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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for February 9, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astrophysicists settle cosmic debate on magnetism of planets and starsThe universe is highly magnetic, with everything from stars to planets to galaxies producing their own magnetic fields. Astrophysicists have long puzzled over these surprisingly strong and long-lived fields, with theories and simulations seeking a mechanism that explains their generation. |
 | The black box set to revolutionize the search for life beyond EarthIn the world's driest desert, an unassuming black box called "Espresso" is about to begin a very big mission: scouring the universe for planets like ours to find signs of life beyond Earth. |
 | Leaky atmosphere linked to lightweight planetThe Red Planet's low gravity and lack of magnetic field makes its outermost atmosphere an easy target to be swept away by the solar wind, but new evidence from ESA's Mars Express spacecraft shows that the Sun's radiation may play a surprising role in its escape. |
 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter preparing for years aheadNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has begun extra stargazing to help the space agency accomplish advances in Mars exploration over the next decade. |
 | New Horizons captures record-breaking images in the Kuiper BeltNASA's New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image – and made history. |
 | 3-D printable tools to study astronaut healthIf humans are destined for deep space, they need to understand the space environment changes health, including aging and antibiotic resistance. |
 | Bursting with excitement – A look at bubbles and fluids in spaceWatching a bubble float effortlessly through the International Space Station may be mesmerizing and beautiful to witness, but that same bubble is also teaching researchers about how fluids behave differently in microgravity than they do on Earth. The near-weightless conditions aboard the station allow researchers to observe and control a wide variety of fluids in ways that are not possible on Earth, primarily due to surface tension dynamics and the lack of buoyancy and sedimentation within fluids in the low-gravity environment. |
 | Small asteroid to shave safely by Earth FridayAn asteroid bigger than a city bus is on track to zoom by Earth Friday at a safe but close distance, less than one-fifth as far away as the Moon, NASA said. |
Video: Dropping the bass in freefallOn 7 February 2018, 10 years to the day that Europe's Columbus space laboratory was launched to the International Space Station, 20 lucky clubbers got a taste of weightlessness – not to conduct gravity-free science but to party with superstar DJs Steve Aoki, W&W and Le Shuuk. | |
Technology news
 | Startup wants to sequence your genome and let you own the data so you can sell itA new startup called Nebula Genomics has released a white paper on its website offering people a way to cash in on their own genomes. Customers would pay to have their genome sequenced, (under $1000) but in return, would receive ownership of the data generated from it, which could then be sold by the customer to companies such as pharmaceutical manufacturers. Furthermore, transactions would occur using blockchain technology used for secure valued transactions such as Bitcoin. |
 | New malleable 'electronic skin' self-healable, recyclableUniversity of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable "electronic skin" that has applications ranging from robotics and prosthetic development to better biomedical devices. |
 | Deep neural network trained to detect early signs of diabetesYour watch's heartrate data can alert you to signs of diabetes thanks to a diabetes detection algorithm. A study shows heart rate sensors like the Apple Watch, Android Wear, Garmin, or Fitbits can detect early signs of diabetes. |
 | Robots can go all the way to Mars, but they can't pick up the groceriesIn the popular imagination, robots have been portrayed alternatively as friendly companions or existential threat. But while robots are becoming commonplace in many industries, they are neither C-3PO nor the Terminator. Cambridge researchers are studying the interaction between robots and humans – and teaching them how to do the very difficult things that we find easy. |
 | Your gadget's next power supply? Your bodySearching for a power outlet may soon become a thing of the past. |
 | Waymo, Uber end trade secrets theft trial with settlement (Update)Waymo and Uber announced an agreement Friday in the blockbuster federal lawsuit over allegedly stolen trade secrets from the former Google self-driving car project. |
 | Top Brazilian paper to stop publishing on FacebookOne of Brazil's top newspapers, the Folha de S. Paulo, announced Thursday it would stop publishing on its Facebook page after the social network announced it would give personal content more visibility. |
 | Green cars in spotlight as India eyes electric revolutionElectric cars bask in the limelight at India's flagship auto show, where an ambitious plan to phase out polluting clunkers has manufacturers racing to lure millions of new drivers to their green vehicles. |
Qualcomm rejects Broadcom hostile bid, opens door to talksQualcomm on Thursday rejected a record $121 billion hostile bid from computer chip rival Broadcom but offered to meet with the Singapore-based firm to discuss the recently increased offer. | |
 | News Corp CEO rails at 'dysfunctional' online environmentNews Corp's chief executive on Thursday took a swipe at Google and Facebook for fostering a "dysfunctional" and "debased" online environment which harms the news media and responsible journalism. |
 | Modeling human behavior with AirbnbResearchers at Idiap and EPFL have been working with psychologists to understand how people form first impressions from photos. They focused on how people respond to properties available on Airbnb. Better analysis of human behavior should allow scientists to program machines capable of making more "human" decisions. |
 | Proposed new regulations for 3-D printed medical devices must go further3-D printing has rapidly increased in quality and popularity over the past decade. In the medical sector, it has evolved from the creation of relatively simple prosthetics, to a silicon prototype of a functioning human heart. |
 | Broadcom offers $8 bn to Qualcomm if deal is blockedSingapore-based Broadcom said Friday it would pay rival Qualcomm $8 billion if regulators fail to approve a proposed merger between the two computer chip giants. |
 | New intelligent system learns from simple problems to solve complex onesResearchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have designed a new type of intelligent system based on deep learning that can learn to solve decision-making problems, including problems more complex than it has been trained to solve. |
 | Improving drone performance in headwindsThe prevalence of multi-rotor drones has increased dramatically in recent years, but in headwinds, they pitch upwards unpredictably. Engineers from Tohoku University, Japan, have shown that angling the rotor blades of a quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles by just 20 degrees can reduce pitching by a quarter. Their work is published in the International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles. |
 | Unlimited movie-theater deal could be too good to surviveMoviePass is trying to bring to movie theaters what Netflix did for DVDs and online streaming: Let subscribers watch as many movies as they want for $10 a month. |
 | Facebook pledges $10 mn for community leadersFacebook said Friday that it will issue up to $10 million (8.2 million euros) in grants to help support and train community leaders around the world. |
 | Airbus to pay 81 mn euros to end German corruption probe (Update)European aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Friday said it had agreed to pay a fine of 81.25 million euros ($99 million) to end a German corruption probe into the 2003 sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria. |
 | China's January auto sales growth rebounds to 10.7 percentChina's auto sales growth rebounded in January into positive territory, boosted by strong demand for SUVs, an industry group reported Friday. |
 | New raids on Japan crypto exchanges after Coincheck hackJapan said on Friday it had carried out raids on a number of cryptocurrency exchanges following a massive hack that saw thieves steal $530 million in virtual currency. |
 | China's Didi Chuxing takes aim at Japan's taxi marketChinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing announced a deal with Japanese telecom firm SoftBank on Friday to develop a taxi app in Japan, where services like Uber have struggled to make inroads. |
 | Premier League launches rights auction as tech giants waitThe Premier League launches its latest auction of domestic live broadcast rights on Friday but football finance experts say global tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook are not yet ready to enter the fray. |
 | Britain's Mirror buys Express for £126.7m as sales dropThe publisher of Britain's left-wing Daily Mirror newspaper struck a £126.7 million deal on Friday to buy a series of titles including the right-wing Daily Express in a bid to stem a decline in advertising revenues and sales. |
 | Shipping shakeup? Amazon may deliver its own packages (Update)Amazon has already shown that it can rattle the retail, grocery and health insurance industries, and now it is doing the same in the delivery business. |
 | Thais arrest alleged Russian cybercrime market operatorPolice in Thailand announced Friday they have arrested a Russian national accused by U.S. authorities of running an online cybercrime marketplace where everything from stolen credit card information to hardware for compromising ATM machines could be purchased. |
 | Building with waste and recycled materialA residential module fully constructed from reusable, recyclable, and compostable materials: This is the premise for the newest unit in NEST, the modular research and innovation building run by Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf. On 8 February 2018, the NEST "Urban Mining & Recycling" unit will open its doors and henceforth house two students. At the same time, as an active lab it will also help to advance the construction industry's transition to a recycling economy. |
 | Novel voice recognition technology completes Interpol's legal arsenalWatching mainstream forensics-related TV shows could easily make us believe that there is no piece of evidence stronger than conclusive DNA samples or fingerprints. Yet, that would be forgetting the importance of voice recognition. Thanks to new Speaker-Identification technology and a large database of voices maintained by Interpol, the latter will now become much easier. |
Virtual reality training to help catch drug traffickingWorld drug usage is growing significantly every year. So is drug trafficking: Although the value of this market is difficult to calculate, experts evaluate it at approximately USD $400 billion. | |
 | Using technology to detect hidden threatsSoldiers in combat have to constantly scan their surroundings for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a signature weapon of modern warfare. These homemade bombs are often hidden—nestled in bushes, buried underground, or sometimes stuffed inside other objects. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Virtual reality may reduce paranoia in psychotics: studyVirtual reality-based therapy combined with standard treatment reduced paranoia and anxiety in people with psychotic disorders, scientists reported Friday. |
 | Special UV light safely kills airborne flu virus, finds studyContinuous low doses of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, according to a new study at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). The findings suggest that use of overhead far-UVC light in hospitals, doctors' offices, schools, airports, airplanes, and other public spaces could provide a powerful check on seasonal influenza epidemics, as well as influenza pandemics. |
 | Direct link between glands and implanting embryos critical to pregnancyResearchers used 3D imaging with molecular testing to uncover new insight into the earliest stages of mammalian pregnancy—offering clues to unsolved questions in pregnancy. |
 | Device that measures cell strength could identify drugs for asthma, hypertension and muscular dystrophyEngineers, doctors and scientists at UCLA and Rutgers University have developed a tool that measures the physical strength of individual cells 100 times faster than current technologies. |
 | Researchers find that the brain can assign value to an object in less than a tenth of a secondJohns Hopkins neuroscientists have discovered how the brain can determine an object's value almost as soon as we see it. |
 | Researchers discover how liver responds so quickly to foodMinutes after you eat a meal, as nutrients rush into your bloodstream, your body makes massive shifts in how it breaks down and stores fats and sugars. Within half an hour, your liver has made a complete switch, going from burning fat for energy to storing as much glucose, or sugar, as possible. But the speed at which this happens has flummoxed scientists—it's too short a time span for the liver's cells to activate genes and produce the RNA blueprints needed to assemble new proteins to guide metabolism. |
 | Preventing fibrosisResearchers at Cardiff University and the Wales Kidney Research Unit have discovered a potential new method for preventing the process that causes scar formation in organs. |
 | Clock protein controls daily cycle of gene expression by regulating chromosome loopsIt's well known that the human body functions on a 24-hour, or circadian, schedule. The up-and-down daily cycles of a long-studied clock protein called Rev-erb coordinates the ebb and flow of gene expression by tightening and loosening loops in chromosomes, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings appear online this week in Science. |
 | Scientists create functioning kidney tissueScientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce urine, a first for medical science. |
 | Lab-grown eggs could pave way towards new fertility treatmentsHuman eggs have been fully grown in a laboratory, in a move that could lead to improved fertility treatments. |
Vape shops could be 'valuable allies' to NHSThe NHS should consider working with reputable vape shops to help smokers quit - according to new research from the University of East Anglia, funded by Cancer Research UK. | |
New findings about why losartan is effective in treating Marfan syndrome may reshape our thinkingProgressive dilation of the aortic root is considered one of the most serious manifestations of Marfan syndrome because it can lead to aortic dissection and death. Pharmacotherapy is used to attenuate the progression of this aortic enlargement. The antihypertensive losartan is one of the two medications recommended by current guidelines, but which medication works best is still controversial. A new report in the American Journal of Pathology confirms losartan's efficacy but finds that the underlying mechanism of action is different than previously thought, opening up new possibilities for improvements in Marfan syndrome management. | |
Workplace stress can take a toll on your brain surgeon, tooWhen it comes to workplace stress, even doctors aren't immune to its effects. For doctors training to become neurosurgeons, burnout is common, and certain workplace stressors—like unrewarding mentor relationships, difficult coworkers and not getting enough exposure to the operating room—can lead to it, according to a new study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. | |
 | The 'Gesundheit Machine' collects campus cooties in race against a fierce fluIt's turning out to be a particularly harsh flu season. The epidemic hasn't hit the University of Maryland College Park yet; students just recently returned from winter break. But in the close quarters of dorm rooms and cafeterias and study groups, the flu will come. And when it does, Dr. Don Milton, a professor of environmental health, will be ready and waiting to learn from it. |
 | Recreating liver tumors as organoids for faster, more accurate drug screeningLiver cancer is one of the top causes of cancer deaths globally, with a lack of approved treatments. A major challenge in developing effective drugs for liver cancer is that current preclinical tumor models do not accurately replicate features of the tumor and the tumor environment in humans, causing many potential drugs to fail in clinical testing. |
 | iPS cell-derived inner ear cells may improve congenital hearing lossA Japanese research group has successfully grafted human iPS cell-derived inner ear cells that express human-derived proteins into the inner ears of embryonic mice. Hereditary hearing loss accounts for about half of all congenital hearing loss cases, and this work is a major contribution toward research that targets the embryonic inner ear. |
 | Self-deprecating humour promotes psychological well-being, study revealsUGR researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) have established that individuals who frequently use self-deprecating humour aimed at gaining the approval of others through self-mockery exhibit higher levels of psychological well-being. |
 | Compounds isolated from rattlesnake venom show activity against hepatitis C virusA group of Brazilian scientists has achieved promising results using isolated compounds from the venom of the South American rattlesnake to combat hepatitis C. The investigation was based on records in scientific literature in which animal venom showed activity against some viruses, such as yellow fever, measles and dengue, which belongs to the same Flaviviridae virus family as hepatitis. |
 | The beneficial aspects of mindfulness for students of computer engineeringA group of University of Seville researchers has shown that the practice of mindfulness increases the capacity to solve computer-engineering problems. The authors of the study used data to back the benefits of a technique that is now used in school and universities, as well as in tech companies like Google and Intel. |
 | Ball games and circuit strength training boost bone health in schoolchildrenA study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examines bone and muscle health in 295 schoolchildren from Frederikssund and Copenhagen over a whole school year during which the children participated in the FIT FIRST training concept, looking into the effects of intense interval training at school. |
 | Scientists explain how the brain can lead to Olympic goldAny athlete who's made it to the Olympics has speed or strength or whatever physical skills it takes to lead the world in their sport. But Johns Hopkins University scientists say those who ultimately bring home gold have also honed the mind of a medalist. |
 | Gene therapy researchers find viral barcode to cross the blood-brain barrierGene therapies promise to revolutionize the treatment of many diseases, including neurological diseases such as ALS. But the small viruses that deliver therapeutic genes can have adverse side effects at high doses. UNC School of Medicine researchers have now found a structure on these viruses that makes them better at crossing from the bloodstream into the brain – a key factor for administering gene therapies at lower doses for treating brain and spinal disorders. |
 | Cannabinoids are easier on the brain than booze, study findsMarijuana may not be as damaging to the brain as previously thought, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder and the CU Change Lab. |
 | Study spotlights risks in anesthesiologist handoffsMost patients are totally unaware that the anesthesiologist who put them under for surgery might not be the same one who brings them out even though that 'handoff' between the two doctors has been linked to a series of negative patient outcomes, including an increased likelihood of death. |
Study explores best pre-transplant weight loss optionsVanderbilt researchers are comparing two types of weight-loss options to determine which is the most effective in helping obese patients reach a more ideal weight before undergoing kidney transplant surgery. | |
AIDS-defining events increase mortality risk, says studyWhen they occur among people living with HIV, certain cancers and opportunistic infections are considered by health authorities as AIDS-defining events, or ADEs. | |
 | Study helps map signaling system in brain linked to ASDResearchers at Vanderbilt University have worked out part of the "wiring diagram" of a signaling system in the brain that has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). |
 | Sense of taste influenced by the other four sensesAn Internet controversy is raging over whether different colored gummy bears all taste the same. We assume they contain different tastes, but that might not be true. It's possible their color and scent fool our taste buds into thinking they taste different. Input from the eyes and nose override our taste buds. |
 | Virologist discusses the vagaries of the fluThe flu has been our viral companion for millennia, but its capricious behavior continues to confound scientists and public health experts. |
 | Studying the effects of early childhood circumstances on long-term healthIn the study of birth outcomes, going to extremes is not always necessary. While intense events such as heat waves, deep cold or famine can impact fetal development and play a major role in the health of newborns, scientists who study birth outcomes can learn a great deal from more moderate scenarios. |
 | Mind-body therapy effective for military veterans with PTSDPost-9/11 military veterans who receive mind-body therapy have significant improvements in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study co-authored by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Kathryn Braun in the Journal for Alternative and Complementary Medicine. |
 | What the evolution of jealousy tells us about online infidelityIt is estimated that by 2020, 2.95 billion people will be using social networks. But while sites like Facebook revolve around the wholesome concepts of friends, likes and shares, they have also become a way for people to cheat on their partners. |
 | Alzheimer's research—intracellular calcium store malfunction leads to brain hyperactivityAlzheimer´s disease is the key cause of dementia in elderly patients. Those affected develop deficiencies in their abilities to learn, think logically, communicate, and to master the challenges of everyday life. To find out more about how the disease comes about, researchers at the University of Tübingen used mice, developing the same amyloid protein deposits in their brains as human patients, and which also suffer memory loss. Several years ago, a team led by Professor Olga Garaschuk showed that in these mice, the disease coincided with a noticeable increase in nerve cell activity in the brain. There were similar findings in human Alzheimer's patients. |
 | Chemist designs diabetic treatment minus harmful side effectsA chemist in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) has figured out how to control glucose levels in the bloodstream without the usual side effects of nausea, vomiting or malaise. |
 | Meal deals could undo the benefits of the sugar taxFrom April, the UK government's sugar tax will make 500ml bottles of high-sugar drinks cost an extra 14p, and two litre bottles an extra 58p. The higher price is intended to steer people towards choosing lower-sugar drinks. But promotions, such as "meal deals", could make the sugar tax meaningless by negating the price difference. |
 | Study suggests being a 'super-taster' of bitter flavours may put you at disease riskDo you find vegetables like brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage and broccoli disgustingly bitter? How about grapefruit juice or black coffee? |
 | Computer simulation addresses the problem of blood clottingCreating an artificial implantable kidney would be an epic advance in medicine and could address a chronic shortage of donor kidneys needed for transplant. Researchers have been at this quest for the past 15 years and keep coming upon one extremely knotty problem: how to keep the blood flowing smoothly through the artificial device without clotting. In such devices, as blood platelets respond to mechanical forces, they have a natural tendency to clot, causing a device malfunction. |
 | New images reveal how the ear's sensory hairs take shapeOur ears are exquisite detection instruments, capable of discerning a whisper or distinct notes of music within a symphony. To pick up these sounds, tiny hair-like filaments in the inner ear must be packed into precisely arranged bundles that all face the same direction. The top image above shows the normal, tidy architecture of these bundles on cells within the cochlea, the inner ear structure responsible for hearing. |
 | Team leads ACSM paper on safety recommendations for energy drinksHelpful guidance and warnings regarding the potential dangers that energy drinks present to at-risk populations, primarily children, were published in a paper led by a cardiologist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). |
 | 'Back-burner relationships' are more common than you'd thinkValentine's Day tends to make people think about their romantic relationships. |
 | Placebo pills prescribed honestly help cancer survivors manage symptomsLong after cancer treatment ends, many continue to deal with one particular symptom that refuses to go away: fatigue. In a new study, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Harvard Medical School have found that the power of placebos, even when fully disclosed to patients, might be harnessed to reduce fatigue in cancer survivors. |
 | How to prevent abuse in teenage relationshipsThe UK has made some positive shifts in legislating against intimate partner violence among adults in recent years. However, physical, psychological and sexual violence in teenage relationships is still a very real problem. |
 | Three reasons why scientific advice on drugs is ignoredDavid Nutt, along with many other leading scientists, published a study a few years ago that showed how the overall harms associated with some legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, dramatically exceed the harms of some illegal drugs, such as cannabis, ecstasy and LSD – and even the harms of heroin and cocaine. Of course, these top scientists were right, but politicians continue to ignore scientific advice, and society continues to be largely in favour of current drug laws. |
 | New discovery offers hope of protecting premature babies from blindnessNow there is hope of a new way to protect extremely premature babies from impaired vision or blindness resulting from the eye disease retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). A study at Sahlgrenska Academy published in JAMA Ophthalmology points to a clear link between ROP and low levels of the fatty acid arachidonic acid, measured in children's blood. |
 | How the brain constructs the worldHow are raw sensory signals transformed into a brain representation of the world that surrounds us? The question was first posed over 100 years ago, but new experimental strategies make the challenge more exciting than ever. SISSA investigators have now uncovered the contributions to perception of a brain region called posterior parietal cortex. In two separate papers published in Neuron and Nature, they show that posterior parietal cortex contributes to the merging of signals from different sensory modalities, as well the formation of memories about the history of recent stimuli. |
 | How game theory could ensure you will get blood when you need itBlood shortages in the United States are now at the critical level because of severe weather nationally, coupled with widespread flu. Hundreds of blood drives have been canceled this winter, and the donor base has decreased because of illnesses as well as difficulties encountered in reaching collection sites due to bad weather. The Red Cross is reporting that blood donations are being distributed to hospitals "faster than they are coming in." |
 | Researchers report first lung stem cell transplantation clinical trialA research team from Tongji University in China have made a breakthrough in human lung regeneration technology. For the first time, researchers have regenerated patients' damaged lungs using autologous lung stem cell transplantation in a pilot clinical trial. The study can be found in the open access journal Protein & Cell. |
 | Scientists adapt new brain disease test for Parkinson's, dementia with Lewy bodiesNational Institutes of Health scientists developing a rapid, practical test for the early diagnosis of prion diseases have modified the assay to offer the possibility of improving early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The group, led by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), tested 60 cerebral spinal fluid samples, including 12 from people with Parkinson's disease, 17 from people with dementia with Lewy bodies, and 31 controls, including 16 of whom had Alzheimer's disease. The test correctly excluded all the 31 controls and diagnosed both Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies with 93 percent accuracy. |
 | New study highlights the impact companion animals have on ownersA new study, published in BMC Psychiatry, conducted by researchers from the universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton, suggests that pets provide benefits to those with mental health conditions. |
 | Head injuries hit one in 14 kids, CDC reports(HealthDay)—Given the news of the devastating effects of head injuries among professional football players, parents may wonder if their mini athletes are at risk, too. |
 | Hey kids, just say no to energy drinks(HealthDay)—Highly caffeinated energy drinks aren't safe for children and teens, and should not be marketed to them, a leading sports medicine organization warns. |
 | Making food less important in your life(HealthDay)—Does it seem as though the second you try to cut back on calories all you can think about is food? |
 | Breastfeeding found to be protective against hypertension(HealthDay)—Postmenopausal women who breastfed more children, or breastfed for a longer duration, have a lower risk of hypertension, according to a study published online Jan. 30 in the American Journal of Hypertension. |
 | Flu season still getting worse; now as bad as 2009 swine fluThe flu has further tightened its grip on the U.S. This season is now as bad as the swine flu epidemic nine years ago. |
 | European experts advise against epilepsy drug in pregnancyAn expert committee of Europe's medicines watchdog recommended Friday that a drug used to treat epilepsy and linked to malformations in children not be used in pregnancy. |
French activists accuse big tobacco of test cheatingFrench anti-smoking campaigners launched a legal case Friday against international tobacco giants claiming their cigarette filters have helped them falsely report the level of tar and nicotine in their products. | |
 | You, too, can eat like an Olympian(HealthDay)—While you watch the Winter Olympics from the comfort of your couch in the coming weeks, pay heed to what helped the athletes reach peak physical condition. |
 | High-risk typologies for heavy drinking ID'd in underage women(HealthDay)—For underage women, high-risk trajectories have been identified for heavy episodic drinking (HED), and feminine norms are associated with latent trajectory classes, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. |
 | Direct oral anticoagulants plus antiplatelets effective in ACS(HealthDay)—For patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), treatment with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in addition to antiplatelet therapy (APT) appears efficacious for those with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), according to a review published online Feb. 7 in JAMA Cardiology. |
 | Inhaled nitric oxide doesn't cut mortality for neonates(HealthDay)—For neonates born at 22 to 29 weeks' gestation with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), off-label use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is not associated with reduced mortality, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Pediatrics. |
 | Prognostic model developed for immunotx of urothelial cancer(HealthDay)—A model has been developed to predict overall survival for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with atezolizumab, according to a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 8 to 10 in San Francisco. |
 | Prenatal, early life fructose intake associated with asthma(HealthDay)—Maternal prenatal and early childhood intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fructose is associated with current asthma in midchildhood, regardless of adiposity, according to a study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. |
 | CDC: Parent-reported head injuries in 7.0 percent of children(HealthDay)—In 2016, 8.3 percent of boys and 5.6 percent of girls aged 3 to 17 years had ever had a significant head injury in their lifetime, according to a February data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. |
 | Atezolizumab + bevacizumab shows benefit in met renal CA(HealthDay)—For patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), atezolizumab plus bevacizumab is associated with a progression-free survival benefit versus sunitinib, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 8 to 10 in San Francisco. |
Team develops database to warn physicians of possible drug interactions for epilepsy patients on ketogenic dietsA physician-scientist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix has developed a new database to ensure that individuals on ketogenic diets to help treat a certain kind of epilepsy are not prescribed potentially life-threatening medications that contain carbohydrates. | |
 | Discharge strategies to prevent asthma readmissionsReadmission rates at three months for kids hospitalized for acute asthma dropped when families received comprehensive education prior to discharge, the only single component of discharge bundles that was strongly associated with lowered readmissions, finds a multicenter retrospective cohort study published online Feb. 1, 2018, in The Journal of Pediatrics. |
 | Study shows liver cells with whole genome duplications protect against cancerResearchers at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute (CRI) at UT Southwestern have discovered that cells in the liver with whole genome duplications, known as polyploid cells, can protect the liver against cancer. The study, published online today in Developmental Cell, addresses a long-standing mystery in liver biology and could stimulate new ideas to prevent cancer. |
 | Study: Many parents of children with disabilities don't make care plansFewer than half of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities make long-term plans about who will take over their child's care if the parent or other relative providing care dies or becomes incapacitated, a new study suggests. |
Blood test plus ultrasound boosts liver cancer detection by 40 percentCombining ultrasound imaging with a blood test for high alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels improves detection of early-stage liver cancer by as much as 40 percent, researchers at UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center found. | |
 | Helping children thrive after cancerAs if it wasn't hard enough to fight cancer as a kid, childhood cancer survivors are at a higher risk of developing physical and emotional difficulties once their treatment is complete. |
Elderly women with myocardial infarction arrive at the hospital too lateIt takes women aged over 65 the longest to arrive at the emergency department after the onset of myocardial infarction symptoms. As a consequence, valuable time is lost to reopen the occluded blood vessels and limit the damage to the myocardium. This was revealed by a study of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) in cooperation with the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich. The researchers recommend targeted educational strategies for this risk group. | |
 | Sleepless in Japan—How insomnia killsLay people tend to think that insomnia is usually a symptom of something else, like stress, a bad diet or a sedentary lifestyle, but this may not be true at all. It is possible that insomnia itself causes many of the conditions that it is seen as a symptom of. Using previous research that shows that insomnia causes a decrease in blood flow in the front dorsal lobe of the brain, and correlates it with depression, the authors of a Japanese study recently published in De Gruyter's open access journal Open Medicine entitled 'Insomnia and depression: Japanese hospital workers questionnaire survey' seeks to establish a link between insomnia and depression. |
Cardiomyocytes fuse when the heart grows and regeneratesCardiomyocytes fuse during cardiac development and regeneration. A scientist of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) discovered these previously unknown processes with the aid of genetically modified zebrafish in which fused cells fluoresce. | |
Chicken pox vaccine linked with shingles at the vaccination site in some childrenNew research in Pediatric Dermatology reports several cases of shingles that developed at the original vaccination site in healthy children after they were immunized against chicken pox. Most of these cases were initially misdiagnosed as other skin rashes. While some of these patients underwent tests to help make the diagnosis, all of the children recovered without complications. | |
Routine imaging scans may predict fracture risk in older adultsRoutine body CT scans may help clinicians estimate an individual's risk of future osteoporotic fracture, according to new study results published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. | |
 | Early treatment decisions can alter the course of care for acute pancreatitis patientsManagement and treatment decisions made within the first 48 to 72 hours of hospital admission for acute pancreatitis patients can significantly alter the course of disease and duration of hospitalization. A new clinical guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of AGA, focuses on the critical decisions made during initial management of acute pancreatitis. |
Measurements from 3-D augmented reality holographic models shown to be highly accurateMeasurements taken on projected augmented reality 3D holographic models were shown to be essentially as accurate as "gold standard" measurements and nearly approaching that of PACS measurements, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2018 Annual Meeting, set for April 22-27 in Washington, DC. | |
Biology news
 | Simple rules can help fishery managers cope with ecological complexityTo successfully manage fisheries, factors in the environment that affect fish—like food sources, predators and habitat—should be considered as part of a holistic management plan. |
 | Efficient technique for isolating embryonic stem cells in cowsFor more than 35 years, scientists have tried to isolate embryonic stem cells in cows without much success. Under the right conditions, embryonic stem cells can grow indefinitely and make any other cell type or tissue, which has huge implications for creating genetically superior cows. |
 | Virginia aquarium captures video of octopus being bornA remarkable video showing the birth of an octopus at the Virginia Aquarium has been viewed more than 1 million times on social media. |
AI computer vision breakthrough IDs poachers in less than half a secondThousands of animals including elephants, tigers, rhinos, and gorillas are poached each year. Researchers at the USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society have long been applying AI to protect wildlife. Initially, computer scientists were using AI and game theory to anticipate the poachers' haunts, and now they have applied artificial intelligence and deep learning to spot poachers in near real-time. | |
 | Socioecological network finds space for cattle, fish, and people in the big mountain westTension between the needs of cattle and fish is a source decades of controversy in northeast Oregon's Blue Mountains. Endangered bull trout, steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon require cold, clear water in mountain streams to thrive and reproduce. Cattle need these same streams for water, heat relief, and valuable streamside browse. But grazing cattle can muddy the water and trample eggs. Divisive, sometimes acrimonious, contention over livestock grazing on public lands has smoldered since the listing of salmon and trout species under the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s. |
 | At least 8,000 great white sharks off Australia coast: researchersAt least 8,000 great white sharks roam the waters off Australia, according to research released Friday that is likely to renew debate about balancing conservation efforts with mitigating attacks. |
 | Cockroaches build spatial maps of olfactory stimuli to track potential matesMale cockroaches can sense the spatial distribution of female pheromones to locate a mate, according to researchers from Hokkaido University and the University of Konstanz. Cockroaches are nocturnal and heavily rely on olfaction for finding food and mating partners in the dark. However, plumes emitted from an odor source are not smooth or continuous, and have no clear concentration gradient. They are rather composed of filaments (clusters of odor molecules) of various sizes (> mm) and concentrations interspersed with regions of clean air. |
 | Will a cold winter kill off ticks?The bad news is that even particularly harsh winter weather – like that experienced by much of the East Coast this year – won't kill off ticks. They are hardy little critters. However, a brutal winter could still have an effect on tick populations. Maybe. |
 | In a first, scientists successfully induce spawning in wild bonefishA team led by Florida Institute of Technology's Jonathan Shenker and Paul Wills of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University has for the first time successfully induced spawning of wild bonefish and hatched the fertilized eggs into larvae. |
 | Moulds produce plant growth hormonePlants, bacteria and various fungi produce a specific group of hormones known as auxins. Together with other hormones, they cause plant cells to stretch and thus, for example, the rapid growth of young shoots. The manner in which plants produce these substances has been intensively studied for decades, and is accordingly described in great detail. In contrast, how this biosynthesis takes place in fungi has hardly been studied to date. Researchers already know that some species of fungi which are plant pests are able to produce auxins, which trigger the growth of harmful tissue in their host plants. Now, for the first time, Professor Frank Kempken, head of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology at Kiel University, together with his working group, has described the mechanism by which the mould Neurospora crassa produces auxins. The Kiel researchers have also shown that fungi which are not harmful organisms are also able to make these growth hormones. Their findings have now been published in the scientific journal PLoS One. |
 | Bid to find a Valentine for Romeo, world's 'loneliest frog'With Valentine's Day approaching, please spare a thought for Romeo the lonesome Bolivian frog. |
Video: Why study mouse lemurs?Like humans, mouse lemurs sometimes develop amyloid brain plaques and other Alzheimer's-like symptoms as they age. Because mouse lemurs are primates, they are a closer genetic match to humans than mice or rats are. | |
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