Monday, February 20, 2017

Science X Newsletter Monday, Feb 20

Dear Reader ,

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

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Friction in the vacuum?

New insights on the nature of the star V501 Aurigae revealed

Best of Last Week—Hover taxi service, vitamin D protects against colds and remote working found to be more stressful

Group introduces six new particles to standard model to solve five enduring problems

Child obesity '35-40 percent' inherited from parents, study finds

Only one-third of parents think they are doing a good job helping kids eat healthy

Switched-on DNA: Sparking nano-electronic applications

Basking sharks seek out winter sun

Atlanta, other cities eye test tracks for self-driving cars

Study on prehistoric violence published

Dating the Milky Way's disc

Mechanical engineers leading effort to detect defects that reduce efficiency

Uranium from seawater factors into nuclear power

Crowdsourcing effort helps researchers predict how a molecule will smell

Scientists end long-standing controversy about a ubiquitous reaction involved in catalysts, corrosion, and more

Astronomy & Space news

New insights on the nature of the star V501 Aurigae revealed

(Phys.org)—Astronomers have presented the results of new photometric and spectroscopic observations of the star V501 Aurigae (V501 Aur for short), providing new insights into the nature of this object. The findings show that V501 Aur, previously considered to be T-Tauri star, is most probably a field binary. The study was published Feb. 15 in a paper available on arXiv.org.

Dating the Milky Way's disc

When a star like our sun gets to be very old, after another seven billion years or so, it will no longer be able to sustain burning its nuclear fuel. With only about half of its mass remaining, it will shrink to a fraction of its radius and become a white dwarf star. White dwarfs are common, the most famous one being the companion to the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. As remnants of some of the oldest stars in the galaxy, white dwarfs offer an independent means of dating the lifetimes of different galactic populations.

Scientists readying to create first image of a black hole

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from around the world is getting ready to create what might be the first image of a black hole. The project is the result of collaboration between teams manning radio receivers around the world and a team at MIT that will assemble the data from the other teams and hopefully create an image.

Mapping the family tree of stars

Astronomers are borrowing principles applied in biology and archaeology to build a family tree of the stars in the galaxy. By studying chemical signatures found in the stars, they are piecing together these evolutionary trees looking at how the stars formed and how they are connected to each other. The signatures act as a proxy for DNA sequences. It's akin to chemical tagging of stars and forms the basis of a discipline astronomers refer to as Galactic archaeology.

Art and space enter a new dimension

ESA's involvement in the world of art is entering a new dimension, thanks to the cooperation with the Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, with the idea of making space activities as inclusive as possible for more of the public on Earth.

ESA's six-legged Suntracker flying on a Dragon

Tomorrow, a Space-X Dragon cargo ferry will be launched to the International Space Station packed with supplies, experiments, tools and food for the six astronauts living and working high above Earth. In the unpressurised cargo hold is a new NASA sensor that will monitor our atmosphere with a helping hand from ESA.

Image: Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon spacecraft vertical at Launch Complex 39A

NASA provider SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are vertical at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff of SpaceX's tenth Commercial Resupply Services cargo mission to the International Space Station is scheduled for 10:01 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.

An Interview with former NASA astronaut Mike Fossum

Mike Fossum is a shining example for astronaut wannabes shooting for the stars. His story undeniably proves that dreams of space voyages come true if you have the motivation and courage to pursue them. In an interview with Astrowatch.net, the veteran NASA astronaut talks about his successful astronaut career, recollecting unforgettable and thrilling moments in space.

The universe has a lithium problem

Over the past decades, scientists have wrestled with a problem involving the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory suggests that there should be three times as much lithium as we can observe. Why is there such a discrepancy between prediction and observation?

Image: Star formation on filaments in RCW106

Stars are bursting into life all over this image from ESA's Herschel space observatory. It depicts the giant molecular cloud RCW106, a massive billow of gas and dust almost 12 000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Norma, the Carpenter's Square.

John Glenn still inspires 55 years after his 1st orbit

John Glenn is continuing to inspire 55 years after becoming the first American to orbit Earth.

Image: liftoff of SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon from Launch Complex 39A

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

New legal powers could send UK scientists into space to research vaccines and medicines

British scientists will be able to fly to the edge of space to conduct vital medical experiments under new powers unveiled this week.

Technology news

Atlanta, other cities eye test tracks for self-driving cars

Self-driving vehicles could begin tooling down a bustling Atlanta street full of cars, buses, bicyclists and college students, as the city vies with other communities nationwide to test the emerging technology.

Mechanical engineers leading effort to detect defects that reduce efficiency

As the world transitions to a low-carbon energy future, near-term, large-scale deployment of solar power will be critical to mitigating climate change by midcentury. Climate scientists estimate that the world will need 10 terawatts (TW) or more of solar power by 2030—at least 50 times the level deployed today. At the MIT Photovoltaics Research Laboratory (PVLab), teams are working both to define what's needed to get there and to help make it happen. "Our job is to figure out how to reach a minimum of 10 TW in an economically and environmentally sustainable way through technology innovation," says Tonio Buonassisi, associate professor of mechanical engineering and lab director.

Kaspersky Lab researchers pick apart risky nature of some mobile apps for connected cars

(Tech Xplore)—A mobile device app shown as vulnerable to hack story. Yawn. But what if the hacks are being used to steal your car? Wake up call.

NASA saves energy and water with new modular supercomputing facility

Though there's been some recent relief in California's long-standing drought, water conservation techniques continue to be a hot topic for facilities that require significant amounts of water for day-to-day operations. The task of powering up and cooling down a high-end computing facility consumes large amounts of electricity and water. NASA is adopting new conservation practices with a prototype modular supercomputing facility at the agency's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

Print your own body parts

John Nhial was barely a teenager when he was grabbed by a Sudanese guerrilla army and forced to become a child soldier. He was made to endure weeks of walking with so little food and water that some of his fellow captives died. Four more were killed one night in a wild-animal attack. Then the boys were given military training that involved "running up to ten kilometres in the heat and hiding" before being given guns and sent to fight "the Arabs".

Researchers navigating ways to avoid aircraft icing

Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) think they are on the path to giving aircraft a way to avoid potentially hazardous icing conditions from a safe distance.

New internet security device launched to safeguard schools against child abuse

Computer experts at the University of Plymouth have created a new device that provides round-the-clock monitoring against online child abuse and radicalisation for primary and secondary schools.

Oil exporter Saudi starts hunt for solar, wind firms

The world's biggest oil exporter on Monday took the first step towards a goal of generating 9.5 GW of energy through solar and other renewable means.

AP, other media ask judge to order release of iPhone records

The Associated Press and two other news organizations asked a judge Monday to force the federal government to reveal how much it paid for a tool to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, California, shooters.

New Zealand judge upholds Kim Dotcom extradition ruling

A New Zealand judge has upheld an earlier ruling that flamboyant internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his colleagues can be extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges.

Uber to investigate sexual harassment claim by engineer

Uber's chief executive ordered an urgent investigation Monday into a sexual harassment claim made by a female engineer who alleged her prospects at the company evaporated after she complained about advances from her boss.

New catalog of administrative data sets for rigorous evaluations of social programs

Hospitals, governments, school systems, and many other institutions gather a wealth of data on individuals for operational purposes. MIT-based J-PAL North America recently launched a catalog of administrative datasets to provide researchers with clear information on data access and content, including costs and indicators. Together with J-PAL North America's guide to using administrative data for randomized evaluations, this public catalog will support researchers in carrying out high-quality evaluations.

Medicine & Health news

Child obesity '35-40 percent' inherited from parents, study finds

Around 35-40 per cent of a child's BMI - how fat or thin they are - is inherited from their parents, a new study has found.

Only one-third of parents think they are doing a good job helping kids eat healthy

If you know healthy eating is important for your kids but you also feel like it's easier said than done, you're not alone.

New compounds increase glucose uptake into fat cells

New molecules which scientists hope could one day become drugs for both cancer and diabetes have been created at the University of Bath.

Research reveals how the brain remembers fearful experiences

Understanding how the brain remembers can one day shed light on what went wrong when memory fails, such as it occurs in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University reveal for the first time the specific patterns of electrical activity in rat brains that are associated with specific memories, in this case a fearful experience. They discovered that before rats avoid a place in which they had a fearful experience, the brain recalled memories of the physical location where the experience occurred. The results appear in Nature Neuroscience.

Researchers identify human brain processes critical to short-term memory

Cedars-Sinai neuroscientists have uncovered processes involved in how the human brain creates and maintains short-term memories.

Experimental vaccine protects against multiple malaria strains

An experimental malaria vaccine protected healthy subjects from infection with a malaria strain different from that contained in the vaccine, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The research was conducted by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Gastric band surgery significantly reduces health risks in overweight people with diabetes

A long-term study by Monash University researchers - the first of its kind - has found that gastric band surgery has significant benefits for moderately overweight people with type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have focused on obese people.

Many cancer survivors change their prescription drug use for financial reasons

A new analysis indicates that many cancer survivors change their prescription drug use (including skipping doses or requesting cheaper medications) for financial reasons. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study provides important information on the financial burden experienced by cancer survivors, suggesting non-elderly cancer survivors are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon.

Majority of opioid medications not safely stored in homes with children, survey finds

Nearly 70 percent of prescription opioid medications kept in homes with children are not stored safely, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds.

Study shows strong long-term survival rates for patients with GIST

Nine years ago, SWOG researchers confirmed a new standard of care for patients with incurable gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), who could survive by being treated with imatinib mesylate, the breakthrough drug marketed as Gleevec. SWOG researchers are back with long-term findings from that study, which estimate that nearly one in four patients treated with Gleevec will survive 10 years. Results are published in JAMA Oncology.

D.C. Zika tests were flawed

(HealthDay)—Two women in Washington, D.C., were incorrectly found to be negative for Zika virus last year due to flawed testing, health officials said Thursday.

CDC: Influenza vaccine 48 percent effective overall

(HealthDay)—This year's influenza vaccine is a fairly good match for the circulating viruses, according to research published in the Feb. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers cooperate to find risk factors for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), tumors which may originate from B or T lymphocytes, account for approximately 3% of the worldwide cancer burden. Most epidemiological studies of NHL have been carried out in North American and European populations, with a few focusing on East Asian populations. Very few epidemiological studies have been conducted on B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) in Middle Eastern populations.

Hope for new treatment for Huntington's disease

Researchers working at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and University of Southern Denmark have managed to produce short synthetic DNA analogues – oligonucleotides – that bind directly to the gene that is mutated in Huntington's disease and prevent the production of a protein that damages the nerve cells. The discovery, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, opens the way for new approaches to treating the currently untreatable and deadly neurodegenerative disease.

Depression screening rates in primary care remain low

Despite federal recommendations for depression screening, a new Rutgers study found that less than 5 percent of adults were screened for depression in primary care settings. The low screening rate suggests missed opportunities to identify individuals with depression and link them to care, according to study authors. The research was published this month in Psychiatric Services in Advance.

New study determines how long Zika remains in body fluids

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that the Zika virus particles remain longer in blood than in urine and some other body fluids. This information suggests that blood serum may be the superior diagnostic specimen.

Gaps identified in HIV care continuum research

Research on the continuum of HIV care must be improved and benchmarked against an integrated, comprehensive framework in order to make strides against the HIV epidemic, according to researchers at the Rollins School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researcher helps stem the spread of superbugs

Katherine Baker feels vindicated. She and other microbiologists have been warning for years that anti-bacterial soaps containing triclosan are bad for the environment, harmful for health, and do nothing to prevent disease.

Ebola linked to habitat destruction

A Massey University veterinary scientist has co-authored research suggesting that Ebola virus emergence is linked to the clearing of animal habitat through deforestation in West and Central Africa.

Metabolism drives growth and division of cancer cells

The metabolic state of tumor cells contributes to signals that control their proliferation. German biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate Otto H. Warburg observed in the 1920s that tumor cells radically change their metabolism. This process was termed "Warburg Effect," but was neglected until recently by cancer research. The latest results show it is, indeed, of fundamental importance for the development of aggressive tumors. Richard Moriggl and his co-workers have now published in the journal Leukemia how the tumor promoter STAT5 integrates metabolic signals that contribute to oncogenic transformation. Researchers from the VetmeduniVienna, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research and Meduni Wien may have thus identified a new target to tackle cancer.

Defying Mendelian genetics and 'embryo engineering'

Mendel's laws, like any laws in science, are wonderful because they make predictions possible. A woman and man both carry a recessive mutation in the same gene, and each of their children has a 25% chance of inheriting both mutations and the associated health condition. Bio 101.

Virtual rehabilitation to help the brain injured

A group of students at Aalborg University has developed a virtual reality rehabilitation system. Now they receive a grant from the Siemens Foundation to get their system to market

Psychologists identify the killer moves that make women better dancers

Who needs Beyonce or Shakira to be a disco diva when you have avatars showing you all the hip moves?

Gene editing could help tackle cancer and inherited diseases

Gene editing techniques developed in the last five years could help in the battle against cancer and inherited diseases, a University of Exeter scientist says.

Study reveals barriers and opportunities to mainstreaming of a national digital health programme

A new study led by the University of Glasgow reports on key barriers and facilitators to implementing a digital health programme – and provides recommendations to move the field forward.

Body and brain timing can be trained

Good timing is vital in many situations of daily life, but is rarely something we consider. In a new dissertation from Umeå University, Olympia Karampela shows that our ability for timing is something that can be trained and it seems to be connected with our cognitive capacity.

Prospect for more effective treatment of nerve pain

Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by sharp, lancinating pain in the teeth or facial area. The standard treatment for this chronic nerve pain can cause burdening side effects. A novel substance inhibits the pain effectively and is well tolerated, as documented by the initial results of an international study involving the Center of Dental Medicine at the University of Zurich.

Retirement villages extend life expectancy for women

Analysing 100 years' worth of residents' records from the Whiteley Homes Trust, a retirement village in Surrey which opened in 1917 to provide housing and support for people of limited means, the study suggests that this type of lifestyle in retirement is capable of combating the negative effects on health and social well-being of low economic means and isolation.

Synthetic compound slows down aging of mice with mutating

A group of Russian and Swedish scientists just published a breakthrough paper, reporting results of a joint study by Lomonosov Moscow State University and Stockholm university. The article was published in the U.S. journal Aging.

Decision-making suffers when cancer patients avoid math

Many of the toughest decisions faced by cancer patients involve knowing how to use numbers—calculating risks, evaluating treatment options and figuring odds of medication side effects.

MS treatment that 'resets' immune system may halt disease progression for at least five years

A type of treatment for multiple sclerosis that 'resets' the immune system may stop progression of the disease in nearly half of patients.

Same-sex marriage legalization linked to reduction in suicide attempts among teens

The implementation of state laws legalizing same-sex marriage was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of suicide attempts among high school students - and an even greater reduction among gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

Sepsis risk prediction model decreases use of antibiotics in newborns

Kaiser Permanente, the largest integrated health system in the nation, led the development of a neonatal sepsis risk calculator that has safely reduced antibiotic use by nearly 50 percent in newborns, according to research published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

NIH workshop identifies complex health problems among Zika-affected infants

Children exposed to Zika virus in the womb may face complex health and developmental problems as they grow older, according to discussions at a National Institutes of Health workshop. A summary of the proceedings, authored by researchers from NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), is available in the latest issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

Long-term heavy drinking may age arteries over time

Heavy alcohol drinking habits over the years may prematurely age arteries, especially in men, putting them at an increased risk for heart disease, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Mercury in fish, seafood may be linked to higher risk of ALS

Eating fish and seafood with higher levels of mercury may be linked to a higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017. However, fish and seafood consumption as a regular part of the diet was not associated with ALS.

Radial access, same-day cardiac procedure could save $300 million annually

If hospitals can perform more transradial, same-day percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCIs, not only will patients benefit because it is associated with have less complications, but collectively, hospitals across the U.S. could save $300 million each year, according to research published today in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Stem cell transplants may help some with multiple sclerosis

(HealthDay)—Stem cell transplants may halt the progression of aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in nearly half of those with the debilitating disease, but picking the right patients for the treatment is key, a new study suggests.

Don't punish pregnant women for opioid use, docs say

(HealthDay)—Prevention and treatment, not legal action, should be the focus when dealing with pregnant women who use opioids, a leading pediatricians' group says.

There's fun and fitness in the pool for asthmatic kids

(HealthDay)—Safe, healthy fun for kids with asthma may be as near as the neighborhood pool, one respiratory specialist says.

Drug-induced lupus seen with adalimumab treatment

(HealthDay)—In a case report published online Feb. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) is described in a patient taking adalimumab for psoriasis.

Increase in foodborne disease outbreaks tied to imported food

(HealthDay)—There has been an increase in the number and proportion of foodborne disease outbreaks associated with imported food, according to research published in the March issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Insurance status linked to patient safety in lumbar fusion

(HealthDay)—Insurance status is associated with adverse patient safety indicators (PSI) among patients undergoing inpatient lumbar fusion, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.

Early PT not tied to lower health care use later on

(HealthDay)—Early use of physical therapy (PT) for new low back pain in older adults is not associated with less subsequent back pain-specific health care utilization, compared with patients not receiving early PT, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.

Baricitinib associated with significant improvement in RA

(HealthDay)—For patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate, baricitinib is associated with significant clinical improvements, compared to either placebo or adalimumab, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Excess BMI ups risk of T1DM in autoantibody-positive relatives

(HealthDay)—For autoantibody-positive relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes, elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk of progression to type 1 diabetes, especially for those aged younger than 12 years, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in Diabetes Care.

Cytotoxic immune cell in sick and healthy skin a key to understanding vitiligo

With the aid of thousands of skin biopsies and over a hundred kilograms of skin, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have observed how two subgroups of immune cell behave in healthy skin. This functional dichotomy is preserved in the inflammatory diseases psoriasis and vitiligo. The study, which is published in the journal Immunity, opens the way for more targeted local treatments for patchy inflammatory skin disorders.

Pilot study finds youth more likely than adults to report seeing alcohol marketing online

Underage youth are nearly twice as likely to recall seeing alcohol marketing on the internet than adults, with almost one in three saying they saw alcohol-related content in the previous month, according to a new pilot survey led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Single-payer reform is 'the only way to fulfill the president's pledge' on health care

Proposals floated by Republican leaders won't achieve President Trump's campaign promises of more coverage, better benefits, and lower costs, but a single-payer reform would, according to a commentary published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, one of the nation's most prestigious and widely cited medical journals.

A maintenance program key to keeping off lost weight

A weight loss program that incorporates a maintenance intervention could help participants be more successful at keeping off pounds long term. Researchers found that a primarily telephone-based intervention focused on providing strategies for maintaining weight loss modestly slowed the rate of participants' weight regain after weight loss. Results of a randomized trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Utah's anesthesia abortion law unenforced

Last year, Utah enacted a first-in-the-nation law requiring that fetuses receive anesthesia or painkillers before elective abortions starting at 20 weeks gestation. Nine months later, the only licensed clinic providing those abortions in the state says no changes have been made in how doctors perform the procedures.

Experts warn of health threats from climate change

(HealthDay)—More heat waves, food shortages, and the rapid spread of some infectious diseases may occur in the future due to climate change, experts warned at the Climate & Health Meeting, held on Feb. 16 in Atlanta.

App combines latest research to help users curb food cravings

Experts are seeking volunteers to test a research-based app that aims to help users curb cravings for unhealthy foods and lose weight.

What exercises burn the most calories?

Researchers from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) have calculated for the first time the real energy expenditure in different training programs, including both aerobic and anaerobic forms.

Drugs vanish at some VA hospitals

Federal authorities are stepping up investigations at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers due to a sharp increase in opioid theft, missing prescriptions or unauthorized drug use by VA employees since 2009, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press.

Researchers develop multimedia corpus of noise-induced word misperceptions

Completely quiet conditions are actually quite rare. Most of the time, there is some kind of ambient noise present, including traffic, machinery, or conversations. Native speakers with a rich experience of a particular language and the context in which speech occurs have a great capacity to reconstruct part of a message obscured by noise. However, errors still occur at times. A group involving Dr García Lecumberri, Ikerbasque Research Professor Martin Cooke and collaborators have identified 3,207 "consistent" confusions. The confusions are said to be consistent because, in every case, a significant number of listeners agree. This type of confusion is extremely valuable in the construction of models of speech perception, since any model capable of making the same error is very likely to be undergoing the same processes as those in human listeners.

Study points to treatment strategy for anorexia

New research conducted in adolescent rodents provides insights on the mechanisms behind anorexia nervosa and points to a potential treatment strategy.

Biology news

Basking sharks seek out winter sun

The winter habits of Britain's basking sharks have been revealed for the first time.

Poaching drives 80 percent decline in elephants in key preserve

Forest elephant populations in one of Central Africa's largest and most important preserves have declined between 78 percent and 81 percent because of poaching, a new Duke University-led study finds.

60,000-year-old microbes found in Mexican mine: NASA scientist

NASA scientists have discovered living microorganisms trapped inside crystals for as long as 60,000 years in a mine in Mexico.

Moth gift: Winner of an eBay auction thanks his mother by naming a new species after her

Winner of an eBay auction Steve Mix received the opportunity to pick the name for a new species of satiny-white winged moth collected from the white gypsum dunes of the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. A fan of butterflies and moths himself, he chose to honor his supportive and encouraging mother Delinda Mix, so the moth is now formally listed under the species name delindae. It is described in the open access journal ZooKeys.

More lessons from Dolly the sheep—is a clone really born at age zero?

In 1997 Dolly the sheep was introduced to the world by biologists Keith Campbell, Ian Wilmut and colleagues. Not just any lamb, Dolly was a clone. Rather than being made from a sperm and an egg, she originated from a mammary gland cell of another, no-longer-living, six-year-old Fynn Dorset ewe.

DMC researchers test technique to determine lobster's age

Research professor Rick Wahle and graduate student Carl Huntsberger are testing a technique at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center to determine the age of lobsters.

Wary of human-animal hybrids? It's probably just your own moral superiority

In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monstrous fire-breathing creature, typically described as having the head of a lion, with a snake as a tail and the head of a goat emerging from its back.

More warm-dwelling animals and plants as a result of climate change

Since 1980, populations of warm-dwelling species in Germany have increased. The trend is particularly strong among warm-dwelling terrestrial species, as shown by the most comprehensive study across ecosystems in this regard to date. The most obvious increases occurred among warm-dwelling birds, butterflies, beetles, soil organisms and lichens according to the study published recently in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution led by Senckenberg scientists. Thus, it appears possible that rising temperatures due to the climate change have had a widespread impact on the population trends of animals in the past 30 years.

A comprehensive comparison of methodologies that quantify RNAs of single cells

Every cell has its own individual molecular fingerprint, which is informative for its functions and regulatory states. LMU researchers have now carried out a comprehensive comparison of methodologies that quantify RNAs of single cells.

Cooperative species can invade harsher environments

Through cooperation, animals are able to colonise harsher living environments that would otherwise be inaccessible, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, together with researchers in England and USA. The research community has long believed this was the other way around - that species in tough environments had to cooperate to survive. As a result the established view of why animals cooperate is turned upside-down.

Pest ant control improved with water-resistant bait

Pest ants like the red imported fire ant could be controlled more effectively with insecticide baits that can withstand moisture, say researchers with the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). A comparison study soon to be published in Journal of Economic Entomology shows a water-resistant ant bait offers a significant advantage over currently available baits, which break down when wet.

Drones are what's next for plant breeders

Crop breeders grow thousands of potential varieties at a time; until now, observations of key traits were made by hand. In a new study, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, were used successfully to remotely evaluate and predict soybean maturity timing in tests of potential varieties. The use of drones for this purpose could substantially reduce the man-hours needed to evaluate new crops.


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