Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Aug 18

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 18, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Scientists fabricate hexagonal silicon, potentially leading to light-emitting semiconductors
- Ambient sound may help protect your online accounts
- Going solid-state could make batteries safer and longer-lasting
- New temperature record: Hydrogen sulfide becomes superconductive under high pressure at minus 70 degrees Celsius
- Challenge to classic theory of 'organic' solar cells could improve efficiency
- Researchers explore how genomic integrity is preserved in double-strand breaks
- Quasicrystal "movie" shows error-correction process at work
- Researchers produce first demonstration of matter wave technique that could cool molecules
- Examining the fate of Fukushima contaminants
- Solar System formation don't mean a thing without that spin
- High-tech cars bring Detroit, Silicon Valley face to face
- Expression of a single gene lets scientists easily grow hepatitis C virus in the lab
- Researchers find link between Amazon fire risk, devastating hurricanes
- Earliest 'modern' hand nearly two million years old
- Google heads down new path with 'OnHub' wireless router

Astronomy & Space news

	Solar System formation don't mean a thing without that spin New work from Carnegie's Alan Boss and Sandra Keiser provides surprising new details about the trigger that may have started the earliest phases of planet formation in our solar system. It is published by The Astrophysical Journal. For decades, it's been hypothesized that our Solar System's genesis was initiated by a shock wave from a supernova. According to this theory, the wall of pressure formed by a shock wave from the exploding star smacked into a cloud of dust and gas, causing it to collapse and contract into the core of a new proto-star—our Sun. This young Sun was surrounded by a rotating disk of dust and gas that eventually aggregated to form the planets of our Solar System.
	Image: Test mirror segments for the James Webb Space Telescope The Andromeda galaxy is one of the most distant objects that we can see in the night sky with the naked eye. The light that we see now left there 2.5 million years ago. While this might seem a lot, in practice it is in our cosmic 'backyard', because Andromeda is one of our closest galactic neighbours.
	Chasms on Dione While not bursting with activity like its system sister Enceladus, the surface of Dione is definitely not boring. Some parts of the surface are covered by linear features, called chasmata, which provide dramatic contrast to the round impact craters that typically cover moons.
	Research shows that comet impacts may have led to life on Earth—and perhaps elsewhere Comet impact on Earth are synonymous with great extinctions, but now research presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Prague shows that early comet impact would have become a driving force to cause substantial synthesis of peptides - the first building blocks of life. This may have implications for the genesis of life on other worlds.
	What is A dwarf planet? The term dwarf planet has been tossed around a lot in recent years. As part of a three-way categorization of bodies orbiting the sun, the term was adopted in 2006 due to the discovery of objects beyond the orbit of Neptune that were comparable in size to Pluto. Since then, it has come to be used to describe many objects in our solar system, upending the old classification system that claimed there were nine planets.

Technology news

	Ambient sound may help protect your online accounts Two-factor authentication based on ambient sound has been the focus of four researchers from the Institute of Information Security ETH Zurich. Nikolaos Karapanos, Claudio Marforio, Claudio Soriente, and Srdjan Capkun posted their work on the .arXiv server and they presented their research at the recent Usenix conference in Washington, DC.
	A brain-computer interface for controlling an exoskeleton Scientists working at Korea University, Korea, and TU Berlin, Germany have developed a brain-computer control interface for a lower limb exoskeleton by decoding specific signals from within the user's brain.
	BitTorrent vulnerability to DRDoS attacks uncovered A quartet of researchers, two with City University of London and one each with PLUMgrid Inc. and THM Friedberg has released a paper first shown at the recent USENIX Woot '15, detailing what they claim is a major vulnerability of the BitTorrent protocol. The problem is that it opens up BitTorrent hosts to distributed reflective denial of service (DRDoS) attacks—by as few as one single perpetuator. Such attacks are becoming a bigger problem as BitTorrent communities have grown in size over the past several years—they now number in the millions.
	High-tech cars bring Detroit, Silicon Valley face to face The office has all the trappings of a high-tech startup. There's a giant beanbag in the foyer and erasable, white board walls for brainstorming. Someone's pet dog lounges happily on the sunny balcony.
	Google heads down new path with 'OnHub' wireless router Google is making a Wi-Fi router as part of its ambition to provide better Internet connections that make it easier for people to access its digital services and see more of its online advertising.
	Cell phones help track of flu on campus New methods for analyzing personal health and lifestyle data captured through wearable devices or smartphone apps can help identify college students at risk of catching the flu, say researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
	Boston Dynamics founder shares robot updates at Fab Lab meet The setting: The 11th Fab Lab Conference and Symposium in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earlier this month. The speaker: Marc Raibert, the founder of Boston Dynamics. This was a good time to pull away from all the past videos of Big Dog, LS3 and Atlas strutting their stuff in the lab and get a sense of what Raibert and his team tries to accomplish and what it's up to now.
	New internet routing method allows users to avoid sending data through undesired countries Censorship is one of the greatest threats to open communication on the Internet. Information may be censored by a user's country of residence or the information's desired destination. But recent studies show that censorship by countries through which the data travels along its route is also a danger.
	US to extend Internet oversight role The US is extending its oversight of a body that controls part of the Internet's structure, the Department of Commerce said, postponing a possible handover of responsibilities to a private entity.
Google expands low-cost phone program in six African countries Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can't afford an Internet-connected device.
	Little progress since early '90s for gas mileage of vehicles on the road Despite steady advancements in fuel-saving technologies in the last 25 years, on-road fuel economy for all vehicles has improved by less than a mile per gallon during that time—partly because it takes many years to turn over the fleet.
	A peek into our robotic future In an underground laboratory in central Sydney, a robot and a drone are being put through their paces. From time to time, their young inventors hunch over their respective offspring, fine-tuning movements and adjusting software.
	Will the elderly rely on the Internet of Things to look after them? We are facing the "silver tsunami" of an ageing society that within a few years will see for the first time, more people over the age of 65 living on this planet than those under 5 years of age. Apart from the increased burden of chronic diseases that accompanies old age, the biggest impact of an increasingly ageing population will be felt in the numbers of people with dementia, and in particular Alzheimer's Disease. In Europe, around 7% of the population over 65 have dementia. This rises dramatically with age and nearly 50% of women and 30% of men over the age of 90 will suffer from the condition.
	Protecting the rights of the digital workforce in the 'gig' economy Spurred by advances in digital technology, an on-demand workforce has been growing steadily for well over a decade, creating a new "gig" economy. This is an economy in which more and more people either choose to, or are forced to, earn their livelihood working on lots of small "gigs" rather than being employed full- or part-time.
	Four problems the revamped Google should tackle now it's free to innovate Google is seen as a world leader in innovation, an important backer of tech start-ups and a pioneer in all our futures. The corporation, which is financially the size of a mid-range country, just reorganised its structure so that it can continue to invest in experimental technologies – such as drones, driverless cars and unusual medical devices – without worrying shareholders.
Sensor mimics bats to detect dangerous structural cracks An ultrasound sensor for detecting dangerous cracks in structures such as aircraft engines, oil and gas pipelines and nuclear plants has been developed by researchers at the University of Strathclyde – with inspiration from the natural world.
	Designing enhanced treatment options for animals using 3-D printing A research project by an interior architecture & product design student at Kansas State University is one that could get some tails wagging.
App will help scientists recruit participants for their research investigations Already affiliated with local hospitals, universities and research institutes, Toronto-based startup ParticipAid's goal is a worthy one, albeit ambitious in scope: to make it easy for the world to have a direct impact on research progress.
	Have you ever fallen for an online scam? Take heart—you're not alone New research, led by Dr Emma Williams and Professor Adam Joinson from the Centre for the Study of Behaviour Change and Influence (CSBCI) at UWE Bristol, will seek to find out what factors make people vulnerable to these attempts, and develop targeted interventions to reduce the risk of harm to individuals and organisations. The problem is believed to cost the British public millions of pounds a year.
	BuzzFeed gets expansion cash with NBCUniversal tie-up BuzzFeed, the website which lives off viral and "shareable" news, got a major boost for expansion plans Tuesday with a $200 million investment from NBCUniversal.
Florida man pleads guilty to role in cybercriminal exchange (Update) A Florida man has pleaded guilty to his role in a cybercriminal marketplace where hackers bought and sold stolen databases, malicious software and other products that could cripple or steal information from computers and cellphones.
Target reaches deal to settle breach claims with Visa Target has reached a deal to pay up to $67 million to settle Visa claims related to a massive 2013 data breach that resulted in the theft of millions of debit and credit card numbers.
	Feds probe VW air bags after inflator ruptures in Missouri A June collision between a Volkswagen SUV and a deer in which a side air bag inflated with too much force has triggered a federal investigation and raised questions about the safety of newer air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan.
New book on physical computation If you're reading this, chances are you're doing so on a smartphone or a computer. Experts would call the manipulation of electricity that brings us web pages, email and digital photographs "physical computation."
	eBay sells part of stake in India's Snapdeal EBay said Tuesday it was selling part of its stake in India's ecommerce startup Snapdeal, but said the Asian nation remains an "important market" for the US online giant.

Medicine & Health news

	Researchers report biomarkers and apps that predict risk of suicide People being treated for bipolar disorder and other psychiatric illnesses are at greater risk of attempting suicide, but physicians may now have tools to predict which of those individuals will attempt it and intervene early to prevent such tragedies from occurring.
	Targeting HIV in semen to shut down AIDS There may be two new ways to fight AIDS—using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. HIV is most commonly transmitted between individuals in semen, the male reproductive fluid, which contains deposits of protein fragments called amyloid fibrils. These fibrils can increase the transmission of HIV by helping the virus attach to the membrane surrounding human cells. The scientists surmise that therapies that reduce the levels of amyloid fibrils in semen might be able to reduce the transmission of HIV.
	A newly discovered molecular feedback process may protect the brain against Alzheimer's It is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease: Toxic protein fragments known as amyloid-β clumped together between neurons in a person's brain. Neurons themselves make amyloid-β, and for reasons that aren't fully understood, its accumulation ultimately contributes to the memory loss, personality changes, and other symptoms that patients with this degenerative disease often suffer from.
	MRI scanners can steer tumor busting viruses to specific target sites within the body Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered MRI scanners, normally used to produce images, can steer cell-based, tumour busting therapies to specific target sites in the body.
	In uveitis, bacteria in gut may instruct immune cells to attack the eye The inflammatory eye disorder autoimmune uveitis occurs when a person's immune system goes awry, attacking proteins in the eye. What spurs this response is a mystery, but now a study on mice suggests that bacteria in the gut may provide a kind of training ground for immune cells to attack the eye. The study was conducted by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
	Expression of a single gene lets scientists easily grow hepatitis C virus in the lab Worldwide, 185 million people have chronic hepatitis C. Since the late 1980s, when scientists discovered the virus that causes the infection, they have struggled to find ways to grow it in human cells in the lab—an essential part of learning how the virus works and developing new effective treatments.
	Hot chilli may unlock a new treatment for obesity University of Adelaide researchers have discovered a high-fat diet may impair important receptors located in the stomach that signal fullness.
	Quality counts in adolescents' and young adults' romantic relationships Adolescents who have romantic relationships tend to have more problems with psychosocial adjustment. In contrast, young adults who have romantic relationships tend to have fewer problems with psychosocial adjustment. Although the links between having a romantic relationship and psychosocial adjustment change with age, a new longitudinal study has found that it's not just having a relationship that matters, but the quality of the relationship: Higher-quality romantic relationships are associated with fewer psychosocial difficulties across adolescence and young adulthood.
	Two-year-olds with larger oral vocabularies enter kindergarten better prepared Children with better academic and behavioral functioning when they start kindergarten often have better educational and societal opportunities as they grow up. For instance, children entering kindergarten with higher reading and math achievement are more likely to go to college, own homes, be married, and live in higher-income neighborhoods as adults. Now a new study points to very early roots of differences in school readiness, with growth in vocabulary playing a particularly important role. The study found that children with larger oral vocabularies by age 2 arrived at kindergarten better prepared academically and behaviorally than their peers. This information can help target early intervention efforts.
Powdered cranberry combats colon cancer in mice Cranberries are often touted as a way to protect against urinary tract infections, but that may be just the beginning. Researchers fed cranberry extracts to mice with colon cancer and found that the tumors diminished in size and number. Identifying the therapeutic molecules in the tart fruit could lead to a better understanding of its anti-cancer potential, they say.
	Speedy treatment with new clot retrieval device vastly improves stroke outcomes In the treatment of stroke patients, time really is brain. A few minutes can mean the difference between patients living independently or suffering debilitating disabilities.
Frequency of family meals increased by a new school presentation New research shows that teaching young adolescents practical cooking skills leads to positive changes for the entire family. In an article published today in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, an NRC Research Press journal, researchers evaluated the Kinect-Ed presentation and found an increase in the frequency of family dinners after participation.
	Science, law and the 'badly behaved' child Mozart in the womb, learning French as a toddler, accelerated reading, maths for the gifted and talented … the list goes on and on. A brain-based approach to child-rearing can seem almost inescapable for the modern parent.
	Baby boomers reeling in the years It's long been said that you're as old as you feel. Now a group of researchers is looking at how the concept of "subjective" age might be used to manage the wellbeing of the baby boomer generation.
	Breath of fresh air for asthmatics People in good health don't usually think about breathing. But for the one in 10 Australians who have asthma and other respiratory diseases, research into inhalable medications to help them breathe more easily could change their lives.
	Mental health 'labels' can do more harm than good, warn researchers Diagnosing patients with medical labels to describe mental health conditions or severe mental health illnesses such as 'personality disorder' or 'schizophrenia', can have negative impacts on professionals working with them and could lead to less effective treatments being delivered, according to leading clinical psychologists based at our University.
	Spare your health, budget, and the planet—ditch the palaeodiet Interest in the diet of our evolutionary ancestors would ordinarily be a topic of curiosity in only the most obscure of scientific circles.
	Lasers could help doctors diagnose cancer earlier, more reliably and less invasively It's everyone's worst nightmare: a lump found in a breast, a questionable polyp spotted in a routine colonoscopy. A tiny bit of diseased tissue that could be the sign of life-threatening cancer.
	Long-term brain changes persist years after drug abuse and recovery It's known that brain changes are present in drug addicts even when they have been abstinent for a short period of time. Now new research shows that alterations persist in long-term abstinent heroin-depended individuals as well.
	To what extent are condoms responsible for erection difficulties? Research indicates that the use of condoms may cause some men to experience erection difficulties. However, in a study of 479 heterosexual men who used condoms and were 18 to 24 years old, those who reported condom-associated erection problems were also more likely to experience more generalized erection difficulties. Investigators also found that more than one-third of participants had never been taught how to use a condom correctly.
GABA supplementation improves planning for actions People show an enhanced ability of prioritizing planned actions after the ingestion of the food supplement GABA. Psychologists Laura Steenbergen and Lorenza Colzato, with their colleagues at the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition and fellow researchers from the Technical University of Dresden, published their findings in Scientific Reports.
	Ageing citizens to flood emergency departments Emergency departments in WA will become busier over the next five years with the highest demand coming from older citizens, according to a recently tested forecast model.
Engineering better drug delivery Tom Dziubla, Gill Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Kentucky, studies antioxidant polymers, working to answer the question, "Can we take a material and develop it from things that are antioxidant and turn it into a biocompatible material?"
	Device will deliver skin cell regeneration to treat burns, hard-to-heal wounds and skin trauma Avita Medical Ltd, a regenerative medicine company specialising in the treatment of wounds and skin defects, today announced that it has forged a partnership with the University of Huddersfield to explore the mechanism of Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES) – from Avita's ReCell device – to better understand its ability to effectively treat burns, hard-to-heal wounds and skin trauma.
Unequal healthcare funding provokes 'moral disgust', pioneering brain scan research shows Areas of the brain associated with social and moral disgust are triggered when health care funding is split unequally, researchers from the UK and Australia have found.
Patient satisfaction is a poor surrogate for quality of care in brain surgery Patient satisfaction is a very poor proxy for quality of care comparisons in elective cranial neurosurgery. Because deaths are rare events in elective cranial neurosurgery, reporting of surgeon or even department-specific mortality figures cannot differentiate a high or low level of the quality of care.
Accuracy of sexual assault testimonies not affected by alcohol intoxication, study finds People are often concerned about the accuracy of testimony given by victims who were intoxicated during a sexual assault– but a new study by University of Leicester researchers has found that while alcohol intoxicated participants report fewer pieces of information about an assault, the information that they do provide is just as accurate as sober participants.
	Proof-of-concept study shows potential for using ultrasound to detect early signs of preterm labor Researchers from North Carolina State University, Institut Langevin and Paris-Descartes University have conducted a proof-of-concept study that raises the possibility of using ultrasound techniques to detect cervical stiffness changes that indicate an increased risk of preterm labor in pregnant women. While additional work needs to be done, it may ultimately give doctors a new tool for determining when to provide treatment that can prevent preterm birth.
	Clinicians and researchers develop approach to shortness of breath We all feel breathless from time to time: we've run for the bus, we've climbed a steep hill, we've cycled quickly to a meeting we're late for. For some people, however, even the smallest of exertions – walking to the bathroom, getting dressed, even talking – can bring on a shortness of breath.
	How DNA detectives are helping solve the rise of superbugs It is now 12 years since the first set of genetic instructions in a human was sequenced. Many of our hopes for using knowledge about the human genome to better fight the likes of heart disease and cancer still lie years and decades in the future, but DNA sequencing in healthcare is not all about tomorrow. It is already revolutionising clinical microbiology. Most exciting of all, it is giving us an important tool in our battle with drug-resistant strains of bacteria. These strains are one of the major growing threats to human health, and have just prompted new guidelines in the UK on how GPs should prescribe antibiotics.
	Implied motion improves food evaluation Think you'd like the food on your plate more if it was moving? Off-hand, your mind might go to images of worms and other small critters - an unappealing proposition. But a new study by researchers Yaniv Gvili, Moty Amar, and Yael Hallak from Ono Academic College in Israel, researchers Aner Tal and Brian Wansink from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, and Michael Giblin from the University of Florida, provides rationale for the common use of depictions of food in motion on packaging and in marketing campaigns. The researchers found that, "seeing your food moving makes it seem fresher, and consequently more appealing," explains co-author Aner Tal, PhD, "We're hard-wired to be attracted to motion, so moving objects not only capture our attention but look more appealing."
Possible test for liver cancer using technology for analysing rocks and minerals A group of clinicians and geochemists are working to develop a test for the most common form of primary liver cancer, HCC (Hepatocellular Carcinoma). HCC kills over 600,000 people worldwide every year. It usually develops from chronic liver disease such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, but there is no good biochemical test to indicate when the cancer develops, meaning that even for patients most at risk, it is nearly impossible to know when a cancer may develop until symptoms appear. Now a multi-national group of scientists are developing a new test for HCC, based on methods used to measure the stable isotope compositions of rocks and minerals.
Sweden confirms meningitis after Japan scout jamboree Swedish health officials on Tuesday reported one confirmed case of meningitis and two probable cases among Swedes who attended a recent scout jamboree in Japan, a day after urging all 1,900 Swedish participants to consult a doctor.
	Post-exercise ABI expands clinical, prognostic information (HealthDay)—For individuals with normal and abnormal resting ankle-brachial index (ABI), post-exercise ABI expands clinical and prognostic information, according to a study published in the Aug. 17 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
	New York latest state to ban powdered alcohol (HealthDay)—New York is the latest state to ban powdered alcohol, even though it isn't even available on the open market yet.
	Pitt leads sepsis care guidance in preparation for nationwide hospital requirements As hospitals nationwide brace for rigorous mandates for care of septic patients that will be adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in October, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine review unveils research-based guidance to improve compliance when treating this common and deadly syndrome.
	Scientists say e-cigarettes could have health impacts in developing world Most of the debate around e-cigarettes has focused on the developed world, but the devices are becoming more widely available in some low- and middle-income countries, where there is even greater potential for impact on public health, say two Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.
	Teens who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to begin smoking Among high school students in Los Angeles, those who had ever used electronic cigarettes were more likely to report initiation of smokable ("combustible") tobacco (such as cigarettes, cigars, and hookah) use over the next year compared with nonusers, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.
	Drug helps patients with diabetes lose weight Among overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes, daily injection of the diabetes drug liraglutide with a modified insulin pen device, in addition to diet and exercise, resulted in greater weight loss over 56 weeks compared with placebo, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.
Study compares heparin to warfarin for treatment of blood clots in patients with cancer Among patients with active cancer and acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE; blood clots in the deep veins), the use of the low molecular-weight heparin tinzaparin daily for 6 months compared with warfarin did not significantly reduce recurrent VTE and was not associated with reductions in overall death or major bleeding, but was associated with a lower rate of clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.
Pediatric training essential to improving out-of-hospital emergency care for children A national survey of more than 750 emergency medical services providers conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University identified airway management skills, personal anxiety and limited pediatric care proficiency among key factors that may contribute to pediatric safety events for children in out-of-hospital emergent care situations. The study, published online today in The Journal of Pediatrics, supports the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation for pediatric physician involvement in EMS training, medical oversight and policy development.
Just one in ten are referred for cardiac rehab after treatment for heart failure Only 1 in 10 heart failure patients is referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program after being hospitalized, despite strong evidence that such exercise programs improve quality of life and reduce the likelihood of future hospitalizations.
	Vision of immune cells rallying to destroy invaders captured for the first time (w/ Video) This information will help researchers design better vaccines that recruit the very effective killer cells to join the fight.
Researchers sound off on the dangers of hospital consolidation In a commentary published in the Aug. 13 issue of JAMA, Johns Hopkins experts say consolidation of hospitals into massive chains threatens healthy competition, reduces patient choice and could drive up medical expenses.
	Liver damage in hepatitis C patients significantly underestimated The number of hepatitis C patients suffering from advanced liver damage may be grossly underestimated and underdiagnosed, according to a study led by researchers at Henry Ford Health System and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
	Diabetes drug metformin's primary effect is in the gut, not the bloodstream Although metformin was introduced as a treatment for type 2 diabetes nearly 60 years ago and is now the recommended first-line treatment for newly diagnosed patients, researchers still debate precisely how the drug works. Now, a study published online today in Diabetes Care by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Elcelyx Therapeutics, and other leading endocrinologists provides strong evidence that metformin's primary effect occurs in the gut, not the bloodstream. The paper outlines results from phase 1 and phase 2 studies involving the investigational drug Metformin Delayed Release (Metformin DR), which is designed to target the lower bowel and limit absorption into the blood.
	Increased risk of depression for mothers undergoing fertility treatment Women giving birth after undergoing fertility treatment face an increased risk of depression compared to women ending up not having a child following fertility treatment, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen. According to the researchers, this has key implications for fertility treatment in future.
Patients with immediate medical needs tend to perceive doctors as emotionless, study finds When a patient is in urgent need of a doctor for illness or injury, expecting that doctor to help is natural.
Anxious? Depressed? Blame it on your middle-management position Individuals near the middle of the social hierarchy suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than those at the top or bottom, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Nearly twice the number of supervisors and managers reported they suffered from anxiety compared to workers. Symptoms of depression were reported by 18 percent of supervisors and managers compared to 12 percent for workers. Findings are online in the journal Sociology of Health & Illness.
	Oral contraceptives may impact aspects of arthritis in women New research indicates that use of oral contraceptives may provide benefits for women with inflammatory arthritis.
	Pregnant mothers influence fetal growth through genetics rather than maternal height Transmitted genes, rather than growth limitations caused by actual differences in maternal height, are the key means by which a mother's height influences her baby's birth weight and length, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The report from Ge Zhang and Louis Muglia of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative and colleagues does, however, suggest that maternal height can directly mediate duration of gestation.
	Shorter women have shorter pregnancies Shorter mothers have shorter pregnancies, smaller babies, and higher risk for a preterm birth. New research has found that a mother's height directly influences her risk for preterm birth.
	Study finds nicotine changes marijuana's effect on the brain How scientists study the effects of marijuana on the brain is changing. Until recently marijuana research largely excluded tobacco users from its participant pool, but scientists at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas have found reason to abandon this practice, uncovering significant differences in the brains of individuals who use both tobacco and marijuana and the brains of those who only use marijuana.
	Women choose contraception based on relationships not just pregnancy desires Women's contraceptive choices are more often driven by current relationships and sexual activity than by long-term pregnancy intentions, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
	Finding biomarkers for early lung cancer diagnosis Despite decades of warnings about smoking, lung cancer is still the second-most common cancer and the leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S. Patients are often diagnosed only when their disease is already at an advanced stage and hard to treat. Researchers at the West Coast Metabolomics Center at UC Davis are trying to change that, by identifying biomarkers that could be the basis of early tests for lung cancer.
Merck recalls chemotherapy drug over child-proof cap cracks Merck is recalling 276,000 bottles of a chemotherapy drug because the child-proof caps on the pill bottles may be cracked.
	Agricultural intervention improves HIV outcomes A multifaceted farming intervention can reduce food insecurity while improving HIV outcomes in patients in Kenya, according to a randomized, controlled trial led by researchers at UC San Francisco.
	Team finds early inflammatory response paralyzes T cells In a discovery that is likely to rewrite immunology text books, researchers at UC Davis have found that early exposure to inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 2, can "paralyze" CD4 T cells, immune components that help orchestrate the body's response to pathogens and other invaders.
Complete resection of high-grade brain cancer yields better survival in children—especially girls For children with aggressive brain cancers called high-grade gliomas (HGG), the chances of survival are improved when surgery is successful in eliminating all visible cancer, reports a study in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
	Most complete human brain model to date is a 'brain changer' Scientists at The Ohio State University have developed a nearly complete human brain in a dish that equals the brain maturity of a five-week-old fetus.
Use of contact precautions should be customized based on local needs and resources Contact precautions are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for all patients known to be infected with or carrying multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Yet, the use of contact precautions—which require a patient to be isolated in a single hospital room and health care providers to wear a gown and gloves when caring for patients—is widely debated in the medical community.
US regulators to decide on 'female Viagra' US regulators are expected to decide Tuesday whether to approve a drug nicknamed the "female Viagra," which would be the first pill on the market to raise women's sex drive.
Following maternal transmission, group B strep mutates to sicken infants Group B streptococcus, a mostly benign inhabitant of healthy adults, is one of the world's leading causes of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. A team of French investigators has now shown that such cases might occur when the microbe mutates within the infant following transmission from the mother. The research appeared August 17 in the Journal of Bacteriology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Lumbar spine BMD ups Fx risk in women with discordant T-scores (HealthDay)—Lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral density (BMD) increases fracture risk among women with lower LS T-score than femoral neck (FN) T-score, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
	Early menarche may add to risk of ER- breast CA in black women (HealthDay)—Age at menarche could play a role in development of estrogen receptor-negative (ER−) breast cancers among African-American women, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
	Physician score cards cut resource use in pediatric ER (HealthDay)—An intervention that provides comprehensive physician feedback on practice patterns relative to peers can reduce resource use in the pediatric emergency department, without compromising efficiency or quality of care, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.
	Topical kunzea oil no help for psoriasis (HealthDay)—The addition of kunzea oil does not improve the efficacy of topical psoriasis treatments containing liquor carbonis detergens (LCD) and salicylic acid, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
	USPSTF draft recommendation urges against COPD screening (HealthDay)—The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has found no net benefit for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) screening in asymptomatic adults and consequently recommends against screening. These findings form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Aug. 17 by the USPSTF.
Nine-gene MPI can provide accurate survival stratification in patients with NSCLC A nine-gene molecular prognostic index (MPI) for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was able to provide accurate survival stratification and could potentially inform the use of adjuvant therapy in patients struggling with the disease, according to a study published August 18 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Temple and Fox Chase Cancer Center testing drug for cancer and bone marrow disorders Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center are the only two sites in Philadelphia that participated in an international phase I, randomized clinical trial which tested the drug guadecitabine (SGI-110) in Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). MDS are a group of bone marrow disorders in which the bone marrow doesn't produce enough healthy blood cells. AML is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
	Light/moderate drinking linked to increased risk of some cancers in women and male smokers Even light and moderate drinking (up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men) is associated with an increased risk of certain alcohol related cancers in women and male smokers, suggests a large study published by The BMJ today.
	Scientists report success using zebrafish embryos to identify potential new diabetes drugs In experiments with 500,000 genetically engineered zebrafish embryos, Johns Hopkins scientists report they have developed a potentially better and more accurate way to screen for useful drugs, and they have used it to identify 24 drug candidates that increase the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
HIV research increases number of people coming forward for testing A study by Canterbury Christ Church University shows that targeted public health, social media and educational interventions for healthcare professionals increase the number and timeliness of HIV tests in those at risk of infection in Kent and Medway.
Report paints comprehensive picture of palliative care services in Ireland A new report into the availability, variety, quality, cost, effectiveness and use of specialist palliative care services in three regions in Ireland has just been published by researchers from Trinity College Dublin and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Liver problems will likely increase in adults Liver diseases affect hundreds of millions of people and cause significant illness and death.
Weight levels dropped in Greek children during the economic crisis A new study indicates that for a 2.5 year period shortly before and during the early years of the Greek economic crisis, the prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased in Greek schoolchildren. This was accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of normal weight children and a slight increase in the prevalence of underweight children.
	California lawmakers renew push to pass right-to-die bill California lawmakers announced Tuesday that they are making a new push to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives after opposition from religious groups and hesitance from fellow Democrats helped stall efforts earlier this year.
NYC mayor signs law to combat future Legionnaires' outbreaks New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed legislation aimed at preventing further outbreaks of deadly Legionnaires' disease.

Biology news

	Researchers explore how genomic integrity is preserved in double-strand breaks (Phys.org)—Genome editing for purposes of replication and repair is handled by enzymes called endonucleases, which cleave DNA strands at very specific sites. These are called "restriction sites," composed of palendromic sequences of nucleotides. The repair of broken DNA forks is not fully understood; among other things, scientists would like to determine how break-induced replication (BIR), a genome rearrangement-repair mechanism, avoids destabilization of the genome that leads to rapid evolution, adaptation and tumorigenesis.
	Timing is everything – for plants too Organisms differ in their morphology between species, within species and even within individuals at different stages of development. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, studied how different leaf forms arise within a single plant species, hairy bittercress, and discovered that varying development rates play a key role in the process. The pacesetter for this coordination process is a gene that also determines flowering time. Depending on how active the gene is, leaf form changes because plants progress through their development at different speeds. The scientists propose this as a simple way for evolution to have created new leaf forms within a species.
	Fishy parents distinguish friend from foe With intruders lurking everywhere, the volcanic crater lakes of Nicaragua can be a dangerous place to raise a family, especially if you're a fish.
	Fossil study: Dogs evolved with climate change Old dogs can teach humans new things about evolution. In Nature Communications a new study of North American dog fossils as old as 40 million years suggests that the evolutionary path of whole groups of predators can be a direct consequence of climate change.
	How an emerging anti-resistance antibiotic targets the bacterial membrane Scientists are planning for a future in which superbugs gain the upper hand against our current arsenal of antibiotics. One emerging class of drug candidates, called AMLPs (antimicrobial lipopeptides), shows promise, and an August 18 study in the Biophysical Journal explains why: they selectively kill bacterial cells, while sparing mammalian host cells, by clumping together into microscopic balls that stick to the bacterial membrane—a complex structure that will be slower to mutate and thus resist drugs.
	The Tree of Life may be a bush New species evolve whenever a lineage splits off into several. Because of this, the kinship between species is often described in terms of a 'tree of life", where every branch constitutes a species. Now, researchers at Uppsala University have found that evolution is more complex than this model would have it, and that the tree is actually more akin to a bush.
	Is nature mostly a tinkerer or an inventor? The Krüppel-like factor and specificity protein (KLF/SP) genes are found across many species, ranging from single cell organisms to humans. This gene family has been conserved during evolution, because it plays a vital role in regulating the expression of other genes. Understanding the evolutionary history of the KLF/SP gene family may shed light on major events in animal evolution and perhaps help discern some of the molecular mechanisms associated with certain human diseases, including many cancers.
	Key genetic event underlying fin-to-limb evolution A study of catsharks reveals how alterations in the expression and function of certain genes in limb buds underlie the evolution of fish fins to limbs. The findings are reported by researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona) and their collaborators in the journal eLife and give new insight into how fish evolved to live on land in the form of early tetrapods.
Bacteria's conflicts fuel synthetic ecology research A common characteristic in mixed populations of microbes is that some bacteria, the "cooperators," dominate over others, the "cheaters." Cheaters use resources cooperators make and share. The result? The community suffers from depleted common resources.
	Scientist warns against shark culling A University of Queensland scientist has cautioned against culling sharks because the long term ecological impact cannot be predicted.
	Plant growth boosted by 400 million year old communication system Local scientists have discovered an ancient protein in modern-day plants that stimulates germination and, if developed, could give farmers more control over seedling growth.
	Giant panda gives birth in Malaysia A giant panda leant by China to Malaysia has given birth to a cub in captivity, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Tuesday, following a diplomatically tough year between the two countries.
	Cave snail from South Korea suggests ancient subterranean diversity across Eurasia As tiny as 1.7 mm, a snail whose relatives live exclusively in the deep recesses of caves, provided a sensational discovery from the depths of Nodong cave, South Korea, back in 2000 for its collector, J. S. Lee. It is the only cave-dwelling representative of the family of hollow-shelled snails in the whole of Asia with its closest relatives known from as far as Croatia and Northern Spain. The scientists, Adrienne Jochum, Bern University and Natural History Museum Bern, Larisa Prozorova and Mariana Sharyiool from the Far Eastern Russian Academy of Sciences and Barna Páll-Gergely from Shinshu University, published its description in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
	Bacteria's secret weapon against pesticides and antibiotics revealed Bacteria exhibit extreme adaptability, which makes them capable of surviving in the most inhospitable conditions. New research results produced by Danish and British researchers now reveal the molecular details behind one of the secret weapons used by bacteria in their battle to survive under very nutrient-poor and even toxic conditions.
	Worsening wind forecasts signal stormy times ahead for seabirds Stronger winds forecast as a result of climate change could impact on populations of wild animals, by affecting how well they can feed, a study of seabirds suggests.
	Researchers visualize antibiotic substances and their bacterial producers simultaneously Microbes are the oldest and most successful organisms on the planet, and they communicate and interact using chemistry as their language. While research of the past decades has uncovered fascinating insights into the chemical interactions of microorganisms in the laboratory, it remains extremely challenging to understand what happens in the natural environment. One of the key issues is the difficulty to tie the production of particular molecules to individual bacterial cells or at least populations of cells in complex environmental samples. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific now made an important step into this direction by simultaneously visualizing the distribution of antibiotics and their producers in natural samples (The ISME Journal, July 2015).
	Lobster population is shifting north; ocean warming blamed The lobster population has crashed to the lowest levels on record in southern New England while climbing to heights never before seen in the cold waters off Maine and other northern reaches—a geographic shift that scientists attribute in large part to the warming of the ocean.
	France to return 150 endangered tortoises to Madagascar Some 150 endangered baby tortoises will return to Madagascar eight months after they were found wrapped in sticky tape and hidden in a crate at a Paris airport, the centre that cared for them said Tuesday.
	'Half a million ants march in Germany' for protection of Amazon rainforest Half a million ants were enlisted at a German zoo Tuesday by ecologists from the conservation group WWF to call for the protection of the Amazon rainforest, ahead of a trip by Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel to Brazil.
	Plant doctors get to the root of plant stress in rice Sitting in an air-conditioned office at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Beaumont, it's obvious: People work better indoors when temperatures outside climb to the 90s while the blazing sun shimmers through waves of humidity on nearby experimental rice plots.
	How to extract and benefit from insect oil? Surprised to see how the Dutch people, whose culture is alien to the consumption of insects, have expressed interest in entomology with a scientific and commercial vision, a Mexican researcher is working on a project that seeks to exploit the oil and protein of arthropods.

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