Science X Newsletter Monday, Feb 4

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for February 4, 2019:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

'Inkjet' solar panels poised to revolutionise green energy

Carbon, climate, and North America's oldest boreal trees

Rapid gene cloning technique will transform crop disease protection

More than 100 new gut bacteria discovered in human microbiome

Physicists create exotic electron liquid

Women's brains appear three years younger than men's

Diversity in the CD4 receptor protects chimpanzees from infection by AIDS-like viruses

Genome structure of malaria parasites linked to virulence

Scaling up search for analogies could be key to innovation

Structure of virus that infects bacteria in hot springs is revealed

Astronomers study star formation and gas flows in the galaxy NGC 1365

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) – longer wavelengths can improve imaging depths

New disease surveillance tool helps detect any human virus

Research using atom probe tomography reveals chinks in iron crystals that can 'heal'

Love it and leave it: Social media effects explored by researchers

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers study star formation and gas flows in the galaxy NGC 1365 Using European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have investigated the galaxy NGC 1365. The study, presented in a paper published January 18 on the arXiv.org pre-print server, reveals essential insights about star formation processes and gas flows in this galaxy.
	The Milky Way is warped The Milky Way galaxy's disk of stars is anything but stable and flat. Instead, it becomes increasingly warped and twisted far away from the Milky Way's center, according to astronomers from National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC).
	InSight's seismometer now has a cozy shelter on Mars For the past several weeks, NASA's InSight lander has been making adjustments to the seismometer it set on the Martian surface on Dec. 19. Now it's reached another milestone by placing a domed shield over the seismometer to help the instrument collect accurate data. The seismometer will give scientists their first look at the deep interior of the Red Planet, helping them understand how it and other rocky planets are formed.
	ESA plans mission to smallest asteroid ever visited ESA's planet-defending Hera mission will set a new record in space. The asteroid investigator will not only be the first spacecraft to explore a binary asteroid system – the Didymos pair – but the smaller of these two worldlets, comparable in size to Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, will become the smallest asteroid ever visited.
	Image: Eberswalde crater delta – 3-D This intricate structure of an ancient river delta once carried liquid water across the surface of Mars.
	'Oumuamua could be the debris cloud of a disintegrated interstellar comet Since it was first detected hurling through our solar system, the interstellar object known as 'Oumuamua has been a source of immense scientific interest. Aside from being extrasolar in origin, the fact that it has managed to defy classification time and again has led to some pretty interesting theories. While some have suggested that it is a comet or an asteroid, there has even been the suggestion that it might be an interstellar spacecraft.
	Spotlight on Space Station science hough all ESA astronauts are back on Earth, European science on the International Space Station is ongoing. Explore a few experiments underway right now in celebration of science at ESA.

Technology news

	'Inkjet' solar panels poised to revolutionise green energy What if one day all buildings could be equipped with windows and facades that satisfy the structure's every energy need, whether rain or shine?
	Scaling up search for analogies could be key to innovation Investment in research is at an all-time high, yet the rate of scientific breakthroughs isn't setting any records. To resolve this quandary, scientists are turning to artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing for help in identifying a key inspiration for innovation—the perfect analogy.
	Love it and leave it: Social media effects explored by researchers Social media platforms now cope with a sobered-up user base. Users are aware the platforms can render them lab rats for marketeers. They are also in a sobered-up world, hearing out critics who suggest excessive use is replacing human community with passwords, sign-ins and thumb icons.
	GPU news: Time for another go at waferscale computer Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Los Angeles, are behind the recent development for a wafer-scale computer that aims to be faster, more energy efficient, than contemporary counterparts.
	MIMIC chest X-ray database to provide researchers access to over 350,000 patient radiographs Computer vision, or the method of giving machines the ability to process images in an advanced way, has been given increased attention by researchers in the last several years. It is a broad term meant to encompass all the means through which images can be used to achieve medical aims. Applications range from automatically scanning photos taken on mobile phones to creating 3-D renderings that aid in patient evaluations on to developing algorithmic models for emergency room use in underserved areas.
	Engineers harvest heart's energy to power life-saving devices The heart's motion is so powerful that it can recharge devices that save our lives, according to new research from Dartmouth College.
	Transforming flat elastomers into 3D shapes: A reconfigurable soft actuator Mechanical systems, such as engines and motors, rely on two principal types of motions of stiff components: linear motion, which involves an object moving from one point to another in a straight line; and rotational motion, which involves an object rotating on an axis.
	Peering under the hood of fake-news detectors New work from MIT researchers peers under the hood of an automated fake-news detection system, revealing how machine-learning models catch subtle but consistent differences in the language of factual and false stories. The research also underscores how fake-news detectors should undergo more rigorous testing to be effective for real-world applications.
	Snopes pulls out of fact-checking partnership with Facebook Snopes, the popular myth-busting website, said Friday it was ending its fact-checking partnership with Facebook as part of a "difficult, but necessary change."
	Nissan cancels investment plan for UK plant Japanese car manufacturer Nissan announced Sunday it was cancelling plans to build its X-Trail SUV at its plant in northeast England despite Brexit assurances from the government.
	European telecoms' dilemma: Huawei or the highway? It's a dilemma for European telecoms firms: Should they steal a march on competitors and rapidly roll out next-generation 5G mobile networks using equipment from top supplier Huawei? Or should they heed US-led warnings of security threats and sit tight, and possibly fall behind?
	Once red-hot smartphone market sees cooler trend The smartphone market is down but not out, with high prices and other factors combining to chill what had previously been a red-hot sector.
	Marine sensor gets to grips with salt A flexible, lightweight and robust salinity sensor that can be attached to aquatic animals for long-term monitoring of their habitat has been developed by a multidisciplinary team at KAUST. The team created a sensor that accurately records salinity even after long-term submersion. The sensor can form the basis of a marine animal monitoring device that records multiple underwater habitat parameters, the researchers say.
	Online trolling used to be funny, but now the term refers to something far more sinister It seems like internet trolling happens everywhere online these days – and it's showing no signs of slowing down.
	Virtually reality: Future factories run by digital twins A*STAR has built a testbed for digital twins, the virtual counterparts of real manufacturing equipment. These factory innovations could help companies save huge amounts of time and money by predicting and adjusting for their partner machine's condition on the go.
	Investigating glare: How bright is your office? If you work in an office building in Australia, particularly one rated 'green' for its energy efficiency, QUT researchers want your help.
	Scrolling through fairy-tale fantasies on social media can demolish your confidence, but it's not all bad If social media was a person, you'd probably avoid them.
	Research shows most online consumer contracts are incomprehensible, but still legally binding Most of us will have entered into consumer contracts with large companies and ticked a box to confirm we understand the terms and conditions – without bothering to read the fine print.
	Tech giants respond more quickly to hate speech: EU Internet giants have more than doubled the rate at which they fight hate speech online than when they joined the European Union's voluntary approach in 2016, EU officials said Monday.
	The real problem with posting about your kids online In a recent essay published in The Washington Post, a mother explained her decision to continue writing essays and blog posts about her daughter even after the girl had protested. The woman said that while she felt bad, she was "not done exploring my motherhood in my writing."
	Is your VPN secure? About a quarter of internet users use a virtual private network, a software setup that creates a secure, encrypted data connection between their own computer and another one elsewhere on the internet. Many people use them to protect their privacy when using Wi-Fi hotspots, or to connect securely to workplace networks while traveling. Other users are concerned about surveillance from governments and internet providers.
	Five reasons why autonomous cars aren't coming anytime soon In the world of autonomous vehicles, Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley are bustling hubs of development and testing. But ask those involved in self-driving vehicles when we might actually see them carrying passengers in every city, and you'll get an almost universal answer: Not anytime soon.
	Tesla to buy battery tech firm Maxwell Tesla agreed Monday to buy energy tech firm Maxwell Technologies for $218 million, a move that could help the electric carmaker extend the driving range for its vehicles.
	UC design could revolutionize power plants University of Cincinnati researchers say they have found a solution to one of the biggest environmental problems facing the energy industry: water consumption.
	From dorm to dominance: Growing pains as Facebook turns 15 Facebook, trudging through its awkward teenage years, is turning 15 on Monday.
	Workplace messaging startup Slack to go public Workplace messaging startup Slack said Monday it had filed a confidential registration for an initial public offering, becoming the latest of a group of richly valued tech enterprises to look to Wall Street.
	Zuckerberg sees 'positive' force of Facebook despite firestorm Mark Zuckerberg said Monday he sees Facebook as a largely "positive" force for society as the embattled social network marked its 15th anniversary.
	Google parent Alphabet earnings shine but market wary Google parent Alphabet reported quarterly earnings beating Wall Street expectations on Monday, but shares slipped, with investors apparently focused on rising costs at the technology giant.
	GM to lay off about 4,000 salaried workers: source General Motors is expected to lay off about 4,000 salaried workers under a reorganization announced late last year, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
	Pass It On: Work-life advice from Twitter curation director Joanna Geary started off as a journalist in the U.K. and now lives in New York, where she is currently Twitter's director of curation. In that role, she's in charge of showing users everything from the day's biggest news events to quirky trends.
	Nissan poised to propose Ghosn replacement on board: report The board of Japanese car giant Nissan is poised to suggest a replacement for jailed former chairman Carlos Ghosn at a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, according to local media.
Operator of Tonga's internet cable can't rule out sabotage A director at the operator of Tonga's undersea internet cable said Monday he can't rule out sabotage as the reason the cable broke and plunged the Pacific nation into virtual darkness for almost two weeks.
	USA Today owner rejects bid from hedge fund-backed rival USA Today publisher Gannett said Monday its board unanimously rejected a $1.4 billion takeover offer from rival Digital First Media that would merge two of the largest US newspaper groups.
	What's on your mind? Facebook says nude statues shouldn't be A Geneva art museum says Facebook prohibited it from promoting an upcoming exhibit with images of two statues—a half-naked Venus and a nude, kneeling man.
	Using AI to develop new flavor experiences McCormick & Company, a pioneer in flavor and food innovation, and my team at IBM Research have created a novel AI system to help product developers more efficiently and effectively create new flavor experiences. This year, we will celebrate a milestone in our ongoing collaboration that's been four years in the making: Our first AI-enabled retail products will be available on grocer's shelves.
Equity firm buys Ultimate Software for $11 billion A Florida software company is being purchased by a California private equity firm for $11 billion.
	Nissan sparks Brexit shockwaves through UK auto sector Nissan's decision to axe planned production of the X-Trail SUV in the Brexit-backing city of Sunderland is a heavy blow to the British auto sector, which repeatedly warned against quitting the EU.

Medicine & Health news

	Women's brains appear three years younger than men's Time wears differently on women's and men's brains. While the brain tends to shrink with age, men's diminish faster than women's. The brain's metabolism slows as people grow older, and this, too, may differ between men and women.
	Diversity in the CD4 receptor protects chimpanzees from infection by AIDS-like viruses Beatrice H. Hahn, MD, a professor of Medicine and Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and her colleagues have been studying the origin of HIV-1 in non-human primates for decades. They previously discovered that simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) infecting wild-living chimpanzees and gorillas jumped the species barrier into humans on four occasions, one of which spawned the AIDS pandemic. Understanding how these viruses are transmitted within and between species may reveal clues for novel vaccine strategies in humans.
	Study links protein, clusterin, to cardiac and metabolic diseases During a study spanning nearly a decade, researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Cancer Center have linked the protein clusterin—for the first time—to many different facets of cardiometabolic syndrome risk through its actions in the liver.
	Concussion treatment: Adolescent athletes 'prescribed' aerobic exercise recovered faster Adolescent athletes who sustained concussions while playing a sport recovered more quickly when they underwent a supervised, aerobic exercise regimen, a study published Feb. 4 in JAMA Pediatrics has found.
	Excess immune pruning of synapses in neural cells derived from patients with schizophrenia A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators finds evidence that the process of synaptic pruning, a normal part of brain development during adolescence, is excessive in individuals with schizophrenia. While previous studies have found structural abnormalities in the brains of people with schizophrenia that suggested a role for abnormal synaptic pruning, this study—published in Nature Neuroscience - is the first to directly observe excessive synaptic pruning using cells from patients with schizophrenia.
	Functional insulin-producing cells grown in lab UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes.
	New vaccine for malaria could be more effective Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago have developed an innovative new system for delivering a malaria vaccine that shows promise in its effectiveness. By developing a vaccine that targets specific cells in the immune system, they have seen a much greater immune and antibody response to the vaccine.
	A match made in neural heaven: How a neuron grows an axon While the neural architecture responsible for the transmission of electrical impulses has been known for more than a century, the basic biology behind how a neuron acquires its one and only axon—a fundamental component of how neurons communicate—remains a mystery.
	Heat waves, food insecurity due to climate change may weaken immune systems Heat waves can reduce the body's immune response to flu, according to new research in mice at the University of Tokyo. The results have implications for how climate change may affect the future of vaccinations and nutrition.
	Immune response to gut microbes may be early indicator of type 1 diabetes A team of researchers with members affiliated with several institutions in Canada has found an association between children with a genetic disposition to type 1 diabetes (T1D) and anticommensal antibodies in their serum prior to the onset of T1D. In their paper published in the journal Science Immunology, the group describes their study of antibodies and gut microbes in children and what they found.
	New discoveries in circadian rhythms provide insight into cancer treatment In a recent paper in Science Signaling, associate professor of cell and microbiology Carla Finkielstein, of the Department of Biological Sciences, and her collaborators identified an alternative mechanism to control circadian rhythms in normal cells that is driven by oncoproteins.
	New microfluidics platform separates cell types for RNA profiling A team led by scientists at the Broad Institute, MIT, and Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a prototype device that uses microfluidics to sort cell types extracted from clinical samples for RNA sequencing.
	A gut feeling for mental health The first population-level study on the link between gut bacteria and mental health identifies specific gut bacteria linked to depression and provides evidence that a wide range of gut bacteria can produce neuroactive compounds. Jeroen Raes (VIB-KU Leuven) and his team published these results today in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology.
	Mapping oesophageal cancer genes leads to new drug targets Mutations that cause oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) have been mapped in unprecedented detail—unveiling that more than half could be targeted by drugs currently in trials for other cancer types.
	Enlarged prostate could actually be stopping tumor growth, simulations show For men older than about 60, an enlarged prostate means feeling the urge to make a pit stop way too often throughout the day.
	Shared genetic marker offers new promise in targeting specific ovarian and lung cancers Two new papers, published simultaneously in Nature Communications and led by researchers at McGill University, offer promise that a drug currently used to treat estrogen positive breast cancer may be effective in treating two different types of cancer, one rare and one common form.
	Drug target identified for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian, breast cancer People who inherit a faulty copy of the so-called "breast cancer genes" BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at high risk of cancer. About 10 percent of breast cancer cases and 15 percent of ovarian cancers can be traced back to a flaw in one of these genes.
Swine flu outbreak kills nine in Morocco An outbreak of swine flu in Morocco has left nine people dead in the past week, the kingdom's health minister said Saturday.
	Infertility treatment linked with slightly higher risk of pregnancy complications Women who have undergone infertility treatment, such as in vitro fertilization, are more likely to experience severe pregnancy complications, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
	Obesity-linked cancers on the rise in young adults A sharp increase in obesity-linked cancers among young adults in the United States could foreshadow a reversal in the overall decline in cancer mortality, researchers warned Monday.
	Study finds rise in overdoses from opioids in diarrhea drug A Rutgers study has uncovered a new threat in the opiate epidemic: Overdoses of loperamide, an over-the-counter diarrhea medication, have been steadily increasing in number and severity nationwide over five years.
	No overall increased risk of cancer in children born after fertility treatment Children born after assisted reproductive technology (ART) do not appear to be at greater risk of developing cancer than other children, according to the first study to look at the long-term cancer risk in ART children compared to those in the general population or who were naturally conceived by subfertile women.
	HPV vaccine is safe, says cancer agency, slams 'unfounded rumours' "Unfounded rumours" causing people to spurn the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was preventing the elimination of cervical cancer, which kills more than 300,000 women every year, health authorities said Monday.
	Quality of overall diet is key to lowering type 2 diabetes risk Consistent with studies in other populations, findings from the first local study, The Singapore Chinese Health Study, conducted by researchers in the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Duke-NUS Medical School, have shown that a high-quality diet defined by low intake of animal foods such as red meat, and high intake of plant foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and reduced intake of sweetened beverages could be associated with reduced risk of diabetes.
	Higher risk of sudden cardiac death among African Americans may be associated with income, education disparities African Americans—especially African American women—have a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac death during their lifetime than whites, and much of the disparity can be attributed to income and education levels, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
	New study seeks to guide clinical treatment for older patients with aortic stenosis Why do some patients recover quickly after surgery, while others don't? That is an important question when treating older frail patients suffering from aortic stenosis. Lead author Dae Hyun Kim, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D., and principle investigator Director Lewis A. Lipsitz in the Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife explore this question in a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.
	Researchers reveal how receptor TLR-9 protects against lupus When the pathogen-sensing intracellular receptors TLR-7 and TLR-9 were implicated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), it was suspected that their removal would lessen the severity of the disease. However, while this held true for TLR-7, removing TLR-9 in mice unexpectedly caused severe SLE with an inflammatory kidney disease called glomerulonephritis.
	New clues discovered to lung transplant rejection A lung transplant often remains the only option for many patients with end-stage lung disease, a condition that can be brought on by emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and other lung disorders. However, the risk of organ failure and death following a lung transplant is high, particularly compared with the outcomes of transplant patients who receive new hearts, kidneys or livers.
	Cancer prevention—why body shape may matter more than weight Nearly half of Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime, and although the mortality rate in Canada continues to decline, one in four will die from the disease.
	Novel cervical screening prgram: A woman's needs come first A collaboration in Malaysia is piloting a novel cervical screening program that features the comfort of self-sampling and the ease of digital communication. Led by the University of Malaya in partnership with other universities, government agencies, non-profits and corporations, Project ROSE aims to significantly increase the number of women screened for infection and thus reduce rates of cervical cancer through early detection.
	Smokeless tobacco: 5 common questions about 'heat not burn' products answered  'Heat not burn' or 'heated tobacco' products are electronic devices that, unlike e-cigarettes, contain tobacco leaf and heat it to a high temperature, without setting it alight.
	Thousands of cervical screening samples are waiting to be tested, says report More than 150,000 cervical screening samples were waiting to be tested by NHS laboratories across England last year, according to a report.
	Inadequate support for sexual dysfunction in prostate cancer patients More than four in five men (81 percent) with prostate cancer struggle with poor sexual function following treatment for the disease, but over half (56 percent) fail to receive support, according to new research.
	ADHD diagnoses poorly documented Many ADHD diagnoses are not well documented, according to a review of the medicals records of 549 children with an ADHD diagnosis.
	Want to improve your mood? It's time to ditch the junk food Worldwide, more than 300 million people live with depression. Without effective treatment, the condition can make it difficult to work and maintain relationships with family and friends.
	Does the time of year really impact your mood? When daylight saving time ends in late fall, it is common to start experiencing an onset of mild depressive feelings and tendencies, often coined as "winter blues." Energy levels seem to decrease with the temperature drop, people tend to feel more tired and sluggish, and there is an element of dread that occurs when one's drive home from work is completely in the dark.
	Improvements in cardiovascular care for elderly save billions in health care costs Health care spending among the Medicare population age 65 and older has slowed dramatically since 2005, and as much as half of that reduction can be attributed to reduced spending on cardiovascular disease, a new Harvard study has found.
	What drives patients to use medical marijuana: mostly chronic pain Slowly but surely, the stigma surrounding marijuana use is losing its grip in the U.S. Since the 1990s, advocates have pushed for a re-evaluation of cannabis (the plant species name often used interchangeably with marijuana) as a viable treatment for a host of ailments. As of 2018, 33 states and the District of Columbia have approved the medical use of cannabis, while 10 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Despite this fact, at the federal level, marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, defined as a drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
	Laughter may be best medicine—for brain surgery Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered a focal pathway in the brain that when electrically stimulated causes immediate laughter, followed by a sense of calm and happiness, even during awake brain surgery. The effects of stimulation were observed in an epilepsy patient undergoing diagnostic monitoring for seizure diagnosis. These effects were then harnessed to help her complete a separate awake brain surgery two days later.
Study: Medicare rules increase out-of-pocket costs of multiple sclerosis drugs Medicare patients with multiple sclerosis face skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for therapies due to complicated insurance rules that force them to pick up an increasing share of the cost, according to new research.
	OxyContin reformulation to curb opioid abuse led to hepatitis C surge, study finds Reformulation of the pain medicine OxyContin in 2010 to make it more difficult to abuse directly led to a large rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from the prescription medication to injectable heroin, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
	The benefits of heart health supplements come with cautions We've all heard the advice to take a fish oil with omega-3 fatty acids to improve heart health, but are you actually getting the benefits they claim to provide? One Baylor College of Medicine cardiologist says probably not, and that goes for most over-the-counter supplements.
	True cost of gambling underestimated, say new publications The current focus on individual 'problem gamblers' fails to take into account the full health and social cost of gambling because it overlooks the wider impact on families, friends and communities, according to new work published today.
	Frozen berries: Just as flavorful at a better price (HealthDay)—For nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories, it's hard to beat berries. But it's also hard to pay what they cost out of season.
	Discontinuing TNFi before gestational week 20 is feasible (HealthDay)—Discontinuing tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) before gestational week 20 in women with well-controlled rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is not associated with disease worsening in late pregnancy, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
	Exercise your right to fight disease (HealthDay)—Research consistently tells you just how important exercise is for health. It can help head off heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many types of cancer, including breast and colon cancers.
	Physician burnout tied to ability to address social needs (HealthDay)—Improving clinic capacity to respond to patients' social needs may reduce primary care physician burnout, according to a study published in the January-February issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
	Most students receiving spectacles wear them at follow-up (HealthDay)—Three-quarters of students aged 11 to 15 years from government schools in India receiving spectacles wear them at follow-up, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
	Crunching the data: New liver cancer subtypes revealed immunologically A research team based at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) has used an integrated data analysis to classify hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, into three distinct subgroups, which should aid targeted treatment
	Shortage of anxiety drug creates alarm among patients, doctors (HealthDay)—A shortage of the anti-anxiety drug buspirone in the United States has patients and doctors concerned.
	Cancer growth in the body could originate from a single cell – targeting it could revolutionise treatment Cancer remains a frightening and largely incurable disease. The toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation make the cure often seem as bad as the ailment, and there is also the threat of recurrence and tumour spread.
	Biggest ever map of human Alzheimer's brain published A study of the differences between healthy brains and those with Alzheimer's Disease has produced largest dataset of its type ever.
	People diagnosed with cancer often don't embrace the term 'survivor' "Cancer survivor" has become a catch-all phrase to refer to living individuals diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Cancer clinics and clinicians, patient advocacy organizations and media reports commonly use the term.
	Prostate cancer study shows promise for future treatment A new 'seek-and-destroy' gene therapeutic system could have the potential to treat prostate cancer in the future, after it halted the majority of tumours in laboratory models at the University of Strathclyde and the Beatson Institute.
	Electrical activity in prostate cancer cells Experts from the Universities of Bath and Seville have carried out a series of experiments by which, for the first time, they have characterized the normal electrical activity in PC-3 prostate cancer cells in real time, with a resulting low-frequency electrical pattern between 0.1 and 10 Hertz.
	Putting yourself in their shoes may make you less open to their beliefs Trying to take someone else's perspective may make you less open to their opposing views, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Balloon-guided catheters provide better blood flow following stroke interventions Patients who have experienced a stroke as a result of blockages of the arteries in the brain have better outcomes with the use of balloon-guided catheter surgery as compared to having a conventional guided catheter procedure.
	Demand for long-acting contraception rose sharply after 2016 election Not long after Donald Trump was elected president, descriptive reports began rolling in: Demand for long-acting, reversible contraception (LARCs) such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants seemed to be on the rise. But was this trend based on a real shift in women's use of LARCs or just due to normal fluctuations in interest in IUDs and implants or due to other factors? A new, robust study conducted by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital quantifies the increase, finding that rates went up by 21.6 percent in the 30 days after the election compared to rates at the same time of year in 2015. These results are published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Research shows teens too low on sleep, activity, and too high on screen time Only 1 in 20 U.S. adolescents is meeting national recommendations for sleeping, physical activity, and screen time, according to new research by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
	Study: Fatal opioid-related car crashes in Maryland hold steady over decade A new approach to defining opioid-related auto fatalities provides insight into the nature and distribution of opioid-involved deaths in the state of Maryland, say the authors of a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
	Let's talk about sex... after childbirth Some feedback from doctors seemed almost appalling.
	Researchers develop prediction tool for kidney stones Kidney stones are a common and painful condition, with many sufferers experiencing recurrent episodes. Most people who pass an initial stone want to know their chances of future episodes, but this has not always been easy to predict. Now Mayo Clinic researchers are tracking the familiar characteristics of kidney stone formers in an online prediction tool that could help sufferers anticipate if they'll experience future episodes. The study was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Patients with facial pain report most benefit from self-care techniques While oral appliances such as splints and bite guards are the most common treatment for facial pain from temporomandibular disorders (TMD), patients rate them as less helpful than self-care treatments, such as jaw exercises or warm compresses, finds a new study by researchers at NYU College of Dentistry.
New wisdom about high cholesterol treatment for adults aged 80 and older Experts know that in adults younger than 65, having high cholesterol levels in your blood can raise your risk for heart attacks and strokes. However, in adults 80 years old and older, researchers have not—until now—thoroughly studied high cholesterol's impact on heart disease, your ability to function well, or your risk for death.
New study shows cost effectiveness of early cancer surveillance New research published today in the journal Pediatric Blood and Cancer shows how early cancer screening and surveillance in patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) results in additional years of life, and is cost effective for third-party payers.
	Mother's age, race, weight affect hormone concentrations in pregnancy, study finds Hormone concentrations during early fetal development—that may affect the child's development and increase the mother's risk for breast and ovarian cancer years later—are significantly affected by maternal age, body mass index and race rather than lifestyle, according to a Rutgers study.
Policy statements on the effects of media overlook scientific complexity As different forms of media infuse everyday life, several organizations and associations have issued public statements about the various effects of media exposure. However, a scholarly review suggests that many of these statements do not accurately reflect the available scientific evidence, offering overly simplified or one-sided accounts of the scientific research. The findings are published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
	Marijuana, cocaine may play role in young americans' rising stroke rate The vast majority of strokes occur in people over 65, but the number of younger adults having strokes is rising. New research suggests growth in illegal drug use could be playing a role.
	Sponge cytology-sampling device promising for Barrett esophagus Dx (HealthDay)—A swallowable cellular retrieval capsule sponge cytology-sampling device, EsophaCap, in combination with a methylation biomarker panel represents a promising strategy for diagnosing Barrett esophagus (BE), according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Clinical Cancer Research.
	CDC examines safety of recombinant zoster vaccine (HealthDay)—During the first eight months of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) use, there were reports of 4,381 adverse events, 3 percent of which were serious, according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
	Unrestrained driver predicts unrestrained child passenger (HealthDay)—An unrestrained driver is a strong predictor for having an unrestrained child passenger in both fatal and nonfatal crashes, according to a study published online Feb. 4 in Pediatrics.
	Tofacitinib benefits sustained for two years in patients with RA (HealthDay)—The clinical benefits of tofacitinib in combination with methotrexate are sustained over two years among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
	High physical activity levels tied to coronary artery calcification (HealthDay)—High levels of physical activity correlate with prevalent coronary artery calcification (CAC) but are not linked to increased mortality, according to a study published online Jan. 30 in JAMA Cardiology.
	Frailty tied to liver transplant wait-list mortality in cirrhosis (HealthDay)—In patients with cirrhosis, frailty is more frequently observed in those with ascites or hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and is independently associated with liver transplant wait-list mortality, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in Gastroenterology.
	E-cigarette use linked to cigarette initiation in adolescents (HealthDay)—Electronic cigarette use is associated with an increased risk for cigarette initiation and use in adolescents, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Network Open.
	Mindfulness and sleep can reduce exhaustion in entrepreneurs When entrepreneurs are feeling exhausted but can't afford the time for adequate sleep, they may be able to replenish their energy with mindfulness exercises such as meditation, new research from Oregon State University indicates.
	Genetic study of impulsiveness reveals associations with psychiatric disorders Impulsiveness and substance use share a genetic basis, according to genome-wide association studies published in JNeurosci by academic and industry researchers. With more than 20,000 participants, the research represents the largest genetic analysis of impulsive personality traits to date.
	Boosting glutamate reduces anxiety in monkeys Researchers studying male and female marmosets have homed in on the primate brain circuitry responsible for individual differences in overall anxiety. Their findings, published in JNeurosci, show that increasing levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the hippocampus normalizes anxious monkeys' "fight or flight" response.
	Experts call for emergency declaration on Congo's Ebola An international group of public health experts on Monday called on the World Health Organization to convene an emergency committee to consider declaring Congo's Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency.
	Global research team calls on WHO to declare Ebola a public health emergency An international team of health and legal experts has published a new paper calling on the World Health Organisation to convene the Emergency Committee to consider declaring the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
	Researchers report positive findings with dasotraline for ADHD in children ages 6-12 A new study in children aged 6 to 12 years of dasotraline, a promising new treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), showed significant improvement in efficacy in the treatment of ADHD compared to placebo beginning at week 1 and continuing throughout the study. A detailed description of the trial design and the results is published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
Where technology and aging intersect, gerontologists chart path forward The latest issue of the journal The Gerontologist from The Gerontological Society of America contains 21 articles highlighting the state-of-the-art research regarding aging and technology, and offering guidance for the future.

Biology news

	Rapid gene cloning technique will transform crop disease protection Researchers have pioneered a new method which allows them to rapidly recruit disease resistance genes from wild plants and transfer them into domestic crops.
	More than 100 new gut bacteria discovered in human microbiome Scientists working on the gut microbiome have discovered and isolated more than 100 completely new species of bacteria from healthy people's intestines. The study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Australia, and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute, has created the most comprehensive collection of human intestinal bacteria to date. This will help researchers worldwide to investigate how our microbiome keeps us healthy, and its role in disease.
	Genome structure of malaria parasites linked to virulence An international research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology has found that malaria parasite genomes are shaped by parasite-specific gene families, and that this genome organization strongly correlates with the parasite's virulence.
	Structure of virus that infects bacteria in hot springs is revealed Scientists have revealed the structure of a virus infecting bacteria that thrive in 160-degree hot springs in places like Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
	New disease surveillance tool helps detect any human virus During the Zika virus outbreak of 2015-16, public health officials scrambled to contain the epidemic and curb the pathogen's devastating effects on pregnant women. At the same time, scientists around the globe tried to understand the genetics of this mysterious virus.
	Yeast study prompts rethink of DNA safekeeping DNA replication is more prone to errors at times of stress leading to mutations that could cause disease.
	New insights into plant cell organelle and molecule movement Michigan State University scientists have identified a new protein, called TGNap1 (TGN associated protein 1), that they found at a poorly understood plant cell organelle, the Trans-Golgi Network (TGN).
	The web meets genomics: a DNA search engine for microbes Researchers at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have combined their knowledge of bacterial genetics and web search algorithms to build a DNA search engine for microbial data. The search engine, described in a paper published in Nature Biotechnology, could enable researchers and public health agencies to use genome sequencing data to monitor the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. By making this vast amount of data discoverable, the search engine could also allow researchers to learn more about bacteria and viruses.
	Fish and humans are alike in visual stimuli perception Humans, fish and, most likely, other species rely on identical visual features—color, size, orientation, and motion—to quickly search for objects, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
	Insight into protein formation could aid understanding of diseases Scientists have shed light on a biological process that helps the production of healthy cells, which may aid understanding of neurological diseases and other conditions.
	Pika survival rates dry up with low moisture Although it has been ranked as the cutest creature in US National Parks, the American pika is tough, at home in loose alpine rocks in windswept mountain regions. Related to rabbits and hares, pikas live in cold, wet climates and high terrain, spending winters in snowy homes living off of stored grasses and other forage they have gathered, only venturing out for more when weather permits.
	NW Forest Plan 25 years later: Wildfire losses up, bird populations down Twenty-five years into a 100-year federal strategy to protect older forests in the Pacific Northwest, forest losses to wildfire are up and declines in bird populations have not been reversed, new research shows.
	Poor diet may have caused nosedive in major Atlantic seabird nesting colony The observed population crash in a colony of sooty terns, tropical seabirds in one of the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), is partly due to poor diet, research led by the University of Birmingham has found.
	Bird bone streaming A new website for viewing 3-D bird bones aims to make bird bones in museums more accessible for research and teaching.
	How plants cope with iron deficiency Iron is an essential nutrient for plants, animals and also for humans. It is needed for a diverse range of metabolic processes, for example, for photosynthesis and for respiration. If a person is lacking iron, this leads to a major negative impact on health. Millions of people around the globe suffer from iron deficiency each year. Iron enters the human food chain through plants, either directly or indirectly. Although there are large quantities of iron in the soil in principle, plants may become iron-deficient because of the specific composition of the soil. Additionally, a plant's iron requirements vary throughout its development depending on external circumstances.
	Ramp walking helps diagnose lameness in dogs Gait analysis, pressure walkways, and angled walking are popular techniques used in human medicine. Their use has improved prosthetics, rehabilitation, medicine and more. But, while this research has a long history in human diagnostics, it is relatively new in veterinary medicine.
	When extreme weather wipes out wildlife, the fallout can last for years The recent heatwaves have proved deadly to many Australian animals, from feral horses to flying foxes.
	The humble spade flower moonlights as the 'love shrub' If you are observant enough in the Australian bush, you may be able to spot the spade flower, a member of the violet family. Spade flowers grow under the semi-shade of open eucalypt forest, among other little green herbaceous plants.
	Butterflies thrive in grasslands surrounded by forest For pollinating butterflies, it is more important to be close to forests than to agricultural fields, according to a study of 32,000 butterflies by researchers at Linköping University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. The results provide important knowledge about how to plan and manage the landscape to ensure the survival of butterflies.
	Lysin therapy offers new hope for fighting drug-resistant bacteria Humans are in a constant arms race with infectious bacteria. To kill these disease microbes, we develop powerful antibiotics; and in turn, the bacteria develop resistance against these drugs. So we enhance our antibiotics, and the bacteria enhance themselves accordingly—resulting in so-called superbugs. Increasingly, medications fail to eliminate these highly adapted bacteria, leaving our bodies dangerously defenseless.
	Are sharks being attacked by killer whales off Cape Town's coast? Large, predatory sharks occupy the top of ocean food chains, where they play important roles in maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems. The loss of these predators can therefore have significant impacts on ecosystems.
	Better fish welfare using 'sensor fish' After many decades of salmon farming, recent years have seen studies into fish welfare in connection with issues such as how fish are treated in their cages. In particular, the fish farming sector is looking for better approaches to delousing.
	Why charismatic, introduced species are so difficult to manage Introduced and invasive species can present big problems, particularly when those species are charismatic, finds a recently published paper in the Ecological Society of America's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
	Culprit found for honeybee deaths in California almond groves It's about time for the annual mass migration of honeybees to California, and new research is helping lower the chances the pollinators and their offspring will die while they're visiting the West Coast.
	Thai forest rangers train to tackle wildlife crime Camo-clad rangers ambush a camp in a lush Thai national park, kicking away a machete and a firearm and pinning two suspected poachers to the ground—part of a training exercise to counter a lucrative wildlife trade.
	Environmentalists attacked on Mexico porpoise patrol Environmental group Sea Shepherd said Friday one of its ships had been attacked by 20 boats while patrolling off the coast of Mexico to protect the endangered vaquita marina porpoise from illegal fishermen.
Poland reports case of 'mad cow disease' An atypical case of BSE—commonly dubbed "mad cow disease"—has been discovered in Poland, though the isolated case posed no risk to human health, Poland's chief veterinarian said on Monday.

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