Science X Newsletter Thursday, Jan 28

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 28, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Fast-moving invisibility cloaks become visible
- The mysterious cataclysmic variable star Mu Centauri
- Reconfigurable origami tubes could find antenna, microfluidic uses
- You'll never be-leaf what makes up this battery
- Want to rewire a neuron? You've got to take it slow
- Heavy fermions get nuclear boost on way to superconductivity
- Depositing different materials within a single chip layer could lead to more efficient computers
- Completely new kind of polymer developed
- Male mice without any Y chromosome genes can father offspring after assisted reproduction
- New state of matter holds promise for ultracompact data storage and processing
- Giant gas cloud boomeranging back into Milky Way
- Putting silicon 'sawdust' in a graphene cage boosts battery performance
- Epigenetics drives weight differences between identical twins
- Researchers tease apart a pathway certain cancer cells use to replicate
- Research hints at a nutritional strategy for reducing autism risk

Astronomy & Space news

	The mysterious cataclysmic variable star Mu Centauri (Phys.org)—Located about 510 light years from the Earth, Mu Centauri is a very interesting mysterious cataclysmic variable star. It is a dwarf nova, a close binary star system in which white dwarf accretes matter from its companion. Although little is know about Mu Centauri, we could observe temporal variations of its brightness and its flickering on a relatively low level. It was also found that this system's light curve contains odd consistent modulations on two different periods. A recent research paper published on Jan. 21 in the arXiv journal by Albert Bruch from the Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica in Brazil, describes the mysterious nature of Mu Centauri.
	Giant gas cloud boomeranging back into Milky Way Since astronomers discovered the Smith Cloud, a giant gas cloud plummeting toward the Milky Way, they have been unable to determine its composition, which would hold clues as to its origin. University of Notre Dame astrophysicist Nicolas Lehner and his collaborators have now determined that the cloud contains elements similar to our sun, which means the cloud originated in the Milky Way's outer edges and not in intergalactic space as some have speculated.
	US remembers astronauts killed, pledges to reach Mars The United States marked the 30th anniversary Thursday of the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle with a pledge to remember lost astronauts as it presses on toward Mars.
	New calibration tool will help astronomers look for habitable exoplanets Promising new calibration tools, called laser frequency combs, could allow astronomers to take a major step in discovering and characterizing earthlike planets around other stars. These devices generate evenly spaced lines of light, much like the teeth on a comb for styling hair or the tick marks on a ruler—hence their nickname of "optical rulers." The tick marks serve as stable reference points when making precision measurements such as those of the small shifts in starlight caused by planets pulling gravitationally on their parent stars.
	Antarctic fungi survive Martian conditions on the International Space Station European scientists have gathered tiny fungi that take shelter in Antarctic rocks and sent them to the International Space Station. After 18 months on board in conditions similar to those on Mars, more than 60% of their cells remained intact, with stable DNA. The results provide new information for the search for life on the red planet. Lichens from the Sierra de Gredos (Spain) and the Alps (Austria) also travelled into space for the same experiment.
	ESA image: Mercury orbiter test If ESA's Mercury orbiter of the BepiColombo mission seems to stand at an unusual angle above its test chamber floor, that's because it does – intentionally so.
	Ariane 5's first launch of 2016 An Ariane 5 last night delivered telecom satellite Intelsat-29e into its planned orbit. Liftoff of Ariane flight VA228 occurred on 27 January at 23:20 GMT (20:20 local time, 00:20 CET on 28 January) from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
	Engineers mark completion of Orion's pressure vessel NASA's Orion spacecraft is another step closer to launching on its first mission to deep space atop the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. On Jan. 13, 2016, technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans finished welding together the primary structure of the Orion spacecraft destined for deep space, marking another important step on the journey to Mars.
	30 years since Challenger: Teacher-in-Space finalists gather Dozens of educators who competed alongside Christa McAuliffe to become the first teacher in space gathered Thursday to remember the seven astronauts who perished aboard Challenger 30 years ago.

Technology news

	Depositing different materials within a single chip layer could lead to more efficient computers Today, computer chips are built by stacking layers of different materials and etching patterns into them.
	Reconfigurable origami tubes could find antenna, microfluidic uses Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, may soon provide a foundation for antennas that can reconfigure themselves to operate at different frequencies, microfluidic devices whose properties can change in operation—and even heating and air-conditioning ductwork that adjusts to demand.
	You'll never be-leaf what makes up this battery Scientists at the University of Maryland have a new recipe for batteries: Bake a leaf, and add sodium. They used a carbonized oak leaf, pumped full of sodium, as a demonstration battery's negative terminal, or anode, according to a paper published yesterday in the journal ACS Applied Materials Interfaces.
	Putting silicon 'sawdust' in a graphene cage boosts battery performance Scientists have been trying for years to make a practical lithium-ion battery anode out of silicon, which could store 10 times more energy per charge than today's commercial anodes and make high-performance batteries a lot smaller and lighter. But two major problems have stood in the way: Silicon particles swell, crack and shatter during battery charging, and they react with the battery electrolyte to form a coating that saps their performance.
	California wrestles with making self-driving cars public (Update) Companies that are developing self-driving cars of the future want government regulators to clear the road for public access to the technology, once it emerges from prototype testing.
	Facebook to expand beyond its 'like' button 'pretty soon' It won't be long before Facebook's 1.6 billion users have more ways to quickly express their feelings on the world's largest social network.
	Enormous blades could lead to more offshore energy in US A new design for gigantic blades longer than two football fields could help bring offshore 50-megawatt (MW) wind turbines to the United States and the world.
	Dutch test first self-drive minibuses The Netherlands started test-driving its first driverless minibuses on Thursday hoping to introduce a full-time autonomous passenger service in a central Dutch province by summer.
Revolutionary solution may be in works in 3D metal printing for robotics For professionals in 3D printing circles, this was Wednesday's juiciest question of all: "Is Velo3D secretly working to revolutionize 3D metal printing for robotics?"
	Smartphone shipments hit record high in 2015: report More than 1.4 billion smartphones were shipped worldwide last year in a new high for the sector with Chinese handset makers racking up the biggest gains, an industry tracker said.
	Samsung warns of tough 2016 after 4Q profit sinks Samsung Electronics reported Thursday a bigger-than-expected decline in fourth quarter earnings as its mainstay smartphone and semiconductor businesses suffered from weakening global demand for consumer electronics.
Study finds automatic braking cuts rear-end crash risk Vehicles equipped with automatic braking or front-collision warning are less likely to cause a rear-end crash, according to a study released Thursday by the insurance indu33stry.
	Making operating systems safer and faster with 'unikernels' Technology to improve the security, speed and scale of data processing in age of the Internet of Things is being developed by a Cambridge spin-out company.
	Game theoretic approaches up the ante on defending cybersecurity resources While the notion of "players," "actions," and "payoffs" may seem more suited to Las Vegas gaming tables, game theory as a mathematical tool has steadily grown in cyber defense applications. In ongoing and progressive work being conducted under PNNL's Asymmetric Resilient Cybersecurity initiative, scientists have taken on the challenge of addressing the sources and types of uncertainty that can arise in realizing a resilient cyber system. Already, their work on quantifying uncertainties in cyber attacker payoffs within randomly determined security games has been recognized with an IEEE Best Paper award. Meanwhile, their latest publication presents a probabilistic modeling framework for representing and propagating uncertainties in cyber attacker payoffs with the added goal of increasing awareness among researchers about this problem domain.
	Why a detachable cabin probably won't save your life in a plane crash Falling out of the sky may well be most passengers' worst fear when they board a plane. With this mind, a Ukrainian inventor has proposed building airliners with detachable passenger cabins that could separate from the rest of the plane and parachute safely to the ground in the event of an emergency.
	Google's Go triumph is a milestone for artificial intelligence research Researchers from Google DeepMind have developed the first computer able to defeat a human champion at the board game Go. But why has the online giant invested millions of dollars and some of the finest minds in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research to create a computer board game player?
	Japan unveils stealth plane, may combine with next-gen jet Japan unveiled its first homemade stealth plane Thursday as it tries to catch up on the technology and enhance its reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities as China expands its own military presence in the region.
	Apple's iPhone is slumping. What's next? The bloom may be off Apple's iPhone, at least for now. So now the pressure is on the iconic Silicon Valley company to come up with its next big thing.
	EU mulls probe of UK Google tax deal as Italy investigates (Update) Google is gearing up for a new round in its European tax fight after the EU said it could investigate its 130 million-pound ($186 million) deal for back taxes in Britain and Italy alleged Google owed it some 300 million euros.
Apple recalls power adapters sold outside United States Apple is recalling some AC power adapters that it sold for use in continental Europe, South Korea and several other countries outside the United States, after concluding that the two-pronged wall plugs may break and cause an electric shock.
	The Latest: Advocates for blind lobby for driverless cars The Latest on a hearing on driverless cars in California (all times local):
	Facebook flips on switch for live video on its iPhone app Facebook is ready to start broadcasting live video on its iPhone app.
	Adjusting production processes in real time Industry 4.0 requires comprehensive data collection in order to control highly automated process sequences in complex production environments. One example is the cultivation of living cells. But digitalizing and networking biotech production equipment is a huge challenge: relevant standards have yet to be established, and biology has a dynamic all its own. Using fully automated equipment for producing stem cells, Fraunhofer researchers have managed to adjust the process control to cell growth – delivering an adaptive system that is suitable for use in a number of sectors.
	Production without rigid plans Everyone's talking about "Industrie 4.0", but opinions differ on how to set up highly flexible production that works as quickly – and as cheaply – as line production does. Fraunhofer researchers have found a solution: they organize production to operate without rigid plans and fixed chains, turning human coordination and decision-making skills into a key component of sequence control. Exactly how that works is what the researchers will be presenting at the Hannover Messe 2016 – the preview on January 27, 2016 provides the first glimpse of their achievement.
VTT brings reflectors up to date with sensors and LED lights In collaboration with the Coreplast Laitila company, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has created a reflector that can be wirelessly controlled via a mobile phone application. This involves equipping a traditional reflector with sensors, LED lights, and wireless charging and communication.
	Def Leppard debuts video through game Heavy metal chart-toppers Def Leppard have released their latest video on Guitar Hero Live in what is believed to be the first premiere by an established band through a game.
New technology to virtually light up 3-point line on ABC The 3-point line will virtually light up during Saturday prime-time NBA broadcasts on ABC this season.
Computer expert gets no jail time in extensive spamming case A Florida computer expert who helped send millions of spam messages to people to help computer marketers collect email addresses and phone numbers has been sentenced to two years' probation.

Medicine & Health news

	Want to rewire a neuron? You've got to take it slow That very fine hair-line object that you see being pulled across the screen is actually a neuron being made. A research team led by McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute has managed to create new functional connections between neurons for the first time. Apart from the fact that these artificial neurons grow over 60 times faster than neurons naturally do, they are indistinguishable from ones that grow naturally in our bodies.
	Newly identified receptor may help gene therapy go viral Gene therapy, whereby a patient's disorder is treated by inserting a new gene, replacing a defective one, or disabling a harmful one, suffered a setback in 1999, when Jesse Gelsinger, an 18-year-old with a genetic liver disease, died from immense inflammatory complications four days after receiving gene therapy for his condition during a clinical trial. It was quite a while before clinical trials in gene therapy resumed.
	Chronic pain changes our immune systems Chronic pain may reprogram the way genes work in the immune system, according to a new study by McGill University researchers published in the journal Scientific Reports.
	New way to identify brain tumor aggressiveness A comprehensive analysis of the molecular characteristics of gliomas—the most common malignant brain tumor—explains why some patients diagnosed with slow-growing (low-grade) tumors quickly succumb to the disease while others with more aggressive (high-grade) tumors survive for many years. The multinational study suggests a new way of classifying gliomas that may have a significant impact on patient management and may lead to the development of more targeted therapies.
	Researchers tease apart a pathway certain cancer cells use to replicate A new "player" in the way certain aggressive cancer cells may reproduce has been identified. It is hoped that these findings may lead to the identification of new cancer targets and may ultimately lead to new therapeutics.
	Estrogens alleviate hyperactivity in zebrafish with autism gene Research led by UCL, Yale and University of California, San Francisco has shown that the hormone estrogen alleviates the sleep disruption experienced by zebrafish genetically designed to help understand the biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
	Want to learn a new skill? Faster? Change up your practice sessions When practicing and learning a new skill, making slight changes during repeat practice sessions may help people master the skill faster than practicing the task in precisely the same way, Johns Hopkins researchers report.
	Research hints at a nutritional strategy for reducing autism risk Folic acid has long been touted as an important supplement for women of childbearing age for its ability to prevent defects in the baby's developing brain and spinal cord. In fact, folic acid is considered so important that it is added as a supplement to breads, pastas, rice and cereals to help ensure that women are exposed to sufficient amounts of this nutrient even before they know they're pregnant.
	Epigenetics drives weight differences between identical twins Having overweight parents significantly increases your risk of obesity, but the inheritance of specific mutations can't always explain why this is the case. In a study published January 28 in Cell, researchers show that differences in gene expression and not the DNA sequence play a key role in determining one's predisposition to obesity. In genetically identical mice and human twin pairs, epigenetic marks altered the activity of weight-control genes to produce distinct subpopulations of lean and obese individuals. The findings reveal a key role for an epigenetic switch in explaining individual differences in obesity.
	Why you won't lose weight with exercise alone Exercise by itself isn't always enough to take off the weight. Now, evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 28 helps to explain why that is: our bodies adapt to higher activity levels, so that people don't necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more.
	Of mice and men (and pigs), a cystic fibrosis mystery solved New research from the University of Iowa answers a question that has vexed cystic fibrosis (CF) researchers for almost 25 years: why don't mice with CF gene mutations develop the life-threatening lung disease that affects most people with CF?
	Calculating whiskers send precise information to the brain As our sensory organs register objects and structures in the outside world, they are continually engaged in two-way communication with the brain. In research recently published in Nature Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute scientists found that for rats, which use their whiskers to feel out their surroundings at night, clumps of nerve endings called mechanoreceptors located at the base of each whisker act as tiny calculators. These receptors continuously compute the way the whisker's base rotates in its socket, expressing it as a fraction of the entire projected rotation of the whisker, so that the brain is continually updated on the way that the whisker's rotation is being followed through.
	Brain's 'amplifier' compensates for lost inner ear function Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have described, for the first time, the adult brain's ability to compensate for a near-complete loss of auditory nerve fibers that link the ear to the brain. The findings, published in the current issue of Neuron, suggest that the brain's natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits; however, it does not recover speech intelligibility. This imperfect hearing recovery may explain a common auditory complaint, in which some patients report difficulties understanding speech despite having normal hearing thresholds.
How severe maternal inflammation can lead to autism-like behavior In 2010, a large study in Denmark found that women who suffered an infection severe enough to require hospitalization while pregnant were much more likely to have a child with autism (even though the overall risk of delivering a child with autism remained low).
	Scientists decode brain signals nearly at speed of perception Using electrodes implanted in the temporal lobes of awake patients, scientists have decoded brain signals at nearly the speed of perception. Further, analysis of patients' neural responses to two categories of visual stimuli - images of faces and houses - enabled the scientists to subsequently predict which images the patients were viewing, and when, with better than 95 percent accuracy.
	A cancer's surprise origins, caught in action Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have, for the first time, visualized the origins of cancer from the first affected cell and watched its spread in a live animal. Their work, published in the January 29th issue of Science, could change the way scientists understand melanoma and other cancers and could lead to new, early treatments before the cancer has taken hold.
Toward a better understanding of the mechanisms blocking cancer cell growth DNA damage can lead to gene inactivation or deregulation and cause various diseases such as cancer; however, many DNA repair mechanisms allow cells to survive against such damage. A study lead by Antoine Simoneau of the laboratory of Dr. Hugo Wurtele, a researcher in immunology-oncology at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (CIUSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal) and professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, and recently published in the prestigious journal Nucleic Acids Research, provides valuable information about certain mechanisms governing DNA repair. The study is a collaboration between several institutions and opens the way to better understand the mechanisms of action of drugs that prevent cancer cell growth.
	Scientists: More research needed into Zika-microcephaly link The release of new figures apparently finding fewer cases of microcephaly in Brazil than first feared is adding force to calls for more research into the link between the rare birth defect and the spreading Zika virus.
Marijuana survey finds medical users more likely to consume edibles and vaporize People who use marijuana for medical purposes are much more likely to vaporize or consume edible forms of the drug than recreational users, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
	Electric patch holds promise for treating PTSD An average of 30 years had passed since the traumatic events that had left them depressed, anxious, irritable, hypervigilant, unable to sleep well and prone to nightmares.
Smoking among Australian youth hits record low: study Cigarette smoking among Australian youth has hit a record low, researchers said Thursday as they hailed a possible "smoke-free generation" thanks to an aggressive public health drive deterring people from lighting up.
	Slow progress on stillbirth prevention leaves parents of 2.6 million babies suffering in silence each year More than 2.6 million stillbirths continue to occur globally every year with very slow progress made to tackle this 'silent problem', according to new research published in The Lancet.
	Too few older adults tell doctors about memory loss: study (HealthDay)—Do you worry that forgetting names, or where you put your keys, might be a sign of impending dementia? If you're like most older Americans, you don't bring this up with your doctor, a new study shows.
	New discovery strengthens how bones bond to titanium orthopaedic implants Scientists at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) have discovered a new way of making titanium implants bond better with bones. Successful implant surgery is dependent on this bonding process working so that the implant integrates into the patient's skeleton.
	Explainer: Where did Zika virus come from and why is it a problem in Brazil? From October 2015 to January 2016, there were almost 4,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly in Brazil. Before then, there were just 150 cases per year.
Post-adoption blues expert on depression screening recommendations A new recommendation on screening mothers during pregnancy and postpartum for depression also should include parents who are adopting children, says a Purdue University expert on "post-adoption blues."
Stress inhibits spatial perception Neuroscientists of Collaborative Research Centre 874 at the Ruhr University Bochum have investigated the effects of stress on the perception of scenes and faces. In a behavioural study, they compared the results of stressed participants with those of an unstressed control group. They were able to show that stress inhibits the perception of complex spatial information. The reason for this lies in the processing of this information in the hippocampus, an area in the temporal lobe of the brain, which is influenced by the stress hormone cortisol. The journal Psychoneuroendocrinology has published the results of the study.
Zika virus 'spreading explosively': WHO (Update) The Zika virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas and the region may see up to four million cases of the disease strongly suspected of causing birth defects, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
1,000 Zika cases in Honduras since December: minister Honduras has registered 1,000 cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus since December, which has been linked to a rise in birth defects in Brazil, Deputy Health Minister Francis Contreras said Wednesday.
Microcephaly: What is happening to the babies? Pregnant women are being urged to think twice before travelling to Latin American and Caribbean countries battling a rise in cases of microcephaly—a rare but brutal condition that shrinks the brains of unborn babies.
Study shows minorities had lower risk of coronary heart disease than whites In a study of more than 1.3 million Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California that stretched over 10 years, researchers found that blacks, Latinos and Asians generally had lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to whites. The study was published today in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Genetic testing for childhood cancer patients can identify cause and treatment potential Combined whole exome tumor and blood sequencing in pediatric cancer patients revealed mutations that could help explain the cause of cancer or have the potential to impact clinical cancer care in 40 percent of patients in a study led by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Cancer Center.
	Genetic sequencing can help guide treatment in children with solid tumors Clinical genomic sequencing is feasible in pediatric oncology and can be used to recommend therapy or pinpoint diagnosis in children with solid tumors, according to the multicenter Individualized CAncer Therapy (iCat) study led by investigators from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. The study, published today in JAMA Oncology, is one of the first of its kind to be conducted in pediatric oncology. Its findings bolster the case for matching children to treatment based on a tumor's genetic characteristics and represent a significant step in making molecularly targeted, personalized therapy available to children with cancer.
	New insights into PI3K pathway and cancer metabolism PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) is a cell-signaling molecule that has now been implicated in a large number of women's cancers including breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Smartphone app linked to increase in contraceptive use in India A smartphone app containing motivational videos developed to help married rural women in India better understand contraceptive choices led to a dramatic increase in the number of women using modern family planning methods in just a few months, new Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) research suggests.
	Finding the right antithrombotic (anti-clotting) drug for you A new blood clotting analysis system designed in Japan makes it easier to determine the effects of taking one or more antithrombotic (anti-clotting) drugs.
Victimized adolescents more at risk of thinking about suicide or attempting suicide at 15 A study to be published in the February 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that adolescents chronically victimized during at least two school years, are about five times more at risk of thinking about suicide and 6 times more at risk of attempting suicide at 15 years compared to those who were never victimized.
	Extended elevated recurrence rates for ER-positive breast CA (HealthDay)—Breast cancer patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease have elevated annualized hazards of recurrence during extended follow-up, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Clinical significance of varying degrees of neutropenia explored (HealthDay)—Neutropenia is associated with viral infections and hematological malignancies in a dose-dependent manner, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
	Low-dose chlorthalidone beats HCTZ for ambulatory BP control (HealthDay)—For patients with stage 1 hypertension, low-dose chlorthalidone is associated with reduction in ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), while low-dose hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) may result in masked hypertension, according to a study published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Drug shortages affecting emergency med up 2008 to 2014 (HealthDay)—From 2008 to 2014 there was an increase in drug shortages within the scope of emergency medicine (EM) practice, according to a study published in the January issue of Academic Emergency Medicine.
	Fiber intake linked to measures of lung function (HealthDay)—Fiber intake is associated with measures of lung function in U.S. adults, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
	Specific trichoscopic findings linked to tinea capitis (HealthDay)—Specific trichoscopic findings are associated with tinea capitis (TC), according to a research letter published online Jan. 22 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
	No beneficial effects seen for cyclosporine A in reperfused MI (HealthDay)—A single intravenous cyclosporine A (CsA) bolus just before primary percutaneous coronary intervention has no beneficial effects on ST-segment resolution in reperfused myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Seniors need to take extra care in the cold (HealthDay)—Seniors are especially vulnerable to hypothermia during cold weather because their body's response to the cold can be affected by age, medication or medical condition.
	Appalachia cancer rates higher than average, but shrinking (HealthDay)—Cancer rates in Appalachia remain higher than in other parts of the United States, but that gap is shrinking, a new study shows.
	Identifying another piece in the Parkinson's disease pathology puzzle An international public-private research consortium has identified and validated a cellular role of a primary Parkinson's disease drug target, the LRRK2 kinase. This important finding, published in the online, open-access eLife journal, illuminates a novel route for therapeutic development and intervention testing for Parkinson's, the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's.
Anticholinergics may not be best choice for rehab patients with dementia During rehabilitation following an acute hospital stay, medications that block neurotransmitters may be overprescribed to older patients suffering from delirium superimposed on dementia, according to health researchers.
	In lung cancer, not all HER2 alterations are created equal A joint study by University of Colorado Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology shows two distinct causes of HER2 activation in lung cancer: mutation of the gene and amplification of the gene. In patient samples of lung adenocarcinoma, 3 percent were found to have HER2 amplification and another 3 percent were found to have HER2 mutation. No samples were found to have both. These distinct causes of HER2 positivity imply the use of different targeted therapies to combat these related but possibly distinct diseases.
	Second-hand smoke increases fatness, hinders cognition in children Exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, researchers say.
	How crystals precipitate cell death Crystal formation plays a defining role in the pathogenesis of a range of common diseases, such as gout and atherosclerosis. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers led by Hans-Joachim Anders have now elucidated how the insoluble deposits induce cell death.
Unnecessary blood tests common before low-risk surgeries, study says Depending on which hospital you go to for your low-risk surgical procedure, you may be 2.4 times more or less likely to be sent for unnecessary blood tests. This is among the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Women's College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV).
	In face of Zika virus, women ponder abortion, childlessness Maria Erlinda Guzman desperately wants a baby, and has been undergoing fertility treatments at El Salvador's largest women's hospital. But now, she fears her dream of motherhood may be dashed by Zika.
Top US researcher says Zika vaccine is years away The hunt for a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus could take years, a top US health chief said Thursday amid a worrying outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness blamed for birth defects.
	What is the optimal dose of medication to prevent the evolution of drug resistance? A new model shows that the standard practice of treating infections with the highest tolerable dose of anti-microbe medications may not be best for preventing the evolution of drug resistance in all cases. A paper describing the research will be published on Jan. 28, 2016 in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.
	It's complicated: Benefits and toxicity of anti-prion antibodies in the brain Immunotherapy to ameliorate neurodegeneration by targeting brain protein aggregates with antibodies is an area of intense investigation. A study published on January 28th in PLOS Pathogens examines seemingly contradictory earlier results of targeting the prion protein and proposes a cautionary way forward to further test related therapeutic approaches.
	Shedding light on genetic switches A new study by basic science researchers in the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) sought to understand how gene expression is initiated in the notochord, the evolutionary and developmental precursor of the backbone. The notochord is an axial structure that provides support and patterning signals essential for development in all chordate embryos, including humans.
	Treating Parkinson's disease by solving the mysteries of movement Two secrets of one of the brain's most enigmatic regions have finally been revealed. In a pair of new studies, scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have discovered a specific neural circuit that controls walking, and they found that input to this circuit is disrupted in Parkinson's disease.
Failing hearts use alternative fuel for energy More than 5 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure, according to the American Heart Association. Less than half of those with heart failure live five years after diagnosis.
	Researchers use network science to help pinpoint source of seizures For the third of all epilepsy patients who don't respond to medication, an alternative is to locate the small cluster of neurons that act as the seed of a seizure's aberrant electrical activity and surgically remove it. Unfortunately, such surgeries often fail to bring any relief. The ability to reliably pinpoint the anatomical source of seizures, different for each patient, remains elusive.
	New drug could be safer, non-addictive alternative to morphine Researchers at Tulane University and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System have developed a painkiller that is as strong as morphine but isn't likely to be addictive and with fewer side effects, according to a new study in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Two cases hint at possible sexual transmission of Zika As global health experts scramble to understand how the Zika virus spreads and may lead to birth defects, two cases suggest it may be transmitted through sex, not just mosquitoes.
	n-3 PUFA tx after AMI linked to drop in death, recurrent AMI (HealthDay)—For patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the use of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality and recurrent AMI through 12-month follow-up, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
	Rosacea linked to increased risk of glioma (HealthDay)—Rosacea is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing glioma, according to research published online Jan. 27 in JAMA Dermatology.
	Estimated due date app to replace the pregnancy wheel (HealthDay)—A new estimated due date (EDD) calculator has been launched, which reconciles the discrepancy in due dates between the first ultrasound and date of the last menstrual period, according to a report published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
	Minimally invasive surgery safe for pilonidal sinus (HealthDay)—Video-assisted ablation of pilonidal sinus (VAAPS) seems safe and efficacious, with higher patient satisfaction and less time off work compared with conventional surgery, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in JAMA Surgery.
	Review explores harms linked to antidepressant treatment (HealthDay)—The harms associated with selective serotonin and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors cannot be estimated accurately, according to a review published online Jan. 27 in The BMJ.
	Alternative payment models can help improve patient care (HealthDay)—Alternative payment models (APMs) have been and are being developed that can allow physicians to offer new and improved services to their patients, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Women with sleeping problems far more likely to develop diabetes New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that in women, sleeping problems are associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with the increased risk ranging from 47% for one sleep disorder to more than 4 times the risk for four different sleeping problems combined. The study is by Dr Yanping Li, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, and colleagues.
	Resistance to key HIV drug 'concerningly common' HIV drug resistance to tenofovir, an antiretroviral drug vital to most modern HIV treatment and prevention strategies, is surprisingly and worryingly common according to a large study led by UCL (University College London) and funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Brazil urges joint Zika fight, airlines offer refunds Brazil urged its neighbors Wednesday to unite in fighting the Zika virus, blamed for a surge in brain-damaged babies, as airlines offered refunds to pregnant mothers afraid to travel to the region.
Ex-top model holds fashion world to account on anorexia It was the stuff of dreams: walking down a Paris street one day to walking the runway as a top 20 model in the world's fashion capital.
	Poll: Uninsured sit on the sidelines as sign-up season ends Most uninsured Americans are sitting on the sidelines as sign-up season under the federal health law comes to a close, according to a new poll that signals the nation's historic gains in coverage are slowing.
	The Medical Minute: Steering clear of sledding risks When snowflakes begin to fall, kids of all ages – from toddlers to teens – get excited about sledding down hills covered in the white stuff.
	Video: Social interactions and the brain Many animals, from insects to humans, are social. Their brains have evolved to be sensitive to sensory cues that carry social information, such as: speech sounds, pheromones and visual cues. But very little is known about how animal brains process and integrate this information.
Fertility issues for patients with cancer examined in collection of articles A collection of articles published online by JAMA Oncology examines fertility issues, both regarding clinical care and legal questions, in patients with cancer.
Zika: Puerto Rico the latest to warn against getting pregnant The US territory of Puerto Rico joined several Latin American countries in recommending Thursday that women avoid getting pregnant for now to protect against the fast-spreading Zika virus.
	Obama creates new cancer task force, blessing Biden's effort President Barack Obama created a new federal task force Thursday to accelerate cancer research, putting Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the drive to streamline government efforts toward a cure.
	Possibility for health care legislation changes in 2016 (HealthDay)—Given the current political climate and issues of bipartisan concern, 2016 could see certain changes to health care legislation, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
	Is cannabis addictive? Are there treatments? Answers in new journal's roundtable discussion What are the symptoms, risks, and health consequences of "cannabis use disorder," and what is the status of current research efforts to identify effective treatments for cannabis addiction? The answers to these questions, and whether cannabis is more or less addictive than tobacco or alcohol, are presented in a timely and informative Roundtable Discussion, "Legal or Illegal, Cannabis Is Still Addictive", published in the new peer-reviewed journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Puerto Rico health officials declare flu epidemic The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has declared a flu epidemic.
	Ischemic renal failure and organ damage: A new mouse model holds the key Every year acute renal failure affects over 13 million people and leads to 1.7 million deaths across the globe.It often develops when an insufficient supply of oxygen reaches the kidneys, a condition called ischemia. Working with their colleagues from the MDC, the Charité, FMP in Berlin and Hannover Medical School, Dr Lajos Markó and Emilia Vigolo have traced one of the causes of ischemia-related renal failure to a signaling molecule called NF-kappaB and a specific type of tissue: tubular epithelial cells. Suppressing NF-kappaB signaling in these renal cells almost entirely eliminates the fatal tissue damage and inflammatory responses that accompany the disease.
Dietary changes may help postpone dialysis in patients with chronic kidney disease Adhering to a certain diet may help postpone the need for dialysis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Venezuela reports 4,700 suspected Zika cases Venezuela has recorded 4,700 suspected cases of people infected by the Zika virus, which is thought to cause brain damage in babies, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Biology news

	Male mice without any Y chromosome genes can father offspring after assisted reproduction The Y chromosome is a symbol of maleness, present only in males and encoding genes important for male reproduction. But a new study has shown that live mouse progeny can be generated with assisted reproduction using germ cells from males which do not have any Y chromosome genes. This discovery adds a new light to discussions on Y chromosome gene function and evolution. It supports the hypothesis that Y chromosome genes can be replaced by that encoded on other chromosomes.
	Stress from noise can be short-lived Underwater noise can negatively impact anti-predator behaviour in endangered eels and increase stress in both eels and European seabass, a new study published in Royal Society Open Science confirms.
	Systematically searching DNA for regulatory elements indicates limits of previous thinking All the tissues in the human body are made from proteins, and for every protein, there's a stretch of DNA in the human genome that "codes" for it, or describes the sequence of amino acids that will produce it.
	Bedbugs develop resistance to widely used chemical treatments, rendering them ineffective One of the most widely used commercial chemicals to kill bedbugs are not effective because the pesky insects have built up a tolerance to them, according to a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University.
	Study reveals workings of mysterious 'relief valve' that protects cells from swelling A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has solved a long-standing mystery in cell biology by showing essentially how a key "relief-valve" in cells does its job.
	Insect growth regulator wears a second hat: Infection fighter During an animal's embryonic development, a chemical chain reaction known as Hippo directs organs to grow to just the right size and no larger. Now Johns Hopkins researchers working with laboratory flies report that this signaling pathway also plays a role in revving up the insects' immune systems to combat certain bacterial infections.
	Researchers shed new light on regulation of repetitive DNA sequences A pair of studies by a team of scientists has shed new light on the nature of a particular type of DNA sequences—tandem DNA repeat arrays—that play important roles in transcription control, genome organization, and development.
	To burn sugar or not to burn sugar: How eggs store fuel for embryo development Reproduction is highly dependent on diet and the ability to use nutrients to grow and generate energy. This is clearly seen in women, who must provide all the nutritional building blocks required to support a growing embryo. As a result, metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity are closely linked with several female reproductive disorders such as: Infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, and ovarian cancer. However, the precise links between reproductive processes and metabolism remains poorly understood.
	Octopuses shed their asocial reputation Octopuses have generally been viewed as solitary creatures—and their color-changing abilities primarily as a means to hide from hungry predators. But, after binge watching more than 52 hours of octopus TV, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 28 have found that octopuses actually do have a social life. And it's not without drama.
	How queen bees control the princesses Queen bees and ants emit a chemical that alters the DNA of their daughters and keeps them as sterile and industrious workers, scientists have found.
	Sensing the future of molecule detection and bioproduction Synthetically engineered biosensors, which can be designed to detect and signal the presence of specific small molecule compounds, have already unlocked many potential applications by harnessing bacterial cells such as E. coli to sense toxins or enable bioproduction of valuable commodities including fuel, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. As of yet, however, scientists have been challenged to leverage biosensors for use in eukaryotic cells—which comprise yeast, plants and animals—because strategies-to-date are limited in the molecules they can detect and the signals they can produce.
	Scientists discover protein's starring role in genome stability, and possibly cancer prevention If you have a soft spot for unsung heroes, you'll love a DNA repair protein called XPG. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) discovered that XPG plays a previously unknown and critical role helping to maintain genome stability in human cells. Their findings also raise the possibility that the protein helps prevent breast, ovarian, and other cancers associated with defective BRCA genes.
	Researchers document the work of leafcutter ants Deploying multiple videos in a University of Oregon lab, scientists have documented never-before-seen views of leafcutter ants at work processing leaves and growing their food supply in their nests.
	Tuberculosis: Discovery of a critical stage in the evolution of the bacillus towards pathogenicity It is the disappearance of a glycolipid from the bacterial cell envelope during evolution that may have considerably increased the virulence of tuberculosis bacilli in humans. Scientists from the CNRS, the Institut Pasteur and the Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier have shown that this disappearance modified the surface properties of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, favoring its aggregation in "cords" and increasing its pathogenicity. These findings, which enable a better understanding of the mechanisms linked to the evolution and emergence of tuberculosis bacilli, constitute a major advance in our knowledge on this disease. They are published in Nature Microbiology on 27 January 2016.
	Faster drug discovery? Startup develops more cost-effective test for assessing how cells respond to chemicals For pharmaceutical firms, gene-expression profiling has become a valuable tool for drug discovery. This process involves measuring the activity of a cell's genes in response to drugs, to determine the compounds' effectiveness, toxicity, and other characteristics. Conventional profiling methods, however, are inefficient or expensive, sometimes costing millions of dollars.
	Imaging technology could help combat a disease that endangers millions of the ocean's creatures Ocean-dwelling starfish, known more correctly as sea stars, are succumbing in droves to a recently discovered syndrome called sea star wasting disease. Fortunately, Eric Littman, V17, who spent last summer at the Seattle and Vancouver aquariums studying the animals with imaging technology, may have helped find ways to intervene.
	Megafauna mega-issues Following a succesful conference on megafauna - large animals - two journals have published special features on the topic.
New method for testing salinity tolerance in cereals Researchers from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) have discovered a new and more accurate way to screen cereal varieties for tolerance to salinity and high sodium (sodicity).
	Improved harvest for small farms thanks to naturally cloned crops In today's agriculture, hybrid plants are crucial for the sufficient production of food, feed, fuel and fiber. These crosses between two different varieties are deemed particularly hardy and far more productive than their thoroughbred parent generations. Thanks to hybrid plants, the harvests from types of cereal crop, such as corn, can be more than doubled. However, the positive properties are already lost in the next generation, which is why hybrid seeds need to be reproduced annually. These crosses are costly and time-consuming and farmers are reliant on new seeds every year.
Germs, humans and numbers: New estimate revises our microbiome numbers downwards How many microbes inhabit our body on a regular basis? For the last few decades, the most commonly accepted estimate in the scientific world puts that number at around ten times as many bacterial as human cells. In research published today in the journal Cell, a recalculation of that number by Weizmann Institute of Science researchers reveals that the average adult has just under 40 trillion bacterial cells and about 30 trillion human ones, making the ratio much closer to 1:1.
	The importance of mixed motifs Local modifications in histone proteins alter DNA packing density in the cell nucleus to regulate gene activity. They also form the basis of a code in which the significance of a given pattern or motif depends on its broader context.
	Satellites show Florida beaches becoming darker, and that's good for sea turtles Newly published research that started as a high school science project confirms that the density of sea turtle nests on Florida beaches is reduced where artificial lights along the coast deter nesting females.
	How bats recognize their own 'bat signals' Individual bats emit sonar calls in the dark, using the echo of their signature sounds to identify and target potential prey. But because they travel in large groups, their signals often "jam" each other, a problem resembling extreme radar interference. How do bats overcome this "cocktail party" cacophony to feed and survive in the wild?
	Team uses internet network theory to decipher the first epigenetic communication network One of the big questions for which there is still no clear answer in biology is how, based on the four universal letters that make up DNA, it is possible to generate such different organisms as a fly or a human, or the different organs and tissues they comprise. In recent years, researchers have discovered that the system is much more complicated than was originally thought. The letters are important, but histones and nucleotide chemical modifications can make up genetic instructions to reinterpret the information contained in the DNA. Reinterpretation of genetic instructions can lead to the development, for example, of an eye or the pancreas in the embryo. Alterations of this make up of the DNA code can also be linked to pathological processes and to the appearance of diseases, such as cancer.
	Microtubules, assemble: New research may lead to better understanding of self-organization in cells What bones are to bodies, the cytoskeleton is to cells. The cytoskeleton maintains cellular structure, builds appendages like flagella and, together with motor proteins, powers cellular movement, transport, and division. Microtubules are a critical component of the cytoskeleton, vital for cell division and, because of that, an excellent target for chemotherapy drugs.
Study offers new insights into Group A Streptococcus One bacterial pathogen is responsible for a range of diseases, from pharyngitis and impetigo to more severe diagnoses such as toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease), a serious bacterial skin infection that spreads quickly and kills the body's soft tissue. The pathogen, known as Group A Streptococcus, remains a global health burden with an estimated 700 million cases reported annually, and more than half a million deaths due to severe infections.
Vaccine study shapes plan to wipe out rabies in free-roaming dogs Rabies could be eradicated from street dogs in India with the help of a new smartphone app, a study has shown.

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