Science X Newsletter Week 40

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 40:

	Journal 'Nature' retracts ocean-warming study The journal Nature retracted a study published last year that found oceans were warming at an alarming rate due to climate change.
	Planet Nine could be a primordial black hole, new research suggests The hypothetical Planet Nine, assumed to be lurking somewhere in the outskirts of our solar system, may not be a planet at all. A new study, published September 24 on the arXiv pre-print server, suggests that the mysterious and still undiscovered object might be a primordial black hole.
	Beyond Einstein: Physicists solve mystery surrounding photon momentum Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize for explaining the photoelectric effect: in its most intuitive form, a single atom is irradiated with light. According to Einstein, light consists of particles (photons) that transfer only quantised energy to the electron of the atom. If the photon's energy is sufficient, it knocks the electrons out of the atom. But what happens to the photon's momentum in this process? Physicists at Goethe University are now able to answer this question. To do so, they developed and constructed a new spectrometer with previously unattainable resolution.
	New research supports hypothesis that asteroid contributed to mass extinction A team of scientists from South Africa has discovered evidence partially supporting a hypothesis that Earth was struck by a meteorite or asteroid 12 800 years ago, leading to global consequences including climate change, and contributing to the extinction of many species of large animals at the time of an episode called the Younger Dryas.
	High-fructose and high-fat diet damages liver mitochondria, study finds Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have found that high levels of fructose in the diet inhibit the liver's ability to properly metabolize fat. This effect is specific to fructose. Indeed, equally high levels of glucose in the diet actually improve the fat-burning function of the liver. This explains why high dietary fructose has more negative health impacts than glucose does, even though they have the same caloric content.
	Quantum vacuum: Less than zero energy Energy is a quantity that must always be positive—at least that's what our intuition tells us. If every single particle is removed from a certain volume until there is nothing left that could possibly carry energy, then a limit has been reached. Or has it? Is it still possible to extract energy even from empty space?
	Humanity's emissions '100-times greater' than volcanoes Human activity churns out up to 100 times more planet-warming carbon each year as all the volcanoes on Earth, says a decade-long study released Tuesday.
	Elon Musk's Starship may be more moral catastrophe than bold step in space exploration Elon Musk, founder of private space-faring company SpaceX, recently unveiled his new Starship craft. Amazingly, it is designed to carry up to 100 crew members on interplanetary journeys throughout the solar system, starting with Mars in 2024.
	Theorists suggest 'Higgs Troika' may have been responsible for disappearance of antimatter A team of researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Kansas has developed a theory to explain why there is so much more matter than antimatter in the universe. They have written a paper describing their theory and have posted it on the arXiv preprint server.
	Targeting a rogue T cell prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mice Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting both adults and children. It's driven by "helper" T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord, degrading the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. But there are many different kinds of T helper cells, and up until now, no one knew which ones were the bad actors.
	If warming exceeds 2 C, Antarctica's melting ice sheets could raise seas 20 meters in coming centuries We know that our planet has experienced warmer periods in the past, during the Pliocene geological epoch around three million years ago.
	Ocean plastic waste probably comes from ships, report says Most of the plastic bottles washing up on the rocky shores of Inaccessible Island, aptly named for its sheer cliffs rising from the middle of the South Atlantic, probably come from Chinese merchant ships, a study published Monday said.
	New catalyst outshines platinum for producing hydrogen Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, packs a powerful punch. And because it contains no carbon, it produces only water when used as a fuel. But on Earth, hydrogen most often exists in combination with other elements, which means it needs to be extracted.
	Physicist suggests 'quantum foam' may explain away huge cosmic energy Steven Carlip, a physicist at the University of California, has come up with a theory to explain why empty space seems to be filled with a huge amount of energy—it may be hidden by effects that are canceling it out at the Planck scale. He has published a paper describing his new theory in the journal Physical Review Letters.
	Paralysed man walks again with brain-controlled exoskeleton A French man paralysed in a night club accident can walk again thanks to a brain-controlled exoskeleton in what scientists said Wednesday was a breakthrough providing hope to tetraplegics seeking to regain movement.
	Study identifies brain protein that could put the brakes on Alzheimer's University of California, Irvine biologists blazing new approaches to studying Alzheimer's disease have made a major finding on combating inflammation linked to the disease. The School of Biological Sciences researchers' discovery about the role of a protein called TOM-1 heralds a shift toward examining the molecular underpinnings of Alzheimer's processes.
	A new water-splitting technique to generate clean hydrogen Electrolytic hydrogen production entails the generation of hydrogen from water using electrical power, which should ideally come from renewable power sources such as sunlight and wind. Although this method of producing hydrogen could be a very promising solution for increasing sustainability, but researchers will have to overcome several key challenges in order for it to become widespread.
	In major meta-analysis, omega-3 fish oil supplements linked with lower cardiovasc People who received omega-3 fish oil supplements in randomized clinical trials had lower risks of heart attack and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) events compared with those who were given placebo, according to a new meta-analysis from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Researchers found an association between daily omega-3 supplementation and reduced risk of most CVD outcomes, including heart attack, death from coronary heart disease, and death from CVD, but did not see benefit for stroke. In addition, higher doses of omega-3 fish oil supplements appeared to provide even greater risk reduction.
	Printed electronics open way for electrified tattoos and personalized biosensors Electrical engineers at Duke University have devised a fully print-in-place technique for electronics that is gentle enough to work on delicate surfaces including paper and human skin. The advance could enable technologies such as high-adhesion, embedded electronic tattoos and bandages tricked out with patient-specific biosensors.
	Fathers-to-be should avoid alcohol six months before conception Aspiring parents should both avoid drinking alcohol prior to conception to protect against congenital heart defects, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

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