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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 8, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Minerology on Mars points to a cold and icy ancient climateThe climate throughout Mars' early history has long been debated—was the Red Planet warm and wet, or cold and icy? New research published in Icarus provides evidence for the latter. |
 | How solar prominences vibrateAn international team led by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) has cataloged around 200 oscillations of the solar prominences during the first half of 2014. Its development has been possible thanks to the GONG network of telescopes, of which one of them is located in the Teide Observatory. |
 | Researchers discover a system with three Earth-sized planetsThe Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of Oviedo present today the discovery of two new planetary systems, one of them hosting three planets the same size as the Earth. |
 | Neutron stars cast light on quark matterQuark matter – an extremely dense phase of matter made up of subatomic particles called quarks – may exist at the heart of neutron stars. It can also be created for brief moments in particle colliders on Earth, such as CERN's Large Hadron Collider. But the collective behaviour of quark matter isn't easy to pin down. In a colloquium this week at CERN, Aleksi Kurkela from CERN's Theory department and the University of Stavanger, Norway, explained how neutron-star data have allowed him and his colleagues to place tight bounds on the collective behaviour of this extreme form of matter. |
 | Magnetic fields could hold the key to star formationAstronomers have discovered new magnetic fields in space, which could shed light on how stars are formed and uncover the mysteries behind one of the most famous celestial images. |
 | 20 years keeping an eye on R AquariiAn international team of researchers, including scientists from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, has published a detailed study of the evolution of the nebula surrounding the symbiotic star R Aquarii. The study involved observations from telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, and Chile taken over the course of more than two decades. |
 | Researchers discover clusters of galaxies in the early universeWith observations made with the Herschel Space Observatory, with the APEX antenna and with the ALMA interferometer it has been possible to observe the formation of a cluster of galaxies in deep space, when the universe was only a tenth as old as it is now. Ivan Oteo, a former student of the University of La Laguna and of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias led the international team that made the discovery. Until now, astronomers thought that these phenomena occurred 3,000 million years after the Big Bang, but this new result shows that they were already happening when the universe was 1,500 million years old. |
 | Dark inflation opens up a gravitational window on the first moments after the Big BangDark matter and dark energy may have driven inflation, the exponential expansion of the universe moments after the Big Bang. A new cosmological model proposed by physicists at the University of Warsaw, which accounts for dark inflation, is the first to outline a precise chronology of the main events during the early history of our universe. The model makes a spectacular prediction—that it should be possible to detect gravitational waves formed just fractions of a second after the creation of spacetime. |
 | The Clarke exobelt, a method to search for possible extraterrestrial civilizationsA new study published in the Astrophysical Journal by Hector Socas-Navarro, a researcher at the IAC, examines the possibility of detecting hypothetical artificial satellites orbiting around other worlds. |
 | Parker Solar Probe will transport more than 1 million names to the sunWhen the Parker Solar Probe lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this summer on its historic journey to the sun, it will carry with it the names of more than a million people. |
 | Rover detects ancient organic material on Mars – and it could be trace of past lifeIt was to a great fanfare of publicity that researchers announced they had found evidence for past life on Mars in 1996. What they claimed they had discovered was a fossilised micro-organism in a Martian meteorite, which they argued was evidence that there has once been life on the Red Planet. Sadly, most scientists dismissed this claim in the decade that followed – finding other explanations for the rock's formation. |
 | Geobiologist Roger Summons on finding organic matter on MarsNASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence of complex organic matter preserved in the topmost layers of the Martian surface, scientists report today in the journal Science. |
 | Soyuz capsule with 3 astronauts docks with space stationA Russian space capsule carrying three astronauts has docked with the International Space Station two days after it was launched from Kazakhstan. |
 | Crew from Germany, US, Russia board ISSTwo astronauts and a cosmonaut docked with the International Space Station on Friday and joined the current crew after blasting off two days earlier, Russia's space agency Roscosmos said. |
 | Image: ESTEC's new Galileo Payload LaboratoryESA microwave engineers took apart an entire Galileo satellite to reassemble its navigation payload on a laboratory test bench to run it as though it were in orbit – available to investigate the lifetime performance of its component parts, recreate satellite anomalies, and test candidate technologies for Galileo's future evolution. |
Technology news
 | New system recovers fresh water from power plantsA new system devised by MIT engineers could provide a low-cost source of drinking water for parched cities around the world while also cutting power plant operating costs. |
 | Visual semantics enable high-performance place recognition from opposing viewpointsQUT researchers have developed a new way for robots to see the world from a more human perspective, which has the potential to improve how technology, such as driverless cars and industrial and mobile robots, operates and interacts with people. |
 | Intel buzz is all about display on power diet, battery life boostIntel caused quite a stir over an announcement this month at Computex in Taipei. They announced battery-boosting technology. Longer message made short, Intel claims it can cut display battery use in half with its new tech. |
 | Researchers develop a new way for designing electronicsA team from the University of Southampton has invented a new way for designing electronic systems that incorporates the best from both analogue and digital paradigms. |
 | System for drone surveillance: How violence is boxedThree researchers, Amarjot Singh (University of Cambridge), Devendra Patil (NIT Warangal India), and SN Omkar (IISc Bangalore) are working on the use of a drone and artificial intelligence to spot fighting people in a crowd. |
 | Bikeshare could increase light rail transit ridershipCoupling bikeshare with public transit could be an important component when trying to increase light rail transit (LRT) ridership, according to a new study out of the University of Waterloo. |
 | Report: ZTE chairman promises no more violations, apologizesChinese tech giant ZTE Corp.'s chairman promised no further compliance violations and apologized to customers in a letter Friday for disruptions caused by its violation of U.S. export controls, a newspaper reported. |
 | Team outlines plan for industrial-scale carbon removal plantAs the Earth continues to heat up, so have calls to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change. But many experts say that even if all emissions stopped tomorrow, the planet would continue to warm and seas would continue to rise. |
 | Preventing a plane crash—research helps pilots train for aerodynamic stallsOn a winter night in February 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed just outside of Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 passengers and crew aboard and one person on the ground. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the turbo-prop aircraft experienced many factors contributing to the crash, including an aerodynamic stall from which the aircraft couldn't recover. |
 | The nuclear industry is making a big bet on small power plantsUntil now, generating nuclear power has required massive facilities surrounded by acres of buildings, electrical infrastructure, roads, parking lots and more. The nuclear industry is trying to change that picture – by going small. |
 | 'Jurassic park' made a dinosaur-sized leap forward in computer-generated animation on screen, 25 years agoWith 25 years of hindsight, Jurassic Park marks a pivotal point in the history of visual effects in film. It came 11 years after 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan debuted computer-generated imagery for a visual effect with a particle system developed by George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic to animate a demonstration of a life-creating technology called Genesis. And Tron, also in 1982, included 15 minutes of fully computer-generated imagery, including the notable light cycle race sequence. |
 | AI is acquiring a sense of smell that can detect illnesses in human breathArtificial intelligence (AI) is best known for its ability to see (as in driverless cars) and listen (as in Alexa and other home assistants). From now on, it may also smell. My colleagues and I are developing an AI system that can smell human breath and learn how to identify a range of illness-revealing substances that we might breathe out. |
 | Recycling quartz from mining wasteAn EPFL engineer has discovered a way to extract value from mining waste by recycling the quartz it contains to make composite surfaces for kitchen and bathroom countertops. Brazil-based Vale, the world's largest producer of iron ore, will try out his idea. |
 | Kia recalls over 500K vehicles; air bags may not inflateKia is recalling over a half-million vehicles in the U.S. because the air bags may not work in a crash. |
 | Facebook out to lure eSports fans with online portalFacebook on Friday unveiled a portal devoted to streaming video game play and commentary as it ramped up its challenge to Amazon-owned Twitch and Google's YouTube for eSports fans. |
 | ORNL launches Summit Supercomputer—America's new top supercomputer for scienceThe U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory today unveiled Summit as the world's most powerful and smartest scientific supercomputer. |
 | UK telecoms group BT says chief executive to step downBT, the British telecoms and television broadcasting company, said Friday that its chief executive Gavin Patterson would depart his role later this year, following shareholder unrest over the group's outlook. |
 | Sheryl Sandberg uses Facebook's woes as lesson for MIT gradsFacebook executive Sheryl Sandberg didn't shy away from her company's ongoing privacy scandal in a Friday commencement speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Instead, she turned it into a lesson about accountability. |
 | China's Ant Financial raises $14bn to become biggest fintech firmChinese digital payments giant Ant Financial said Friday it had raised $14 billion in its latest financing round, making it the world's largest fintech company ahead of an expected mammoth IPO. |
 | Swiss to place bets on gambling law in high stakes referendumSwiss voters will decide on Sunday whether to back a new gambling law designed to prevent addiction and allow some online betting, or reject what opponents say amounts to internet censorship. |
 | Embattled Air India seeks 'urgent' loanAir India has announced it is seeking an urgent multi-million-dollar loan to maintain day-to-day operations, highlighting the wretched financial predicament of the country's debt-stricken national carrier. |
 | Airbus deal with Canada's Bombardier set for take-offAviation giants Airbus and Canada's Bombardier on Friday said they have finalised a partnership deal on the C Series airliner programme, the latest move in a long-running battle for the skies against US behemoth Boeing. |
 | Foxconn unit becomes most valuable China-listed tech companyA unit of electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn soared by the maximum allowable 44 percent in its stock debut in Shanghai on Friday to become the most valuable tech company listed in mainland China. |
 | How to reduce rail chaos using mathsThe British train timetables changed on May 20. Since then, there has been chaos across the railway network. The railway operators Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have been particularly affected by the changes which have led to hundreds of trains being cancelled and passengers experiencing significant delays. |
 | Cyprus starts work on building 'Europe's biggest' casinoCyprus started work Friday on building what has been billed as the largest casino resort in Europe costing 550 million euros ($650 million) and creating thousands of jobs on the holiday island. |
 | Verizon names former Ericsson chief as new CEOFormer Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg was named Friday as the new CEO of US telecom group Verizon, succeeding Lowell McAdam as of August 1. |
 | Sky darkens for broadcasters afters Amazon online assaultAmazon's acquisition of live Premier League matches may signal the start of an online assault that could upend the dominance of established broadcasters Sky and BT Sport, according to analysts. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Scientists discover schizophrenia gene roles in brain developmentA USC research team identified 150 proteins affecting cell activity and brain development that contribute to mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar condition and depression. |
 | Mice move through the virtual world of a video game and provide insight into the mechanisms of memory formationDr. Thomas Hainmüller and Prof. Dr. Marlene Bartos of the Institute of Psychology of the University of Freiburg have established a new model to explain how the brain stores memories of tangible events. The model is based on an experiment involving mice seeking a place where they received rewards in a virtual environment. The scientific journal Nature has published the study. |
 | How a gene linked to obesity could provide new insights into diabetesA gene previously linked with obesity has been found to affect how the body processes insulin, with potential implications for some forms of diabetes. |
 | When life gives you lemons, you take more risksAnyone needing a little excitement in their lives could do worse than suck a lemon, surprising new research at the University of Sussex suggests. |
 | Gene mutation behind protein that helps regulate cholesterol levels identifiedA team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has identified a gene mutation that is at least partly responsible for regulating cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they tracked down the gene mutation responsible for the creation of a key protein involved in the process. |
 | Researchers reverse cognitive impairments in mice with dementiaReversing memory deficits and impairments in spatial learning is a major goal in the field of dementia research. A lack of knowledge about cellular pathways critical to the development of dementia, however, has stood in the way of significant clinical advance. But now, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) are breaking through that barrier. They show, for the first time in an animal model, that tau pathology—the second-most important lesion in the brain in patients with Alzheimer's disease—can be reversed by a drug. |
 | Food allergies connected to children with autism spectrum disorderA new study from the University of Iowa finds that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more than twice as likely to suffer from a food allergy than children who do not have ASD. |
 | A 'super' receptor that helps kill HIV infected cellsWhile treatments for HIV mean that the disease is no longer largely fatal, the world still lacks a true therapy that can eradicate the virus across a globally—and genetically different—population. |
Ex-smokers might be better off with high rather than low nicotine e-cigsVapers using low rather than high nicotine e-cigarettes may be using their devices more intensely, potentially increasing the risk of exposure to toxins in the vapour, according to new research funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Addiction today. | |
Children from older mothers more likely to have heart risksNew research published in The Journal of Physiology demonstrates that adult offspring born to older mothers are more susceptible to heart risks in later life. These results could be crucial in developing preventative treatments for children born to older women. | |
 | Systemic racism needs more examination related to health, says researcherAlthough the discipline of public health has recently recognized racism as a social determinant of health, little research examines the issue related to systems and structures. |
 | Researchers find that silent carriers of malaria are unlikely to develop the diseaseIn regions where malaria illness is widespread, it is common to find many individuals who are infected with malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum), but without symptoms. New research conducted by the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) shows that treating these silent malaria cases could help stop the spread of malaria to others. |
 | Unnecessarily difficult: Physical activity resources for adults are loaded with jargonWeb page articles and other written materials designed to encourage physical activity are often too difficult to be easily read and understood by most U.S. adults, limiting their effectiveness, new research from Oregon State University shows. |
 | Vaping essays: E-cigarette sellers offering scholarshipsA growing number of e-cigarette and vaporizer sellers have started offering college scholarships as a way to get their brands listed on university websites and to get students to write essays about the potential benefits of vaping. |
 | Romania: measles outbreak sees 200 new cases per weekAn outbreak of measles has killed dozens of infants and children in Romania, with 200 new cases reported each week. |
Immunoscore—a test to improve the care and treatment of colon cancerWith Immunoscore, a test devised by a team of researchers from Inserm and Université Paris Descartes and doctors from the Paris AP-HP hospitals, disease progression in patients with colon cancer can now be defined more accurately. According to an international study conducted in more than 2,500 patients, Immunoscore has proved effective in predicting which patients are at high risk of tumor recurrence and, as such, would benefit from intensified treatment following surgery. These results have been published in The Lancet. | |
 | Your brain considers other people's personal space as your ownPeripersonal space (PPS) is a mental space defined by the brain immediately around body parts used when interacting with people and objects. Recently, researchers have shown that some neurons in the primate brain respond to an infringement of another person's PPS as if their own space was being encroached upon. To determine how this "PPS remapping" phenomenon affects human behavior, Kumamoto University researcher Dr. Wataru Teramoto evaluated people's reactions to visual or tactical stimuli while alone or with a partner. He found that participants responded to stimuli in a partner's PPS as quickly as they would their own. |
 | Customized resistance exercise a factor for success with fibromyalgiaFibromyalgia and resistance exercise have often been considered an impossible combination. But with proper support and individually adjusted exercises, female patients achieved considerable health improvements, according to research carried out at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden. |
 | Breakthrough in cleft lip and palate researchFour genes have been identified which work together to cause cleft lip and palate, in an international research collaboration with researchers from UNSW Sydney and the University of Washington. |
Enzyme protects against obesity-related heart diseaseSaturated fats found in high-fat diets increase the risk of heart failure. Now Manisha Gupte, PhD, Hind Lal, PhD, and colleagues show that the presence of an enzyme called GSK-3beta in the heart is crucial to protect against obesity-related cardiac dysfunction. | |
 | Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to kidney diseaseScientists found a previously unknown link between mitochondria and kidney disease, identifying a receptor that causes kidney dysfunction when suppressed, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
 | Prostate cancer drug given initial 'no' for NHS in EnglandA prostate cancer drug has been provisionally rejected as a first-line treatment on the NHS in England. |
Alcohol law brings little change to drinking environmentNew research from Massey University shows little evidence that changes introduced by the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act (2012) have affected New Zealand's alcohol environment. | |
Stall in e-cigarette use among youth, reflected in CDC survey, worrisome, says American Heart AssociationAmerican Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown issued the following comments on the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products. The new 2017 survey data indicates that 3.6 million middle and high school students used tobacco in the last 30 days. Of the 3.6 million, 2.1 million used e-cigarettes. The number of young people surveyed who smoked e-cigarettes in 2017 is very close to the 2016 total when e-cigarette use came in just under 2.2 million: | |
 | Human midcingulate cortex sustains the execution of difficult or boring tasks, study findsA breakthrough in brain research has promising implications for health and may lead to new answers about depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Parkinson's disease. In a recent study, University of Victoria cognitive neuroscientist Clay Holroyd—with post-doctoral fellow José Ribas-Fernandes and Ph.D. student Danesh Shahnazian from UVic, and colleagues Tom Verguts and Massimo Silvetti from Ghent University—brings researchers one step closer to a better understanding of a mysterious area of the brain located deep in the cerebral cortex. |
 | First photoactive drug to fight Parkinson's diseaseAn international team has designed the first potentially therapeutic photoactive drug, MRS7145, to fight Parkinson's disease, according to the new article in Journal of Controlled Release. |
Scientists show that a key Parkinson's biomarker can be identified in the retinaA study involving scientists from the University of Alicante and the United States notes that the accumulation of a protein known as alpha-synuclein in the retina is a key Parkinson's biomarker that could help detect the degree of severity of the disease. | |
 | Patients unable to resume work after heart attack face depression and financial hardshipMore people than ever are able to resume working after a heart attack, but those working less or unable to work reported lower quality of life with increased depression and difficulty affording their medication, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. |
 | Why breakups are so hard and how to cope with themDespite populist writings that love lasts forever, the divorce statistics across various countries tell us that anywhere between one in 25 to two in three marriages end. If these statistics were to take into account the number of nonmarital long-term relationships that end, then the statistics would be much higher. |
 | Most people don't benefit from vaccination, but we still need it to prevent infectionsA recent article in The Conversation questioned whether we should all get flu vaccinations, given 99 people would have to go through vaccination for one case of flu to be prevented. |
 | Engineering diseased blood vessels to more accurately test new medicationsA research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is engineering self-assembling human blood vessels that exhibit the symptoms of common cardiac and vascular conditions, like aneurisms and blockages, work that may provide a better way for scientists to test the effectiveness of new medications and, potentially, speed up the development of more effective treatments for life-threatening diseases. |
New hope from the 'seven year switch' in type 1 diabetesNew research has shown that the rapid decline in insulin production that causes Type 1 diabetes continues to fall over seven years and then stabilises. | |
Childhood poverty worse in school holidaysThe summer holidays are supposed to be a happy and carefree time for school children but the reality is they are often stressful for children from low income families. | |
 | Young people in the U.K. drink more energy drinks than any other countries in EuropeIt would be a bit shocking to see children and teenagers drinking espressos, yet it's socially acceptable for young people to reach for energy drinks to give them a quick "boost". |
 | People born with a heart defect are at greater risk of mental health problemsOne in every 125 babies is born with a heart condition – but thanks to modern medicine more infants are surviving than ever before. In the developed world, 90% will now live into adulthood, compared with just 20% in the 1940s. However, there is no cure for these conditions and the person needs lifelong medical monitoring. |
Learning disabilities diagnosed in childhood are associated with adult-age psychological wellbeingRecently published research shows that learning disabilities (LD) diagnosed in childhood are associated with adult-age mental health problems, delays or difficulties in attaining an educational degree, and unemployment. | |
 | Researchers describe a new regulatory mechanism for salmonella virulence with small RNA fragmentsA series of small RNA fragments are the regulator factors involved in a new control mechanism for salmonella virulence, a pathogenic bacterium which causes bacterial gastroenteritis with a high incidence –more than 100,000 cases per year- in Europe. |
 | Repeated stimulation enlarges dendritic spinesEven in adult brains, new neurons are generated throughout a lifetime. In a publication in the scientific journal PNAS, a research group led by Goethe University describes plastic changes of adult-born neurons in the hippocampus, a critical region for learning: frequent nerve signals enlarge the spines on neuronal dendrites, which in turn enables contact with the existing neural network. |
 | Neurons made from blood cells – a new tool for understanding brain diseasesOur team at Stanford University has just figured out the recipe for converting blood cells from adults directly into nerve cells, or neurons. |
Reducing opioids not associated with lower patient satisfaction scoresA Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 2,500 patients who used high doses of opioids for at least six months showed that reducing their opioid use did not lower their satisfaction with care. The study, "Satisfaction With Care After Reducing Opioids for Chronic Pain," was published today in The American Journal of Managed Care. | |
High food insecurity found in a sample of adults on probation in Rhode IslandA new cross-sectional study led by public health researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine has found significant food insecurity for adults on probation in Rhode Island. The research team found that nearly three-quarters of the 304 study participants experienced food insecurity over a 30-day period, with almost half having very low food security. The study is published today in PLOS ONE. | |
 | 'Supersized alcopops' pose unique danger to youthCollege students seriously underestimate the effects of drinking a new class of beverages being marketed across the country, according to a new George Mason University study. "Supersized alcopops—sweet, colorful and fizzy drinks that have been shown to appeal to youth—now contain almost as much alcohol as a six-pack of beer in a single can, and young drinkers don't know how much these drinks can affect them. |
 | Consumers beware: High user 'star ratings' don't mean a mobile medical app worksBy screening 250 user reviews and comments for a once popular—but proven inaccurate—mobile app claiming to change your iPhone into a blood pressure monitor, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that a high "star rating" doesn't necessarily reflect medical accuracy or value. |
 | Are birth mothers satisfied with their decisions to place children for adoption? Time will tell, study saysNew research findings from Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work could change the adoption landscape for birth mothers struggling with the life-altering decision to place their children. |
 | Flu season was one of the deadliest for US childrenFlu killed more U.S. children in the past year than during any other regular flu season in recent history. |
 | Fish oil may protect the youngest hearts(HealthDay)—Omega-3 fatty acids—good fats found in fish—can boost the heart health of adults, but a new study suggests that babies might also stand to benefit from them. |
 | We all need water for a healthy life, but how much?During the summer—and even year-round—our bodies crave water. There's no way to live without it. But just how much do we really need every day to stay healthy? |
 | Infant omega-3 supplementation tied to decreased waist size(HealthDay)—Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) supplementation in infancy is associated with reduced insulin concentrations and insulin resistance in boys and reduced waist circumference in both sexes at age 5 years, according to a study published online June 8 in Pediatrics. |
 | Malpractice damage caps associated with change in CAD testing, Tx(HealthDay)—Following adoption of damage caps, physicians alter their approach to coronary artery disease testing and follow-up after initial ischemic evaluations, according to a study published online June 6 in JAMA Cardiology. |
 | Older age tied to poorer course of major depressive disorder(HealthDay)—Older age is associated with poorer course of major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a study published online June 7 in The Lancet Psychiatry. |
 | Synthetic cannabis may increase ischemic cardiomyopathy risk(HealthDay)—A case of severe ischemic cardiomyopathy in the absence of traditional risk factors and attributed to synthetic cannabinoid use is described in a report published online June 7 in BMJ Case Reports. |
 | Carbon dioxide reduces belly fatThe first randomized, controlled trial testing carbon dioxide gas injections (carboxytherapy) to reduce belly fat found the new technique eliminates fat around the stomach. However, the changes were modest and did not result in long-term fat reduction, according to the Northwestern Medicine study. |
Study examines racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes diagnosis and management among women of reproductive ageNew research demonstrates that diabetes is increasingly common in young adults and disproportionately affects women of color. In a new study published in the Journal of Women's Health, Laura Britton, Ph.D. Candidate, BSN, RN demonstrated that there were significant racial/ethnic variation in the rates of diabetes and level of diabetes management among women 24-32 years of age. Notably, the rate of diabetes among black women was more than three times that of white women in this age group. | |
 | Science of racism examined in new set of research articlesWhite supremacist marches and xenophobic Twitter rants have brought overt racism to the center of public attention in recent months. Even still, subtle, structural, and systemic forms of racism continue to lurk in what is becoming an increasingly racially diverse United States. In a new collection of scholarly articles, psychological scientists describe research on the enduring and often hidden presence of racism at both the interpersonal and societal levels. |
 | International agreement that human-relevant research is needed to enhance drug discoveryThe average pre-approval cost of research and development for a successful drug is estimated to be US$2.6 billion and the number of new drugs approved per billion US dollars spent has halved roughly every 9 years since 1950. More than 90% of drug candidates entering clinical trials fail to gain regulatory approval, mainly as a result of insufficient efficacy and/or unacceptable toxicity, because of the limited predictive value of preclinical, animal-based studies. Without significant intervention, the pipeline responsible for new drug production is predicted to dry up completely within 50 years. |
Sustained use of opioids before spine surgery increases risk of continued use after surgeryPatients who take prescription opioids for a longer period before spinal surgery are more likely to continue using opioids several months after surgery, reports a study in the June 6, 2018, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. | |
Canada Senate passes bill legalizing recreational marijuanaCanada's Senate passed a bill Thursday legalizing recreational marijuana, moving it closer to becoming the first member of the Group of Seven nations to legalize the production, sale and consumption of the drug. | |
 | Researchers change clinical practice for infants with diabetesIt is not necessary to treat diabetic infants with insulin syringes. This will be new clinical practice after a recent study, now published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in which researchers from Bergen and Exeter tested the replacement of insulin syringes with tablets. |
 | Football training in school greatly improves girls' fitness and healthSchoolgirls can achieve lower blood pressure, stronger muscles, better balance and improved jumping performance if their school puts football training on the timetable—including girls who have never played football before. |
 | Gene therapy for myotubular myopathy—early signs of successParents cherish developmental milestones, from a newborn's grip of an offered finger; to an infant's holding her head up the first time; to rolling over, creeping, and crawling; then to standing, cruising, and finally walking. Even kicking during a diaper change or yowling requires muscle strength and coordination. But a boy with X-linked myotubular myopathy (MTM) is so weak that even breathing is a huge struggle. If a baby survives the initial hospital stay, care at home becomes a full-time job and is only supportive, delaying the inevitable. That grim picture may be changing. |
Congo says new confirmed Ebola case; outbreak marks 1 monthCongo's health ministry says another Ebola case has been confirmed as the pace of new cases slows one month after the outbreak was officially declared. | |
 | Why Mister Rogers' message of love and kindness is good for your healthThe release of the Mister Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" calls to mind the essential message of Rogers' long-running children's program, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." Fred McFeely Rogers, who died in 2003, was also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Over the course of three decades on public broadcasting, he brought to millions of children what his faith's General Assembly referred to as "unconditional love." |
'Strong progress' in calming Congo Ebola outbreak: WHO"Strong progress" has been made in calming Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak in a city of 1.2 million and in the rural outpost where the epidemic was declared one month ago, the World Health Organization said Friday, but now the focus turns to "some of the most remote territory on Earth." | |
 | How to determine your health insurance's true costs(HealthDay)—Having health insurance is essential, especially for catastrophic situations. But it's important to choose a plan carefully because your costs can go well beyond the monthly premium. Knowing key terms will help you calculate potential expenses more accurately. |
Face transplantation—An established option to improve quality of life in patients with severe facial traumaThirteen years after the first successful face transplant, US trauma surgeons should be aware of the current role of facial transplantation for patients with severe facial disfigurement - including evidence that the final appearance and functioning are superior to that provided by conventional reconstructive surgery. That's the message of a special update on 'Face Transplantation Today' in the June issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, edited by Mutaz B. Habal, MD. | |
Biology news
 | Decoding RNA-protein interactionsThanks to continued advances in genetic sequencing, scientists have identified virtually every A, T, C, and G nucleotide in our genetic code. But to fully understand how the human genome encodes us, we need to go one step further, mapping the function of each base. That is the goal of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute and launched on the heels of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Although much has already been accomplished—mapping protein-DNA interactions and the inheritance of different epigenetic states—understanding the function of a DNA sequence also requires deciphering the purpose of the RNAs encoded by it, as well as which proteins bind to those RNAs. |
 | Gene editing just got easierAn international team of researchers has made CRISPR technology more accessible and standardized by simplifying its complex implementation. The simpler, faster CRISPR, which is presented in the journal Nature Communications, offers a broad platform for off-the shelf genome engineering that may lower the barrier of entry for this powerful technology. |
 | Oldest bubonic plague genome decodedAn international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History has analyzed two 3,800-year-old Y. pestis genomes that suggest a Bronze Age origin for bubonic plague. The strain identified by the researchers was recovered from individuals in a double burial in the Samara region of Russia, who both had the same strain of the bacterium at death. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that this strain is the oldest sequenced to date that contains the virulence factors considered characteristic of the bubonic plague, and is ancestral to the strains that caused the Justinian Plague, the Black Death and the 19th century plague epidemics in China. |
 | Researchers gain insight into chromosome evolution in fliesNC State University researchers have shed new light on the evolution of fly chromosomes by identifying a gene indispensable for male survival in a devastating livestock pest species. What they found could have important implications for genetic pest control. |
 | The cartography of the nucleusNestled deep in each of your cells is what seems like a magic trick: Six feet of DNA is packaged into a tiny space 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Like a long, thin string of genetic spaghetti, this DNA blueprint for your whole body is folded, twisted, and compacted to fit into the nucleus of each cell. |
 | Genes marked with colorful barcodes give precise, instantaneous snapshots of single cellsA breakthrough new technique enables scientists to image 10,421 genes at once within individual cells. |
 | Honeybees prioritize well-fed larvae for emergency queen-rearing, study findsNew research shows that honeybees prioritize the nutritional status of larvae when selecting for a new emergency queen. |
 | Research reveals secret to whale shark hotspotsA study has uncovered the secret to why endangered whale sharks gather on mass at just a handful of locations around the world. |
 | Monkeys eat fats and carbs to keep warmUniversity of Sydney researchers have found monkeys living in the wild in cold snowy habitats adjust their nutrient intake to match the elevated costs of thermoregulation. |
 | How stem cells moveScientists from Newcastle University have shown that human embryonic stem cells move by travelling back and forth in a line, much like ants moving along their trails. |
 | New insight into why Pierce's disease is so deadly to grapevinesScientists are gaining a better understanding of Pierce's disease and how it affects grapevines. The disease, which annually costs California more than $100 million, comes from a bacterium called Xylella fastidiosa. While the bacterium has been present in the state for more than 100 years, Pierce's disease became a more serious threat to agriculture with the arrival of the glassy-winged sharpshooter insect, which can carry the bacterium from plant to plant. |
 | Cleaning the seabed: Divers halt the carnage of 'ghost' netsThere are ghosts in the ocean. Silent killers carried by the currents, wrapping themselves around reefs and claiming the lives of millions of marine creatures great and small, from sponges and tiny crustaceans to dolphins, sharks and whales. |
 | Engineered proteins could improve biomanufacturing production of medicines, fuelsPurdue University researchers have developed a series of engineered proteins that could improve biomanufacturing processes for the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals and commodity chemicals. |
 | Nutritional quality of fish and squid reduced by warm water eventsResearch led by the University of Sydney shows that under warm water events the nutritional balance of fish and squid changes and is of lower quality, while under cold water events it is of higher quality. |
 | Prague zoo says it's on its way to breeding rare lemursPrague's zoo says its attempt to breed critically endangered white-belted ruffed lemurs is on the right track. |
The burglary microbiome projectResearchers have demonstrated that microbial signatures, the unique microbial make-up of each individual, from the built environment can identify persons involved in crimes occurring in the home, such as burglaries. The research is presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held from June 7th to June 11th in Atlanta, Georgia. | |
ARS scientists are working to ensure safe waterways in GeorgiaScientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are developing ways to identify the sources of any potentially harmful bacteria found in the surface waters around Athens, Georgia. The research is presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held from June 7th to June 11th in Atlanta, Georgia. | |
Bone apetit: How bacteria eat bone to sustain invasive infectionResearchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have determined the metabolic pathway that Staphylococcus aureus use to survive in bones. Invasive S. aureus infections frequently occur in the bone and are notoriously resistant to antimicrobial therapy. The research is presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held from June 7th to June 11th in Atlanta, Georgia. | |
 | French beekeepers accuse Bayer after glyphosate found in honeyA beekeeping cooperative in northern France has filed a legal complaint against German chemicals giant Bayer after traces of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate were detected in batches of honey, officials said Friday. |
 | Dogs can detect agricultural diseases earlyA study out of Florida International University evaluates the use of scent-discriminating canines for the detection of laurel wilt-affected wood from avocado trees. Julian Mendel, Kenneth G. Furton, and DeEtta Mills have ferreted out a possible solution to a serious issue in one corner of the horticultural industry, and then ascertained the extent to which this solution is effective. |
 | Invasive marbled crayfish found in Narva power plant cooling canalThe dangerous invasive marbled crayfish has developed a significant population in Estonia in the cooling canal of the Narva power plant. The danger of the species is that males are not required for reproduction; all crayfish are female and capable of reproducing every few months. |
 | Malaysia seizes over 600 protected animalsMore than 600 protected animals, including geckos, snakes and tarantulas, have been seized in a series of raids in Malaysia, officials said Friday. |
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