Science X Newsletter Week 47

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 47:

	Gravity may have saved the universe after the Big Bang, say researchers (Phys.org) —New research by a team of European physicists could explain why the universe did not collapse immediately after the Big Bang.
	Cannabis extract can have dramatic effect on brain cancer, says new research The new research by specialists at St George's, University of London, studied the treatment of brain cancer tumours in the laboratory and discovered that the most effective treatment was to combine active chemical components of the cannabis plant which are called cannabinoids.
	Ancient DNA sheds light on the origin of Europeans Much of the evidence of where the first Europeans came from was originally derived from comparisons of skulls but our work looking at ancient DNA is revealing new insight, with results published this month in Science.
	Comet probe 'sniffed' organic molecules, early data show Mankind's first-ever probe of a comet found traces of organic molecules and a surface much harder than imagined, scientists said Tuesday of initial sample data from robot lab Philae.
	LiquidPiston unveils quiet X Mini engine prototype LiquidPiston has a new X Mini engine which is a small 70 cubic centimeter gasoline powered "prototype. This is a quiet, four-stroke engine with near-zero vibration. The company said it can bring improvements to applications such as lawn equipment, small generators, mopeds, auxiliary power units for boats, and UAVs. The engine's improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics, said the company, will increase product performance, enhance operator comfort and prolong application life.
	LHCb experiment observes two new baryon particles never seen before (Phys.org) —Today the collaboration for the LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider announced the discovery of two new particles in the baryon family. The particles, known as the Xi_b'- and Xi_b*-, were predicted to exist by the quark model but had never been seen before. A related particle, the Xi_b*0, was found by the CMS experiment at CERN in 2012. The LHCb collaboration submitted a paper reporting the finding to Physical Review Letters.
	Spooky alignment of quasars across billions of light-years Quasars are galaxies with very active supermassive black holes at their centres. These black holes are surrounded by spinning discs of extremely hot material that is often spewed out in long jets along their axes of rotation. Quasars can shine more brightly than all the stars in the rest of their host galaxies put together.
	Were Neanderthals a sub-species of modern humans? New research says no In an extensive, multi-institution study led by SUNY Downstate Medical Center, researchers have identified new evidence supporting the growing belief that Neanderthals were a distinct species separate from modern humans (Homo sapiens), and not a subspecies of modern humans.
	NASA issues 'remastered' view of Jupiter's moon Europa (Phys.org) —Scientists have produced a new version of what is perhaps NASA's best view of Jupiter's ice-covered moon, Europa. The mosaic of color images was obtained in the late 1990s by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. This is the first time that NASA is publishing a version of the scene produced using modern image processing techniques.
	Imagination, reality flow in opposite directions in the brain As real as that daydream may seem, its path through your brain runs opposite reality.
	Mysterious glowworm found in Peruvian rainforest (Phys.org) —Wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer has discovered what appears to be a new type of bioluminescent larvae. He told members of the press recently that he was walking near a camp in the Peruvian rainforest at night a few years ago, when he came upon a side of exposed earth upon which there were many little green glowing dots. Taking a closer look, he found that each dot was in fact the glowing head of a worm of some sort. He posted pictures of what he'd found on Reddit which were eventually spotted by entomologist Aaron Pomerantz, with the Tambopata Research Center. After contacting Cremer, Pomerantz made a pilgrimage to see the worms, gathered some samples and set to work studying them. Shortly thereafter, he determined that the worms were the larvae of an unknown type of beetle, likely a type of click beetle.
	Revolutionary solar-friendly form of silicon shines Silicon is the second most-abundant element in the earth's crust. When purified, it takes on a diamond structure, which is essential to modern electronic devices—carbon is to biology as silicon is to technology. A team of Carnegie scientists led by Timothy Strobel has synthesized an entirely new form of silicon, one that promises even greater future applications. Their work is published in Nature Materials.
	Major brain pathway rediscovered after century-old confusion, controversy A couple of years ago a scientist looking at dozens of MRI scans of human brains noticed something surprising. A large, fiber pathway that seemed to be part of the network of connections that process visual information showed up on the scans, but the researcher couldn't find it mentioned in any of the modern-day anatomy textbooks he had.
	BICEP2 all over again? Researchers place Higgs boson discovery in doubt At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe, faster is better. Faster means more powerful particle collisions and looking deeper into the makeup of matter. However, other researchers are proclaiming not so fast. LHC may not have discovered the Higgs Boson, the boson that imparts mass to everything, the god particle as some have called it. While the Higgs Boson discovery in 2012 culminated with the awarding in December 2013 of the Nobel Prize to Peter Higgs and François Englert, a team of researchers has raised these doubts about the Higgs Boson in their paper published in the journal Physical Review D.
	Research suggests intermittent fasting provides health benefits (Medical Xpress)—Intermittently restricting food intake could help prevent obesity and associated diseases prevalent in modern society, according to an analysis by Mark P. Mattson of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore and colleagues. The researchers, who also included the BBC's Michael Mosley, a proponent of the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet, reviewed previous studies on intermittent fasting and concluded that this eating pattern could be healthier than eating three meals per day or eating at will. The review appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Triclosan, a common antimicrobial in personal hygiene products, causes liver fibrosis and cancer in mice Triclosan is an antimicrobial commonly found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and many other household items. Despite its widespread use, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report potentially serious consequences of long-term exposure to the chemical. The study, published Nov. 17 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that triclosan causes liver fibrosis and cancer in laboratory mice through molecular mechanisms that are also relevant in humans.
	Elusive dark matter may be detected with GPS satellites The everyday use of a GPS device might be to find your way around town or even navigate a hiking trail, but for two physicists, the Global Positioning System might be a tool in directly detecting and measuring dark matter, so far an elusive but ubiquitous form of matter responsible for the formation of galaxies.
	Simon's algorithm run on quantum computer for the first time—faster than on standard computer (Phys.org) —A team of researchers working in South Africa has reported that they've successfully run Simon's algorithm on a quantum computer for the first time. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, the team describes how they ran the algorithm, the results they found and what doing so means for the future of quantum computing.
	Startup creates VetiGel, a plant based polymer that seals wounds in seconds (Medical Xpress)—Brooklyn based startup Suneris has developed a plant based polymer called VetiGel that can be used to seal virtually any type of wound in just 15 to 20 seconds, potentially saving lives—cofounded by Joe Landolina, who is now the CEO of the company, the gel is already being used by veterinarians to treat animal wounds.
	Sun's rotating 'magnet' pulls lightning towards UK (Phys.org) —The Sun may be playing a part in the generation of lightning strikes on Earth by temporarily 'bending' the Earth's magnetic field and allowing a shower of energetic particles to enter the upper atmosphere.

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