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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 20, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Rocky, Earth-sized exoplanet is missing an atmosphereAstronomers at MIT, Harvard University, and elsewhere have searched a rocky, Earth-sized exoplanet for signs of an atmosphere—and found none. |
 | India's Moon probe enters lunar orbitIndia's Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft entered lunar orbit on Tuesday, executing one of the trickiest manoeuvres on its historic mission to the Moon. |
 | Ancient Mars was warm with occasional rain, turning coldScientists have long known that water was abundant on ancient Mars, but there has been no consensus on whether liquid water was common, or whether it was largely frozen in ice. |
 | Physicists design an experiment to pin down the origin of the elementsNearly all of the oxygen in our universe is forged in the bellies of massive stars like our sun. As these stars contract and burn, they set off thermonuclear reactions within their cores, where nuclei of carbon and helium can collide and fuse in a rare though essential nuclear reaction that generates much of the oxygen in the universe. |
 | Mission to Jupiter's icy moon confirmedAn icy ocean world in our solar system that could tell us more about the potential for life on other worlds is coming into focus with confirmation of the Europa Clipper mission's next phase. The decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft and science payload. |
 | A space cocktail of science, bubbles and soundsThe International Space Station was again the stage for novel European science and routine operations during the first half of August. Plenty of action in the form of bubbles and sounds added to the mix in the run-up to a spacewalk and the comings and goings of visiting vehicles. |
 | Space station's data rate increase supports future explorationNASA recently doubled the rate at which data from the International Space Station returns to Earth, paving the way for similar future upgrades on Gateway, NASA's upcoming outpost in lunar orbit, and other exploration missions. This new data rate will enable the space station to send back more science data faster than ever before. |
 | Enabling longer space missionsThe 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing has reignited interest in space travel. However, almost any mission beyond the moon, whether manned or unmanned, will require the spacecraft to remain fully operational for at least several years. The Hall thruster is a propulsion system that is often used by craft involved in long missions. A recent study by Andrey Shashkov and co-workers at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia has shown how the operating lives of these systems can be further extended; their work was recently published in The European Physical Journal D. |
 | Image: Luca installs BioRockHeigh-ho, heigh-ho, it is off to work the microbes go. |
Technology news
 | New models for handwriting recognition in online Latin and Arabic scriptsResearchers at the University of Sfax, in Tunisia, have recently developed a new method to recognize handwritten characters and symbols in online scripts. Their technique, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, has already achieved remarkable performance on texts written in both the Latin and Arabic alphabet. |
 | Enhancing the locomotion of small robots with microwheelsMicrobots could have several useful applications, particularly within biomedical and healthcare settings. For instance, due to their small size, these small machines could be inserted within the human body, allowing doctors to remotely carry out exams or operate regions affected by diseases. |
 | AirDrop is making your iPhone vulnerable to attackersWhether you're checking text messages on your smartwatch or sharing selfies with a friend at a concert, it's becoming easier and easier to send files and information between devices. But this connectivity may come at the expense of security. |
 | A battery-free sensor for underwater explorationTo investigate the vastly unexplored oceans covering most our planet, researchers aim to build a submerged network of interconnected sensors that send data to the surface—an underwater "internet of things." But how to supply constant power to scores of sensors designed to stay for long durations in the ocean's deep? |
 | Sextortion shakedown attempts for Bitcoin payoffs get full anatomyFor the uninitiated, the word Bitcoin summons up a mixed emotion of approach-avoidance. It teases curiosity to know more about this fascinating alternative to conventional currency and at the same triggers unease about its bad reputation. New research is not likely to make the approach-avoidance crowd take a leap of faith. |
 | New tools to minimize risks in shared, augmented-reality environmentsA few summers ago throngs of people began using the Pokemon Go app, the first mass-market augmented reality game, to collect virtual creatures hiding in the physical world. |
 | New rechargeable aqueous battery challenges lithium-ion dominanceA new rechargeable high voltage manganese dioxide zinc battery, exceeding the 2 V barrier in aqueous zinc chemistry, is the latest invention by City College of New York researchers. With a voltage of 2.45-2.8V, the alkaline MnO2|Zn battery, developed by Dr. Gautam G. Yadav and his group in the CCNY-based CUNY Energy Institute, could break the long dominance of flammable and expensive lithium (Li)-ion batteries in the market. |
 | Baidu Q2 revenue beats expectations but profit dropsChinese internet giant Baidu regained momentum during the second quarter, posting better-than-expected revenue on Tuesday thanks to strong traffic growth, though it also announced a huge drop in net profit. |
 | Google, Facebook, Amazon decry French digital tax as 'discriminatory'American tech giants Amazon, Facebook and Google joined forces on Monday to decry the French digital tax as retroactive and discriminatory. |
 | Pollution-free hydrogen: green energy breakthrough?Scientists said Tuesday they have developed a way of extracting hydrogen from oil without releasing greenhouse gases—a breakthrough they hailed as a "silver bullet" for cleaner energy and the climate. |
 | Singapore to trial driverless buses booked with an appSingapore will next week begin a public trial of driverless buses that can be booked with an app, part of ambitions to roll out autonomous vehicles across the city-state. |
 | Climate change: Simple guidelines can slow the spread of fake news on FacebookIn this era of conflicting ideologies, fake news about climate change—especially on Facebook—can embolden those who remain unconvinced that it's a threat and can easily influence people who only casually follow the issue. |
 | A promising step in returning bipedal mobilityEngineers at Caltech have launched a new research initiative aimed at restoring natural and stable locomotion to individuals with walking deficiencies that result from spinal cord injuries and strokes. |
 | World's thinnest, lightest signal amplifier enables bioinstrumentation with reduced noiseA research group led by Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani and Associate Professor Takafumi Uemura of The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, succeeded in developing the world's thinnest and lightest differential amplifier for bioinstrumentation. |
 | Real-time 4K video transmission made possible with high-speed millimetre wave technologyResearchers have developed a millimeter wave (mmW) wireless communication system, enabling long-distance communication and transmitting 4K uncompressed video from a drone in real time. |
 | Historians' archival research looks quite different in the digital ageOur society's historical record is undergoing a dramatic transformation. |
 | How robots are being inspired by insectsModern societies rely on robotics technology to conduct a huge range of functions vital to the smooth running of industrial manufacturing systems, as well as to other sectors like construction, healthcare and transport. |
 | How severe are those software bugs?The automated labeling and severity prediction of bug reports for computer software is the target of researchers at The Hashemite University in Zarqa, Jordan. Details of their efforts are mapped out in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering. Ultimately, they are developing an intelligent classifier that can predict whether a newly submitted bug report is of sufficient concern in the bug-tracking system to warrant urgent investigation and remediation. |
 | 3-D printing of silicone componentsETH spin-off Spectroplast has developed a method to make silicone products using a 3-D printer. The young company now plans to bring to market customised medical products such as hearing aids, breast prosthesis for breast cancer patients and eventually even artificial heart valves. |
 | Stolen fingerprints could spell the end of biometric security – here's how to save itThe biggest known biometric data breach to date was reported recently when researchers managed to access a 23-gigabyte database of more than 27.8m records including fingerprint and facial recognition data. |
 | Measuring solar stores of the Arabian PeninsulaMapping variations in sunlight across the Arabian Peninsula reveals a bright future for solar energy in the region. |
 | Preventing privacy leaks when online data can be gathered publiclyProtecting an individual's identity from cyber thieves can be a monumental task, especially when thieves can gather information about someone by just using public data sources. |
 | Facebook rolls out tool to block off-Facebook data gatheringSoon, you could get fewer familiar ads following you around the internet—or at least on Facebook. |
Ransomware attack hits more than 20 Texas local governmentsMore than 20 local governments in Texas are facing a coordinated ransomware attack, authorities said. | |
 | Autonomous vehicle company Waymo to test in Florida rainGoogle autonomous vehicle spinoff Waymo says it will start testing on public roads in Florida to better experience heavy rain. |
 | Apple debuts credit card as it readies TV+ launchApple on Tuesday launched a smartphone-generation credit card in the US and moved closer to hitting the hot streaming television market with a new subscription service. |
 | Huawei dismisses new suspension of 'unjust' US banHuawei on Tuesday dismissed Washington's three-month delay to a ban on US firms selling to the Chinese tech giant and said the decision would not change the fact it had been "treated unjustly". |
 | Huawei expects no relief from US sanctions but is confidentThe founder of Chinese tech giant Huawei said Tuesday he expects no relief from U.S. export curbs because of the political climate in Washington but expressed confidence the company will thrive because it is developing its own technology. |
 | US sanctions on Huawei bite, but who gets hurt?Chinese technology giant Huawei has yet to feel the full force of U.S. sanctions due to temporary exemptions and other uncertainties. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Alzheimer's drug reverses brain damage from adolescent alcohol exposure in ratsA drug used to slow cognitive decline in adults with Alzheimer's disease appears to reverse brain inflammation and neuron damage in rats exposed to alcohol during adolescence. |
 | Micronutrients affect gut bacteria associated with ADHD in small but promising studyChildren with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who took micronutrients had lower levels of a bacteria linked to the psychological disorder, and a healthier range of bugs in their gut overall, new research shows. |
 | Helping skin cells differentiate could be key to treating common skin cancerThe outer layer of the skin completely replaces itself every two to four weeks, but when this process is blocked, cancer can grow. A new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has now identified a key regulator of that block known as LSD1, as well as a way to genetically influence the skin to grow in a way that prevents this block from happening. This is the first study to show that LSD1—a regulator involved in telling parent cells what type of specific cells their lineage should become as they reproduce—plays a role in the growth of non-melanoma skin cancers, and that blocking LSD1 could be an effective, targeted treatment method for those cancers, which are the most common in the world. The journal Cell Reports published the findings today. |
 | Study supports link between pollution and neuropsychiatric disordersA new study led by University of Chicago researchers suggests a significant link between exposure to environmental pollution and an increase in the prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders. |
 | Stressed out? New research on prenatal stress exposure could explain whySimon Fraser University assistant professor Nadine Provençal and researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany have identified a "cellular memory" that could help explain how fetal exposure to stress during pregnancy affects how we respond to stress exposure later in life. |
 | Mapping the path from symbol visualization to comprehension in the brainA trio of researchers from Aston University, the University of Cambridge and Royal Holloway University of London has mapped the neural process that occurs during conversion of symbols that are read to understanding what they mean. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jo Taylor, Matthew Davis and Kathleen Rastle describe fMRI studies they carried out with volunteers and what they learned from them. |
 | Novel combination of drugs may overcome drug-resistant cancer cellsCancer cells can adapt and develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, making it difficult to eradicate tumors. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital suggests that a combination of three drugs, including a new class of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors, could overcome cross-therapy resistance. The results of the study are published today in Science Signaling. |
 | A lack of self control during adolescence is not uniquely humanImpulsiveness in adolescence isn't just a phase, it's biology. And despite all the social factors that define our teen years, the human brain and the brains of other primates go through very similar changes, particularly in the areas that affect self-control. Two researchers review the adolescent brain across species on August 20 in the journal Trends in Neurosciences. |
 | Skeletal shapes key to rapid recognition of objectsIn the blink of an eye, the human visual system can process an object, determining whether it's a cup or a sock within milliseconds, and with seemingly little effort. It's well-established that an object's shape is a critical visual cue to help the eyes and brain perform this trick. A new study, however, finds that while the outer shape of an object is important for rapid recognition, the object's inner "skeleton" may play an even more important role. |
 | New immune system understanding may help doctors target cancerYour immune system's natural killer cells recognize and attack two major kinds of danger—cells infected by viruses and cells affected by cancer. When natural killer (NK) cells see a cancer cell, they kill it (naturally...). And a major research focus has been to define how NK cells do this "seeing." One way NK cells see cancer is by recognizing bits of mutated DNA displayed on "silver platters" made by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. |
 | Lung cell transplant boosts healing after the flu in miceSome cases of the flu are so severe they cause lasting injury to the lungs. New research from the University of Pennsylvania now points to a strategy that may one day offer protection against this damage. |
 | Depression, cannabis use, and binge drinking are on the rise among US former smokersA new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the prevalence of depression, cannabis use, and alcohol abuse increased among former smokers from 2005 to 2016 in the United States. Therefore, increases in these risk factors for relapse among former smokers could threaten progress in reducing the prevalence of cigarette use. |
 | 10 million new cases of vitamin D deficiency will be prevented by adding vitamin D to wheat flourAdding vitamin D to wheat flour would prevent 10 million new cases of vitamin D deficiency in England and Wales over the next 90 years, say researchers at the University of Birmingham. |
 | Study identifies possible genetic link between children's language and mental healthA new study suggests there may be genetic explanations for why some children with poor language also have poor mental health. |
 | Spending on illicit drugs in US nears $150 billion annuallySpending on cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine by Americans reached nearly $150 billion in 2016, with a large proportion of spending coming from the small share of people who use drugs on a daily or near-daily basis, according to a new RAND Corporation report. |
 | Risk of psychotic disorders has disease-specific brain effectsBrain abnormalities in people at familial risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder emerge in unique patterns, despite the symptom and genetic overlap of the disorders, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry. Similarities between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have led to the diagnoses being increasingly combined in studies of psychosis, but the findings highlight that risk for the disorders has distinct effects on the brain. |
 | Research explores the use of new psychoactive substances by young peopleA research study into New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)—formerly referred to as 'legal highs'—provides new evidence about why young people were attracted to the drugs, and the health and social risks associated with taking them. |
 | X chromosome gene may explain why women are more prone to autoimmune diseasesA UCLA study revealed that a gene on the X chromosome may help explain why more women than men develop multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Researchers found that a gene known as Kdm6a was expressed more in women's immune cells than in men's, and expressed more in female mice than in males. |
 | Researchers develop method for identifying aggressive breast cancer driversPrecision cancer medicine requires personalized biomarkers to identify patients who will benefit from specific cancer therapies. In an effort to improve the accuracy of predictions about prognosis for patients with breast cancer and the efficacy of personalized therapy, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a method to precisely identify individual patients who have aggressive breast cancer. |
 | Changes associated with autism risk may be detected as early as the second trimesterResearchers at University of Utah Health have identified a link between autism and steroid hormone changes detected in the mother's blood. These changes, which suggest increased estrogen activity, can be seen early in the second trimester. The pilot study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, opens a new direction in autism research. |
 | A mother's microbes may be a signifier of her child's future health, researchers sayYou might have been born with your mother's eyes, but you also got many of her microorganisms. And that might be a good thing, according to Noel Mueller an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. |
 | How do humans survive infections? Study pinpoints the role of a key hormoneTo overcome an infection, the immune system has to both kill the invading virus or bacterium, and tolerate the inflammation triggered by the infection. In a new study, Yale researchers have figured out a key component of the second infection-fighting mechanism. |
 | Mini-kidneys grown from stem cells provide new insights into kidney disease and potential therapiesAn international team of researchers led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has grown 'miniature kidneys' in the laboratory that could be used to better understand how kidney diseases develop in individual patients. |
 | Multi-tasking protein at the root of neuropathic painResearchers from Japan's Osaka University have made an important leap in our understanding of how chronic pain conditions develop. In a study published on July 25 in Journal of Neuroscience, the team explains how a protein previously implicated in neuron growth and cell adhesion is also critical for the development of pain sensitization. |
 | Stem cells could regenerate organs – but only if the body won't reject themMany of the most common diseases, like heart failure, liver failure, Type 1 diabetes and Parkinson's disease, occur when cells or whole organs fail to do their job. Wouldn't it be fantastic if it were possible to replace cells in these defunct organs? That is exactly what physician-scientists in the field of regenerative medicine are trying to do. |
 | Training can reverse nicotine-induced brain damageMotor-skill training has proved capable of reversing brain impairments in rats treated with nicotine. This effect has been demonstrated in a recent study and, in the long term, the method may also come to be tested as an aid to human smoking cessation. |
 | Nicotine-free e-cigarettes can damage blood vesselsSmoking e-cigarettes, also called vaping, has been marketed as a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes and is rising in popularity among non-smoking adolescents. However, a single e-cigarette can be harmful to the body's blood vessels—even when the vapor is entirely nicotine-free—according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results were published today in Radiology. |
 | Some pregnant women are exposed to gadolinium in early pregnancyA small but concerning number of women are exposed to a commonly used MRI contrast agent early in their pregnancy, likely before many of them are aware that they're pregnant, according to a study published in the journal Radiology. The results support adherence to effective pregnancy screening measures to help reduce inadvertent exposures to these contrast agents during early pregnancy. |
 | Quitting smoking associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseaseHeavy cigarette smokers with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 39% within five years if they quit, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). |
 | Still sneezing? Climate change may prolong allergy seasonEvery year, without fail, summer brings changes to our surroundings: more sunlight, heat, greenness and flowers, among many others. For some people, these changes also mean increasing physical discomfort because along with the flowers, trees and grass comes pollen. |
 | Researchers investigate cells' 'self-eating' as key to preventing, treating obesity, type 2 diabetesWhat if we could treat obesity or type 2 diabetes by changing the way our cells take out the trash? |
 | Brain takes a beating as arteries ageResearchers in Umeå, Sweden, have presented a model that explains why memory deteriorates as the body ages. With age, the brain receives an increased load from the heart's beating as the body's large arteries stiffen over the years, causing damage to the smallest blood vessels in the brain. |
 | Physical activity in adolescence and later life reduces the risk of colorectal adenomaThe effects of more than 60 minutes of moderate daily physical exercise, such as walking, accumulate throughout life and are associated with a 39 percent reduction in the risk of advanced adenomatous polyps, a precursor of colorectal cancer, the third most frequent type of cancer in Brazil. |
 | How mucosal infections can rewire an immune response to shape susceptibility to recurrenceScientists have shed new light on how mucosal infections can affect the body's inflammatory response to shape susceptibility to recurrence. |
 | Simple computational models can help predict post-traumatic osteoarthritisKnee joint injuries, such as ligament rupture, are common in athletes. As the intact joint ligaments offer a precondition for joint stability, ligament injuries are often surgically reconstructed. However, in many cases these injuries or surgeries can lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. The articular cartilage, which serves to provide frictionless contact between bones, wears out completely, causing severe joint pain, lack of mobility and even social isolation. Currently, preventing the onset and development of osteoarthritis is still the best clinical course of action. Computational modelling can be used to predict locations susceptible to osteoarthritis; however, they are too complicated for clinical use and lack verification of predictions. |
 | More children suffer head injuries playing recreational sports than team sportsAn Australian/New Zealand study examining childhood head injuries has found that children who do recreational sports like horse riding, skate boarding and bike riding are more likely to suffer serious head injuries than children who play contact sport like AFL or rugby. |
 | Coconut oil an immune boost for preterm newbornsCoconut oil has been transforming the health and skin condition of preterm babies in Western Australia recently, and new research has revealed why. |
 | Novel nano-engineered microneedles for HIV drug deliveryResearchers from the University of Liverpool and Queen's University Belfast have been awarded over £1m by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC) to examine the use of nano-engineered microarray patches (MAPs) to enhance the delivery of long-acting HIV medicines. |
 | Does social media influence your physical activity levels?As concerns are being raised about how social media influences young people's perceptions of their body image, sports scientists at Bangor University as asking whether and how social media affects our participation in physical exercise, and who and what are the motivators? |
 | Green space is good for your mental health – the nearer the betterLiving within 300m of urban green space such as parks, nature reserves or play areas is associated with greater happiness, sense of worth, and life satisfaction—according to a new study by researchers at the University of Warwick, Newcastle University and the University of Sheffield. |
How to improve multiple sclerosis therapyMedications currently used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) can merely reduce relapses during the initial relapsing-remitting phase. Many patients, however, develop progressive MS at a later stage, with disability becoming progressively worse. This type cannot be sufficiently treated at yet. Possible causes why an effective therapy for progressive MS is still lacking have been compiled by an international research team in a review article in the journal Nature Reviews Drugs Discovery from 9 August 2019. | |
 | New biomarker may uncover uncontrolled asthmaCytokines are a type of proteins that are important to the signaling between cells in the body's immune system, for example in the case of an infection or injury. A new study which is being published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is now indicating that the cytokine interleukin(IL)-26 could be used as a biological marker (biomarker) for uncontrolled asthma in both adults and children—and could perhaps also be a future goal for new drugs against asthma. These results are presented by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University. |
 | Selfie versus posieIf you lose sleep over the number of likes on your Instagram account, you might want to think twice before posting that selfie. |
 | How much sex is right for you and your partner?(HealthDay)—Are you having enough sex? It's a loaded question. "Enough," like "a lot," means different things to different people—it could mean every night, twice a week or twice a month. |
 | When is it time for seniors to hand over the car keys?(HealthDay)—Driving is a source of independence for many seniors, so determining when they should hang up the keys requires careful consideration, an expert says. |
 | BRCA1/2 genetic testing recommendations still leave issues unresolvedThe U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a new Recommendation Statement for BRCA1/2 evaluation, urging the medical community to widen the parameters used to assess BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation risks and increase the use of genetic counseling and testing for those with the highest risk. While the changes are beneficial, the recommendations still fail to address many persisting problems in the modern world of genetic testing, according to a new JAMA editorial co-authored by Susan Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. |
 | Painting a bigger biosociological picture of chronic painAn integrated approach that unifies psychosocial factors with neurobiology sheds light on chronic pain traits and their underlying brain networks, according to a study published August 20 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by A. Vania Apkarian of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues. |
 | BAFfling cancer growth strategies: New targets for chromatin remodeling mutations identifiedMore than one-fifth of all human cancers harbor mutations in one of the members of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex. Deep biochemical and epigenomic characterization of a cell line panel comprehensively representing all these mutations enabled researchers at the CeMM Research Center for Molecule Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences to identify new approaches to target BAF mutant cancers. The study describing these findings has now been published in the journal Nature Genetics. |
 | Once shelved as too risky, blood cancer drug discovered in San Diego gets FDA approvalA promising cancer drug, discovered in San Diego and later discarded for safety concerns, has at last been approved for use. The drug, fedratinib, treats certain kinds of a bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis. |
 | Can hormone stabilization keep suicidal thoughts at bay for women?Alyse Ruriani, 24, is living in recovery from the depression and suicidal thoughts that plagued her teenage years. |
 | As wages stagnate, health costs escalate for Americans with employer-based insuranceHealth costs for people with employee-sponsored health plans rose 18% over the past five years, outpacing inflation and wage increases, according to a new report by Kaiser Family Foundation. |
 | Treatment for sexual and domestic violence offenders does workA first-of-its-kind study has found that specialised psychological programmes for sexual and domestic violence offenders have led to major reductions in reoffending but best results are achieved with consistent input from a qualified psychologist. |
 | Researchers complete largest genomic analysis of Merkel cell carcinoma patientsMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin tumor that is diagnosed in approximately 2,000 people each year in the United States. Since MCC affects so few people, it is difficult to study the genetic factors that lead to its development and how those factors correlate with response to therapy. However, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have developed the largest descriptive genomic analysis of MCC patients to date, in collaboration with Foundation Medicine and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Their analysis, published in Clinical Cancer Research, will provide important information to improve the care and treatment of MCC patients for many years to come. |
 | The meat allergy: Researcher IDs biological changes triggered by tick bitesA University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist has identified key immunological changes in people who abruptly develop an allergic reaction to mammalian meat, such as beef. His work also provides an important framework for other scientists to probe this strange, recently discovered allergy caused by tick bites. |
 | Low levels of vitamin D in elementary school could spell trouble in adolescenceVitamin D deficiency in middle childhood could result in aggressive behavior as well as anxious and depressive moods during adolescence, according to a new University of Michigan study of school children in Bogotá, Colombia. |
 | Kidney transplants covered by Medicaid increased in states after Medicaid expansionMedicaid expansion has helped more young, low-income adults with advanced kidney disease to avoid the costs and poor quality-of-life associated with dialysis, reports a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine from researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine and the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel. |
 | Rural America has a maternal mortality problem—midwives might help solve itThe sun is setting just as midwife Sheryl Shafer wraps up a long Thursday on the road visiting families in west Tennessee and Kentucky. |
 | Lifelong study links early blood pressure change to poorer brain healthChanges in blood pressure in those as young as 36 are linked to markers of poorer brain health in later life, finds UCL-led research involving participants of Britain's oldest running birth cohort study. |
 | Examining the link between caste and under-five mortality in IndiaIn India, children that belong to disadvantaged castes face a much higher likelihood of not living past their fifth birthday than their counterparts in non-deprived castes. IIASA researchers examined the association between castes and under-five mortality in an effort to help reduce the burden of under-five deaths in the country. |
 | Minority, low-income individuals less likely to receive oral cancer screening(HealthDay)—Despite a recent dental visit, more individuals of a minority race/ethnicity and low socioeconomic status report not receiving an oral cancer screening exam, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. |
 | Association for diabetes, stroke risk varies by age, race, sex(HealthDay)—The magnitude of the association of diabetes with stroke risk varies by age, race, and sex, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in Diabetes Care. |
 | Certain dietary supplements tied to dysphagia, choking in seniors(HealthDay)—Most reports of swallowing problems caused by dietary supplements involve seniors taking multivitamins or calcium supplements, according to a research letter published online Aug. 20 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. |
 | Patient preferences explored in multiple myeloma treatment(HealthDay)—An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≥2 is linked to lower treatment satisfaction in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), but receiving medication orally is linked to higher satisfaction, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in The Oncologist. |
Studying organ crosstalk leads to a deeper understanding of sepsisSepsis, a complex systemic response to infection leading to organ failure, is generally studied at the level of individual organs; this research has hinted at altered metabolic changes. A new study in the American Journal of Pathology takes a two-pronged approach and investigates for the first time the metabolic changes across affected organs in a large animal model of sepsis and identifies both potential common and organ-specific metabolic alterations contributing to the disease process. | |
 | New heart saved her—and it came with the name of teen who gave itKurt Lefteroff knew Cheryl Murdock for nine years before they started dating in September 2001. She was 42 and seemed perfectly healthy. |
 | A mineral, a metal and a deadly pregnancy conditionPregnant women with lower concentrations of the trace mineral manganese or higher amounts of the metal cadmium in their blood may be more likely to develop preeclampsia, according to a new study. |
One dead, dozens hospitalised in Spain listeria outbreakA 90-year-old woman has died and 53 people are in hospital in Spain, including several pregnant women, after eating contaminated meatloaf, officials said Tuesday. | |
 | Machine learning models help clinicians identify people who need advanced depression careResearchers at Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University created decision models capable of predicting which patients might need more treatment for their depression than what their primary care provider can offer. The algorithms were specifically designed to provide information the clinician can act on and fit into existing clinical workflows. |
 | Free rides could lead to better health outcomes for seniorsBetter access to on-demand transportation could help older adults miss fewer medical appointments as well as reduce their social isolation to improve their overall health, suggests a new study published in the Journal of mHealth by researchers at the USC Center for Body Computing (USC CBC) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. |
 | What's at the 'heart' of a heartbeat?In the confines of the thoracic chamber, a heart has lost its rhythm. Its two upper chambers, the atria, are beating out of sync with the two lower chambers, the ventricles. The resulting chaos is called atrial fibrillation and is a major concern because it prevents the heart from pumping effectively and is associated with serious complications including heart failure, dementia and a fivefold increase in the risk of stroke. |
 | British food crowned the healthiest in major global surveyIt turns out that British food isn't that terrible, after all. A global survey has found that when it comes to having the healthiest packaged foods and drinks, the UK tops the charts, with the USA in 2nd place and Australia coming in at 3rd. |
 | Study finds toolkit could improve detection and management of iron deficiency in pregnancyIron deficiency in pregnancy is a common problem that often goes unrecognized and untreated due to a lack of knowledge of its implications and competing clinical priorities. To enhance screening and management of iron deficiency in pregnancy, a research team at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital developed a quality improvement toolkit, called IRON MOM. The implementation of IRON MOM resulted in increased rates of ferritin testing and decreased rates of anemia at St. Michael's obstetric clinics. |
Study finds alternative to 'revolving door' of opioid detox and relapseIn a first-ever randomized trial, patients at a short-term inpatient program began long-term outpatient treatment with buprenorphine before discharge, with better outcomes than detox patients. | |
 | Case studies suggest that 'red flag' laws play a role in preventing mass shootingsCase studies of individuals threatening mass violence suggest that extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), colloquially known as 'red flag' orders, may play a role in preventing mass shootings. An aggregate summary and individual histories for a preliminary series of 21 cases are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. |
Lipophilic statins associated with significantly reduced liver cancer incidence and mortalityLipophilic statins were associated with significantly reduced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence and mortality, but an association between hydrophilic statins and reduced risk for HCC was not found. Further research is needed to determine whether lipophilic statin therapy is feasible for prevention of HCC. Findings from a nationwide cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. | |
ACP releases paper on methods for managing conflicts of interests in clinical guidelinesA rigorous process for the disclosure of interests (DOI) and management of conflicts of interest (COI) is essential for developing high-quality clinical guidelines and guidance statements, the American College of Physicians (ACP) says in a new paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine. | |
 | How to enjoy cheese without the guilt(HealthDay)—Americans eat three times as much cheese as just 50 years ago, but not because we're enjoying careful indulgences like a cheese plate with fruit and whole grain crackers. |
 | Do hospital ads work?Should hospital advertising be banned? A few policymakers in Washington, D.C., have recently considered such an action based on a long-standing debate on whether it poses the spread of misinformation, and that it is not an effective or responsible use of an already limited healthcare budget. New research in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science studies the impact of a ban on hospital advertising, and whether those fears are justified. |
 | Antibiotics report highlights stewardship, workforce, research needsThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the use of antibiotics in health care settings across the United States in 2018 tell us that while progress has been made to promote appropriate use of infection-fighting drugs, strengthened and continued efforts and greater resources are needed to protect some of the most valuable medicines we have and prevent the accelerating development of illness-causing bacteria that are resistant to treatment. |
Pharmaceutical company settles with counties in opioid suitOne pharmaceutical company has reached a settlement to avoid being a defendant in the first federal trial on the drug industry's accountability for a nationwide opioid crisis. | |
TGen and Ohio State collaborate on landmark precision medicine canine cancer studyDespite those velvet paintings of poker-playing dogs smoking pipes, cigars and cigarettes, our canine friends really don't use tobacco. But like many humans who have never smoked, dogs still get lung cancer. | |
Biology news
 | Aggressive local efforts were key to limiting spread of sudden oak death disease in OregonIn 2001, forest pathologists in Oregon discovered what was killing trees in Curry County in southwest Oregon—a devastating disease known as sudden oak death. Almost 20 years later, sudden oak death hasn't spread beyond the county's borders. |
 | Queen bees face increased chance of execution if they mate with two males rather than oneQueen stingless bees face an increased risk of being executed by worker bees if they mate with two males rather than one, according to new research by the University of Sussex and the University of São Paulo. |
 | Lord of the flies: Competition breeds a better ejaculateResearchers at the University of Oxford have discovered that male fruit flies adjust their seminal fluid depending on the levels of competition from other males. |
 | Caught on video: Watch the 'trash fish' of the American South vacuum up its preyThe alligator gar, a toothy, narrow-snouted fish that resembles its namesake reptile, is the largest, native, freshwater predator in North America. They live primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas and can grow up to 10 feet long and 300 pounds. Long considered "trash fish" by fisherman who often throw them back because they aren't worth the trouble, gars have a special place in the hearts of biologists who study the evolution of fish. |
 | All-in-one: New microbe degrades oil to gasCrude oil and gas naturally escape from the seabed in many places known as "seeps." There, these hydrocarbons move up from source rocks through fractures and sediments toward the surface, where they leak out of the ground and sustain a diversity of densely populated habitats in the dark ocean. Alkanes are already degraded before they reach the sediment surface. Even deep down in the sediment, where no oxygen exists, it provides an important energy source for subsurface microorganisms, amongst them some of the so-called archaea. |
 | African elephants demonstrate movements that vary in response to ecological changeWild African elephants, known for their intelligence, show markedly different movements and reactions to the same risks and resources. A new study led by Colorado State University and Save the Elephants reveals the magnitude and complexity of this variation in behavior and how it occurs in space and time, and among individual animals. |
 | California to build largest wildlife crossing in worldLike many urban singles, the mountain lion P-22 lives a solitary life in a too-small habitat. And he has a hard time finding a mate in the big city. |
 | Urgency for vaccine grows as virus ravages China's pigsScientists are working to develop a vaccine to help guard the world's pork supply as a deadly virus ravages Asia's pig herds. |
 | Shasta dam releases can be managed to benefit both salmon and sturgeon, study findsCold water released from Lake Shasta into the Sacramento River to benefit endangered salmon can be detrimental to young green sturgeon, a threatened species adapted to warmer water. But scientists at UC Santa Cruz and the National Marine Fisheries Service have found a way to minimize this apparent conflict through a water management strategy that benefits both species, while also meeting the needs of agricultural water users downstream. |
 | Study reveals E. coli's secret weapon in launching infectionsMost types of Escherichia coli are harmless, but the ones that aren't can cause severe life-threatening diarrhea. These problematic bacteria launch infections by inducing intestinal cells to form tiny structures, called pedestals, that anchor the pathogens in place and help the colonies grow. |
 | Embryology: A sequence of reflexive contractions triggers the formation of the limbsIt normally takes about 21 days for chicken embryos to develop into chicks. By observing chicken hindlimb formation, a CNRS / Université de Paris research team has just discovered that the mechanism at the origin of embryonic development consists of a sequence of reflexive contractions. The researchers were able to artificially recreate the same process and accelerate it by as much as a factor of 20. Their findings have been published in the European Physical Journal on August 15, 2019. |
 | Hand gestures point towards the origins of languageCommunication gestures used by humans and our primate relatives are providing clues about how our species' ability to use spoken language evolved. |
 | Network of greenhouses and rain shelters simulate what climate change will do to soilsAs most of the science community knows, the climate emergency is here now. Weather extremes such as droughts and heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity and are measurably exacerbated by climate change. The significant impacts of these extremes are well documented on both our native terrestrial and marine ecosystems. |
 | Studying animal cognition in the wildDifferent types of cognitive abilities can lead to a variety of knowledge that can help an animal to find, access, and guard food and mates. One approach to gain insight into the evolution of such cognitive abilities is by inferring cognitive performances from observed behaviours across closely related species and to compare them. By linking differences in cognitive performances with differences in current socio-ecological circumstances, hypotheses about the evolutionary pressures that contributed to the selection of these abilities can be tested. This can then provide answers to the question why a trait, such as the ability to plan for the next day, evolved. Drawing inference about cognitive abilities from behaviour is, however, not straightforward. In her latest paper researcher Karline Janmaat describes a set of different approaches, addressing where and how one can make such inferences in a variety of species, with the focus on primates. |
 | A single change at telomeres controls the ability of cells to generate a complete organismPluripotent cells can give rise to all cells of the body, a power that researchers are eager to control because it opens the door to regenerative medicine and organ culture for transplants. But pluripotency is still a black box for science, controlled by unknown genetic (expression of genes) and epigenetic signals (biochemical marks that control gene expression like on/off switches). The Telomeres and Telomerase Group, led by Maria Blasco at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), now uncovers one of those epigenetic signals, after a detective quest that started almost a decade ago. |
 | Meet the 'rock star' frog breeder vying to save Southern California's rarest amphibianIt was happy hour at the "Frog Shack," a tiny building at the Los Angeles Zoo offering all the amenities that Southern California's rarest—and perhaps fussiest—amphibians might need to survive. |
 | Decades-old puzzle of the ecology of soil animals solvedAn international research team led by the University of Göttingen has deciphered the defence mechanism of filamentous fungi. Moulds are a preferred food source for small animals. As fungi cannot escape predation by running away, they produce defence metabolites, thereby rendering themselves toxic or unpalatable. After decades-long unsuccessful investigation, these defence compounds have now been identified. The results were published in Nature Communications. |
 | Indigenous scholars confront the power, limitations of genomicsThey traveled to central Illinois from Manitoba, Mexico City, Nova Scotia and 18 U.S. states, bringing expertise in a variety of fields, including anthropology, biomedical engineering, ethics, health and environmental policy, law, neurobiology, and social and behavioral science. |
Microbes on the menu for bee larvaeBees only feast on nectar and pollen, right? | |
 | The journey of pollen and the process of pollen dispersalFor allergy sufferers, the pollination period is a tough time, whereas for plants it is the opportunity to reproduce: in addition to the wind, insects, in particular, carry pollen from one flower to another to pollinate them. During this transport, the pollen must repeatedly attach to and detach from different surfaces. To date, the underlying adhesive mechanisms have hardly been studied so far. Now, scientists from the Zoological Institute at Kiel University have discovered that the mechanisms are far more complex than previously assumed. They differ depending on the duration of the contact and the microstructure of the surfaces. In their study presented in the current issue of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, they found a unique pollen gripping mechanism on the receptive female part of plants for the first time. The results could provide important knowledge for the transport of medicinal substances, and also—in light of the alarming decline in insect populations—for the development of alternative strategies in agriculture and food production. |
 | Germany's Bayer sells Animal Health unit for $7.6 bnGerman chemical and pharmaceutical group Bayer said Tuesday it was selling its Animal Health business unit to US-based drug firm Elanco for $7.6 billion to create an industry giant. |
 | A solution to prevent beer bottle explosionsSome contaminant yeasts make beer bottles and cans explode. Apart from being dangerous for consumers these 'diastatic' yeasts also cause loss of beer batches due to off-flavours, increased alcohol and over-carbonation in products. VTT scientists developed a genetic test for brewers to detect the strains that cause these problems. |
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