Science X Newsletter Thursday, Jun 8

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 8, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

For storing energy from renewable sources, scientists turn to antiferroelectrics

ALMA finds ingredient of life around infant Sun-like stars

Neutrons zero in on the elusive magnetic Majorana fermion

Scientists make biodegradable microbeads from cellulose

World's 'first named dinosaur' reveals new teeth with scanning tech

Ancient Aztec temple, ball court found in Mexico City

Making vessels leaky on demand could aid drug delivery

Investigational vaccine protected monkeys from HIV-like virus

AI 'good for the world'... says ultra-lifelike robot

AI gets so-so grade in Chinese university entrance exam

Optical communication at record-high speed via soliton frequency combs generated in optical microresonators

SLAC particle physicist discusses the search for new physics

Imaging technique shows molecular machinery at work

Similarities in human and pig embryos provide clues to early stages of development

Monkey see, monkey do, depending on age, experience and efficiency

Astronomy & Space news

	ALMA finds ingredient of life around infant Sun-like stars Two teams of astronomers have harnessed the power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to detect the prebiotic complex organic molecule methyl isocyanate in the multiple star system IRAS 16293-2422. One team was co-led by Rafael Martín-Doménech at the Centro de Astrobiología in Madrid, Spain, and Víctor M. Rivilla, at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri in Florence, Italy; and the other by Niels Ligterink at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands and Audrey Coutens at University College London, United Kingdom.
	Astronomers explain the formation of seven exoplanets around Trappist-1 Astronomers from the University of Amsterdam have offered an explanation for the formation of the Trappist-1 planetary system. The system has seven planets as big as the Earth that orbit close to their star. The crux, according to the researchers from the Netherlands, is the line where ice changes in water. Near that ice line, pebbles that drifted from outer regions to the star receive an additional portion of water and clot together to form proto-planets. The article with the model has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
	Astrophysicists identify composition of earth-size planets in TRAPPIST-1 system A University of Oklahoma post-doctoral astrophysics researcher, Billy Quarles, has identified the possible compositions of the seven planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Using thousands of numerical simulations to identify the planets stable for millions of years, Quarles concluded that six of the seven planets are consistent with an Earth-like composition. The exception is TRAPPIST-1f, which has a mass of 25 percent water, suggesting that TRAPPIST-1e may be the best candidate for future habitability studies.
	The art of exoplanets The moon hanging in the night sky sent Robert Hurt's mind into deep space—to a region some 40 light years away, in fact, where seven Earth-sized planets crowded close to a dim, red sun.
Russian rocket returns to service with launch of US satellite Russia on Thursday sent into space a Proton rocket carrying a US telecom satellite, Echostar-21, the first launch in a year after an engine glitch sparked a probe into manufacturing flaws.
	Image: Rover test in darkness ESA's Rover Autonomy Testbed rover is being run in near darkness by Spain's GMV company to simulate the low Sun angles experienced at the Moon's poles.
	Two more satellites join Galileo working constellation Two further satellites have formally become part of Europe's Galileo satnav system, broadcasting timing and navigation signals worldwide while also picking up distress calls across the planet.
	Window to a watery past on Mars This 70 km-wide crater and its surrounds offer a window into the watery past of the Red Planet.
	Russian booster rocket puts US satellite in orbit A Russian Proton-M booster rocket carrying a U.S. communications satellite has lifted off, a successful launch after a year-long break caused by manufacturing flaws.
	Cell cultures go for the gold A wide variety of research relies on growing cells in culture on Earth, but handling these cells is challenging. With better techniques, scientists hope to reduce loss of cells from culture media, create cultures in specific shapes, and improve retrieval of cells for analysis - all of which would improve experiment results. Handling cells in microgravity poses even greater challenges, and with ongoing cell investigations aboard the International Space Station, optimizing handling techniques is critical.
	SpaceX Dragon to deliver research to Space Station SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft for its eleventh commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station June 1 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. Dragon will lift into orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research to crewmembers living aboard the station.

Technology news

	AI 'good for the world'... says ultra-lifelike robot Sophia smiles mischievously, bats her eyelids and tells a joke. Without the mess of cables that make up the back of her head, you could almost mistake her for a human.
	AI gets so-so grade in Chinese university entrance exam An AI machine has taken the maths section of China's annual university entrance exam, finishing it faster than students but with a below average grade.
	The games people play smarten up AI (Tech Xplore)—A team of researchers from Germany and the UK (RWTH Aachen University and Microsoft Research) have figured out how to give artificial intelligence a boost toward learning games at a faster pace. Just as we learn from our mistakes, they are—well, learning from our mistakes too.
	Chinese Apple staff suspected of selling private data Chinese authorities say they have uncovered a massive underground operation run by Apple employees selling computer and phone users' personal data.
	Experts, Microsoft push for global NGO to expose hackers As cyberattacks sow ever greater chaos worldwide, IT titan Microsoft and independent experts are pushing for a new global NGO tasked with the tricky job of unmasking the hackers behind them.
	Some states review election systems for signs of intrusion Officials in some states are trying to figure out whether local election offices were targeted in an apparent effort by Russian military intelligence to hack into election software last fall.
	Old bike parts turn the cogs of new wave energy harvester Researchers at Nottingham Trent University used old bike parts and a disused pressure cooker to create a wave energy harvester powerful enough to charge a mobile phone.
	New driving-simulator lab accelerates research into driver behavior and vehicle technology You've driven a car a million times, so nothing here should be too different. Just climb into the Acura, buckle up, throw it in "drive" and stomp on the gas.
	Novel electrode materials have designed pathways for electrons and ions during the charge/discharge cycle Electrodes are critical parts of every battery architecture – charge too fast, and you can decrease the charge-discharge cycle life or damage the battery so it won't charge anymore. Scientists built a new design and chemistry for electrodes. Their design involves advanced, nanostructured electrodes containing molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanofibers. These composite materials have internal atomic-scale pathways. These paths are for both fast ion and electron transport, allowing for fast charging.
	Six things every consumer should know about the 'Internet of Things' At least 40% of Australian households now have at least one home "Internet of Things" device. These are fridges, window blinds, locks and other devices that are connected to the internet.
	What's holding up the blockchain? It's not technology or regulation holding back the blockchain—software that stores and transfers value or data across the internet—we just haven't figured out the next big use case. Two reports released this week by the CSIRO's Data61 not only inject some well-researched gravitas into the conversation, they also provide insight into why some of the major blockchain projects have stalled.
	Artificial intelligence's potential impacts raise promising possibilities, societal challenges Interest in artificial intelligence has exploded, with some predicting that machines will take over and others optimistically hoping that people will be freed up to explore creative pursuits.
Companion robots featured at Shanghai electronics show More than 50 companies are showcasing a new generation of robots at this week's Shanghai CES electronics show, built to serve as companions at home, attendants at shopping malls or just provide entertainment.
Automatic braking to be standard on top-selling Nissans Nissan plans to make automatic emergency braking standard on seven of 18 U.S. models for the 2018 model year, putting the safety feature on most of its top sellers.
	Nitrades in transition The average, everyday person might not be familiar with gallium nitride, also known as GaN, but there is a good chance they've heard of silicon, a semiconductor that's been used for decades and found in every computer and most electronics.
	Yahoo-Verizon deal set to close June 13 Yahoo shareholders voted Thursday to back the sale of the company's internet business to Verizon, clearing the way for the deal to close June 13.
	Uber exec fired over India rape probe: report Uber has fired a top executive who obtained medical records of a woman raped during a ride in India in 2014, media reports said, the latest in a series of efforts to stem misconduct at the ridesharing giant.
	Verizon's first move with Yahoo is to ditch 2,100 jobs (Update) About 2,100 jobs are on the chopping block as Verizon prepares to combine Yahoo and AOL for a digital advertising offensive.
	Honda plans mostly self-driving car, follows Waymo, others Honda said Thursday that it will have highly automated personal cars on the road by 2025.
Uber woes mount ahead of workplace probe report Uber has parted ways with another top executive, in the latest dent to the reputation of the ridesharing giant as it prepares to release the results of a probe into workplace misconduct.
	Facebook Live adds closed captioning for deaf and hard of hearing Facebook says it's bringing closed captioning to Facebook Live to make at least some of the videos streamed live on the social network accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
	The hottest products, iOS 11 features announced at Apple's big developer conference A new operating system, the "most powerful" Apple machine ever created and a totally redesigned App Store?
Microsoft borrows from Amazon's philosophy as its cloud business grows, leader says at tech conference Microsoft is learning from Amazon.com, borrowing some of the company's guiding principles in a competition to provide web-based technology services.
Gadgets: Gifts for Dad—that he really wants You think you really know what your dad wants for Fathers Day but really, you don't. Let me fill you in on what he really wants; you can't go wrong with any of these.
	Tidal reveals star-studded film, new streaming promotion Streaming service Tidal revealed an original movie starring recent Oscar winners Thursday as telecom giant and part-owner Sprint announced a new campaign to woo customers to the underdog music platform.
	S. Korea's ex-health minister guilty of swaying Samsung vote South Korea's former health minister was convicted on Thursday of pressuring the country's pension fund to support a controversial Samsung merger, in one of the first rulings on key players in the corruption scandals that ensnared the country's ousted president and Samsung's heir.
	Qatar's Al-Jazeera says battling cyber attack Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Thursday that it was under a widescale cyber attack which had targeted "all systems", according to a statement released on social media by the broadcaster.
	Internet, social media back in Ethiopia after block Ethiopia re-activated cellphone data services and unexpectedly allowed access to social media sites that had been blocked since a wave of anti-government protests last year, a government spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
How to keep the pen mighty in the digital age Of late, it has been looking as if the death of handwriting might be upon us, as a screen-obsessed society texts, tweets, and Instagrams its way through every situation. Old writing tools? Drying up in the pen-itentiary.
UQ, partners taking computing out of this world University of Queensland researchers have partnered with global technology leader Lockheed Martin to develop next generation computers for aerospace applications.

Medicine & Health news

	Investigational vaccine protected monkeys from HIV-like virus Building on insights from an HIV vaccine regimen in humans that had partial success during a phase 3 clinical trial in Thailand, a Duke-led research team used a more-is-better approach in monkeys that appeared to improve vaccine protection from an HIV-like virus.
	Simple tasks don't test brain's true complexity The human brain naturally makes its best guess when making a decision, and studying those guesses can be very revealing about the brain's inner workings. But neuroscientists at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine said a full understanding of the complexity of the human brain will require new research strategies that better simulate real-world conditions.
	Overriding the urge to sleep: New research identifies a group of neurons that can help us stay awake when it matters Caltech researchers have identified a neural circuit in the brain that controls wakefulness. The findings have implications for treating insomnia, oversleeping, and sleep disturbances that accompany other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression.
	Brain's hippocampus can organize memories for events as well as places People organize memories in photo albums, journals or calendars, but how does the brain first put events in order? Though a great deal of work has been done on how the brain encodes memory for locations, leading to the discovery of 'place cells' in the hippocampus, we still have relatively little understanding of how personally experienced, or episodic, memories are represented by neurons. Now, researchers at Japan's RIKEN Brain Science Institute have found that the hippocampus can generalize, putting not just places but also events into sequence by changing the neural code in the rat brain. These 'event cells' discovered by the researchers may be a bridge linking information about the world with subsequent decision-making.
	Researchers uncover new instruction manual to repair broken DNA Drexel University and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have discovered how the Rad52 protein is a crucial player in RNA-dependent DNA repair. The results of their study, published today in Molecular Cell, reveal a surprising function of the homologous recombination protein Rad52. They also may help to identify new therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.
	Brain imaging reveals neural roots of caring When others suffer, we humans empathize. Our feelings of empathy take different forms, such as distress when we imagine and internalize someone's pain and compassion as we sympathize with their condition. These different feelings involve distinct patterns of brain activity, according to a study in Neuron published June 8. Feelings of empathy may seem subtle and personal, but this study, which used stories of human hardship to inspire feelings of empathic care and distress, found that the brain patterns associated with these feelings are consistent and predictable across individuals.
	How the brain recognizes what the eye sees If you think self-driving cars can't get here soon enough, you're not alone. But programming computers to recognize objects is very technically challenging, especially since scientists don't fully understand how our own brains do it.
	Binge drinking associated with higher blood glucose levels in women, but not men Regular high alcohol consumption and binge drinking from age 16 is associated with higher glucose concentrations in women's blood - an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes - later in life, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
	Behavioral 'nudges' offer a cost-effective policy tool Governments around the world have increasingly turned to behavioral science to help address various policy problems - new research shows that some of the best-known strategies derived from behavioral science, commonly referred to as 'nudges,' may be extremely cost effective. The new study, which examined the cost-effectiveness of nudges and typical intervention strategies like financial incentives side-by-side, found that nudges often yield particularly high returns at a low cost when it comes to boosting retirement savings, college enrollment, energy conservation, and vaccination rates.
	More cancers caught in wealthy people (HealthDay)—Wealthy Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with some types of cancer than poor people, a new study finds.
	Health system sees success with e-visits via patient portal (HealthDay)—Patient portals can successfully offer access to physicians without office visits, according to a report published online May 30 by the American Medical Association.
	Greater efficiency found in hospitals that carry out more research To assess the cause and effect relationship between clinical and basic research and efficiency in public health centers, researchers used a database from the Ministry of Health that consists of results from 189 public Spanish hospitals over more than a decade (1996 to 2009). The researchers measured the impact that R&D has on the length of patient's hospital stays.
	Hypothalamus neurons modulate pancreatic insulin amounts The brain is key in the regulation of appetite, body weight and metabolism. Specifically, there is a small group of POMC neurons in the hypothalamus that detect and integrate signals related to the body's energy state and activate the appropriate physiological responses. These neurons are sensitive to fluctuations in nutrients such as glucose, fatty acids and amino acids.
	Human heart tissue grown from stem cells improves drug testing Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of A*STAR have engineered a three-dimensional heart tissue from human stem cells to test the safety and efficacy of new drugs on the heart.
	Neurological issues may drive common voice disorders Hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) are hard to describe but easy to hear. People with the condition produce a grab-bag of forms of unusual voice behaviors that make them more difficult to follow. Nodules on the vocal cords may trigger the condition, but it may linger after the nodules are removed by surgery. Voice exercises or other treatments sometimes work and sometimes do not.
	Behavioural implications of elevated levels of testosterone Levels of testosterone naturally rise in certain situations. A hard workout could be a culprit. Preparing for, or winning, a competition is well known to elevate levels of the hormone. Sexual encounters provide a boost, as well.
	How your doctor's health affects yours Doctors' health tends to be broadly high compared to the general population. This is expected given their relative privilege. Health operates according to a social gradient – those with more, say, money and education, generally do better and live longer. Yet, among doctors, suicide rates are disproportionately high and mental illness is common.
	Further evidence statins could help control multiple sclerosis A dose of the drug simvastatin results in cognitive improvement in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to research published in The Lancet Neurology.
	Stem cell treatment for lethal STAT1 gene mutation produces mixed results Researchers report the first-ever study assessing how patients with "gain of function" mutation of the STAT1 gene respond to stem cell transplantation. It involved 15 young patients from nine different countries, each suffering a range of complications caused by the gene's mutation.
	New approach in T-cell therapy to treat cancer Scientists have armed immune cells with a new surface molecule. This causes the cells to respond particularly aggressively when they encounter a protein that tumors actually use to camouflage themselves from the immune system. Researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München and various partners introduced the method in Cancer Research.
	No benefit from surgery prior to drug treatment for metastasised breast cancer A new study from the ABCSG (Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group) indicates that women suffering from metastasised breast cancer do not benefit from surgery performed prior to drug treatment. This could cause a paradigm shift in treatment of the disease. The multi-centre trial, conducted under the direction of Florian Fitzal, was presented this weekend at the ASCO meeting, one of the most important international cancer conferences. Florian Fitzal is Head of Breast Surgery at the Department of Surgery of MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital and one of the two deputy heads of the Breast Health Center at the Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital.
	Air travel exposes you to radiation – how much health risk comes with it? This past April, business traveler Tom Stuker became the world's most frequent flyer, logging 18,000,000 miles of air travel on United Airlines over the last 14 years.
	Mind changing can be risky When leaders use a moral argument rather than a pragmatic one as the basis for a position, they may be judged harshly if they change that position later. They are perceived as hypocrites, less effective and less worthy of future support, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
	New software tool could help doctors diagnose genetic diseases An open-source software tool called Mendel,MD could help doctors analyze patients' genetic data in order to diagnose diseases caused by mutations. Developed by Raony Cardenas and colleagues at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, the tool is presented in a new study in PLOS Computational Biology.
	Sanitation access linked to children's growth and health An estimated 1 billion people in the world live without access to any type of sanitation facility, such as a toilet or latrine. Sanitation access is known to be associated with the risk of transmitting certain diseases, including parasitic worms. But the impacts don't stop there. For children, living in a community with poor levels of sanitation access increases their odds of stunted growth, anemia, and diarrhea, even if their household has access to a sanitation facility researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Snake venom might provide a safer antiplatelet drug Researchers have designed a safer antiplatelet drug based on a snake venom, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.
	When do we stop vaccinating against an infectious disease? Australia was declared measles-free in 2014. However, the recent importation of a case of measles into Australia from Indonesia illustrates the threat this disease still poses to Australians. It also underscores the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates against rare diseases to ensure re-introductions don't lead to outbreaks.
	Wearable sensor helps people keep tabs on drinking Electrical engineers are creating a wearable sensor to help people manage their alcohol intake.
	Work out your breathing muscles to improve fitness Training your breathing muscles can significantly improve physical performance when exercising in oxygen-poor environments, according to a new study.
	Goal-based netball style found to require heavier physical exertion A world-first study has ranked positions in elite netball according to required playing intensity.
	Men aged 20-29 who swap car for bicycle for work commute have 'particularly high risk' of collisions, study finds Switching from driving to a cycling commute helps Dublin city dwellers improve their physical health and mental wellbeing. However, the overall positive health benefits of cycling to the local population may mask some potential negative health impacts to individual cyclists, according to a new study involving researchers from Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.
	New leukemia treatment outperforms standard chemotherapies Researchers at ANU are working on a new treatment for an aggressive type of leukemia that outperforms standard chemotherapies.
Improving the cost effectiveness of HIV/AIDS interventions in South Africa An international African collaboration has turned to statistical analysis to determine the cost effectiveness of major HIV/AIDS interventions in South Africa with a view to advising policy makers on the optimal approach to managing the disease. Details are reported in the International Journal of Economics and Business Research.
	Ever thought a loved one was an imposter? That's the Capgras delusion Consider what it would be like to wake up one morning to find that a person who has been part of your life for years has been "abducted". If that wasn't bad enough, an impostor who looks just like your loved one has taken their place. Subtle differences in appearance or behaviour betray the impostor.
	Review of appendix cancer cases finds over diagnosis Lesions of the appendix are being over diagnosed as invasive cancer, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers in a paper published June 7 in the journal PLOS ONE.
	Engineering a new cancer detection tool Studying the food poisoning bacteria E. coli may have led scientists to discover a new and improved tool to detect cancer.
Gene therapy leads to long-term benefits in dog model of devastating childhood disease Researchers who previously showed that a gene therapy treatment could save the lives of dogs with a deadly disease called myotubular myopathy—a type of muscular dystrophy that affects the skeletal muscles—have found that the therapy is long-lasting. The results support a clinical trial in patients.
	Kidney graft success—does age and sex matter? The success of kidney transplant is dependent on the age and sex of both the donor and the recipient, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The study, which was a collaboration between a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM), revealed that young women had poorer transplant outcomes compared to young men, whereas women of post-menopausal age had similar or slightly better outcomes than men of the same age. This finding opens the door to a new approach for organ transplantation, and could lead to personalized immunosuppression strategies based on age and sex.
	Lost your appetite? Try inviting yourself to dinner People rate food as tasting better, and eat more of it, when they eat with company than when they eat alone. This so-called "social facilitation of eating" is a well-established phenomenon; however, exactly what it is about company that produces the effect is not clear.
	Opioids following cesarean delivery may be over-prescribed Cesarean delivery is the most common inpatient surgical procedure in the United States, with 1.4 million c-sections performed each year. Opioids, most commonly oxycodone, are the standard pain medications prescribed to women following cesarean delivery, but the number of pills that are prescribed varies between providers and institutions, and there is little data regarding how much pain medication patients actually require to manage their pain. In two papers, both published online June 8 in Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers quantified the number of pills that are typically prescribed following cesarean delivery and tested a shared decision making tool, in which patients select the amount of medication they are prescribed.
Calculator estimates success of kidney transplants with particular donor-recipient pairs Researchers have developed a calculator that estimates the likelihood that a given patient who receives a kidney transplant from a particular living donor would have a functioning kidney 5 and 10 years after transplantation. The calculator, which is described in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), would provide useful information to kidney transplant candidates in general, but would be especially useful for a candidate who is choosing among different potential donors.
Bitter taste receptors may hold the key to managing preterm labor This could be good news for those trying to prevent preterm labor: New research published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that exposing bitter taste receptors in the uterus to certain substances can stop many unwanted contractions that occur during premature labor.
Fat tissue may impede radiotherapy for breast cancer patients According to research published online in The FASEB Journal, repeated irradiation of breast fat (also known as adipose tissue) produces an inflammatory response that ultimately reduces the efficiency of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients. This research was based on a recent discovery that there is an inflammatory interaction between breast tumors and adipose tissue.
New research shows that a well-matched name and face can win a politician more votes People tend to associate round names such as "Bob" and "Lou" with round-faced individuals, and they have an inherent preference for names and faces that go well together. This is according to David Barton and Jamin Halberstadt of the University of Otago in New Zealand. In the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, published by Springer, they investigated the so-called "bouba/kiki effect." It refers to people's tendency to associate rounded objects with names that require rounding of the mouth to pronounce.
	Inherited, rare skin disease informs treatment of common hair disorders, study finds It is almost axiomatic in medicine that the study of rare disorders informs the understanding of more common, widespread ailments. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who study an inherited disorder of skin, hair follicles, nails, sweat glands, and teeth called hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) have identified a mechanism that may also be disrupted in male pattern baldness, a more common condition. They published their findings this week in Nature Communications.
	The doctor will (virtually) see you now (HealthDay)—Telemedicine is playing an ever-expanding role in the U.S. health care landscape.
	Culprit hidden in plain sight in Alzheimer disease development A new study by researchers at the University of Montana, Universidad del Valle de México, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Boise State, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, heightens concerns over the detrimental short- and long-term impact of airborne iron-rich strongly magnetic combustion-derived nanoparticles (CDNPs) present in young urbanites' brains. Using transmission electron microscopy, the researchers documented by abundant combustion nanoparticles in neurons, glial cells, choroid plexus, and neurovascular units of Mexico City children, teens and young adults chronically exposed to concentrations above the US-EPA standards for fine particulate matter. Residents in Mexico City are exposed from conception to harmful neurotoxic air pollutants. These findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Study finds delayed food introduction increases risk of sensitization Delaying the introduction of potentially allergenic foods until after a baby's first year may increase the likelihood of a food allergy later on, according to new findings from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study.
	Why the marijuana and tobacco policy camps are on very different paths The regulatory approaches to marijuana and tobacco in the United States are on decidedly different paths and, according to researchers from the U.S. and Australia, neither side appears interested in learning from the other.
Nepal: 15 years after legalizing abortions, gaps in access, equity, quality continue to exist Nepal is often heralded as a model of successful implementation and rapid scale-up of safe abortion services. Yet despite the legalization of the procedure in 2002, challenges continue to exist for women who want to obtain a safe, legal abortion.
	Study finds failure to sustain reductions in carcinogens in cigarettes Waterloo, Ontario: Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) are potent carcinogens formed predominantly during the cigarette manufacturing process. Despite initial success lowering TSNA levels in cigarettes sold in Canada, following subsidies by the Ontario government to manufacturers in 2000, a study published today in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research has found that the decrease in TSNAs have not been sustained.
Improving adolescents' social and emotional lives must go beyond teaching them skills School programs designed to educate children and adolescents on how to understand and manage emotions, relationships and academic goals must go beyond improving the skills of the individuals to create a respectful climate and allow adolescents more autonomy in decision making, according to psychology research at The University of Texas at Austin.
	Obesity increases risk of complications after shoulder joint replacement surgery For patients undergoing shoulder joint replacement surgery (arthroplasty), higher body mass index is linked to increased complications—including the need for "revision" surgery, reports a study in the June 7 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
	Zika birth defects in 5 percent of infected women in US islands Five percent of women in the US territories who were infected with the Zika virus while pregnant had fetus or babies with defects, including microcephaly, government health data said Thursday.
	Balance, gait negatively impacted after chemotherapy treatment A single chemotherapy treatment can result in a significant negative impact on walking gait and balance, putting patients at an increasing risk for falls, according to a new study involving breast cancer patients conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James).
	Newborns sickened with Legionnaire's disease via home water birth: CDC (HealthDay)—Two cases in Arizona and one in Texas highlight a little-known danger of "water births" at home—infant infections with Legionnaire's disease.
	Heart infections spike as injection-drug abuse climbs: CDC (HealthDay)—There's another alarming consequence to America's heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic: an increase in a serious heart infection called endocarditis, U.S. health officials report.
	Migraine warning signs may differ in kids, adults (HealthDay)—Fatigue and mood changes are the most common symptoms that occur before children develop migraines, a new study finds.
	Doctors discuss role of weight-loss surgery in obesity (HealthDay)—The role of weight-loss surgery (WLS) for obesity is addressed in a Grand Rounds Discussion published in the June 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Drop in admission for aspiration pneumonia from 2002 to 2012 (HealthDay)—From 2002 to 2012 there was a decrease in the incidence of admission for aspiration pneumonia, according to research published in the June 1 issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
	Researchers target zolmitriptan dosing for pediatric migraine (HealthDay)—In a report published online June 5 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, recommended dosing regimens of zolmitriptan are suggested for children with migraine.
Daylight on diabetes drugs: Nevada bill would track insulin makers' profits Patients notched a rare win over the pharmaceutical industry this week when the Nevada Legislature revived a bill requiring insulin makers to disclose the profits they make on the life-sustaining drug. In a handful of other states, bills addressing drug prices have stalled.
Chronic pain patients say opioid crackdown is hurting them Jim Watkins lives with pain so intense it can snatch his breath away. He has osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, and the best way he has found to control the anguish is with daily doses of tramadol, an opioid medication.
No, trauma is not inherited In the fall of 2015, Rachel Yehuda and her team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York published results of a study looking at the genes of 32 Jewish women and men. All were Holocaust survivors who either had been interned in Nazi concentration camps, forced into hiding during World War II or seen or experience torture. The team also studied the genes of 22 children who were born to Holocaust survivors after the war.
	Scientists move closer to detecting cancer long before any symptoms appear The quest to detect cancer before it grows deadly has taken another step forward, with new proof-of-concept data showing that a specialized blood test can spot bits of mutated DNA shed by tumors too small to be identified any other way.
	How to avoid traveler's diarrhea Don't drink the water. That's the advice you may have heard for avoiding traveler's diarrhea. While it's a good start, the devil is in the details.
There's no such thing as a safe, healthy tan Dear Mayo Clinic: My daughter wanted to go to a tanning bed before prom, but, instead, she opted for a spray tan. But a lot of her friends are going to a tanning bed and think it's relatively safe. Is there such a thing as a tanning bed that doesn't damage the skin?
How to protect yourself against vision loss, a growing problem Ask Americans to name the ailment they fear most, and blindness ranks at the top, along with Alzheimer's and cancer, according to a recent survey by the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. And yet each year, 50,000 Americans go blind, nearly half from eye diseases that are treatable or preventable.
	Researchers identify how class of drugs blocks Hepatitis C virus replication Globally, an estimated 71 million people are living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Over decades of infection, chronic HCV infection results in progressive damage to the liver and an increased risk for end stage liver disease and liver cancer, making the virus the leading cause of liver-related deaths in the United States today.
	Researchers give weight loss apps much needed scientific merit Half of European adults are either overweight or obese. Many turn to self-help apps as a means to burn excess fat, but despite hundreds of digital tools available very few help maintain a slimmer waistline and few are based on tried and tested science.
Something fishy: Indians swallow live fish for asthma More than 5,000 Indians have lined up in the country's south, pinching their noses and sticking their tongues out to swallow live fish in an unusual traditional treatment for asthma.
Not just for the poor—the crucial role of Medicaid in America's health care system Despite many assertions to the contrary, Senate leaders are now saying they want to vote on the replacement bill for Obamacare before the month is out.
	Alginates found in seaweed can combat multi-drug resistant infections Researchers at Cardiff University have worked with Norwegian biopharmaceutical company AlgiPharma to improve antibiotics.
	The bromance is blossoming, says study After winning Olympic gold in the men's synchronised three-metre springboard last year, British diver Jack Laugher ran, in only Speedos, to his diving partner and housemate, Chris Mears, for a heartwarming victory cuddle. Immediately afterwards, the Daily Mail published a piece entitled "Steady on chaps!…" questioning the masculinity (and arguably, sexuality) of the champions.
	Opinion: It's not always wrong to pay people for their organs There aren't enough organs to go around and many people die waiting for transplants. As a result, a black market in organs has sprung up. A recent raid in Pakistan exposed a gang of doctors and agents who had been illegally buying kidneys from live donors. Perhaps it's time to consider a state-regulated market in organs. Or perhaps the government should buy organs itself, paying donors in cash or with healthcare benefits.
Bucharest city hall OKs 'baby bonus' to boost low birthrate Romania's capital soon will offer cash awards for newborn babies in a bid to boost flagging birthrates there.
ACR Releases Guideline on prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis The American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) updated clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is now available online. The guideline provides recommendations on assessing fracture risk and treatment for adults and special patient populations including women of childbearing potential, adults treated with very high-dose glucocorticoids, adults with organ transplants, and children ages 4-17.
Moving towards better global foodborne disease surveillance Almost 1 in 10 people worldwide fall ill every year after eating contaminated food which commonly causes bacterial diarrhoea, resulting in 230 000 deaths each year.
100,000 cholera cases, 789 deaths, in Yemen in past month: WHO A cholera outbreak of more than 100,000 cases has erupted in war-ravaged Yemen, killing nearly 800 people, in just over a month, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
	Breast cancer risk reduced in women with diabetes who take low-dose aspirin A new study of nearly 149,000 women with diabetes over 14 years showed an overall 18% reduced breast cancer risk for women who used low-dose aspirin compared to those who did not. The study design and results are published in an article in Journal of Women's Health.
	Researchers identify immune component up-regulated in brain after viral infection A new study of infection by a virus that causes brain inflammation and seizures in a mouse model has shown increased levels of complement component C3. The C3 was produced by immune cells in the brain called microglia within the first few days after infection. C3 showed the greatest increase in expression in the brain compared to a variety of other complement components, cytokines, chemokines, and antigens measured in the study that is published in Viral Immunology.
Scientific advances in thoracic oncology in 2016 highlighted by the IASLC Capturing and summarizing the remarkable progress in lung cancer prevention, diagnosis, staging and treatment in 2016, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) announces the second annual publication of "Scientific Advances in Thoracic Oncology," available online now and in the August 2017 issue of the IASLC's Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO).
	Revolutionary biopsy-reading invention reaches the masses A groundbreaking University of Alberta invention that will impact transplant patients' outcomes—and possibly cancer outcomes in the future—is poised to become widely available now that the transplant test has been licensed by life science leader Thermo Fisher.
	Cholera epidemic timeline Cholera, which has killed 789 and infected 100,000 in war-ravaged Yemen since the end of April, is a water-borne disease which goes hand in hand with poverty.
	Cholera: the plague of the poor Cholera, which has hit war-ravaged Yemen with 100,000 suspected cases and 789 deaths, is a highly contagious waterborne bacterial disease which can kill in a matter of hours.

Biology news

	Similarities in human and pig embryos provide clues to early stages of development Scientists have shown how the precursors of egg and sperm cells – the cells that are key to the preservation of a species – arise in the early embryo by studying pig embryos alongside human stem cells.
	Monkey see, monkey do, depending on age, experience and efficiency Wild capuchin monkeys readily learn skills from each other—but that social learning is driven home by the payoff of learning a useful new skill. It's the first demonstration of "payoff bias" learning in a wild animal, and could inform whether and how animals can adapt to rapidly changing conditions, for example due to climate change or reintroduction of species from captive breeding.
	Lost ecosystem found buried in mud of southern California coastal waters Paleontologists investigating the sea bed off the coast of southern California have discovered a lost ecosystem that for thousands of years had nurtured communities of scallops and shelled marine organisms called brachiopods.
	Modern European genes may favor vegetarianism A Cornell study, published May 26 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, describes how shifts in diets in Europeans after the introduction of farming 10,000 years ago led to genetic adaptations that favored the dietary trends of the time.
	Developing fetuses react to face-like shapes from the womb It's well known that young babies are more interested in faces than other objects. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on June 8 have the first evidence that this preference for faces develops in the womb. By projecting light through the uterine wall of pregnant mothers, they found that fetuses at 34 weeks gestation will turn their heads to look at face-like images over other shapes.
	Ravens found able to remember people who tricked them up to two months later (Phys.org)—A small team of researchers from Austria and Sweden has found that ravens are able to remember people who trick them for at least two months. In their paper published in the journal Animal Behavior, the group describes experiments they conducted with the birds and offer some suggestions regarding how the behavior they observed might be useful to the birds in the wild.
	Male sexual behavior linked to elevated male sex hormone receptors in muscles of sex-changing fish Sex-changing fish exhibit differences in androgen receptor (AR) expression in muscles that are highly sensitive to androgens (male sex hormones) and essential for male courtship behavior, according to a Georgia State University study.
	Call of the wild: acoustic Localization of Bryde's whale calls yields insights into their behavior Researchers at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) have recorded a Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) call for the first time from the Hawaiian Islands, which appears to be similar to a Bryde's whale call produced throughout the Pacific Ocean. The team was able to track the whales based on acoustic localization of their calls, and found that Bryde's whales travel faster than previously thought, and in a parallel pattern that suggests they're traveling in spaced groups, possibly using acoustic calls to maintain their formation.
	These rapidly reproducing critters offer evolutionary insights It may not be obvious on casual glance, but bugs – flies, beetles, roaches – are constantly changing. In fact, they are masters of adaptation, always modifying their genes to adapt to the changes that occur to the environments in which they live.
	Researchers discover a regulatory pathway that changes the way cells divide in plants An international scientific consortium including the Freiburg plant biologist Prof. Dr. Thomas Laux has discovered a regulatory pathway that turns plants' ordinary somatic cells into germ cells for sexual reproduction. The researchers recently published their findings in the scientific journal Science.
	Sensitivity to inequity is in wolves' and dogs' blood Not only dogs but also wolves react to inequity - similar to humans or primates. This has been confirmed in a new study by comparative psychologists of the Messerli Research Institute of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. Wolves and dogs refused to cooperate in an experiment when only the partner got a treat or they themselves received a lower quality reward. Since this behaviour is equally strong in wolves and dogs, this sensitivity to inequity is not likely to be an effect of domestication, as has been assumed so far. It is rather a behaviour inherited from a common ancestor. The results were published in Current Biology.
	The road not taken: Do stress-specific mutations lead down different evolutionary paths? Starvation for essential elements determines the pattern of genetic variation.
	Wide-Open accelerates release of scientific data by identifying overdue datasets Advances in genetic sequencing and other technologies have led to an explosion of biological data, and decades of openness (both spontaneous and enforced) mean that scientists routinely deposit data in online repositories. But researchers are only human and may forget to tell a repository to release the data when a paper is published.
	Growth mechanism of fungi decoded Fungi grow with tubular cells extending by kilometers. Growth takes place exclusively at the tip. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now found out how this works: Construction materials are transported on rails through the fungal cells and used at their outermost tip. Calcium concentration at the end of the cell defines when this happens. This is reported by the scientists in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
See-through frog comes to light in Ecuador A previously unidentified species of see-through frog has come to light in Ecuador after sitting forgotten in a jar in a laboratory for 20 years, scientists say.
	DiCaprio, Mexico in push to save vaquita porpoise Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreed Wednesday to increase efforts to save the vaquita marina porpoise, burying the hatchet in a Twitter feud over the endangered species.
	Ailing white tiger put down in Singapore Zoo A rare white tiger involved in the 2008 killing of a zoo worker has been put down after suffering from skin cancer and joint degeneration, the Singapore Zoo said Thursday.
	Ballistic shockwave sensor is tool in fight against elephant poachers doing record-level damage Kenyan elephants will get more protection from poachers thanks to new Vanderbilt University technology embedded in their tracking collars—ballistic shockwave sensors that send coordinates to authorities immediately after detecting gunshots.
The role of the protein Rrm3 in the repair of breaks in DNA during replication A research group from the University of Seville has revealed the role that the protein Rrm3 plays in the repair of breaks that occur during the replication of DNA, by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. This protein belongs to the human protein family PIF1, the mutations of which are known to be associated with a higher risk of tumorigenesis. This opens the possibility that the risk of suffering cancer might be due to the inability of the cell to repair correctly breaks in DNA that happen during replication.
	Myanmar designates first marine areas protected by local fishing communities Myanmar Department of Fisheries celebrates World Oceans Day by designating Myanmar's first Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).
	Fiji's commitment to marine managed areas The Government of Fiji has made a commitment to gazette two large Marine Managed Areas (MMAs) within Fiji's Vatu-i-Ra Seascape—a highly diverse and productive area vital to both people and wildlife alike.
	How plants prevent oxidative stress When excess light energy is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, harmful reactive oxygen species are produced. These reactive oxygen species break down important structures such as proteins and membranes, preventing them from functioning properly. Researchers have discovered the system used by plants to prevent oxidative stress and to safely carry out photosynthesis.
S.Africa bans poultry imports from Zimbabwe after bird flu outbreak South Africa has halted poultry imports from Zimbabwe after a recent outbreak of highly contagious avian influenza at a farm in the neighbouring country, the government said Thursday.
	Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences advancing hope for reefs in the Philippines The California Academy of Sciences' initiative continues to advance global understanding of coral reef science through a series of ambitious expeditions. The team most recently returned from the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines—a longtime regional focus of Academy research considered the "center of the center" of marine biodiversity. The Academy's science diving teams explored both deep and shallow ecosystems to document species richness, evaluate ecosystem health, and gather data to support smarter ocean conservation strategies.

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