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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for October 31, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Scientists may have discovered whole new class of black holesBlack holes are an important part of how astrophysicists make sense of the universe—so important that scientists have been trying to build a census of all the black holes in the Milky Way galaxy. |
 | Researchers discover mechanisms for the cause of the Big BangThe origin of the universe started with the Big Bang, but how the supernova explosion ignited has long been a mystery—until now. |
 | Astronomers catch wind rushing out of galaxyExploring the influence of galactic winds from a distant galaxy called Makani, UC San Diego's Alison Coil, Rhodes College's David Rupke and a group of collaborators from around the world made a novel discovery. Published in Nature, their study's findings provide direct evidence for the first time of the role of galactic winds—ejections of gas from galaxies—in creating the circumgalactic medium (CGM). It exists in the regions around galaxies, and it plays an active role in their cosmic evolution. The unique composition of Makani—meaning wind in Hawaiian—uniquely lent itself to the breakthrough findings. |
 | Even 'Goldilocks' exoplanets need a well-behaved starAn exoplanet may seem like the perfect spot to set up housekeeping, but before you go there, take a closer look at its star. |
 | Spitzer Telescope spots a ghoulish gourdA carved-out cloud of gas and dust looks like a celestial jack-o'-lantern in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. |
 | How we discovered a glowing galactic ghoulIt's a classic Halloween tale. A group of ghost hunters visit a grand old house that is rumored to be haunted. But after thoroughly exploring, they leave disappointed: there are no ghosts to be seen. Only later, when looking through their photographs of the place do they notice the mysterious apparition on the stairs. It was there all the time. |
 | Clouds on Jupiter rising up above the surrounding atmosphereThough it looks like it to us, Jupiter's clouds do no form a flat surface. Some of its clouds rise up above the surrounding cloud tops. The two bright spots in the right center of this image are much higher than the surrounding clouds. |
 | NASA microgap-cooling technology immune to gravity effects and ready for spaceflightA groundbreaking technology that would allow NASA to effectively cool tightly packed instrument electronics and other spaceflight gear is unaffected by weightlessness, and could be used on a future spaceflight mission. |
 | WFIRST will add pieces to the dark matter puzzleThe true nature of dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in the universe. Scientists are trying to determine what exactly dark matter is made of so they can detect it directly, but our current understanding has so many gaps, it's difficult to know just what we're looking for. WFIRST's ability to survey wide swaths of the universe will help us figure out what dark matter could be made of by exploring the structure and distribution of both matter and dark matter across space and time. |
 | 3-2-1-Cookoff! Astronauts to bake cookies with new test ovenForget reheated, freeze-dried space grub. Astronauts are about to get a new test oven for baking chocolate chip cookies from scratch. |
Technology news
 | Modeling and simulating complex dynamic musculoskeletal architecturesLife scientists and bioengineers study natural systems and organisms to understand their biophysical mechanisms, in order to drive biomimetic engineering applications in the lab. In a recent report on Nature Communications, Xiaotian Zhang and colleagues in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Supercomputing Applications in the U.S. presented a numerical approach to simulate musculoskeletal architectures. The method relied on the assembly of heterogenous active and passive Cosserat rods (a deformable-directed rod based curve) into dynamic structures to model bones, tendons, ligaments, fibers and muscle connectivity. They demonstrated applications of the technique by solving a range of problems in biological and soft robotic scenarios across many environments and scales. The team engineered bio-hybrid robots at the millimeter-scale and reconstructed complex musculoskeletal systems. The method is versatile and offers a framework to assist forward and reverse bioengineering designs for fundamental discoveries on the functions of living organisms. |
 | Project will explore game play's potential to reduce mental distressThe just line of surrender in the never-ending debate about video games as bad or good for people is that line where people agree to disagree, where people examine all the studies pro and con to recognize that the truth refuses to take up residence on either side. |
 | Robots can outwit us on the virtual battlefield, so let's not put them in charge of the real thingArtificial intelligence developer DeepMind has just announced its latest milestone: a bot called AlphaStar that plays the popular real-time strategy game StarCraft II at Grandmaster level. |
 | Shedding new light on the charging of lithium-ion batteriesResearchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have reported a new mechanism to speed up the charging of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Simply exposing the cathode to a beam of concentrated light—for example, the white light from a xenon lamp—lowers the battery charging time by a remarkable factor of two or more. If commercialized, such technology could be a game changer for electric vehicles. |
 | New technique lets researchers map strain in next-gen solar cellsPeople can be good at hiding strain, and we're not alone. Solar cells have the same talent. For a solar cell, physical strain within its microscopic crystalline structure can interrupt its core function—converting sunlight into electricity—by essentially "losing" energy as heat. For an emerging type of solar cell, known as lead halide perovskites, reducing and taming this loss is key to improving efficiency and putting the perovskites on par with today's silicon solar cells. |
 | Apple TV Plus joins streaming wars, has Oprah but no catalogAs the streaming wars near a fever pitch and viewers are targeted from every vantage point—Disney Plus has the Marvel and Star Wars brands! HBO Max counters with "Game of Thrones" and DC superheroes!—Apple TV Plus could be cast as the highly pedigreed and improbable underdog. |
 | Samsung Electronics third-quarter net profit slumps 52%The world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker Samsung Electronics saw net profits slump by more than half in the third quarter, it said Thursday, hit by an enduring downturn in the global chip market. |
 | Boeing says dozens of 737NG planes grounded globally over cracksBoeing announced Thursday that dozens of its popular 737NG planes had been taken out of service after cracks in them were detected, marking another setback for the crisis-stricken US aircraft maker. |
 | Nintendo first-half sales leap on strong demand for Switch gamesJapanese gaming giant Nintendo said Thursday its first-half sales were boosted by demand for its a smaller, cheaper version of its popular Switch console. |
 | China rolls out 5G services in race to narrow tech gapChina's three major state telecom operators rolled out 5G wireless technology Thursday, as the country races to narrow its technology gap with the US amid a bruising trade war. |
 | Voice assistant technology is in danger of trying to be too humanMore than 200m homes now have a smart speaker providing voice-controlled access to the internet, according to one global estimate. Add this to the talking virtual assistants installed on many smartphones, not to mention kitchen appliances and cars, and that's a lot of Alexas and Siris. |
 | Making email more efficient means answering more emails even fasterIf you're a Gmail user, you might have recently noticed a ghost-like presence in your email account. It's light gray, and it comes and goes, sometimes when you're not expecting it. And, like most ghost sightings, glimpses of it have been reported to be a little creepy. |
 | Seattle AI lab's free search engine aims to accelerate scientific breakthroughsThe Seattle-based Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) is expanding its free search tool Semantic Scholar to include papers in multiple domains such as natural, social, interdisciplinary and social sciences. Semantic Scholar quadrupled its corpus of scientific papers to include more than 175 million papers that range far beyond the project's original fields of computer science and biomedicine. |
 | Mimicking body's circulatory AC could keep airplanes, cars and computers coolerThe complex network of veins that keeps us cool during the heat of summer has inspired engineers to create novel thermal management systems. But replicating the circulatory system, in form or function, has been no easy task. Recently, a team of researchers from Drexel University and North Carolina State University have created a computational platform that could be the key to mimicking the body's evolutionary optimized cooling system. Microvasculature |
 | HBO Max will be more expensive than Netflix, Disney or Apple. Does that mean it'll be a tough sell?Welcome to the hard sell. |
 | Security firm says Chinese hackers intercepted text messagesChinese hackers with a history of state-sponsored espionage have intercepted the text messages of thousands of foreigners in a targeted campaign that planted eavesdropping software on a telecommunications provider's servers, a cybersecurity firm said. |
 | This AI birdwatcher lets you 'see' through the eyes of a machineIt can take years of birdwatching experience to tell one species from the next. But using an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning, Duke University researchers have trained a computer to identify up to 200 species of birds from just a photo. |
 | Movement and flow: Simulating complexity of fluids and strands in the virtual worldSimulating the physics behind the movement of liquids and how fluids—thick or thin—interact with other objects is a key problem in visual effects. Bringing to life such scenarios as a brush stirring and spreading oil paint onto a canvas or spaghetti tossed in pasta sauce involves sophisticated computational modeling. These types of scenarios, in particular, are difficult to simulate due to the complex rheology of liquid—how its shape changes and transforms with movement—and the intricate interactions between the liquid and the strands. |
 | Smartphone sales see modest rebound after two-year slump: surveyGlobal smartphone sales increased modestly in the third quarter, the first growth for the segment after a two-year slump, a market tracker said. |
 | 'From the internet up': Toronto plans futuristic bayfrontToronto authorities gave a provisional green light Thursday to plans by a tech company in the Google empire to build a futuristic neighborhood on a strip of lakefront that will include robots for delivering mail and collecting garbage. |
 | Watchdog sues FBI over facial recognition secrecyA civil liberties watchdog Thursday sued the FBI and other federal agencies claiming the government is improperly withholding information on how it uses a facial recognition database of millions of Americans. |
 | The pressure is now on Facebook to ban political ads, tooTwitter's ban on political advertising is ratcheting up pressure on Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg to follow suit. But so far, that doesn't appear likely to happen. |
GM recalling more than 600,000 trucks and SUVsGeneral Motors is recalling more than 600,000 four-wheel drive trucks and SUVs because a software error could activate the braking system, increasing the risk of a crash. | |
 | PSA, Fiat Chrysler unveil merger of equalsPeugeot-maker PSA and Fiat Chrysler unveiled Thursday a plan for a 50-50 merger that aims to create the world's fourth-largest car manufacturer, but quickly came under pressure to preserve jobs. |
 | Google invests in affordable housing project in San Jose that will provide units for people with disabilitiesGoogle has invested $5.3 million in a large affordable housing project near downtown San Jose that will set aside units for people with developmental disabilities, the search giant and the project's developer said Tuesday. |
 | Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot to create fourth-biggest carmakerFiat Chrysler and France's PSA Peugeot said Thursday they have agreed to merge to create the world's fourth-largest automaker with enough scale to confront big shifts in the industry, including a race to develop electric cars and driverless technologies. |
 | India seeks answers from WhatsApp after cyberespionageIndia demanded answers from WhatsApp over a snooping scandal Thursday after coming under fire from critics who accused authorities of using malware installed on the Facebook-owned messaging service to spy on citizens. |
 | Cognizant turning away from vile online content controlDigital services company Cognizant on Thursday said it will stop its work to help filter vile content posted at online venues such as Facebook. |
 | US Interior Department grounds Chinese-made dronesThe US Department of the Interior has grounded its fleet of Chinese-made drones as it conducts a review of the program. |
 | Bombardier sells Belfast, Casablanca, Dallas operations for $1.2bnCanadian manufacturing group Bombardier announced Thursday it was selling its aerostructures business to US firm Spirit AeroSystems, involving operations in Belfast, Casablanca and Dallas, in a $1.2 billion cash-plus-debt deal. |
WeWork's ex-CEO faces new pregnancy discrimination complaintA former top aide to WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann has filed a federal discrimination complaint against him, saying she was demoted for becoming pregnant, subjected to derisive comments and ultimately fired for raising concerns. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Rotavirus vaccine: A potential new role as an anticancer agentNumerous vaccines, from flu shots to those those that help thwart chickenpox and measles, are widely used to guard against contagion, but researchers in France are proposing a breakthrough role for rotavirus vaccines: deploying them in cancer treatment. |
 | Study details the mechanism and scope of measles-induced immune amnesia in the wake of infectionOver the last decade, evidence has mounted that the measles vaccine protects in not one but two ways: Not only does it prevent the well-known acute illness with spots and fever that frequently sends children to the hospital, but it also appears to protect from other infections over the long term. |
 | Research reveals how malaria parasite plans ahead, preparing blueprint to strike in humansWithin seconds after an infected mosquito bites, the malaria parasite navigates the host skin and blood vessels to invade the liver, where it will stay embedded until thousands of infected cells burst into the bloodstream, launching malaria's deadly blood-stage infection. |
 | Blood test can predict prognosis in deadly brain cancerA blood test that measures the amount of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the bloodstream—called a liquid biopsy—correlates with how patients will progress after they are diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), the deadliest and most common primary brain tumor in adults. In a new study, researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania are the first to show that patients with a higher concentration of cfDNA—circulating DNA that cancer and other cells shed into the blood—have a shorter progression-free survival than patients with less cfDNA, and that cfDNA spikes in patients either at the time of or just before their disease progresses. The team also compared genetic sequencing of solid tissue biopsies in GBM side-by-side with the liquid biopsies and found that while both biopsies detected genetic mutations in more than half of patients, none of those mutations overlapped, meaning liquid biopsy may provide complementary information about the molecular or genetic makeup of each tumor. Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, published the findings today. |
 | Important gene variants found in certain African populationsIn the nearly 20 years since the Human Genome Project was completed, experts in genetic variants increasingly have raised concerns about the overemphasis on studying people of European descent when performing large population studies. A study appearing October 31 in the journal Cell aims to address some of this disparity by focusing on populations living in rural Uganda, thus revealing several new genetic variants related to human health. |
 | Experts propose new healthcare framework to help ageing populations stay healthier longerAn international team of researchers have put forward a position statement, published in Science, which lays out a new healthcare framework to help aging populations stay healthier for longer. |
 | Immune system targets vitamin B12 pathway to neutralize bacteriaClose to 1.8 billion people worldwide are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the common and occasionally deadly bacterium that causes millions of cases of tuberculosis each year. The bacteria, having coevolved with humans over millennia, have devised ways of hijacking nutrients from its human host for its own benefit. Humans have equally complex ways of fighting back. |
 | Potential genetic markers of multiple sclerosis severityIn a bid to determine factors linked to the most debilitating forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have identified three so-called "complement system" genes that appear to play a role in MS-caused vision loss. The researchers were able to single out these genes—known to be integral in the development of the brain and immune systems—by using DNA from MS patients along with high-tech retinal scanning. |
 | Drug that targets key mutation found to shrink some tumorsA team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. and Australia (and sponsored by pharmaceutical company Amgen Research) has found that a drug they optimized to target a protein produced due to mutations in the genome was able to shrink some tumors in mice and humans. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes the drug and how well it worked on test subjects. |
 | People with autism have a more symmetrical brainDo people with autism have differently organized brains? A large-scale MRI study, published in Nature Communications, reports fewer differences between the right and left hemispheres in people with autism spectrum disorder. An international team, led by scientists from the Max Planck and Donders institutes in Nijmegen, the Netherlands and the University of Southern California, found differences in brain asymmetry between people with and without autism, mainly affecting gray matter thickness, in several brain regions. |
 | Discovery may help derail Parkinson's 'runaway train'Researchers at the University of Dundee have made a discovery they believe has the potential to put the brakes on the 'runaway train' that is Parkinson's disease. |
 | Study reveals more about how immune cells create new types of antibodiesA team of researchers at Boston Children's Hospital has learned more about the process of V(D)J recombination and how it makes use of chromatin looping to collect segments that are to be spliced. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the researchers outline their research and what they learned about the ways immune cells match bits of genetic code to create new types of antibodies. Ferenc Livak and André Nussenzweig with NIH have published a News & Views piece outlining the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | Why music makes us feel, according to AIIn a new paper, a team of USC computer scientists and psychologists teamed up to investigate how music affects how you act, feel and think |
 | Are we 'brainwashed' during sleep?New research from Boston University suggests that tonight while you sleep, something amazing will happen within your brain. Your neurons will go quiet. A few seconds later, blood will flow out of your head. Then, a watery liquid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will flow in, washing through your brain in rhythmic, pulsing waves. |
 | Cocktail proves toxic to leukemia cellsA combination of drugs that affect mitochondria—the power plants inside cells—may become the best weapons yet to fight acute myeloid leukemia, according to Rice University researchers. |
 | Science Says: How daylight saving time affects healthOffice workers bemoan driving home in the dark. Night owls relish the chance to sleep in. As clocks tick toward the end of daylight saving time, many sleep scientists and circadian biologists are pushing for a permanent ban because of potential ill effects on human health. |
 | Complex cellular machine visualized to yield new insights in cancerCellular machines that control chromosome structure, such as the RSC complex, are mutated in about one-fifth of all human cancers. Now, for the first time, scientists have developed a high-resolution visual map of this multi-protein machine, elucidating how the RSC complex works and what role it has in healthy and cancer cells. The study was co-led by Bradley Cairns, Ph.D., cancer researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and professor and chair of oncological sciences at the University of Utah, along with Ning Gao, Ph.D., at Peking University and Zhucheng Chen, Ph.D., at Tsinghua University in China. The study was published today in the journal Science. |
 | Calorie labels in fast food outlets linked to small drop in calories purchasedLabelling menus with the calorie content of individual dishes and drinks in fast food outlets is associated with a small immediate decrease in average calories purchased, according to a study using data from a large US restaurant company published by The BMJ today. |
 | New study: One is seven child deaths result from pneumonia, the flu, other LRIsDespite large declines since 1990 in child deaths from pneumonia and the flu, these and other lower respiratory infections (LRIs) remain a leading killer of children under age 5. |
For patients with sepsis, an infectious disease expert may reduce the risk of deathWhen people with severe sepsis, an extreme overreaction by the body to a serious infection, come to the emergency room (ER), they require timely, expert care to prevent organ failure and even death. When that care includes the early involvement of an infectious disease (ID) specialist, patient mortality can be reduced by as much as 40 percent, according to a new retrospective, single-center study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. | |
 | It takes more than a catchy headline for health awareness campaigns to inspire actionA new study published in Lancet Oncology reveals that the internet popularity of health awareness campaigns may not always translate into a greater interest in related health behaviors. |
 | TB drug price slashed in global push to thwart killer diseaseA pharmaceutical multinational on Thursday slashed the price of a key anti-tuberculosis drug boosting the battle against the world's deadliest infectious disease, as a new treatment was also set to begin extensive testing. |
 | Texas hospital livestreams brain surgery on FacebookA young woman in Texas who remained awake for her brain surgery was able to speak to doctors during the procedure—and viewers form around the world looked on, as part of the operation was livestreamed on Facebook. |
 | Mint and menthol flavors latest battleground for vaping industryWill mint and menthol be included in the forthcoming US ban on flavored vaping products? |
Kiwi retailer launches 'quiet hour' for autistic shoppersNew Zealand's largest supermarket chain has introduced a "quiet hour" to help make shopping less overwhelming for people with autism and other sensory processing disorders. | |
 | Samoa closes pre-schools over measles epidemicPre-schools in Samoa were closed Thursday as the tiny Pacific nation seeks to contain a measles epidemic believed to have claimed at least three lives, officials said. |
 | Adults in lower walkability neighborhoods found to have a higher predicted cardiovascular riskA study led by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto and ICES found that people living in neighbourhoods considered to be the least walkable were up to 33 per cent more likely to have a high predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk compared to individuals living in the most walkable neighbourhoods. |
When a major injury occurs again in children, it's too often no accidentAmong U.S. children who survive major trauma—bodily injuries severe enough to require a hospital stay—nearly 3 percent experience another sudden injury in the same year and nearly one in five of these repeated injuries is due to violence, according to new research findings presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019. | |
 | Chromosomal abnormalities uncovered in many couples struggling with recurrent miscarriageWhen a couple loses a pregnancy, and especially when the same couple loses multiple pregnancies, doctors are often at a loss to explain why. For about 40 to 60 percent of couples with recurrent miscarriage (RM), the condition remains unexplained, even after costly testing. Chromosomal abnormalities—rearrangements of large chunks of DNA—in the genomes of one or both individuals trying to conceive are thought to be one of the major genetic causes of RM. Routine chromosome analysis can currently detect these abnormalities in about 1 in 50 couples. |
 | Study finds racial disparities in culturally competent cancer careMany non-white minority cancer survivors place importance on seeing doctors who share or understand their culture, but are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to be able to see such physicians, according to a new study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and University of Texas Southwestern. The study, which is one of the first nationally-representative studies to examine patient-reported preference for, access to, and quality of provider cultural competency among cancer survivors, published in JAMA Oncology. |
 | Eye doctors prescribe fewer opioids without compromising pain controlA new study in JAMA Ophthalmology details plans by University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center to help curb the nation's opioid epidemic—starting at their own clinic. |
 | Bats in Northeast India carry filoviruses that can infect humansResearchers have proposed that bats are the natural reservoir of filoviruses, including highly fatal Ebola and Marbug viruses. Now, researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that in Northeast India, bats, as well as humans who work in close proximity to bats, carry antibodies that recognize several filoviruses. |
 | Measles infection wipes our immune system's memory leaving us vulnerable to other diseasesScientists have shown how measles causes long-term damage to the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to other infections. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Amsterdam and their collaborators revealed that the measles virus deletes part of the immune system's memory, removing previously existing immunity to other infections, in both humans and ferrets. Importantly, the team showed for the first time that measles resets the human immune system back to an immature baby-like state with only limited ability to respond to new infections. |
 | Super-soldier T-cells fight cancer better after a transformational DNA deliveryI enjoy online shopping. However, I often find myself fussing about the delivery options during checkout. This is because not all delivery services are equally efficient and stress-free. |
 | Planning a baby? A fertility app won't necessarily tell you the best time to tryIn years gone by, women would rely on the calendar on the wall to work out when their next menstrual cycle might occur. They would look to physical signs to tell them when they might be ovulating, and therefore when they'd be most likely to fall pregnant. |
 | 3 in 4 people with a mental illness develop symptoms before age 25The Productivity Commission has revealed 3.9 million of us are living with mental illness, and it's costing the country an estimated A$500 million per day. |
 | The missing link: A safe vaccine for an infection that hospitalizes more than 50,000 infants every yearProfessor Sang-Moo Kang may have found a way to make a safe vaccine for RSV, an infection that hospitalizes more than 50,000 infants every year. |
 | Hearing loss linked to poor school attendance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childrenThe first study investigating the independent impact of hearing impairment (HI) on school attendance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has been released today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. |
 | Low blood oxygen strongly increases sick children's risk of deathLow blood oxygen is more common in sick children than previously thought, and strongly increases children's risk of death, Australian-led research has found. |
 | Rate of sudden deaths in Indigenous infants much higher than estimatedIndigenous infants in Queensland may be dying suddenly and unexpectedly at a rate more than 3.5 times that of non-Indigenous infants, according to USC Nursing and Midwifery research. |
 | Bag of words test for Alzheimer's diseaseA positive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can only be made definitively postmortem. However, there are many symptoms that become apparent as the disease progresses and specialists can usually be quite certain of a diagnosis. However, as with many diseases, the later the diagnosis, the less successful medical interventions will generally be. New research published in the International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, offers an approach to earlier diagnosis of AD. |
 | Make a plan for gardening next spring with your kidsAre you still having a hard time getting your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables? Studies, including one in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, show that a successful solution is to grow your own. |
 | Survey reveals many Americans lack cancer prevention knowledgeOnly one in four U.S. adults report incorporating cancer prevention into their daily lives, according to the results of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2019 National Cancer Opinion Survey. |
 | Check those Halloween treats so they're safe to eatAlmost 41 million American children will don costumes and go trick-or-treating tonight, so all parents should remember that not every treat is safe for their kid. |
 | 'Invincible' teen vapers face fears, ask for helpIt all started at the mall when a friend offered her a puff from a Juul e-cigarette. |
 | Report on state of health among American men reveals death and despairSigns of declining health for American men abound in the National Center for Health Statistics latest annual report. |
Novel research aims to identify new medications for the treatment of opioid use disorderOpioid use disorder and overdose deaths are a major public health crisis in the United States. While medication-assisted treatments for opioid use disorder exist, these treatments remain inadequate for many patients, resulting in a high rate of relapse following detoxification. | |
 | Potential entry points for Huntington's disease drug discoveryHuntington's disease (HD) is one of the four major neurodegenerative diseases that have been most extensively studied. The clinical symptoms include uncontrolled dancing-mimicking behavior (chorea), as well as cognitive deficiency and psychiatric abnormalities. Since the biochemical activity of the mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) that causes the disease is uncharacterized, the conventional drug discovery approach, which relied on inhibitors that block the bioactivity of the pathogenic proteins, is not applicable. |
 | Some 15,000 Spaniards may be unaware they are suffering from the rare bone disease hypophosphatasiaScientists from the research group CIBERFES and the University of Granada (UGR) have implemented a protocol for effectively detecting hypophosphatasia and have discovered two new genetic mutations associated with this disease, which is often confused with other bone ailments. Extrapolating the data from their study, published in Scientific Reports, they estimate that between 4,000 and 15,000 Spaniards may be undiagnosed |
 | Athletes find strategies to 'psych out' opponents, study saysIf a soccer player was lining up for a penalty kick during a tight game, a strategic move would be to launch an unpredictable kick at the goalie to surprise them and score. |
 | Why phobias are natural—and how to overcome themDon't feel bad about having a phobia about public speaking, getting a needle or being near a dog—it's not you, it's your brain, says a University of Alberta psychologist. |
 | Antibiotics: Even low use in children can have a negative impact on healthGPs in the UK carry out over 300m patient consultations every year and at least a quarter of these deal with children. Almost two-thirds of such appointments are for coughs, sore throats, or earaches—illnesses which young children commonly get. |
 | Key mechanism in insulin release by cholesterol metaboliteInsulin which is released by pancreatic beta-cells is the main regulator of blood sugar. Previous and current studies by a research group at Lund University in Sweden have identified around hundred different receptors on the surface of the beta-cells, with a diverse functional impact on the beta-cells. Now researchers at Lund University in collaboration with researchers at University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates have discovered that one of these receptors plays a key role in the release of insulin. |
 | Researchers find high-intensity exercise improves memory in seniorsResearchers at McMaster University who examine the impact of exercise on the brain have found that high-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults. |
 | Study finds that Bisphenol A increases the pain sensation of miceUniversity of Alicante (UA) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) researchers have found out the mechanism of action of bisphenol A (BPA) in nociceptor neurons that transmit the sense of pain. BPA is a chemical substance used to make plastic containers, thermal paper and coating resins for the inside of food or soft drinks cans. |
 | Molecular gatekeepers that regulate calcium ions key to muscle functionCalcium ions are essential to how muscles work effectively, playing a starring role in how and when muscles contract, tap energy stores to keep working and self-repair damage. Not only are calcium ions vital for the repair of injured muscle fibers, their controlled entry into the mitochondria, the cell's energy powerhouses, spells the difference between whether muscles will be healthy or if they will easily tire and perish following an injury, according to research published Oct. 29, 2019, in Cell Reports. |
 | A kinase identified as possible target to treat heart failureAn unexplored kinase in heart muscle cells may be a good target to treat heart failure, a disease that is only incrementally delayed by existing therapies. Failing human hearts showed reduced amounts of this kinase, and preclinical experiments showed that restoring the amount of this kinase in a kinase-depleted mouse model rescued the animal from heart failure, according to a study published in the journal Circulation and led by University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Hind Lal, Ph.D. |
 | Artificial intelligence learns muscle anatomy in CT imagesPersonalized medicine has stirred the imagination of drugs and therapies that are individually tailored to patients. In the future, there will no longer be a need to worry about side effects, and patients will be screened to identify which treatment will be most effective for them, instead of for the average population. Deep learning is one tool that will be key to realizing personalized medicine. A new study by Japanese researchers describes a new deep learning tool that will advance personalized medicine for musculoskeletal diseases. The tool can segment individual muscles for a comprehensive model of the musculoskeletal system, which is expected to advance personalized biomechanics. |
 | Common sites of bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis ID'd on US(HealthDay)—Joint recesses with bone erosion are more likely to exhibit greater severity of joint inflammation on ultrasound (US) examination, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound. |
 | Bariatric surgery linked to reduced risk for skin cancer(HealthDay)—For individuals with obesity, bariatric surgery is associated with a reduced risk for skin cancer, including melanoma, according to a study published online Oct. 30 in JAMA Dermatology. |
 | Gilteritinib superior in relapsed, refractory FLT3-mutated AML(HealthDay)—For relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 gene (FLT3), treatment with a selective FLT3 inhibitor, gilteritinib, results in significantly longer survival and a greater percentage of patients with remission than salvage chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Oct. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Rate of surgical bailout low for TAVR(HealthDay)—The need for surgical bailout in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is low, according to a study recently published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. |
 | Kidney cancer study uncovers new subtypes and clues to better diagnosis and treatmentThe researchers used the most advanced genomic and proteomic technologies available to tease out their proteogenomic characteristics, defined as genetic makeup (genomics), chemical modifications to DNA (epigenomics), messenger RNA located in cells that serves as template to make proteins (transcriptomics), and proteins (proteomics) and their modification by phosphate group (phosphoproteomics), a modification known to regulate protein functions by switching on or off. The work was completed as part of the National Cancer Institute's Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), a national effort to better understand cancers through proteogenomics. |
 | Screening tool administered in pediatric ER accurately gauges suicide riskA suicide risk screening tool that Johns Hopkins Medicine implemented in its pediatric emergency department six years ago appears to provide an accurate gauge of which youth are most vulnerable and has identified more than 2,000 patients who might benefit from mental health treatment and resources, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine. |
 | Non-GM produce earns 'halo effect' under new labeling lawsConsumers were more willing to buy unlabeled produce after being shown food tagged as "genetically modified" in a new Cornell University study that comes two months before a new federal law, requiring genetically modified organism disclosure labels on food products, goes into effect. |
 | Training in mental ill-health a determinant of managers' preventive actionsManagers who have received training in mental health issues, and whose workplaces run general information campaigns on mental health, are significantly more likely to work preventively in this area vis-à-vis their subordinates, a study shows. This applies irrespective of organization size and managers' own experiences of mental ill-health. |
Survey suggests mentorship in medical school is vital to future of hematologyA survey of U.S. hematology-oncology fellows suggests medical school plays an important role in shaping their interest in pursuing careers in hematology, particularly when students are exposed to hematology and oncology as part of core clerkships in internal medicine and pediatrics. The study, funded by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and published today in Blood Advances, also indicates that having a hematologist as a mentor during medical education and training is associated with an increased likelihood of fellows specializing in hematology when they complete their hematology-oncology fellowship. | |
 | Heavy smoking causes faces to look older"Smoker's Face," a condition where smokers look older than they are, is just one of many negative effects caused by heavy tobacco usage. Louise Millard of the University of Bristol and colleagues report these findings in a new study published 31st October in PLOS Genetics. |
 | Scientists hail new cystic fibrosis treatmentA new triple-drug therapy that tackles the genetic causes of cystic fibrosis has been shown to be highly effective in treating the rare life-threatening disorder, scientists reported Thursday following landmark clinical trials. |
 | US vaping illnesses rise to 1,888 with pace picking up againThe number of U.S. vaping illnesses has jumped again, reaching more than 1,800 cases. |
 | UI team is developing new delivery tools for gene editingNews of advances in gene-editing technology raises the prospect of actually using this approach to treat disease in patients. But one of the hurdles that remains is how to deliver these tools to the right cells in the patients safely and efficiently. |
 | Study results may provide a better understanding of Alzheimer's diseaseNew research suggests that the complex meshwork of proteins and potentially other biomolecules that provides structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells in the brain may play an important role in Alzheimer's disease. The study, which was conducted by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in collaboration with scientists from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials in China and Germany, is published as a very important paper (VIP) in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. |
Five-year breast cancer survival rates at a safety net hospital rival national averagesPatients treated for breast cancer at a Miami safety net hospital achieved similar five-year survival outcomes to national averages, despite having a patient population that was largely poor, uninsured, and diagnosed with more advanced disease, according to findings from a pair of studies presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019. | |
Gallbladder removal linked to better outcomes when performed soon after hospital admissionDelaying a needed gallbladder removal operation (known as a cholecystectomy) for an inflamed gallbladder (called acute cholecystitis) for more than 72 hours after hospital admission may not be the safest approach for patients. Surgeons report a 72-hour delay increases the odds of complications and 30-day readmissions, lengthens hospital stays, and may make patients likelier to need open operations, compared with patients who have the operation performed within 24 hours of admission, according to research findings presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019. | |
Surgeons report that 12-hour shifts improve patient outcomes, lower costsFor covering emergency and urgent operations, hospitals have traditionally assigned general surgeons to 24-hour on-call schedules, which often puts them in a situation where they need to operate and make complex medical decisions after being on duty for 18 or 20 hours or more. However, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Tex., has used a model to cap surgeon shifts at 12 hours for covering surgical emergencies, and a study has shown that it led to shorter hospital stays and lower overall costs for patients with acute appendicitis, according to findings presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2019. | |
 | White House launches website to help those battling substance abuseA new website to help Americans with substance abuse problems find treatment was activated Wednesday by the Trump administration. |
 | J&J says no asbestos detected in new tests of baby powderNo asbestos was detected in 15 new tests of the same bottle of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder previously found to contain asbestos by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company said Tuesday. |
 | Adaptive human immunity depends on the factor responsible for the formation of white blood cellsGranulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), which causes division and differentiation of bone marrow cells depending on the body's need for leukocytes, has a significant regulatory effect not only on innate, but also on adaptive, immunity. That's what scientists from the IKBFU and Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology have found. The scientists have published an article regarding this research in Growth Factors journal. |
 | Stable costs but more uninsured as 'Obamacare' sign-ups openMore Americans are going without health insurance, and stable premiums plus greater choice next year under the Obama health law aren't likely to reverse that. |
 | Study examines kidney injury in patients taking immunotherapy cancer medicationsA new study indicates that kidney damage is fairly common in patients who take immunotherapy medications for treating cancer. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN, will be important for maintaining the kidney health of patients who are prescribed these drugs. |
 | Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging publishes special report on vapingRadiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging has published a special report on lung injury resulting from the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), or "vaping." Authors Suhny Abbara, M.D., FACR, MSCCT and Fernando Uliana Kay, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, aim to raise awareness among radiologists and other medical professionals on how to identify e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). |
 | Dynamic transition of the blood-brain barrier in the development of non-small cell lung cancer brainEffective drug delivery through the BTB is one of the greatest therapeutic obstacles in treating brain metastases. |
Biology news
 | Study reveals surprising amount of gene flow among butterfly speciesAn international team of researchers analyzed the genomes of 20 butterfly species and discovered a surprisingly high amount of gene flow among them - even between species that are distantly related. The findings, published in the journal Science, challenge conventional views about species and point to hybridization as a key process in the emergence of biological diversity. |
 | Unlocking the black box of embryonic developmentLittle is known about the molecular and cellular events that occur during early embryonic development in primate species. Now, an internationally renowned team of scientists in China and the United States has created a method to allow primate embryos to grow in the laboratory longer than ever before, enabling the researchers to obtain molecular details of key developmental processes for the first time. This research, while done in nonhuman primate cells, can have direct implications for early human development. |
 | Insect decline more extensive than suspectedCompared to a decade ago, today the number of insect species in many areas has decreased by about one-third. This is the result of a survey of an international research team led by scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The loss of species mainly affects grasslands in the vicinity of intensively farmed land—but also applies to forests and protected areas. |
 | First South American insect that emits blue light is discoveredBrazilian researchers have discovered a new species of fungus gnat (Keroplatidae) whose larvae emit blue light. The small fly inhabits an Atlantic Rainforest reserve in São Paulo State. This is the first record of a blue bioluminescent species in the Neotropics. Many bioluminescent insects and fungi have been studied in the region, but all emit green, yellow or red light. The new species has been named Neoceroplatus betaryiensis and is described in an article in Scientific Reports. |
 | Your dog might be hiding its true colorsIf you have a purebred dog, it's likely that he or she looks fairly similar to other dogs of the same breed, especially when it comes to the color of their coats. |
 | Discovery of 'cellular bike couriers' clue to disease spreadingA previously unknown component of our cells that delivers proteins like a bike courier in heavy traffic could shed light on the mechanisms that allow cells to spread in diseases such as cancer. |
 | Status of proteins housing DNA controls how cells maintain identityThe inheritance, not only of DNA, but of changes to proteins that package it, maintains the identity of cells as they multiply, a new study finds. |
 | Vampire bats give a little help to their 'friends'Vampire bats could be said to be sort of like people—not because of their blood-sucking ways, but because they help their neighbors in need even if it's of no obvious benefit to them. |
 | Disease-causing protein in cystic fibrosis has ancient roots in sea lampreyThe oldest known ortholog of the ion channel that is defective in patients with cystic fibrosis arose approximately 450 million years ago in the sea lamprey, researchers report October 31st in the journal Developmental Cell. Many differences between lamprey and jawed vertebrate orthologs of this protein, called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), are vestiges of the evolutionary transition from a transporter to a specialized chloride and bicarbonate channel. Other differences likely reflect later adaptation of the sea lamprey to its specific environment. |
 | Fish simulations provide new insights into energy costs of swimmingA new computational analysis suggests that maximizing swimming speeds while minimizing energy costs depends on an optimal balance between a fish's muscle dynamics and the way its size, shape, and swimming motion affect its movement through water. Grgur Tokic and Dick Yue of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology. |
 | Delayed neural communication may underlie anticipatory behaviorsComputational modeling suggests that delayed communication between neurons may be an essential factor underlying anticipatory behaviors in people. Irán Román of Stanford University in Stanford, California, and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology. |
 | Macaques' stone tool use varies despite same environmentMacaques are the only Old World monkeys that have been observed using percussive stone tools and scientists do not know for certain how or why certain groups have developed this behavior. |
 | A protein that pulls the brake on nerve growthDuring embryonic development, nerve cells form long, thin extensions that wire up the complex network of the brain. Scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn have now identified a protein that regulates the growth of these extensions by pulling a brake. In the long run, their findings could help to develop new approaches for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The study is published in the journal Current Biology. |
 | Dental stem cells can generate milk-producing cellsStem cells of the teeth can contribute to the regeneration of non-dental organs, namely mammary glands. According to a new study from researchers at the University of Zurich, dental epithelial stem cells from mice can generate mammary ducts and even milk-producing cells when transplanted into mammary glands. This could be used for post-surgery tissue regeneration in breast cancer patients. |
 | New York bans foie gras on animal cruelty groundsNew York can stake a claim to being the culinary capital of the world, but one famous dish is about to be taken off the menu: foie gras. |
 | Scientists say quarter of all pigs could die of swine feverAround a quarter of the world's pigs are expected to die from African swine fever as authorities grapple with a complex disease spreading rapidly in the globalization era, the World Organization for Animal Health's president said Thursday. |
 | Researchers describe how Vitamin E works in plants under extreme conditionsVitamin E is a strong antioxidant that could act as a sentinel in plants, sending molecular signs from chloroplast, a cell organelle, to the nucleus under extreme environmental conditions. This is among the conclusions of an article published in Trends in Plant Science by Sergi Munné-Bosch and Paula Muñoz from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB). |
 | Calculating 'run and tumble' behavior of bacteria in groundwaterBacteria in groundwater move in surprising ways. They can passively ride flowing groundwater, or they can actively move on their own in what scientists call "run and tumble" behavior. However, most numerical models of bacterial transport in groundwater stumble when it comes to calculating how bacteria move. As a first step in improving these models, scientists studied the movements of two kinds of microorganisms. They then factored those characteristics into a simple micro-scale transport model that more accurately predicted changes underground. |
 | 'Fungal feature tracker' could accelerate mycology researchA new software tool called Fungal Feature Tracker could accelerate understanding of fungal morphology and growth. Guillermo Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun and colleagues in the laboratory led by Yen-Ping Hsueh at Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, present the tool in PLOS Computational Biology. |
 | Confusion at the fish counter: How to eat fish responsiblyIt now seems absurd that anyone once believed the ocean was inexhaustible: fish stocks are in dismal shape and scientists say overfishing is a global problem with potentially irreversible consequences to ecosystems and human livelihoods. |
 | Analyzing gut bacteria more accurately to make diagnosisThe microorganisms in our intestines could be linked to certain diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes. Researchers from the AD-gut consortium have developed a novel method—combining optical DNA mapping and statistics—for accurately distinguishing and rapidly identifying the various species in the microbiota. |
 | Zoo animal research skewed towards 'popular' speciesResearch on zoo animals focuses more on "familiar" species like gorillas and chimpanzees than less well known ones like the waxy monkey frog, scientists say. |
 | Is Botswana is humanity's ancestral home? Maybe notA recent paper in thejournal Nature claims to show that modern humans originated about 200,000 years ago in the region around northern Botswana. For a scientist like myself who studies human origins, this is exciting news. If correct, this paper would suggest that we finally know where our species comes from. |
 | A new hazelnut has cracked its competitive marketplaceResearchers from Oregon State University have completed an examination of, and have released, a new cross-bred hazelnut cultivar known as 'PollyO', and they have discovered it to be a rising star of hazelnuts grown within the United States. |
 | Aquaculture offers lifeline to floundering Moroccan fishermenWith fish stocks declining in the Mediterranean, struggling Moroccan fishermen are hoping to turn to aquaculture as a way to secure their future. |
Fake chimneys for birds that need vertical hollows to restPeople from New England to Texas are building fake chimneys as nesting spots and migration motels for chimney swifts, little birds that are dwindling in number as the nation's architectural landscape changes. | |
 | Controlling free-roaming horses in AlbertaHorses roam freely around the world and in many parts of Canada. They can be found on Sable Island in Nova Scotia, in the Bronson Forest in Saskatchewan, the Rocky Mountain Forest Reserve in Alberta, and in the Cholcotin and Brittany Triangle of British Columbia. |
 | New animal feed created from rice straw and citric fruit leavesRice straw and waste from pruning citric fruit trees have a new use: feed for ruminant animals. A team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) has designed new diets for cows, sheep, goats, etc. from these horticultural products. Among its benefits, the use of this new feed would help decrease the burning of these agricultural sub-products, as well as the emissions of methane generated by the animals. The first results have been published in the Animal Feed Science and Technology journal. |
 | Commission: Virginia let company defy fishing limits in bayFishing regulators say the state of Virginia allowed a Canadian-owned company that makes fish-oil supplements to defy catch limits for a tiny and oily fish in the Chesapeake Bay. |
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