Sunday, August 2, 2015

Science X Newsletter Sunday, Aug 2

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 2, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Netherlands bank customers can get vocal on payments
- Empty tables, crowded gyms: Learning with Density
- Victory Motorcycles introducing all-electric addition to its lineup
- Microsoft describes hard-to-mimic authentication gesture
- Nextbit to launch phone distance away from marketplace crowd
- Better together: graphene-nanotube hybrid switches
- Shedding light on millipede evolution
- Innovations from the wild world of optics and photonics
- Affordable genetic diagnostic technique for target DNA analysis developed
- Bend me, shape me, any way you want me: Scientists curve nanoparticle sheets into complex forms
- From cameras to computers, new material could change how we work and play

Astronomy & Space news

Image: Blue moon over Washington

A second full moon for the month of July is seen next to the dome of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, July 31, 2015 in Washington. In recent years, people have been using the name Blue Moon for the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition of Blue Moon is that it's the third of four full moons in a single season.

Challenger, Columbia wreckage on public display for 1st time

NASA is offering up wreckage from the Challenger and Columbia for public view after hiding it from the world for decades.

Astronaut mementoes: Cowboy boots, prayer beads, lunch box

The 14 display cases at Kennedy Space Center contain intensely personal mementoes and other items representing the astronauts who perished in the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Putin puts Crimean archaeological site under federal control

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Saturday placed a major archaeological site in Crimea, which he has hailed as the country's most sacred spiritual symbol, under federal control following turmoil over the appointment of its director.

Technology news

Netherlands bank customers can get vocal on payments

Are some people fed up with remembering and using passwords and PINs to make it though the day? Those who have had enough would prefer to do without them. For mobile tasks that involve banking, though, it is obvious that some measure of protection is needed.

Microsoft describes hard-to-mimic authentication gesture

Photos. Messages. Bank account codes. And so much more—sit on a person's mobile device, and the question is, how to secure them without having to depend on lengthy password codes of letters and numbers. Vendors promoting other solutions are all around, including the ability to unlock your phone with swiping gestures.

Victory Motorcycles introducing all-electric addition to its lineup

Victory Motorcycles has introduced its Empulse TT, the first all-electric addition to the Victory lineup. Features include adjustable suspension featuring a single rear shock and inverted front forks; dual-disk front brakes for high-performance stopping power; lightweight aluminum wheels; and an LCD instrument display.

Empty tables, crowded gyms: Learning with Density

Futurists are encouraged by possibilities residing in Internet-connected sensors for making us better aware of how to get through the day,

Nextbit to launch phone distance away from marketplace crowd

Mobile software startup Nextbit is to launch its first smartphone. The company CEO said that Foxconn is manufacturing the smartphones, according to Engadget. That means the company is moving in a new hardware direction as well, and last month was a buzz-filled wrap about what all this might mean—in the absence of any firm details.

Food tech startups raking in cash: survey

Farm and food tech startups were red-hot in the first half of 2015, pulling in $2.06 billion from investors, a new survey showed Friday.

Researchers warn of bogus emails offering Windows 10

Some hackers are exploiting Microsoft's offer of free upgrades to its new Windows 10 operating system.

Shamers on the prowl in social media jungle

The killing of a Zimbabwean lion by an American dentist is a vivid reminder of how, in this era of social media, it's a virtual jungle out there.

Facebook hackathon gives Super Mario millennial touch

Amanda Maler wasn't even born yet when Nintendo's beloved Super Mario made his debut 30 years ago.

Red and white fleet going green

When it comes to environmental sustainability, Red and White Fleet president Tom Escher is all in.

Social media amplifies damage of product recalls to firms—rivals, too

A product recall is never good news for a firm. And though it might seem like a great occasion for schadenfreude, a recall is not necessarily good news for competitors, either.

Computing at full capacity

Over 12 million servers in 3 million data centers in the U.S. burn about 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. Billions of dollars are spent on data center energy every year, with billions more spent on power distribution and cooling infrastructures. Even with the magnitude of these numbers, energy and cooling represent only about 20 percent of the typical total cost of ownership of data centers, which is typically dominated by server hardware (about 40 percent) and software (about 25 percent) costs. Additional costs, including storage, networking, and information technology labor, further swell the price tag.

Hitchhiking robot's cross-country trip in US ends in Philly

A hitchhiking robot that captured the hearts of fans worldwide met its demise in the U.S.

Smart gadgets from guns to cars ripe for hacking

Hackers are not just after your computer: connected devices from cars to home security systems to sniper rifles are now targets for actors looking to steal or cause mischief.

China tightens controls on export of drones, supercomputers

China is tightening controls on exports of some drones and powerful computers and will require firms to register to ensure they do not "compromise national security", state media reported Sunday.

Yahoo tries to get more fashionable with Polyvore purchase

Yahoo is buying style-tip specialist Polyvore in its latest attempt to become a more fashionable place to advertise.

Medicine & Health news

Many older americans feel prepared for aging

(HealthDay)—Most older Americans feel they are prepared for the process of aging, but many have concerns about maintaining their physical and mental health as they get older, a new survey finds.

Mountain biker survives after neck impaled by tree branch

(HealthDay)—A day out mountain biking went terribly wrong for one middle-aged man in New Mexico: He ended up with a tree branch impaled in his neck.

Effective ebola vaccine may be here: health officials

(HealthDay)—An experimental Ebola vaccine appears highly effective against the deadly infectious disease, according to an interim analysis of findings from a clinical trial being conducted in the West African nation of Guinea.

AMA wants doctor input on EHRs, meaningful use

(HealthDay)—The American Medical Association (AMA) is encouraging clinicians to share their perspectives on electronic heath records (EHRs) and the meaningful use program.

Accuracy, timing of pre-op lung CA evaluation can be improved

(HealthDay)—For suspected lung cancer patients, the thoroughness, accuracy, and timeliness of preoperative evaluation could be improved, according to research published online July 30 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Social media can inform patient-doctor dialogue about LVADs

(HealthDay)—Social media outlets represent a promising source of information relating to left ventricular assist device treatment for heart failure, but their reliability is hampered by current lack of oversight into content, according to a study published online July 28 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors seem safe in CML with CKD

(HealthDay)—Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) appear to be safe in patients with chronic-phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online July 28 in Cancer.

Most obstetricians screen for group B strep at 35 to 37 weeks

(HealthDay)—Almost all obstetricians collect group B streptococcus screening samples, but practice patterns vary, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Test set performance indicators correlate well with clinical audit

(HealthDay)—Some performance indicators for mammography test sets are associated with aspects of clinical audit parameters, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology.

'Thrifty phenotype' leads to less weight loss in obese

(HealthDay)—For obese individuals, energy expenditure during fasting and response to overfeeding predict weight loss in response to caloric restriction, according to a study published in the August issue of Diabetes.

Treatment targets not met by most older patients with diabetes

(HealthDay)—Only one-third of American seniors with diabetes have their disease under control as defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, according to research published in the July issue of the Diabetes Care.

Researchers reveal climbing a tree can improve cognitive skills

Climbing a tree and balancing on a beam can dramatically improve cognitive skills, according to a study recently conducted by researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Florida.

Childhood cancer cells drain immune system's batteries

Cancer cells in neuroblastoma contain a molecule that breaks down a key energy source for the body's immune cells, leaving them too physically drained to fight the disease, according to new research published in the journal Cancer Research.

Stay safe when temperatures rise

(HealthDay)—Extremely hot weather can be deadly if you don't take the proper precautions, an expert warns.

CDC: 20 percent of U.S. adults have a disability

(HealthDay)—More than 50 million Americans live with a physical or mental disability, according to research published in the July 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Biology news

Shedding light on millipede evolution

As an National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded entomologist, Virginia Tech's Paul Marek has to spend much of his time in the field, hunting for rare and scientifically significant species. He's provided NSF with an inside look at a literal bug hunt, and the fascinating world of bioluminescence.

Affordable genetic diagnostic technique for target DNA analysis developed

Professor Hyun-Gyu Park of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a technique to analyze various target DNAs using an aptamer, a DNA fragment that can recognize and bind to a specific protein or enzyme. This technique will allow the development of affordable genetic diagnosis for new bacteria or virus, such as Middle Ease Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The research findings were published in the June issue of Chemical Communications, issued by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. The paper was selected as a lead article of the journal.

There may be a complex market living in your gut

Conventional theories used by economists for the past 150 years to explain how societies buy, sell, and trade goods and services may be able to unlock mysteries about the behavior of microbial life on earth, according to a study by researchers from Claremont Graduate University, Boston University, and Columbia University.

Another US hunter suspected of illegal Zimbabwe lion kill

Another US trophy hunter is suspected of killing a lion in Zimbabwe without a permit, authorities in Harare said Sunday, days after the killing of Cecil the lion by an American dentist caused global outrage.

Cecil the lion lights up New York's Empire State building

A giant photo of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected Saturday onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display.


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