Science X Newsletter Thursday, Nov 26

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 26, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Coming to a monitor near you: A defect-free, molecule-thick film
- Gold and platinum offer clues about the moon's mysterious tilt
- New way to use ultrasound allows for imaging live blood vessels with more clarity
- Rapid plankton growth in ocean seen as sign of carbon dioxide loading
- Scientists get first glimpse of black hole eating star, ejecting high-speed flare
- Computer scientists achieve breakthrough in pheromone-based swarm communications in robots
- Physicists develop new technique to fathom 'smart' materials
- Synthetic glycopolymers in the membrane hold up programmed cell death
- Functional human liver cells grown in the lab
- Using sphere packing models to explain the structure of forests
- Adding sodium produces material that is most efficient at converting heat to electricity
- Researchers uncover essential interaction between malaria parasites and liver cells
- Nuclear waste storage sites in rock salt may be more vulnerable than previously thought
- Can Paris pledges avert severe climate change?
- Nevada researchers trying to turn roadside weed into biofuel

Astronomy & Space news

	Gold and platinum offer clues about the moon's mysterious tilt A total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about once every year and a half, on average. But imagine if it happened every single month. For this to be the case, the moon would have to orbit Earth in the same plane in which Earth travels around the sun - that way, the new moon would always come directly between us and the sun.
	Scientists get first glimpse of black hole eating star, ejecting high-speed flare An international team of astrophysicists led by a Johns Hopkins University scientist has for the first time witnessed a star being swallowed by a black hole and ejecting a flare of matter moving at nearly the speed of light.
	Hubble captures a galactic waltz This curious galaxy—only known by the seemingly random jumble of letters and numbers 2MASX J16270254+4328340—has been captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope dancing the crazed dance of a galactic merger. The galaxy has merged with another galaxy leaving a fine mist, made of millions of stars, spewing from it in long trails.
	SDO sees a dark filament circle A dark, almost circular filament broke away from the sun in a gauzy, feathery swirl, on Nov. 15, 2015, in this video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. This filament eruption was followed by a second filament breaking away on Nov. 16.
Video: Testing gravity—inside LISA Pathfinder ESA's LISA Pathfinder mission is a technology demonstrator that will pave the way for future spaceborne gravitational-wave observatories. It will operate about 1.5 million km from Earth towards the Sun, orbiting the first Sun–Earth 'Lagrangian point', L1.
	AugerPrime looks for cosmic superaccelerators The Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, an international large-scale experiment to study cosmic rays, will be continued until 2025 and extended to "AugerPrime". The observatory, for the project management of which Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is responsible, will be upgraded with new scintillation detectors for a more detailed measurement of gigantic air showers. This is required to identify cosmic objects that accelerate atomic particles up to highest energies.

Technology news

	Computer scientists achieve breakthrough in pheromone-based swarm communications in robots An innovative, effective and low-cost system which replicates in robots the pheromone-based communication of insect swarms is now being made available to robotics and artificial intelligence researchers after an important breakthrough at the University of Lincoln, UK.
	Using lights for communications? Haas, pureLiFi, see brighter future Will solar-powered wireless communication benefit millions in the years to come? That is the hope of enthusiasts seeing a future in Li-Fi, wireless technology which, said optics.org, is wireless—only not as we know it.
	Nevada researchers trying to turn roadside weed into biofuel Three decades ago, a University of Nevada researcher who obtained one of the first U.S. Energy Department grants to study the potential to turn plants into biofuels became convinced that a roadside weed—curly top gumweed—was growing along the road to the future.
	California demands fixes for 16,000 more VW cars California air quality regulators on Wednesday demanded a recall of up to 16,000 additional Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesels as the Volkswagen emissions scandal widened.
	Imagine if technology could read and react to our emotions Computers have always been good at doing fast calculations, but adapting to the emotional state of the person using the computer – now there is a grand challenge! The field is called affective computing, and soon it will be an important factor in the way people and computers communicate with each other.
	Sensor detects cable fire before it starts burning Fires are frequently caused by smoldering cables. Novel sensors now help detect such smoldering fires at an early stage by analyzing the plastic vapors released by overheated insulating cables. Scientists of KIT and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences have developed these hybrid sensors that combine measurement processes with data evaluation. Their work is reported in the current issue of the Sensors & Transducers Journal.
	Machine learning and big data know it wasn't you who just swiped your credit card You're sitting at home minding your own business when you get a call from your credit card's fraud detection unit asking if you've just made a purchase at a department store in your city. It wasn't you who bought expensive electronics using your credit card – in fact, it's been in your pocket all afternoon. So how did the bank know to flag this single purchase as most likely fraudulent?
	Robot to help passengers find their way at airport The robot in the "Spencer" project is now all set to face the real world at the major international airport Schiphol in Amsterdam. Its mission: to help passengers find their way around the airport.
	French carmakers top European list of low CO2 emitters French manufacturers topped the list of European cars and vans with the lowest carbon emissions, the European Environment Agency said in a report published on Thursday.
	Thesis turns into fun new app Victoria's first ever Pacific Studies PhD graduate has turned her research into a free, interactive app aimed at supporting new Pasifika parents.
The problem with our electricity industry For decades now the electricity industry has relentlessly gouged monopoly profits and functionless rents out of hapless residential consumers, while government ministers, officials, inquiries and "regulatory" agencies have acted as willing accomplices, cheerleaders and rubber-stamp providers, writes Dr Geoff Bertram.
	French group to help Japan dismantle nuclear reactors French nuclear giant Areva said Thursday it had linked up with Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy to help Japan dismantle boiling-water nuclear power stations.
Denmark's Bang & Olufsen considering takeover bid Consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen says it's in talks over a potential takeover bid, sending its shares surging more than 30 percent.

Medicine & Health news

	New way to use ultrasound allows for imaging live blood vessels with more clarity (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in France has developed a new way to create live images of blood vessels. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes their new technique, the results they have managed to achieve and the ways the new technology might be used. Ben Cox and Paul Beard with University College London offer a News & Views piece on the work done by the team along with a historical perspective, in the same journal issue.
	Stem cell study paves the way for patient therapies Stem cells that have been specifically developed for use as clinical therapies are fit for use in patients, an independent study of their genetic make-up suggests.
	Combination therapy can prevent cytostatic resistance Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found a new way of preventing resistance to cytostatics used in the treatment of cancers such as medulloblastoma, the most common form of malignant brain tumour in children. The promising results of this experimental study are based on a combination of the drug temozolomid and other extant drugs that inhibit an enzyme instrumental in DNA repair in cancer cells.
	Protein networks help identify new chemo drug candidates An experimental chemotherapy kills leukemia cells that are abundant in proteins critical to cancer growth, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine.
	Functional human liver cells grown in the lab In new research appearing in the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology, an international research team led by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem describes a new technique for growing human hepatocytes in the laboratory. This groundbreaking development could help advance a variety of liver-related research and applications, from studying drug toxicity to creating bio-artificial liver support for patients awaiting transplantations.
	Researchers uncover essential interaction between malaria parasites and liver cells Scientists at the Center for Infectious Disease Research recently uncovered a critical piece in the puzzle of how malaria parasites infect their host. The work, recently published in Science Magazine, reveals the details of how the malaria parasite invades its initial target organ, the liver. Without infection of the liver, the parasites cannot multiply or spread to the blood. Infection of the blood causes illness, spread of the disease, and, ultimately, death.
	Recommended activity levels not achieved by obese children and those with liver disease In a new study published today in the journal Nutrients, research from the University of Surrey and the Children's Liver Disease Foundation has found that both obese children and those with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) are not meeting the UK recommendations for a variety of vitamins and minerals.
New study highlights massive prescription price hikes Derma-Smoothe oil is a topical treatment for eczema that cost $46 in 2009. This year, its retail drugstore price hit $323.
	Patterns of obesity prove resilient A trio of recent reports has shed new light on U.S. health, with mixed results on obesity, smoking, and blood pressure.
	Scenery not just greenery has an impact on health People feel healthier when they live in a more scenic area, a new study has found.
French give nod to plain cigarette packaging Cigarettes will have to be sold in plain packaging in France from next year after the French parliament narrowly voted through a proposal which has drawn the ire of tobacconists.
	Study tests method to boost immune system response to inoperable cervical cancer The University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences, along with the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lennox, is one of three study sites in the United States participating in a clinical trial to determine whether an investigational DNA cancer vaccine (INO-3112) is safe and can stimulate the immune systems of women with inoperable, recurrent or progressive/persistent cervical cancer to attack malignant cells.
	Sugar-free drinks and lollies are bad news for teeth say dentists Scientists at the University of Melbourne's Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre have warned about the damage sugar-free drinks can do to tooth enamel.
	'Fear of missing out' linked to alcohol harm in students University students who have a greater "fear of missing out" (FoMO) are much more likely to experience negative consequences from drinking alcohol, new University of Otago psychology research suggests.
Annual HIV infection record for Europe in 2014 Europe registered a record number of HIV infections in 2014, driven by cases in Russia and immigrants who acquired the virus after arrival, the EU and the World Health Organization said Thursday.
	Hospital records key to preventing child injuries: study Almost 50 per cent of child injures requiring treatment in emergency departments are linked to consumer products, but a lack of detailed hospital records is restricting child safety experts from identifying if a product fault or misuse is the cause, a QUT study has found.
SNP location helps predict disease aetiology Nature Review Genetics has highlighted work by Milner Centre PhD student XianMing Wu.
	When exercise is unhealthy for the heart Endurance exercise accelerates the development of heart problems in individuals with a particular genetic mutation, a new study in American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology reports.
	What your musical taste says about your personality We're exposed to music for nearly 20% of our waking lives. But much of our musical experience seems to be a mystery. Why does some music bring us to tears while other pieces make us dance? Why is it that the music that we like can make others agitated? And why do some people seem to have a natural ability to play music while others have difficulty carrying a tune? Science is beginning to show that these individual differences are not just random but are, in part, due to people's personalities.
	Turkey day touch football might lead to ankle injuries (HealthDay)—Touch football is an important Thanksgiving tradition for many Americans, but more than 25,000 people will suffer a serious ankle injury during those games, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) says.
	Healthy holiday substitutions can help your heart (HealthDay)—One way to serve up a heart-healthy Thanksgiving dinner is to use healthy substitutions in traditional recipes, the American Heart Association advises.
	AAFP recommends doctors explore use of social media (HealthDay)—The use of social media channels and associated benefits for physicians are highlighted in a recent article published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). And guidelines are provided for physicians wishing to become active in social media.
	Oxytocin increases social altruism Nowadays, much emphasis is placed on sustainability. The degree to which people are willing to donate their own money for this depends on their level of oxytocin. Scientists at the University of Bonn Hospital have discovered that the willingness to donate increases with the quantity of this bonding hormone. However, oxytocin only has an effect with regard to social sustainability projects. The hormone does not increase the ability to participate in the case of purely environmentally oriented projects. The scientists are now reporting their results in The Journal of Neuroscience.
	Looking on the brighter side of childhood asthma The effect of a widespread genetic variant that increases the risk for childhood asthma can be neutralized. A new study shows that young infants are particularly responsive to the positive influence of exposure to farm dust.
Molecular trigger for Cerebral Cavernous Malformation identified Researchers in Italy, Germany and the United States have identified a regulatory protein crucial for the development of Cerebral Cavernous Malformation – a severe and incurable disease mainly affecting the brain microvasculature. The results, which are published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, show that the KLF4 protein plays a central role in the development of CCM lesions.
	Frequent heartburn may signal more serious digestive problem (HealthDay)—Every Thanksgiving, lots of people loosen their belts and reach for antacids to quell an overstuffed tummy.
Personally tailored diabetes care reduces mortality in women but not men A follow-up study to assess the effects of personally tailored diabetes care in general practice has revealed that such care reduces mortality (both all-cause and diabetes-related), in women, but not men. The study is by Dr Marlene Krag, The Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues, and is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).
More than one in four older Indians on low and middling incomes have midriff bulge More than one in four middle-aged Indians on low and middling incomes now has an unhealthy midriff bulge, with women most likely to carry a spare tyre, reveal the results of a nationally representative survey, published in the online journal BMJ Open.
No benefit found for use of probiotic Bifidobacterium breve to prevent death, late-onset sepsis The results of a phase 3 randomised controlled trial, published today in The Lancet, show that, despite being safe to administer, there is no benefit in using the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve (BBG-001) to prevent late-onset sepsis or necrotising enterocolitis in very preterm children.
	Queen's University Belfast leads bid to save lives of people suffering respiratory failure A potentially revolutionary new technology - that could saves thousands of lives in Intensive Care Units around the world - is being trialled in a UK study co-led by Queen's University Belfast.
Costco: FDA tests point toward E. coli in salad vegetables Costco officials say testing has pointed toward a vegetable mix from a California food wholesaler as the source of E. coli in the company's chicken salad that has been linked to an outbreak that has sickened 19 people in seven states.
Easing "phantom limb" pain Amputees sometimes experience shooting pains or burning sensations in limbs that are no longer there. These sensations seem to originate in the spinal cord and brain, perhaps because neural pathways are receiving mixed signals that something is not right.
	Football great Frank Gifford had brain disease (HealthDay)—The family of National Football League Hall of Famer Frank Gifford announced Wednesday that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) prior to his death.
Comparing therapies for a rare autoimmune disease In the course of a study conducted throughout Germany, medical professionals have compared different treatment methods for Neuromyelitis optica, an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It turned out that the best results were not achieved with conventional steroid therapy. Under the auspices of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Hannover Medical School, the team published their findings in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Biology news

	For prairie voles, later socialization can beat childhood neglect No matter how neglected the child, there's still hope – at least for prairie voles. That's the message of a new study from a Cornell psychologist that could have implications for human health and well-being.
	Using sphere packing models to explain the structure of forests Explaining the complex structure of tropical forests is one of the great challenges in ecology. An issue of special interest is the distribution of different sizes of trees, something which is of particular relevance for biomass estimates. A team of modellers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), working together with research partners, has now developed a new method which can be used to explain the tree size distribution in natural forests. To do so, the scientists use principles from stochastic geometry, as they have reported in a contribution to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS, Early Edition). Using this approach, it is possible to assess the structure of natural forests across the world more quickly, and produce more accurate biomass estimates.
Oldest known seabird is back at Midway Atoll near Hawaii Federal wildlife officials say the world's oldest known seabird has returned to Midway Atoll.
Sex determination in ants Yin and Yang, Venus and Mars, the Moon and the Sun, however you want to describe it, becoming a female or a male can make a big difference in your life, and not just for human beings. Dr. Misato O. Miyakawa, a former post-doc at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Professor Alexander S. Mikheyev, leader of the Ecology and Evolution Unit have discovered the two ancient genetic components of sex determination in ants. This paper has just been published in PLOS Genetics.
Projects stall after feds allow fish farming in open ocean Some 90 percent of seafood consumed by Americans is imported—a fact that the Obama administration vowed to start turning around by expanding fish and shellfish farms into federal waters.
Dog owners urged to vaccinate pets against new flu A virologist at the College of Veterinary Medicine urges dog owners to take advantage of a new vaccine to protect against H3N2, the strain of canine influenza that sickened hundreds of dogs in the Chicago area last March and has since spread across the U.S. Edward Dubovi, who helped identify the virus, says H3N2 is more of a challenge than the older H3N8 virus.
	South African judge lifts domestic ban on rhino horn trade A South African judge on Thursday lifted a domestic ban on trade in rhino horns, alarming conservationists who described it as an "extremely dangerous move" that could worsen a poaching crisis.
Things to know about marine aquaculture Some 90 percent of seafood consumed by Americans is imported, yet the Obama administration's push to expand U.S. marine aquaculture into federal waters has failed to see one offshore farm in operation, nearly two years after the first permit was issued.

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