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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for February 14, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Supermassive black hole model predicts characteristic light signals at cusp of collisionA new simulation of supermassive black holes—the behemoths at the centers of galaxies—uses a realistic scenario to predict the light signals emitted in the surrounding gas before the masses collide, said Rochester Institute of Technology researchers. |
 | Scientists directly observe electron dynamics of the Northern LightsThe shower of electrons bouncing across Earth's magnetosphere, commonly known as the Northern Lights, has been directly observed for the first time by an international team of scientists. While the cause of these colorful auroras has long been hypothesized, researchers had never directly observed the underlying mechanism until now. The results have been published in Nature. |
 | Milky Way ties with neighbor in galactic arms raceAstronomers have discovered that our nearest large neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, is roughly the same size as the Milky Way. It had been thought that Andromeda was two to three times the size of the Milky Way, and that our own galaxy would ultimately be engulfed by our supposedly bigger neighbour. But the latest research, published today, evens the score between the two galaxies. |
 | Rotating gaseous donut around an active supermassive black holeHigh-resolution observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) imaged a rotating dusty gas torus around an active supermassive black hole. The existence of such rotating donuts-shape structures was first suggested decades ago, but this is the first time one has been confirmed so clearly. This is an important step in understanding the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. |
 | Andromeda galaxy was formed in 'recent' star crash: studyThe Milky Way's neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda, was formed in a colossal crash between two smaller star systems no more than three billion years ago when Earth already existed, researchers said Wednesday. |
 | Researchers clarify dynamics of black hole rotational energyAstrophysicists at MIPT have developed a model for testing a hypothesis about supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. The new model enables scientists to predict how much rotational energy a black hole loses when it emits beams of ionized matter known as astrophysical jets. The energy loss is estimated based on measurements of a jet's magnetic field. The paper was published in the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. |
 | Farewell to a pioneering pollution sensorOn Jan. 31, NASA ended the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer's (TES) almost 14-year career of discovery. Launched in 2004 on NASA's Aura spacecraft, TES was the first instrument designed to monitor ozone in the lowest layers of the atmosphere directly from space. Its high-resolution observations led to new measurements of atmospheric gases that have altered our understanding of the Earth system. |
 | NGC 3344 galaxy: A lonely beautyBeauty, grace, mystery—this magnificent spiral galaxy has all the qualities of a perfect galactic Valentine. Captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the galaxy NGC 3344 presents itself face-on, allowing astronomers a detailed look at its intricate and elegant structure. And Hubble's ability to observe objects over a wide range of different wavelengths reveals features that would otherwise remain invisible. |
 | Image: NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson preparing for spaceIn this image from 2009, NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson is attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, as she participates in a training session in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at the Johnson Space Center in preparation for the STS-131 mission. |
Technology news
 | Teaching robots to climb walls by mimicking the cockroach headbuttA team of researchers from the University of California, Harvard University and The Pennsylvania State University has found a simple approach to getting a robot to change planes when running into a wall—follow the example of the cockroach—it just headbutts the wall its physical shape causes it to start climbing upwards. The researchers have published a paper on their robot design in Journal of the Royal Society Interface. |
 | Boston Dynamics robot has claw-arm to turn handle and hold door openYou can comfortably predict any articles about Boston Dynamics will have the words "creepy," "scary," and "nightmare" taking up ample space. Each time Boston Dynamics announces a new robot version—even with few details on technology involved—one is reminded how much alarm the writers experience in viewing the videos. |
 | Drones deliver green transportation optionBy getting your next package delivered by drone, you could be saving energy, but only if companies deploy drones sensibly. |
 | All-terrain microbot moves by tumbling over complex topographyA new type of all-terrain microbot that moves by tumbling could help usher in tiny machines for various applications. |
 | New chip reduces neural networks' power consumption by up to 95 percentMost recent advances in artificial-intelligence systems such as speech- or face-recognition programs have come courtesy of neural networks, densely interconnected meshes of simple information processors that learn to perform tasks by analyzing huge sets of training data. |
Toshiba tips return to black as it sells chip, nuclear unitsTroubled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba said on Wednesday it would swing into the black for the full fiscal year as it completes the multi-billion-dollar sale of its chip business to restore its balance sheet. | |
 | App delivery boom shakes up China food sectorGuo Bonan has opened several new branches of his "8Peppers" spicy Sichuan-style restaurants across Shanghai since last year, and not one has a dining room. |
 | No, artificial intelligence won't steal your children's jobs—it will make them more creative and productive"Whatever your job is the chances are that one of these machines can do it faster or better than you can." |
 | Thermal blankets melt snow quicklyRemoving snow piled high in parking lots and along roadsides could soon be a far less tedious task. In a study appearing in ACS' journal Langmuir, scientists report that they have tested sunlight-absorbing thermal blankets capable of melting snow three times faster than it would on its own. They say the blankets could slash snow-removal costs and reduce the risk of environmental contamination caused by soot and other products used to melt the white stuff. |
 | Particulate filter research may enable more fuel-efficient vehiclesResearchers are looking to neutrons for new ways to save fuel during the operation of filters that clean the soot, or carbon and ash-based particulate matter, emitted by vehicles. |
 | Critics wary as Google's Chrome begins an ad crackdownOn Thursday, Google will begin using its Chrome browser to reshape the web by eradicating ads it deems annoying or otherwise detrimental to users. It just so happens that many of Google's own most lucrative ads will pretty much sail through its new filters. |
 | Major Xerox investor sues to block takeover by FujifilmOne of Xerox's biggest shareholders filed suit to challenge the US photocopier and printer maker's planned takeover by Japanese technology firm Fujifilm. |
 | US IPO for Baidu video unit as Q4 net income flattensChinese search engine giant Baidu will spin off its Netflix-like video arm iQiyi and list it in the US market, the company said in a statement that revealed its net profit grew only one percent during the fourth quarter. |
 | Uber loss leapt in 2017 as final quarter showed hopeRide-share titan Uber on Tuesday revealed that its losses last year swelled despite signs in the final three months that it was stemming the red ink. |
 | European officials: Virtual currencies are no way to paySeveral of Europe's top finance officials are skeptical about virtual currencies like bitcoin, saying they are risky for investors and inefficient as a way to pay for things. |
 | Power grid fluctuations hidden in audio recordings proved a powerful tool for police forensicsAudio and video recordings are important sources of evidence in criminal investigations, especially as more electronic devices are in use now than ever before. However, for recordings to be admissible, investigators often need to determine the time they were made, which can be difficult. Now, a team led by Vrizlynn Thing at the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force, has developed an impressive new system that reliably estimates the time of recordings by identifying small fluctuations in the frequency of the electrical power grid. |
New technology combines LEGO bricks and dronesFrom February 15 to 18, children and families visiting the LEGO World expo in Copenhagen, Denmark will have the chance to make their brick-building dreams take flight with a flock of interactive miniature drones developed by the Human Media Lab at Queen's University in Canada in collaboration with the LEGO Group's Creative Play Lab. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Newly discovered gene may protect against heart diseaseScientists have identified a gene that may play a protective role in preventing heart disease. Their research revealed that the gene, called MeXis, acts within key cells inside clogged arteries to help remove excess cholesterol from blood vessels. |
 | Researchers successfully reverse Alzheimer's disease in mouse modelA team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute have found that gradually depleting an enzyme called BACE1 completely reverses the formation of amyloid plaques in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's disease, thereby improving the animals' cognitive function. The study, which will be published February 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, raises hopes that drugs targeting this enzyme will be able to successfully treat Alzheimer's disease in humans. |
 | A new class of drug to treat herpes simplex virus-1 infectionFor patients with the herpes simplex-1 virus (HSV-1), there are just a handful of drugs available to treat the painful condition that can affect the eyes, mouth and genitals. |
 | A gene that increases the risk of pancreatic cancer controls inflammation in normal tissueInflammation is a defensive response of the body to pathogens, but when it persists, it can be harmful, even leading to cancer. Hence, it is crucial to understand the relationship between inflammation and cancer. A group of researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has now discovered an unexpected link between the two processes. In the pancreas, one of the genes that increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer also controls inflammation. This finding offers "a major conceptual change," says Paco Real from the CNIO. As well as helping to understand the origin of tumours, the finding suggests new strategies for the prevention of pancreatic cancer. The research is published in Nature. |
 | Atlas of brain blood vessels provides fresh clues to brain diseasesDiseases of the brain vasculature are some of the most common causes of death in the West, but knowledge of brain blood vessels is limited. Now, researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have published a detailed molecular atlas of the cells that form the brain's blood vessels and the life-essential blood-brain barrier. The atlas provides new knowledge regarding the functions of the cells and the barrier, and clues to which cell types are involved in different diseases. They report the atlas in the journal Nature. |
 | Running helps the brain counteract negative effect of stress, study findsMost people agree that getting a little exercise helps when dealing with stress. A new BYU study discovers exercise—particularly running—while under stress also helps protect your memory. |
 | Tiny brain region sorts out stressful memoriesA tiny part of the brain plays a big role in what we successfully remember during stressful or emotional situations, according to a new USC study. |
 | Possible new principle for cancer therapyA study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that small molecules that specifically inhibit an important selenium-containing enzyme may be useful in combating cancer. When researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden treated cancer in mice using these molecules, they observed rapid tumoricidal effects. Researchers now hope that this new principle for cancer treatment will eventually be developed for use in humans. |
 | Research reveals how brains develop the right mix of cellsScientists have discovered a mechanism that controls the mix of cells in the developing brain, which could help us to understand and treat conditions such as epilepsy. |
 | Back-and-forth exchanges boost children's brain response to languageA landmark 1995 study found that children from higher-income families hear about 30 million more words during their first three years of life than children from lower-income families. This "30-million-word gap" correlates with significant differences in tests of vocabulary, language development, and reading comprehension. |
 | Brain scan and artificial intelligence could predict whether OCD will improve with treatmentWashing hands needlessly dozens of times of day. Spending so much time perfecting schoolwork that it never gets turned in. |
 | Organ-on-chip technology enters next stage as experts test hepatitis B virusScientists at Imperial College London have become the first in the world to test how pathogens interact with artificial human organs. |
 | Study finds that a surprise stimulus helps people stop an actionImagine reaching to pet your cat, and it hisses at you. How does your brain take stock of the sound and communicate with your body to pull back your hand? |
 | Scientists find key proteins control risk of osteoarthritis during agingMore than 30 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis making it one of the most common age-related diseases. |
 | Safe-sleep recommendations for infants have not reduced sudden deaths in newbornsAn analysis of trends in sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) over the past two decades finds that the drop in such deaths that took place following release of the 1992 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "back to sleep" recommendations, did not occur in infants in the first month of life. The report from investigators from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH), which has been published online in the Journal of Pediatrics, identifies several potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to the persistent risk of sudden, unexplained death during the first days and weeks of life. |
Climb stairs to lower blood pressure and strengthen leg musclesIf you don't have the time or money for aerobic and resistance training, why not try climbing the stairs? A new study demonstrates that stair climbing not only lowers blood pressure but also builds leg strength, especially in postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiencies who are more susceptible to vascular and muscle problems. The study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). | |
Ketone drink could help diabetics by lowering blood sugarFor the first time it has been shown that drinking a ketone supplement can lower blood sugar levels, presenting a potential future method to control spikes in blood sugar experienced by diabetics. | |
New vaginal mesh material could help thousands of women affected by life changing complicationsScientists from the University of Sheffield have developed a material that could be used as an alternative to the current vaginal mesh material, polypropylene, used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. | |
 | Surgical infections linked to drug-resistant bugs, study suggestsPatients having surgery in low income countries are more likely to develop an infection than those in wealthier nations, which may be linked to drug-resistant bacteria, research led by the Universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Warwick suggests. |
Shorter time between first medical contact to PCI in heart patients linked to saving livesHeart experts are calling for immediate action following new research that shows every minute counts for patients who suffer the most severe type of heart attack. The study shows numbers of deaths rise steadily and rapidly the longer the time between patients' first contact with a medical professional and when they are treated in hospital with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to insert a balloon catheter to widen blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart. | |
 | Lipoproteins, lipids have similar ties to MI, ischemic stroke(HealthDay)—Lipoproteins and lipids are similarly associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke (IS) but not intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), according to a study published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | Four best practices outlined to prevent health care cyberattacks(HealthDay)—Four best practices outlined that can help prevent health care cyberattacks, which increased from 2016 to 2017, according to a report published in Managed Healthcare Executive. |
 | ACA dependent coverage tied to increased prenatal care(HealthDay)—The Affordable Care Act dependent coverage provision is associated with increased early and adequate prenatal care and decreased preterm births, according to a study published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
 | Most parents don't believe their child's BMI report card53% of parents who receive their child's Body Mass Index (BMI) report card do not believe that it accurately categorizes their child as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese, according to research out today in Health Promotion Practice. |
 | Opioid addiction treatment behind bars reduced post-incarceration overdose deaths in RIA treatment program for opioid addiction launched by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections was associated with a significant drop in post-incarceration drug overdose deaths and contributed to an overall drop in overdose deaths statewide, a new study finds. |
 | Personality: Where does it come from and how does it work?How do our personalities develop? What do we come with and what is built from our experiences? Once developed, how does personality work? These questions have been steeped in controversy for almost as long as psychology has existed. |
 | Model of fecal transplantation predicts which bacteria will flourishFecal microorganism transplant (FMT) is a treatment strategy for illnesses like Clostridium difficile (C. diff) and some other infectious or autoimmune diseases affecting the gut. During FMT, stool from a healthy donor is transferred to a recipient. To be successful, donor bacteria must attach, or engraft, to the recipient's gut, but the forces influencing engraftment and growth have been largely unknown. |
Can learning stress-reducing techniques help reduce seizures?Learning techniques to help manage stress may help people with epilepsy reduce how often they have seizures, according to a study published in the February 14, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. | |
 | Heroin vaccine blocks lethal overdoseScientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have achieved a major milestone toward designing a safe and effective vaccine to both treat heroin addiction and block lethal overdose of the drug. Their research, published today in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, shows how a new anti-heroin formulation that is safe in animal models remains stable at room temperature for at least 30 days. As a result, the vaccine is close to being ready for human testing. |
 | New method maps the dopamine system in Parkinson's patientsWith the aid of a PET camera, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a new method for investigating the dopamine system in the brains of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. The method measures levels of a protein called dopamine transporter and could lead to improved diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and the development of new treatments. The study is published in the scientific journal Movement Disorders. |
How do hormones affect tumor DNA in men with breast cancer?Breast cancer in men is rare, and men with breast cancer receive the same anti-hormonal therapy as women. Often with effect, but there was no scientific basis for it before now. Cancer researchers led by Wilbert Zwart from the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Oncode Institute are now the first to clarify how hormones affect tumor DNA in men with breast cancer. | |
 | Everyday activities associated with more gray matter in brains of older adultsHigher levels of lifestyle physical activity - such as house cleaning, walking a dog and gardening, as well as exercise - are associated with more gray matter in the brains of older adults, according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences will publish the study's findings on Feb. 14. |
 | Can't get an image out of your head? Your eyes are helping to keep it thereEven though you are not aware of it, your eyes play a role in searing an image into your brain, long after you have stopped looking at it. |
 | Scientists find a few surprises in their study of loveLove's warm squishiness seems a thing far removed from the cold, hard reality of science. Yet the two do meet, whether in lab tests for surging hormones or in austere chambers where MRI scanners noisily thunk and peer into brains that ignite at glimpses of their soulmates. |
 | One hour of video gaming can increase the brain's ability to focusResearchers have demonstrated that just one hour spent playing video games has an effect on the brain. The research team found changes in brain activity and increased performance on tests of visual selective activity in subjects who had spent one hour playing the League of Legends video game. Their results are published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. |
 | Cycle of infant reflux signals a call to help mothersWestern Sydney University research has found that first-time mothers with mental health issues – in particular, maternal anxiety – are five times as likely to have their baby noted as having reflux when admitted to hospital. |
Cognition in rare hormonal disorderPHP1A (pseudohypoparathyroidism 1A) is a rare genetic disorder that causes short adult stature, multi-hormone resistance, early-onset obesity and cognitive impairment. | |
Breast cancer treatment and heart disease—what you need to knowRecently, the American Heart Association published a striking statement for women who have undergone chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment for breast cancer: namely, that these therapies can contribute to heart failure or other heart problems, even many years after the conclusion of cancer treatment. | |
 | Marijuana should be packaged, regulated following tobacco control best practicesCalifornia already has the nation's largest medical marijuana market, and this year is expected to have the world's largest recreational market. With enormous potential to influence policy, the state should take an assertive approach to cannabis labeling, packaging and product formulation, according to a new UC San Francisco study. |
 | Gaming addiction as a mental disorder—it's premature to pathologize playersGaming addiction is expected to be classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organisation (WHO) but – while concerns over the addictive properties of video games are reasonable – there is a lack of rigorous research to back it up. |
 | Love and fear are visible across the brain instead of being restricted to any brain regionThe brain mechanisms of basic emotions such as anger and happiness are fairly similar across subjects. Differences are greater in social emotions, such as gratitude and contempt. |
 | Can you die of a broken heart?Throughout the ages, art, architecture, music and literature have often been inspired by the broken-hearted. In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it appears that Lady Montague died of a broken heart due to her son Romeo's banishment. According to Lord Montague, "grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath." |
 | Almost every young person in WA detention has a severe brain impairmentNine out of ten people in Western Australian youth detention are severely impaired in at least one area of brain function such as memory, language, attention, and executive function (planning and understanding consequences). Such deficits would strongly impact on their ability to conform with legal instructions, and with other aspects of the justice system such as being interviewed in court. |
 | Breaking the rules of brain cancerA brief chat at a Faculty Senate meeting put two University of Delaware researchers onto an idea that could be of great value to cancer researchers. |
 | Muscle more important than fat in regulating heat loss from the handsIn the first study of its kind, Cambridge biological anthropologists have shown that muscle mass is able to predict the rate of heat loss from the hands during severe cold exposure, while body mass, stature and fat mass do not. |
 | How best to treat opioids' youngest sufferers? No one knowsTwo babies, born 15 months apart to the same young woman overcoming opioid addiction. Two very different treatments. |
 | Does your valentine have a roving eye? Watch out(HealthDay)—Just in time for Valentine's Day, new research suggests one behavior can predict how strong a couple's bond might be. |
 | During 2013 to 2016, 8.1 percent of U.S. adults had depression(HealthDay)—During 2013 to 2016, 8.1 percent of American adults aged 20 years and older had depression in a given two-week period, according to a February data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. |
 | Nanotechnology could redefine oral surgeryA trip to the dentist or orthodontist usually instills a sense of dread in most patients, and that's before the exam even begins. Add to that the fear of oral surgery with a painful recovery, and many people will avoid these visits at all costs. Now, one group reports a pre-clinical study in ACS Nano showing that they could potentially reduce pain and recovery time with the aid of specialized nanotechnology. |
 | Could sugar chains be the answer to bone growth in osteoporosis?Scientists at the University of York have shown that altering the structure of sugar chains on the surface of stem cells could help promote bone growth in the body. |
 | Cardiac macrophages found to contribute to a currently untreatable type of heart failureA team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has discovered, for the first time, that the immune cells called macrophages contribute to a type of heart failure for which there currently is no effective treatment. In their report published in the February issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the MGH team describes finding how macrophage activity leads to the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in mouse models of the condition, which accounts for around half of all human heart failure cases. |
 | Study: Rigorous hand hygiene-intervention practices can lower mortality, antibiotic prescription rates in nursing homesInfection prevention practices centered on hand hygiene (HH) protocols can save lives across all healthcare facilities, not just hospital settings. This includes nursing homes, according to a new study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). |
Researchers engineer natural windpipe replacement alternative to synthetic scaffolding now being usedBiomedical engineers at Case Western Reserve University are growing tracheas by coaxing cells to form three distinct tissue types after assembling them into a tube structure-without relying on scaffolding strategies currently being investigated by other groups. | |
Swiss govt seeks to bar minors from tanning salonsSwitzerland's government says minors should be prohibited from using tanning salons because of the long-term risk that radiation from ultraviolet beds could cause skin cancer. | |
 | One hidden culprit behind weight gain: fruit juice(HealthDay)—Fruit juice isn't doing any favors for your waistline, a new study reports. |
 | Greater weight loss with RYGB in obese with T2DM at three years(HealthDay)—For obese adults with type 2 diabetes, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is associated with greater weight loss, lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and reduced cardiovascular risk compared with intensive medical diabetes and weight management (IMWM), according to a study published online Feb. 6 in Diabetes Care. |
 | Mean depth of ultrasonographic penetration greater in autism(HealthDay)—Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a significantly greater mean depth of ultrasonographic penetration, according to a study published online Feb. 12 in JAMA Pediatrics. |
 | Genetics should inform care in noncompaction cardiomyopathy(HealthDay)—Genetic stratification should play a role in clinical care of patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM), according to a study published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | Safety of PERC tool validated for very low risk PE rule out in ER(HealthDay)—For low risk patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE), randomization to eight-item PE rule-out criteria (PERC) seems safe, according to a study published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
 | GI surgical site infections higher in low-income countries(HealthDay)—The burden of surgical site infection (SSI) after gastrointestinal surgery is greater for countries with low income as classified by the U.N. Human Development Index (HDI), according to a study published online Feb. 13 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. |
 | Higher biopsy rates for women undergoing screening breast MRI(HealthDay)—Women undergoing screening breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have higher biopsy rates and significantly lower cancer yield findings compared with screening mammography alone, regardless of personal history of breast cancer (PHBC), according to a study published online Feb. 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine. |
 | Blood thinners may raise stroke risk in over-65s with kidney diseasePeople over 65 years old may be increasing their stroke risk by taking anticoagulants for an irregular heartbeat if they also have chronic kidney disease, finds a new study led by UCL, St George's, University of London and the University of Surrey. |
 | Cutting off cervical cancer's fuel supply stymies tumorsCancer therapies have improved—in some cases dramatically—over the past two decades, but treatment for cervical cancer has remained largely unchanged. All patients receive radiation and chemotherapy, yet despite the aggressive approach, the regimen fails in about one-third of patients with cervical cancer that has spread beyond the cervix but not outside the pelvis. |
 | Poor fitness linked to weaker brain fiber, higher dementia riskScientists have more evidence that exercise improves brain health and could be a lifesaving ingredient that prevents Alzheimer's disease. |
 | First blood test to help diagnose brain injuries gets US OKThe first blood test to help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injuries has won U.S. government approval. |
 | Gov't says health costs to keep growing faster than economyU.S. health care spending will keep growing faster than the overall economy in the foreseeable future, squeezing public insurance programs and employers who provide coverage, the government said Wednesday. |
 | First study of radiation exposure in human gut Organ Chip device offers hope for better radioprotective drugsChernobyl. Three Mile Island. Fukushima. Accidents at nuclear power plants can potentially cause massive destruction and expose workers and civilians to dangerous levels of radiation that lead to cancerous genetic mutations and death. While the total number of people affected by nuclear incidents is small, every year millions of cancer patients around the world receive radiation therapy, which, while lower-dose, can still cause harmful cumulative side effects. |
 | New Hampshire bill targets soda on kids menusFewer children will wash down their chicken fingers and fries with soda if a bill limiting beverage choices for restaurant children's meals gets through the New Hampshire Legislature. |
 | Wisdom and drive: Older Olympians becoming the normFor her 50th birthday, Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard informed her husband that they would mark the occasion by hiking eight hours a day along Italy's rugged Amalfi coast. "Seriously?" he replied. |
Can government-approved pot beat street weed?A key goal of legalizing recreational cannabis is squeezing out illegal suppliers. But how competitive will legal cannabis retailing be against established black markets? | |
 | Food allergies: to test or not to test(HealthDay)—About 5 percent of American children and 4 percent of adults have a food allergy, but many more are getting unnecessary testing. |
 | Asthma doesn't have to ruin your Valentine's day(HealthDay)—Asthma and allergies can put on damper on your Valentine's Day romancing, an expert warns. |
Hip hop meets health in a campaign against type 2 diabetesThe Center for Vulnerable Populations (CVP), at UC San Francisco, and Youth Speaks, a San Francisco youth development and arts education organization, are releasing four new spoken word videos by young poets from across California as part of a social media-based public health campaign to end type 2 diabetes in youth and young adults. | |
Mass. public safety, public health agencies collaborate to address the opioid epidemicA new study shows that public health and public safety agencies established local, collaborative programs in Massachusetts to connect overdose survivors and their personal networks with addiction treatment, harm reduction, and other community support services following a non-fatal overdose. The study, published online in the International Journal of Drug Policy, is the first of its kind to attempt to systematically document this emerging approach to combatting the opioid epidemic. | |
 | A surprise no one wants: Big medical bill even with coverageThis winter's nasty flu season may smack patients with a financial side effect: surprise medical bills. |
 | Opioid maker changes tack as scrutiny mountsAccused of profiting from a deadly opioid crisis ravaging middle class America, the maker of the world's best-selling pain medication, Purdue Pharma, said Tuesday it is changing tack in the face of increasing scrutiny. |
Italy court sends right-to-die case to Constitutional CourtA court in Milan has asked Italy's Constitutional Court to rule in the case of a right-to-die advocate who brought a well-known DJ to an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland to die after he was paralyzed in a car crash. | |
 | Researchers study influence of fat storage in the heart on cardiovascular diseaseMichael Nelson, assistant professor of kinesiology at The University of Texas at Arlington, has received a new five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the link between fat storage in the heart and cardiovascular disease, as well as the influence of gender on the development of cardiac dysfunction. |
Biology news
 | Fighting for love: Dominant male pheasants learn fasterDominant male pheasants learn faster than their downtrodden rivals, new research shows. |
 | Decoding behavioral variation in ant clonesGenetically identical clonal ants show surprising diversity in their attraction to sweetness, according to new research in the journal Royal Society Open Science. While differences in behavior and preferences among a species are usually attributed to genetic variation, the cause of multiple phenotypes is less clear-cut for ants that are identical clones. |
 | Ants nurse wounded warriors back to health: studyAfrican Matabele ants dress the wounds of comrades injured during hunting raids and nurse them back to health, according to an "astonishing" discovery reported Wednesday. |
 | What fluffy bunnies can tell us about domestication: It didn't go the way you thinkIt turns out that nobody knows when rabbits were domesticated. Despite a well-cited story of the domestic bunny's origins, a review published on February 14 in Trends in Ecology and Evolution finds that historical and archaeological records and genetic methods all suggest different timeframes for its domestication. But the researchers involved in the study don't think this puzzle is a dead end. Instead, they believe it's an indication that domestication happens on a continuum. |
 | The 'Super-Ranger' badgers that may hold the key to limiting the spread of bovine TBZoologists from Trinity College Dublin, working with a multi-disciplinary team of veterinarians and ecologists from the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine (DAFM) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), have discovered a brand new 'super-ranging' behaviour in badgers, which has major implications for implementing vaccination programmes to limit the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB). The findings come at an opportune time, after DAFM recently announced it would be rolling out a national programme to vaccinate badgers in its efforts to eradicate TB. |
 | Majority of Anna's hummingbirds may have feather mites on their tail feathersThe majority of Californian Anna's Hummingbirds appear to have P. huitzilopochtlii feather mites on their tail flight feathers, according to a study published February 14, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Youki Yamasaki from Washington State University, U.S., and colleagues. |
 | Silent singing crickets still going through the motionsA team of researchers with the University of St Andrews and the University of Cambridge, both in the U.K., has found that singing crickets in Hawaii have evolved to silence their singing apparatus but continue to sing inaudibly. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes their study of field crickets living on the island of Kauai and suggest some possibilities for the behavior they witnessed. |
 | A map app to track stem cellsResearchers who work with stem cells have ambitious goals. Some want to cure cancer or treat heart disease. Others want to grow the tissues and organs that patients need for transplants. Some groups are even working to develop highly personalized medicines, tailored to an individual's genetics. All of these ideas face a similar hurdle, however: The development of measurement tools for stem cell production is challenging, making it hard to determine what makes various new stem cell-related products safe, effective or high-quality. |
 | Problems with herbicide-resistant weeds become crystal clearHerbicide-resistant weeds are threatening food security, but University of Queensland researchers are one step closer to a solution after a new discovery. |
 | Study links fox domestication to gene activity in the pituitary glandA study of foxes offers new insights into the brain changes that occur in wild canids as they become more tame, researchers report. The study links fox domestication to changes in gene activity in the pituitary gland, a brain center that kicks out hormones to regulate various bodily functions, including the stress response. |
 | Carefully managed fire can promote rare savanna speciesCarefully managed fires generate the maximum diversity of birds and mammals in savannas, new research from the University of York suggests. |
 | CT scans reveal new muscles in horseshoe crab appendagesDigital dissection shows that two horseshoe crab appendages—the pushing leg and the male pedipalp—each have one more muscle than had been thought, according to a study published February 14, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Russell Bicknell from University of New England, Australia, and colleagues. |
 | Linking cytosolic and chloroplast ribosome biogenesis in plantsScientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have found that eukaryotic and bacterial growth regulation systems of independent origins are connected to the control of chloroplast rRNA transcription in a primitive red alga. |
 | Researchers find gene that may greatly increase strawberry productionResearchers at the University of Maryland have identified and isolated a gene that is directly involved in the way strawberry plants grow, spread and produce fruit. |
 | Secrets of a little-known cancer ally revealedHuman cancers often have a little recognized ally— the increased size and number of a cell's organelles called the nucleolus. The nucleolus is where ribosomes, the cellular protein factories, are made. Ribosomes can also be hijacked by cancer to produce proteins that fuel its growth. |
 | Stress-induced changes of genetic information—new details discovered about the function of a mysterious proteinIn a recent study, a research group at MedUni Vienna has published further details about the function of an enigmatic protein. The biological necessity of this protein, which can chemically alter certain building blocks of the genetic information, has been debated for quite a while. The new study now links the enzymatic action of this protein on small RNA molecules which are important for protein synthesis, to potentially far-reaching consequences for the integrity of genetic information, particularly under stress conditions. |
 | Researchers quantify nutritional value of soil fungi to the Serengeti food webThe complex Serengeti ecosystem, which spans 12,000 square miles extending from northern Tanzania into southwestern Kenya, is home to millions of animals, including 70 species of large mammals. It is a hotspot for mammal diversity—including herbivores such as wildebeest, zebra and gazelles that graze on grasses and trees, as well as lions, crocodiles, leopards and hyenas that survive by preying on the grazing herbivores. |
 | Absence of warm temperature spikes revealed as driver for vernalisationA new study has uncovered multiple new factors that contribute to the important phenomenon of vernalisation in plants. |
 | Humpback microbiome linked to seasonal, environmental changesJust like with humans, the skin on marine mammals serves as an important line of defense against pathogens in their environment. A new study sheds light on the skin microbiome—a group of microorganisms that live on skin—in healthy humpback whales, which could aid in future efforts to monitor their health. |
 | Hunting wolves in Serbia's southern forestsRifle fire rips through the silence of the forest and fields on the slopes of Jastrebac mountain in southern Serbia. Two wolves have just fallen victim to a legal hunt. |
 | Giant London glasshouse to reopen with world's rarest plantsA gleaming monument to the ambition and creativity of its age, the world's largest Victorian glasshouse will once again welcome visitors to see some of the world's rarest plants following a lengthy facelift. |
 | Love on the rocks: Penguins celebrating Valentine's DayPenguins are looking for love with big red hearts at a San Francisco aquarium. |
 | Coffee threatened by climate change, disease, pestsAccording to connoisseurs, the tastiest of coffee beans come from the Coffea arabica shrub, a fragile weakling that is susceptible to diseases and pests. And climate change isn't making things any easier for the plant. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, reports that although coffee producers and scientists agree that C. arabica is under siege, they don't agree on what to do about it. |
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