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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 25, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Study of ancient fish suggests Chicxulub asteroid strike warmed planet for 100,000 yearsA small team of researchers from the U.S. and Tunisia has found evidence that suggests a huge asteroid that struck the Earth approximately 66 million years ago caused the planet to warm up for approximately 100,000 years. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of oxygen ratios in ancient fish bones and what it revealed. |
 | In Moroccan desert, meteorite hunters seek to strike it richThey roam Morocco's southern desert, braving the searing heat to scour the undulating sands for bounty fallen from the sky. |
 | APEX takes a glimpse into the heart of darknessThe 12 m radio telescope APEX in Chile has been outfitted with special equipment including broad bandwidth recorders and a stable hydrogen maser clock for performing joint interferometric observations with other telescopes at wavelengths as short as 1.3 mm and the goal to obtain the ultimate picture of the black hole shadow. The addition of APEX to the so-called Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which until recently consisted of antennas only in the northern hemisphere, reveals new and unprecedented details in the structure of Sgr A* at the centre of the Milky Way. The increased angular resolution provided by the APEX telescope now reveals details in the asymmetric and not point-like source structure, which are as small as 36 million km. This corresponds to dimensions that are only 3 times larger than the hypothetical size of the black hole (3 Schwarzschild This corresponds to dimensions that are only 3 times larger than the hypothetical size of the black hole (3 Schwarzschild radii). |
 | How stratospheric life is teaching us about the possibility of extreme life on other worldsThe presence of microbial life in Earth's stratosphere is not only opening up a new arena in which to study extremophiles, but is increasing the range of possible environments in which we may find life on other planets. This is the conclusion of a new study that summarizes what we know about stratospheric life so far. |
 | Mars rocks may harbor signs of life from four billion years agoIron-rich rocks near ancient lake sites on Mars could hold vital clues that show life once existed there, research suggests. |
 | In S.Africa, a unique telescope link-up scans deep spaceScientists in South Africa on Friday launched the world's first optical telescope linked to a radio telescope, combining "eyes and ears" to try to unravel the secrets of the universe. |
 | Take a virtual trip to a strange new world with NASAAre you looking for an exotic destination to visit this summer? Why not take a virtual trip to an Earth-size planet beyond our solar system with NASA's interactive Exoplanet Travel Bureau? |
Scientists hold key to winning fight against 'fake news'On March 27, 2015, astronaut Scott Kelly rode a rocket to the International Space Station. Waving up at him from Earth was Mark Kelly, his mustachioed twin brother. While they were 400 vertical kilometres apart, NASA scientists studied how the human body reacts to the stresses of long-term space travel. | |
Space junk—avoiding catastrophe with the Falcon Telescope Network4 continents, 12 telescopes, and half a million bits of space junk. The Falcon Telescope Network means business. And that business is being done in our very own backyard. | |
 | How we discovered 840 minor planets beyond Neptune – and what they can tell usOur solar system is a tiny but wonderfully familiar corner of the vast, dark universe – we have even been able to land spacecraft on our celestial neighbours. Yet its outer reaches are still remarkably unmapped. Now we have discovered 840 small worlds in the distant and hard-to-explore region beyond Neptune. This is the largest set of discoveries ever made, increasing the number of distant objects with well known paths around the sun by 50%. |
ANU smashes its own stargazing world recordCitizen scientists in every state and territory have helped The Australian National University (ANU) smash its own stargazing Guinness World Records title and search through thousands of telescope images online to find two exploding stars in space. | |
Technology news
 | Jury tells Samsung to pay big for copying iPhone designA federal court jury on Thursday ordered Samsung to pay Apple $533 million for copying iPhone design features in a patent case dating back seven years. |
 | EU's new data protection rules come into effectThe European Union's new data protection laws came into effect on Friday, with Brussels saying the changes will protect consumers from being like "people naked in an aquarium". |
 | An algorithm for detecting when online conversations are likely to get uglyA team of researchers at Cornel University working with the Wikimedia Foundation has come up with a digital framework for detecting when an online discussion is likely to get ugly. In a paper uploaded to the arXiv preprint server, the team describes their approach and how well their algorithm worked during testing. |
 | AI footstep recognition system could be used for airport securityThe way you walk and your footsteps could be used as a biometric at airport security instead of fingerprinting and eye-scanning. |
 | Tesla in Autopilot mode sped up before crashinA Tesla that crashed while in Autopilot mode in Utah this month accelerated in the seconds before it smashed into a stopped firetruck, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. Two people were injured. |
Indigenous communities moving away from government utilitiesIndigenous communities are rejecting non-indigenous energy projects in favour of community-led sustainable energy infrastructure. | |
 | Landmark EU law is new weapon for data protection activist Schrems (Update)As a young Austrian law student, Max Schrems took on Facebook and won, and seven years ago he was already raising the alarm over the flaw Cambridge Analytica allegedly exploited to obtain the data of millions of users for political purposes. |
 | US websites blacked out in Europe on 'Happy GDPR Day' (Update)The EU's flagship new data protection laws came into effect on Friday but hit an early hitch as several major US news websites were blocked to European users. |
 | Ultrasound-firewall for mobile phonesThe permanent networking of mobile devices can endanger the privacy of users and lead to new forms of monitoring. New technologies such as Google Nearby and Silverpush use ultrasonic sounds to exchange information between devices via loudspeakers and microphones (also called "data over audio"). |
 | Amid confusion, EU data privacy law goes into effectLars Andersen's business handles some of the most sensitive data there is—the names and phone numbers of children. |
 | How is artificial intelligence changing science?Intel's Gadi Singer believes his most important challenge is his latest: using artificial intelligence (AI) to reshape scientific exploration. |
 | Why AI can't solve everythingThe hysteria about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. There seems to be no shortage of sensationalist news about how AI could cure diseases, accelerate human innovation and improve human creativity. Just looking at the media headlines, you might think that we are already living in a future where AI has infiltrated every aspect of society. |
 | Failures in power grids: Dynamically induced cascadesA reliable functioning of technical infrastructure networks is essential for our modern, high-tech society. Cascading failures, i.e. chain reactions of failures of different infrastructures, are the cause of many failures of entire networks, e.g. large parts of the European power grids. Although cascading failures are usually influenced by network-wide nonlinear dynamics between the individual failures, their modelling has so far concentrated primarily on the analysis of sequences of failure events of individual infrastructures - however, the dynamics between these events have not been taken into account. |
 | London police seize bitcoin worth $667,000 from hackerLondon police have seized half a million pounds ($667,000) worth of bitcoin from a prolific computer hacker in a case described as the first of its kind for the 188-year-old department. |
 | Fiat Chrysler software fix prompts recall of 4.8 mn vehiclesA software fix to prevent cars from accelerating out of control prompted Fiat Chrysler on Friday to issue a recall for 4.8 million US vehicles. |
 | 'Smart' gadgets: Ways to minimize privacy and security risksRevelations that an Amazon Echo smart speaker inadvertently sent a family's private conversation to an acquaintance highlights some unexpected risks of new voice-enabled technologies. |
 | Heightened debate in US as EU privacy rules take effectAmid a global scramble to comply with new EU data protections laws, the debate on privacy has intensified in the United States with some calling for similar measures for Americans, and others warning the rules could fracture the global internet. |
 | Australia's Wesfarmers sells struggling Britain's Homebase for £1Australia's Wesfarmers has sold its ailing British business Homebase for £1 (US$1.35), it said Friday, having racked up huge losses with the DIY chain it bought just two years ago for £340 million. |
 | California court: Defendants get crack at some social mediaFacebook and other social media companies can be compelled to give criminal defendants preparing for trial user content that is already public, California's highest court ruled Thursday. |
 | The Latest: Complaints vs Google, Facebook under new EU lawThe Latest on the European Union's new data privacy law (all times local): |
 | Health care CEOs lead the way in payThe highest pay packages go to CEOs at health care companies. For the second time in three years, chief executives in the health care field led the S&P 500 in terms of total compensation. The typical CEO in the industry made $14.9 million last year, which means half earned more than that, and half made less. |
 | Drones will help investigators tackle chemical, biological and nuclear attacksResearchers are making use of unarmed vehicles and robots to gather information and samples from crime or disaster scenes. Their initiative will help save lives. |
 | A genetic algorithm predicts the vertical growth of citiesThe increase of skyscrapers in a city resembles the development of some living systems. Spanish researchers have created an evolutionary genetic algorithm that, on the basis of the historical and economic data of an urban area, can predict what its skyline could look like in the coming years. The method has been applied successfully to the thriving Minato Ward, in Tokyo. |
 | White House has deal to lift sanctions on China's ZTE: reportThe White House says it has reached a deal with Chinese telecoms giant ZTE that would lift crippling sanctions slapped on the company, The New York Times reported Friday. |
 | Bayer's Monsanto takeover less lucrative than expectedGerman pharma and chemicals giant Bayer said Friday that savings from its hoped-for takeover of US seeds and pesticides behemoth Monsanto will be smaller than previously thought. |
 | New US tariffs a headache for foreign automakersUS President Donald Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on auto imports will hit foreign automakers that export a large number of vehicles to the US market, but many also manufacture cars domestically. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Regulatory mutations missed in standard genetic screening lead to congenital diseasesResearchers have identified a type of genetic aberration to be the cause of certain neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital diseases, such as autism and congenital heart disease, which are undetectable by conventional genetic testing. |
 | Aggression neurons identifiedHigh activity in a relatively poorly studied group of brain cells can be linked to aggressive behaviour in mice, a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows. Using optogenetic techniques, the researchers were able to control aggression in mice by stimulating or inhibiting these cells. The results, which are published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, contribute to a new understanding of the biological mechanisms behind aggressive behaviour. |
 | Researchers replicate famous marshmallow test, makes new observationsA new replication study of the well-known "marshmallow test—a famous psychological experiment designed to measure children's self-control—suggests that being able to delay gratification at a young age may not be as predictive of later life outcomes as was previously thought. |
 | How do insects survive on a sugary diet?There's a reason parents tell their kids to lay off the sugar: too much isn't good for you. |
 | Identifying Crohn's disease risk factors in the Ashkenazi Jewish populationIt is estimated that one in three individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) descent carry mutations that increase their risk for certain genetic diseases. For instance, Crohn's, a highly heritable inflammatory bowel disease, is two to four times more prevalent among people of AJ ancestry, compared to those of non-Jewish European ancestry. |
 | The brain's frontal lobe could be involved in chronic pain, according to researchA University of Toronto scientist has discovered the brain's frontal lobe is involved in pain transmission to the spine. If his findings in animals bear out in people, the discovery could lead to a new class of non-addictive painkillers. |
 | New link found between alcohol, genes and heart failureThe researchers investigated faulty versions of a gene called titin which are carried by one in 100 people or 600,000 people in the UK. |
 | Lung-on-a-chip simulates pulmonary fibrosisDeveloping new medicines to treat pulmonary fibrosis, one of the most common and serious forms of lung disease, is not easy. |
 | Unsubstantiated health claims widespread within weight loss industryNew research investigating the legality of on-pack nutrition and health claims routinely found on commercially available meal replacement shakes for sale in the UK, reveals that more than three-quarters are unauthorised and do not comply with the EU Nutrition and Health Claims regulation. |
 | Milk and dairy do not promote childhood obesity according to comprehensive new reviewA comprehensive review of the scientific evidence over the last 27 years concludes that cow's milk and other dairy products do not play a role in the development of childhood obesity. The research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May) also found no "underlying mechanistic rationale" to support the theory that milk and dairy products promote excess weight gain or increase appetite. |
 | What your choice of clothing says about your weightIt's commonly said that you can tell a great deal about a person by the clothes they wear. Now new research suggests that choice of garment colour is a predictor of body mass index (BMI). |
 | Study suggests obese children who consume recommended amount of milk at reduced risk of metabolic syndromeNew research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May) suggests that obese children who consume at least two servings of any type of cows' milk each day are more likely to have lower fasting insulin, indicating better blood sugar control. |
 | Health labels may deter people from buying sugary drinksYoung adults are less likely to buy sugar-sweetened beverages that include health labels, particularly those with graphic warnings about how added sugar can lead to tooth decay, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. |
The obesity paradox: People hospitalized for infections are twice as likely to survive if they are overweight or obeseA study of more than 18,000 patients in Denmark, presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria (23-26), shows that patients admitted to hospital for treatment for any infectious disease are around twice as likely to survive if they are overweight or obese. This research on the so called 'obesity paradox' is by Sigrid Gribsholt, Aarhus University Hospital Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Denmark, and colleagues. | |
Obese, overweight patients hospitalized with pneumonia are 20 to 30% less likely to die than normal-weight patientsNew research from over 1000 US hospitals presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria, shows that obese and overweight patients hospitalised for pneumonia are 20-30% less likely to die than patients of a normal weight. The study is by Professor Shy-Shin Chang and Dr. Yu-Jiun Lin, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan, and Dr. Jon Wolfshohl, Department of Emergency Medicine, John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA, and colleagues. | |
 | Novel wearable nasal device to reduce smelling ability can induce weight loss and changes to dietary preferencesNew research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May) shows that a daily use of a novel nasal device to reduce smelling ability can induce weight loss and changes to dietary preferences in people aged 50 years and under. The study was conducted by Dr. Dror Dicker, Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel and colleagues. |
Less muscle wasting in obese people in intensive care may mean they have a better chance of survivalFurther evidence that obese people who are seriously ill could have a better chance of survival than their normal weight counterparts is presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May). | |
Nationwide data shows that overweight and obese patients are less likely to die from sepsis in hospital than patientData from 3.7 million hospital admissions for sepsis from 1,000 US hospitals, presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, shows that patients who are overweight or obese are more likely to survive than those who are normal weight. The study is by Dr. Yu-Jiun Lin, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan, and Dr. Jon Wolfshohl, Department of Emergency Medicine, John PeterSmith Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA, and colleagues. | |
Heart doctors call for permission to provide therapy to stroke patientsHeart doctors from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Council on Stroke are calling on national health authorities for permission to provide stroke patients with mechanical thrombectomy, a life-saving treatment for acute ischaemic stroke, in regions where there is a lack of trained specialists. Details of the proposal are presented today at EuroPCR 2018. | |
 | Officials: Deadly Nipah virus has not spread in south IndiaAn outbreak of a deadly virus has not spread beyond two areas in south India, officials said, but they have issued a series of warnings to people living in the stricken towns. |
 | Doctors fail to flag concussion patients for critical follow-upAs evidence builds of more long-term effects linked to concussion, a nationwide study led by scientists at UCSF and the University of Southern California has found that more than half of the patients seen at top-level trauma centers may fall off the radar shortly after diagnosis, placing in jeopardy treatments for these long-term effects. |
 | A system of check and balances in the bloodHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to blood and immune cells, and are therefore essential for survival. The group of Manuela Baccarini at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories, a joint venture of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, has now shown how intracellular signaling can safeguard this delicate balance between activation and dormancy. Their results are published in the prominent journal Cell Stem Cell. |
Human vaccine to be developed for deadly Nipah and Hendra virusesAntibody therapy developed at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences as a treatment against the Nipah and Hendra viruses has led to an agreement announced today between USU, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), Profectus BioSciences, Inc., and Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., for development of a human vaccine against the two deadly viruses. The USU-HJF Joint Technology Transfer Office licensed the technology, which is supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). | |
 | Fully reprogrammed virus offers new hope as cancer treatmentA cancer treatment that can completely destroy cancer cells without affecting healthy cells could soon be a possibility, thanks to research led by Cardiff University. |
 | Study explains why opioid therapy may not always work well for chronic painResearchers have shown that pain-induced changes in the rat brain's opioid receptor system may explain the limited effectiveness of opioid therapy in chronic pain and may play a role in the depression that often accompanies it. These findings clearly show the impact of chronic pain on the brain and its relation to depression. The study, conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and colleagues from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was published in the journal Pain. |
 | Cannabis—what's the harm?A researcher of the effects of cannabis says any law change to free up the drug's availability needs to take account of scientifically-robust data showing regular use in young people is associated with a higher risk of mental health issues, use of other substances, and lower levels of achievement. |
 | Improving drug treatments with natural productsTurmeric, shrimp shells, beeswax and cocoa butter are being used to improve the effectiveness of drugs and reduce side effects when treating a range of diseases including cancer and diabetes. |
 | Young adults need to eat more omega-3 fatsThe vast majority of doctors, naturopaths, dietitians and scientists all agree that having more omega-3 fats in our diet is good for our health. |
 | New drug target to combat prostate cancerA study by an international team of researchers from University Children's Hospital Bern and the Autonomous University of Barcelona has discovered how the production of specific human sex hormones known as androgens is interrupted. These findings can help in development of new therapeutic approaches, as the overproduction of androgens is associated with many diseases including prostate cancer in men and polycystic ovary syndrome in women. |
 | Researchers question effects of hurricanes on kids' brainsFIU scientists are investigating the effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters on brain development in children. Preliminary findings suggest these disasters contribute to increased post-traumatic stress symptoms. |
 | Plain, Greek, low-fat? How to choose a healthy yoghurtYoghurt is one of the oldest fermented dairy foods in the world. Its origins date back to the dawn of civilisation. When humans began domesticating animals for milk production, milk's short shelf life required solutions for storing it. |
 | Can yoga help treat mental illness?,Should you happen to have visited a major city in the past 10 or 20 years, you might have noticed a health trend: yoga. The thousands-year-old Indian spiritual practice made its way into gyms, universities and even religious centres worldwide. New yoga centres seem to pop up weekly, advertising new yoga styles and making new health claims. Interestingly enough, yoga is not just perceived as a recreational activity but mainly as a way to increase and maintain health: national surveys show that about 31 million U.S. adults (more than 13% of the population) have used yoga for health reasons. |
 | Increasing physical activity linked to better immunity in breast cancer patients, study findsA new study from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education has found that moderate to vigorous physical activity may help regulate the levels of C-reactive protein – an important biomarker whose levels rise in response to inflammation or infection present in the body. |
Potent new mechanism of action for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease revealedThrough research on the small molecule analogue of E6007 which is under clinical development as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, a novel mechanism of action was revealed in which this analogue inhibited the adhesion and infiltration of various leukocytes through the blockade of the interaction between calreticulin and the leukocyte adhesion molecule integrin α by associating with calreticulin. | |
 | Swiss HIV prevention policy for intravenous drug users is a model for successSwitzerland's pragmatic HIV prevention policy for intravenous drug users has been extremely successful. Thousands of HIV infections and AIDS cases have been prevented thanks to harm reduction measures, as shown by an analysis by the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Zurich and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. |
 | Can we really tell if it's love at first sight?Long-term and short-term relationships are obviously different from each other. Some people are the type you'd want to marry; others are good primarily for the sex. |
 | Goal conflict linked to psychological distressBeing torn about which personal goals to pursue is associated with symptoms of psychological distress, new research shows. |
 | Research could help fine-tune cancer treatmentCancer therapies that cut off blood supply to a tumour could be more effective in combination with existing chemotherapeutic drugs—according to new research from the University of East Anglia. |
 | Maternal mental health problems – the impact in numbersAs many as one in five women develop a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the first year after the birth of their baby. The distress this causes women and their families, the negative impact on their health and well-being, and the economic costs to individuals, the NHS and the nation are considerable. |
 | Low-dose aspirin could help pregnant women with high blood pressure avoid a dangerous conditionA daily dose of aspirin could help pregnant women in the first stage of high blood pressure avoid a condition that puts both mother and baby in danger, according to a new study. |
 | The unexpected healing properties of carbon monoxide gasWhen most of us hear the words "carbon monoxide," our first instinct is to probably hold our breath. Yes, the colorless, odorless gas can kill you if you breathe too much of it, but according to Dr. Binghe Wang, Regents' Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Diagnostics & Therapeutics, carbon monoxide gets a bad rap. He's studying how the gas can be used as a therapeutic agent to treat diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and cancers. |
 | Obese people enjoy food less than lean people – new studyGlobal obesity rates have risen sharply over the past three decades, leading to spikes in diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. The more we understand the causes of obesity and how to prevent it, the better. |
What does a good death look like when you're really old and ready to go?Hawaii recently joined the growing number of states and countries where doctor-assisted dying is legal. In these jurisdictions, help to die is rarely extended to those who don't have a terminal illness. Yet, increasingly, very old people, without a terminal illness, who feel that they have lived too long, are arguing that they also have a right to such assistance. | |
 | New chromosome study can lead to personalised counselling of pregnant womenFoetuses with a so-called new balanced chromosomal aberration have a higher risk of developing brain disorders such as autism and mental retardation than previously anticipated. The risk is 20 per cent for foetuses with these types of aberrations according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen. |
 | Which role does the brain play in prosocial behavior?Helping other people in need is a foundation of society. It is intuitive to believe that we help others because we emphatically share their pain. Neuroscience shows that when we see somebody in pain, our brain activates tactile and emotional regions as if we ourselves were in pain. A study from Selene Gallo (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW) investigated whether altering activity in these tactile brain regions while witnessing the pain of others would alter people's willingness to help. The results, published on 08 May 2018 in eLife, are of great importance to understand our social human nature and to find treatments for pathologies, like psychopath individuals. |
Scientific 'dream team' shed light on motor neuron deathAs the old adage goes, 'two heads are better than one'. With the development of new technologies and increasingly specialist expertise, ground-breaking science needs to be a team effort. | |
 | Less is more? Gene switch for healthy aging foundAging is a major risk factor for physical frailty and the development of age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Numerous studies have already shown that a calorie-restricted diet can significantly delay age-related conditions in several organisms like flies, worms, fish and mice, and that it even improves fitness at old age. But who wants to be on a lifetime diet? |
 | We're not prepared for the genetic revolution that's comingWhen humans' genetic information (known as the genome) was mapped 15 years ago, it promised to change the world. Optimists anticipated an era in which all genetic diseases would be eradicated. Pessimists feared widespread genetic discrimination. Neither of these hopes and fears have been realised. |
 | Study examines the rise of plaque in arteriesThe accumulation of cholesterol plaques in artery walls can lead to atherosclerosis, or the hardening of arteries that contributes to heart attacks and strokes. In a new study, Yale researchers investigate how plaque cells develop at the molecular level, and their findings could help produce targeted treatments for the disease. |
 | Neurologist explains how new migraine drug worksThe FDA announced approval on May 17 of a novel preventive treatment for migraine headaches. Aimovig is the first in a new class of migraine-specific drugs that works by blocking an action of a protein that is increased in people with migraine during headache attacks. |
mHealth as effective as clinic-based intervention for people with serious mental illnessA mobile health (mHealth) intervention was found to be as effective as a clinic-based group intervention for people with serious mental illness in a new study published online today in Psychiatric Services. | |
 | Don't eat bitter pumpkin, study warns after women lose hairA doctor warned Friday that bitter-tasting pumpkins and squashes can contain potent toxins, after two women were poisoned by their dinners and lost most of their hair. |
 | Leave tablets, smartphones out of the bedroom for better sleep(HealthDay)— Are tablets, smartphones and laptops robbing Americans of shut-eye? Absolutely, said researchers who found that the unending entertainments and the light the devices emit are a powerful, slumber-killing combo. |
 | Here comes the sun, and kid sun safety(HealthDay)—Summer sun brings childhood fun, but experts warn it also brings skin cancer dangers, even for kids. |
 | To repel ticks this summer, try insecticide-treated clothes(HealthDay)—Outdoor enthusiasts: Here's a bit of good tick-fighting news just in time for Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. |
 | Five ways to protect your eye health(HealthDay)—Your risk of vision problems increases with age, but there are things you can do to protect your sight, eye doctors say. |
 | Are you ignoring endometriosis?(HealthDay)—Endometriosis is a painful condition affecting many women, yet often years pass before it's diagnosed. |
New treatment approved for rare disease PKU(HealthDay)—Palynziq (pegvaliase-pqpz) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat phenylketonuria, commonly called PKU. | |
 | Be smart when it comes to spring allergies and asthma(HealthDay)—Lots of things grow in the spring, including your risk of severe allergic reactions and asthma attacks. So people need to take preventive measures and know when to seek medical care, an emergency physician says. |
 | Mortality still high after surgery for congenital heart defects(HealthDay)—Long-term mortality after congenital heart surgery is higher than that of the general population for all forms of congenital heart defects (CHDs), according to a study published in the May 29 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | Certolizumab looks promising for moderate-to-severe psoriasis(HealthDay)—Twice-weekly certolizumab biologic appears to be both safe and effective for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis, according to a study published online April 13 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. |
 | 60-day mortality not significantly lower with ECMO in ARDS(HealthDay)—For patients with very severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 60-day mortality is not significantly lower with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) than with continued conventional treatment, according to a study published online in the May 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Non-nutritive sweeteners don't up blood glucose levels(HealthDay)—Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) does not increase blood glucose levels, according to a review published online May 15 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. |
UMD food scientist guides students towards revelatory findings in women's healthIn an effort to sustain and educate the next generation of food safety experts in the United States, Dr. Bob Buchanan of the University of Maryland has served as a scientific mentor to a pair of academically accelerated high school students who are challenging the current food avoidance recommendations for pregnant women as established by the CDC and ACOG. Led by 14-year-olds Valentina Simon and Rachel Rosenzweig, along with professional midwives Katya Simon, Mickey Gillmor and Rebeca Barroso, results of an eleven-page study propose updated recommendations for safe food-handling practices to avoid listeriosis during pregnancy. Their paper was recently accepted by the pre-eminent publication in the women's health field, the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, an unprecedented distinction for authors of this age without formal training or advanced degrees. | |
Irish abortion: the legal landscapeIreland's current abortion laws ban all terminations except in cases where the mother's life is at risk. | |
 | Indian child dies from mother's 'snake bite' breast milkAn Indian woman who was bitten by a snake in her sleep and unknowingly breastfed poisoned milk to her daughter has died along with the child, police said Friday. |
Cell damage caused by the pesticide DDT is palliatedSince it was first synthesized almost 150 years ago, the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, better known as DDT, has been widely used to fight illnesses caused by insects. Later, it was proven not only to kill off the species it targeted, but also wreaked havoc on the environment, on human beings and on other species in the ecosystem. | |
 | Can ring vaccination stop Ebola in the DRC?The deployment of an experimental Ebola vaccine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an important development in the fight against the disease. If the vaccine proves effective, it will spare many people from sickness and death. However, according to analysis by the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) this approach may not be able to stop the outbreak itself. |
Long-term low-calorie diet prevents age-related molecular changesScientists from Russia and the United States have looked at how the gene methylation process changes its behavior with age and how the amount of calories consumed affects these molecular changes. They found that the age-related changes affect multiple genes associated with the molecular pathways involved in the aging process at the cellular level, while long-term low-calorie dieting prevents the changes from progressing further. The results of their study were published in Aging Cell journal. | |
 | Major disabilities research project highlights need for changeThe daily lives of disabled people are impacted by 'unhelpful, exclusionary or downright abusive' practices, according to a major research project looking at issues facing those with disabilities in the UK today. |
Unexpected results when residents gave their opinion about traffic noiseSmart noise-dampening design, quiet rooms in the dwelling, but also increased acceptance of high sound levels in residential environments. That is believed to explain why a relatively newly developed area in central Gothenburg, Sweden, located near a busy traffic corridor, was not perceived to be nearly as noisy as expected. | |
Biology news
 | Bumblebees confused by iridescent colorsIridescence is a form of structural colour which uses regular repeating nanostructures to reflect light at slightly different angles, causing a colour-change effect. |
 | Plant symbioses—fragile partnershipsAll plants require an adequate supply of inorganic nutrients, such as fixed nitrogen (usually in the form of ammonia or nitrate), for growth. A special group of flowering plants thus depends on close symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria as a source of fixed nitrogen. The plant provides specialized root nodules as housing for its bacterial benefactors, which allows them to make use of energy-rich organic carbon compounds in return for the ammonia they generate from atmospheric nitrogen. Thus, both partners reap advantages from the relationship. |
 | A better B1 building blockHumans aren't the only earth-bound organisms that need to take their vitamins. Thiamine – commonly known as vitamin B1 – is vital to the survival of most every living thing on earth. But the average bacterium or plant can't just run to the local drugstore for a supply, they have to scavenge it (or its component parts) from their surroundings. New NC State research shows that a little-studied B1 precursor, or component, called cHET can be easily taken up and used in extremely small concentrations by marine microorganisms such as phytoplankton, as well as by plants. |
 | A world of parasitesAlex Betts, Craig MacLean and Kayla King from the Department of Zoology, shed light on their recent research published in Science, which addressed the impact that parasite communities have on evolutionary change and diversity. |
 | Australia builds world's longest cat-proof fence to save wildlifeA conservation agency has constructed what is believed to be the world's longest cat-proof fence in central Australia to save native wildlife and vegetation ravaged by the feline predators. |
 | The big clean up after stressToxic substances, nutrient shortage, viral infection, heat and many other events trigger stress responses in cells. In such cases, the affected cells launch a programme which tries to protect them against stress-related damages. They usually ramp down the production of endogenous proteins to save resources which they later need to repair cell damages or to survive under the stress conditions for some time. |
 | Some desert creatures may be able to cope with climate change better than expectedThe world of reptiles may well include creatures that are more spectacular than the Gehyra variegata, but nevertheless, this small nocturnal gecko has managed to make a couple of fascinating new contributions to the discussion about the ecological consequences of climate change. |
Researchers discover mechanism behind citrus canker bacteria's defense system for predatorsXanthomonas citri, the bacterium that causes citrus canker, a disease responsible for major damage to lemon and orange groves in worldwide scale, has a veritable arsenal of weapons to overcome constant competition with other bacterial species and ward off natural predators such as amoebae. | |
 | Explaining genome pairsScientists have unraveled how the cell replication process destabilizes when it has more, or less, than a pair of chromosome sets, each of which is called a genome—a major step toward understanding chromosome instability in cancer cells. |
 | Reservation for two species—fisherman and dolphins are grabbing a bite at the same NY artificial reefThere's plenty of fish in the sea for human fisherman and bottlenose dolphins to feast on and now, according to a study by researchers at Stony Brook University published in Marine Mammal Science , both species are using a New York artificial reef at the same time to find fish to eat – a new finding. |
 | Cultivating Chinese orchids could conserve wild speciesAsking people who want to buy orchids about their preferences when choosing which plants to buy has revealed that many unknowingly buy wild, possibly endangered orchids, when they would be just as happy to buy commercially grown plants that meet their preferences for colour and price. |
 | New 'eDNA' method to help monitor UK aquatic diversityA new method of DNA analysis to help monitor the diversity of UK waters, which could help conserve endangered species, has been pioneered by scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA). |
Human-coyote interactions expected to increase this yearThis year's long, hard winter looks like it paid off for Edmonton's coyote population, so people have to step up more than ever to make sure they get along with their four-footed neighbours. | |
 | Currents propel the spreading of invasive jellyfishTwelve years ago, the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi, originating from the North American East Coast, appeared in northern European waters. Based on the first comprehensive data collection on the occurrence of this invasive jellyfish in Europe, scientists from 19 countries led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Technical University of Denmark have now shown that ocean currents play a key role for this successful invasion. The study has been published in the international journal Global Ecology and Biogeography. |
Biologist advocates ecological approach to improving human healthChronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders and obesity may ultimately vanquish the efforts of medical intervention unless people change their diet, an Oregon State University biologist argues in a paper published this week. | |
 | Airport-dwelling magpies get in less of a flap about planes, and that could be good or badMagpies that live at airports are less likely to flee from aircraft noise than those that live elsewhere, according to our research. But it is unclear whether this makes them more likely to be involved in a collision. |
 | New air purification technology to eradicate airborne virusesA team of researchers, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has succeeded in developing new air purification technology to eradicate airborne viruses. |
Wolf-like animal shot in central Montana, DNA tests underwayA central Montana rancher shot a wolf-like animal after it was spotted in a pasture with livestock, but a closer look prompted state wildlife officials to take DNA samples to determine what type of animal it was. | |
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