from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the University of Adelaide have found a way to provide mothers and young children in Cambodia with better nutrition through an unlikely source – fish sauce.
	Neuroscientist probes fruit flies to discover sleep/eating/activity connection The humble fruit fly has proved to be a fruitful research subject for Bowling Green State University neuroscientist Dr. Robert Huber and colleagues from Scripps Research Institute in Florida and elsewhere. The collaborators' research into their behavior has helped expand our understanding of some important neurobiological connections between eating and sleep—including the infamous "food coma" felt after a big meal.
Why is asthma worse in black patients? African Americans may be less responsive to asthma treatment and more likely to die from the condition, in part, because they have a unique type of airway inflammation, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.
Study finds vulnerable young, single women of color most likely to receive financial assistance for abortion Abortion fund patients who get aid to help pay for abortions are younger and more likely to be African American when compared to general abortion patients in the U.S., according to the findings of a study just published online in the journal Social Work in Health Care.
	Women exercisers face health risk if not keeping up energy intake Many New Zealand women who exercise recreationally could be risking their health by not eating enough to match the energy they expend, new University of Otago research suggests.
Cocaine users make riskier decisions after losing a gamble People addicted to cocaine make riskier decisions than healthy people after losing a potential reward, according to a study published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. In the study, senior author Martin Paulus of the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and colleagues show that this heightened sensitivity to loss displayed by the cocaine users correlated with an exaggerated decrease in a part of the brain that processes rewards.
	What you need to know to keep tabs on your sugar intake The consumption of sugar and its effects on health has been in the headlines in many countries around the world again as countries from the UK to South Africa debate a sugar tax. The Conversation Africa's health editor Candice Bailey asks Sundeep Ruder to explain how we process sugar and why too much is bad for us.
	Antiviral drug prevents recurrence of hepatitis C in liver transplant patients Patients with hepatitis C virus infection who received an antiviral drug around the time they underwent liver transplantation saw a high rate of sustained virologic response, according to a Northwestern Medicine phase II clinical trial. The finding suggests that the therapy might be an effective approach to preventing reinfection in such patients.
	Researchers discover possible self-organizing mechanism of neural connections Researchers have found that neural activity that retracts excessive early innervation in a certain pathway helps make late neural connections in a different pathway. This may provide a self-organizing mechanism of neural connections, and additionally, early excessive innervation may serve as a guide for making late neural connections.
	The importance of the glutamine metabolism in colon cancer The importance of glutamine was made clear as a colon cancer specific metabolism. It is known that glutamine metabolism is important for pancreatic cancer, but the importance of glutamine metabolism for colon cancer has been unclear. In this study, we showed the importance of glutamine metabolism.
	Neurons modulate the growth of blood vessels A team of researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) shake at the foundations of a dogma of cell biology. By detailed series of experiments, they proved that blood vessel growth is modulated by neurons and not, as assumed so far, through a control mechanism of the vessel cells among each other. The results are groundbreaking for research into and treatment of vascular diseases, tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. The study will be published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.
	People with forms of early-onset Parkinson's disease may benefit from boosting niacin in diet, research suggests University of Leicester research team leads new study strengthening therapeutic potential for dietary interventions.
	Difficulty in noticing that white people are white, new study finds Professor Peter Hegarty from the University of Surrey developed a celebrity guessing game in which participants were shown one of two groups of actors; Colin Firth, Kate Winslet and Jim Carey or Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman and Eddie Murphy. Players in the game made a series of guesses at what these actors had in common and generated the names of more actors to see whether they were right. Participants tried to guess the common 'rule' that these celebrities share and won the game when they did.
	The weather's not to blame for your aches and pains New research from The George Institute for Global Health has revealed the weather plays no part in the symptoms associated with either back pain or osteoarthritis.
	Study shows biological changes that could underlie higher psychosis risk in immigrants A new study could explain how migrating to another country increases a person's risk of developing schizophrenia, by altering brain chemistry.
Evidence growing of link between youth exposure to alcohol marketing and youth drinking A new analysis of 12 long-term studies published since 2008 from across the globe finds that young people under the legal drinking age who are more exposed to alcohol marketing appear more likely to start drinking early and also to engage in binge drinking.
First study to show parents' concerns about neighborhood restrict kids' outdoor play A study conducted by LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health is the first to demonstrate that parents who are concerned about their neighborhoods restrict their children's outdoor play. The study is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
New approach to managing warfarin patients improves care, cuts costs New performance measures have been developed for patients on warfarin that may save lives and money.
	Diabetes may impair myocardial proangiogenic response (HealthDay)—The amplitude of therapeutic revascularization associated with recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) (5 × 1012 viral particles encoding thymosin beta 4 [Tβ4]) is reduced with diabetes mellitus, according to an experimental study published in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Special diet may be boon for kids with Crohn's, colitis (HealthDay)—Children with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis may be able to achieve relief without medications by eating a special diet, a small study suggests.
	Kids' care may suffer when parents clash with medical staff (HealthDay)—Rude parents can rattle medical staff enough to compromise the quality of care their critically ill child receives, a new study suggests.
Rare condition creates unequal blood flow in triplets, twins When Asmita and Prem Saggar learned Asmita was carrying triplets, they knew there was a potential for complications.
Early Alzheimer's gene spells tragedy for patients, opportunity for science Rosemary Navarro was living in Mexico when her brother called from California. Something wasn't right with their mom, then in her early 40s. She was having trouble paying bills and keeping jobs as a food preparer in convalescent homes.
National VA effort reduced risky opioid prescriptions for veterans, study finds Fewer veterans received prescriptions for risky dosages of opioid painkillers after a national initiative took aim at reducing high doses and potentially dangerous drug combinations, a new study finds.
	Couch potatoes face same chance of dementia as those with genetic risk factors Sedentary older adults with no genetic risk factors for dementia may be just as likely to develop the disease as those who are genetically predisposed, according to a major study which followed more than 1,600 Canadians over five years.
Two years and multiple doctors often needed to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder—and most common cause of infertility - affecting 9 to 18 percent of women around the world. Despite the prevalence of the complex and chronic condition, one-third of women diagnosed with PCOS saw at least three health professionals over the course of two years before receiving a diagnosis, according to a study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, is the largest to date examining time to diagnosis, and reveals what the authors say are "major gaps" in education and support for women with the condition.
Routine procalcitonin screening reduces hospital stays and costs for patients with sepsis Each year, over $20 billion dollars is spent on sepsis care, making it the most expensive condition managed in U.S. hospitals. Sepsis does not only carry a heavy economic cost, but a human one as well. A dangerous and often deadly condition, sepsis affects more than a million Americans every year and the cases continue to increase. A new study in the January issue of Chest examines whether procalcitonin (PCT) testing helps to more effectively manage sepsis care. Investigators found that the use of PCT screening on the first day of ICU admission was linked to significantly shorter hospital stays, as well as an overall decrease in cost of care.
	Daily folic acid supplementation remains important for prevention of birth defects Despite the mandatory addition of folic acid to enriched grain products in the United States, many women still do not consume adequate amounts of this important vitamin, according to an editorial written by Laura E. Mitchell, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.
Rate of elevated systolic blood pressure increases globally, along with associated deaths An analysis that included 8.7 million participants finds that the rate of elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased substantially globally between 1990 and 2015, and that in 2015 an estimated 3.5 billion adults had systolic blood pressure of at least 110 to 115 mm Hg, and 874 million adults had SBP of 140 mm Hg or higher, according to a study appearing in the January 10 issue of JAMA.
Antioxidant may protect offspring of obese mothers from fatty liver disease In new research published online in The FASEB Journal, scientists show that the antioxidant pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) may prevent the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in offspring. The research, which used mice, is the first to demonstrate that PQQ has this type of protective effect. PQQ is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in soil and foods, such as soy, parsley, celery, kiwi, and papaya, and is also present in high quantities in human breast milk.
	Older adults with obesity less responsive to memory training than those with lower BMIs In the first study to compare the results of cognitive training by body mass index (BMI) category, scientists from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research found that memory training provided only one-third the benefit to older adults with obesity than the benefit it provided to older adults without obesity.
Protein build-up may trigger inflammation associated with Alzheimer's and other conditions A recent review article published online in The FASEB Journal points to the "trigger" for the inflammatory response, caused by the immune system, that precedes Alzheimer's disease and other neurological conditions. Specifically, the authors show that an increase in aggregated, damaged proteins within neurons, which is a normal part of the aging brain, sets off these inflammatory responses. This observation was published online in The FASEB Journal.
Circulating fatty acids ratio may help predict bariatric weight loss surgery outcome New findings published online in The FASEB Journal, may one day help clinicians predict the outcome of roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgerysurgery. In a study involving a small number of patients, researchers found that the serum stearic acid/palmitic acid (S/P) ratio was a reliable marker in predicting diabetes remission and assessing metabolic status. Ultimately, this study could help healthcare providers determine who might benefit the most from bariatric weight-loss surgery.
	Study shows risk of skin cancer doesn't deter most college students who tan indoors White female college students in Indiana who tan indoors know they are placing themselves at risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging, but most continue to tan indoors anyway, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Researchers develop new compound to fight cytomegalovirus A Retro94-based compound may prevent a common and sometimes fatal virus—human cytomegalovirus (CMV)—from reproducing and help to protect immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV, on chemotherapy, with transplants, and infants from the effects of the disease, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
	New research suggests anti-viral role for anti-AXL candidate against Zika virus Newly published in vitro research reveals that the ability of Zika virus (ZIKV) to infect glial cells in the developing brain is mediated by the Gas6-AXL pathway, and that Aravive Biologic's engineered decoy AXL receptor, Aravive-S6 (referred to as MYD1 in the publication) can block ZIKV infection by intercepting Gas6 to prevent AXL signaling. These findings suggest a potential antiviral role for Aravive-S6 in addition to its previously reported anticancer activity.
Innovative imaging and surgery treats lymph condition in adults Researchers who developed a safe and effective procedure to remove thick clogs in children's airways are now reporting similar success in adult patients. In this rare condition, called plastic bronchitis, patients develop thick, caulk-like casts that form in the branching paths of their airways.
	The importance of making friends fast—when you're an immigrant There is a migrant crisis in Europe. Americans are eyeing their northern border with increasing envy. Canadians are preparing for a surge in arrivals from Mexico.
Hospitals are less likely to admit publicly insured children, but outcomes aren't affected Hospitals are less likely to admit children covered by public insurance such as Medicaid than privately insured children with similar symptoms, especially when hospitals beds are scarce. But the disparity doesn't appear to affect health outcomes, according to Princeton University researchers who analyzed information on tens of thousands of children who came to New Jersey emergency rooms between 2006 and 2012.
Inhibiting a DNA-repairing protein in brain could be key to treating aggressive tumors Targeting a specific DNA-repairing protein in the brain could be an effective way to treat the most aggressive type of brain tumour, a study suggests.
	New molecular discovery may help identify drug therapies to prevent dementia Rutgers University scientists have discovered a molecular pathway in the brain that may help provide answers to long-term memory problems in the elderly and aid researchers in identifying drug-based therapies to prevent dementia.
Researchers reveal connection between female estrogen cycle and cocaine addiction Hormonal fluctuations women undergo make them particularly sensitive, compared to men, to the addictive properties of cocaine, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published January 10 in the journal Nature Communications.
Socioeconomic status and prior pregnancy affect women's treatment choices when suffering miscarriage How women make decisions about treatment while suffering a miscarriage, and the key factors that influence their choices, are revealed in a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Women who are having miscarriages are generally offered three options by their doctors: a procedure to complete the miscarriage, a drug to induce expulsion, or waiting for completion to occur naturally. The authors say the findings of their new study point to a critical need for tools to help providers guide and support these patients in a particularly emotional and difficult time.
Landmark study defines normal ranges for testosterone levels A large study of more than 9,000 men has established harmonized reference ranges for total testosterone in men that when applied to assays that have been appropriately calibrated will effectively enable clinicians to make a correct diagnosis of hypogonadism, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Lower socioeconomic position linked to adult obesity across generations Both childhood and adult socioeconomic position (SEP) continue to be associated with adult body mass index (BMI) in Britain despite policies designed to reduce BMI inequalities, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine by David Bann, from the UCL Institute of Education, UK, and colleagues.
	Team identifies gene mutations behind lack of a nose Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) led a large, international research team that has identified gene mutations associated with a rare congenital condition involving the absence of a nose and often accompanied by defects involving the eye and reproductive systems. Surprisingly, mutations in the same gene, SMCHD1, have previously been associated with a form of muscular dystrophy. The findings are described in a report published in Nature Genetics.
	Researchers discover new subtype of cervical cancer A team of University of South Carolina scientists led by Carolyn Banister and Phillip Buckhaults has identified a new subtype of cervical cancer that, like most cervical cancers, is triggered by human papillomavirus (HPV) but whose growth is not directed by the virus, suggesting that therapy targeting these tumors' distinct genomic pathways may improve patient outcomes over standard treatment.
	Play, cognitive skills in kindergarten predict extracurricular activities in middle school Cognitive skills and experiences like classroom-based play in kindergarten lead to participation in extracurricular activities in 8th grade among children growing up in poverty, finds a new study led by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
	Investigators find repeat cesarean deliveries less cost-effective in low-risk women A systematic review from the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows that routinely opting for a repeat cesarean delivery over first attempting a vaginal delivery may result in excess morbidity and cost from a population perspective for women with a prior low transverse incision cesarean delivery who are likely to have a successful vaginal delivery.
	Drug shown to aid injured adult brains may exacerbate cognitive problems in children Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability and death in infants and children in the United States, with more than half a million affected annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those under age 4 who experience brain trauma can suffer lifelong problems with memory, attention and other executive functions.
	Johnson & Johnson to reveal average drug price increases Johnson & Johnson plans next month to disclose average price increases of its prescription drugs, as the industry tries to calm the storm over soaring prices.
	Tobacco use costs world 6 million lives, $1 trillion annually: report (HealthDay)—Smoking kills about 6 million people a year, and costs the world more than $1 trillion a year in health care expenses and lost productivity, a new report says.
	Native Americans make progress against diabetes complication (HealthDay)—Diabetes-related kidney failure among Native American adults fell by more than half over almost 20 years, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows.
	Mathematical model can simulate HbA1c progression in T2DM (HealthDay)—A mathematical model (MM) can simulate hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) trajectories in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) models, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
	Inflammatory markers prognostic in primary sinonasal cancer (HealthDay)—Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) can predict survival for patients with primary sinonasal cancers (SNCs), according to a study published online Dec. 29 in Head & Neck.
	Many ischemic stroke survivors not prescribed anticoagulants (HealthDay)—Many patients surviving ischemic stroke are not discharged with an oral anticoagulant (OAC), according to a study published online Dec. 30 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Optimized treatment relieves pain in chronic pancreatitis (HealthDay)—For most patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), optimized medical and interventional treatment is associated with significant pain relief, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
	Dual antiplatelet Tx similar to aspirin post-CABG in diabetes (HealthDay)—For post-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients with diabetes, cardiovascular and bleeding outcomes do not differ significantly with use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) versus aspirin, according to a study published in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Low-cost salt-reduction policy would save millions of lives worldwide A government policy to reduce salt intake by 10% over 10 years would be highly cost effective in nearly every country in the world, even without accounting for healthcare savings, finds a study published by The BMJ today.
Armenia raises alarm as abortions of girls skew population Ani Kirakosyan says she is afraid of getting pregnant because if the ultrasound shows the foetus is a girl she will have to consider having an abortion.
	Does decentralized nursing unit design work? Modern hospital design—with all-private patient rooms, larger units and decentralized nursing stations – has raised concerns about nurses walking long distances and failing to maintain proximity to patients.
Non-invasive screening method reveals important properties of pharmaceutical tablets Information on significant properties of pharmaceutical tablets, such as their mechanical strength and dissolution, can now be obtained without resorting to the conventional, time-consuming and destructive testing methods, according to a new study completed at the University of Eastern Finland. A new structural descriptive parameter based on terahertz (THz) time-domain techniques allow for a non-invasive detection of pharmaceutical tablet parameters, constituting a research breakthrough in the field of pharmacy.
	Identification of autophagy-dependent secretion machinery A group of researchers identified a molecular machinery by which autophagy mediates secretion. These results underscore an important role of autophagy other than degradation, and will bring us to future translational research of medicine.
	Review shows limited progress in digitizing NHS records Health scientists at the University of York have shown that in the 25 years since the NHS was tasked with digitising patient records there has been limited progress made.
UN police unit deploys to Haiti without cholera vaccinations The U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti is administering cholera vaccines to a police unit from India months after it arrived in the impoverished Caribbean nation without the required protection, officials said Tuesday.
More individual therapy for blood cancer patients Because it is impossible to predict which acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients will benefit, all patients are routinely treated with chemotherapy although only some will respond to the treatment. Researchers from Goethe-University Frankfurt have now discovered a novel biomarker that enables the detection of therapy responders and non-responders with high accuracy. In addition, their research reveals new hope for patients who currently cannot be effectively treated.
Women's wellness: pregnant later in life Are you considering pregnancy after 35? Understand the issues for older mothers - and know what it takes to have a healthy pregnancy.
Acoustic neuroma: To treat or not to treat? Dear Mayo Clinic: I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma last year. My doctor says I likely won't need treatment. But I know others who have had the same condition and had surgery to remove the tumor. Why would I not need any treatment?
Americans more in control of their long-term care The provision of long-term care in the U.S. has shifted from what was once a predominantly institutionally based system of care to one in which recipients can increasingly receive a range of both medical and supportive services at home and in the community, according to the latest edition of The Gerontological Society of America's Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR). Further, individuals have gained the increased ability to choose how, where, and from whom they receive these services.
Compound from chicory reveals possible treatment strategy for neurodegenerative disorders In a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, scientists used mice to show that chicoric acid, a component of chicory, may help reduce memory impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease, and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases.
Study reveals gender and race disparities in ACS pretest probabilities in the ED Gender and racial disparities persist in the ED when it comes to the evaluation of chest pain with the potential for acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, not in the way many would expect. That is the main finding of a study to be published in the February 2017 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine, a journal of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine.
Endocrinologists want training in transgender care Four out of five physicians who specialize in treating hormone health conditions have never received formal training on care for transgender individuals, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy to head Trump commission US President-elect Donald Trump met Tuesday with prominent environmentalist and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr and asked him to head a commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity, Kennedy said.

Biology news

	Survey of multiple species suggests mother's preference for cradling baby on left tied to bonding (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with members from Russia, the U.S. and Australia has found evidence that supports the theory that left-side support of babies by their mothers is tied to brain hemispherical functions. In their paper published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, the researchers describe their study of multiple mammal species and how their discovery bolsters a common theory of mother/offspring bonding behavior.
	Retroviruses 'almost half a billion years old' Retroviruses - the family of viruses that includes HIV - are almost half a billion years old, according to new research by scientists at Oxford University. That's several hundred million years older than previously thought and suggests retroviruses have ancient marine origins, having been with their animal hosts through the evolutionary transition from sea to land.
	Caribbean bats need 8 million years to recover from recent extinction waves Islands are natural laboratories of evolution and home to unique species of animals and plants. But since the arrival of humans, islands have lost many species. In the Caribbean alone, more than half of the mammal species went extinct after human colonization. Bats are the most diverse group of surviving mammals. Can nature restore the numbers of species on islands to levels that existed before human arrival? How long would it take for nature to regain this lost mammal diversity?
	Histone degradation accompanies the DNA repair response Earlier work from the laboratory of Susan Gasser had noted changes in the physical behavior of chromatin when it incurred DNA damage: loci bearing double-strand breaks showed enhanced movement, becoming highly dynamic. Furthermore, the same effect could be observed with undamaged sites in a cell nucleus responding to DNA damage. Getting to the root cause of this phenomenon, Michael Hauer, a PhD student in her group discovered that histones dissociate from DNA and roughly 30% of the entire complement are degraded upon DNA damage. The process is controlled by the so-called checkpoint response, and the reduction in nucleosome density not only increases DNA mobility but also leads to increased chromatin accessibility for recombination-mediated repair.
	Analysis of developing bat fetuses suggests common ancestor developed echolocation (Phys.org)—A team of researchers from several institutions in China and one in Ireland has found evidence in the ears of developing bat fetuses that suggests all bats evolved from a common ancestor that had developed echolocation. In their paper published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, the researchers outline their study and results and explain why they believe they have found evidence of some bats losing their echolocation abilities. M. Brock Fenton and John Ratcliffe with Western University and the University of Toronto respectively offer a News & Views piece in the same journal issue on the work done by the team and offer opinions regarding the results.
	Oh deer: monkey caught in flagrante delict-doe Scientists on Tuesday revealed the "highly unusual" behaviour of a male monkey filmed trying to have sex with female deer in Japan—a rare case of inter-species nookie.
Direct communication between cell's surveillance and protein synthesizing machinery eliminates genetic errors New research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine describes a mechanism by which an essential quality control system in cells identifies and destroys faulty genetic material. The findings were published online December 23 in Nature Communications.
	Real-time imaging and transcriptome analysis of medaka fish aboard space station Space travel in a reduced gravity environment can have lasting effects on the body. For example, studies clearly show that astronauts undergo a significant drop in bone mineral density during space missions, but the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for such changes in bone structure are unclear.
Even a mild rise in temperature damages insects' ability to reproduce With 2016 set to be the warmest year on record, scientists have discovered insects are already feeling the effects of climate change, as a rise in temperature is shown to damage their ability to reproduce.
	Soil bacteria that 'scale human equivalent of Mount Everest' could improve antibiotic treatments For the past 70 years, scientists have agreed unanimously that Streptomyces, the bacteria that gives dirt its earthy smell and is found in many antibiotics, grow like plants in a stationary manner.
	A hidden code in our DNA explains how new pieces of genes are made We're all here because of mutations. Random changes in genes are what creates variety in a species, and this is what allows it to adapt to new environments and eventually evolve into completely new species. But most random mutations actually disrupt the functions of our genes and so are a common source of genetic diseases.
	New research sheds light on why plants change sex Plants with a particular breeding system change their sex depending on how much light they receive, new scientific research has revealed.
	New species of ground beetle described from a 147-year-old specimen While new species are most commonly described based on recent field collections, undertaken at poorly explored places, some are identified in museum collections, where they have spent decades before being recognised as new to science. Such is the case of an unusually large and likely extinct ground beetle found at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, whose story began in the distant 1860s with Dr. Eduard Graeffe's trip to Samoa. Now, a century and a half later, the beetle is finally described by Dr. James K. Liebherr, Cornell University, USA, in the open access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Testing how species respond to climate change Predicting how species will respond to climate change is a critical part of efforts to prevent widespread climate-driven extinction, or to predict its consequences for ecosystems.
	APNewsBreak: Rusty patched bumblebee declared endangered The rusty patched bumblebee has become the first bee species in the continental U.S. to be declared endangered after suffering a dramatic population decline over the past 20 years, federal officials said Tuesday.
	Bacterial Pac Man molecule snaps at sugar Many pathogens use certain sugar compounds from their host to help conceal themselves against the immune system. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now, in cooperation with researchers at the University of York in the United Kingdom, analyzed the dynamics of a bacterial molecule that is involved in this process. They demonstrate that the protein grabs onto the sugar molecule with a Pac Man-like chewing motion and holds it until it can be used. Their results could help design therapeutics that could make the protein poorer at grabbing and holding and hence compromise the pathogen in the host. The study has now been published in Biophysical Journal.
For viral predators of bacteria, sensitivity can be contagious Bacteriophages (phages) are probably the most abundant entities in nature, often exceeding bacterial densities by an order of magnitude. As viral predators of bacteria, phages have a major impact on bacterial communities by reducing some bacteria and enabling others to flourish. Phages also occasionally package host DNA and deliver it to other bacteria, in a process known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT).
	Meet Canada's 'poop lady' They call her the "poop lady."
	Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production, increase profits Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When supplies run out, biorefineries shut down for the other five months. However, according to recent research, dual-purpose biofuel crops could produce both ethanol and biodiesel for nine months of the year—increasing profits by as much as 30%.
	Researchers identify monarch butterfly birthplaces to help conserve species University of Guelph researchers have pinpointed the North American birthplaces of migratory monarch butterflies that overwinter in Mexico, vital information that will help conserve the dwindling species.
	New diet for farmed barramundi fish A new diet for farmed barramundi could be on the menu under a new research collaboration between Flinders and the US Ohio Soybean Council.
	California whale watchers see rare orcas, including calf Whale watchers in Southern California were treated to a rare sighting of Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales.
New report finds significant improvements in methods to collect data on recreational fishing Although individual anglers - people who fish recreationally - generally take small numbers of fish, collectively, a large number of them can have a substantial impact on the overall stock. For some species, the recreational catch even exceeds the amount taken by the commercial sector. Because recreational fishing involves so many individuals fishing from many different locations, it is difficult to estimate the number of fish caught - a crucial piece of information required for assessing and managing fisheries.

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