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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for July 26, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | NASA's TESS mission completes first year of survey, turns to northern skyNASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered 21 planets outside our solar system and captured data on other interesting events occurring in the southern sky during its first year of science. TESS has now turned its attention to the Northern Hemisphere to complete the most comprehensive planet-hunting expedition ever undertaken. |
 | Europe prepares for Mars courierThe first round-trip to the Red Planet will see a European orbiter bringing martian samples back to Earth. ESA is opening the door to industry to build the spacecraft that will deliver the precious rocks, dust and gas from Mars—the key to understanding whether life ever existed on our closest planetary neighbour. |
 | SpaceX dragon en route to space station with NASA science, cargoA SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is on its way to deliver the second commercial crew docking port and about 5,000 pounds of science investigations and supplies for the International Space Station after a 6:01 p.m. EDT Thursday launch from Florida. |
 | First free flight of SpaceX's Starhopper aborted after engine fireOn Wednesday, July 24th, the prototype test vehicle for the SpaceX craft the Starhopper commenced its first untethered "hop test" at the company's test facility in Boca Chica, Texas. This test is an important milestone for SpaceX, intended to validate the Raptor engine in free flight and bring the company one step closer to creating the super-heavy launch system that will allow for trips to the moon and Mars. |
 | Space junk: A recycling station could be cleaning up in Earth orbit by 2050There are about 22,000 large objects orbiting the Earth, including working and broken satellites and bits of old rocket from past space expeditions. If you include all the equipment dropped by astronauts while floating in space and the debris from colliding satellites down to around 1cm in size, there are about one million bits of space junk in Earth's orbit. |
 | Images show Lightsail 2 spacecraft's solar sail has deployedPhotos transmitted from The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft orbiting Earth confirm that it successfully deployed its solar sail. |
Technology news
 | Crowdfunding an undershirt device for sweltering suitsSony has come up with a wearable air conditioner. It's called the Reon Pocket. It is a tiny AC unit that fits right inside the shirt. The device takes a battery; the person adjusts the temperature by smartphone via a Bluetooth connection. Where does it go exactly? Quartzy said the lightweight gadget "slides into the upper back pocket of a specially designed t-shirt." |
 | Drones will fly for days with new photovoltaic engineUC Berkeley researchers just broke another record in photovoltaic efficiency, an achievement that could lead to an ultralight engine that can power drones for days. |
 | Yellow is not the new black: Discovery paves way for new generation of solar cellsA study led by KU Leuven for the first time explains how a promising type of perovskites—man-made crystals that can convert sunlight into electricity—can be stabilized. As a result, the crystals turn black, enabling them to absorb sunlight. This is necessary to be able to use them in new solar panels that are easy to make and highly efficient. The study was published in Science. |
 | Australia considers more regulation of Google and FacebookThe Australian government released a report Friday recommending tighter oversight over multinational digital platforms including Google and Facebook, to ensure fairness for other media businesses and give people more control over how their data is used. |
 | Amazon plans to deliver on promise of even faster shipping, calling it a successIf you thought Amazon's packages were arriving faster than ever, just wait. |
 | How to be an esports star without going pro, playing games like Solitaire and Madden NFLFernando Lewis knew he was good at video games like Madden NFL and NBA 2K, but he wanted a better barometer of his skills. |
 | The internet is rotting: Thousands of sites go offline each yearI have just taken an entire website and gigabytes of data offline. It covered a highly successful series of conferences on the data economy. It brought together thought leaders and key decision-makers from around the world for annual retreats—over a decade ago. And now it is gone. |
 | Solar cell manufacturer's 'flexible' approach brings renewable energy to unprecedented placesIt's 2019, and the world continues its rapid transformation. The physical Earth itself is changing in a time defined by environmental disruption, while exponential advancements in high tech are happening throughout the world. As the planet and technology undergo these developments, businesses—especially in the clean tech sector—must rapidly adapt to stay relevant or risk becoming extinct. |
 | Researchers pave the way to salt-resistant concretePavements could soon be saved from some of the ravages of the winter chill thanks to a new type of low-cost concrete that absorbs significantly less of the salt that gets spread on it annually. |
 | Research shows gig economy gives a mental health boost to workersThe general picture of gig economy work and mental wellbeing is not a pretty one. Around the world, Uber drivers face wage and security worries. Deliveroo workers have too much competition. Airbnb owners face legal problems in Paris and other cities. |
 | Many still use Twitter to just hang outAs a social media platform, Twitter does not have the most glowing reputation. If you just rely on what you hear about it, you might think Twitter is no more than a hotbed for raging politics and viral campaign hashtags. But is that all there is? |
 | Light: A possible solution for a sustainable AIWe are witnessing the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which has the potential to translate into a variety of societal changes, including improvements to economy, better living conditions, easier access to education, well-being, and entertainment. Such a much anticipated future, however, is tainted with issues related to privacy, explainability, accountability, to name a few, that constitute a threat to the smooth adoption of AI, and which are at the center of various debates in the media. |
 | Twitter reports strong user growthTwitter reported surprisingly strong second-quarter user numbers and revenue Friday, as it works to make the platform more user friendly and eliminate robotic and fake accounts on its platform. |
 | Researchers develop a method to identify computer-generated textIn a world of Deep Fakes and far too human natural language AI, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and IBM Research asked: Is there a better way to help people detect AI-generated text? |
 | Expert in sustainable design: How to keep buildings cool without air conditioningThe warmer it gets, the more people crank up the air conditioning (AC). In fact, AC is booming in nations across the world: it's predicted that around two thirds of the world's households could have an air conditioner by 2050, and the demand for energy to cool buildings will triple. |
 | Solar energy becomes biofuel without solar cellsSoon we will be able to replace fossil fuels with a carbon-neutral product created from solar energy, carbon dioxide and water. Researchers at Uppsala University have successfully produced microorganisms that can efficiently produce the alcohol butanol using carbon dioxide and solar energy, without needing to use solar cells. |
 | Five 3-D printing mythsThe first conviction for 3-D printing a firearm was recently reported in London, not long after 3-D printed masks were used to trick face recognition. Should we be afraid? |
 | WhatsApp to launch digital payments service in IndiaMessaging giant WhatsApp plans to launch its first payment service this year in India, its biggest market with 400 million users, the company said Friday. |
 | Libra is just the beginning: Insights from blockchain researchersMoving from a world where the development of economic frameworks are no longer at the helm of governments and countries, Facebook will soon have around 2.2 billion of its users with access to a crypto wallet. |
 | Eversource gives up on Northern Pass hydropower projectAfter nearly a decade of protests, hearings and court fights, the Northern Pass hydropower project that promised to bring hydropower from Canada to southern New England is dead. |
 | China accuses FedEx of 'holding up' Huawei parcelsChina accused FedEx of deliberately "holding up" the delivery of more than 100 Huawei packages after the US firm misrouted some parcels from the telecom giant, state media said Friday. |
 | SoftBank unveils investment fund to drive 'AI revolution'Japan's SoftBank Group said Friday it would partner with tech firms including Apple and Microsoft in a new $108-billion investment fund to accelerate the "AI revolution". |
 | Iranians manage to surf the web despite tide of censorshipBefore Nazilla Akbari can check out the latest offerings on Twitter or YouTube, she scrolls through an array of icons on her smartphone, searching for the right workaround to bypass state censors. |
 | How to navigate the Equifax data breach settlement offerConsumers affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach (that's most U.S. adults who have credit) can get their names on the list to get free credit monitoring and/or monetary compensation. |
 | Apple won't get tariff waivers for certain China imports: TrumpPresident Donald Trump said Friday that Apple would face tariffs for components of its Mac Pro computers which are expected to be manufactured in China. |
 | Justice Department OKs T-Mobile's $26.5B Sprint dealU.S. regulators are approving T-Mobile's $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts. |
Medicine & Health news
 | A computer system that knows how you feelCould a computer, at a glance, tell the difference between a joyful image and a depressing one? Could it distinguish, in a few milliseconds, a romantic comedy from a horror film? |
 | The 'blowfish effect': Children learn new words like adults do, say researchersEven young children know what typical dogs and fish look like—and they apply that knowledge when they hear new words, reports a team from the Princeton Baby Lab, where researchers study how babies learn to see, talk and understand the world. |
 | Study shows gut microbiota influences skeletal muscle mass and function in miceAn international team of researchers has found that the gut microbiota in mice play an influential role in skeletal muscle mass maintenance and function. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes their experiments with wild and lab-raised mice, and what they found. |
 | Innovative patient-centred lung clinic reduces suffering along with costsA unique clinic for patients with terminal lung disease is leading to dramatic reductions in hospital deaths, better symptom management and lower costs for the health-care system. |
 | Researchers attempt to prove the importance of blood thinners after hospitalizationA study conducted by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers is attempting to create new guidelines for the use of blood thinners in the weeks following hospitalization. The study, published in the Public Library of Science, found that extending the duration of blood thinners in a patient's post-discharge period continued to prevent blood clots, including fatal ones. |
 | Tobacco industry has bumped up prices beyond that required by tax changesThe tobacco industry has bumped up the prices for its products beyond that required by tax changes, even when tax rises were large and unexpected, reveal the findings of research published online in the journal Tobacco Control. |
Testosterone may significantly improve sexual function and sexual well-being in postmenopausal womenHowever, authors note that non-oral formulations are preferred because of the adverse lipoprotein effects of oral testosterone. So far, adverse side effects of non-oral formulations appear to be restricted to small weight gain, mild acne and increased hair growth, but more research on long-term effects is needed. | |
 | Researches novel triple-negative breast cancer treatmentsWorking with patients while also doing research is the dream for translational physicians. As the newest Hollings Cancer Center clinical scholar, that dream will come true for Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., a Hollings Cancer Center breast cancer oncologist. |
Honduran hospitals overrun by dengue fever epidemicOf Honduras' 32 public hospitals, 26 are overflowing with patients due to what health authorities are calling the worst dengue fever epidemic in the past half century. | |
 | Bariatric surgery up in patients with end-stage kidney disease(HealthDay)—For patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), there has been an increase in bariatric surgery, with proportional use of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy increasing, according to a study published online July 25 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. |
 | AHA news: Her heart 'looked like swiss cheese' after stroke at 29Jennifer Michele always has had a knack for sprucing up spaces. That talent prompted her to start an interior design firm in 2007. She then quickly landed the sort of high-profile design job that can make a career. |
 | Brain changes noted in holocaust survivors and their children(HealthDay)—Holocaust survivors may have suffered permanent harmful changes to their brain structure, and the brains of their children and grandchildren may also be affected, a small study reveals. |
Expert panel in macular degeneration recommends paradigm shift for future directionsA panel of investigators assembled by the National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC) calls for large-scale collaborative research to address dry macular degeneration—the leading cause of blindness among the elderly—for which there is currently no effective treatment. | |
 | The type of psychological intervention a teen gets depends on parent's mental healthA parent's level of psychological distress may influence how well adolescents in the juvenile justice system respond to mental health interventions for substance use and sexual risk, according to a researcher at FIU's Center for Children and Families. |
 | Cannabidiol-derived drugs and genetic testing provide hope for 'intractable' epilepsy in childrenIt can start with a vacant stare, what appear to be muscle twitches or a full-blown seizure. But no matter how it begins, any time a child is diagnosed with epilepsy is often a frightening time for families. |
 | How technology could be a solution to caregiver shortage for seniorsYoung people may roll their eyes at older people who can't use technology as fast as they do, but it's wrong to say that older Americans can't use technology. Remember, a baby boomer, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the World Wide Web, so why should we be surprised that they continue to create, adopt and use new technology? |
 | Blocking proteins could ease unrelenting poison ivy itch, mouse study showsScientists at Duke Health and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University who are studying poison ivy rashes in mice have identified new potential drug targets that could one day lead to treating the aggravating itch in people. |
 | Do hormones affect a woman's ability to recover from PTSD?Post-traumatic stress can be a crippling disorder, interfering with a person's ability to function on a daily basis. And although scientists don't know why, it occurs twice as frequently in women as in men. |
 | Large number of unplanned pregnancies among women with chronic health conditionsA large number of women with chronic health conditions have unplanned pregnancies and are at risk of experiencing adverse events during pregnancy, something a University of Otago researcher says could be prevented if healthcare professionals are prepared. |
 | Brain-controlled prosthetic hand to become realityImagine a patient controlling the movement of his or her prosthetic limb simply by thinking of commands. It may sound like science fiction but will soon become reality thanks to the EU-funded DeTOP project. A consortium of engineers, neuroscientists and clinicians has made great strides in further developing the technology behind more natural and functional prostheses. |
 | Maori rates of subsequent injury disproportionately highA ground-breaking University of Otago study has found Māori experience disproportionately higher rates of subsequent injuries within two years of their initial injury. |
 | Tobacco industry exposed for continuing to mislead public about e-cigarettesThe American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives, issued the following statement from CEO Nancy Brown following hearings in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy today and yesterday on Juul Labs' contribution to the youth nicotine epidemic: |
 | Improved physician communication for cancer patientsNew research led by Monash University and involving The University of Western Australia, Melbourne University, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Flinders University, and Eastern Health has highlighted best practice for communication between physicians and cancer patients. |
 | Benefits of a psychotherapeutic approach for chronic depression fade after two yearsA study published in the latest issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates that the benefits of a specific psychotherapeutic approach may disappear after two years from the conclusion of the psychotherapy. |
 | Puberty-blocking drugs: Te difficulties of conducting ethical researchA recent Newsnight programme reported that a major UK puberty-blocking trial is under investigation. Doctors at a London clinic provided drugs to block the development of puberty in young adolescents with gender dysphoria, a condition where the person experiences discomfort or distress because of a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. |
 | A wet cough for four weeks means it's time to get it checked outAs respiratory clinicians, we have been conducting outreach clinics to the Kimberley, in northern Western Australia, for about ten years, treating children with bronchiectasis, a chronic lung disease in which the breathing tubes in the lungs are damaged. |
 | Fainting during pregnancy can be risky for mother and childFainting, also known as syncope, is the sudden loss of consciousness. In most cases, fainting is not dangerous—unless it is complicated by a fall or other injury —and the person recovers quickly. |
 | Vitamin D supplementation may slow diabetes progressionVitamin D supplementation may slow the progression of type 2 diabetes in newly diagnosed patients and those with prediabetes, according to a study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology. The study findings suggest that high-dose supplementation of vitamin D can improve glucose metabolism to help prevent the development and progression of diabetes. |
 | Getting in step with whole grainsResearch continues to unlock the benefits of eating whole grains, already thought to promote better digestive health, along with being very filling. |
 | Why do some people drink until they black out? Twitter offers cluesBlackout drinking is never a wise idea, but new research pinpoints why people sometimes imbibe to the point where they pass out. |
 | Single-cell atlas reveals underlying building blocks of ulcerative colitisInflammatory bowel diseases are chronic, painful disorders of the intestine that afflict roughly 1.5 million people in the United States. Yet the underlying mechanisms of these diseases, which include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are not well understood. Even patients with the same diagnosis can have drastically different responses to treatment, and their symptom flare-ups can be difficult to predict. |
 | Learning to teach mindfulness to children can help teachers reduce their own stressAs the use of mindfulness has increased globally, its importance in education has also been recognised. Though it is not yet on any curriculum, it is being used in schools around the world to improve pupils' well-being, mental health, social and emotional learning, concentration and cognition. Many schools are now enrolling their teachers on mindfulness courses too, so that they can eventually teach these skills to their pupils, without relying on external specialists. |
 | Physical stature and education level of diabetic Nigerian women correlated with dementiaA joint survey by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Benue State University (BSU) finds that short height and low education levels are characteristic traits of Nigerian women with type 2 diabetes showing early symptoms of dementia. This work points to the importance of childhood nutrition and education programmes, particularly for girls, in public health improvement strategies in Nigeria. A sustained programme addressing these problems can mitigate a future burden of dementia in the country's adult diabetic women. |
 | Radiotherapy targets tumors precisely with less damage to healthy cellsA new way of concentrating radiotherapy dose in tumors, while minimizing damage to healthy cells, has been proposed in research led by scientists at the University of Strathclyde. |
 | Copy-number variants in insecticide resistance in malaria mosquitoesResearchers from LSTM, working alongside colleagues from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge and the Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, have used whole genome sequencing to understand copy-number variants (CNVs) in malaria mosquitoes and their role in insecticide resistance. |
 | New gene found for a deadly childhood cancer offers possibility of targeted drug therapyNeuroblastoma accounts for 15% of total childhood cancer deaths. The survival rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients is 50%. |
 | Liver transplants could be redundant with discovery of new liver cellResearchers at King's College London have used single cell RNA sequencing to identify a type of cell that may be able to regenerate liver tissue, treating liver failure without the need for transplants. |
 | Simple invention could reduce barriers to contraceptionA device that could help decrease the global burden of unwanted pregnancy has been invented by University of Otago academics. |
 | Medical camera under development could help cut time and cost of proceduresResearchers have completed a successful clinical trial, managing to detect and image radioactive tracers used in PET and in SPECT scans at the same time, with the hope of enabling doctors to scan patients for abnormalities in shorter times while reducing the amount of radiation patients would be exposed to. |
One in 100 new mothers go on to long-term opioid painkiller use; risk rises with size of RxNearly half of American women having a baby in the last decade received a prescription for a powerful opioid painkiller as part of their birth experience, a new study shows. | |
Burnout symptoms associated with racial bias in medical residentsMayo Clinic researchers have found an association between increased symptoms of burnout and heightened racial bias in medical residents. The study appears in JAMA Network Open. | |
 | An unexpected developmental hierarchy in an unusual diseaseLangerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a very unusual disease: Often classified as a cancer because of uncontrolled cell growth in different parts of the body, it also has features of an autoimmune disease, as LCH lesions attract immune cells and show characteristic tissue inflammation. LCH is clinically variable and often difficult to diagnose. Skin involvement in babies with LCH can look like a diaper rash, whereas bone involvement can be mistaken as sarcoma in an X-ray picture. In its most aggressive form, LCH can present as leukaemia-like disease and lead to organ failure. These diverse manifestations and the enormous clinical heterogeneity of LCH continue to puzzle medical doctors and scientists around the world. |
 | Quinn on Nutrition: Does vitamin B-1 repel mosquitos?As I sit here scratching a mosquito bite, I'm suddenly interested in a recent question from a patient. Do vitamin B-1 supplements repel mosquitos? Here's what I learned: |
Antipsychotic use in youths with ADHD is low, but still cause for concernAlthough fewer young people with ADHD are treated with antipsychotic drugs than suspected, many prescriptions for the drugs do not appear to be clinically warranted, according to a new study from psychiatry researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. They also found that antipsychotic use among youths with ADHD was highest among preschool-age children. | |
 | For salmonella detection, genomic tool emerges as a keyThe world's food supply will become safer as the food industry shifts to high-resolution, whole-genome sequencing—which examines the full DNA of a given organism all at once. This move to make sequencing ubiquitous will lead to the consistently reliable detection of salmonella. |
 | Compound found in red wine opens door for new treatments for depression, anxietyLike to unwind with a glass of red wine after a stressful day? Don't give alcohol all the credit. |
 | Study finds novel mechanism of action for NK cells in checkpoint inhibitor for cancerPD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors are a powerful and growing form of immunotherapy used to treat melanoma, kidney cancer, head and neck cancers, Hodgkin's lymphoma and other cancers. The PD-L1 protein is expressed on tumor cells and aids the cancer by signaling to immune cells, such as T cells, to stop working against tumors. |
 | WHO says e-cigarettes 'undoubtedly harmful'Electronic cigarettes are "undoubtedly harmful" and should be regulated, the WHO said Friday as it warned against the use of vaping products by smokers trying to quit their deadly habit. |
 | Thyroidectomy complication rate down when surgeon volume up(HealthDay)—For patients undergoing total thyroidectomy, the occurrence rate of complications decreases as annual surgeon volumes increase, according to a study published online July 25 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. |
 | Model fails to predict risk for maternal ICU admission(HealthDay)—A predictive model that uses prenatal risk factors to help identify women at higher risk for admission to the maternal intensive care unit (ICU) has low positive predictive value, according to a study published online July 9 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Innovative hub feeds the need for fresh produce in flintFRIDAY, July 26, 2019 (American Heart Association News)—Flint, Michigan, is best known in recent years for its troubles over tainted water. But another problem has challenged the city for decades: Most of its population lack easy access to healthy, nutritious produce. |
 | Americans are spending even more time sitting, study shows(HealthDay)—The United States has grown a bumper crop of couch potatoes in recent years, a new study reports. |
 | US cyberbullying is rising, and girls are bearing the bruntRachel Whalen remembers feeling gutted in high school when a former friend would mock her online postings, threaten to unfollow or unfriend her on social media and post inside jokes about her to others online. |
 | Too many in Congo's Ebola outbreak are dying at homeTwo-month-old Lahya Kathembo became an orphan in a day. Her mother succumbed to Ebola on a Saturday morning. By sunset her father was dead, too. |
Biology news
 | New protein found in strongest spider web materialA team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. and Slovenia has found a previously unknown protein in the strongest known spider web material. In their paper published in the journal Communications Biology, the group describes their study of Darwin's bark spider silk and the glands that produce it. |
 | Antibiotic-resistant genes found in London's canals and pondsCentral London's freshwater sources contain high levels of antibiotic resistant genes, with the River Thames having the highest amount, according to research by UCL. |
 | Study finds animals with fancy, colorful males have choosy mothersEvolution is actually a Sadie Hawkins dance, as new research shows females not only determine whether male animals develop bright colors, but also how fast new species develop. |
 | Revolutionary method could bring us much closer to the description of hyperdiverse faunasTwo hundred and sixty-one years ago, Linnaeus formalized binomial nomenclature and the modern system of naming organisms. Since the time of his first publication, taxonomists have managed to describe 1.8 million of the estimated 8 to 25 million extant species of multicellular life, somewhere between 7 percent and 22 percent. At this rate, the task of treating all species would be accomplished sometime before the year 4,000. In an age of alarming environmental crises, where taking measures for the preservation of our planet's ecosystems through efficient knowledge is becoming increasingly urgent, humanity cannot afford this delay. |
 | Researchers report rice gene that confers broad-spectrum resistance to β-triketone herbicidesGenomes of the genus Oryza, including both domesticated and wild species, have been well characterized because of the importance of rice to the global food supply. The wealth of genetic variation in rice varieties has allowed the identification of useful genes for crop breeding by map-based cloning methods. With regard to large-scale farming, in particular, weed control with the use of appropriate herbicides is critical for efficient crop production. To date, a variety of herbicides have been developed and are widely applied in fields of major crops. On the other hand, long-term reliance on individual herbicides can result in the emergence of weeds that are resistant to the applied agent. The development of new combinations of herbicides and of herbicide resistance genes for introduction into crop species is thus desirable as a solution to this problem. |
 | Mouse genetics influences the microbiome more than environmentGenetics has a greater impact on the microbiome than maternal birth environment, at least in mice, according to a study published this week in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Vaginal birth, known to transfer microbiota to a newborn, failed to make a lasting microbial imprint on offspring. |
 | New Milwaukee zoo exhibit to improve standards for elephantsRuth loves popcorn. But she has to work for it, by blowing air with her trunk through a white pipe attached to a barrel above her head to push it out. |
 | The influence of microbes on soil respirationMillions of microbes living in the soil could influence how soils respond to temperature changes. They also influence the amount of carbon dioxide soils give off or respire. Yet scientists rarely consider these microbes when modeling temperature effects around the world. An international team of scientists analyzed the results of more than two dozen warming experiments to quantify how much these microbes influence soil respiration under various temperatures and in what ways. |
 | Finding a gene that regulates sleepWhat keeps us awake—and helps us fall asleep? The answer is complex, but involves what are called circadian rhythms, which are found in all species with sleep-wake cycles—physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a regular schedule. |
 | Our cities need more trees, but some commonly planted ones won't survive climate changeWe need trees in our lives. This past summer, Adelaide experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in an Australian state capital, hitting 46.6 degrees on January 24. Trees beautify otherwise grey cities and cool our suburbs during heatwaves. But different species have different levels of tolerance of heat, lack of water and other threats posed by climate change. |
 | Extreme weather caused by climate change has damaged 45% of Australia's coastal habitatIf you think climate change is only gradually affecting our natural systems, think again. |
 | Forestry practice inspired by wildfire could help save grizzly bears, study showsA shift in how Alberta forests are managed could benefit grizzly bears, according to new research from the University of Alberta. |
 | Satellite-connected tags set to boost marine conservationFour tiger sharks have been tagged with a new device that will help conservationists to conduct detailed analysis of their migrations over years. |
 | HDO-antimiR represents a new weapon in the fight against microRNA-related diseaseMicroRNA (miRNA) is a type of RNA that plays an important role in various cellular processes and is also involved in developing defenses against pathogens. Increasing numbers of studies have indicated that certain human diseases are caused by altered expression and organization of miRNA. |
Mouse model supports importance of fatty acid balance in chronic diseaseUsing novel transgenic mouse models they developed, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have provided new evidence that it is the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, rather than the total amount of them, that influences risk of developing chronic disease. This work has important implications for wellness and dietary guidelines. Their paper is just out in Nature's Communications Biology. | |
 | Tree-eating beetle gains ground in US West, raising concernsMatt Johnson treks along an Arizona riverbank and picks out a patch of yellow-tinged tamarisks. He sweeps a cloth net across the trees, hoping to scoop up beetles that munch on their evergreen-like leaves. |
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