Phys.org Newsletter Wednesday, Mar 27

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 27, 2013:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Semiconductor 'shish kabob' nanostructures combine properties from different dimensions
- Imaging methodology reveals nanoparticles at atomic scale in three dimensions (w/ video)
- Researchers image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano
- New technique for cooling molecules may be stepping stone to quantum computing
- New type of solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight
- Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
- Engineers enable 'bulk' silicon to emit visible light for the first time
- Novel intercellular transportation system may have potential for delivering RNAi and other gene-based therapeutics
- Pesticide combination affects bees' ability to learn
- Tarsiers' bulging eyes shed light on evolution of human vision
- New insights into how genes turn on and off
- Four cells turn seabed microbiology upside down
- Scientists find new gene markers for cancer risk
- Scientists find potential loophole in pancreatic cancer defenses
- Hunting high-mass stars with Herschel

Space & Earth news

US to hold Keystone pipeline hearing in Nebraska
The US State Department said Wednesday it will hold a public meeting in Nebraska in April on a controversial $5.3 billion Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, just days before a key consultation period ends.

California voters, lawmakers have no say in OK of major river diversion plan
It may be the most ambitious habitat restoration project ever conceived in the United States.

Iceland sees unusual seismic activity at Hekla volcano
Iceland on Tuesday reported unusual seismic activity at Mount Hekla, one of its most active volcanos, and raised its alert level but said no eruption was imminent.

Soviet spacesuit auctioned for 112,000 euros
A spacesuit used for Soviet spacewalks in the 1980s was auctioned in Paris for 112,484 euros ($143,979), the sale organisers said on Wednesday.

NASA provides a super-speed look at Webb Telescope progress
(Phys.org) —NASA released a new sped-up, 32-second video that shows engineers working on some of the James Webb Space Telescope's flight components to integrate them together to ensure they will work perfectly together in space.

Out on the pull: Why the moon always shows its face
Technically, Pink Floyd had it wrong. The space-facing side of the moon isn't dark (except at full moon when the Earth is between the sun and the moon). Not that you'd know that, given we always see the same side of our nearest neighbour.

How to build a very large star (Update)
(Phys.org) —Stars ten times as massive as the Sun, or more, should not exist: as they grow, they tend to push away the gas they feed on, starving their own growth. Scientists have been struggling to figure out how some stars overcome this hurdle.

Ultrafine particles raise concerns about improved cookstoves
A new study raises concerns about possible health impacts of very small particles of soot released from the "improved cookstoves" that international aid agencies are promoting to replace open-fire cooking in developing countries. It appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Summer melt season is getting longer on the Antarctic Peninsula, research shows
New research from the Antarctic Peninsula shows that the summer melt season has been getting longer over the last 60 years. Increased summer melting has been linked to the rapid break-up of ice shelves in the area and rising sea level.

New system to restore wetlands could reduce massive floods, aid crops
Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new interactive system to create networks of small wetlands in Midwest farmlands, which could help the region prevent massive spring floods and also retain water and mitigate droughts in a warming climate.

Thousands of pesticides dodge US regulation
Thousands of pesticides are allowed onto the US market without rigorous safety testing, putting people, animals and crop pollinators like bees at risk, a US environmental group said Wednesday.

Researchers question evaluation methods for protected areas in the Amazon
(Phys.org) —The indicators currently being used to guide policy and investments into protected areas in the Amazon may not be having the desired effect.

Researchers capture possible first picture of 'Tatooine' type planet orbiting binary stars
(Phys.org) —An international team of space scientists led by Philippe Delorme of Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France has taken a photograph of what might be a very large planet orbiting two suns. In their paper they've uploaded to the preprint server arXiv, the team describes how they compared the objects in their photograph with data previously captured by telescopes in 2002, to derive the orbital motion of the system. In so doing, they have found they've captured on film either a very large planet, or a brown dwarf circling binary stars.

Ocean cores reveal eruption dynamics
(Phys.org) —Using information gathered from samples of deep sea sediments, researchers from the University of Bristol report new findings regarding the dynamics of the eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia in 1815 – one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the last 1,000 years. Interpretation and understanding of such past eruptions are important for the assessment of hazards related to future eruptions.

Young, hot and blue: Stars in the cluster NGC 2547
(Phys.org) —This pretty sprinkling of bright blue stars is the cluster NGC 2547, a group of recently formed stars in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sail). This image was taken using the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Detection of titanium oxide and titanium dioxide around the giant star VY Canis Majoris
(Phys.org) —An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of Cologne, discovered two titanium oxides, TiO and TiO2, at radio wavelengths using telescope arrays in the USA and in France. The detection was made in the environment of VY Canis Majoris, a giant star close to the end of its life.

Study provides new evidence ancient asteroid caused global firestorm on Earth
A new look at conditions after a Manhattan-sized asteroid slammed into a region of Mexico in the dinosaur days indicates the event could have triggered a global firestorm that would have burned every twig, bush and tree on Earth and led to the extinction of 80 percent of all Earth's species, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

Saturn is like an antiques shop, Cassini suggests
(Phys.org) —A new analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggests that Saturn's moons and rings are gently worn vintage goods from around the time of our solar system's birth.

Hunting high-mass stars with Herschel
(Phys.org) —In this new view of a vast star-forming cloud called W3, ESA's Herschel space observatory tells the story of how massive stars are born.

Researchers image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano
Since the plate tectonics revolution of the 1960s, scientists have known that new seafloor is created throughout the major ocean basins at linear chains of volcanoes known as mid-ocean ridges. But where exactly does the erupted magma come from?

Technology news

Flamboyant former Japanese Internet tycoon leaves jail
Japan's one-time maverick Internet tycoon Takafumi Horie used Twitter Wednesday to announce his release from prison after serving nearly two years for accounting fraud.

Well-tempered lighting: Emitting much more light for less electric-power dissipation
Scenarios for the optimal employment of light-emitting diodes for lighting purposes are being investigated at the TU Darmstadt's Institute for Lighting Technology. The focus is on human perceptions, wellbeing, and health.

IRS: Delays caused by glitch shorter than expected
(AP)—The Internal Revenue Service says refund delays caused by a glitch in the software some taxpayers used to file their tax returns will be shorter than initially projected.

Philippine clean energy tariffs to start next year
The first power projects under the Philippines' main incentive scheme for renewable energy should finally come online next year after a long regulatory struggle, an official said Wednesday.

Wachowskis to make sci-fi series for Netflix
(AP)—Netflix's newest original series will be science-fiction from the duo behind the "The Matrix" trilogy.

Team develops advanced video and image processing
Rapid developments in satellite and sensor technologies have increased the availability of high-resolution, remotely sensed images faster than researchers can process and analyze the data manually.

US swipes at China for hacking allegations
(AP)—The U.S. has taken its first real swipe at China following accusations that the Beijing government is behind a widespread and systemic hacking campaign targeting U.S. businesses.

Erasing electronic footprints to protect victims of domestic violence
A 'cleaner app' which allows those at risk from domestic violence to seek help online without leaving an electronic trail behind them has been developed by experts at Newcastle University, UK.

United Technologies sells Goodrich power system
United Technologies Corp. is selling a former Goodrich Corp. electric power systems business for about $400 million.

After Newtown: A new use for a weapons-detecting radar?
In the weeks after the Connecticut school shooting, as the nation puzzled over how it happened and what might prevent it from happening again, Kamal Sarabandi was listening to the news. Talk turned to giving teachers guns, and he paused.

Indie sensibilities embraced at gaming conference
It's a time of transition for the video game industry. With last year's launch of the Wii U, the impending arrival of the PlayStation 4 and the likelihood of a new Xbox on the horizon, the next generation of video game consoles is nearly here.

Facebook chief Zuckerberg 'tackling politics'
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg is helping form a group to lobby for US political reform in areas such as education and immigration policy, according to US media reports spreading online.

Philippines turns trash into clean energy windfall
Teresita Mabignay does her ironing using free electricity on the slope of a garbage dump, an unlikely beneficiary of efforts to turn the Philippines' growing rubbish problems into a clean-energy windfall.

Apple in court in China over 'Siri' claim (Update)
Apple appeared in a Shanghai court on Wednesday, accused by a Chinese firm of copying software used for the "Siri" personal assistant on its hugely popular iPhones.

States answer help wanted ad to be drone test site (Update)
It's the land where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, where the space shuttle fleet rolled off the assembly line and where the first private manned rocketship climbed to space.

Short of water, Peru's engineers 'make our own'
The message emblazoned on a billboard outside the Peruvian capital sounds almost too good to be true: drinkable water for anyone who wants some in this arid village.

Japan venture to bring electric tuk-tuks to Asia
A Japanese company is hoping to win a big slice of Asia's tuk-tuk market, it said Wednesday, betting battery-operated buggies could cut burgeoning city pollution.

Researcher examines motion of breaking waves
During the spring of 2011, Lake Poinsett homeowners were amazed at how easily the waves destroyed their sandbag and concrete barricades, but South Dakota State University Civil Engineering Professor Francis Ting was not. He has been studying the motion of breaking waves for nearly 25 years.

Computer model provides important clues for the production of tightly packed electronic components
Greater numbers of ever-smaller components are required to fit on computer chips to meet the ongoing demands of miniaturizing electronic devices. Consequently, computer chips are becoming increasingly crowded. Designers of electronic architectures have therefore followed the lead of urban planners and started to build upward. In so-called 'three-dimensional (3D) packages', for example, several flat, two-dimensional chips can be stacked on top of each other using vertical joints.

World's first 40 to 60 Gbps silicon photonics modulator using advanced modulation formats
In collaboration with Fujikura Ltd., researchers from Singapore's A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) have pioneered the world's first 40 to 60 Gbps silicon-based optical modulators with advanced multilevel modulation formats for high speed long-haul data transmission. This represents a major advance towards low cost, ultra-high bandwidth and small footprint optical communications on silicon platform.

Microscale medical sensors inserted under skin can be powered wirelessly by external handheld receiver
Implantable electronic devices potentially offer a rapid and accurate way for doctors to monitor patients with particular medical conditions. Yet powering such devices remains a fundamental challenge: batteries are bulky and eventually need recharging or replacing. Jia Hao Cheong at the A*STAR Institute for Microelectronics, Singapore, and his co-workers are developing an alternative approach that eliminates the need for a battery. Their miniature devices are based on wireless power-transfer technology.

British public divided on merits of drone strikes, says new study
Fifty-five per cent of the British public would support the UK Government assisting in a drone missile strike to kill a known terrorist overseas, but support drops substantially if innocent casualties are likely, according to a new study.

Calif. city gets free Wi-Fi via high tech meters
The city of Santa Clara is flipping on a big Internet switch this week, becoming what it says is the first in the country to use wireless, digital "smart meters" on homes as channels for free citywide outdoor Wi-Fi.

Harvesting unused energy with flat thermoelectrics
A large proportion of the energy we produce disappears unused into thin air via waste heat. Tiny thermoelectric generators can tap this potential, whereby the electricity is produced by way of temperature differences. However, so far their production has been laborious and expensive. At the same time there is a lack of suitable materials. At the Hannover trade fair researchers are now presenting a new manufacturing process with which these generators can be cost-effectively produced in the form of large-area flexible components from non-toxic synthetic materials.

Teaming up with robots
Critical situations are occurring with greater frequency at industrial workplaces – situations that could lead to serious job-related accidents. With the "4Save" toolbox from Fraunhofer, these dangers do not arise at all. Researchers exhibit the latest version of the safety system, with "Eye4Save" visual surveillance, at the Hannover Messe from April 8 to 12, 2013.

Compact radar takes an inside view
The human eye cannot see through wood, paper, or plastic. But a compact radar with a modular design now makes it possible to see the invisible: The millimeter wave sensor penetrates non-transparent material. It transmits signals at frequencies between 75 and 110 GHz and can be applied in a broad range of areas, from flight safety and logistics to industrial sensor technology and medical technology. Fraunhofer researchers are presenting a prototype of the radar at this year's Hannover Messe, which is set to take place from April 8 to April 12.

The cloud within us
The first tentative steps towards a peer-to-peer approach to cloud computing that enables users and removes the risks and costs of relying on industry giants to offer services are being taken by an international team of researchers.

New sensor cable enables remote monitoring of miles of perimeter fencing
Airports, nuclear power stations, industrial and research sites, or even your own garden – there are many places that need to be protected against unauthorized access, and often protection is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Up until now, the sheer length of the perimeter to be protected and the high costs involved made this sort of protection impossible at many sites. Working in collaboration with a number of companies, research scientists at Saarland University have developed a new type of surveillance technology that enables extended perimeters to be monitored and protected at low cost. The new technology is based on magnetometers (magnetic field sensors) that can be incorporated within smart cables of essentially any length. These cables can themselves be installed into fencing or roadways. The research team is presenting its innovative technology at the major international technology fair Hannover Messe from April 8th to April 12th (Stand C 40, Hall 2 ‒ Saarland Research and Innovation Stand).

Mitsubishi reports two battery problems, no recalls
Mitsubishi Motors says a battery in a plug-in hybrid Outlander vehicle heated up and melted. No one was injured.

Oregon wave energy project may be delayed
The company planning a wave energy project off the south Oregon coast says it may not be finished this year.

Flat year for US music industry, survey says
US music industry sales held nearly steady in 2012 as gains from digital subscription services offset further declines in physical disc sales, an industry survey showed Wednesday.

Twitter ad revenue heading toward $1 bn, eMarketer estimates
Twitter is on pace to earn more than a half-billion dollars in ad revenue this year and close to $1 billion next year, industry tracker eMarketer estimated on Wednesday.

Murdoch's Sun tabloid to go behind paywall
Britain's top-selling newspaper The Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch, is to start charging readers for access to its website, a spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.

Publisher speeds up e-book access for libraries
The publisher of Khaled Hosseini, Harlan Coben and other popular authors has decided that it's comfortable with letting libraries offer e-book editions of brand new releases.

Phinergy demonstrates aluminum-air battery capable of fueling an electric vehicle for 1000 miles
(Phys.org) —Phinergy, an Israeli developer of metal-air energy systems, has demonstrated a new type of aluminum-air battery that is capable of providing enough energy to power an electric vehicle (EV) for up to 1000 miles at a time—with occasional stops to take on more water. The company claims they have developed new technology that prevents carbon dioxide from entering the system, which in the past, has led to breakdowns of the materials used in such batteries.

Shifting the Internet into high gear
(Phys.org) —A new-generation analog-to-digital converter (ADC) developed by a joint IBM-EPFL team has the potential to greatly increase the speed and volume of data that can be transferred over the Internet.

Research uses muscle activity to move virtual objects (w/ video)
(Phys.org) —Today's smartphones and computers offer gestural interfaces where information arrives at users' fingertips with a swipe of a hand. Still, researchers have found that most technology falls short in making people feel as if they're interacting with virtual objects the same way they would with real objects.

Bacterial boost for clean energy
(Phys.org) —Bacteria are often associated with their disease-causing capacity or alternatively, with their role as normal residents of the human body, where they perform duties essential to health.

World record silicon-based millimeter-wave power amplifiers
Two teams of DARPA performers have achieved world record power output levels using silicon-based technologies for millimeter-wave power amplifiers. RF power amplifiers are used in communications and sensor systems to boost power levels for reliable transmission of signals over the distance required by the given application. Further integration efforts may unlock applications in low-cost satellite communications and millimeter-wave sensing.

What's between a slip and a slide? Research leads towards new standards for tennis courts
Working with the International Tennis Federation and colleagues at the University of Exeter, the team from the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering developed a test machine which applies large forces to a surface to mimic the impact of elite tennis players on tennis courts. This impact can be up to four times the bodyweight of a player.

Record-breaking cyberattack hits anti-spam group (Update 2)
A record-breaking cyberattack targeting an anti-spam watchdog group has sent ripples of disruption coursing across the Web, experts said Wednesday.

Researcher slashes optics laboratory costs using customizable 3-D printable designs
Just as the power of the open-source design has driven down the cost of software to the point that it is accessible to most people, open-source hardware makes it possible to drive down the cost of doing experimental science and expand access to everyone. As part of this movement, a Michigan Technological University lab has introduced a library of open-source, 3-D-printable optics components in a paper published in PLOS One.

Medicine & Health news

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost 32 pct
(AP)—The nation's leading group of financial risk analysts says medical claims costs—the biggest driver of insurance premiums—will jump an average 32 percent for individual policies under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Britain launches DRC medical programme
Britain is to launch a £179 million five-year healthcare programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo which it hopes will reach six million people, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced on Tuesday.

US study: Fewer dying in hospitals, more at home
Surveys show most Americans would rather die at home than in a hospital. Now, a new government study suggests more and more people getting their wish.

Gates says world must push to finally eradicate polio
Bill Gates said Tuesday that the world must commit to wiping out the remaining cases of polio and finally eradicate the disease despite squeezed aid budgets and violence plaguing vaccination efforts.

New research looks at novel ways to combat drug resistance
University of Southampton biological scientists are leading a major research project aimed at making drugs more effective.

Preventable liver disease costs more than diabetes: Team hopes to reduce burden with research-led intervention
Liver diseases have an impact on the Australian economy 40 per cent greater than chronic kidney disease and Type 2 diabetes combined, according to a report released today.

New cancer detection and brain imaging techniques presented
A non-invasive imaging technique which may help in the earlier detection of cancer is among the innovative research being presented at BioPIC 2013, a BioPhotonics and Imaging Conference, taking place in Castleknock Hotel and Country Club, Dublin from 25th - 27th March.

Researchers help test cancer drug in clinical trial leading to FDA approval
The FDA has approved a thyroid cancer drug successfully tested at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership of Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

The hunt for a successor to lithium for bipolar disorder
Toxicity problems and adverse side effects when taking lithium, the mainstay medication for treating bipolar disorder, are fostering a scientific hunt for insights into exactly how lithium works in the body—with an eye to developing a safer alternative. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

Forced methadone withdrawal in jails creates barrier to treatment in community
Methadone treatment for opioid dependence remains widely unavailable behind bars in the United States, and many inmates are forced to discontinue this evidence-based therapy, which lessens painful withdrawal symptoms. Now a new study by researchers from the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, a collaboration of The Miriam Hospital and Brown University, offers some insight on the consequences of these mandatory withdrawal policies.

Number of cancer survivors expected to increase to 18 million by 2022
The American Association for Cancer Research released its second Annual Report on Cancer Survivorship in the United States in advance of the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, which will be held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10.

Experts find link between low doses of vitamin D and adverse pregnancy outcomes
There is a link between vitamin D insufficiency and adverse health outcomes such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia in mothers-to-be and low birth weight in newborns, suggests a paper published in BMJ today.

MRSA colonization in groin tied to clinical infections
(HealthDay)—Groin colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) leads to an increased risk of developing active MRSA infection later among HIV-infected patients, according to a study published in the April issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

State with one of highest rates of autism turns out to be in normal range
When New Jersey reported one of the nation's highest rates of autism last year - doubling in six years to one in 49 children - researchers described it as "beyond an emergency." But a federal study released this past week indicated that the high rate appears to be the norm nationally. Autism spectrum disorder now affects one in every 50 children, well above the one in 88 previously reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FDA aims to change the way it monitors safety of defibrillators
Defibrillators are supposed to save lives by shocking a patient's heart back into a normal rhythm, but they have malfunctioned in about 45,000 cases since 2005, according to the Food and Drug Administration. So on Friday, the FDA proposed new rules aimed at ensuring that the potentially life-saving devices work properly when they're needed.

Paranoia persists in mugging victims for months after attack, study finds
Being mugged or randomly attacked in the street often leaves people paranoid and distrustful of others long after the attack, according to a study published today. The research highlights a previously under-recognised consequence of physical assault which will help to inform therapy for those seeking help.

Overweight and obese women at higher risk of adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes
Overweight and obese women are more likely to require specialist medical care during their pregnancy due to the increased risk of adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes, finds a new study published today (27 March) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

EEG identifies seizures in hospital patients, study finds
Electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures and records electrical activity in the brain, is a quick and efficient way of determining whether seizures are the cause of altered mental status (AMS) and spells, according to a study by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.

Europe's financial crisis leads to suicide surge
The harsh spending cuts introduced by European governments to tackle their crippling debt problems have not only pitched the region into recession—they are also being partly blamed for outbreaks of diseases not normally seen in Europe and a spike in suicides, according to new research.

Health gap in Europe wider than ever
Life expectancy in Russia has marked time since the collapse of the Soviet Union but risen in its former eastern-bloc allies, The Lancet reported on Wednesday.

Kidney stone surgery: More women, more complications with minimally invasive procedure
While the number of people – especially women – who have a minimally invasive procedure to remove kidney stones has risen in recent years, so has the rate of complications related to the surgery, according to a published study by Henry Ford Hospital.

Researchers analyze HPV vaccination disparities among girls from low-income families
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Florida studied health care providers to determine the factors associated with disparities in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among girls, ages 9 to 17, from low-income families. They found that physician vaccination strategies and the type of practice play a role in whether or not girls were vaccinated.

Team discovers how drug prevents aging and cancer progression
University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers. In the March 23 online edition of the prestigious journal Aging Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the antidiabetic drug metformin reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines that normally activate the immune system, but if overproduced can lead to pathological inflammation, a condition that both damages tissues in aging and favors tumor growth.

Prematurity and maternal education affect early academic achievement
In a study published in the April 2013 edition of Pediatrics, Emory researchers suggest that late preterm birth and maternal education have a relative impact on standardized test performance—the most common measure of academic performance and principal determinate of grade retention in public schools.

Insights obtained by profiling immune response to repeat viral infections could assist vaccine design efforts
Patients who successfully beat infection with dengue virus remain vulnerable to reinfection by other dengue variants, and these secondary infections tend to be more severe. The antibodies arising from the immune system's first encounter with the virus can play a complicated role in how these secondary infections unfold.

Research suggests popular diabetes drugs can cause abnormal pancreatic growth in humans
(Medical Xpress)—Individuals who had taken a type of drug commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes showed abnormalities in the pancreas, including cell proliferation, that may be associated with an increased risk of neuroendocrine tumors, according to a new study by researchers from UCLA and the University of Florida. Their findings were published online March 22 in the journal Diabetes.

Cancer cells disguised as stem cells gain extra resistance
Why are certain cancer cells so resistant? The answer may be that they have either retained or acquired attributes normally found in stem cells.

How anorexia and 'bigorexia' in men relates to perceptions of masculinity
(Medical Xpress)—Self-perceived masculinity is higher in men with muscle dysmorphia, popularly called 'bigorexia', than other gym users, while men with anorexia nervosa relate more strongly to feminine stereotypes, research contributed to by the University of Sydney has found.

World first online treatment helps depression and heart disease
(Medical Xpress)—University of Sydney researchers have found a 40 percent improvement in the mental health of people with both depression and cardiovascular disease after using e-couch - a free online program that helps depression or anxiety sufferers regain control of mood to improve their lives.

Declaring a truce with our microbiological frienemies
Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.

Meditation technique enhances children's mental health
(Medical Xpress)—Teachers in schools across the globe are turning to a new philosophy to help improve the behaviour and well-being of students.

Researchers studying ketamine as suicide prevention drug
(Medical Xpress)—University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers think ketamine, an anesthesia medication in use since the 1970s, might be a valuable tool in treating severe depression and reducing suicidal urges; they have launched two studies to explore the possibility. One of the studies, ketamine is administered to suicidal patients in the UAB Hospital emergency department (ED), is the only such trial actually being conducted in an ED in the nation.

Violent video games are a risk factor for criminal behavior and aggression, research reports
(Medical Xpress)—People are quick to point the finger or dismiss the effect of violent video games as a factor in criminal behavior. New evidence from Iowa State researchers demonstrates a link between video games and youth violence and delinquency.

Rats' brains are more like ours than scientists previously thought
(Medical Xpress)—Neuroscientists face a multitude of challenges in their efforts to better understand the human brain. If not for model organisms such as the rat, they might never know what really goes on inside our heads.

Researchers accurately predict cognitive decline
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers have shown they can predict impending cognitive decline using a sensitive behavioral task up to three years in advance of clinical evidence. Until now, it has not been possible to reliably differentiate individuals at risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) from those who are not at risk. The results of this study are in the current (March 2013) issue of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias.

Compulsory treatment orders for mental illness need reviewing
(Medical Xpress)—Discharging mental health patients on community treatment orders after they have been involuntarily hospitalised may require them to be on long periods of compulsory treatment without any benefit for the patient, a new study has found.

Seeing happiness in ambiguous facial expressions reduces aggressive behaviour, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Encouraging young people at high-risk of criminal offending and delinquency to see happiness rather than anger in facial expressions results in a decrease in their levels of anger and aggression, new research from the University of Bristol has found.

Experts urge caution on new pregnancy and vitamin D study
Australian experts are urging caution over a new study that suggests a link between insufficient vitamin D and pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and lower birth weight in newborns.

Fewer children mean longer life?
New research into ageing processes, based on modern genetic techniques, confirms theoretical expectations about the correlation between reproduction and lifespan. Studies of birds reveal that those that have offspring later in life and have fewer broods live longer. And the decisive factor is telomeres, shows research from The University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Virtual games help the blind navigate unknown territory
On March 27th JoVE will publish a new video article by Dr. Lotfi Merabet showing how researchers in the Department of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School have developed a virtual gaming environment to help blind individuals improve navigation skills and develop a cognitive spatial map of unfamiliar buildings and public locations.

Better treatment for stroke patients on horizon
Two molecules may provide, for the first time, an indication of which stroke patients will suffer a further, long-term neurological deficit, allowing doctors to tailor treatment more effectively.

Transmission routes of spreading protein particles
In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's endogenous proteins accumulate in the brain, eventually leading to the death of nerve cells. These deposits, which consist of abnormally formed proteins, are supposed to migrate between interconnected areas of the brain, thereby contributing to the development of the illness. Now, a new laboratory study by scientists from Germany and the US shows that certain protein particles are indeed capable of multiplying and spreading from one cell to the next. The investigation was conducted by researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn and Munich who cooperated with scientists from the US and from other German institutions. The results are now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Researchers discover primary role of the olivocochlear efferent system
New research from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology may have discovered a key piece in the puzzle of how hearing works by identifying the role of the olivocochlear efferent system in protecting ears from hearing loss. The findings could eventually lead to screening tests to determine who is most susceptible to hearing loss. Their paper is published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Better-educated parents feed children fewer fats and less sugar
The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.

Telling tales can be a good thing
The act of talking is not an area where ability is usually considered along gender lines. However, a new study published in Springer's journal Sex Roles has found subtle differences between the sexes in their story-relating ability and specifically the act of reminiscing. The research by Widaad Zaman from the University of Central Florida and her colleague Robyn Fivush from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, discusses how these gender differences in parents can affect children's emotional development.

Hot flashes? Active days bring better nights
Getting a good night's sleep isn't always easy for women at menopause. Exercise may help, but women can have a tough time carving out leisure time for it. The good news from a study published online today in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, is that higher levels of routine daily physical activity may be the more important key to a better night's sleep for many women who have hot flashes or night sweats.

C. diff infection risk rises with antihistamine use to treat stomach acid, study finds
Patients receiving antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of infection from Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a common cause of diarrhea, particularly in health care settings, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. The study focused on histamine 2 receptor antagonists. The researchers found no significant risk for people taking over-the-counter antihistamine drugs, however. The findings appear in the online journal PLOS ONE.

Environmental enrichment important factor impacting cell transplantation and brain repair
A team of Korean researchers investigated whether "environmental enrichment" can improve the neurobehavioral function of six week-old mice after transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to treat hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and found that brain repair (neurogenesis) was aided in some animals through exercise-induced fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), a strong pro-angiogenic factor.

New test for skin sensitization without using animals
In an advance in efforts to reduce the use of animals in testing new cosmetic and other product ingredients for skin allergies, scientists are describing a new, highly accurate non-animal test for these skin-sensitizers. Their study appears in ACS' journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, study finds
Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional, or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health network study.

Merck: FDA reviewing tablet to eliminate allergy
Drugmaker Merck & Co. says federal regulators are reviewing its application to sell a new type of treatment for grass pollen allergy that gradually reduces allergy symptoms over time, rather than just temporarily relieving the sneezing and itching.

York scientists discover driving force behind prostate cancer
Scientists at the University of York have discovered the driving force behind the development of prostate cancer.

Unique study reveals genetic 'spelling mistakes' that increase the risk of common cancers
More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study within the framework of the EU Network COGS. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers. Ultimately the researchers hope to be able to calculate the individual risk of cancer, to better understand how these cancers develop and to be able to generate new treatments.

Five genetic variations increase risk of ovarian cancer
An international research collaboration has found five new regions of the human genome that are linked to increased risks for developing ovarian cancer. Duke Medicine researchers played a leading role analyzing genetic information from more than 40,000 women.

Link between faster 'biological' aging and risk of developing age-related diseases
An international team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has found new evidence that links faster 'biological' ageing to the risk of developing several age-related diseases - including heart disease, multiple sclerosis and various cancers.

Researchers successfully map fountain of youth
In collaboration with an international research team, University of Copenhagen researchers have for the first time mapped telomerase, an enzyme which has a kind of rejuvenating effect on normal cell ageing. The findings have just been published in Nature Genetics and are a step forward in the fight against cancer.

Novel gene drives development of different types of ovarian cancer
Researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have identified a novel gene that can contribute to a woman's susceptibility for developing ovarian cancer. Researchers identified the gene, called HNF1B, through large-scale analysis of more than 16,000 women with ovarian cancer and more than 26,000 healthy women. Results of the study are published in the current issue of the journal Nature Communications.

New DNA sequences hone in on breast, ovarian cancer risk
Researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have identified new DNA sequences associated with breast cancer—the most common cancer among women, with an average risk of developing the disease of 10 percent—and ovarian cancer, the most common cause of death from gynecological cancers in the U.S. The findings, which appear in three studies in the journals Plos Genetics and Nature Genetics, will help reveal the underlying causes of these diseases and help researchers build better risk models to support new prevention strategies.

HIV sufferers need hepatitis safeguards
Stronger protections are needed to prevent people with HIV from also becoming infected with hepatitis, researchers argue in a new study led by Michigan State University.

Novel approach found for treating hypertrophic scars
(HealthDay)—Same-session therapy with fractional ablative laser treatment followed immediately with topical application of triamcinolone acetonide suspension is effective in treating patients with hypertrophic and restrictive cutaneous scars, according to research published in the March issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

Psoriasis tied to increased risk of new-onset diabetes
(HealthDay)—Psoriasis is significantly tied to an increased risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a study published online March 14 in Diabetes Care.

Just 'weight' until menopause: How estrogen deficiency affects women's fat absorption
Women tend to carry excess fat in their hips and thighs, while men tend to carry it on their stomachs. But after menopause, things start to change: many women's fat storage patterns start to resemble those of men. This indicates that there's a link between estrogen and body fat storage. This connection is well documented, but the underlying mechanisms remained poorly understood until now.

Study shows dietary fat can affect glucose levels and insulin requirements in type 1 diabetes
In a study of patients with type 1 diabetes, Joslin researchers found that dietary fat can affect glucose levels and insulin requirements. These findings, which appeared in the April edition of Diabetes Care, have major implications for the management of type 1 diabetes.

Certain breast cancers have a trait that could be attacked by new therapies
More than 100 women per day die from breast cancer in the United States. The odds of developing breast cancer increase for women taking hormone replacement therapy to avoid the effects of menopause. New research by University of Missouri scientist Salman Hyder may lead to treatments for breast cancers associated with taking these synthetic hormones. Hyder, along with an international team, found that hormone-therapy-related breast cancer cells have a physical feature that could be attacked by cancer therapies.

Pinning down the pain: Schwann cell protein plays major role in neuropathic pain
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in regulating the recovery of peripheral nerves after injury. The discovery has implications for improving the treatment of neuropathic pain, a complex and largely mysterious form of chronic pain that afflicts over 100 million Americans.

Varenicline reduces depressive mood, craving and reward value of cigarettes when smokers attempt to quit, study reports
Smokers have a higher probability of quitting smoking and a better overall cessation experience when taking varenicline compared to bupropion and to placebo – unmedicated assisted smoking cessation –according to a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Restrictive Medicaid eligibility criteria associated with higher rates of delayed medical care
Effective health screening and preventive care is known to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes, yet new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) shows that restrictive Medicaid policies are associated with patients delaying needed medical care due to cost. States and counties with the most restrictive Medicaid eligibility criteria (where individuals must be far below the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid) have the highest rates of delayed care.

Childhood asthma tied to combination of genes and wheezing illness
About 90 percent of children with two copies of a common genetic variation and who wheezed when they caught a cold early in life went on to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study to be published March 28 by the New England Journal of Medicine.

US approves new multiple sclerosis capsules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it approved a new drug from Biogen Idec to control multiple sclerosis in adults with hard-to-treat forms of the disease.

Study finds saliva testing predicts aggression in boys
(Medical Xpress)—A new study indicates that a simple saliva test could be an effective tool in predicting violent behavior.

A new wrinkle for botox: Research reveals how botulinum toxins affect neuron survival
(Medical Xpress)—Botulinum toxins are feared as a food poison and bioterror threat, and for good reason. It takes only minute amounts of these bacterial toxins to block signals from nerve cells that control muscles. People die when the toxin paralyzes the muscles they need to breathe.

Link between emotions, physical health universal, researcher says
(Medical Xpress)—Much research has demonstrated a link between individuals' emotional and physical health. For example, depression and stress have been tied to self-reports of increased pain, fatigue and disease, whereas positive emotions have been tied to decreases in those ailments.

Switching night vision on or off
Neurobiologists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute have been able to dissect a mechanism in the retina that facilitates our ability to see both in the dark and in the light. They identified a cellular switch that activates distinct neuronal circuits at a defined light level. The switch cells of the retina act quickly and reliably to turn on and off computations suited specifically for vision in low and high light levels thus facilitating the transition from night to day vision. The scientists have published their results online in Neuron.

Novel intercellular transportation system may have potential for delivering RNAi and other gene-based therapeutics
(Medical Xpress)—Important new research from UMass Medical School demonstrates how exosomes shuttle proteins from neurons to muscle cells where they take part in critical signaling mechanisms, an exciting discovery that means these tiny vehicles could one day be loaded with therapeutic agents, such as RNA interference (RNAi), and directly target disease-carrying cells. The study, published this month in the journal Neuron, is the first evidence that exosomes can transfer membrane proteins that play an important role in cell-to-cell signaling in the nervous system.

Scientists find new gene markers for cancer risk
A huge international effort involving more than 100 institutions and genetic tests on 200,000 people has uncovered dozens of signposts in DNA that can help reveal further a person's risk for breast, ovarian or prostate cancer, scientists reported Wednesday.

Scientists find potential loophole in pancreatic cancer defenses
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists and colleagues have discovered that pancreatic cancer cells' growth and spread are fueled by an unusual metabolic pathway that someday might be blocked with targeted drugs to control the deadly cancer.

A new way to lose weight? Study shows that changes to gut microbiota may play role in weight loss
Scientists at Harvard may have new hope for anyone who's tried to fight the battle of the bulge. New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. Transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss. The study is described in a March 27 paper in Science Translational Medicine.

New insights into how genes turn on and off
Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains (PMDs), in which gene expression is turned off. This differs from most human tissues, in which 70 percent of the genome is highly methylated.

Genetics might determine which smokers get hooked, research says
Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may accelerate a teen's progression to becoming a lifelong heavy smoker.

Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
(Medical Xpress)—Replicative aging (also known as replicative senescence) causes mammalian cells to undergo a process of growth arrest dependent on telomeres (the shortening of repeated sequences at the ends of chromosomes). Neurons, on the other hand, are exempt from aging, and so the question of their actual lifespan has remained unanswered. Recently, however, scientists at the University of Pavia and the University of Turin demonstrated that neuronal lifespan is not limited by the organism's maximum lifespan but, remarkably, continues when transplanted in a longer-living host. The researchers accomplished this by transplanting embryonic mouse cerebellar precursors into the developing brain of longer-living rats, in which the grafted mouse neurons survived for up to three years – twice the average lifespan of the donor mice.

Biology news

Alaska legislator claims 1 in 10 darted polar bears dies
On March 1, in response to Alaska losing its appeal of the threatened-species designation for polar bears, state Rep. Eric Feige said the federal government itself was responsible for the deaths of many bears.

Sequencing without PCR reduces bias in measuring biodiversity
DNA barcode sequencing without the amplification of DNA by PCR beats the problem of false positives which can inflate estimates of biodiversity, finds a study published in BioMed Central and BGI Shenzhen's open access journal GigaScience. This method tested on a bulk 'squashome' of mixed insect samples is also able rapidly and cost-effectively estimate biomass.

Dotterels doing well post-Rena
(Phys.org) —Monitoring shows the population of rare New Zealand dotterels captured during the Rena oil spill has recovered well from the event.

Central Africa to mobilize up to 1,000 soldiers to save its elephants
Central African states on Saturday said they would mobilize up to 1,000 soldiers and law-enforcement officials to immediately start joint military operations to protect the region's last remaining savanna elephants, threatened by Sudanese poachers on a killing spree in the region.

Blowing in the wind: How accurate is thermography of horses' legs?
Infrared thermography is increasingly being applied to investigate the cause of lameness in horses. The equipment is easy to handle and the method is fast and safe, both for the animal and for the vet. But is it accurate? Recent work by Simone Westermann at the Vetmeduni Vienna shows that the technique is surprisingly tolerant of variation in the position of the equipment, i.e. how far from the horse and at what angle to the animal the infrared camera is held. However, it is extremely important to ensure that the horse is not standing in a draught as even barely detectable wind speeds are sufficient to effect the measurements dramatically. The findings are published in two articles, one in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the other in the Equine Veterinary Journal, and are sure to be of great interest to vets throughout the world.

Pining for a beetle genome
The sequencing and assembly of the genome of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is published online this week in Genome Biology. The species is native to North America, where it is currently wreaking havoc in an area of forest ten times larger than previous outbreaks. This paper determines genes that may be involved in colonizing the trees, such as enzymes for degrading plant cell walls, and identifies potential sex chromosomes in the beetle.

Monsanto, DuPont end fight over GMO seeds
Agribusiness giants DuPont and Monsanto ended a legal fight Tuesday over rights to genetically modified seeds, with DuPont agreeing to pay Monsanto licensing fees for its seed technology.

World's biggest creature tracked by its song
An Australian-led group of scientists has for the first time tracked down and tagged Antarctic blue whales by using acoustic technology to follow their songs, the government said Wednesday.

Framework for palm biogeography: Researchers establish a hypothesis for the evolution of palms in time and space
A series of papers in scientific journals has established a general framework for the biogeographical evolution of palms.

Papuan phonebook helps scientists describe 101 new beetle species
Tropical rainforests are known for their high biodiversity of countless species, many of them unknown and not named by scientists yet. A large proportion of this undiscovered life on earth is formed by insects, especially beetles.

Making living matter programmable
Thirty years ago, the future lay in programming computers. Today, it's programming cells.

New DNA test identifies ingredients in foods
Scientists at Mainz University develop a novel screening procedure for accurately determining the amount of animal, plant, and microbial substances in foods

Controversial worm keeps its position as the progenitor of mankind
Researchers are arguing about whether or not the Xenoturbella bocki worm is the progenitor of mankind. But new studies indicate that this is actually the case. Swedish researchers from the University of Gothenburg and the Gothenburg Natural History Museum are involved in the international study. The results have been published in Nature Communications.

New bone survey method could aid long-term survival of Arctic caribou
A study co-authored by a University of Florida scientist adds critical new data for understanding caribou calving grounds in an area under consideration for oil exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Diverse bacteria on fresh fruits, vegetables vary with produce type, farming practices
Fresh fruit and vegetables carry an abundance of bacteria on their surfaces, not all of which cause disease. In the first study to assess the variety of these non-pathogenic bacteria, scientists report that these surface bacteria vary depending on the type of produce and cultivation practices. The results are published March 27 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Jonathan Leff and Noah Fierer at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Insect pests more plentiful in hotter parts of city than in cooler areas
Higher temperatures in cities can be a key driver of insect pest outbreaks on trees in urban areas, according to research published March 27 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Emily Meineke from North Carolina State University and colleagues from other institutions.

Poultry probiotic cuts its coat to beat bad bacteria
A strain of probiotic bacteria that can fight harmful bacterial infections in poultry has the ability to change its coat, according to new findings from the Institute of Food Research.

Sea hares outsmart peckish lobsters with sticky opaline
Sea hares are not the favourite food choice of many marine inhabitants, and it's easy to see why when you find out about the chemical weapons they employ when provoked – namely, two unpalatable secretions, ink and opaline, which they squirt at unsuspecting peckish predators. However, while much is known about the consequences of purple ink secretion, how the whitish and viscous opaline outsmarts a potential predator remains unknown. Charles Derby from Georgia State University, USA, wondered whether opaline could decrease the activity of a predator's sensory system. Along with his colleagues Tiffany Love-Chezem and Juan Aggio, he set out to test the effect of opaline on spiny lobsters, which occasionally try to snack on sea hares.

Out of Africa: Chameleons migrated by sea
Chameleons took to the waves to migrate from Africa to Madagascar about 65 million years ago, said a study published on Wednesday that seeks to resolve a roiling biological debate.

Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls
(Phys.org) —Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead.

Pesticide combination affects bees' ability to learn
Two new studies have highlighted a negative impact on bees' ability to learn following exposure to a combination of pesticides commonly used in agriculture. The researchers found that the pesticides, used in the research at levels shown to occur in the wild, could interfere with the learning circuits in the bee's brain. They also found that bees exposed to combined pesticides were slower to learn or completely forgot important associations between floral scent and food rewards.

Four cells turn seabed microbiology upside down
With DNA from just four cells, researchers reveal how some of the world's most abundant organisms play a key role in carbon cycling in the seabed.

Tarsiers' bulging eyes shed light on evolution of human vision
After eons of wandering in the dark, primates developed highly acute, three-color vision that permitted them to shift to daytime living, a new Dartmouth College study suggests.

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