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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for July 19, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | New measurements imply dramatically higher abundance of helium hydride ions in the early universePhysicists report the first laboratory measurements of electron reactions with helium hydride ions in the cryogenic storage ring CSR at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. At temperatures down to 6 K, the reaction rates destroying the molecule were found to be significantly lower compared to previous measurements at room temperature. This translates into a strongly enhanced abundance of this primordial molecule acting as a coolant for first star and galaxy formation in the early universe. |
 | Astronauts less likely to faint on Earth if they exercise in spaceNearly 50 years after man's first steps on the moon, researchers have discovered a way that may help astronauts spending prolonged time in space come back to Earth on more stable footing, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. |
 | Powering the future with lunar soilBuilding a lunar base would be one of the next logical steps in our exploration of the solar system, but the survival of a future crew depends on access to a reliable source of energy. An ESA Discovery & Preparation study explored how lunar regolith—the dust, soil and rock on the moon's surface—could be used to store heat and provide electricity for future astronauts, rovers and landers. |
 | Angelic halo orbit chosen for humankind's first lunar outpostMission planners at NASA and ESA's Operations Centre (ESOC) have spent months debating the pros and cons of different orbits, and have now decided on the path of the Lunar Gateway. |
 | Marsquakes rock and rollFifty years after Apollo 11 astronauts deployed the first seismometer on the surface of the moon, NASA InSight's seismic experiment transmits data giving researchers the opportunity to compare marsquakes to moon and earthquakes. |
 | Image: Hubble spots a stunning spiralGalaxies come in many shapes and sizes. One of the key galaxy types we see in the universe is the spiral galaxy, as demonstrated in an especially beautiful way by the subject of this Hubble Space Telescope image, NGC 2985. NGC 2985 lies over 70 million light-years from the solar system in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). |
 | Lunar rocks debunk moon landing conspiracy theoriesRocks collected from the moon 50 years ago and analyzed by an international team of scientists, including from the Australian National University (ANU), dispel any notion that the lunar landing was faked, an ANU expert says. |
 | Yes, I'm searching for aliens—and no, I won't be going to Area 51 to look for themWhat started as an internet joke has generated a stern military warning after more than a million people "signed up" to "raid" Area 51—a secretive military installation in Southern Nevada long fancied by conspiracy theorists to be hiding evidence of a crashed UFO with aliens. The purpose of the planned raid is in order to "see them aliens." In the following Q&A, astronomy professor Jason Wright discusses the public's interest in answering the age-old question: Are we alone? |
 | Space research helps patients on Earth with low blood pressure conditionEver stand up too quickly and see stars? Fainting from low blood pressure can be dangerous for astronauts as well as for patients. With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing approaching, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are publishing heart-related space research that helps us to understand the problem of low blood pressure. |
 | China's space lab Tiangong 2 destroyed in controlled fall to earthChina's Tiangong-2 space lab successfully re-entered the Earth's atmosphere Friday under controlled conditions, completing the latest round of experiments in Beijing's ambitious space programme. |
 | Giant Hawaii telescope to focus on big unknowns of universeIs there life on planets outside our solar system? How did stars and galaxies form in the earliest years of the universe? How do black holes shape galaxies? |
 | Virgin Orbit in launch deal with UK's Royal Air ForceVirgin Orbit says it has been selected by the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force to provide launches of small satellites on short notice. |
Technology news
 | A technique to improve machine learning inspired by the behavior of human infantsFrom their first years of life, human beings have the innate ability to learn continuously and build mental models of the world, simply by observing and interacting with things or people in their surroundings. Cognitive psychology studies suggest that humans make extensive use of this previously acquired knowledge, particularly when they encounter new situations or when making decisions. |
 | Virtual reality glove system takes shape in digital realmA glove focused on user experience in interacting with virtual objects is in the news. This virtual reality glove is the topic of a research article. The researchers described their virtual reality glove in detail in their paper, "Pneumatic actuator and flexible piezoelectric sensor for soft virtual reality glove system," in Scientific Reports. |
 | Fast-growing web of doorbell cams raises privacy fearsThe woodsy community of Wolcott, Connecticut, doesn't see a lot of crime. But when the police chief heard about an opportunity to distribute doorbell cameras to some homes, he didn't hesitate. |
 | Decline of U.S. auto industry linked to midcentury shift in production modelsA massive shift in production models by American automakers to limit the impact of worker strikes may have unintentionally stifled innovation and led to the present decline of the U.S. auto industry, argues Vanderbilt sociologist Joshua Murray in a new book. |
 | Flexible user interface distribution for ubiquitous multi-device interactionKAIST researchers have developed mobile software platform technology that allows a mobile application (app) to be executed simultaneously and more dynamically on multiple smart devices. Its high flexibility and broad applicability can help accelerate a shift from the current single-device paradigm to a multiple one, which enables users to utilize mobile apps in ways previously unthinkable. |
 | Israel spyware firm can mine data from social media: FTAn Israeli spyware firm thought to have hacked WhatsApp in the past on Friday denied a report that it boasted to clients it can scoop user data from services hosted in the internet cloud by technology titans. |
 | Deepfake videos pose a threat, but 'dumbfakes' may be worseSophisticated phony videos called deepfakes have attracted attention as a possible threat to election integrity. But a bigger problem for the 2020 U.S. presidential contest may be "dumbfakes." These are simpler and more easily unmasked bogus videos that are cheap and easy to produce. |
 | This deep neural network fights deepfakesSeeing was believing until technology reared its mighty head and gave us powerful and inexpensive photo-editing tools. Now, realistic videos that map the facial expressions of one person onto those of another, known as deepfakes, present a formidable political weapon. |
 | Shoppers say Amazon Prime Day glitch sold $13,000 camera equipment for $94, over 99% offOn Monday and Tuesday, Amazon's annual Prime Day reportedly gave some shoppers deeper discounts than they expected, thanks to a system error. |
 | Another app with privacy concerns: TikTok, a popular video app with ties to ChinaThe resurgence of St. Petersburg, Russia-based FaceApp has sparked renewed concerns about online privacy, and popular video app TikTok is also raising red flags among security experts. |
 | Profit soars for Microsoft fueled by cloud, business servicesMicrosoft on Thursday posted quarterly earnings that trounced expectations, citing growth in partnerships with companies on technology and cloud computing services. |
 | Israel spyware firm can mine data from social mediaAn Israeli spyware firm thought to have hacked WhatsApp in the past has told clients it can scoop user data from the world's top social media, the Financial Times reported Friday. |
 | Kenya launches Africa's biggest wind farmKenya on Friday formally launched Africa's biggest wind power plant, a mammoth project in a gusty stretch of wilderness that already provides nearly a fifth of the country's energy needs. |
 | Brazil's Petrobras refuses to refuel Iran ships due to US sanctionsUS-listed Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras said Friday it will not refuel two Iranian vessels that have been stuck for weeks at a Brazilian port for fear of violating American sanctions. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Researchers report the function of reverse-twisting DNANormally, the two strands of the DNA double helix wind around each other in a right-handed spiral. However, there is another conformation called Z-DNA in which the strands twist to the left. The function of Z-DNA has remained a mystery since its discovery. A newly published paper unambiguously establishes that the Z-conformation is key to regulating interferon responses involved in fighting viruses and cancer. The researchers analyzed families with variants in the Z-binding domain of the ADAR gene. |
 | Economic, fast and efficient cell-type targetingIt is a remarkable proof for the concept of IOB: working closely hand in hand, our molecular and clinical researchers have developed a library of 230 adeno associated viral vectors (AAVs), each with a different synthetic promoter. A number of these AAVs specifically target expression to neuronal and glial cell types in the mouse and non-human primate retina in vivo, and in the human retina in vitro. |
 | Cardio-respiratory synchronization may represent a new measure of health and fitnessObservation of extended episodes of one-to-one synchronization between heart rate and breathing rate for athletes suggests their training specifically contributes to an enhanced connection within the nervous system. |
 | Relationship between cesarean section and twins' psychological developmentA research team of the University of Malaga (UMA) in the area of Medicine and Psychology has analyzed the effect of the type of delivery on twins' psychological development and intelligence, demonstrating that cesarean section carries an independent risk in these multiple births. |
 | Study sheds light on the darker parts of our genetic heritageMore than half of our genome consists of transposons,DNA sequences that are reminiscent of ancient, extinct viruses.Transposons are normally silenced by a process known as DNA methylation, but their activation can lead to serious diseases. Very little is known about transposons but researchers in an international collaboration project have now succeeded for the first time in studying what happens when DNA methylation is lost in human cells. These findings provide new insight into how changes in DNA methylation contribute to diseases. |
 | Boosting the discovery of new drugs to treat spinal cord injuries using zebrafishA research team led by Leonor Saúde, Principal Investigator at Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM; Lisbon, Portugal), in partnership with the company Technophage SA, has designed a simple and efficient platform that uses zebrafish to discover and identify new drugs to treat spinal cord lesions. This study, published this week in Scientific Reports, is the proof-of-concept for the use of this zebrafish platform that, combined with drug repurposing, has the potential to accelerate the translation period from the discovery to the clinics. |
 | Trump election in 2016 linked to increase in preterm births among US LatinasA significant jump in preterm births to Latina mothers living in the U.S. occurred in the nine months following the November 8, 2016 election of President Donald Trump, according to a study led by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. |
 | Infrared chemical imaging technology promises new precision cancer diagnosisMore than 174,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society, putting it behind only skin cancer as the most common cancer among American men. |
 | Many of the deadliest cancers receive the least amount of research fundingMany of the deadliest or most common cancers get the least amount of nonprofit research funding, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study that examined the distribution of nonprofit research funding in 2015 across cancer types. |
 | Ivacaftor may reduce common infections in patients with CFPatients with cystic fibrosis who take ivacaftor appear to have fewer respiratory infections over time than those not taking the drug, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. |
 | Researchers use Twitter and AI to see who is hitting the gymSocial media data can provide a population-level view of physical activity, from bowling to Crossfit, and inform future efforts to tackle health disparities. |
Alzheimer's gene may impact cognitive health before adulthoodA gene linked to Alzheimer's Disease may impact cognitive health much sooner than previously realized. | |
Diabetes increases the risk of heart failure more in women than menDiabetes confers a greater excess risk of heart failure in women than men, according to new research in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes). Type 1 diabetes is associated with a 47% excess risk of heart failure in women compared to men, whilst type 2 diabetes has a 9% excess risk of heart failure for women than men. | |
Study examines differences over time in home dialysis initiation by race and ethnicityA recent analysis reveals that as home dialysis increased from 2005 to 2013 among U.S. patients with kidney failure, racial/ethnic differences in initiating home dialysis narrowed. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN, indicate that all racial/ethnic groups are increasingly using this form of dialysis. | |
 | Hypertension poorly managed in low- and middle-income countriesHealth systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are poorly prepared for the increasing number of people with high blood pressure, with more than two-thirds of people affected going without treatment, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with colleagues from more than 40 institutions around the world, including several ministries of health. |
Salt regulations linked to 9,900 cases of cardiovascular disease and 1,500 cancer casesA relaxation of UK industry regulation of salt content in food has been linked with 9,900 additional cases of cardiovascular disease, and 1,500 cases of stomach cancer. | |
 | Music may offer alternative to preoperative drug routinely used to calm nervesMusic may offer an alternative to the use of a drug routinely used to calm the nerves before the use of regional anaesthesia (peripheral nerve block), suggest the results of a clinical trial, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. |
 | Big Sugar and neglect by global health community fuel oral health crisisOral health has been isolated from traditional healthcare and health policy for too long, despite the major global public health burden of oral diseases, according to a Lancet Series on Oral Health, published today in The Lancet. Failure of the global health community to prioritise the global burden of oral health has led to calls from Lancet Series authors for the radical reform of dental care, tightened regulation of the sugar industry, and greater transparency around conflict of interests in dental research. |
 | Largest genomic study on type 2 diabetes in sub-Saharan African populationsNational Institute of Health researchers have reported the largest genomic study of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in sub-Saharan Africans, with data from more than 5,000 individuals from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. Researchers confirmed known genomic variants and identified a novel gene ZRANB3, which may influence susceptibility to the disease in sub-Saharan African populations. The gene could also influence the development of T2D in other populations and inform further research. |
 | Researchers determine epigenetic origin of docetaxel-resistant breast cancerResearchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have published a study in Molecular Cancer Research in which they identify methylation patterns associated with different subtypes of breast cancer, and a subclassification of the group of "triple negatives," a breast cancer type typically associated with poor prognosis. In addition, they identified changes in DNA methylation associated with the response to docetaxel, a common therapy. The research was led by Dr. Eva González-Suárez, head of the IDIBELL Transformation and Metastasis research group. |
 | Taking out the protein garbage becomes more difficult as neurons ageCells dispose of harmful "trash" through autophagy, a normal and necessary process in which aggregated proteins and dysfunctional structures are handled. If any part of this fails, waste builds up inside cells, eventually killing them. According to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as cells age, their ability to shed harmful refuse declines. The findings suggest that the deterioration of autophagy in aged neurons—cells that never replicate and are as old as the bodies they inhabit—could be a risk factor for a suite of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. |
 | Hand-held robot points to less invasive prostate surgeryVanderbilt collaborators focused on minimally invasive prostate surgery are developing an endoscopic robotic system with two-handed dexterity at a much smaller scale than existing options. |
 | More cancer patients get help to quit smokingWhen patients who smoke begin cancer treatment at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis—or at any of Siteman's satellite locations—they also now receive advice about quitting smoking, referrals to easy-access smoking-cessation services and, if suitable, prescriptions for medications that aid in kicking the habit. |
 | Molecular cause for severe multi-organ syndromeThree unrelated families on three continents (from continental Portugal, the United States and Brazil), all with healthy ancestors, had children with a very rare multi-organ condition that causes early-onset retinal degeneration, sensorineural hearing loss, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and skeletal dysplasia with scoliosis and short stature. |
 | Study hints at why an aggressive form of brain cancer is hard to treatGlioblastoma is an incurable brain cancer that kills most patients less than two years after diagnosis. The disease is difficult to treat largely because tumors each contain multiple kinds of cells. The aggressive brain cancer can also vastly differ between patients, so much so that researchers debate whether glioblastoma should be considered a single disease. A new study may help clarify what drives this important heterogeneity and makes glioblastoma so deadly. |
 | How our obsession with performance is changing our sense of selfWe live in a society obsessed with performance. For both young and old, competitions, awards and rankings are an inescapable feature of life. |
 | Harmful medication re-exposures could be avoided with new approachesAdverse drug events could be avoided by sharing patients' medication histories and previous harmful medication exposures among various health-care facilities. That's one of the key findings of a study published today in CMAJ Open. |
 | Modern maker trend could jumpstart aging brainsFrustrated that her sweater got lost in the community laundry, 92-year-old Gigi took advantage of an embroidery machine to label two others. |
 | Study highlights need for more discussions about child organ donationResearch led by the University of Southampton has found that the topic of organ and tissue donation could be raised more often with parents who face losing their child. |
 | Protect your heart in the heatWith much of the nation facing a heat advisory this weekend, the American Heart Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is urging people to take precautions to protect their hearts. |
 | Diamond implants could control epileptic seizuresFor people with epilepsy, it's not just the severity of seizures that's a problem: their unpredictability also takes a psychological toll. |
 | HIV in Kenya: High risk groups aren't getting the attention they needEfforts to manage the HIV epidemic in much of sub-Saharan Africa need to specifically target sections of the population that are most vulnerable to HIV infection. Two such key populations include men who have sex with men and transgender women. But in many countries on the continent same sex relationships—and transgender identities—are criminalised. |
 | Is it safe to drink alcohol while breastfeeding?Is it safe to drink alcohol and breastfeed? As physicians, we have always cautioned patients not to. As mothers, we look forward to the occasional glass of wine. |
 | Hearing loss tied with mental, physical, and social ailments in older peopleHearing loss is the world's fourth-leading cause of years lived with disability. The condition may worsen an array of mental, physical, and social complications. As over 90 percent of hearing loss is age-related, its burden is notably growing amid aging populations. |
 | Humans aren't designed to be happyA huge happiness and positive thinking industry, estimated to be worth US$11 billion a year, has helped to create the fantasy that happiness is a realistic goal. Chasing the happiness dream is a very American concept, exported to the rest of the world through popular culture. Indeed, "the pursuit of happiness" is one of the US's "unalienable rights." Unfortunately, this has helped to create an expectation that real life stubbornly refuses to deliver. |
 | Dental decay and flavoured waterA laboratory study published in the International Journal of Environment and Health looks at the effects of flavoured mineral water drinks and sugar substitutes on the exogenic erosion of tooth enamel. Given that many more people drink flavoured sugar solutions today than ever before, there is the likelihood of an emerging dental crisis. However, the switch to sugar substitutes might not be the answer to this problem, the researchers suggest. |
 | Helping paramedics recognize signs of stroke fasterWhen it comes to strokes, doctors have a mantra: time is brain. Delaying treatment even by minutes can mean the difference between a normal life and permanent disability, or even life and death. |
 | 'Almost perfect' hearing for deaf with new techDr. Wim Melis from the University of Greenwich is working on deconstructing and reconstructing audio signals with extremely high accuracy. |
 | New approach to reducing damage after a heart attackResearchers in the Medical Sciences Division have established a key cause of micro blood vessels constricting during surgery to reopen a blocked artery, and identified a potential therapeutic target to block the mechanism behind it. |
 | New standards aim to improve surgery for the oldest patientsThe 92-year-old had a painful tumor on his tongue, and major surgery was his best chance. Doctors called a timeout when he said he lived alone, in a rural farmhouse, and wanted to keep doing so. |
 | Understanding the mode of action of the primaquine: New insights into a 70 year old puzzleResearchers at LSTM have taken significant steps in understanding the way that the anti-malarial drug primaquine (PQ) works, which they hope will lead to the development of new, safer and more effective treatments for malaria. |
 | How long does a surgery take? Researchers create modelOperating rooms are a precious resource. They may account for 50 percent of a hospital's revenues and cost as much as $80 a minute. But figuring out how much time to allot for a surgery is a challenge every hospital faces. |
 | Offering children a wide variety and large quantities of snack food encourages them to eat moreA new study has found that offering children a wide variety and large quantities of snack food encourages them to eat more—and this practice may be contributing to Australia's weight problem. |
 | Distinct social profile and high ASD risk, 3q29 deletion survey findsA survey of 93 people with 3q29 deletion syndrome reveals a distinct pattern of social disability and anxiety, even without a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The results were published online in Molecular Autism on July 16. |
 | Newly discovered neural pathway processes acute light to affect sleepEither to check the time or waste time, people often look at their smartphones after waking in the middle of the night. |
Chest X-rays contain information that can be harvested with AIThe most frequently performed imaging exam in medicine "the chest X-ray" holds 'hidden' prognostic information that can be harvested with artificial intelligence (AI), according to a study by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The findings of this study, to be published in the July 19, 2019 issue of JAMA Network Open, could help to identify patients most likely to benefit from screening and preventive medicine for heart disease, lung cancer and other conditions. | |
Study reveals genetic similarities of osteosarcoma between dogs and childrenA bone cancer known as osteosarcoma is genetically similar in dogs and human children, according to the results of a study published today by Tufts University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope. The findings could help break the logjam in the treatment of this deadly disease, which hasn't seen a significant medical breakthrough in nearly three decades. | |
 | Operative versus non-operative treatment for two-part proximal humerus fractureThe results of a recent nordic collaboration study showed that there is no difference in functional results between operative and non-operative treatment in persons aged 60 or more with displaced proximal humerus fractures. |
 | Recommendations developed for japanese encephalitis vaccine(HealthDay)—In the July 19 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, recommendations are presented for use of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine. |
 | Current antibiotic stewardship program practices characterized(HealthDay)—Current infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship program practices continue to include a main focus on surveillance for multidrug-resistant organisms, according to a report published online July 17 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. |
 | Supply of opioids predicts long-term use in injured workers(HealthDay)—The number of days supplied of an initial opioid prescription is the strongest risk factor for developing long-term opioid use among previously opioid-free injured workers, according to a study published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open. |
 | Higher eGFR at dialysis initiation tied to lower survival in children(HealthDay)—In children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at dialysis initiation is associated with lower survival, particularly among children whose initial treatment method is hemodialysis, according to a study published online July 18 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. |
 | Delicious, do-it-yourself cauliflower rice(HealthDay)—In the quest to lighten up on carbs and refined grains, cauliflower rice is the hands-down favorite substitute. But you don't have to buy pricy, pre-riced bags of cauliflower when a simple countertop appliance can do the job for you quickly and easily. |
 | Strength-training exercises you can do anywhere(HealthDay)—You don't have to go to the gym to get a great muscle-building workout. You don't even need equipment. There are many bodyweight-only exercises for strength training that you can do anywhere—at home, when traveling, even at work if you've got a space you can exercise in. Here are two to try. |
 | Pot use during early pregnancy on the rise(HealthDay)—Pot use and pregnancy hardly go hand-in-hand for health reasons, but more American women are using marijuana just before and right after they become pregnant, new research warns. |
Study links air pollution to increase in newborn intensive care admissionsNIH study links air pollution to increase in newborn intensive care admissions | |
 | Routine blood tests could predict diabetesRandom plasma glucose tests could be used to predict which patients will develop diabetes, according to a study of Veterans Affairs treatment data. Researchers from several VA systems showed that levels of glucose found during standard outpatient medical testing revealed patients' likelihood of developing diabetes over the next five years, even when glucose levels did not rise to the level of diabetes diagnosis. |
 | AHA news: know the flax: A little seed may be what your diet needsAdding seeds to your diet can be an easy way to shore up your defenses against heart risks without adding too much work to meal prep. |
 | Q&A: Newly public data maps opioid crisis across USThe release of a massive trove of data from lawsuits over the nation's opioid crisis provides the most detailed accounting to date of the role played by the major pharmaceutical companies and distributors. |
Biology news
 | Researchers discover genome-wide variations in gene expression between male and female mammalsA team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has discovered genome-wide variations in gene expression between male and female mammals. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their RNA sequencing studies in several types of mammals and what they found. |
 | Scientists discover group of genes connected to longer life in fruit fliesAlexey Moskalev, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Geroprotective and Radioprotective technologies and co-authors from the Institute of biology of Komi Science Center of RAS, the Engelgard's Institute of molecular biology of RAS and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology published an article titled "Transcriptome Analysis of Long-lived Drosophila melanogaster E(z) Mutants Sheds Light on the Molecular Mechanisms of Longevity" in Nature Scientific Reports. |
 | Helping robots to build new antibioticsA team from The University of Manchester have engineered a common gut bacterium to produce a new class of antibiotics by using robotics. These antibiotics, known as class II polyketides, are also naturally produced by soil bacteria and have antimicrobial properties which are vital in the modern pharmaceutical industry to combat infectious diseases and cancer. |
 | Theory that ridged skin helps dolphins debunkedA dolphin is obviously not a golf ball. However, many scientists believed that the way one slips through the water and the other through the air owed to the same cause: similarities in surface texture and their effect on drag and locomotion. |
 | Novel mechanism of inheritance detectedNon-Mendelian, oligogenic inheritance could be an unrecognized and important element for occurrence of hereditary retinal degenerations (HRDs, comprising retinitis pigmentosa) which are caused by ultra-rare mutations and cause progressive blindness. |
 | Newly discovered biosynthetic pathway in bacteria recipe for drug discovery and productionMicrobes are master chefs of the biomolecular world; collectively, they harbor the ability to produce a vast array of unknown substances, some of which may have therapeutic or other useful properties. In searching for useful products, a team of chemists at Illinois have discovered a whole new class of microbial recipes. |
 | Study finds small mammals aid expansion of warm-climate treesA new study by Alessio Mortelliti, an assistant professor of wildlife habitat ecology at the University of Maine, finds small mammals could affect whether trees spread to new areas in a warming climate. |
 | Peanut plant's 'chemical breath' could give clues to drought and other stressesPeanut growers could someday identify emerging threats such as drought, pests or disease by testing a plant's "chemical breath." |
 | Do plant cells hold the roadmap for surviving climate change?Do plant scientists hold the key to saving vulnerable populations in a changing climate? How should plant researchers prepare to deploy their knowledge to maintain food security in the future—as well as to promote renewable energy, sequester carbon pollution from the atmosphere, and even synthesize medicine? |
 | New genome editing technology for plant breedingResearchers have developed a new genome editing technology for rice, combining adenine-to-guanine single-base editing technology and Cas9 with an extended targeting scope. They report that it is possible to efficiently introduce base substitution mutations in rice genes and plan to expand the research to citrus fruit breeding. |
 | What is leptospirosis and how can it harm us and our pets?Recently reported cases of the often fatal bacterial infection leptospirosis in dogs in Sydney have raised the issue of animal diseases that also affect humans. |
 | Fishing for genesJust as steelhead trout migrate from saltwater to freshwater and back, MBARI's Environmental Sample Processors (ESPs)—first developed for research in the ocean—have been getting a lot of use in freshwater over the last five years. |
 | Still time for Scottish fishing industry to adapt to climate changeA University of Aberdeen scientist will present the findings of a report that shows although climate change is already having an impact on fish and fisheries globally, there is still time for the Scottish fishing industry to get better prepared to adapt to changes in fish growth and shifts in stock distribution. |
 | Turkestan cockroach selling online is a companion of the common household cockroachMany nocturnal animals including insects use a species-specific smell, that is, a sex pheromone, to locate and attract potential mates. For example, female American cockroaches emit sex pheromones called "periplanones" with unique chemical structures. Males that detect them with their antennae orientate towards the pheromone source, preform courtship rituals, and mate. |
 | Tagged whale shark part of ongoing study by NSU's guy harvey research instituteWhen it comes to finding one's way, Garmin, Tom-Tom and Google Maps have got nothing on Mother Nature. |
 | Swine fever sends China's pork prices, imports soaringPork prices have been sent soaring and herds devastated as African swine fever tears through China's massive pig-farming industry, forcing the country to ramp up imports to satisfy demand—but analysts warn worse is yet to come. |
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