Friday, October 25, 2019

Science X Newsletter Friday, Oct 25

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for October 25, 2019:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

A reservoir computing system for temporal data classification and forecasting

Rapid laser solver for the phase retrieval problem

Micromotors push around single cells and particles

Living on the edge: How a 2-D material got its shape

A one-step multicatalytic method to enrich racemic mixtures to a single enantiomer

Physicists simulate critical 'reheating' period that kickstarted the Big Bang

Starvation halts brain development, but hungry cells jump-start growth when food becomes available

Advance in search for new Clostridioides difficile vaccine

Game changer: New chemical keeps plants plump

Google builds up recovery ward for digital zombies

Daylight not rain most important for Africa 'green-up' phenomenon

Mysterious microproteins have major implications for human disease

Energy regulation rollbacks threaten progress against harmful ozone

Small magnets reveal big secrets

Scientists find molecular key to body making healthy T cells

Astronomy & Space news

New selfie shows Curiosity, the Mars chemist

A new selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is breathtaking, but it's especially meaningful for the mission's team: Stitched together from 57 individual images taken by a camera on the end of Curiosity's robotic arm, the panorama also commemorates only the second time the rover has performed a special chemistry experiment.

NASA moon rocks help form new picture of early moon and Earth

Most people only ever encounter rubidium as the purple color in fireworks, but the obscure metal has helped two University of Chicago scientists propose a theory of how the moon may have formed.

Chandra spots a mega-cluster of galaxies in the making

Astronomers using data from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory and other telescopes have put together a detailed map of a rare collision between four galaxy clusters. Eventually all four clusters—each with a mass of at least several hundred trillion times that of the sun—will merge to form one of the most massive objects in the universe.

New research on giant radio galaxies defies conventional wisdom

Conventional wisdom tells us that large objects appear smaller as they get farther from us, but this fundamental law of classical physics is reversed when we observe the distant universe.

Video: Mars 2020 stands on its own six wheels

This time-lapse video, taken on Oct. 8, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, captures the first time NASA's Mars 2020 rover has carried its full weight on its legs and wheels.

Technology news

A reservoir computing system for temporal data classification and forecasting

Over the past decade or so, deep-learning approaches have become increasingly efficient in processing static data such as images. However, these techniques have been found to be somewhat less effective in analyzing temporal data, such as videos, human speech and other streaming inputs. This is mainly because processing temporal data requires bigger artificial neural networks, which are more expensive to train and implement.

Micromotors push around single cells and particles

A new type of micromotor—powered by ultrasound and steered by magnets—can move around individual cells and microscopic particles in crowded environments without damaging them. The technology could open up new possibilities for targeted drug delivery, nanomedicine, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and other biomedical applications.

Google builds up recovery ward for digital zombies

Unlock Clock. We Flip. Desert Island. Post Box. Are these some new children's games to keep them busy on your smartphones while you're looking for parking? No way. Google has released activities that form something called the Digital Wellbeing Experiments. The latter is a platform that Google said is "to share ideas and tools that help people find a better balance with technology."

Engineers develop a new way to remove carbon dioxide from air

A new way of removing carbon dioxide from a stream of air could provide a significant tool in the battle against climate change. The new system can work on the gas at virtually any concentration level, even down to the roughly 400 parts per million currently found in the atmosphere.

Researchers develop platform for scalable testing of autonomous vehicle safety

In the race to manufacture autonomous vehicles (AVs), safety is crucial yet sometimes overlooked as exemplified by recent headline-making accidents. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve the safety of autonomous technology through both software and hardware advances.

Cutting-edge robot makes short work of gardening chores

A gardening robot has been developed that can self-navigate and automatically prune roses and trim bushes.

Offshore wind power set for 15-fold increase: IEA

Offshore wind could become Europe's largest single source of electricity and its use for power generation is set to increase 15-fold worldwide by 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday.

Bribery retrial opens for Samsung scion

The heir to the Samsung empire appeared in court Friday for a retrial over a sprawling corruption scandal that threatens to disrupt management at the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker.

30 years on, Berlin Wall comes back to life with VR

A packed bus approaches Checkpoint Charlie, the Cold War's most famous border crossing, as grim-faced East German guards whisper among themselves about whether to hold you for questioning.

Google digs into deeper meanings of searches

Google is paying more attention to the small words in your searches. Want to figure out how to park on a hill with no curb? Google now takes that "no" into account, and shows top results that include parking instructions without curbs.

Schumer proposes $462 billion car swap—gas for electric

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is moving Democrats' climate talk to where the rubber meets the road, proposing a $462 billion trade-in program to get millions of Americans out of climate-damaging gas vehicles and into electric or hybrid cars over the next decade.

Boeing design flaw a factor in Lion Air crash: Indonesian probe

A design flaw, inadequate pilot training and poor flight crew performance contributed to a Boeing jet crashing in Indonesia last year, killing all 189 people on board, investigators said Friday, in what one aviation analyst called a "damning" report.

Combating combustible cladding hazards

University of Queensland engineering researchers have developed a database of building materials to help industry professionals assess the risk of combustible cladding and boost the safety of our homes and workplaces.

Farewell, oil: It's time to turn our backs on an old friend

They heat our homes, power the coffee maker and keep the factories that make our clothes running. They serve as raw material for our yogurt cups, transport us to work and bring food to the shops. Fossil fuels—oil, coal and natural gas—are with us in every area of our lives.

Facebook launches a news section—and will pay publishers

Over the course of its 15 year history, Facebook has variously ignored news organizations while eating their advertising revenue, courted them for video projects it subsequently abandoned, and then largely cut their stories out of its newsfeeds .

How computer algorithms help spread racial bias in US healthcare, and how they can help fix it

People may be biased, even without realizing it, but computer programs shouldn't have any reason to discriminate against black patients when predicting their health care needs. Right?

China demand for Jaguar Land Rover contains Tata Motors losses

Indian automaker Tata Motors reported Friday narrowed losses as growing demand in China for Jaguar Land Rover offset dire conditions in its home market, beating analyst predictions.

Online platforms' relationship with news media: it's complicated

Major online platforms have a complicated relationship with news organizations: the two sides are both friends and enemies, depending on the viewpoint.

Hyundai to test self-driving car service in California

Hyundai on Friday announced that it will begin testing a self-driving ride service in Southern California next month.

Facebook clarifies Zuckerberg remarks on false political ads

Facebook reiterated its policy of not removing misleading or bogus political ads Thursday, clarifying its own policies after CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered Congress confusing and sometimes incomplete testimony on the subject.

India's under-pressure telecom firms hit with $13 bn bill

India's beleaguered telecom companies were dealt a blow on Friday after being told to pay a whopping $13-billion bill, though boosting Asia's richest tycoon Mukesh Ambani who has shaken up the sector with his low-cost deals.

Using physics to keep the electrical grid safe

Many of the systems that provide services or products we use daily, such as the electrical grid, oil and gas pipelines, vehicles, and manufacturing plants, are examples of cyberphysical systems—systems that integrate computing and networking with one or more physical components.

Japan's SoftBank shaken by WeWork, but committing billions

Japanese technology giant SoftBank has committed billions of dollars to bailing out office-space sharing startup WeWork in a daring vote of confidence from its intrepid founder Masayoshi Son.

Medicine & Health news

Starvation halts brain development, but hungry cells jump-start growth when food becomes available

We all know that food is essential to healthy development of the brain and body, especially in the earliest stages of life. But exactly how early brain growth is affected by nutrition is not as well understood, especially on a cellular level.

Advance in search for new Clostridioides difficile vaccine

Scientists have made a breakthrough in the hunt for a new vaccine for killer hospital bug Clostridioides difficile (C. diff).

Scientists find molecular key to body making healthy T cells

In a finding that could help lead to new therapies for immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and IBD, scientists report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifying a gene and family of proteins critical to the formation of mature and fully functioning T cells in the immune system.

Deep inside the brain: Mapping the dense neural networks in the cerebral cortex

Mammalian brains, with their unmatched number of nerve cells and density of communication, are the most complex networks known. While methods to analyze neuronal networks sparsely have been available for decades, the dense mapping of neuronal circuits is a major scientific challenge. Researchers from the MPI for Brain Research have now conducted connectomic mapping of brain tissue from the cerebral cortex and quantified the possible imprint of learning in the circuit.

Fighting the herpes virus

New insights into preventing herpes infections have been published in Nature Communications. Researchers from the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) at the MDC used single-cell RNA sequencing to better understand the viral infections.

How our brains remember things depends upon how we learn them

Oxford University researchers have discovered that learned knowledge is stored in different brain circuits depending on how we acquire it.

Researchers develop method for separating tissue types in tumor samples

A dense web of tissue can surround pancreatic cancer tumors, impeding treatment and sometimes acting as a barrier to the tumor's spread. Researchers want to distinguish cancerous tissue from the surrounding connective tissue and cells known as stroma as well as from immune cells in the tumor's environment in order to drive personalized treatment strategies.

What 26,000 books reveal when it comes to learning language

What can reading 26,000 books tell researchers about how language environment affects language behavior? Brendan T. Johns, an assistant professor of communicative disorders and sciences in the University at Buffalo's College of Arts and Sciences, has some answers that are helping to inform questions ranging from how we use and process language to better understanding the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Can solar technology kill cancer cells?

Scientific breakthroughs don't always happen in labs. For Sophia and Richard Lunt, Michigan State University researchers, many of their breakthroughs happen during neighborhood walks.

Years of education may impact drinking behavior and risk of alcohol dependence

Higher educational attainment—spending more years in education—may impact people's drinking behaviour and reduce their risk of alcohol dependence, according to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Study highlights power of family resilience to protect children from bullying

Studies show that children exposed to childhood trauma known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at increased risk of being bullied or bullying others. New research being presented at the American American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition suggests that family resilience—the ability to work together to overcome problems, for example—reduces this risk.

Study shows trampoline injuries have increased over the past decade

Between 2008 and 2017, the incidence of trampoline-related fractures increased by an average of 3.85% in the U.S., and the driver behind those increases are trampoline injuries outside of the home at places of recreation or sport , according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Heightened risk of adverse financial changes before Alzheimer's diagnosis

Prior to an Alzheimer's diagnosis, a person in the early stages of the disease faces a heightened risk of adverse financial outcomes—a likely consequence of compromised decision making when managing money, in addition to exploitation and fraud by others.

Study finds youth suicide rates rise with community poverty levels

Research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition shows that U.S. children living in counties with the highest poverty level are more than one-third more likely to die by suicide than those living in the least impoverished counties. The association is most pronounced for suicide by firearms.

Lupus study illustrates the importance of diversity in genetic research

Scientists at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have pinpointed epigenetic differences in the way lupus affects black women compared to other lupus patients, revealing important mechanics of the puzzling disease. Epidemiologists have identified that lupus impacts black women with greater frequency and severity than other populations. Scientists in Devin Absher's Lab at HudsonAlpha published findings in August showing that increased risk and harm to lupus patients can be linked to epigenetic differences—essentially, the degree to which certain genes are functioning.

Neurotoxicologists highlight 'significant global health issue' for undernourished people around the world

So you say you're interested in a plant-based diet?

Cancer treatment: A researcher makes breakthrough immunotherapy discovery

Dr. Christopher E. Rudd, a researcher at the Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CR-HMR) and Université de Montréal, has discovered a new cell therapy approach that boosts the immune response of T lymphocytes to malignant tumours. The results of the study have just been published in the respected journal Nature Communications.

Athletes suspend morality to pursue sporting success: study

Ruthless sportspeople often suspend their sense of right and wrong when they step onto the field of play—viewing sport as a different world where they jettison responsibility to act in a moral way, according to a new study.

Pediatric cancer study shows usefulness of gene expression analysis

Analyzing gene expression in tumor cells from children with cancer is more likely to reveal targets for therapy than analysis of DNA mutations, according to a new study led by researchers at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute.

Study finds functional medicine model is associated with improvements in health-related QOL

In the first retrospective cohort study of the functional medicine model, Cleveland Clinic researchers found that functional medicine was associated with improvements in health-related quality of life. The study was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open.

Algorithm identifies cancer patients in need of advance care planning conversations

Many cancer patients do not get the opportunity to discuss their wishes for treatment until their illness has progressed too far, when it may be too late to have those discussions with loved ones or physicians. Now, a Penn Medicine-led team has developed an algorithm that flags patients who would benefit most from a timely conversation about their end-of-life goals and wishes, in an effort to begin that dialogue sooner. In a new study—published today in JAMA Network Open and simultaneously presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium in San Francisco, CA—researchers found that 51 percent of the patients the algorithm flagged as "high priority" for these conversations subsequently died within six months of their evaluation, compared to less than four percent in the "lower priority" group. These findings suggest the algorithm accurately captures those patients who would benefit most from timely discussions about their goals, values, and preferences for care.

Researchers uncover novel amyloidosis

A collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, has discovered a novel amyloid protein that induces amyloidosis in rats. This new amyloid protein is known to be the lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and accumulated very frequently in the mammary gland of aged rats. Although LBP was identified as an amyloid protein by this research using rats, learning from rats is very important for understanding the cause of human diseases because a human also has LBP. Hence, their findings of this research are useful for predicting the future occurrence of human amyloidosis and as a disease model animal.

What is rheumatoid arthritis, the condition tennis champion Caroline Wozniacki lives with?

Arthritis is a broad term to describe inflammation of the joints which become swollen and painful. There are many different kinds. Osteoarthritis, the most common, is caused by wear and tear.

With expedited partner therapy, researchers forecast lower rates of sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections have risen dramatically in the past decade, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. New results from researchers from Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health have shown that using an existing intervention that targets therapy to partners of men who have sex with men (MSM) has the potential to decrease the number of new gonorrhea and chlamydia infections. The findings were recently published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Life expectancy mapped for people with mental disorders

People with mental disorders have a life expectancy up to a decade shorter than the general population, University of Queensland researchers discovered in a joint international study.

Here's why memories come flooding back when you visit places from your past

We all know our memories get worse as time goes on—your recollection of what you did yesterday is probably a lot better than for the same day three years ago.

Researchers uncover dangers of celebrating 'victory' over cancer

It's a staple feature of cancer treatment centers across the country: a "victory bell" for patients to ring after completing their treatment.

To die well, we must talk about death before the end of life

I would like to tell you an all-too-familiar story. It begins with a long-term care home resident, Laura, who has multiple chronic conditions and gets an infection that doesn't get any better.

Memory training builds upon strategy use

Researchers from Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and Umeå University, Sweden, have for the first time obtained clear evidence of the important role strategies have in memory training. Training makes participants adopt various strategies to manage the task, which then affects the outcome of the training.

A tiny sensor that may play a significant role in the future treatment of illnesses

Academy of Finland Research Fellow Emilia Peltola holds in her hand a sensor that will play a significant role in the future treatment of illnesses. Many diseases, such as depression, chronic pain, Parkinson's and epilepsy are caused by neurotransmitter disorders. Among other things, neurotransmitters enable cells to communicate with each other. Problems in the production of these chemicals are the cause of symptoms like, for example, shaky hands in sufferers of Parkinson's disease.

CDC: Cases of vaping-linked lung illness now top 1,600

More than 1,600 Americans have now been struck by a severe, sometimes fatal, lung illness tied to vaping, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

FDA: NJ company must stop selling unapproved flavored vaping products

Eonsmoke LLC has been ordered to halt illegal sales of 100 unapproved flavored vaping products in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

Get a flu shot, doctors say, warning that this could be a severe season

As flu cases begin to pop up, medical experts say that though it's hard to predict the severity of the upcoming season, there are indicators it could be harsh, reminiscent of the deadly influenza that spread two years ago.

A million-dollar marketing juggernaut pushes 3D mammograms

When Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens made an appointment for a mammogram last year, she expected a simple breast cancer screening—not a heavy-handed sales pitch.

One region is being hit hardest by US opioid crisis

More people die from drug overdoses in the northeastern U.S. than other regions, making it a major hotbed of the nation's opioid epidemic, a new federal report says.

Lab-grown mini brains: They could one day outsmart us

The cutting-edge method of growing clusters of cells that organize themselves into mini versions of human brains in the lab is gathering more and more attention. These "brain organoids," made from stem cells, offer unparalleled insights into the human brain, which is notoriously difficult to study.

Antibiotics not necessary for most toothaches, according to new ADA guideline

The American Dental Association (ADA) announced today a new guideline indicating that in most cases, antibiotics are not recommended for toothaches. This guidance, published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association, aligns with the ADA's longstanding antibiotic stewardship efforts and its pledged commitment to the U.S. government's Antimicrobial Resistance Challenge.

Tuberculous infection is not life-long in most people

A new analysis challenges the longstanding notion that tuberculous infection is a life-long infection that could strike at any time and cause tuberculosis (TB). Based on a review of clinical studies, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues show that people who test positive with immunologic TB skin or blood tests rarely develop TB. They suggest it's because the infecting organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is likely dead, wiped out naturally by people's immune systems. Despite that, these people retain an immunological memory to the disease, which the authors say likely explains why standard TB tests show a positive result, since those tests look for an immune response and not live bacteria. The study was published this week in the journal BMJ.

Brown and white body fat speak different languages

Many people might not realize that they have different types of body fat. Most of it is white fat that sits on your stomach, hips and thighs, for example. White fat is an energy storage that our body can use when food is scarce. White fat also produces and receives signals from a variety of different hormones, such as adrenalin and insulin.

Use of emergency CPR device rising despite lack of evidence

Despite significant cost and minimal evidence that mechanical resuscitation devices benefit patients in cardiac arrest more than resuscitation performed by people, the devices are being used more often than ever, says a new study.

Postcode lottery for NHS orthotics patients

Specialist orthotics care for patients with mobility issues varies significantly depending on where they live, new research by Staffordshire University reveals.

New drug overdose data capture earliest days of fentanyl's deadly westward expansion

A rigorous effort to track U.S. overdose deaths and the drugs that caused them offers a snapshot of a fentanyl epidemic on the cusp of a westward shift.

High fiber, yogurt diet associated with lower lung cancer risk

A diet high in fiber and yogurt is associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers published in JAMA Oncology.

One-third of CVD in blacks attributable to hypertension

(HealthDay)—A substantial proportion of cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among black individuals are associated with hypertension, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in JAMA Cardiology.

CDC: Drugs involved in overdose deaths varied regionally in 2017

(HealthDay)—The drugs most frequently involved in drug overdose deaths in 2017 varied regionally in the United States, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Admissions, deaths for COPD vary by season

(HealthDay)—There is dramatic seasonal variation in rates of admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, according to a study presented at CHEST 2019, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held from Oct. 19 to 23 in New Orleans.

Get moving: Exercise can help lower older women's fracture risk

(HealthDay)—Older women who get even light exercise, like a daily walk, may lower their risk of suffering a broken hip, a large study suggests.

Decision support tool reduces unneeded referrals of low-risk patients with chest pain

Few events strike more fear in parents than hearing their child's heart "hurts."

Empowering pediatricians to reduce preventable firearm injuries and deaths

Lenore Jarvis, M.D., MEd, FAAP, remembers feeling fatigue and frustration when, despite her team's herculean efforts, a 5-year-old died from accidental gunshot wounds. The preschooler had been feeling playful: He surprised a family member who mistook him for an intruder and fired, fatally wounding the child.

Discovery in monkeys could lead to treatment for blindness-causing syndrome

A genetic mutation that leads to a rare, but devastating blindness-causing syndrome has been discovered in monkeys for the first time. The finding offers a promising way to develop gene and cell therapies that could treat the condition in people.

US officials predict shortages of critical hospital supplies

Government officials are warning U.S. hospitals that they could soon face shortages of critical surgical tools and equipment because of the closing of sterilization plants.

Skiing, snowboarding injuries more serious—skull and face fractures—in younger children

Winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are a great way to keep kids active in the winter, but they are also linked to injuries and for younger children those injuries are more likely to involve fractures to the head or face, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Children's race may play role in treatment for acute gastroenteritis in emergency departments

New research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference & Exhibition suggests that the treatment children receive in U.S. emergency departments for acute gastroenteritis with dehydration, a common childhood illness, may differ based on their race.

Injuries related to lawn mowers affect young children in rural areas most severely

Each year, more than 9,000 children in the United States are treated in emergency departments for lawn mower-related injuries. New research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans found that these injuries are more frequent and severe in rural areas, affecting younger children than in urban regions.

Informal sharing of breast milk gains popularity among women, despite safety risks

Women who are unable to produce enough breast milk for their children are increasingly turning to "mother-to-mother" informal milk-sharing, a potentially unsafe practice that is discouraged by the pediatric medical community, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Bariatric surgery is a safe option for young adolescents with morbid obesity

Bariatric surgery is safe for teens with morbid obesity and is beneficial for young patients who would otherwise face potential lifelong risks of death associated with obesity, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Antihistamine use for anaphylaxis symptoms linked with delay seeking emergency treatment

New research suggests that giving antihistamine medicine to a child experiencing anaphylaxis—a sudden and severe allergic reaction that can quickly be fatal—usually does more harm than good by delaying emergency treatment.

'Swimmer's shoulder,' common in more than three-quarters of swimmers

The painful overuse injury called swimmer's shoulder, common in competitive swimmers, may be caused by excessive swimming distance during training along with a culture in competitive swimming that sublimates pain, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Only half of US children get enough sleep during the week

Only 48% of school age children in the United States get 9 hours of sleep most weeknights, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans. Those who do, the study suggests, are significantly more likely to show a positive outlook toward school and other signs of "childhood flourishing," a measure of behavioral and social well-being.

Study identifies challenges to neonatal resuscitation outside of hospitals

With about 62,000 babies born outside of hospitals each year, and 1 in 10 newborns needing help to start breathing, emergency medical services (EMS) responders must be ready to give expert newborn resuscitation care. However, new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition found many responders lack recent training in resuscitation techniques for infants and experience in caring for newborns.

At what age is it considered child neglect to leave a child home alone?

A majority of social workers surveyed believe children should be at least 12 before being left home alone four hours or longer, and they are more likely to consider a home-alone scenario as neglect if a child is injured while left unsupervised, according to research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Research tests speed of drones in responding to medical emergency scenarios

Could drones be used someday to deliver life-saving medications or interventions in the case of a child's emergency, a drug overdose or in response to a mass casualty scene? According to new research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference & Exhibition, it's an idea worth exploring.

Study finds risk factors tied to drowning-related hospitalizations and death

Approximately 1 in 10 children admitted for injuries related to drowning end up dying despite comprehensive medical care after being admitted to a hospital, according to new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference & Exhibition.

Penn gets $9.7 million grant to study concussion-related brain damage

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania will lead an international team in a new project to study relationships between brain injuries and various types of neurodegeneration that lead to dementia symptoms.

The first test to detect dysphagia in patients with cognitive problems

Researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) of the University of Granada (UGR) have designed a test to detect dysphagia, a disorder that prevents people from swallowing when eating. It affects 8 percent of the world's population.

French MPs okay budget for medical marijuana experiments

Lawmakers in France, one of few European countries to still ban medical cannabis use, approved the budget Friday for two years of patient experiments that advocates hope will pave the way for a change in the law.

How to amp up the quality of your sex life

Quality over quantity is an approach that can lead to a better sex life. Studies show that feeling satisfied with the sexual aspect of their relationship is more important to many people than how often they have sex.

'Charta of Neurourbanism' dedicated to mental health in cities

How can planners reduce the stress of city living and improve the mental health of city dwellers? An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has developed a set of recommendations which aim to address these questions. Entitled "The Charta of Neurourbanism," their work has been published to coincide with the Berlin Mental Health Week.

Healthy Men: Why are we ignoring the epidemic of white male suicides?

Dear Healthy Men: You recently wrote about a CDC report that supposedly showed that males are more likely than females to commit suicide. Well, my 19-year-old niece recently killed herself and I just saw the new CDC report on youth suicides, which said that the suicide rate among females is growing faster than among males. Why are you pretending that suicide is a male problem when it affects everyone equally?

Experts in high-risk pregnancy respond to the published results of the PROLONG trial

The Society for Maternal-Fetal (SMFM) released the following statement in response to the published results of "Progestin's Role in Optimizing Neonatal Gestation," more commonly referred to as the PROLONG trial, which was recently published in the American Journal of Perinatology.

Biology news

Game changer: New chemical keeps plants plump

A UC Riverside-led team has created a chemical to help plants hold onto water, which could stem the tide of massive annual crop losses from drought and help farmers grow food despite a changing climate.

Yeast experiments show fit lineages are less tolerant to deleterious mutations

A team of researchers with members from Harvard University and one from the University of California San Diego has carried out experiments with yeast that show more-fit lineages are less tolerant to deleterious mutations than are those that are less fit. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes forcing a number of mutations into the backgrounds of yeast and what they learned about evolutionary fitness by doing so. Craig Miller with the University of Idaho has published an accompanying Perspectives piece in the same journal issue discussing the work by the team.

Fire-spawned forest fungi hide out in other organisms, study finds

When a wildfire obliterates a forest, the first life to rise from the ashes is usually a fungus—one of several species that cannot complete its life cycle in the absence of fire. Scientists have long argued about where and how such pyrophilous (fire-loving) fungi survive, sometimes for decades, between fires. A new study finds that some of these fungi hide out in the tissues of mosses and lichens.

Warming waters, local differences in oceanography affect Gulf of Maine lobster population

Two new studies published by University of Maine scientists are putting a long-standing survey of the American lobster's earliest life stages to its most rigorous test yet as an early warning system for trends in New England's iconic fishery. The studies point to the role of a warming ocean and local differences in oceanography in the rise and fall of lobster populations along the coast from southern New England to Atlantic Canada.

New research finds ocean warming forces reefs into cool-water refuges

New research from Florida Tech finds that global warming is shifting which environments off the Pacific coast of Panama will support coral reefs. Historically warmer areas that promoted fast coral growth are now becoming intolerably hot, and habitats that for thousands of years were too cold will offer some protection from the heat and temporarily promote thriving coral populations.

The salamander that eats its siblings' arms could one day help you grow a new one

Imagine you're a smiley-faced, feathery-gilled Mexican salamander called an axolotl. You've just been born, along with hundreds of brothers and sisters. But salamanders like you live in the wild only in one lake near Mexico City, and that habitat isn't big enough for all of you. There's not enough food. Only the strongest can survive. What do you do?

Tourism zones in Pirin National Park threaten chamois population

WWF-Bulgaria is alarmed that the new draft management plan for Pirin National Park is further endangering the habitat of the chamois. The draft plan foresees an expansion of sport infrastructure that would be allowed on an area 12.5 times greater than what is currently allowed, or 7.5% of the Park territory. The plans involve construction mostly in the northern part of Pirin above the towns of Bansko and Dobrinishte, and in the Koulinoto area. The implications of this increased human interference in a protected nature area, and increased pressure on the endangered Balkan chamois habitat have not yet been assessed by the competent authority—the Ministry of Environment and Water. The Chamois play a crucial role in sustaining the fragile and vulnerable mountain ecosystems. Besides being an important part of the food chain, it is the only representative of the Pirin National Park fauna that can feed on shrubs as well as conifer tree branches, thus protecting the fast-disappearing high mountain pastures. According to the Red Data Book of Bulgaria, they have been classified as an endangered subspecies since 2011.

Study shows how vital coral algae adapts to warming seas

Scientists at the University of Southampton have shown how a specific type of symbiotic algae, which lives in coral tissue, is able to adapt and survive the hotter seawater temperatures caused by global warming.

Tracking down the functions of the microbiome

All living creatures—from the simplest animal and plant organisms right up to the human body—are colonized by numerous microorganisms. They are thus in a functional relationship with these microbes, and together form a so-called metaorganism. The investigation of this symbiotic cooperation between host organism and microorganisms is a key challenge for modern life sciences research. The composition of the microbiome, i.e. the totality of the microorganisms which colonize a body, is well studied in numerous organisms.

Ultrastructure of focal adhesion scaffold unveiled in human pluripotent stem cells

Focal adhesions are known as signaling platforms broadcasting the information of the biochemical and physical qualities of the extracellular matrix into intracellular signaling cascades. However, focal adhesions remain unstudied in the context of human pluripotent stem cells. The research group led by Academy Professor Johanna Ivaska from the Turku Bioscience Centre at the University of Turku unveiled the ultrastructure of focal adhesion scaffold using state-of-the-art super-resolution microscopy in collaboration with the world-renowned Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus.

Roaming Russian eagles leave scientists broke

Russian scientists tracking migrating eagles were forced to start a crowdfunding campaign after their birds wandered into Iran and foreign text messages from their tracking devices depleted the project's budget.

Online trade poses new threat for wild orchids

The wild orchid trade in China has extended its reach past physical markets to the Internet. With these rare, endangered plants just a click away, the possibility of extinction has escalated.

Messages in amber envelopes

Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have shown that the incidence of midge and fly larvae in amber is far higher than previously thought. The new finds shed light on insect evolution and the ecology in the Baltic amber forest during the Eocene epoch.

From death strip to 'Green Belt' of life

Olaf Olejnik served among the guards patrolling the heavily fortified border deterring freedom-seeking East Germans from escaping to the capitalist West three decades ago.

Tiny beetle named after climate activist Greta Thunberg

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has a tiny new namesake.


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