Science X Newsletter Monday, Jul 13

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 13, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Clever cloaks: Unique metamaterials preserve phase while guiding surface waves around ultrasharp corners and bumps
- New fossils show ancient comb jellies had skeleton parts
- Best of Last Week – New definition of time crystals, new images of Pluto and the mechanism that causes neuropathic pain
- Scientists study how memory patterns propagate in the hippocampus
- Nanoscale device that can emit light as powerfully as an object 10,000 times its size
- Air travel and climate: A potential new feedback?
- Researcher devises method to untangle, analyze 'controlled chaos'
- Fat fish illuminate human obesity: Binge-eating cavefish share mutated gene with some obese people
- Gene fuels age-related obesity and diabetes
- Rice tests wireless data delivery over active TV channels
- Baby's first stool can alert doctors to future cognitive issues, new study finds
- Little Pluto bigger than scientists thought as flyby looms
- Researchers identify a novel disease gene causing neurodegenerative disorders
- Brain study reveals insights into genetic basis of autism
- New cell division mechanism discovered

Astronomy & Space news

	Hubble looks at stunning spiral This little-known galaxy, officially named J04542829-6625280, but most often referred to as LEDA 89996, is a classic example of a spiral galaxy. The galaxy is much like our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
	Curiosity Mars rover tracks sunspots While busily investigating bedrock types on Mars' Mount Sharp and preparing for a drill test, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has also been looking up frequently to monitor sunspots on the face of the sun that is turned away from Earth.
	Little Pluto bigger than scientists thought as flyby looms Little Pluto is a little bigger than anyone imagined.
	NASA counts down to nail-biter Pluto flyby (Update) An unmanned NASA spacecraft hurtling into the unknown will make a close shave past Pluto on Tuesday, offering scientists a close glimpse of the dwarf planet's surface for the first time.
	SOHO image: Here comes the sun The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has been watching the Sun for almost 20 years. In that time it has seen solar activity ramp up and die down repeatedly. Its Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope has taken images of the resulting waxing and waning of the Sun's corona – its atmosphere – that are impossible to record from the ground.
	NASA's OSIRIS-REx passes another review The first U.S. mission to return a sample from an asteroid is readying itself to take on the complex operations necessary for its journey in space. NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission passed a key milestone last month by completing a Mission Operations Review (MOR).
	Pluto and its collision-course place in our solar system There are just hours to go now before the New Horizons Spacecraft will tear past Pluto on Tuesday July 14 (about 10pm AEST), giving us our first closeup view of the enigmatic dwarf planet.
	SMAP team investigating radar instrument anomaly Mission managers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, are assessing an anomaly with the radar instrument on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite observatory. The radar is one of two science instruments on SMAP used to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed.
	Pluto's time to shine just hours away – a guide and timetable Countdown to discovery! Not since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune in 1989 have we flung a probe into the frozen outskirts of the Solar System. Speeding along at 30,800 miles per hour New Horizons will pierce the Pluto system like a smartly aimed arrow.
	Is there life on Pluto? First discovered in 1930, Pluto was considered to be the ninth planet in our Solar System for many decades. And though its status has since been downgraded to that of a dwarf planet, thanks to the discovery of Eris in 2004, Pluto continues to fascinate and intrigue astronomers.
	U.Va. scientists expect to witness the unexpected as New Horizons flies by Pluto When the spacecraft New Horizons left Earth more than nine years ago on a 3-billion-mile journey to the outer solar system, Pluto, its primary target, was still a planet.

Technology news

	High-power acoustic sensor developed to detect stowaways New technology has been developed to address the illegal movement across borders of people hidden in containers. SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, in comments about today's technology efforts, said the ability to see inside sealed cargo was important. "With 200 million shipping containers being moved around the world annually, fast and effective ways of scanning the cargo are needed." They said that "Sensing through the walls of metal cargo containers can be done with gamma rays, however this is not safe when considering the possibility of people being stowed away inside these containers as a means of travel." They said that "The only current technology that can safely sense people behind the metal walls is acoustic."
	Better than friends? This robot gives undivided attention I'm Japanese and so I'm a sucker for cute things, like manga, quirky figurines and mascot characters. And Pepper, the new companion robot from Tokyo-based technology company Softbank Corp., delivers cuteness like you've never seen.
	Rice tests wireless data delivery over active TV channels Rice University engineers have demonstrated the first system that allows wireless data transmissions over UHF channels during active TV broadcasts. If the technology were incorporated into next-generation TVs or smart remotes, it could significantly expand the reach of so-called "super Wi-Fi" networks in urban areas.
Lung simulation could improve respiratory treatment The first computer model that predicts the flow of liquid medication in human lungs is providing new insight into the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
	Bioethanol from waste gases facility plan in Europe announced Three companies announced they have entered into a letter of intent to build Europe's first commercial-scale production facility to create bioethanol from waste gases produced during the steelmaking process. The announcement said the bioethanol can cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 80 per cent compared with conventional fossil fuels.
Review: Apple Music impresses a subscription skeptic I've never been a fan of subscription music services, but Apple Music might make me change my mind.
	Robots under test for oil and gas rig duty A robot building on ESA's ExoMars rover is bidding to win a place on oil and gas production rigs around the world, to work in remote and hazardous environments.
	Is cyberjacking a new threat to air travel? When Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished en route to Beijing in March 2014, the horror and mystery of the story captivated the public. And as with any mystery, the lack of a definitive answer left a void for speculation and conspiracy theories. Was the aircraft shot down? Was it hijacked and flown to an unknown location? Was the plane's computer system somehow hacked allowing it to be controlled remotely?
	The Hacking Team and their industry thrive on a climate of fear that they help create In what has been labelled as poetic justice by some, the Hacking Team, an Italian company that sells mass computer and mobile device surveillance software has itself been hacked. The alleged hackers, tweeting as Phineas Fisher, uploaded 500GB of internal files stolen from the Hacking Team's systems and made them publicly available.
	Nanoscale film assesses engine oil Perth motorists could save on the cost of running their car thanks to an Edith Cowan University invention.
	Elon Musk's high-speed Hyperloop train makes more sense for Mars than California Ever wanted to ride to work in a screaming roller-coaster gun? If your answer was yes: good news!
	Using drones for better crops A study carried out by researchers from Robotics and Cybernetics Research Group (RobCib) at Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR) has used a drone to measure the temperature, humidity, luminosity and carbon dioxide concentration in a greenhouse. The capacity of an aerial vehicle to move in three-dimensional space and to place the sensor at any point have clear advantages over other alternatives such as the sensor networks. Thus, the use of this technology can help improve the climate control systems and monitor crops.
	Where do most of the Internet users live? Dr Mark Graham and Dr Ralph Straumann, researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, have created a global map showing the total number of Internet users in different countries.
	Microsoft to launch Windows 10 on July 29 Microsoft will launch Windows 10 on July 29.
New Comcast online video service for its Internet customers (Update) Comcast, the country's largest cable company, is offering its own online video alternative as people spend fewer hours watching live TV and more time using tablets and phones for entertainment.
	Tripadvisor escapes fine in Italy over fake reviews An Italian court overturned Monday a 500,000-euro ($550,000) fine slapped on TripAdvisor for failing to warn users that some opinions posted on the popular hotel and restaurant review website may be fakes.
3-D printers poised to have major implications for food manufacturing The use of 3D printers has the potential to revolutionize the way food is manufactured within the next 10 to 20 years, impacting everything from how military personnel get food on the battlefield to how long it takes to get a meal from the computer to your table, according to a July 12th symposium at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.
	Microsoft plans celebratory debut of Windows 10 Microsoft on Monday announced plans for a celebratory debut this month of Windows 10 operating software designed to spread the US software titan's offerings across a broad range of devices.
	Nintendo's Iwata who led through successes, woes dies at 55 Satoru Iwata, who led Japanese video game company Nintendo Co. through years of growth with its Pokemon and Super Mario franchises, has died after a lengthy illness, drawing a flood of emotional tributes from game fans and industry rivals, the company said Monday. He was 55.
	Dutch team's electric car wins Formula Student for second year in a row A team of 60 engineering students from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) has stormed to victory at this year's Institution of Mechanical Engineers' Formula Student competition.
	Smooth videos from airborne TV-cameras TU Wien and the company Dynamic Perspective develop an advanced camera suspension system, actively controlled to deliver pin sharp videos from dynamic aerial viewpoints.

Medicine & Health news

	Scientists study how memory patterns propagate in the hippocampus (Phys.org)—Studying patterns of neuronal activity is difficult, and in the absence of in vivo data, scientists have relied on theoretical models to establish likely processes in the brain. In 1982, scientist John Hopfield proposed a framework for a recurrent artificial neural network, since named the Hopfield network. It describes an associative memory system comprising recurrently excitable neurons that store discrete memory patterns—these patterns are "attractors" to which partial patterns always converge, a process called autoassociation.
	Fat fish illuminate human obesity: Binge-eating cavefish share mutated gene with some obese people Blind cavefish that have adapted to annual cycles of starvation and binge-eating have mutations in the gene MC4R, the same gene that is mutated in certain obese people with insatiable appetites, according to a new study led by Harvard Medical School geneticists.
	Early lead exposure affects gene expression throughout life A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University biologists Cathrine Hoyo and Randy Jirtle have found links between lead exposure in children and epigenetic alterations in regulatory regions of genes that are imprinted and known to be critical in growth regulation and brain development. These alterations seem to persist into adulthood, with more profound effects in males. Their study sheds more light on the long-term effects of early lead exposure on DNA and may help to develop therapies to treat or reverse the damage.
	Sleep loss makes memories less accessible in stressful situations It is known that sleep facilitates the formation of long-term memory in humans. In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University now show that sleep does not only help form long-term memory but also ensures access to it during times of cognitive stress.
	A likely new contributor to age-related hearing loss found Conventional wisdom has long blamed age-related hearing loss almost entirely on the death of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, but research from neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins has provided new information about the workings of nerve cells that suggests otherwise.
	Skin cancer marker plays critical role in tumor growth New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that the protein keratin 17 - the presence of which is used in the lab to detect and stage various types of cancers - is not just a biomarker for the disease, but may play a critical role in tumor growth.
	Scientists find molecular switch that creates long-term immunity Melbourne researchers have identified a protein responsible for preserving the antibody-producing cells that lead to long-term immunity after infection or vaccination.
	Learning impacts how the brain processes what we see From the smell of flowers to the taste of wine, our perception is strongly influenced by prior knowledge and expectations, a cognitive process known as top-down control.
	Brain study reveals insights into genetic basis of autism UNSW Australia scientists have discovered a link between autism and genetic changes in some segments of DNA that are responsible for switching on genes in the brain.
	Researchers identify a novel disease gene causing neurodegenerative disorders Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) have discovered and characterized a previously unknown disease gene linked to the degeneration of optic and peripheral nerve fibers. The study titled "Mutations in SLC25A46, encoding a UGO1-like protein, cause an optic atrophy spectrum disorder" is published in the journal Nature Genetics.
	Baby's first stool can alert doctors to future cognitive issues, new study finds A newborn's first stool can signal the child may struggle with persistent cognitive problems, according to Case Western Reserve University Project Newborn researchers.
Is upward mobility bad for your health? Youth from low-income families who succeed academically and socially may actually pay a price—with their health—according to a new Northwestern University study.
	Nutrients turn on key tumor signaling molecule, fueling resistance to cancer therapy, study shows Tumors can leverage glucose and another nutrient, acetate, to resist targeted therapies directed at specific cellular molecules, according to Ludwig Cancer Research scientists studying glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.
	Stem cells provide lasting pain relief in mice Chronic pain caused by the nerve damage of type 2 diabetes, surgical amputation, chemotherapy and other conditions is especially intractable because it resists painkilling medications.
	Gene fuels age-related obesity and diabetes Practically everyone gets fatter as they get older, but some people can blame their genes for the extra padding. Researchers have shown that two different mutations in a gene called ankyrin-B cause cells to suck up glucose faster than normal, fattening them up and eventually triggering the type of diabetes linked to obesity.
Cancer survivors may face unique challenges when trying to adopt A new study has found that cancer survivors' options for adoption may be limited by adoption agencies' policies. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also indicates that a training program for oncology healthcare providers can help them provide valuable information to patients who are making decisions about fertility and adoption.
	Nixoncare vs. Obamacare: Comparing the rhetoric and reality of two health plans Few people today would dare call President Richard Nixon a radical liberal. But 44 years ago, he proposed a health plan that went far beyond what today's Affordable Care Act includes. After the first plan failed, he did it again three years later.
	Immune cell journey has bloody consequences Immune cells that creep across blood vessels trigger potentially fatal bleeding in platelet-deficient mice, according to a report published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. If the same is true in humans, blocking the passage of these cells could prevent dangerous complications in patients undergoing transplants or chemotherapy.
Ultrasound accelerates skin healing—especially for diabetics and the elderly Healing times for skin ulcers and bedsores can be reduced by a third with the use of low-intensity ultrasound, scientists from the University of Sheffield and University of Bristol have found.
	New surgical technique preserves kidney function following tumour removal Renal cell carcinomas are one of the most common types of cancer. In order to preserve its wide range of functions, every effort is made not to remove the entire kidney, but rather just a portion of it. A surgical method that preserves long-term renal function has now been carried out successfully for the first time in the Department of Urology at the MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital.
Adverse effects of clinical trial data transparency – should we worry? New legislation forces drug developers to disclose most of their clinical trials data when applying for approval of a new drug. Many will probably think that this is a good idea. However, too much transparency in drug development might be problematic, according to Timo Minssen, researcher at the University of Copenhagen. He warns that the new regulations might make it difficult for companies to patent new medical uses for known drugs. Without sufficient alternatives, this may inhibit the full development of new medical uses towards market approval.
	Infants develop feelings about those who are like them and different from them at an early age Though it may not always be obvious, babies frequently make social decisions about other people. They prefer some people over others. They like people who are similar to them, such as speakers of the same language. And they are drawn to social individuals over antisocial ones.
	The introvert 'quiet revolution' is not what it seems A self-affirmation movement centred on introverted personality is causing gentle ripples throughout popular psychology. Susan Cain, author of a best-selling book on introversion, has dubbed this movement the "quiet revolution".
	Fishing for new ways to stop Parkinson's, a researcher makes big catches in the gene pool When you hear the phrase "good genes," you probably picture a supermodel like Kate Upton, or a sports superstar like Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper. People, in other words, who may have worked hard for their success, but were blessed with some helpful genes as well.
Study finds that seniors in subsidized housing have higher rates of vision impairment Older adults living in subsidized housing facilities have higher rates of vision impairment than their peers, according to a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology.
	Research shows power of dream fulfilment for children with life-limiting illness Fulfilling the dreams of children with life-limiting illnesses can empower them and their families and could have an enduring positive impact, according to new University of Stirling research.
EU drug regulator starts safety review of HPV vaccines The European Medicines Agency says it has started a review of cervical cancer vaccines to see if they are linked to two rare conditions, but emphasized it hasn't changed its recommendations for how the shots should be used.
	New Alzheimer's study reveals how spouse-caregivers sustain relationships When a spouse is cognitively impaired, marital communication is impaired. As Alzheimer's disease (AD) progresses, language problems increase in frequency - such as searching for the right word, repeating the same word, asking the same question over and over, or substituting one word for another. As a result of the decline in communication, married couples affected by AD suffer isolation, depression and estrangement. Limited research has existed on communication in couples affected by AD and existing research primarily focuses on identifying communication deficits - until now.
Study of IRB members' industry relationships finds improvement, but some issues persist A follow-up to a 2005 study of industry relationships among members of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) at academic health centers finds both improvements in the management of such relationships, with increased levels of disclosure and fewer problematic relationships, and the persistence of problems such as IRB members' voting on protocols with which they may have conflicts of interest, a violation of federal regulations. The new study from the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital appears in the July 13 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
	New drug combo could make cancer more sensitive to chemo Combining chemotherapy with new drugs that target a protein that helps cancer cells to withstand chemotherapy could drastically improve treatment, according to research published in Cancer Cell.
Eating wild, foraged mushrooms can result in liver failure or death as misidentification is common Foraging and eating wild mushrooms can result in liver failure and even death because mistaking toxic mushrooms for edible varieties is common, illustrates a case published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
	New approach to treating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia shows promise A new compound that locks a disease-related protein into an inactive position stifled the growth of an aggressive form of leukemia in laboratory and animal tests, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other institutions report. When the compound was combined with a steroid, the leukemia was reduced even further and the animals lived longer than they did when treated with the compound alone.
	Lynchpin molecule for the spread of cancer found Cancer is a disease of cell growth, but most tumors only become lethal once they metastasize or spread from their first location to sites throughout the body. For the first time, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia report a single molecule that appears to be the central regulator driving metastasis in prostate cancer. The study, published online July 13th in Cancer Cell, offers a target for the development of a drug that could prevent metastasis in prostate cancer, and possibly other cancers as well.
	Heading the ball, player-to-player contact and concussions in high school soccer Contact with another player was the most common way boys and girls sustained concussions in a study of U.S. high school soccer players, while heading the ball was the most common soccer-specific activity during which about one-third of boys and one-quarter of girls sustained concussions, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
Microbleeds, diminished cerebral blood flow in cognitively normal older patients A small imaging study suggests cortical cerebral microbleeds in the brain, which are the remnant of red blood cell leakage from small vessels, were associated with reduced brain blood flow in a group of cognitively normal older patients, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.
Teaching reflection to doctors to improve physician-patient interactions Physicians in their medical residency training programs often focus on scientific reasoning and research evidence in their efforts to provide medical care. While appropriate, this focus may overshadow subtle and indirect communication that reveals important information about the patient's experience with their illness that will help the physician provide better care. A new study by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston College presents the results of a strategy to train medical residents to reflect on interactions with patients as a way of understanding the meaning of both their patient's, and their own, communication.
Stopping or reducing cocaine use associated with lower cardiovascular risk marker levels For people who use cocaine, stopping or reducing cocaine use is associated with decreased levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1)—a protein that plays a key role in the development of coronary artery disease, reports a study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
	Researchers uncover genetic alterations in development of skin cancer Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin is one of the most frequent cancers in humans affecting more than half million new persons every year in the world. The transformation of a normal cell to a cancer cell is caused by an accumulation of genetic abnormalities in the progeny of single cells. The spectrum of genetic anomalies found in a variety of human cancers have been described. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from various organs including head-and-neck, lung, esophagus and skin, are induced by carcinogens, such as tobacco and UV exposure. Mouse models of carcinogen-induced skin SCCs have been used since a century and became the most extensively used model to study cancer in vivo. However, it is still unclear whether mouse carcinogen-induced skin SCCs is mediated by the same spectrum of mutations as found in human cancer.
	Scientists identify new compounds that may treat depression rapidly with few side effects A new study by researchers at University of Maryland School of Medicine has identified promising compounds that could successfully treat depression in less than 24 hours while minimizing side effects. Although they have not yet been tested in people, the compounds could offer significant advantages over current antidepressant medications.
	Kidney, bladder stones do not increase postmenopausal women's risk of osteoporosis Postmenopausal women with kidney or bladder stones are not at increased risk for osteoporosis, but they do have about a 15 percent increased risk of another painful stone, physician-scientists report.
	Impact of major Alzheimer's-related gene may be felt years before any symptoms appear The best-known genetic variant linked to Alzheimer's disease may be "at work" promoting deposits of plaque in the brain long before any symptoms of the disease can be measured on tests, according to a national research study led by Indiana University School of Medicine investigators.
	Plump cartoon characters provoke indulgent eating in kids, says new study Children consume more low-nutrition, high-calorie food such as cookies and candy after observing seemingly overweight cartoon characters, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.
	Study links leisure time sitting to higher risk of specific cancers Spending more leisure time sitting was associated with a higher risk of total cancer risk in women, and specifically with multiple myeloma, breast, and ovarian cancers, according a new study. The higher risk was present even after taking into account BMI, physical activity, and other factors. The study, appearing in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, found no association between sitting time and cancer risk in men.
Online registry improves clinical research study participation Research for Her, Cedars-Sinai's groundbreaking online registry that matches women with research studies and clinical trials, enrolled study participants more quickly when compared with traditional paper-based registries, according to new research published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.
	UB researcher explores first-responders' role in end-of-life calls Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are trained to save lives. But they sometimes enter situations where a dying patient's end-of-life wishes contradict their professional code.
Antioxidants help treat skin-picking disorder in mice, researcher says Two antioxidant supplements are effective in treating skin-picking disorder in mice, according to a study led by a Stanford University School of Medicine researcher.
Cancers caught during screening colonoscopy are more survivable Patients whose colorectal cancer (CRC) is detected during a screening colonoscopy are likely to survive longer than those who wait until they have symptoms before having the test, according to a study in the July issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
	Cancer discovery links experimental vaccine and biological treatment A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has linked two seemingly unrelated cancer treatments that are both now being tested in clinical trials.
	FDA approves new drug for schizophrenia, major depression (HealthDay)—A new drug to treat schizophrenia and depression has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
	One in six Americans too far from lifesaving heart centers (HealthDay)—Tens of millions of rural, poor and Hispanic Americans do not have timely access to a lifesaving heart procedure, a new study finds.
	U.S. hospitals may often miss signs of child abuse (HealthDay)—Many U.S. hospitals may miss an opportunity to detect physical abuse in babies and toddlers, a new study reveals.
	What's in a name? For newborns, maybe fewer medical errors (HealthDay)—Using more specific names for newborns may reduce hospital mix-ups by roughly a third, a new study suggests.
Certain abnormal prenatal testing results and subsequent diagnosis of maternal cancer In preliminary research, a small number of occult (hidden) malignancies were subsequently diagnosed among pregnant women whose noninvasive prenatal testing results showed chromosomal abnormalities but the fetal karyotype was subsequently shown to be normal, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the 19th International Conference on Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy in Washington, D.C.
	Young adults who survive cancer hospitalized more often than the general population Advances in the treatment of adolescents and young adults with cancer have resulted in higher survival rates and longer life expectancies. But up to 20 years after people in the 20-44 age group are declared cancer-free, they still have more hospitalizations than the general public, new research has found.
	Researchers develop aerosolized vaccine that protects primates against Ebola A collaborative team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the National Institutes of Health have developed an inhalable vaccine that protects primates against Ebola. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
	Elective surgery is associated with lower risk of death than drugs for ulcerative colitis Patients over 50 with ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic disease of the colon, who undergo surgery to treat their condition live longer than those who are treated with medications, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results are published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Funeral directors may be at heightened risk of progressive neurodegenerative disease Funeral directors, who prepare bodies for burial, may be at heightened risk of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS for short, as a result of the formaldehyde used in embalming fluid, suggests research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
	Structured exercise prevents sleep issues in older adults (HealthDay)—Structured physical activity may prevent poor sleep quality in older adults, according to a study published online June 26 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Coronary artery disease ups risk of bowel bleeds with NSAIDs (HealthDay)—Patients with coronary artery disease are at higher risk of small bowel bleeding (SBB) when taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), according to research published online July 6 in the Journal of Digestive Diseases.
	Weight loss predicts mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (HealthDay)—Weight loss is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published online June 26 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
	Lifestyle intervention can ward off obesity-related knee pain (HealthDay)—For overweight adults with diabetes mellitus, an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) can prevent knee pain, according to a study published in the July issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
	Housestaff, attendings disagree on quality of progress notes (HealthDay)—Internal medicine attendings and housestaff disagree on the impact of electronic health records (EHRs) on the quality of progress notes, according to a study published online July 2 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
	Multiple contraceptive attributes influence decision making (HealthDay)—Multiple attributes influence contraceptive decision making, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Institutional abuse and its long-term consequences Funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the "Vienna Institutional Abuse Study" is the first to investigate the psychological long-term consequences of institutional abuse and violence. Based on data provided by the City of Vienna, psychologists work with adults having experienced childhood institutional abuse to explore the unresolved issues of a dark chapter in institutional history.
	Dismantling gains in global health? As the Third International Conference on Financing for Development begins in Ethiopia, Áine Markham of Médecins Sans Frontières warns that basing funding decisions on country-level finance indicators could be a step backwards for global health, especially in middle-income countries.
Britain confirms bird flu outbreak, 'low' public risk British authorities on Monday confirmed an outbreak at a farm of a strain of avian flu that is both highly contagious and potentially deadly for birds, but said the risk to people was very low.
	New gene therapy method provides specific, safe control of therapeutic transgenes Korean researchers have described a novel control system to regulate the expression of a therapeutic transgene by targeting the passenger strand of a microRNA (miR-122) linked to the transgene. The researchers report that a control system based on targeting the passenger strand of miR-122 rather than the guide strand can regulate expression of an exogenous, therapeutic gene, while not affecting the expression of endogenous genes.
'Biosimilars' for children with IBD need more research, ESPGHAN expert panel states Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are doing well on specific biological medications should not be switched to recently approved "biosimilar" products, concludes an expert consensus statement of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). The statement appears in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, the official journal of the European Society of Paediatric Gatroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
Report on treatment of patients with hemophilia published Numerous long-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted to investigate the long-term, factor concentrate-based treatment of patients with severe haemophilia A or B, despite the rareness of the diseases and the lack of incentives for pharmaceutical companies. These RCTs include three studies comparing prophylactic versus on-demand treatment (i.e. treatment initiated only in the event of bleeding). For patients with haemophilia A, both hints and an indication of an added benefit of prophylactic versus on-demand treatment can be inferred from these studies, but only for certain outcomes.
	Obama says US must step up care for aging Americans President Barack Obama warned Monday of an increasing urgency for the U.S. to care for older Americans as millions of baby boomers head into their golden years.
Ebola patients' escape spreads alarm in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone said Monday it had launched an emergency operation to prevent a serious spread of Ebola after two patients escaped for several hours from a treatment centre.
	US companies warned of possible prosecution for outbreaks Following a deadly listeria outbreak in ice cream in the U.S. earlier this year, justice officials are warning food companies that they could face criminal and civil penalties if they inadvertently poison their customers.
Volunteers help researchers sift through rare disease research literature They refused to accept his fate. Seeking to unravel the mystery of what was making Bertrand sick, Cristina and Matthew Might found allies in the biomedical community, next-generation sequencing, the Internet and social media.
VA says it may shut down hospitals to close $2.5B budget gap The Department of Veterans Affairs may have to shut down some hospitals next month if Congress does not address a $2.5 billion shortfall for the current budget year, VA officials warned Monday.

Biology news

	Worms hitch rides on slugs when traveling to far flung places Slugs and other invertebrates provide essential public transport for small worms in the search for food, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Ecology.
	Male black widow spiders destroy female's web to deter rivals Male black widow spiders destroy large sections of the female's web during courtship and wrap it up in their own silk. New research published in Animal Behaviour shows that this home-wrecking behavior deters rival males, by making the female's web less attractive to them.
	Research finds supplements help yeast survive, boosting biofuel production Chemical engineers and biologists at MIT have found a simple way to make yeast produce more ethanol from sugars: Spike the mixture they're growing on with two common chemicals. Adding potassium and an acidity-reducing compound helps the yeast tolerate higher concentrations of the ethanol they're making without dying. Aided by those "supplements," traditionally underperforming laboratory yeast made more ethanol than did industrial strains genetically evolved for ethanol tolerance. The supplements also enabled lab yeast to tolerate higher doses of high-energy alcohols such as butanol, a direct gasoline substitute. In other "firsts," the researchers described the mechanism by which alcohols poison yeast; they defined two genes that control ethanol tolerance; and they modified those genes in lab yeast to make them out-produce the industrial strains—even without the supplements.
Scientists gain new insights into 'antenna' of human cells Scientists from the University of Leeds have uncovered the most comprehensive list yet of genes implicated in a group of common inherited diseases.
	Predictive software can precisely identify most effective ways to target genes with gene editing mechanism CRISPR-Cas9 The remarkable ease and accuracy with which scientists can alter genomes using the CRISPR-Cas9 system has led to promising advances toward improving human health and the environment through genetic engineering. Cas9, a protein found naturally in certain bacteria, functions like a pair of molecular scissors to precisely cut sections of DNA and is extremely effective as a gene-editing tool. It can be directed to a specific gene through the use of a matching guide RNA sequence to perform gene mutations, putting programmable control of gene editing in the hands of scientists.
New cell division mechanism discovered Canadian and British researchers have discovered that chromosomes play an active role in animal cell division. This occurs at a precise stage - cytokinesis - when the cell splits into two new daughter cells. It was observed by a team of researchers including Gilles Hickson, an assistant professor at the University of Montreal's Department of Pathology and Cell Biology and researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, his assistant Silvana Jananji, in collaboration with Nelio Rodrigues, a PhD student, and Sergey Lekomtsev, a postdoc, working in the group led by Buzz Baum of the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at University College London. Their findings were published today in Nature.
	Drug-resistant bacteria possess natural ability to become vulnerable to antibiotics Infections with one of the most troublesome and least understood antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are increasing at alarming rates, particularly in health-care settings.
Mysterious black leopards finally reveal their spots James Cook University scientists have helped invent a clever technique to tell black leopards apart – a trick that may end up saving their skins.
	Bettongs bolster sandalwood chances Burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) play an important role in distributing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) tree seeds and thus potentially bolstering diminishing sandalwood populations, according to recent research.
	Making sense of our evolution The science about our our special senses - vision, smell, hearing and taste - offers fascinating and unique perspectives on our evolution.
	Discovery of young family gives hope to world's rarest ape The world's rarest ape has an increased chance of survival after a team led by international conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found a new family group of Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus).
	From sticks to balls: The shape of bacteria is evolving to better adapt to the throat It's no coincidence that the earthworm's slender shape makes it perfect for weaving through narrow tunnels. Evolution moulds the shapes of living creatures according to the benefits they offer. At the microscopic level, do the various shapes of bacteria also contribute to their survival? Does a spherical bacterium (coccus) have a better chance of infecting its host than its stick-shaped neighbour (bacillus)?
	Tiny genetic tweak unlocked corn kernels during domestication If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. The mutation switches one amino acid for another at a specific position in a protein regulating formation of these shells in modern corn's wild ancestor, according to a study published in the July 2015 issue of Genetics, a publication of the Genetics Society of America.
Study offers new method of identifying sweet corn hybrids for increased yield and profit Corn hybrids with improved tolerance to crowding stress, grown at higher plant populations than their predecessors, have been a driver of rising field corn yields in recent decades. Large differences in crowding stress tolerance (CST) recently reported among popular sweet corn processing hybrids has growers and processors wondering if newly emerging hybrids also offer improved CST.
Pet euthanasia decisions involve quality-of-life considerations How do you know when it's time? Last month's Pet Health column provided information about the growing role of pet hospice as a gentle, at-home option for beloved pets when owners want to provide close monitoring and comfort at the end of their animals' lives.
	Native Guam plant on cover of international journal Research from the University of Guam (UOG) has been published in this month's issue of the International Journal of Plant Sciences. The research was conducted within the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center (WPTRC) at the University of Guam, and focused on determining the ability of Guam's trade winds to aid in the pollination of the native fadang tree. Fadang trees belong to an important group of plants called cycads, and the group exhibits many primitive and unique traits that are of interest to scientists.
	Invasions out of center of diversity increase the risk of disease epidemics in wheat Scientists have found that strains of the wheat pathogen causing severe yellow rust epidemics in Europe have their origin in the centre of diversity in the Himalayan region. This disease can have a great impact on wheat production in Europe, including organic crop production in Denmark.
Researchers find one in four dogs competing at Crufts is overweight One in four dogs competing at Crufts is overweight, researchers at the University of Liverpool have found.
Algae, quinoa, legumes top list of alternatives protein choices Algae is evolving as the next new alternative protein source consumers are anxious to bite into as an ingredient in crackers, snack bars, cereals and breads, according to a July 12th presentation at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.

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