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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for October 22, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | SPT-CL J2106-5844 is the most massive high-redshift galaxy cluster, study findsUsing data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have conducted a detailed high-resolution study of a massive galaxy cluster known as SPT-CL J2106-5844. The research, presented in a paper published October 10 on arXiv.org, delivers precise mass determination of SPT-CL J2106-5844, finding that it is the most massive high-redshift galaxy cluster known to date. |
 | Cosmic Yeti from the dawn of the universe found lurking in dustAstronomers accidentally discovered the footprints of a monster galaxy in the early universe that has never been seen before. Like a cosmic Yeti, the scientific community generally regarded these galaxies as folklore, given the lack of evidence of their existence, but astronomers in the United States and Australia managed to snap a picture of the beast for the first time. |
 | Mid-sized storms spotted on SaturnAn international team of researchers has found that mid-sized storms form near Saturn's northern pole. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes discovering four of the mid-sized storms near the planet's northern polar region last year and their study of them. |
 | eROSITA delivers first striking imagesAstronomers are excited: The first images by the eROSITA telescope launched in July reveal an impressive performance. After an extended commissioning phase, all seven X-ray telescope modules with their custom-designed CCD cameras have been observing the sky simultaneously since 13 October. The first composite images show our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and two interacting clusters of galaxies at a distance of about 800 million light years in remarkable detail. |
 | NASA wants international partners to go to Moon tooAs it looks to return to the Moon, NASA is open to the idea of international participation, which could mean a non-American setting foot on Earth's natural satellite for the first time in history, global space chiefs said Monday. |
 | The ongoing search for habitable exoplanetsA balmy Florida evening, and my family and I stood on Cocoa Beach, looking northward toward the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. We were part of a seaside crowd gathered to witness the launch of NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. As the fireball appeared and slowly began to rise in the distance, we cheered with our fellow observers. About 30 seconds later, we felt the ground rumble and heard the deep roar, watching the Delta II rocket climb into the night sky and accelerate as it headed out over the ocean. |
 | New rocket fairing design offers smoother quieter rideSatellites are built to live in the harsh environment of space but engineers must also factor in the rigours of the journey there. ESA has helped RUAG Space Switzerland to develop new rocket fairings that offer a smoother quieter ride to space. |
 | Blue Origin, US aerospace giants team up for lunar landing contractJeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin and the richest man in the world, announced Tuesday a partnership with three of the biggest names in aerospace to bid on a NASA contract for a Moon lander. |
 | All-female spacewalk duo set sights on MoonWhat's even better than venturing out into the vacuum of space? Landing on the Moon, according to US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, the first all-female duo to conduct a spacewalk. |
Technology news
 | Ubuntu release could stir the Linux pot with delighted usersUbuntu 19.10. Kubernetes at the edge. Integrated AI and machine learning. Those were a few of the top notes bleated out by Canonical, sounding its trumpet on October 17 with its announcement of the Ubuntu 19.10 release. |
 | Technology to make self-driving cars, robotics, and other applications understand the 3-D worldIf you've ever seen a self-driving car in the wild, you might wonder about that spinning cylinder on top of it. |
 | Researchers find Google's new congestion control algorithm does not treat data fairlyIf the Internet had its own superhero, it might be the congestion control algorithm (CCA). CCAs are an essential piece of code Internet giants use to ensure that the Internet doesn't cripple amid a massive data traffic jam. They've been used since the 1980s to slow data transfers when they sense that a network is becoming overloaded. |
 | Updating a law that shapes your techWhile you may not think about how the buttons and icons on your computer screen were designed, there's a lot of thought behind it. Designers had to consider not only what would be aesthetically pleasing, but what would be functional, easily understood and capable of helping you use the technology. |
 | Kirigami inspires new method for wearable sensorsAs wearable sensors become more prevalent, the need for a material resistant to damage from the stress and strains of the human body's natural movement becomes ever more crucial. To that end, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a method of adopting kirigami architectures to help materials become more strain tolerant and more adaptable to movement. |
 | Browser tool aims to help researchers ID malicious websites, codeResearchers from North Carolina State University have developed an open-source tool that allows users to track and record the behavior of JavaScript programs without alerting the websites that run those programs. The tool, called VisibleV8, runs in the Chrome browser and is designed to detect malicious programs that are capable of evading existing malware detection systems. |
 | Video stars: Russian child bloggers score millions of 'likes'Liza Anokhina was 11 when people started recognising her in the street. Now a year older, she is one of Russia's most popular child bloggers with 2.3 million followers on Instagram. |
 | Antenna system with tenfold speedup in data transmit and receive ratesThe use of wireless devices is exploding. Statista, an international research service, estimated in March 2019 that roughly 13 billion mobile devices (e.g., phones, tablets, laptops) were in use worldwide, and Gartner, a global research and advisory firm, predicts that the internet of things will swell that number to more than 21 billion devices by the end of 2020. |
 | Pushy robots learn the fundamentals of object manipulationMIT researchers have compiled a dataset that captures the detailed behavior of a robotic system physically pushing hundreds of different objects. Using the dataset—the largest and most diverse of its kind—researchers can train robots to "learn" pushing dynamics that are fundamental to many complex object-manipulation tasks, including reorienting and inspecting objects, and uncluttering scenes. |
 | New study into popular Ethereum-based crypto-games suggests they meet definitions of gamblingSeveral popular crypto-games based on the Ethereum network, that allow players to exchange virtual goods for cryptocurrency, meet definitions of gambling, according to research by the University of York. |
 | Data lakes: Where big businesses dump their excess data, and hackers have a field dayMachines and the internet are woven into the fabric of our society. A growing number of users, devices and applications work together to produce what we now call "big data". And this data helps drive many of the everyday services we access, such as banking. |
 | ExaNoDe builds groundbreaking 3-D compute unit prototype for exascaleThe European ExaNoDe project has built a groundbreaking compute unit prototype paving the way to tomorrow's exascale supercomputers, those capable of performing a billion billion calculations per second, or ten times faster than today's most powerful computers. |
 | World's fastest supercomputer processes huge data rates in preparation for mega-telescope projectScientists have processed 400 gigabytes of data a second as they tested data pipelines for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. |
 | Innovative survey examines human-building interactionHow can people be motivated to improve their energy use? An EU-funded cross-cultural study looks into how people interact with building technologies to control their indoor environment. |
 | E-scooters in Auckland cost health system $1m in 7 monthsInjuries from electric scooters in the Auckland region cost the health system upwards of $1 million in less than a year, a study from the University of Auckland shows. |
 | To bolster our fragile road and rail system we need to add a 'micro-mobility' networkWe all know the feeling. You're on your way to an important appointment when disaster strikes. A glitch in the transport matrix leaves you waiting for a train that never arrives, or in bumper-to-bumper traffic with little chance of making it to your destination on time. If you are like me, you may wonder: why are our transport systems so fragile, and how could we make them more resilient? |
 | Uber turns to India, Africa and Middle East as losses mountThe head of Uber said Tuesday that the global ride services firm was counting on India, Africa and the Middle East for future growth amid investor fears about mounting losses and a slump in its share price. |
 | Hover-taxi whizzes over Singapore, firm eyes Asian pushA drone-like flying taxi whirred over Singapore's waterfront Tuesday, with the firm behind the test hoping the aircraft will revolutionise travel in traffic-choked Asian cities. |
 | Innovation paves the way for sensor interfaces that are 30 times smallerThe Green IC research group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Faculty of Engineering invented a novel class of Digital-to-Analog (DAC) and Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) that can be entirely designed with a fully-automated digital design methodology, thanks to its fully-digital architecture (Fig. 1). |
 | WeWork accepts SoftBank bailout plan valuing WeWork at $8 bn: sourceJapan-based SoftBank will take control of WeWork in a bailout plan that will see the office-sharing startup's co-founder Adam Neumann exit the board, a person close to the matter said Tuesday. |
 | Facebook devotes $1 bn to affordable housing in USFacebook on Tuesday said that it is devoting $1 billion during the coming decade in affordable housing, most of it in its home state of California. |
 | Zuckerberg calls Libra coin a key for American leadershipFacebook's proposed digital coin Libra would "extend America's financial leadership" while helping cash-strapped people around the world, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in remarks prepared for delivery to lawmakers released Tuesday. |
 | Verizon offers free year of Disney Plus in swipe at NetflixVerizon is offering new and current customers a free year of Disney's new video streaming service. |
 | 47 attorneys general back antitrust probe into FacebookFacebook's latest foes: nearly every U.S. state. |
 | Los Alamos AI model wins flu forecasting challengeA probabilistic artificial intelligence computer model developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory provided the most accurate state, national, and regional forecasts of the flu in 2018, beating 23 other teams in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's FluSight Challenge. The CDC announced the results last week. |
 | Study: Tradeoffs between commute time, safetyUrban commuters may be less likely to encounter automobile accidents if they are willing to increase trip time, researchers report. A new study from the University of Illinois introduces a tool that helps quantify the connection between traffic accidents and city road networks. |
 | Facebook says Libra won't launch without US approvalFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to tell Congress Wednesday that the company's planned Libra cryptocurrency won't launch unless all U.S. regulators approve. |
 | Boeing replaces head of commercial plane division amid MAX crisisBoeing on Tuesday replaced the head of its commercial plane division, the most significant executive departure since the 737 MAX grounding plunged the company into crisis seven months ago. |
Nobel laurate Jody Williams campaigns against killer robotsNobel Peace laureate Jody Williams is helping lead a campaign for a new international treaty to ban killer weapons that can select targets and fire without decision-making by a human being. | |
Man sentenced for hacking LA court systemA man who hacked Los Angeles County court computers, sent 2 million malicious phishing emails and stole hundreds of credit card numbers has been sentenced in Los Angeles. | |
Chinese man sentenced to 3 years in prison for iPhone scamA Chinese man has been sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for trafficking fake and altered Apple iPhones. | |
 | Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook has stopped Russia and Iran campaigns to meddle in 2020 electionFacebook has shut down attempts from Russia and Iran to interfere in the 2020 elections, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview aired Monday night on NBC. |
 | Infosys shares plunge 14% after whistleblower allegationsShares in Indian IT giant Infosys slumped more than 14 percent on Tuesday as the firm launched a probe into whistleblower complaints alleging its top executives acted unethically to inflate revenues. |
 | UK lawmaker challenges Facebook on political adsAn influential British lawmaker challenged Facebook's new effort to safeguard elections on Tuesday, warning that they will place a heavy constraint on the company's ability to combat misinformation. |
 | Minnesota's biggest semiconductor chip plant is getting even biggerSkyWater Technology Inc., the biggest maker of semiconductors in Minnesota, is adding a third clean room that will allow it to build smaller chips and ones designed for outer space. |
 | S&P downgrades Boeing credit rating outlook to negativeRatings agency S&P on Tuesday downgraded the outlook for Boeing, citing concerns the aerospace giant may have misled regulators about the 737 MAX. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Inflammation and autism—an important piece of the puzzleAutism spectrum disorder has neither a distinct pathogenesis nor pharmaceutical treatment, yet evidence continues to mount demonstrating immune dysfunction and inflammation in specific brain regions of children diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental condition. |
 | In Alzheimer's research, scientists reveal brain rhythm roleIn the years since her lab discovered that exposing Alzheimer's disease model mice to light flickering at the frequency of a key brain rhythm could stem the disorder's pathology, MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai and her team at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have been working to understand what the phenomenon may mean both for fighting the disease and understanding of how the brain works. |
 | Reduced food intake in old mice can no longer improve healthReduced food intake helps both animals and humans to improve health in old age and can prolong life. But when do you have to change your diet to achieve this benefit in old age? Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, the Excellence Cluster for Ageing Research at the University of Cologne, the Babraham Institute in Cambridge and UCL have now shown that mice only become healthier if they start food reduction early and eat less before entering old age. The scientists conclude that healthy behavior must be established earlier in life in order to improve health in old age and extend lifespan. |
 | Protein movement in cells hints at greater mysteriesA new imaging technique that makes it possible to match motor proteins with the cargo they carry within a cell is upending a standard view of how cellular traffic reaches the correct destination. The research, which focuses on neurons and sheds light on some neurodegenerative diseases, was published in the current edition of the journal Traffic. |
 | Transient and long-term disruption of gut microbes after antibioticsTrillions of microbes in the intestine aid human health, including digestion of breast milk, breaking down fiber and helping control the immune system. However, antibiotic treatment is known to disrupt the community structure of these microbes—500 to 1,000 bacterial species that have a mainly beneficial influence. |
 | A blood factor involved in weight loss and agingAging is a process that affects all functions of the human body, particularly brain function. However, aging can be delayed through lifestyle changes (physical exercise, restricting calorie intake, etc.). Researchers at the Institut Pasteur and CNRS have elucidated the properties of a molecule in the blood—GDF11—whose mechanisms were previously unknown. In a mouse model, they showed that this molecule could mimic the benefits of certain calorie restrictions—dietary regimens that have proven their efficacy in reducing cardiovascular disease, preventing cancer and increasing neurogenesis in the brain. The results of this research were published in the journal Aging Cell on October 22, 2019. |
 | A 'shocking' new way to treat infectionsTitanium has many properties that make it a great choice for use in implants. Its low density, high stiffness, high biomechnanical strength-to-weight ratio, and corrosion resistance have led to its use in several types of implants, from dental to joints. However, a persistent problem plagues metal-based implants: the surface is also a perfect home for microbes to accumulate, causing chronic infections and inflammation in the surrounding tissue. Consequently, five to 10 percent of dental implants fail and must be removed within 10-15 years to prevent infection in the blood and other organs. |
 | Novel study documents marked slowdown of cell division rates in old ageIn a novel study comparing healthy cells from people in their 20s with cells from people in their 80s, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have documented that cell division rates appear to consistently and markedly slow down in humans at older ages. |
 | Scientists discover link between unique brain cells and OCD and anxietyAccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in three people experience debilitating anxiety—the kind that prevents someone from going about their normal life. Women are also more at risk to suffer from anxiety. Yet the roots of anxiety and other anxiety-related diseases, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are still unclear. In a new study, University of Utah scientists discovered a new lineage of specialized brain cells, called Hoxb8-lineage microglia, and established a link between the lineage and OCD and anxiety in mice. |
 | Scientists unpack how taste neurons control food intakeUsing the common fruit fly as a model, a research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, studied how taste neurons control feeding behaviors and found that flies genetically modified to have only these neurons can avoid many aversive chemicals, such as bitter compounds, acids, and high concentrations of salt. |
 | Poor toilet hygiene, not food, spreads antibiotic-resistant E. coli superbugsAntibiotic-resistant E. coli is more likely to be spread through poor toilet hygiene than undercooked chicken or other food, according to new research from a consortium including the University of East Anglia. |
 | New strategy for treating high blood pressureThe key to treating blood pressure might lie in people who are "resistant" to developing high blood pressure even when they eat high salt diets, shows new research published in Experimental Physiology. |
Aggressive form of breast cancer influenced by dual action of genes and RNAWomen with an aggressive, less-common type of breast cancer, known as triple-negative, versus a more common form of the disease, could be differentiated from each other by a panel of 17 small RNA molecules that are directly influenced by genetic alterations typically found in cancer cells. | |
 | Glucose wears down circadian clocks in obesity, may drive cardiovascular riskHigh glucose in obesity appears to gum up the works of the circadian clocks inside our cells that help regulate the timing of many body functions across the 24-hour day and drive the risk of cardiovascular disease, scientists say. |
Local scientists from African countries often overlooked in international collaborations on global health researchLocal researchers from sub-Saharan Africa studying the health of their own countries are often overshadowed when they work with prominent international collaborators on scientific papers, according to a new analysis by investigators at Harvard Medical School with collaborators spanning five countries. | |
New treatment may reverse celiac diseaseResults of a new phase 2 clinical trial using technology developed at Northwestern Medicine show it is possible to induce immune tolerance to gluten in individuals with celiac disease. The findings may pave the way for treated celiac patients to eventually tolerate gluten in their diet. | |
 | Scientists pioneer new way of finding cancer-causing germsScientists at the University of East Anglia are pioneering a new way of finding the bacteria and viruses associated with cancer. |
Ohio program seeks to reunite families of addictsEmily McIntyre is eight-and-a-half months pregnant with her third child. Her other two were taken away by child services because of her drug use. | |
 | Colorectal and pancreatic cancer rates up 10% in last 30 years, major study revealsThe results of a major study across 195 countries, presented today at UEG Week Barcelona 2019, indicate that global death rates for pancreatic cancer and incidence rates for colorectal cancer both increased by 10 percent between 1990 and 2017. |
 | Drug combination reverses hypersensitivity to noise in a model of autism spectrum disorderPeople with autism often experience hypersensitivity to noise and other sensory input. MIT neuroscientists have now identified two brain circuits that help tune out distracting sensory information, and they have found a way to reverse noise hypersensitivity in mice by boosting the activity of those circuits. |
 | Breaking thought patterns increases chances of recovering from depressionFewer patients relapse after metacognitive therapy for depression, new research shows. |
 | How oncologists can ethically navigate the 'Right-To-Try' drug lawThe 2018 federal Right to Try Act allows patients with a life-threatening illness to be treated with drugs that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many in the oncology community say Right to Try strips away important regulatory protections and view the move as a risky step bound to create ethical dilemmas for physicians whose goal is to guide patients toward safe and appropriate treatment decisions. |
 | Mending broken hearts with neural crest cellsZebrafish—striped fish a few centimeters long—have the ability to regrow up to 20 percent of their hearts after sustaining major damage. Now, Caltech scientists have discovered that embryonic cells from the hindbrain, called neural crest cells, migrate to the developing heart and form heart muscle in zebrafish and other species. After an adult zebrafish's heart is damaged, these cells participate in heart regeneration by reverting back to an embryonic-like state and proliferating to help repair the injury. |
 | Electrical pulse to the ear reduces risk of post-operative atrial fibrillationAtrial fibrillation is one of the most common complications following heart surgery, affecting one in three patients. This adverse side-effect, with symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest, can normally be suppressed with sometimes strong medication. A Phase II study conducted at the Department of Surgery under the direction of Martin Andreas and Alfred Kocher, as well as Michael Wolzt at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, has now shown that the risk of this complication could be halved by non-invasive electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve directly on the ear. |
 | Report underscores urgent need to maintain mobility in the world's older populationPresenting many new facts and figures, a second edition of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Compendium of Osteoporosis has been launched to mark World Osteoporosis Day. |
 | Changes in microglia impact neuroinflammation and disease pathologyAdvances in research about the brain's immune system have revealed the underlying foundations of neuroinflammation. These findings were presented at Neuroscience 2019, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. |
 | Using the gut-brain connection to impact brain health and diseaseResearch on gut-brain communication via the immune system may help in the development of novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2019, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. |
 | Research examines how mistakes can make people 'tune out'Failure may not be the great teacher that conventional wisdom says it is. New research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business finds that, contrary to common belief, people learn less from failure than from success. |
 | Babies (and mobiles) can lead to 'daytime dysfunction'Parents of infants with sleep trouble have increased risk of daytime dysfunction, including work and driving performance. |
 | Antiretroviral HIV medication attenuates liver fibrosisScientists from Valencia University (UV) have discovered that Rilpivirine, an antiretroviral drug used for treating HIV, has beneficial effects on chronic liver diseases. The finding opens a path to identify new therapies for liver diseases. Their work has been published in the journal Gut. |
 | Inequality now extends to people's DNAIt's well known that some areas of the UK are poorer than others. These include Wales and northern Britain, which used to be coal-mining areas. Now we have discovered that these regional economic inequalities are in line with regional differences in DNA as well—with people becoming increasingly clustered by certain types of genetics. |
 | Unanticipated national outbreak: Lung injury related to e-cigarette useAt the peak of the popularity of e-cigarettes, the nation has found itself in the midst of an epidemic of pulmonary illness associated with the use of e-cigarette products. With some 1,480 cases of lung injury reported in 49 states to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 33 deaths confirmed as of October 15, 2019, a widespread ongoing epidemiologic investigation continues. National survey data indicate that the prevalence of e-cigarette use among young adults 18-24 years old rose 46 percent and among high school students the prevalence increased 32 percent in just the past year. A significant increase in initiation of e-cigarette use has been observed among minority youth, particularly among young Hispanics. |
 | Study shows smartphone app could be a 'green prescription' for mental healthA study that prompted users to record the 'good things' in nature in urban areas, such as trees, flowers and birds, has found that a smartphone app can bring clinically significant improvements in mental health. |
 | Beta-blocker trial does not reduce risks for COPD patientsNew research from scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that beta-blockers used in a clinical trial for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease do not reduce the risk of flare-ups of the disease, also called COPD exacerbations. |
 | Recommendations updated for nonvariceal upper GI bleedingIn clinical guidelines published online Oct. 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, updated recommendations are presented for the management of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. |
 | Study shows how circulating tumor cells target distant organsMost cancers kill because tumor cells spread beyond the primary site to invade other organs. Now, a USC study of brain-invading breast cancer cells circulating in the blood reveals they have a molecular signature indicating specific organ preferences. |
 | Depression rates not budging for lesbian and gay teensWhile fewer straight teens suffer depression than did two decades ago, the same cannot be said for lesbian, gay and bisexual teens. |
 | 'Fear of falling': How hospitals do even more harm by keeping patients in bedDorothy Twigg was living on her own, cooking and walking without help until a dizzy spell landed her in the emergency room. She spent three days confined to a hospital bed, allowed to get up only to use a bedside commode. Twigg, who was in her 80s, was livid about being stuck in a bed with side rails and a motion sensor alarm, according to her cousin and caretaker, Melissa Rowley. |
 | US highway deaths fall in 2018 for second straight yearThe U.S. government's road safety agency says traffic deaths fell by a small amount for the second straight year. |
 | Company says it will seek approval of Alzheimer's drugThe drug company Biogen Inc. said Tuesday it will seek federal approval for a medicine to treat early Alzheimer's disease, a landmark step toward finding a treatment that can alter the course of the most common form of dementia. |
 | Widespread use of antacids continues despite long-term health risks, education campaignsA new UNSW study has found that national initiatives were unsuccessful in reducing prolonged use of anti-acid medicines for gastrointestinal acid-related disorders and more targeted interventions are needed. |
 | Common brain disorders accelerate brain agingCommon brain disorders seem to be associated with accelerated aging of the brain, according to a new international study using machine learning models to analyse structural brain MRI data from more than 45,000 individuals. The researchers discovered that people with memory disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS) and schizophrenia, among other conditions, have an older-looking brain than it really is; however, there is variation between different disorders. The difference between an individual's MRI-estimated and chronological brain age (known as the brain age gap) correlated with disease-related functional decline, which also seems to be affected by hereditary patterns. The findings were reported in Nature Neuroscience. |
 | Lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan assay for detecting active tuberculosis in people living with HIVTuberculosis (TB) causes more deaths in people living with HIV than any other disease, with more than 300,000 deaths in 2017. When detected, early TB can be treated effectively; however, people with advanced HIV are at high risk of death, often without knowing they have TB. Diagnosis of TB in HIV-positive people is often complicated because they may not present with typical symptoms, and sputum-based test are not always effective because many have disease outside the lungs and may not be able to produce sputum. |
 | Moderate use of screen time can be good for your health, new study findsResearch by the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University, carried out in partnership with researchers at Cardiff University and Cambridge University, has found that moderate levels of screen time can have a positive effect on children's wellbeing and mental health. |
 | Intimate partner abuse can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts in old ageIntimate partner abuse can have long-lasting effects. Even when the abuse happens early in one's life, the damage may carry through until old age and can lead to heightened risk of depression and thoughts of suicide. |
 | Cannabis dependency 'wrongly labeled as a male issue'Research on cannabis dependency is wrongly skewed towards men, according to a new review. |
 | Women less likely to receive Canadian federal research fundingWomen are significantly less likely than men to be awarded grants and New Investigator personnel awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Karen Burns of the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues. |
 | Machine learning's next frontier: Epigenetic drug discoveryMachine learning's powerful ability to detect patterns in complex data is revolutionizing how we drive, how we diagnose disease and now, how we discover new drugs. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have developed a machine-learning algorithm that gleans information from microscope images—allowing for high-throughput epigenetic drug screens that could unlock new treatments for cancer, heart disease, mental illness and more. The study was published in eLife. |
 | US endorses tobacco pouches as less risky than cigarettesFor the first time, U.S. health regulators have endorsed a brand of tobacco pouches as less harmful than cigarettes, a decision that could open the door to other less risky options for smokers. |
 | Study shows metformin offers no strength training benefits for seniorsA clinical trial initiated by University of Kentucky researchers argues against the hypothesis that the diabetes drug metformin could help exercising seniors gain more muscle mass. The double-blind trial, conducted at the University of Kentucky and University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that older adults who took metformin while performing rigorous resistance exercise training had smaller gains in muscle mass than the placebo group. The results of the trial were published in Aging Cell, September 26. |
 | Exposure to environmental PCBs impairs brain function in miceHuman-made toxic chemicals that linger indefinitely in the environment disrupt the performance of critical helper cells in the mouse brain, leading to impaired function over long-term exposures, say neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center. |
 | Point-of-care diagnostic for detecting preterm birth on horizonA new study provides a first step toward the development of an inexpensive point-of-care diagnostic test to assess the presence of known risk factors for preterm birth in resource-poor areas. The study found that measuring levels of TIMP-1 and D-lactic acid in vaginal secretions may be a non-invasive, cost-effective way to assess the risk for preterm birth due to a short cervix and microbiome composition. The research is published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. |
 | Q-suite motor assessment tool promising for evaluating Huntington's diseaseIn clinical trials of adults with Huntington's disease (HD) the Q-Suite Motor Assessment Tool (Q-Motor) has proven to be helpful to detect and quantitate subtle motor abnormalities. With the anticipated arrival of preventive gene therapies that will most likely be administered to young children known to be carriers of the HD mutation, it is crucial to have a means to evaluate motor abilities in children that is sensitive to the child's stage of development. Promising results of a feasibility study published in the Journal of Huntington's Disease, indicate that Q-Motor can address this need. |
 | Research worth 'bragging' aboutOn a first date, people focus on making a good first impression. But when someone brags about themselves constantly, that person is often exhibiting some level of arrogance. |
 | Men with breast cancer face high mortality rates: StudyMen with breast cancer are more likely to die than their female counterparts, across all stages of disease, with the disparity persisting even when clinical characteristics, such as cancer types, treatment and access to care are considered, according to a study by Vanderbilt researchers published in JAMA Oncology. |
 | More electronic device use tied to more sugar and caffeine in teensDo young teens who spend more time with TV and electronic devices drink more sugared or caffeinated drinks than others? Yes, they do, says a study of U.S. teens led by McMaster University researchers. |
 | Neural mechanism involved in the creation and consolidation of memoriesThe memory of specific episodes is the base of autobiographical memory, but we do not know how the brain structures the experience to remember it in the long run. |
 | VA hospitals have lower rates of adverse events in psychiatric units(HealthDay)—Psychiatric inpatients at community-based hospitals are twice as likely to experience adverse events (AEs) or medical errors (MEs) as inpatients at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals, according to a study published in the November issue of Medical Care. |
 | Substance use disorder ups risk for death after IE valve surgery(HealthDay)—Patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and substance use disorder (SUD) have a more than twofold risk for dying following valve surgery compared with patients without SUD, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. |
 | Review links periodontitis to increased odds for hypertension(HealthDay)—Periodontitis (PD) is a possible risk factor for hypertension, according to a review published online Sept. 24 in Cardiovascular Research. |
 | Women with more aggressive breast cancer face higher risk of other cancers(HealthDay)—Women diagnosed with breast cancer between two routine screenings have an increased risk for other types of cancer, a new study finds. |
 | FDA approves new drug for most common form of cystic fibrosis(HealthDay)—A new drug to treat most cystic fibrosis patients has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |
 | Antidepressant doesn't ease obsessive behaviors of autism(HealthDay)—The commonly used antidepressant Prozac doesn't appear to help reduce obsessive-compulsive behavior in children and teens with autism, new research suggests. |
 | Good news for parents: Many preemie babies grow up fine(HealthDay)—Having a premature baby can be frightening for parents, but new research delivers a calming finding: Many premature babies end up as healthy adults without major illnesses. |
 | IQSEC1 gene mutations cause new intellectual disability syndromeIt used to take several years or sometimes decades to unequivocally identify the genes that cause rare human syndromes that affect very few individuals. Nowadays, however, human geneticists and fly and mouse biologists have the means to work together to integrate their data, which has significantly accelerated the pace of disease and gene discovery. |
 | Escapism: A powerful predictor of internet gaming disorder among video gamersA new study in Comprehensive Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, is the first to compare professional electronic sport (esport) players with recreational video game players and explores the similarities and differences between what motivates each group. While the two groups are psychosocially different, they found that both esport and recreational gamers run the risk of developing internet gaming disorder when their intense immersion in the activity is tied to escapism. |
 | Researchers use EHRs to identify cancer symptom clustersPatients with chronic diseases such as breast cancer or colorectal cancer often experience fatigue, pain, depression and other symptoms which can lead to distress and functional impairment if left untreated. With the ultimate goal of helping clinicians manage and treat symptoms that negatively affect health and quality of life, researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and IUPUI have devised and tested novel methodologies to extract data on symptoms from electronic health records (EHRs) and have successfully investigated associations between symptom clusters and disease. |
 | Simple conversations can reduce opioid prescriptions after hysterectomyWomen who undergo a hysterectomy are often prescribed at least twice as many opioids as they use—but there may be a simple way to change that. |
Combination of more hospitalizations and brain pathologies linked to faster cognitive declineOlder people who experienced more hospitalizations and also had more Alzheimer's pathology in their brain experienced the fastest rates of cognitive decline, according to study results published in the October 15 online issue of the Annals of Neurology. | |
Scientists find solution to Gulf War Illness in FDA-approved antiviral drugsA recent study led by scientists at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health has shown that adjusting GI tract viruses by repurposing existing FDA-approved antiviral drugs offers a route for effective treatment for Gulf War Illness and its myriad of symptoms. Their findings were published in the journal, Viruses. | |
Arizona quietly suspends Medicaid work requirementArizona quietly suspended plans to require about 120,000 people to work, volunteer or go to school to receive Medicaid benefits, as courts have taken a dim view of similar mandates in other states. | |
Abortion rights around the worldAbortion laws vary around the world, some countries have outright bans while others maintain highly restrictive laws. | |
 | Drug companies near global settlement over opioid crisisThree leading American drug distributors and an Israeli drugmaker blamed for a deadly US opioid epidemic settled a bellwether civil lawsuit with two Ohio counties Monday, opening the door for a broader national settlement worth billions of dollars. |
 | A workout to protect your thumbsThe range of motion of the human thumb makes so many everyday hand movements possible. Whether you're an athlete gripping sports equipment, a baker whisking egg whites or a do-it-yourselfer hammering a nail, you'd be at a total loss without your thumbs. Yet most people do little to protect these overlooked but essential digits. |
 | Central African countries in talks on boosting anti-Ebola fightHealth ministers in 10 central African countries have held talks on boosting data sharing and cross-border surveillance in the fight against Ebola, the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Tuesday. |
 | More choices and stable premiums for 'Obamacare' next yearConsumers will have more health insurance choices next year under the much-debated Obama health care law and premiums will dip slightly for many, the Trump administration announced Tuesday. |
 | Have we become too paranoid about mass shootings?Many Americans worry about when—not if—another mass shooting will occur, and a Gallup poll from September found that nearly half of Americans fear being a victim of one of these attacks. |
Aged care overhaul needed for older adults living with extreme obesityNew research led by Victoria University of Wellington researchers shows New Zealand's aged care sector will be under pressure unless more support is provided to a growing older population living with obesity. It also highlights the potential for older adults living with obesity to be stigmatised. | |
 | Evolution of aesthetic dentistry2019 marks the Centennial of the Journal of Dental Research (JDR). Over the last century the JDR has been dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge and information on all sciences relevant to dentistry and to the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. To celebrate, the JDR is featuring a yearlong, commemorative article and podcast series that highlights topics that have transformed dental, oral and craniofacial research over the past 100 years. |
'Brain in a dish' models advance studies of neural development and diseaseExperimental advances using lab-grown brain organoids are helping to clarify how best to use them as a model system to understand human brain development and diseases. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2019, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. | |
Brain imaging reveals neural correlates of human social behaviorAdvances in the study of human social behavior may lead to a better understanding of normal processes such as empathy and theory of mind, as well as dysregulated conditions including autism spectrum disorder. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2019, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. | |
 | She thought her dizziness, exhaustion came from being a momTheir young sons in bed, Lucy Henglefelt and her husband, Adam, were cleaning their Sioux Falls, South Dakota, home to put it on the market. A real estate agent was coming the next day to take pictures. |
New insights into how the brain perceives and processes odorsNew research makes advances in understanding how smells are perceived and represented in the brain. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2019, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. | |
Biology news
 | Scientists discover new process shaping red blood cell developmentRed blood cells give us life. They ferry oxygen throughout our bodies. Breakdowns in red blood cell development can be life-threatening, but scientists still have much to learn about the molecular processes that ensure these cells develop properly. Now, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered a process that regulates the earliest stages of red blood cell development. The findings, published this month in the journal Nature Communications, could shed light on what goes wrong in certain blood cancers and anemias. |
 | New organelle discovered inside cells found to prevent cancerScientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a strange new organelle inside our cells that helps to prevent cancer by ensuring that genetic material is sorted correctly as cells divide. |
 | Climate change in protected areas endangers biodiversityResearchers at the University of Bayreuth have calculated for the first time how climate change is likely to affect the earth's conservation areas by 2070. In Nature Communications, they present their study with which they seek to give new impetus to environmental policy and the management of protected areas. |
 | Fish more tolerant than expected to low oxygen eventsFish may be more tolerant than previously thought to periods of low oxygen in the oceans, new research shows. |
 | Bacteria use selfish strategy to get ahead in the human gutA species of bacteria found in the human gut gains a competitive advantage by keeping sugar nutrients to itself, scientists have discovered. |
 | By cutting out one gene, researchers remove a tadpole's ability to regenerateTadpoles of frogs that can typically regrow amputated tails or limbs lost their ability to regenerate after researchers blocked the expression of a newly identified gene that is one of the drivers for this regrowth. Furthermore, scientists hypothesize that the loss of appendage regeneration in warm-blooded animals might have been caused by the gain or loss of this gene, dubbed c-Answer, in an ancestor's genome during evolution. The work appears October 22 in the journal Cell Reports. |
 | Are humans changing animal genetic diversity worldwide?Human population density and land use is causing changes in animal genetic diversity, according to researchers at McGill University. |
 | New species take longer to arise in the AmazonAmazonia is home to the greatest number of species on earth, many now threatened, but a new study published October 22 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Jason Weir from the University of Toronto and Trevor Price from the University of Chicago hammers home Amazonia's importance, showing that it is not only a place with many species, but one where it has taken an exceptionally long time for new species to form. |
 | Single mutation dramatically changes structure, function of bacteria's transporter proteinsSwapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study published in the journal eLife. The study—conducted using E. coli bacteria—can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance. |
 | New deep-water coral discoveredPax, Latin for 'peace' made its way into the scientific name of a new coral discovered off Pacific Panama and described in the journal Bulletin of Marine Science. According to researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the Centro de Investigacion en Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia at the University of Costa Rica (CIMAR) and collaborating institutions, it alludes to the need for making peace with nature and ending the devastation of the oceans. |
 | Humpback whale population on the rise after near miss with extinctionA population of humpback whales in the South Atlantic has rebounded from the brink of extinction. |
 | Persistence pays off with first images of butterfly eggsKim Moss hunched over plants with her camera for hours in Grand Teton National Park this summer, hoping to capture the Parnassius clodius butterfly laying its eggs. She accomplished her goal. |
 | Sharks choose who they hang with, researchers revealWhite sharks form communities, researchers have revealed. |
 | Research reveals harmful algal blooms' daily cyclesIn new NSF-funded research, scientists at the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health show that, as in the rest of life, timing is everything. Published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, their recent paper reveals a day in the life of a Microcystis bloom, says George Bullerjahn, director of the center at Bowling Green State University. |
| Research reveals harmful algal blooms' daily cyclesIn new NSF-funded research, scientists at the Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health show that, as in the rest of life, timing is everything. Published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, their recent paper reveals a day in the life of a Microcystis bloom, says George Bullerjahn, director of the center at Bowling Green State University. |
 | We could reduce the slaughter of racehorses if we breed them for longer racing careersThe slaughter of horses bred for racing in Australia, as revealed in the ABC's investigation, highlights the challenge of what to do with racehorses when their careers are over. |
 | From wood to fish feed: How to transform forestry residues into animal feedThe continued demand for food rich in protein and nutrition has highlighted the importance of fisheries and aquaculture. A report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that human population growth will drive an increase in fish consumption of about 1.2 percent per year over the next decade. Production of fish and fish products is estimated to reach over 200 million t by 2030. |
 | Why your cat is lousy at chess yet way smarter than even the most advanced AIIf you share your home with a dog or a cat, look at it carefully and you will get a good overview of everything we don't know how to do in artificial intelligence. |
 | Feeling inferior to other vets is fueling sector's mental health crisis, new study showsThe feeling that they are not as good as their peers when it comes to diagnosing and solving a case is contributing to mental health issues in vets, new research has found. Conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Armitage-Chan, Reader in Veterinary Education at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the study also suggests that encouraging a mindset that client-oriented behavior is an attribute of a 'good vet' will help many vets improve their mental wellbeing. |
 | An Appalachian Eden for apples thrives in North CarolinaWhen Eve risked plucking that first apple, it didn't turn out so well. But when farmers in Henderson County, N.C., risked their livelihood on apples, they created a veritable Eden. |
 | Thailand bans use of paraquat and other toxic farm chemicalsThailand's government agreed Tuesday to ban the use of three farming chemicals widely regarded as dangerous to human health. |
 | Recipe for making a fruitflyResearchers have used mass spectroscopy to determine the absolute copy numbers of nuclear proteins and histone modifications in the Drosophila embryo. The results provide new insights into the mechanisms of animal development. |
 | What is sex really for?Few topics arouse as much interest and controversy as sex. This is hardly surprising. The biological continuance of the species hinges on it—if human beings stopped having sex, there would soon be no more human beings. Popular culture overflows with sex, from cinema to advertising to, yes, even politics. And for many, sex represents one of the most intimate forms of human connection. |
 | Ants: Jam-free traffic championsWhether they occur on holiday routes or the daily commute, traffic jams affect cars as well as pedestrians. Scientists at the Research Center on Animal Cognition (CNRS/Université Toulouse III—Paul Sabatier) and the University of Arizona (United States) have demonstrated that ant colonies, however, are spared these problems and circulate easily, even in the event of extremely dense traffic, thus ensuring consistent efficiency in their foraging. These findings appear in the 22 October 2019 edition of eLife. |
 | UM student research tests ways to reduce errors in wildlife surveysResearch led by a University of Montana undergraduate student to identify less error-prone methods for performing wildlife surveys was published Oct. 20 in Ecological Applications. |
 | Researchers identify functions of key genes responsible for liver regenerationResearchers of the RUDN Medical Institute have identified the genes controlling the process of liver regeneration—they "instruct" hepatocyte cells, which comprise 80 percent of the liver, to divide. The results of the study will contribute to the development of new methods of liver regeneration in patients with chronic hepatitis, sclerosing cholangitis, as well as those who had liver resection for cancer or other conditions. The article is published in Cell Biology International. |
 | Scientists discover mechanisms that protect tapeworms from being digested by their hostA team of scientists from Tyumen together with colleagues found and described previously unknown tapeworm proteins that suppress the activity of trypsin and efficiently protect the parasites from being digested inside a host's intestinal tract. The analogs of these proteins are found in many other living organisms and were described in some other parasite worms. The results of the study were published in the Molecular & Biochemical Parasitology journal. |
 | Drought causes more than 100 elephant deaths in BotswanaMore than 100 elephants have died in two months in Botswana's Chobe National Park due to drought, which has also affected wildlife in other countries in the region, the government said Tuesday. |
 | Survey completeness of a global citizen-science database of bird occurrenceThere are many shortfalls in knowledge of the world's biodiversity, and one of the most basic is the lack of knowledge about where species occur geographically. This deficiency has broad ramifications for research and conservation. This study, published in Ecography, suggests the development of citizen science programs to collect data by volunteers has the potential to reduce this shortfall. |
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