Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Aug 7

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 7, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Big Data Analytics to automatically detect events in smart cities

Cardiac progenitor cells undergo a cell fate switch to build coronary arteries

Chemical footprint in present-day atmosphere mimics that observed in ancient rock

Gene editing technique allows silkworms to produce spider silk

Physicists find surprising distortions in high-temperature superconductors

Key aspects of human cell aging reversed by new compounds

Hydrogen peroxide-sensing molecule reveals whether chemotherapy drugs are having their intended effects

Pacific Ocean's effect on Arctic warming

Double time limit for embryo research say ethics experts

Million-fold increase in the power of waves near Jupiter's moon Ganymede

Mojave birds crashed over last century due to climate change

When did Aboriginal people first arrive in Australia?

Foot-and-mouth disease vaccination could reduce poverty in eastern Africa

New nanoparticles help detect deep-tissue cancers

How a computer learns to dribble: Practice, practice, practice

Astronomy & Space news

	Million-fold increase in the power of waves near Jupiter's moon Ganymede Listening to electromagnetic waves around the Earth, converted to sound, is almost like listening to singing and chirping birds at dawn with a crackling campfire nearby. Such waves are therefore called chorus waves. They cause the Northern Lights, but also high-energy 'killer' electrons that can damage spacecraft. In a recent study to be published in Nature Communications, the authors describe extraordinary chorus waves around other planets in our solar system.
	Researchers spot an inside-out planetary nebula An international team of researchers has discovered what they describe as an inside-out planetary nebula—a planetary nebula with surroundings that are the opposite of what normally occurs. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes their find and offer possible explanations for its existence.
	Hole in ionosphere is caused by sudden stratospheric warming Forecasting space weather is even more challenging than regular meteorology. The ionosphere—the upper atmospheric layer containing particles charged by solar radiation—affects many of today's vital navigation and communication systems, including GPS mapping apps and airplane navigation tools. Being able to predict activity of the charged electrons in the ionosphere is important to ensure the integrity of satellite-based technologies.
	Can the Parker Solar Probe take the heat? The star of the show is a dark gray block, about the size of a textbook, and several inches thick. As an audience of reporters watches, an engineer runs a flaming blowtorch over the block until its face heats to a red glow.
	A quiet Sunday night discovering a supermassive black hole Earlier this year, on a quiet Sunday night, my colleague Jack and I found the fastest-growing supermassive black hole in the known universe. We were fortunate to be part of the team that made one of the greatest discoveries in astronomy this year.
	Space probe to plunge into fiery corona of the sun On August 11, NASA plans to launch Earth's first spacecraft to venture inside the orbits of Venus and Mercury to touch the very edge of the sun's fiery corona.
	Five things you need to do to build a home on Mars If you had to live the rest of your life on Mars, what would you miss the most? Figuring out how we could we be comfortable living on the red planet is a challenge but with increasing discussion about how to send people to Mars with the ultimate aim of colonising the planet, how to replace the sensation of the sunshine on your face or the grass beneath your feet is prescient one.
	'Great show' predicted for Perseid meteor peak on August 12–13 The Perseid meteor shower, an annual celestial event beloved by millions of skywatchers around the world, is about to make its annual return to the night sky. And thanks to a new Moon, there'll be no bright moonlight to hinder the view.
	Recipe for a spacewalk ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen may be stationed on the ground, but his expertise was vital to the recent spacewalk of two NASA astronauts, Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold. From maintaining constant radio contact on the day, to simulating activities underwater and planning for emergencies months in advance, he shares what it takes to make a spacewalk run smoothly as Europe's second ever ground support in radio contact for a spacewalk.
	1st of Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons released from space The first of Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons finally was released from space Tuesday, 32 years after she died aboard Challenger.
	Image: California fires as seen from the space station The Earth, in all its majesty and its tragedy, is the subject of images taken aboard the International Space Station. This image of the Carr and Ferguson fires was captured by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex), on August 3, 2018, from the station.

Technology news

	Big Data Analytics to automatically detect events in smart cities With a growing number of devices connected to the internet and countless people sharing their live experiences online, a huge amount of useful data is being generated every minute. The analysis of this data could improve the dissemination and understanding of information about traffic, events, and other city-related experiences.
	How a computer learns to dribble: Practice, practice, practice Basketball players need lots of practice before they master the dribble, and it turns out that's true for computer-animated players as well. By using deep reinforcement learning, players in video basketball games can glean insights from motion capture data to sharpen their dribbling skills.
	Testing finds flaws with electronic car safety systems Cars and trucks with electronic driver assist systems may not see stopped vehicles and could even steer you into a crash if you're not paying attention, an insurance industry group warns.
	Engineers teach a drone to herd birds away from airports autonomously Engineers at Caltech have developed a new control algorithm that enables a single drone to herd an entire flock of birds away from the airspace of an airport. The algorithm is presented in a study in IEEE Transactions on Robotics.
	OpenAI Five wins a best-of-three, looks to International next What can happen if computer-controlled bots go up against a team of top human players? The formidable playing team of OpenAI Five managed to defeat human teams at Dota 2 recently, and made a lot of news doing so.
	Chinese tech 'wolf' Huawei stalks Apple and Samsung Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Chinese telecoms behemoth Huawei, likens the company to a ruthless "wolf" tirelessly running down its prey, an ethos that could soon make it the apex predator of the smartphone world.
	If the face fits: Tokyo 2020 to deploy facial recognition Hundreds of thousands of Tokyo 2020 athletes, staff and reporters will be scanned by cutting-edge facial recognition technology in an Olympic Games first, organisers said Tuesday.
	Court's AT&T-Time Warner ruling 'clearly erroneous': US gov't The US Justice Department attacked Monday a court ruling that allowed June's $85 billion mega-merger between AT&T and Time Warner to go forward, saying a federal judge had relied on faulty economics.
	Solar cookout aims to woo traditional chefs, cut carbon The savory aromas of roasting hot dogs and chicken kebabs wafted out of metal and glass vacuum tubes heated by mirrors curved to capture the sun's heat.
	NASA studies space applications for GaN crystals An exotic material poised to become the semiconductor of choice for power electronics —- because it is far more efficient than silicon—is now being eyed for potential applications in space.
	Small indoor greenhouses let apartment dwellers grow veggies You don't need a green thumb to grow vegetables indoors.
	Navajo robotics team heads to international competition A team of Navajo high school students from a remote town in southern Utah is building a robot to represent North America in an international robotics competition.
	Tesla boss Musk rattles Wall Street with tweet on going private (Update) Controversial Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tuesday he was considering taking the company private, sending shares sharply higher before trading was halted.
	TV-for-phone start-up raises $1bn, Hollywood backing Former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg has raised $1 billion in initial funding for his NewTV start-up seeking to tailor television to smartphone lifestyles, pulling in Hollywood's biggest studios.
	BMW to recall 323,700 diesel cars over fire danger: report Germany's luxury automaker BMW is going to recall 23,700 diesel cars in Europe over an engine fire danger, following a similar action in South Korea, a German media newspaper reported Tuesday.
	Hyperloop to build $500 million research centre in Spain Virgin Hyperloop One, a US startup developing a near-supersonic rail transit system, has reached an agreement with Spanish state-owned rail infrastructure company Adif to build a $500 million research centre in Spain, its first in Europe, the two companies said Tuesday.
FCC now says there were no cyber attacks during net neutrality comment period The partisanship in the battle over net neutrality continues, with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai pointing fingers about a claimed attack on the agency's servers during the critical public-commenting period before the Republican-controlled FCC repealed federal net neutrality rules.
	NY mayor signs into law new crackdown on Airbnb New York's mayor on Monday signed into law a landmark bill forcing home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb to disclose information about hosts and imposing hefty fines for non-compliance.
Indian ride-hailing service Ola plans UK expansion Indian ride-hailing service Ola is stepping up its international expansion with plans to launch in the U.K., its second overseas market.
	Materials for solar batteries of new generation are being created at SUSU Alternative energy sources are a means of rational resource saving. Development of nanotechnology is a path toward such alternative energy sources. For several years, scientists at South Ural State University have been working on the creation of solar batteries from organic, light-sensitive material. Such batteries are nontoxic and would provide great advantages in alternative power engineering of the future.
Safeguarding compliance with new vehicle emissions legislation The emissions performance of vehicles is improving, but continuous monitoring is needed to follow the implementation of the new vehicle emissions legislation and compliance with it, according to a new Science for Policy report from the Joint Research centre, the European Commission's science and knowledge service.
US Navy: Welding problem found on missile tubes for new subs The U.S. Navy said Tuesday there's a problem with welds on missile tubes that are going into new submarines.
	Disney says its new streaming service won't rival Netflix Disney's upcoming streaming service won't try to compete directly with Netflix and Amazon, but will focus instead on quality—namely original programs from Disney's "Star Wars," Pixar and Marvel brands.

Medicine & Health news

	Cardiac progenitor cells undergo a cell fate switch to build coronary arteries Cells switch fates and acquire new identities during organogenesis and regeneration as a critical trait, although the mechanisms underlying such conversions are poorly understood. The vasculature provides a biological model to understand this process by differentiating to arteries and veins during embryogenesis, through antagonistic transcriptional programs. The programs include Notch signaling to maintain arteries and COUP-TFs (also known as NR2F2) to maintain veins. During embryogenesis, a portion of the coronary arteries of the heart originate from a vein known as the sinus venosus (SV). Veins can become the source of new arteries during development, although the timing and requirements of vein-to-artery conversion are unknown.
	Key aspects of human cell aging reversed by new compounds Key aspects of the ageing of human cells can be reversed by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter, research shows.
	Hydrogen peroxide-sensing molecule reveals whether chemotherapy drugs are having their intended effects MIT chemical engineers have developed a new sensor that lets them see inside cancer cells and determine whether the cells are responding to a particular type of chemotherapy drug.
	Double time limit for embryo research say ethics experts In countries which already permit embryo research, there are no "compelling moral arguments" why the time limit for experimentation should not be doubled say ethics experts.
	Back to the future—breast cancer reprises pathways found in fetal cells Using just a microscope, Italian surgeon Francesco Durante was struck by the similarities between cells in the most malignant cancers and the embryonic cells of the organ in which the cancer originated.
	Observing the mechanism of metastasis for the first time Metastasis, or the formation of secondary tumors, is a leading contributor to the vast majority of deaths related to cancer. The exact mechanisms for how broken cellular function appears in cells far removed from a cancer's primary tumor remain an area of ongoing research. New work looks to explain a century-old hypothesis for how cancer forms hybrids within the body, leading to metastasis.
	Even quick meditation aids cognitive skills College students who listen to a 10-minute meditation tape complete simple cognitive tasks more quickly and accurately than peers who listen to a "control" recording on a generic subject, researchers at Yale University and Swarthmore College report.
	Genetic diversity impacts disease severity New research offers clues as to why some diseases are highly variable between individuals. The phenomenon is apparent in people with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that causes the light-sensing cells in the eye to degenerate. While some only develop night blindness, others completely lose their sight, even when their condition is caused by the same genetic mutation.
	Genetic factors contributing to 'strabismus'—or misaligned eyes Approximately 2 to 3 percent of children suffer from a condition called strabismus, which is more commonly known as "lazy eye" or "crossed eyes." The majority of cases are thought to involve both genetic and environmental factors. Knowing the genetic causes of strabismus is very important, as it would help estimate risk of developing the condition and increase the chances of initiating early treatment to prevent impaired eye movement.
	Researchers uncover potential new drug targets in the fight against HIV Johns Hopkins scientists report they have identified two potential new drug targets for the treatment of HIV. The finding is from results of a small, preliminary study of 19 people infected with both HIV—the virus that causes AIDS—and the hepatitis C virus. The study revealed that two genes—CMPK2 and BCLG, are selectively activated in the presence of type 1 interferon, a drug once used as the first line of treatment against hepatitis C.
	Mechanoceuticals: Bioengineers use magnetic force to manage pain UCLA bioengineers have demonstrated that a gel-like material containing tiny magnetic particles could be used to manage chronic pain from disease or injury. Broadly, the study demonstrates the promising use of biomechanical forces that push and pull on cells to treat disease.
	Researchers look to worms for a new model of a peripheral nervous system disease Studying transthyretin amyloidoses-a group of progressive nerve and cardiac degenerative diseases caused by the buildup of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) proteins in the body-has long been hampered by the lack of animal models of the disease. Mice, for instance, don't show the same symptoms as humans, even when misfolded TTR accumulates in their organs.
	Cohesive teams can help blend clinical care with education (HealthDay)—Building cohesive teams in teaching clinics can help blend clinical care with education for residents, according to an article published in the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.
	CDC: Half of U.S. adults tried to lose weight from 2013 to 2016 (HealthDay)—Nearly half of U.S. adults have tried to lose weight from 2013 to 2016, according to a July data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
	Biomarker panel may improve lung cancer risk assessment (HealthDay)—Biomarker-based risk profiling has the potential to improve lung cancer risk assessment, according to a study published online July 12 in JAMA Oncology.
Patients with chronic pain feel caught in an opioid-prescribing debate It started with a rolled ankle during a routine Army training exercise. Shannon Hubbard never imagined it was the prologue to one of the most debilitating pain conditions known to exist, called complex regional pain syndrome.
	Paper identifies genes associated with risk for aggressive breast cancer A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has identified specific genes associated with increased risk for triple-negative breast cancer, providing the basis for better risk management.
	The starch risk to teeth An examination of research on oral health, commissioned by the World Health Organisation, has indicated that for oral health we should stick to whole grain carbohydrates and avoid processed ones, especially if sweet.
	Injection of vasoactive intestinal peptide into the eye improves corneal transplant survival A new study in the American Journal of Pathology reports for the first time that injection of neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) directly into the eye of mice enhanced corneal graft survival. VIP produced other benefits, including acceleration of endothelial wound closure, protection of corneal endothelial cells (CEnCs), and improved corneal graft clarity. If proven successful in clinical studies, this novel approach may help alleviate visual loss in many patients with corneal disease.
	Team identifies genes that increase risk for triple-negative breast cancer A research team led by Fergus Couch, Ph.D., a geneticist at Mayo Clinic, has identified specific genes associated with an increased risk for developing triple-negative breast cancer. Their research was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The sun should not set twice before hip fracture repair Optimal timing to reduce mortality after hip surgery in medically stable older patients is on the day of admission or the following day, according to a large study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
	Globally, greater attention needed for seemingly 'minor' kidney damage Rates of Acute Kidney Injury among Irish patients have more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to a new study led by researchers at the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS), University of Limerick. The research is published today in the academic journal, Nephrology Dialysis and Transplantation.
	Low-protein diet during pregnancy increases prostate cancer risk in offspring The offspring of females fed a low-protein diet during pregnancy and lactation are significantly more likely to develop prostate cancer as they age. This is the main finding of a study performed with rats at São Paulo State University's Bioscience Institute (IBB-UNESP) in Botucatu, Brazil. The results of the study, which was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), have been published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
	Teaching your child how to be empathetic Children often are surrounded by people who are different from themselves, especially at school, and it is important that they treat others with respect and empathy, regardless of their differences. Although empathy can be a hard quality for parents to teach, a Baylor College of Medicine expert gives his advice on how they can do this.
	Severely obese people can reduce risk of atrial fibrillation with exercise Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. It's more common in older people, and as it happens, in people who are obese.
	Study finds greater public awareness still needed about dementia Common beliefs and misconceptions in the community about dementia are still proving obstacles to treatment despite a rise in public awareness campaigns, an Australian study has found.
	Research breakthrough could mean an end to dry eyes Australian researchers have made an important breakthrough in understanding the composition of the tear film that protects our eyes, leading to more effective treatments for dry eye disease.
	Unwise opioids for wisdom teeth: Study shows link to long-term use in teens and young adults Getting wisdom teeth removed may be a rite of passage for many teens and young adults, but the opioid painkiller prescriptions that many of them receive could set them on a path to long-term opioid use, a new study finds.
	Responsive parenting intervention results in lower BMIs through age three An intervention designed to promote healthy growth, which taught first-time moms how to respond with age-appropriate responses to their babies' needs, resulted in children having lower body mass indexes (BMIs) when they were three years old.
	Benzodiazepine and related drug prescriptions have increased among young people in Sweden The prevalence rate of prescriptions for benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-related drugs (BZD)—medications used to treat anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric conditions—increased by 22% between 2006 and 2013 among individuals aged 0-24 years in Sweden, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, conducted by Anna Sidorchuk of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues, indicates that during these years in Sweden, BZD prescriptions to young people were usually accompanied by a prescription for another psychotropic medication, and were commonly prescribed for longer than 6 months.
	Learning while sleeping? Our learning capabilities are limited Led by Philippe Peigneux, a group of researchers found that learning capabilities are limited during slow wave sleep. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), they showed that while the brain is still able to perceive sounds during sleep, it is unable to group these sounds according to their organisation in a sequence.
	Female internists consistently earn less than men (HealthDay)—Female internists earn less than men, across many demographic and employment indicators, according to a research letter published online Aug. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Good outcomes for HCV-negative recipients of HCV kidneys (HealthDay)—Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-negative recipients of HCV-infected kidneys experience HCV cure and good quality of life, according to research published online Aug. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Combined digital screening best for detecting breast cancers (HealthDay)—The combination of digital mammography (DM) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) detects 90 percent more breast cancers than digital mammography alone, according to a study published in the August issue of Radiology.
	Fathers need to get involved in the first 1000 days of their kids' lives The first 1000 days of a child's life are crucial. During this time the foundations for optimum health, rapid brain growth and child development are laid. New mothers undergo enormous emotional and physical changes in this time, too.
	The risk of lung cancer for young breast cancer survivors Women who have been lucky enough to survive breast cancer may face increased risk of lung cancers, according to a new study in Radiotherapy and Oncology. The study shows how this can be prevented—limiting the radiation dose to a lung, using a treatment which targets only a small part of the breast.
	How can you treat someone who doesn't accept they are ill? On 3 July 2014, Misty Mayo boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Los Angeles. Desperate to escape her hometown of Modesto in Stanislaus County, 300 miles north in California's Central Valley, the 41-year-old thought the 4th of July fireworks in LA would be the perfect antidote.
	Naltrexone helps HIV positive individuals reduce heavy alcohol use Extended-release naltrexone—an injection that decreases heavy drinking in the general population when taken in conjunction with counseling—appears to help HIV-positive individuals reduce their number of heavy drinking days too, say Yale researchers.
	Childhood obesity grows annual health bill Childhood obesity is costing Australian taxpayers $43.2 million annually—not including the cost of hospital care—and will grow unless prevention programs are adopted, new research by Monash University shows.
	The environmental sustainability impact of foods in the national Dietary Guidelines for Americans The recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are devised to help Americans make healthy food choices for long-term health. But what about the long-term health of the planet that produces these foods?
	Ouija board study highlights ineffective treatment for autism A new study into Ouija board practices revealed how the planchette (or a glass, as is often used) seemingly moves without any of the individual players being aware that they are doing it.
	Unmotivated people benefit more from giving advice than receiving it People struggling with motivation will benefit more from giving advice than receiving it, although most people predict the opposite to be true, according to new research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
	Innovative diagnostic test for tuberculosis could save millions of lives LifeArc, the medical research charity, and the University of St Andrews Infection Group today announced a partnership to develop a molecular diagnostic test for the detection and quantification of tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in patients.
	Red blood cells cause cardiovascular injury in type 2 diabetes Harmful effects of substances secreted from red blood cells could explain the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with type 2 diabetes, the results of two new studies conducted at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden indicate. The studies are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and JACC: Basic to Translational Science.
	Midwives more enthusiastic than doctors about water birth An Australian study of midwives' views on water immersion during labour and birth shows almost 90 per cent believe the practice should be offered to all pregnant women.
	How artificial intelligence can help us eat better Do you have that friend you go out with to indulge on all the scrumptious (and unhealthy) delicacies L.A. has to offer? Or how about that other friend who eats organic and always makes you feel like an unhealthy chicken nugget? Chances are you have both—and you're also probably one of them.
	New insights into the adolescent brain The inner workings of the teenage brain are now slightly less mysterious, thanks to a research team led by University of Delaware engineers.
	Upgrade for virtual brain cell For researchers, making predictions about the outcome of an experiment requires close observation of available data. But in neurobiology, making accurate observations is hampered by the difficulty of measuring the individual cells.
Link between appendicitis and allergies discovered Children with allergies have a lower risk of developing complicated appendicitis, according to a new study from Lund University and Skåne University Hospital in Sweden. The findings, now published in JAMA Pediatrics, could pave the way for new diagnostic tools in the future.
	Humans gave leprosy to armadillos – now they are giving it back to us Leprosy is an ancient disease, the oldest disease known to be associated with humans, with evidence of characteristic bone pitting and deformities found in burial sites in India as far back as 2000 B.C.
	Potential indicator for the early detection of dementias Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a factor that could support the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. This cytokine is induced by cellular stress reactions after disturbances of the mitochondria, the cellular power plants, as neuropathologists write in the journal Cell Reports.
	Study of tick-borne disease dynamics could thwart future outbreaks The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report earlier this year on the increase of tick-, flea- and mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States, but don't panic.
	New immune defenders added to blood cell Our researchers have revealed the identities of new subsets of immune cells at the frontline of our body's defenses against infection.
	Signs your child might have hearing loss (HealthDay)—"Put your listening ears on!" frustrated parents often say. But some kids aren't deliberately tuning out Mom and Dad—they really can't hear them.
	Taking a pill can effectively treat brutal lung disease Researchers report in Nature Communications they figured out why air sacs in the lungs clog up with a thick substance called surfactant in a brutal disease called Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (PAP), and they show taking cholesterol-busting pills called statins can effectively treat the disease.
	Study of 21 retired NFL and NHL players doesn't find evidence of early onset dementia New University at Buffalo research is adding important information to the body of knowledge about the cognitive and behavioral status of a group of retired professional athletes who spent their careers in contact sports.
New method helps determine effectiveness of interventions in reducing spread of HIV Using genetic sequencing to understand the evolutionary relationships among pathogens, an international team of researchers—including several from the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at New York University—has developed a new method to determine how effective interventions are against the spread of infectious diseases like HIV.
	Got the 'drunchies'? New study shows how heavy drinking affects diet They're called the "drunchies," or drunk munchies. It's the desire one has to eat salty, fatty, unhealthy foods during or after a night of heavy drinking.
	Indian-Americans have fewer sudden infant deaths, study finds Indian-Americans have the highest percentage of sleeping with their babies among ethnic groups in New Jersey but the lowest rate of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), a Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences study shows.
	Together, big data, bench science and genome-wide diagnostics predict genomic instability that can lead to disease They are the most common repeated elements in the human genome; more than a million copies are scattered among and between our genes. Called Alu elements, these relatively short (approximately 300 Watson-Crick base pairs), repetitive non-coding sequences of DNA have been implicated in the rapid evolution of humans and non-human primate species. Unfortunately, these repeats also cause genomic structural variation that can lead to disease.
	Experts question benefits of fluoride-free toothpaste Dental health experts worry that more people are using toothpaste that skips the most important ingredient—fluoride—and leaves them at a greater risk of cavities.
	1 in 7 Zika babies born with defects in US territories (Update) About one in seven babies who were exposed to the Zika virus in the womb have at least one developmental defect a year later, said a US study Tuesday.
	How to become an educated patient (HealthDay)—Emergency treatment rarely allows you much time to consider your options. But what about care that can be done on your timetable?
	For school kids, vaccines are key (HealthDay)—Be sure to put vaccinations on your children's back-to-school lists, whether they're just starting school or heading off to college, experts say.
	Factors examined for end-of-life spending levels in cancer care (HealthDay)—Geographic variation in end-of-life spending can be explained by availability of services and physicians' beliefs, but not patients' beliefs, according to a study published in the July issue of Health Affairs.
	Postmortem cardiac implantable device interrogation useful (HealthDay)—Postmortem cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) interrogation can improve the accuracy of identification of the time and cause of death at forensic autopsy, according to a study published in the June 19 issue of Circulation.
	Thyroid dysfunction linked to gestational diabetes (HealthDay)—Higher free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels, but not free thyroxine (fT4) or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), according to a study published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
	Routine X-ray not needed after US-guided central line insertion (HealthDay)—Pneumothorax and catheter misplacement after ultrasound-guided central venous catheter (CVC) insertion are rare and thus do not justify post-procedural chest X-ray (CXR), according to a study published in the July issue of CHEST.
	Disparities remain in prevalence of cancer screening tests (HealthDay)—There are persistent disparities in recommended cancer screening tests among U.S. adults, particularly among the uninsured, according to a study published online July 26 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
	AMA calls for greater electronic cigarette regulation (HealthDay)—The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted several policies to improve the regulation of tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), according to an article published in the association's AMA Wire.
	Most online reviews for spine surgeons are surgeon-dependent (HealthDay)—Spine surgeons are more likely to receive favorable online reviews for factors pertaining to outcomes and likeability/character and negative reviews based on ancillary staff interactions and office environment, according to a study published online July 2 in Spine.
	Study finds behavioral changes insufficient at preventing early childhood obesity Young children and their families in poor communities were able to make some achievable and sustainable behavioral changes during the longest and largest obesity prevention intervention, but, in the end, the results were insufficient to prevent early childhood obesity.
	Soy diets might increase women's bone strength Osteoporosis, decreased physical activity and weight gain are serious health concerns for postmenopausal women. Researchers from the University of Missouri now have discovered through a new animal study that soy protein found in food might counter the negative effects of menopause on bone and metabolic health. Moreover, the researchers believe that soy protein might also have positive impacts on bone strength for women who have not yet reached menopause.
Strictly regulate sale of semi-automatics, accessories, and ammo, urge US trauma doctors The sale of semi-automatic magazine-fed rifles, their booster accessories, and high volume ammunition, should be strictly regulated, to halt the "senseless" firearms violence that plagues the United States, say trauma surgeons in their manifesto for curbing gun injury, published online in the journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open.
	Infectious diseases: Zika virus cases lower, but virus remains a risk The number of reported Zika virus cases is much lower so far this year than at this point in 2017. However, pregnant women remain advised not to travel to areas where there is a risk of contracting the virus.
	Scientists show that light therapy may increase blood pressure in hypertension A team from the Institute of Medicine, RUDN University discovered that light therapy (treating mental disorders with bright light) increased blood pressure in animals with inherited hypertension. It will help to make light therapy safer for patients with essential hypertension. The report was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms in Groningen, the Netherlands on June 21-24, 2018. The conference abstracts were published in the Journal Neuropsychobiology.
	Congo's health ministry confirms 3 more cases of Ebola Congo's health ministry says three more cases of Ebola have been confirmed in North Kivu province as the country faces its tenth outbreak of the deadly virus.
	Silence can be healing for Rwandan youth born of genocide rape Elie (all names are pseudonyms to protect participants' identities) is in his early 20s and lives with his mother in a rural area of central Rwanda. His mother is one of the estimated 350,000 women who were raped during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Elie is the child she bore from that assault.
	Stricter reporting for Chinese medicine clinical trials The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement is an evidence-based set of recommendations for reporting the results of randomized controlled trials testing clinical interventions. First developed by the international medical community in 1996, it was extended in 2007 to include guidelines for reporting the results of acupuncture trials.
	Help for children with severe conduct problems shows promise in open trial A targeted intervention could successfully decrease severe conduct problems and callous traits in young children and help correct their developmental trajectory, a new UNSW study has shown. The work has been published in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.
	Cancer-causing HTLV-1 virus is common in parts of Australia This ancient virus has been infecting humans for over 1500 years, and new figures show a worrisome trend in Western Australia.
	Building research evidence towards reproducibility of animal research Since our debut in late 2006, PLOS ONE has strived to promote best practices in research reporting as a way to improve reproducibility in research. We have supported initiatives towards increased transparency, as well as the gathering of evidence that can inform improvements in the quality of reporting in research articles. In line with this commitment, PLOS ONE collaborated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the impact of an intervention asking authors to complete a reporting checklist at the time of manuscript submission. The results from this trial have recently been posted on bioRxiv and provide a further step toward building the necessary evidence base to inform editorial interventions towards improving reporting quality.
Retired pro football and hockey players learn that CTE isn't inevitable An in-depth study of retired football and hockey players—including cognitive, psychological, and brain imaging techniques—finds no increase in the rate of early-onset dementia, reports the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR).
	Keeping elderly out of emergency A medical program developed by clinicians at one of Australia's largest hospitals, the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH), is successfully keeping elderly aged care residents out of hospital and reducing demand on emergency departments.
	Research reveals new obesity prevention target A team of LSU Health New Orleans researchers has found a lower prevalence of overweight and obesity among youth in Grenada compared to US adolescents. The differences may reflect the impact of the westernized diet and lifestyle. The research may lead to a change in worldwide obesity prevention strategy. The LSU Health New Orleans team collaborated with researchers at St. George's University, and their results are published in Frontiers in Public Health.
	Solid tumors targeted in new CAR T-Cell immunotherapy trial Seattle Children's has opened a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy trial for children and young adults with relapsed or refractory non-central nervous system EGFR-expressing solid tumors. In the phase 1 trial, STRIvE-01, cancer-fighting CAR T cells will target the EGFR protein expressed in many childhood sarcoma, kidney and neuroblastoma tumors.
Ebola vaccinations could start Wednesday in Congo outbreak The deadly Ebola virus has killed at least nine people in Congo's latest outbreak in North Kivu province, the country's health ministry said Tuesday, while the World Health Organization said vaccinations could begin as early as Wednesday.

Biology news

	Mojave birds crashed over last century due to climate change Bird communities in the Mojave Desert straddling the California/Nevada border have collapsed over the past 100 years, most likely because of lower rainfall due to climate change, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study.
	Corn variety gets nutrients from bacteria, potentially reducing need for fertilizer Is it possible to grow cereal crops without having to rely on energy-requiring commercial fertilizers? In a new study publishing August 7 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, researchers describe a newly identified corn variety which acquires nitrogen—an essential nutrient for plants—by feeding its sugars to beneficial bacteria, which can in turn take up nitrogen from the air and pass it back to the plant in a usable form. The variety of corn was initially observed in the 1980s by Howard-Yana Shapiro, now Chief Agricultural Officer at Mars, Incorporated, in a nitrogen-poor field near Oaxaca, Mexico. With the emergence of metagenomics in the mid-2000s, Mars, Incorporated and the University of California, Davis, partnered with the local indigenous community to investigate the corn. The research team was led by Alan Bennett and Allen van Deynze at UC Davis.
	Research reveals molecular details of sperm-egg fusion The fusion of a sperm cell with an egg cell is the very first step in the process that leads to new individuals in sexually reproducing species. Fundamental as this process may be, scientists are only now beginning to understand the complexities of how it works.
	Ability to taste RNA speeds the growth and increases survival of fruit fly larvae Fruit fly larvae can taste ribonucleosides, the building blocks of gene transcripts, according to a new study publishing on August 7 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Hubert Amrein and Dushyant Mishra of Texas A&M Health Science Center and their colleagues. Moreover, the ability to detect ribonucleosides in the environment helps promote the rapid growth needed by developing larvae and dramatically increases their survival.
	New research finds cuckoos change their egg sizes according to their host An international study into the sizes of oriental cuckoo eggs compared with the egg sizes of their four corresponding hosts in Russia has shown, for the first time, that cuckoos vary the size of their eggs to match those of their hosts, providing evidence of evolutionary adaptation.
	Catching the dance of antibiotics and ribosomes at room temperature Antibiotics have been a pillar of modern medicine since the 1940s. Streptomycin, which belongs to a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides, was the first hint of light in the millennia-long search for a treatment for tuberculosis, which remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in human history.
	Invasive crayfish lead to more mosquitoes and risk of disease in Southern California Invasive red swamp crayfish are a serious problem in the Santa Monica Mountains and other parts of Southern California. They devastate native wildlife, including threatened species such as the California red-legged frog, throwing off the natural balance of ecosystems.
	Capturing elephants from the wild shortens their lives Humans have been capturing wild Asian elephants for more than 3,000 years, and this continues today despite the fact that the populations are declining. An international team of researchers has now analysed records of timber elephants in Myanmar to understand the effects of capture. The study shows that even years after their capture, wild-caught elephants' mortality rate remains increased, and their average life expectancy is several years shorter compared to captive-born animals.
	Lab identifies pulling and braking of 'ancient motor' in cell division Researchers at Dartmouth College have revealed how a key protein functions during the millions of cell divisions that occur in the human body each minute. The research describes two separate but coordinated pulling actions generated by the protein dynein that ensure healthy cell division in humans and other organisms.
	Baby sea snails ride waves into shallower waters, study suggests The warming ocean may cause the larvae of bottom-dwelling snails to hatch earlier in the spring, when waves are larger, potentially impacting their ability to survive and serve as food for other sea creatures.
	Seeing the light: Scientists unlock seed germination process The MFT gene stops seeds germinating in the dark or under shady conditions, where their chances of survival would be poor, according to new research from the University of York.
	Top-performing soil microbes could be key to sustainable agriculture Beautiful things can happen when plants surround themselves with the right microbes. A study on Acmispon strigosus, a plant in the pea family, showed a 13-fold growth increase in plants that partnered with a highly effective strain of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Bradyrhizobium.
	Those fragrances you enjoy? Dinosaurs liked them first The compounds behind the perfumes and colognes you enjoy have been eliciting olfactory excitement since dinosaurs walked the Earth amid the first appearance of flowering plants, new research reveals.
Small birds fly at high altitudes towards Africa A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that small birds migrating from Scandinavia to Africa in the autumn occasionally fly as high as 4,000 metres above sea level—probably adjusting their flight to take advantage of favourable winds and different wind layers.
	The bark side of the force What forces enable trees to stand upright? To grow straight, plants need a motor system that controls their posture by generating forces to offset gravity. Scientists have long thought that this motor force was controlled only by the internal forces induced in wood. In a study published on 4 August 2018 in New Phytologist, researchers from the CNRS and Cirad show that bark is also involved in the generation of mechanical stresses in several tree species.
	We still don't know enough about species living around the UK's coastline The UK has a rich history of marine biology, with famous scientists such as Charles Darwin who did pioneering work in the field, and strong research institutions with international expertise in marine sciences. So, surely then, scientists must know everything there is to know about the country's coasts and rockpools? Unfortunately not. While there are scientific names for the overwhelming majority of marine species on the country's shores, we don't necessarily know everything about the organisms themselves – or what lives inside them.
	From devils to superheroes—our complicated relationship with bats Did you know that the collective noun for bats is a "cloud", or that in the first scientific classification of mammals, bats were placed close to humans because, like us, they have two nipples? The book Bat, by Tessa Laird, is full of similar tidbits that you will want to share with others. It is also engrossing, eloquent and beautifully illustrated.
	Scientists shed new light on hepatitis B virus origins Researchers have provided new insight on the geographical origins and global spread of two classes of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to a study in eLife.
	Tropical birds benefit from more forest by rivers in oil palm areas Protected riverbank habitats within areas of oil palm cultivation can play a key role in reducing the negative impacts on tropical bird numbers but need to be increased in size, new research from the University of Kent has shown.
	Many plants can be poisonous to pets and livestock Not all plants are wholesome for foraging animals.
	Genetic 'toolkit' helps periwinkles gain advantage on the seashore Periwinkles, struggling to survive the seashore battleground, have developed a genetic 'toolkit' to help them adapt to different environments, a new study shows.
Women in Fisheries website launched New research exploring women's roles in fishing families officially gets going this week, as the Women in Fisheries project launches its new website.
	Vets ready for rare efforts to save ailing endangered orca Veterinarians are preparing rare emergency efforts to administer antibiotics to a young emaciated orca that's part of an endangered pod and whose survival is uncertain.
War on sharks: How rogue fishing fleets plunder the ocean's top predator It was billed as the biggest poaching bust in history, a monumental win for conservationists.

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