Science X Newsletter Week 08

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 08:

	After a reset, Сuriosity is operating normally NASA's Curiosity rover is busy making new discoveries on Mars. The rover has been climbing Mount Sharp since 2014 and recently reached a clay region that may offer new clues about the ancient Martian environment's potential to support life.
	Study shows why high-protein diets are unhealthy Researchers in South Australia believe they have found the key to why high-protein diets are unhealthy and can lead to shortened lifespans.
	Navy files for patent on room-temperature superconductor A scientist working for the U.S. Navy has filed for a patent on a room-temperature superconductor, representing a potential paradigm shift in energy transmission and computer systems.
	Physicists explain fireballs erupting from grapes in microwave oven A trio of researchers with McMaster, Concordia and Trent Universities has solved the mystery of why pairs of grapes ignite into fireballs when cooked together in a microwave oven. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hamza Khattak, Pablo Bianucci and Aaron Slepkov claim that the fireball is not the result of heat from the outside of the grapes making its way in, but instead comes about due to hotspots that form in both grapes.
	New imaging technology captures movement of quantum particles with unprecedented resolution Excitons—electrically neutral quasiparticles—have extraordinary properties. They exist only in semiconducting and insulating materials and can be easily accessed in two-dimensional (2D) materials just a few atoms thick, such as carbon and molybdenite. When these 2D materials are combined, they exhibit quantum properties that neither material possesses on its own.
	Touchdown: Japan probe Hayabusa2 lands on distant asteroid A Japanese probe sent to collect samples from an asteroid 300 million kilometres away for clues about the origin of life and the solar system landed successfully on Friday, scientists said.
	Exotic spiraling electrons discovered by physicists Rutgers and other physicists have discovered an exotic form of electrons that spin like planets and could lead to advances in lighting, solar cells, lasers and electronic displays.
	Physicists calculate proton's pressure distribution for first time Neutron stars are among the densest-known objects in the universe, withstanding pressures so great that one teaspoon of a star's material would equal about 15 times the weight of the moon. Yet as it turns out, protons—the fundamental particles that make up most of the visible matter in the universe—contain even higher pressures.
	Japanese spacecraft to attempt landing on distant asteroid (Update) A Japanese spacecraft began its approach Thursday toward a distant asteroid on a mission to collect material that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth.
	New Horizons spacecraft returns its sharpest views of Ultima Thule The mission team called it a "stretch goal" – just before closest approach, precisely point the cameras on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to snap the sharpest possible pics of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, its New Year's flyby target and the farthest object ever explored.
	New residential solar panels deliver record-breaking efficiency The solar panels developed by startup Insolight boast an impressive 29 percent yield – a record for the retail market. These systems, which have now been standardized for mass production, contain lenses that focus sunlight on tiny high-yield photovoltaic cells, employing what is a pioneering approach for the solar-power industry.
	Vigorous exercise, fasting, hormones improve elimination of toxic, misfolded, unnecessary proteins in mouse, human cells The body's ability to adapt to changing conditions and shifting physiologic demands is essential to survival. To do so, each cell must be able to dispose of damaged or unnecessary proteins—a quality-control mechanism critical for cellular performance and for the health of the entire organism.
	Electric bikes could provide old people with brain boost Older cyclists who use electric bicycles may be getting the same brain benefits as those on standard bikes.
	A new CRISPR/Cas9 therapy can suppress aging Aging is a leading risk factor for a number of debilitating conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, to name a few. This makes the need for anti-aging therapies all the more urgent. Now, Salk Institute researchers have developed a new gene therapy to help decelerate the aging process.
	Likelihood of tick bite to cause red meat allergy could be higher than previously thought Until now it has been believed that in order for a tick to trigger an allergic immune response to alpha-gal in humans, the tick would need to have recently fed on the alpha-gal-rich blood of a mammal. New research from the UNC School of Medicine presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) annual conference in San Francisco shows that may not be so.
	Isotopes found in bones suggest Neanderthals were fresh meat eaters An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests at least some Neanderthals were mainly fresh meat eaters. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes testing protein samples discovered in Neanderthal bones and what they found.
	Sound waves let quantum systems 'talk' to one another Researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have invented an innovative way for different types of quantum technology to "talk" to each other using sound. The study, published Feb. 11 in Nature Physics, is an important step in bringing quantum technology closer to reality.
	A polariton filter turns ordinary laser light into quantum light An international team of researchers led out of Macquarie University has demonstrated a new approach for converting ordinary laser light into genuine quantum light.
	Common acid reflux medications linked to increased kidney disease risk Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which include well-known brand names Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the world. Approximately 10 percent of adults in the United States take these drugs for frequent heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Given their prevalence, researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego mined the FDA Adverse Effect Reporting System (FAERS) database for unexpected consequences of PPI consumption.
	CRISPR gene editing makes stem cells 'invisible' to immune system UC San Francisco scientists have used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to create the first pluripotent stem cells that are functionally "invisible" to the immune system, a feat of biological engineering that, in laboratory studies, prevented rejection of stem cell transplants. Because these "universal" stem cells can be manufactured more efficiently than stem cells tailor-made for each patient—the individualized approach that dominated earlier efforts—they bring the promise of regenerative medicine a step closer to reality.

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