Science X Newsletter Friday, Dec 14

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 14, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

A new technique for synthesizing motion-blurred images

A young star caught forming like a planet

Scientists design custom nanoparticles with new 'stencil' method

Using Wi-Fi signals to perform analog, wave-based computations

Two stalagmites found in Chinese cave offer a way to improve accuracy of carbon-14 dating

A painless adhesive: Adhesives for biomedical applications can be detached with light

Geneticists make new discovery about how a baby's sex is determined

Foveros, Sunny Cove are two big markers in Intel's future

Study shows magnesium optimizes vitamin D status

Early physical therapy can reduce risk, amount of long-term opioid use, study finds

Researchers use jiggly Jell-O to make powerful new hydrogen fuel catalyst

Mars InSight lander seen in first images from space

Magic number colloidal clusters

Video: Enjoying the Geminids from above and below

Archaeologist debunks the myth of "the nearly naked Bushmen"

Astronomy & Space news

	A young star caught forming like a planet Astronomers have captured one of the most detailed views of a young star taken to date, and revealed an unexpected companion in orbit around it.
	Mars InSight lander seen in first images from space On Nov. 26, NASA's InSight mission knew the spacecraft touched down within an 81-mile-long (130-kilometer-long) landing ellipse on Mars. Now, the team has pinpointed InSight's exact location using images from HiRISE, a powerful camera onboard another NASA spacecraft, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
	Video: Enjoying the Geminids from above and below On the night of December 13, into the morning of December 14, 2018, tune into the night sky for a dazzling display of fireballs. Thanks to the International Space Station, this sky show – the Geminids meteor shower—will be viewed from both above and below.
	See a passing comet this Sunday On Sunday, Dec. 16, the comet known as 46P/Wirtanen will make one of the 10 closest comet flybys of Earth in 70 years, and you may even be able to see it without a telescope.
	Innovation increases observable volume of the universe by a factor of seven The detection of Einstein's gravitational waves relies on highly precise laser measurements of small length changes. The kilometer-size detectors of the international network (GEO600, LIGO, Virgo) are so sensitive that they are fundamentally limited by tiny quantum mechanical effects. These cause a background noise which overlaps with gravitational-wave signals. This noise is always present and can never be entirely removed. But one can change its properties – with a process called squeezing, to date only used routinely at GEO600 – such that it interferes less with the measurement. Now, GEO600 researchers have achieved better squeezing than ever. This opens new ways to improve the international detector network in the next observation runs and is a key step to third-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope.
	Actual image of a white dwarf feeding on material from a larger red giant 650 light years from Earth The SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope captured this image of a white dwarf feeding on its companion star, a type of Red Giant called a Mira variable. Most stars exist in binary systems, and they spend an eternity serenely orbiting their common center of gravity. But something almost sinister is going on between these two.
	Exactly how we would send our first laser-powered probe to Alpha Centauri The dream of traveling to another star system, and maybe even finding populated worlds there, is one that has preoccupied humanity for many generations. But it was not until the era of space exploration that scientists have been able to investigate various methods for making an interstellar journey. While many theoretical designs have been proposed over the years, a lot of attention lately has been focused on laser-propelled interstellar probes.
NASA moves liquid hydrogen tank to Huntsville for testing NASA is moving a massive liquid hydrogen tank to Huntsville, Alabama, for testing as part of its plans to eventually return to the moon.

Technology news

	A new technique for synthesizing motion-blurred images Researchers at Google have recently developed a new technique for synthesizing a motion blurred image, using a pair of un-blurred images captured in succession. In their paper, pre-published on arXiv, the researchers outlined their approach and evaluated it against several baseline methods.
	Foveros, Sunny Cove are two big markers in Intel's future Intel Architecture Day has come and gone but five hours of presentations have left lasting impressions that Intel is all fired up on innovation. "Intel covered a good amount of ground at the Architecture Day," wrote AnandTech.
	Bug may have exposed photos from 7M Facebook users Facebook's privacy controls have broken down yet again, this time through a software flaw affecting nearly 7 million users who had photos exposed to a much wider audience than intended.
	Study reveals how Chinese travellers use technology abroad Traditional cultural values and government policy influence how Chinese backpackers use technology while travelling, according to new research by the University of East Anglia (UEA).
	Apple upstages Amazon in selecting new tech hub locations One tech giant strung dozens of North American cities through a circus-like contest that led mayors and governors to desperately pitch their regions—and offer huge sums of public money—in hopes of landing a gleaming new corporate campus. The other swept in quietly before making its big move.
	Phantom project: Student 3-D prints first full 'human' for radiation therapy research At just 1 year old, she is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 15 pounds. She can hold 36 gallons of water for up to 4 1/2 hours. She has a detachable head but remains faceless. Her name is Marie, and no, this is not her online profile.
	Marriage just a click away for China's desperate single men Marriage to a Vietnamese bride is just a click—and a few thousand dollars—away on a blizzard of Chinese websites promising to solve the "single problems" of China's men.
United Airlines could power jets with biofuel made from trash A new plant in Gary, Ind., plans to turn hundreds of thousands of tons of trash into fuel, some of which could end up powering United Airlines' planes.
	How Amazon delivers holiday gifts from the buy button to your door: Go inside a fulfillment center A couple of weeks before Christmas, the inside of an Amazon Robotics fulfillment center near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport looks more industrial than anything having to do with holiday shopping.
California texting tax: What we know about the proposal A proposal this week by a California commission to impose a "texting tax" has raised more questions than answers. Here's what we know so far:
	Are computer-aided decisions actually fair? Algorithmic fairness is increasingly important because as more decisions of greater importance are made by computer programs, the potential for harm grows. Today, algorithms are already widely used to determine credit scores, which can mean the difference between owning a home and renting one. And they are used in predictive policing, which suggests a likelihood that a crime will be committed, and in scoring how likely a criminal will commit another crime in the future, which influences the severity of sentencing.
	Soybean oil driving technology to improve roadways Holiday drivers who find that roadwork is driving them crazy may find in future years that a Purdue University-affiliated startup can seal the deal for a merrier journey.
	How wireless recharging works – and doesn't, yet Though the days of hardwired wall-mounted phones are ending and wireless internet connections are common at home and on the go, people are still dependent on cords to charge their mobile devices. My research, and that of others in the field, is working toward the vision of removing power cords by recharging batteries wirelessly.
	Predicting the accuracy of a neural network prior to training Constructing a neural network model for each new dataset is the ultimate nightmare for every data scientist. What if you could forecast the accuracy of the neural network earlier thanks to accumulated experience and approximation? This was the goal of a recent project at IBM Research and the result is TAPAS or Train-less Accuracy Predictor for Architecture Search (click for demo). Its trick is that it can estimate, in fractions of a second, classification performance for unseen input datasets, without training for both image and text classification.
	'No evidence' of Huawei spying, says German IT watchdog Germany's IT watchdog has expressed scepticism about calls for a boycott of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, saying it has seen no evidence the firm could use its equipment to spy for Beijing, news weekly Spiegel reported Friday.
Smaller Amazon Go store tested in Seattle as retailer eyes new venues Amazon continues its experiments with new physical retail formats and technologies, this time with a shrunken version of its no-checkout convenience stores.
The best laptops of 2018 In almost every dorm room, library, coffee shop, office and airport around the world, you will find someone with their head buried in a laptop.
	Applying emerging technology to solve environmental challenges Technology and environmental sustainability leaders must work together on collaborative solutions to unlock the power of emerging technology to address the challenges of environmental sustainability, including those related to climate change and responsible water management.

Medicine & Health news

	Geneticists make new discovery about how a baby's sex is determined Medical researchers at Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute have made a new discovery about how a baby's sex is determined—it's not just about the X-Y chromosomes, but involves a 'regulator' that increases or decreases the activity of genes which decide if we become male or female.
	Study shows magnesium optimizes vitamin D status A randomized trial by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers indicates that magnesium optimizes vitamin D status, raising it in people with deficient levels and lowering it in people with high levels.
	Early physical therapy can reduce risk, amount of long-term opioid use, study finds Patients who underwent physical therapy soon after being diagnosed with pain in the shoulder, neck, low back or knee were approximately 7 to 16 percent less likely to use opioids in the subsequent months, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Duke University School of Medicine.
	HIV vaccine protects non-human primates from infection For more than 20 years, scientists at Scripps Research have chipped away at the challenges of designing an HIV vaccine. Now new research, published in Immunity, shows that their experimental vaccine strategy works in non-human primates.
	Self-perception and reality seem to line-up when it comes to judging our own personality When it comes to self-assessment, new U of T research suggests that maybe we do have a pretty good handle on our own personalities after all.
	Wiring diagram of the brain provides a clearer picture of brain scan data Already affecting more than five million Americans older than 65, Alzheimer's disease is on the rise and expected to impact more than 13 million people by 2050. Over the last three decades, researchers have relied on neuroimaging—brain scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) - to study Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Yet these studies have so far failed to deliver consistent findings, leaving scientists with no clear path to finding treatments or cures.
Does diabetes damage brain health? (HealthDay)—Diabetes has been tied to a number of complications such as kidney disease, but new research has found that older people with type 2 diabetes can also have more difficulties with thinking and memory.
Cannabis-based drug in combination with other anti-spasticity drugs may help to relieve symptoms of motor neuron disease Oral spray containing two compounds derived from the cannabis plant reduced spasticity compared with placebo in patients already taking anti-spasticity drugs.
Stress in new mothers causes lasting health risks, depending on race, ethnicity, poverty African-American women undergo more physical "wear-and-tear" during the first year after giving birth than Latina and white women, a consequence that may have long-lasting health effects, according to a study of a diverse group of more than 2,400 low-income women.
Are scooters safe? Government scientists study health risks as scooters descend on cities Narrow, motorized scooters whisking riders around cities like Austin and Los Angeles are meant to alleviate traffic congestion, encourage public transit and offer a cheap transportation alternative.
	On Christmas Eve, Santa delivers presents—and a few extra heart attacks If you think of the night before Christmas as a time for hot cocoa, cozy fires and Bing Crosby albums, a new discovery by Swedish researchers may well break your heart:
	As surgeons tout robot-assisted breast cancer surgeries, safety remains a question Is doing major surgery through small incisions better for the patient than more traumatic traditional methods?
	The media's holiday suicide myth will never die After almost 20 years of debunking the erroneous claim that suicide rates surge around the holidays, Daniel Romer has reached a conclusion.
	Metabolic syndrome increases risk of pregnancy complications Research led by the University of Adelaide shows that metabolic syndrome in pregnant women increases their risk for pregnancy complications including preeclampsia and gestational diabetes by 2-4 times.
	Key factors for family satisfaction with nursing homes In recent months, news headlines have included numerous investigations into cases of nursing home staff shortages and resident maltreatment—many of which were reported by the families of vulnerable residents.
	The immune system's supercell—how it matures Natural killer cells (NK cells), play an important role in the body's defences against cancer and infections. Now, in a joint project, researchers at Lund University in Sweden, the University of Oxford, and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have mapped how the different steps of the maturation process of these supercells from blood-producing stem cells in the bone marrow are regulated: knowledge which is crucial for the development of new immunotherapies against cancer.
	Health care democratization underway, according to second annual Stanford Medicine Health Trends Report An explosion in data is driving increased democratization in health care, according to the second annual Health Trends Report published today by Stanford Medicine.
	Disappointment about gifts is good for kids who have enough Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a perceived failure. For our young children, this perceived failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate's birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal.
	Looking for a high-tech gift for a young child? Think playgrounds, not playpens Shopping for a new high-tech gift for the child in your life this holiday season? It's easy to be overwhelmed by all the options. Bright boxes, colorful apps and cute plastic robots will promise that learning outcomes will improve if your child plays with x, y or z.
	RNA processing and antiviral immunity The RIG-I like receptors (RLRs) are intracellular enzyme sentries that detect viral infection and initiate a first line of antiviral defense. The cellular molecules that activate RLRs in vivo are not clear.
	Exploring ways to reduce child deaths in low-income countries In Mozambique, the probability of dying in the first month after hospital discharge is high, particularly for babies under three months of age, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal). The study also shows that an algorithm based on a series of simple clinical parameters can identify those children at higher risk of dying and that would therefore benefit from a proactive follow-up after their discharge. The implementation of these models could contribute to reducing child mortality in low-income countries.
	Scientists identify method to study resilience to pain Scientists at the Yale School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System have successfully demonstrated that it is possible to pinpoint genes that contribute to inter-individual differences in pain.
	Immunotherapy combo not approved for advanced kidney cancer patients on the NHS People with a certain type of advanced kidney cancer will not be able to have a combination of two immunotherapy drugs on the NHS in England.
	Researchers zero in on potential therapeutic target for diabetes, associated diseases A recent study led by researchers in Texas A&M University's department of nutrition and food science shows how a novel regulatory mechanism serves as an important biomarker for the development of diabetes, as well as a potential therapeutic target for its prevention.
	New rotavirus vaccine enters manufacturing Bio Farma, Indonesia's national vaccine company, is completing a phase 1 trial of a new rotavirus vaccine invented in Melbourne and has started pilot manufacture of the vaccine. Licencing trials are next, followed hopefully by release of the new vaccine in 2021.
	Bisexual women most vulnerable to poor health and wellbeing Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) Australians continue to experience significant disadvantage when it comes to health and wellbeing compared to their heterosexual peers, a University of Queensland study has found.
	Anxious teens gain confidence through improvisational theater training Improvisational theater training can reduce fearfulness and anxiety among teens struggling with social interactions, a new University of Michigan study suggests.
	Artificial intelligence and the future of medicine Washington University researchers are working to develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems for health care, which have the potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, helping to ensure that patients get the right treatment at the right time.
	Early postpartum opioids linked with persistent usage Vanderbilt researchers have published findings indicating that regardless of whether a woman delivers a child by cesarean section or by vaginal birth, if they fill prescriptions for opioid pain medications early in the postpartum period, they are at increased risk of developing persistent opioid use.
	A co-worker's rudeness can affect your sleep—and your partner's, study finds Rudeness. Sarcastic comments. Demeaning language. Interrupting or talking over someone in a meeting. Workplace incivilities such as these are becoming increasingly common, and a new study from Portland State University and University of Illinois researchers found this behavior has the potential to not only negatively affect an employee's sleep but their partner's as well.
	The lowdown on low-fat milk (It's all good) (HealthDay)—Calcium is best known as a building block of strong bones, and studies show that getting it from the source—milk—is more effective than supplements.
	Could you have silent gallstones? (HealthDay)—As many as 20 million Americans have gallstones. Most don't have any symptoms, but not all will escape a gallstone attack.
	Inhaling hypertonic saline may aid infants with cystic fibrosis (HealthDay)—In infants with cystic fibrosis (CF), preventive inhalation with hypertonic saline (HS) during the first months of life is safe and well tolerated and results in clinical improvements, according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
	Risk factors identified for late recurrence of liver cancer (HealthDay)—Late recurrence after hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection is associated with sex, cirrhosis, and several aggressive tumor characteristics of the initial HCC, according to a study recently published in JAMA Surgery.
	Work-family balance The work-life balance and juggling family can lead to emotional turmoil for those who find themselves unable to resolve the conflicting demands of work and family. A research team in India has now looked surveyed 346 employees from 93 organisations in order to ascertain whether "emotional dissonance" caused by work-family conflicts correlates with a person's intention to quit their employment.
	Cohesin down-regulation drives hematopoietic stem cell aging Aging is characterized by increases in inflammation and decreases in stem cell function. The relationship between these processes remains incompletely understood. Researchers of the Leibniz Institute on Aging (FLI) in Jena, Germany, identified a new role of the protein cohesin in mediating inflammatory signaling in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Cohesin is required for gene regulation during normal differentiation, but chronic inflammation in aging impairs the function and self-renewal of HSCs by constant activation of cohesin-mediated inflammatory signals. HSC with reduced cohesin, increased self-renewal and skewed differentiation are selected, resembling the hallmarks of hematopoietic aging.
	Study helping to repair asthma patients' lungs A number of patients who suffer from asthma are bringing their condition under control, increasing their lung function and decreasing the frequency of asthma attacks—all without going to the doctor's office. The patients involved in a URI College of Nursing professor's study are benefitting from an emerging trend among nurses to increase patient care by treating them through technology.
	Trump administration ban on NIH use of fetal tissue should worry all scientists Throughout history, politicians have restricted or outright banned certain areas of scientific or medical research based on moral or ethical grounds. In some cases, these measures were justified and prevented unethical human or animal research. In others, the bans could be seen as misguided and delaying medical advances.
	Men suffer from long-lasting atypical employment Men who experience more spells of atypical employment during their first six years of labor market participation report worse self-rated health, new research has shown.
	Why vegan diets for babies come with significant risks There are now more than 1m vegetarians and 500,000 vegans in the UK – and numbers are thought to be growing. While these people, identified through research commissioned by the Vegan Society, are over 15 years of age, the growing numbers make it likely an increasing number of infants are also being brought up on vegetarian or vegan diets.
	Worry over kids' excessive smartphone use is more justified than ever before Parents who fear their kids are spending too much time in front of screens now have more reason for concern.
	Young people suffering chronic pain battle isolation and stigma as they struggle to forge their identities Adolescence can be a difficult but exciting time, when young people make discoveries and decisions about their futures, and develop a sense of who they are and their place in the world. But for young people with chronic pain – that is, pain that lasts for three months or longer – this period can be especially challenging.
	How does diet during pregnancy impact allergies in offspring? A small percentage of women said they consumed fewer allergens during pregnancy to stave off food allergies in their newborns, according to preliminary research Karen Robbins, M.D., presented during the American College of Asthma Allergy and Immunology 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting.
	A holiday gift to primary care doctors: Proof of their time crunch The average primary care doctor needs to work six more hours a day than they already do, in order to make sure their patients get all the preventive and early-detection care they want and deserve, a new study finds.
	Researchers study abnormal blood glucose levels of discharged patients University of Minnesota Medical School researchers decided to delve into an area where little data currently exists. They wanted to know what happens after these patients with abnormal blood glucose measurements are discharged? Are uncontrolled blood glucose levels associated with worse outcomes after patients are discharged from the hospital? Surprisingly, despite a large body of literature around management of blood glucose in the hospital—there are few studies that attempt to answer this question.
	Can stem cells help a diseased heart heal itself? Researchers achieve important milestone A team of Rutgers scientists, including Leonard Lee and Shaohua Li, have taken an important step toward the goal of making diseased hearts heal themselves—a new model that would reduce the need for bypass surgery, heart transplants or artificial pumping devices.
	Levels of gene-expression-regulating enzyme altered in brains of people with schizophrenia A study using a PET scan tracer developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has identified, for the first time, epigenetic differences between the brains of individuals with schizophrenia and those of unaffected study participants. In their report published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the MGH team describes measuring differences in the expression of histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes, important regulators of gene transcription, in a brain structure known to be important for key cognitive functions. While reduced HDAC levels had previously been observed in postmortem brain samples from patients with schizophrenia, use of the tracer, named Martinostat, allows measurement of HDACs in the brains of living individuals.
	US flu activity low right now, but rising: CDC (HealthDay)—Flu season is getting off to a slow but steady start, a U.S. health official said Friday.
	Approach that new gene testing kit with caution (HealthDay)—Lots of Americans will unwrap a scarf or sweater this holiday season. But a growing number will receive a gift that's potentially life-changing: an at-home genetic testing kit.
	Thyroid problems linked to worsening heart failure The thyroid is a tiny powerhouse. The gland, which is located at the base of the neck, releases hormones that control how the entire body uses energy and affects an array of organs throughout the body – including the heart.
	Subfertility linked to increased asthma risk in offspring (HealthDay)—Parental subfertility is associated with an increased asthma risk among offspring, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in Thorax.
	Medication beliefs affect uptake of preventive Tx for breast cancer (HealthDay)—Beliefs about medication are associated with uptake of tamoxifen as a preventive therapy among women at increased risk for breast cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in Clinical Breast Cancer.
	Guidelines developed for opioid use in vaginal birth (HealthDay)—Guidelines have been developed for use of opioids for uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal birth; the draft consensus guidelines were published online Dec. 4 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Certain sites of brain lesions in MS tied to bowel incontinence (HealthDay)—Specific locations of cerebral multiple sclerosis lesions appear to be associated with bowel incontinence, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in the Journal of Neuroimaging.
	EHR-linked reminder system for glaucoma meds perceived useful (HealthDay)—Patients with glaucoma generally find an electronic health record (EHR)-linked reminder system for glaucoma medications useful, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
	BMI may mediate inverse link between fiber intake, knee OA (HealthDay)—The inverse association between fiber intake and the risk for incident symptomatic knee osteoarthritis may be partially mediated by body mass index, according to a study published in the December issue of The Journal of Nutrition.
	'Young miracle:' Baby recovers from Ebola in Congo outbreak They call her the "young miracle." A baby who was admitted to an Ebola treatment center just six days after birth has now recovered from the virus.
	It's despair, not depression, that's responsible for Indigenous suicide Last year, 165 Indigenous Australians died as a result of suicide. Despite continued efforts to improve suicide prevention programs, there has been no no appreciable reduction in the suicide rate in ten years.
	Johnson & Johnson shares plunge after report on asbestos in baby powder US pharmaceutical and cosmetics group Johnson & Johnson saw its shares plunge Friday after a media report alleged the group had deliberately concealed for decades that its baby powder sometimes contained asbestos.
	Breastfeeding for more than six months associated with smaller maternal waist circumference Breastfeeding for more than 6 months was found to be independently associated with smaller waist circumference in the decade after delivery among women in the POUCHmoms Study. Pregnancy contributes to an accumulation of abdominal adiposity, which is an indicator of cardiometabolic dysfunction in later life. The complete findings regarding the relationship between breastfeeding duration and maternal central adiposity are reported in an article published in Journal of Women's Health.

Biology news

	Computing the origin of life As a principal investigator in the NASA Ames Exobiology Branch, Andrew Pohorille is searching for the origin of life on Earth, yet you won't find him out in the field collecting samples or in a laboratory conducting experiments in test tubes. Instead, Pohorille studies the fundamental processes of life facing a computer.
	Black widow spiders dial up posture for survival and sex A new study led by Western University's Natasha Mhatre shows that body dynamics and posture are crucial to how black widow spiders decode the important vibrations that travel through their webs and up their legs. Black widows rely on these vibrations for sexual signals, capturing prey and evading predators.
	Study peels back details on mammalian keratin genes and adaptation to living on land or sea Whether by land or by sea, mammals live in a diverse variety of protective skins adapted against the elements, from swimming in the deepest azure oceans to climbing precipitous mountain peaks.
	Scientists create bee vaccine to fight off 'insect apocalypse' Scientists in Finland have developed what they believe is the world's first vaccine to protect bees against disease, raising hopes for tackling the drastic decline in insect numbers which could cause a global food crisis.
	For these critically endangered marine turtles, climate change could be a knockout blow Hawksbill turtles aren't the only marine turtles threatened by the destabilizing effects of climate change, but a new study from researchers at Florida State University shows that this critically endangered species could be at particular risk.
	Studying marine biodiversity from pole to pole Many scientists around the world are studying marine biodiversity—the variety of life forms in the ocean. But there is no common standard for how to conduct this research or to compile the data from different studies in different areas. MBARI's Francisco Chavez, a biological oceanographer, and his collaborators have been developing an international collaboration to fill these gaps and collect biological measurements across diverse marine ecosystems. The researchers discussed their new Pole-to-Pole Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (P2P MBON) this week at the American Geophysical Union Fall 2018 meeting in Washington, D.C.
	Moun­tain birds de­clin­ing in Europe Population data for European mountain birds had been combined in a recent study, with worrying results: The abundance of mountain-specialist birds has declined by as much as 10 percent since 2000.
	Native cherries are a bit mysterious, and possibly inside-out People don't like parasites. But there's a local Aussie tree that's only a little bit parasitic: the native cherry, or cherry ballart.
	Orangutans can communicate about the past just like humans, new research finds The evolution of language converted a defenceless naked ape into a world-dominating force. It fundamentally transformed how humans transmit information and knowledge. A large and potent component of language is our ability to communicate about things that are not here, that happened in the past, or that will happen in the future. This feature of language is known as "displaced reference".
	Tale of two trees: New web tool estimates gene trees with ease Gene trees, much like family trees, trace the lineage of a particular gene from its deep ancestral roots to its still-growing branches. By comparing gene trees to species trees, which map the evolutionary history of species, scientists can learn which species have which genes, what new functions those genes gained over time, and which functions they may have lost. Now, scientists at the Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have unveiled a new tool to perform these analyses quickly and without computational headaches.
	First-ever footage of wolves hunting freshwater fish captured near Voyageurs National Park The Voyageurs Wolf Project, a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Voyageurs National Park, has followed GPS-collared wolves from over seven different packs since 2015, but the "Bowman Bay" pack was recently caught displaying a unique behavior: hunting freshwater fish.
	Researchers verify that agricultural biodiversity is an effective tool to fight plagues Researchers of the Ecophysiology and Biotechnology group of the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in Castellón, Spain, have taken part in a study that reveals how agricultural biodiversity is an effective tool for combatting plagues and the effects that climate change has on crops. The results of the work, now published in Frontiers in Plant Science, show that preservation of traditional varieties improves the effects of hydric deficit and damages caused by red spider mites.
	We train Colombian woolly monkeys to be wild again – and maybe save them from extinction Colombia's Andes Mountains used to be loaded with wildlife, including South America's sole bear species, the spectacle bear, and the mountain tapir, which lives only in the world's highest altitudes.
	Fishing pressure and climate change challenge Tokelau's food security Tokelau's fish-dependent population may be at risk of seeing its main source of locally available animal protein dramatically reduced if the amounts and species of fish caught by local fishers in their waters stay the same or increase.
	Scientists warn of slow progress towards United Nations biodiversity targets Scientists from the United States and Brazil warn that the current global progress toward United Nations (UN) sustainability goals is not fast enough to avert the biodiversity crisis. A scientific team led by the California Academy of Sciences evaluated progress toward current biodiversity targets put forth by the UN Convention for Biological Diversity specifically aimed at protecting the world's oceans and seas. In an essay published yesterday in Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, they argue that most signatory countries are not on track to achieve target goals, some of the targets are structured to give a false sense of conservation achievement, and that these targets must be restructured to incorporate adequate conservation incentives that instill valid hope for the future.

---

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