Science X Newsletter Week 22

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 22:

	Sweeping gene survey reveals new facets of evolution Who would have suspected that a handheld genetic test used to unmask sushi bars pawning off tilapia for tuna could deliver deep insights into evolution, including how new species emerge?
	Most popular vitamin and mineral supplements provide no health benefit, study finds The most commonly consumed vitamin and mineral supplements provide no consistent health benefit or harm, suggests a new study led by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto.
	Physicists invent flux capacitor, break time-reversal symmetry In the popular movie franchise "Back to the Future", an eccentric scientist creates a time machine that runs on a flux capacitor.
	Engineers invent a noninvasive technique to correct vision Nearsightedness, or myopia, is an increasing problem around the world. There are now twice as many people in the US and Europe with this condition as there were 50 years ago. In East Asia, 70 to 90 percent of teenagers and young adults are nearsighted. By some estimates, about 2.5 billion of people across the globe may be affected by myopia by 2020.
	Researchers have identified 121 giant planets that may have habitable moons We've all heard about the search for life on other planets, but what about looking on other moons?
	Facebook sinking fast among US teens: survey Facebook is rapidly losing ground against rival internet platforms in attracting and keeping US teenagers, a survey showed Thursday.
	Scientists develop material that could regenerate dental enamel Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new way to grow mineralised materials which could regenerate hard tissues such as dental enamel and bone.
	Stick insects expand territory after being eaten by birds It's commonly assumed that when insects are eaten by birds, they and their unborn young have no chance of survival. However, a team of Japanese researchers hypothesized that the eggs within insect bodies can pass through birds undigested. They tested this hypothesis with stick insects, known for their hard eggs, and found that some eggs are excreted unharmed and successfully hatch. Stick insects cannot travel very far by themselves, so being eaten by birds could even contribute to expanding their habitat.
	Genes, environment and schizophrenia—new study finds the placenta is the missing link Hiding in plain sight, new research shines a spotlight on the placenta's critical role in the nature versus nurture debate and how it confers risk for schizophrenia and likely other neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, autism, and Tourette syndrome. This new scientific frontier, with far-reaching implications for maternal and child health, creates the possibility that scientists can more accurately predict who is at risk of mental illness, and develop strategies to prevent or lessen their occurrence by increasing the resiliency and health of the placenta.
	Team discover how microbes survive clean rooms and contaminate spacecraft Rakesh Mogul, a Cal Poly Pomona professor of biological chemistry, was the lead author of an article in the journal Astrobiology that offers the first biochemical evidence explaining the reason the contamination persists.
	Wars and clan structure may explain a strange biological event 7,000 years ago Starting about 7,000 years ago, something weird seems to have happened to men: Over the next two millennia, recent studies suggest, their genetic diversity —specifically, the diversity of their Y chromosomes—collapsed. So extreme was that collapse that it was as if there was only one man left to mate for every 17 women.
	Study identifies processes in the gut that drive fat build-up around the waist Research by scientists at King's College London into the role the gut plays in processing and distributing fat could pave the way for the development of personalised treatments for obesity and other chronic diseases within the next decade. The research is published in Nature Genetics.
	Walking faster could make you live longer: research Speeding up your walking pace could extend your life, research led by the University of Sydney suggests.
	First 3D-printed human corneas The first human corneas have been 3-D printed by scientists at Newcastle University, UK.
	Gravitational wave event likely signaled creation of a black hole The spectacular merger of two neutron stars that generated gravitational waves announced last fall likely did something else: birthed a black hole. This newly spawned black hole would be the lowest mass black hole ever found.
	New map shows many old-growth forests remain in Europe Though you might read about deep, dark woods in fairy tales, the prevailing story today is that very little European old-growth forest remains. But now a new study—and map—shows that a surprising number of these primary forests still stand.
	A 3-D printer that can print data sets as physical objects A team of researchers from MIT and Harvard University has come up with a way to get 3-D printers to print objects using data sets rather than geometric representations. In their paper published on the open access site Science Advances, the group describes their new technique and some of the ways they believe it could be used.
	Cognitive training reduces depression, rebuilds injured brain structure and connectivity after traumatic brain injury New research from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas shows that certain cognitive training exercises can help reduce depression and improve brain health in individuals years after they have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
	The mother of all lizards found in Italian Alps Scientists said Wednesday they had tracked down the oldest known lizard, a tiny creature that lived about 240 million years ago when Earth had a single continent and dinosaurs were brand new.
	The secret to longevity is in the microbiome and the gut You are what you eat. Or so the saying goes. Science now tells us that we are what the bacteria living in our intestinal tract eat and this could have an influence on how well we age. Building on this, McGill University scientists fed fruit flies with a combination of probiotics and an herbal supplement called Triphala that was able to prolong the flies' longevity by 60 % and protect them against chronic diseases associated with aging.

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