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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 14, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Eight new 'hot Jupiters' discovered by astronomersEuropean astronomers have detected eight new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets as part of the WASP-South transit survey. The newly discovered gas giants have short orbital periods and masses ranging from 0.42 to 5.2 Jupiter masses. The finding is detailed in a paper published March 6 on arXiv.org. |
 | Brightest fast radio burst yet recorded at Parkes in AustraliaA team of researchers at the Parkes Observatory in NSW Australia has reported recording the brightest fast radio burst (FRB) yet on March 9 of this year. They describe it as having a high signal-to-noise ratio with an "orientation not very favorable for a detection of any gamma ray transient with INTEGRAL all-sky detectors." |
 | Astronomers discover galaxies spin like clockworkAstronomers have discovered that all galaxies rotate once every billion years, no matter how big they are. |
 | Asteroids and comets shower Mars with organicsAsteroids and comets appear to be a much more important supplier of organic molecules on Mars than expected. Until now, astronomers assumed that the organics on Mars mainly came from dust particles from space. Now, computer simulations by an international team of researchers led by Dutch astronomers indicate that one third of the material comes from asteroids and comets. The findings have been accepted for publication in the scientific journal Icarus. |
 | Jupiter's red spot getting taller as it shrinks, team findsThough once big enough to swallow three Earths with room to spare, Jupiter's Great Red Spot has been shrinking for a century and a half. Nobody is sure how long the storm will continue to contract or whether it will disappear altogether. |
 | Mystery of purple lights in sky solved with help from citizen scientistsNotanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal. Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of his home on July 25, 2016, around midnight with his two younger children to show them a beautiful moving light display in the sky—an aurora borealis. He often sky gazes until the early hours of the morning to photograph the aurora with his Nikon camera, but this was his first expedition with his children. When a thin purple ribbon of light appeared and starting glowing, Bourassa immediately snapped pictures until the light particles disappeared 20 minutes later. Having watched the northern lights for almost 30 years since he was a teenager, he knew this wasn't an aurora. It was something else. |
 | Kepler spacecraft nearing the end as fuel runs lowTrailing Earth's orbit at 94 million miles away, the Kepler space telescope has survived many potential knock-outs during its nine years in flight, from mechanical failures to being blasted by cosmic rays. At this rate, the hardy spacecraft may reach its finish line in a manner we will consider a wonderful success. With nary a gas station to be found in deep space, the spacecraft is going to run out of fuel. We expect to reach that moment within several months. |
 | New Horizons chooses nickname for 'ultimate' flyby targetAs NASA's New Horizons mission continues exploring the unknown, the mission team has selected a highly appropriate nickname for its next flyby target in the outer reaches of the solar system. |
 | Next NASA Mars rover reaches key manufacturing milestoneNASA's Mars 2020 mission has begun the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase of its development, on track for a July 2020 launch to Mars. |
 | Ground-based spectrometer designed to identify Earth-sized planets in neighboring solar systemsA new, ground-based spectrometer designed and built at Yale represents the most powerful step yet in the effort to identify Earth-sized planets in neighboring solar systems. |
 | New ideas for humans to survive far from EarthHow can we build a habitat on an ice-covered planet? The Swiss Space Center (SSC) has entered a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to prepare ESA_Lab@CH and is inviting students in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe to share their ideas through a dedicated website. |
The power of studying combustion on the ISSIf you wanted to reduce the amount of pollution humans produce, where might you look? | |
 | Crab Nebula: A crab walks through timeNext year marks the 20th anniversary of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory launch into space. The Crab Nebula was one of the first objects that Chandra examined with its sharp X-ray vision, and it has been a frequent target of the telescope ever since. |
 | Black holes dissolving like aspirin: How Hawking changed physicsWhen Stephen Hawking postulated in the mid-1970s that black holes leak radiation, slowly dissolving like aspirin in a glass of water, he overturned a core tenet of the Universe. |
 | Running a real-time simulation of go-no-go for Apollo 17Not everyone gets to become a part of history, but mathematician Billie Robertson is one of the lucky ones. In this image taken on Nov. 27, 1972, she was running a real-time simulation of Translunar Injection (TLI) Go-No-Go for the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission. |
Technology news
 | Canetroller for visually impaired is designed for exploring virtual worldsOh the wonder of it all. Virtual reality is opening us up to experiences that set our imaginations and curiosity on fire to explore the unknown, the untried, in full motion. |
 | Research team develops clinically-validated 3-D printed stethoscopeA team of researchers have developed an open-source, clinically validated template for a 3D printed stethoscope for use in areas of the world with limited access to medical supplies - places where a stethoscope could mean the difference between life and death. |
 | Mapping the dynamics of a smile to enable gender recognitionThe dynamics of how men and women smile differs measurably, according to new research, enabling artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically assign gender purely based on a smile. |
 | Researchers design novel method for energy-efficient deep neural networksAn Oak Ridge National Laboratory method to improve the energy efficiency of scientific artificial intelligence is showing early promise in efforts to parse insights from volumes of cancer data. |
 | Attacks on 4G LTE networks could send fake emergency alertsResearchers have identified several new vulnerabilities in 4G LTE networks, potentially allowing hackers to forge the location of a mobile device and fabricate messages. |
 | Greek innovation drive catches Tesla's attentionWhen a group of Greek students dreamt up the Pyrforos electric vehicle, they never imagined their futuristic, energy-efficient invention would inspire US automaker Tesla to invest in their crisis-hit country. |
 | France warns Apple and Google of fines over 'abusive' practices (Update)The French government said Wednesday that it would take Google and Apple to court over "abusive business practices" against smaller rivals, threatening fines that could further strain transatlantic ties as fears of a trade war grow. |
 | These 6 new SUVs are worth the waitIf you're in the market for a new SUV, it's important to know not only what's available now but also what's coming. Here are six SUVs going on sale in the next several months that we at Edmunds think are worth waiting for. |
38-year-old code-writing tool released for general useOne of the world's early computer software editors, developed by the University of Adelaide and still in use today, is being released by the University for free use by developers around the world. | |
 | How to build a computer with free willDo you have free will? Can you make your own decisions? Or are you more like an automaton, just moving as required by your constituent parts? Probably, like most people, you feel you have something called free will. Your decisions are not predetermined; you could do otherwise. |
 | Broadcom withdraws Qualcomm offer after Trump blocks bidSingapore-based Broadcom said Wednesday it was abandoning efforts to take over US smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm, two days after its bid was blocked by President Donald Trump over national security concerns. |
 | Saudi Arabia turns to nuclear power to curb oil addictionSaudi Arabia is fast-tracking an atomic energy programme to reduce its dependence on oil, but concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East could put a damper on its ambitious plans. |
Why virtual reality cannot match the real thingSuppose you were offered the opportunity to hook yourself up to a machine that would give you all the experiences you desire. Using this technology you could have the sensations of climbing Mt Everest, enjoying great sex with a good looking partner or visiting the Taj Mahal. | |
 | How accurate is your AI?As AI's role in society continues to expand, J B Brown of the Graduate School of Medicine reports on a new evaluation method for the type of AI that predicts yes/positive/true or no/negative/false answers. |
 | Research gets closer to producing revolutionary battery to power renewable energy industryAny resident of the Great Plains can attest to the massive scale of wind farms that increasingly dot the countryside. In the Midwest and elsewhere, wind energy accounts for an ever-bigger slice of U.S. energy production: In the past decade, $143 billion was invested into new wind projects, according to the American Wind Energy Association. |
 | Canada considering tax on internet giantsThe Canadian government is looking at how to regulate and tax internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Netflix, as it moves to improve protections for its cultural sector, an official said Wednesday. |
 | Google to ban cryptocurrency and related advertisementsGoogle says it is going to ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, as well as related content like trading advice and cryptocurrency wallets. |
 | YouTube tries to crack down on conspiracy videosYouTube says it's cracking down on conspiracy videos, though it's scant on the details. |
 | Some Americans 'constantly' on internet, others remain offlineMore than one in four American adults say they are online "almost constantly," but a small percentage still don't use the internet at all, a survey showed on Wednesday. |
Lyft, auto parts maker Magna partner on autonomous vehiclesRide-hailing company Lyft is joining with large Canadian auto parts supplier Magna to develop self-driving vehicles, sharing expenses on a multi-year project that could vault them onto the leader board in autonomous technology. | |
 | Police use of social media to deliver news raises concernsIt opens with a warning: This video contains footage from real police body cameras. Viewer discretion is advised. |
 | First lady convening tech companies to tackle cyberbullyingFirst lady Melania Trump is bringing together tech giants to talk about ways to fight cyberbullying and promote internet safety, representatives of three companies said Tuesday. |
 | The future of transportation systemsDaniel Sperling is a distinguished professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy at the University of California at Davis, where he is also founding director of the school's Institute of Transportation Studies. Sperling, a member of the California Air Resources Board, recently gave a talk at MITEI detailing major technological and societal developments that have the potential to change transportation for the better—or worse. Following the event, Sperling spoke to MITEI about policy, science, and how to harness these change agents for the public good. |
 | Big data hype hasn't led to tangible results in the social sciences, expert saysWe've already got used to the fact that our digital footprint is continuously recorded, stored somewhere and evaluated. This has revolutionized the advertising industry, and companies like Uber and Amazon are using our data to be even more efficient. Discussion of how digitization is affecting our lives, however, is often limited to speculations about what Google or Facebook might do with this data. |
China's Huawei says to keep investing in US despite setbackChinese telecoms giant Huawei says it will continue to invest in the United States despite recent setbacks in its efforts to boost sales there. | |
 | Facebook expresses concern over Sri Lanka banFacebook said Wednesday it was responding to Sri Lanka's concerns over incendiary material shared on its platform and hoped internet restrictions imposed during anti-Muslim riots last week would be lifted soon. |
 | Ford recalling 1.38 mn sedans over steering defectFord announced Wednesday a North American recall of 1.38 million Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans to address loose steering wheel bolts that could lead to the steering wheel detaching. |
 | Siemens to invest 1 bn euros in Brazil to 'unleash growth'German industrial group Siemens announced plans Wednesday to invest a billion euros in Brazil over the next five years, as Latin America's biggest economy cements its recovery from a brutal recession. |
 | Slovenia inaugurates world's first bitcoin monumentThe Slovenian town of Kranj has inaugurated one of the world's first monuments honouring crypto currencies and block chain technology as a display of the country's openness to new technologies. |
 | Crocs shoes lose EU patent in court blowAn EU court ruled on Wednesday that the design of Crocs shoes cannot be patented in Europe in a blow to the US-based maker of the plastic clogs. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Researchers uncover way to restore movement sensation in upper limb amputation patientsA team of researchers led by Cleveland Clinic has published first-of-its-kind findings in Science Translational Medicine on a new method of restoring natural movement sensation in patients with prosthetic arms. |
 | Hundreds of genes linked to intelligence in global studyMore than 500 genes linked to intelligence have been identified in the largest study of its kind. Scientists compared variation in DNA in more than 240,000 people from around the world, to discover which genes are associated with intelligence. Researchers identified 538 genes that play a role in intellectual ability. They also found 187 regions in the human genome that are linked to thinking skills. |
 | Researchers look for clues in big data to enlist stem cells for brain repairA team at the University of Toronto's Medicine by Design has combined the latest genomic technology with machine learning in a new study that sheds light on brain stem cells, providing insights that could one day help the brain heal itself. |
 | ADHD drugs increase brain glutamate, predict positive emotion in healthy peopleA new study shows that healthy people who take attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs experience a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. And that increase in glutamate is associated with subsequent changes in positive emotion. |
 | New imaging approach offers unprecedented views of staph infectionEric Skaar, PhD, MPH, marvels at the images on his computer screen—3-D molecular-level views of infection in a mouse. "I'm pretty convinced that these are the most advanced images in infection biology," said Skaar, Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology. |
 | Area surrounding a tumor impacts how breast cancer cells growCancer is typically thought of as a tumor that needs to be removed or an area that needs to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy. As a physicist and cancer researcher, Joe Gray, Ph.D., thinks differently. |
 | Making new memories is a balancing actThose of us who can't resist tourist tchotchkes are big fans of suitcases with an expandable compartment. Now, it turns out the brain's capacity for storing new memories is expandable, too, with limitations. |
 | Study reveals vision's role in vowel perceptionFor all talkers, except perhaps the very best ventriloquists, the production of speech is accompanied by visible facial movements. Because speech is more than just sound, researchers set out to ascertain the exact visual information people seek when distinguishing vowel sounds. |
 | Alomst 70 percent of 103 genes linked to prenatal death affect the placentaThe role of the placenta in healthy fetal development is being seriously under-appreciated according to a new paper published today (14th March). The study was part of the Wellcome Trust-funded "Deciphering the Mechanisms of Developmental Disorders (DMDD)" consortium. Dr Myriam Hemberger at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge led the research, working with colleagues at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, the Francis Crick Institute, London, the University of Oxford and the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Writing in the journal Nature, the team studied 103 genetic mutations in mice that cause embryos to die before birth. The results showed that the majority, almost 70%, cause defects in the placenta. |
 | Parasitic worms need their intestinal microflora tooScientists at The University of Manchester have cast new light on a little understood group of worm infections, which collectively afflicts 1 in 4 people, mainly children—in the developing the world. |
 | Obesity may promote resistance to antiangiogenic therapy for breast cancerObesity—which is already known to reduce survival in several types of cancer—may explain the ineffectiveness of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer. A research team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describes finding, for the first time, that obesity and obesity-related molecular factors appear to induce resistance to antiangiogenic therapy in breast cancer patients and in two mouse models of the disease. Their report in Science Translational Medicine also details specific obesity-related factors underlying that resistance and outlines potential therapeutic strategies that may overcome it. |
 | Unraveling how mesenchymal stem cells from gum tissue accelerate wound healingEver notice how a cut inside the mouth heals much faster than a cut to the skin? Gum tissue repairs itself roughly twice as fast as skin and with reduced scar formation. One reason might be because of the characteristics of gingival mesenchymal stem cells, or GMSCs, which can give rise to a variety of cell types. |
 | Researchers link defects in a nuclear receptor in the brain to autism spectrum disordersTwo University of Houston scientists are reporting that defects in a portion of the brain's hippocampus, called the dentate gyrus, is regulated by the nuclear receptor LXRβ (Liver X receptor Beta). The dentate gyrus, or DG, is responsible for emotion and memory and is known to be involved in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). |
New class of menopause drugs reduces number and severity of hot flushesA new class of experimental drugs reduces hot flushes in menopausal women by almost three-quarters in just three days. | |
 | Toothpaste alone does not prevent dental erosion or hypersensitivityThe rising prevalence of dental erosion and dentin hypersensitivity has led to the emergence of more toothpastes that claim to treat these problems. While no such toothpaste existed 20 years ago, today, many such brands are available. |
Researchers uncover ion channel trio that mediates painful heat sensingResearchers at VIB and KU Leuven have uncovered a trio of complementary ion channels in sensory neurons that mediate detection of acute, harmful heat. Having three redundant molecular heat-sensing mechanisms provides a powerful fail-safe mechanism that protects against burn injuries. The seminal findings have been published today in Nature. | |
 | When we lose weight, where does it go?The world is obsessed with fad diets and weight loss, yet few of us know how a kilogram of fat actually vanishes off the scales. |
 | Costs for hip and knee replacements could be reduced, saving billions every yearThe U.S. could save billions of dollars per year by controlling costs related to elective hip and knee replacements, according to an article by members of the Center for Health Advancement at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. The analysis was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
New insights into prostate cancer treatment and screeningIn four recent publications in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), Maha Hussain, MD, deputy director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, detailed new findings related to therapies for advanced prostate cancer, and called for a balanced approach to early detection of the disease. | |
Scientists discover treatment target for sepsisIn a study published in Nature Communications, Northwestern Medicine scientists demonstrated the key role a molecule called oxPAPC plays in regulating the inflammatory response—findings which could inform the development of new therapies for the body's life-threatening response to serious infections. | |
Scientists search for the clocks behind aging brain disordersTo understand the link between aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, scientists from the National Institutes of Health compared the genetic clocks that tick during the lives of normal and mutant flies. They found that altering the activity of a gene called Cdk5 appeared to make the clocks run faster than normal, and the flies older than their chronological age. This caused the flies to have problems walking or flying later in life, to show signs of neurodegeneration, and to die earlier. | |
 | For some surgeries, nerve blocks mean better outcomes, fewer opioidsIn a room near the operating suites at Yale New Haven Hospital's Saint Raphael Campus, anesthesiologist Jinlei Li, MD, prepares a patient for a total knee replacement. She inserts a hair-thin needle into the skin near where the incision will be made. Guided by real-time ultrasound, she tracks the needle's progress to ensure absolute precision—her goal is to send in enough anesthetic to bathe the nerve and make it numb without touching it. This nerve block, a type of regional anesthesia, is given only to the area that will be operated on. It takes 10 minutes or less to administer. |
 | Women cyclists are more prone to common gynecological problems, but not serious sexual or urinary dysfunctionWomen bicycle riders are more likely to experience urinary tract infections, genital numbness and saddle sores, but not more likely to have serious sexual and urinary symptoms than non-cyclists. In fact, high-intensity female cyclists had better sexual function, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco. |
 | Compound scores key win in battle against antibiotic resistanceResearchers at Oregon State University have made a key advance in the fight against drug resistance, crafting a compound that genetically neutralizes a widespread bacterial pathogen's ability to thwart antibiotics. |
 | Pairing mobile phone reminders with incentives to help prevent diseasesIn a study conducted in rural India, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers working in collaboration with Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS), a nonprofit Indian organization focused on child health, have found that mobile phone reminders linked with incentives such as free talk time minutes work better than phone alerts alone to improve childhood immunization rates in poor communities. |
One in four Americans suffer when exposed to common chemicalsUniversity of Melbourne research reveals that one in four Americans report chemical sensitivity, with nearly half this group medically diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), suffering health problems from exposure to common chemical products and pollutants such as insect spray, paint, cleaning supplies, fragrances and petrochemical fumes. | |
 | Why it's OK to cheat on your dietHow are you doing on that New Year's resolution to lose weight? Have you given in to temptation and strayed from your healthy diet? Don't fret. This is one case in which the experts say it's not only okay if you cheat, it's actually beneficial. |
 | Scientists caution that a rare childhood liver cancer can spread to the brainEarly detection is key for managing metastatic brain cancer. Above, a secondary brain tumor originating from melanoma skin cancer. |
 | Daily dose of violent video games has no long-term effect on adult aggression: studyPlaying violent action adventure games for prolonged periods does not make adults more aggressive say researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. A new study led by Simone Kühn looked at the influence long-term violent video game play has on aggression levels, and compared this with playing a life simulation game or not playing a video game at all. The research is published in the Springer Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry. |
 | Social support and machine learning are at the core of a student-developed app for people with diabetesDiabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and nearly 10 percent of the population suffers from this chronic disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | Many patients show signs of chronic kidney disease before diabetes diagnosisMany patients who will later be diagnosed with diabetes show signs of chronic kidney disease (CKD) even before their diabetes diagnosis, according to a study by researchers with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and VA MidSouth Healthcare Network. |
 | Researchers identify common biological features of different types of asthmaA team of researchers from the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre - a partnership between Leicester's Hospitals, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University - has identified biological variations in lung tissue samples that for the first time can help identify people with mild asthma from those with moderate or severe asthma. |
 | Hookah smoking carries a poisoning risk(HealthDay)—Many people think hookah smoking is less harmful than cigarettes, but they might not realize that hookahs can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, a medical expert warns. |
 | Jobs that keep the mind sharp... even into retirement(HealthDay)—If you're planning a career change or wondering if a challenging job could have positive effects, research might provide some intriguing answers. |
 | IL-6 levels predict response to ECT in depressive disorder(HealthDay)—For patients with major depressive disorder, interleukin-6 (IL-6) may predict benefit from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), according to a study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. |
 | Vit D concentration associated with reduced risk of cancer(HealthDay)—Higher plasma concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with reduced risk of total cancer in a Japanese population, according to a study published online March 7 in The BMJ. |
 | ACC: Cocaine/Marijuana may up mortality in younger MI patients(HealthDay)—Cocaine and/or marijuana use is present in about 10 percent of myocardial infarction (MI) patients age ≤50 years and is associated with increased mortality, according to a study published online March 10 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 10 to 12 in Orlando, Fla. |
 | PTs support interprofessional model of care with pharmacists(HealthDay)—The majority of Canadian physical therapists positively view a new interprofessional model of care with pharmacists, according to a study published online March 6 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. |
 | Substance use mortality varies widely across U.S. counties(HealthDay)—Across U.S. counties there is considerable variation in mortality due to alcohol use disorders, drug use disorders, self-harm, and interpersonal violence, according to a study published in the March 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
 | Bronchial thermoplasty can improve severe asthmatic cough(HealthDay)—Bronchial thermoplasty can treat severe asthmatic cough that is unresponsive to conventional therapies, according to a case report published online March 13 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. |
 | Educational success curbs effects of child abuse, neglectThe emotional and sexual abuse that some children endure can lead them to commit crimes later in life. |
 | Physically fit women nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementiaWomen with high physical fitness at middle age were nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia decades later, compared to women who were moderately fit, according to a study published the March 14, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study measured the women's cardiovascular fitness based on an exercise test. |
 | E-cigarettes doing more harm than good: study(HealthDay)—Electronic cigarettes do little to help smokers quit, and could actually increase the likelihood that teens and young adults will start smoking, a new study suggests. |
 | Vaginal birth tied to later lack of pelvic organ support(HealthDay)—Vaginal birth is associated with worse pelvic organ support five years after a woman's first delivery, and genital hiatus size is an independent predictor of worse support, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Study examines how hospital payments for heart attack care may affect patient outcomesIn recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on improving the value of health care by incentivizing reduced spending and improved outcomes. One such effort is the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The program makes payments to hospitals based on several measures, including average spending for an episode of care and mortality rates for certain conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack. Hospitals that perform poorly in these measures receive reduced payments. |
 | Nightmares are common but underreported in US military personnelA new study shows that a high percentage of military personnel with sleep disturbances met criteria for nightmare disorder, but few of them reported nightmares as a reason for sleep evaluation. Those with nightmare disorder had an increased risk of other sleep and mental health disorders. |
Novel use for drug reduces post-operative nausea and vomitingAn innovative use for a known drug is showing promise as an effective treatment for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), suggests a study published today in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The drug, amisulpride, showed a statistically significant reduction in the occurrence of PONV, when used intraoperatively in combination with a standard anti-nausea treatment, in the 24 hours after surgery in high risk patients. | |
 | Pricey dental implants often best but insurance rarely paysDental implants are increasingly being used to replace missing or failing teeth instead of dentures or bridges, which can be uncomfortable and hasten further deterioration. But implants can be very expensive and rarely are covered by insurance. |
 | Scientists work to protect obese, younger women from cardiovascular workObese, premenopausal women can lose the innate protection from cardiovascular disease that their youth and estrogen are believed to afford, and scientists want to know how. |
 | Large numbers of students skipping breakfastDespite widespread availability of morning meal programs, a large number of Canadian students are still skipping breakfast, according to a study from the University of Waterloo. |
 | Study finds smokers at greater risk of hearing lossSmoking is associated with increased risk of hearing loss, according to a study of over 50,000 participants over 8 years in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press. |
Preeclampsia screening method found superior to current testsNew research highlights a more accurate way to screen for preeclampsia in pregnant women than currently recommended methods. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study challenges the UK's current guidelines on the management of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. | |
Cancer incidence and survival statistics for Northern Ireland 2012-2016The Queen's University N. Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) today released the number of new cancer cases diagnosed (incidence) in Northern Ireland in 2016. Legislation designating the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) as an official producer of statistics came into place 1 April 2012. Website available at: www.qub.ac.uk/nicr . | |
 | Study finds running with soft footfalls reduces injuryA study conducted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) finds that novice distance runners running with softer footfalls can reduce the risk of injury by 62 percent. |
 | Equitable access to high-cost pharmaceuticalsAccess to the best medicine has been enshrined as a human right. But many healthcare systems are already spending half of their budgets on drugs, while ageing populations in countries such as the UK are creating increased demand for high-cost treatment. So how can that access be made affordable? A new book edited by a University of Huddersfield professor explores the issue. |
 | Using implementation science to improve cervical cancer prevention in sub-Saharan AfricaWhile cervical cancer - one of the most common cancers in women - has significantly decreased in the United States, it is still the second most common cancer in women who live in less developed countries, according to the World Health Organization. Women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have the largest age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of this potentially preventable and non-communicable disease due to the difficulty in implementing prevention, screening, and treatment programs. |
 | More women commit suicide and self-harm in prison than menFemale prisoners - often anguished at being parted from their children - are more likely to commit acts of self-harm than their male counterparts. A University of Huddersfield researcher has been researching the issue for more than a decade and is now co-author of an award-winning book that sets out strategies to tackle the problem. |
Hispanic Americans across ethnicities want HIV testing in SpanishClinicians are advised to never group Hispanic Americans under one collective identity. But when it comes to HIV testing, the desire to communicate with health care providers in Spanish nearly transcends ethnicity. | |
Michigan settles lawsuit over hepatitis C treatment accessThe state of Michigan has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over a policy that restricts certain hepatitis C treatments in the Medicaid program. | |
Biology news
 | Brain genes related to innovation revealed in birdsWild birds that are more clever than others at foraging for food have different levels of a neurotransmitter receptor that has been linked with intelligence in humans, according to a study led by McGill University researchers. The findings could provide insight into the evolutionary mechanisms affecting cognitive traits in a range of animals. |
 | It's not only size, but scales that matter in some male moth antennaeMale moths have evolved intricate scale arrangements on their antennae to enhance detection of female sex pheromones, which allows them to keep their antennae small enough to maximise flying, new research suggests. |
 | 'Body on a chip' could improve drug evaluationMIT engineers have developed new technology that could be used to evaluate new drugs and detect possible side effects before the drugs are tested in humans. Using a microfluidic platform that connects engineered tissues from up to 10 organs, the researchers can accurately replicate human organ interactions for weeks at a time, allowing them to measure the effects of drugs on different parts of the body. |
 | Chromatin usage in individual cells reveals developmental trajectoriesBoth cell type and developmental stage can be deduced from measurements of chromatin accessibility in thousands of single cells, researchers at EMBL and the University of Washington show. They used this approach to uncover how cells in developing embryos regulate their identity as they decide what kind of cell to become. Nature publishes the results on March 14. |
 | Marine ecologists study the effects of giant kelp on groups of organisms in the underwater forest ecosystemWhen British naturalist Charles Darwin traveled to the Galapagos Islands in 1835, he took notice of the giant kelp forests ringing the islands. He believed that if those forests were destroyed, a significant number of species would be lost. These underwater ecosystems, Darwin believed, could be even more important than forests on land. |
 | Molecular brakemen keep transporter proteins in check until it's their turn to moveWithin both plant and animal cells, motor proteins act like the engines in a busy train system. They shuttle material in the cell from one location to another. And just as commuter trains travel a predictable route in a defined direction, their volume of transport is commensurate with need. At rush hour, more trains are in operation. At midnight, there's no point in running trains every 10 minutes. |
 | Cells stressed out? Make mitochondria longerScientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered a new pathway in cells that promotes mitochondrial function during times of stress, a response that can guard against disease as we age. |
Molecular motor mystery solved: Novel protein rounds out plant cells' machineryA research team led by an Oregon State University biophysicist and a plant biologist from University of California, Davis has discovered a novel motor protein that significantly expands current understanding of the evolution and design principle of motor proteins. | |
 | How barbastelle bats trick moths that are able to hear their echolocation callsIn the evolutionary arms race between bats and their insect prey, some moths have developed ears to detect echolocating bats and avoid being caught. Conversely, barbastelle bats are known to counter moth hearing by using quiet, 'stealthy' calls to search for prey in the dark. |
 | Climate change risk for half of plant and animal species in biodiversity hotspotsUp to half of plant and animal species in the world's most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon and the Galapagos, could face local extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked. |
 | Flood, drought and disease tolerant—one gene to rule them allAn international collaboration between researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Nagoya University and the University of Western Australia has resulted in a plant biology breakthrough. Since 2014, the researchers have worked on identifying the genetic background for the improved flood tolerance observed in rice, wheat and several natural wetland plants. In New Phytologist, the researchers describe the discovery of a single gene that controls the surface properties of rice, rendering the leaves superhydrophobic. |
A new twist to an old story of cellular signaling in the eye of a flyWhen light falls on the eye of a fly, ripples of messages flow through its cells. These messages are carried by molecular messengers forming an intricate information system that exists in most living cells. | |
 | First tracking of yellow-eyed penguin juveniles to learn more about survival ratesA select group of this season's yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho chicks are having their first expeditions into the ocean remotely tracked, as University of Otago researchers investigate dramatically declining survival rates of the endangered species. |
 | Cutting and leaving invasive western juniper may lead to increase in invasive grassesThe spread of western juniper and invasive grasses are major threats to the health of the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem. |
 | Small birds discern threat level of enemiesChickadees and titmice don't just see that another bird is dangerous. They can also differentiate species and tell just how much of a threat they are. |
 | Climate change is shrinking mountain hares' habitat in the AlpsA warming climate will shrink and fragment mountain hare habitat in the Swiss Alps. Populations are likely to decline as a result, concludes an international study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the University of Bern. |
 | Scientists remind their peers: Female birds sing, tooWhen North American ornithologists hear a bird singing, they're likely to assume it's a male. But in many species, the females sing too—and a new commentary in The Auk: Ornithological Advances argues that a better understanding of these unappreciated female songs could lead to advances in many aspects of bird biology. |
 | 'Cold-blooded' pythons make for caring momsReptiles are usually thought of as cold-blooded (an outdated term), simple animals that certainly don't care for their young. |
 | A brewer's tale of proteins and beerThe transformation of barley grains into beer is an old story, typically starring water, yeast and hops. Now, in a report in the Journal of Proteome Research, scientists are highlighting another character in this tale: proteins. The results could someday lead to a better, tastier brew. |
 | 'Lazy lawn mowers' can help support suburban bee populations and diversityHomeowners concerned about the decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects need look no further than their own back yards, says ecologist Susannah Lerman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the USDA Forest Service. In new research, she and colleagues suggest that homeowners can help support bee habitat in suburban yards, specifically their lawns, by changing lawn-mowing habits. |
 | Researchers say 'active protection' needed to help Angola's threatened elephantsA new study of African savannah elephant populations in Angola by wildlife ecologists from Elephants Without Borders (EWB) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports today that though the population seemed to be recovering after the war ended there, that trend has now reversed, underlining "the need to be vigilant against poaching and habitat loss," says first author Scott Schlossberg. |
 | Tradeoffs between weaponry and fecundity in snapping shrimp queens vary with eusocialityAmongst species of colonial snapping shrimp, the capacity for defense versus reproduction in queens varies with the level of cooperation, according to a study published March 14, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sally Bornbusch from Duke University and colleagues. |
 | Interactive, downloadable and 3-D printable scans of newly discovered hermit crabs now availableToday, a study published in the open access, open data journal GigaScience provides three-dimensional visual data from hermit crabs using the latest 3D microCT (Micro computed tomography) scanning technology. By making this microCT data publicly available, taxonomists potentially have more time and cost-efficient options for examining and comparing specimens for taxonomic research. With a shortage of trained taxonomists, this also provides new opportunities for education and training. To ease access to these data, the authors go beyond just describing the data collection and findings by providing downloadable, interactive files of everything in this study. For interested citizen scientists out there, they even include interactive web-based viewers and 3D printable file formats. The work here highlights new ways for researchers to share complex data without having to send out precious samples that can be damaged or lost. |
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