Science X Newsletter Week 45

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 45:

	Bonobos help strangers without being asked A passer-by drops something and you spring to pick it up. Or maybe you hold the door for someone behind you. Such acts of kindness to strangers were long thought to be unique to humans, but recent research on bonobos suggests our species is not as exceptional in this regard as we like to think.
	Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than hydrogen fusion (Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Tel Aviv University and the University of Chicago has found evidence suggesting that fusing quarks can release much more energy than anyone thought. In their paper published in the journal Nature, Marek Karliner and Jonathan Rosner describe their theories surrounding the amount of energy involved when various types of quarks are fused together.
	Frequent alcohol drinking kills new brain cells in adults, females are more vulnerable Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston recently discovered that alcohol killed the stem cells residing in adult mouse brains. Because the brain stems cells create new nerve cells and are important to maintaining normal cognitive function, this study possibly opens a door to combating chronic alcoholism.
	Team discovers a rare Minoan sealstone in the treasure-laden tomb of a Bronze Age Greek warrior In the more than two years since University of Cincinnati researchers unearthed the 3,500-year-old tomb of a Bronze Age warrior in southwest Greece, an incredible trove of riches has emerged, including four gold signet rings that have challenged accepted wisdom among archaeologists about the origins of Greek civilization.
	Old human cells rejuvenated in breakthrough discovery on ageing A team led by Professor Lorna Harries, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Exeter, has discovered a new way to rejuvenate inactive senescent cells. Within hours of treatment the older cells started to divide, and had longer telomeres - the 'caps' on the chromosomes which shorten as we age.
	IBM says it's reached milestone in quantum computing IBM has announced a milestone in its race against Google and other big tech firms to build a powerful quantum computer.
	How much does a kilogram weigh? The kilogram doesn't weigh a kilogram any more. This sad news was announced during a seminar at CERN on Thursday, 26 October by Professor Klaus von Klitzing, who was awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the quantised Hall effect. "We are about to witness a revolutionary change in the way the kilogram is defined," he declared.
	New study reveals sleep deprivation disrupts brain-cell communication Ever sleep poorly and then walk out of the house without your keys? Or space out on the highway and nearly hit a stalled car?
	'Zombie ant' brains left intact by fungal parasite A fungal parasite that infects ants and manipulates their behavior to benefit the fungus' reproduction accomplishes this feat without infecting the ants' brains, according to a study led by Penn State researchers.
	Scientists find potential 'missing link' in chemistry that led to life on Earth Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a compound that may have been a crucial factor in the origins of life on Earth.
	Where did those electrons go? Decades-old mystery solved The concept of "valence" - the ability of a particular atom to combine with other atoms by exchanging electrons - is one of the cornerstones of modern chemistry and solid-state physics.
	New analysis of Chicxulub asteroid suggests it may have struck in vulnerable spot (Phys.org)—A pair of researchers at Tohoku University has found evidence suggesting that if the asteroid that struck the Earth near Chicxulub 66 million years ago had landed almost anywhere else, it would not have been nearly as destructive. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, Kunio Kaiho and Naga Oshima suggest that had the asteroid struck another part of the planet it is likely the dinosaurs would have survived.
	Research reveals controversial insecticides are toxic to songbirds "Studies on the risks of neonicotinoids have often focused on bees that have been experiencing population declines. However, it is not just bees that are being affected by these insecticides," said Christy Morrissey, U of S biology professor.
	A flexible material that generates electricity when stressed Researchers from Empa have developed a flexible material that generates electricity when stressed. In future, it might be used as a sensor, integrated into clothing or even implanted in the human body, for instance, to power a pacemaker.
	Extremely massive exoplanet discovered in the Milky Way's bulge (Phys.org)—As a result of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observations of a microlensing event, astronomers have found an extremely massive alien world circling a star located in the Milky Way's bulge. The newly discovered planet, designated OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, is the first Spitzer microlensing exoworld residing in the galactic bulge. The finding was presented October 27 in a paper published on arXiv.org.
	A new kind of quantum computer Quantum mechanics incorporates some very non-intuitive properties of matter. Quantum superposition, for example, allows an atom to be simultaneously in two different states with its spin axis pointed both up and down, or combinations in between. A computer that uses quantum mechanical manipulation of atoms or particles therefore has many more possible options than a conventional one that works with "zeros" and "ones" and has only two choices, called bits. A quantum computer's memory uses instead what are called quantum bits - qubits - and each qubit can be in a superposition of these two states. As a result, theoretical physicists estimate a quantum computer with only about one hundred of these qubits could in principle exceed the computing power of the powerful current classical computers. Building a quantum computer is therefore one of the main technological goals in modern physics and astrophysics.
	Physicists develop a device that could provide conclusive evidence for the existence (or not) of non-Abelian anyons What kinds of 'particles' are allowed by nature? The answer lies in the theory of quantum mechanics, which describes the microscopic world.
	That music playing in your head is a real conundrum for scientists Researchers at EPFL can now see what happens in our brains when we hear music in our heads. The researchers hope that in time their findings will be used to help people who have lost the ability to speak.
	Star exploded, survived, and exploded again more than 50 years later It's the celestial equivalent of a horror movie villain—a star that wouldn't stay dead.
	Biomedical engineer finds how brain encodes sounds When you are out in the woods and hear a cracking sound, your brain needs to process quickly whether the sound is coming from, say, a bear or a chipmunk. In new research published in PLoS Biology, a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has a new interpretation for an old observation, debunking an established theory in the process.

---

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