Science X Newsletter Sunday, Nov 22

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 22, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Study sheds new light on Candida albicans, mysterious fungus that has major health consequences
- Utilities see potential in drones to inspect lines, towers
- 'Resurrection plants' offer hope as climate turns hostile
- Hackers may hit home for the holidays
- New Balance running shoe to hit stride with 3D printing
- Carbon Capture: key green technology shackled by costs
- Bag-check security system designed to improve entry experience
- NASA images: A day on Pluto, a day on Charon
- NASA calls on SpaceX to send astronauts to ISS
- Microevolutionary evidence: The eyes have it
- UMaine debuting ocean simulator to test sea-bound technology

Astronomy & Space news

NASA calls on SpaceX to send astronauts to ISS SpaceX received orders Friday from the US space agency to send astronauts to the International Space Station in the coming years, helping restore US access to space, NASA said.

NASA images: A day on Pluto, a day on Charon Pluto's day is 6.4 Earth days long. The images were taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) and the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera as the distance between New Horizons and Pluto decreased from 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) on July 7 to 400,000 miles (about 645,000 kilometers) on July 13. The more distant images contribute to the view at the 3 o'clock position, with the top of the heart-shaped, informally named Tombaugh Regio slipping out of view, giving way to the side of Pluto that was facing away from New Horizons during closest approach on July 14.  The side New Horizons saw in most detail – what the mission team calls the "encounter hemisphere" – is at the 6 o'clock position.

Technology news

	Bag-check security system designed to improve entry experience The Paris terrorist attacks delivered another jolting reminder to people across the globe that such attacks can and do occur in public venues. One company that is looking to improve how bags are screened at point of entry to sports, parks, airport, and entertainment venues is Silicon Valley-based Qylur Intelligent Systems.
	New Balance running shoe to hit stride with 3D printing People in many industries treat 3d printing as a key topic of interest both in techniques and printing materials for a number of reasons. ZDNet had an article earlier this year which examined reasons behind the interest.
	Carbon Capture: key green technology shackled by costs Every credible plan to save humanity from global warming reserves a key role for a green energy technology called carbon capture and storage.
	Hackers may hit home for the holidays It could be a merry holiday season for hackers, with millions of new and potentially vulnerable Internet-connected gadgets hitting the market.
	Utilities see potential in drones to inspect lines, towers U.S. utilities see great potential in the use of remote-controlled drones to do the often-dangerous work of inspecting power lines and transmission towers but strict regulations have so far slowed adoption of the technology.
	Airbnb brings home cash in fresh funding round Home-sharing startup Airbnb raised more than $100 million in a new funding round that kept its value at about $25.5 billion, sources with knowledge of the matter said Friday.
	Task force wants even smaller drones registered An aviation industry task force is recommending that operators be required to register drones weighing as little as a half a pound, a threshold that could include some remote-controlled toys, industry officials said.
	In fight on terror, encryption is double-edged sword Encryption can be a terrorist's tool. But it's also a key for those hunting attackers, and for many others.
Zuckerberg to take time off from Facebook to be a dad Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday that he will take two months paternity leave after his wife gives birth to their first child.

Medicine & Health news

Major fall in diabetes-related amputations since the 1990s A major new study has found a significant reduction in diabetes-related amputations since the mid-1990s, credited to improvements in diabetes care over this period. The research is published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) and is by Dr Benjamin Rasmussen and Professor Henning Beck-Nielsen, Odense University Hospital Denmark, and colleagues.
Study shows marked decline in retailer compliance after enactment of NYC's Tobacco 21 law In a study examining compliance with New York City's new law that raised the legal age for purchasing cigarettes to 21 years of age, researchers with New York University (NYU) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that compliance with identification (ID) checks has significantly decreased since the law was made effective. Prior to the change in the law, 29% of retailers sampled were non-compliant. Following the change, a full 38% of retailers sampled did not ask for ID when selling cigarettes to young people. Researchers also examined new minimum price laws for cigarettes and found a similar pattern.
	E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle expands to six states An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle that originated in the Pacific Northwest has spread south and east and has now infected people in six states.
Mexico sees heart failure improvements with diet and exercise Doctors in Mexico have shown the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise in patients with heart failure, in research presented at the Mexican Congress of Cardiology 2015.
	Allergy and asthma sufferers beware as holiday season kicks in (HealthDay)—There are a number of steps people with allergies and asthma can take to deal with the challenges they may face over the holidays, an expert says.
	Bursts of high-intensity interval training beneficial for older men (HealthDay)—A low-volume, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program is effective for improving muscle power in older sedentary men, according to a letter to the editor published online Nov. 17 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Liposuction offers long-lasting benefits for lipoedema (HealthDay)—For patients with lipoedema, liposuction offers lasting benefits, with similar benefits seen at four and eight years after surgery, according to a study published online Nov. 17 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
	Patients lack understanding of spinal surgeon compensation (HealthDay)—Patients have a lack of understanding about spine surgeons' compensation, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
	Terlipressin therapy can induce hyponatremia (HealthDay)—Terlipressin therapy can induce hyponatremia, according to a case report published online Nov. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
	Slow uptake of women's libido-boosting pill (HealthDay)—Uptake of the women's libido-boosting pill flibanserin (Addyi) has been slow since its approval, according to a report published by Bloomberg Business.
	Excellent durability for direct immunofluorescence slides (HealthDay)—Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) slides are durable when kept at room temperature for five years, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology.
	Aetna offers targeted health plans for diabetes care (HealthDay)—Aetna is offering targeted diabetes plans, which include low copays for specialists that patients with diabetes need, as well as free supplies and a care management program, according to a report published by Kaiser Health News.
	Exercise can reduce heart failure risk at any age (HealthDay)—Starting to exercise later in life can still reduce risk of heart failure, and even modest increases in activity could provide some protection, researchers say. The study was presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 7 to 11 in Orlando, Fla.
	Genetic risk score can differentiate type 1, 2 diabetes (HealthDay)—A genetic risk score (GRS) can distinguish type 1 diabetes (T1D) from type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online Nov. 17 in Diabetes Care.
US fines Novartis $390 mn over pharmacy kickbacks The US fined Swiss drugmaker Novartis $390 million for granting kickbacks to pharmacies that recommended the company's drugs, according to an agreement announced Friday.
CDC: Don't let dengue outbreak change Hawaii travel plans The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Hawaii's dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island isn't huge compared to other parts of the world.
Alaska regulators are first to OK marijuana use at pot shops The board tasked with writing rules for Alaska's recreational marijuana industry voted Friday to allow for people to use pot at certain stores that will sell it, a first among the four states that have legalized the drug.
Nearly 2 million children in Sudan malnourished: UNICEF Some two million Sudanese children under five suffer from malnutrition every year, UNICEF's representative said on Sunday, urging the international community to boost funding to tackle the problem.

Biology news

	Study sheds new light on Candida albicans, mysterious fungus that has major health consequences Researchers at the University of Toronto examined fungi in the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis and discovered how one particularly cunning fungal species has evolved to defend itself against neighbouring bacteria.
	Microevolutionary evidence: The eyes have it For a beholder who is an evolutionary biologist, the eye is has long been a fascinating puzzle because of the many parts that must seamlessly work together for the whole to work properly. Biologists have addressed the question of ocular evolution with comparisons between different species, or macroevolutionary studies, and shown how the evolutionary process can be broken down into discrete steps through which a simple light-sensitive cell can evolve into a complex, multicomponent eye through adaptation.
	'Resurrection plants' offer hope as climate turns hostile As the race to adapt to climate change quickens, a South African scientist is leading global research into developing crops that mimic the extraordinary survival skills of "resurrection plants".
Scientists say feeding fish soy, not fish, more sustainable Research supported by the soybean industry is looking to convert some farm-raised fish into vegetarians.
Oregon and Washington delay crab season because of toxin (Update) Oregon and Washington have joined California in delaying the start of their commercial crab seasons after dangerous toxin levels were found in the crabs.

---

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