Science X Newsletter Monday, Aug 13

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 13, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Using multi-task learning for low-latency speech translation

3-D printed biomaterials for bone tissue engineering

Protons may have an outsize influence on the properties of neutron stars and other neutron-rich objects

'Building up' stretchable electronics to be as multipurpose as your smartphone

Novel optics for ultrafast cameras create new possibilities for imaging

The march toward always-on technology may hinder groups' ability to solve complex problems: study

When it comes to regrowing tails, neural stem cells are the key

New study reveals evidence of how Neolithic people adapted to climate change

Schwarzites: Long-sought carbon structure joins graphene, fullerene family

Hydrogen sulfide detected in the protoplanetary disk of GG Tauri A

Best of Last Week–Flaw in emergent gravity, Earth at risk of moving into hothouse state and probiotics causing problems

Thermal switch discovered in engineered squid-based biomaterials

Mathematicians solve age-old spaghetti mystery

US jury orders Monsanto to pay $290mn to cancer patient over weed killer

NASA poised to blast off first spacecraft to explore Sun

Astronomy & Space news

	Hydrogen sulfide detected in the protoplanetary disk of GG Tauri A An international team of researchers has detected hydrogen sulfide emission from the dense protoplanetary disk around the star GG Tauri A. It is the first detection of this chemical compound in a protoplanetary disk. The finding is reported in a paper published August 2 on the arXiv pre-print server.
	NASA poised to blast off first spacecraft to explore Sun The first ever spacecraft to fly directly toward the Sun is poised to blast off Saturday, on a mission to plunge into our star's sizzling atmosphere and unlock the mysteries of the center of the solar system.
	NASA spacecraft rockets toward sun for closest look yet A NASA spacecraft zoomed toward the sun Sunday on an unprecedented quest to get closer to our star than anything ever sent before.
	Historic space weather could clarify what's next Historic space weather may help us understand what's coming next, according to new research by the University of Warwick.
	Network of video cameras poised to catch meteor showers over Meteor Crater Just in time for the upcoming Perseid meteor shower, a new meteor surveillance station has come on-line at Meteor Crater, Arizona. A box of 16 off-the-shelf video surveillance cameras is used to monitor the night sky for meteors over the famous impact crater. Powerful software combines the meteor detections with those at other stations at Lowell Observatory, Lowell's Discovery Channel Telescope, and at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in order to triangulate the meteors and track their motion through the atmosphere.
	'Wow, here we go': NASA spacecraft hurtles toward the sun Embarking on a mission that scientists have been dreaming of since the Sputnik era, a NASA spacecraft hurtled Sunday toward the sun on a quest to unlock some of its mysteries by getting closer than any object sent before.
	A record number of Americans watched the 2017 solar eclipse—and sought science afterward The 2017 total solar eclipse spurred a flurry of interest about solar eclipses, according to the final report of a survey led by the University of Michigan.
	High-speed cameras show MOMO-2 launch failure in unprecedented detail Japanese startup Interstellar Technologies Inc. (IST) has revealed high-definition videos of the unsuccessful June 30 launch of its MOMO-2 rocket. The new footage, captured by industrial high-speed cameras, shows the failure in unprecedented detail.
	Putting the ethics into planetary protection In the coming decades, as we gear up for a more in-depth search for life on Mars, as well as visits to potentially habitable ocean moons in the outer Solar System, should scientists start addressing the ethical concerns of accidentally contaminating these worlds with Earthly microbes, as well as the scientific implications? That's the question posed by a trio of scientists who are arguing for a shake-up in how we think about planetary protection.
	Researcher discusses the launch of the Parker Solar Probe On Saturday, NASA launched a bold mission to fly directly into the sun's atmosphere, with a spacecraft named the Parker Solar Probe, after solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker. The incredibly resilient vessel, vaguely shaped like a lightbulb the size of a small car, was launched early in the morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Its trajectory will aim straight for the sun, where the probe will come closer to the solar surface than any other spacecraft in history.
	Earth mini-moons: Potential for exciting scientific and commercial opportunities The detection of "mini-moons"—small asteroids temporarily captured in orbit around Earth—will vastly improve our scientific understanding of asteroids and the Earth-Moon system, says a new review published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science. These small and fast-moving visitors have so-far evaded detection by existing technology, with only one confirmed mini-moon discovery to date. The advent of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will verify their existence and track their paths around our planet, presenting exciting scientific and commercial opportunities.
	Image: Partial solar eclipse from space Thanks to a quirk of our cosmos, the Moon's average distance from Earth is just right for it to appear as the same size in the sky as the significantly larger Sun. Once in a while the Moon slides directly between Earth and the Sun such that it appears to cover our star completely, temporarily blocking out its light and creating a total solar eclipse for those along the narrow path cast by the Moon's shadow.

Technology news

	Using multi-task learning for low-latency speech translation Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in Germany, have recently applied multi-task machine learning to low-latency neural speech translation. Their study, which was pre-published on ArXiv, addresses some of the limitations of existing neural machine translation (NMT) techniques.
	'Building up' stretchable electronics to be as multipurpose as your smartphone By stacking and connecting layers of stretchable circuits on top of one another, engineers have developed an approach to build soft, pliable "3-D stretchable electronics" that can pack a lot of functions while staying thin and small in size. The work is published in the Aug. 13 issue of Nature Electronics.
	Zephyr S drone may be satellite contender as Airbus sets endurance record A drone has set an endurance record that has made headlines. Specifically, The Engineer and other sites reported it was in the air for 25 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes. The UK-built pilotless drone took off from Arizona and safely landed. Reports said the flight broke a previous endurance record of 14 days.
	Google tracks your movements, like it or not Google wants to know where you go so badly that it records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.
	Researchers showed remote style hack for new Macs What could be a happier moment? You starting work with the setup process of a brand new Mac.
Artificial intelligence has a racial bias problem. Google is funding summer camps to try to change that Through connections made at summer camp, high school students Aarzu Gupta and Lili Sun used artificial intelligence to create a drone program that aims to detect wildfires before they spread too far.
	T-Mobile's magenta semitruck hits the road to showcase 5G technology T-Mobile's next magenta-heavy, super-visible campaign won't be encouraging customers to switch to the company's cellphone service. Instead, the Bellevue, Wash., carrier plans to take a decked-out semitruck around the country to showcase its ideas for the next generation of wireless connectivity, 5G, and how it envisions people and businesses making use of it.
	US students turn grief into tech startup after France attack California college student Anjali Banerjee was watching fireworks during a 2016 celebration on a seafront promenade in the French city of Nice when a man plowed a huge truck through the crowd, killing 86 people and wounding 200.
	Tesla CEO Musk taunts short sellers amid legal scrutiny Tesla CEO Elon Musk used Twitter late Friday to taunt investors who have bet against his company, even though his previous Twitter comments have spurred a government investigation and shareholder lawsuits.
Tesla: Musk's tweet a bridge too far? Tesla chief executive Elon Musk got into legal hot water this week after announcing on Twitter he had sufficient financing already in hand to take the electric automaker private.
	Threat from on high: race on to bolster drone defences From hand-held copters that zoom around the living room to high-speed craft offering the sensation of flying over the countryside, drones have won over legions of fans—and are proving a growing challenge for security authorities.
	Beware the fax machine: some hackers target old gadgets What could be less threatening than the old office fax machine? Nothing. That's precisely why it's used as a backdoor for hackers to get into an organization's network.
	Bayer shares plunge after Monsanto cancer ruling Shares in German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer tumbled more than 10 percent as markets opened Monday, as investors reacted to a shock US ruling against freshly-acquired Monsanto.
	How to find and delete where Google knows you've been Even if "Location History" is off on your phone, Google often stores your precise location.
	Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable Wealth-generating, flat-pack solar houses and a profit-sharing scheme that incentivises retrofitting are bringing sustainable living to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it.
	New water simulation captures small details even in large scenes When designers select a method for simulating water and waves, they have to choose either fast computation or realistic effects; state-of-the-art methods are only able to optimize one or the other. Now, a method developed by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) and NVIDIA bridges this gap. Their simulation method can reproduce complex interactions with the environment and tiny details over huge areas—all in real time. Moreover, the basic construction of the method allows graphics designers to easily create artistic effects. The authors will present their work at the annual top conference for computer graphics: SIGGRAPH 2018, where IST Austria researchers are presenting a total of five different projects.
	Fake news isn't just bad news—it's bad for the bottom line, too Note to Mark Zuckerberg: Beware of misinformation
	Elon Musk says in talks with Saudis on taking Tesla private Tesla chief executive Elon Musk disclosed Monday that he was in talks with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and other investors to take the electric automaker private.
Amazon is no longer a Seattle company. Here's what that will mean for future workers and its second headquarters Amazon isn't just a Seattle company anymore, and a visit to its offices in this university city explains why.
	There's a reason Siri, Alexa and AI are imagined as female – sexism Virtual assistants are increasingly popular and present in our everyday lives: literally with Alexa, Cortana, Holly, and Siri, and fictionally in films Samantha (Her), Joi (Blade Runner 2049) and Marvel's AIs, FRIDAY (Avengers: Infinity War), and Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming). These names demonstrate the assumption that virtual assistants, from SatNav to Siri, will be voiced by a woman. This reinforces gender stereotypes, expectations, and assumptions about the future of artificial intelligence.
	Netflix CFO leaving TV streaming titan Netflix chief financial officer David Wells on Monday announced plans to hand his job off to a successor and then focus on philanthropy.

Medicine & Health news

	3-D printed biomaterials for bone tissue engineering When skeletal defects are unable to heal on their own, bone tissue engineering (BTE), a developing field in orthopedics can combine materials science, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to facilitate bone repair. Materials scientists aim to engineer an ideal biomaterial that can mimic natural bone with cost-effective manufacturing techniques to provide a framework that offers support and biodegrades as new bone forms. Since applications in BTE to restore large bone defects are yet to cross over from the laboratory bench to clinical practice, the field is active with burgeoning research efforts and pioneering technology.
	Rotavirus vaccine cuts infant diarrhoea deaths by a third in Malawi A major new study has shown that rotavirus vaccination reduced infant diarrhoea deaths by 34% in rural Malawi, a region with high levels of child deaths.
	Genetic tools uncover cause of childhood seizure disorder missed by other methods Early childhood seizures result from a rare disease that begin in the first months of life. Researchers at University of Utah Health have developed high-tech tools to uncover the genetic cause of the most difficult to diagnose cases. The results are available online on August 13 in the journal Nature Genomic Medicine.
	Researchers predict risk for common deadly diseases from millions of genetic variants A research team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School reports a new kind of genome analysis that could identify large fractions of the population who have a much higher risk of developing serious common diseases, including coronary artery disease, breast cancer, or type 2 diabetes.
	'Undruggable' cancers slowed by targeting growth signals As many as 50 percent of human cancer cases—across a wide variety of tissues—involve defects in a common cellular growth signaling pathway. These defects have so far defied most attempts to develop targeted therapies, leading some in the field to conclude that they may be "undruggable." Now researchers at UC San Francisco and Redwood City-based Revolution Medicines, Inc, have identified a new strategy for potentially treating a subset of such intractable cancers by decoupling the entire RAS / MAP Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway from external growth signals.
	Artificial intelligence platform screens for acute neurological illnesses An artificial intelligence platform designed to identify a broad range of acute neurological illnesses, such as stroke, hemorrhage, and hydrocephalus, was shown to identify disease in CT scans in 1.2 seconds, faster than human diagnosis, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the journal Nature Medicine.
	Scientists turn unexpected brain study results into research tool Puzzled by their experimental results, a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital investigated why a research tool that was expected to suppress neuronal activity actually was stimulating it. Their findings led them to modify the research tool in ways that minimize the undesired effects, transforming it into a more useful technique to study neuronal function. The study appears in eLife.
	The medicine of the future against infection and inflammation? Researchers at Lund University in Sweden, have in collaboration with colleagues in Copenhagen and Singapore, mapped how the body's own peptides act to reduce infection and inflammation by deactivating the toxic substances formed in the process. The study is published in Nature Communications and the researchers believe their discovery could lead to new drugs against infection and inflammation, for example in wound healing.
	Study identifies chaperone protein implicated in Parkinson's disease Reduced levels of a chaperone protein might have implications for the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, according to new research from investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Findings published in the Journal of Neuroscience indicate that the reduction of chaperone protein 14-3-3 could lead to misfolding and spread of a key brain protein from one brain region to another.
	Double discovery reveals insights behind brain degeneration Research discoveries revealing the genetic causes of neurological degeneration could be a key to slowing the progression of devastating diseases.
	Breast cancers enlist the help of normal cells to help them spread and survive Australian researchers have uncovered a secret communication hotline between breast cancers and the normal cells surrounding them. Importantly, the messages sent back and forth between the normal and tumor cells encourage the cancer to survive and to become more aggressive.
	Disrupted nitrogen metabolism might spell cancer Nitrogen is a basic building block of all the body's proteins, RNA and DNA, so cancerous tumors are greedy for this element. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in collaboration with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and elsewhere, have now shown that in many cancers, the patient's nitrogen metabolism is altered, producing detectable changes in the body fluids and contributing to the emergence of new mutations in cancerous tissue. The study's findings, published recently in Cell, may in the future facilitate early detection of cancer and help predict the success of immunotherapy.
	Team finds missing immune cells that could fight lethal brain tumors Glioblastoma brain tumors can have an unusual effect on the body's immune system, often causing a dramatic drop in the number of circulating T-cells that help drive the body's defenses.
	During HIV infection, antibody can block B cells from fighting pathogens For the first time, scientists have shown that in certain people living with HIV, a type of antibody called immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) stops the immune system's B cells from doing their normal job of fighting pathogens. This phenomenon appears to be one way the body tries to reduce the potentially damaging effects of immune-system hyperactivity caused by the presence of HIV, according to the investigators, but in so doing, it also impairs normal immune function.
	Study reveals broad 'genetic architectures' of traits and diseases Scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a powerful method for characterizing the broad patterns of genetic contributions to traits and diseases. The new method provides a "big picture" of genetic influences that should be particularly helpful in designing future genetic studies and understanding potential for genetic risk prediction.
	First study on physical properties of giant cancer cells may inform new treatments Polyploidal cancer cells—cells that have more than two copies of each chromosome—are much larger than most other cancer cells, are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments and are associated with disease relapse. A new study by Brown University researchers is the first to reveal key physical properties of these "giant" cancer cells.
	New type of bed net could help fight against malaria A new type of bed net could prevent millions of cases of malaria, according to new research published in The Lancet today.
Men take care of their spouses just as well as women, new research suggests Men respond to their spouse's illness just as much as women do and as a result are better caregivers in later life than previous research suggests, according to a new Oxford University collaboration.
	Experts highlight Ebola vaccine progress and suggest next steps Despite promising advances, important scientific questions remain unanswered in the effort to develop a safe and effective Ebola vaccine, according to members of an international Ebola research consortium. In a Viewpoint published in The Lancet, the experts review the current field of Ebola vaccine candidates and clinical trials and highlight key gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed by future research.
Vaccine row erupts in Italy as populist govt seeks to ease rules A row is erupting over vaccines in Italy as the country's new populist government fights to roll back a law that bans children from attending school if they haven't received a series of jabs.
	In the game of online dating, men and women try to level up, study finds In the world of online dating, men and women look to find someone a little out of their league, according to a new study. Scientists who analyzed user data from a popular dating site have found that heterosexual men and women reach out to potential dating partners who are on average about 25 percent more attractive than they are.
College students may face pressures from opioid epidemic's secondary effects About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate Penn State Lehigh Valley researchers.
	Rude to your coworker? Think of the children When people are rude to their coworkers or treat them badly, they probably don't realize the unintended victims in that encounter could be the coworkers' children. Women who experience incivility in the workplace are more likely to engage in stricter, more authoritarian parenting practices that can have a negative impact on their children, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
	Depressed teens, depressed parents The bond between parent and child extends far beyond sharing similar looks or behaviors, as symptoms of depression in teens and parents appear to be linked, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
Align funding with innovations in health care to improve patient outcomes To encourage innovation in health care, governments need to move away from current siloed funding to funding that encourages collaboration among providers in managing patients who need care in a variety of settings, argue the authors of an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
Study finds Tdap vaccination for pregnant women does not increase risk of autism A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children. The study was published today in Pediatrics.
	The danger of coronary artery compression in children is more common than we think The incidence of coronary artery compression in children fitted with epicardial pacemakers may be slightly more common than previously believed, say noted cardiologists. After reviewing patient records at Boston Children's Hospital, they advocate for stricter monitoring to identify patients at risk and prevent complications. Their recommendations are published as a featured article in the journal HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society and the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society.
	High oxidative stress hampers males' production of powerful blood vessel dilator Higher levels of oxidative stress in males results in lower levels of a cofactor needed to make the powerful blood vessel dilator nitric oxide, researchers report.
Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities have almost double the rate of repeat pregnancy Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities have nearly double the rate of having another baby within a year of delivering compared to women without such disabilities, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Teen pregnancy epidemic feeds Mozambique's population boom In the tiny maternity ward in Murrupelane, two 16-year-old mothers breast-feed their babies, both born that morning.
	Doctor-patient discussions neglect potential harms of lung cancer screening, study finds Although national guidelines advise doctors to discuss the benefits and harms of lung cancer screening with high-risk patients because of a high rate of false positives and other factors, those conversations aren't happening the way they should be, according to a study by researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
	Benzodiazepines associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease The use of benzodiazepines and related drugs (Z drugs) is associated with a modestly increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. The risk increase was similar with both benzodiazepines and Z drugs regardless of their half-life. The results were published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
	Mechanism of fibrosis development discovered Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an incurable lung disease of unknown origin with limited treatment options. Research suggests that the signaling molecule WNT5A plays a key role in the pathogenic process. Now, a group of scientists from Helmholtz Center Munich, working with colleagues from the University of Denver, have taken a further step toward uncovering the mechanisms responsible for the development of fibrosis: IPF is associated with the increase of extracellular vesicles that relay WNT5A signals to cells in the lungs. The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, proposes a further pharmacological biomarker and a possible therapeutic approach.
	Scientists unravel the influence of aging on kidney regeneration Autophagy is a process by which cells clean themselves of damaged organelles, and for self-execution. This adaptive mechanism supports a healthy phenotype on the cellular level. Autophagy is activated in certain cases of acute kidney failure (e.g., that caused by the administration of antibiotics or anti-cancer drugs), sepsis, or kidney ischemia. Scientists already know that it is the activation of autophagy that reduces incidence of kidney damage. However, while an organism is aging, the efficiency of autophagy declines, as well. Though the number of lysosomes (the organelles that digest damaged cell components) is increased in old cells, they fail to perform their function. Oxygenated proteins and damaged organelles (including mitochondria that participate in respiration and energy production) start to pile up.
	Five easy ways to boost children's spatial skills When we read maps, pack the car for holidays, assemble flat-pack furniture or cut cake into equal slices, we use spatial reasoning skills.
	Is it time to remove the cancer label from low-risk conditions? Over the past few decades, our understanding of cancer has changed. We now know some cancers don't grow or grow so slowly that they'll never cause medical problems.
	Researchers develop AI platform to rapidly identify optimal personalised drug combinations for myeloma patients A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technology platform that could potentially change the way drug combinations are being designed, hence enabling doctors to determine the most effective drug combination for a patient quickly.
	Closing hospital emergency departments does not lead to more deaths The closure of emergency departments does not lead to more deaths, a new study from the University of Sheffield has found.
New test could reduce preterm birth rate by 30 percent Researchers at The University of Western Australia and King Edward Memorial Hospital have teamed up with an Australian molecular diagnostics company to develop a new low-cost test to identify women at risk of delivering a preterm baby.
	Angry people might not be as smart as they think they are People who are quick to lose their temper are more likely to overestimate their own intelligence, a new study from The University of Western Australia and the University of Warsaw in Poland has found.
	People with dementia and financial abuse – the warning signs and how to avoid it When most of us go online to our internet banking account and set up a direct debit to pay a bill, we probably do it swiftly without much thought. But in reality it's not that easy. In fact, there are a lot of complex processes involved in how we manage our finances, which older people, especially those with dementia, often struggle to deal with.
	Scientists identify why some kidney transplants don't work Scientists have discovered a 'molecular signature' for the allostatic load – or 'wear and tear' of kidneys – which could help clinicians understand why some kidney transplants don't work as well as expected.
	Obesity and diabetes—two reasons why we should be worried about the plastics that surround us Today, nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults and 21 percent of youth are obese. This trend is on the upswing and the worldwide population is becoming more obese – which is increasing the risk of other conditions like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease whose prevalence has doubled globally in the last 30 years. But you may be surprised to learn that it's not just food that is making us fat.
	How gambling distorts reality and hooks your brain To call gambling a "game of chance" evokes fun, random luck and a sense of collective engagement. These playful connotations may be part of why almost 80 percent of American adults gamble at some point in their lifetime. When I ask my psychology students why they think people gamble, the most frequent suggestions are for pleasure, money or the thrill.
Avoid these top five assumptions that may lead to drowning An average of 40 Albertans die each summer from drowning in lakes and rivers, according to the 2018 edition of the Alberta Drowning Report, prepared by Lifesaving Society Canada.
	Gut reaction linked to type 1 diabetes Understanding the link between diabetes and the gut could lead to the development of new therapies to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, according to University of Queensland researchers.
	Why do we get nose bleeds? Nose bleeds, or epistaxes, are often a mystery to the 60% of us who have had at least one in our lifetime. Suddenly, and without obvious cause, bright red blood starts streaming from one nostril.
	Could nose cells treat spinal cord injuries? Researchers have designed a new way to grow nose cells in the lab heralding hope for sufferers of spinal cord injuries, including those who are wheelchair bound.
	Surprise finding—for very sick elderly, lighter sedation won't drop risk of postoperative delirium, study suggests Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say a study designed to see if reducing the amount of anesthesia reduces the risk of postoperative delirium in older patients surprisingly found that lighter sedation failed to do so in severely ill people undergoing hip fracture repair.
	The promise of personalized medicine is not for everyone  Could your medical treatment one day be tailored to your DNA? That's the promise of "personalized medicine," an individualized approach that has caught the imagination of doctors and researchers over the past few years. This concept is based on the idea that small genetic differences between one person and another can be used to design tailored treatments for conditions as diverse as cancer and schizophrenia.
	How taxes affect our wallets and our health When Dr. Michael Hole was a pediatrician in Boston, he discovered a key to unlocking a healthier future for many families – help with taxes.
	Link between common 'harmless' virus and cardiovascular damage Researchers from Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) have found an unexpectedly close link between a herpes virus and the occurrence of immune cells damaging cardiovascular tissue.
	Grip strength of children gives clues about their future health While other studies have shown that muscle weakness as measured by grip strength is a predictor of unhealthy outcomes—including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, disability and even early mortality—this is the first to do so for adolescent health over time, a Baylor University researcher said.
	Study examines how people adapt to post stroke visual impairments A new University of Liverpool study, published in Wiley Brain and Behaviour, examines the factors that influence how a person adapts to visual field loss following stroke.
	Work, money worries leave many musicians singing the blues Researchers from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with the mental health-focused SIMS Foundation, have identified work and financial stress as risk factors that may increase clinical depression and anxiety among musicians, according to new study findings presented at the 36th Annual Performing Arts Medicine Association International Symposium in Orange, California.
	Promoting HPV vaccine doesn't prompt risky sex by teens: study (HealthDay)—Controversial state laws that promote vaccinating kids against the human papillomavirus (HPV) do not increase the likelihood that teens will engage in risky sexual behavior, a new study contends.
	Need to lose weight? Team up with friends (HealthDay)—Researchers have found that having friends who gain weight—especially friends of the same gender—raises your chance of becoming overweight by more than 50 percent. That's far more than if your spouse gains weight.
	A weak grip may signal future health trouble—even in kids (HealthDay)—Weak grip strength in children may point to a higher risk of such health problems as diabetes and heart disease, new research suggests.
	AMA adopts policy on augmented intelligence (HealthDay)—The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has adopted a policy on augmented intelligence, according to a report published in the association's AMA Wire.
	Sufficient preconception vitamin D tied to lower miscarriage risk (HealthDay)—Preconception vitamin D levels may play a role in maintaining pregnancy, according to a study published recently in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
	Military-civilian trauma system partnership developed (HealthDay)—A growing partnership between the Military Health System and permanent civilian trauma institutions is being fostered, according to an article published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
	ACS briefing discusses use of lessons from combat care (HealthDay)—The American College of Surgeons (ACS) hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the successes and challenges of combat casualty care in Iraq and Afghanistan by the U.S. military, and how an integrated military-civilian trauma system can help save the lives of both soldiers and civilians.
	Bundling doesn't cut medicare payments for medical conditions (HealthDay)—Bundling of payments for five common medical conditions is not associated with changes in Medicare payments per episode or health outcomes, according to a study published in the July 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Dermatologist intervention tied to better sun protection (HealthDay)—A brief intervention delivered by dermatologists is associated with improvements in patients' sun protection behavior as well as their satisfaction with dermatologists' communication, according to a study published online Aug. 8 in JAMA Dermatology.
	CDC: rates of opioid use disorder seen at time of delivery up (HealthDay)—Opioid use disorder rates at delivery more than quadrupled nationally from 1999 to 2014, according to research published in the Aug. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Peripheral nerve block provides some with long-lasting pain relief for severe facial pain A new study has shown that use of peripheral nerve blocks in the treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia (TGN) may produce long-term pain relief.
	Wearable devices and mobile health technology—one step towards better health With increasing efforts being made to address the current global obesity epidemic, wearable devices and mobile health ("mHealth") technology have emerged as promising tools for promoting physical activity. However, current literature seems to indicate that these new technologies may serve best as part of a larger overall health plan, rather than working alone to encourage weight loss.
Study of fallopian tubes reveals evidence of 'precursor escape'—a novel concept in high-grade serous carcinoma More than two-thirds of women with ovarian cancer have high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). Up to 90 percent of HGSCs are not detected until they are beyond the ovaries or fallopian tubes, at which point it may not be possible to fully remove the tumor. Many of these cancers are now known to originate in the fallopian tube, which is the site where almost all early HGSCs are discovered in healthy women undergoing resection of fallopian tubes. In contrast, among women who first come into the clinic with symptoms of advanced HGSC that has already spread beyond the gynecological region, clinicians can often find little or no evidence of malignancy in the fallopian tubes. Christopher Crum, MD, in the BWH Division of Women's and Perinatal Pathology, describes this as the great mystery of HGSC.
	Brief interventions during routine care reduce alcohol use among men with HIV Among the more than 1 million people in the U.S. living with HIV, 19 percent meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder. The consequences can be severe, with heavy drinking associated with increased liver disease, greater engagement in risky sexual behavior, lower adherence to antiretroviral therapy and greater risk of death.
	Bariatric surgery lowers microvascular disease risk (HealthDay)—Bariatric surgery is tied to lower overall incidence of microvascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	C. difficile tied to increased graft loss in solid organ recipients (HealthDay)—For solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increased graft loss, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
	Eye examination can help detect abuse in children (HealthDay)—Eye examination is helpful for detecting abnormalities that could indicate abuse in children, according to a clinical report published in the August issue of Pediatrics.
	FDA warns against long-term azithromycin use for some (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning patients with cancers of the blood or lymph nodes who undergo a donor stem cell transplant not to take azithromycin, as long-term use of the antibiotic has been associated with increased risk of cancer relapse.
	Neurodevelopmental anomalies, birth defects linked to Zika ID'd (HealthDay)—Many children of mothers with evidence of confirmed or possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy do not undergo all recommended evaluations, according to a Vital Signs report published in the Aug. 10 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Should doctors ask patients about their sexual orientation? Asking about patients' sexual orientation is not routine, even among medical professionals who specialize in sexual health.
	Drop the C-word to reduce anxiety and overtreatment, say experts Medical researchers are calling for the word 'cancer' to be dropped from some doctor-patient conversations in a bid to reduce patient anxiety and harm from over treatment.The appeal in today's BMJ follows mounting evidence that patients who are told they have 'cancer' for low risk conditions more often choose surgery than those whose condition is described with terms such as 'lesions' or 'abnormal cells'.
Policy changes can help ease roadblocks to a healthy diet Diet modification can be a vital step to prevent cardiovascular disease. While various biological, economical, physical, social and psychological factors influence food choices, interventions targeting these factors can lead to meaningful improvements in long-term eating habits, according to a review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Rethinking the stroke rule 'time is brain' In 1993, neurologist Camilo R. Gomez, MD, coined a phrase that for a quarter century has been a fundamental rule of stroke care: "Time is brain!"
	Researchers create specialized delivery methods to help treat cancer, other disorders More than 100 years ago, German Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich popularized the "magic bullet" concept—a method that clinicians might one day use to target invading microbes without harming other parts of the body. Although chemotherapies have been highly useful as targeted treatments for cancer, unwanted side effects still plague patients. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have demonstrated that specialized nucleic acid-based nanostructures could be used to target cancer cells while bypassing normal cells.
	Online forum may provide specialized suicide prevention support for males New research illuminates how some men and boys who are contemplating suicide are finding emotional support in an unexpected place: Reddit.
	Cannabis link to relieving intestinal inflammation explained Reports from cannabis users that the drug reduces the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may finally be explained by new research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Bath showing that endocannabinoids help control and prevent intestinal inflammation in mice.
Addiction nonprofit makes searching for services simple Addiction Policy Forum, a national substance abuse nonprofit, has added Connecticut-specific resources to its online database of treatment centers, facilities and healthcare providers.
Cholera kills 13 in Niger: UN An outbreak of cholera has killed 13 people in Niger's southern Maradi region, which is home to the country's economic capital, officials and the UN said on Saturday.
	Adult-child conversations strengthen language regions of developing brain Young children who are regularly engaged in conversation by adults may have stronger connections between two developing brain regions critical for language, according to a study of healthy young children that confirms a hypothesis registered with the Open Science Framework. This finding, published in JNeurosci, was independent of parental income and education, suggesting that talking with children from an early age could promote their language skills regardless of their socioeconomic status.
	Potential biomarker for autism A study of young children with autism spectrum disorder published in JNeurosci reveals altered brain waves compared to typically developing children during a motor control task. The non-invasive neuroimaging technique used in this study could be employed to detect autism symptoms as early as infancy.
	How the brain biases beliefs People's motivation to cling to desirable notions about future outlooks results from interactions between prefrontal cortex regions, according to a human neuroimaging study published in JNeurosci.
	Francisella tularensis infections from foods unlikely In Germany, 41 cases of tularemia were reported in 2016. The infections are mainly due to direct contact with infected animals or with insect vectors like ticks and mosquitos.
	Researchers develop a walking frame that could keep older adults active, for longer A robotic walking frame that could help older people recover more quickly after a fall or injury, reducing the length of time they need to stay in hospital, is being developed in partnership with researchers at Northumbria University, Newcastle.
	Platelet-rich plasma does not promote stem cell-mediated cartilage repair Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is believed to provide pain relief and help improve joint function in degenerative joint disease, but a new study has shown that it does not act by promoting stem cell proliferation or enhance the cartilage formation capabilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The effects of PRP treatment on cartilage formation and chondrogenesis in the presence of adult human MSCs derived from two different sources are reported in the study published in Tissue Engineering, Part A.
	Injection of novel gene therapy vector prolonged survival in mouse model of Pompe disease A new study has shown that a single injection of a novel adeno-associated vector (AAV)-based therapy can result in improved enzyme activ-ity and glycogen clearance as well as prolonged survival in a mouse model of Pompe dis-ease. Young mice received an injection of AAVB1-GAA gene therapy, which delivers a normal copy of the gene for the lysosomal enzyme alpha glucosidase (GAA), which is mutated in Pompe disease, a lysosoma disease. The positive effects of gene replacement seen in adult mice are described in an article published in Human Gene Therapy.
	Experts highlight new concepts and approaches to the rehabilitation of stroke Stroke remains a leading cause of adult disability, and the global burden of stroke continues to grow with devastating consequences for patients, families, and caregivers. In this special issue of NeuroRehabilitation leading international experts on stroke rehabilitation provide theoretical and practical insights into the steps necessary to push beyond merely compensatory training and onto a level of recovery that is satisfactory for patients.
Amish nemaline myopathy natural history study finds promise for gene therapy treatment A new comprehensive natural history study about Amish nemaline myopathy (ANM) in the Old Order Amish population focuses on the promise of gene therapy for this lethal disorder. Amish nemaline myopathy (ANM) is an infantile-onset muscle disease linked to a mutation of the TNNT1 gene. The study summarizes genealogical records, clinical data, and molecular reports of one hundred and six ANM patients born between 1923 and 2017 and was led by researchers from the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, PA. It appeared this month in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
Racial and ethnic minority patients have lower rates of Medicare preventive care visits Medicare patients nationwide have low rates of preventive care visits—with the lowest rates found in older adults of minority race/ethnicity, reports a study in the September issue of Medical Care.
Women's Preventive Services Initiative says screen all women annually for urinary incontinence All women should be screened annually for urinary incontinence, according to new guidelines from the Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI). Screening should assess whether women experience urinary incontinence and whether it affects their activities and quality of life. If treatment is indicated, women should be referred for further evaluation. The clinical guideline and evidence review are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Biology news

	When it comes to regrowing tails, neural stem cells are the key Cut off a salamander's tail and, in a few weeks, a near-perfect replacement grows. Do the same to a lizard and a new tail will regrow, but it won't be the same as the original. By comparing tail regeneration between the two animals, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that stem cells in the spinal cord are the ultimate limiting factor.
	US jury orders Monsanto to pay $290mn to cancer patient over weed killer A California jury ordered chemical giant Monsanto to pay nearly $290 million Friday for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that its weed killer Roundup might cause cancer.
	Chimpanzee foods are more mechanically demanding than previously thought Chimpanzees are generally known as the ripe fruit specialist among the great apes, but also incorporate other food items such as leaves and seedpods into their diets. Savannah chimpanzees are thought to rely on these non-fruit resources more than their forest counterparts. The mechanical properties of plant foods can vary substantially, but to date, there were no comparative data available for chimpanzee populations living in distinct habitat types.
	How birds learn Songbirds can acquire new abilities both through observation and through trial and error. However, skills acquired with the latter method are more easily adapted to new situations, as scientists at ETH and the University of Zurich have been able to demonstrate. The researchers also see parallels to how children learn.
	Researchers explore new 'smart' approach to metabolic engineering. Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering have developed a new genetic "smart circuit" that could signal an important advance in the field of metabolic engineering. They outline their findings in a study published this month in the journal Nature Communications.
	When these flies want to sniff out food and mates, they wing it Fruit flies don't appear to use their tiny, translucent wings for optimal flight, as one might expect. The speedy appendages seem to be doing double duty, helping the insect sniff out food, mates and other important scents, according to new research from The Ohio State University.
	Why zebrafish (almost) always have stripes One of the most remarkable things about the iconic yellow and blue stripes of zebrafish is that they reliably appear at all.
	Scarlet macaw DNA points to ancient breeding operation in Southwest Somewhere in the American Southwest or northern Mexico, there are probably the ruins of a scarlet macaw breeding operation dating to between 900 and 1200 C.E., according to a team of archaeologists who sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of bird remains found in the Chaco Canyon and Mimbres areas of New Mexico.
	Glyphosate under fire from San Francisco to Sri Lanka Glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup, is the subject of fierce controversy all across the globe and is classified by the World Health Organization as "probably" being carcinogenic.
Monsanto owners call weed killer 'safe' after jury orders big payout Monsanto's German owners insisted Saturday that the weed killer Roundup was "safe," rejecting a California jury's decision to order the chemical giant to pay nearly $290 million for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that the product might cause cancer.
	Governors say ban on land deals could hurt beleaguered bird Some governors in the U.S. West say a new Trump administration directive threatens to undermine a hard-won compromise aimed at saving a beleaguered bird scattered across their region.
	Complex networks identify genes for biofuel crops To improve biofuel production, scientists must understand the fundamental interactions that lead to the expression of key traits in plants and microbes. To understand these interactions, scientists are using different layers of information (about the relationships between genes, and between genes and phenotypes) combined with new computational approaches to integrate vast amounts of data in a modeling framework. Researchers can now identify genes controlling important traits to target biofuel and bioproduct production. The algorithm used in this work has been used to break the supercomputing exascale barrier for the first time anywhere in the world.
	Are they watching you? The tiny brains of bees and wasps can recognise faces Recognising faces is essential for how we interact in complex societies, and is often thought to be an ability that requires the sophistication of the large human brain.
	VOX pops cereal challenge A popular technique for studying genes from different organisms plus a new carrier to transfer them to plants has yielded a powerful tool for understanding crops better.
	Turning the tide on mussel conservation Echyridella menziesii and E. aucklandica are freshwater mussels, which live in soft-sediment habitats in New Zealand's rivers and lakes. Both species are known as kākahi throughout the lower North Island. They are tāonga species to Māori, valued both as a traditional food source and for providing tools.
	Sea stars critical to kelp forest resilience A study by Simon Fraser University resource and environmental management researcher Jenn Burt reveals that sunflower sea stars play a critical role in the resilience of B.C.'s kelp forests, which are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Similar to land-based forests, kelp forests provide essential habitat for species and also help remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
	Young salmon may leap to 'oust the louse' A study by Simon Fraser University aquatic ecologists Emma Atkinson and John Reynolds reveals that young salmon may jump out of water to remove sea lice.
	New app for nature lovers helps create biodiversity network A new University of Alberta app is encouraging Albertans to get back to nature and talk about it.
	Community-based conservation management has positive effect on wildlife Putting land management in the hands of local communities helps the wildlife within, according to new research by a Penn State scientist. A new study demonstrates the positive ecological impacts of a community-based wildlife conservation area in Tanzania. The research is summarized in a paper that appears online [date] in the Journal of Wildlife Management.
	Five things to know about Bayer and Monsanto A cancer victim's surprise court victory over US pesticide maker Monsanto could open the floodgates to a slew of similar lawsuits, potentially leaving the firm's new German owner with a major case of buyer's remorse.
	World's first optical instrument to observe cancer cells in 4-D A new optical instrument to help scientists observe live cells in 4-D and understand what triggers them to mutate and spread disease around the human body has received close to £1m in funding.
	What homebody island birds could tell us about adaptation and evolution In nature, organisms are constantly adapting to their surroundings. It's why animal or plant populations with the same set of genes will do different things in different environments.
	Live salmon released for ailing orca but she doesn't eat Researchers carrying out unprecedented efforts to save an ailing young killer whale in the U.S. Northwest released live salmon into waters in front of the free-swimming orca but didn't see her take any of the fish.

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