Science X Newsletter Friday, Nov 27

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 27, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Mobile phone usage used to track economic status in Rwanda
- Study shows evolution does not always mean more diversification
- New target could eliminate lurking cancer stem cells
- Totally repellent: Quick and easy coating process makes surfaces omniphobic
- Discovered: A cluster of 60 proteins that help cells move and feel
- Neurons in crows' brains signal which pictures belong together
- Graphene microphone outperforms traditional nickel and offers ultrasonic reach
- Robot would refuse to jump off a bridge and it would tell you why
- Mystery of how snakes lost their legs solved by reptile fossil
- Earth's first ecosystems were more complex than previously thought, study finds
- Surprise: One organism responsible for nitrification instead of two
- Synapse discovery could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's disease
- Don't forget plankton in climate change models, says study
- New metric mapping top 10 European heat waves predicts strong increase in next two decades
- Study shows white matter damage caused by 'skunk-like' cannabis

Technology news

	Mobile phone usage used to track economic status in Rwanda (Tech Xplore)—A trio of researchers has used metadata from mobile phone users in Rwanda to predict economic status for populations in that country. In their paper published in the journal Science, Joshua Blumenstock and Gabriel Cadamuro with the University of Washington and Robert On with the University of California, describe how their study worked, how accurate it was and how other similar types of efforts might be used to help policymakers track poverty levels in a given area.
	Nest Cam not fully powering down but stops transmitting video to cloud at turnoff At ABI Research, a teardown team did tests and found that the Nest Cam security camera's LED power did turn off when users did the power-down command, but the device itself was still on and running.
	Heads up: Cambridge holographic technology adopted by Jaguar Land Rover A 'head-up' display for passenger vehicles developed at Cambridge, the first to incorporate holographic techniques, has been incorporated into Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.
	Robot would refuse to jump off a bridge and it would tell you why Robots are learning how to say no to humans. Bad idea, human. I'll get hurt if I do that, human. This is somewhat of a leap in how we view robots. The influence of sci-fi stories and films has been one of traditional robot fear.
	LG Display plans multi-billion OLED plant South Korea's LG Display said on Friday it planned to invest close to $9.0 billion in a new plant to produce organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, anticipating a surge in demand for the ultra high-definition technology.
	The next war will be an information war, and we're not ready for it In the 21st century the familiar form of warfare in which physical damage is meted out against the opponent's military forces and infrastructure has become only one form of attack. Instead, states are increasingly launching non-lethal attacks against an enemy's information systems – this is the rise of information warfare.
	A promising new prototype of battery After two years of research, a French team, mostly including researchers from the CNRS and CEA within the RS2E network on electrochemical energy storage have just designed an alternative technology to Li-ion for application in specific sectors. The researchers have developed the first battery using sodium ions in the usual "18650" format, an industry standard. The main advantage of the prototype is that it relies on sodium, an element far more abundant and less costly than lithium. The batteries have displayed performance levels comparable to their lithium counterparts, and this new technology is already attracting industrial interest. It could be used to store renewable energies in the future.
	Japan ready to submit proposal for Australia submarine deal Japan is set to bid on joint development and production of an Australian submarine, Tokyo's first major military transfer since the World War II.
	Measuring air pollution on a bicycle A small group of EPFL students captured second place at the international competition iCan with their bike light with an air pollution gauge.
	'Romance fraud' warning from UK police after £1.6m scam London's Metropolitan Police on Friday warned singletons to beware of online dating scams after two men were convicted of duping a woman out of £1.6 million (2.3 million euros, $2.4 million).

Medicine & Health news

	Study shows white matter damage caused by 'skunk-like' cannabis Smoking high potency 'skunk-like' cannabis can damage a crucial part of the brain responsible for communication between the two brain hemispheres, according to a new study by scientists from King's College London and Sapienza University of Rome.
	How can I tell if she's lying? Sarcasm, white lies and teasing can be difficult to identify for those with certain disorders – new video inventory developed at McGill may help
	Synapse discovery could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's disease A team of researchers led by UNSW Australia scientists has discovered how connections between brain cells are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease - work that opens up a new avenue for research on possible treatments for the degenerative brain condition.
	New target could eliminate lurking cancer stem cells Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have identified a novel target that could help to identify 'cancer stem cells' while they are in their inactive state. The scientists could then jolt these cells into action so that they could be eliminated by radio or chemotherapeutic approaches.
Top priorities named in hearing loss research Experts have published a list of the most urgent priorities for researching a debilitating condition that affects more than 10 million people in the UK.
	Cognitive behavior therapy can help overcome fear of the dentist Cognitive behavioural therapy could help many people with a dental phobia overcome their fear of visiting the dentist and enable them to receive dental treatment without the need to be sedated, according to a new study by King's College London.
Adolescent deaths from AIDS tripled since 2000: UNICEF The number of adolescents dying from AIDS has tripled over the last 15 years, most of them having acquired the disease when they were infants, according to figures released Friday by UNICEF.
	Even the elderly can recover from a severe traumatic brain injury According to a study completed at the Helsinki University Hospital Department of Neurosurgery, even patients over the age of 75 may recover from severe traumatic brain injury. This is the first study to describe the results of surgically treated elderly patients with acute subdural hematomas.
	Heart breakthrough using 3-D computer model Scientists have used a computerised 3D model of the heart to work out the cause of heart silence, a condition that causes the upper chambers of the heart to lose their power to contract.
Nearly 10,000 cholera cases, 150 deaths in Tanzania: WHO A major cholera outbreak in Tanzania has now infected nearly 10,000 people and killed 150, the World Health Organization said Friday, voicing concern that predicted flooding risked spreading the disease internationally.
	Buckle up in the backseat, experts advise (HealthDay)—As you head home from Thanksgiving get-togethers, stay safe by buckling up, even when you're riding in the backseat.
	Produce in Costco salad linked to E. coli is being recalled Federal officials say a business is recalling a vegetable mix believed to be the source of E.coli in Costco chicken salad that has been linked to an outbreak that has sickened 19 people in seven states.
S. Korea bans imports of French poultry South Korea has imposed a ban on imports of French poultry and live birds after the European country reported a bird flu outbreak.
New health plans offer discounts for diabetes care Talk about targeted. Consumers scrolling through the health plan options on the insurance marketplaces in a few states this fall may come upon plans whose name - Leap Diabetes Plans - leaves no doubt about who should apply.

Biology news

	Study shows evolution does not always mean more diversification (Phys.org)—A small team of researchers with members from the U.S. and Switzerland has found an example of a fish that did not always benefit in the end from an evolutionary change. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their study of cichlid fish species in Lake Victoria and other places, and the changes that led to their downfall in one ecosystem. Geerat Vermeij with the University of California offers a Perspectives piece on the work done by the group in the same journal issue.
	A common mechanism for human and bird sound production When birds and humans sing it sounds completely different, but now new research reported in the journal Nature Communications shows that the very same physical mechanisms are at play when a bird sings and a human speaks.
	Surprise: One organism responsible for nitrification instead of two It could never be found until recently, in a fish tank a few floors below Radboud University's microbiology department: one single organism able to perform the complete process of nitrification. Microbiologists used to think that two distinct groups of bacteria were responsible for the stepwise oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite. Nature magazine publishes the results – which have implications on climate research and wastewater treatment – on November 26.
Discovered: A cluster of 60 proteins that help cells move and feel University of Manchester scientists have discovered a cluster of 60 proteins that allow the body's cells to react to their environment and communicate with each other.
	Neurons in crows' brains signal which pictures belong together During learning, cells in the crow brain acquire discharge patterns that associate pictures with their meaning.
	New and presumably tick-borne bacterium discovered in an Austrian fox Ticks can transmit various diseases to people and animals. Some well-known diseases spread by ticks include tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease. Researchers at the Vetmeduni Vienna are hot on the trail of pathogens carried by ticks. The parasitologists recently discovered a new form of the bacterium Candidatus Neoehrlichia in a red fox from the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The pathogen might also be transmittable to humans. The results were published in the journal Parasites & Vectors.
	Lettuce quality is improved by modifying its growing conditions A researcher in the UPV/EHU''s department of Plant Biology and Ecology has confirmed that it is possible to improve the nutraceutical quality of the lettuce by modifying its growing conditions but not at the expense of productivity. The FisioClimaCO2 research group, to which the researcher Usue Pérez-López belongs, has applied various stress conditions to the plants and has verified the changes that take place in their composition as a result.

---

This email is a free service of Phys.org
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com