Science X Newsletter Thursday, Apr 19

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Over 500 multiphysics papers and presentations now available: https://goo.gl/C5RM5P

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for April 19, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Scientists show how salt lowers reaction temperatures to make novel materials

Put the toolbox away—new robot assembles IKEA chairs

Neuroscientists train a deep neural network to process sounds like humans do

Genetic adaptations to diving discovered in humans for the first time

Diamond can turn flexible when made into ultrafine needles, researchers find

New research could literally squeeze more power out of solar cells

Genome Jenga study reveals unexpected gene alliances in the cell

New microscope captures detailed 3-D movies of cells deep within living systems

To be fully immersive, sources of haptic stimulation in VR apps need to be shown, researchers find

Researchers find that swarms of tiny organisms mix nutrients in ocean waters

Researchers use diamond impurities to see on the microscopic scale

Atoms may hum a tune from grand cosmic symphony

Researchers achieve HD video streaming at 10,000 times lower power

Scientists create gold nanoparticles in water

Integrating optical components into existing chip designs

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA's Tess spacecraft embarks on quest to find new planets NASA's Tess spacecraft embarked Wednesday on a quest to find new worlds around neighboring stars that could support life.
	Where is the universe's missing matter? Astronomers using ESA's XMM-Newton space observatory have probed the gas-filled haloes around galaxies in a quest to find 'missing' matter thought to reside there, but have come up empty-handed – so where is it?
	Clear as mud: Desiccation cracks help reveal the shape of water on Mars As Curiosity rover marches across Mars, the red planet's watery past comes into clearer focus.
	Two Hubble views of the same stellar nursery These NASA Hubble Space Telescope images compare two diverse views of the roiling heart of a vast stellar nursery, known as the Lagoon Nebula. The images, one taken in visible and the other in infrared light, celebrate Hubble's 28th anniversary in space.
	Image: Lagoon Nebula (visible-light view) This mayhem is all happening at the heart of the Lagoon Nebula, a vast stellar nursery located 4,000 light-years away and visible in binoculars simply as a smudge of light with a bright core.
Los Angeles port commission approves SpaceX rocket facility Los Angeles harbor commissioners have approved a permit for Space Exploration Technologies to build a facility on 19 acres of port land to manufacture a Mars rocket that will be so big it will require an oceangoing barge for transport to launch sites.
	Trump's divisive pick to run NASA wins narrow confirmation NASA's latest nail-biting drama was far from orbit as the Senate narrowly confirmed President Donald Trump's choice of a tea party congressman to run the space agency in an unprecedented party-line vote.
	Musk says that SpaceX will use a giant party balloon to bring an upper stage back When Elon Musk of SpaceX tweets something interesting, it generates a wave of excitement. So when he tweeted recently that SpaceX might be working on a way to retrieve upper stages of their rockets, it set off a chain of intrigued responses.

Technology news

	Put the toolbox away—new robot assembles IKEA chairs Sick of struggling with incomprehensible instructions and a baffling array of planks and screws? Help is at hand in the form of a new robot that can assemble an IKEA chair in minutes.
	Neuroscientists train a deep neural network to process sounds like humans do Using a machine-learning system known as a deep neural network, MIT researchers have created the first model that can replicate human performance on auditory tasks such as identifying a musical genre.
	To be fully immersive, sources of haptic stimulation in VR apps need to be shown, researchers find A team of researchers at Microsoft has found that for physical stimulation techniques to work as hoped in virtual reality applications, the user needs to be shown the source of the stimulation. If they are not the group notes in their Focus paper published in Science Robotics, they may actually feel less immersed.
	Researchers achieve HD video streaming at 10,000 times lower power Wearable cameras such as Snap Spectacles promise to share videos of live concerts or surgeries instantaneously with the world. But because these cameras must use smaller batteries to stay lightweight and functional, these devices can't perform high-definition video streaming.
	Advanced 3-D printed parts for NASA's Orion designed to hold up to extreme temperatures 3-D printing is securing an exciting foothold in space exploration. A NASA spacecraft will include 3-D printed parts—these are for NASA's Orion mission. The spacecraft will eventually send astronauts to the Moon and beyond.
	Researchers create kinetic clothes to monitor body movements Deakin researchers have engineered the next generation of wearable technology, using strain sensing textile fibres to create clothing that keeps track of its wearer's movements.
	Virtually modelling the human brain in a computer Neurons that remain active even after the triggering stimulus has been silenced form the basis of short-term memory. The brain uses rhythmically active neurons to combine larger groups of neurons into functional units. Until now, neuroscientists have, for the most part, studied these and other properties with the help of network models, each of which is only able to recreate a single property. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt have now shown how the new model can be used to investigate multiple properties in parallel. According to their calculations, all the properties share a common basis: ion channels in the cell membrane that control how strongly neurons are electrically stimulated. The emergence of these properties does not require synaptic plasticity – a finding that helps explain, for example, why some psychoactive drugs can have far-reaching side effects.
	Amazon's reveals its Prime service has 100 million members Amazon has persuaded more than 100 million shoppers to subscribe to its Prime service that offers free two-day shipping and other perks that help bind people to the company and its ever-expanding empire.
	Flight paths of bees and cuckoos could bring savings to airlines The flight routes of passenger aircraft are generally well established. In practice, unforeseen factors, mainly related to the weather, often force pilots to cover more kilometres than anticipated. A Polish-Colombian team of scientists and engineers, inspired by the behaviour of insects and birds, has developed software that allows real-time rational modification of flight routes. The system showed measurable financial and environmental advantages.
	When our view of the world is distorted by algorithms Algorithms are used to personalize our newsfeed on social media. But the risk is that the points of view we are presented with become increasingly limited and extreme. EPFL researchers have developed a solution that would make users' personalized content more balanced, and their project has already generated interest among human rights campaigners.
	Tech giants are battling it out to supply the global internet—here's why that's a problem The US Federal Communications Commission last month granted Elon Musk's SpaceX permission to launch 4,425 satellites that will provide affordable high speed broadband internet to consumers.
	Your next pilot could be drone software Would you get on a plane that didn't have a human pilot in the cockpit? Half of air travelers surveyed in 2017 said they would not, even if the ticket was cheaper. Modern pilots do such a good job that almost any air accident is big news, such as the Southwest engine disintegration on April 17.
	Why you should talk to your children about Cambridge Analytica Former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Wylie blew the whistle last month. He revealed the data analytics agency harvested Facebook data from more than 50 million individual profiles, matched these with electoral rolls, and then devised an algorithm that can use this data to predict and influence voting behaviours.
	Researchers bring smartwatch innovations to CHI2018 Researchers from Dartmouth College will unveil developmental smartwatch technology at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI2018). The watch innovations will be demonstrated during the event in Montreal, Canada running from April 21 through April 26.
	Bike-share companies are transforming US cities – and they're just getting started Residents of major U.S. cities are becoming used to seeing docks for bike sharing programs nestled into parking spaces or next to subway station entrances. Adorned with stylish branding and corporate sponsors' logos, these facilities are transforming transportation in cities across the country.
	Running facial recognition on buildings to unlock architectural secrets About a decade ago, a modest update to Apple's iPhoto software showed me a new way to study architectural history. The February 2009 update added facial recognition, allowing users to tag friends and loved ones in their photos. After a few faces were tagged, the software would begin to offer suggestions.
Using tooth sensors to detect disease An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the School of Engineering & Applied Science is redefining the notion of a wisdom tooth.
	USGS and DOE release nationwide wind turbine map and database Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the American Wind Energy Association, released the United States Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) and the USWTDB Viewer to access this new public dataset.
	Cell phones, biometrics fuel jump in bank account ownership Roughly seven out of every 10 adults worldwide now have some form of bank account, the World Bank said Thursday, largely due to the proliferation of cell phone-based bank accounts and other simple bank account programs in places like India and Sub-Saharan Africa.
	US Air Force awards nearly $1 bn for hypersonic missile The US Air Force is awarding almost $1 billion to Lockheed Martin to design and develop a hypersonic missile that can be launched from a warplane.
	Jack Ma says Alibaba 'doing a lot of research' on driverless cars E-commerce giant Alibaba is steering resources towards driverless car technology, its CEO Jack Ma confirmed on Thursday, joining a global race to shape the future of driving.
	US to drop curbs on drone tech to boost arms sales The United States dropped some restrictions Thursday on sales of its advanced drones in order to reinforce the armies of its allies and compete with China on the world arms market.
	British cybersecurity expert faces key hearing in US case A British cybersecurity expert once heralded as a hero for stopping the WannaCry worldwide computer virus is due in a Milwaukee courtroom Thursday, where he will ask the judge to toss statements he made to the FBI after his arrest for allegedly writing and distributing malicious software use to steal banking passwords.
	German court rules that ad blockers are legal Germany's Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a case brought by media giant Axel Springer seeking to ban a popular application that blocks online advertising, in a landmark ruling that deals a blow to the publishing industry.
China: Qualcomm plan 'has difficulty' resolving concerns Qualcomm Inc.'s latest proposal for its $44 billion acquisition of NXP Semiconductors "has difficulty" resolving concerns of Chinese anti-monopoly regulators, a government spokesman Thursday.
	Fox rejected an offer from Comcast before Disney buyout: filing Media giant 21st Century Fox, which was sold to Disney in December, rejected a higher buyout offer from Comcast over fears of regulatory risks, a filing showed Wednesday.
Belarus to require internet comments to be authorized The parliament in Belarus has passed a measure prohibiting internet users from commenting on forums without authorization and requiring online publications to register with the government as mass media.
	Maryland bill seeks transparency in online political ads In the wake of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, Maryland is close to enacting a law that some experts say would set a new standard for how states deal with foreign interference in local elections and increase overall transparency in online political ads.
	Irish drugmaker Shire facing potential $60bn bidding war Ireland's Shire Pharmaceuticals on Thursday faced the prospect of a bidding war after rejecting a $60-billion takeover from Japan's Takeda, as Botox-maker Allergan revealed it was mulling an offer.
	New US aviation safety inspections after Southwest mishap The US Federal Aviation Administration said it is set to issue new guidelines to inspect jet engines like the one that ruptured during a recent Southwest Airlines flight.

Medicine & Health news

	How environmental pollutants and genetics work together in rheumatoid arthritis It has been known for more than three decades that individuals with a particular version of a gene—human leukocyte antigen (HLA)—have an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis.
	Pathways to spatial recognition When you are lost or disoriented, your brain uses cues from your surroundings—landmarks both near and far—to sort out where you are. The information gathered by your senses is transmitted by nerve cells, or neurons, to specific brain regions where the signal is routed through circuits and sent downstream to areas that essentially translate the information into behavior and get you back on track.
	Discovery adds to evidence that some children are predisposed to develop leukemia St. Jude Children's Research Hospital researchers have made a discovery that expands the list of genes to include when screening individuals for possible increased susceptibility to childhood leukemia. The finding is reported online today in the journal Cancer Cell.
	Scientists identify connection between dopamine and behavior related to pain and fear Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance—behavior related to pain and fear.
	Team develops new approach to study long non-coding RNAs Until recently, scientific research concentrated almost exclusively on the 2 percent of the genome's protein coding regions, virtually ignoring the other 98 percent - a vast universe of non-coding genetic material previously dismissed as 'junk.' In the past 10 years, scientists have discovered thousands of new long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Although scientists now recognize that lncRNAs play an integral role in all biological processes, they remain largely in the dark as to their functional role.
	Molecule that dilates blood vessels hints at new way to treat heart disease Americans die of heart or cardiovascular disease at an alarming rate. In fact, heart attacks, strokes and related diseases will kill an estimated 610,000 Americans this year alone. Some medications help, but to better tackle this problem, researchers need to know exactly how the heart and blood vessels stay healthy in the first place.
	Neurons derived from super-obese people respond differently to appetite hormones US scientists have successfully generated hypothalamic-like neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) taken from the blood and skin cells of super-obese individuals and people with a normal body weight. The researchers found that the brain cells derived from the super obese were more likely to dysregulate hormones related to feeding behavior and hunger, as well as obesity-related genes and metabolic pathways. The work appears April 19th in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
	Defect in debilitating neurodegenerative disease reversed in mouse nerves Scientists have developed a new drug compound that shows promise as a future treatment for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited, often painful neurodegenerative condition that affects nerves in the hands, arms, feet and legs. The researchers used the compound to treat the nerves of mice harboring the genetic defects that cause the disease.
	Mechanism that drives development of liver cancer brought on by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease discovered A team of researchers from several institutions in China has found a mechanism that appears to drive the development of a type of liver cancer not caused by alcohol consumption. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes their study of liver cancer in mouse models and what they found. Ngee Kiat Chua, Hudson Coates and Andrew Brown with the University of New South Wales offer a Focus piece on the work done by the team in China in the same journal issue.
	Neuroscientists use magnetic stimulation to amplify PTSD therapy Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas have found that a standard therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more effective when paired with transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain.
	Variants in non-coding DNA contribute to inherited autism risk In recent years, researchers have firmly established that gene mutations appearing for the first time, called de novo mutations, contribute to approximately one-third of cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a new study, an international team led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified a culprit that may explain some of the remaining risk: rare inherited variants in regions of non-coding DNA.
	How mental health diagnosis should be more collaborative Mental health diagnosis should be a collaborative and useful process, not a meaningless label - according to new research from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and the University of East Anglia.
Practices with poor prescribing performance more likely to prescribe homeopathy New research published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine finds that general practices in England with the worst prescribing quality scores are 2.1 times more likely to prescribe homeopathy than practices with the best prescribing quality scores.
In Romania, distrust of vaccines kills Measles still claims young lives in Romania, where nearly 40 children have died in an outbreak that many blame on parents being misled by scare stories that vaccinating them is dangerous.
	Low total testosterone in men widespread, linked to chronic disease A male's total testosterone level may be linked to more than just sexual health and muscle mass preservation, a new study finds. Low amounts of the hormone could also be associated with chronic disease, even among men 40 years of age and younger.
	Low-cost anti-hookworm drug boosts female farmers' physical fitness Impoverished female farm workers infected with intestinal parasites known as hookworms saw significant improvements in physical fitness when they were treated with a low-cost deworming drug. The benefits were seen even in those with low level infections, according to a study co-authored by researchers at Yale and the nonprofit company InnovationsCZ.
Exercise after a heart attack—it could save your life Becoming more physically active after a heart attack reduces the risk of death, according to research presented today at EuroPrevent 2018, a European Society of Cardiology congress. The study, which followed more than 22,000 patients, found that those who became more physically active after a heart attack halved the risk of death within four years.
	Men younger than 50: The more you smoke, the more you stroke Men under 50 who smoked were more likely to have a stroke, and their risk increased with the number of cigarettes they smoked, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
	The bugs in your gut could make you weak in the knees Bacteria in the gut, known as the gut microbiome, could be the culprit behind arthritis and joint pain that plagues people who are obese, according to a new study published today in JCI Insight.
Dr Asperger 'actively cooperated' with Nazis: study Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger, after whom Asperger's syndrome is named, "actively cooperated" with the Nazi euthanasia programme, according to a new study published Thursday.
	Gene-edited stem cells show promise against HIV in non-human primates Gene editing of bone marrow stem cells in pigtail macaques infected with simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) significantly reduces the size of dormant "viral reservoirs" that pose a risk of reactivation. Christopher Peterson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Pathogens.
	Ramped up fight-or-flight response points to history of warfare for humans and chimps Humans and chimpanzees recently evolved a more active fight-or-flight response compared to other primates, possibly in response to the threat of warfare. Jung Kyoon Choi of KAIST in Korea, in collaboration with Soojin Yi of Georgia Tech, report these findings in a new study published April 19th, 2018 in PLOS Genetics.
	HIV-1 viruses transmitted at birth are resistant to antibodies in mother's blood Of the genetically diverse population of HIV-1 viruses present in an infected pregnant woman, the few she might transmit to her child during delivery are resistant to attack by antibodies in her blood, according to new research published in PLOS Pathogens by Amit Kumar of Duke University Medical Centre, North Carolina, and colleagues.
	Bedside tests for syphilis and yaws tested in sub-Saharan Africa In many countries where the bacterial infections syphilis and yaws are found, there is limited access to diagnostic testing. Now, researchers have tested the use of a point-of-care test for both syphilis and yaws, which allows testing in rural areas without development of infrastructure. Their results appear this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
	Repurposing existing drugs reveals molecules that control body clocks Via drug repurposing, a team of researchers led by animal biologists at Nagoya University has discovered compounds that can either shorten or lengthen the circadian rhythm in human cells. A steroid hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), also known as a common anti-aging supplement, demonstrated period-shortening activities, and when it was fed to mice, jet lag symptoms were significantly reduced. Further screening of known bioactive compounds may lead to the discovery of other effective compounds that can treat circadian clock disorders arising from jet lag and shift work. The experiments were carried out through a joint research collaboration between researchers at ITbM, National Institute for Basic Biology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and Kindai University.
	How bone marrow niches keep stem cells thriving Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a class of stem cells located in bone marrow. HSCs give rise to every type of blood cell—from the red blood cells that carry oxygen to the white blood cells of the immune system. Bone marrow provides a niche that both houses and regulates HSCs to ensure proper formation of blood cells. However, the precise mechanisms that maintain the HSC niche are not fully understood.
	Spectacle lens slows myopic progression by 60 percent The Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) Spectacle Lens developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) slowed down myopia progress by 60 percent in participating children; myopic progression halted completely in 21.5 percent of subjects. This lens will be launched in summer 2018, offering a non-contact, spectacle lens solution to myopic children.
	Zika presents hot spots in brains of chicken embryos Zika prefers certain "hot spots" in the brains of chicken embryos, offering insight into how brain development is affected by the virus.
	Enduring cold temperatures alters fat cell epigenetics A new study in fat cells has revealed a molecular mechanism that controls how lifestyle choices and the external environment affect gene expression. This mechanism includes potential targets for next-generation drug discovery efforts to treat metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity.
	Protein can slow intestinal tumor growth A new mechanism for regulating stem cells in the intestine of fruit flies has been discovered by researchers at Stockholm University. In addition, it was discovered that a certain protein can slow the growth of tumours in intestinal tissue. A better understanding of these mechanisms can teach us more about how diseases in human intestines occur, as well as contribute to the development of new medicine to cure them. The results are now being published in the scientific journal Stem Cell Reports.
	Research reveals stronger people have healthier brains A study of nearly half a million people has revealed that muscular strength, measured by handgrip, is an indication of how healthy our brains are.
	Scientist creates system to quickly detect food pathogens Quick, efficient pathogen detection and fingerprinting is essential and often lifesaving when it comes to preventing foodborne illness. Now, University of Georgia food scientist Xiangyu Deng has created a system that can identify foodborne pathogens in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods.
	Promiscuous America—smart, secular and somewhat less happy Sexual promiscuity is uncommon in America, but a subtle shift has occurred over the past three decades: Men are engaging in such behavior less frequently while more women are sexually adventurous.
	Exercising several times a week can stave off erectile dysfunction Exercise is good for the heart, blood pressure, joints, muscles, and improves your mood.
Novel discoveries on aggressive NK-cell leukemia pave the way for new treatments An international research consortium led by researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, has discovered new information related to a rare form of leukemia called aggressive NK-cell leukemia. Potential new treatment options were found which are highly warranted as currently this disease usually leads to rapid death of patients. The study was published in Nature Communications.
	Researchers report on tumor transition states Tumor heterogeneity describes the differences between different cells within a given tumor. These differences have major implications for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of cancer patients. Different mechanisms have been proposed to account for tumor heterogeneity such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process in which epithelial tumor cells loose their adhesion and acquire mesenchymal migratory properties that are associated with metastasis and resistance to therapy. Cells with different degree of EMT could exhibit different metastatic potential, although this possibility has not been investigated so far.
	Our genes dictate who develops an allergy Whether or not you develop an allergy is largely dependent upon genetic factors. This is the main finding of a study recently published in EBioMedicine, just in time for World Allergy Week. The study was supervision of Winfried F. Pickl from MedUni Vienna's Institute of Immunology. The Vienna researchers were able to show that the gene HLA-DR1 and allergen-specific, reactive T-cells play a major role in the development of an allergy to mugwort, for example – assuming, of course, that one is exposed to the source of the allergen.
	New drugs using the body's endocannabinoids to treat pain, cancer A new technology developed by Stony Brook University researchers affiliated with the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB & DD) that has identified Fatty Acid Binding Proteins (FABPs) as drug targets of the body's endocannabinoid system is licensed to Artelo Biosciences, Inc. Endocannabinoids are natural marijuana-like substances in the body and have potential as the basis for new medicines. Artelo has an exclusive license with the Research Foundation for the State University of New York to the intellectual property portfolio of FABP inhibitors for the modulation of the endocannabinoid system for the treatment of pain, inflammation and cancer.
	Pre-cancerous—warning sign or cause for panic? It might be a spot, lump, bump or polyp you've found suspicious or bothersome enough to ask a doctor to have a look at. The doctor sends what she has excised for testing and tells you it's "pre-cancerous". But what exactly does that mean, and is it cause for alarm?
Research finds no vasectomy reversal link to prostate cancer New Curtin University research that studied almost 10,000 men who had undergone vasectomy reversals across the globe has found no evidence of a link between the procedure and prostate cancer.
	Artificial intelligence helps to pinpoint roots of gastric cancer In a pioneering study, scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have developed new machine learning computer models, a type of artificial intelligence (AI), to accurately pinpoint cancer mutations. They have also discovered new mutations in non-coding DNA (specifically, DNA that does not encode for proteins) which may cause gastric cancer. Furthermore, the innovative methods and technology developed through this study will aid researchers in understanding the impact of mutations in non-coding DNA in other cancer types.
	Scientific guidelines for using cannabis to treat stress, anxiety and depression In a first-of-a-kind study, Washington State University scientists examined how peoples' self-reported levels of stress, anxiety and depression were affected by smoking different strains and quantities of cannabis at home.
	Study investigates whether pregnant women are willing to go home after an induction A study conducted by St George's, University of London is discovering if pregnant women who need inductions will opt to go home after the process has been started in hospital.
	Study predicts 2018 flu vaccine will have 20 percent efficacy A Rice University study predicts that this fall's flu vaccine—a new H3N2 formulation for the first time since 2015—will likely have the same reduced efficacy against the dominant circulating strain of influenza A as the vaccine given in 2016 and 2017 due to viral mutations related to vaccine production in eggs.
	Eyes of adolescents could reveal risk of cardiovascular disease New research has found that poorer well-being or 'health-related quality of life' (HRQoL) in adolescence could be an indicator of future cardiovascular disease risk.
	Avoiding type 2 diabetes – there is more than one diet to choose from If you have high blood glucose, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes (so-called prediabetes) you may have been advised by your doctor to lose weight and to eat less fat and more fibre. If this sounds a bit one-size-fits-all, you may be encouraged by the fact that other diets may work just as well, if not better, at warding off full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Decision making predicts future drug addiction in recreational users Activity in decision-making brain regions of people who use recreational stimulants predicts who will discontinue use and who will develop a drug use disorder, according to a new study led by Martin Paulus, Ph.D., of Laureate Institute of Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
	Pregnant moms and their kids should limit added sugars to protect childhood cognition A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of sugar. Substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened versions during pregnancy also appeared to have negative effects. However, children's fruit consumption had beneficial effects and was associated with higher cognitive scores.
Telemedicine helps to overcome gender-based barriers to healthcare An Atlas-award winning study reported in the journal Telematics and Informatics has found that healthcare services delivered via video conferencing or mobile phones are helping to improve access to care for women and girls. The findings in rural Nepal are likely to be applied to many other parts of the world where computers and mobile phones are increasingly accessible.
	Is autism a disorder, an identity or both? Definitions of autism often evoke the language of disease or abnormality. This medicalized approach fails to represent the full diversity of views within the autism community, say U. of I. speech and hearing science professor Laura DeThorne and doctoral students Henry Angulo and Veronica Vidal. In association with April's designation as Autism Awareness Month, DeThorne edited a series of articles on the subject for a publication of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. DeThorne and her students spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the need to broaden public perceptions of autism.
	Economic evaluations of genomic testing may have misleading conclusions Research led at the Yale School of Public Health have found that the majority of published papers analyzing the cost-effectiveness of a widely used test for breast cancer used a study design that can increase bias.
	Changing how blood pressure is measured will save lives Traditional methods of testing for high-blood pressure are no longer adequate and risk missing vital health signs, which can lead to premature death, a study co-led by UCL has found.
	Study shows creativity is state of mind that can be trained As an undergraduate student at York University, Joel Lopata was studying film production and jazz performance when a discrepancy became apparent.
Online ads help pregnant smokers quit Online ads encouraging pregnant smokers to take up stop-smoking support could be more effective at reaching women than advice delivered in a clinical setting - according to new research involving the University of East Anglia.
	Young victims of cyberbullying twice as likely to attempt suicide and self-harm Children and young people under 25 who are victims of cyberbullying are more than twice as likely to self-harm and enact suicidal behavior, according to a study.
Drug combination targeting HSP90 and BRAF is safe and effective in advanced melanoma Patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma have been able to live longer cancer-free lives because of several new therapies approved over the last decade, such as BRAF and MEK inhibitors. However, despite the success of these targeted agents, most patients eventually develop drug resistance and their cancer regrows. A team of researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have been working to learn more about how melanoma becomes resistant to BRAF inhibitors in order to develop new treatment strategies. They tested whether a drug targeting heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) combined with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib could be a safe and potentially effective strategy to treat patients with melanoma. Their study was published online ahead of print in Clinical Cancer Research.
Landmark study links tumor evolution to prostate cancer severity Findings from Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC-GENE) researchers and their collaborators, published today in Cell, show that the aggressiveness of an individual prostate cancer can be accurately assessed by looking at how that tumour has evolved. This information can be used to determine what type and how much treatment should be given to each patient, or if any is needed at all.
	Study may explain why some triple-negative breast cancers are resistant to chemotherapy Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of the disease accounting for 12 to 18 percent of breast cancers. It is a scary diagnosis, and even though chemotherapy can be effective as standard-of-care, many patients become resistant to treatment. A team at The University of Texas MD Anderson led a study which may explain how resistance evolves over time, and potentially which patients could benefit from chemotherapy.
	Chip-based blood test for multiple myeloma could make bone biopsies a relic of the past The diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting plasma cells, traditionally forces patients to suffer through a painful bone biopsy. During that procedure, doctors insert a bone-biopsy needle through an incision to get a bone marrow sample—or make a larger incision and remove a section of bone via surgery.
	More students report carrying guns in Chicago than New York or Los Angeles More students report carrying guns in Chicago than in New York or Los Angeles, a new Northwestern Medicine study shows. The findings provide historical background for Chicago's 2016 spike in gun violence, which occurred mostly among youth and young adults.
	New data: Americans filling far fewer opioid prescriptions The number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers filled in the U.S. fell dramatically last year, showing their biggest drop in 25 years and continuing a decline amid increasing legal restrictions and public awareness of the dangers of addiction, new data show.
Researchers use imaging technology to screen for colorectal cancer in young adults Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the country. While the rates of colorectal cancer among patients older than 50 years old has decreased in recent years due to screening, it has increased by 22 percent among those under the age of 50, which could place a burden on the health care system over the next decade.
	British pilots score high on burnout scale—but still perform well A study among British airline pilots shows that 20 percent of them have scores on a burnout scale that are comparable to those of people that are under burnout treatment. Surprisingly, the same study shows that only one of the 1147 pilots that participated, did not meet the performance standards at the regular flight simulator training. The authors argue that airline companies need to offer better support and facilities to their pilots to help them cope with their stressful jobs. Their work is published in the journal Ergonomics.
	Age affects how we predict and respond to stress at home A recent study finds that older adults are better than younger adults at anticipating stressful events at home - but older adults are not as good at using those predictions to reduce the adverse impacts of the stress.
	Smartphone app successfully promotes child car seat safety A smartphone app designed to promote proper child car seat use among parents proved effective in a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
	US experts back marijuana-based drug for childhood seizures A medicine made from the marijuana plant moved one step closer to U.S. approval Thursday after federal health advisers endorsed it for the treatment of severe seizures in children with epilepsy.
	Study reports nearly 1 in 3 California kids have a sugary drink daily Nearly one-third of California children between the ages of 2 and 11 drink one or more sugary drinks per day, according to a UCLA study published today.
	UN health agency: Dengue vaccine shouldn't be used widely The World Health Organization says the first-ever vaccine for dengue needs to be dealt with in "a much safer way," meaning that the shot should mostly be given to people who have previously been infected with the disease.
	Researchers develop a new method to discover drugs to treat epilepsy For more than a third of children living with epilepsy, the currently approved medications do not stop their seizures. This statistic has not changed for the past five decades, despite the development of many new anti-seizure drugs.
	Drinking may worsen hearing loss at loud concerts (HealthDay)—High-decibel music blasting at big concert venues is a known cause of short-term hearing loss. But new research suggests drinking doesn't help matters, with drunk concertgoers actually moving closer to loudspeakers.
	More cases in E. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce (HealthDay)—The outbreak of E. coli illness tied to tainted Arizona romaine lettuce continues to expand, federal health officials said Wednesday.
	Meditation: different approaches, different benefits (HealthDay)—Deep breathing is a great stress reliever, and the technique called mindfulness meditation is a helpful way to use breathing to get more in touch with your inner self.
	Delayed coronary obstruction rare after TAVR (HealthDay)—Delayed coronary obstruction (DCO) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a rare phenomenon but is associated with a high in-hospital mortality rate, according to a study published in the April 10 issue the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Less pain post TKA with addition of peripheral nerve blocks (HealthDay)—Addition of an interspace between the popliteal artery and capsule of the posterior knee (IPACK) block and adductor canal block (ACB) to periarticular injection (PAI) is associated with less pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), according to a study presented at the 2018 World Congress on Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, held from April 19 to 21 in New York City.
	Hearing aids may mitigate cognitive decline, memory loss (HealthDay)—Using hearing aids may slow cognitive decline in later life, according to a study published online April 10 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Time-related deployment factors predict suicide attempt risk (HealthDay)—For soldiers who have been deployed twice, suicide attempt (SA) risk is associated with timing of first deployment and dwell time (DT; i.e., length between deployments), according to a study published online April 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.
3-D human 'mini-brains' shed new light on genetic underpinnings of major mental illness Major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, severe depression and bipolar disorder share a common genetic link. Studies of specific families with a history of these types of illnesses have revealed that affected family members share a mutation in the gene DISC1. While researchers have been able to study how DISC1 mutations alter the brain during development in animal models, it has been difficult to find the right tools to study changes in humans. However, advancements in engineering human stem cells are now allowing researchers to grow mini-organs in labs, and gene-editing tools can be used to insert specific mutations into these cells. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital are leveraging these new technologies to study the effects of DISC1 mutations in cerebral organoids - "mini brains" - cultured from human stem cells. Their results are published in Translational Psychiatry.
Novel antioxidant makes old blood vessels seem young again Older adults who take a novel antioxidant that specifically targets cellular powerhouses, or mitochondria, see age-related vascular changes reverse by the equivalent of 15 to 20 years within six weeks, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.
	Dementia diagnosis linked to unnecessary medication use A new international study led by University of Sydney has found that medication use increases in newly diagnosed dementia patients, particularly unnecessary or inappropriate medications.
Evidence shows noninvasive nerve stimulation may help with hand tremor People with tremors in their hands from a condition called essential tremor may find some relief from a new, non-invasive type of nerve stimulation, according to a preliminary scientific abstract released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, April 21 to 27, 2018.
	Opioids may carry unique risks for patients on hemodialysis A new analysis indicates that opioid pain medications may not be as safe for hemodialysis patients as recommendations suggest, and therefore, their use should be limited when possible. The analysis appears in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
Almost one in three patients used no opioids prescribed after surgery, survey finds Nearly a third of patients responding to a Mayo Clinic survey said they used none of the opioids they were prescribed after surgery. The research findings, presented Thursday, April 19 at the American Surgical Association annual meeting, also show that only about 8 percent of patients disposed of their remaining opioids.
	Scientists identify 170 potential lung cancer drug targets using unique cellular library After testing more than 200,000 chemical compounds, UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center researchers have identified 170 chemicals that are potential candidates for development into drug therapies for lung cancer.
	Clinical trial tests tattoo sensor as needleless glucose monitor for diabetes patients For Angela Valdez, being diagnosed with diabetes was an awakening. The disorder ran in her family, but she didn't think it would happen to her. And when it did, she acted by modifying her diet and physical activity. She was doing everything right—almost.
	Vitamin D deficiency linked to greater risk of diabetes An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Seoul National University suggests that persons deficient in vitamin D may be at much greater risk of developing diabetes.
Global burden of multiple serious illnesses must be urgently addressed: report Increasing numbers of people worldwide are suffering life-long disability and dying prematurely due to the ineffective treatment of people with multiple health conditions, a new report suggests.
	Procter & Gamble to pick up Merck's consumer healthcare unit German pharmaceutical and chemicals group Merck said Thursday it had agreed to sell its consumer health business to American giant Procter & Gamble and would use the proceeds mostly to pay off debt.
New mathematical parameters to model the impact of Wolbachia infection for disease control LSTM's Dr. Gabriela Gomes is senior author on a new study which outlines the importance of using variation in mosquito susceptibility as a parameter in mathematical modelling to realistically assess the impact of Wolbachia infection on disease transmission.
Variation of the serotonin transporter gene influences response to fear treatment An investigation published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics suggests a link between genetic aspects and response to treatment for fear. Methodological problems of existing research, such as the application of unstandardized treatments in heterogeneous samples, has hampered clear conclusions about the extent and direction to which allelic variation of the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5- HTTLPR) is associated with a differential response to psychological treatment.
Can early counselling prevent post traumatic stress induced by heart attacks? A randomized controlled trial published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates that early counseling has a very limited role in preventing distress after heart attacks. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and clinically significant PTSD symptoms are found in 4 and 12 percent of patients, respectively. Hence, this randomized-controlled trial aimed to test whether early trauma-focused counseling with a psychological first-aid approach prevents the incidence of PTSD symptoms in patients with high distress during ACS.
Are antidepressants safe in patients with coronary heart disease? An investigation published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics explores the cardiac events that may occur with the use of antidepressant drugs in coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was assessing the use of antidepressants by class in relation to cardiology practice recommendations, and the association of antidepressant use with the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events including death.
Psychotherapy may help multiple sclerosis patients A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates that psychotherapy may improve psychological distress and help coping with multiple sclerosis. Psychosocial interventions are often used as an adjunct to the medical management of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the efficacy of such approaches for a range of psychosocial indications remains unclear. The goal of this meta-analytic study was to determine the efficacy of psychosocial therapies for people with MS.
Aspirin may reduce cardiovascular risk during bereavement An investigation that has appeared in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics suggests that low-dose aspirin may have a role in the prevention of cardiovascular risk associated with bereavement. In the 24 h following the death of a significant person, the incidence of acute myocardial infarction increases 21.1-fold. Low-dose aspirin could be a suitable prevention strategy in acute bereavement.
Can fish oil supplementation attenuate stress symptoms in high risk jobs? A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics suggests a role for fish-oil supplementation in workers who perform very stressful jobs. There is growing attention being paid to fish oil as one of the promising supplementations to improve symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by facilitating hippocampal neurogenesis and clearance of fear memory. The purpose of this study was to examine the generalizability of the findings from a novel RCT of omega-3 PUFA supplementation in attenuating PTSD symptoms among rescue workers (Disaster Medical Assistance Team, DMAT) in Japan.
Have people with posttraumatic stress disorder their recognition of positive emotion impaired? An investigation published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates a new feature of people who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder: their recognition of positive emotions is impaired. Reading other people's emotions is an essential human skill that is impaired in several clinical populations. Only 1 previous study has assessed emotion recognition (ER) in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Skin cancers linked with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease Previous studies have demonstrated a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in individuals with various cancers, including non-melanoma skin cancers (including squamous cell cancers and basal cell cancers). A new Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology study finds that this inverse relationship also holds true for malignant melanoma.
	Tai Chi improves brain metabolism and muscle energetics in older adults A new Journal of Neuroimaging study provides insights into the biochemical mechanisms by which Tai Chi— a mind-body exercise—may provide both physical and psychological benefits.
Biofeedback relaxation app may help kids during medical procedures A new Pain Practice study indicates that biofeedback-assisted relaxation may help manage pain and anxiety in children undergoing medical procedures.
Which pain medication is safest for arthritis patients? In a recent Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics study, arthritis patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain plus a stomach acid-reducing medicine called esomeprazole had infrequent gastrointestinal side effects. Co-prescribed with esomeprazole, celecoxib had better overall gastrointestinal safety than ibuprofen or naproxen.
	Depression during and after pregnancy may affect children's development Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, in the first year postpartum, and in early childhood were linked with poorer child neurodevelopment in a recent Depression & Anxiety study.
Does concussion recovery and symptom severity differ between men and women? A new study comparing male and female athletes examined whether there are clear sex-related differences in post-concussion symptom severity and length of recovery. In addition to a finding of significant differences between the male and female college varsity athletes, differences among the women depending on hormonal contraceptive use were reported in the study published in Journal of Neurotrauma.
Bedside art therapy decreases pain and anxiety in patients with cancer A brief bedside visual art intervention (BVAI) facilitated by art educators improved mood and reduced pain and anxiety in a study of inpatients with haematological cancers.
Weight-loss surgery improves lives and saves money A new BJS (British Journal of Surgery) study indicates that weight-loss surgery is cost-effective over 10 years and can save healthcare systems money over a lifetime. Researchers used a decision-analytic model to come to their conclusion.
How can medical marijuana benefit older adults? Managing symptoms such as pain, nausea, and psychiatric illness can be challenging as people age. A new Journal of the American Geriatrics Society review highlights what's currently known about the indications and risks of medical marijuana use for older adults.
	Study reveals how antiepileptic drug causes problems during pregnancy During pregnancy, use of the antiepileptic drug valproic acid has been associated with worse outcomes—including fetal loss, impaired growth, major congenital malformations, increased risk of developmental problems, and autism—compared with all other antiepileptic drugs. A new Epilepsia study has found that when human placentas are exposed to valproic acid, they express lower levels of transporters for compounds essential for fetal growth and development (such as glucose and folic acid).
Effort seeks to increase the number of trained rheumatology nurse practitioners and physician assistants Due to an aging population and increasing prevalence of rheumatic disease, there are growing demands on clinicians who specialize in rheumatology. To meet these demands, the American College of Rheumatology has developed a formal curriculum for nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). The curriculum is described in Arthritis Care & Research.
Coronary heart disease: DMP could be extended by two topics Disease management programmes (DMPs) must be updated at regular intervals to adapt them to the current state of medical knowledge. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) therefore searched for current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on coronary heart disease (CHD), summarized their recommendations in key statements, and checked whether these resulted in a need for updating. The final report is now available. According to the findings, the researchers see a need for updating in all health care aspects, except for "rehabilitation". "Monitoring and follow-up" as well as "specific forms of angina pectoris" could be included as new aspects in the DMP.
Erectile dysfunction drugs may help treat many other conditions A new British Journal of Pharmacology review examines how phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, which were originally approved to treat erectile dysfunction, are finding clinical uses for a wide variety of conditions.
	US reflects on the pros, cons of legal cannabis ahead of 420 America's marijuana supporters have a lot to celebrate on this 420 holiday: Thirty states have legalized some form of medical marijuana, according to a national advocacy group. Nine of those states and Washington, D.C., also have broad legalization where adults 21 and older can use pot for any reason. Michigan could become the 10th state with its ballot initiative this year.
	Study examines sperm production in men with testicular cancer In a study of men with testicular cancer, increasing tumor size relative to testis size was linked with a reduced ability to produce sperm. The BJU International study's findings can be summarized into the rule of 50s: men with a testis tumor occupying greater than 50% of their testis have less than a 50% chance of sperm production in their affected testis.

Biology news

	Genetic adaptations to diving discovered in humans for the first time Evidence that humans can genetically adapt to diving has been identified for the first time in a new study. The evidence suggests that the Bajau, a people group indigenous to parts of Indonesia, have genetically enlarged spleens which enable them to free dive to depths of up to 70m.
	Genome Jenga study reveals unexpected gene alliances in the cell To understand how a cell works, biologists like to take it apart. By removing genes from cells in diverse combinations, researchers have now uncovered how different genes work together to keep cells alive. The research will help scientists understand how faults in multiple genes combine to drive common diseases such as cancer or heart disease.
	Researchers use CRISPR to edit DNA outside of the cell for the first time Scientists at Christiana Care Health System's Gene Editing Institute have developed a potentially breakthrough CRISPR gene-editing tool. It could allow researchers to take fragments of DNA extracted from human cells, put them into a test tube, and quickly and precisely engineer multiple changes to the genetic code, according to a new study published today in the CRISPR Journal.
	Fuzzy crab, shiny-eyed shrimp discovered on Java expedition A hermit crab, a shiny-eyed shrimp and a crab with fuzzy spines are among over a dozen new species discovered in a deep-sea expedition off the Indonesian island of Java, scientists said.
	New ant species from Borneo explodes to defend its colony Amongst the countless fascinating plants and animals inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, there are the spectacular "exploding ants", a group of arboreal, canopy dwelling ants nicknamed for their unique defensive behaviour.
	Human protein important for cellular communication resembles bacterial toxin A protein that plays an important role in embryonic development and nervous system wiring in humans appears to have been borrowed from bacteria. In a study published April 19, 2018, in Cell, scientists from the University of Chicago and Stanford University describe the three-dimensional structure of proteins called teneurins for the first time.
	Using the right plants can reduce indoor pollution and save energy People in industrialized countries spend more than 80% of their lives indoors, increasingly in air-tight buildings. These structures require less energy for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, but can be hazardous to human health if particulate matter and potentially toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, ozone, and volatile organic compounds, from sources such as furniture, paints, carpets, and office equipment accumulate. Plants absorb toxins and can improve indoor air quality, but surprisingly little is known about what plants are best for the job and how we can make plants perform better indoor.
	Optogenetic study shows that male flies find ejaculation pleasurable Researchers reporting in Current Biology on April 19 show that male fruit flies find sex—and more specifically ejaculation—to be an inherently rewarding experience. The study is the first to show that the rewarding nature of ejaculation is conserved among animals, from flies and mammals. It also adds to evidence that manipulating sexual experience in flies affects their interest in consuming alcohol, the researchers say.
	Human breeding practices found to be likely reason for lack of paternal DNA diversity in modern horses A team of researchers from across Europe has found that human breeding practices, particularly during the Iron Age, are likely the cause of a lack of variability in paternally inherited DNA in modern horses. In their paper published on the open access site Science Advances, the group describes the DNA study they undertook to better understand the genetic history of the modern horse and what they found.
	New insight into the never-ending arms-race between viruses and their hosts Viruses have been infecting all forms of life – from single-celled bacteria to humans – for as long as there has been life on Earth. Because of this, ancient mechanisms of virus resistance co-exist in our bodies alongside our more-recently evolved and highly sophisticated adaptive immune system.
	Modern science shows Roman wheat farming advice was highly accurate Plant biologists from The University of Western Australia have made an important discovery about rising temperatures and wheat crops—and subsequently learned that the Romans suspected the effect more than 2000 years ago.
	'Rip Van Winkle' plants hide underground for up to 20 years Scores of plant species are capable of living dormant under the soil for up to 20 years, enabling them to survive through difficult times, a new study has found.
	Tiny fly blows bubbles to cool off: study Humans sweat, dogs pant, cats lick their fur. Animals have adopted an interesting array of techniques for regulating body temperature through evaporation.
	Unprecedented wave of large-mammal extinctions linked to ancient humans Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and other recent human relatives may have begun hunting large mammal species down to size - by way of extinction - at least 90,000 years earlier than previously thought, says a new study published in the journal Science.
	A complete cell atlas and lineage tree of the immortal flatworm From one stem cell to many differentiated body cells: Scientists from the MDC in Berlin, along with collaborating researchers in Munich, have published a comprehensive lineage tree of a whole adult animal in the journal Science. This was made possible by a combination of RNA and computational technologies.
	Dogs could be more similar to humans than we thought Dog and human gut microbiomes have more similar genes and responses to diet than we previously thought, according to a study published in the open access journal, Microbiome.
Researchers take a novel approach to snakebite treatment Researchers at LSTM's Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit are looking at treatment for snakebite in a completely different way and have shown that it is possible to treat the bite from one snake with antivenom produced from a completely different species that causes the same pathology in humans.
	Why male and female cells behave differently after being reprogrammed into stem cells Vincent Pasque from KU Leuven, Belgium, and Kathrin Plath from UCLA led an international study into how specialized cells are reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). The researchers discovered that female and male cells behave differently after the reprogramming process and that this is due to their different number of X chromosomes.
	Urban life leaves behind traces in the genome of bumblebees Bumblebees living in the city have genes that differ from those of their relatives in the countryside. Although genetic differences are not major, they nevertheless may influence how well the insects adapt to their habitat. For example, urban bumblebees are probably better able to react to environmental challenges that come with city life, such as higher temperatures. These differences in their genetic makeup are an indication that urban life does impact the evolutionary trajectory of a species, write researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Leipzig-Jena in the current issue of the renowned journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Unique protein is a vulnerability in the malaria parasite The malaria parasite is highly dependent on a unique protein for infecting new mosquitoes. This protein could be a target for the development of new drugs. It was discovered recently by researchers from Radboud university medical center and colleagues from the Humboldt University of Berlin. The results were published in Cell Reports on April 18.
Invasive bullfrogs linked to spread of deadly fungus in western US Scientists have uncovered a strong historical link between the introduction of the American bullfrog into the western United States and the emergence of the deadly chytrid fungus, a pathogen that has caused declines and extinctions of amphibians around the world.
	Field guide highlights the need to conserve pristine waters A new colour publication A Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of the Kimberley has been launched, detailing the Kimberley's fascinating freshwater fishes, many unique to the region, and including newly described species.
	An eye toward regeneration A UNLV scientist and her team have found that frog embryos can fully regrow their eyes after injuries, a breakthrough that may lead one day to the ability to orchestrate tissue regeneration in humans.
	Feather replacement or parental care? Migratory birds desert their offspring to molt A new study shows that when feather replacement and parental care overlap in time, migratory songbirds make a striking trade-off; they desert their offspring, leaving their mates to provide all remaining parental care.
	Study provides video evidence of parental infanticide in a grassland bird species Baby birds go missing from their nests all the time. Usually, the disappearances are chalked up to predation, but in extremely rare cases, parents have been observed removing their own chicks from their nests. In a new study from the University of Illinois, the mysterious and fatal behavior is documented in dickcissels for the first time.
	Putting proteins in their proper place A host of special molecules called nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), when misplaced outside the nucleus, form the harmful clumps seen in several brain disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "Clumps that form from these disease proteins are composed of sticky fibrils that damage nerve cells," said James Shorter, PhD, an associate professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "We want to reverse the formation of these clumps and put the RNA-binding proteins back in their proper place, inside the nucleus."
	Boosting livelihoods and conservation practices among small-scale fishermen Around the UK, there are hundreds of coastal communities supporting the livelihoods of hard-working small-scale fishermen.

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