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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 3, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | VLA detects possible extrasolar planetary-mass magnetic powerhouseAstronomers using the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) have made the first radio-telescope detection of a planetary-mass object beyond our Solar System. The object, about a dozen times more massive than Jupiter, is a surprisingly strong magnetic powerhouse and a "rogue," traveling through space unaccompanied by any parent star. |
 | Astronauts picked for SpaceX, Boeing capsule test flights (Update)NASA on Friday assigned the astronauts who will ride the first commercial capsules into orbit next year and bring crew launches back to the U.S. |
 | Image: The Orion test crew capsuleNASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (second from left) tours the Orion test crew capsule for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test, with Orion AA-2 Crew Module Manager Dr. Jon Olansen, left, NASA Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer and Orion Program Manager Mark Kirasich, right, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. |
 | One cool camera—LSST's cryostat assembly completedWork on the camera for the future Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) has reached a major milestone with the completion and delivery of the camera's fully integrated cryostat. With 3.2 gigapixels, the LSST camera will be the largest digital camera ever built for ground-based astronomy. It's being assembled at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. |
Technology news
 | Scientists present concept for the elimination of traffic jamsA team of researchers from Cologne and New York has presented proposals for future traffic management. A dynamic, fair toll for road use could reduce congestion. |
 | Study shows humans can be emotionally manipulated by robotsA team of researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has found that humans can be susceptible to emotional manipulation by a robot. In their paper published on the open access site PLOS ONE, the group describes experiments they carried out with human volunteers interacting with robots and what they found. |
 | Insiders on a roll with the YourPhone app for Windows 10Another day, another Insider Preview Build announcement? No, no yawns from takers; Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring are in for this; the latest announcement is all about the phone-PC sync treat coming their way and the rest of us are pondering how this will make any difference in our digital lives. |
Artificial intelligence may put private data at riskMachine learning – a form of artificial intelligence in which computers use data to learn on their own – is rapidly growing and poised to transform the world. But current models are vulnerable to privacy leaks and other malicious attacks, Cornell Tech researchers have found. | |
 | Extreme makeover: Fukushima nuclear plant tries image overhaulCall it an extreme makeover: In Japan's Fukushima, officials are attempting what might seem impossible, an image overhaul at the site of the worst nuclear meltdown in decades. |
 | Hacker breaches defenses at social news star RedditPopular social news website Reddit on Thursday was warning users that a hacker broke into its systems, intercepting some employee text messages to get past defenses. |
 | Campaigns on their own as cyber threats roil midtermsKamala Harris has been the target of social media misinformation campaigns since she became a U.S. senator. |
 | Ancient arts are inspiring modern electronicsAfter a few decades of electronics developing at a dizzying pace – from personal computers and flip phones to wearable devices, smartphones and tablets – there are signs technological breakthroughs are stalling. For instance, your new iPhone really isn't that much different from the previous one. And laptop computers pretty much all look – and work – alike. |
 | Could machine learning mean the end of understanding in science?Much to the chagrin of summer party planners, weather is a notoriously chaotic system. Small changes in precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind speed or direction, etc. can balloon into an entirely new set of conditions within a few days. That's why weather forecasts become unreliable more than about seven days into the future —and why picnics need backup plans. |
 | New car heating technology gives zero emissionsZemission has developed a zero-emission catalytic burner for heating in electric and hybrid vehicles. The device will promote the uptake of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) by increasing their driving range. |
Improved passphrases could make online experiences both user-friendly and secureAlthough passphrases, or phrase-based passwords, have been found to be more secure than traditional passwords, human factors issues such as typographical errors and memorability have slowed their wider adoption. Kevin Juang and Joel Greenstein, in their recently published Human Factors article, "Integrating Visual Mnemonics and Input Feedback With Passphrases to Improve the Usability and Security of Digital Authentication," developed and tested two new passphrase systems that seek to address these shortcomings and improve the usability and security of existing passphrase authentication systems. | |
 | Drug tests for gamers as soccer's eWorld Cup jackpot climbsThe players finished their soccer matches and huddled waiting to discover who would have to undergo doping tests. The random draw completed, two men went off to provide urine samples. |
 | NYSE joins forces with Starbucks on bitcoin platformThe New York Stock Exchange's parent company announced plans on Friday to launch a bitcoin trading platform and partner with Starbucks on a digital currency payment app. |
 | GM seeks to exempt Buick SUV from looming Trump tariffsAuto giant General Motors has asked US authorities to exclude its Buick Envision SUV from the sweeping tariffs Washington has threatened to impose on auto imports. |
 | Toyota posts record Q1 net profit, maintains full-year forecastJapanese car giant Toyota on Friday posted a record first-quarter net profit but warned that threatened US sanctions on the auto sector could have a "very big" impact on earnings. |
 | Foodora pulls out of AustraliaFood delivery service Foodora is pulling out of Australia, with the German-based firm saying it is shifting focus to other markets months after being hit with lawsuits over its treatment of workers. |
Amazon pays just $2.2M in tax in UK despite surge in profitsAmazon is facing criticism after its British tax bill fell despite a big jump in sales and profits. | |
 | S. Korea to launch probe into BMW over alleged delayed recallSouth Korea will launch an investigation into BMW, a minister said Friday, over an alleged delay in recalling more than 100,000 cars following a spate of engine fires. |
 | China's Huawei eyes smartphone summit after passing AppleChina's Huawei on Friday said it could replace Samsung as the world's top smartphone maker by late next year, just days after data showed it surpassed Apple for the number-two spot despite being essentially barred from the key US market. |
 | Petrobras profits leap in second quarter on higher oil pricesBrazil's flagship oil company Petrobras announced sharply higher net profits for the second quarter of 10.072 billion reais ($2.7 billion) Friday, crediting higher crude prices for the improvement. |
 | More states sue to stop online plans for 3D-printed gunsMore states are suing the Trump administration to dissolve a settlement it reached with a company that wants to post instructions online for making 3D-printed firearms that are hard to trace and detect. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Scientists develop novel drug that could potentially treat liver cancer more effectivelyA research team led by scientists from the Cancer Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a novel peptide drug called FFW that could potentially stop the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer. This landmark discovery opens the door for more effective treatment of liver cancer with less side effects. |
 | The neurobiological basis of leadershipLeaders are more willing to take responsibility for making decisions that affect the welfare of others. In a new study, researchers at the University of Zurich identified the cognitive and neurobiological processes that influence whether someone is more likely to take on leadership or to delegate decision-making. |
 | Blood serum study reveals networks of proteins that impact agingA team of researchers from several institutions in Iceland and the U.S. has conducted a unique blood serum investigation and discovered multiple protein networks that are involved in the aging process. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study and what they found. |
 | Building a better brainLike a team in a science fiction movie, the six-lab squad funded by a 2017 MEDx Biomedical research grant is striking in its combination of diverse skills and duties. |
 | Locusts help uncover the mysteries of smellUnderstanding how a sensory input becomes an experience—how molecules released by a blooming flower, for instance, become the internal experience of smelling a rose—has for millennia been a central question of philosophy. |
 | New research opens door to expanding stem cells available for transplantsResearchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and collaborators have identified a way to expand blood-forming, adult stem cells from human umbilical cord blood (hUCB). This development could make these cells available to more people, and be more readily accepted in those who undergo adult stem cell treatments for conditions such as leukemia, blood disorders, immune system diseases, and other types of cancers, but who do not have an appropriate available bone marrow match. |
 | Cocaine relapse is reversed with BDNF microinjections in the brainCocaine relapse was significantly reduced in a preclinical model when brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) was applied to the nucleus accumbens deep in the brain immediately before cocaine-seeking behavior, report investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in an article published online in June 2018 by Addiction Biology. |
 | A deeper look at severe asthma yields NET resultsOf the more than 24 million people in the U.S. who have asthma, 10 percent have severe asthma—a form of the disease that does not respond to treatment. The immunological mechanisms underlying severe asthma and asthmatic lung inflammation are not well understood. A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital published this week in Science Immunology models allergic lung inflammation and provides new insights into how asthma develops and progresses, with important implications for the most clinically advanced drugs designed to treat severe asthma. |
 | Math + good posture = better scoresIf you've ever felt like a deer in the headlights before taking a math test or speaking before a large group of people, you could benefit from a simple change in posture. As part of a new study by researchers at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could perform simple math—subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds—while either slumped over or sitting up straight with shoulders back and relaxed. Fifty-six percent of the students reported finding it easier to perform the math in the upright position. |
 | Simple factors that can avoid harmful side effects in type 2 diabetesClinicians can match people with type 2 diabetes to the right drug for them to improve control of blood sugar and help avoid damaging side-effects, simply by factoring in simple characteristics such as sex and BMI into prescribing decisions, new research has shown. |
Transgender individuals likely have higher risk for heart diseaseTransgender individuals may be at higher risk for myocardial infarction and death due to cardiovascular disease, according to several studies. This increased risk may be due to the hormone therapy that transgender patients take for masculinization or feminization. | |
 | New UK research links even low levels of air pollution with serious changes in the heartResearchers have found that people exposed to air pollution levels well within UK guidelines have changes in the structure of the heart, similar to those seen in the early stages of heart failure. The research was part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and is published in the journal Circulation. |
 | An early look at what can happen when a pediatric health system begins to treatIn a recent publication in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital present a case study for treating a neighborhood as a patient. |
Support from people with lived experience reduces readmission to mental health crisis unitsWith expertise rooted in personal experience, people who have had mental health problems could offer support, encouragement and a model for recovery, helping reduce readmission rates. | |
 | Mushrooms of the Far East hold promise for anti-cancer therapyMushrooms from the Far East contain natural chemical compounds that could be used for the design of the novel drugs with highly specific anti-tumor activities and low toxicity. These compounds may offer new avenues for oncology, providing physicians with either standalone alternatives to chemotherapy, chemopreventive medicines, or drugs to be used in combination with other therapies. |
 | Study elucidates epigenetic mechanisms behind autoimmune diseasesA group of researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil used a DNA editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to manipulate the genes associated with the autoaggressive T lymphocytes responsible for inducing autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS-1) and type 1 diabetes. |
How diet modifies the correlation between genetics and obesityA correlation between obesity and genetics has been found to be modified by diet, according to a scientific paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A research group led by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist found that a specific gene—APOA2—can result in a higher body mass index (BMI). | |
Joint study raises questions about treatments for arthritisA study examining how molecules are transported into knee-joint tissue could have major implications for understanding and treating arthritis. | |
 | Hookah smoking raises cardiovascular risk comparable to traditional cigarette smoking, study findsIn direct contradiction to marketing efforts claiming that hookah (water pipe) smoking is less hazardous to health than cigarettes, a new UCLA study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that just a half-hour of hookah smoking resulted in the development of cardiovascular risk factors similar to what has been seen with traditional cigarette smoking. |
Diet-breakers and budget busters try to justify their decision by maximizing indulgenceWhen consumers contemplate violating a personal goal (i.e., cheating on a diet, overspending on a budget), they often seek to make the most of that violation by choosing the most extreme option, according to new research from Kelly Goldsmith, Associate Professor of Marketing at the Owen Graduate School of Management. | |
 | Treating Lyme disease in 2018—advances and misconceptionsSummer in Connecticut is also Lyme disease season. In the past few years, there has been much media attention over the significant increase in the incidence of the condition. However, according to Yale pediatrician and epidemiologist Eugene Shapiro, M.D., that increase has all but levelled off in the past four or five years (2013 to 2016)—that worry over escalation of the disease is one of the many misconceptions that plagues the current conversation around the tick-borne infection. |
 | The troubling side effects of smartphonesIf you are reading this on your smartphone, we have some bad news for you. That thing in your hand, designed to bring humanity closer together, is in many respects doing the exact opposite: Smartphones are driving fissures into human relationships. |
 | Psychologists and experts in human computer interaction develop new app to support fussy eating in childrenA team of researchers have a developed a novel app for kids aimed at getting them to eat more healthily and try more vegetables. |
 | Exploring new research to combat disease-causing virusesAccording to the US Center for Disease Control, the number of worldwide cases of poliomyelitis has decreased from 350,000 in 1988 to 407 in 2013. While the decline has been steady, polio has still not been eradicated. To try and help solve the problem, biologists and mathematicians from IBM, UCSF, Stanford University, and the University of Haifa are working side-by-side on a DARPA-funded research project to engineer a new type of antiviral agent against viruses such as polio. |
 | For prostate cancer, study identifies how common mutation makes good cells go badIn more than half of all prostate tumors, two genes—one for a transcription factor called ERG, the other a testosterone-triggered gene called TMPRSS2—become fused together, resulting in excess ERG expression. The TMPRSS2-ERG protein pushes prostate cells to become cancerous, but precisely how it does so, and what can be done about it, have been unclear. |
 | Drug and alcohol abuse medications shown to improve patients' livesCommonly used medications for alcohol and opioid addictions have been shown for the first time to reduce the risk of suicidal behaviour and accidental overdose. |
 | Low plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids associated with preterm birthPregnant women who had low plasma levels of long chain n-3 fatty acids in their first and second trimesters were at a significantly higher risk of early preterm birth when compared with women who had higher levels of these fatty acids, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen. The study suggests that low concentrations of certain long chain fatty acids—eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA)—may be a strong risk factor for preterm birth. |
 | Scientists show that highly lethal viruses hijack cellular defences against cancerHenipaviruses are among the deadliest viruses known to man and have no effective treatments. The viruses include Hendra, lethal to humans and horses, and the Nipah virus, a serious threat in East and Southeast Asia. They are on the World Health Organization Blueprint list of priority diseases needing urgent research and development action. |
 | CDC: Salmonella outbreaks in 44 states linked to backyard poultry(HealthDay)—At least 212 people in 44 states have been sickened in Salmonella outbreaks linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | NIH releases large-scale dataset of CT images(HealthDay)—To help improve detection accuracy of lesions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s Clinical Center has made available a large-scale dataset of 32,000 annotated lesions identified on computed tomography (CT) images. |
 | Three financial metrics can improve practice performance(HealthDay)—By understanding three indices and metrics, physicians can change the financial outcome of their medical practice, according to a report published in Medical Economics. |
 | Health Affairs announces launch of new three-year initiative(HealthDay)—A council on health care spending and value has been established by the journal Health Affairs. |
Indian mothers campaign to end breastfeeding stigmaClutching his elephant toy, Avyaan's conversation is pretty much limited to a happy gurgle, but the nine-month-old might be about to go down in history for helping make breastfeeding in public more socially acceptable in prudish India. | |
 | Reading the motor intention from brain activity within 100msA collaborative study by researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology has developed a new technique to decode motor intention of humans from Electroencephalography (EEG). This technique is based on the well-documented ability of the brain to predict sensory outcomes of self-generated and imagined actions utilizing so called forward models. The method enabled for the first time nearly 90% single trial decoding accuracy across tested subjects, within 96 ms of the stimulation, with zero user training, and with no additional cognitive load on the users. |
 | Pregnant women encouraged to eat cold-water fishPregnant women who had low plasma levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids in their first and second trimesters were at a significantly higher risk of early preterm birth when compared with women who had higher levels of these fatty acids, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. The study suggests that low concentrations of certain long chain fatty acids—eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA)—may be a strong risk factor for preterm birth. |
 | Why researchers are testing Viagra for women during pregnancyA drug trial in the Netherlands which gave pregnant women Viagra to promote the growth of their babies was recently halted after 11 babies died. |
 | The fate of Arctic mosquitoes depends on habitat and access to blood mealsThe future of Arctic mosquitoes (Aedes nigripes) in western Greenland depends on aquatic habitat and access to blood meals, according to a Dartmouth study. The study found that female mosquitoes carrying eggs were most abundant near ponds, especially in areas frequented by animals such as caribou, birds and the Arctic hare. Published in Ecosphere, the findings provide new insight into mosquito population dynamics. The rapid rate of environmental changes in the Arctic are impacting aquatic habitats and wildlife that mosquitoes depend on for blood meals. Mosquitoes also serve as food for a variety of species and pollinators for tundra plants in addition to their more notorious role as pests to humans and wildlife. |
 | Three-dimensional model of human placenta developedThe placenta is the organ connecting mother and embryo. Its main functions are the exchange of nutrients, gases and metabolic products and the production of hormones and other substances essential for embryonic development. Placental malfunctions are the main cause of pregnancy complications and can lead to miscarriage and other serious disorders that endanger both mother and child. So far, the mechanisms underlying these disorders remain largely unexplained, not least because up until now there has been no reliable human cell culture model system. MedUni Vienna researchers have now successfully developed a 3-D model of the human placenta. |
 | New figures show 138 million women suffer from recurrent thrushAround 138 million women are affected by a distressing but treatable fungal infection world-wide, according to a research review by University of Manchester scientists. |
 | Older people less apt to recognize they've made a mistakeThe older you get, the less apt you may be to recognize that you've made an error. |
 | Research shows that cystic fibrosis impacts growth in the wombNew research, published in Thorax, funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has shown that babies with cystic fibrosis (CF) are born weighing less than babies without the condition, even allowing that they are more likely to be born prematurely. |
Hand, foot, mouth disease: What you need to know right nowHand, foot and mouth disease is in the news with Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ becoming the second Major League Baseball pitcher afflicted in recent weeks. Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard was the first player to get felled by the ailment, reportedly after visiting a children's camp. But doctors say it's vital to understand that the group most vulnerable to this sickness is children under 10. | |
Train meditation and no coffee? Pro tips for a healthier morning commuteAs August arrives, the summer commute into work becomes a sweaty endeavor marked by crowded bodies, the stench of city garbage and exacerbated FOMO ("fear of missing out") from missing another perfect beach day. | |
Ensuring equality: Researchers develop method to measure and operationalize inclusive cultureThe importance of an inclusive workforce culture in health care is key to advancing scientific inquiry, improving the quality of care, and optimizing patient satisfaction. In fact, diverse student bodies and workforces have been shown to improve everyone's cultural effectiveness and address inequities in health care delivery. Now, inclusiveness of workplace culture can be measured by a concrete set of six factors, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. | |
 | Vital signs: High-tech, portable health monitor treats warfighters and civiliansA technology designed to treat injured warfighters on the battlefield is proving its worth to civilian emergency-response teams. |
 | Eating crickets can be good for your gut, according to new clinical trialA new clinical trial shows that consuming crickets can help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and that eating crickets is not only safe at high doses but may also reduce inflammation in the body. |
 | Study examines how age and ethnicity impact HIV testingMany barriers prevent people from getting tested for HIV, including lack of knowledge, competing priorities during medical visits, and stigma associated with the test on the part of both the patient and provider. |
 | Researchers find quiet viruses alter body's response to vaccines, pathogensUC Davis researchers have shown that low levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) have a significant impact on microbe and immune cell populations and how the immune system responds to the influenza vaccine. The study was published in the Journal of Virology. |
 | Twin study highlights importance of both genetics and environment on gene activityNew research highlights the extent to which epigenetic variation is influenced by both inherited and environmental factors. |
WHO to know soon if new Congo Ebola outbreak can use vaccineThe World Health Organization said Friday it hopes to know as early as Tuesday whether the strain of Ebola in Congo's latest outbreak of the deadly virus is the one for which an experimental vaccine can be used. | |
WHO warns over challenges of containing Ebola in DRC 'war zone'Containing an Ebola outbreak in a "war zone" in the Democratic Republic of Congo is among the most difficult challenges the World Health Organization has faced, a top official said Friday. | |
New 'wave' of cholera cases likely to hit Yemen: UNYemen is likely to be struck by another "major wave" of cholera cases, the World Health Organization said Friday, as it called for a three-day truce to allow vaccinations. | |
 | Confidence persists despite dip in July job numbers for Americans with disabilitiesJob numbers declined again for Americans with Disabilities last month, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment—Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Despite the second month of downturns, experts remain optimistic about future job gains as the labor market continues to tighten. |
 | What role do inflammatory cytokines play in creating T cell exhaustion in cancer?A better understanding of the role secreted inflammatory cytokines play in the tumor microenvironment that results in the differentiation of effector T cells into exhausted T cells points to possible approaches to improve the antitumor activity of T cells and to intervene in T cell exhaustion. A new article exploring the expression patterns of inflammatory cytokines in tumor tissues and the blood of cancer patients and seeking to understand how exhausted T cells lose their antitumor properties is published in Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals. |
Biology news
 | Differences in immune responses create a genetic conflict between sexesA unique study from Lund University in Sweden has discovered for the first time that there is a genetic sexual conflict in the immune system in animals. In females, the variation in central genes of the immune system is too high, whereas in males, it is too low. The researchers argue that the conflict is linked to differences in the immune responses of females and males. |
 | Researchers discover a disease threatening the most plentiful starfish in AntarcticaA study led by experts from the University of Barcelona's Faculty of Biology and Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio) have identified a disease that is affecting the starfish Odontaster validus, one of the most common species on the Antarctic sea floor. The disease, which is the first to be described in an echinoderm in Antarctica's marine environment, has afflicted up to 10 percent of the population of the species, the most important benthic predator in the coastal communities of Deception Island and other marine regions in Antarctic latitudes. |
 | Wildflowers combat climate change with diversityIn 1859, when Charles Darwin first articulated the theory of evolution, he speculated that a process of natural selection led species to adapt to their environments over time. He believed traits that helped an organism survive were passed down to offspring, who would pass those traits on to more offspring, eventually leading to the diversity of life we see today. |
 | Honeybee hive-mates influenced to fan wings to keep hive coolRachael Kaspar used to be scared of bees. That was before she studied their behavior as an undergraduate at CU Boulder. Since learning their secret lives and social behaviors, she has developed an appreciation for the complex, hard-working bees. |
 | Research shows how hungry bacteria sense nutrients in their environmentUniversity of Leicester researchers have shed new light on how bacteria sense nutrients in their environment—which could provide important knowledge in the development of drugs and antibiotics to combat a range of diseases including tuberculosis. |
 | How nutrients are removed in oxygen-depleted regions of the oceanIn the course of global climate change, scientists are observing the increase of low-oxygen areas in the ocean, also termed oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Large-scale OMZs exist, for example, in the Pacific off the coast of South America or in the Indian Ocean. Since little to no oxygen is present in these regions—depending on the depth of the water—organisms whose metabolisms are independent of oxygen have a distinct advantage. These organisms include some representatives of the foraminifera: unicellular, shell-forming microorganisms, which have a nucleus and thus belong to the eukaryotes. Their lifestyle involves a particular metabolic pathway termed anaerobic respiration. In the absence of oxygen, they convert nitrate present in the water into molecular nitrogen. |
 | Groundbreaking poplar study shows trees can be genetically engineered not to spreadThe largest field-based study of genetically modified forest trees ever conducted has demonstrated that genetic engineering can prevent new seedlings from establishing. |
 | Scientists find elusive molecule that helps sperm find eggScientists affiliated with the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified a key molecule driving chemoattraction between sperm and egg cells in marine invertebrates. The study was recently published in Nature Communications. |
 | How Africans developed scientific knowledge of the deadly tsetse flyFew animals are more problematic than the tiny African insect known to English speakers as the tsetse fly. This is the carrier of "sleeping sickness," an often deadly neurological illness in humans, as well as a disease that has killed millions of cattle, reshaping the landscape and economy in some parts of the continent. |
 | Here's what we know about CRISPR safety – and reports of 'genome vandalism'A movie just recently released called "Rampage" features Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson using a genetic engineering technology called CRISPR, to transform a gorilla, among other animals, into a flying dragon-monster with gigantic teeth. Though this is science fiction, not to mention impossible, the movie captures the imagination of the public and their recent interest and fascination with CRISPR. |
Pheromones in fight against pestsNowadays, everybody is aware of the toxic effects of the conventional insecticides that are used to protect plants from pest insects. The insecticides are harmful to the farmer who sprays them on the field and for the pollinating insects, e.g., bees; and insecticide residues on fruits and vegetables are harmful to the consumer. But are there any safer ways to protect the plants from pest insects? | |
 | Tropical forest seeds use three strategies to surviveThe oldest living seeds found on Earth germinated after resting more than 30,000 years in Arctic soils. But in the humid tropics, seeds do not last. "A long-lived seed in the tropics is probably only a few decades old. This may not seem like much time, but it is critical to reestablish trees after deforestation and ensure species' survival," said Camilo Zalamea, post-doctoral fellow and lead author of a new paper in Ecology from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. |
 | How clean is your desk? The unwelcome reality of office hygeineIf you work in an office, the chances are there are some colleagues you would rather sit next to than others. But we're not just talking personality likes or dislikes here – what can also be a factor is how clean they keep their desk. |
 | The endangered species list: counting lemurs in MadagascarMost people are familiar with the endangered species list. Officially known as the IUCN Red List of threatened species, it's coordinated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and provides the most up-to-date indication of the health of the world's plants, animals and fungi to guide critical conservation action. |
 | Abandoned farmlands enrich bird communitiesAgriculture and conversion of pristine lands into urban or industrial areas have exerted immense pressure on natural biota due to habitat destruction and fragmentation in industrialized countries around the world. But since the 1900s, farmlands have been increasingly abandoned due to the decline in domestic agriculture and, in some countries, a decline in population. This yields an opportunity for abandoned farmlands to be used as rehabilitation zones for grassland, wetland, and forest animals. However, it has so far remained unclear how valuable for sustaining specific animal communities farmlands, abandoned farmlands, and natural habitats are relative to each other. |
 | A new released Chinese soybean genome facilitates soybean elite cultivar improvementSoybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is one of the most important crops, providing more than half of global oilseed production and more than a quarter of the world's protein for food and animal feed. Studies have indicated that the cultivated soybean was domesticated in China approximately 5,000 years ago and then disseminated worldwide. During the introduction and dissemination process, soybean has undergone strictly genetic bottlenecks, resulting in the accessions from different geographic areas possibly exhibiting high genetic diversity. The current soybean reference genome was sequenced from Williams 82, which is a cultivar domesticated in America. Asia is one of the largest soybean planting and consuming areas, its soybean production is essential for global food security. A high-quality reference genome is crucial for functional analysis of a species. Therefore, it is necessary to assemble a new high-quality soybean genome from Asian soybean accessions to facilitate Asia soybean functional genomics study and elite cultivar improvement. |
 | The Green Big Apple: New Yorkers document the city's plantsSusan Hewitt found a special prize recently while wandering the streets of New York. |
Parasite infections with multiple strains are more harmful to vertebrate hostsThe incredible amount of genetic diversity in parasites means humans are often infected with multiple strains, which could make infections worse and increase the prevalence of the parasite over time, according to a new study. | |
 | Feds weigh options to save ailing endangered orcaFederal biologists are weighing a range of emergency options to save an emaciated endangered orca, including possibly feeding it live salmon at sea dosed with medication. |
 | On the frontline of India's human-elephant warOn the day Yogesh became another of the dozens of Indians trampled to death each year, the coffee plantation worker knew from the fire crackers set off nearby that danger was at hand. |
 | Quota raised for subsistence hunting of Chukchi polar bearsPolar bear hunters in remote villages on the coast of the Chukchi Sea will have higher harvest quotas next year, a sign of the health of the region's bear population. |
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