Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Dec 12

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 12, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Two holograms in one surface

New silicon structure opens the gate to quantum computers

Tasmanian tiger doomed long before humans came along

Scientists discover path to improving game-changing battery electrode

New eruptions detected in two luminous blue variables

Amputee controls individual prosthetic fingers via ultrasound technology

Faster, more accurate cancer detection using nanoparticles

Life's building blocks observed in spacelike environment

Dinosaur parasites trapped in 100-million-year-old amber tell blood-sucking story

Scientists engineer nanoscale pillars to act like memory foam, paving the way to new nanoelectromechanical devices

Experiments show Neolithic Thames beater could be used to kill a person

Engineers create artificial graphene in a nanofabricated semiconductor structure

Drug increases speed, safety of treatment for multiple food allergies

'Man flu' may be real

Marine turtles dying after becoming entangled in plastic rubbish

Astronomy & Space news

	New eruptions detected in two luminous blue variables (Phys.org)—Astronomers report the detection of new eruptions in two luminous blue variables, known as R 40 and R 110, located in the Magellanic Clouds. The finding, presented December 5 in a paper published on the arXiv pre-print repository, could shed new light on the final phases of stellar evolution process.
	Telescopes team up to study giant galaxy Astronomers have used two Australian radio telescopes and several optical telescopes to study complex mechanisms that are fuelling jets of material blasting away from a black hole 55 million times more massive than the Sun.
	Cassini may be dead, but a new era of Saturn science has just begun NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn may have came to a fiery end in September, but observations made by the spacecraft in its final months still have plenty to teach us about the mysteries of the ringed planet.
	Juno probes the depths of Jupiter's great red spot Data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft during its first pass over Jupiter's Great Red Spot in July 2017 indicate that this iconic feature penetrates well below the clouds. Other revelations from the mission include that Jupiter has two previously uncharted radiation zones. The findings were announced Monday at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans.
	Chandra reveals the elementary nature of Cassiopeia A Where do most of the elements essential for life on Earth come from? The answer: inside the furnaces of stars and the explosions that mark the end of some stars' lives.
	Impressive Geminid Meteors to Peak on December 13–14 If it's clear Wednesday night and Thursday before dawn, keep a lookout high overhead for the "shooting stars" of the Geminid meteor shower. That's the peak night for this annual display.
	Image: Science from the moon's shadow While total solar eclipses happen about once every 18 months somewhere on Earth, the Aug. 21, 2017, eclipse was rare in its long path over land. The total eclipse lasted about 90 minutes, from the time it first reached the Oregon coast to when it left the North American mainland in South Carolina. This long, uninterrupted path over land provided scientists with a rare chance to investigate the sun and its influence on Earth in ways that aren't usually possible.
	SpaceX delivery delayed a day; First reused rocket for NASA SpaceX has delayed its latest grocery run for the International Space Station for at least a day.
Russian space agency blames satellite loss on programming error Russia's space agency on Tuesday blamed a failed satellite launch from its new cosmodrome on a programming error, prompting an angry response from the deputy prime minister in charge of space.
	Does New Horizons' next target have a moon? Scientists were already excited to learn this summer that New Horizons' next flyby target – a Kuiper Belt object a billion miles past Pluto – might be either peanut-shaped or even two objects orbiting one another. Now new data hints that 2014 MU69 might have company: a small moon.
	Hubble's celestial snow globe It's beginning to look a lot like the holiday season in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of a blizzard of stars, which resembles a swirling snowstorm in a snow globe.
	Ariane 5 rocket takes off with European GPS satellites An Ariane 5 rocket took off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana on Tuesday, taking with it four satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation project, Arianespace said.

Technology news

	Amputee controls individual prosthetic fingers via ultrasound technology Luke Skywalker's bionic hand is a step closer to reality for amputees in this galaxy. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an ultrasonic sensor that allows amputees to control each of their prosthetic fingers individually. It provides fine motor hand gestures that aren't possible with current commercially available devices.
	Computer scientists develop a simple tool to tell if websites suffered a data breach Computer scientists have built and successfully tested a tool designed to detect when websites are hacked by monitoring the activity of email accounts associated with them. The researchers were surprised to find that almost 1 percent of the websites they tested had suffered a data breach during their 18-month study period, regardless of how big the companies' reach and audience are.
	Augmented reality: Digital teapot fits in with real objects (Tech Xplore)—University of Arizona's College of Optical Sciences has an ambitious lineup of research areas.
	Comcast reportedly no longer in deal talks with Fox Citing a Comcast statement, the Wall Street Journal reported that the cable company is no longer in discussions to buy pieces of 21st Century Fox . That could open the door to a Disney bid.
	Facebook's Messenger Kids: Parents grapple with social media decision Torn between the benefits and drawbacks of social media, Leigh Turberville Harrell hasn't decided yet whether to let her children use Facebook's new messaging app for kids.
	No batteries, wires or plugs: Student team makes plastic devices that communicate via Wi-Fi You don't have to ask Alexa, or even push a button. With new devices pioneered by a University of Washington computer science team, battery-less objects made entirely of plastic could communicate with other devices on your home network.
	How soundscapes and vibrations are helping blind people see the world Glasses that translate images of physical objects into soundscapes and a belt that turns images into vibrations are helping blind people build up a real-time 3-D picture of the world around them, and the technology could hit the market as soon as next year.
	Cascading use of wood to ensure sustainability Another 10 years is approximately how long sustainable forestry will be able to satisfy the continuously growing demand for wood. In Germany and Europe, new concepts are therefore being discussed for more responsible and efficient industrial use of wood, but resources are still limited. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are using data from a European research project to analyze the potential efficiency of multiple use between harvesting and combustion of wood.
	Singapore launches electric car-sharing service Singapore on Tuesday launched an electric car-sharing service, the latest transport innovation aimed at encouraging people away from owning vehicles and keeping gridlock at bay in the space-starved city-state.
Building 3-D models of molecules with RealityConvert Denis Fourches wants to make the search for new drugs faster and less expensive. So he uses powerful computers to help model interactions between chemical compounds and biological targets to predict the compound's effectiveness, thus narrowing the field of potential drug candidates for testing and saving researchers time and money. Now he has a new tool in his arsenal – a computer program that will allow anyone to rapidly create three-dimensional models of molecules for 3-D printing as well as augmented and virtual reality applications, making it easier to study these complex biomolecular structures.
	Tokyo airport to be 'scattered' with robots for 2020 Olympics Visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can expect to arrive at an airport "scattered" with robots to help them, an official said Tuesday as he unveiled seven new machines to perform tasks from helping with luggage to language assistance.
	Read this before you give your kid his or her first smartphone While it might not bring parents as much joy as a first step or first word, the right time to introduce kids to a smartphone is an important moment.
	Here's how to shut down the internet: Snip undersea fiber-optic cables Hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable lay on the ocean floors, a crucial part of the global internet's backbone, and only rarely do ship anchors, undersea landslides or saboteurs disrupt them.
	Twitter makes 'tweetstorms' easier with 'threads' Twitter said Tuesday said it would make it easier for users to build "tweetstorms" by linking together posts in "threads" to expound at length at the famously short-form messaging service.
	Pregnant woman wants seat on Tokyo metro: there's an app for that Pregnant women struggling to bag a seat on the famously packed Tokyo subway could find their salvation in a new app connecting them with nearby passengers willing to give up their coveted perch.
	Scientists print 3-D models of children's hearts for urgent operations Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University are creating 3-D-printed models of children's hearts based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of real patients. These models are used as simulators for cardiac surgeons to plan forthcoming operations.
	Is your Facebook account being targeted by food companies? Want to know if you are being targeted on Facebook by food and beverage companies?
	Distributing control of deep learning training delivers 10x performance improvement My IBM Research AI team and I recently completed the first formal theoretical study of the convergence rate and communications complexity associated with a decentralized distributed approach in a deep learning training setting. The empirical evidence proves that in specific configurations, a decentralized approach can result in a 10x performance boost over a centralized approach without additional complexity. A paper describing our work has been accepted for oral presentation at the NIPS 2017 Conference, one of the 40 out of 3240 submissions selected for this.
	Scientists design an instrument to identify unexploded artillery shells Society faces threats through the malicious use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and/or explosive (CBRNE) materials. The detection of illicit trafficking or other criminal acts, as well as many security and safety applications, call for novel material analysis techniques and instruments. These detection systems should be non-destructive but still be able to detect and identify the threat objects, even from inside a shielding or masking enclosure. Active interrogation methods that use penetrative particle beams can reveal the presence of CBRNE materials.
	New data tool to support the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy launched by IEA The Institute for Environmental Analytics has launched a renewable energy planning tool in the Seychelles, where it has been welcomed by the government as a boost towards its target of 100 percent renewable energy generation.
Italian prosecutors seek to shelve Hacking Team breach case A legal document obtained by The Associated Press says that Italian prosecutors want to drop their investigation into the 2015 breach of surveillance company Hacking Team, leaving a question mark over a dramatic leak which embarrassed intelligence figures across the globe.
Developing 3-D maps of ground conductivity for power-grid risk assessment It's not often geology and national security wind up in the same sentence. Most people don't think about electrical power in connection to either the ground under their feet or solar flares overhead, but Dr. Adam Schultz of Oregon State University, and EarthScope Magnetotelluric Program Lead Scientist, says that connection presents a clear and present risk that power utilities need to consider.
To fend off hackers, local governments get help from states The city of Mill Creek, Wash., has only 55 full-time employees and just one of them—James Busch—is responsible for handling information technology and cybersecurity. He worries about the growing sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals and the city computer network's vulnerabilities.
	Beta of Neurodata Without Borders software now available Neuroscientists can now explore a beta version of the new Neurodata Without Borders: Neurophysiology (NWB:N 2.0) software and offer input to developers before it is fully released next year.
	Researcher collaborates with industry to create design tool for syntactic foams With a foundation in aerospace and deep-sea applications, syntactic foams are emerging in the construction, infrastructure, wind energy, and sports equipment industries. Companies in the transportation sector are also employing these super-light, strong materials to build more efficient, less costly vehicles.

Medicine & Health news

	Drug increases speed, safety of treatment for multiple food allergies In a randomized, controlled phase-2 clinical trial, an asthma medication increased the speed and safety of a protocol used to treat children for several food allergies at once, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
	'Man flu' may be real The much-debated phenomenon of "man flu" may have some basis in fact, suggests an article published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.
	Time of day affects severity of autoimmune disease Insights into how the body clock and time of day influence immune responses are revealed today in a study published in leading international journal Nature Communications. Understanding the effect of the interplay between 24-hour day-night cycles and the immune system may help inform drug-targeting strategies to alleviate autoimmune disease.
	Association found between abnormal cerebral connectivity and variability in the PPARG gene in developing preterm infants (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers with King's College London and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, both in the U.K., has found what they describe as a strong association between abnormal cerebral connectivity and the PPARG gene and uncharacteristic white matter development in the brains of preterm infants. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their use of unbiased learning analysis on data obtained from 272 preterm infants and what they learned from it.
	Study confirms link between the number of older brothers and increased odds of being homosexual Groundbreaking research led by a team from Brock University has further confirmed that sexual orientation for men is likely determined in the womb.
	Neuroscientists show deep brain waves occur more often during navigation and memory formation UCLA neuroscientists are the first to show that rhythmic waves in the brain called theta oscillations happen more often when someone is navigating an unfamiliar environment, and that the more quickly a person moves, the more theta oscillations take place—presumably to process incoming information faster.
	Ultra-thin tissue samples could help to understand and treat heart disease A new method for preparing ultra-thin slices of heart tissue in the lab could help scientists to study how cells behave inside a beating heart.
	Intermittent fasting found to increase cognitive functions in mice (Medical Xpress)—The Daily Mail spoke with the leader of a team of researchers with the National Institute on Aging in the U.S. and reports that they have found that putting mice on a diet consisting of eating nothing every other day for a period of time day resulted in improved cognitive functioning. The research was led by Dr. Mark Mattson who runs a neuroscience lab at the institute.
	The immune cells that help tumors instead of destroying them Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths. One of the most promising ways to treat it is by immunotherapy, a strategy that turns the patient's immune system against the tumor. In the past twenty years, immunotherapies have been largely based on the degree by which immune cells can infiltrate a lung tumor, which has become a major predictor of the patient's overall prognosis.
	Drug blocks Zika, other mosquito-borne viruses in cell cultures If there was a Mafia crime family of the virus world, it might be flaviviruses.
	Discovery deepens understanding of brain's sensory circuitry Because they provide an exemplary physiological model of how the mammalian brain receives sensory information, neural structures called "mouse whisker barrels" have been the subject of study by neuroscientists around the world for nearly 50 years. A new study shows that despite all that prior scrutiny, significant discoveries remain to be made. Specifically, researchers at Brown University have found a previously unknown set of matching barrel structures two layers deeper into the cortex than the whisker barrels, providing a more complete picture of the circuitry involved in handling sensory information.
	Researchers develop test that can diagnose two cancer types A blood test using infrared spectroscopy can be used to diagnose two types of cancer, lymphoma and melanoma, according to a study led by Georgia State University.
	Estrogen discovery could shed new light on fertility problems Estrogen produced in the brain is necessary for ovulation in monkeys, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who have upended the traditional understanding of the hormonal cascade that leads to release of an egg from the ovaries.
	New therapy can help schizophrenia sufferers re-engage socially A new therapy aimed at helping young people suffering from schizophrenia to reconnect and engage with the world around them has had promising results, according to a new University of Sussex-led study.
Peppa Pig may encourage inappropriate use of primary care services Exposure to the children's television series Peppa Pig may be contributing to unrealistic expectations of primary care and encouraging inappropriate use of services, suggests a doctor in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.
	Study suggests being proud may protect against falls in older people Contrary to the old saying "pride comes before a fall", the opposite appears to be true, according to a study published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.
Teenagers with incontinence are at risk of underachieving at secondary school Continence problems are among the most common paediatric health problems. It's commonly believed that continence problems resolve with age in all children. However, severe incontinence in childhood can persist into adolescence. New research has found teenagers with incontinence are at greater risk of underachieving academically, and need more support to remove barriers so they can reach their academic potential.
Increasing physical activity improves survival in lymphoma patients, researchers say An observational study by researchers at Mayo Clinic has found that increasing physical activity not only decreased the risk of death from all causes but also decreased the risk of death specifically from lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, the part of the body's germ-fighting network which includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect those areas as well as other organs throughout the body. Study results were presented today at the 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta by Priyanka Pophali, M.B.B.S., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic.
Medical marijuana for children with cancer? What providers think A study published in Pediatrics examined interdisciplinary provider perspectives on legal medical marijuana use in children with cancer. It found that 92 percent of providers were willing to help children with cancer access medical marijuana. However, providers who are legally eligible to certify for medical marijuana were less open to endorsing its use.
	Researchers find common psychological traits in group of Italians aged 90 to 101 In remote Italian villages nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and mountains lives a group of several hundred citizens over the age of 90. Researchers at the University of Rome La Sapienza and University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified common psychological traits in members of this group.
	MRI scans predict patients' ability to fight the spread of cancer A simple, non-invasive procedure that can indicate how long patients with cancer that has spread to the brain might survive and whether they are likely to respond to immunotherapy has been developed by researchers in Liverpool.
Dementia and cognitive impairment more prevalent in rural than urban seniors Americans who live in urban areas tend to be healthier than individuals living in rural settings. While this healthcare disparity has been examined for more than a decade, researchers present the first nationally representative study to find that dementia and cognitive impairment have consistently been more prevalent among rural dwelling seniors than urban dwelling seniors. Their findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, further suggest that while lagging behind their urban counterparts, the cognitive health of seniors living in rural areas has benefited from early twentieth century investments in secondary education that led to rapid increases in high school graduation rates in rural communities.
	Drug suppresses spread of breast cancer caused by stem-like cells Rare stem-like tumor cells play a critical role in the spread of breast cancer, but a vulnerability in the pathway that powers them offers a strategy to target these cells using existing drugs before metastatic disease occurs, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center researchers.
People aged 75 years and older are underrepresented in blood cancer clinical trials In the first comprehensive analysis of clinical trial enrollment among older adults with blood cancers, researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found significant gaps in participation among those aged 75 and older when considered against the incidence of these malignancies in this age group, according to research being presented today during the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta. By comparison, adults under 65 years tend to be overly represented in these trials, despite the fact that a majority of blood cancers are most frequently diagnosed in those over 65 years of age.
	Single-dose vaccine could provide faster protection in cholera epidemics Each year there are more than three million cases of cholera worldwide, a disease transmitted through contaminated food and water that hits developing countries particularly hard. While the standard regimen for protecting against cholera with existing non-living oral cholera vaccines includes administering two doses over a two-week period, research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) now shows that giving a stronger single-dose of a live oral vaccine could be an effective tool in controlling outbreaks more quickly.
	In Sao Tome, funding fears overshadow gains against malaria A big roadside poster announces a "Pest Control Campaign" in Sao Tome and Principe, with a man in a white face mask wielding an insecticide spray fuelled by a tank on his back.
	Treating the new hepatitis C generation on their turf Once a week, Dr. Diana Sylvestre puts her medical expertise to use in a rickety old house frequented by drug users in this small Northern California city.
	Percutaneous coronary intervention is a well-justified option in severe coronary artery disease The treatment of left main coronary artery disease by percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with a smaller risk of severe cardiovascular events than coronary artery bypass grafting in the weeks following surgery. A meta-analysis of several trials and nearly 5,000 patients revealed no differences in mortality between the two treatments. The finding is significant when it comes to selecting the form of treatment: Percutaneous coronary intervention is less burdensome for the patient, as it does not require long-term hospitalisation and offers quick recovery.
'Death receptors'—New markers for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have found that the presence of death receptors in the blood can be used to directly measure the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. "We see that people with known risk factors such as high blood sugar and high blood fats also have heightened death receptor levels," says Professor Jan Nilsson who led the study.
	How Zika virus induces congenital microcephaly Epidemiological studies show that in utero fetal infection with the Zika virus (ZIKV) may lead to microcephaly, an irreversible congenital malformation of the brain characterized by an incomplete development of the cerebral cortex. However, the mechanism of Zika virus-associated microcephaly remains unclear. An international team of researchers within the European consortium ZIKAlliance (coordinated by Inserm in France) has identified a specific mechanism leading to this microcephaly. Their findings are published this week in Nature Neuroscience.
	Tapeworm drug could lead the fight against Parkinson's disease Researchers at Cardiff University, in collaboration with the University of Dundee, have identified a drug molecule within a medicine used to treat tapeworm infections which could lead to new treatments for patients with Parkinson's disease.
	Studies highlight potential health risks for consumers and employees at beauty salons Clients who frequent hair and nail salons exhibit more instances of dermal and fungal symptoms than those who visit less often and nail salon technicians are receiving inadequate training in the use of chemicals, suggest two Rutgers School of Public Health studies.
	Blood flow–sensing protein protects against atherosclerosis in mice UCLA scientists have found that a protein known as NOTCH1 helps ward off inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, preventing atherosclerosis—the narrowing and hardening of arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes. The new finding, from research conducted on mice, also explains why areas of smooth, fast blood flow are less prone to inflammation: levels of NOTCH1 are higher in these vessels.
	Study finds uninsured don't use emergency rooms more than other patients One of the most common arguments for expanding publicly subsidized health coverage is that the uninsured overuse and overburden emergency departments. This argument persists despite evidence that, when the uninsured gain Medicaid coverage, emergency department use increases.
	Babies born during famine have lower cognition in midlife Hunger and malnutrition in infancy may lead to poor cognitive performance in midlife, according to a new study.
	State-level disclosure laws affect patients' eagerness to have their DNA tested Different types of privacy laws in U.S. states produce markedly different effects on the willingness of patients to have genetic testing done, according to a new study co-authored by an MIT professor.
	Hormone discovery marks breakthough in understanding fertility Scientists at The University of Nottingham have shown, for the first time, that a naturally occurring hormone plays a vital part in regulating a woman's fertility, a discovery that could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
	Molecular chaperones shown to assist in the fight against Huntington disease Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disease. It is always fatal. The disease is caused by a defect in the Huntingtin gene. To this day, no therapy will put a stop to the insidious disintegration of brain cells. Fortunately, scientists of the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin in collaboration with their peers working at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and at the Charité University Hospital discovered a natural mechanism, which not only suppresses the build-up of pathogenic amyloid fibrils but also disaggregates them. The scientists declare that the newly discovered molecular chaperones may soon be crucial parts of new therapy approaches. Recently, they published their work in the EMBO Journal.
Discovery of a key molecule for improving cystic fibrosis treatments Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have identified a promising solution to improving treatments offered to patients with cystic fibrosis.
	Adjusting portion sizes according to the circadian cycle We all know the adage "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." But is there any truth behind this?
	Young diabetics could have seven times higher risk for sudden cardiac death Young diabetics could have seven times more risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest than their peers who don't have diabetes, according to new research.
Recordings reveal deep credibility gap when doctors and parents discuss outcomes for critically ill An analysis of 16 audiotaped conversations between parents of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and clinicians found that medical staff routinely downplay quality of life issues and leave families more optimistic about their babies' prognoses than the clinicians intended.
Cancer gene plays key role in cystic fibrosis lung infections PTEN is best known as a tumor suppressor, a type of protein that protects cells from growing uncontrollably and becoming cancerous. But according to a new study from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), PTEN has a second, previously unknown talent: working with another protein, CFTR, it also keeps lung tissue free and clear of potentially dangerous infections.
Facility infrastructure does not indicate healthcare quality in low/middle-income countries While a strong infrastructure is important for healthcare, measures of health facility infrastructure are poorly correlated with health system quality, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Hannah Leslie from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, and colleagues.
	Indonesia's diphtheria outbreak: problems in vaccination and antibiotics efficacy Indonesia is seeing an outbreak of diphtheria, sparking fear among the people and the government. The bacteria, that causes a thick covering in the back of the throat, have infected hundreds and spread quickly not only to regions with limited health service but also to the country's capital Jakarta, where health services are much better.
Pre-hospital treatment for seriously injured patients Scientists hope to have paved the way for the development of potentially new life-saving treatments to be administered to seriously injured patients in the critical first hour of injury.
	Potassium is critical to circadian rhythms in human red blood cells An innovative new study from the University of Surrey and Cambridge's MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, has uncovered the secrets of the circadian rhythms in red blood cells and identified potassium as the key to unravelling the mystery.
	Researchers bring new insight into Chediak-Higashi syndrome, a devastating genetic disease A team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and University of Manchester have uncovered new insights into a rare genetic disease, with less than 500 cases of the disease on record, which devastates the lives of children.
	Role of transcriptional co-factor hints at possible inflammatory bowel disease treatment Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including the two conditions ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, results in long-term inflammation of the gut and is associated with dysregulation of the immune system. However, it is notoriously difficult to determine the cause of IBD, although genetic and environmental factors are implicated. To better understand disease development, researchers have developed a mouse model in which gut inflammation is induced by addition of the chemical dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to the drinking water of mice.
Action games expand the brain's cognitive abilities The human brain is malleable—it learns and adapts. Numerous research studies have focused on the impact of action video games on the brain by measuring cognitive abilities, such as perception, attention and reaction time. An international team of psychologists, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has assembled data from the last fifteen years to quantify how action video games impact cognition. The research has resulted in two meta-analyses, published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, which reveal a significant improvement in the cognitive abilities of gamers.
	Opioid crisis strains foster system as kids pried from homes The case arrives with all the routine of a traffic citation: A baby boy, just 4 days old and exposed to heroin in his mother's womb, is shuddering through withdrawal in intensive care, his fate now here in a shabby courthouse that hosts a parade of human misery.
	Q&A: How is the US opioid crisis affecting children? Public attention to the historic wave of opioid addiction gripping the U.S. has focused mostly on its effect on adults and the thousands who have died of overdoses. Missed by much of the spotlight, though, is a hidden epidemic: children who have fallen victim to opioids' wrath because a parent's drug use has left them in danger and thrust them into the foster care system.
	Tips for healthy, happy travels (HealthDay)—Buying new clothes for an upcoming holiday trip may top your to-do list, but packing the right medications can mean addressing health needs with ease rather than scrambling to find an all-night drugstore in a strange city.
	FDA approves admelog for diabetes (HealthDay)—Admelog (insulin lispro), a short-acting form of insulin, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat patients aged 3 years and older with either type of diabetes.
	NAFLD not independently tied to risk of reflux esophagitis (HealthDay)—Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not associated with increased risk of incident reflux esophagitis after adjustment for variables, including body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online Nov. 12 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
	Deceleration in health care spending growth in 2016 (HealthDay)—Health care spending growth slowed in 2016 following faster growth in 2014 and 2015, according to research published online Dec. 6 in Health Affairs.
	Pokemon Go could help people who struggle socially Video games may have a reputation for attracting introverts, but when it comes to augmented reality games like Pokémon Go, extroverts tend to be better players.
A gold-standard cancer treatment is in decline, and money may be why The evidence is clear: Cervical cancer is best treated with brachytherapy, a form of radiation therapy. Yet the use of this potentially lifesaving treatment has been declining, and a new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine may explain why.
	Injured troops could receive better care and benefits with new research Gunshots crackled as a man dressed in camouflage sat on the ground with a red stream trickling from his ear and a purple splotch marking the skin near his cheekbone. A medic asked what happened.
	3-D printed microfibers could provide structure for artificially grown body parts Much as a frame provides structural support for a house and the chassis provides strength and shape for a car, a team of Penn State engineers believe they have a way to create the structural framework for growing living tissue using an off-the-shelf 3-D printer.
	Stuttering: Stop signals in the brain disturb speech flow One per cent of adults and five per cent of children are unable to achieve what most of us take for granted—speaking fluently. Instead, they struggle with words, often repeating the beginning of a word, for example "G-g-g-g-g-ood morning" or get stuck with single sounds, such as "Ja" for "January" although they know exactly what they want to say.
	Marijuana may help HIV patients keep mental stamina longer A chemical found in marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has been found to potentially slow the process in which mental decline can occur in up to 50 percent of HIV patients, says a new Michigan State University study.
Younger newly-diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes are hit hard by the disease The common view of type 2 diabetes as an old person's disease is becoming seriously outdated in step with the increasing number of persons under the age of 45 who develop the disease. New research from Aarhus University now shows that younger persons newly-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have significantly poorer health and thus a high risk of delayed complications compared with type 2 diabetes patients who first contract the disease twenty years later in life.
Cancer-causing mutation suppresses immune system around tumours Mutations in 'Ras' genes, which drive 25% of human cancers by causing tumour cells to grow, multiply and spread, can also protect cancer cells from the immune system, finds a new study from the Francis Crick Institute and Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London.
	What do high school athletes, their parents and coaches know about concussion? Most high school athletes, their parents and coaches can identify the possible effects of concussion, but only about one-third know that it is a brain injury. Those findings are outlined in a new Mayo Clinic study. Athletes were more likely than parents and coaches to correctly identify a concussion as a brain injury.
	Atoh1, a potential Achilles' heel of Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma Medulloblastoma is the most common type of solid brain tumor in children. Current treatments offer limited success and may leave patients with severe neurological side effects, including psychiatric disorders, growth retardation and cognitive impairment.
	Researchers link epigenetic aging to bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder may involve accelerated epigenetic aging, which could explain why persons with the disorder are more likely to have - and die from - age-related diseases, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
	Few California retailers offer pharmacist-prescribed birth control, despite law A new law took effect in California last year allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control. But few of the state's pharmacies are actually offering this service, according to new UC Berkeley research.
	Put the cookie down—Researchers create app to predict and intervene in users' over Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the University of Connecticut (UConn) are collaborating on a smartphone app aimed at helping users manage their overeating challenges in three key ways: by tracking eating patterns, providing interventions, and helping change behavior. The app—and its distinctive methodology—showed tremendous promise in an early pilot study.
	Research reveals how diabetes in pregnancy affects baby's heart Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have discovered how high glucose levels—whether caused by diabetes or other factors—keep heart cells from maturing normally. Their findings help explain why babies born to women with diabetes are more likely to develop congenital heart disease.
	Will 'AI' be part of your health-care team? (HealthDay)—Artificial intelligence is assuming a greater role in many walks of life, with research suggesting it may even help doctors diagnose disease.
	Protecting your health from wildfire smoke (HealthDay)—Fire and smoke from the wildfires raging in Southern California aren't just destroying homes and lives, they're a serious health risk, as well.
First drug approved for rare condition that inflames blood vessels (HealthDay)—Nucala (mepolizumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first remedy to treat adults with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a rare autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels.
	Allopurinol Rx more likely with eligibility at diagnosis (HealthDay)—Allopurinol prescribing is more likely if patients meet eligibility criteria at diagnosis, according to a research brief published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
	CAPABLE program saves money for seniors with disability (HealthDay)—The five-month Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program is associated with lower Medicaid spending, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Atopic dermatitis severity tied to IgG response to S. aureus (HealthDay)—Atopic dermatitis (AD) disease severity is associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses against Staphylococcus aureus antigens, according to a study published online Nov. 30 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
	DNA sequencing identifies alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (HealthDay)—SERPINA1 DNA sequencing can identify alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), according to research published online Nov. 28 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
	CABG may be best method to revascularize in diabetes (HealthDay)—In patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease (MV-CAD), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may be the preferred method of revascularization, with lower rates of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE), according to a study published in the Dec. 19 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Artificial intelligence promising for CA, retinopathy diagnoses (HealthDay)—A deep learning algorithm can detect metastases in sections of lymph nodes from women with breast cancer; and a deep learning system (DLS) has high sensitivity and specificity for identifying diabetic retinopathy, according to two studies published online Dec. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
	Cognitive status doesn't impact cortical A-beta, tau in Parkinson's (HealthDay)—Patterns of cortical β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau are not different for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who are cognitively normal (PD-CN) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and for healthy adults, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in JAMA Neurology.
	Postmenopausal women should still steer clear of HRT: task force (HealthDay)—Yet again, the nation's leading authority on preventive medicine says postmenopausal women should avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Transfusion dependence a barrier to quality end-of-life care for some with leukemia For patients with advanced leukemia, access to high-quality end-of-life care appears to be reduced in those dependent on blood transfusions, according to a new study being presented during the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta. The study associates this reduced access and consequent diminished use of hospice services with a reduced quality of end-of-life care for these patients.
	Austria set to stub out smoking ban Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) said Monday that a planned ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants due to come into force in mid-2018 will be scrapped.
India bans condom advertisements from prime time television (Update) India has slapped a nationwide ban on television ads for condoms during prime time hours, citing rules prohibiting "vulgar" content and concerns over children viewing salacious material.
Home remedies: having a bout with hiccups Hiccups may result from a large meal, alcoholic beverages or sudden excitement. In some cases, hiccups may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. For most people, a bout of hiccups usually lasts only a few minutes. Rarely, hiccups may persist for months. This can result in malnutrition and exhaustion.
For Marketplace customers who delay, auto-enrollment could be nasty wake-up Shopping to update your coverage on the health insurance marketplace may be annoying—didn't you just do this last year? But letting the exchange automatically renew your coverage instead could be a big mistake. If you don't like the plan you're auto-enrolled in this year you may be stuck with it in 2018, unlike previous years when people could generally switch.
Scientists develop new approaches diabetes treatment A team of scientists from the Ural Federal University (UrFU) and the Institute of Immunology and Physiology modeled type 1 diabetes in an experiment to study recovery processes in the pancreas. The results of the study will contribute to new approaches to treating diabetes. The researchers have published an article in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.
Medication assisted treatment is option for opioid use disorder Of the 20.5 million Americans 12 or older that had a substance use disorder in 2015, two million had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. That's over 2.5 million Americans who are in need of assistance treating opioid use disorder.
	Researchers reveal abnormal myokine signaling in congenital myotonic dystrophy Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common form of genetic muscular dystrophy that begins in adulthood. DM is characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness. People with this disorder often have prolonged muscle contractions (myotonic) and are not able to relax certain muscles after use.
	New scientific yardstick to help early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) released a new scientific yardstick, in the form of a certified reference material, to help early detection of Alzheimer's disease.
Understanding myths about sexual violence and domestic abuse key to prevention in universities Universities can play a key role in tackling stereotypical and prejudicial views around the causes of gender-based violence, a new study has suggested.
Diphtheria kills nine in Bangladesh Rohingya camps Bangladesh Tuesday launched a massive drive to vaccinate Rohingya children against diphtheria after a suspected outbreak killed nine refugees and infected more than 700.
	'Ethics dumping' – the dark side of international research Knowingly inflicting severe harm on human beings for the purpose of research is one of the most serious human rights abuses possible. Cases of exploitation in research have been used to illustrate unacceptable practices since the mid-20th century. Medical students all over the world have learned how not to conduct research by discussing the horrendous Nazi experiments and the more recent US Tuskegee trials.
	African genetic diversity to unlock disease susceptibility University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) scientists and partners have sequenced the genomes of 24 South African individuals of different ethnolinguistic origins.
	Avoid holiday hazards around home Emergency visits to the hospital go up significantly this time of year, and many of them can be avoided. Dr. Michael Boniface, a Mayo Clinic emergency medicine physician, says some injuries are very specific and from activities people don't do regularly.
	Oligonucleotide drug producers coauthor report on drug impurities A new addition to a series of articles that focus on important topics related to the development of oligonucleotide therapeutics presents an in-depth look at the identification, characterization, and reporting of product-related impurities. The article entitled "Impurities in Oligonucleotide Drug Substances and Drug Products," which covers both the chemistry and safety aspects of impurities and provides scientific advice on impurity qualification requirements, is published in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics.
	What role can schools play in preventing and responding to teen dating violence? A nationwide study of school principals has shown that while the majority had assisted a victim of teen dating violence (TDV) recently, most of them had never received formal training in this area and their school did not have a specific protocol for dealing with TDV. The most common approaches of school principals for responding to TDV found are discussed in an article published in Violence and Gender.
	Salmonella cases no longer falling in the EU The declining trend of salmonellosis cases in the European Union (EU) has levelled off according to the annual report on zoonotic diseases published today.
Strong relationship between self-efficacy and exercise among women veterans discovered For female Veterans with fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms, the impact of believing in their ability to begin and sustain a long-term exercise program appears to positively influence their results.
Skin cancer treatment selfie goes viral, has public health lessons You've heard of the Katie Couric effect, the Angelina Jolie effect and the Charlie Sheen effect, but could the next effect be named after you?
AAOS approves diagnostic and treatment criteria for osteoarthritis of the hip The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors approved new Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip.
	Birth-control coverage fight faces key hearing in California The state of California and the Trump administration will square off Tuesday before a U.S. judge who will decide whether to block new rules allowing more employers to opt out of birth control coverage for women.
Centralized population health coordinators improve care for patients with chronic disease A centralized chronic disease management program produced significant improvements in the care of patients with diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease treated at practices in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) primary care network. The results of a six-month pilot study, published online today in the American Journal of Managed Care, have led to expansion of the program to all practices in the MGH primary care network.

Biology news

	Tasmanian tiger doomed long before humans came along The Tasmanian tiger was doomed long before humans began hunting the enigmatic marsupial, scientists said Tuesday, with DNA sequencing showing it was in poor genetic health for thousands of years before its extinction.
	Marine turtles dying after becoming entangled in plastic rubbish Hundreds of marine turtles die every year after becoming entangled in rubbish in the oceans and on beaches, including plastic 'six pack' holders and disgarded fishing gear.
	How do you track a secretive hawk? Follow the isotopes University of Cincinnati professor Brooke Crowley wanted to know the hunting range of the Henst's goshawk, a large forest-dwelling bird of prey that ambushes small animals.
	Searching for the CRISPR Swiss-army knife Scientists at the University of Copenhagen, led by the Spanish Professor Guillermo Montoya, are investigating the molecular features of different molecular scissors of the CRISPR-Cas system to shed light on the so-called "Swiss-army knives" of genome editing. Montoya's research group has visualized the atomic structures of the Cpf1 and Cas9 proteins to analyse each of their properties and peculiarities that make them ideal for different applications in gene modification.
	Crowding in the skin: Stem cells sense neighborhood density to make decisions Human skin is a remarkable organ serving as a barrier protecting us from pathogens, toxic substances and others. Our skin needs to constantly renew throughout our lifetime as well as change its size to perfectly fit and cover the body. To fulfill such a complex and dynamic behavior every cell within the skin has a specific task dependent on its position. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne have now shown that cell density and crowding play a critical role in instructing single stem cell fate decisions and movement of differentiating cells upwards within the tissue. This ensures that all cell types are correctly positioned within the tissue.
	Researchers reveal fail-safe structure of enzyme linked to Alzheimer's, cancer Like millions of Americans, Harvard Medical School postdoctoral fellow Tom Seegar struggled as he watched several family members decline from Alzheimer's disease.
	How honey bee gut bacteria help to digest their pollen-rich diet The honey bee gut is colonized by specialized bacteria that help digest components of the floral pollen diet and produce molecules that likely promote bee health. In a study publishing 12 December in the open access journal PLOS Biology, a group of researchers led by Philipp Engel at the University of Lausanne and ETH Zürich, Switzerland, have uncovered which bacterial species perform which specific digestive functions in the bee gut.
	Plant pathologists discover unusual evolutionary transition in common bacteria It's the "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in a nursery setting.
	Citizen scientists help capture wild mammals on camera Data collected by enthusiastic volunteers can be extremely useful for researchers, particularly when studying Britain's little understood mammals. At the 'Ecology Across Borders' conference in Ghent, Belgium this week, researchers will share their experience of working with members of the public to create a network of motion-sensing camera traps for wildlife monitoring.
Plankton swim against the current Zooplankton are often considered to be a passive source of food for fish and other aquatic animals. But at least one of their representatives, the millimetre-sized copepod (Eurytemora affinis), moves purposefully in turbulent water with "jumps." This fact was discovered by a team of researchers led by Markus Holzner, holder of an SNSF professorship at ETH Zurich. "These jumps enable the plankton to hunt their prey and the males to catch a female," explains Holzner.
	The public fear sharks less when they understand their behaviour Researchers surveyed more than 500 visitors to an aquarium 'shark tunnel' to understand how attitudes to sharks and government shark policies can change.
	New tree species in Brazil probably the world's heaviest living organism Kew scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Brazil and Canada, have recently published a description of a new tree species from the legume family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae). Dinizia jueirana-facao G.P. Lewis & G.S. Siqueira, discovered in Brazil, grows to a whopping 40 metres with an estimated weight of up to 62 tonnes.
	Native fish species at risk following water removal from the Colorado River Agriculture and domestic activities consume much of the Colorado River water that once flowed to the Colorado Delta and Northern Gulf of California. The nature and extent of impact of this fresh-water loss on the ecology and fisheries of the Colorado Delta and Gulf of California is controversial. A recent publication in the journal PeerJ reveals a previously unseen risk to the unique local biodiversity of the tidal portion of the Delta.
	Seabed landscape crucial for fish conservation Conservation and fisheries management strategies should take into account seabed landscape in order to maintain fish conservation.
	Battling white-nose syndrome in bats Millions of bats in North America have been wiped out by the disease white-nose syndrome caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, and scientists worry that a catastrophic reduction in the bat population will have pervasive ecological repercussions. Now, a new study in mBio shines light on where the fungus came from and how it spreads.
	Personality and mood swings in bacteria Bacteria can control where they go using a signaling network of protein molecules. Scientists at AMOLF have developed a microscopy method that allows them to see how individual bacteria use this network to make decisions. They discovered that bacteria are surprisingly diverse in personality and mood. The team published its findings in the scientific journal eLife on December 12, 2017.
	A whole-body approach to understanding chemosensory cells Growing evidence shows that sensory cells which enable us to taste sweetness, bitterness and savoriness (umami) are not limited to the tongue. These so-called Trpm5-expressing chemosensory cells are also found in the respiratory system, digestive tract and other parts of the body.
New insight into unique plant chemical could inform future drug development Researchers have unearthed new insight into a plant compound that could be used to help develop improved herbicides and treatments for human disease.
	New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril Maps of the world's most important wilderness areas are now freely available online following a University of Queensland and Wildlife Conservation Society-led study published today.
	Night-flyers or day-trippers? Study sheds light on when moths, butterflies are active Butterflies fly during the day while moths travel at night - or so you might think. In reality, their behavior is much more complicated.
Making 'green Brexit' work for agriculture and the environment Post-Brexit policy should carry out a root-and-branch reform to better address the specific needs of the UK's farming and food sectors whilst protecting the countryside. Speaking at the 'Ecology Across Borders' conference in Ghent, Belgium this week, academics will outline some of the challenges and opportunities that present themselves to deliver on a 'green Brexit' under the current political landscape.
A prawn tale—winners and losers in climate change Who booms, and who goes bust?
	New procedure for faster detection of environmental impacts from salmon farms In order to meet the demands for salmon, many salmon farms have developed along the coasts of Scandinavia and Scotland. These operations are governed by strict environmental regulations. Farms are required to determine how their fish production is affecting the marine benthic ecosystem. Therefore, they analyse the presence of so-called bioindicator organisms such as crustaceans and worms on the sea floor. This process is time-consuming and expensive. Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern together with colleagues from the University of Geneva are developing faster and more efficient methods. They utilize the DNA from microorganisms to characterise changes more precisely that was previously possible. Their studies have been published in the renowned journals Ecological Indicators and Marine Pollution Bulletin.

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