Science X Newsletter Friday, Jul 3

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 3, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Polymer mold makes perfect silicon nanostructures
- A social-network illusion that makes things appear more popular than they are
- Brain folding related to surface area and thickness, not number of neurons
- Radioisotope studies show the continental crust formed 3 billion years ago
- SemanticPaint system labels environment quickly online
- Old World monkey had tiny, complex brain
- Romeo and Juliet roles for banded mongooses
- Hubble view: Wolf-Rayet stars, intense and short-lived
- Say it with light: Using LEDs to move data faster
- Making waves with groundbreaking brain research
- Advances in robots needed to explore icy moons
- Solar-powered plane lands in Hawaii after flight from Japan (Update)
- REM sleep critical for young brain development; medication interferes
- A 'movie' of ultrafast rotating molecules at a hundred billion per second
- Research clarifies the physics of water repelling surfaces

Astronomy & Space news

	Russian supply ship launched to International Space Station A Russian booster rocket on Friday successfully launched an unmanned cargo ship to the International Space Station, whose crew is anxiously awaiting it after the successive failures of two previous supply missions.
	Light echo helps researchers map out parts of galaxy Thousands of years before humans invented agriculture, a bright burst of X-rays left the dense neutron star Circinus X-1, located in the faint Southern constellation Circinus. A year and a half ago, those X-rays were detected by the International Space Station, prompting a team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin, Madison's Sebastian Heinz to investigate the source.
	New Horizons color images reveal two distinct faces of Pluto New color images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft show two very different faces of the mysterious dwarf planet, one with a series of intriguing spots along the equator that are evenly spaced. Each of the spots is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) in diameter, with a surface area that's roughly the size of the state of Missouri.
	Hubble view: Wolf-Rayet stars, intense and short-lived This NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope picture shows a galaxy named SBS 1415+437 (also called SDSS CGB 12067.1), located about 45 million light-years from Earth. SBS 1415+437 is a Wolf-Rayet galaxy, a type of star-bursting galaxy with an unusually high number of extremely hot and massive stars known as Wolf-Rayet stars.
	Advances in robots needed to explore icy moons In December 2013, researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope announced they had found evidence of a water plume emanating from Europa's surface.
NASA tests nonstick aircraft wing coatings that let bug juice slide Keeping bug guts off airplanes is a NASA's mission. Insect "residue" splattering on the wings of big aircraft as they take off is a real problem looking for a serious solution.
	NASA image: Stellar sparklers that last While fireworks only last a short time here on Earth, a bundle of cosmic sparklers in a nearby cluster of stars will be going off for a very long time. NGC 1333 is a star cluster populated with many young stars that are less than 2 million years old—a blink of an eye in astronomical terms for stars like these expected to burn for billions of years.
	NASA image: Curiosity's stars and stripes This view of the American flag medallion on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 44th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 19, 2012). The flag is one of four "mobility logos" placed on the rover's mobility rocker arms.
	Crash test assesses plane emergency locator transmitters The Cessna 172 airplane dangled 82 feet in the air – looking almost like it was coming in for a landing, except for the cables attaching it to a huge gantry at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
	NASA's reliance on outsourcing launches causes a dilemma for the space agency The spectacular failure of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last week underscores a growing problem for NASA: its reliance on private companies and Russia in order to launch many of its crucial missions.

Technology news

	SemanticPaint system labels environment quickly online Ten researchers from University of Oxford, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Stanford, and Nankai University have presented a new approach to 3D scene understanding with a system which they dubbed SemanticPaint. "Our system offers a new way of capturing, labeling and learning semantic models, all in an online manner." The key word is online.
	A social-network illusion that makes things appear more popular than they are A trio of researchers at the University of California has uncovered a social-network illusion that might explain why some things become popular in cyberspace while others do not. Kristina Lerman, Xiaoran Yan and Xin-Zeng Wu have written a paper describing the illusion and how it works and have posted it on the preprint server arXiv.
	Encryption made easier: Just talk like a parent Encrypting emails can be tedious, difficult and very confusing. And even for those who have mastered the process, it's useless unless the intended recipient has the correct software to decode the message. A Georgia Institute of Technology researcher has created an easier method – one that sounds familiar to parents who try to outsmart their 8-year-old child. The new technique gets rid of the complicated, mathematically generated messages that are typical of encryption software. Instead, the method transforms specific emails into ones that are vague by leaving out key words.
	Solar panels that protect themselves in high temperatures Smart materials are revolutionizing solar thermal collectors. A team of researchers from EPFL has developed a coating that is capable of absorbing heat as well as repelling it. Invisible to the naked eye, this process particularly prevents the over-production of energy and overheating of facilities.
	Say it with light: Using LEDs to move data faster It's like using fiber optics to communicate – only without the fiber.
	Solar-powered plane lands in Hawaii after flight from Japan (Update) A plane powered by the sun's rays landed in Hawaii Friday after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan.
	Yahoo tests using Google search skills Yahoo said on Thursday that it is testing letting Google put its online search skills to work at some of its online properties.
	Google 'campuses' give tech startups room to flourish In a nod to its humble beginning in the garage of a Silicon Valley house, Google is building "campuses" around the world intended as fertile ground where entrepreneurs can flourish.
	Facebook tests video ads in budding YouTube challenge Facebook on Thursday confirmed that it is dabbling in video ads and sharing revenue with content creators, in a move that would compete with Google-owned YouTube.
	Cuba's new wifi hotspots attract eager users Near the popular Hotel Habana Libre in Cuba's capital, a gaggle of young people on cellphones, tablets and laptops log onto the new wifi hotspot—a small milestone in one of the least connected countries.
Company town? In Seattle, some fret over Amazon's growth Seattle, notorious for boom-and-bust cycles stretching back to the 19th century Alaska gold rush, is booming once again.
	Five properties of physics that affect your gas mileage Physics is inescapable. It's everywhere, making your Frisbees fly, your toilets flush and your pasta water boil at a lower temperature at altitude. We've harnessed these forces, along with chemistry and engineering, to build a marvelous contraption called a car—but many of the same properties that allow you to fly along the freeway also affect how much gas mileage you get out of your car. We talked to Argonne transportation engineer Steve Ciatti to explore some of the forces at work in your engine when it's on the road.
	Uber suspends low-cost service in France amid legal pressure Uber is suspending its low-cost ride-hailing service in France, hoping to defuse an escalating legal dispute and sometimes-violent tensions with traditional French taxi drivers.
	Hacking the food chain, Silicon Valley style A wave of Silicon Valley-style disruption is hitting the food industry.
	Dutch team reveals 'energy-positive' family car The Solar Team Eindhoven (STE) student team from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, The Netherlands) today presents its new solar-powered car. Stella Lux is an intelligent, solar-powered family car that generates more power than it uses.
	Virtual reality tech may make 'going shopping' in real life a thing of the past High street shops are well-established online these days and provide new opportunities for interaction between shop and shopper. Consumers have become accustomed to shopping using a range of devices and the immense popularity of smartphones and mobile devices has led to the rise of mobile or m-retailing, with new communication and distribution channels created with these in mind. Perhaps this mix of the real and online worlds are helpful precursors for what may be the "next big thing": virtual reality shopping.
	New lithium ion battery is safer, tougher, and more powerful Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are a huge technological advancement from lead acid batteries which have existed since the late 1850's. Thanks to their low weight, high energy density and slower loss of charge when not in use, LIBs have become the preferred choice for consumer electronics. Lithium-ion cells with cobalt cathodes hold twice the energy of a nickel-based battery and four-times that of lead acid. Despite being a superior consumer battery, LIBs still have some drawbacks. Current manufacturing technology is reaching the theoretical energy density limit for LIBs and overheating leading to thermal runaway i.e. "venting with flame" is a serious concern.
	Tech review: Nikon's P900 takes the term 'super zoom' to a new level Not too many people know I went to college to become a newspaper photographer.
Snapchat deletes a distinctive feature and makes it easier to add friends Snapchat is removing a cumbersome feature and making it easier to add friends on its app.
Shyp reclassifies contract couriers as employees Shyp, the quickly growing startup that provides on-demand courier services, said Wednesday it would reclassify its contract workers as employees, becoming the latest high-profile tech company to change how it compensates its workforce.
Banjo's ability to track events in real time gives clients competitive edge A dozen massive television screens hang inside Banjo's war room in a nondescript office park here beaming streams of social media data, 24-hour news networks and an animated, spinning globe highlighting hot spots of activity around the world.
	Virtual reality offers promise and problems In recent months, I've seen a Tyrannosaurus rex stomp right toward me in a museum hallway and got to experience being Stanford's quarterback.
Can NextRadio app help make radio relevant for a digital audience? After Apple Inc. announced a new music app that will use people to create real-time song playlists, HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher joked that the company should be congratulated for "inventing radio."
Russian parliament votes to adopt controversial privacy law Lawmakers in the Russian parliament on Friday voted for a bill forcing online search engines to remove search results about a specific person at that person's request.
	GHOST: Technology that leaps out of the screen Exciting new technologies, which allow users to change the shape of displays with their hands, promise to revolutionise the way we interact with smartphones, laptops and computers. Imagine pulling objects and data out of the screen and playing with these in mid-air.
Best Buy rolls out mini-shops for Samsung appliances Best Buy's alliance with Samsung is getting even deeper.

Medicine & Health news

	Brain folding related to surface area and thickness, not number of neurons (Medical Xpress)—A pair of researchers with Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro has found that the degree of folding of mammalian brains follows a simple mathematical relationship. In their paper published in the journal Science, Bruno Mota and Suzana Herculano-Houzel describe how they came up with the math and its implications regarding the developmental and evolutionary origins of brain folding. George Striedter and Shyam Srinivasan with the University of California offer a Commentary piece on the work done by the duo in the same journal issue.
	Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis shows encouraging trial results A therapy that replaces the faulty gene responsible for cystic fibrosis in patients' lungs has produced encouraging results in a major UK trial.
	Could insulin pills prevent diabetes? Big study seeks answer For nearly a century, insulin has been a life-saving diabetes treatment. Now scientists are testing a tantalizing question: What if pills containing the same medicine patients inject every day could also prevent the disease?
	Making waves with groundbreaking brain research New research by Jason Gallivan and Randy Flanagan suggests that when deciding which of several possible actions to perform, the human brain plans multiple actions simultaneously prior to selecting one of them to execute.
	REM sleep critical for young brain development; medication interferes Rapid eye movement or REM sleep actively converts waking experiences into lasting memories and abilities in young brains reports a new study from Washington State University Spokane.
	Millions of children's lives saved through low-cost investments More than 34 million children's lives have been saved since 2000 because of investments in child health programs at a cost of as little as $4,205 per child, according to a new analysis in The Lancet.
	How to avoid July Fourth allergy flare-ups Fireworks, picnics and parades are favorite Fourth of July traditions for many people, but for those with allergies or asthma these activities could be uncomfortable or even dangerous.
	Summer danger: BBQ grill brush wires causing big health woes (HealthDay)—Before you bite into that burger on Independence Day, you might want to ask the chef whether a rusty old grill brush was used to clean the barbecue.
	Many Americans trying to cut their salt intake: CDC (HealthDay)—Worried about links between high daily salt intake, high blood pressure and stroke, half of American adults questioned in a recent poll say they've tried to cut back on sodium.
	Americans' risk of dying from cancer is falling, CDC finds (HealthDay)—The risk that any one American will die from cancer—the cancer death rate—is going down, regardless of sex or race, a new government study reports.
	Prescription drug monitoring programs offer multiple benefits (HealthDay)—Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), frequently utilized by emergency medicine physicians and designed to help identify patients who "doctor shop" for prescriptions, are used to guide clinical decisions and opioid prescribing, as well as to facilitate discussions and provide patient education. The findings were published in the June issue of Pain Medicine.
	Asian-language smoking quitline successful nationwide (HealthDay)—An Asian-Language Smokers Quitline (ASQ) reaches Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese speakers nationwide, and most callers receive medication and counseling, according to a study published online June 25 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
	Health professionals may view family-witnessed CPR negatively (HealthDay)—Jordanian health care professionals are against family-witnessed resuscitation in adult critical care settings, according to a study published online June 22 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
	Spicy treatment the answer to aggressive cancer? It has been treasured by food lovers for thousands of years for its rich golden colour, peppery flavour and mustardy aroma…and now turmeric may also have a role in fighting cancer.
Supercharging stem cells to create new therapies Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered a new method for culturing stem cells which sees the highly therapeutic cells grow faster and stronger.
	Americans embrace positive feelings, while Chinese prefer a balance European Americans prefer positive feelings over negative ones while Chinese tend to experience a balance between the two, new Stanford research shows.
	Lyme disease subverts immune system, prevents future protection The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are able to trick an animal's immune system into not launching a full-blown immune response or developing lasting immunity to the disease, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.
	Feeling impulsive or frustrated? Take a nap Taking a nap may be an effective strategy to counteract impulsive behavior and to boost tolerance for frustration, according to a University of Michigan study.
Shoppers confused by 'traffic light' food labels, says study Nutritional labels on food packaging are confusing to consumers and may be hindering attempts to promote healthy diets and reduce obesity, according to a new study from the University of Birmingham.
New treatments urgently needed for rare, disfiguring and painful skin condition The first major scientific study into a rare, disfiguring inflammatory skin condition has shown that current standard treatments are not good enough and in half the cases offers no real hope of recovery for patients. Experts say new treatments have to be developed as a matter of urgency.
	What makes a good horror movie? Like them or hate them horror films are big business and a string of new horror films are hitting the big screen this year. But what creates the intensity of suspense? And was Alfred Hitchcock – the master of suspense - right?
	It takes a special kind of cyclist to win the Tour de France The Tour de France is the world's most famous cycling competition, and not just for its sheer length or stunningly picturesque vistas. The Tour captures our attention because the diversity among its 21 gruelling stages pushes its participants to their very limits in ways that other cycling competitions do not.
New test could predict arthritis drug failure in patients A study of 311 patients by The University of Manchester has found that it may be possible to predict early which rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients will fail to respond to the biologic drugs given to treat them. These findings could help better manage patients' symptoms.
	Many new teen drivers 'crash' in simulated driving task (HealthDay)—Around four in 10 newly licensed teen drivers "crashed" in a simulated driving test, suggesting that many adolescents lack the skills they need to stay safe on the road, according to a new study.
	Noise from fireworks threatens young ears (HealthDay)—The Fourth of July weekend is a time for celebrations and beautiful fireworks displays. But, parents do need to take steps to protect their children's ears from loud fireworks, a hearing expert cautions.
	WATCHMAN heart device gives patients alternative to blood thinners and reduces stroke risk MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute now offers patients with irregular heart rhythm a minimally invasive option to reduce the risk of stroke, as well as enable stopping long-term use of blood thinning medication. Physicians at MedStar Heart at MedStar Washington Hospital Center were the first in the Washington metropolitan region to successfully implant the WATCHMAN Device on June 16 in two patients with atrial fibrillation (A-fib). Four more patients are scheduled for July 7.
One death reported from salmonella outbreak at US restaurant State health officials say one person has died in connection with a salmonella outbreak at a North Carolina barbecue restaurant.
Studies confirm regorafenib benefit in pre-treated metastatic colorectal cancer The phase IIIb CONSIGN study has confirmed the benefit of regorafenib in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), researchers announced at the ESMO 17th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer 2015 in Barcelona.(1) The safety profile and progression free survival were similar to phase III trial results.
Thailand's only known MERS patient is virus-free A 75-year-old Omani man who became Thailand's only known case of the often-deadly MERS virus was declared free of the illness by the Health Ministry on Friday.
Cholera deaths in South Sudan rise, thousands at risk: UN At least 29 people have died in a cholera outbreak in war-torn South Sudan with thousands more at risk of infection, the United Nations said Friday.
	Insurer Aetna to buy Humana in $35B deal Aetna will spend about $35 billion to buy rival Humana and become the latest health insurer bulking up on government business as the industry adjusts to the federal health care overhaul.
Tests rule out MERS in Czech tour guide (Update) Tests have ruled out the potentially fatal MERS virus in a Czech tour guide hospitalised in Prague, the health minister said Friday.
Documenting how dementia sufferers benefit from GPS A brand new study of 200 dementia sufferers in Norway reveals that almost all experience greater peace of mind and increased levels of physical activity using GPS devices.
	Liberia works to contain Ebola, find source of new cases Liberia is working hard to contain Ebola and find the source of the latest infections of the deadly virus recorded this week.

Biology news

	Romeo and Juliet roles for banded mongooses Banded mongooses take extraordinary risks to ensure that they find the right mate.
	Seafaring spiders depend on their 'sails' and 'anchors' Spiders travel across water like ships, using their legs as sails and their silk as an anchor, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. The study helps explain how spiders are able to migrate across vast distances and why they are quick to colonise new areas.
	Heaven scent: Finding may help restore fragrance to roses Shakespeare said a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. In fact, many kinds of roses today have little fragrance. But a new discovery might change that.
	Researchers discover new mechanism of DNA repair The DNA molecule is chemically unstable giving rise to DNA lesions of different nature. That is why DNA damage detection, signaling and repair, collectively known as the DNA damage response, are needed.
Infection with Wolbachia bacteria curbs fighting among fruit flies Male fruit flies infected with the bacterium, Wolbachia, are less aggressive than those not infected, according to research published in the July Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. This is the first time bacteria have been shown to influence aggression, said corresponding author Jeremy C. Brownlie, PhD, Deputy Head, School of Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
	Stopping Candida in its tracks Scientists are one step closer to understanding how a normally harmless fungus changes to become a deadly infectious agent.
	Rumors of southern pine deaths have been exaggerated, researchers say Researchers at the University of Georgia have a message for Southern tree farmers worried about unexplainable pine tree deaths: Don't panic.
	Yellowstone loses radio frequencies used to track wildlife Researchers at Yellowstone National Park have lost their license for a set of radio frequencies used to track more than 100 radio-collared wolves and elk.
	Cuban, US scientists bond over big sharks Somewhere in the North Atlantic right now, a longfin mako shark—a cousin of the storied great white—is cruising around, oblivious to the yellow satellite tag on its dorsal fin.
	Rope-chewing technique an easy way to screen monkeys for disease A noninvasive technique involving strawberry jam and a piece of rope is helping surveillance for diseases that might jump from monkeys to humans according to a study from the University of California, Davis.
	High UV sensitivity in hooded seal eyes improves polar bear detection Researchers have shown that hooded seals native to the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic have eyes that are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light, enabling them to spot polar bears that would usually be camouflaged as UV is reflected by snow and ice but absorbed by white fur.
	Early exposure to cat urine makes mice less likely to escape from cats Mice that are exposed to the powerful smell of cat urine early in life do not escape from cats later in life. Researchers at the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russia, have discovered that mice that smell cat urine early in life, do not avoid the same odour, and therefore do not escape from their feline predators, later in life.
The math of shark skin "Sharks are almost perfectly evolved animals. We can learn a lot from studying them," says Emory mathematician Alessandro Veneziani.

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