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Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 3, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Magnetic invisibility cloak shields magnets from magnetic fields
- Scientists see the light on microsupercapacitors: Laser-induced graphene makes simple, powerful energy storage possible
- New insights on solar flares support proposed explanation for particle-acceleration mechanism
- Event Horizon Telescope reveals magnetic fields at Milky Way's central black hole
- Diagnostic tools using synthetic biology
- Researchers make thinnest plates that can be picked up by hand
- First look at gut microbes in an American Indian community
- Killifish project explores the genetic foundation of longevity
- HyPer-Tau provides spatially-resolved hydrogen peroxide sensing in cells
- 'Master switch' helps cancer cells survive stress
- Sperm carries information about dad's weight
- Potential biochemical mechanism underlying long-term memories identified
- Nanobombs might deliver agents that alter gene activity in cancer stem cells
- Gut microbes trigger fat loss in response to cold temperatures
- Mutations before birth might disrupt heart and nervous system development

Astronomy & Space news

	Event Horizon Telescope reveals magnetic fields at Milky Way's central black hole Most people think of black holes as giant vacuum cleaners sucking in everything that gets too close. But the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies are more like cosmic engines, converting energy from infalling matter into intense radiation that can outshine the combined light from all surrounding stars. If the black hole is spinning, it can generate strong jets that blast across thousands of light-years and shape entire galaxies. These black hole engines are thought to be powered by magnetic fields. For the first time, astronomers have detected magnetic fields just outside the event horizon of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
	New insights on solar flares support proposed explanation for particle-acceleration mechanism For scientists studying the impacts of space weather, one of the central mysteries of solar flares - the colossal release of magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere that erupts with the force of millions of hydrogen bombs - is the means by which these explosions produce radiation and accelerate particles to nearly the speed of light within seconds.
	The Sun could release flares 1000x greater than previously recorded The Sun demonstrates the potential to superflare, new research into stellar flaring suggests.
	Europe probe tests tech for detecting ripples in space time The European Space Agency launched a rocket Thursday to carry two cubes of gold and platinum almost a million miles from Earth so scientists can see how they'll behave in a freefall—at a cost of more than $450 million.
	Twin civilisations? How life on an exoplanet could spread to its neighbour Imagine two nearby exoplanets orbiting the same sun, each with its own indigenous civilisation. They're going through history either as companionable neighbours or deadly rivals. This is a familiar situation in science fiction, but could it ever happen?
	Japan asteroid probe conducts 'Earth swing-by' in space quest A Japanese space probe launched last year passed by Earth on Thursday to harness the planet's gravitational pull to propel it toward a far away asteroid in its quest to study the origin of the solar system, authorities said.
	What kinds of stars form rocky planets? As astronomers continue to find more and more planets around stars beyond our own Sun, they are trying to discover patterns and features that indicate what types of planets are likely to form around different kinds of stars. This will hopefully inform and make more efficient the ongoing planet hunting process, and also help us better understand our own Solar System's formation.
	Hubble and Spitzer telescopes see magnified image of the faintest galaxy from the early universe Astronomers harnessing the combined power of NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have found the faintest object ever seen in the early universe. It existed about 400 million years after the big bang, 13.8 billion years ago.
	Half of Kepler's giant exoplanet candidates are false positives An international team led by Alexandre Santerne from Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA), made a 5-year radial velocity campaign of Kepler's giant exoplanet candidates, using the SOPHIE spectrograph (Observatory of Haute-Provence, France), and found that 52.3 percent were actually eclipsing binaries, while 2.3 percent were brown dwarfs.
	LISA Pathfinder en route to gravitational wave demonstration ESA's LISA Pathfinder lifted off earlier today on a Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on its way to demonstrate technology for observing gravitational waves from space.
	Researcher discusses new book detailing the hunt for the oldest stars Anna Frebel has unearthed some of the oldest stars in the universe, meticulously extricating them from the billions of stellar grains in the sky. By determining the chemical composition of these ancient stars, she hopes to reconstruct a picture of the cosmic environment in the earliest moments of the universe.
	Space station's robotic arm set for arrival of Cygnus cargo craft The International Space Station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, is visible over Earth in this Nov. 27, 2015 photograph taken by one of the Expedition 45 crew members aboard the station.
	NASA counting on 1st US space station shipment in months (Update) NASA is looking to get back on track with the first U.S. delivery to the International Space Station in nearly eight months.
	DXL-2: Studying X-ray emissions in space The blackness of space. There isn't much visible light in space - but there are numerous other wavelengths of light and scientists want to know what's out there and where it comes from.
	Hawaii Supreme Court voids telescope construction permit A long-awaited Hawaii Supreme Court ruling Wednesday invalidating a construction permit for what would be one of the world's largest telescopes represents a major setback for the $1.4 billion project on a mountain astronomers tout for having perfect star-gazing conditions.
	Swedish Mars instrument selected by ESA HABIT is the name of the first Swedish instrument to be placed on the surface of Mars. It was developed by an international research team led by Professor Javier Martín-Torres and Professor María-Paz Zorzano at Luleå University of Technology. (ESA) European Space Agency has selected the groundbreaking instrument for their next big expedition to Mars ExoMars 2018.

Technology news

	Toyota harbors big ambitions for "partner robot" business Toyota Motor Corp. is harboring big ambitions to become a significant player in the growing market for robots that help the elderly and other people get around in everyday life.
	Cognitive Systems unveils platform that monitors wireless signals See what you've been missing is a phrase that takes on an added layer of meaning in a new company announcement. Waterloo, Ontario-based Cognitive Systems wants you to meet Amera, a technology platform that can see wireless signals, learn each one, process the information, and deliver it through a set of apps.
Goldman Sachs seeks patent on virtual currency Goldman Sachs is developing a virtual currency system that aims to revolutionize securities transactions, according to a US patent application filed by the Wall Street investment bank.
	Researchers use 3-D printing to build human physiology outside the body The cardiovascular system is a complex web of tens of thousands of miles of arteries, capillaries and veins, branching throughout the body like tributaries of a great river. And now, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are recapitulating this intricate network using an emerging technology: 3D bioprinting.
	Study shows popular apps interact with risky websites Almost 9 percent of popular apps downloaded from Google Play interact with websites that could compromise users' security and privacy, according to a study released in December by researchers at the University of California, Riverside. The team is now developing a tool that allows users to evaluate the riskiness of individual apps before downloading them.
	Wayfindr wants standardized guidelines for steering visually impaired Consider going home alone on a train during rush hour at a station you are not all familiar with if you are not sighted.
	Selfies to undersea cables: Big Data displayed in London From posting on social networks and online shopping to sending emails and instant messages, we are producing more data than ever, prompting a new exhibition in London to explore the dangers and possibilities of this information explosion.
	Search for Malaysian jet refocuses in southern Indian Ocean The deep sea hunt for the missing Malaysian airliner has been refocused on the southern reaches of an expansive search zone based on new analysis released on Thursday of the Boeing 777's final hours and how it might have plunged into the Indian Ocean with 239 people aboard after running out of fuel.
	Zuckerberg's huge pledge reflects a new era in philanthropy The huge philanthropic pledge by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife—totaling perhaps $45 billion—reflects the fast-paced emergence of a new Gilded Age of giving. The changes excite many in the charity world, but also raise questions about effectiveness, ethics and the impact on older charities that may not share in any windfall.
	Students build Singapore's first personal flying machine A team of eight engineering students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have successfully built Singapore's first personal flying machine, dubbed Snowstorm. Comprising an intricate design of motors, propellers and inflated landing gear set within a hexagonal frame, Snowstorm is an electric-powered aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing that can be controlled by a single person seated within it. The NUS team envisions this as a clean and simple way to realise our dreams of flying.
	Google ups ante, nearly doubles bet on renewable energy Google is nearly doubling the amount of renewable energy feeding its massive data centers that enable more than 1 billion people to search for information, watch video clips and communicate virtually anytime they want.
	The design decisions behind Amazon's strange-looking delivery drone The unusual look of Amazon's delivery drone combines elements of both fixed-wing aircraft, such as traditional passenger aeroplanes, and rotocraft such as helicopters, in a design that looks like neither. But despite its unusual looks the boxy drone has been designed with the requirements of its door-to-door delivery duty in mind.
	Helsinki aims to make cars superfluous by 2050 For years this port city on the edge of the Baltic has been considered one of the greenest in Europe. Now Helsinki wants to go a step further and make cars unnecessary by 2050.
Nielsen: Smartphones and the Internet are eating our TV time The use of Internet-ready devices like smartphones appears to have seriously cut into the time Americans spend watching traditional TV, new Nielsen data show, potentially undercutting the notion that mobile devices merely serve as "second screens" while people are plopped in front of the set.
	Wearables market surge led by Apple, Chinese makers The global market for wearable tech surged in the third quarter, fueled by the Apple watch and gains from Chinese manufacturers, a market tracker said Thursday.
Nokia to close HERE mapping deal with German automakers Nokia says it has received all regulatory approvals for the 2.8 billion euro ($3.1 billion) sale of its mapping unit to a consortium of German carmakers, Audi AG, BMW Group and Daimler AG, and expects to close it ahead of schedule on Friday.
	Yahoo Messenger rebuilt with eye to the future Yahoo launched a next-generation messaging platform Thursday in an ambitious bid to steal a march on a crowded field, as rumors swirled that the Internet pioneer is considering selling its core business.
	How should Uber be regulated? For two days in November, taxi drivers didn't pick up any weary travelers leaving Mineta San Jose Airport. Instead they drove past, honking, and hoping their strike would persuade city leaders to make ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft follow the same rules as taxi companies at the airport.
Qualcomm signs patent license with Xiaomi Qualcomm has inked a technology licensing deal with smartphone maker Xiaomi - a major Chinese firm that previously balked at paying royalties for use of the San Diego company's patents.
Insta-gas, for the ultimate couch potato Even in an era where no errand is too small to outsource to a smartphone application, startup Purple, which dispatches a stranger to fill up customers' gas tanks, might smack as on-demand capitalism gone too far.
Inside Dyson's innovation machine When Homer Simpson, America's beloved cartoon idiot, was given free rein to design the car of his dreams, he created an abomination, complete with a megaphone attached to the roof and huge bubble-shaped windows. It tanked his brother's fictional car company.
	Amazon launches Fire tablet in China Amazon said Thursday it was launching its Fire tablet in China, and had agreed to a partnership with Internet firm Baidu to provide search and applications for the device.
	Smartphone market seen as cooling Global smartphone sales growth will cool to single digits for the first time ever amid a slowdown in China, a new market forecast said Thursday.
	Facebook expands sharing options to include live video Get ready to start watching live video of your friends and family doing something fun, boring or even dumb on Facebook.
	Lyft allies with Asia peers in Uber challenge US ridesharing service Lyft on Thursday announced an expansion of its alliances with Asian partners in a move that ramps its challenge to Uber.
VW lawyer: Consolidate lawsuits against carmaker in Michigan A Volkswagen lawyer on Thursday said the company would like hundreds of federal civil lawsuits filed against the carmaker over its emissions cheating scandal to be consolidated in Michigan.
Cambridge University launches new centre to study AI and the future of intelligence Human-level intelligence is familiar in biological 'hardware'—it happens inside our skulls. Technology and science are now converging on a possible future where similar intelligence can be created in computers.
Zuckerberg: from Harvard dropout to Silicon Valley legend Mark Zuckerberg has grown from a Harvard dropout who changed what it means to be social into a billionaire philanthropist bent on shaping a better world for his daughter.
IBM cloud tool eliminates the need for users to share personal data with apps IBM Identity Mixer, a new tool to protect a consumer's personally identifiable information, is now generally available on IBM Cloud.
	New project puts open data back into the hands of citizens As streetlights the world over change from sodium lamps to LED, scientists wonder what this will mean for the artificial skyglow over cities. Because not every city lights the same way, the best way to understand whether skies worldwide are getting brighter or darker is to study the observations of citizen scientists. The new project "Myskyatnight", led by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), invites interested people from all over the world to examine changes in their night sky. The goal is not only for the participants to collect data. Instead, the new web-based platform makes all data available to the public, and offers tools to visualize and analyze the measurements.
	Nigeria slashes telecoms company fine by a third to $3.4 bln Nigeria is slashing its fine on MTN, Africa's largest telecommunications operator, by more than a third to $3.4 billion, and the CEO of the embattled Nigerian subsidiary has resigned, the company said Thursday.
EU, Internet giants join forces to fight online extremism The European Union on Thursday launched a forum bringing together Internet firms like Google, Facebook and Twitter as well as law enforcement agencies to combat online extremism.

Medicine & Health news

	Researchers isolate cells implicated with breast cancer-derived brain tumors Researchers from the Houston Methodist Research Institute have isolated genetic signatures of some circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in breast cancer, which one day may lead to a preventive treatment for metastatic cancer cells.
Researchers use ovarian follicles to preserve fertility Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified a potential new approach to fertility preservation for young cancer patients that addresses concerns about beginning cancer treatment immediately and the possibility of reintroducing cancer cells during the fertility preservation process.
	How to wake a sleeping cancer cell—and why you might want to Cancer cells that lie 'snoozing' in the skeleton can be awakened - or left to slumber on - by changes in the bone that surrounds them, Australian scientists have shown. In a world first, researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have used state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to watch cancer cells sleep within living bone over a period of months. They show that cancer cells can be 'woken up' when bone tissue is broken down around them, suggesting new possibilities for treating metastatic cancer in bone.
	Toxoplasma gondii parasite may alter signaling in the brain It's creepy, it's crawly, and it infects 20 percent of people in the United States. Fortunately, most people who carry the Toxoplasma gondii parasite don't develop the symptoms of the disease it can cause. Only a small fraction of people, typically with compromised immune systems, develop toxoplasmosis.
	'Master switch' helps cancer cells survive stress Scientists have discovered a 'master switch' within cancer cells that seems to override the normal stress response and allows them to survive conditions that would normally be lethal.
	Gut microbes trigger fat loss in response to cold temperatures Exposure to cold temperatures is known to mimic the effects of exercise, protecting against obesity and improving metabolic health. A study published December 3 in Cell now reveals that the beneficial health effects of cold exposure are mediated in part by gut microbes. The researchers found that cold exposure dramatically alters the composition of intestinal bacteria in mice and that this microbial shift is sufficient to burn fat, improve glucose metabolism, and reduce body weight.
	Sperm carries information about dad's weight Turns out dads are also eating for two. A study published December 3 in Cell Metabolism reveals that a man's weight affects the heritable information contained in sperm. The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, notable at gene regions associated with the control of appetite. The comparisons, which included 13 lean men and 10 obese men, offer one biological explanation for why children of obese fathers are themselves more predisposed to obesity.
	Mutations before birth might disrupt heart and nervous system development A team of scientists has determined why some children who are born with heart defects also often have developmental disabilities such as problems with speech and muscle coordination. The research, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators Richard Lifton of Yale University and Christine Seidman of Harvard Medical School and their colleagues in the Pediatric Cardiovascular Genetics Consortium, suggests that these children accrue mutations very early in development that damage genes crucial for heart and brain formation.
	Link between a mitochondrial defect and heart disease discovered A defect in a vital mitochondrial process in heart cells causes a type of dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that in humans leads in most cases to heart disease and premature death. The research was undertaken by teams at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid and at the Research Institute CECAD/Max Planck in Cologne (Germany), with the participation of the University Hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz and the CEU in Madrid. The study, published today in Science, uncovers the key role of the protein YME1 in the regulation of the number, type and shape of mitocondria, and demonstrates that its absence induces a metabolic defect typical of patients with heart disease. The study also shows that metabolic strategies based on diet are sufficient to restore correct heart function, opening the possibility of future treatments for patients with this disease.
	Cannabis increases the noise in your brain Several studies have demonstrated that the primary active constituent of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), induces transient psychosis-like effects in healthy subjects similar to those observed in schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not clear.
	Potential biochemical mechanism underlying long-term memories identified During the holidays, we often remember the past and create new memories. But, why do some memories fade away while others last forever? Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have identified a possible biochemical mechanism by which the specialized brain cells known as neurons create and maintain a long-term memory from a fleeting experience.
Concern over drug industry involvement at India's 'health camps' Pharmaceutical sales representatives are screening people in India in return for prescriptions for their products, finds a special report published by The BMJ today.
	Depression contributes to preventable hospitalizations in Danish study Individuals with depression are more than twice as likely to have hospitalizations that might be preventable with timely outpatient medical care in the community, a new study finds. In addition, after being discharged from the hospital, individuals with depression were also more likely to return to the hospital within 30 days for the same conditions, the researchers found.
Risk of childhood wheeze from antibiotic use in third trimester of pregnancy Antibiotic use during the third trimester of pregnancy leads to an increased risk of childhood wheeze, according to new findings.
Patient mood can impact medical procedure results Feeling high levels of distress, fear and hostility prior to undergoing an angioplasty or other interventional radiology procedure may lead to a poor outcome, according to new research presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
	Quick thinkers are charismatic Charisma may rely on quick thinking, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Changes in foetal hearts found in pregnant women with diabetes or obesity Changes in foetal hearts have been found in pregnant women with diabetes or obesity, in research presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2015 by Dr Aparna Kulkarni, paediatric cardiologist from the Bronx, New York, USA.
Weight gain between pregnancies linked to increased risk of stillbirth and infant death Mothers of healthy weight during their first pregnancy who gain even a moderate amount of weight (around 6 kg in a woman of average height) between their first and second pregnancies increase the risk of their baby dying in its first year of life, according to new research involving over 450000 Swedish women, published in The Lancet.
	New brain cancer treatment twice as effective Researchers develop new therapy to treat some of the most aggressive malignant brain tumours.
A better way to open an airway We've all seen the procedure on medical drama television shows. A patient is critically injured or ill, and paramedics, nurses or doctors need to open their airway quickly. The delicate procedure is called intubation and it's most commonly performed using a tool called a laryngoscope.
Lower patient satisfaction in hospitals that employ more nurses trained abroad Many Western countries including England and the United States have come to rely on nurses trained abroad in times of nurse shortages. Yet little is known about how such practices affect quality of care and patient satisfaction. A novel study published today by the prominent research and policy journal BMJ Open concluded that the employment of nurses trained abroad to substitute for professional nurses educated at home is not without risks to quality of care. The study was conducted through a collaboration of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), the University of Southampton, and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College London.
420,000 die from tainted food annually, a third of them young children: WHO Some 600 million people get sick from eating contaminated food each year, and around 420,000 die, the World Health Organization said Thursday, adding that young children account for nearly one third of those deaths.
	Exposure to violence leads to unethical behavior, according to study Can watching a violent movie make you more likely to lie, cheat or steal? What about reading a violent book? While that may seem like a stretch, a new research study shows it may be the case.
	Nepal research has lessons for global vaccination efforts Oxford University researchers are making important progress evaluating the impact of an important new programme to save the lives of children in Nepal, which is being discussed in Geneva this week.
	Why children exclude each other—helping kids open up about being left out It can be heartbreaking to feel like an outsider – particularly when you're a kid.
	Potentially dangerous molecules detected in e-cigarette aerosols Electronic cigarettes produce highly-reactive free radicals—molecules associated with cell damage and cancer—and may pose a health risk to users, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
	Social stress messes up the hippocampus How do you feel when you are stuck in a traffic jam for hours? Or when you are late for a flight? Or when you are waiting at the university hall to pass an exam? Obviously, you feel stressed, which might endanger your hippocampus according to a research paper recently published in PLOS One by Stankiewicz and colleagues.
Weaker breaths in kids linked to early pesticide exposure Taking a deep breath might be a bit harder for children exposed early in life to a widely used class of pesticides in agriculture, according to a new paper by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Neurotoxic effects of chemotherapies on cognition in breast cancer survivors Cancer-related cognitive impairment is often referred to as 'chemobrain' and anthracycline-based chemotherapy may have greater negative effects on particular cognitive domains and brain network connections than nonanthracycline-based regimens, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.
Discovery of X-linked intellectual disability syndrome is aided by web tools It's a genetic detective story with a distinct 21st-century flavor. A geneticist from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in the United States has used powerful internet and social media tools to find doctors and researchers in nine U.S. states and eight other nations to help him confirm, document and describe in precise clinical detail a new genetic syndrome in young boys that he first came across five years ago.
Spreading cancer cells must change their environment to grow Spreading cancer cells arriving in a new part of the body must be able to change their new environment to continue to grow, according to a study by Cancer Research UK scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, published in Cell Reports.
	Overcoming immune exhaustion from chronic HIV infection Chronic HIV infection results in exhaustion of the immune system, a phenomenon characterized by dysfunctional HIV-specific killer T cells. The exhausted T cells display inhibitory proteins on their surface, and scientists hope to be able to restore immune function by interfering with the negative signals transmitted by such proteins. A study published on December 3rd in PLOS Pathogens suggests that one such strategy blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway works, but only when the overall HIV load is low and regulatory T cells cooperate.
	Illuminating depression's circuitry In a hospital room at UC San Francisco's Parnassus campus, a patient anticipates having an epileptic seizure. A dozen wires trail from her gauze-wrapped head to a bedside monitoring device. Hidden beneath gauze and bone lies an intricate network of electrodes – each roughly the size of a flattened grain of rice. They've been surgically implanted on the surface of her brain, with the goal of revealing the origin of her complex, near-weekly seizures. At the same time, she is volunteering as a participant in groundbreaking research on mood disorders like depression, as well as related disorders like anxiety.
	New dwarfism drug shows how innovation can be done well Sara was born on a rainy Sunday, the first child to her adoring and overwhelmed parents. Her mother's pregnancy had been uneventful, and all their antenatal tests normal.
Could bacteria help fight colorectal cancer? Obesity is a major risk factor for developing colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. But someday doctors may be able to lessen the effect of that risk factor.
Sexual dysfunction—overdiagnosed or undertreated? The difference between mild sexual difficulties and clinically diagnosable sexual dysfunction is not a new source of debate among health professionals, but it has been stirred up recently by changes to official diagnostic criteria. The first study to estimate the likely impact of these morbidity criteria on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction is now available as an Open Accessarticle from the Journal of Sex Research, the official journal of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and a publication from Routledge.
Are blood clots in patients with heart-assist pumps decreasing or on the rise in 2015? More left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), a mechanical heart that helps pump blood, are now implanted annually than hearts transplanted in patients with advanced stages of heart failure. Evidence-based data indicate that LVADs have saved many lives, whether as a bridge to heart transplantation or as a permanent therapy for heart failure. However, starting in 2011 device failures due to clots forming inside these pumps (pump thrombosis) appeared to rise dramatically. There is some indication that these failures may now be declining, but data analysis and interpretation are complex. In the current issue of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation several studies suggest that management of patients with LVADs may have to change.
	Opinion: Overdiagnosing and making well people sick Is there such a thing as being too cautious about one's health? That question is explored today by ECU's Professor Moira Sims who considers the effectiveness of the tests and subsequent treatments and whether the process will end up being more of a benefit than an unnecessary hindrance.
	Opinion: Why mix alcohol with energy drinks? It is that time of year when schools and universities are breaking up from exams and when young people start to party and unwind from the pressures of the year. Curtin University's Julia Stafford considers the harmful effects that some party activities—drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks— can have on young people.
	The all-in-one solution to sexual health is on its way The current sexual and reproductive prevention methods have significantly improved the health and well-being of women and their families. But this is not enough. Worldwide each year there are still 85 million unplanned pregnancies, 21.6 million unsafe abortions, and nearly 300 000 maternal deaths from complications related to pregnancy and birth.
First competency framework launched for field of tissue viability Tissue viability is an important, multi-faceted branch of healthcare that includes the treatment of wounds and ulcers. Now, a University of Huddersfield expert has played a key role in drawing up a new framework designed to raise standards and ensure consistency throughout the UK.
A step towards gene therapy against intractable epilepsy By delivering genes for a certain signal substance and its receptor into the brain of test animals with chronic epilepsy, a research group at Lund University in Sweden and colleagues at University of Copenhagen Denmark has succeeded in considerably reducing the number of epileptic seizures among the animals. The test has been designed to as far as possible mimic a future situation involving treatment of human patients.
	Is dopamine to blame for our addictions? Most researchers agree that the key difference between human brains and those of other animals is the size and complexity of our cerebral cortex, the brain's outer layer of neural tissue. We therefore tend to focus our attention on this area, believing that our unique mental life is due to this masterpiece of evolution.
	Pharmacists' study helps prevent antibiotic-induced kidney failure When associate professor of pharmacy practice Tadd Hellwig and three pharmacy colleagues at the Sanford USD Medical Center noticed that some hospital patients given two common antibiotics developed kidney failure, they decided to take a closer look.
Can cancer itself damage the heart? Research presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2015 raises the possibility that cancer itself may damage heart muscle irrespective of exposure to cancer drug therapies. Researchers from the UK's first dedicated cardio-oncology clinic found that both treated and untreated cancer patients had impaired heart function.
Psychologists pinpoint change in weight required to look healthier and more attractive A good poker face might prevent others knowing what cards you're holding but it won't prevent them from knowing if you've gained or lost weight. That's because our faces reveal many things, including whether our weight has changed. Now, researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto have determined the amount of weight people need to gain or lose before others notice or find them more attractive.
	Depression ups readmission odds for COPD exacerbation (HealthDay)—Depression is independently associated with increased risk of readmission for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published online Nov. 24 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
	Scientists, ethicists debate future of gene editing (HealthDay)—What if faulty genes in your DNA could be easily corrected, avoiding the ravages of diseases like cystic fibrosis or certain cancers?
	Could there be a 'quit-smoking' gene? (HealthDay)—Some smokers have much more difficulty kicking the habit than others. Now, a new review of prior research identifies a potential culprit: genes.
	Hawaii facing rise in dengue fever cases (HealthDay)—Do your winter travel plans include Hawaii? You may want to pack bug repellent, experts say.
What is pre-diabetes? According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 86 million Americans age 20 and older have pre-diabetes. "If you've been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, it means your blood sugar levels are not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes but are high enough to indicate a need for change," says Anne Bauch, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic Health System.
Magnetic stimulation of the brain may help patients with cocaine addiction Targeted magnetic pulses to the brain were shown to reduce craving and substance use in cocaine-addicted patients. The results of this pilot study, published in the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest that this may become an effective medical treatment for patients with cocaine addiction, although a larger trial is needed to confirm the initial findings.
	Study is first to map of paths of hundreds of urban males on violence risk Gunshot violence is the leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-old African American males and the second leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds males overall in the United States. A new Penn Medicine study is the first to outline the details of how an individual's location and activities influence that risk.
'Purpose in life' linked to lower mortality and cardiovascular risk People who have a higher sense of purpose in life are at lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease, reports a pooled data analysis in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.
	Study shows abiraterone acetate is useful even in most aggressive prostate cancers In 1048 prostate cancer patients previously treated with docetaxel and 996 metastatic, castration-resistant patients, treatment with the androgen-lowering drug abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) led to longer overall disease control, even when a very high Gleason score indicated especially aggressive cancer. Results recently published in the Annals of Oncology show that for patients with Gleason score greater than 8, post-docetaxel treatment with abiraterone extended progression-free survival from 5.5 months to 6.4 months, and pre-chemotherapy abiraterone treatment extended progression-free survival from 8.2 months to 16.5 months.
	Study finds three-quarters of high school heroin users started with prescription opioids Nonmedical use of prescription opioids (a.k.a.: pain-killers, narcotics) such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin has become increasingly problematic in recent years with increases nation-wide in overdoses, hospital treatment admissions, and deaths. Use also appears to be contributing to heroin initiation, which has increased in recent years, as the demographics of users are shifting. Those previously at low risk—women, whites, and individuals of higher income—are now using at unprecedented rates.
	Brain receptors for hunger hormone control food intake, study shows Activating receptors in the brain for the body's hunger hormone increases food-related behaviors, such as gathering, storing and consuming food, a finding that has implications for the treatment of obesity, according to researchers at Georgia State University.
	Micro-map of hippocampus lends big hand to brain research A new detailed map of the hippocampal region of the brain, compiled by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital-The Neuro at McGill University, is helping the scientific community accelerate research and develop better treatments for patients suffering from epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Study explores spinal cord stimulation to treat paralysis A Vanderbilt neurosurgeon is looking to recruit patients with paraplegia to investigate whether intraspinal microstimulation technology can restore complex body movements.
	Prenatal maternal iron intake shown to affect the neonatal brain In the first study of its kind, researchers have shown that inadequate maternal iron intake during pregnancy exerts subtle effects on infant brain development. Their findings have been published online by the journal Pediatric Research.
	Beneficial effects of interventions to raise intelligence in young children fade over time The winner of a decades-old debate about what scientists call the fadeout effect—one of the most persistent research mysteries in intelligence and psychological development—may finally have been decided.
Researchers identify biomarker of early lung cancer that may increase survival Researchers in Taiwan have identified a biomarker that detects the most common lung cancer in its earliest stage. The discovery could one day change how long lung cancer patients live.
	Depressed head and neck cancer patients three-and-one-half times less likely to survive, have higher recurrence risk Depression is a significant predictor of five-year survival and recurrence in head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. These findings, published in Pyschosomatic Medicine, represent one of the largest reported impacts of depression on cancer survival.
	Another downside to diabetes: tooth loss (HealthDay)—The physical toll associated with type 2 diabetes includes tooth loss, a new study finds.
	Human cases of 'rabbit fever' have jumped up this year Health officials are seeing an increase of a rare illness called rabbit fever that was beaten back decades ago.
	Too few Americans are taking needed cholesterol-lowering drugs: CDC (HealthDay)—Nearly half of American adults who should be taking cholesterol-lowering drugs don't, federal government researchers report.
	More Americans seek treatment for painkiller, heroin abuse (HealthDay)—More American teens and adults are seeking treatment for heroin and prescription painkiller abuse, a new U.S. government report reveals.
	Making sense of the senseless violence (HealthDay)—Mass shootings and the accompanying carnage have now become a regular part of life in America. And mental health experts warn that this steady drumbeat of violence could have major consequences for the nation's psyche.
	Social impact for untreated infantile hemangiomas (HealthDay)—For preteen children, involuted, untreated facial infantile hemangiomas (IHs) have a social impact, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
	Significant lowering of alar rim with cartilage repositioning (HealthDay)—Patients who undergo lateral crural repositioning have significant lowering of the alar rim, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
	Carpal tunnel syndrome up with overweight, obesity (HealthDay)—Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and carpal tunnel release, according to a meta-analysis published in the December issue of Obesity Reviews.
	Addition of immunosuppression no benefit in IgA nephropathy (HealthDay)—For patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, the addition of immunosuppressive therapy to intensive supportive care does not improve outcomes, according to a study published in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Lixisenatide doesn't affect cardiovascular risk in T2DM (HealthDay)—The addition of lixisenatide to usual care does not impact the rate of major cardiovascular events or other serious adverse events among patients with type 2 diabetes and a recent acute coronary syndrome, according to a study published in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
	IV diuretics deemed safe in outpatient heart failure care (HealthDay)—Intravenous (IV) diuretics appear to be safe and effective for outpatient volume management in heart failure, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in JACC: Heart Failure.
	Vitamin D3, placebo both improve chronic low back pain (HealthDay)—For patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP), vitamin D3 and placebo offer similar improvements, according to a study published in the November issue of the International Journal of Rheumatic Disease.
People with dementia exposed to low quality of life through lack of activity Quality of life for people with dementia living in long-term care is often negatively impacted due to low levels of activity participation.
Global toll of injuries down by almost a third since 1990 The global toll taken by injuries on daily life has fallen by almost a third in the past quarter of a century, reveals research published online in the journal Injury Prevention.
Research provides insights on how to improve face transplants Over 30 face transplants have been performed to date, but little is known about the long-term outcomes of recipients. A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that faces, when transplanted, change their appearance based on the bone structure of the recipient, and they seem to age at an accelerated rate.
New funding for Ebola hides an ongoing decline A new report gives the first ever picture of global investment in Ebola research and development (R&D), reporting that this investment might have come at the expense of efforts to develop drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for other neglected diseases, which collectively cause more than six million deaths every year in developing countries.
	Study shows public support for laws against weight discrimination Government policies and laws against weight discrimination have broad public support in four nations where this form of bias is prevalent, according to a new multinational study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.
	Researchers study the adaptation of athletes to different climates The benefits of training in the heat are widely known in sports and exercise circles. Examples of positive physiological responses in heat training can translate to increased heat and pain tolerance, fluid retention in the blood and a more efficient cardiovascular system.
Colombia rethinks drug policy with medical marijuana Every year Colombian mother Ines Cano celebrates her daughter's birthday by getting a butterfly tattoo, her way of giving thanks that little Luna has survived another year of chronic epilepsy.
Priority Setting Partnership publish 11 key research questions to reduce the number of stillbirths New research led by Dr Alex Heazell, Honorary Consultant in Obstetrics, Saint Mary's Hospital, has identified 11 key priorities for research into the reduction of stillbirth and improving care for parents who have experienced a stillbirth. The research brought together doctors, midwives, parents, third sector organisations, funders and pathologists together under the Stillbirth Priority Settings Partnership.
Increasing and accurately measuring rabies vaccination coverage in Tanzania Canine mediated rabies is endemic in Tanzania despite the fact that the disease can be prevented entirely by mass dog vaccination. Since 2003 the Serengeti Health Initiative has been carrying out rabies vaccination campaigns that aim to achieve the 70% coverage required in order to eliminate rabies. The research team, a partnership among the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health at Washington State University, and Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, studied whether the use of incentives might increase owner participation in the vaccination events, and also examined the most effective way to estimate post-vaccination coverage.
	National cardiac arrest study of new breathing tube Investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham want to determine whether a newer, easier-to-use breathing tube will produce better results than existing endotracheal tubes in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. UAB's Alabama Resuscitation Center is spearheading a national trial involving paramedics in five U.S. metropolitan areas.
	Low-toxin anticancer compounds may mitigate side effects of chemotherapy The Universitat Jaume I de Castellón (James I University of Castellón, UJI) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council, CSIC) have patented new compounds that exhibit extremely potent anticancer properties, while also being low in toxicity and thus less harmful to healthy cells. They have the potential to dramatically mitigate the side effects experienced by patients during chemotherapy. Therapeutic effects are particularly high for breast and colon cancer cells.
Putting people at the heart of health care, research advances definition of person-centered care Putting people at the center of their own health care may seem intuitive, but it is an approach that is not widely practiced in the medical community. An interprofessional panel of eldercare experts convened by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), in collaboration with the University of Southern California (USC) and with support from The SCAN Foundation, today released findings from a research project to better define 'person-centered care' and its key elements. This innovative approach to health care puts individual values and preferences at the heart of care decisions, measuring success by attention to people's health and life goals. Research findings, an expert panel statement, and a special commentary published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society add clarity to the characteristics of person-centered care, which has lacked a cohesive definition even as its prominence in research and health policy is growing.
Neoadjuvant use of pertuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer: Hint of lesser benefit Pertuzumab (trade name: Perjeta) is approved for two therapeutic indications. Its use in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel in adult patients with HER2-positive metastatic or locally recurrent unresectable breast cancer was already investigated by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in a dossier assessment in 2013. This assessment resulted in a survival advantage for certain patients and hence for a hint of a major added benefit.
Internists have 'significant concerns' about pending insurance company mergers The American College of Physicians (ACP) today told the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division that it has "significant concerns about the pending mergers between Aetna/Humana and Anthem/Cigna and the potential negative effects they could have on competition in the health insurance market." Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, president of ACP said in a letter that "The claim that savings from a merger would be passed on to consumers or result in innovation or higher quality of care must be thoroughly scrutinized."
French poultry exports hit by bird flu: ministry A string of countries in Asia and north Africa have banned imports of French poultry following a bird flu outbreak, the agriculture ministry said Thursday in Paris.

Biology news

Diagnostic tools using synthetic biology (Phys.org)—Synthetic biology is a multi-disciplinary field that applies engineering techniques to biological systems. While the foundations of synthetic biology were laid in the 1990s with the burgeoning of genomics and automated sequencing, synthetic biology as a discipline, emerged in the early 2000s with the development of simple gene regulatory circuits. Since then, the field has grown beyond making simple circuits to developing diagnostic tools.
	Researchers find size isn't everything in the world of plant evolution Researchers from the University of Bristol have uncovered one of the reasons for the evolutionary success of flowering plants.
	Researchers cultivate the majority of bacteria in the laboratory that colonize Arabidopsis plants in nature No organism is an island - a fact that also applies to plants. Healthy plants host complex microbial communities comprising over 100 bacterial species which presumably play important roles in plant growth and health. Plants allow access only to a select community of bacteria, designated the plant microbiota, that originate mainly from a vast diversity of microorganisms present in natural soil. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne together with scientists in Switzerland cultivated over half of the bacteria found on and in the leaves and roots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress). Using this representative collection of over 400 bacterial strains in pure culture, the researchers can now reconstitute any microbial community in the leaves and roots of Arabidopsis under laboratory settings. This development marks the beginning of a new era in plant-microbe ecology using defin! ed microbiota.
	Killifish project explores the genetic foundation of longevity Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have mapped the genome of an unusually short-lived fish, paving the way for scientists to use the organism to study how genes influence longevity.
	First look at gut microbes in an American Indian community There's growing recognition that the trillions of microbes living in and on the human body—collectively known as the microbiome—play a critical role in health and disease. However, very little is known about how the diversity of those microbes might vary among different groups of people, and whether and how those variations might play into well-recognized health disparities. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on December 3 have taken a step toward filling those gaps with the first descriptions of the gut microbiomes of individuals in a Native American community.
	Global effort 'needed to save migratory birds' Scientists have called for a greater international collaborative effort to save the world's migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitat along their flight paths.
	First discovery of a hibernating primate outside Madagascar Up to now, three species of lemurs on Madagascar were the only primates known to hibernate. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna in Austria, now show for the first time that another primate species that lives in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China, the pygmy slow loris, also uses hibernation to save energy. The results were published in Scientific Reports this week.
	Shared genetics in humans and roundworms shed light on infertility, study finds A discovery by Rutgers scientists links a protein in sperm to the same molecule needed for reproduction in tiny roundworms and provides clues to human infertility.
	Cat that received rare prosthetic legs making strides in recovery Vincent can't jump just yet, but it's probably only a matter of time.
	Debate on whether we should use gene-editing technology is far from black and white Arguments in favour of embracing gene editing focus on how it can deliver cheap treatments and cures for some truly awful medical conditions. They contest banning the technology based on all the good it can do for people, especially the most vulnerable.
	Five reasons we should embrace gene-editing research on human embryos Scientists from around the world are meeting in Washington this week to debate how best to proceed with research into gene-editing technology.
	Neonicotinoid seed treatment has no immediate impact on bees in Finland Research conducted in Finland on neonicotinoid seed treatment has yielded different results from the studies on which the European Commission's ban is based. In Finland, the residue levels are so low that they seem to cause no acute harm to bees.
	Ciguatera fish poisoning predicted to increase with rising ocean temperatures A new NOAA study, published in the journal Ecological Modeling, forecasts an increase in ciguatera fish poisoning in the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coast with predicted rising global ocean temperatures due to climate change.
	Tuning chocolate flavor through yeast research Researchers of Leuven University and VIB in Belgium have shown that the yeasts used to ferment cocoa during chocolate production can modify the aroma of the resulting chocolate.
	Study: 17K marine species unprotected A new study says that more than 17,000 marine species worldwide remain largely unprotected, with the U.S. among the bottom in supporting formal marine protected areas (MPAs) that could safeguard marine biodiversity.
	New snake species with pitch black eyes from the Andes highlights hidden diversity Extremely rare and hidden in the forests of the Andes, there are still new snake species left to find. This has recently been evidenced by the colubrid serpent, described for the first time in the present article. Moreover, there is the vicious circle enwrapping its relatives: the harder it is to find more specimens, the tougher it is to describe and thus, start to identify them, which does not help in mapping their distribution and habitats. To address this issue, Dr. R. Alexander Pyron, The George Washington University, and his international research team have included a taxonomic review and discussion on the relationships and origin within a non-venomous snake tribe in a paper, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
	Dicamba drift affects non-target plants and pollinators Dicamba herbicide drift onto plants growing adjacent to farm fields causes significant delays in flowering, as well as reduced flowering, of those plants, and results in decreased visitation by honey bees, according to researchers at Penn State and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.
	New sand fly species discovered in Brazil In an attempt to better understand the taxonomy of a group of sand flies, researchers in Brazil examined specimens in museum collections. After detailed morphometric and morphological analyses of three different flies in the genus Psathyromyia, they found that the specimens were originally misidentified and that they were actually an undescribed species.
	No designer babies, but summit calls for cautious research A tool to edit human genes is nowhere near ready to use for pregnancy—but altering early embryos as part of careful laboratory research should be allowed as scientists and society continue to grapple with the ethical questions surrounding this revolutionary technology, organizers of an international summit concluded Thursday.
	Elephants: the forgotten giants at Africa-China summit When the Chinese president and African leaders meet this week to bolster economic ties, the elephant in the room will be the trade in ivory—and conservationists want the issue on the table.
	For worried pet owners, new online help when Fido gets sick When Fido or Fluffy appear ill or behave strangely, pet owners wonder whether to rush to an emergency clinic or wait to see how the animal fares.
Review of the landscape conservation cooperatives Because fish, wildlife, habitats, and cultural resources extend beyond political boundaries, there is a national need to develop resource management strategies across jurisdictions and sectors, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), initiated by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2009 and coordinated by the department's Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), were created to address this national need and can point to many early accomplishments. Ultimately, the long-term success of this effort will depend on developing ways to measure and demonstrate benefits to its conservation partners and the nation.
	Honduran army goes to war against invading bugs For Honduran soldiers fanning out in the pine forest the enemy is like no other: numbering in the thousands, invading a sizeable chunk of their country and causing incalculable environmental damage.

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