Science X Newsletter Sunday, Feb 19

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for February 19, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Looking for the next leap in rechargeable batteries

It's more than just climate change

Researchers use big-brother tech to spy on bumblebees

International science collaboration growing at astonishing rate

Biologists find weird cave life that may be 50,000 years old

Advances in imaging could deepen knowledge of brain

Talk to babies and let them babble back to bridge word gap

SpaceX aborts launch after 'odd' rocket engine behavior

Smartphones are revolutionizing medicine

Second cause of hidden hearing loss identified

Communications expert explains how science should respond to fake news

Three-way dance between herbivores, plants and microbes unveiled

SpaceX launches rocket from NASA's historic moon pad

Patent talk: Could an Apple device offer charge boost by winding?

Juno to remain in current orbit at Jupiter

Astronomy & Space news

	SpaceX aborts launch after 'odd' rocket engine behavior SpaceX aborted its planned Dragon cargo launch to the International Space Station just seconds before liftoff Saturday due to a "slightly odd" technical issue with the Falcon 9 rocket engine.
	SpaceX launches rocket from NASA's historic moon pad A SpaceX rocket soared from NASA's long-idled moonshot pad Sunday, sending up space station supplies from the exact spot where astronauts embarked on the lunar landings nearly a half-century ago.
	Juno to remain in current orbit at Jupiter NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter, which has been in orbit around the gas giant since July 4, 2016, will remain in its current 53-day orbit for the remainder of the mission. This will allow Juno to accomplish its science goals, while avoiding the risk of a previously-planned engine firing that would have reduced the spacecraft's orbital period to 14 days.
	SpaceX poised to launch cargo from historic NASA pad An unmanned SpaceX spaceship carrying food and equipment to the astronauts living at the International Space Station is poised to blast off from a historic NASA launch pad on Saturday.
Examining exploding stars through the atomic nucleus Imagine being able to view microscopic aspects of a classical nova, a massive stellar explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star (about as big as Earth), in a laboratory rather than from afar via a telescope.
	Roaming telescope brings Kenyan kids views of night sky Thousands of schoolchildren in Kenya are getting a rare opportunity to look at the stars.
LIGO veteran gives talk about gravitational waves Caltech's Stan Whitcomb, who has been involved with nearly every aspect of the development and ultimate success of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), will give a talk about the project's historic detection of gravitational waves on February 19 at the American Associate for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Boston.

Technology news

	Looking for the next leap in rechargeable batteries USC researchers may have just found a solution for one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the next wave of rechargeable batteries—small enough for cellphones and powerful enough for cars.
	Smartphones are revolutionizing medicine Smartphones are revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, thanks to add-ons and apps that make their ubiquitous small screens into medical devices, researchers say.
	Patent talk: Could an Apple device offer charge boost by winding? (Tech Xplore)—Such a concept. Adding extra battery life to your Apple Watch simply by winding up the digital crown.
	Digital fabrication in architecture Many building processes still involve sub-standard working conditions and are not compellingly sustainable. Current research on the integration of digital technologies within construction processes promises substantial contributions to sustainability and productivity, while at the same time enabling completely new forms of architectural expression. The multidisciplinary nature of integrating digital processes remains a key challenge to establishing a digital building culture. In order to fully exploit the potential of digital fabrication, an institutional and funding environment that enables strong interdisciplinary research is required. Traditionally separated disciplines such as: architecture, structural design, computer science, materials science, control systems engineering, and robotics now need to form strong research connections.
	Electronic media searches at border crossings raise worry Watchdog groups that keep tabs on digital privacy rights are concerned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are searching the phones and other digital devices of international travelers at border checkpoints in U.S. airports.
BMW recalling 19,000 i3 plug-in hybrids for fire risk BMW AG is recalling more than 19,000 i3 REx plug-in hybrids in the U.S. because they could develop a fuel vapor leak that would increase the risk of a fire.
	How to watch Oscar-nominated flicks from your couch Movie fans, rejoice! You can watch about two-thirds of the Oscar-nominated flicks from your couch.
	Germany bans internet-connected 'spying' doll Cayla German regulators have banned an internet-connected doll called "My Friend Cayla" that can chat with children, warning Friday that it was a de facto "spying device".
How to build a bio-bot: Researchers share design and development of biological machines Creating tiny muscle-powered robots that can walk or swim by themselves—or better yet, when prompted—is more complicated than it looks.
Milwaukee to 'Pokemon' monsters: Get a permit to enter parks "Pokemon Go" monsters can roam virtually wherever they please, but they'll need a permit to get into Milwaukee County parks.
	Tech tools gain traction amid Trump war on leaks As President Donald Trump warns of a crackdown on US government leaks to media, interest is growing in technology tools that allow sources to share information anonymously.
	Weaning off oil, Scottish islands eye renewable future Strong winds and stormy seas have helped turn the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic into a European renewable energy giant, producing more power than it knows what to do with.
	Advanced fusion code selected to participate in Early Science Programs on three new DOE pre-exascale supercomputers U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) high-performance computer sites have selected a dynamic fusion code, led by physicist C.S. Chang of the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), for optimization on three powerful new supercomputers. The PPPL-led code was one of only three codes out of more than 30 science and engineering programs selected to participate in Early Science programs on all three new supercomputers, which will serve as forerunners for even more powerful exascale machines that are to begin operating in the United States in the early 2020s.
Accenture vows big workforce boost in US Technology consulting and services company Accenture on Friday announced plans to boost its US workforce by 30 percent in the coming three years.

Medicine & Health news

	Advances in imaging could deepen knowledge of brain New imaging techniques enable exploration of the brain in much more detail than ever before, opening the door to greater understanding of neurological problems and possibly new treatments, researchers say.
	Talk to babies and let them babble back to bridge word gap Even infants can have conversations with mom or dad. Their turn just tends to involve a smile or some gibberish instead of words. That's a key lesson from programs that are coaching parents to talk more with their babies—and recording their attempts.
	Second cause of hidden hearing loss identified Patients who complain they can't hear their friends at a noisy restaurant, but pass a hearing test in their doctor's office, may be describing hidden hearing loss.
Canada opioid crisis leads to more organ transplants A surge in the number of overdose deaths in Canada has led to more organs being available for transplant, an official at the epicenter of the opioid crisis said Friday.
Gates warns conflicts stoke risk of global pandemic War and turmoil go hand-in-hand with disease and are the most likely agents to produce a global pandemic capable of killing millions of people, Bill Gates said on Saturday.
Blast off: Stem cells from Mayo Clinic physician's lab launch into space Consider it one physician's giant leap for mankind. Today, the latest rocket launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, included a payload of several samples of donated adult stem cells from a research laboratory at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus. The launch by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, is part of NASA's commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station.
	When screening for disease, risk is as important to consider as benefits, study indicates Physicians and patients like to believe that early detection of cancer extends life, and quality of life. If a cancer is present, you want to know early, right? Not so fast.
Mapping a path to better oral health Dentists aren't the only people who influence how we take care of our teeth; our friends and family play a big role, too. That is the conclusion of Brenda Heaton, an assistant professor of health policy and health services research at Boston University's Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, who is presenting her research on February 19, 2017, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Boston.
	Bringing evidence to health screening debates Whether to screen? How often? At what age? At what cost?—seem to readily breed conflicting opinions and public confusion. What's needed is rigorously produced evidence. That's where Constantine Gatsonis, chair of the Department of Biostatistics at Brown University, comes in.
Repetitive head injuries may not cause movement problems for former NFL players Former NFL players who had repeated head injuries may not have significant problems with motor functions later in life, 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.
New research examines patients' satisfaction with their radiologists New research reports that most U.S. radiologists receive favorable satisfaction scores from their patients. The study, supported by research grants from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, is published online in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).
Mexico finds small amount of fake anti-cancer drug Health authorities in Mexico have found five vials of a fake anti-cancer drug, supporting claims that a state government bought fake medications that contained inert substances.
USDA reposts some animal welfare records after criticism The federal Department of Agriculture has reposted inspection reports on certain animal testing labs on its website after a decision two weeks ago to remove a large online database of animal welfare records prompted complaints.
Researcher examines premature death in delinquent youth Northwestern University researcher Linda Teplin will share data showing alarming premature mortality rates for delinquent youth at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston.
	Montana officials alarmed as they fight surge in meth use Methamphetamines continue to make an alarming surge in Montana, as law enforcement, health officials and communities struggle to address the problem.
Doctor-lawmaker tries to restrict smoking in tobacco country When Dr. Ralph Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky state Senate in 2014, he found his new colleagues had something in common with most of his patients: They knew smoking was bad, they just couldn't quit.

Biology news

	Researchers use big-brother tech to spy on bumblebees By tagging individual bumblebees with microchips, biologists have gained insights into the daily life of a colony of bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) in unprecedented detail. The team found that while most bees are generalists collecting both pollen and nectar over the course of their lifetime, individual workers tend to specialize on one of the two during any given day, dedicating more than 90 percent of their foraging sorties to either pollen or nectar. The observations also revealed that individual bumblebee workers differ vastly in terms of their foraging activity.
	Biologists find weird cave life that may be 50,000 years old In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old.
	Three-way dance between herbivores, plants and microbes unveiled What looks like a caterpillar chewing on a leaf or a beetle consuming fruit is likely a three-way battle that benefits most, if not all of the players involved, according to a Penn State entomologist.
	Gene editing can complement traditional food-animal improvements Gene editing—one of the newest and most promising tools of biotechnology—enables animal breeders to make beneficial genetic changes, without bringing along unwanted genetic changes.
	Feds: Mexican gray wolves see increase in wild population There are now more Mexican gray wolves roaming the American Southwest than at any time since the federal government began trying to reintroduce the predators nearly two decades ago.
	Body of tortoise 'Lonesome George' returned to Galapagos Islands The embalmed body of the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George—the last known member of a species that was wiped out with his death in 2012—returned home to the Ecuadoran Galapagos Islands.
	Save the bees? There's an app for that Let's say a farmer wanted to plant wildflowers to nurture the bumble bees that pollinate her crops.
Marine ecologist offers suggestions for achieving a strong, lasting 'blue economy' Incentive-based solutions offer significant hope for addressing the myriad environmental challenges facing the world's oceans - that's the central message a leading marine ecologist delivered today in Boston during a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
	Bee decline threatens US crop production The first-ever study to map U.S. wild bees suggests they are disappearing in the country's most important farmlands—from California's Central Valley to the Midwest's corn belt and the Mississippi River valley.
Smart reforms key to global fish recovery, even with climate change New Research finds that climate change will cause dramatic impacts in the world's fisheries, but with effective management most fisheries could yield more fish and more prosperity, even with a changing climate.

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