Science X Newsletter Wednesday, May 16

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 16, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

How does a one-tonne dino hatch its eggs? Carefully

First measurement of subatomic particle's mechanical property reveals distribution of pressure inside proton

Astronomers find evidence for stars forming just 250 million years after Big Bang

Europium points to new suspect in continental mystery

What we inherited from our bug-eating ancestors

GABA, GABA, GABA, what does it actually do in the brain?

Modular blocks could enable labs around the world to cheaply and easily build their own diagnostics

Self-propelled mindless tiny robots work together to move a corral

Researchers control the properties of graphene transistors using pressure

Forest loss in one part of US can harm trees on the opposite coast

Think chimpanzee beds are dirtier than human ones? Think again

Researchers uncover genomic info linking extinct giant ground sloth to modern species

Researcher warns China's program 'riskiest environmental project in history'

Worm-eating mice reveal how evolution works on islands

Football field-sized asteroid to shave by Earth

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers find evidence for stars forming just 250 million years after Big Bang Not long after the Big Bang, the first generations of stars began altering the chemical make-up of primitive galaxies, slowly enriching the interstellar medium with basic elements such as oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. Finding the earliest traces of these common elements would shed important light on the chemical evolution of galaxies, including our own.
	Football field-sized asteroid to shave by Earth An asteroid around the size of a football field is expected to zoom by Earth on Tuesday, but at a safe distance, the US space agency said.
	A pale blue dot, as seen by a CubeSat NASA's Voyager 1 took a classic portrait of Earth from several billion miles away in 1990. Now a class of tiny, boxy spacecraft, known as CubeSats, have just taken their own version of a "pale blue dot" image, capturing Earth and its moon in one shot.
	Unusual laser emission in the Ant Nebula suggests hidden double star system An international team of astronomers have discovered an unusual laser emission that suggests the presence of a double star system hidden at the heart of the "spectacular" Ant Nebula.
	US spacewalkers swap, check coolers 'Leaky' and 'Frosty' (Update) A pair of American astronauts completed a successful spacewalk outside the International Space Station Wednesday to swap and check on two external cooling boxes, nicknamed "Leaky" and "Frosty," NASA said.
	New views of Sun: Two missions will go closer to our star than ever before As we develop more and more powerful tools to peer beyond our solar system, we learn more about the seemingly endless sea of faraway stars and their curious casts of orbiting planets. But there's only one star we can travel to directly and observe up close—and that's our own: the Sun.
	A new map for a birthplace of stars A Yale-led research group has created the most detailed maps yet of a vast seedbed of stars similar to Earth's Sun.
	Astronomers find vast ionized hydrogen cloud in 'Whirlpool Galaxy' using ultra-sensitive Arizona telescope Astronomers have been keenly peering into M51, or the Whirlpool Galaxy, since the 1800s, its signature spiral structure informing the earliest debates over the nature of galaxies and the Cosmos at large.
Scientists develop a 3-D view of an interstellar cloud, where stars are born Two astronomers from Greece have managed to model the three-dimensional structure of an interstellar gas cloud, and found that it's on the order of 10 times more spacious than it originally appeared.
	Spacewalking astronauts perform pump swap at space station Spacewalking astronauts carried out a high-flying, high-tech version of musical chairs Wednesday, rearranging pumps outside the International Space Station.
	Opinion: Lift-off finally imminent for Australia's new space agency Details of Australia's new space agency were released on Monday with the federal government's response to the Report on the Review of Australia's Space Industry Capability.

Technology news

	Modular blocks could enable labs around the world to cheaply and easily build their own diagnostics Researchers at MIT's Little Devices Lab have developed a set of modular blocks that can be put together in different ways to produce diagnostic devices. These "plug-and-play" devices, which require little expertise to assemble, can test blood glucose levels in diabetic patients or detect viral infection, among other functions.
	Bitcoin estimated to use half a percent of the world's electric energy by end of 2018 Bitcoin's burgeoning electricity demands have attracted almost as much attention as the cryptocurrency's wildly fluctuating value. But estimating exactly how much electricity the Bitcoin network uses, necessary for understanding its impact and implementing policy, remains a challenge. In the first rigorously peer-reviewed article quantifying Bitcoin's energy requirements, a Commentary appearing May 16 in the journal Joule, financial economist and blockchain specialist Alex de Vries uses a new methodology to pinpoint where Bitcoin's electric energy consumption is headed and how soon it might get there.
	Soon screening near you? Blockchain tech premieres at Cannes Blockchain may not be the most glamorous new star at the Cannes festival but experts touting the technology say it will rock the world of film even if the red carpet crowd doesn't know it yet.
Walmart unveils Lord & Taylor site as it tries to go upscale Walmart, long known for its "everyday low prices" mantra and as a place for basics, wants shoppers to think of it as a source for style and upscale fashion as it tries to reach more affluent customers.
	Cyber expert seeks to suppress statements in malware case (Update) A British cybersecurity expert credited with stopping the worldwide WannaCry computer virus was headed to court Wednesday for a hearing about statements prosecutors say he made in a recorded jailhouse phone call acknowledging that code he wrote wound up in malware.
	Google worker rebellion against military project grows An internal petition calling for Google to stay out of "the business of war" was gaining support Tuesday, with some workers reportedly quitting to protest a collaboration with the US military.
	Germany's Flixbus takes on Greyhound with US launch German startup Flixbus on Wednesday brought its low-cost, long-distance bus service to the west coast of the United States, launching a direct challenge to America's iconic Greyhound Lines.
	Twitter tweak steps up fight against trolls Twitter said Tuesday it was stepping up its long-running battle against online trolls, trying to find offenders by looking at "behavioral signals."
	Radical closed-wing aircraft design could see greener skies take flight Aviation is one of the most environmentally harmful forms of transportation, accounting for 3% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. But new aircraft designs inspired by the work of an early 20th-century aviation engineer and natural substances such as honeycomb and grass could help to cut the environmental footprint of flying.
	Edmunds examines 3 semi-autonomous driving systems You've heard of Tesla Autopilot, but perhaps not always in a good way: The semi-autonomous driving system is now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board for the role it may have played in a March fatal accident near Mountain View, California.
Size-based standards incentivize automakers to increase size of cars, study finds As the Trump administration weighs how to revise fuel economy standards, a new study finds footprint-based rules are less effective and more costly than a flat standard with credit trading.
	There are no age restrictions for gambling in video games, despite potential risks to children According to a 2018 report by Digital Australia, 97% of Australian households with children have at least one device for playing video games. More than 60% of households have five or more devices.
	An argument for calm about robots, artificial intelligence, and jobs "Superminds" aren't new. But with the support of computers they can do a lot more. An MIT Sloan expert on collective intelligence says that's a good thing.
	A brief history of immersion, centuries before VR Immersive experiences are fashionable at the moment, as virtual reality finally emerges into the mainstream with headsets now commercially available. But immersion is a technique much older than technology. It is the key to storytelling, in literature, film, videogames, even in the spoken stories told by our ancestors around the campfire. We are taken in by the experience: we become so involved with a character that we share their emotions, or build expectations about their progress in the story – and react when these expectations are either fulfilled or thwarted.
	PNNL successfully vitrifies three gallons of radioactive tank waste In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have vitrified low-activity waste from underground storage tanks at Hanford, immobilizing the radioactive and chemical materials within a durable glass waste form.
	Amazon to give Prime members extra discounts at Whole Foods It's Prime time at Whole Foods: Amazon said it will give its Prime members extra discounts at the grocery chain.
	Facebook's Zuckerberg agrees closed-door talks with MEPs Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet European Parliament members behind closed-doors to answer questions in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a top official said on Wednesday.
Emergency 911 technology struggles to keep up with the times High school students hiding from the gunman in Parkland, Florida, were forced to whisper in calls to 911 for fear of tipping off their location. Others texted friends and family who then relayed information to emergency dispatchers over the phone.
Senate Democrats push to reinstate 'net neutrality' rules Don't expect the House to go along with the Senate's expected passage of legislation that would revive an Obama-era rule requiring equal treatment for all web traffic by internet providers.
Apple now has more self-driving car permits in California than Waymo and Tesla Just last year, Apple was in the backseat of an increasingly crowded competition for self-driving cars with Google-owned Waymo, Tesla and Uber vying for an edge.
	People are more honest on Tinder than you may think, study says With a quarter of young Americans now finding romance through online dating and mobile apps, you have to wonder—can you really trust someone you've met through a screen? Researchers at Stanford's Social Media Lab embarked on a quest to find out.
Google cuts prices for storage under a new name. Here's how Google One compares to its rivals Google rebranded its online storage subscription program to Google One Monday and lowered prices, but Amazon still has the best deal for 1 terabyte of storage.
Can't type? Apple faces class-action lawsuit over defective MacBook keyboards Apple faces a proposed class action lawsuit over allegedly defective "butterfly" type keyboards in the company's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.
Google's location tracking: FTC probe urged, Australia inquiry begins Location, location, location. Is Google tracking Android users' whereabouts without their permission?
	Researchers develop color-changing fabric A team of researchers at University of Central Florida has developed a fabric that changes color.
	Samsung and Apple are back in court over iPhone design. Here's why. Samsung and Apple return to a San Jose, Calif. district courtroom Monday to resume a patent infringement dispute that dates to 2011. The latest chapter in the longstanding saga is about determining the financial damages Samsung owes Apple for infringing on design patents covering the original iPhone, an outcome that could have a broad impact on intellectual property law.
	Yanny or Laurel? Soundbite sparks internet din An audio snippet with just two syllables has ignited an internet meltdown, dividing social media users into staunchly opposed camps: do you hear "Yanny" or "Laurel?"
	US SEC launches phony cryptocurrency 'sale' to educate about scams Boy, do US financial regulators have a deal for you: buy digital coins, travel to luxurious resorts...and learn how not to get scammed out of your life savings.
	Salmon delivered by hyperloop and mail by drone? Developments in technology will leave their mark on Norwegian roads. More advanced IT systems make self-driving cars possible, as well as drones that can deliver parcel post – with built-in intelligence. Hyperloop technology is not just fantasy: this means of transport, based on very low air pressure and induction technology, can become a reality. Test circuits are being planned at several locations.
	Bill Gates gives $44M to influence state education plans Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates saw an opportunity with a new federal education law that has widespread repercussions for American classrooms.
British cybersecurity expert heads to court in malware case A British cybersecurity expert accused of creating and distributing malware designed to steal banking passwords is headed to court for a hearing on what evidence may be used in the case.
Cambridge Analytica shared data with Russia: whistleblower Political consulting group Cambridge Analytica used Russian researchers and shared data with companies linked to Russian intelligence, a whistleblower told a congressional hearing on interference in the 2016 US election Wednesday.
System outage causes flight cancelations in Frankfurt A technology failure at Frankfurt airport has caused the cancellation of dozens of flights at Germany's busiest hub.
Amazon Go targets Chicago, San Francisco for new stores Amazon Go is headed for Chicago and San Francisco.
Target cuts delivery fee by almost half, putting pressure on Walmart, Amazon Target will cut its next day delivery fee nearly in half for household staples ranging from paper towels to peanut butter as it rolls the service out to shoppers nationwide.
Lyft to launch Camp Pendleton ride-hail program A new Lyft feature is making it easier for people to travel from and around Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
	Redstone family blocks move to dilute its CBS vote power The struggle over the future of CBS Corp. took a new twist Wednesday as the holding company for controlling shareholder Shari Redstone said it revised the bylaws of the media group, a move aimed at heading off an effort to dilute her voting power.
	US Senate votes to restore 'net neutrality' rules The US Senate voted Wednesday to restore so-called "net neutrality" rules aimed at requiring all online data to be treated equally, the latest step in a years-long battle on internet regulation.

Medicine & Health news

	GABA, GABA, GABA, what does it actually do in the brain? Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. It is the control knob of all control knobs. But why GABA? What, if anything, might be so special about the molecule?
	Long legs turn women's heads, arm length immaterial: study Labouring over the age-old question "What do women look for in men?", scientists added an item to the list Wednesday: legs slightly longer than average, with a good shin-to-thigh ratio.
	How the gut influences neurologic disease A study published this week in Nature sheds new light on the connection between the gut and the brain, untangling the complex interplay that allows the byproducts of microorganisms living in the gut to influence the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have been using both animal models and human cells from patients to tease out the key players involved in the gut-brain connection as well as in the crosstalk between immune cells and brain cells. Their new publication defines a pathway that may help guide therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.
	Under certain conditions, bacterial signals set the stage for leukemia A new study by researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine shows that bacterial signals are crucial to the development of a precursor condition to leukemia, which can be induced by disrupting the intestinal barrier or by introducing a bacterial infection.
	Why chikungunya, other arthritis-causing viruses target joints Chikungunya virus is a growing threat to the United States and other regions of the world as the mosquito that carries the virus expands its reach. Telltale symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever and joint pain that last about a week. But in up to half of patients, the virus can cause a debilitating form of arthritis that persists for months or even years.
	A 'dirty bomb' battles cancer metastasis The death of her mother from ovarian cancer when Dr. Sui Huang was only 12 led to her lifelong scientific pursuit and a new discovery that Huang hopes may eventually prevent other children from suffering such a painful loss.
	Novel therapy inhibits complement to preserve neurons and reduce inflammation after stroke A team of investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has developed a novel therapy for ischemic (clot-caused) stroke and has shown in a preclinical model that it locally inhibits complement at and around the stroke core but does not inhibit functioning of the complement system in other areas of the body. Their findings are reported in an article published online on May 16, 2018 by Science Translational Medicine.
	Sugars in infant formulas pose risk to babies with inherited metabolic disorder Babies with inherited intolerance of fructose face a risk of acute liver failure if they are fed certain widely available formulas containing fructose, pediatricians and geneticists are warning. Baby formula manufacturers should remove fructose or sucrose, or explicitly label their products to allow parents to avoid those sweeteners if necessary, the doctors say.
	New cytokine network can repair tissue damage in the intestine, study finds A new group of proteins called cytokines, critical for antimicrobial activity and repairing the damaged intestinal tissue found in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), has been discovered by researchers in a study led by Georgia State University.
	New report suggests airborne viruses most likely cause of future pandemics A new report generated by a team at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests we might be fearing the wrong types of viruses. Instead of worrying about Ebola or Zika, the report contends, we should be worrying about airborne infections because they pose a greater risk of pandemic.
	Researchers take key step toward growing human organs in laboratory Researchers have learned that precursor cells for skeletal muscles actually also give rise to neurons, blood vessels, blood cells and immune cells, pushing science one step closer to generating body parts in a laboratory.
	Colon cancer cells use mysterious RNA strands to avoid cell death Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered how unusually long strands of RNA help colon cancer cells avoid death, allowing unregulated growth. Unlike other RNAs, the intriguing strands do not appear to encode proteins and are termed "long non-coding RNAs" or "lincRNAs."A new study showed some lincRNAs could be targeted by drug developers to halt colon cancer.
	Researchers identify gene that helps prevent brain disease Scientists know that faulty proteins can cause harmful deposits or "aggregates" in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Although the causes of these protein deposits remain a mystery, it is known that abnormal aggregates can result when cells fail to transmit proper genetic information to proteins. University of California San Diego Professor Susan Ackerman and her colleagues first highlighted this cause of brain disease more than 10 years ago. Now, probing deeper into this research, she and colleagues have identified a gene, Ankrd16, that prevents the protein aggregates they originally observed.
	Our brains are obsessed with being social Our brains are obsessed with being social even when we are not in social situations. A Dartmouth-led study finds that the brain may tune towards social learning even when it is at rest. The findings published in an advance article of Cerebral Cortex, demonstrate empirically for the first time how two regions of the brain experience increased connectivity during rest after encoding new social information.
	Big rise seen in U.S. kids, teens attempting suicide (HealthDay)—In a troubling sign that anxiety and depression are taking hold of America's youth, new research shows a doubling since 2008 in the number of kids and teens who've been hospitalized for attempted suicide or suicidal thoughts.
MDMA opens door for PTSD patients to work through trauma When lasting trauma is caused by callous acts of violence, the key to recovery can be making meaning out of meaninglessness.
	Nearly a quarter of Ontarians newly prescribed opioids received dose exceeding guidelines Nearly a quarter (23.9 per cent) of initial opioid prescriptions in Ontario had a daily dose of more than 50 milligram morphine equivalents (MME), exceeding the suggested dose threshold for opioid prescriptions outlined in North American clinical guidelines, according to a new study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and St. Michael's Hospital.
Disruption of the body's internal clock linked with mood disorders and adverse wellbeing Largest study to date shows that disrupted body clock rhythms are associated with increased susceptibility to depression, bipolar disorder, and adverse wellbeing
Researchers find key players for building and repairing the brain Research by Dr. Freda Miller and her team at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto has determined how brain stem cells and the environment they live within collaborate to build brain circuits during development, discoveries that have led to a better understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. The Miller lab and her basic research collaborators work closely with their clinical colleagues to harness this information and develop new approaches for treating brain injury. These results were presented at the 2018 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, in Vancouver, May 15th, 2018.
	CrossFit improves how people with type 2 diabetes can control blood sugar levels New research published in Experimental Physiology has suggested a 6-week CrossFit exercise programme can lead to improved control of blood sugar levels and decreased risk of heart disease in people with Type 2 diabetes.
US states sue OxyContin maker over opioid crisis Six US states sued OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on Tuesday for alleged deceptive trade practices related to its marketing of the opioid painkiller.
IgG antibodies activate blood platelets and contribute to the severity of anaphylaxis The most severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis (or anaphylactic shock), is the result of an inappropriate immune reaction following the introduction of a usually harmless antigen into the body. The production of antibodies against this antigen (or allergen) allows the formation of antibody-antigen complexes that trigger a massive secretion of potent mediators, resulting in organ failure, which may lead to a state of shock and possibly death. While it was already known that IgE antibodies can trigger these allergic reactions, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm, the CNRS and EFS Grand Est recently demonstrated that IgG antibodies play an active role in the severity of anaphylactic shock by unexpectedly activating blood platelets.
	Mathematical methods for diagnosing breast cancer A team of researchers at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, is developing mathematical methods to diagnose breast cancer. Applying deep learning, the researchers are aiming to teach a computer to recognise malignant lesions, which could at least partially automatize and enhance the accuracy of diagnosing breast cancer.
	Cell type switch helps colon cancer evade treatment, study suggests Researchers in Germany have discovered that colon cancers are often resistant to existing drug treatments because they are composed of two different cell types that can replace each other when one cell type is killed. The study, which will be published May 16 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that combination therapies targeting both cell types at once may be more effective at treating colorectal cancer, the third highest cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
	Greater burden of atrial fibrillation linked to higher stroke risk Among people with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation who are not taking anti-blood-clotting medications, those whose hearts were in abnormal rhythms longer were three times more likely to have strokes or other types of blood clots than those who had abnormal heart rhythms for less time, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.
	Most deprived are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia Older adults in England with fewer financial resources are more likely to develop dementia, according to new UCL research.
Discovery means individualized ovarian, brain cancer therapies Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that a molecular communication pathway—thought to be defective in cancer—is a key player in determining the effectiveness of measles virus oncolytic cancer treatment in ovarian and aggressive brain cancers. This discovery enabled researchers to develop an algorithm to predict treatment effectiveness in individual patients. The findings appear in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
	First clues to the causes of multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis, which affects one in 1,000 people, is frequently characterised by relapses associated with variable functional impairments including among others vision problems, impairment of locomotor functions or difficulties with speech. There is still no cure for multiple sclerosis, and current treatments are based on managing symptoms, especially accelerating recovery phases following a relapse and reducing the number and severity of relapses. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have identified a DNA-binding factor called TOX that might play a role in triggering multiple sclerosis. They found that TOX licenses immune cells to cause autoimmune tissue destruction in the brain. The results of the research, published in the journal Immunity, deliver important insights into our understanding and treatment of auto-immune diseases.
	For older adults, a better diet may prevent brain shrinkage People who eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish may have bigger brains, according to a study published in the May 16, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
	Stroke prevention drug combo shows promise, study says If you've had a minor stroke or a transient ischemic stroke (TIA), taking the clot-preventing drug clopidogrel along with aspirin may lower your risk of having a major stroke within the next 90 days, according to new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Drug to treat bleeding may benefit some stroke patients, study finds Patients with stroke caused by bleeding on the brain (intracerebral haemorrhage) may benefit from receiving a drug currently used to treat blood loss from major trauma and bleeding after childbirth, an international trial has revealed.
The 19th century book that spawned the opioid crisis In 1804, a 19-year-old Oxford University undergraduate named Thomas De Quincey swallowed a prescribed dose of opium to relieve excruciating rheumatic pain. He was never the same.
	Studying poop samples, scientists find clues on health and disease Have you ever wondered what's going on in your poop? Perhaps not. But this is precisely what we think about every day at the American Gut Project, the world's largest microbiome citizen science effort, located at UC San Diego School of Medicine. And we don't just think about it. We develop new cutting-edge analytical methods – in the lab and on the computer – to analyze the DNA and molecules that microbes make while living in your gut. Anyone can send us their poop, and we'll tell them what's going on!
	Outdated surgical choices put women at risk Australian women are undergoing unnecessarily invasive hysterectomies due to a lack of contemporary surgical skills among gynaecologists.
	Hypnosis transforms treatment for chronic pain Researchers from UNSW Sydney and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Brazil and the University of Washington, US have identified a new drug-free treatment which combines hypnosis with pain management education to reduce the intensity of chronic low back pain.
	Latest research strengthens case that early exposure to pollution affects long-term health Research led by the University of Southampton has shown increasing evidence that exposure to air pollution in early life has detrimental long-term health consequences.
New study provides rationale for use of a multi-target anticancer drug in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma The multi-target small molecule anticancer drug nintedanib shows promising effectiveness in stopping the growth of human malignant pleural mesothelioma, a fatal thoracic tumor, in preclinical models, according to a new study published jointly by researchers in Austria, Germany and Hungary.
	The guidelines on low back pain are clear—drugs and surgery should be the last resort Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is becoming more common as our population ages. Most people who have an episode of low back pain recover within six weeks, but two-thirds still have pain after three months. By 12 months, pain may linger but is usually less intense.
	Program prevents nicotine withdrawal among patients getting trauma and emergency surgery Smokers who experience immediate, forced and involuntary nicotine abstinence after day or emergency surgery due to smoke-free hospital policies may find relief in a new University of Alberta program.
	Generating large numbers of universal immune cells could transform cancer immunotherapy A scalable method of generating universal 'off-the-shelf' natural killer (NK) cells for cancer immunotherapies has been devised by A*STAR researchers. Their technique could ensure that future NK cell-based cancer treatments can be used for most patients.
	New treatment option for 'wake-up' stroke patients Detail revealed in MRI brain scans can help doctors accurately deduce when a stroke begins, according to new research, allowing treatment for many patients who currently cannot receive it.
	New sensor discovery has implications for brain research A new reagent discovered by research scientists at St George's, University of London has shown real-time brain behaviour in more detail than ever before.
	Dal epidemiologist shows probiotics prevent C. difficile in hospital Hospitalized patients at high risk for C. difficile infection—a species of bacterium with symptoms that range from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of a colon—should be recommended probiotics, says Dr. Bradley Johnston.
	Babies and pets – a guide for new parents It goes without saying that having a baby is a life changing event. Thankfully, there is a wealth of information about how best to raise this new tiny human and get through the early days in one – albeit sleep deprived – piece. However, there is relatively little information on how to prepare four-legged family members for the new arrival.
	How dementia is portrayed in comics – and what sufferers think about it Worldwide, there are an estimated 46.8m people living with dementia. The numbers affected will double every 20 years, rising to 115.4m in 2050. Another 7.7m people will develop dementia around the world every year. Given the prevalence of the condition, it is worrying that only 58% of people with dementia in the UK say they are living well, while internationally, 40% of people with dementia report not being included in everyday life.
Artificial Intelligence improves stroke and dementia diagnosis in commonest form of brain scan Machine learning has detected one of the commonest causes of dementia and stroke, in the most widely used form of brain scan (CT), more accurately than current methods.
	Is it rational to trust your gut feelings? Imagine the director of a big company announcing an important decision and justifying it with it being based on a gut feeling. This would be met with disbelief – surely important decisions have to be thought over carefully, deliberately and rationally?
	Picking up where the sexual revolution left off: The orgasm gap At the core of the 1960s sexual revolution was "female sexual empowerment." It fell short of this goal. Specifically, while the revolution made women having intercourse before marriage acceptable, it didn't lead women to have equally pleasurable sexual experiences.
	Predicting what drives people to seek, stay in substance-use treatment About 22 million Americans are substance dependent (illicit drugs and alcohol), which interferes with routine life and requires treatment. Yet, only 2.5 million of these Americans participate in treatment services. The severe gap between the number of people who need treatment and the number of people who seek it poses a serious public health concern.
Alcohol use before lung transplant increases time in hospital and on ventilator Lung transplant patients who showed evidence of alcohol use before their transplants spent more time in the hospital and on the ventilator, according to a study by Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Medicine researchers.
	New medicare perk: diabetes prevention (HealthDay)—Millions of U.S. seniors can now take part in a Medicare program designed to prevent prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes.
	The truth about juicing (HealthDay)—Between juice bars and high-powered home juicing machines, drinking your fruits and veggies has certainly gone mainstream.
	Dual-hormone system may lower time in hypoglycemia in T1DM (HealthDay)—For physically active adults with type 1 diabetes, the addition of glucagon delivery to a closed-loop system using wearable sensors with automated exercise detection is associated with reduced hypoglycemia, according to a study published online May 11 in Diabetes Care.
	Per-capita end-of-life spending is decreasing rapidly, according to new study Health economists have long considered end-of-life spending to be one of the major contributors to the overall increase in health spending in the United States. That narrative has been supported by recent research findings that increased use of hospice care costs more than it saves, that end-of-life care intensity has been increasing, and end-of-life intensive care unit has accelerated.
	Mutation discovered to protect against Alzheimer's disease in mice Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science have discovered a mutation that can protect against Alzheimer's disease in mice. Published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, the study found that a specific mutation can reduce the characteristic accumulation of the amyloid-beta peptide that occurs.
	New study reveals how electronic health records can benefit clinical trials The study entitled "Long term extension of a randomised controlled trial of probiotics using electronic health records" led by researchers in the Swansea University Medical School and the College of Human and Health Sciences, was published in Scientific Reports.
	People make different moral choices in imagined versus real-life situations Researchers often use hypothetical scenarios to understand how people grapple with moral quandaries, but experimental results suggest that these scenarios may not always reflect real-life behavior. The findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, showed that people tend to focus more on the outcome of their decision and less on absolute moral principles when faced with a real-life scenario as opposed to a hypothetical scenario.
Researchers combine wearable technology and AI to predict the onset of health problems A team of Waterloo researchers found that applying artificial intelligence to the right combination of data retrieved from wearable technology may detect whether your health is failing.
	Researchers find clues to treating psychoses in mental health patients Psychotic disorders often are severe and involve extreme symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations in which people lose their sense of reality. Researchers at the University of Missouri recently found evidence that boosting how well people at risk for psychosis learn from positive and negative feedback could potentially keep psychosis at bay. The team also found that brain scans using functional magnetic resonance imaging, coupled with behavioral measures, could provide markers for the diagnosis of psychosis risk. Researchers hope findings will help mental health professionals to understand how to better treat their patients with psychoses and prevent the onset of psychosis.
Researcher reveals results of study on emergency breathing tubes In a landmark study, researchers found that patients treated with paramedic oxygen delivery using a newer, more flexible laryngeal breathing tube may have a greater survival rate after sudden cardiac arrest than the traditional intubation breathing tube.
	Research shows that sexual activity and emotional closeness are unrelated to the rate of cognitive decline Older people who enjoy a sexually active and emotionally close relationship with their partner tend to perform better at memory tests than sexually inactive older adults on a short-term basis, but this is not the case over a longer period of time. This is according to a study using data from more than 6000 adults aged 50 and over. The research by Mark Allen of the University of Wollongong in Australia is published in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Stroke: Researchers shed light on the brain recovery process and new treatment strategies Stroke is one of three leading causes of death in Canada and leads to permanent disability in about half of survivors. During an ischemic stroke, there is a blockage of blood flow which results in cell death in a specific area or the brain. Dr. Brian MacVicar at the University of British Columbia has recently discovered how two types of cells, called astrocytes and pericytes, work together to regenerate blood flow in the areas affected by these strokes (called ischemic areas). These results were presented at the 2018 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, in Vancouver, May 16th, 2018.
	Best practices developed for use of EHR to enhance patient care (HealthDay)—Best practices have been developed for using electronic health records (EHRs) to enhance patient-centered care, according to an article published online in Medical Economics.
	Fremanezumab linked to fewer monthly migraine days (HealthDay)—For patients with episodic migraine, fremanezumab is associated with a reduction in the mean number of monthly migraine days, according to a study published in the May 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
	Suicide ideation, attempts increasing among U.S. children (HealthDay)—From 2008 to 2015 there was an increase in encounters for suicide ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs) among U.S. children, according to a study published online May 16 in Pediatrics.
	PPD skin test enhances bacillus Calmette-Guerin Tx in bladder CA (HealthDay)—For patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, undergoing the purified protein derivative skin test prior to bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy may have therapeutic impact, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology.
	Fetal growth, maternal anger impact infant regulation (HealthDay)—Poor prenatal growth and higher postnatal anger have indirect effects on infant reactivity and regulation (RR), according to a study published in the March/April issue of Child Development.
Re-assessing organ availability Organ transplantation is often a last treatment available to many patients facing end-stage diseases. More than 125,000 patients are currently on the wait list for an organ transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. But, based on currently practiced approaches of accepting organs, the availability remains limited. Consequently, the health of these patients deteriorates and UNOS estimates that, on average, 20 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.
	The opioid epidemic has boosted the number of organs available for transplant At this very moment, more than 110,000 people across the United States are lingering on organ transplant waiting lists. The ravages of the opioid epidemic have created an unforeseen opportunity ? an increase in the availability of organs for donation.
Training for 21st century doctors: medicine, business, and leadership development Given the complex and rapidly evolving health care system in the United States, medical schools must focus their efforts on training more physician leaders to master the diverse skills needed to navigate emerging challenges in the field, urge leaders from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in a new Perspective piece published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	International study suggests alternative treatment for mild asthma A large international study led by a Hamilton researcher has found a patient-centric treatment that works for people with mild asthma.
	Obesity linked to increased risk of taking up smoking and smoking frequency Being obese is associated with an increased risk of taking up smoking and smoking frequency (number of cigarettes smoked per day), finds a study published by The BMJ today.
	Elevated homocysteine identified as metabolic risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases The amino acid homocysteine occurs naturally in the human body, generated as a byproduct of methionine metabolism. Genetic diseases or an imbalanced diet, with too much red meat or deficiencies in B vitamins and folic acid, however, can lead to high homocysteine levels, a condition known as hyperhomocysteinemia. This condition causes considerable harm to the heart but can also affect the brain.
	Study examines how stereotypes affect memory in older Chinese immigrants Ever have a "senior moment" and worry about what other people think? We might laugh, but when older people worry that their memory is failing—or worry that someone else thinks it is—they can perform poorly on cognitive tests. Such tests are often included during annual wellness exams of older people, and poor performance can lead to false diagnoses of dementia, according to San Francisco State University Professor of Psychology Sarah Barber.
	Hyaluronan combined with exercise versus exercise alone to relieve knee arthritis A study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) aims to determine if a hyaluronic acid treatment combined with an exercise program helps patients with knee arthritis more than exercise alone.
	Brazilians with less education more likely to report being in poor health, study finds Brazilians with less education are more likely to self-report as being in poor health, according to a study using data from nationwide surveys distributed every five years from 1998 to 2013. The study also found that general subjective health did not improve over the study period, even though more people gained education throughout the study, indicating that other factors associated with poor education may need to be addressed to improve self-perceptions of health.
	Comprehensive care physician model improves care, lowers hospitalization Patients who need frequent hospitalization account for a disproportionate amount of health care spending in the United States. In 2012, the University of Chicago Medicine—funded by a Health Care Innovation Award from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation—began enrolling patients in a clinical trial designed to test an imaginative way to reduce such hospital stays.
	Shorter drug treatment OK for many breast cancer patients Many women with a common and aggressive form of breast cancer that is treated with Herceptin can get by with six months of the drug instead of the usual 12, greatly reducing the risk of heart damage it sometimes can cause, a study suggests.
	A cancer screening flop: Few smokers seek free lung scans Lung cancer screening has proved to be stunningly unpopular. Five years after government and private insurers started paying for it, less than 2 percent of eligible current and former smokers have sought the free scans, researchers report.
	Australian stores limit baby formula as China demand hits stocks One of Australia's biggest supermarket chains said Wednesday some stores were moving baby formula behind counters and restricting sales as it emerged customers were clearing shelves and selling it online in China for more than double the price.
Treating muscle wasting improved cancer survival Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland have found that continued treatment of muscle wasting with a soluble growth factor receptor protein, produced at the University of Helsinki, improved survival in a pre-clinical cancer model without affecting the tumour size. This effect was not found when the mice were treated with the recombinant protein only prophylactically before cancer.
	Judge tosses California law allowing life-ending drugs Betsy Davis threw herself a party before becoming one of the first people to use a California law allowing her to take her own life in 2016.
Congo's health ministry says doses of Ebola vaccine arrive Thousands of doses of the experimental Ebola vaccine have arrived in Congo's capital amid the latest outbreak of the deadly disease, the health ministry said Wednesday.
Exercise beats genetics in determining amount of body fat With obesity now a global epidemic, there is increased focus on risk factors that contribute to weight gain, especially in postmenopausal women. Although many women may blame genetics for their expanding waistlines, a new study shows that as women age they are more likely to overcome genetic predisposition to obesity through exercise. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
	Understanding veteran privacy rules could help improve counseling strategies When combat veterans return home, they often are faced with questions about what they experienced overseas. However, choosing to disclose this information can be complicated, as responses can impact one's public image and personal relationships. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has found that veterans tend to disclose wartime information on a strict need-to-know basis, and that therapists treating veterans can improve their counseling strategies if they seek to understand veteran privacy rules that are formed by military culture.
	OHSU, UCF launch first US clinical trial of 3D-printed prosthetics for children The first U.S. clinical trial of bionic arms for children produced on 3-D printers is launching today thanks to researchers at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, and a nonprofit based at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
MN childcare programs focused on nutrition and physical activities, study finds Existing state and local programs focused on good nutrition and physical activities for children have led to measurable improvement in practices by the state's child care programs between 2010 and 2016, says a new University of Minnesota Medical School study.
Reducing cholesterol could enhance T-cell cancer immunotherapy Cleveland Clinic researchers have demonstrated for the first time that lowering blood cholesterol levels could enhance the success of a specific type of T-cell immunotherapy in fighting cancer.

Biology news

	What we inherited from our bug-eating ancestors People who advocate adding insects to the human diet may be channeling their distant ancestors.
	Think chimpanzee beds are dirtier than human ones? Think again Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) appear to keep tidier sleeping arrangements than humans do. That's one finding of a recent study that evaluated the microbes and arthropods found in the treetop beds that chimpanzees make each night.
	Worm-eating mice reveal how evolution works on islands Australia has a bunch of kangaroo species, Madagascar has multiple species of lemurs, the Galapagos Islands have boulder-sized tortoises—islands get lots of cool animals. That's because when animals are isolated on islands, they can evolve into strange new species found nowhere else on Earth. But what's the cut-off—how small can an island be and still support the evolution of multiple new species from a single common ancestor? A team of mammalogists just discovered that four species of mice evolved from one common ancestor on Connecticut-sized Mindoro Island in the Philippines, making it the smallest known island where one kind of mammal has branched out into many more.
	Exploration of diverse bacteria signals big advance for gene function prediction In the air, beneath the ocean's surface, and on land, microbes are the minute but mighty forces regulating much of the planet's biogeochemical cycles. To better understand their roles, scientists work to identify these microbes and to determine their individual contributions. While advances in sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to access the genomes of thousands of microbes and make them publicly available, no similar shift has occurred with the task of assigning functions to the genes uncovered.
	The mystery of lime-green lizard blood Green blood is one of the most unusual characteristics in the animal kingdom, but it's the hallmark of a group of lizards in New Guinea. Prasinohaema are green-blooded skinks, or a type of lizard. The muscles, bones and tongues of these lizards appear bright, lime-green due to high levels of biliverdin, or a green bile pigment, which is toxic and causes jaundice. Surprisingly, these lizards remain healthy with levels of green bile that are 40 times higher than the lethal concentration in humans.
	Climate change to shift many fish species north, disrupting fisheries Climate change will force hundreds of ocean fish and invertebrate species, including some of the most economically important to the United States, to move northward, disrupting fisheries in the United States and Canada, a Rutgers University-led study reports.
	Willow flycatchers, already an endangered species, also imperiled by climate change The southwestern willow flycatcher is facing serious environmental challenges.
	Scientists predict number of undiscovered mammal species There are probably 303 species of mammals left to be discovered by science, most of which are likely to live in tropical regions, according to a predictive model developed by a team of University of Georgia ecologists. Their research, recently published in Ecology and Evolution, could guide efforts to find and conserve these as-yet unknown species.
	Does evolution make us or are we just drifting that way? Evolution may be responsible for a range of complex traits, including height and waist-to-hip ratio, and diseases such as schizophrenia, research from The University of Queensland shows.
	Green crab predation identified as cause of Maine clam decline Juvenile soft-shell "steamer" clams are not surviving to adulthood due to high levels of predation, according to Brian Beal, a professor of marine ecology at the University of Maine at Machias and director of research at the nonprofit Downeast Institute (DEI), who partnered with the Maine Clammers Association to conduct the research.
	Some tropical frogs may be developing resistance to a deadly fungal disease – but now salamanders are at risk My office is filled with colorful images of frogs, toads and salamanders from around the world, some of which I have collected over 40 years as an immunologist and microbiologist, studying amphibian immunity and diseases. These jewels of nature are mostly silent working members of many aquatic ecosystems.
	Entomologist explains why you shouldn't kill spiders in your home I know it may be hard to convince you, but let me try: Don't kill the next spider you see in your home.
Scientists' new way to identify microscopic worm attacking coffee crops The plants which produce one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee, are targeted by a microscopic worm, but scientists are fighting back.
A warm spring and early summer improve the nesting success of northern songbirds A recent study based on long-term Finnish monitoring data indicates that small birds produce more offspring after warm springs and summers. Cold weather means there are fewer insects to eat while reducing the chances of nesting twice in one summer and increasing the risk of exposure for the young.
	Small birds almost overheat while feeding their young For decades, researchers have thought that access to food determined the brood size of birds. Now, biologists at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a completely new explanation: the body temperature of small birds can increase by more than 4°C to exceed 45°C when they are feeding their young. Larger broods would require more work, resulting in even higher body temperatures—something the birds would probably not survive.
Resistant varieties, beneficial predators can help producers win sugarcane aphid battle While sugarcane aphids have been difficult to suppress in past years due to their natural traits and limited insecticide options, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study shows resistant sorghum varieties and beneficial predators could provide a solution.
	Remote camera network tracks Antarctic species at low cost An international research team has developed a simple method for using a network of autonomous time-lapse cameras to track the breeding and population dynamics of Antarctic penguins, providing a new, low-cost window into the health and productivity of the Antarctic ecosystem.
	Climate change = a much greater diversity of species + a need to rethink conservation paradigms A team of researchers believe that, paradoxically, climate change may result in Quebec's national and provincial parks becoming biodiversity refuges of continental importance as the variety of species present there increases. They used ecological niche modeling to calculate potential changes in the presence of 529 species in about 1/3 of the protected areas in southern Quebec almost all of which were under 50 km2 in size. Their results suggest that fifty—eighty years from now (between 2071-2100) close to half of the protected regions of southern Quebec may see a species turnover of greater than 80 %.
	Call for the public to help wildlife conservation by monitoring mammals with new app The country's national voice for mammals has launched its new Mammal Mapper app today.
Rapid diagnostic test for bovine mastitis on the horizon Abingdon Health, a tenant at the University of Birmingham's bio-incubator, is developing a rapid diagnostic test for bovine mastitis, a common and serious health problem in dairy cows, which has an estimated £14-23 billion impact on the global dairy industry.
	The chloroplast genome sequence of bittersweet Information about the organization and evolution of plastomes is crucial to improve crop plants and to resolve the phylogeny of photosynthetic organisms. In a recent study researchers of the Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, sequenced the plastid genome of a weed called bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara).
	Dramatic decline of insects affects Netherlands, too Scientific research commissioned by Natuurmonumenten shows that the number of insects is declining dramatically in the Netherlands. Measurements and analyses in recent decades show a decline of 54 percent (ground beetles) and 72 percent (ground beetles) in nature reserves. This represents a dramatic fall in these groups of insects, which is in line with the results of recent German, French, English and Dutch studies. And this is bad, as it has a huge impact on the cycle of life.
	Sending out an SOS for the solitary spider monkey A female northern muriqui – one of the world's most critically endangered primates – has been discovered living in complete isolation in a forest fragment no bigger than a football field.
Diverse and abundant megafauna documented at new Atlantic US Marine National Monument Airborne marine biologists were dazzled by the diversity and abundance of large, unusual and sometimes endangered marine wildlife on a recent trip to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument, about 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod. Scientists with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium observed dozens of dolphins mixing with schools of pilot whales plus more than a dozen of the very rarely seen and mysterious Sowerby's beaked whales. The researchers, aboard a twin engine airplane, also spotted endangered, Moby Dick-like sperm whales as well as the second largest species of sharks in the world and the bizarre-looking giant ocean sunfish or mola mola.

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