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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 4, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Hen 3-160 is a symbiotic binary with Mira variable star, study suggestsA new study conducted by a team of astronomers from Poland and South Africa provides more insights into the nature of Hen 3-160, a symbiotic binary system in the southern Milky Way. The research, presented in a paper published December 22 on arXiv.org, proposes that this object is a symbiotic binary containing a Mira variable star. |
 | Tiny satellites could be 'guide stars' for huge next-generation telescopesThere are more than 3,900 confirmed planets beyond our solar system. Most of them have been detected because of their "transits"—instances when a planet crosses its star, momentarily blocking its light. These dips in starlight can tell astronomers a bit about a planet's size and its distance from its star. |
 | Catastrophic galactic collision could send Solar System flying into spaceNew research led by astrophysicists at Durham University, UK, predicts that the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) could hit the Milky Way in two billion years' time. |
 | China begins first surface exploration of moon's far sideA Chinese space rover explored the lunar terrain on Friday in the world's first mission on the surface of the far side of the moon. |
 | China's space journey, to the moon's far side and beyondChina has come a long way since the founding of its space program in 1956. |
 | Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?China became the third country to land a probe on the Moon on Jan. 2. But, more importantly, it became the first to do so on the far side of the moon, often called the dark side. The ability to land on the far side of the moon is a technical achievement in its own right, one that neither Russia nor the United States has pursued. |
Technology news
 | A new approach for steganography among machine learning agentsResearchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Amherst College have recently introduced a new form of steganography in the domain of machine learning called "training set camouflage." Their framework, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, allows a machine learning agent to hide the intention and goal of a task from a third-party observer. |
 | Buzz grows on 'flying cars' ahead of major tech showWill flying cars take off at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show? |
 | Researchers discover AI information-hiding behavior for later useCall it clever, brand it a cheater, but don't feel ashamed to find it terribly interesting. The "it" is CycleGAN, and its link to steganography—where messages and information are hidden within nonsecret text or data. |
 | Apple's bombshell and the trillion-dollar questionApple's bombshell news—a sharply weaker revenue outlook and lower iPhone sales—has raised questions over the future of the California giant, which until recently had been seen as the undisputed innovation leader in the tech sector. |
 | With slump in iPhone sales, are we post Peak Smartphone?Behind Apple's disconcerting news of weak iPhone sales lies a more sobering truth: The tech industry has hit Peak Smartphone, a tipping point when everyone who can afford one already owns one and no breakthroughs are compelling them to upgrade as frequently as they once did. |
 | Google moved almost 20 bn euros to Bermuda in 2017: reportUS internet giant Google used a legal mechanism to transfer almost 20 billion euros from the Netherlands to Bermuda in 2017 for tax purposes, a Dutch newspaper report said Friday. |
 | How to fund roads and ensure electric vehicles pay their shareSince electric vehicles use no gasoline, their drivers pay no gasoline tax. And as more people drive EVs, gas-tax revenue for road repairs is dwindling. So how can California and the rest of the country avoid road-funding shortfalls and ensure that EV drivers pay their share of needed repairs? |
 | Amelia Earhart would have a hard time disappearing in 2019When Amelia Earhart took off in 1937 to fly around the world, people had been flying airplanes for only about 35 years. When she tried to fly across the Pacific, she – and the world – knew it was risky. She didn't make it, and was declared dead in January 1939. In the 80 years since then, many other planes have been lost around the world and never found again – including the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, over the Indian Ocean. |
 | German court opens way for diesel case against DaimlerA German court said Friday it had opened the way for shareholders to join a collective legal action against Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler for diesel cheating that mirrors one already brought against VW. |
 | Tech's big gadget show edges closer to gender equityThe world's largest tech conference has apparently learned a big lesson about gender equity. |
 | Ghosn set for court hearing in Japan over detentionFormer Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn is likely to appear in a Japanese court next Tuesday to hear the reasons for his detention, after his lawyers deployed a little-used article of the Constitution. |
 | German politicians' data posted online, govt probes sourcePersonal data and documents on hundreds of German politicians and others have been posted online, and German cyber-defense experts were trying to figure out Friday how the information was obtained. |
 | Video: Artificial intelligence putting an end to poachingWhen placed in protected areas, the TrailGuard artificial intelligence camera uses AI inference at the edge to detect possible poachers and alert park rangers in near real-time, allowing them to take action before animals can be harmed. |
 | Fewer affected in Marriott hack, but passports a red flagFewer Marriott guest records than previously feared were compromised in a massive data breach, but the largest hotel chain in the world confirmed Friday that approximately 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers were accessed. |
 | Navy engineer gets New Year's Day patent for dual mode slotted antennaOn New Year's Day, 2019, Navy engineer David A. Tonn received his twenty-eighth U.S. patent, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Portable DNA sequencer helps identify severity of Lassa outbreak in NigeriaAn international team of researchers has found that it is possible to use portable DNA sequencers to learn more about a viral outbreak as the outbreak is occurring. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their analysis of Lassa DNA in afflicted patients during a recent outbreak in Nigeria, and what they found. Nahid Bhadelia with the Boston University School of Medicine and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, has written a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | Fungi cause brain infection and impair memory in miceFungal infections are emerging as a major medical challenge, and a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a mouse model to study the short-term consequences of fungal infection in the brain. |
 | Recurrent miscarriage linked to faulty spermThe early-stage study, from scientists at Imperial College London, investigated the sperm quality of 50 men whose partners had suffered three or more consecutive miscarriages. |
 | The most important hair on your head is on the insideCells along the brain's cavities are equipped with tiny hair-like protrusions called cilia. Cilia are still poorly understood, but we know a few things about what can happen if they are not doing their job. |
 | Cutting off melanoma's escape routesStopping melanoma from spreading to other parts of the body might be as simple as cutting off the blood supply to the cancer, according to researchers. |
 | One in ten adults in US has food allergy, but nearly one in five think they doOver 10 percent of adults in the U.S.—over 26 million—are estimated to have food allergy, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open that was led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University. However, researchers found that 19 percent of adults think they are currently food allergic, although their reported symptoms are inconsistent with a true food allergy, which can trigger a life-threatening reaction. Results are based on a nationally representative survey of over 40,000 adults. |
 | Researchers reveal new mechanism to 'activate' the immune system against cancerA new mechanism for activating the immune system against cancer cells allows immune cells to detect and destroy cancer cells better than before, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature. |
 | Research shows gut microbiome protects against acute arsenic toxicityResearch conducted at Montana State University shows that microbes in the human gut play an important role in protecting against arsenic toxicity, a problem that affects an estimated 200 million people who are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water. |
 | Where will the world's next Zika, West Nile or dengue virus come from?After collecting data and comparing it with every known mammal and bird species on Earth, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have identified wildlife species that are the most likely to host flaviviruses such as Zika, West Nile, dengue and yellow fever. Flaviviruses are known to cause major epidemics and widespread illness and death throughout the world. |
 | Misperceptions about vaping common among UK smokersResearch from King's College London finds smokers and ex-smokers in the UK overestimate the harm from vaping, with fewer than 6 out of 10 accurately believing that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. Misperceptions appear to be on the increase and are particularly strong in smokers and those who have never tried vaping. |
 | Adolescents who self-harm more likely to commit violent crimeYoung people who self-harm are three times more likely to commit violent crime than those who do not, according to new research from the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. |
Long-term trauma outcomes heavily impacted by gender and education levelTrauma is a leading cause of disability in the world, resulting in more disability-adjusted life years than any other disease. While in-hospital, trauma-related mortality has decreased to just 4 percent in the U.S., little is known about what happens to the 96 percent of patients who survive their trauma injuries but may suffer debilitating long-term effects. Through the Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies (FORTE) project, Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers followed 1,736 trauma patients over 30 months to determine the long-term functional, physical, and mental health consequences of trauma and the factors associated with them. The FORTE project's findings show that long-term sequelae of trauma exceed previous expectations and identified that patient sociodemographic factors such as female gender and low education were associated with worse recovery. This suggests that social support systems are an essential component of recovery. The findings appeared in Annals of Surgery. | |
'Christmas berry' plant compound could fight Uveal melanomaDoctors diagnose about 2000 adults with uveal melanoma, a cancer of the eye, every year. In half of cases, the disease metastasizes to the liver. For these patients treatment options are scarce. Researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC)—Jefferson Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai found that a compound extracted from the Christmas berry primrose plant stops the cancer's growth in preliminary tests. With further testing, the discovery could lead to new therapeutic options for patients with uveal melanoma. | |
 | Study finds ADHD drugs are unlikely to cause cardiac damage in children who take themWith more than 1.8 million children in the U.S. being treated annually with drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the possibility that such drugs could damage their hearts has been a significant cause of concern for parents and physicians alike. |
 | A 'bran' new way to preserve healthy food with natural ingredientsA natural antioxidant found in grain bran could preserve food longer and replace synthetic antioxidants currently used by the food industry, according to researchers at Penn State. |
Cognitive impairment risk increased in hypertensive patients with progressive cerebral small vessel diseasePatients with high blood pressure and progression of periventricular white matter hyperintensities showed signs of cognitive impairment despite taking medication to lower their blood pressure, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension. | |
 | Results 'encouraging' from phase II trial for relapsed acute myeloid leukemiaThere is a significant need for new treatments for patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, a rare cancer of the blood that is more common in older adults. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers recently reported encouraging findings from a clinical trial that leverages the immune system to fight the disease. Now they are working to find genetic signatures to try to predict which patients will respond best to the treatment. |
 | Researchers identify experimental immunotherapy approach to target acute myeloid leukemiaUniversity of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have identified a potential way to target a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy in which patients' immune cells are genetically engineered to recognize and track their cancer. |
Classification of psoriasis severity depends on definition(HealthDay)—Depending on the definition used, there are large variations in the proportion of patients identified as having moderate-to-severe psoriasis, according to a study published in the December issue of the British Journal of Dermatology. | |
 | Clinical tool rapidly assesses post-intensive care syndrome(HealthDay)—The self-report version of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor is valid for assessing post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Critical Care. |
 | Why does it feel good to see someone fail?In the Pixar animated film "Inside Out," most of the plot plays out inside protagonist Riley's head, where five emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger – direct her behavior. |
 | Mayo Clinic Q&A: Treating bipolar disorderDear Mayo Clinic: What's the difference between bipolar 1 disorder and bipolar 2 disorder? How are they diagnosed? Is the treatment different? |
 | Up to a third of knee replacements pack pain and regretDanette Lake thought surgery would relieve the pain in her knees. |
 | Researchers warn of problems using mobile technologies in public healthMany health care providers in remote locations around the world are actively using newer mobile technologies like text messaging and fingerprint identification to deliver important services and timely information to their patients. |
 | Message sent and received but no instant reply: How does that make you feel?Your phone chimes, it's a message from your partner. You reply instantly because that's what you always do. |
 | Suspected Ebola case in Sweden: officialsA patient in Sweden has been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of Ebola, a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease, health care officials said Friday. |
 | Is your 'experience diet' making you unwell?Just as our food diet affects our physical and emotional health, so does our "experience diet". This is the day-to-day mix of the things we do, see, hear and feel. And, just like our food diet, the quantity, quality and balance of those experiences need to be right. |
 | New test aids decision between intravenous and oral antibiotics for childhood infectionA simple new test developed at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and University of Melbourne will help clinicians decide whether to use oral or intravenous antibiotics to treat childhood infections. |
 | The mystery of the super-agerIt was the kind of case no traditional medical textbook could explain. |
 | engineers unlock avenue for early cancer diagnosisMonash University engineers have unlocked the door to earlier detection of cancer with a world-first study identifying a potential new testing method that could save millions of lives. |
 | Postpartum opioid Rx may lead to persistent use: study(HealthDay)—New mothers who take opioid painkillers after either vaginal birth or cesarean section may be at increased risk of becoming persistent users, a new study finds. |
 | Working out your exercise schedule(HealthDay)—The number of weekly recommended workout sessions can really add up. |
 | Catching up on news about catch-up sleep(HealthDay)—Missing out on needed sleep can bring a host of health woes, including diabetes because a lack of sleep affects insulin levels. |
Obsessive compulsive symptoms in youth may a red flag for other psychological issuesEngaging in repetitive and ritualistic behaviors is part of typical child development. However, behaviors that develop into obsessive and compulsive symptoms (OCS) may represent a red flag for serious psychiatric conditions. Researchers at the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found children and young adults with OCS who also admitted to having bad thoughts were more likely to also experience psychopathology, including depression and suicide. This is the first and largest study examining OCS in more than 7,000 participants aged 11 to 21. | |
BU's service-learning initiative to teach hands-only CPR to high school students is successfulPumpStart, a community service-learning program created by students at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), that teaches hands-only CPR to the general public, is effective for both teaching high school students a life-saving skill and providing medical students with an opportunity to engage in public health and medical education. | |
 | Genetic testing does not cause undue worry for breast cancer patientsAs genetic testing for breast cancer has become more complex, evaluating a panel of multiple genes, it introduces more uncertainty about the results. But a new study finds that newer, more extensive tests are not causing patients to worry more about their cancer risk. |
 | Study shows the brains of people with schizophrenia-related disorders aren't all the sameA new multi-site brain imaging study in The American Journal of Psychiatry shows that sub-groups of people use their brains differently when imitating emotional faces—a task that reflects their ability to interact socially. Interestingly, individuals with schizophrenia do not have categorically different social brain function than those without mental illness, but fall into different sub-groups that may respond to different types of treatments. These findings call into question the most common research approaches in mental health. |
 | Study: Computers can be a real pain in the neckIt's a posture so common we almost don't notice it anymore: someone sitting at a computer jutting his or her head forward to look more closely at the screen. But this seemingly harmless position compresses the neck and can lead to fatigue, headaches, poor concentration, increased muscle tension and even injury to the vertebrae over time. It can even limit the ability to turn your head. |
Evaluating surgeon gowning steps for optimal sterile operating room techniquesFor surgeons getting ready to enter the operating room (OR), the chances of contamination may be lower if they put their gowns on by themselves—without the assistance of a surgical technician, according to an experimental study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. | |
 | What does 'dead' mean?Should death be defined in strictly biological terms—as the body's failure to maintain integrated functioning of respiration, blood circulation, and neurological activity? Should death be declared on the basis of severe neurological injury even when biological functions remain intact? Or is it essentially a social construct that should be defined in different ways? |
Biology news
 | The Prickle1 gene regulates the differentiation of frontal bone osteoblasts in a new animal modelA mechanically compromised skull can result from enlarged fontanelles and smaller frontal bones due to defective migration and differentiation of osteoblasts in the skull primordia (developing skull). The Wnt/Planar cell polarity signaling pathway (Wnt/PCP), usually regulates cell migration and movement in tissues during embryonic development. In a recent study, conducted by Yong Wan and colleagues at the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, the central research emphasis was on the Prickle1 gene, a core component of the Wnt/PCP pathway, in the skull. |
 | Strength in weakness: Fragile DNA regions key to vertebrate evolutionDNA regions susceptible to breakage and loss are genetic hot spots for important evolutionary changes, according to a Stanford study. The findings may lead to new understanding of human evolution. |
 | Forest soundscapes monitor conservation efforts inexpensively, effectivelyRecordings of the sounds in tropical forests could unlock secrets about biodiversity and aid conservation efforts around the world, according to a perspective paper published in Science. |
 | Mammoth DNA found in Cambodia market itemsScientists tackling the illegal trade in elephant ivory got more than they bargained for when they found woolly mammoth DNA in trinkets on sale in Cambodia, they revealed Friday. |
 | Bolivian bees under threat from coca pesticidesHigh up in the Bolivian cloud forest, a woman tends to her bees, smoker in hand, working from hive to hive under a canopy of leaves to delicately gather panels of honeycomb. It's a bucolic scene that experts say won't last, for the bees are dying. |
 | Using the sun and agricultural waste to control pestsFarmers spend a lot of time and money controlling weeds and other pests, and often have to turn to chemical fumigants to keep the most destructive pests at bay. Farmers also wrestle with what to do with low-value byproducts of crop production, such as skin, seeds and hulls from fruit, vegetable and nut processing. |
 | Fruit flies help to shed light on the evolution of metabolismDiet choice of animal species is highly variable. Some species are specialists feeding only on one food source, such as a sugar-rich fruit or protein-rich meat. Other species, like humans, are generalists that can feed on multiple types of food sources. |
 | Protecting proboscis monkeys from deforestationA 10-year study of proboscis monkeys in Borneo has revealed that forest conversion to oil palm plantations is having a significant impact on the species. |
 | Microbial aromas might save crops from droughtIn her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson writes: "The sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories…." |
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