Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for September 7, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Curiosity surveys a mystery under dusty skiesAfter snagging a new rock sample on Aug. 9, NASA's Curiosity rover surveyed its surroundings on Mars, producing a 360-degree panorama of its current location on Vera Rubin Ridge. |
 | Cosmic collision forges galactic one ring in X-raysAstronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to discover a ring of black holes or neutron stars in a galaxy 300 million light years from Earth. |
 | Asteroid-deflection mission passes key development milestoneThe first-ever mission to demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique for planetary defense has moved into the final design and assembly phase, following NASA's approval last month. |
 | How phosphorus came in from the coldPhosphorus, which is vital to life but somewhat rare, condensed inside asteroids in the outer Solar System before moving back towards the sun, where some of it ended up on Earth, according to new research. |
 | Almost 500 explosions found in galaxy coresApart from a billion Milky Way stars, ESA's Gaia spacecraft also observes extragalactic objects. Its automated alert system notifies astronomers whenever Gaia spots a transient event. A team of astronomers have found out that by tweaking the existing automated system, Gaia can be used to detect hundreds of peculiar transients in the centres of galaxies. They found about 480 transients over a period of about a year. Their new method will be implemented in the system as soon as possible allowing astronomers to determine the nature of these events. The findings will be published in the November issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. |
 | New research suggest Pluto should be reclassified as a planetThe reason Pluto lost its planet status is not valid, according to new research from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. |
 | The TESS Input CatalogThe Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), launched on April 18, has as its core mission goal to discover small transiting exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars, and to do so it will conduct a nearly all-sky photometric survey over the next two years. For 27.4 days at a time TESS will look at one region of the sky while its 64-million-pixel camera reads out once every 30 minutes in an effort to spot the slight dips in starlight that signal the transit of a planet across the face of a distant star. (Several hundred thousand of the pixels will read out in a two minute cadence to probe more closely high value targets.) At the end of 27.4 days TESS will point to another region of the sky and repeat. |
 | Image: Atmospheric tricks hide sun's powerThis panorama comprises five images showing the sun setting over the medieval and Renaissance town of Montepulciano, southern Tuscany. |
Technology news
 | BrambleBee: An autonomous robot to pollinate bramble plantsNatural pollinators, particularly honey bees, are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. This poses serious risks for agriculture, the economy, and the sustenance of humans and animals. Bees are the primary pollinators of a vast variety of crops, so their disappearance could compromise the work of food producers, ultimately reducing the amount of food available on the market. |
 | Google resolves browser vulnerability, positive response wins praiseOh, no. Never comforting to read of login thefts of any sort and it is small wonder that a security sleuth made news when he discovered an issue with Chrome. Once again, the price of convenience becomes a topic, this time in the offer to save Wi-Fi credentials and re-enter them automatically for your convenience. |
 | Japan's power supply system weak link in times of disasterJapan's ultramodern conveniences, its zippy bullet trains, automated ticketing systems and smart homes work just fine, until the power goes out. |
 | Volkswagen faces German court showdown over 'dieselgate'Three years after the "dieselgate" scandal shook it to its foundations, Volkswagen next week faces a first major court case in Germany over cheating emissions tests on millions of vehicles worldwide. |
Google event on October 9 expected to star new Pixel phoneGoogle on Thursday sent out invitations to an October 9 event at which it is expected to unveil new models of its Android-powered Pixel smartphones. | |
 | Lawsuit accuses Tesla of trying to 'burn' short-sellersA lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Tesla chief Elon Musk of trying to "burn" short-sellers by falsely tweeting that funding had been secured to take the electric car maker private. |
 | Virtual learning: using AI, immersion to teach ChineseTo learn Chinese in this room, talk to the floating panda head. |
 | BA scrambles to address theft of passenger bank detailsBritish Airways will financially compensate customers whose bank card data were stolen in a "sophisticated" and "malicious" hack, chief executive Alex Cruz said Friday as he apologised for the fiasco. |
 | Massive solar and wind farms could bring vegetation back to the SaharaSwitching from fossil fuels to renewable energy is an important and necessary step towards averting climate change. However, in our efforts to go green, we also need to be mindful of other consequences, both intended and unintended – and that includes how a mass deployment of renewable technology might affect its surrounding climate. |
 | AI has already been weaponised – and it shows why we should ban 'killer robots'A dividing line is emerging in the debate over so-called killer robots. Many countries want to see new international law on autonomous weapon systems that can target and kill people without human intervention. But those countries already developing such weapons are instead trying to highlight their supposed benefits. |
 | Key internet connections and locations at risk from rising seasDespite whimsical ads about computing "in the cloud," the internet lives on the ground. Data centers are built on land, and most of the physical elements of the internet – such as the cables that connect households to internet services and the fiber optic strands carrying data from one city to another – are buried in plastic conduit under the dirt. That system has worked quite well for many years, but there may be less than a decade to adapt it to the changing global climate. |
 | What happens when data scientists crunch through three centuries of Robinson Crusoe?Since Daniel Defoe's shipwreck tale "Robinson Crusoe" was first published nearly 300 years ago, thousands of editions and spinoff versions have been published, in hundreds of languages. |
 | As Google turns 20, questions over whether it's too powerfulTwenty years after Larry Page and Sergey Brin set out to organize all of the internet's information, the search engine they named Google has morphed into a dominating force in smartphones, online video, email, maps and much more. |
 | Lesotho emerges as unlikely testbed for 5G revolutionThe mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa has become an unexpected test venue for high-speed 5G mobile technology that is set to revolutionise global communication, transport and entertainment. |
Does technology really enhance our decision-making ability?An Army scientist recently won a best paper award at the Association for Computing Machinery's 26th Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization for discovering that most people cannot distinguish between liking a user interface and making good choices. | |
 | Research takes proactive approach to defending computer systemsA team of researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea have taken a step toward the development of moving target defense techniques in software-defined networks. This is a demanding cybersecurity research topic, scientists said. |
 | US military investing $2 bn in 'next generation' artificial intelligenceThe Pentagon's research wing said Friday it was investing $2 billion to develop a new generation of artificial intelligence with "human-like communication" skills. |
 | Elon Musk muses about life over whiskey and weedEntrepreneur Elon Musk sipped whiskey and puffed a little weed while musing at length about artificial intelligence, colonizing space, and the need to give love a chance. |
 | Tesla's top accountant exits after a month on the jobTesla's top accountant announced Friday he was stepping down after a month on the job, citing the electric car company's frenetic pace. |
 | New tools improve farm nutrient and water managementEU-funded researchers have developed new mapping tools and services to help farmers better manage the application of nutrients and water to their fields and promote sustainable agriculture. |
 | Report: Head of Verizon's AOL, Yahoo in talks to departThe Wall Street Journal is reporting that Verizon's media and advertising chief, Tim Armstrong, is in talks to leave. |
 | Tesla tumbles as new exits raise fresh concernsShares of Tesla Motors tumbled Friday as a pair of executive departures raised fresh concerns for the electric automaker already in turmoil over the erratic behavior of its mercurial chief executive Elon Musk. |
 | Ryanair U-turns on Poland but faces 'biggest' strikeRyanair performed a U-turn Friday, saying it no longer planned to transfer jobs and planes to Poland after a deal with pilots, but nonetheless faced a fresh pan-European strike. |
 | 'Overwatch' eSports expands to new cities, including ParisActivision Blizzard on Friday added six new teams to is "Overwatch" League, including one in Paris, as the city-based approach to eSports headed into its second season. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Scientists developing new blood test to screen for secondary heart attackA blood test that quickly and easily detects whether a person is at risk of a secondary heart attack is being developed by scientists at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. |
 | Jet-air dryers should not be used in hospital toiletsJet-air hand dryers in hospital toilets spread more germs than disposable paper towels and should not be used, say researchers. |
 | New discovery on T cell behavior has major implications for cancer immunotherapyScientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that disease-fighting T cells, elicited from vaccines, do not require glucose for their rapid reproduction, a finding with major implications for the development of immunotherapies for cancer patients. |
 | Bravery-associated cells identified in the hippocampusWhy can some people comfortably walk between skyscrapers on a high-wire or fearlessly raft Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel, whereas others freeze at the mere thought of climbing off escalators in a shopping mall? In a new study, scientists have found that a certain type of cell in the hippocampus plays a key role. |
 | Lonely people stand farther from loved ones, study findsA new study from the University of Chicago found that people who report feeling lonely also say they sit or stand physically farther away from close friends and family. Their "personal space" for intimate partners is larger than those who report less loneliness, even when adjusted for marital status and other factors such as gender, anxiety and depression. |
 | Innovative technique reveals 'core identities' of brain cellsThe human brain is made up of about 170 billion cells, each evolved to perform specific tasks, which raises a key question: What makes these cells different from one another? |
 | 'Mindful people' feel less pain; MRI imaging pinpoints supporting brain activityEver wonder why some people seem to feel less pain than others? A study conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine may have found one of the answers—mindfulness. "Mindfulness is related to being aware of the present moment without too much emotional reaction or judgment," said the study's lead author, Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the medical school, part of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "We now know that some people are more mindful than others, and those people seemingly feel less pain." |
 | Harnessing the power of the crowd could improve screening accuracyAveraging the results from two independent participants improved screening accuracy, whether participants were looking at baggage scans or mammograms, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. |
 | New York State sepsis reporting mandate appears to improve care, reduce deathsA New York State requirement that all hospitals report compliance with protocols to treat severe sepsis and septic shock appears to improve care and reduce mortality from one of the most common causes of death in those who are critically ill, according to a new study published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. |
What is shared decision-making and how does it work for allergists?If you and your doctor chat for a few minutes about treatment options for your allergy symptoms, is that considered shared decision-making (SDM)? It is not, according to a new article published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). | |
 | A joint effort to understand cartilage developmentAnyone with arthritis can appreciate how useful it would be if scientists could grow cartilage in the lab. To this end, Keck School of Medicine of USC scientists in the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Denis Evseenko, MD, Ph.D., collaborated with colleagues at several institutions to provide new insights into how gene activity drives the development of cartilage. Their findings appear today in Nature Communications. |
 | New diagnostic tool for complex cancer casesA new diagnostic tool is expected to result in better treatment of cancer that is difficult to diagnose. The tool was developed by cancer researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy and doctors at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. Their study, which has been published in JCO Precision Oncology, started with a single cancer patient. |
 | Obesity study reports the heritability of adipose tissue compositionA multi-institutional team of researchers led by Jan-Wilhelm Kornfeld, Elena Schmidt and Martin Bilban has made a groundbreaking discovery in obesity research. |
 | Patient-friendly and accurate cardiac damage diagnosisSystemic inflammatory diseases, such as lupus, often cause cardiac damage that goes undetected. An international research team headed by the Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging at the University Hospital Frankfurt was now able to show via heart imaging that cardiac damage can be diagnosed in a patient-friendly way ahead of the clinical symptoms. |
 | Nicotine patch shows promise in treating late-life depressionA Vanderbilt University Medical Center pilot study of treating late-life depression in nonsmokers with transdermal nicotine (nicotine patch) has yielded some promising results, but the study's author cautions that more study is needed. |
 | Former basketball pro has incredibly unique combination of genetic variants that affect height, researchers findSeveral years ago, BYU biology professor John Kauwe got bumped to first class on a flight and found himself sitting next to former BYU and NBA basketball player Shawn Bradley. Even in first class, Bradley's legs were folded under his seat in an awkward and uncomfortable position. |
 | Antidepressants may cause antibiotic resistanceA key ingredient in common antidepressants such as Prozac could be causing antibiotic resistance according to new University of Queensland research. |
 | Evolution of psychiatric disorders and human personality traitsHow and why human-unique characteristics such as highly social behavior, languages and complex culture have evolved is a long-standing question. A research team led by Tohoku University in Japan has revealed the evolution of a gene related to such human-unique psychiatric traits. |
 | MicroRNAs predict recurrence risk of head and neck tumorsA recent paper published in the scientific journal Cell gives an unprecedented insight into the metabolic interactions that occur throughout the body over 24 hours. As part of a large-scale study, the authors constructed 24-hour metabolic profiles of mouse tissues and organs under conditions of energy balance and high-fat diet. Their findings provide an overview of how the various metabolic pathways in the body are interconnected and also reveal suitable time frames for anti-obesity therapies. The study was conducted under the aegis of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University of California Irvine in collaboration with the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). |
 | Fibre can strengthen the intestinal barrierSimilar to patients with Crohn's disease, elderly people with stomach problems have a intestinal barrier that is not functioning optimally. However, fibre can strengthen the intestinal barrier and thus, counteract gastrointestinal problems. This is shown in John-Peter Ganda Mall's thesis in biomedicine at Örebro University. |
 | Do you take all your annual holiday leave? You'll likely live longer if you doDid you skip your summer holiday, or didn't take enough time off during the festive season? You might want to rethink your plans for the rest of the year and 2019. Getting away from work and other commitments could be the key to a longer life. |
 | For millennials, employment is a public health challengeMillennials now make up the largest share of the Canadian workforce and many are facing precarious working conditions. |
 | The science of multitasking, and why you should doodle in classWhen somebody can juggle lots of things at the same time, we often say that they are good "multitaskers." All of us multitask once in a while. |
 | How the brain forgets on purposeResearchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University Hospital of Gießen and Marburg, in collaboration with colleagues from Bonn, the Netherlands, and the UK, have analysed what happens in the brain when humans want to voluntarily forget something. They identified two areas of the brain – the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus – whose activity patterns are characteristic for the process of forgetting. They measured the brain activity in epilepsy patients who had electrodes implanted in the brain for the purpose of surgical planning. The team headed by Carina Oehrn and Professor Nikolai Axmacher outlines the results in the journal Current Biology, published online on 6 September 2018. |
 | Research trial aims to reduce major cause of birth disabilitiesResearchers are beginning recruitment in a trial to see if changing pregnant women's hygiene habits could reduce the risks of a major cause of childhood disabilities. |
 | Discovering the ancient origin of cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic disease in CaucasiansImagine the thrill of discovery when more than 10 years of research on the origin of a common genetic disease, cystic fibrosis (CF), results in tracing it to a group of distinct but mysterious Europeans who lived about 5,000 years ago. |
 | Why do people talk politics online? Because they don't care what you thinkWading into a political debate online can be a minefield. Search any comment section or thread on a social media site, and you're likely to come across some pretty strong views. But that's not necessarily just the nature of the debate. It could also reflect the kind of personalities that are drawn to online discussions of this kind. |
 | Considering surgery for endometriosis? Here's what you need to knowBetween 1% and 10% of Australian women have endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus, the endometrium, grows outside the womb. |
 | Removal of GP incentives associated with decline in quality of careThe removal of financial incentives for doctors working in primary care is associated with a decline in performance on quality measures, according to new findings by researchers from the Universities of Dundee and Cambridge, and staff from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). |
 | New insights into the epigenome of brain tumoursBrain cancer is the most common form of cancer amongst children and due to the large number of different types of brain tumours, a proper diagnosis is necessary for effective treatment. One EU-supported project has provided tools to improve the diagnosis and outcome predictions of patients with brain tumours. |
 | Scientists closer to slowing progression of Alzheimer'sA breakthrough by Wits scientists could see patients with Alzheimer's use a nasal spray to slow down the progression of the disease, the main cause of dementia. |
 | New toolkit to assess musculoskeletal health in older peopleA new way to assess the impact of normal ageing on bones, joints and muscles has been proposed that could provide a benchmark for how well older people are able to keep moving. |
 | Flu plane: Are we really ready for a global pandemic?An Emirates airliner was quarantined at John F Kennedy International Airport on September 5 after several passengers reported flu-like symptoms. Oxiris Barbot, New York City's acting health commissioner, said the cause of the illness was "probably influenza". |
 | Difficult childhood experiences could make us age prematurely – new researchWe know that comparatively disadvantaged people, even in rich countries, have worse health and shorter life expectancy than others. But what is it exactly about socioeconomic disadvantage and other environmental difficulties that affects our biology? And at what age are we most vulnerable to these effects? |
 | Canine melanoma study identifies genetic basis of disease, potential drug targetsAs a veterinarian, Dr. Carolyn Duregger is familiar with the telltale signs of canine melanoma. So when she gave her own dog, Parker, a routine oral examination, the 1-centimeter-diameter discolored lump in the pup's upper right gums took her breath away. |
Dangerous blood pressure spikes among blacks happen five times more often than averageBlack adults experience dangerous spikes in high blood pressure, called a hypertensive crisis, at a rate that is five times the national average, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Hypertension 2018 Scientific Sessions, an annual conference focused on recent advances in hypertension research. | |
 | LGBT Americans typically poorer than straight peers: study(HealthDay)—LGBT people in the United States are more likely than their straight counterparts to be poor, and this is especially true for women, a new study says. |
 | Say no to yo-yo dieting(HealthDay)—New to weight loss or tired of yo-yo dieting? Learning "stability skills" first may lead to greater long-term weight loss success. |
 | Social determinants linked to provision of primary care(HealthDay)—Social determinants are associated with provision of primary care services, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Family Medicine. |
 | Increased corticomotor excitability ID'd in restless legs(HealthDay)—For patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS), the primary motor cortex (M1) exhibits hyperexcitability, which is associated with disease severity, according to a study published recently in Sleep Medicine. |
 | Personalized weighting could enhance hospital rating tools(HealthDay)—The weighting systems that underlie hospital performance rating tools should incorporate the needs, values, and preferences of patients, according to a perspective article published in the Aug. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Metabolite analysis IDs pathways associated with WTC-lung injury(HealthDay)—Machine learning approaches to metabolite analysis can predict key pathways contributing to lung function loss associated with World Trade Center Lung Injury (WTC-LI), according to a small study published online Sept. 3 in BMJ Open Respiratory Research. |
 | Bigger cut in smoke exposure for immediate nicotine reduction(HealthDay)—Immediate reduction of nicotine in cigarettes leads to significantly greater decreases in biomarkers of smoke exposure than gradual reductions in nicotine levels, according to a study published in the Sept. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
 | Adding fish oil in pregnancy may lead to higher child BMI(HealthDay)—Supplementation with n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) in pregnancy leads to higher body mass index (BMI) in offspring at age 6 years, but no increase in the proportion of obese children, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in The BMJ. |
 | AAP updates recommendations for pediatric flu vaccination(HealthDay)—All children and adolescents are advised to undergo annual influenza immunization, ideally with an inactivated influenza vaccine, according to a policy statement published online Sept. 3 in Pediatrics. |
 | With new persistent opioid use, most early scripts from surgeons(HealthDay)—Among surgical patients who develop new persistent opioid use, surgeons provide the majority of opioid prescriptions in the first few months after surgery, but by nine to 12 months post-surgery, most prescriptions are from primary care providers, according to a study recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. |
Immunotherapy may be efficacious in patients with HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcomaAmong a small cohort of patients with HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, more than 65 percent had partial or complete remission. | |
 | Data show big let-up in 'Obamacare' premiumsMillions of people covered under the Affordable Care Act will see only modest premium increases next year, and some will get a price cut. That's the conclusion from an exclusive analysis of the besieged but resilient program, which still sparks deep divisions heading into this year's midterm elections. |
 | Risk gene for Alzheimer's may aggravate neurological effects of air pollution in childrenThere is growing evidence that exposure to air pollution adversely affects cognitive and behavioural development in children. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are, as yet, unknown. Now, the findings of a new study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institute supported by the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, suggest that the ε4 variant of the APOE gene may play a significant role in this process. The study has been published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. |
 | Prisoners need drug and alcohol treatments but AA programs aren't the answerPrisons and drug use are closely linked. Two-thirds of Australian prisoners report using illicit drugs in the 12 months before they entered prison, compared with 12% of the general population in the previous 12 months. Around half of prisoners are likely to meet the criteria for substance dependence. |
 | First positive results of biodegradable implant tests announcedRussian scientists successfully tested biodegradable tibia implants with bioactive coatings out of polylactic acid and calcium phosphate, which might shorten the treatment period by two-four times compared to current world standards. Tests are carried out at Russia's largest Ilizarov Orthopedic Center. |
 | Why we need to research sex more post #MeTooFeminist arguments around #MeToo have become bitter and divisive. Battle lines have been drawn, with discussion in many quarters turning to whether the movement is turning women into victims rather than empowering them. |
 | Break the pain cycle—relax, sleep and recoverExtreme pain is highly destructive, often accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite and mood changes. A novel nerve activity modulator technology addresses the pain and welcome sleep follows. |
 | Researchers identify pitfall in popular prostate cancer PET imaging methodProstate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has become a popular method for determining the stage of a patient's prostate cancer. However, researchers have identified a major pitfall in this imaging technique and are cautioning medical professionals to be aware of the potential for misdiagnosis when relying solely on PSMA PET. The study is featured in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine's September issue. |
Biology news
 | Protein in zebrafish found to keep out sperm of other fishA small team of researchers with the Vienna Biocenter has discovered that a protein that exists on the exterior of zebrafish eggs acts as a sentry—allowing only sperm from zebrafish to enter. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes discovering the protein and the way they tested its purpose. Ruth Lehmann with the NYU School of Medicine writes a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | Two unrelated studies result in discovery of CRISPR-Cas12a inhibitorsTwo teams working independently of one another have identified several CRISPR-Cas12a inhibitors. The first team was made up of members from the University of California, Berkeley, the other had members from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California. Both used bioinformatics tools to scan bacterial genomes for possible inhibitors and both have published their results in the journal Science. |
 | Journey to explore the inexhaustible resource of genetic information found in microorganismsThe microbial production of enzymes, chemicals and fuels could become more efficient and economical with a newly engineered system for controlling genes called "Jungle Express." |
 | Scientists discover new function of heat-shock proteinAn international research team has identified a new function of Hsp90, one of the most common and studied proteins in the human body. The study has implications for the development of new drugs. |
 | New research throws light on factors associated with the decline of Britain's hedgehogsResults from the first systematic survey of rural hedgehog populations in England and Wales using footprint tracking tunnels has been published in Scientific Reports today. |
 | New microscope technology examines cells in even greater detailA new system capable of probing microscopic environments inside cells has been installed at the University of Exeter's Bioimaging Centre. |
 | The dynamics and energetics of locomotion depend on the number of propulsive legsAlthough land animals can move in many different ways, most terrestrial creatures use legs to crawl, scuttle, walk and run about. Leg-propelled animals such as mammals, insects, spiders or centipedes, feature a wealth of differently designed locomotor apparatuses and a wide range of leg numbers. In order to cover distances with energy efficiency, many terrestrial animals exploit mechanisms enabling energy recovery. Such mechanisms can comprise repeated interconversion of kinetic and potential energy due to vertical oscillations of the body's centre of mass or the use of elastic energy stores. They typically occur in bouncing gaits—as found in running bipeds or trotting quadrupedal and hexapedal animals. |
 | Unleashing TIGER on small RNAsEfforts to explore the landscape of small RNAs (sRNAs)—short RNA molecules that are poorly understood—often use high-throughput sequencing (sRNA-seq). These efforts are hampered by a lack of tools to identify, quantify and analyze all the different sRNAs in sRNA-seq datasets. |
 | What's all the 'excitement' about flight?Have you ever wondered how tirelessly the tiny fruit fly buzzes around your fruit bowl? This behavior not only demands tremendous energy but also requires highly coordinated neuronal signaling that enables continuous flight. A recent study from Prof. Gaiti Hasan's lab has uncovered molecules in fruit fly brains required for enabling flight for long periods of time and helps them locate the fruit bowl in your pantry. One of the key proteins identified in this study is the FMRFa receptor (FMRFaR). The authors describe a role for this receptor in a specific class of neurons in the adult fly brain that help the fly sustain flight for long periods of time. The study was published in PLOS Genetics. |
 | The rise of the 'bin chicken,' a totem for modern AustraliaIn just a few decades, the Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) has made itself at home in many of Australia's coastal and inland cities. And aside from the feathered birds we see daily (often foraging amongst garbage), representations of ibis have exploded in popular culture. The humble ibis, it seems, has gone viral. |
 | We've got apps and radars – but can ants predict rain?It's often said that ants can predict impending rain and respond by changing their behaviour. |
 | Shark tourism can change your mind about these much-maligned predatorsShark ecotourism can change people's attitudes about sharks and make them more likely to support conservation projects – even after allowing for the fact that ecotourists are more likely to be environmentally minded in the first place. |
 | Hsp90—more than just a chaperoneResearchers from the Verstreken lab (VIB-KU Leuven) have identified a completely novel function for Hsp90, one of the most common and most studied proteins in our body. In addition to its well-known role as a protein chaperone, Hsp90 stimulates exosome release. These findings shed new light on treatment strategies for both cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. |
 | Study reveals night-time habits of captive flamingosWhat do captive flamingos do at night, when their zoo or wildlife park is closed? |
 | Shoppers could be left in the dark about hazardous hormone-treated beefAs the UK prepares to leave the EU, there are signs that some government ministers would be willing to sacrifice food standards to win trade agreements with non-EU states such as the USA. |
 | Thirteen adult elephants to be collared in Mikumi and Selous TanzaniaThirteen adult elephants are expected to be fitted with satellite collars in Mikumi National Park and Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania during the first two weeks of September. The completion of this exercise will make a total of 20 GPS satellite collars fitted on adult elephants within and outside core areas of Selous Ecosystem. |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future, please unsubscribe here.
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com. You may manage your subscription options from your Science X profile
No comments:
Post a Comment