Science X Newsletter Friday, Aug 7

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 7, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Heart-shaped Li-ion battery printed on a cup shows batteries can be printed almost anywhere
- Copper clusters capture and convert carbon dioxide to make fuel
- Fermilab experiment sees neutrinos change over 500 miles
- End-Permian mass extinction may have been driven by an ocean teeming with life
- Large-area integration of quantum dots and photonic crystals produce brighter and more efficient light
- New biomarker identified in breast and prostate cancers holds promise for treating disease
- Scientists develop test to measure effectiveness of treatments for Huntington's disease
- Ancient mammoth remains found in Switzerland
- Android uh-oh resides in vulnerability dubbed Certifi-gate
- Fingerprint design issues on Android devices in spotlight
- How yeast doubled its genome—by mating between species
- Switching mouse neural stem cells to a primate-like behavior
- Linking cell-population to whole-fish growth
- 'Caveman instincts' may favor deep-voiced politicians
- Pupil shape linked to animals' ecological niche

Astronomy & Space news

	Bright spots and a pyramid-shaped mountain on Ceres Striking 3-D detail highlights a towering mountain, the brightest spots and other features on dwarf planet Ceres in a new video from NASA's Dawn mission.
	Scientists discover elusive gamma-ray pulsar with distributed computing project Gamma-ray pulsars are remnants of explosions that end the lives of massive stars. They are highly-magnetized and rapidly rotating compact neutron stars. Like a cosmic lighthouse they emit gamma-ray photons in a characteristic pattern that repeats with every rotation. However, since only very few gamma-ray photons are detected, finding this hidden rhythm in the arrival times of the photons is computationally challenging. Now, an international team led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, AEI) in Hannover, Germany, has discovered a new gamma-ray pulsar hidden in plain sight in data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The improved, adaptive data analysis methods and the computing power from the distributed volunteer computing project Einstein@Home were key to their success.
	Salt flat indicates some of the last vestiges of Martian surface water Mars turned cold and dry long ago, but researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered evidence of an ancient lake that likely represents some of the last potentially habitable surface water ever to exist on the Red Planet.
	Corrected sunspot history suggests climate change not due to natural solar trends The Sunspot Number is a crucial tool used to study the solar dynamo, space weather and climate change. It has now been recalibrated and shows a consistent history of solar activity over the past few centuries. The new record has no significant long-term upward trend in solar activity since 1700, as was previously indicated. This suggests that rising global temperatures since the industrial revolution cannot be attributed to increased solar activity.
	Q&A: A look at the science on Hawaii's Mauna Kea Atop Hawaii's Mauna Kea, where some Native Hawaiians have been peacefully protesting the construction of what would be one of the world's largest telescopes, astronomers have spent the past 40 years observing our universe and helping make some of the most significant discoveries in their field.
	Saturn's rings in a supercomputer Why do some planets, like Saturn or Jupiter, have rings, while others, like Earth or Mars, do not? It turns out that "size does not matter"—gas giants like Saturn are not the only bodies that can possess rings; even tiny asteroids do. According to a recent discovery of the Spitzer Space Telescope, the remote asteroid Chariklo, which is only 260 km in diameter, also has rings.
	Stealing Sedna Turns out, our seemly placid star had a criminal youth of cosmic proportions.
	The moons of Saturn Saturn is well known for being a gas giant, and for its impressive ring system. But it would it surprise you to know that this planet also has the second-most moons in the solar system, second only to Jupiter? Yes, Saturn has at least 150 moons and moonlets in total, though only 53 of these moons have been given official names.
	Taking plants off-planet – how do they grow in zero gravity? Gravity is a constant for all organisms on Earth. It acts on every aspect of our physiology, behavior and development – no matter what you are, you evolved in an environment where gravity roots us firmly to the ground.
	Space mining is closer than you think, and the prospects are great In this week's Q&A on the ABC, the American cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson gushed about the prospects of mining in space, and the benefits that might afford humanity.
	Perseid meteors to light up summer skies The evening of Wednesday 12 August into the morning of Thursday 13 August sees the annual maximum of the Perseid meteor shower. This year, a new moon makes prospects for watching this natural firework display particularly good.
	NASA Goddard involved in New Horizons from start Three billion miles of space travel and 26 years of careful planning and execution ago, New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, now of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, gave his first talk about a theoretical mission to Pluto at the weekly science symposium at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
	Sentinels catch traffic jam Low water levels in the Danube river have left ships to queue close to the town of Zimnicea in Romania.

Technology news

	Fingerprint design issues on Android devices in spotlight Password leaked? Not the end of the world. Among the external patches and fixes, you can just change it. Fingerprints leaked? Not so good. These stay as your life's records. Small wonder that among presentations at the 2015 Black Hat security conference, one of the talks is particularly interesting: how attackers can steal fingerprints from Android phones.
	Foray into US life led hacker couple to crack smart rifle A dive into a gun-loving side of US culture by a pair of computer security researchers led them to hack into a digitally-enhanced sniper rifle.
	New hacks strike at heart of mobile innovations As fierce competition leads to rapid innovation in the smartphone market, hackers have pounced on cracks in defenses of developments on devices at the heart of modern lifestyles, experts say.
	Android uh-oh resides in vulnerability dubbed Certifi-gate An Android vulnerability has been discovered which leaves phones at risk of malicious apps gaining privileged access without a victim being aware of all this. The weakness affects phones from a number of major manufacturers. The vulnerability on such phones involves even those running the latest version of Android.
	Russian hackers hit Pentagon email system: report Hackers based in Russia penetrated the email network of the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, leading to a two-week shutdown of the system, NBC News reported Thursday.
	NY Times tops one million digital subscribers The New York Times said Thursday its digital paid subscriptions had topped one million for the first time, as it reported a jump in quarterly profits.
	Warning Area in Arctic airspace to aid research and exploration A 700-mile-long airspace that stretches north from Oliktok Point—the northernmost point of Alaska's Prudhoe Bay—to about 400 miles short of the North Pole has been put under the stewardship of Sandia National Laboratories by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
	City transport needs saving from itself – here's how to do it Cities are growing rapidly. According to UN estimates, the world's urban population grows by two people every second, 7,200 every hour. This means that within two decades, nearly 60% of the world's population – five billion people – will be city dwellers. In Europe, this figure is already higher – four out of five people (80%) live in cities.
	Health care's technology revolution means a boost for jobs in IT We tend to think about our health care sector as a leader in the development and use of advanced medical technology and biotechnology, such as expensive imaging machines or devices that we implant into patients.
	Forget fixed broadband—large phones and 4G drive UK over mobile tipping point UK communications regulator Ofcom has released a report that gives a fascinating snapshot of digital society in the UK. It highlights the dominance of mobile, and the centrality of social media in social interactions and relationships. The change has been brought about, not by improvements in fixed broadband but by the availability of larger, more capable phones and faster 4G mobile networks. Phones and 4G are in turn facilitating communication through a variety of channels, especially social media.
	Underwater crustaceans could solve missing plane mystery A piece of an airplane wing that washed ashore on the island of Reunion in the West Indian Ocean this week is believed to be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, according to some reports.
Taiwan's HTC stocks plunge to lowest in decade Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC plunged to its lowest closing share price in more than a decade Friday, a day after it posted its biggest ever quarterly loss.
Drivers challenge Uber business model in California Taxi service Uber's classification of drivers is being challenged in California, threatening the company's business model within the state.
	Smile! Emoji is taking over advertising Everyone speaks emoji, and now advertisers do too.
	Railroad safety: Few likely to meet deadline for technology Only a handful of railroads are close to meeting a deadline this year to install safety technology that can prevent many crashes, including derailments due to excessive speed like the deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia in May, according to a government report released Friday.
Airline technology firm Sabre investigating computer breach A spate of recent computer-system breaches has spread into the travel industry, hitting a company that provides technology used for airline and hotel reservations.
Microsoft adds Sway presentation tool to Office suite Microsoft is hoping to Sway a few more people with its new presentation tool.
Ride-hail service at Los Angeles International Airport hits roadblock The push to make Los Angeles International Airport the largest in the nation to allow Uber and Lyft has hit an obstacle at City Hall as the ride-hailing services battle with the powerful taxicab industry for influence.
Verizon will drop phone contracts, end discounted phones Verizon, the nation's largest wireless provider, will stop offering phones at discounted prices when customers sign two-year service contracts.
	New video camera released featuring ultra-high-speed CMOS image sensor developed at tohoku university An ultra-high-speed CMOS image sensor that offers 10 million frames per second with ISO16,000 photosensitivity has been developed at Tohoku University by a research group led by Prof. Shigetoshi Sugawa at the Graduate School of Engineering's Department of Management Science and Technology.
Yelp adds health care data for hospitals, nursing homes to reviews Yelp has launched a new feature that adds health care information to its online reviews pages for hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis clinics.

Medicine & Health news

	How human vision perceives transparent layers (Medical Xpress)—The adaptive advantage of the visual perception of transparency is obvious: the urgent need to find water. Thus, human vision is able to perceive two layers at the same retinal location—a transparent layer in front of a background surface. There are multiple cues indicating the presence of a transparent layer, including the pattern of luminance and color change at the junction of the overlapped layers, surface specular reflections, and intensity modulations.
	Crime-scene compound may be newest tool in fight against malaria​ The compound that detectives spray at crime scenes to find trace amounts of blood may  be used one day  to kill the malaria parasite.
	Researchers discover how the immune system can create cancerous DNA mutations when fighting off infection Chronic inflammation caused by disease or exposure to dangerous chemicals has long been linked to cancer, but exactly how this process takes place has remained unclear.
	New biomarker identified in breast and prostate cancers holds promise for treating disease Cedars-Sinai researchers have identified a novel genetic biomarker responsible for the progression of many breast and prostate cancers. The finding could bolster efforts to better identify patients who respond to certain types of chemotherapy drugs that attack the most aggressive forms of cancer.
	Scientists develop test to measure effectiveness of treatments for Huntington's disease A new test developed by UBC researchers allows physicians to measure the effects of gene silencing therapy in Huntington's disease and will support the first human clinical trial of a drug that targets the genetic cause of the disease.
	Psychologists develop first adult self-assessment for repetitive behaviors in autism Psychologists from Cardiff University have developed the first self-assessment test designed to help clinicians diagnose autism in adults.
Internet program to encourage handwashing reduces spread of cold and flu viruses A web-based programme to encourage more frequent handwashing reduces the risk of catching and passing on respiratory tract infections to other household members, a randomised trial of more than 16000 UK households published in The Lancet has found. Users of the programme, called PRIMIT, also reported fewer gastrointestinal infections, a lower demand for consultations with their doctors, and fewer antibiotic prescriptions.
	US teens start school too early, need more sleep, study says Most teenagers in the United States start the school day too early each morning, robbing them of the sleep they need to concentrate properly and remain healthy, according to a study published Thursday.
	NICE says 'not enough data' to approve drug for ovarian cancer The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says it cannot give a positive decision over whether to recommend a new drug for ovarian cancer unless its makers provide more information on cost. A final decision is expected in September.
Unravelling the cause of 'worldwide public health burden' Cardiff University scientists have shed new light on a major disease estimated to affect 165M people worldwide.
	Drug sharply lowers cholesterol in animal tests An Arizona drug company will patent a small peptide—developed through research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham—that shows significant ability to lower blood cholesterol in animal models. Capstone Therapeutics Corp. and its joint venture affiliate, LipimetiX Development Inc., recently announced the U.S. Patent application, claiming novel, more potent analogs of its lead peptide, AEM-28.
Frank talk about sex key to improving Americans' sexual health, says physician A drive to find out why the United States has the highest rates of treatable sexually transmitted diseases in the developed world has been the career focus of one University of Alabama at Birmingham infectious disease expert.
	Mice research boosts muscle repair capabilities Research using mice and rat quadricep muscles to better understand muscle repair processes has utilised an artificial medium to study how natural muscle scaffolds repair themselves.
	Facial recognition app assesses patient pain An app developed by Curtin University researchers is using facial recognition technology to detect pain in patients who cannot speak.
	New breakthrough in the molecular characterization of acute myeloid leukemia The multidisciplinary team comprising the Leucégène research group, a major project headed by Dr. Guy Sauvageau of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Université de Montréal and Dr. Josée Hébert of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (MRH), has just published a series of important observations on the genetic and molecular characteristics of two leukemia subtypes in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics. The results of the study also suggest the possibility of a new combinatorial therapeutic approach for certain leukemias. The goal of the Leucégène project is to develop new tools for a more detailed classification of patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a view to improving outcomes and more effectively guiding the choice of available treatment options. AML is a highly aggressive blood cancer that kills close to 1,000 people a year in Canada. Because this is a very complex cance! r, current prognostic tests are imprecise in assessing risks and treatment choices in most patients.
Sunlight and vitamin D necessary for public health The Journal of the American College of Nutrition is pleased to offer Open Access to a scientific consensus paper, "Sunlight and Vitamin D: Necessary for Public Health," authored by scientists from the University of California, San Diego, Creighton University, Boston University Medical Center, and the Medical University of South Carolina, along with other research contributors. The paper presents information to illustrate that UV exposure not only provides the benefits of vitamin D production, but also many additional health benefits not related to vitamin D. The current culture of sun avoidance in the United States carries with it both health risks and quantifiable harm.
	Landmark youth mental health survey released Research conducted by the Telethon Kids Institute in collaboration with the University of Western Australia has found one in seven Australian four to 17 year olds had a mental health disorder, a prevalence that has remained relatively stable since the last survey was conducted in 1998.
	My journey from civil war to global health Somalia's wars, droughts and famines are well known, but less attention is paid to how these problems undermine the nation's mental health. Aside from the damage wrought to bodies and property, many Somalian minds bear scars from a two-decade civil war that ended in 1991, and continuing economic precarity. This situation has been exacerbated by the disruption of healthcare services, with hospitals destroyed and doctors fleeing for safer countries.
	Guidelines provided for pediatric atopic dermatitis management (HealthDay)—Guidelines have been developed for the management of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis at the primary care level. The guidelines were published as a state-of-the-art review article online Aug. 3 in Pediatrics.
	Rx use in pregnancy common in low-income women (HealthDay)—Prescription medications are commonly dispensed to pregnant women enrolled in the U.S. Medicaid program, according to research published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	In thyroid CA radioiodine ablation, rhTSH better for HRQoL (HealthDay)—For patients with thyroid cancer, recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) prevents the transient deterioration of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) seen with use of thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) at 131I administration, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Silently suffering from hearing loss negatively affects quality of life Hearing loss in adults is under treated despite evidence that hearing aid technology can significantly lessen depression and anxiety and improve cognitive functioning, according to a presentation at the American Psychological Association's 123rd Annual Convention.
Study looks at Google Glass to bring toxicology specialists to remote emergency rooms Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have found that Google Glass, a head-mounted streaming audio/video device, may be used to effectively extend bed-side toxicology consults to distant health care facilities such as community and rural hospitals to diagnose and manage poisoned patients. Published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, the study also showed preliminary data that suggests the hands-free device helps physicians in diagnosing specific poisonings and can enhance patient care.
	Researchers find a web-based patient-centered toolkit helps improve patient-provider communication Health care organizations have been implementing health information technology at increasing rates in an effort to engage patients and caregivers improve patient satisfaction, and favorably impact outcomes. A new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds that a novel web-based, patient-centered toolkit (PCTK) used by patients and/or their healthcare proxys in the hospital setting helped them to engage in understanding and developing their plan of care, and has the potential to improve communication with providers. The results of the study are published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and appear online August 3.
	Hepatitis increasingly goes hand in hand with heroin abuse Public health agencies and drug treatment centers nationwide are scrambling to battle an explosive increase in cases of hepatitis C, a scourge they believe stems at least in part from a surge in intravenous heroin use.
Pediatric brain tumors can be classified noninvasively at diagnosis Medulloblastoma, the most commonly occurring malignant brain tumor in children, can be classified into four subgroups—each with a different risk profile requiring subgroup-specific therapy. Currently, subgroup determination is done after surgical removal of the tumor. Investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have now discovered that these subgroups can be determined non-invasively, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The paper will be published online by the journal Neuro-Oncology (Oxford Press) on August 7.
	What parents can do to promote good dental health (HealthDay)—Parents can take several steps to make sure their kids maintain healthy dental habits when they head back to school, an expert says.
	One-third of people believe alcohol is heart-healthy (HealthDay)—Approximately one-third of the public believes alcohol is heart-healthy, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
	Many hospitals being penalized for 30-day readmissions (HealthDay)—About half of the nation's hospitals are being penalized by Medicare for having patients return within a month of discharge, losing a combined $420 million, according to a report published by Kaiser Health.
	How do we optimize time with patients in primary care? (HealthDay)—Primary care providers (PCPs) can improve the productivity of face-to-face visits with patients by identifying activities that can be delegated to another team member or performed using a different modality, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
Scientists scan the brain to see how stress undermines your diet If you're trying to lose weight, kick off your diet by relaxing. Stress tinkers with your brain chemistry in ways that make it hard to make healthful food choices and maintain self-control, a new study finds.
Greater risk for kidney stones in summer Kidney stones affect approximately 3.8 million people in the U.S. each year and they are especially more common in the summer. The stones are described as small, hard deposits of mineral and acid salts that form when urine becomes concentrated. The minerals crystallize and stick together, forming a stone which can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.
Court sides against FDA in "off-label" drug promotion case The maker of a prescription fish-oil pill won an early victory Friday against the Food and Drug Administration over its right to publicize unapproved uses of its drug.
	Familiar drugs may block Ebola virus infection A well-known class of molecules, many of which are already in use therapeutically, may be able to block the Ebola virus's entry into cells and halt the disease in its tracks, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
NYC Legionnaires' outbreak up to 10 dead, 100 diagnosed New York City officials say 10 people have died in the outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease centered in the South Bronx, and a total of 100 cases have been diagnosed.
Obama administration plans new workplace limits on beryllium The Obama administration is proposing new safety rules to limit workplace exposure to beryllium, a type of metal used in aerospace, electronics and other industries that can cause serious health problems when it's ground into dust and inhaled.
	World–first study tests if food can improve mood Nutrients commonly found in spinach, elk, oysters and crab and the positive effects they may have on people with clinical depression are the focus of a world-first University of Queensland study.
Controlling inflammation to reduce chronic disease risk An unresolved inflammatory response is likely to be involved from the early stages of disease development. Controlling inflammation is crucial to human health and a key future preventative and therapeutic target. In a recent ILSI Europe's article published in the British Journal of Nutrition, a coalition of experts explain how nutrition influences inflammatory processes and help reduce chronic diseases risk.
	Addressing barriers facing survivors of family violence in rural and regional Victoria The level of justice and support for people experiencing family violence in rural and regional Victoria should not be dictated by their postcode, according to Deakin University law researchers.
Thailand bans commercial surrogacy for foreigners, singles Thailand, once a top choice for would-be parents around the world who were seeking a surrogate, has narrowed the choices for people looking to hire a woman to carry a fetus in her womb.
	Meningitis epidemic threat in West Africa, but few vaccines International health officials are scrambling, without much success, to find meningitis C vaccines as an outbreak of the child-killing disease threatens to balloon into an epidemic.
Cleveland hospital: Ohio woman dies of Legionnaires' disease A spokeswoman for a Cleveland hospital says a 53-year-old woman has died from complications of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease.
Ruxolitinib in polycythaemia vera: Hint of non-quantifiable added benefit Ruxolitinib (trade name: Jakavi) has been approved since March 2015 for the treatment of adults with polycythaemia vera, a rare disease of the bone marrow. It can be used when the drug hydroxyurea is ineffective or not tolerated. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether this drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.
Ghana's doctors halt emergency care in allowances dispute Doctors in Ghana have stopped providing emergency care in a strike over allowances and training, union leaders said on Friday.
Ten dead in record NY Legionnaires' outbreak The death toll has risen to 10 in New York's record outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, out of a total of 101 people diagnosed with the form of pneumonia, authorities said Friday.
New endoscopic, non-surgical bariatric options show promise for treating obesity The FDA recently approved two new endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBT) for the treatment of obesity. According to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), this development provides important new, minimally invasive tools for combating the obesity epidemic and offers many patients an alternative to surgery.

Biology news

	Researchers look to CNVs to better understand human ethnic diversity (Phys.org)—A large team of international researchers has undertaken a study to better understand the genetic mechanism behind ethnic diversity. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their study, their results and their plans for the future.
	Model demonstrates link between species' traits, competitive success, environmental conditions Researchers at Yale University and the University of Georgia have developed and experimentally tested a new mathematical model that helps explain when and where species are likely to outcompete or coexist with one another. The results, just published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, are a first step toward understanding how changing environmental conditions may affect species distributions.
	Climate change causes timing shifts in fish reproduction Research by Rebecca Asch, a recent graduate of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, shows a strong correlation between warmer ocean temperatures and changes in the timing of fish reproduction.
	Switching mouse neural stem cells to a primate-like behavior When the right gene is expressed in the right manner in the right population of stem cells, the developing mouse brain can exhibit primate-like features. In a paper publishing August 7th in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) succeeded in mimicking the sustained expression of the transcription factor Pax6 as seen in the developing human brain, in mouse cortical progenitor cells. This altered the behavior of these cells to one that is akin to that of progenitors in the developing primate neocortex. Consequently, the mouse progenitors generated more neurons - a prerequisite for a bigger brain.
	How yeast doubled its genome—by mating between species The common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used to make bread, wine and beer, and is the laboratory workhorse for a substantial proportion of research into molecular and cell biology. It was also the first non-bacterial living thing to have its genome sequenced, back in 1996. However, when the sequence of that genome emerged it appeared that the scientists were seeing double - the organism seemed to have two very different versions of many of its genes. How could this have happened?
	Linking cell-population to whole-fish growth Every year, more than a million fish are used for toxicity testing and scientific research in the EU alone, and around 400 fish are needed for a single fish early-life stage test. Such toxicity tests are often required by regulatory authorities for new chemical substances, as fish are particularly sensitive to contaminants in water at early developmental stages. However, the increasing use of experimental animals is ethically questionable. In addition, conventional tests are complex, expensive and take weeks or months to complete. Alternative approaches are therefore being sought by scientists, regulators and industry. A promising new method has now been demonstrated by an Eawag study, conducted in collaboration with the ETH, the EPFL and the University of York (UK).
	Pupil shape linked to animals' ecological niche While the eyes may be a window into one's soul, new research led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that the pupils could also reveal whether one is a hunter or hunted.
	Mutations linked to genetic disorders shed light on a crucial DNA repair pathway Dividing cells are prone to errors, and so they must be prepared to summon sophisticated emergency systems to deal with potential damage. One type of division-derailing mishap can occur when assault by certain chemicals causes two strands of DNA to permanently connect when they shouldn't, in what scientists call interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Properly fixing these crosslinks is crucial to preventing cancer, maintaining tissues, and fertility.
	Land animals proliferate faster than aquatic counterparts Of the nearly 1.5 million known animal species on Earth, those with backbones come in a stunning array of shapes and sizes. Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and the number of species within these groups can vary wildly. For example, there are only six species of lungfish and only 25 crocodilians—but roughly 10,000 birds and 9,700 lizards and snakes.
	Giant spider webs make another appearance in Dallas area While traveling down CA Roan Drive in Rowlett recently, people have been exposed to an "eerie" sight on a number of trees lining that route, said Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist in Dallas.
	A model for ageing Life is short, especially for the killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri: It lives for only a few months and then its time is up. During that short lifespan it passes through every phase of life from larva to venerable old fish. Its brief life expectancy – unusual for a vertebrate – has long fascinated Dario Valenzano of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne. During a ten-year period he has made it a model organism for research into ageing.
	Giraffes aren't dangerous – but they will soon be endangered An American trophy hunter has kicked off another social media furore after defending a recent giraffe kill in South Africa by claiming they were "very dangerous animals". In one sense she is right – giraffes are big and strong and you certainly wouldn't want one kicking you. But attacks on humans are very rare.
	Different tools to deal with medfly pest Research has revealed a management technique involving sterilising the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) is a more cost effective alternative of eradicating the pest in the face of a looming pesticide ban.
	Gene splicing in lice and the challenge of clothing A terrific article recently published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, "Alternative Splice in Alternative Lice," provides a compelling example of maximizing genome information – adaptation of the louse Pediculus humanus to the new habitat created when our ancestors invented clothing.
	GPS transmitters can protect animals from poaching The killing of the lion Cecil in a national park in Zimbabwe by a big-game hunter has sparked worldwide outrage. Researchers at the University of Oxford had outfitted Cecil with a GPS collar to monitor his behaviour. It was only thanks to this special tag that the cause of the animal's death was cleared up. At the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, scientists also use transmitters to observe the behavior of different species of animals. The data collected through telemetry is so accurate that it can help to quickly locate killed animals and clear up their cause of death. From 2016, the satellite-based system Icarus will also capture the global movement patterns of animals. Icarus will thus significantly improve the protection of endangered species.
	High-altitude climate change to kill cloud forest plants Australian scientists have discovered many tropical, mountaintop plants won't survive global warming, even under the best-case climate scenario.
	China pledges $2 million to curb poaching in Zimbabwe China, which is accused of fuelling the trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn, on Thursday pledged equipment worth $2 million to curb poaching in Zimbabwe.
	Researchers hope to create more environmentally friendly lawns Researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment are looking for ways for home lawns to give Mother Nature a helping hand.
As wolves rebound in Washington state, range riders keep watch over livestock Bill Johnson's border collie, Nip, was just doing her job when the black cow wheeled and lunged at the dog.

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