Thursday, January 3, 2019

Science X Newsletter Thursday, Jan 3

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 3, 2019:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Glassy carbon microneedles: A new transdermal drug delivery device

Physicists uncover new competing state of matter in superconducting material

DeepWiTraffic: A Wi-Fi based traffic monitoring system using deep learning

Luminous gamma-ray flare detected from the blazar DA 193

Melting ice sheets release tons of methane into the atmosphere, study finds

Researchers suggest missing crust layer can be blamed on 'Snowball Earth'

Study of zircon crystals casts doubt on evidence for early development of magnetic field

Nanoscavenger found to protect rodents against nerve agent attacks

Scientists engineer shortcut for photosynthetic glitch, boost crop growth by 40 percent

Next up: Ultracold simulators of super-dense stars

Dark matter on the move

Computer program can translate a free-form 2-D drawing into a DNA structure

Extraordinary treefrog discovered in the Andes of Ecuador

China lunar probe sheds light on the 'dark' side of the moon

New mouse model reminiscent of Leigh syndrome sheds light on mechanisms of neurodegeneration

Astronomy & Space news

Luminous gamma-ray flare detected from the blazar DA 193

An international group of astronomers has detected an intense and extremely luminous gamma-ray flare from one of high-redshift blazars known as DA 193. The new detection, reported in a paper published December 18 on arXiv.org, is an uncommon finding as such bright flares are rarely observed from high-redshift sources.

Dark matter on the move

Scientists have found evidence that dark matter can be heated up and moved around, as a result of star formation in galaxies. The findings provide the first observational evidence for the effect known as 'dark matter heating', and give new clues as to what makes up dark matter. The research is published today in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

China lunar probe sheds light on the 'dark' side of the moon

China's burgeoning space program achieved a lunar milestone on Thursday: landing a probe on the mysterious and misnamed "dark" side of the moon.

Buchli, Kavandi selected for US Astronaut Hall of Fame

Veteran astronauts James Buchli and Janet Kavandi have been selected for induction into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Side of the moon you can't see 'is not dark, it's just far'

Despite the name of Pink Floyd's best-selling album, the side of the moon you can't see isn't always dark. But it is far.

Technology news

DeepWiTraffic: A Wi-Fi based traffic monitoring system using deep learning

A team of researchers at the University of Memphis has recently developed a low-cost and portable traffic monitoring system (TMS) called DeepWiTraffic. This new system, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, combines Wi-Fi devices and deep learning.

Project Soli's hands, not touchscreens, give new meaning to digital future

Google has been given some key green lights by the US Government for its radar-based motion sensor. The nods now place Project Soli in a stronger light. The FCC's waiver for Project Soli has kicked the project up a notch, said Fast Company.

Could Tesla price cuts mean demand is slowing?

Tesla made about 9,300 more vehicles than it delivered last year, raising concerns among industry analysts that inventory is growing as demand for the company's electric cars may be starting to wane.

Apple cuts outlook, sees 'challenges' in China, emerging markets

Apple cut its revenue outlook for the latest quarter Wednesday, citing steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China and emerging markets.

Using vibration to curb digital addiction

In his research on college students' productivity, Cornell Tech graduate student Fabian Okeke heard many accounts of time lost to social media, beginning with a click over to Facebook or YouTube for a quick distraction.

Artificial intelligence blends algorithms and applications

Artificial intelligence is already a part of everyday life. It helps us answer questions like "Is this email spam?" It identifies friends in online photographs, selects news stories based on our politics and helps us deposit checks via our phones—if all somewhat imperfectly.

Customizing computer-aided design

MIT researchers have devised a technique that "reverse engineers" complex 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models, making them far easier for users to customize for manufacturing and 3-D printing applications.

Researchers survey beachgoers on potential implications for offshore wind farms

As the United States moves closer to developing offshore wind farms, one of the most important questions for coastal communities is how those wind farms are going to affect recreation and tourism.

Emotion-reading tech fails the racial bias test

Facial recognition technology has progressed to point where it now interprets emotions in facial expressions. This type of analysis is increasingly used in daily life. For example, companies can use facial recognition software to help with hiring decisions. Other programs scan the faces in crowds to identify threats to public safety.

Cutting-edge VR in Magdeburg

Europe`s biggest 3-D mixed reality laboratory is located in Magdeburg. Four meters high and sixteen meters in diameter, the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF's Elbedome resembles a hemisphere. It affords companies the opportunity to bring models of machines, systems, factories and even entire cities to life with impressive realism. We interviewed with Elbedome manager Steffen Masik about the lab's distinctive features.

How a Raleigh startup is helping senior-living communities step into the digital age

Every apartment at the Cardinal at North Hills, a two-year-old retirement and assisted-living community in Raleigh, comes equipped with a pull cord.

Deepfakes: Fighting fake videos, from Silicon Valley to Washington

Whether it's a video showing someone else's face on a different body or former President Barack Obama saying things he didn't really say, "deepfakes" are now a thing.

Viasat expands Carlsbad headquarters, highlighting tech and beach vibe

Painted on a prominent wall at Viasat's latest headquarters expansion is the phrase, "There is always a better way."

Waning iPhone demand highlights Chinese consumer anxiety

Apple's $1,000 iPhone is a tough sell to consumers in China unnerved by an economic slump and the trade war with the U.S.

Snacks on wheels: PepsiCo tests self-driving robot delivery

Forget vending machines, PepsiCo is testing a way to bring snacks directly to college students.

Apple rival paves way for ban on some iPhones in Germany

US chipmaker Qualcomm said Thursday it had fulfilled the requirements set out by a court in a patent dispute case against Apple to ban the sale of older iPhone models in Germany.

Apple's bombshell raises trillion-dollar question

Apple'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.

GM and DoorDash to deliver food with self-driving cars

Food delivery service DoorDash on Thursday announced it is teaming up with General Motors to test using self-driving cars to deliver meals and groceries in San Francisco.

Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb says to buy Celgene in $74bn deal

New York-based pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb on Thursday announced it would buy US biotech firm Celgene in a $74 billion cash-and-stock deal, instantly creating a rival to the world's largest drug makers.

372,000 German drivers join legal action against Volkswagen

Some 372,000 German owners of Volkswagen cars fitted with motors that cheated emissions tests have joined a collective legal action against the auto giant, official figures showed Thursday.

US auto sales falter in 2018 as consumers abandon small cars

Auto makers announced their end-of-year US sales totals Thursday, showing a slowing market even as Americans' demand for more expensive SUVs and trucks drove up prices.

Medicine & Health news

Nanoscavenger found to protect rodents against nerve agent attacks

A team of researchers from the University of Washington, the Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense and Texas A&M University has developed a nanoscavenger that is capable of protecting mice against nerve agent attacks. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group explains how they came up with the nanoscavenger and how well it worked during testing.

New mouse model reminiscent of Leigh syndrome sheds light on mechanisms of neurodegeneration

Leuven researchers led by professor Bart De Strooper (VIB-KU Leuven) have identified a new role for PARL, a protein linked to Parkinson's disease. In this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, they report that mice lacking PARL instead display specific problems in the nervous system reminiscent of Leigh syndrome.

Graphene-based implant overcomes technical limitation to record brain activity at extremely low frequencies

The body of knowledge about the human brain is growing exponentially, but questions big and small remain unanswered. Researchers have been using electrode arrays to map electrical activity in different brain regions to understand brain function. Until now, however, these arrays have only been able to detect activity over a certain frequency threshold. A new technology developed in Barcelona overcomes this technical limitation, unlocking the wealth of information found below 0.1 Hz and paving the way for future brain-computer interfaces.

New compound shows promise in treatment of Alzheimer's

Yale researchers have identified a drinkable cocktail of designer molecules that interferes with a crucial first step of Alzheimer's and even restores memories in mice, they report Jan. 2 in the journal Cell Reports.

Newborn genomic sequencing detects unanticipated disease risk factors

As genomic sequencing becomes increasingly commonplace in the clinic, questions remain about its use and role among newborns. Can sequencing provide actionable insights? How common is it to find something important to a child's future health? What benefits or consequences will sequencing have for families? The BabySeq Project, a joint endeavor led by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital, with collaborators at the Baylor College of Medicine, is revealing the answers to these questions and more. In a paper published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the research team reports that genomic sequencing can identify risk for a wide range of disorders that may not be detected otherwise. Importantly, early knowledge about several of these conditions can lead to surveillance and interventions that could improve health outcomes for newborns and their families.

Experimental treatment shows promise against triple-negative breast cancer

By simultaneously tackling two mechanisms for cancer's growth, an experimental therapy reduced the spread of triple-negative breast cancer in a study conducted in mice.

Gut immune cells cut inflammation in multiple sclerosis

Researchers at the University of Toronto and UC San Francisco have discovered that the intestine is the source of immune cells that reduce brain inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and that increasing the number of these cells blocks inflammation entirely in a preclinical model of the disease.

Obese mice lose anxiety when 'zombie cells' exit their brain

Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have shown in mice that obesity increases the level of "zombie" or senescent cells in the brain, and that those cells, in turn, are linked to anxiety. When senolytic drugs are used to clear those cells, the anxious behaviors in the mice dissipate. These findings appear in Cell Metabolism.

Discovery in cell development changes understanding of how genes shape early embryos

Our bodies hold roughly 14 trillion cells, each containing a nucleus with DNA measuring two meters long by 20 atoms wide. To fit inside each nucleus, DNA coils around specialized proteins. These spools of wrapped DNA inhibit gene regulatory proteins from binding to protein-coding stretches along the genome, which help keep genes in the "off" position when they're not needed.

Surprise discovery reveals second visual system in mouse cerebral cortex

The visual system is probably the best understood part of the brain. Over the past 75 years, neuroscientists have assembled a detailed account of how light waves entering your eyes allow you to recognize your grandmother's face, to track a hawk in flight, or to read this sentence. But a new study by UC San Francisco researchers is calling a fundamental aspect of vision science into question, showing that even the best-studied parts of the brain can still hold plenty of surprises.

Bulldogs' screw tails linked to human genetic disease

With their small size, stubby faces and wide-set eyes, bulldogs, French bulldogs and Boston terriers are among the most popular of domestic dog breeds. Now researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have found the genetic basis for these dogs' appearance, and linked it to a rare inherited syndrome in humans.

Researchers define a small protein's central role in tumor mechanics

A jagged little protein appears to be key to how cancer stem cells differentiate and enable metastasis, according to researchers at Rice University and the Duke University School of Medicine.

No compelling evidence for health benefits of non-sugar sweeteners

There is no compelling evidence to indicate important health benefits of non-sugar sweeteners, and potential harms cannot be ruled out, suggests a review of published studies in The BMJ today.

Metabolic syndrome patients need more vitamin C to break cycle of antioxidant depletion

A higher intake of vitamin C is crucial for metabolic syndrome patients trying to halt a potentially deadly cycle of antioxidant disruption and health-related problems, an Oregon State University researcher says.

Study sheds light on the function of a long-mysterious PCSK9 mutation

High levels of low-density lipoproteins, parcels of lipids and protein that carry cholesterol, are a leading risk factor for heart disease. Many cholesterol medications lower LDL, some of them by targeting the protein PCSK9. In the January issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, report on an investigation into why experiments on PCSK9 give different results in a test tube and in liver cells. What they found may explain how a mutation in PCSK9 that has long puzzled scientists leads to heart disease.

Clinical trial launches to develop breath test for multiple cancers

Researchers have launched a clinical trial to develop a breath test, analysing molecules that could indicate the presence of cancer at an early stage.

Study looking to prevent type 1 diabetes follows children into adolescence

Scientists are narrowing in on checklists of both errant genes and the environmental factors that could trigger those genes to more accurately assess type 1 diabetes risk and help children and their families avoid it.

Can a video game-based 'digital medicine' help children with autism and co-occurring ADHD?

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) evaluated a digital medicine tool designed as an investigational treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Study details poverty, lack of health insurance among female health care workers

A study carried out by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania finds that low wages and poor benefits leave many female health care workers living below the poverty line. The report that will appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Public Health has been published online.

Court decision protects patient care 340B hospitals

The Dec. 27 federal court injunction stopping further cuts in 340B reimbursements for Medicare Part B drugs to some participating hospitals is a critical step in preserving the role that academic health centers play in providing HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious disease treatment and prevention services to patients who otherwise lack care options.

Radiation doses from CT scans should be more consistent, say experts

Large differences in radiation doses used for CT scans are mainly due to how the scanners are used by medical staff rather than differences in the patients scanned or the machines used, finds a study in The BMJ today.

Medicare's bundled payment experiment for joint replacements shows moderate savings

Medicare's randomized trial of a new bundled payment model for hip and knee replacement surgeries led to $812 in savings per procedure, or a 3.1% reduction in costs, when compared with traditional means of paying for care, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. The study found that the bundled payment model was also associated with a reduction in use of skilled nursing care after the hospitalization, but had no effects on complication rates among patients.

Proximity to muscle cells may promote spread of prostate cancer cells, NIH study suggests

Proximity to nearby muscle cells may make prostate cancer cells more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other organs, according to an early study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The presence of muscle cells appears to make cancer cells more likely to fuse two or more cancer cells into a single cell, thereby increasing their invasiveness and ability to spread. The study was led by Berna Uygur, Ph.D., of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and includes colleagues from the National Eye Institute and the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough. The study appears in Molecular Cancer Research.

Study finds a proposed levy on sugar-sweetened beverages has varying health, economic, and political effects

Taxes on sugary beverages have been proposed—and adopted—across the United States as a way of reducing consumption of the sweet drinks, which has been linked to increased risk of weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. In prior studies, a hypothetical national tax of $.01 per ounce was estimated to result in more than $20 billion of savings in health-care costs over ten years.

New insight into the generation of new neurons in the adult brain

Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in collaboration with research groups in Finland, Canada and Slovenia, have discovered a novel and unexpected function of nestin, the best-known marker of neural stem cells.

Artificial intelligence can detect Alzheimer's disease in brain scans six years before a diagnosis

Using a common type of brain scan, researchers programmed a machine-learning algorithm to diagnose early-stage Alzheimer's disease about six years before a clinical diagnosis is made – potentially giving doctors a chance to intervene with treatment.

When should you throw away leftovers?

Refrigeration is the most important invention in the history of food. But while commercial and home refrigerators have only been used for the past 100 years or so, people have long used cool natural environments to store foods for extended periods.

Easy treatments can help lift winter blues

For many people, the winter months bring a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Why you resolved to get thinner and fitter this year

Did you make a New Year's resolution this year? If so, you are participating in a social as well as a personal ritual. The patterns of resolutions, considered collectively, reveal what many of us consider to be virtuous.

How patient data can advance scientific research while maintaining personal data privac

When we age, we know that our bodies deteriorate, and it makes aging the most important single risk factor of so-called degenerative diseases. But what we don't understand is why this is the case. Even for those people who desperately try to avert it, old age comes with frailty, disability, and ultimately death. Most find this prospect so frightening—scientists not excluded—that unravelling the aging process is not prioritised and has remained grossly understudied.

Are almonds, grapes and cranberries the secret ingredients for cycling success?

Off the back of the festive period, you'd be forgiven for thinking almonds only come covered in chocolate and disappear by the jarful, a familiar source of indulgent pleasure shadowed by lingering guilt.

How did your shoulder form?

Whether you're pitching a baseball, playing a violin, or typing at your desk, your shoulder helps you get the job done. This joint is a complex machine, and in order to protect shoulders from injury, scientists want to develop a better understanding of how the most delicate parts of these joints work.

Gym membership: How to get the most out of it, according to a sports scientist

CrossFit, circuit training, group exercise, functional training, resistance training, cardio training. Feeling dizzy yet? Never before have there been so many structured activities at the gym vying for your attention.

Vaping: Smokers who switch could be less likely to use cigarettes again

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to stop smoking. Quite rightly so, considering smoking is the biggest leading, preventable cause of death, worldwide. In fact, tobacco is the only legally-available product that kills up to one in every two users, when used as intended.

Keeping fit: How to do the right exercise for your age

The effect of exercise on health is profound. It can protect you from a range of conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. But the type and amount of exercise you should do changes as you age. To ensure that you are doing the right type of exercise for your age, follow this simple guide.

A new glucose monitor for diabetics proves virtually painless and even more accurate

A more comfortable and reliable blood-sugar monitoring system is being designed by researchers in Sweden for people with diabetes. After successfully testing a prototype of a microneedle patch on a human subject, the completion of a system for clinical tests is now underway.

Egg metabolites in blood related to lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Consumption of one egg every day seems to associate with a blood metabolite profile that is related to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study conducted in the University of Eastern Finland shows. The findings were published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

Producing vaccines without the use of chemicals

Producing vaccines is a tricky task – especially in the case of inactivated vaccines, in which pathogens must be killed without altering their structure. Until now, this task has generally involved the use of toxic chemicals. Now, however, an innovative new technology developed by Fraunhofer researchers – the first solution of its kind – will use electron beams to produce inactivated vaccines quickly, reproducibly and without the use of chemicals.

Health insurers want you to try cheaper drugs first, but that can hurt you

Few people are familiar with the term "step therapy," but most Americans have health insurance policies that adopt it. Step therapy programs, also known as "fail first policies," require patients to try less expensive treatments before insurers agree to pay for more costly alternatives. Thus, insurers can deny coverage for a drug your doctor prescribed because you haven't found other, cheaper medications to be ineffective first. As many as 75 percent of large employers have insurance plans with step therapy, and Medicare is increasingly embracing this approach as well.

An accident? Fijians view morals differently, study finds

Researchers from Brunel University London and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, report that indigenous Fijians judge actions more harshly than they judge intent, in contrast to the Indo-Fijian and North American control groups.

Volumes low for unprotected left main PCI

(HealthDay)—Unprotected left main (ULM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures represented less than 1 percent of all PCIs in clinical practice in the United States from 2009 through 2016, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in JAMA Cardiology.

U.S. doctor monitored for Ebola exposure in Nebraska hospital

(HealthDay)—An American doctor is being treated at a Nebraska medical center for possible exposure to the Ebola virus while providing medical care in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is in the middle of an Ebola outbreak that has left more than 300 dead.

Pre-Medicare years bring health insurance worries for many, poll finds

With the dawn of a new year, most Americans have just started a new health insurance coverage period—whether they receive their coverage through a job, buy it themselves or have a government plan.

Study: Technology and doctors combine to detect patients who don't take their pills

Almost everyone does it at some point—skip a dose of a medication, decide to not schedule a recommended follow-up appointment or ignore doctor's orders to eat or exercise differently. Such nonadherence can seem harmless on an individual level, but costs the U.S. health care system billions of dollars a year. Now, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown how to best identify nonadherent patients, combining technology with the perceptions of health care providers.

Snacking for diet success

(HealthDay)—Restrictive diets are hard to stick with, especially when you must eliminate most of your favorite foods.

A smooth move makes for a happier child

(HealthDay)—Moving from one community to another can be difficult for everyone in the family, especially if leaving friends and relatives behind. But the problems can be magnified for kids who have to switch middle or high schools.

Will cutting out booze for 'Dry January' help your health?

(HealthDay)—"Dry January" is the self-improvement meme of the moment, with people around the world pledging to take a break from alcohol this month.

Disrupted networks link overlapping cognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders share common alterations of functional connectivity between three core brain networks involved in cognition, according to a meta-analysis published in Biological Psychiatry. The network alterations were localized in brain regions underlying general cognitive performance. The study suggests that the alterations in these networks contribute to the cognitive dysfunction present in multiple psychiatric disorders.

Persistent hot flashes may lead to increased risk of breast cancer

Studies examining the association between vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and breast cancer are not new, but results have been inconsistent. A new larger-scale study concludes that women participating in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trials who had persistent VMS are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who never experienced VMS. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Days following thyroid surgery are highest for risk of readmission

Thyroid cancer is the most rapidly increasing cancer diagnosis in the United States. While surgeries to remove all or part of the thyroid are the most common treatment, there has been debate about the risks to the patient, how common those risks are, and how to prevent them. In a new retrospective study, researchers at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) looked at the number of patients who were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their thyroid surgery for cancer and other diagnoses, in the most comprehensive analysis of this question to date.

In fimo: Finally a name for the experimental examination of excrement

You've heard of "in vitro" (the study of things in test tubes) and "in vivo" (the study of things in a living system). Now meet "in fimo," a new scientific term coined by researchers at the UNC School of Medicine and Notre Dame University to mean "excrement examined experimentally." Their proposal was published in the journal Gastroenterology.

Improved treatment for alcohol use disorders, chronic pain, mood disorders

Helping people with addictions has become a research passion for Purdue University's Richard van Rijn, who is leading a team to make drug discoveries to support millions around the world dealing with alcohol use disorders, chronic pain and mood disorders.

Could this widely used food additive cause celiac disease?

Myths about gluten are hard to bust. Intolerance, allergy, sensitivity, hypersensitivity. What is what?

Botulinum toxin reduces chronic migraine attacks, compared to placebo

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of botulinum toxin injections in reducing the frequency of chronic migraine headaches, concludes an updated review and analysis in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Team discovers biological markers that could guide treatment for prostate cancer

Genetic alterations in low-risk prostate cancer diagnosed by needle biopsy can identify men that harbor higher-risk cancer in their prostate glands, Mayo Clinic has discovered. The research, which is published in the January edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found for the first time that genetic alterations associated with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer also may be present in some cases of low-risk prostate cancers.

What predicts teen partner rape?

If teen partner rape could be predicted, it could be better prevented. Social scientists from Michigan State University are helping close that gap by identifying risk factors linked to sexual violence in young women's first relationships in life.

Laryngeal symptoms may be caused by cranial nerve 9 and 10 compression at the brain stem

While a sudden coughing fit is a protective reflex to clear the airway, chronic cough can be caused by multiple factors that must be investigated to determine treatment. Cough is just one of several laryngeal symptoms including hoarseness and dysphoric breathing that can become debilitating. Until recently, the cause of these severe laryngeal symptoms could not be identified in many patients, and the only treatments were to manage them with medication and rehabilitation therapy.

The opioid crisis: What we should learn from the AIDS epidemic

There are important lessons to be learned from the successes and failures of the AIDS response that could inform our response to the opioid epidemic, according to a new paper by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Decades of HIV research have demonstrated that the existence of an effective biomedical treatment is rarely, in and of itself, sufficient to combat an epidemic, suggesting that both a social as well as a biomedical response to the opioid crisis are necessary in order to be effective. The paper is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

An errant editing enzyme promotes tumor suppressor loss and leukemia propagation

Writing in the January 3 issue of Cancer Cell, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that detection of "copy editing" by a stem cell enzyme called ADAR1, which is active in more than 20 tumor types, may provide a kind of molecular radar for early detection of malignancies and represent a new therapeutic target for preventing cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and radiation.

Detecting depression: Phone apps could monitor teen angst

Rising suicide rates and depression in U.S. teens and young adults have prompted researchers to ask a provocative question: Could the same devices that some people blame for contributing to tech-age angst also be used to detect it?

Lifestyle changes helped new dad shed nearly 50 pounds

It happens every January. Gyms fill with people who've committed to New Year's resolutions involving health and fitness. While making a resolution is an important first step, developing new habits is the key to long-term success, said Erik Minaya, who has maintained significant weight loss for several years.

Child pneumonia rate dropped globally from 2000 to 2015

(HealthDay)—The global incidence of child pneumonia and related mortality decreased substantially from 2000 to 2015, consistent with decreases in the prevalence of some key risk factors, according to a study published in the January issue of The Lancet Global Health.

Study reveals high rate of phlebitis caused by IV cannulas

(HealthDay)—The incidence of phlebitis caused by peripheral intravenous cannula insertions may be higher among patients with certain risk factors, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Patients with sleep apnea have increased gout risk

(HealthDay)—Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at higher risk for developing gout than patients without OSA for more than a year after diagnosis, according to a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Antidepressant use in seniors linked to risk for hip fracture

(HealthDay)—Among older adults, antidepressant users sustain more hip fractures than nonusers both before and after therapy initiation, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

'Bionic face' experiments could lead to new treatment approach for facial paralysis

An implantable neuroprosthetic device may one day provide a new approach to restoring more natural facial movement in patients with one-sided facial paralysis (hemifacial palsy), suggests a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

OSU Wexner Medical Center first in US to implant device for knee osteoarthritis

Surgeons at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are the first in the U.S. to implant a new device designed to relieve knee pain and help people with osteoarthritis prevent or delay knee replacements.

Biology news

Scientists engineer shortcut for photosynthetic glitch, boost crop growth by 40 percent

Plants convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis; however, most crops on the planet are plagued by a photosynthetic glitch, and to deal with it, evolved an energy-expensive process called photorespiration that drastically suppresses their yield potential. Researchers from the University of Illinois and U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service report in the journal Science that crops engineered with a photorespiratory shortcut are 40 percent more productive in real-world agronomic conditions.

Extraordinary treefrog discovered in the Andes of Ecuador

A new treefrog species was discovered during a two-week expedition to a remote tabletop mountain at Cordillera del Cóndor, a largely unexplored range in the eastern Andes.

A cause of possible genetic problems in mitochondria is revealed

A group of researchers from the Andalusian Centre for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CABIMER) has revealed the importance of eliminating any excess of defective products that might have accumulated in the mitochondria, as its presence generates mitochondrial instability and information loss on the mitochondrial genome. The study offers new ways to understand the molecular basis of some human diseases that are stem from poor functioning of the mitochondria and, in this way, allow for the development of therapies against these diseases.

Who's tougher? Baby sharks or daddy sharks?

It's not just their teeth and jaws that people find intriguing. It's also their funky shapes and unique skeletal makeup that capture attention. Unlike humans and most land animals, sharks have mineralized cartilage skeletons instead of bones. This allows them to move at unbelievable speeds through the water. Since cartilage weighs less than bone and is less dense, sharks can bend, swim, and maneuver in the ocean much differently than their bony fish counterparts.

Slime proves valuable in developing method for counting salmon in Alaska

Scientists have published a novel method for counting Pacific salmon—analyzing DNA from the slime the fish leave behind in their spawning streams.

The number of single male Magellanic penguins is rising at this breeding colony—here's why

Like most of their stout-bodied, flippered kin, Magellanic penguins spend much of their lives in the ocean. From late autumn through winter and into spring in the Southern Hemisphere, these South American penguins swim off the coast of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina in search of anchovies, sardines and squid.

Research reveals overweight dogs may live shorter lives

New research from the University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare's WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition reveals overweight dogs are more likely to have shorter lives than those at ideal body weights.

What makes two species different?

Most evolutionary biologists distinguish one species from another based on reproductivity: members of different species either won't or can't mate with one another, or, if they do, the resulting offspring are often sterile, unviable, or suffer some other sort of reduced fitness.

Prague zoo hopes rare lion insemination sows seed for survival

After two suitors failed to get a rare Asiatic lioness pregnant, Prague zoo now hopes that artificial insemination will finally plant the seed for her species' survival.


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