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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 17, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Solar minimum surprisingly constantUsing more than a half-century of observations, Japanese astronomers have discovered that the microwaves coming from the sun at the minimums of the past five solar cycles have been the same each time, despite large differences in the maximums of the cycles. |
 | Taking a spin on plasma space tornadoes with NASA observationsInterplanetary space is hardly tranquil. High-energy charged particles from the Sun, as well as from beyond our solar system, constantly whizz by. These can damage satellites and endanger astronaut health—though, luckily for life on Earth, the planet is blanketed by a protective magnetic bubble created by its magnetic field. This bubble, called the magnetosphere, deflects most of the harmful high-energy particles. |
 | SpaceX postpones launch of secretive Zuma missionSpaceX on Thursday postponed the launch of a secretive US government payload known as Zuma, a mission whose nature—and the agency behind it—is a mystery. |
 | Image: Sunrise flight to the space stationOrbital ATK's Cygnus resupply ship with its cymbal-ike UltraFlex solar arrays approaches the International Space Station's robotic arm Canadarm2 as both spacecraft fly into an orbital sunrise on Nov. 14, 2017. |
Technology news
 | Researchers create material for a chemical heat 'battery' that could release its energy on demandIn large parts of the developing world, people have abundant heat from the sun during the day, but most cooking takes place later in the evening when the sun is down, using fuel—such as wood, brush or dung—that is collected with significant time and effort. |
 | Power grid simulation highlights weak points in North American electrical system(TechXplore)—A trio of researchers with Northwestern University has found vulnerabilities in the North American electrical grid by creating a simulation using real data. In their paper published in the journal Science, Yang Yang, Takashi Nishikawa and Adilson Motter describe their simulation, what it showed, and why they believe it could be used by electrical planners to prevent future network outages. Raissa D'Souza with the University of California offers a Perspective piece on the work in the same journal issue. |
 | New method analyzes corn kernel characteristicsAn ear of corn averages about 800 kernels. A traditional field method to estimate the number of kernels on the ear is to manually count the number of rows and multiply by the number of kernels in one length of the ear. With the help of a new imaging machine developed at the University of Illinois breeders can learn the number of kernels per ear, plus a lot more information than can be manually observed. |
 | Research suggests vertical axis turbines could increase public support for new wind energy installationsWith global carbon emissions on the rise, wind power continues to be an attractive option for states and countries looking to limit fossil fuel use and increase renewable energy. Wind already accounts for over 5 percent of electricity generation in the United States. However, a number of issues plague the low-carbon energy source, such as complaints from nearby residents about noise and the killing of hundreds of thousands of birds and bats each year that collide with turbine blades. |
 | Tesla's all-electric semi truck aims to disrupt transportAfter shaking up the auto world with its electric cars, Tesla is tackling a new frontier in "green" transportation with the unveiling of a futuristic all-electric semi truck. |
 | Renaissance of the iron-air batteryIron-air batteries promise a higher energy density than present-day lithium-ion batteries. Their main constituent, iron, is an abundant and cheap material. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich are pursuing research into this concept, first reported in the 1970s. Together with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the U.S., they have observed at the nanometre level how deposits form at the iron electrode during operation. A deeper understanding of the charging and discharging reactions is viewed as the key for further development of this type of rechargeable battery to market maturity. The results were published in Nano Energy. |
 | Calls mount for action on 'killer robots' after UN talks (Update)"Robots are not taking over the world", the diplomat leading the first official talks on autonomous weapons assured Friday, seeking to ease criticism over slow progress towards restricting the use of so-called "killer robots". |
 | Objectively measuring how clean our cities areEPFL researchers have come up with a fact-based system to measure urban cleanliness. Municipal authorities will now be able to draw on objective assessments when planning their street cleaning – a sector with multi-million-franc budgets. |
 | New theory rewrites opening moments of Chernobyl disasterA brand-new theory of the opening moments during the Chernobyl disaster, the most severe nuclear accident in history, based on additional analysis is presented for the first time in the journal Nuclear Technology, an official journal of the American Nuclear Society. |
 | VW says will invest over 34 bn euros in cars of the future by 2022 (Update)German automaker Volkswagen on Friday said it planned to invest more than 34 billion euros ($40 billion) over the next five years in new technologies to advance its push to become a global leader in electric cars. |
 | Want safe travels? Find freeways with these featuresNew BYU research commissioned by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows a number of highway features that make accidents less likely. Among them are some that are intuitive: minimal hills and curves, paved right shoulders and concrete-barrier medians. But one finding was less expected: lower speed limits were associated with higher rates of accidents. |
 | Facebook launches video app for content creators in challenge to YouTubeFacebook has launched a video app called Creators aimed at building a community of closely followed producers like YouTube's, the company announced Thursday. |
Walmart gives Amazon run for its money in third quarterUnseating Amazon as the biggest player in e-commerce is a tall, maybe even impossible task. But Walmart is giving the online titan a run for its money. | |
 | New iPhone X teardown study estimates cost to build Apple's deluxe phoneAs the iPhone X has made the biggest technological leap for Apple smartphones in several years, a new study has done the math to figure out just how much it costs to build. |
 | Apple's smart speaker HomePod may get Face ID: reportApple's new Face ID technology may be coming to a living room near you. |
New computational method provides optimized design of wind up toysA team of leading computer scientists has developed a novel computational system to aid the design and fabrication of wind-up toys, focusing on automating the intricate interior machinery responsible for the toys' wind-up motion. The new computational system includes analytic modeling of a wide variety of elemental mechanisms found in common wide-up toys, including their geometry and kinematics, and automating the construction of the toys accurately and with moving parts that consume less energy. | |
 | Research shows drones could help crop management take offUnmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, could help farmers determine if their crop is growing satisfactorily, according to a recent study conducted by University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture researchers. |
 | Apple pushes back release of HomePod speaker to 2018Apple said Friday it was delaying until early next year the release of its HomePod speaker set to compete with Amazon's Alexa-powered devices and Google Home as a smart home and music hub. |
 | Expert discusses drones, warfare and the mediaDrones have become a common part of warfare—but their use remains a subject of public contention. Lisa Parks, a professor in MIT's program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing and director of its Global Media Technologies and Cultures Lab, has spent extensive time analyzing this public debate. Now, she has co-edited a new volume examining the subject, while contributing a piece to it herself. The book, "Life in the Age of Drone Warfare," has just been published by Duke University Press. MIT News talked with Parks this week about the impact and public perception of drones. |
Richard Spencer, other white supremacists lose Twitter verificationA week after the ruckus over blue checks on Twitter, the company has updated its policy on verifications and revoked the verifications of some white supremacists. | |
Game review: 'Need For Speed: Payback,' wrong wayRacing simulators are thriving within the genre these days, but arcade racers offer a brief respite from the tighter sim experiences and will always have a home with casual gamers. "Need For Speed" is a long-running series that has taken on many forms throughout its history, with its latest entry adopting the high-octane drama you'd find in summer blockbusters. "Does Need For Speed: Payback" get the checkered flag? Nope. It sure does have some fun ideas, though. | |
Inventor Brian Krohn combats snoring, creates wizard toolsBrian Krohn has developed brain surgery tools, pioneered biodiesel innovations and briefed members of Congress on how to turn waste oils into energy. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Neuroscience research provides evidence the brain is strobing, not constantIt's not just our eyes that play tricks on us, but our ears. That's the finding of a landmark Australian-Italian collaboration that provides new evidence that oscillations, or 'strobes', are a general feature of human perception. |
 | Anti-malaria drug shows promise as Zika virus treatmentA new collaborative study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) and UC San Diego School of Medicine has found that a medication used to prevent and treat malaria may also be effective for Zika virus. The drug, called chloroquine, has a long history of safe use during pregnancy, and is relatively inexpensive. The research was published today in Scientific Reports. |
 | Dog ownership linked to lower mortalityA team of Swedish scientists have used national registries of more than 3.4 million Swedes aged 40 to 80 to study the association between dog ownership and cardiovascular health. Their study shows that dog owners had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease or to other causes during the 12-year follow-up. |
 | Study may point to new treatment approach for ASDUsing sophisticated genome mining and gene manipulation techniques, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have solved a mystery that could lead to a new treatment approach for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). |
 | A math concept from the engineering world points to a way of making massive transcriptome studies more efficientTo most people, data compression refers to shrinking existing data—say from a song or picture's raw digital recording—by removing some data, but not so much as to render it unrecognizable (think MP3 or JPEG files). Now, biologists propose to bring a kind of data compression to molecular biology. |
 | Lung cancer triggers pulmonary hypertensionShortness of breath and respiratory distress often increase the suffering of advanced-stage lung cancer patients. These symptoms can be triggered by pulmonary hypertension, as scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim and the German Center for Lung Research found after examining more than 500 patients. The pulmonary hypertension observed is possibly due to immune and inflammatory processes triggered by cancer cells. Treatment could focus on this mechanism. |
 | Brain activity buffers against worsening anxietyBoosting activity in brain areas related to thinking and problem-solving may also buffer against worsening anxiety, suggests a new study by Duke University researchers. |
 | How a poorly explored immune cell may impact cancer immunity and immunotherapyThe immune cells that are trained to fight off the body's invaders can become defective. It's what allows cancer to develop. So most research has targeted these co-called effector T-cells. |
 | Investigating patterns of degeneration in Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease (AD) is known to cause memory loss and cognitive decline, but other functions of the brain can remain intact. The reasons cells in some brain regions degenerate while others are protected is largely unknown. In a paper to be published in Stem Cell Reports, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have found that factors encoded in the DNA of brain cells contribute to the patterns of degeneration, or vulnerability, in AD. |
 | Hibernating ground squirrels provide clues to new stroke treatmentsIn the fight against brain damage caused by stroke, researchers have turned to an unlikely source of inspiration: hibernating ground squirrels. |
 | Employees want to sit down less and walk more during work daysDesk-based workers would like to spend less time sitting down and more time walking or doing physical activity as part of their working day, research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes suggests. To match these preferences, health promotion activities to reduce sitting time in the workplace should not only offer options for employees to stand up more, but also offer opportunities for walking, according to researchers at German Sport University Cologne and colleagues. |
 | New therapy lessens impact of mistreatment at a young ageEveryone has challenges of one kind or another. But research shows that mistreatment at an early age can have long-lasting and life-altering repercussions that could be passed to future generations. |
New study further supports use of progesterone to fight preterm birth (Update)A new study published today - World Prematurity Day - in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology provides additional support for treatment with vaginal progesterone to reduce the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and infant death in pregnant women with a short cervix. A shortened cervix is the most powerful predictor of preterm birth. | |
 | Could this protein protect people against coronary artery disease?The buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries is an unfortunate part of aging. But by studying the genetic makeup of people who maintain clear arteries into old age, researchers led by UNC's Jonathan Schisler, PhD, have identified a possible genetic basis for coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as potential new opportunities to prevent it. |
 | Scientists identify biomarkers that indicate likelihood of survival in infected patientsScientists have identified a set of biomarkers that indicate which patients infected with the Ebola virus are most at risk of dying from the disease. |
Novel therapeutic target discovered for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancerResearchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a protein that can be targeted to suppress growth of a common type of breast cancer known as "estrogen receptor positive" (ER+), including ER+ cancers that are resistant to standard treatments. | |
 | When male voles drink alcohol, but their partner doesn't, their relationship suffersA study of the effect of alcohol on long-term relationships finds that when a male prairie vole has access to alcohol, but his female partner doesn't, the relationship suffers - similar to what has been observed in human couples. The study, published today in open-access journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, also identifies changes in a specific brain region in the male voles. The findings could help researchers find strategies to overcome the negative effects of alcohol on human relationships. |
 | Risk of distracted driving predicted by age, gender, personality and driving frequencyNew research identifies age, gender, personality and how often people drive as potential risk factors for becoming distracted while driving. Young men, extroverted or neurotic people, and people who drive more often were more likely to report being distracted, while older women and those who felt that they could control their distracted behavior were less likely to report distraction. Published today in Frontiers in Psychology, this is the first study of how personal traits affect driver distraction. The study also proposes future directions for interventions to reduce distracted driving. |
 | Zika outbreak may be coming to an endScientists have measured the Zika burden in a Brazilian metropolis, and their data indicate that the outbreak may be coming to an end and further outbreaks in the region seem unlikely. The study has also provided new evidence supporting the link between Zika infection during pregnancy and malformations in newborns. A third finding is important with regard to intervention measures: Zika virus infection predominantly affects poor regions. |
 | New shoe makes running 4 percent easier, 2-hour marathon possible, study showsEleven days after Boulder-born Shalane Flanagan won the New York City Marathon in new state-of-the-art racing flats known as "4%s," University of Colorado Boulder researchers have published the study that inspired the shoes' name, confirming in the journal Sports Medicine that they reduce the amount of energy used to run by 4 percent. |
 | Have you heard? Gossiping isn't all badGossiping helps a person develop a better understanding of their society's expected behaviours, researchers from The University of Queensland have found. |
 | Smoking study personalizes treatmentA simple blood test is allowing Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed varenicline (Chantix) to stop smoking and which patients could do just as well, and avoid side effects, by using a nicotine patch. |
 | Air pollution exposure in early pregnancy linked to miscarriage, study suggestsExposure to common air pollutants, such as ozone and fine particles, may increase the risk of early pregnancy loss, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The study appears in the journal Fertility and Sterility. |
 | Two breast cancer drugs get NHS approvalTwo breast cancer drugs have been recommended for use by the NHS in England. |
Workplace interventions required to keep rapidly expanding aging workforce safeWith the burden of work-related injuries in older employees only set to increase, more needs to be done to keep them safe, a University of Otago study has found. | |
New diabetes self-management education course for South Asian populationResearchers at King's College London have signed an agreement with three partner organisations to offer a customised type 2 diabetes self-management education programme for the South Asian population in three London Boroughs. | |
 | How not to gain weight over the holidaysWith the holidays coming up, how can a person avoid gaining a few pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day? |
 | Study finds medical cannabis is effective at reducing opioid addictionA new study conducted by researchers at The University of New Mexico, involving medical cannabis and prescription opioid use among chronic pain patients, found a distinct connection between having the legal ability to use cannabis and significant reductions in opioid use. |
 | Smarter apps to help fight the scourge of eating disordersAround 20 million people in the EU suffer from eating disorders with an annual associated cost of EUR 1 trillion. Debilitating and stressful at best, at worst fatal, those suffering can face long delays in getting treatment. But smart tech could speed things up. |
Video: Expert discusses the cause of diabetesThe numbers are staggering: 30.3 million Americans—350 million people worldwide—live with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans don't know they have it. U.S. health care costs for diabetes are estimated at $260 billion a year. If you're among the 1 in 10 Americans living with diabetes, you spend an average of $8,000 more a year than someone without it. | |
 | Designing local well-being indicators—the case of the Grenoble metropolitan areaAcross international, European, national and local scales, the emergence of new socio-environmental indicators highlights the need to develop appropriate measurement strategies. |
 | 14 signs your daughter may have ADHDWhen asked to describe a typical child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), most people would describe a young boy who climbs on things, is impatient and does not do what he is told. Few people would describe a bubbly young girl with lots of friends, who works hard to get good grades. |
 | Don't let fall allergies leave you in the coldAs the cooler weather moves in, the potential for fall allergies increases. One University of Alabama at Birmingham ear, nose and throat specialist says taking the right precautions and being aware of the causes can significantly reduce the risk of allergy flare-ups. |
 | Your parents' lifestyles can determine your health—even as an adultWe don't choose our parents, their jobs or their health. And we don't have a say in whether or not they smoke, nor in what they ate when we were children. However, our recent study found that these things strongly determine our own lifestyles and health, even into adulthood. |
Study finds that heart failure is more fatal in patients with type 2 diabetesA new study has found that heart failure patients with pre-existing type 2 diabetes have higher hospitalisation and death rates, but that keeping blood sugars balanced can help lower the risk almost to that of heart failure patients without diabetes. | |
 | Young people often can't tell the strength of alcoholic drinks, study revealsResearchers from Kingston University have warned that young people could be at risk of consuming more alcohol than they can handle, after a study found they are often unable to detect how strong their drinks are. |
 | Dr. Tommy John hopes fewer young athletes need dad's namesake surgery(HealthDay)—Despite a long and illustrious pro baseball career, Tommy John is more famous as the source of the name for a surgical procedure than for the nearly 300 games the left-handed pitcher won. |
 | Five tasty diet desserts(HealthDay)—Satisfying a sweet tooth can be tricky when you're trying to reach or maintain an ideal weight. You want to enjoy dessert without racking up fat and calories or triggering the urge to overeat. |
 | High levels of burnout, stress for U.S. surgical residents(HealthDay)—Surgical residents have high levels of burnout, which is associated with high stress, depression, and suicidal ideation, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. |
 | Drug combo doesn't lengthen glioblastoma survival(HealthDay)—In patients with progressive glioblastoma, treatment with lomustine plus bevacizumab does not confer a survival advantage over treatment with lomustine alone, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Team identifies protein key to cancer cells ability to spreadUniversity of Guelph scientists have made a discovery that could reduce the spread of cancer by hindering a protein that binds cancer cells together and allows them to invade tissues. |
 | Asthma attacks reduced in tree-lined urban neighborhoodsPeople living in polluted urban areas are far less likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma when there are lots of trees in their neighbourhood, a study by the University of Exeter's medical school has found. |
 | Link between obesity and cancer is not widely recognizedA new study published in the Journal of Public Health has shown that the majority of people in the United Kingdom do not understand the connection between weight issues and cancer. Obesity is associated with thirteen types of cancer, including those of the breast, kidney, bowel, and womb. However, after surveying 3293 adults, taken as representative of the UK population, researchers found that only a quarter of respondents were aware of the link between obesity and cancer. |
 | In the loop: Mayo physician dispels popular coffee misconceptionsIs coffee good or bad for us? How much is too much? Can it stunt growth? Donald Hensrud, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Healthy Living Program, provides answers to these much-debated questions. |
 | Sensor-equipped pill raises technological, ethical questionsThe first drug with a sensor embedded in a pill that alerts doctors when patients have taken their medications was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, raiding issues involving privacy, cost, and whether patients really want caregivers looking over their shoulders. |
 | Q&A: Lifelong strategies for preventing dementiaDear Mayo Clinic: Do puzzles and other activities or apps that claim to lower one's risk of developing dementia actually work? Are there other things people can do to decrease the risk? |
Study shows alectinib 600 mg more effective than crizotinib in Asian cancer patientsA subanalysis of the phase III ALEX study has shown that alectinib 600 mg twice daily is more effective than standard of care crizotinib in Asian patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2017 Congress. | |
Study analyzes mutations in cerebrospinal fluid in lung cancer with brain metastasesResearchers have explored the analysis of mutations in cerebrospinal fluid of lung cancer patients with brain metastases in a study presented at the ESMO Asia 2017 Congress. Tumour tissue from brain metastasis is difficult to obtain and therefore less invasive methods are needed to identify and monitor the presence of known actionable mutations. | |
 | Cardiorespiratory fitness is essential to reduce risk of coronary heart diseaseCoronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death for men in the U.S. Both cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and the blood triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio (TG:HDL ratio) are strong predictors of death from CHD. In the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, two new studies highlight the importance of CRF on subsequent CVD and mortality risk. These articles contribute substantive evidence on the importance of achieving moderate to high levels of CRF in both adults and children. |
 | Age and gut bacteria contribute to multiple sclerosis disease progressionResearchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School published a study suggesting that gut bacteria at young age can contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease onset and progression. |
 | Flu vaccine prevents hospitalization in childrenChildren vaccinated against influenza are significantly less likely to experience serious complications from the virus that could land them in hospital, new research from Public Health Ontario (PHO) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has found. |
Small changes to organ procurement system could lead to more life-saving transplantsSlight changes to the system for allocating deceased-donor kidneys could result in higher rates of organ procurement and lead to more kidney transplants across the country, according to new research co-authored by an Indiana University Kelley School of Business professor. | |
Decrease in sunshine, increase in RicketsA University of Toronto student and professor have teamed up to discover that Britain's increasing cloudiness during the summer could be an important reason for the mysterious increase in Rickets among British children over the past few decades. | |
Like a baby: The vicious cycle of childhood obesity and snoringPoor nutrition and lack of exercise lead to the increasing prevalence of obesity which, in turn, is the major predictor of diabetes and future risk of cardiovascular disease in western societies. Excess weight is also closely associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the increasingly common and potentially serious sleep disorder that is often marked by loud snoring. OSA affects about 5 to 10 percent of children 8 to 11 years old. While evidence suggests that OSA appears to exacerbate obesity and its comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, its effects on children have not yet been studied in detail. | |
 | A walk at the mall or the park? New study shows, for moms and daughters, a walk in the park is bestSpending time together with family may help strengthen the family bond, but new research from the University of Illinois shows that specifically spending time outside in nature—even just a 20-minute walk—together can help family members get along even better. |
 | A mom's support helps a child learn to handle negative emotions, but what if mom is distressed?Handling a poorly timed tantrum from a toddler—such as in the middle of the grocery store—is never an easy task. It could serve as a teachable moment for a mom to help her child learn to manage his own emotions. After all, research shows that how parents react in these types of situations can play an important role in a child's emotional development. |
 | New tool predicts risk of heart attack in older surgery patientsA tool designed to more accurately predict the risk of heart attack in older patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery works significantly better than traditional risk assessment tools. By having more accurate information, older patients and their physicians can make an informed decision on whether to undergo surgery, UCLA researchers concluded. |
 | Study proposes to elaborate the term 'parental abuse by children'Mothers are the main victims of parental abuse by children, so this kind of abuse should legally be considered as violence against women. That is the conclusion of a research paper written by Sandra Jiménez Arroyo as a result of her doctoral thesis, co-directed by UGR professors María José Jiménez Díaz from the Department of Criminal Law and Francisco Javier Garrido Carrillo from the Department of Procedural Law. The researchers propose alternative terms for this phenomenon, such as "maternal abuse by children" instead of the accepted "parental abuse by children," which obscures the primary victim. |
Scientists are studying the problem of modeling the cognitive dissonance phenomenonLobachevsky University (UNN) scientists Alexander Petukhov and Sofya Polevaya are studying the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance. They rely on the theory of information images and a mathematical model developed on the basis of this theory. The proposed theory is based on the idea of a universal cognitive unit of information in the human mind, the so-called "information image," and of the space where it exists, its topology and properties. Accordingly, the theory of information images is a way to describe information interactions of individuals, as well as a number of human cognitive functions. | |
 | Scientists determine the normal content of boron in the human bodyA researcher from the RUDN University (Russia) and colleagues from Croatia have determined the range of reference values for boron in the tissues of human body. This study will provide a better understanding of the role that this important trace element plays in metabolism. The results of the work were presented in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. |
Video: How to reverse protein clumping, a hallmark of ALSWatch this UNC School of Medicine Science Short featuring Todd Cohen, PhD, and his lab's work on the underpinnings of two debilitating diseases. | |
 | Helping cancer patients quit tobacco for goodA new treatment program that combines the power of technology with tried and true methods to help cancer patients overcome their addiction to tobacco is ready to enroll its first patients at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center. As part of the program, doctors are alerted about a patient's tobacco use through the electronic medical record. At that point, an automated referral is made for the patient to Penn's Tobacco Use Treatment Service (TUTS), which then directly provides patients with state-of-the-science tobacco use treatment in an effort to get them to quit for good and assist with their medical treatment and recovery. |
Red Cross: 1 million Yemenis at risk of cholera outbreakOne million people across three Yemeni cities are at risk of a renewed cholera outbreak and other water-borne diseases following the closing of airports and sea ports by a Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite rebels, an international aid group said on Friday. | |
Progress on balanced food goals 'poor' in Africa: FAOAfrica is making only faltering progress towards food and nutrition security, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned. | |
Medicare 'Part B' premiums to rise next year for manyMany Medicare beneficiaries will pay higher monthly premiums next year for outpatient coverage, eating away at an increase in their Social Security checks. | |
Biology news
 | CRISPR patent wars highlight problem of granting broad intellectual property rights for tech that offers public benefits(Phys.org)—Duke University Law professor Arti Rai and bio-technology professor Robert Cook-Deegan with Arizona State University have stepped into the gene editing patent war with an Intellectual Property Policy Forum paper they have had published in the journal Science. They suggest that courts should take more into account than who invented what first in some property rights disputes. With technology, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for example, they argue that some thought (and rights) should to be given to the public as beneficiaries of future research efforts related to that technology. |
 | Mapping 'damage trails' lets researchers follow the water in Photosystem IIResearchers at Washington University in St. Louis have traced the paths of three water channels in an ancient photosynthetic organism to provide the first comprehensive, experimental study of how that organism uses and regulates water to create energy. |
 | Researchers discover poorly understood bacterial lineages in the mouths of dolphinsResearchers have identified two deep lineages of bacteria that have never been characterized before—and they found them in a dolphin's toothy grin. |
 | New 'artificial selection' research findings signal threat for marine environmentsA new study by Monash biologists has provided fresh insights into the long-standing questions of why animals are of the size they are and what happens when we artificially induce a change in their size. |
 | Unexpected finding solves 40-year old cytoskeleton mysteryScientists have been searching for it for decades: the enzyme that cuts the amino acid tyrosine off an important part of the cell's skeleton. Researchers of the Netherlands Cancer Institute have now identified this mystery player, which may be of vital importance to the understanding of cell function and division, and therefore the understanding of cancer. The results are published in Science. |
 | The astonishing efficiency of lifeAll life on earth performs computations – and all computations require energy. From single-celled amoeba to multicellular organisms like humans, one of the most basic biological computations common across life is translation: processing information from a genome and writing that into proteins. |
 | These ring-tailed lemurs raise a 'stink' when they flirt with potential matesA U of T Scarborough study finds that a unique ritual performed by male ring-tailed lemurs may come at a significant physical cost, but it could help their chances in securing a mate. |
 | Getting more 'wolflike' is the key to the future for coyotesThe future of the coyotes that roam forests, cities and suburbs from Newfoundland to Virginia could hinge on the animals becoming the "wolves" of the East Coast. And humans better get used to them. |
 | Team discovers new mechanisms for DNA stabilityResearchers from the University of Seville at the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine have discovered that in eukaryotic cells, the proximity of the genes to the pores in the nuclear membrane contributes to maintaining the integrity of the genome. This is due to the fact that the anchoring of DNA to the pore during transcription avoids the formation of DNA-RNA hybrids, which are a natural source of DNA breaks and genome instability. |
 | Ocean warming signals diet change for European shagsThe diet of European shags has diversified as a result of warming North Sea temperatures according to a new long-term study led by the University of Liverpool and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. |
 | Data modelling is key to managing fisheries sustainablyHave you ever questioned the environmental or economic sustainability of the flathead you order from your local fish and chips shop? Do you know where it's from? |
Conservation call on sawfish nurseryMurdoch University researchers have identified an important nursery for a critically endangered species of sawfish and are calling for conservation efforts to be focused there. | |
 | Researchers put probiotics in food and supplements to the testIt's a great time to be a bacterium. |
 | Using eDNA to identify the breeding habitat of endangered speciesUsing wide-ranging eDNA analysis combined with traditional collection survey methods, Japanese researchers have identified the breeding site of critically endangered fish species Acheilognathus typus in the mainstream of Omono River in Akita Prefecture, Japan. The findings were published on November 14 in the online edition of The Science of Nature – Naturwissenschaften. |
 | Warmer water signals change for Scotland's shagsAn increasingly catholic diet among European Shags at one of Scotland's best-studied breeding colonies has been linked to long-term climate change and may have important implications for Scotland's seabirds, according to research led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology on November 16 2017. |
 | What grosses out a chimpanzee?Chimpanzees do some pretty disgusting things. |
 | Seagrass is a key fishing ground globallyNew research demonstrates that seagrass meadows are important fishing grounds all around the globe. The work highlights that there is an urgent need to start appreciating and understanding this role to be able to build more sustainable fisheries. A study led by Dr Lina Mtwana Nordlund at Stockholm University, published in the scientific journal Fish & Fisheries, examines the global extent to which these underwater meadows support fishing activity. |
No more deer in the headlight: Study finds large mammals do use road crossing structuresLarge mammals crossing US Highway 93 are more likely to use wildlife crossing structures than move past a random location in the surrounding habitat, new research shows. The research team also found that animal movement varied between crossing structures in different locations, suggesting that location might be more important than design. The findings, published in open-access journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, are a first step towards a better understanding what makes road crossing structures effective. | |
 | eDNA tool detects invasive clams before they become a nuisanceWhen seeking a cure for a disease, early detection is often the key. The same is true for eliminating invasive species. Identifying their presence in a lake before they are abundant is vital. A recent University of Illinois study successfully used environmental DNA to detect invasive clams in California and Nevada lakes. Researchers believe this tool can help identify pests before they become a problem. |
 | When to fish: Timing matters for fish that migrate to reproduceIt's no secret that human activities affect fish, particularly those that must migrate to reproduce. Years of building dams and polluting rivers in some regions have left fish such as salmon struggling to return to their home streams and give birth to the next generation. |
 | Critics hit US over elephant trophy importsThe administration of US President Donald Trump faced a barrage of criticism on Thursday from animal rights groups after it authorized the import of Zimbabwean elephant hunting trophies. |
 | Researchers expect new fish passage to restore migratory fish populationsThe addition of a nature-like fish passage to a Susquehanna River dam in Pennsylvania should allow migrating fish to more easily reach spawning grounds, according to Penn State researchers. |
 | Scientists discover method to convert food waste into biofuelsScientists from Skoltech and the Russian Academy of Sciences Joint Institute for High Temperatures have proposed converting food waste into biofuel via hydrothermal liquefaction – a thermal depolymerization process used to turn wet biomass into oil. |
Experts: Idaho hatchery built to save salmon is killing themA relatively new $13.5 million hatchery intended to save Snake River sockeye salmon from extinction is instead killing thousands of fish before they ever get to the ocean, and fisheries biologists in Idaho think they know why. | |
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