Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 23, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Scientists discover evidence of recent water flows on MarsA team of scientists led by The Open University has discovered evidence of recent glacial meltwater on Mars, despite the widely-held view that the recent climate was too cold for ice to melt. |
 | Even small black holes emit gravitational waves when they collide, and LIGO heard themLIGO scientists say they have discovered gravitational waves coming from another black hole merger, and it's the tiniest one they've ever seen. |
 | ESA's latest technology CubeSat cleared for launch siteGomX-4B, ESA's latest and largest technology-testing CubeSat, will be launched from China early next year, together with the near-identical GomX-4A. The pair will test intersatellite communication links and propulsion while orbiting up to 4500 km apart. |
 | Image: Wall of Hertz test chamberThese spiky carbon-impregnated foam pyramids, seen here in ESA's Hertz test chamber, cover the walls of facilities that simulate the endless void of space. |
Technology news
 | Intel Management Engine vulnerability is recognized(Tech Xplore)—Intel has issued a security advisory with the severity rating of "Important." |
 | The last straw? Uber loyalists tested by string of scandalsUber has managed to hold the title of world's largest ride-hailing service despite its seemingly endless string of scandals. |
Retailers look to woo shoppers from rivals as Amazon growsToys and TVs at J.C. Penney, Barbies at Best Buy, kitchen appliances like wine refrigerators at B.J.'s. As the holiday shopping season officially kicks off Thursday, shoppers may find some surprises at their favorite stores. | |
 | Explainer: What the Uber data breach is all aboutWhen Uber paid a $100,000 ransom so that hackers who broke into its data warehouse would destroy the personal information they stole, it allowed the ride-sharing company to keep a massive breach of 57 million user and driver accounts secret for nearly a year. |
Researchers developed an initial prototype of a solid sodium battery with the potential to store extra energyPhones, laptops, electric cars - batteries are everywhere. And to meet the expectations of today's consumers, these batteries are increasingly light, more powerful and designed to last longer. Currently the most important technology for these applications is the lithium-ion battery technology: but the technology is expensive and contains a flammable liquid, which may represent a safety hazard, when the battery is abused. To satisfy the growing demand from emerging markets (electric cars, for example, and renewable energy storage), researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have devised a new battery prototype: known as "all-solid-state", this battery has the potential to store more energy while maintaining high safety and reliability levels. Furthermore, the battery is based on sodium, a cheap alternative to lithium. | |
 | The sky's the limit for sustainable wooden skyscrapersAustralia will soon hold the record for the world's tallest timber office building at 5 King St Brisbane, and with the help of The University of Queensland's new research hub, wooden skyscrapers could become the norm. |
 | City-wide trial shows how road use charges can reduce traffic jamsRoad congestion in large Australian cities is estimated to cost more than A$16 billion a year. Economists have long argued the best way to improve traffic flow is to charge drivers for their contribution to road congestion. We have now analysed data collected from 1,400 drivers across Melbourne to see whether road user charging can change their behaviour in ways that ease congestion. And the answer is yes. |
With a few smart moves, we can relieve the pressure on gasA new report from ClimateWorks Australia has found that the national demand for gas could be reduced by 25% by 2030 through better energy efficiency measures and using gas alternatives in industry and buildings. | |
 | Experiments in robotics could help Amazon beat Australia's slow delivery problemAmazon's launch in Australia today is likely to put fresh scrutiny on the speed of Australia Post's own deliveries. To that end, Australia Post is trialling the use of robots to deliver parcels more promptly. |
 | Angry Birds maker posts loss despite jump in salesFinland's Rovio Entertainment, creator of the popular smartphone game Angry Birds, on Thursday posted a loss for the third quarter despite rising sales, as it increased its investments with a view to boost its winnings in future. |
 | Review: It's not just the year of the iPhone X for smartphone shoppersIt's been a bit of a banner fall for fans of new flagship smartphones. |
 | Twitter verboten? German parliament edict irks lawmakersGermany's new parliamentary speaker is meeting resistance to his suggestion that lawmakers refrain from tweeting or snapping photos during sessions. |
Tech firms scrounging for skilled workers training their own (Update)Some information technology companies are growing so concerned about their inability to find enough digital talent that they're training their own. | |
 | Facebook opens 2nd office combating hate speech in GermanyFacebook is adding 500 more contractors in Germany to review content posted to the social media site, after a new law came into force targeting online hate speech. |
 | Smart tech makes smarter shoppersShops will find it pays to wise up to the ways smart technology upgrades customer experience. That's the message from a new study on how people shop. |
Tech education that pays, or you don'tWith tuitions ever rising and student debt exploding to $1.45 trillion, there has been increased pressure on schools to demonstrate their value based on their success in placing graduates in good-paying jobs. | |
Airbnb takes steps to welcome travelers with disabilitiesIn response to complaints that its platform isn't always accommodating of guests with disabilities, Airbnb recently revealed new steps to address that problem. | |
 | Artificial lights are eating away at dark nights—and that's not a good thingEarth is losing its darkness. A new study using satellite data finds that artificially lit surfaces around the world are spreading and growing brighter, producing more light pollution at night. |
Holiday gift ideas: Stylish wearables that give back all yearI vividly remember owning a calculator watch back in the early 1980s. I was sure it was the coolest thing ever and I was going to ace all my math tests. It didn't quite work out that way, but from an early age, I knew I wanted a watch that did more than just tell time. | |
 | As shoppers mobilize on Thanksgiving, retailers branch outShoppers are hitting the stores on Thanksgiving and will be finding some surprises: toys and TVs at J.C. Penney, Barbies at Best Buy, kitchen appliances like wine refrigerators at B.J.'s. |
Gadgets: Extraordinary gifts for the one-of-a-kinds on your listIf you're struggling to find a different, out of the ordinary gift for someone special, here's a head start. | |
Game Review: 'Star Wars Battlefront II,' the dark side of gamingSirens roar ominously within the mangled remains of a Rebel frigate, warning all to escape. The clanking of hurried footsteps echoes through the halls before being replaced by a series of ghastly screams, loud enough to drown out the alarm. A door slides open to reveal the glow of a red lightsaber backed by the silhouette of Darth Vader. I fire my blaster, and he nonchalantly takes a shot to the chest. He raises his hand and I levitate with it, my throat closing as I inch upward. This spectacle of power is impressive, but as my life fades away, the only thing I can think is, "How much did that player spend to unlock the third level of Punishing Grip?" | |
Holiday gift ideas: Cord-cutting choices to please even hard-core TV enthusiastsIt's a great time to be a TV consumer. We have great choices for pay TV services from companies like AT&T, Spectrum, DirecTV, Dish and a few others. Cord cutters can also have their pick of streaming services, from Sling TV, Playstation Vue, Hulu, YouTube, DirecTV Now and a few others. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Druglike molecules produced by gut bacteria can affect gut, immune healthStanford researchers found that manipulating the gut microbe Clostridium sporogenes changed levels of molecules in the bloodstreams of mice and, in turn, affected their health. |
 | Ten-month-old infants determine the value of a goal from how hard someone works to achieve itBabies as young as 10 months can assess how much someone values a particular goal by observing how hard they are willing to work to achieve it, according to a new study from MIT and Harvard University. |
 | Scientists find key to regenerating blood vesselsA new study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) identifies a signaling pathway that is essential for angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. The findings, published in Nature Communications, may improve current strategies to improve blood flow in ischemic tissue, such as that found in atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease associated with diabetes. |
 | Scientists engineer drug delivery device that treats glaucoma directly inside the eyeGlaucoma, which affects over 60 million people worldwide, can seem easy to treat: medicated eye drops can be used to ease the buildup of fluid in the eye that underlies the condition. If glaucoma is caught early, eye drops can prevent irreversible blindness. |
 | Stress in pregnancy linked to changes in infant's nervous system, less smiling, less resilienceMaternal stress during the second trimester of pregnancy may influence the nervous system of the developing child, both before and after birth, and may have subtle effects on temperament, resulting in less smiling and engagement, as well as diminished ability to regulate emotions. |
Burn victim saved by skin grafts from identical twin (Update)A man doomed to die after suffering burns across 95 percent of his body was saved by skin transplants from his identical twin in a world-first operation, French doctors said Thursday. | |
 | Researchers unravel novel mechanism by which tumors grow resistant to radiotherapyA Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a key mechanism by which tumors develop resistance to radiation therapy and shown how such resistance might be overcome with drugs that are currently under development. The discovery addresses a longstanding challenge: as many as 40% of large tumors develop resistance to radiotherapy, significantly complicating treatment. Overcoming such resistance could go a long way toward treating tumors, especially those that cause significant discomfort to patients and resist other modes of therapy or cannot be surgically removed. |
 | Transplant of ovarian tissue frozen years ago holds hope of lifeOvarian tissue that was frozen a decade ago was implanted last week in a 25-year-old cancer survivor who hopes that reviving the tissue from suspended animation will allow her to start a family. |
 | Small but distinct differences among species mark evolution of human brainThe most dramatic divergence between humans and other primates can be found in the brain, the primary organ that gives our species its identity. |
Glucocorticoids offer long-term benefits for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophyGlucocorticoids, a class of steroid hormone medications often prescribed to patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), offer long-term benefits for this disease, including longer preservation of muscle strength and function and decreased risk of death. These findings support the standard prescribing practices in many clinics and could help sway parents who are on the fence about their children receiving these therapies, say authors of a study published online Nov. 22, 2017 in The Lancet. | |
 | GP online consultations: Not the panacea policy makers are hoping forOnline GP consultation systems may not be the silver bullet for reducing GP workload and patient waiting times that government policymakers are hoping for, NIHR-funded research from the University of Bristol has found. These systems offer the potential to revolutionise use of primary care, but only with careful implementation and effective marketing, the researchers concluded. |
Children with heart disease are being let down by lack of clinical trials, study findsLess than one per cent of UK children born with congenital heart disease are enrolled in clinical trials looking to improve treatments, research funded by the British Heart Foundation and led by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children's Hospital has found. | |
 | When traveling on public transport, you may want to cover your earsThe noise levels commuters are exposed to while using public transport or while biking, could induce hearing loss if experienced repeatedly and over long periods of time, according to a study published in the open access Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery. Efforts to control noise should focus on materials and equipment that provide a quieter environment, researchers at the University of Toronto suggest. Hearing protection while using public transport should also be promoted. |
 | Four simple tests could help GPs spot pneumonia and reduce unnecessary antibioticsTesting for fever, high pulse rate, crackly breath sounds, and low oxygen levels could be key to helping GPs distinguish pneumonia from less serious infections, according to a large study published in the European Respiratory Journal. |
 | The Bridge Project collaboration accelerates new, highly original, and powerful approaches to defeating cancerBoston is home to two National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers: MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). Each works to advance the fight against cancer in its own unique way. |
Rural women delay seeking help for domestic violenceAs White Ribbon Day approaches, a study of Australian women in regional, rural and remote locations has shown they tend to experience longer periods of domestic violence than city women before accessing support services. | |
 | Giving cash without strings attached can improve healthNew research has shown governments can help improve health in low and middle income countries, simply by providing cash to people living in poverty. |
 | Small decisions for smaller waistlines'Tis the season for big decisions: what to get for gifts, and for whom. Where to eat and what. And each is connected to a gathering filled with merriment where your waistline tends to suffer from all the joy. This holiday season let small decisions make a big difference when it comes to your health. |
 | Thanksgiving traditions that can boost health and wellnessUSC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology experts Carin Kreutzer and Leah Buturain Schneider shared Thanksgiving tips that benefit both the mind and body. |
 | African Americans face highest risk for multiple myeloma yet underrepresented in researchThough African-American men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, most scientific research on the disease has been based on people of European descent, according to a study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. |
 | Our obsession with infant growth charts may be fuelling childhood obesityAsk any new parent how their baby is going and you will most likely get an update on recent weight gains. |
 | Grey Cup haunted by brain injury risk—but doesn't have to beWhen the Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders square off in Ottawa for the 105th Grey Cup on Sunday, it will be under dark clouds—not necessarily of weather, but rather the risk of concussions and their devastating long-term effect on players' brains. |
 | Tobacco companies to run court-ordered anti-smoking adsTobacco companies will advertise a series of "corrective statements" starting Sunday, more than a decade after a federal court ruled the companies had deceived the public about the deadly products. |
 | 'We could do a better job': U of T expert on new guidelines about physical activity for kids under fourExperts have been saying for decades that Canadians are in the midst of an inactivity crisis. A new report released this week looks at the lives of babies and toddlers and concludes that they are far too sedentary and get too much screen time. |
 | Domestic violence turns women off masculine menWomen who are afraid of violence within partnerships prefer more feminine men, according to new research carried out by scientists at the University of St Andrews. |
Toddler receives life-saving bone-marrow transplant from baby brotherGrant Gibbens celebrated his first birthday last November in the playroom of Florida Hospital for Children. | |
 | For opiate addiction, study finds drug-assisted treatment is more effective than detoxSay you're a publicly insured Californian with an addiction to heroin, fentanyl or prescription narcotics, and you want to quit. |
Antimalarial drugs could support existing cancer treatments in two-pronged attackAntimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine could find another use as cancer treatments, according to a new clinical study published in ecancermedicalscience. | |
 | How to safely navigate diabetes and Thanksgiving(HealthDay)—People with diabetes can have a healthy and safe Thanksgiving dinner if they follow certain guidelines, a diabetes expert says. |
 | Female physicians' spouses more likely to work(HealthDay)—Spouses of female physicians are on average more educated and work more hours outside the home than spouses of male physicians, according to a research letter published online Nov. 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. |
 | Raw flour can be source of shiga toxin-producing E. coli(HealthDay)—Raw flour can be a source of outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections, according to a study published in the Nov. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Data may weigh on pros/Cons of expanded care optometry(HealthDay)—More than three-quarters of residents living in states where optometrists have been granted expanded scope of practice live within an estimated travel time (ETT) of 30 minutes to the nearest ophthalmologist office, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in JAMA Ophthalmology. |
 | Gaps seen between hearing loss, receipt of medical evaluation, Tx(HealthDay)—Many patients with self-reported hearing loss do not receive medical evaluation and recommended treatments, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. |
 | NTproBNP levels are significantly lower in blacks(HealthDay)—Plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) levels are significantly lower for black than white individuals, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in JAMA Cardiology. |
 | Mindfulness training shows promise for maintaining weight lossCan mindfulness training help overweight people shed pounds and keep them off? McGill University researchers surveyed the growing body of studies investigating that question, and came away encouraged. |
 | Imaging technique shows Alzheimer's disease progressUsing 'Raman' optical technology, scientists of the University of Twente, can now produce images of brain tissue that is affected by Alzheimer's disease. The images also include the surrounding areas, already showing changes. |
 | Exercise alone does not lead to weight loss in women—in the medium termKnowing whether or not exercise causes people to lose weight is tricky. When people take up exercise, they often restrict their diet – consciously or unconsciously – and this can mask the effects of the exercise. In our latest study, we avoided this bias and discovered that exercise, on its own, does not lead to weight loss in women. |
Researchers are hunting for a safer supplement to use in malaria-endemic countriesTreating iron deficiency—the most common nutritional deficiency in the world—is a double-edged sword. Iron supplements help, but in a paradox that has stymied health efforts for decades, they can also make existing infections worse. This is a great concern for developing countries, where both iron deficiency and dangerous bacteria and parasites, such as those that cause malaria, are prevalent. | |
 | Why we need to end impunity for sexual violence in armed conflictWe now have a unique moment to ensure perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflict do not go unpunished. In a recent keynote address to the UN Peacekeeping Defence Minister's summit in Vancouver, actor and global campaigner Angelina Jolie said it was a myth that sexual violence was not a "serious" enough crime to warrant prosecution and imprisonment. She also said it was wrong to think nothing could be done to stop sexual violence in armed conflict, as many countries already have the "laws, the institutions, and the expertise in gathering evidence. What is missing is the political will." |
 | Research hopes to make dental visits less stressful for children with autismInspired by her own experience as a mum to a five-year-old son with autism, a dental hygienist has published new research hoping to make dental examinations less stressful for autistic children. |
Infectious diseases A-Z: Antibiotics in farm animalsThe World Health Organization is urging countries to restrict the use of antibiotics in food animal production. Food producers in many countries feed low-dose antibiotics to farm animals to encourage the animals to grow bigger and faster, which, in return, contributes to the antibiotic resistance in bacteria. | |
Tackling the global post-code lottery: new research explores how law can help tackle health epidemicsResearch from the University of Warwick is set to improve global health by helping lawyers to think more strategically about the ways in which the law can be used to improve access to life-saving medicines. | |
Biology news
 | Galapagos study finds that new species can develop in as little as two generationsThe arrival 36 years ago of a strange bird to a remote island in the Galapagos archipelago has provided direct genetic evidence of a novel way in which new species arise. |
 | World's smallest tape recorder is built from microbesThrough a few clever molecular hacks, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have converted a natural bacterial immune system into a microscopic data recorder, laying the groundwork for a new class of technologies that use bacterial cells for everything from disease diagnosis to environmental monitoring. |
 | Using modern genomics to turn alligator scales into birdlike feathersUpon first glance, most people wouldn't think alligators or birds were evolutionary cousins. But indeed, reptiles are the closest living relatives of birds, and all descended from the archosaurs, the "ruling reptiles" who once dominated the Earth 250 million years ago. |
 | New discovery to accelerate development of salt-tolerant grapevinesA recent discovery by Australian scientists is likely to improve the sustainability of the Australian wine sector and significantly accelerate the breeding of more robust salt-tolerant grapevines. |
 | Helpers at the nest may allow mother birds to lay smaller eggsCooperatively breeding birds and fish may have evolved the adaptive ability to reduce the size of their eggs when helpers are available to lighten the parental load, a new study suggests. The findings indicate that in some species, the social environment may influence female reproductive decisions even prior to the birth of offspring. |
 | Radiographs of Dolly's skeleton show no signs of abnormal osteoarthritisOriginal concerns that cloning caused early-onset osteoarthritis (OA) in Dolly the sheep are unfounded, say experts at the University of Nottingham and the University of Glasgow. |
 | A possible explanation for how germlines are rejuvenated(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers affiliated with the University of California and Calico Life Sciences, has discovered a possible explanation regarding how human germlines are rejuvenated. In their paper published in the journal Nature, Adam Bohnert and Cynthia Kenyon describe work they have done with worms in their lab and the possible implications their findings may have on human reproduction. |
 | Polar bears crowd on Russian island in sign of Arctic changeA boatload of tourists in the far eastern Russian Arctic thought they were seeing clumps of ice on the shore, before the jaw-dropping realisation that some 200 polar bears were roaming on the mountain slope. |
 | Wolves' return to Oregon brings conflict and opportunityWolves were once so plentiful in the abundant forests that would become Oregon that the earliest settlers gathered from far and wide to discuss how to kill them. |
Lead poisoning deaths up in New Hampshire loons despite lawMore than year after New Hampshire passed one of the nation's toughest bans on using lead fishing tackle, loons are still dying from ingesting fishing weights and lures. | |
 | Symbiosis and cell evolution: Lynn Margulis and the origin of eukaryotesAlthough that for a long-time symbiosis was considered to be quite exceptional and restricted to few classical textbooks examples like lichens, American biologist Lynn Margulis (1938-2011) devoted most of her professional life to demonstrate that it is in fact a pervasive mechanism uniting what would otherwise would appear as isolated biological species and lineages. Starting with her seminal assay, "On the origin of mitosing cells," published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology in 1967 (authored as Lynn Sagan), her lifelong work on eukaryogenesis and the role of symbiosis in evolution stands as a valid and authoritative contribution to science. |
Trappers ask court to throw out lawsuit over US fur exportsFur trappers are asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit from wildlife advocates who want to block the export of bobcat pelts from the United States. | |
 | Nepal on target to meet aim of doubling tiger population by 2022The wild tiger population in the world has declined by more than 98% in the past 200 years; the present tiger population of 3,643 is only 5% of the population a century ago. Concerned by this sharp decline of an iconic animal of the Asian tropical forests, the heads of government of 13 tiger range countries conferred at the International Tiger Forum in St Petersburg, Russia in 2010. In the meeting they expressed a written commitment to double the wild tiger population by 2022 in an attempt to protect this endangered species from extinction. |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment