Science X Newsletter Monday, Aug 24

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 24, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Researchers show that an iron bar is capable of decision-making
- A little light interaction leaves quantum physicists beaming
- Study makes major advance toward more effective, long-lasting flu vaccine
- Solid-state molecular switches using redox active molecules in a porous crystal
- Why a mutant rice called Big Grain1 yields such big grains
- 'Multifab' 3D-prints a record 10 materials at once, no assembly required (w/ Video)
- New Horizons mission exceeds expectations
- Best of Last Week – New way to detect dark matter, a magnetic wormhole and staring found to cause hallucinations
- How endosymbionts escape dead tubeworms and repopulate live specimens
- Research may solve lunar fire fountain mystery
- Crash-tolerant data storage: Formally verified working file system could end data loss
- NASA is laser-focused on deep space communication
- Driverless truck meant to improve safety in work zones
- Scientists show how exposure to brief trauma and sudden sounds form lasting memories
- MouthLab: Patients' vital signs are just a breath away

Astronomy & Space news

	Research may solve lunar fire fountain mystery Tiny beads of volcanic glass found on the lunar surface during the Apollo missions are a sign that fire fountain eruptions took place on the Moon's surface. Now, scientists from Brown University and the Carnegie Institution for Science have identified the volatile gas that drove those eruptions.
	New Horizons mission exceeds expectations (Phys.org)—NASA's New Horizons mission, as the name suggests, is all about broadening our scientific horizons. The spacecraft, visiting the unexplored world of dwarf planet Pluto and its moons, continues to deliver more and more valuable scientific data. The new findings could help astronomers to unlock the solar system's mysteries hidden at its edge, where the sun glitters as a small bright spot on the sky.
	Hinode, IRIS, and ATERUI cooperate on 70 year old solar mystery Solar physicists have captured the first direct observational signatures of resonant absorption, thought to play an important role in solving the "coronal heating problem" which has defied explanation for over 70 years.
	Dust storms on Mars In the 1870's astronomers first noted the presence of yellow clouds on the surface of Mars and suggested they were caused by windblown dust. Today, dust storms on Mars are well known and those that display visible structures are called "textured dust storms."
	Japan delivers whiskey to space station—for science (Update) Spirits arrived at the International Space Station on Monday. Not the ghostly ones, but the kind you drink—distilled spirits.
	NASA is laser-focused on deep space communication Today's technology has all but eliminated time delays in telecommunication on Earth, but when they do occur they can be frustrating, especially when trying to communicate complex or time sensitive information. The same type of delay could happen when communicating with spacecraft and crew members in deep space on the journey to Mars. For example, communication over radio waves could have round-trip delays of up to 31 minutes at Mars. According to a recent investigation, this could impact team performance and emotional well-being.
	Image: A hubble cosmic couple Here we see the spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427—more commonly known as WR 124—and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it. Both objects, captured here by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope are found in the constellation of Sagittarius and lie 15,000 light-years away.
	NASA to test emergency locator transmitters by crashing airplane Using a Cessna 172 dropped from a height of 100 feet, NASA's Search and Rescue Mission Office will simulate a severe but survivable plane accident Wednesday, Aug. 26 to test emergency locator transmitters (ELTs). NASA Television will air live coverage of the test, which is scheduled to happen between 1 and 2 p.m. EDT.
	MOSES-2 sounding rocket to investigate coronal heating A NASA-funded sounding rocket is getting ready to launch to give insight into one of the biggest mysteries in solar physics—the fact the sun's atmosphere is some 1,000 times hotter than its surface. The mission, developed by scientists and students at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, will make a 15-minute journey into space on a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket. During its trip, it will take images of the sun in the extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, which can't be seen from the ground due to Earth's EUV-blocking atmosphere.
	Southern stars—the decade ahead for Australian astronomy Astronomy is entering an exciting new era of exploration.
	Water, water, everywhere – where to drink in the solar system Science fiction movies about aliens threatening the Earth routinely ascribe them the motive of coming here to steal our resources, most often our water. This is ill thought-out, as water is actually extremely common. Any civilisation coming to our solar system in need of water (either to drink or to make rocket fuel) would be foolish to plunge all the way inwards to the Earth, from where they'd have to haul their booty back against the pull of the sun's gravity.
	What is the asteroid belt? In the 18th century, observations made of all the known planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) led astronomers to discern a pattern in their orbits. Eventually, this led to the Titius–Bode law, which predicted the amount of space between the planets. In accordance with this law, there appeared to be a discernible gap between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and investigation into it led to a major discovery.
	SDO: Images of a mid-level solar flare The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 3:33 a.m EDT on Aug. 24, 2015. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however—when intense enough—they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
	First manned flight at showpiece cosmodrome delayed seven years: Russian space agency The first manned space flight from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, currently under construction in the Russian far east, has been pushed back seven years to 2025, Russia's space agency told AFP on Monday.
	Cameras delivered for OSIRIS-REx mission as launch prep continues The first U.S. mission to return samples of an asteroid to Earth is another step closer to its fall 2016 launch, with the delivery of three cameras that will image and map the giant space rock.

Technology news

	Crash-tolerant data storage: Formally verified working file system could end data loss In a computer operating system, the file system is the part that writes data to disk and tracks where the data is stored. If the computer crashes while it's writing data, the file system's records can become corrupt. Hours of work could be lost, or programs could stop working properly.
	'Multifab' 3D-prints a record 10 materials at once, no assembly required (w/ Video) 3D printing is great, assuming that all you need to do is print one material for one purpose, and that you're okay with it taking a few tries. But the technology is still far behind where it could be in reliably producing a variety of useful objects, with no assembly required, at a cost that doesn't make you want to poke your eyes out with a 3D-printed fork.
	Interactive tool lifts veil on the cost of nuclear energy Despite the ever-changing landscape of energy economics, subject to the influence of new technologies and geopolitics, a new tool promises to root discussions about the cost of nuclear energy in hard evidence rather than speculation. Over the last two years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has developed the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator, an online interface that provides a nuanced look at the economic costs of nuclear power.
	Researchers tackle issues surrounding security tools for software developers For software programmers, security tools are analytic software that can scan or run their code to expose vulnerabilities long before the software goes to market. But these tools can have shortcomings, and programmers don't always use them. New research from National Science Foundation-funded computer science researcher Emerson Murphy-Hill and his colleagues tackles three different aspects of the issue.
	MouthLab: Patients' vital signs are just a breath away Engineers and physicians at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a hand-held, battery-powered device that quickly picks up vital signs from a patient's lips and fingertip. Updated versions of the prototype, called MouthLab, could replace the bulky, restrictive monitors now used to display patients' vital signs in hospitals and gather more data than is typically collected during a medical assessment in an ambulance, emergency room, doctor's office or patient's home.
	Microsoft's Cortana assistant launched on Android Microsoft said Monday its Cortana virtual assistant software was available to users of Android mobile devices.
	Journalist puts Windows 10 face recognition feature to test If Windows Hello could talk it would possibly be bragging: Hello Mary. Hello Merry. What, you think I can't tell?
Driverless truck meant to improve safety in work zones Roving construction crews—the kind you see blacktopping a road, painting lines, inspecting a bridge or installing a traffic signal—are often protected from oncoming traffic by a specialized truck outfitted with a crash barrier.
	Information, writ widely Imagine an online catalog for data from researchers worldwide, a resource allowing scholars to not only read journal articles, but view the complete data sets behind the studies, a way for them to draw from, reproduce, cite, or build on this trove of findings without translating across formats or risking security or accuracy. Now imagine that catalog made better, more accessible—and increasingly applicable across the spectrum of disciplines.
	Despite Ashley Madison furore, our view of infidelity has not always been fixed When in 2010 I interviewed Noel Biderman, founder of infidelity website Ashley Madison, he said: "It's easy to vilify me. But I'm not doing anything wrong. I didn't invent infidelity." He had a point, though at the time the moral outrage generated by the site suggested that Biderman had not only invented adultery, but all the evil in the internet too.
	Smooth robot movements reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent By minimizing the acceleration of industrial robots, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 40 percent – while retaining the given production time. This is the result of a new optimization algorithm that was developed by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology.
	Company R&D expenditures in US increased 6.7 percent in 2013 Companies spent $323 billion on research and development performed in the United States during 2013, 6.7 percent more than the $302 billion they spent the previous year.
	Website that save politicians' deleted tweets suspended The Politwoops website that saves tweets deleted by politicians said Monday its operations have been closed down in the 30 countries where it was active after Twitter blocked its access to the social media site.
	Berkeley Lab releases most comprehensive analysis of electricity reliability trends In the most comprehensive analysis of electricity reliability trends in the United States, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Stanford University have found that, while, on average, the frequency of power outages has not changed in recent years, the total number of minutes customers are without power each year has been increasing over time.
	Argonne pushing boundaries of computing in engine simulations When you're trying to understand the complex inner workings of a virtual engine, with its millions of variables and untold number of uncertainties, the most important horsepower number isn't the one under the hood; it's the one in the computer rack next door.
	CEO says Apple growth still 'strong' in China Apple is still seeing "strong growth" in China despite fears about an economic slowdown which have sparked a global market rout, chief executive Tim Cook said Monday.
	Obama pushing for more clean energy choices for consumers Pushing back against fossil fuel interests, President Barack Obama is pressing to give ordinary Americans more power to choose what kind of power they use.
Apple's stock cuts losses after CEO emails on China business Apple shares helped lead the stock market on a steep dive Monday morning, but the tech giant recovered in dramatic fashion soon after CEO Tim Cook assured a popular Wall Street commentator that his company is still doing well in China.

Medicine & Health news

	Study makes major advance toward more effective, long-lasting flu vaccine Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) have found a way to induce antibodies to fight a wide range of influenza subtypes—work that could one day eliminate the need for repeated seasonal flu shots.
	One in five over-65s who drink alcohol do so at unsafe levels One in five older people who drink alcohol are consuming it at unsafe levels - over 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 units for women each week - according to a study by King's College London. The research in inner-city London, published in BMJ Open, found these unsafe older drinkers are more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status.
	Generic heart medication shown to prolong ovarian cancer patients' survival In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers demonstrate a benefit in overall survival among epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients receiving generic heart medications known as beta-blockers. Survival was shown to be greatest among those prescribed first-generation nonselective beta-blockers. According to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center investigators, the drugs block the effects of stress pathways involved in tumor growth and spread. With further research, they may also prove beneficial in conjunction with other treatment regimens and across other cancer types.
	Researchers find new code that makes reprogramming of cancer cells possible Cancer researchers dream of the day they can force tumor cells to morph back to the normal cells they once were. Now, researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have discovered a way to potentially reprogram cancer cells back to normalcy.
	Genetic overlapping in multiple autoimmune diseases may suggest common therapies Scientists who analyzed the genes involved in 10 autoimmune diseases that begin in childhood have discovered 22 genome-wide signals shared by two or more diseases. These shared gene sites may reveal potential new targets for treating many of these diseases, in some cases with existing drugs already available for non-autoimmune disorders.
	Antidepressants fine-tune brain reward pathway to lessen neuropathic pain Commonly used antidepressant drugs change levels of a key signaling protein in the brain region that processes both pain and mood, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published August 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The newly understood mechanism could yield insights into more precise future treatments for nerve pain and depression.
	Scientists show how exposure to brief trauma and sudden sounds form lasting memories Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found how even brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form permanent, long-term brain connections, or memories, in a specific region of the brain. Moreover, the research team, working with rats, says it was able to chemically stimulate those biological pathways in the locus coeruleus—the area of the brain best known for releasing the "fight or flight" hormone noradrenaline—to heighten and improve the animals' hearing.
	Scientists discover electrical control of cancer cell growth The molecular switches regulating human cell growth do a great job of replacing cells that die during the course of a lifetime. But when they misfire, life-threatening cancers can occur. Research led by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has revealed a new electrical mechanism that can control these switches.
	Promising class of new cancer drugs might cause memory loss in mice Cancer researchers are constantly in search of more-effective and less-toxic approaches to stopping the disease, and have recently launched clinical trials testing a new class of drugs called BET inhibitors. These therapies act on a group of proteins that help regulate the expression of many genes, some of which play a role in cancer.
	Second cancers are on the rise; One in five US cases is a repeat Second cancers are on the rise. Nearly 1 in 5 new cases in the U.S. now involves someone who has had the disease before.
	Young adults believe hookah, e-cigs are safer than cigarettes, study shows Many college students are making their way back to campus this month, and back to the habits - good or bad - that dorm-life promotes. A new study finds that young adults under 25, including high school grads and college students, are more likely to rate hookah and e-cigarettes as safer than cigarettes, when compared to 25 to 34-year-olds. This research was published today in Health Education & Behavior, a Society of Public Health Education journal published by SAGE.
	Reducing pain during vaccination: New guideline to help manage pain in children and adults A new Canadian guideline aims to ensure that pain during vaccination is minimized in both children and adults. The guideline, published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), is targeted at all health care providers who administer vaccines.
Similar outcomes for mothers and babies at low risk delivered by FPs and obstetricians For pregnant women who are at low risk of complications giving birth, the risk of newborn death and maternal complications is similar for obstetric deliveries by family physicians and obstetricians, according to a large study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Association between transient newborn hypoglycemia, 4th grade achievement A study matching newborn glucose concentration screening results with fourth-grade achievement test scores suggests that early transient newborn hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) was associated with lower test scores at age 10, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
Stopping antihypertensive therapy in older patients did not improve functioning Discontinuing antihypertensive therapy for patients 75 or older with mild cognitive deficits did not improve short-term cognitive, psychological or general daily functioning, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Primary prevention use of statins increases among the oldest old The use of statins for primary prevention in patients without vascular disease older than 79 increased between 1999 and 2012, although there is little randomized evidence to guide the use of these cholesterol-lowering medications in this patient population, according to a research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Diversity in graduate medical education; women majority in seven specialties in 2012 Women accounted for the majority of graduate medical education (GME) trainees in seven specialties in 2012 but in no specialties were the percentages of black or Hispanic trainees comparable with the representation of these groups in the U.S. population, according to a research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Fertility concerns impact breast cancer treatment decisions Concerns about fertility kept a third of young women with breast cancer from taking tamoxifen, despite its known benefit in reducing the risk of breast cancer coming back.
Young adults, women experience only slight declines in heart disease deaths Deaths from heart disease have declined dramatically over the last few decades but young people, particularly women, are not sharing equally in that improvement, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
Men who feel they fall short of 'masculine' gender norms may be prone to violence Men whose image of themselves falls short of the traditional masculine gender norms, and who feel that others think this about them too, may be more prone to violence than men who feel comfortable in their own skin, suggests research published online in the journal Injury Prevention.
	New studies further show risk of chemicals to coffee roasters Workers who roast and grind coffee in factories and cafes across the United States have more reason for concern about exposure to lung destroying chemicals.
	Scientists trace autism 'pathway' from gene to brain There is much that scientists don't know about autism. They don't know, for example, why the complicated, vexing disorder has become more common. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about 1 in 150 children in the U.S. were autistic; in 2010, that number was 1 in 68.
	Weak doses of radiation prolong life of female flies, scientists find Scientists at MIPT have revealed that weak doses of gamma radiation prolong the life of drosophila flies (fruit flies), and that the effect is stronger in females than in males. These findings could reveal the genes that enable the prolongation of life and in the future lead to the means of preventing aging in humans. The results of their study were published in the prestigious scientific journal PLOS ONE.
	Organ donor's reported ancestry depends on question format For years, medicine has relied on self-reported race/ethnicity as the basis of an array of decisions, from risk for disease to matching organ donors. Now, a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco has found that when that information matters most – in connecting bone marrow donors to patients – the format of the questions may determine how well the answers actually correspond to their genes.
	Wireless microcamera clusters broaden laparoscopic imaging A revolutionary integrated imaging system under development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison could significantly advance laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that, over the last half century, has seen only incremental improvements in imaging.
Pressure washing old wooden decks, porches creates health hazards, study shows Pressure washing that old wooden deck in your back yard might make it look better, but you may be creating a carcinogenic hazard that puts you, your children and your pets at risk in the process.
	Pocket-sized psychologist only an app away A new smartphone app is putting a psychologist in the pocket of anyone needing on the spot advice.
Blood vessel cells help tumours evade the immune system A study by researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet is the first to suggest that cells in the tumour blood vessels contribute to a local environment that protects the cancer cells from tumour-killing immune cells. The results, which are being published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, can contribute to the development of better immune-based cancer therapies.
	Transforming behavioral therapy with technology From iPods to cell phone networks, power generation to GPS systems, electrical and computer engineers are producing the technologies we depend on every day. But one electrical engineer, a second-year doctoral student at the University of Kentucky, is combining the latest technologies to support young children on the autism spectrum.
	The killer fungus that lives in your mouth On hearing the word "fungi" most people will probably think of pizza al funghi or a portobello mushroom burger. Incidentally, roughly half of the people salivating about these dishes will also carry a fungus called Candida albicans in their mouths or digestive tracts where it lives quietly, invisibly to the human eye, without causing disruptions or symptoms.
	High blood sugar may inhibit positive effects of exercise on bone health in people with diabetes Diabetes, which now affects almost 30 million Americans, can cause serious health complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations.
	Scientists unraveling the mysteries of rabbit fever When Flagstaff Medical Center doctors recognized two patients' symptoms as those of rabbit fever, they reached out to county and state health officials, who turned to NAU's David Wagner for clarification. Wagner, an associate professor of biological sciences and associate director for NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, has been working with the lab's associate director Dawn Birdsell, conducting DNA fingerprinting of the germs and identifying the specific strain of rabbit fever, also known as Tularemia.
	How gut health in obese patients can influence disease progression Patients suffering from obesity-related diseases often experience an inflammation of the small intestine which can worsen their condition. A study published recently in the journal Cell Metabolism, which was supported by the EU-funded METACARDIS project, has found out why.
	Food intake, a fragile balance between neural pathways A team at the Laboratoire biologie fonctionnelle et adaptative (CNRS/Université Paris Diderot) investigated the relative role of energy needs and "pleasure" of eating in food intake. The researchers studied a group of neurons in mice. They observed that when the neuron activity is compromised, feeding behavior becomes less related to the body's metabolic needs and more dependent on food palatability. These results could explain how ever easier access to appetizing foods may contribute to compulsive eating disorders and favor obesity. This work has just been published in Cell Metabolism.
Activated neurons produce protective protein against neurodegenerative conditions Activated neurons produce a protein that protects against nerve cell death. Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading and his group at Heidelberg University's Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences have found out how this effect comes about and defined a crucial player. "We already knew that brain activity promotes neuroprotection," Prof. Bading says. "Now we have discovered a central mechanism for this process and a key molecule produced by the body to develop a neuroprotective shield." These results have been published in Cell Reports.
	The mending tissue – cellular instructions for tissue repair A collaborative study led by scientists at the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has described a universal mechanism that regulates forces during epithelial tissue repair. This work, led by MBI co-Principal Investigator Professor Benoit Ladoux and conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Pierre et Marie Curie University, France; the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Spain; Chronic Disease Research Centre, Portugal, the Weizmann Institute, Israel; and the Cambridge University, UK, was published in prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications in July 2015.
	Study backs flu vaccinations for elderly A new study of the records of millions of nursing home residents affirms the value of influenza vaccination among the elderly. The Brown University analysis found that between 2000 and 2009, the better matched the vaccine was for the influenza strain going around, the fewer nursing home residents died or were hospitalized.
Children's hospitals shift from CT scans for common childhood health problems A study published online Aug. 24 by the journal Pediatrics finds a significant decrease in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans at children's hospitals for 10 common childhood diagnoses including seizure, concussion, appendectomy and upper respiratory tract infection.
	Study investigates the effect of crying on one's mood Yes, a good cry indeed might go a long way to make you feel better, says Asmir Gračanin of the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, lead author of a study in Springer's journal Motivation and Emotion. These findings were established after a research team videotaped a group of participants while watching the emotionally charged films La vita è bella and Hachi: A Dog's Tale. Afterwards, the participants were asked a few times to reflect on how they felt.
Patient born with insensitivity to pain acquires neuropathic pain following childbirth A medical case report of a female patient who had felt no pain since childhood but who, following childbirth, was left with a variety of pain symptoms, has given insights into the manifestation of neuropathic pain. The clinicians involved, Professor Geoff Woods and colleagues from Cambridge University Hospitals, also claim that their findings reveal a great deal about the subjective nature of pain.
WHO chief calls for urgent transformation of global epidemic response The World Health Organization chief acknowledged Monday that the response to the West African Ebola outbreak fell far short, calling for an urgent overhaul of the international response to epidemics.
Influenza vaccines provide moderate protection throughout the entire flu season Individuals who received the flu vaccine were protected for up to 6 months post-vaccination, the duration of most flu seasons, according to a study presented at the 2015 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
	Men, people over 65 sleep better when they have access to nature Men and persons age 65 and older who have access to natural surroundings, whether it's the green space of a nearby park or a sandy beach and an ocean view, report sleeping better, according to a new University of Illinois study published in Preventive Medicine.
	Video: How to stay awake without caffeine You're tired and you need an energy boost, but you don't want the jitters from caffeine. What to do? In this
	Study links physical activity to greater mental flexibility in older adults One day soon, doctors may determine how physically active you are simply by imaging your brain. Physically fit people tend to have larger brain volumes and more intact white matter than their less-fit peers. Now a new study reveals that older adults who regularly engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity have more variable brain activity at rest than those who don't. This variability is associated with better cognitive performance, researchers say.
Giving pharmacists the power to combat opioid overdoses In response to the growing opioid crisis, several states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have granted pharmacists the authority to provide naloxone rescue kits without a prescription to at-risk patients. This model of pharmacy-based naloxone (PBN) education and distribution is one of the public health strategies currently being evaluated at hundreds of pharmacies in both states to determine the impact on opioid overdose death rates.
Sexual-minority men more empathic towards fellow minorities White sexual-minority men may be more empathic toward other minority groups compared to their heterosexual white peers. A new study from the University of Houston College of Education compared the attitudes of white heterosexual men to those of white sexual-minority men.
	Researchers find inaccuracies in head impact sensors With increasing concern about concussions from sports, some players have started wearing electronic sensors to measure head impacts.
	Electronic trigger reduces delays in evaluation for cancer diagnosis Electronic triggers designed to search for key data, developed by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, were able to identify and reduce follow-up delays for patients being evaluated for a diagnosis of colon or prostate cancer.
Personal clothing may spread respiratory infections within the NICU Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is the leading cause of childhood respiratory hospitalizations among premature babies, can be detected from the clothes worn by caregivers/visitors who are visiting infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), according to research being presented at the International Conference on Emerging and Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.
	Is MERS another SARS: The facts behind Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Experts show that while Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), a viral respiratory illness, is infecting less people, it has a higher mortality rate and affects a specific target population when compared to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). This research is being presented at the International Conference on Emerging and Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia.
Promacta approval expanded to kids with rare blood disorder (HealthDay)—U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug Promacta (eltrombopag) has been expanded to include children one year and older with a rare blood disorder called chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
	Weekly leflunomide effective for early rheumatoid arthritis (HealthDay)—A higher, weekly dose of leflunomide shows similar benefits to a daily dose for the treatment of mild-to-moderate early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA), according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
	Veterans have poor oral, throat cancer outcomes (HealthDay)—In veterans, oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is associated with traditional carcinogens and poor clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the September issue of Head & Neck.
	Pulsed dye laser feasible for steroid-induced atrophic scars (HealthDay)—Pulsed dye laser therapy seems feasible for treating steroid-induced atrophic scars, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
Resveratrol causes conflicting changes in dogs' immune systems Resveratrol, a compound found commonly in grape skins and red wine, has been shown to have several potentially beneficial effects on health, including cardiovascular health, stroke prevention and cancer treatments. However, scientists do not yet fully understand how the chemical works and whether or not it can be used for treatment of diseases in humans and animals.
	New blood test for colon cancer improves colonoscopy screening results Canadian researchers have found a way to screen blood samples for molecular traces that indicate the presence of precancerous polyps in the colon, a key warning sign for colon cancer. Their results, published this week in the journal Biomedical Optics Express, from The Optical Society (OSA), may yield a cheaper and less invasive initial screening test for colon cancer that could complement colonoscopy, though further clinical trials will need to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the blood test before it is routinely used.
	Too few blacks, hispanics becoming doctors: study (HealthDay)—Too few members of minority groups are pursuing careers in U.S. medicine, resulting in a serious lack of diversity among general practitioners and specialty doctors, a new report finds.
	Weight loss benefits NASH, no matter how it's done (HealthDay)—Weight loss can improve nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in obese or overweight people, whether excess pounds are shed through lifestyle changes or weight-loss surgery, according to research published in the August issue of Gastroenterology.
	Ureteric injury risk with hysterectomy up 2001 to 2010 (HealthDay)—In 2001 to 2010, 0.5 percent of women experienced ureteric injury in the year after a hysterectomy, with lower rates for benign versus malignant conditions and rates of injury increasing between 2001 and 2010, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
	ADHD risk rises for each week a preemie is born early (HealthDay)—The more premature a child is born, the higher the likelihood of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a recent Finnish study.
	Humans carry more antibiotic-resistant bacteria than animals they work with Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a concern for the health and well-being of both humans and farm animals. One of the most common and costly diseases faced by the dairy industry is bovine mastitis, a potentially fatal bacterial inflammation of the mammary gland (IMI). Widespread use of antibiotics to treat the disease is often blamed for generating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, researchers investigating staphylococcal populations responsible for causing mastitis in dairy cows in South Africa found that humans carried more antibiotic-resistant staphylococci than the farm animals with which they worked. The research is published in the Journal of Dairy Science.
	Medical terms lead to divide between parents and doctors Few things are more stressful than dealing with a sick child. From discussing treatment with a pediatrician to complying with day care policies, a parent must consider many factors when making a decision about their child's health. Now, a recent study from the University of Missouri and the University of Michigan is shedding light on the significant divide that can exist between patients and physicians about the same terminology—especially when it comes to discussing "pink eye," a particular flashpoint in childcare.
	Exploring the link between globalisation and stress A direct relationship exists between stress and globalisation – i.e. transnational corporations and transnational economics – according to a recent study published in the Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities.
	Sierra Leone's last known Ebola patient leaves hospital Sierra Leone's last known Ebola patient was released from hospital Monday, raising hopes the west African nation may finally have beaten the devastating epidemic.
	Optimizing effectiveness of CAR T cell therapy in lymphoma highlighted Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, which can specifically recognize and target tumor cells, have resulted in complete responses in patients with leukemia, and although equally promising for treating lymphoma, obstacles remain and individual patient responses CAR T cell therapy have varied. The main barriers to overcome in developing the next generation of CAR T cell therapy are presented in a Review article that is part of a special Nordic issue of Human Gene Therapy.
Pfizer says Hospira purchase will close in early September Drugmaker Pfizer says it's received the final regulatory approvals for its $15.23 billion purchase of the injectable drug and infusion device maker Hospira, and says the deal will close in early September.

Biology news

	How endosymbionts escape dead tubeworms and repopulate live specimens (Phys.org)—Deep within oceanic hydrothermal vents, the thiotrophic gamma-proteobacterial endosymbiont Candidatus Endoriftia lives in happy symbiosis with its host organism, the sessile tubeworm Riftia pachyptila: The tubeworm provides all the substrates the endosymbiont needs for chemosynthesis and, in return, Endoriftia releases fixed organic carbon for the tubeworm host, which is gutless, and would otherwise have no source of nutrition.
	Why a mutant rice called Big Grain1 yields such big grains (Phys.org)—Rice is one of the most important staple crops grown by humans—very possibly the most important in history. With 4.3 billion inhabitants, Asia is home to 60 percent of the world's population, so it's unsurprising that around 90 percent of the world's rice crops are grown on the Earth's largest and most populous continent.
	Study finds black bears in Yosemite forage primarily on plants and nuts Black bears in Yosemite National Park that don't seek out human foods subsist primarily on plants and nuts, according to a study conducted by biologists at UC San Diego who also found that ants and other sources of animal protein, such as mule deer, make up only a small fraction of the bears' annual diet.
	Climate impacts on marine biodiversity New research into the impact of climate change has found that warming oceans will cause profound changes in the global distribution of marine biodiversity.
	Team identifies the off switch for biofilm formation Bacteria are best known as free-living single cells, but in reality their lives are much more complex. To survive in harsh environments, many species of bacteria will band together and form a biofilm—a collection of cells held together by a tough web of fibers that offers protection from all manner of threats, including antibiotics. A familiar biofilm is the dental plaque that forms on teeth between brushings, but biofilms can form almost anywhere given the right conditions.
	Genomes uncover life's early history A University of Manchester scientist is part of a team which has carried out one of the biggest ever analyses of genomes on life of all forms.
	Bacterial infection makes farmers out of amoebae In 2011 the Queller-Strassmann lab, then at Rice University, made a startling announcement in Nature Letters. They had been collecting single-celled amoebae of the species Dictyostelium discoideum from the soil in Virginia and Minnesota.
	Ants self-medicate to fight disease We humans have been using self-medication to cure the illnesses since the dawn of our species. There is some evidence that also other animals can exhibit this type of behavior, but the evidence has been hard to come by.
	Plant breeders take a leaf from livestock playbook In what is being called a global first, UWA scientists have developed a way of breeding the best crop varieties similar to how quality livestock has been produced in the past.
	Aussie birds favour almonds for dining choices Almonds appear to be the fare of choice for many Australian birds with recent research finding a variety of bird species frequent almond orchards over other agricultural crops.
	Genetic re-assortment shapes evolutionary and epidemiological changes in bluetongue virus The repeated emergence of the Bluetongue virus (BTV) amongst European livestock in recent decades has been shaped by its ability to re-assort its genes, a study has found.
Lucky four-leaf clovers in the sub-arctic could prove valuable to future plant breeding The lucky discovery of four-leaf clovers in the sub-arctic could prove valuable to future plant breeding research.
	Female guppies become better swimmers to escape male sexual harassment In the animal world, sexual reproduction can involve males attempting to entice or force females to mate with them, even if they are not initially interested.
	Under the wing of science: Two methods for aging nestling Carnaby's cockatoo species Multi-year research on two populations of the endangered endemic Carnaby's cockatoo in southwestern Australia was conducted in order for two separate methods for nestlings aging to be assessed. If accurate enough, Dr. Denis Saunders and his team believe that the results could be vital in the threatened species' preservation, as explained in the Carnaby's cockatoo's recovery plan.
	How zebrafish rebuild the skeleton of amputated fins Fish, in contrast to humans, have the fascinating ability to fully regenerate amputated organs. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a popular ornamental fish. When parts of its tailfin are injured by predators, or are experimentally amputated, the lost tissue is replaced within three weeks. Zebrafish therefore are a favored animal model to study the cellular and molecular principles of organ regeneration.
	Newborn pandas 'doing well' after tense night at US zoo The twin cubs born to the Smithsonian National Zoo's giant panda Mei Xiang were said Monday to be "doing well" after a night that had zookeepers on edge.
	Entomologists sniff out new stink bug to help soybean farmers control damage Entomologists in Texas got a whiff of a new stink bug doing economic damage to soybeans in Texas and are developing ways to help farmers combat it, according to a report in the journal Environmental Entomology.
	How researcher helped bring organic labeling policy to the nation Organic is everywhere. Since the early 1970s, the label has moved from an agricultural outlier to the American mainstream, from the local farmers market to chain stores.
Can my dog's run-in with a skunk cause worse problems than the odor? Skunks are very common throughout much of the United States. Their scent glands, located near the tail, serve as the primary defense for these nocturnal animals. Although online sources associate "skunking" with a variety of alarming health problems, these rarely (if ever) have been shown to happen. One reported case blames skunk spray as the cause of death, but it's unclear if there were other factors at play.
	Citizen science to study your dog, because your dog studies you Thank you, Lassie for saving my life! And thank you Rover, Spot, Fido, Benji, and Snoopy. We can all shout this refrain, not just those pulled from a burning building or comforted by slobbery kisses. Dogs may have saved the entire human race. Not recently, but back when our species was just starting out on the journey to dominate the Earth.
	Raptors in West and Central Africa threatened by trade for bushmeat and fetish The trade in vultures and other raptors for traditional medicine and bushmeat is likely to be contributing to the serious declines of these birds in West and Central Africa. A new study, published in the scientific journal Oryx, showed that 27% of 2,646 raptor carcasses on sale in markets in 12 countries were threatened or near threatened species according to the IUCN Red List. In West Africa, 73% of raptors were traded in Nigeria and 21% in Benin, making these countries the regional hotspots for this largely illicit trade.

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