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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for September 13, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Studying flames in microgravity is helping make combustion on Earth cleaner, and space saferUnderstanding how fire spreads and behaves in space is crucial for the safety of future astronauts and for understanding and controlling fire here on Earth. |
 | Newly discovered comet is likely interstellar visitorA newly discovered comet has excited the astronomical community this week because it appears to have originated from outside the solar system. The object—designated C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - was discovered on Aug. 30, 2019, by Gennady Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. The official confirmation that comet C/2019 Q4 is an interstellar comet has not yet been made, but if it is interstellar, it would be only the second such object detected. The first, "Oumuamua, was observed and confirmed in October 2017. |
 | VISTA unveils a new image of the Large Magellanic CloudThe Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, is one of our nearest galactic neighbors, at only 163,000 light years from Earth. With its sibling the Small Magellanic Cloud, these are among the nearest dwarf satellite galaxies to the Milky Way. The LMC is also the home of various stellar conglomerates and is an ideal laboratory for astronomers to study the processes that shape galaxies. |
 | Gemini observatory captures multicolor image of first-ever interstellar cometThe first-ever comet from beyond our Solar System has been successfully imaged by the Gemini Observatory in multiple colors. The image of the newly discovered object, denoted C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), was obtained on the night of 9-10 September using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii's Maunakea. |
 | NASA's Mars 2020 comes full circleEngineers took NASA's Mars 2020 for a spin on Aug. 29, 2019. The 2,300-pound (1,040-kilogram) Martian vehicle was rotated clockwise and counterclockwise at about 1 revolution per minute on what is called a spin table in the clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (The rotation was sped up in the video above.) The engineers were looking for the rover's center of gravity, or the point at which weight is evenly dispersed on all sides. |
 | Image: Hubble glimpses faint galaxyThis image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, focuses on an object named UGC 695, which is located 30 million light-years away within the constellation Cetus (the Sea Monster), also known as the Whale. A bounty of diverse background galaxies is also visible in this image. |
 | NASA's WFIRST will help uncover the universe's fateScientists have discovered that a mysterious pressure dubbed "dark energy" makes up about 68% of the total energy content of the cosmos, but so far we don't know much more about it. Exploring the nature of dark energy is one of the primary reasons NASA is building the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a space telescope whose measurements will help illuminate the dark energy puzzle. With a better understanding of dark energy, we will have a better sense of the past and future evolution of the universe. |
Technology news
 | Brain-inspired computing could tackle big problems in a small wayWhile computers have become smaller and more powerful and supercomputers and parallel computing have become the standard, we are about to hit a wall in energy and miniaturization. Now, Penn State researchers have designed a 2-D device that can provide more than yes-or-no answers and could be more brainlike than current computing architectures. |
 | 'Soft tactile logic' tech distributes decision-making throughout stretchable materialInspired by octopuses, researchers have developed a structure that senses, computes and responds without any centralized processing—creating a device that is not quite a robot and not quite a computer, but has characteristics of both. The new technology holds promise for use in a variety of applications, from soft robotics to prosthetic devices. |
 | Send this page: Chrome 77 keeps it simpleGoogle Chrome 77 feature lets you fly pages over from one device to another. |
 | New health monitors are flexible, transparent and graphene enabledNew technological devices are prioritizing non-invasive tracking of vital signs, not only for fitness monitoring, but also for the prevention of common health problems such as heart failure, hypertension and stress-related complications, among others. Wearables based on optical detection mechanisms are proving an invaluable approach for reporting on our bodies inner workings and have experienced a large penetration into the consumer market in recent years. Current wearable technologies, based on non-flexible components, do not deliver the desired accuracy and can only monitor a limited number of vital signs. To tackle this problem, conformable non-invasive optical-based sensors that can measure a broader set of vital signs are at the top of the end-users' wish list. |
 | New augmented reality head mounted display offers unrivaled viewing experienceCambridge engineers have developed a new augmented reality (AR) head mounted display (HMD) that delivers a realistic 3-D viewing experience, without the commonly associated side effects of nausea or eyestrain. |
 | Google will promote original reporting with algorithm changeOriginal reporting will be highlighted in Google's search results, the company said as it announced changes to its algorithm. |
 | How ants, bees, and fruit flies can be the next big buzz in artificial intelligenceSpace. The final frontier. And on Nov. 2, 2018, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft crossed into the vastness of interstellar space, following Voyager 1, which made the leap six years earlier. Since their launch in 1977, the two probes have traveled more than 11 billion miles across the solar system, lasting much longer than scientists anticipated. |
 | Guidelines needed to protect VR users at risk of harassment, warns academicGovernment guidelines should be introduced to protect gamers and those using virtual reality or immersive technologies from an increased risk of sexual harassment or bullying, a leading academic has warned. |
 | Google Photos partners with CVS and Walmart for printsGoogle Photos, far and away the most used photo sharing app, with over 1 billion users monthly, has partnered with CVS and Walmart to offer on-demand, in-store prints from the app. |
 | Most of the robocalls you get aren't coming from AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile numbersA new report suggests that the United States' top mobile carriers are making headway in the fight against annoying robocalls. |
 | Amazon facing antitrust probe over its marketplace, report saysAmazon is reportedly facing a potential investigation of its marketplace by antitrust officials examining whether it's using its influence to hurt competition. |
 | Groupon could be looking to acquire Yelp amid shareholder discontentGroupon, the struggling Chicago-based deals site, could be eyeing the acquisition of online review site Yelp. |
 | Stormclouds gather for Facebook's Libra currencyInternational outcry is mounting over Facebook's Libra—with central banks, governments and regulators railing against the social media giant's upstart cryptocurrency. |
 | Lawmakers ask 4 big tech companies for documents in probeLawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech on Friday asked Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple for a broad range of documents, marking a step forward in Congress' bipartisan probe of the companies. |
 | Negative posts on Facebook business pages outweigh positive posts 2 to 1There are more than 60 million business pages on Facebook and that number is from 2017. With those pages come scores of positive and negative posts generated by Facebook users. What researchers have seen is companies have very little control over what customers post, and negative posts can severely damage brands. |
Google Earth leads to remains of missing Florida man in lakeIt took 22 years, but a missing man's remains were finally found thanks to someone who zoomed in on his former Florida neighborhood with Google satellite images and noticed a car submerged in a lake, authorities said. | |
 | Lithuanian scientists contributed to creating the record-breaking solar cellTandem perovskite-CIGS solar cells, produced as a result of the collaboration between Lithuanian and German researchers, have reached an efficiency of 23.26%, which currently is a world record value in this type of cells. One reason for the success lies in the cell's intermediate layer of organic molecules: they self-assemble to cover even rough semiconductor surfaces. The self-assembling materials were synthesised at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania. |
 | KLM to replace Brussels flight with train to cut emissionsIs it a bird, is it a plane? No, says Dutch airline KLM, when it comes to one of its shortest routes, it will soon be a train. |
 | Panel steps up US antitrust probe with Big Tech requestA US congressional panel stepped up its antitrust probe of four Big Tech firms on Friday with a wide-ranging request for documents on their business operations. |
US puts sanctions on N.Korea hacking groups behind major theftsThe US Treasury on Friday placed sanctions on three North Korea government-sponsored hacking operations which it said were behind the theft of possibly hundreds of millions of dollars and destructive cyber-attacks on infrastructure. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Same but different—unique cancer traits key to targeted therapiesMelbourne researchers have discovered that the key to personalised therapies for some types of lung cancers may be to focus on their differences, not their similarities. |
 | Slower growth in working memory linked to teen driving crashesResearch into why adolescent drivers are involved in motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of injury and death among 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States, has often focused on driving experience and skills. But a new study suggests that development of the adolescent brain may play a critical role in whether a teenager is more likely to crash. |
 | B cells linked to immunotherapy for melanomaResearchers at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and the Medical University of Vienna have found evidence that B cells might play an important role in immunotherapy for melanoma. Currently, immunotherapy is primarily focused on T cells, but the results suggest that B cells could also provide an interesting research avenue. |
 | Antibiotics reduce survival rates in cancer patients taking immunotherapyCancer patients on immunotherapy fare worse if they have recently taken antibiotics, with their response and overall survival rate "crashing." |
 | A single dose for good measure: How an anti-nuclear-contamination pill could also help MRI patientsWhen chemist Rebecca Abergel and her team at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) successfully developed an anti-radiation-poisoning pill in 2014, they hoped it would never have to be used. |
 | Immune response depends on mathematics of narrow escapesThe way immune cells pick friends from foes can be described by a classic math puzzle known as the "narrow escape problem." |
 | New hysterectomy surgery safer and more effective than current techniquesRemoving part of the uterus using a keyhole surgery technique is a more effective way of treating heavy menstrual bleeding than the current most common operation, according to new research led by the University of Aberdeen. |
 | Statins could protect older patients from severe pneumonia, study findsStatins could be used to treat older patients admitted to hospital with a severe type of pneumonia, researchers at the University of Birmingham have found. |
 | Using machine learning to estimate risk of cardiovascular deathHumans are inherently risk-averse: We spend our days calculating routes and routines, taking precautionary measures to avoid disease, danger, and despair. |
 | Failed cancer drug looks promising for scleroderma and other fibrotic conditionsSixteen years ago, a research group at Mayo Medical School published results showing that a protein called TRAIL can kill cells that cause liver fibrosis but no one seemed to follow up on these findings. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have improved on this protein and shown that it selectively kills cells that cause the hardening of skin associated with scleroderma, effectively reversing the condition in mice genetically engineered to mimic the disease. A report on these results was published earlier this year in Nature Communications. |
 | Early exposure key to recognising 'other-race' facesNew research led by The Australian National University (ANU) has shown exposure to people from other racial backgrounds during childhood could help us better recognize faces across different races as adults. |
 | Why does tuberculosis find a 65-year-old drug so hard to resist?Since its discovery in 1954, there have been almost no recorded cases of tuberculosis becoming resistant to the antibiotic drug D-cycloserine (DCS) in patients. With resistance to many other drugs on the rise, a team of Crick researchers set out to find out why DCS has evaded resistance for so long. |
 | On-the-move cancer cells prefer a 'comfort cruise,' follow predictable paths of least resistanceNew research from a group of Vanderbilt biomedical engineers reveals that while cancer cells move quickly in metastasis, they're rather lazy in which paths they choose. |
 | Speeding up the drug discovery process to help patientsAn international research team has developed a new strategy that can predict the potential clinical implications of new therapeutic compounds based on simple cellular responses. This discovery was partly led by scientists affiliated with Université de Montréal (UdeM), and represents a major step forward in developing more effective drugs with fewer side effects, much faster than before. The researchers conducted their work at Centre de Recherche de l'Hôpital Ste-Justine and published their findings in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. |
 | How IL-6 allows the immune response to develop for a key cell, the T follicular helperThe body's immune response fights against infectious disease, and it safeguards against future infections through vaccination. However, if the immune response dysfunctions and attacks the body itself, it can cause autoimmune disease. Thus, a healthy immune response balances an instant readiness to combat infecting viruses or bacteria, while maintaining benign surveillance of the body's own tissues. |
 | Over one-fifth of injured U.S. adult cyclists, mostly men, not wearing a helmetMen and ethnic minorities are less likely to wear cycle helmets and more likely to suffer from head and neck injuries in accidents, according to new research published in Brain Injury. |
 | Few people with peanut allergy tolerate peanut after stopping oral immunotherapyAllergy to peanut, which is often severe, is one of the most common food allergies in the United States. Although previous studies have shown that peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT)—ingesting small, controlled amounts of peanut protein—can desensitize adults and children and prevent life-threatening allergic reactions, the optimal duration and dose is unknown. In a study that followed participants after OIT successfully desensitized them to peanut, discontinuing OIT or continuing OIT at a reduced dose led to a decline in its protective effects. The study, published online today in The Lancet, also found that several blood tests administered before OIT could predict the success of therapy. The Phase 2 study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, and may inform who may benefit from peanut OIT and what changes in this experimental treatment should be implemented. |
 | More severe OSA leads to higher blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertensionIn patients with high blood pressure resistant to treatment who also have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the more severe their OSA, the higher their blood pressure, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. |
 | Breaking the 'stalemate' in the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childrenA phase 2 clinical trial has found that combining a molecular targeted drug called temsirolimus with chemotherapy shows promise in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood. The Children's Oncology Group trial was led by Leo Mascarenhas, MD, MS, Deputy Director of the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Results were recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. |
 | Abnormal gut bugs tied to worse cognitive performance in vets with PTSD and cirrhosisA study involving military veterans with PTSD and cirrhosis of the liver points to an abnormal mix of bacteria in the intestines as a possible driver of poor cognitive performance—and as a potential target for therapy. |
 | Addressing serious illness with a serious question to cliniciansThree-quarters of older adults with a serious illness visit the emergency department during the last six months of their lives. Many will be admitted to the hospital. Some will never leave. But only a minority of patients have a conversation with their physician about preferences for end-of-life care before it is too late in their disease course for their wishes to be expressed. Identifying patients at greatest risk of near-term death early enough to engage in these conversations could both improve patients' experiences and drive down health care costs. |
 | High social support associated with less violence among male teens in urban neighborhoodsAmong teen boys in urban neighborhoods with low resources, the presence of adult social support is linked to significantly fewer occurrences of sexual violence, youth violence and bullying, and to more positive behaviors, including school engagement and future aspirations, according to a new study from researchers at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. |
 | Epilepsy surgery: The earlier the better, overview study showsA person with drug resistant epilepsy who gets an early surgical intervention has a better chance of becoming seizure-free. This is shown in a systematic review and meta-analysis in which Sahlgrenska Academy researchers, in collaboration with the Swedish Council for Assessment of Health Technology and Social Services (SBU), analyzed results from a range of previous studies. They concluded that people with drug resistant epilepsy should, as early as possible, be referred for epilepsy surgery evaluation. |
 | Childhood sexual abuse linked to a range of physical and mental health conditionsA new review of previous studies into the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse has suggested that earlier mental health support for victims would reduce the chances of victims developing psychiatric conditions and substance misuse later in life. |
 | Expert discusses health effects of vaping on youthFederal health officials have so far identified 450 possible cases of severe respiratory illnesses reported after use of e-cigarette products in 33 states, with six deaths. Although more information is needed to determine the cause of the illnesses, there is speculation that at least some are due to contamination of cannabis products with a vitamin E extract. |
 | Researchers: Favorable survival, fewer side effects after reduced therapy for HPV-linked head and neck cancerUniversity of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers reported that reducing the intensity of radiation treatment for patients with human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer produced a promising two-year progression-free survival rate and resulted in fewer side effects. |
 | Can scientists predict which cancer markers are likely to trigger an immune response?Scientists at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have designed and validated a model for predicting what might make an effective cancer vaccine against a patient's tumor. This finding could help overcome a significant obstacle in the development of personalized cancer vaccines. |
 | Emotional rape victims seen as more believableDistressed rape complainants are perceived to be more credible than those who control their emotions, a University of Queensland study has found. |
 | IVF birth rates improving, multiple birth rate at a record lowIVF success rates in Australia and New Zealand have continued to improve, while the number of IVF twins are falling, a new UNSW report has shown. |
 | Research discoveries suggest that leucine-histidine dipeptide improves mental healthA research group led by Professor Tomoyuki Furuyashiki and Associate Professor Shiho Kitaoka (Graduate School of Medicine) in collaboration with researcher Yasuhisa Ano of Kirin Holdings have made discoveries regarding the effect of the dipeptide leucine-histidine (LH) in suppressing microglial activation and depression-associated emotional disturbances. LH dipeptide is found in fermented foods such as blue cheese and natto (fermented soy beans). Foods rich in LH dipeptide may be a safe, preventive method for maintaining good mental health. |
 | Understanding risks for childhood cancer survivorsSurvivors of childhood cancer have every reason to celebrate after experiencing harrowing diagnoses and difficult treatments during their most formative years. |
 | Tracing travelers' typhoid to get an early warning of emerging threatsSalmonella enterica serovar Typhi causes more than 20 million cases of typhoid fever each year, and disproportionately infects children in low and middle income countries. Now, in a paper published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers demonstrate how routine data collected by Public Health England (PHE) can be used to gain insight into the genomics of S. Typhi in countries around the world, providing an early warning system for emerging threats such as antibiotic resistance and disease outbreaks abroad. |
 | E-cigarettes may be affecting the health of teenagers—even if they don't vapeThe Trump administration moved to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes this week, citing the rise in vaping among teenagers and the vaping-related respiratory illnesses that have plagued hundreds of people over the past few months. |
 | NIH study suggests higher air pollution exposure during second pregnancy may increase preterm birth riskPregnant women who are exposed to higher air pollution levels during their second pregnancy, compared to their first one, may be at greater risk of preterm birth, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Their study appears in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. |
 | Nutrition researchers say eating eggs doesn't mean higher saturated-fat intakeEggs were once a staple of a healthy American breakfast. But over time, they've acquired a complicated assortment of contradictory recommendations. |
 | Kenya becomes third country to adopt world's first malaria vaccineKenya on Friday became the third country to start routinely innoculating infants against malaria, using the world's first vaccine to combat a disease that kills 800 children globally every day. |
 | What's the right balance of fats and carbs?What is the perfect amount of fats and carbohydrates for a healthy diet? Scientists from McMaster University in Canada analyzed food diaries from more than 135,000 people in 18 countries around the world to find out. |
 | CDC revises number of vaping-linked lung illnesses to 380 in 36 statesU.S. health officials have revised downward the number of cases of a severe lung injury linked to vaping, from more than 450 cases cited last week to the total of 380 cases announced late Thursday. |
 | For this mom, rare bone disease is a family affairMost people expect some risk in activities like mountain biking or rollerblading, but few would expect to end up in the emergency room with a broken thigh bone from doing a squat. |
 | Shoulder pain surgery: One popular procedure not backed by evidenceMany countries have strict regulations to ensure new drugs are effective and are worth the money before doctors can prescribe them. But surgical procedures are often less strictly regulated. This can lead to people having risky surgery even though there is no clear evidence that it works. One such surgery is called subacromial decompression—one of the most common procedures to treat chronic shoulder pain. |
 | The womb isn't sterile: Healthy babies are born with bacteria and fungi in their gutsFor the last hundred years, scientists have believed that humans develop in a womb that remains sterile and completely isolated from the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses that make us sick when we emerge into the outside world. |
 | A newly designed vaccine may help stamp out remaining polio cases worldwidePublic health organizations around the world have been fighting for global eradication of polio since 1988. Through massive vaccination efforts, the incidence of polio has gone down 99% since then, with the virus eradicated from most of the countries on Earth. |
 | Physical activity may attenuate menopause-associated atherogenic changesA new study on menopausal women shows that leisure-time physical activity is associated with a healthier blood lipid profile. However, results suggest that leisure-time physical activity does not seem to entirely offset the unfavorable lipid profile changes associated with the menopausal transition. |
 | Curiosity: We're studying the brain to help you harness itThey say curiosity killed the cat for a reason. Being curious has many advantages, but it is also associated with risk taking. But what is curiosity exactly? Is it really just one personality trait that you can have more or less of? Or do people have different "curiosity types"—being naturally more curious about people, sensations or knowledge? |
 | How a person vapes, not just what a person vapes, could also play a big role in vaping harmSix vaping-related deaths and hundreds of illnesses had been reported as of Sept. 10, 2019. On Sept. 11, 2019, the Trump administration called for banning most flavored e-cigarettes because of their huge appeal to young people. While lifetime smokers who use e-cigarettes to quit worry such a ban would undermine their success at cutting down on cigarettes. |
 | Anti-vax moms have outsized voice on social mediaA high school student from Ohio made national headlines recently by getting inoculated despite his family's anti-vaccination beliefs. |
 | Researchers have identified areas of the retina that change in mild Alzheimer's diseaseResearchers at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have identified changes in retinal layer thickness, inflammation or thinning in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, confirming that the retina is one of the most important biomarkers for early diagnosis of the disease. |
 | Children of refugees with PTSD are at higher risk of developing psychiatric disordersResearchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied what it means for children to have parents who are refugees and have PTSD. The study shows that these children have a significantly higher risk of contact with the psychiatric system. The researchers believe that there should be focus on the problem and that early measures and treatment options should be developed. |
 | Tiny bubbles in our body could fight cancer better than chemoHealthy cells in our body release nano-sized bubbles that transfer genetic material such as DNA and RNA to other cells. It's your DNA that stores the important information necessary for RNA to produce proteins and make sure they act accordingly. |
 | Patient survey highlights challenges for the 1 in 4 living with rheumatic diseaseAmericans living with rheumatic disease face significant healthcare challenges, according to a national patient survey released this week by the American College of Rheumatology and its Simple Tasks public awareness campaign. |
 | Study finds certain drugs used to treat eye diseases excreted into human breast milkCertain drugs used to treat retinal diseases are excreted into breast milk, raising possible safety concerns for developing infants, suggests a first-of-its-kind study led by St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and published in Ophthalmology. |
 | Niger unveils measles vaccination plan for 4 million childrenNiger launched a campaign on Friday to vaccinate more than four million children against measles, one of the biggest causes of child mortality in the country, the health ministry said. |
 | Prevalence of short sleep duration up from 2010 to 2018(HealthDay)—The prevalence of short sleep duration increased among working American adults from 2010 to 2018, according to a study published online Sept. 5 in the Journal of Community Health. |
 | Fewer children receiving care at family medicine practices(HealthDay)—From 2009 to 2016, there was a decrease in the proportion of children seen at family physician (FP) practices, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. |
 | 2011 FDA safety message tied to drop in transvaginal mesh use(HealthDay)—A 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety communication correlated with a significant decline in transvaginal mesh use for treatment of apical prolapse, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Medicaid expansion increases access to kidney transplants(HealthDay)—There was an increase in Medicaid-covered preemptive kidney transplants (KT) among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) living in Medicaid expansion states versus nonexpansion states, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. |
 | Women with heart attack do present with typical symptoms(HealthDay)—Typical symptoms of myocardial infarction are more common and have greater predictive value in women than in men, according to a study published in the Sept. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association. |
 | Patient factors may predict opioid use after discharge(HealthDay)—Certain factors may help clinicians identify which patients are more likely to have greater opioid use in the first month after major surgery, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in the Annals of Surgery. |
 | Women with heart failure less likely to get heart pump deviceWomen are less likely than men to receive a mechanical heart pump that is becoming the norm for people with advanced heart failure, according to new research. |
 | Heartburn drug zantac may contain small amounts of known carcinogen, FDA says(HealthDay)—A substance that could cause cancer has been found in some ranitidine heartburn and ulcer medicines, including the brand-name drug Zantac, and the source of this contamination is being investigated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. |
 | Researchers identify focus points to reduce opioid overdose deathsA new study identifies specific locations where medication and harm reduction services for people with opioid use disorder should be available in order to have the greatest impact on reducing opioid overdose deaths. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction, the data show that more than half of those who died of an opioid overdose in Massachusetts encountered the health care, public health and/or criminal justice systems within the 12 months prior to their fatal overdose. These results, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, provide a roadmap to better reach these individuals at high risk of overdose and provide treatment and harm reduction services in order to reduce the number of overdose deaths. |
Predicting risk of heart failure for diabetes patients with help from machine learningHeart failure is an important potential complication of type 2 diabetes that occurs frequently and can lead to death or disability. Earlier this month, late-breaking trial results revealed that a new class of medications known as SGLT2 inhibitors may be helpful for patients with heart failure. These therapies may also be used in patients with diabetes to prevent heart failure from occurring in the first place. However, a way of accurately identifying which diabetes patients are most at risk for heart failure remains elusive. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center unveils a new, machine-learning derived model that can predict, with a high degree of accuracy, future heart failure among patients with diabetes. The team's findings are presented at the Heart Failure Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia and simultaneously published in Diabetes Care. | |
 | Developing therapeutic strategies for pregnant women with lupusSystemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune disease commonly referred to as lupus or SLE, has been compared to volatile, unprovoked brawls within the body. |
 | Nonphysician providers rarely interpret diagnostic imaging—except radiography, fluoroscopyAlthough Medicare claims data confirm the increasing role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants (NPPs) in imaging-guided procedures across the United States, according to an ahead-of-print article published in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), NPPs still rarely render diagnostic imaging services, compared with the overall number of diagnostic imaging interpretations. When NPPs do render diagnostic imaging services, though, said services are overwhelmingly radiography and fluoroscopy. |
US finds contaminant in popular heartburn drugU.S. health officials said Friday they are investigating low levels of a potentially dangerous contaminant in the popular heartburn medication Zantac and related generic drugs. | |
 | Health experts back treatment for kids with peanut allergyGovernment health experts are urging approval of a treatment for children with life-threatening peanut allergies. |
 | Chaotic talks show challenge of reaching opioid settlementFor months, the judge overseeing national litigation over the opioids crisis urged all sides to reach a settlement that could end thousands of lawsuits filed by state and local governments. |
 | The next battles against tobacco must be fought in the world's major citiesGlobal cities like New York and London were among the first to pioneer effective tobacco control policies —like smoke-free workplaces, public cessation services and higher tobacco taxes. |
 | Scientists use gene-editing tool CRISPR in attempt to cure HIVThe first attempt to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to cure HIV infection was unsuccessful but the approach does show promise. |
 | 10 quick tips for a healthier, safer lifeSome things that you can do to protect your health take just minutes, so no more excuses! Here are 10 suggestions from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
Illinois lawsuit filed against top e-cigarette makerAn Illinois teenager who fell ill with a lung disease after vaping for more than a year has sued a leading e-cigarette maker. | |
Biology news
 | Skin-crawling discovery: 'body farm' scientists find corpses moveAn Australian scientist has proved that human bodies move around significantly for more than a year after death, in findings that could have implications for detectives and pathologists around the world. |
 | Multidrug resistance: Not as recent as we thoughtResearchers from Osaka University have made the striking discovery that multidrug-resistant bacteria may have been around longer than we thought. In findings published this month in Communications Biology, the researchers investigated the evolutionary relationships among hundreds of RND-type efflux pumps—specialized proteins that pump multiple different types of antibiotics out of a bacterial cell, making it multidrug resistant. |
 | Method to customize microbes for better biofuel productionScientists at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a method to insert genes into a variety of microorganisms that previously would not accept foreign DNA, with the goal of creating custom microbes to break down plants for bioenergy. |
How new loops in DNA packaging help us make diverse antibodiesDiversity is good, especially when it comes to antibodies. It's long been known that a gene assembly process called V(D)J recombination allows our immune system to mix and match bits of genetic code, generating new antibodies to conquer newly encountered threats. But how these gene segments come together to be spliced has been a mystery. A new study in Scientific Reports provides the answer. | |
 | How microtubules branch in new directions, a first look in animalsCell biologist Thomas Maresca and senior research fellow Vikash Verma at the University of Massachusetts Amherst say they have, for the first time, directly observed and recorded in animal cells a pathway called branching microtubule nucleation, a mechanism in cell division that had been imaged in cellular extracts and plant cells but not directly observed in animal cells. Details appear this month in the Journal of Cell Biology. |
 | Scientists sharpen gene editing toolWake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine scientists have fine-tuned their delivery system to deliver a DNA editing tool to alter DNA sequences and modify gene function. The improved "hit and run" system works faster and is more efficient. |
 | Microbes make chemicals for scent marking in a catDomestic cats, like many other mammals, use smelly secretions from anal sacs to mark territory and communicate with other animals. A new study from the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis shows that many odiferous compounds from a male cat are actually made not by the cat, but by a community of bacteria living in the anal sacs. The work is published Sept. 13 in PLOS ONE. |
 | A new methodology for sequencing virusesNUS scientists have developed a more efficient method to sequence the complete genomes of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes directly from patient samples. |
 | Decoding messages in the body's microscopic metropolisesA study aimed at identifying and examining the small messenger proteins used by microbes living on and inside humans has revealed an astounding diversity of more than 4,000 families of molecules – many of which have never been described previously. |
 | 16 things you probably didn't know about cephalopod sexIf you've ever seen the Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Tentacles" exhibit, you know that cephalopods (squids, octopuses, and their kin) are awesome creatures. They can change the texture and color of their skin in the blink of an eye and "taste" things using suckers on their arms. They also have developed a variety of complex social and survival behaviors. |
 | 'Yank': A new term in biophysicsBiologists and biomedical engineers are proposing to define the term "yank" for changes in force over time, something that our muscles and nerves can feel and respond to. |
 | Mother cells as organelle donorsMicrobiologists at LMU and UoG have discovered a recycling process in the eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii that plays a vital role in the organism's unusual mode of reproduction. |
 | Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlementAn international collaboration of scientists in Iceland, Denmark and the Netherlands has for the first time used ancient DNA analyses and C14-dating to demonstrate the past existence of a unique population of Icelandic walrus that went extinct shortly after Norse settlement some 1100 years ago. Walrus hunting and ivory trade was probably the principal cause of extinction, being one of the earliest examples of commercially driven overexploitation of marine resources. |
 | Male Trinidad guppies find food thanks to femalesFor male Trinidad Guppies applies: if you are hungry, seek female company. A recent study led by scientists of the the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) together with other research institutions provides evidence that male guppy fish in the presence of females more often ended up at novel food patches. In contrast, female food discovery was independent of male presence. |
 | Researchers find waterhemp has evolved resistance to four herbicide sites of actionA research study featured in the journal Weed Science provides worrisome new details about the evolution of herbicide resistance in waterhemp—an annual weed that represents a significant threat to Midwest corn and soybean crops. |
 | Salmon Tales: Sex, myth and molecular genetics of an iconic fishA sockeye salmon's life ends right back where it began, culminating in an anadromous drama of sex, decay and sacrifice. |
 | Breeding single-sex animal populations could help prevent disease and povertyThe creation of all-male or all-female groups of animals, known as monosex populations, has become a potentially useful approach in aquaculture and livestock rearing. |
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