Science X Newsletter Week 29

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 29:

	After 85-year search, massless particle with promise for next-generation electronics found An international team led by Princeton University scientists has discovered Weyl fermions, an elusive massless particle theorized 85 years ago. The particle could give rise to faster and more efficient electronics because of its unusual ability to behave as matter and antimatter inside a crystal, according to new research.
	The sleep-deprived brain can mistake friends for foes If you can't tell a smile from a scowl, you're probably not getting enough sleep.
	Continued destruction of Earth's plant life places humans in jeopardy Unless humans slow the destruction of Earth's declining supply of plant life, civilization like it is now may become completely unsustainable, according to a paper published recently by University of Georgia researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	A dark matter bridge in our cosmic neighborhood By using the best available data to monitor galactic traffic in our neighborhood, Noam Libeskind from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) and his collaborators have built a detailed map of how nearby galaxies move. In it they have discovered a bridge of dark matter stretching from our Local Group all the way to the Virgo cluster—a huge mass of some 2,000 galaxies roughly 50 million light-years away, that is bound on either side by vast bubbles completely devoid of galaxies. This bridge and these voids help us understand a 40 year old problem regarding the curious distribution of dwarf galaxies.
	Nanoscale device that can emit light as powerfully as an object 10,000 times its size University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have created a nanoscale device that can emit light as powerfully as an object 10,000 times its size. It's an advance that could have huge implications for a variety of imaging and energy applications.
	Done with Pluto, New Horizons will drift in endless sea of space The New Horizons spacecraft did what it was meant to do. It explored the unexplored dwarf planet Pluto. So, now what?
	Gaia satellite and amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star An international team of researchers, with the assistance of amateur astronomers, have discovered a unique binary star system: the first known such system where one star completely eclipses the other. It is a type of two-star system known as a Cataclysmic Variable, where one super dense white dwarf star is stealing gas from its companion star, effectively 'cannibalising' it.
	Curiosity finds rocks that might point to a continental crust on Mars (Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S., France and the U.K. is reporting that data sent back by the Mars rover Curiosity suggests that the Red Planet may have once had a continental crust similar to that found back here on planet Earth. In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the team describes their analysis of data describing 20 rocks that had been probed by the rover, and why their findings suggest a different history for the planet than has been thought.
	'White graphene' structures can take the heat Three-dimensional structures of boron nitride might be the right stuff to keep small electronics cool, according to scientists at Rice University.
	How artificial intelligence is changing economic theory A century of economic theory assumed that, given their available options, humans would always make rational decisions. Economists even had a name for this construct: homo economicus, the economic man.
	Researchers successfully combine two different materials to create new hyper-efficient light-emitting crystal It's snack time: you have a plain oatmeal cookie, and a pile of chocolate chips. Both are delicious on their own, but if you can find a way to combine them smoothly, you get the best of both worlds.
	CERN's LHCb experiment reports observation of exotic pentaquark particles Today, the LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider has reported the discovery of a class of particles known as pentaquarks. The collaboration has submitted a paper reporting these findings to the journal Physical Review Letters.
	Researchers discover seaweed that tastes like bacon Oregon State University researchers have patented a new strain of a succulent red marine algae called dulse that grows extraordinarily quickly, is packed full of protein and has an unusual trait when it is cooked.
	Scientist develops model for robots with bacteria-controlled brains Forget the Vulcan mind-meld of the Star Trek generation—as far as mind control techniques go, bacteria is the next frontier.
	Robots pass 'wise-men puzzle' to show a degree of self-awareness A trio of Nao robots has passed a modified version of the "wise man puzzle" and in so doing have taken another step towards demonstrating self-awareness in robotics. The feat was demonstrated at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York to the press prior to a presentation to be given at next month's RO-MAN conference in Kobe, Japan.
	'Blowing my mind': Peaks on Pluto, canyons on Charon Mankind's first close-up look at Pluto did not disappoint Wednesday: The pictures showed ice mountains on Pluto about as high as the Rockies and chasms on its big moon Charon that appear six times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
	Can scientists hack photosynthesis to feed the world as population soars? The world population, which stood at 2.5 billion in 1950, is predicted to increase to 10.5 billion by 2050. It's a stunning number since it means the planet's population has doubled within the lifetimes of many people alive today.
	No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures Cannabis—marijuana, hashish—was used as a go-to medical remedy by societies around the world for centuries. But the therapeutic use of marijuana was banned in most countries in the 1930s and '40s due to a growing awareness of the dangers of addiction. The significant medical benefits of marijuana in alleviating symptoms of such diseases as Parkinson's, cancer, and multiple sclerosis have only recently been reinvestigated.
	Human hand more primitive than chimp's, study says Strong fists for defending ourselves and opposable thumbs for work as fine as threading a needle—hand specialisation is widely believed to have given humans a major evolutionary advantage.
	An elusive molecule—finally revealed Scientists at the University of Arizona have discovered a mysterious molecule with a structure simple enough to make it into high school textbooks, yet so elusive that chemists have argued for more than a century over whether it even exists.

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