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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 24, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | InSight steers toward MarsNASA's InSight lander has made its first course correction toward Mars. |
 | Ancient meteorite tells tales of Mars topographyBy looking at an ancient Martian meteorite that landed in the Sahara Desert, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators have determined how and when the red planet's crustal topographic and geophysical divide formed. |
Black holes play hide-and-seek in low-luminosity radio galaxiesEvery galaxy is thought to harbor a supermassive black hole in the center, or nucleus, of the galaxy, and in active galaxies this black hole is fed by infalling matter. This "central engine" is typically surrounded by dusty molecular gas in a doughnut configuration, which hides the black hole and the infalling material from our view along certain viewing directions. The picture of a central engine plus obscuring doughnut is thought to apply to all accreting supermassive black holes, explaining the apparent variety of active galaxies from the very brightest quasars to the lower-luminosity radio galaxies under a single "unified scheme." | |
 | Kepler begins 18th observing campaign with a focus on star clustersNASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft began the 18th observing campaign of its extended mission, K2, on May 12. For the next 82 days, Kepler will stare at clusters of stars, faraway galaxies, and a handful of solar system objects, including comets, objects beyond Neptune, and an asteroid. The Kepler spacecraft is expected to run out of fuel within several months. |
 | Space station accepts special delivery from VirginiaThe International Space Station accepted delivery Thursday of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. |
UK to demand EU repayment in Brexit satellite rowBritain ramped up a Brexit space row with the EU on Thursday, saying it will demand repayment if it is excluded from the Galileo satellite navigation project. | |
 | Scientists shrink chemistry lab to seek evidence of life on MarsAn international team of scientists has created a tiny chemistry lab for a rover that will drill beneath the Martian surface looking for signs of past or present life. The toaster oven-sized lab, called the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer or MOMA, is a key instrument on the ExoMars Rover, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, with a significant contribution to MOMA from NASA. It will be launched toward the Red Planet in July 2020. |
 | Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array reveals new insights into solar flares' explosive energy releasesLast September, a massive new region of magnetic field erupted on the Sun's surface next to an existing sunspot. The powerful collision of magnetic fields produced a series of potent solar flares, causing turbulent space weather conditions at Earth. These were the first flares to be captured, in their moment-by-moment progression, by New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) recently expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA). |
 | Image: GRACE-FO launches to provide a unique view of Earth's climateThe NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO) mission launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. |
A beer that's truly out of this worldAussies are brewing a new generation of beer. One that will boldly go where no beer has gone before, solving the age-old problem of how to get drunk in space. | |
 | Putin taps firebrand to head embattled space agencyVladimir Putin on Thursday appointed a firebrand nationalist politician, who oversaw Russia's once proud space industry, to manage its space agency in a move analysts said spells more trouble for the embattled sector. |
Technology news
 | Ingestible 'bacteria on a chip' could help diagnose diseaseMIT researchers have built an ingestible sensor equipped with genetically engineered bacteria that can diagnose bleeding in the stomach or other gastrointestinal problems. |
 | A real conversation piece: Social chatbot in China does phone talkThe voice is sweet, youthful but not childish, just vibrant enough to hit all the marks of a call from a good friend who can listen and react. It is not the voice of a human. It is a chatbot to be exact. And oh, it can chat. Microsoft even has allowed it to call people on their phones. |
 | 3-D printed sugar scaffolds offer sweet solution for tissue engineering, device manufacturingUniversity of Illinois engineers built a 3-D printer that offers a sweet solution to making detailed structures that commercial 3-D printers can't: Rather than a layer-upon-layer solid shell, it produces a delicate network of thin ribbons of hardened isomalt, the type of sugar alcohol used to make throat lozenges. |
 | Engineers aim for the stars with new rocket engineA 'self-eating' rocket engine which could place small satellites in orbit more easily and more affordably is under development at universities in Scotland and Ukraine. |
 | Hey Alexa: Amazon's virtual assistant becomes a personal assistant to software developersUBC computer scientists have turned Amazon Alexa into a tool for software engineers, tasking the virtual assistant to take care of mundane programming tasks, helping increase productivity and speed up workflow. |
 | Researchers devise more effective location awareness for the Internet-of-(many)-ThingsAnticipating a critical strain on the ability of fifth generation (5G) networks to keep track of a rapidly growing number of mobile devices, engineers at Tufts University have come up with an improved algorithm for localizing and tracking these products that distributes the task among the devices themselves. It is a scalable solution that could meet the demands of a projected 50 billion connected products in the Internet-of-Things by 2020, and would enable a widening range of location-based services. The results of the Tufts study were published today in Proceedings of the IEEE, the leading peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. |
 | How greener grids can stay litCalifornians love renewable energy. In fact, California just became the first state to require solar panels on all new homes. |
 | US disrupts Russian botnet of 500,000 hacked routersThe US Justice Department said Wednesday that it had seized an internet domain that directed a dangerous botnet of a half-million infected home and office network routers, controlled by hackers believed tied to Russian intelligence. |
 | Indonesia ride-hailing app GoJek says expanding abroadIndonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek said Thursday it would expand into Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines as it takes on regional rival Grab in the fast-growing Southeast Asian market. |
 | California high court to rule on social media accessThe California Supreme Court will decide whether Facebook and other social media companies must turn over user content to criminal defendants. |
How local communities can transition to sustainable energy systemsWhat makes for a successful transition to a low-carbon energy system? Local involvement, perceived fairness and information sharing, according to new research from Lund University in Sweden. | |
 | Volkswagen rejects 'protectionism' after US car tariff threatCar behemoth Volkswagen warned Thursday against "one-sided protectionism" after the United States said it was considering new taxes on auto imports in the name of national security. |
 | Lenovo posts $189 mn full-year loss on one-time write-offChinese technology giant Lenovo on Thursday said it recorded a $189 million net loss for its full fiscal year due mainly to a one-time charge, while saying it was planning an overhaul to broaden its appeal. |
 | Cyclist/motorist crashes worse at stop/give way junctionsCyclists are being more seriously hurt in crashes with motor vehicles at intersections with 'Stop' or 'Give-way' signs than at intersections with traffic signals or without any signage, a QUT study has found. |
Anti-theft sticker protects your valuables without revealing their locationVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Streamr have developed a prototype adhesive ID tag based on blockchain technology, which enables valuable goods to be protected without revealing their location. Possible applications include electronics, jewellery and caviar. | |
 | Versions of Han Solo's blaster exist – and they're way more powerful than real lightsabers would bePeople who think physics is boring couldn't be more wrong. It can explain everything from spooky interactions on the tiny scale of atoms and particles to how the entire universe behaves. As if that wasn't enough, it can also be used to assess how realistic futuristic technology in science fiction is. My area of expertise – plasma physics – can explain many aspects of both lightsabers and the Death Star within Star Wars lore, for example. |
German officials order recall of Mercedes diesel vansAutomaker Daimler says it is being told to recall models of its Mercedes-Benz Vito delivery van by Germany's motor vehicle authority, which has ruled that the vehicle's diesel emissions controls do not meet legal requirements. | |
 | Feds: Uber self-driving SUV saw pedestrian, did not brakeThe autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled, according to federal investigators. |
 | China's Tencent: Tech world must tackle privacy concernsChina's biggest tech company says the industry needs to tackle users' privacy concerns and the risks posed by advancing technologies. |
 | New technology and app could help endangered primates, slow illegal traffickingNew facial recognition software and app invented at Michigan State University can help protect endangered primates—more than 60 percent of which face extinction. |
 | Facebook won't pay compensation for Cambridge Analytica caseFacebook said Thursday it will not compensate users in the scandal over the misuse of their personal data by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. |
 | Rush to comply with new EU data lawCompanies made a last-minute rush Thursday to comply with new European Union data protection laws that Brussels says will protect consumers from being like "people naked in an aquarium". |
 | Novel Kinect system helps keep Parkinson's patients movingA new system which helps people with Parkinson's disease overcome debilitating walking problems has been developed by researchers at Brunel University London. |
 | Facebook to label election-related 'issue ads' in USFacebook is expanding its advertising disclosure requirements to cover all U.S. ads on polarized issues such as gun control and abortion rights, even if they don't endorse a particular candidate. |
 | Global Facebook users to get 'good' EU-style safeguards: ZuckerbergFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday that he was rolling out the privacy controls demanded by European regulators to Facebook users worldwide because "everyone cares about privacy". |
 | Facebook, Twitter tighten rules for political adsTwitter on Thursday announced new guidelines to clearly mark political ads on its platform as Facebook said it began implementing a policy requiring labeling and verification of identities of those paying for political messages. |
 | Using deep neural network acceleration for image analysis in drug discoveryHigh content screening of cellular phenotypes is a fundamental tool supporting early drug discovery. The term "high content" signifies the rich set of thousands of predefined features (such as size, shape, texture) that are extracted from images using classical image-processing techniques. High content screening allows analysis of microscopic images to study the effects of thousands of genetic or chemical treatments on different cell cultures. |
 | Ikea recalls bikes over safety issuesSwedish home goods giant Ikea on Thursday announced a recall of its bicycles following a string of accidents caused by problems with the drive belt. |
 | Advanced mobile technology to manage underground utilitiesUtility companies from the UK alone create over 1.5 million street holes each year, often causing damage to third-party assets. Damage can be both expensive and dangerous, while also seriously impacting a company's reputation. Outdated and inefficient systems account for a great part of faulty interventions that costs the British economy in the region of 5.5 billion euro annually. |
 | Capturing CO2 using heat pumpsCapturing the greenhouse gas CO2 from industrial processes such as cement manufacture is a demanding and therefore expensive exercise. However, by introducing a renewable powered heat pump in the capture system, the energy required to capture CO2 is reduced by three quarters. |
France to pump 65 million euros into African startupsFrance will plough 65 million euros ($76 million) into startups in Africa, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday at a technology conference in Paris. | |
Company: Industrial hacking group has targets beyond MideastA U.S. cybersecurity company says the hacking group behind a worrying breed of destructive software is operating well beyond the Middle East, raising the possibility that it is laying the groundwork for dangerous cyberattacks around the world. | |
 | Canada blocks China purchase of construction firm AeconCanada has blocked Chinese state-owned CCCC's acquisition of construction firm Aecon Group, citing on Thursday national security concerns in a decision widely expected to create a rift between Ottawa and Beijing. |
 | Macron wants to make France gateway to Europe for tech firmsFrench President Emmanuel Macron called on tech leaders Thursday to invest in France, saying his innovation policies aim to make the country the gateway to Europe. |
 | AFP to launch fact-checking sites in English, Spanish and PortugueseAgence France-Presse (AFP) will launch fact-checking sites in English, Spanish and Portuguese with financial support from Facebook, the international news agency announced on Thursday. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Hot cars can hit deadly temperatures in as little as one hourA lot can happen at 160 degrees Fahrenheit: Eggs fry, salmonella bacteria dies, and human skin will suffer third-degree burns. If a car is parked in the sun on a hot summer day, its dashboard can hit 160 degrees in about an hour. One hour is also about how long it can take for a young child trapped in a car to suffer heat injury or even die from hyperthermia. |
 | Depression speeds up brain aging, find psychologistsPsychologists at the University of Sussex have found a link between depression and an acceleration of the rate at which the brain ages. Although scientists have previously reported that people with depression or anxiety have an increased risk of dementia in later life, this is the first study that provides comprehensive evidence for the effect of depression on decline in overall cognitive function (also referred to as cognitive state), in a general population. |
 | Antidepressant use may contribute to long-term population weight gainResearchers at King's College London have found that patients prescribed any of the 12 most commonly used antidepressants were 21% more likely to experience an episode of gain weight than those not taking the drugs, (after adjusting for other factors which might affect this result). The full research is published in the BMJ. |
 | Selective neural connections can be reestablished in retina after injury, study findsThe brain's ability to form new neural connections, called neuroplasticity, is crucial to recovery from some types of brain injury, but this process is hard to study and remains poorly understood. A new study of neural circuit repair in the retina shows that neurons can make new connections to the right types of photoreceptors to restore selective connectivity after an injury. |
 | Study suggests brainwave link between disparate disordersA brainwave abnormality could be a common link between Parkinson's disease, neuropathic pain, tinnitus and depression—a link that authors of a new study suggest could lead to treatment for all four conditions. |
 | New findings on autism-related disorderIn a study published today in Nature, Marc Bühler and his group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) have taken a major step forward in elucidating the mechanisms underlying a disorder known as Helsmoortel-Van der Aa syndrome. They clarify the role played by ADNP—a protein whose gene is mutated in patients with the syndrome—in the formation of tissues during embryonic development. The study provides important insights into a disorder that has been poorly understood to date, and for which no treatment is yet available. |
 | Early synaptic dysfunction found in Parkinson's DiseaseNorthwestern Medicine scientists identified a cellular mechanism that leads to neurodegeneration in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
 | Deep brain stimulation found to improve diabetes symptomsA team of researchers from several institutions in the Netherlands and Yale University in the U.S. has found evidence that suggests deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help treat type 2 diabetes. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes what happened when a single patient with a mental disorder was treated with DBS. |
 | Researchers define molecular basis to explain link between a pregnant mother's nutrition and infant growthFor years, pregnant mothers have questioned their nutritional habits: "Will eating more cause my baby to be overweight?" Or, "I'm eating for two, so it won't hurt to have an extra serving, right?" |
 | Reconstructing Zika's spreadThe urgent threat from Zika virus, which dominated news headlines in the spring and summer of 2016, has passed for now. But research into how Zika and other mosquito-borne infections spread and cause epidemics is still very active. In a paper published May 24 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, an international team of researchers reports new details of how Zika emerged from Brazil and spread throughout Mexico and Central America, with evidence that some locations had more than one outbreak. |
 | Gut bacteria play key role in anti-seizure effects of ketogenic dietUCLA scientists have identified specific gut bacteria that play an essential role in the anti-seizure effects of the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. The study, published today in the journal Cell, is the first to establish a causal link between seizure susceptibility and the gut microbiota—the 100 trillion or so bacteria and other microbes that reside in the human body's intestines. |
 | Bursts of brain activity linked to memory reactivationLeading theories propose that sleep presents an opportune time for important, new memories to become stabilized. And it's long been known which brain waves are produced during sleep. But in a new study, researchers set out to better understand the brain mechanisms that secure memory storage. |
 | Study finds gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liverScientists have found a connection between bacteria in the gut and antitumor immune responses in the liver. Their study, published May 25 in Science, was led by researchers in the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It showed that bacteria found in the gut of mice affect the liver's antitumor immune function. The findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for therapeutic approaches to treat them. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health. |
 | New blood test to detect liver damage in under an hourA quick and robust blood test that can detect liver damage before symptoms appear has been designed and verified using clinical samples by a team from UCL and University of Massachusetts. |
 | New parts of the brain become active after students learn physicsParts of the brain not traditionally associated with learning science become active when people are confronted with solving physics problems, a new study shows. |
Disadvantaged students with lower grades do just as well on medical degreesStudents from some of England's worst performing secondary schools who enroll on medical degrees with lower A Level grades, on average, do at least as well as their peers from top performing schools, a new study has revealed. | |
 | Time spent sitting at a screen matters less if you are fit and strongThe impact of screen time on cardiovascular disease, cancer incidence and mortality may be greatest in people who have lower levels of grip-strength, fitness and physical activity, according to a study published in the open access journal, BMC Medicine. |
Tau mutations may increase cancer riskMutations to the protein tau, commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders, may serve as a novel risk factor for cancer, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. | |
 | Cigarette smoke directly damages muscles in the bodyNot only is smoking bad for your lungs, but new research shows that components in cigarette smoke directly damages your muscles. The research, published in The Journal of Physiology, indicates that smoking decreases the number of small blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to muscles in the legs. |
 | Researchers develop new models for predicting suicide riskCombining data from electronic health records with results from standardized depression questionnaires better predicts suicide risk in the 90 days following either mental health specialty or primary care outpatient visits, reports a team from the Mental Health Research Network, led by Kaiser Permanente research scientists. |
 | Early lactate measurements appear to improve results for septic patientsOn October 1, 2015, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a bundle of recommendations defining optimal treatment of patients suffering from sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that causes more than 250,000 deaths each year in the United States. |
 | South Asian Americans are at high risk for heart disease and strokeSouth Asians are more likely to die of heart disease, such as heart attacks and strokes caused by atherosclerosis—the disease process that narrows arteries—than East Asians and non-Hispanic whites living in the United States, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in its journal Circulation. |
 | Boys still lag behind in readingFrom their first days in school, boys' reading proficiency in Norway is on average much worse than that of girls. And it doesn't appear that this discrepancy levels out during the first school year. "The fact that that the discrepancies don't diminish during the school year is a sign that we have to change how we teach letters and reading," says Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology. |
Overweight and obesity make up for more than 15,000 cancer cases per year in BrazilSome 15,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in Brazil each year, and researchers have found that approximately 4 percent of these cases could be avoided by reducing overweight and obesity. | |
 | Tick bite protection: New CDC study adds to the promise of permethrin-treated clothingThe case for permethrin-treated clothing to prevent tick bites keeps getting stronger. |
 | Bid to beat obesity focuses on fat that keeps us warmA new technique to study fat stores in the body could aid efforts to find treatments to tackle obesity. |
 | Eat up! Do dads push food on toddlers?Well-meaning dads may be over-feeding their toddlers and increasing the risk of childhood obesity, according to a QUT and Flinders University study being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna today. |
Cost-benefit study confirms benefits of walking and cycling investmentThe study shows the benefits of walking and cycling—primarily health gains and carbon emissions reduction—outweighed the costs of better facilities and associated educational campaigns by ten to one. | |
 | Vast majority of poor, urban women don't use prenatal vitamins before pregnancy, study showsA study of more than 7,000 low-income, urban mothers enrolled in the Boston Birth Cohort found that fewer than 5 percent of them started folic acid supplementation and used it almost daily before pregnancy, a widely recommended public health measure designed to prevent potentially crippling birth defects. |
Rare Nipah virus claims fourth family member in IndiaA fourth member of the same Indian family has died from the rare Nipah virus, officials said Thursday, as authorities scramble to contain an outbreak that has claimed 11 lives. | |
 | Searching for Ebola's hideoutThere was a certain kind of quiet hopefulness when, in late April 2016, the last Ebola patient of the West African epidemic – a two-year-old boy – walked out of a treatment facility in Monrovia, Liberia. With the smouldering embers of the outbreak fading, there was cause for celebration. But there remained the impotent fear of the unseen: Ebola was still out there, lurking. We just didn't know where it was hiding or when it would be back. |
 | Is it time for junk food to carry graphic warnings like cigarette packets?New research suggests graphic warnings on junk food packaging would prove an effective deterrent to consumers when deciding what to eat – and it appears the more graphic and negative the message the better. |
New genetic findings explain how embryos form arms and legsThe current understanding of limb and lung development in humans does not capture the full picture of the process, according to research published in Nature last week. This paper describes the importance of novel genes for limb development, and shows how perceived wisdom about the process was incomplete. | |
 | Research finds a little exercise does a lot of good for ageing musclesGetting old doesn't necessarily mean getting weak and frail – just a little bit of exercise can help maintain muscle mass and strength, Otago research has revealed. |
 | Tumor cells evade death through in extremis DNA repairGreater knowledge of the mechanisms that contribute to the survival of tumour cells is key to vanquishing them. The study published today in the journal Cancer Cell, headed by Angel R. Nebreda, ICREA researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), reveals a new protective mechanism for tumour cells in breast cancer and identifies novel therapeutic targets to treat this condition. The study has been funded by competitive Advanced and Proof of Concept grants from the European Research Council (ERC). |
 | People with dementia more likely to go missingThe tendency of people with dementia to wander and become lost has led QUT researchers to recommend a 'Silver Alert' system, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, be activated when someone with the diagnosis of dementia is reported lost. |
 | A touch of kindness works wonders for cancer patientsFor those grappling with a disease such as cancer, a kinder approach from medical staff and those around them could go a long way to not only improving their treatment but also helping improve their chances of recovery. |
Non-vaccinators just want to fit inA new study by researchers at The University of Western Australia has revealed parents' choices about whether to vaccinate their children are largely influenced by their social networks, with parents often left feeling either validated or marginalised within their communities. | |
 | Why do humans have such large brains? Our study suggests ecology was the driving forceMost animals have brains in proportion to their body size – species with larger bodies often have larger brains. But the human brain is almost six times bigger than expected for our bodies. This is puzzling, as the brain is very costly – burning 20% of the body's energy while accounting for only 4% of its mass. |
What outcomes parents should expect from early childhood education and careParents often have different expectations for their three- to five-year-old children when they attend an early learning centre. Some parents expect their child to engage in academic learning activities or "real learning". Academic activities are associated with formal school-based learning such as writing, reading and knowing their numbers. | |
 | Why we perceive ourselves as richer than we think we areEveryday billions of people make countless decisions that have economic implications. Buying new clothes, having dinner at a Japanese restaurant, renting a house: most of our decisions determine how much money we spend or save. Some of our decisions also increase the amount of debt we have accumulated, such as when we buy a book and pay by credit card or when we obtain a loan to buy a new car. |
'Suicide tourism' and understanding the Swiss model of the right to dieTwo weeks ago, the 104-year-old Australian scientist David Goodall flew from his home in Western Australia to Switzerland to access assisted suicide with the help of lifecircle and Exit International, two right-to-die societies. | |
 | What causes chronic fatigue? What we know, don't know and suspectAround 200,000 people in Australia suffer from a debilitating illness often branded with the unfortunate name of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). I say "unfortunate" because this implies patients are simply tired, run-down, burnt-out or overly stressed. |
 | The dangers of a lonely heartA heart failure patient who often feels lonely or left out is more likely to require hospitalization than one who rarely feels socially isolated, a new study shows. |
 | Coma patients might feel pleasure and pain like the rest of usA young woman, let's call her Jane, survives a car accident. Her injuries are so severe that she is diagnosed as being "in a vegetative state," or what medics call unresponsive wakefulness syndrome. |
 | Unique seniors' peer-to-peer health program proving popularBrian Dompe knows why the University of Alberta's new and innovative Supporting Healthy Aging by Peer Education and Support (SHAPES) program is so popular among Edmonton's seniors. |
'Safe sleep' advice to prevent cot deaths not always being takenA substantial proportion of parents do not follow the advice they are being given to make sleep safer for their baby. This is one of the findings of the Safe Sleep Survey, whose results were published this week. Ignoring this advice, for instance with regard to a safe sleeping position or a safe bedroom environment, raises the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as 'cot death': the sudden and unexpected death of a (usually sleeping) baby for which a thorough autopsy can find no explanation. In the Netherlands, every year between and 10 and 20 babies below the age of twelve months die in this way. Compared to other developed countries, the Netherlands have the lowest reported rates of SIDS. | |
Genes of different importance for brain cancerTwo genes play important roles for the formation of malignant cancer in the brain. One gene prevents the formation of the tumour, while another gene promotes the tumour. This is shown in a new dissertation at Umeå University, Sweden. | |
 | No evidence that cannabis has impact on cancer developmentFor thousands of years people have used cannabis for recreational, ritualistic and medicinal purposes. In the modern era, the latter property excites a lot of people, and there is no shortage of wild claims about the supposed medical benefits of the plant. Of all the claims, perhaps the most bold is the assertion that cannabis can cure cancer. |
 | Dicer enzyme cuts down on fatsThe enzyme Dicer cleaves long precursors into short RNA molecules called microRNAs. A new study reveals how Dicer enhances energy metabolism and reduces levels of fat storage in macrophages, thus slowing the progression of atherosclerosis. |
 | Peer rejection isn't the culprit behind school shootingsWhenever a school shooting takes place, the focus often turns to the social life of the shooters, and people conclude that they suffered from some type of peer rejection or victimization. |
 | Do you get diabetes from eating too much sugar?There is a widespread belief that sugar is the sole cause of diabetes. After all, the disease is characterised by high levels of sugar in the blood. |
 | Personality tests with deep-sounding questions provide shallow answers about the 'true' youHave you ever clicked on a link like "What does your favorite animal say about you?" wondering what your love of hedgehogs reveals about your psyche? Or filled out a personality assessment to gain new understanding into whether you're an introverted or extroverted "type"? People love turning to these kinds of personality quizzes and tests on the hunt for deep insights into themselves. People tend to believe they have a "true" and revealing self hidden somewhere deep within, so it's natural that assessments claiming to unveil it will be appealing. |
 | Second part of study on the participation of children in youth care publishedDr. Stephanie Rap, Denise Verkroost, LL.M. and prof. Mariëlle Bruning conducted a research on the participation of children in youth care in the Netherlands. In 2016 the first part, a legal desk-research on the possibilities for children to participate in youth care procedures and decision-making in the Netherlands, was completed. It resulted in a (Dutch) research report and an article in the Dutch journal on Family and Child Law. |
 | Using Facebook to help young adults quit smokingA national clinical trial testing a smoking cessation intervention for young adults that was conducted entirely on Facebook has found that smokers are 2.5 times more likely to quit after three months with the Facebook-based treatment than if they were referred to an online quit-smoking program. |
 | How to get people to pay attention to phone, computer security notificationsUsing brain data, eye-tracking data and field-study data, a group of BYU researchers have confirmed something about our interaction with security warnings on computers and phones: the more we see them, the more we tune them out. |
 | It's not the mayonnaise—food safety myths and summertime foodWhen folks get sick after a picnic, people often blame the potato salad. Or the chicken salad. Or whatever other side dish was made with mayonnaise. But that's usually not the culprit. |
 | Why medicine leads the professions in suicide, and what we can do about itEarlier this month, one of us visited a prominent U.S. medical school to give a lecture on the topic of burnout and how physicians can find more fulfillment in the practice of medicine. Sadly, that very day, a fourth-year medical student there took her own life. |
 | What's in your genome? Parents-to-be want to knowEvery parent-to-be wants a healthy baby. And, when offered an opportunity, most couples want to know which disease-causing genes, or risk factors, they carry and could unwittingly pass to their children. |
Risk of preterm birth reliably predicted by new testScientists at UC San Francisco have developed a test to predict a woman's risk of preterm birth when she is between 15 and 20 weeks pregnant, which may enable doctors to treat them early and thereby prevent severe complications later in the pregnancy. | |
 | Short bursts of intense exercise are a HIIT, even with less active peopleWhile we know high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is time-efficient and good for our health, researchers are still curious to determine if less active users are willing to do it. |
 | Sepsis patients treated and released from emergency departments do well with outpatient follow-upNational guidelines assume that all patients who're diagnosed with clinical sepsis in an emergency department will be admitted to the hospital for additional care, but new research has found that many more patients are being treated and released from the ED for outpatient follow-up than previously recognized. |
Children and adolescents in high-risk environments more likely to become violent adultsChildren and adolescents who grow up with one or more of these environmental risk factors are likely to resort to violence, aggression and crime as adults, irrespective of an underlying mental illness. This is according to a new study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, which is published by Springer Nature. Thirty-two researchers contributed to the interdisciplinary work which was led by Hannelore Ehrenreich of the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Germany. The study, with equally contributing first authors, Marina Mitjans, Jan Seidel and Martin Begemann, provides a first solid hint that growing up in extreme societal conditions can markedly alter gene expression through a process called epigenetics. | |
 | Study shows in-home therapy effective for stroke rehabilitationIn-home rehabilitation, using a telehealth system and supervised by licensed occupational/physical therapists, is an effective means of improving arm motor status in stroke survivors, according to findings presented by University of California, Irvine neurologist Steven C. Cramer, MD, at the recent 2018 European Stroke Organisation Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. |
 | Study finds black Americans face education, income barriers to healthy behaviorsBetter educational opportunities and higher incomes may be key to closing the gap of cardiovascular health behaviors—including smoking, physical activity, and diet quality—between black and white Americans, according to a new study led by a University of Iowa researcher. |
 | Cancer cells co-opt pain-sensing 'wasabi receptor' to survive oxidative stressAnyone who's taken a bite of a sandwich with too much spicy mustard or a piece of sushi with too much wasabi can attest to the tear-inducing sensation these condiments can cause. These loud warnings to the nervous system of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals are triggered by TRPA1, a calcium channel protein sometimes referred to as the "wasabi receptor." |
 | A cascade of immune processes offers insights to triple-negative breast cancerCancer is crafty. To survive and thrive, tumors find a way of thwarting our body's natural systems. |
 | By forming clots in tumors, immune cell aids lung cancer's spreadUniversity of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have found that by helping to form clots within tumors, immune cells that flock to a particular type of lung cancer are actually building a foundation for the tumor to spread within the body. |
Adolescents with hay fever have higher rates of anxiety and depression, lower resistance to stressAlthough allergies affect more than 50 million Americans, they are occasionally misunderstood and can be seen as a minor condition. An article published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) shows allergies can have serious, far-reaching consequences, especially on adolescent sufferers. | |
 | Past use of disinfectants and PPE for Ebola could inform future outbreaksData from the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak at two Sierra Leone facilities reveal daily usage rates for disinfectant and personal protective equipment, informing future outbreaks, according to a study published May 24, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Michaela Mallow of International Medical Corps in Los Angeles, CA, and colleagues. |
 | Genome study presents new way to track historical demographics of US populationsSharon Browning of the University of Washington and colleagues developed a method to estimate historical effective population size, which is the number of individuals who pass on their genes to the next generation, to reveal the shifting demographic history of U.S. populations during the last several thousand years. They report their findings in a new study published May 24th, 2018 in PLOS Genetics. |
 | Molecular network boosts drug resistance and virulence in hospital-acquired bacteriumIn response to antibiotics, a gene regulation network found in the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii acts to boost both virulence and antibiotic resistance. Edward Geisinger of Tufts University School of Medicine and colleagues present new insights into this system in a study published in PLOS Pathogens. |
 | Some veterans at higher risk of Zika complicationsZika virus (ZIKV) has affected roughly half a million people in the Western hemisphere in recent years, including US veterans. Older veterans and those with comorbidities are at an increased risk of hospitalizations and neurological complications after a ZIKV infection, researchers now report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. |
 | New computational tool could help optimize treatment of Alzheimer's diseaseScientists have developed a novel computational approach that incorporates individual patients' brain activity to calculate optimal, personalized brain stimulation treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Lazaro Sanchez-Rodriguez of the University of Calgary, Canada, and colleagues present their new framework in PLOS Computational Biology. |
Delivering standardized care may reduce racial disparities in diabetes complicationsAlthough kidney problems related to type 2 diabetes disproportionately affect blacks, when black and white individuals received comparable diabetes care within the context of a clinical trial, black race was not associated with faster development or progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), suggest that delivering standardized care to patients with type 2 diabetes may reduce racial disparities in diabetes-associated complications. | |
 | The secret to honing kids' language and literacyIf parents want to help their children develop language and literacy at a young age, reading bedtime stories together isn't the only key to success. |
 | Study measures free-base form of nicotine in electronic cigarettesResearchers at Portland State University have developed methods for measuring levels of free-base nicotine in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) liquids and vapor, the levels of which are associated with harshness upon inhalation of e-cigarette vapors and tobacco smoke. |
 | Gut check: Swallowed capsule could spot trouble, send alertScientists have developed a swallowed capsule packed with tiny electronics and millions of genetically engineered living cells that might someday be used to spot health problems from inside the gut. |
 | Snorers, could CPAP help your sex life, too?(HealthDay)—Women with sleep apnea might experience a boost in their sex life if they regularly use a CPAP machine, a new study shows. |
 | Low-fat diet tied to better breast cancer survival(HealthDay)—Breast cancer patients who adopted a low-fat diet were more likely to survive for at least a decade after diagnosis, compared to patients who ate fattier fare, new research shows. |
 | High-flying young doc overcomes stroke that once grounded himFlying at 35,000 feet at the start of a trip from their Chicago home to Hawaii to celebrate the upcoming birth of their first child, Dave Levy woke his sleeping wife and said, "Does my right eye look weird?" |
 | What makes for a healthy community?(HealthDay)—Where you live can have a major effect on your health, new research suggests. |
 | Heavier women may face higher cancer risks, study finds(HealthDay)—Excessive weight gain is never a good idea for health. Now, new research supports the notion that putting on pounds raises cancer risks for middle-aged women. |
 | Another foe for the U.S. military: skin cancer(HealthDay)—For U.S. military personnel, deployment carries many dangers. And besides the well-known threats they face, these men and women are also at a higher-than-average risk for skin cancer, including potentially deadly melanoma, a new research review suggests. |
 | Severe eczema may be linked to heart disease risk(HealthDay)—Sufferers of severe eczema may be at greater risk for heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeat, British researchers report. |
 | Most first-time moms say labor pains were manageable(HealthDay)—Many first-time mothers have mistaken ideas about managing the pain of childbirth, a new survey reveals. |
 | Making the most of gym time(HealthDay)—If you find that you're more motivated by working out under the guidance of a fitness instructor and like the idea of varying your workouts, taking classes is a great choice. |
 | PSA level three months after radiation tx may predict outcome(HealthDay)—Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels three months after radiotherapy (RT) are strong markers of prostate cancer outcomes for patients with intermediate- and high-risk disease, according to a study published online May 4 in Cancer. |
 | Burosumab may benefit children with X-linked hypophosphatemia(HealthDay)—For children with X-linked hypophosphatemia, subcutaneous burosumab is associated with decreases in rickets severity and with improved renal tubular phosphate reabsorption, according to a study published in the May 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Regional anesthesia tied to lower opioid use in TKA, THA(HealthDay)—Regional anesthesia is associated with a lower opioid consumption in both knee and hip replacement surgeries, compared to general anesthesia, according to a study published May 14 in PAIN Practice. |
 | Major depression in males may lower chances of conception(HealthDay)—Active major depression (MD) in the male partner may lower the likelihood of pregnancy, according to a study published in the May issue of Fertility & Sterility. |
African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be at risk for depression than whitesA new study published in the May 2018 issue of Preventive Medicine shows that African Americans and Latinos are significantly more likely to experience serious depression than Whites, but chronic stress does not seem to explain these differences. Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) was the senior author of the study, which also found that African Americans and Latinos were more likely to have higher levels of chronic stress and more unhealthy behaviors. NIMHD is part of the National Institutes of Health. | |
 | Survey finds 16 percent of burn patients test positive for PTSDA Loyola Medicine survey has found that 15.8 percent of adult burn patients screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). |
 | Landmark abortion vote in Ireland may change constitutionAn abortion debate that has inflamed passions in Ireland for decades will come down to a single question on Friday: yes or no? |
Pharmacists develop new substance to counteract antimicrobial tuberculosis resistanceAntimicrobial resistance is on the rise worldwide. This is becoming a problem for infectious diseases like tuberculosis as there are only a few active substances available to combat such diseases. Pharmacists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have now found a way to increase the efficacy of a common tuberculosis agent while, at the same time, reducing resistance to it. The research group presents its latest developments in the international journal Molecules. | |
 | Abdominal fat secretes novel adipokine promoting insulin resistance and inflammationAn international research team in which the DZD is participating has identified a novel adipokine that favors the development of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. In cases of severe obesity, this adipokine is secreted by the adipocytes of the abdominal fat tissue and released into the bloodstream. The new findings could contribute to the development of alternative approaches for the treatment of diseases caused by obesity. The researchers have now published their results in the journal Diabetologia (Hörbelt et al, 2018) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). |
 | Noise pollution is one of the biggest health risks in city lifeNoise is one of the biggest pollutants in modern cities but the risk is often overlooked despite being linked to an increased risk of early death, according to research conducted by scientists. |
 | Congo says Ebola cases have reached 30, warns against rumorsCongo's Ministry of Health said Thursday the number of confirmed Ebola cases has reached 30, including eight deaths in the three affected health zones in the country's Equateur province. |
Research team focuses on 'locomotor learning' for lasting stroke rehabilitationA major issue in rehabilitation robotics is that devices such as exoskeletons and treadmills correct patients' movements only while they are using the device. Gelsy Torres-Oviedo, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering and is the director of the Sensorimotor Learning Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, hopes to change that. | |
Why we won't get to Mars without teamworkIf humanity hopes to make it to Mars anytime soon, we need to understand not just technology, but the psychological dynamic of a small group of astronauts trapped in a confined space for months with no escape, according to a paper published in American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association. | |
Experts look back at the impact of a global surgical safety checklistA new BJS (British Journal of Surgery) article examines the past decade since the Safe Surgery Saves Lives Study Group at the World Health Organization introduced a surgical safety checklist. The 19-item checklist was designed to improve team communication and consistency of care, with the goal of reducing complications and deaths associated with surgery. | |
 | Research hones interventions for kids with developmental language disorderIn an average kindergarten class of 30 students, about two are experiencing developmental language disorder, meaning they learn language more slowly than their peers. While DLD is just as common as dyslexia or ADHD, fewer people have heard of the disorder, and less research and funding go into developing effective interventions. |
 | Congo says confirmed Ebola cases have reached 30; 8 deathsCongo's fight to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak has authorities crossing the border to buy up available thermometers, a World Health Organization official said, as the health ministry on Thursday announced that confirmed cases had reached 30, including eight deaths. |
Confusion around Ebola vaccine hampering DRC outbreak response: MSFConfusion around an unlicensed Ebola vaccine being used in the Democratic Republic of Congo is complicating efforts to rein in an outbreak of the deadly virus, Doctors Without Borders warned Thursday. | |
 | Bug-borne disease monitoring project finds deer ticks on the rise in MidwestA new environmental monitoring project at Indiana University has found increased numbers of the ticks that carry Lyme disease in Southern Indiana. |
Study compares neuropsychological tests for assessing deficits in MSA recent article by Kessler Foundation researchers compared two neuropsychological tests for assessing learning in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The article, "Comparing the Open Trial—Selective Reminding Test results with the California Learning Verbal Test II in Multiple Sclerosis" was published online on April 4, 2018, in Applied Neuropsychology: Adult. | |
St. Jude: $100M for children with cancer global outreachSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee has announced a $100 million plan to expand a global outreach program in hopes of improving access and quality of medical care for many children with cancer around the world. | |
Pediatric and law experts define abusive head traumaAbusive head trauma (AHT), a medical diagnosis of infants and young children who suffer from inflicted intracranial and associated spinal injuries, is often misrepresented in legal proceedings of child abuse, according to a consensus statement supported by nine pediatric and radiology international organizations published in Pediatric Radiology. The statement outlines consensus of evidence-based medical opinion on AHT to confirm the validity of the diagnosis and serve as a tool for the legal system. | |
Biology news
 | Team makes breakthrough in synthetic genome rearrangementA synthetic biology team at Tianjin University (TJU) has reported new methods and strategies for genome rearrangement and accelerated the evolution of yeast strains with their three latest studies published in Nature Communications on May 22, 2018. |
 | Scientists reveal atomic details for one of Legionella's enzymatic weapons and develop first inhibitorAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major medical problem worldwide, impacting both human health and economic well-being. A new strategy for fighting bacteria has now been reported in the latest online issue of Nature by a research group headed by Prof. Ivan Dikic at the Goethe University Frankfurt. The scientists revealed the molecular action mechanism of a Legionella toxin and developed a first inhibitor. |
 | Study shows link between urbanization and changes in body size of animalsA large international team of researchers has found a link between urbanization and changes in animal body size. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes their study of animals living in both urban and rural areas in Belgium and what they found. |
 | The path to success for fish spermIn many animals, males pursue alternative tactics when competing for the fertilization of eggs. Some cichlid fishes from Lake Tanganyika breed in empty snail shells, which may select for extremely divergent mating tactics. A recent study at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Bern shows that different male types within a species produce divergent sperm, specializing either in speed or longevity. |
 | Mongooses inherit behavior from role models rather than parentsYoung mongooses learn lifelong habits from role models rather than inheriting them from genetic parents, new research shows.Banded mongooses live in social groups where pups are consistently cared for one-to-one by a single adult known as an "escort—not their mother or father. |
 | Scientists can predict which storks will migrate to Africa in autumn and which will remain in EuropeLouis the young stork came into the world on a birch tree in Radolfzell on Lake Constance six or seven weeks ago. Until this day in June 2014, he has only known his parents and three siblings. But suddenly, strange beings have appeared at the nest and take the four small white storks captive. They are Andrea Flack and Wolfgang Fiedler of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Konstanz. |
 | Dragonfly enzymes point to larger evolutionary dynamicsAlthough evolution has left dragonflies virtually unchanged for roughly 300 million years, new research by a UTM biologist reveals that understanding small physiological activities in these insects could reveal a deeper understanding of how they interact with other organisms in an ecosystem. |
 | 400 million year-old evolutionary arms race helps researchers understand HIVUnderstanding the evolution of a 400 million-year-old anti-viral protein that first emerged in marine life, is helping researchers get the upper-hand on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). |
 | Less snow leaves weasels exposed to predators: scientistsFluffy white weasels that once frolicked in snowy fields unnoticed now have a target on their back thanks to global warming, scientists said Thursday. |
 | Researchers shed light on immune response in diseased coralsResearchers at The University of Texas at Arlington have found a correlation between a strong immune response in diseased corals and a lower expression of genes associated with growth and reproduction. |
 | Previously unknown rice blast resistance isolatedA never-before-described gene that gives rice resistance to a disease that has been costing about $66 billion a year in global damage has been isolated by a team of scientists led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Yulin Jia. |
 | Arabica coffee genome sequencedCoffee is one of the largest commodity crops in the world, with people consuming more than 2.25 billion cups every day. Climate change is predicted to decrease the area suitable for growing coffee by as much as 50 percent by 2050. Differences in temperature and rainfall patterns are already making the crop more susceptible to diseases and pests. |
 | Closing the loop on sustainable aquacultureOn a farm just outside of Sacramento, hundreds of prehistoric-looking fish swim around in 50-foot diameter tanks. These are white sturgeon, the largest freshwater fish in North America. They've been around since dinosaurs, can grow more than 7 feet long and lay hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time. The roe of these sturgeon are harvested for a boutique food producer regally named Tsar Nicoulai Caviar. |
Evolution of a deadly virusInfections caused by the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are severe and have high mortality rates for horses—90 percent—and humans—33 percent, with significant brain damage in most human survivors. | |
 | Study highlights opportunity to restore abundance to Hawaiian reef fisheriesUnsustainable fishing has depleted coastal fisheries worldwide, threatening food security and cultural identity for many coastal and island communities, including in Hawai'i. A recently published study, led by researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, identified areas in the Hawaiian Islands that would provide the greatest increase in coastal fishery stocks, if effectively managed. |
 | Discovery of novel malaria parasite behaviour offers new target for treatmentResearchers have demonstrated novel parasite behaviour which offers a potential new target for malaria diagnosis and intervention. |
 | Why plants need an identityPlant experts in South Africa have a challenging deadline to meet: gather everything that's known about the country's 21 000 indigenous plant species into a formal online record by 2020. Fortunately they are well on their way. |
 | Imminent extinction of northern white rhinoceros motivates genetic recovery effortsEarlier this year, the last remaining male Northern White Rhinoceros (NWR) died in captivity, nearly cementing the fate of this subspecies for extinction. In the wild, continuing threats of poaching, habitat destruction, and small population size have contributed to the rhinos' status as critically endangered. Yet, novel conservation efforts that make use of cryopreserved genetic material could save the NWR, and other threatened species, from extinction. |
 | Bold lizards of all sizes have higher mating successBoldness correlates with the mating success, but not body size or sex, of yellow-spotted monitor lizards roaming the remote Oombulgurri floodplains of tropical Western Australia, ecologists report in the Ecological Society of America's open access journal Ecosphere. But boldness has a cost: bold individuals expose themselves to much higher risk of being eaten by predators during the dangerous wet season. The researchers demonstrated quantifiable behavioral syndromes in the large lizards, with an intriguing relationship to the lizards' seasonal hunting strategies. |
Officials: Efforts failing to save US West sagebrush landPublic lands managers are losing a battle against a devastating combination of invasive plant species and wildfires in the vast sagebrush habitats in the U.S. West that support cattle ranching and recreation and are home to an imperiled bird, officials said. | |
 | How can fish producers tackle climate change?Global consumption of fish and shellfish has more than doubled over the past 50 years, and is expected to rise further, according to a report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Europe is among the top five fish producers in the world, accounting for about 3.2 percent of global fisheries and aquaculture production, according to data by the European Commission. In the EU, 80 percent of production comes from fisheries and 20 percent from aquaculture, or fish farms. |
 | Hunting a 'great' shark deterrentValuable insights into the performance of commercially available personal shark deterrents have been revealed in Flinders University research. |
 | Orchard-specific fruit tree managementChemical applications to vineyards are currently based on land area. New technology that takes into account foliage dimensions will save on chemicals and reduce impact on the environment. |
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