Science X Newsletter Monday, Nov 24

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 24, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Electric vehicles could stabilize large disturbances in power grid
- Best of Last Week – Detecting dark matter with GPS, a gel that stops bleeding and the benefits of fasting
- Wireless electronic implants stop staph, then dissolve
- Environmental 'tipping points' key to predicting extinctions
- Pain in a dish: Researchers turn skin cells into pain sensing neurons
- Brain's reaction to virtual reality should prompt further study, suggests new research
- Cooling with the coldest matter in the world
- Cell's skeleton is never still: Scientists model dynamic instability of microtubules
- Animals steal defenses from bacteria: Microbe toxin genes have jumped to ticks, mites and other animals
- Underwater robot sheds new light on Antarctic sea ice
- Drugs to block angiogenesis could provide new treatment for TB
- Boy moms more social in chimpanzees
- Research reveals how our bodies keep unwelcome visitors out of cell nuclei
- Excessive contact between cellular organelles disrupts metabolism in obesity
- Scientists identify bone cells that could help children who need corrective facial surgery

Astronomy & Space news

	Musk is testing x-wing style fins, spaceport drone ship (Phys.org) —Elon Musk over the weekend sent out a number of tweets about what's up at SpaceX in its rocket endeavors, talking about features that triggered a steady response stream of "Awesome," "Rad," and "Wow" reactions from Musk enthusiasts, eager to track the progress of the SpaceX reusable rocket program.
	How can we search for life on icy moons such as Europa? Our solar system is host to a wealth of icy worlds that may have water beneath the surface. The Cassini spacecraft recently uncovered evidence of a possible ocean under the surface of Saturn's moon, Mimas.
	Gas cloud in the galactic centre is part of a larger gas streamer (Phys.org) —In November, astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics presented new observations of the gas cloud G2 in the galactic centre originally discovered in 2011. These data are in remarkably good agreement with an on-going tidal disruption. As a complete surprise came the discovery that the orbit of G2 matches that of another gas cloud detected a decade ago, suggesting that G2 might actually be part of a much more extensive gas streamer. This would also match some of the proposed scenarios that try to explain the presence of G2. One such model is that G2 is originating from the wind from a massive star.
	Time in space exposes materials to the test of time Much like that pickup truck rusting in your backyard thanks to time, rain and the elements, extended stays in the brutal environment of space can take its toll on spacecraft, satellites and space stations. In fact, anything outside the protective blanket of our atmosphere can be assaulted by orbital debris, temperature extremes, micrometeoroids, direct sunlight and, when spacecraft are in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or orbiting near another planet like Mars, atomic oxygen. Over time this relentless hammering by the space environment degrades many spacecraft materials.
	Rosetta Comet Landing in 'Thud' and 3D (Phys.org) —A 3D image shows what it would look like to fly over the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The image was generated from data collected by the Rosetta Lander Imaging System (ROLIS) aboard the European Space Agency's Philae spacecraft during the descent to the spacecraft's initial touchdown on the comet Nov. 12. The European Space Agency also released an audio track of the first of the lander's three touchdowns on the surface of the cometю
	Soyuz spacecraft docks with International Space Station A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Italy's first female astronaut has safely docked with the International Space Station, NASA said.
	Lockheed Martin keeps fingers crossed for Orion's first test flight As we move closer to the highly anticipated first ever test flight of the Orion spacecraft, there's an aerospace company which would be keeping its fingers tightly crossed during this nail-biting moment for the U.S. spaceflight. Lockheed Martin which built the manned capsule that will take American astronauts far beyond Earth, is much more than excited about the milestone flight. "We live for this kind of project. We will tell our kids and our grandkids about this," Allison Rakes, Lockheed Martin spokesperson told Astrowatch.net. The company's hard working crew literally lives for this first step of future deep space exploration. "We've had a team in Florida working around the clock for the past several months preparing for this moment. Once that Delta IV lifts off, you're going to see quite the celebration," Rakes added.
	CubeSat instruments to demonstrate NASA firsts The Dellingr six-unit CubeSat, which is taking its developers just one year to design, build and integrate, won't be the only potentially groundbreaking capability for NASA. Its heliophysics payloads also are expected to significantly advance science on tiny platforms.
	Earth's orbit around the sun Ever since the 16th century when Nicolaus Copernicus demonstrated that the Earth revolved around in the Sun, scientists have worked tirelessly to understand the relationship in mathematical terms. If this bright celestial body – upon which depends the seasons, the diurnal cycle, and all life on Earth – does not revolve around us, then what exactly is the nature of our orbit around it?
	Image: Hubble captures the Egg Nebula This colourful image shows a cosmic lighthouse known as the Egg Nebula, which lies around 3000 light-years from Earth. The image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has captured a brief but dramatic phase in the life of a Sun-like star.

Technology news

	Wireless electronic implants stop staph, then dissolve Researchers at Tufts University, in collaboration with a team at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, have demonstrated a resorbable electronic implant that eliminated bacterial infection in mice by delivering heat to infected tissue when triggered by a remote wireless signal. The silk and magnesium devices then harmlessly dissolved in the test animals. The technique had previously been demonstrated only in vitro. The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition the week of November 24-28, 2014.
	Cyberspying tool could have US, British origins (Update) A sophisticated cybersespionage tool has been stealing information from governments and businesses since 2008, researchers said Monday, and one report linked it to US and British intelligence.
	Automakers aim to drive away car computer hackers Against the team of hackers, the poor car stood no chance. Meticulously overwhelming its computer networks, the hackers showed that—given time—they would be able to pop the trunk and start the windshield wipers, cut the brakes or lock them up, and even kill the engine.
	Kickstarter project SnapJet hardware device lets you print your smartphone pic as Polaroid A team of creative types at a small company called Paradigm Optics, with help from a small group of engineers has together created a new way to print pictures taken with a smartphone—and perhaps the best thing about it is that it doesn't require any cables, Bluetooth or even an app on the phone. It's called the SnapJet and to use it, a person calls up a photo on their smartphone, lays the phone on top of the device and then presses a button to take a picture of the image on the phone, which is then printed on Polaroid (or Fujifilm's Instamax) film and pushed out of a slot on the device. This approach means it will work with any brand of phone. The combined team has created a project on Kickstarter looking for $155,000 to cover the production costs for the new device.
	Knightscope K5 on security patrol roams campus A Mountain View, California-based company called Knightscope designs and builds 5-feet, 300-pound security guards called K5, but anyone scanning last week's headlines has already heard about them, with the news that Microsoft was deploying a number of autonomous robot security guards to patrol its Silicon Valley campus. The company making the K5, Knightscope, refers to the guard as an "autonomous data machine."
Tech, medical sectors mixed on Obama's immigration changes Nestled in President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul aspects of the US immigration system are tweaks to rules for high-skilled workers long frustrated with hurdles to getting work or residency approval.
	Does bad behavior really hurt business? Silicon Valley seems to have more than its share of companies behaving badly. Among up-and-comers in the tech world, privacy abuses and executive gaffes have become viral sensations. But is all that bad behavior actually bad for business?
	Robots take over inspection of ballast tanks on ships A new robot for inspecting ballast water tanks on board ships is being developed by a Dutch-German partnership including the University of Twente. The robot is able to move independently along rails built into the tanks. At the moment, people still carry out such inspections, with ships being brought into dry dock for the purpose. The costs can rise to € 700,000 per inspection. The RoboShip project offers great advantages, not only in terms of cost but also in terms of safety.
	Codebreaking has moved on since Turing's day, with dangerous implications We have always been been intrigued by keeping secrets and uncovering the secrets of others, whether that's childhood secret messages, or secrets and codebreaking of national importance.
	Self-driving cars could be the answer to congested roads If cars with drivers still suffer under gridlock conditions on roads, how will driverless cars fare any better? With greater computerisation and network awareness, driverless cars may be the answer to growing traffic congestion.
	Solar strategy needed to avoid electricity death spiral, according to report Government and the electricity industry must act now to prepare for the inevitable impact of increased private solar on the State's electricity network or risk a death spiral of network disruptions and rising costs over the coming decade, according to the author of a new study into WA's electricity future.
	Scientist develops uncrackable code for nuclear weapons Mark Hart, a scientist and engineer in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Defense Technologies Division, has been awarded the 2015 Surety Transformation Initiative (STI) Award from the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Enhanced Surety Program.
	German study supports free "Super WiFi" The need for the wireless transfer of data will increase significantly in the coming years. Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) therefore propose to turn some of the TV frequencies that will become free into common property and to use it to extend existing wireless networks (WiFi) instead of using the frequencies for mobile communications. Their study, published in the international journal Telecommunications Policy, recommends that the additional frequencies not be marketed but made available to the population and companies at no cost.
End to end 5G for super, superfast mobile A collaboration between NEC Electronics Samsung and several academic centres in China and Iran, is investigating how software-defined cellular networking might be used to give smart phone users the next generation of super-superfast broadband, 5G. They provide details in the International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems.
Google settles with ex-banker over online abuse Google has agreed to a settlement with a former Morgan Stanley banker who sued the search engine over defamatory Internet posts.
	Spotify prompts industry debates on streaming From board rooms in Japan to songwriter's rooms in Nashville, a debate is brewing in music industry circles about the financial and creative value of streaming music, even as its popularity and impact skyrocket.
	Denmark is world's most connected country Denmark has overtaken South Korea as the world's top country for cellphone and Internet use, a study released Monday said.
	Survey concludes Internet access should be a human right Affordable access to the Internet should be a human right, as it represents hope for political freedom and economic prosperity to many around the world, according to a survey Monday.
	Inclusive approach to comprehensive retrofitting project Cuatro de Marzo is a district in the southern part of the Spanish city of Valladolid. It is a dense residential area with 190 privately-owned dwellings, developed in 1955. The area is populated by a series of buildings of medium to poor quality, which are progressively ageing. There, the R2CITIES project, funded by the European Union, is carrying out a comprehensive retrofitting of the buildings. The project involves improving façades and implementing renewable energy systems, both measured being designed to achieve a near zero energy consumption in the district. To reach their objective, promoters are using a method that they refer to as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). This involves all the stakeholders working together from the very beginning of the process.
	Innovative new supercomputers increase nation's computational capacity and capability Tens of thousands of researchers nationwide currently harness the power of massive supercomputers to solve research problems that cannot be answered in the lab. However, studies show this represents only a fraction of the potential users of such resources.
G20 talk fest echoed on Twitter Brisbane's G20 Leaders' Summit proved a Twitter talk fest, attracting 1.02 million tweets since October 23.
	Computer to simulate harbor porpoises Researchers at Aarhus University, Denmark, use a computer model to predict the impact of new offshore wind farms on the population of harbour porpoises in the North Sea. A consortium of international energy companies has commissioned the project and funds the independent research.
	Apple teams up with (RED) to fight AIDS Apple on Monday teamed up with the (RED) campaign, founded by U2 singer Bono, to raise money to fight AIDS.
Redbox raising DVD rental rates by 25 percent Redbox is raising its DVD rental prices by 25 percent beginning next week in an effort to wring more revenue from the shrinking audience that still watches movies on the discs instead of Internet video services such as Netflix.
News Corp. invests in India real estate website News Corp. says it has invested in a real estate website in India as it tries to grow its digital business.

Medicine & Health news

	Pain in a dish: Researchers turn skin cells into pain sensing neurons After more than six years of intensive effort, and repeated failures that made the quest at times seem futile, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) and Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB) have successfully converted mouse and human skin cells into pain sensing neurons that respond to a number of stimuli that cause acute and inflammatory pain.
	Brain's reaction to virtual reality should prompt further study, suggests new research UCLA neurophysicists have found that space-mapping neurons in the brain react differently to virtual reality than they do to real-world environments. Their findings could be significant for people who use virtual reality for gaming, military, commercial, scientific or other purposes.
	Schizophrenia may be triggered by excess protein during brain development A gene associated with schizophrenia plays a role in brain development and may help to explain the biological process of the disease, according to new Rutgers research.
	Mutant protein takes babies' breath away Babies start breathing in the womb, inhaling and exhaling irregularly at first, and then gradually more and more, until the day when they're born and have to do it all the time. But premature babies sometimes have trouble. They stop breathing periodically, sometimes for 20 or 30 seconds at a time. Sometimes they're fine, and sometimes they're not, and doctors struggle to help them. That may soon change, however, thanks to a two-month-old patient at UConn Health with a rare connexin mutation, and his doctor's willingness to call for help.
	The sound of status: People know high-power voices when they hear them Being in a position of power can fundamentally change the way you speak, altering basic acoustic properties of the voice, and other people are able to pick up on these vocal cues to know who is really in charge, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
	Healthy gut microbiota can prevent metabolic syndrome, researchers say Promoting healthy gut microbiota, the bacteria that live in the intestine, can help treat or prevent metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that increases a person's risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke, according to researchers at Georgia State University and Cornell University. Their findings are published in the journal Gastroenterology.
	Motor coordination issues in autism are caused by abnormal neural connections Abnormal connections between neurons are the likely cause of motor coordination issues seen in autism spectrum disorder. Using a mouse model of autism, scientists from the University of Chicago identified a malfunctioning neural circuit associated with reduced capacity for motor learning. This appears to arise from an inability to eliminate unneeded neural connections in the brain. They report their findings Nov. 24 in Nature Communications.
	'Good fat' could help manage type 2 diabetes (Medical Xpress)—A special type of fat found in some people could be used to manage type 2 diabetes.
	New insights into how tumor-suppressing p53 binds to the human genome Scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have learned new details about how an important tumor-suppressing protein, called p53, binds to the human genome. As with many things in life, they found that context makes a big difference.
Scientists identify bone cells that could help children who need corrective facial surgery Our bones are smart. Bones know that by adolescence it's time to stop growing longer and stronger, and from that point on bones keep their shape by healing injuries.
	New research discovers gene that reduces risk of stroke Scientists have discovered a gene that protects people against one of the major causes of stroke in young and middle-aged adults and could hold the key to new treatments.
	Masking HIV target cells prevents viral transmission in animal model Cloaking immune cells with antibodies that block T cell trafficking to the gut can substantially reduce the risk of viral transmission in a non-human primate model of HIV infection, scientists report.
Excessive contact between cellular organelles disrupts metabolism in obesity Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found a novel mechanism causing type 2 diabetes that could be targeted to prevent or treat the disease. The research highlights a previously unrecognized molecular pathway that contributes to the malfunction of liver cells in obesity, leading to insulin resistance and diabetes.
	Drugs to block angiogenesis could provide new treatment for TB The body responds to tuberculosis infection by locking the bacterial offenders into tiny clusters of immune cells called granulomas, which are a hallmark of the disease. This containment strategy succeeds at first, but eventually the bacteria manage to break out of these intercellular jails and spread throughout the body.
	Team identifies new mechanism for misfolded proteins in heart disease A Jackson Laboratory research team has found that the misfolded proteins implicated in several cardiac diseases could be the result not of a mutated gene, but of mistranslations during the "editing" process of protein synthesis.
Scientists convert human skin cells into sensory neurons A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found a simple method to convert human skin cells into the specialized neurons that detect pain, itch, touch and other bodily sensations. These neurons are also affected by spinal cord injury and involved in Friedreich's ataxia, a devastating and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease that largely strikes children.
	Babies remember nothing but a good time, study says Parents who spend their time playing with and talking to their five-month-old baby may wonder whether their child remembers any of it a day later.
	Muscle relaxant may be viable treatment for Wolfram syndrome—rare form of diabetes A commonly prescribed muscle relaxant may be an effective treatment for a rare but devastating form of diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.
Adult survivors of childhood eye cancer experience few cognitive or social setbacks Most long-term survivors of retinoblastoma, particularly those who had been diagnosed with tumors by their first birthdays, have normal cognitive function as adults, according to a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study. The research, which appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer, found that the vast majority of survivors work full time, live independently and fulfill other milestones of adult life.
	Chilean moms growing support for medical marijuana Paulina Bobadilla was beyond desperate. The drugs no longer stopped her daughter's epileptic seizures and the little girl had become so numb to pain, she would tear off her own fingernails and leave her small fingers bleeding.
Scientists raise alarm that shortage of human islet cells will slow diabetes research Rohit Kulkarni, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, coauthored a paper that was published today in Diabetes, which voiced concerns about the increasing difficulty of access to high quality islet cells for diabetes research. Andrew Stewart, M.D., Director of the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute at of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, served as the other lead author.
	Possible cause discovered for failure of targeted liver cancer therapies The failure of experimental liver cancer therapies directed specifically against the EGFR protein is presumably the result of insufficiently specific patient selection. This is the conclusion that can be drawn from data that were obtained within the framework of a project carried out by an Austrian Science Fund FWF doctoral programme, and that have now been published in Nature Cell Biology. The data prove that the tumour-promoting effect of EGFR originates, not directly from its expression in the tumour cells, but rather from its presence in the surrounding cells (macrophages) of the immune system. This predicts that experimental anti-EGFR therapeutic agents will prove effective only in patients who exhibit EGFR in the immune cells. This expanded understanding of the occurrence of EGFR in macrophages now offers, however, potential new approaches for the treatment of liver cancer.
	High carriage rates of Giardia among children in a remote Indigenous community Recent research in a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory has found high carriage rates of the intestinal parasite Giardia among children. Giardia duodenalis is an enteric parasite that causes gastrointestinal disease (giardiasis) including symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting, but can lead to malnutrition and wasting among children who are constantly infected.
How can we help patients overcome MRI anxiety? Fear and anxiety about undergoing an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a very real issue among patients.
	New drugs from fish oil could aid artery repair Every year, more than a half-million Americans undergo procedures to have a narrowed coronary artery propped open with a small metal mesh tube, or stent. The procedure is common for certain patients who've experienced a heart attack or other arterial blockages, and it helps to restore blood flow.
	'Huge breakthrough' in understanding how the immune system recognises cancer US researchers have revealed the identity of molecules on the surface of cancer cells which allow the body's immune system to identify and destroy them.
	Could computers help GPs diagnose cancer early? Picture the scene. A patient visits their GP after losing weight and having chest pain that wouldn't go away.
	The risk factor – new evidence on obesity and prostate cancer Casting an eye over our cancer prevention infographic it's noticeable that there's no mention of prostate cancer. That's because, until now, researchers haven't been able to uncover much about what causes the disease, and what people can do to reduce their risk.
	Schizophrenic brains take indirect paths Analysis of the structural connectivity in the brains of 16 schizophrenia patients reveals several zones affected by the disease and their reduced network connectivity.
	Researchers connect insomnia, higher death risk A respiratory study spanning more than 40 years shows that chronic insomnia is associated with higher levels of inflammation in the blood and mortality.
	Breakthrough discovery contributes towards future treatment of multiple sclerosis and autoimmune inflammation A multi-disciplinary research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has made a breakthrough discovery of a new type of immune cells that may help in the development of a future treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).
High-dose interleukin-2 effective in mRCC pre-treated with VEGF-targeted therapies High-dose interleukin-2 can be effective in selected metastatic renal cell cancer patients pre-treated with VEGF-targeted agents, reveals research presented today at the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology in Geneva, Switzerland.
	Rise in anti-psychotic scripts for kids is a serious worry News this week that as many as 100,000 prescriptions for anti-psychotics were written for Australian children in 2013 is cause for concern. Though the drugs may be appropriate in a small number of cases, their possibly irreversible side effects make them highly undesirable for use in children.
Research centre to tackle musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace A major new research centre to tackle the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on people's ability to work has been announced by two leading medical research bodies.
	Declining loneliness among American teenagers There has been a growing concern that modern society is increasingly lonely. In 2006, a New York Times article "The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier" highlighted research that shows a decline in social engagement—people are less likely to join clubs, have fewer close friends, and are less likely to perceive others as trustworthy. However, studies have also shown an increase in extraversion and self-esteem, which suggests loneliness is decreasing.
	More aging boomers, but fewer doctors to care for them By 2030, the last of the Baby Boomer generation will have turned 65 years old, putting the population of "senior boomers" in the United States at approximately 71 million. Currently, only about 7,000 certified geriatricians – physicians specializing in the care of older adults – are practicing in the US. That's about one geriatrician for every 10,000 of these expected seniors, assuming that the number of geriatricians remains stable. However, the number of new trainees in the field of geriatrics is going down.
Study highlights under 5s at risk from broken bones Public health researchers have discovered new clues about which children under five years old are the most at risk from broken bones in childhood accidents.
Educating on sickle cell risk Members of the public in sub-Saharan Africa who are carriers of the hereditary disease sickle cell disease must be educated aggressively through public health campaigns to raise awareness of the risks of parenting offspring with the disease if their partner is also a carrier, according to research published in the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.
Developing a noninvasive test for endometriosis Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified patterns of genetic activity that can be used to diagnose endometriosis and its severity, a finding that may offer millions of women an alternative to surgery through a simple noninvasive procedure.
	Protein that rouses the brain from sleep may be target for Alzheimer's prevention A protein that stimulates the brain to awaken from sleep may be a target for preventing Alzheimer's disease, a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests.
Teens prescribed anxiety, sleep medications likelier to illegally abuse them later The medical community may be inadvertently creating a new generation of illegal, recreational drug users by prescribing anti-anxiety or sleep medications to teenagers, say University of Michigan researchers.
Threats of terrorism perceived differently depending on identification within a group People who see their group as more homogenous - for instance, the more one thinks Americans are similar to each other - are less likely to be influenced by external terrorist threat alerts, according to research from NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Cell therapy trial offers new hope to liver disease patients Liver disease patients could be helped by a new cell therapy to treat the condition.
47 dead as plague spreads to Madagascar capital (Update) Madagascar said Monday it was trying to contain an outbreak of plague—similar to the Black Death that swept medieval Europe—that has killed 47 people and is spreading to the capital Antananarivo.
	Sorting through recycling bins to learn about alcohol use When researchers wanted to verify alcohol-use survey results at a senior housing center, they came up with a novel way to measure residents' drinking: Count the empty bottles in recycling bins.
	Breaking with tradition: The 'personal touch' is key to cultural preservation "Memetics," or the study of memes, is a very popular discipline among cultural researchers now, particularly as it concerns new media like viral videos. But no one seems to know what a meme really is.
	Football players found to have brain damage from mild 'unreported' concussions A new, enhanced MRI diagnostic approach was, for the first time, able to identify significant damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of professional football players following "unreported" trauma or mild concussions. Published in the current issue of JAMA Neurology, this study could improve decision making on when an athlete should "return to play."
	Obese children burdened by more than weight High blood pressure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are two emerging health problems related to the epidemic of childhood obesity. In a recent study, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine sought to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure in children with NAFLD, which places them at risk for premature cardiovascular disease.
Experience with family verbal conflict as a child can help in stressful situations as an adult The holiday season gives people the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family each year. Sometimes these interactions can be stressful, especially around the Thanksgiving table where a heated debate can occur. How come some people are better at handling these stressful interactions than others? A recent study published in the journal Human Communication Research by researchers at Rollins College and The Pennsylvania State University found that individuals who were exposed to intense verbal aggression as children are able to handle intense conflict later in life.
Starting treatment soon after HIV infection improves immune health, study finds HIV-1-infected U.S. military members and beneficiaries treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after infection were half as likely to develop AIDS and were more likely to reconstitute their immune-fighting CD4+ T-cells to normal levels, researchers reported Nov. 24 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Study finds most older adults qualify for statin therapy under new cholesterol guidelines Nearly all individuals in their late 60s and early 70s—including 100 percent of men—now qualify for and should consider starting a statin medication to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, under the recently released cholesterol guidelines from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Ambulance risk: Advanced life support ambulances for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cost lives Lights flash, a siren wails and an ambulance races to help a person whose heart has stopped beating.
	Two studies in JAMA Pediatrics put focus on school breakfasts, lunches Schools offering Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) had higher participation in the national school breakfast program and attendance, but math and reading achievement did not differ between schools with or without BIC, according to the first study published online today by JAMA Pediatrics.
	Sleep apnea linked to poor aerobic fitness People with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea may have an intrinsic inability to burn high amounts of oxygen during strenuous aerobic exercise, according to a new study led by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
FDA strengthens warning on device linked to cancer (Update) U.S. regulators on Monday strengthened their warning against use of a once-popular device for gynecologic surgery that can spread unsuspected cancer, saying its risk is only justified in a fraction of patients.
	Important element in the fight against sleeping sickness found Researchers from Aarhus University have taken an important step in the fight against sleeping sickness, a disease that is a major problem in parts of Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease threatens approximately 60 million people and the treatment options are poor.
Study finds provider-focused intervention improves HPV vaccination rates Changing the way doctors practice medicine is difficult, however a new study has shown that combining traditional education with quality improvement and incentives improves Human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination rates in boys and girls. The study, which appears on-line in the journal Vaccine, has the potential to produce sustained improvements in these vaccination rates.
	Device controls brain activity to maximize therapy Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are trying to help patients who have suffered a stroke to improve arm movement by stimulating the brain using a device called a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS). By using TMS to reduce brain activity on the side that was not injured by the stroke, the injured side may have a better chance of recovering.
	Researchers stop 'vicious cycle of inflammation' that leads to tumor growth A team of researchers from the University of Alberta has discovered a new approach to fighting breast and thyroid cancers by targeting an enzyme they say is the culprit for the "vicious cycle" of tumour growth, spread and resistance to treatment.
	Strategies needed to encourage appropriate antibiotic selection (HealthDay)—Although primary care providers are generally familiar with guideline recommendations for antibiotic drug selection, they do not always comply with these guidelines, according to research published in the December issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases.
	Pediatricians should be involved in oral health care (HealthDay)—Pediatricians should perform oral health assessments and help maintain and restore oral health for the youngest children, according to a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published online Nov. 24 in Pediatrics.
	Adult-sized ATVs deadly for kids, report shows (HealthDay)—Santa might think twice about giving kids an all-terrain vehicle this year. Riding ATVs poses high risks of injury or death for children and teens, with dangers differing by age, a new U.S. study warns.
	Rx for better health care: Kindness and compassion (HealthDay)—Want to give health care a boost? Try a little kindness, experts say.
	Some newly insured under 'Obamacare' may have trouble finding doctors (HealthDay)—Millions of Americans bought health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act in the past year. Now, several shortcomings in the system have been discovered.
	Eczema cases rising among US children (HealthDay)—A growing number of children are being diagnosed with the allergic skin condition eczema—but it can usually be eased with topical treatments, according to a new report.
	In reperfusion era, beta-blockers have no mortality benefit in MI (HealthDay)—In the reperfusion era, β-blocker use has no mortality benefit in myocardial infarction, and patients discharged with high heart rate after myocardial infarction have increased mortality risk during the first year, according to research published in the October issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
	Meta-analysis confirms sugar-sweetened beverage, T2DM link (HealthDay)—Sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
Universal health coverage for US militar veterans within reach, but many still lack coverage Over a million US military veterans lacked healthcare coverage in 2012, according to new estimates published in The Lancet. While many people believe that all veterans are covered by the Veterans Affairs health care system, less than half (8.9 million) of the 22 million veterans in the US are covered by VA health benefits, and most veterans are covered by private health insurance. Uninsured veterans are more likely to be young, single, African American, and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
ECOWAS trains health workers to fight Ebola West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS said on Sunday it will train 150 health workers this week to help tackle the deadly Ebola disease in the worst hit countries; Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Dutch Ebola aid ship finishes West Africa tour The European Union says a Dutch aid ship is finishing its tour of the three West African countries hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic, docking in Liberia to deliver supplies including medical equipment.
	Marker polyps do not cause cancer Although serrated polyps usually are associated with colorectal cancer, it turns out that such polyps are themselves not dangerous, according to a Norwegian study released this week in BMJ Gut.
	When words fail, a highly specialized center helps patients find their voices When Erik Laurence transferred to Shanghai, China, in 2009, as vice president of a software company, he thought his biggest challenge would be improving his Mandarin-language skills and learning the nuances of the Chinese business scene. But his vocal cords, not the foreign nation, turned out to be his undoing.
UK study examines communication and end-of-life decisions For many people, talking about end-of-life decisions can be very difficult. Although making choices about health care at the end of life is an important outcome of these conversations, recent research suggests that talking about end-of-life choices with family members in a way that pays attention to how they perceive themselves and maintains your relationship with them may be more important than actually reaching decisions.
	Influenza estimated to kill about 400 New Zealanders each year New Zealand has an average of 401 influenza-associated deaths each year according to estimates published for the first time. This is an average annual mortality rate of 10.6 per 100,000 population.
	Indigenous eye health on track to close the gap The effort to close the gap in Indigenous Eye Health is well on track according to a report launched today.
Psychology professor investigates how stress affects low-income Richmond-area parents' ability to raise children Over the course of two years, Wendy Kliewer, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, surveyed more than 300 low-income female caregivers who were parenting children in the Richmond area to learn how high levels of violence, noise, crowding and other stressful factors, such as health issues, family conflicts and concerns about money, were affecting their ability to raise the children.
	Researchers develop computer games to prevent falls in the elderly A team from Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) and The University of Manchester has developed new computer games in collaboration with MIRA Rehab Limited and tested by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust's Falls Prevention Team and its patients, designed to significantly reduce the likelihood of falls at home and in the community among older people.
	Study highlights barriers homeless young people face in accessing housing A new study examining the lives and experiences of homeless young people in Ireland, carried out by the Children's Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin, adds to our understanding of homelessness by providing a detailed account of the barriers young people face accessing housing. The report, entitled Young People, Homelessness and Housing Exclusion, was recently launched by by Ms Sylda Langford, Homelessness Oversight Group member and former Director General of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Christy Burke, Lord Mayor of Dublin made the opening address at the launch.
	Liberia free of Ebola by Christmas, says president Liberia's president on Monday urged her countrymen to double their efforts to reach the government's goal of having zero new Ebola cases by Dec. 25, a target some experts have described as highly ambitious.
	New treatments for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease—you may have a pig to thank Genetically engineered pigs, minipigs, and microminipigs are valuable tools for biomedical research, as their lifespan, anatomy, physiology, genetic make-up, and disease mechanisms are more similar to humans than the rodent models typically used in drug discovery research. A Comprehensive Review article entitled "Current Progress of Genetically Engineered Pig Models for Biomedical Research," describing advances in techniques to create and use pig models and their impact on the development of novel drugs and cell and gene therapies, is published in BioResearch Open Access.
Has a possible new lead been found in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases? Good communication between brain cells is vital for optimal (mental) health. Mutations in the TBC1D24 gene inhibit this process, thereby causing neurodegeneration and epilepsy. Fruit flies with a defect in Skywalker, the fruit fly variant of TBC1D24, are being used as a model for neurodegeneration. Researchers from VIB and KU Leuven have succeeded in completely suppressing neurodegeneration in such fruit flies, by partially inhibiting the breakdown of 'defective' proteins in brain cells.
How can we help manage eating disorders? These guidelines are for the clinical management of eating disorders They are intended to provide current evidence based guidance on the assessment and treatment of people with eating disorders by psychiatrists and other health professionals in the Australian and New Zealand context and includes identifying further research needs.
Preconception care for diabetic women could potentially save $5.5 billion Pregnant women with diabetes are at an increased risk for many adverse birth outcomes. Preconception care (PCC) can significantly lower these risks by helping pregnant mothers with diabetes control their glucose levels, resulting in healthier babies and less money spent on complicated deliveries and lifelong medical complications. Effective, universal PCC for diabetic mothers could avert an estimated $5.5 billion in health expenditures and lost employment productivity over affected children's lifetimes, according to a new study published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Merck, Iowa firm sign Ebola vaccine licensing deal (Update) Merck & Co., a top creator and seller of vaccines, has joined the fight against Ebola, the often-fatal hemorrhagic virus that's been ravaging parts of West Africa for months.
Salmonella in 10 states linked to raw sprouts Raw sprouts are linked to dozens of cases of food poisoning—again.
Shared medical appointments increase contact time between women considering breast reduction and their surgeon For women considering breast reduction surgery, initial evaluation at a shared medical appointment (SMA) provides excellent patient satisfaction in a more efficient clinic visit, reports a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Study shows mental health impact of breast size differences in teens Differences in breast size have a significant mental health impact in adolescent girls, affecting self-esteem, emotional well-being, and social functioning, reports the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Afferent's P2X3 inhibitor shows 75 percent reduction in chronic cough frequency Afferent Pharmaceuticals today announced publication of results from a Phase 2 clinical trial demonstrating that the company's novel drug candidate, AF-219, reduced daytime cough frequency by 75% compared to placebo in patients with treatment-refractory chronic cough.

Biology news

	Environmental 'tipping points' key to predicting extinctions Researchers from North Carolina State University have created a model that mimics how differently adapted populations may respond to rapid climate change. Their findings demonstrate that depending on a population's adaptive strategy, even tiny changes in climate variability can create a "tipping point" that sends the population into extinction.
	Groundbreaking study compares how bat and human cells respond to viruses Why are viruses such as Ebola so dangerous to humans yet do not appear to harm the bats which transmit them? A team of scientists from the University of Bristol, UK and CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratories (AAHL) have used cutting edge techniques to comprehensively compare the response of bat and human cells to a highly dangerous bat virus.
	New device could make large biological circuits practical Researchers have made great progress in recent years in the design and creation of biological circuits—systems that, like electronic circuits, can take a number of different inputs and deliver a particular kind of output. But while individual components of such biological circuits can have precise and predictable responses, those outcomes become less predictable as more such elements are combined.
	New bird species confirmed 15 years after first observation A team led by researchers from Princeton University, Michigan State University and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences have confirmed the discovery of a new bird species more than 15 years after the elusive animal was first seen on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
	Animals steal defenses from bacteria: Microbe toxin genes have jumped to ticks, mites and other animals It's a dog eat dog world, and bacteria have been living in it for a long time. It's of no surprise that bacteria have a sophisticated arsenal to compete with each other for valuable resources in the environment. In 2010, work led by University of Washington Department of Microbiology Associate Professor Joseph Mougous uncovered a weaponry system used in this warfare between bacteria. The combatants inject deadly toxins into rival cells.
Game theory analysis shows how evolution favors cooperation's collapse Last year, University of Pennsylvania researchers Alexander J. Stewart and Joshua B. Plotkin published a mathematical explanation for why cooperation and generosity have evolved in nature. Using the classical game theory match-up known as the Prisoner's Dilemma, they found that generous strategies were the only ones that could persist and succeed in a multi-player, iterated version of the game over the long term.
Toxin targets discovered Research that provides a new understanding of how bacterial toxins target human cells is set to have major implications for the development of novel drugs and treatment strategies.
	Boy moms more social in chimpanzees Nearly four decades of observations of Tanzanian chimpanzees has revealed that the mothers of sons are about 25 percent more social than the mothers of daughters. Boy moms were found to spend about two hours more per day with other chimpanzees than the girl moms did.
	Model evaluates where bioenergy crops grow best Farmers interested in bioenergy crops now have a resource to help them determine which kind of bioenergy crop would grow best in their regions and what kind of harvest to expect.
	New mushroom discovered on campus is the first since 1985 Two researchers who recently named the first new species of mushroom from the UC Berkeley campus in more than 30 years are emphasizing the need for continued green and open space on campus, as well as a full-fledged catalog of all North American mushroom species.
New method for quickly determining antibiotic resistance Scientists from Uppsala University, the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Stockholm and Uppsala University Hospital have developed a new method of rapidly identifying which bacteria are causing an infection and determining whether they are resistant or sensitive to antibiotics. The findings are now being published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
	Scanning robot helps put insect collection online A robot capable of scanning a tray of insect specimens in a few minutes will help make the virtual images and tagging information available to the public online, according to South Dakota State University entomologist Paul Johnson, director of the Severin-McDaniel Insect Research Collection. Information is being posted on the project website, invertnet.org, as well as national and international websites.
	Autopsies from space: who killed the sea lions? A decade ago, we set out to unravel deep ocean crime scenes we weren't even sure existed. The crime? Endangered Steller sea lions were rapidly disappearing in parts of Alaska. Their numbers dropped by 80% in three decades, yet only rarely did anyone see or sample dead sea lions. Live sea lions studied in the summer when they haul out to breed seemed healthy and had healthy pups.
	Blue tits: Bad news for kids – parents do not defend their offspring at all cost Do parents defend their offspring whenever necessary, and do self-sacrificing parents really exist? To answer this question, researchers of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna examined defence behaviours of parent blue tits. They investigated whether birds would risk everything to protect their young from predators. Their conclusion: parents weigh the risks. It is not only the risk to the nestlings, but also their own risk that plays a role when defending their nests. The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
	Fiddler on the roof? Northern extension of fiddler crabs' range may be sign of climate change David Johnson was standing in a salt marsh on the northern Massachusetts coast when he saw a fiddler crab, Uca pugnax, nearly 50 miles north of its supposed natural range. The migration north of this charismatic crab with the big, waving claw may be yet another sign of climate change. Johnson, then a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) Ecosystems Center, has published his observations in the Journal of Crustacean Biology.
	Scientists solve reptile mysteries with landmark study on the evolution of turtles A team of scientists, including researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, has reconstructed a detailed "tree of life" for turtles. The specifics of how turtles are related—to one another, to other reptiles, and even to dinosaurs—have been hotly debated for decades. Next generation sequencing technologies in Academy labs have generated unprecedented amounts of genetic information for a thrilling new look at turtles' evolutionary history. These high-tech lab methods revolutionize the way scientists explore species origins and evolutionary relationships, and provide a strong foundation for future looks into Earth's fossil record.
	Can stress management help save honeybees? Honeybee populations are clearly under stress—from the parasitic Varroa mite, insecticides, and a host of other factors—but it's been difficult to pinpoint any one of them as the root cause of devastating and unprecedented losses in honeybee hives. Researchers writing in the Cell Press journal Trends in Parasitology on November 24th say that the problem likely stems from a complex and poorly understood interplay of stresses and their impact on bee immunity and health. It's a situation they suspect might be improved through stress management and better honeybee nutrition.
	Italian natural history museums on the verge of collapse? Are Italian natural history museums (NHMs) on the verge of collapse? A new analysis published in the open access journal ZooKeys points out that these institutions are facing a critical situation due to progressive loss of scientific relevance, decreasing economic investments and scarcity of personnel.
	Lionfish analysis reveals most vulnerable prey as invasion continues If you live in lionfish territory in the Atlantic Ocean, the last thing you want to be is a small fish with a long, skinny body, resting by yourself at night, near the bottom of the seafloor.
	Grasshoppers signal slow recovery of post-agricultural woodlands, study finds Sixty years ago, the plows ended their reign and the fields were allowed to return to nature—allowed to become the woodland forests they once were.
	CPR for South Coast plants Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) Flora Conservation Officer Sarah Barrett and FloraTechnical Officer Dylan Lehmann set up a display at this year's Albany Wildflower Exhibition to explain some of the methods being used to protect threatened flora species in the South Coast region.
	Primates indispensable for regeneration of tropical forests Primates can influence seed dispersal and spatial genetic kinship structure of plants that serve as their food source. This is the result of a cooperation project of behavioral ecologist Eckhard W. Heymann from the German Primate Center (DPZ) with plant geneticists Birgit Ziegenhagen and Ronald Bialozyt from the Philipps-University Marburg. This  study was funded by the German Research Foundation (Bialozyt et al., Trees, 2014).
	Bear cub found dead in Spanish Pyrenees A brown bear cub that was part of an effort to reintroduce the species to the Pyrenees mountains has been found dead on the Spanish side of the mountain range, local officials said Monday.

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