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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 28, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Researchers discover a chemically primitive dwarf star in the galactic haloSpanish astronomers have identified a new carbon-rich ultra metal-poor unevolved star in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy. The newly found star, designated J0815+4729, could be the most iron-poor unevolved star known to date. The finding was detailed in a paper published December 18 on the arXiv pre-print repository. |
 | Genes in Space-3 successfully identifies unknown microbes in spaceBeing able to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of microbiology and space exploration. The Genes in Space-3 team turned that possibility into a reality this year, when it completed the first-ever sample-to-sequence process entirely aboard the space station. Results from their investigation were published in Scientific Reports. |
 | Image: Kwanzaa tholus on CeresWhat is a tholus? A tholus is a type of small mountain. These images show such a feature on dwarf planet Ceres called Kwanzaa Tholus. Kwanzaa, meaning "first fruits" in Swahili, is an African-American festival based on ancient African harvest celebrations, and takes place each year from December 26 to January 1. |
 | Failed space launches haunt Russia; Kremlin eyes probe (Update)Russia's latest space launch failures have prompted authorities to take a closer look into the nation's struggling space industry, the Kremlin said Thursday. |
Technology news
 | A 360-degree rotation hinge design teases hopes for Microsoft phone win in 2018Remember when Microsoft was actually aspiring to be mobile phone players? It seems like yesterday—but actually it was not so long ago. With the rise of the iPhone and flashy Android launches, the world got used to unsightly stats showing the Windows Phone dip. |
 | Self-healing glass: a cracking discovery from JapanA Japanese researcher has developed—by accident— a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks. |
 | Gallium nitride processor—next-generation technology for space explorationA material known as gallium nitride (GaN), poised to become the next semiconductor for power electronics, could be also essential for various space applications. Yuji Zhao, an expert in electrical and computer engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), plans to develop the first-ever processor from gallium nitride, which could revolutionize future space exploration missions. |
 | Efficiently reading piano musical scores by analyzing geometrical information in musical notesMusical scores for piano usually have a large number of notes and instructions, such as marks indicating expression, articulation, and accidentals. When pianists sight-read sheet music, they must decode such information instantly and transform it into finger actions and movement. However, it is still not clear how pianists are able to achieve such fast decoding. |
 | Hierarchical opportunistic routing with moderate clustering for ad hoc networksThe self-organizing nature of ad hoc networks generally has an advantage that the networks are free from fixed infrastructures such as APs (Access points). However, this also has a disadvantage that the networks are unstable and unreliable compared with wired and fixed communication. |
 | Information extraction and visualization from Twitter considering spatial structureSocial media is expected to be a good source of data for analyzing human behavior and statuses of locations. It is possible to provide location-based information simply by geospatially filtering archived data. |
 | New app developed to locate people in areas without a phone signalResearchers of the Universidad de Alicante (UA) have developed new technology that makes it possible to locate people who have suffered an accident in remote locations without a phone signal and where a speedy rescue is essential to save lives. The system can also be used in emergency situations that arise as a result of earthquakes, floods or forest fires, where mobile phone infrastructure is often rendered useless. |
Apple CEO must fly private for 'security, efficiency'Apple's board has instructed chief executive Tim Cook to use only private aircraft "in the interests of security and efficiency" at the world's most valuable company, regulatory documents show. | |
Epson, Apple face French legal pressure over planned obsolescenceFrench prosecutors have launched a probe into Japanese printer maker Epson for alleged planned obsolescence in its products, using landmark consumer legislation that campaigners hope to turn against Apple as well. | |
 | How to keep your smartened-up home safe from hackersMore people are getting voice-activated speakers and other smart devices for convenience and security. But doing so could also be giving hackers a key to their homes. |
Two Romanians charged with hacking US capital police camerasTwo Romanian nationals have been arrested and charged with hacking into computer systems which controlled surveillance cameras for the Metropolitan Police Department in the US capital earlier this year, officials said Thursday. | |
 | Postcard from Pyongyang: The airport now has Wi-Fi, sort ofNorth Korea is one of the least Wi-Fi-friendly countries in the world. Having a device that emits Wi-Fi signals can result in detention and a major fine. Worse, if you are a North Korean. Public use of the internet is a concept that just makes North Korean officials really nervous. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Lack of sleep boosts levels of Alzheimer's proteinsHave you resolved to take better care of yourself in the new year? Here's a relatively painless way to do it: Catch a few more zzz's every night. A third of American adults don't get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | MRIs safe with older pacemakers, study finds(HealthDay)—Powerful magnetic fields created during an MRI scan were thought to play havoc with some pacemakers, but a new study says these scans are safe for people with the heart devices. |
 | Cancer overrides the circadian clock to surviveTumor cells use the unfolded protein response to alter circadian rhythm, which contributes to more tumor growth, Hollings Cancer Center researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) find. A key part of the circadian clock opposes this process, according to a paper published online Dec. 11 in Nature Cell Biology. |
 | In a milestone year, gene therapy finds a place in medicineAfter decades of hope and high promise, this was the year scientists really showed they could doctor DNA to successfully treat diseases. Gene therapies to treat cancer and even pull off the biblical-sounding feat of helping the blind to see were approved by U.S. regulators, establishing gene manipulation as a new mode of medicine. |
 | A cluster of mutations in neurofibromatosis is important risk factor for severe symptomsResearch led by Ludwine Messiaen, Ph.D., professor of genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, shows that missense mutations in a cluster of just five codons in the NF1 gene are an important risk factor for severe symptoms of the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1. |
 | With wrist-worn gadget, researchers capture real-life sleep for the first timeTo measure a person's sleep, researchers have always relied on costly and time-consuming approaches that could only be used in a sleep lab. But now researchers reporting in Current Biology on December 28 have found a way to capture detailed information on human sleep cycles over long periods of time while individuals slumber at home in their usual way. According to the researchers, the findings represent a major breakthrough in sleep research because, for the first time, it will now be possible to objectively capture the real-life sleep habits and sleep quality of large numbers of people. |
Innovative medical aid for Gabon's 'poorest of the poor'"Here you're in the heart of precarious living," one of Gabon's first medical responders says in Kolo Ngoum, a grubby shanty suburb of Libreville that has seen no doctors in ages. | |
 | Feeling sad? Here's how to beat the holiday blues(HealthDay)—The holiday blues might be a common phenomenon, but there's plenty you can do to protect your mental health this time of year. |
 | Pneumatic compression promising for lymphedema(HealthDay)—One treatment session with advanced pneumatic compression is associated with reduced cancer-related head and neck lymphedema, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in Head & Neck. |
 | Dermatologists often undervalue depression, anxiety in patients(HealthDay)—Dermatologists across Europe tend to underestimate mood disorders in their patients, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in the British Journal of Dermatology. |
 | Ob-gyns encouraged to consider social determinants of health(HealthDay)—Recognizing the importance of social determinants of health can help obstetrician-gynecologists and other health care providers to offer better care and improve health outcomes, according to a Committee Opinion published online Dec. 21 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | High school coaches, players know little about concussion(HealthDay)—The link between concussions and brain injury might be a hot topic in the NFL, but at the high school level? Apparently not so much. |
 | State Medicaid expansions led to more prenatal care for low-income mothersThe Medicaid expansions for low-income parents that took place in 34 states between 1996 and 2011 led to a 2.3 percent decrease in the uninsured rate among women who already had a child and became pregnant again, and a 7.9 percent decrease in the number of mothers who didn't have insurance while they were pregnant. |
 | New patch aims to turn energy-storing fats into energy-burning fatsA micro-needle patch delivers drugs that are known to turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat. This innovative approach developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), reduced weight gain in mice on a high-fat diet and their fat mass by more than 30 percent over four weeks. |
Kenya's HIV progress report—good progress, but also big gapsThe World Health Organisation (WHO) has clear markers on the road to controlling the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. By 2020, about nine out of every ten people should know their HIV status. Nine out of ten HIV positive people should be on antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) and the virus should not be detectable in their blood. | |
 | Why do people with East Asian heritage get flushed after drinking alcohol?If your face goes red when drinking alcohol, you're not alone. More than one in three people with East Asian heritage (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) experience facial flushing when drinking beer, wine or spirits. |
 | New digital pill raises personal privacy concernsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new digital pill capable of monitoring whether individuals are taking a prescribed medication. People not taking their medications – especially those with chronic conditions – is a major national health problem that costs about $300 billion a year in additional treatments and hospitalizations. The high-tech digital pill will be available in a limited number of health plans starting next year. But it is already raising concerns about healthcare providers and insurance companies gaining greater access into patients' personal lives. Associate professor of pharmacy practice Nathaniel Rickles, an expert in medication adherence issues, discusses the new pill and its potential impact. |
 | Study shows increased risk of uterine fibroids in African-American women with a common form of hairIn a study of medical records gathered on hundreds of thousands of African-American women, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have evidence that women with a common form of hair loss have an increased chance of developing uterine leiomyomas, or fibroids. |
 | Epidemic of opioid abuse is top health story of 2017(HealthDay)—The millions of Americans caught in the grip of an addiction to opioids—prescription painkillers or heroin—remained the leading health news story of the past year. |
 | Five addiction experts weigh in on future of opioid crisis. Their forecast: grimDonald S. Burke has little trouble finding a parallel with the opioid epidemic's surging death rates and elusive solutions: the early years of AIDS. |
 | Do you take calcium and vitamin D to protect your bones? A new study says it doesn't helpIf taking more vitamin and mineral supplements is part of your plan for a healthier new year, a new study may prompt you to reconsider. |
 | 'Gaming Disorder' recognized as a worldwide mental health conditionAmericans had "Pac-Man Fever" as far back as 1981 but it has taken until now for the World Health Organization to officially recognize that playing video games too often could be a mental health disorder. |
 | Gene therapy using CAR T-cells could provide long-term protection against HIVThrough gene therapy, researchers engineered blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, or HSPCs) to carry chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) genes to make cells that can detect and destroy HIV-infected cells. These engineered cells not only destroyed the infected cells, they persisted for more than two years, suggesting the potential to create long-term immunity from the virus that causes AIDS. |
 | Cholera hotspots found at Uganda's borders and lakesUganda is among the countries is sub-Saharan Africa where cholera remains a recurring problem, despite advances in science and technology for prevention, detection and treatment of the infectious disease. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have identified cholera hotspots around Uganda to help target interventions. |
 | Alternative therapies for mild infections could help combat antibiotic resistanceResistance to antibiotics poses a serious and sometimes deadly challenge to the treatment of severe bacterial infections. In a new Essay publishing 28 December in the open access journal PLOS Biology, Kristofer Wollein Waldetoft and Sam P. Brown of Georgia Institute of Technology propose that development of alternative therapies for mild infections could help slow the development and spread of antibiotic resistance, thereby preserving the drugs' effectiveness for use in severe infections. |
 | Getting the right treatment: Predicting treatment response in depressionNew evidence from mice suggests why an antidepressant treatment can alleviate depression in one person but not another. The study, publishing December 28 in the open access journal PLOS Biology, was led by Marianne Müller and an international team at the University Medical Center Mainz and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry. The researchers developed a mouse model that allowed them to identify blood signatures associated with response to antidepressant treatment and could show the importance of the stress-related glucocorticoid receptor in recovery from depression. |
 | Researchers report novel complementary effects of estrogen treatment in multiple sclerosisA study by UCLA researchers reveals the cellular basis for how the hormone estrogen protects against damage to the central nervous system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers found that estrogen treatment exerts positive effects on two types of cells during disease —immune cells in the brain and also cells called oligodendrocytes. Complementary actions on these two types provide protection from disease. |
Carfilzomib can lead to cardiovascular toxicity in multiple myeloma patientsThe proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib has taken on an increasing role in the treatment of multiple myeloma, but new research from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania shows the therapy comes with the risk of cardiovascular problems in a higher than expected percentage of patients. An analysis of past studies shows 18 percent of multiple myeloma patients receiving carfilzomib experience cardiovascular adverse events (CVAE) such as hypertension, heart failure, heart attacks, or arrhythmia. More than eight percent of patients experience high-grade CVAEs that are more severe, which is more than twice as common as with other drugs for treating relapsed myeloma. Researchers published their findings today in JAMA Oncology. | |
Biology news
 | Engineers hack cell biology to create 3-D shapes from living tissueMany of the complex folded shapes that form mammalian tissues can be recreated with very simple instructions, UC San Francisco bioengineers report December 28 in the journal Developmental Cell. By patterning mechanically active mouse or human cells to thin layers of extracellular matrix fibers, the researchers could create bowls, coils, and ripples out of living tissue. The cells collaborated mechanically through a web of these fibers to fold themselves up in predictable ways, mimicking natural developmental processes. |
 | A new regulator of vesicle trafficking in plantsA protein that transports the simple chemical choline plays a major role in vesicle trafficking, ion homeostasis, and growth and development in plants, according to two new studies publishing 28 December in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by Dai-Yin Chao of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, China, and Sheng Luan of the University of California, Berkeley, and co-workers. |
 | Jaguar conservation depends on neighbors' attitudesAccording to a new survey of residents living near two major national parks in Panama, jaguars deserve increased protection. Nature and wildlife are considered national treasures. But because most residents still support road-building in the parks, the survey team—including Ricardo Moreno, a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute research associate—recommends further education to emphasize the connection between healthy ecosystems and jaguar survival. |
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