Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 16, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
![]() | Very Large Telescope images stunning central region of Milky Way, finds ancient star burstESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) has observed the central part of the Milky Way with spectacular resolution and uncovered new details about the history of star birth in our galaxy. Thanks to the new observations, astronomers have found evidence for a dramatic event in the life of the Milky Way: a burst of star formation so intense that it resulted in over a hundred thousand supernova explosions. |
![]() | Planetary nebula NGC 3132 investigated with MUSEUsing the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument, European astronomers have taken a closer look at the planetary nebula NGC 3132. MUSE observations have delivered crucial data regarding the nebula's physical and chemical properties. The new study is detailed in a paper published December 5 on arXiv.org. |
![]() | How does our Milky Way galaxy get its spiral form?A question that has long puzzled scientists is how our Milky Way galaxy which has an elegant spiral shape with long arms, took this form. |
![]() | Researchers discover exoplanets can be made less habitable by stars' flaresThe discovery of terrestrial exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside the solar system, has been one of the most significant developments in modern astronomy. Several exoplanets lie in the "habitable zones" of stars, where planets are thought to be able to maintain liquid water on their surface, and have the potential to host life. However, an exoplanet that is too close to its host star is highly sensitive to radiation bursts from the star, also known as flares. |
![]() | Astronomers present a concept for the next NASA flagship missionAstronomers are making the case for a new mission to search for Earth-like planets outside our solar system. |
![]() | 2017 meteor was a 'grazing fireball'A team of researchers at Curtin University in Australia reports that a meteor that streaked across the Australian sky back in 2017 was a rare "grazing fireball." The group has written a paper describing their observations and findings and have posted it on the arXiv preprint server. |
![]() | Carbon cocoons surround growing galaxies—ALMA spots earliest environment pollution in the universeResearchers have discovered gigantic clouds of gaseous carbon spanning more than a radius of 30,000 light-years around young galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This is the first confirmation that carbon atoms produced inside of stars in the early universe have spread beyond galaxies. No theoretical studies have predicted such huge carbon cocoons around growing galaxies, which raises questions about our current understanding of cosmic evolution. |
![]() | 3-D print a piece of Mars for the holidaysThere's a galaxy of gifts out there for space nerds. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin may have just the thing to set your present apart: a model of Jezero Crater, the landing site of NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 Rover mission, that you can 3-D print yourself. |
![]() | Satnav watching over rugby playersAs France's top rugby players scrum, run and tackle they are being tracked by more than just TV cameras and the watching eyes of the crowd. Satnav-based tracking devices between their shoulder blades are keeping tabs on their position and performance—and helping to safeguard their health. |
![]() | Image: Hubble's celestial peanutThis image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 1175, a galaxy with an intriguing and distinctive shape. |
![]() | Researchers develop in-silico model of solar storms toward early warning systemA research group from Graz investigated how solar storms can be simulated in order to enable a more accurate prediction of their effects on the Earth. Their work has furnished a more accurate model for simulating solar storms in real time. |
Technology news
![]() | Best of Last Year: The top TechXplore articles of 2019It was a good year for technology development as a pair of engineers at Iowa State University solved a 50-year-old puzzle in signal processing—they came up with an algorithm to provide a generalization of the inverse fast Fourier transform—they called it the inverse chirp z-transform, and noted that it could be used with exponentially decaying or growing frequency components. |
![]() | Researchers make robots from self-folding kirigami materialsResearchers have demonstrated how kirigami-inspired techniques allow them to design thin sheets of material that automatically reconfigure into new two-dimensional (2-D) shapes and three-dimensional (3-D) structures in response to environmental stimuli. The researchers created a variety of robotic devices as a proof of concept for the approach. |
![]() | Report from AI watchdogs rips emotion techThe opinion that affect recognition should be banned from important decisions sounds like an angry cry...but what does it all mean? Talk is heating up, actually, about artificial intelligence's impact on our daily lives in ways that cause as much worries as wonder. |
![]() | Lofty promises for autonomous cars unfulfilledThe first driverless cars were supposed to be deployed on the roads of American cities in 2019, but just a few days before the end of the year, the lofty promises of car manufacturers and Silicon Valley remain far from becoming reality. |
![]() | RCS rollout for Android raises messaging expectationsSMS is so 2019. RCS is where the cool will stand around and chat, or so the vision goes at Google which has finally completed the process of rolling out the RCS set of communication standards |
![]() | Heat or eat? How one energy conservation strategy may hurt vulnerable populationsAny economic and conservation benefits associated with time-of-use electricity billing could be achieved at the expense of some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society: people with disabilities and the elderly, new research suggests. |
![]() | New tool uses AI to flag fake news for media fact-checkersA new artificial intelligence (AI) tool could help social media networks and news organizations weed out false stories. |
Florida city mum on ransom demands by cyberattackersA Florida city confirmed Friday that hackers seeking to extort money were responsible for crippling its computer systems earlier this week but officials have yet to decide whether they will pay a reported $1 million ransom. | |
![]() | Reports: FTC may try to block Facebook from integrating appsFacebook's stock dropped almost 3% in regular trading after news reports suggested that the FTC may take antitrust action to prevent Facebook from integrating its disparate messaging apps. |
![]() | Boeing could suspend or cut 737 MAX output: reportBoeing could on Monday announce whether to further cut or suspend production of its grounded 737 MAX plane, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. |
![]() | Device makes electric vehicle charging a two-way streetNew tech means cars can power houses, as well as the other way round. |
![]() | The dark side of Alexa, Siri and other personal digital assistantsA few short years ago, personal digital assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Assistant sounded futuristic. Now, the future is here and this future is embedded, augmented and ubiquitous. |
![]() | How to secure your home surveillance cameras from getting hackedHackers are breaking into home security cameras, and the process isn't always as difficult as you may think. |
![]() | FBI breaks up two illegal streaming sites with more subscribers than Netflix, Amazon Prime and HuluTwo programmers in Las Vegas recently admitted to running two of the largest illegal television and movie streaming services in the country, according to federal officials. |
![]() | How can we make sure that algorithms are fair?Using machines to augment human activity is nothing new. Egyptian hieroglyphs show the use of horse-drawn carriages even before 300 B.C. Ancient Indian literature such as "Silapadikaram" has described animals being used for farming. And one glance outside shows that today people use motorized vehicles to get around. |
![]() | A flaky option boosts organic solar cellsAn inexpensive material, made from tungsten disulfide flakes just a few atoms thick, has helped to improve the performance of organic solar cells1. The discovery by KAUST researchers could be an important step toward bringing these photovoltaic cells into wider use for generating clean electricity. |
![]() | New system transmits high-speed unrepeated signal over 520 kilometersResearchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have partnered up with engineers from Corning Inc., U.S., and T8, Russia, and developed a system for high-throughput data transfer over great distances without the need for signal repeating along the way. Systems of this kind could be used to provide internet connection and other communication services in remote communities. The study is reported in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. |
![]() | Smart intersections could cut autonomous car congestionIn the not-so-distant future, city streets could be flooded with autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars can move faster and travel closer together, allowing more of them to fit on the road—potentially leading to congestion and gridlock on city streets. |
![]() | Intel buys Israeli AI chip startup Habana for $2BIntel is paying $2 billion to buy an Israeli startup that specializes in processing chips for artificial intelligence. |
![]() | US lawmakers fault regulators on T-Mobile-Sprint tie-upUS Democratic lawmakers on Monday criticized the process for approving the merger of wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, saying regulators downplayed the competition implications of the $26 billion deal. |
![]() | Latest ransomware victim, New Orleans crippled by attackCity services in New Orleans were hobbled Monday as the city operated under an emergency declaration following a cyber attack that locked down its main computer networks. |
Large hospital system says it was hit by ransomware attackNew Jersey's largest hospital system said Friday that a ransomware attack last week disrupted its computer network and that it paid a ransom to stop it. | |
![]() | Russian nuclear-powered giant icebreaker completes test runRussia's nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika, touted as the strongest of its kind and a symbol of Moscow's ambition to tap the Arctic's commercial potential, returned to Saint Petersburg on Saturday after a two-day test run. |
![]() | Effect of dirty inspection surfaces on the accuracy of visual inspectionTo supply high-quality products to the market, visual inspection by human senses is conducted in many manufacturing industries. It is generally recommended that visual inspection for a high-quality product be performed in a clean room. |
![]() | Copyright probe, raids stoke fear in Russian ITRussia's tech community has expressed alarm over raids on web company Nginx, one of the country's biggest IT success stories, in a copyright probe that its co-founder condemned on Monday as "racketeering". |
![]() | Investors in cryptocurrency exchange demand founder's body be exhumedInvestors in a cryptocurrency exchange who lost access to tens of millions of dollars when the website's Canadian founder died abruptly, are demanding his body be exhumed to rule out any chance that he faked his own death. |
![]() | Smart holiday shopping: Avoiding fake reviews and tricky adsThere are lots of bargains online during the holidays, but also plenty of ways to get scammed, even at established outlets like Amazon. |
![]() | British Airways pilots accept pay agreement to end strikesPilots from the BALPA union on Monday accepted a wage agreement with flagship carrier British Airways after months of dispute than included a historic two-day strike in September. |
Medicine & Health news
![]() | Visual neurons don't work the way scientists thought, study findsA new survey of the activity of nearly 60,000 neurons in the mouse visual system reveals how far we have to go to understand how the brain computes. Published today in the international journal Nature Neuroscience, the analysis led by researchers at the Allen Institute reveals that more than 90% of neurons in the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes our visual world, don't work the way scientists thought—and it's not yet clear how they do work. |
![]() | Unveiling a new map that reveals the hidden personalities of jobsThousands of Australian students will get their Higher School Certificates this week—how many will choose the 'right career'? |
![]() | Study finds conscious visual perception occurs outside the visual systemA Dartmouth study finds that the conscious perception of visual location occurs in the frontal lobes of the brain, rather than in the visual system in the back of the brain. The findings are published in Current Biology. |
![]() | Researchers look at post menopause as key factor in endometrial cancerEndometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in the U.S. and the fourth most common cancer among women. In addition, endometrial cancer incidence rates are on the rise in the western world, suggesting that alterations in environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle, and the vaginal microbiome may be important drivers in its cause. |
![]() | Asthma severity linked to microbiome of upper airwayA new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests there is a link between bacteria that live in the upper airway and the severity of asthma symptoms among children with mild to moderate asthma. |
![]() | Turning to genetics to treat little heartsA team of researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal has discovered a new mechanism involved in a common congenital disease of the aortic valve. The findings of the study, conducted in collaboration with the Hadassa Hebrew University Medical Center, were published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics. |
![]() | Zooming in on brain circuits allows researchers to stop seizure activityA team of neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have found, in animal models, that they can "switch off" epileptic seizures. The findings, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), provide the first evidence that while different types of seizures start in varied areas of the brain, they all can be controlled by targeting a very small set of neurons in the brain or their tendril-like neuronal axons. |
![]() | Researchers discover critical link to controlling inflammation in Crohn's diseaseInvestigators at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine discovered that blocking interleukin-1α (IL1α), a protein that controls inflammation in the gut, markedly decreases the severity of intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of Crohn's disease (CD). |
![]() | Flashing lights may provide vital first test of multiple sclerosis drug successMeasuring changes in the speed of electrical signals along nerves connecting the eyes to the brain may accurately reflect recovery from myelin loss in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and could be used to evaluate new treatments for the disease. |
![]() | Cold infections may be less frequent in people with the fluPeople were less likely to catch either influenza or a common cold-causing rhinovirus if they were already infected with the other virus, a new study by scientists from the Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research has found. |
![]() | Collective memory shapes the construction of personal memoriesFor sociologists, individual memories are shaped by the collective memory of the community. Until now, this phenomenon had never been studied at the neurobiological level. Inserm researchers Pierre Gagnepain and Francis Eustache have studied the collective representations of World War II in France using brain imaging to show how collective memory shapes individual memory. Their findings have been published in Nature Human Behavior. |
![]() | Free tool simplifies cancer researchEvery cell contains a vast number of proteins, each of which has a specific function, for example, as a receptor for another molecule or an enzyme that catalyzes chemical reactions. Disorders of such mechanisms can seriously affect a cell and cause diseases such as cancer, in which the sick cell functions fundamentally differently from a healthy cell. It is therefore very common for a drug to have a protein as its target, one that the substance either inhibits or stimulates the production or uptake of. At the same time, there are a great many approved drugs with a tried and tested effect on certain diseases but without a known protein target. For such substances, it is said that the mechanism of action is either wholly or partly unknown. |
![]() | New tool may speed antibody, vaccine researchThe antibody discovery and vaccine development research fields may be on the verge of rapidly expanding with data that previously took decades to acquire, thanks to LIBRA-seq, a new tool developed by Vanderbilt University researchers and their colleagues. |
![]() | Study examines HIV drug's potential to treat Alzheimer'sA drug used to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS is showing promise as a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease, and Vanderbilt University biochemist F. Peter Guengerich, Ph.D., is aiding efforts to make this approach to improving memory and cognitive function even better. |
![]() | Hearsay plays a key role in how children perceive others, new study findsHearsay plays a key role in how children perceive people outside their circle, even though they may have no other information or evidence about these people, according to Vanderbilt research published in Child Development. |
![]() | Researchers discover when it's good to get the bluesContrary to common belief, blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as originally thought—according to University of Manchester scientists. |
![]() | Strength of conviction won't help to persuade when people disagreeIf you disagree with someone, it might not make any difference how certain they say they are, as during disagreement your brain's sensitivity to the strength of people's beliefs is reduced, finds a study led by UCL and City, University of London. |
![]() | Celebrated ancient Egyptian woman physician likely never existed, says researcherFor decades, an ancient Egyptian known as Merit Ptah has been celebrated as the first female physician and a role model for women entering medicine. Yet a researcher from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus now says she never existed and is an example of how misconceptions can spread. |
![]() | Scientists show how tiny, mutated neuron antennae impair brain connectivityAxons are the long thread-like extensions of neurons that send electrical signals to other brain cells. Thanks to axonal connectivity, our brains and bodies can do all necessary tasks. Even before we're born, we need axons to grow in tracts throughout gray matter and connect properly as our brains develop. UNC School of Medicine researchers have now found a key reason why connectivity goes awry and leads to rare but debilitating neurodevelopmental conditions. |
![]() | More than one in three low- and middle-income countries face both extremes of malnutritionA new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries' food systems. This is especially important in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new four-paper report published in The Lancet. More than a third of such countries had overlapping forms of malnutrition (45 of 123 countries in the 1990s, and 48 of 126 countries in the 2010s), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and east Asia and the Pacific. |
![]() | Air pollution is breaking our hearts: Human and marine health is affected in similar waysAir pollution is associated with detrimental effects on human health, including increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Research published today in The Journal of Physiology by researchers at The University of Manchester shows that the knowledge we have about how pollution harms the hearts of marine species can be applied to humans, as the underlying mechanisms are similar. In other words, knowledge gained from the marine ecosystem might help protect the climate and health of our planet, whilst also helping human health. |
![]() | E-cigarettes significantly raise risk of chronic lung disease, first long-term study findsE-cigarette use significantly increases a person's risk of developing chronic lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new UC San Francisco research, the first longitudinal study linking e-cigarettes to respiratory illness in a sample representative of the entire U.S. adult population. |
![]() | Three quarters of teens who vape report using nicotine, marijuana, or multiple substancesMore teens who vape are using addictive or mind-altering substances than previously believed, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The data paint a different picture than previous research because of the significantly higher proportion (75 percent) of teens who vape using nicotine, marijuana, or multiple substances and not just flavoring. These findings add to growing public health concerns about youth vaping. |
Black teens face racial discrimination multiple times daily, suffer depressive symptoms as a resultBlack teenagers experience daily racial discrimination, most frequently online, which can lead to negative mental health effects, according to a Rutgers researcher. | |
Patients rally in Ecuador for legal use of medical cannabisUnrelenting pain in her hips and weeks of insomnia left Nelly Valbuena desperate for relief from her metastatic breast cancer. | |
![]() | Heart-healthy diets are naturally low in dietary cholesterol and can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokeReducing dietary cholesterol by focusing on an overall heart-healthy dietary pattern that replaces saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats remains good advice for keeping artery-clogging LDL cholesterol levels healthy. Such dietary patterns are naturally low in dietary cholesterol. Current research does not support a specific numerical limit on cholesterol from food according to a Scientific Advisory (Advisory) from the American Heart Association, published today in the Association's premier journal Circulation. |
![]() | Nilotinib appears safe in Parkinson's trial; drug thought to allow dopamine replenishmentA clinical trial investigating the repurposed cancer drug nilotinib in people with Parkinson's disease finds that it is reasonably safe and well tolerated. Researchers also report finding an increase in dopamine, the chemical lost as a result of neuronal destruction, and a decrease in neurotoxic proteins in the brain among study participants. Finally, they say nilotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, potentially halts motor and non-motor decline. |
![]() | Opioid overdose risk factors for teens, college-aged youth same as adultsOlder teens may have similar risk factors for prescription opioid overdose as adults, a new study suggests. |
![]() | Home hospital reduces costs, improves careThe home hospital model of care—in which select patients receive hospital-level care for an acute illness from the comfort of their own home instead of in a traditional hospital—has become increasingly popular across the United States. A pilot study conducted by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital indicated that the home hospital model has the potential to lower costs and improve care. Now, the results of the investigators' randomized controlled trial with more patients strengthens the evidence, showing that home hospital care reduced cost, utilization, and readmissions while increasing physical activity compared with usual hospital care. Results are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. |
![]() | Popular nursery rhyme can help curb spread of common infections in childrenA musical mnemonic based on a popular nursery rhyme can help young children to learn and remember the proper hand hygiene technique and prevent the spread of common infections, suggests an article published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. |
![]() | Clarity, honesty matter most in critical care talks with patientsHigh-stakes conversations with patients and families about critical issues call for doctors to consider how their words are interpreted, Stanford researchers and experts say. |
![]() | Refugees with insecure visas experience more trauma, depression and post-traumatic stressA new study has revealed the association between refugees' visas and their mental health. |
![]() | System can recognize Mendelian genetic diseases before clinical teamsMendelian diseases, those caused by a single deleterious genetic variant, often present as constellations of clinical features. |
![]() | Why it's OK for kids to believe in SantaMany children today know Santa Claus as that jolly man in red who delivers presents to children on Christmas Eve. But the legend of Santa stretches back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. |
![]() | Cap your alcohol at 10 drinks a week: New draft guidelinesNew draft alcohol guidelines, released today, recommend healthy Australian women and men drink no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four on any one day to reduce their risk of health problems. |
![]() | Hunting molecules that signal painA new microscope-based method for detecting a particular molecule in the spinal cord could help lead to an accurate and independent universal pain scale, research from Australia's Macquarie University suggests. |
![]() | Does sugar raise blood pressure? It depends where it comes from, researchers sayCombined data from over two dozen nutrition studies show that while sugar-sweetened drinks are linked to elevated blood pressure, healthier foods that contain some sugars do not share the same relationship—and in fact may have a protective association when it comes to high blood pressure, according to University of Toronto researchers. |
![]() | Researchers crack rare gene variant and deliver hope to South Australian familyWorking in a highly successful collaboration between the Centre for Cancer Biology (a University of South Australia and SA Pathology alliance), the University of Adelaide, and the Women's and Children's Hospital, UniSA Ph.D. student Alicia Byrne has helped to identify a rare genetic disease that causes severe neurodegeneration in infants. |
![]() | How to maintain quality sleep during the holiday travel seasonWith shorter daylight hours, busier than usual schedules and travel to different time zones, the holiday season can disrupt our circadian rhythm and create sleep difficulties—making it even harder to avoid stress, enjoy time with family, and finally return to work. |
![]() | Two apples a day keeps cholesterol at bayEating two apples a day has been shown to help keep cholesterol down and fight heart disease risk according to new research. |
![]() | Simple tool shows life expectancy after dementia diagnosisResearchers at Karolinska Institutet and from the Netherlands have developed a simple tool that shows the survival probability of a person with dementia over three years. They hope this will facilitate dialog with the most seriously affected patients and help doctors plan necessary care. The study is published in Neurology. |
![]() | FDA gives expanded approval to prescription fish oil for heart patientsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave expanded approval to a prescription form of fish oil called Vascepa, to help prevent heart trouble in people at high risk who are already taking statins. |
![]() | In the fight for money for the opioid crisis, will the youngest victims be left out?Babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy represent one of the most distressing legacies of an opioid epidemic that has claimed almost 400,000 lives and ravaged communities. |
![]() | Women need professional emotional support during high-risk pregnancies, study findsLittle is known about how women manage emotional distress during high-risk pregnancies, but Rutgers researchers learned that without psychosocial support, women struggle with fears and tears while feeling isolated and worried. |
![]() | Biomarker provides accurate measurement of flavanol intakeA new, objective way of measuring flavanol intake has been developed, which could help nutritional experts assess the link between these compounds and their health benefits at scale. |
![]() | 9 common misconceptions about exercise—and what research actually tells usIt can be hard to include exercise in our busy lives, despite the best of intentions. There are a lot of reasons people don't exercise, and a lot of misconceptions about exercise. Here are nine common misconceptions about exercise and what research actually tells us. |
![]() | Study uncovers cause of aggressive leishmaniasis strainAfter six years of research, Brazilian scientists have discovered that the presence of the Leishmania RNA virus in disease-carrying parasites leads to more aggressive forms of leishmaniasis, a discovery they say opens the way to new treatments. |
![]() | Child brain is not just an adult brain in a smaller sizeA study at the University of Jyväskylä indicated that children's brains have special features not found in adult brains. For the brain, childhood and youth are special stages, as the neural networks are then especially adaptable and responsive to environmental interaction. |
![]() | Fish consumption and mercury exposure in pregnant women in coastal FloridaMercury contamination of the marine environment is a global public health concern. Human exposure occurs primarily by eating seafood, especially large predatory fish such as swordfish and albacore tuna. Those most vulnerable—pregnant women: mercury exposure during pregnancy has been associated with cognitive impairment, including memory, attention, fine motor skills, and other markers of delayed neurodevelopment, although results are conflicting. |
![]() | Young adults experiencing homelessness are not seeking medical care after rapeNearly three-fourths of young adults experiencing homelessness who are raped do not seek post-sexual assault medical care, missing an opportunity to greatly reduce their risk of contracting HIV, according to a survey led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). |
![]() | Having to defend one's sexuality increases fear of childbirthIn order to help people with fear of childbirth, there must be trust between the patient and the healthcare staff. But for many lesbian and bisexual women and transgender people, this trust never develops. These are the results of a study in the journal Midwifery from researchers at Linköping University. |
![]() | How minds make meaningMeaning is central to language. But how do we combine the building blocks of thought and language to compose meaning? A special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, edited by Andrea E. Martin from the Max Planck Institute of Psycholinguistics and Giosuè Baggio from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, brings together fifteen contributions from the fields of linguistics, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and computer science to answer this age-old question. |
![]() | High-calorie food is more tempting when time is running outIn an era when digital technology allows people to stay connected to work, friends and commerce 24/7, life can feel overly busy for many people and time is often considered a scarce resource. |
![]() | Children allergic to cow's milk smaller and lighterChildren who are allergic to cow's milk are smaller and weigh less than peers who have allergies to peanuts or tree nuts, and these findings persist into early adolescence. The results from the longitudinal study—believed to be the first to characterize growth patterns from early childhood to adolescence in children with persistent food allergies—was published online in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. |
![]() | Many lung cancer patients receive meds that prolong QTc interval(HealthDay)—A considerable proportion of patients with lung cancer are prescribed medications that prolong the corrected QT (QTc) interval, limiting their eligibility for clinical trials, according to a study published online Nov. 23 in Clinical Lung Cancer. |
![]() | Burnout rates exceed 50 percent for pediatric residents(HealthDay)—Most pediatric residents surveyed at programs in 2016, 2017, and 2018 reported burnout, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in Pediatrics. |
![]() | Five-year mortality up in older adults with unplanned admission(HealthDay)—Death within five years of first unplanned hospital admission is common among older adults, according to a study published in the Dec. 16 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association. |
![]() | Results mixed for twice-daily APBI in early breast cancer(HealthDay)—Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) delivered twice per day over one week to the tumor bed is noninferior to whole breast irradiation for preventing ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), but moderate late radiation toxicity and adverse cosmesis were more common with this regimen, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in The Lancet. |
![]() | Palliative care reaching more inpatients with serious illness(HealthDay)—Inpatient palliative care teams are reaching a broader mix of patients earlier in the course of their illness, according to a study published online Dec. 6 in JAMA Network Open. |
![]() | How to keep year-end deadlines from ruining your healthThe end of the year is supposed to be a time to celebrate and relax. But for many, the traditional sounds of the season include a giant, ticking clock—and not the fun kind from your favorite rockin' New Year's Eve show. |
![]() | Do processed foods up your type 2 diabetes risk?(HealthDay)—Store-bought chicken nuggets, jelly donuts and energy bars may taste delicious. But a large, new study warns that the more of these and other highly processed foods you consume, the greater your risk for type 2 diabetes. |
![]() | London researchers first in world to use new device for feeding tube insertionA team of clinician researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute have partnered with medical device company CoapTech LLC to study a new method of feeding tube insertion. The study is assessing the safety and efficacy of a new device called the PUMA-G System with 25 patients at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The new method may offer improved patient safety while providing cost savings to the health care system. |
![]() | The sympathetic nervous system can inhibit the defense cells in autoimmune diseaseThe results of a study conducted in Brazil suggest that the sympathetic nervous system—the part of the autonomous nervous system that controls responses to danger or stress—can modulate the action of defense cells in patients with autoimmune diseases. |
![]() | Study exposes surprise billing by hospital physiciansPatients with private health insurance face a serious risk of being treated and billed by an out-of-network doctor when they receive care at in-network hospitals, according to a new study by Yale researchers. Addressing the issue could reduce health spending by 3.4%—$40 billion annually, the researchers conclude. |
![]() | Survey shows link between psychological safety and use of infection prevention practicesHospitals reporting high levels of psychological safety are more likely to have comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPC) programs, according to the results of a survey appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). |
![]() | Hospital patient portals lack specific and informative instructions for patientsMost hospitals in the United States, but not all, have secure online websites called patient portals that give patients access to their personal health information. However, many hospitals fail to inform patients fully about using the portals, according to new research from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine. |
![]() | Women with a low desire to avoid pregnancy still use contraceptionA new study from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health challenges assumptions that women with the highest preference against pregnancy use more effective contraceptive methods and that women who might welcome pregnancy do not use contraception. Overall, women with a stronger preference to avoid pregnancy were far more likely to use any contraceptive method. Still, over half of the women studied who reported low preference to avoid pregnancy nevertheless used a contraceptive method. The findings are published in the journal Contraception. |
![]() | Sharing a family meal can help those with dementia connectLong before Tim Hollingsworth earned the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year award and served as chef de cuisine at French Laundry, he was learning to cook by his mother's side at home. As a kid, Hollingsworth would measure ingredients to help his mom make dinner, and he'd talk with her and sample the dishes as they cooked. |
![]() | New study sheds light into origins of neurodegenerative diseaseNew research has shed light on the origins of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) and demonstrates effective new therapeutic pathways for SCA7 and the more than 40 other types of spinocerebellar ataxia. The study, which appears online Monday on the website of the journal Neuron, implicates metabolic dysregulation leading to altered calcium homeostasis in neurons as the underlying cause of cerebellar ataxias. |
![]() | Study finds African Americans with cancer at higher risk for blood clotsAfrican-Americans are at higher risk for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) as compared with patients from other races. |
![]() | Having a psychotic disorder may increase decline of some areas of cognition over adulthoodA new study has shown that relative to participants without a psychotic disorder, those diagnosed with a disorder were consistently impaired across all areas of cognitive (memory and thinking) ability measured. The comparison also suggested that declines in some cognitive areas might worsen with age. |
![]() | Economists analyze how patients and health care providers value MedicaidA new analysis of a randomized health insurance program in Oregon sheds light on the value the program has for enrollees and providers alike. |
![]() | Researchers explore factors affecting money management skills in multiple sclerosisA team of rehabilitation researchers identified factors associated with the money management problems experienced by some individuals with multiple sclerosis. Few studies have addressed this issue, which can have substantial impact on quality of life. The open access article, "Money management in multiple sclerosis: The role of cognitive, motor, and affective factors", (doi: 10.3389/neur.2019.01128) was epublished on October 23, 2019 by Frontiers in Neurology. |
![]() | Experimental human model of migraine found redundant molecular pathways mediating migraine attacksA recent study published in the journal Cephalalgia, the official journal of the International Headache Society, reported an intriguing discovery. The study, entitled "Investigation of distinct molecular pathways in migraine induction using calcitonin gene-related peptide and sildenafil", was conducted by Dr. Samaira Younis and colleagues from the Danish Headache Center, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. |
![]() | PET/CT plays role in lung adenocarcinoma managementAccording to an article published ahead-of-print in the February 2020 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG PET) can be used to predict the histopathologic subtypes and growth patterns of early lung adenocarcinoma. |
![]() | Developing next-generation biologic pacemakersUniversity of Houston associate professor of pharmacology Bradley McConnell is helping usher in a new age of cardiac pacemakers by using stem cells found in fat, converting them to heart cells, and reprogramming those to act as biologic pacemaker cells. He is reporting his work in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. The new biologic pacemaker-like cell will be useful as an alternative treatment for conduction system disorders, cardiac repair after a heart attack and to bridge the limitations of the electronic pacemaker. |
![]() | Radiation breaks connections in the brainOne of the potentially life-altering side effects that patients experience after cranial radiotherapy for brain cancer is cognitive impairment. Researchers now believe that they have pinpointed why this occurs and these findings could point the way for new therapies to protect the brain from the damage caused by radiation. |
![]() | Study examines causes of death in US breast cancer survivorsSurvival rates for patients with breast cancer have improved significantly in the last four decades, and many patients will eventually die from non-cancer-related causes. Researchers recently conducted the largest population-based long-term retrospective analysis of non-cancer causes of death among patients with breast cancer. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. |
![]() | CRISPR provides hope of sickle cell cureThanks to the 'cut and paste' gene editing technique CRISPR, scientists are homing in on a cure for sickle cell disease—a genetic blood disorder—while other research is looking at how to expand the potential of CRISPR-based treatments. |
![]() | The effect of taking antidepressants during pregnancyExposure to antidepressants during pregnancy and the first weeks of life can alter sensory processing well into adulthood, according to research in mice recently published in eNeuro. |
![]() | How to prevent 'wine teeth' this holidayWhy do some people's teeth stain after drinking red wine, and how can you prevent it during the holidays? |
![]() | Mathematical model predicts drug concentration in the brainDo medicines arrive in the right amount at the right spot in our brain? By making a model that depicts our brain in small "brain blocks," Ph.D. student Esmée Vendel tries to find an answer to this question. She made a mathematical model that predicts the concentration of medicines in the brain over time and space. |
![]() | Personalized medicine for atrial fibrillationPatients with atrial fibrillation, the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, are closer to accessing personalized medicine. This is the claim of a new study led by Dr. David Filgueiras, of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), the Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid, and the Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV). The study, results show that it is possible to monitor and predict individual progression of atrial fibrillation from cardiac electrical signals obtained from implantable devices (pacemakers or defibrillators). This project has been supported by the Fundación Interhospitalaria para la Investigación Cardiovascular (Fundación FIC). |
![]() | Combination of chemo and diabetes drugs shows potential for treating Ewing sarcomaEwing sarcoma, an aggressive tumor that commonly affects bones in adolescents and young adults, is diagnosed in about 225 American children and teens every year, accounting for about 1 percent of pediatric cancers. |
Biology news
![]() | Resident orcas' appetite likely reason for decline of big Chinook salmonKiller whales prefer to eat only the biggest, juiciest Chinook salmon they can find. The larger the fish, the more energy a whale can get for its meal. |
![]() | Savannah monitor lizards have a unique airflow pattern that is a hybrid of bird and mammal flow patternsTake a deep breath in. Slowly let it out. |
![]() | Mitochondria are the 'canary in the coal mine' for cellular stressMitochondria, tiny structures present in most cells, are known for their energy-generating machinery. Now, Salk researchers have discovered a new function of mitochondria: they set off molecular alarms when cells are exposed to stress or chemicals that can damage DNA, such as chemotherapy. The results, published online in Nature Metabolism on December 9, 2019, could lead to new cancer treatments that prevent tumors from becoming resistant to chemotherapy. |
![]() | Scientists find that unappetizing moths make less effort to escape attacking batsYou might think that prey would invariably flee in terror from a predator. But what if an animal was apathetic in the face of danger? |
![]() | New CRISPR-based system targets amplified antibiotic-resistant genesTaking advantage of powerful advances in CRISPR gene editing, scientists at the University of California San Diego have set their sights on one of society's most formidable threats to human health. |
![]() | Researchers isolate antibody that blocks bird fluDespite efforts to contain it, bird flu remains a serious menace to public health. |
![]() | New Australian shrimp species scales waterfalls, changes gender and eats using 'nets'Researchers have described an unusual species of shrimp found in north Queensland, which scales 100-meter high waterfalls, changes gender, and uses nets on its front legs to eat. |
![]() | Researchers uncover defective sperm epigenome that leads to male infertilityOne out of eight couples has trouble conceiving, with nearly a quarter of those cases caused by unexplained male infertility. For the past decade, research has linked that infertility to defective sperm that fail to "evict" proteins called histones from DNA during development. However, the mechanisms behind that eviction and where this is happening in the sperm DNA has remained both controversial and unclear. |
![]() | Function of new microRNAs identified in Salmonella and Shigella infectionsDiscovering them earned their discoverers a Nobel Prize in the 1990s—microRNAs are small RNA molecules that do not code for proteins, however, they take care of an essential function: they act as regulators in gene expression, and so they have become a focus of attention for medical science. Despite there being thousands of different sequences of this genetic material, the individual role that each one plays in several illnesses continues to be unknown for the most part. |
![]() | Climate change could make RSV respiratory infection outbreaks less severe, more commonOne of the first studies to examine the effect of climate change on diseases such as influenza that are transmitted directly from person to person has found that higher temperatures and increased rainfall could make outbreaks less severe but more common, particularly in North America. |
![]() | New methods promise to speed up development of new plant varietiesA University of Minnesota research team recently developed new methods that will make it significantly faster to produce gene-edited plants. They hope to alleviate a long-standing bottleneck in gene editing and, in the process, make it easier and faster to develop and test new crop varieties with two new approaches described in a paper recently published in Nature Biotechnology. |
![]() | Underwater pile driving noise causes alarm responses in squidExposure to underwater pile driving noise, which can be associated with the construction of docks, piers, and offshore wind farms, causes squid to exhibit strong alarm behaviors, according to a study by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers published Dec. 16, 2019, in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. |
![]() | Thousands of 'penis fish' exposed on California beachThousands of marine worms dubbed "penis fish" for their shape and color appeared this week on a California beach after a strong winter storm exposed them. |
![]() | Accidental invention could lead to easier methods of screening drugs and toxinsAlmost every cell in the bodies of humans and other living organisms contains DNA, which encodes genetic instructions. Damage to DNA from toxins can have serious effects on health, while other chemicals can facilitate DNA stability and repair. Information on the interactions between DNA and other chemicals could help scientists develop new preventative measures and treatments for diseases such as cancer, but few existing techniques are sensitive enough to study these interactions, and the ones that are sensitive enough are very expensive. |
![]() | Conspiracy theories: How belief is rooted in evolution, not ignoranceDespite creative efforts to tackle it, belief in conspiracy theories, alternative facts and fake news show no sign of abating. This is clearly a huge problem, as seen when it comes to climate change, vaccines and expertise in general—with anti-scientific attitudes increasingly influencing politics. |
![]() | Global mountain gorilla population grows to 1,063Survey results released today from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, and the contiguous Sarambwe Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have confirmed that the mountain gorilla population in the forest has grown to 459, providing further evidence that conservation efforts to protect the planet's greatest apes are working. This brings the global number of confirmed mountain gorillas to 1,063, when combined with results from the Virunga Massif survey conducted in 2015/16. |
![]() | Pine trees with larger resin ducts better able to survive mountain pine beetle attackNot all pine trees are created equal when it comes to fending off their mortal enemy, the mountain pine beetle. |
![]() | How cells muster and march outMany of the cell types in our bodies are constantly on the move. LMU physicists have developed a mathematical model that describes, for the first time, how single-cell migration can coalesce into coordinated movements of cohorts of cells. |
![]() | Southern white rhinos are threatened by incest and habitat fragmentationThe fragmentation of natural habitats by fences and human settlements is threatening the survival of the white rhinoceros. It prevents dispersal from the family group and leads to mating among close relatives. Additionally female rhinoceros favour individual males for mating over others and sire several offspring with the same partner over consecutive breeding periods. These factors lead to a high degree of inbreeding. The results come from the largest scientific study to date on the sexual preferences of white rhinos, published in the journal Evolutionary Applications. The scientists propose specific measures to ensure the long term survival of the species. |
![]() | UK insects struggling to find a home make a bee-line for foreign plantsNon-native plants are providing new homes for Britain's insects—some of which are rare on native plants, a new study has found. |
![]() | New 'netherworldly' freshwater fish named for Thai conservation visionaryAt first glance, Garra surinbinnani looks like a stout, brown minnow with the face of a boxer who's gone one too many rounds. But the deep gash in its forehead studded with blue spikes is a natural feature whose function remains a mystery. |
![]() | Collaboration yields insights into mosquito reproductionAs carriers for diseases like dengue and Zika, mosquitoes kill more than 1 million people each year and sicken hundreds of millions more. But a better understanding of mosquito reproduction can help humans combat outbreaks of these diseases, which are worsening as the climate warms. |
![]() | Cholera kills over 27,000 pigs in IndonesiaMore than 27,000 pigs have died in a hog-cholera epidemic that has struck Indonesia, with thousands more at risk, an animal welfare official said. |
![]() | This little piggy went to court: German piglets 'sue over castration'Little piggies go to market, but in Germany they also go to court. |
![]() | How to save olives from destructive diseasesPlant pathogens, or disease-causing viruses, bacteria and fungi could lead to significant losses in agricultural yields, and threaten food security and ecosystem integrity. Between 2012 and 2017, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) severely damaged large orchards covering 538 km2, equivalent to about 6.5 million olive trees in Apulia, southern Italy, according to data by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). At the 2nd European conference on Xf organised jointly by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and several partners of the EU-funded POnTE project, Dr. Pieter Beck of the JRC said the information was collected using Sentinel-2 satellite data and was supported by weather data. His presentation is shown in a video. Quoted in a news item in "Eurasia Review' covering the conference, Dr. Beck explained that employing satellite data in such a manner "can help assess the extent of the damage Xylella is causing" as well as "inform the decisions for adaptation in areas where it is established." |
![]() | Commentary: It's not too late to save the birds of North AmericaOver three weeks starting Saturday, thousands of birders in the Western Hemisphere will take part in the annual, 119-year-old Audubon Christmas Bird Count. These tallies are conducted in prearranged circles within a seven-mile radius of a central point. At least 30 such circles exist in Southern California, and counts in each are held during a planned 24-hour period, rain or shine. |
Researchers establish how insects take advantage of the carrion left behind by carnivoresA multidisciplinary team of Spanish researchers, including members of the Ecology Department of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH), has provided the first data on how scavenger insects and vertebrates share the carcasses of wild carnivore mammals. | |
![]() | Evolutionarily novel genes at work in tumorsA team of scientists from Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) studied the evolutionary ages of human genes and identified a new class of them expressed in tumors—tumor specifically expressed, evolutionarily novel (TSEEN) genes. This confirms the team's earlier theory about the evolutionary role of neoplasms. |
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