Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Jan 26

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 26, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Scientists propose high-efficiency wireless power transfer system
- One trillion kilometres apart—a lonely planet and its distant star
- Group develops environmentally friendly liquid battery
- Astronomers find six new millisecond pulsars
- Genomic study of Indian populations finds five distinct ancestral components
- Optically active nanoparticles serve as cancer drug indicators
- Simple origami fold may hold the key to designing pop-up furniture, medical devices and scientific tools
- Record-seeking pair show off robot solving Rubik's Cube
- Ceres: Keeping well-guarded secrets for 215 years
- Machine-written speech reads like real political spiel
- Brain structure governing emotion is passed down from mother to daughter
- Ancient medicinal clay shows promise against today's worst bacterial infections
- Study details source of mental problems associated with multiple sclerosis
- Model explains huge recurring rainstorms in tropical Indian and Pacific oceans
- Delivering the Internet of the future—at the speed of light and open sourced

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers find six new millisecond pulsars (Phys.org)—NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has once again proven that it is an excellent tool to search for rotating neutron stars emitting beams of electromagnetic radiation, known as pulsars. A team of astronomers, led by H. Thankful Cromartie of the University of Virginia, has recently used the 305-meter Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico to observe unidentified sources of gamma rays detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi spacecraft. As it turns out, six of these objects indicated by LAT are rapidly rotating neutron stars, with periods of a few thousandths of a second, called millisecond pulsars (MSPs). The scientists published their results online on Jan. 20 on the arXiv pre-print server.
	One trillion kilometres apart—a lonely planet and its distant star A team of astronomers in the UK, USA and Australia have found a lonely planet, until now thought to be a free floating or lonely planet, in a huge orbit around its star. Incredibly the object, designated as 2MASS J2126, is about 1 trillion (1 million million) kilometres from the star, or about 7000 times the distance from the Earth to the sun. The researchers report the discovery in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
	Cassini heads for 'higher ground' at Saturn NASA's Cassini mission is entering its next chapter with an orbital choreography meant to tilt the spacecraft's orbit out of Saturn's ringplane.
	Mars rover Opportunity busy through depth of winter NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, worked through the lowest-solar-energy days of the mission's seventh Martian winter, while using a diamond-toothed rock grinder and other tools in recent weeks to investigate clues about the Red Planet's environmental history.
	Ceres: Keeping well-guarded secrets for 215 years New Year's Day, 1801, the dawn of the 19th century, was a historic moment for astronomy, and for a space mission called Dawn more than 200 years later. That night, Giuseppe Piazzi pointed his telescope at the sky and observed a distant object that we now know as Ceres.
	Image: A half-Enceladus This half-lit view of Enceladus bears a passing resemblance to similar views of Earth's own natural satellite, but the similarities end there. Earth's rocky moon is covered in dark, volcanic basins and brighter, mountainous highlands—both exceedingly ancient. The surface of icy Enceladus is uniformly bright, far brighter than Earth's moon. Large areas of Enceladus' surface are characterized by youthful (on geologic timescales), wrinkled terrains.
	Measuring the acceleration of the universe with the Euclid spacecraft Dark matter and dark energy are two of the greatest mysteries of the universe, still perplexing scientists worldwide. Solving these scientific conundrums may require a comprehensive approach in which theories, computations and ground-based observations are complemented by a fleet of spacecraft studying the dark universe. One of the space missions that could be essential to our understanding of these mysteries is European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid probe, designed to unveil the secrets of dark energy and dark matter by accurately measuring the acceleration of the universe.
	NASA counting on humanoid robots in deep space exploration As humanity moves forward with space exploration, we should prepare for risky and extremely hazardous endeavors such as manned missions to Mars and asteroids. Having fully operational robotic help ready to assist in every dangerous task would be of the utmost importance during long-lasting journeys beyond Earth. NASA is seriously considering this subject matter, ushering new humanoid robots, expected to be space pioneers that could offer astronauts a helping hand in future expeditions.
	Integral X-rays Earth's aurora Normally busy with observing high-energy black holes, supernovas and neutron stars, ESA's Integral space observatory recently had the chance to look back at our own planet's aurora.
	Searching for orbiting companion stars The search for exoplanets via the radial velocity technique has been underway for nearly 30 years. The method searches for wobbles in a star's motion caused by the presence of orbiting bodies. It has been very successful, detecting hundreds of exoplanets, but has been overtaken (at least in numbers of detections) by the transit method, which looks for dips in the star's light.
	Space-earth system produces highest-resolution astronomical image Using an orbiting radio-astronomy satellite combined with 15 ground-based radio telescopes, astronomers have made the highest-resolution, or most-detailed, astronomical image yet, revealing new insights about a gorging black hole in a galaxy 900 million light-years from Earth. The scientists combined signals from the Spektr-R satellite of the RadioAstron mission with those from radio telescopes throughout Europe and nine antennas of the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The result was an image with the resolving power of a telescope about 62,500 miles wide, or almost eight times the diameter of the Earth.
	Russian volunteer programmers help to find mysterious black holes The term "black hole" was first used in the mid-20th century by theoretical physicist John Wheeler. This term denotes relativistic supermassive objects that are invisible in all electromagnetic waves, but a great number of astrophysical effects confirm their existence.

Technology news

	Record-seeking pair show off robot solving Rubik's Cube After the first wave of satisfaction in solving a Rubik's Cube puzzle comes recognition that there are higher rungs to reach: not only solving it but solving it quickly. How quickly? That's the stuff of which world contests are staged.
	Group develops environmentally friendly liquid battery (Tech Xplore)—A small team of researchers at Fudan University, in China has developed a liquid battery that is more environmentally friendly than others of its kind. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the team describes the idea for their battery, the parts of it that have been tested already and its many positive attributes.
	Simple origami fold may hold the key to designing pop-up furniture, medical devices and scientific tools What if you could make any object out of a flat sheet of paper? That future is on the horizon thanks to new research by L. Mahadevan, the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). He is also a core faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and member of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, at Harvard University.
	Tesla boss sees bumpy road ahead for electric cars Electric car manufacturers will have to design futuristic vehicles to entice buyers in order to ride out the challenge of plunging oil prices, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk said Tuesday.
	Scientists to announce "Doomsday Clock" time Scientists behind a "Doomsday Clock" that measures the likelihood of a global cataclysm are set to announce Tuesday whether civilization is any closer or farther from disaster.
	US, EU hopeful on Internet data pact but deadline looms US and EU officials expressed hope Monday on sealing a new transatlantic data-sharing pact before a looming deadline expires to avert a potentially crippling impact on American online firms including Facebook and Google.
	Producing electrical power with cardboard, tape, and a pencil A small device made from everyday materials can generate enough energy to power several diodes. This clever discovery by an EPFL postdoctoral student was presented yesterday at a global conference on micro- and nano- systems in Shanghai.
	Delivering the Internet of the future—at the speed of light and open sourced New research has found, for the first time, a scientific solution that enables future internet infrastructure to become completely open and programmable while carrying internet traffic at the speed of light.
	Recognizing health concerns in wind energy development a key recommendation in new study As wind energy development blossoms in Canada and around the world, opposition at the community level is challenging the viability of the industry. A new study with research from the University of Waterloo, published in Nature Energy, identifies four major factors leading to disputes over wind farms, and offers recommendations on avoiding disagreements.
	Machine-written speech reads like real political spiel It's high time to stand up and be counted for...We need a true leader who will...Let's bring back honor and....Plain folks like you deserve to be... Issues and platforms aside, political campaign speeches dull the senses at some point when all candidates on all platforms begin to sound alike.
	WhatsApp service stumbles briefly Facebook-owned smartphone messaging service WhatsApp temporarily crashed in an array of countries from the US to India, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of users.
Slow PC, smartphone demand saps SK Hynix 4Q profit Slowing global demand for personal computers and smartphones slashed the profits of South Korean semiconductor giant SK Hynix by half in the fourth quarter, the company said Tuesday.
Electronics giant Philips posts 2015 profit up 55% (Update) Health-conscious consumers snapping up everything from electric toothbrushes to kitchen appliances drove up 2015 profits at electronics giant Philips as it seeks to spin off its historic lighting business.
	LG Electronics posts 4Q loss as mobile business struggles LG Electronics, the world's second-largest TV maker, on Tuesday reported an unexpected loss for the final quarter of 2015 as its smartphone business struggled and costs for raw materials rose.
	Samsung begins mass producing world's fastest DRAM based on newest high bandwidth memory (HBM) interface Samsung Electronics announced that it has begun mass producing the industry's first 4-gigabyte (GB) DRAM package based on the second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2) interface, for use in high performance computing (HPC), advanced graphics and network systems, as well as enterprise servers. Samsung's new HBM solution will offer unprecedented DRAM performance – more than seven times faster than the current DRAM performance limit, allowing faster responsiveness for high-end computing tasks including parallel computing, graphics rendering and machine learning.
	Feeling smug about your solar rooftop? Not so fast If you installed solar panels on your roof and feel aglow with environmental virtue, you may be in for a rude awakening. There's a good chance someone else has purchased your halo and is wearing it right now.
	The race to hypersonic speed—will air passengers feel the benefits? When Concorde entered service 40 years ago, it more than doubled the speed of air travel at a stroke. Following Concorde's retirement, airliners today fly once more at subsonic speeds, but engineers worldwide are looking to a future in which high-speed flight is an everyday occurrence. Except they want to go one better: not at supersonic, but hypersonic speeds.
	Scientists develop solutions for the precise simulation of turbulences Turbulence makes life difficult for the designers of cars or aircrafts. It cannot be simulated with absolute precision. Martin Oberlack, head of Institute of Fluid Dynamics wants an original solution to the problem.
First technology to detect back-and-forth-type targeted email attacks in real time Fujitsu today announced the development of technology that utilizes its artificial intelligence technology to detect targeted email attacks aimed at specific organizations in real time. In recent years, targeted attacks have become more sophisticated, with attackers cleverly camouflaging their contact as a work related matter, then attacking after gaining an employee's trust.
	Marvin Minsky, pioneer of artificial intelligence, dies Marvin Minsky, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who saw parallels in the functioning of the human brain and computers, died Sunday at age 88.
	Titan targets tumors Since lasers were first produced in the early 1960s, researchers have worked to apply laser technology from welding metal to surgeries, with laser technology advancing quickly through the last 50 years.
	The smart(phone) solution for urban mobility Whether you're waiting for a bus that seems like it will never show up, or experiencing a sudden power outage on the subway, you are not alone: public transit woes are common around the world.
	Chase planning rollout of card-free ATMs Soon, losing your ATM card won't be the financial life-stopping event it used to be. Just don't also lose your phone.
	Scientists: "Doomsday Clock" reflects grave threat to world Rising tension between Russia and the U.S., North Korea's recent nuclear test and a lack of aggressive steps to address climate change are putting the world under grave threat, scientists behind a "Doomsday Clock" that measures the likelihood of a global cataclysm said Tuesday.
	Sony moves PlayStation business to Silicon Valley Sony on Monday announced it is moving its PlayStation business to Silicon Valley and consolidating its game console offerings under one roof.
Flat iPhone sales fail to dent Apple profit Apple on Tuesday posted record quarterly profit even as iPhone sales flattened out after years of rocketing growth.
	Werner Herzog blasts 'stupid' social media at Sundance German filmmaker Werner Herzog on Monday blasted social media as a forum for "stupidity" as he presented his new documentary about the Internet at the Sundance Film Festival.
Innovative oven technology set to transform the European baking industry An EU-funded project has developed three prototype ovens that will reduce energy consumption and save time during the baking process.
	GaN power amplifier with world's highest output performance for W-band wireless transmissions Fujitsu today announced the development of a gallium-nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) power amplifier for use in W-band (75-110 GHz) transmissions.
	Pakistan orders 400,000 porn sites blocked Pakistan has asked Internet companies to block more than 400,000 pornography websites, officials said Tuesday, as part of a crackdown on what the top court calls "offensive content" in the Muslim-majority nation.
Centene loses personal, health data of 950,000 members Health insurer Centene Corp. says it is missing half a dozen hard drives that contain the personal and health information of roughly 950,000 clients.

Medicine & Health news

	Optically active nanoparticles serve as cancer drug indicators (MedicalXpress)—Researchers from Ohio State University have designed nanoparticles based on naturally occurring green fluorescent proteins that can trace the progression of a cancer drug through human cells. These nanoparticles are optically active in the visible range, biocompatible, photostable, and initial studies in which these nanoparticles were functionalized with MUC1 aptamer – doxorubicin (DOX), a complex that is used to take chemotherapeutic DOX to cancer cells – showed that they are able to monitor drug release in real time in human carcinoma epithelial cells. Their work appears in Nature Nanotechnology.
	Study finds stool test effective for detecting colon cancer (HealthDay)—Tests for blood in the stool can consistently detect colon cancer when used on an annual basis, and they are effective even in the second, third and fourth years of screening, a new study says.
	Health and thinking skills linked to same genes, study shows Genes that influence people's health also shape how effectively they think, a study shows.
	Breaking the brain's garbage disposal: Study shows even a small problem causes big effects You wouldn't think that two Turkish children, some yeast and a bunch of Hungarian fruit flies could teach scientists much. But in fact, that unlikely combination has just helped an international team make a key discovery about how the brain's "garbage disposal" process works—and how little needs to go wrong in order for it to break down.
	Study details source of mental problems associated with multiple sclerosis A study out today sheds new light on multiple sclerosis (MS), specifically damage in the brain caused by the disease that may explain the slow and continuous cognitive decline that many patients experience. The findings, which appear in the Journal of Neuroscience, show that the brain's immune system is responsible for disrupting communication between nerve cells, even in parts of the brain that are not normally considered to be primary targets of the disease.
	Cancer riddle, solved: Researchers reveal how cancer cells form tumors Cancer is a mysterious disease for many reasons. Chief among the unknowns are how and why tumors form.
	Brain structure governing emotion is passed down from mother to daughter A study of 35 families led by a UC San Francisco psychiatric researcher showed for the first time that the structure of the brain circuitry known as the corticolimbic system is more likely to be passed down from mothers to daughters than from mothers to sons or from fathers to children of either gender. The corticolimbic system governs emotional regulation and processing and plays a role in mood disorders, including depression.
At least 50 deadly swine flu cases reported in Russia At least 50 people have died of swine flu in Russia since last month, according to AFP calculations based on data from regional health authorities, as the virus seems to gain ground in the country.
Zika pregnancy panic a loaded issue for Latin America Don't get pregnant for the next two years.
	Targeted axillary dissection of lymph nodes after chemotherapy improves staging accuracy of node-positive breast cancer A new procedure developed by surgeons at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center improves the accuracy of axillary staging and pathologic evaluation in clinically node-positive breast cancer, and reduces the need for a more invasive procedure with debilitating complications.
	Exposure to high levels of air pollution associated with higher risk of preterm birth Exposure to high levels of small particle air pollution is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth - before 37 weeks of pregnancy, according to a new study published online in the journal Environmental Health.
Should childcare staff 'love' the youngsters in their care? Anonymous survey explored how early years workers felt about 'loving' the children in their careWhile the majority of practitioners believe showing affection to the children in their care is important, concerns exist about how others view the appropriateness of their actions
	How food-related warnings backfire among dieters We have all seen messages from the "food police" telling us that sugary snacks are bad. But is it possible that seeing these messages actually make us more likely to eat sugary snacks? Researchers at Arizona State University, Nguyen Pham, Naomi Mandel, and Andrea Morales, show, in new research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, that these messages backfire among dieters. They find that dieters ate 39% more cookies after seeing a "food police" style message that says, "All sugary snacks are bad" than those who saw a positive message."
	Breast cancer survivors could be vulnerable to common viral and bacterial infections Breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy could be lacking sufficient antibodies to protect against common illnesses, as chemotherapy reduces the body's immune response, according to research published in the open access journal Breast Cancer Research. This work raises the possibility that these survivors could benefit from additional post-treatment monitoring. Further work is required to assess if revaccination would be beneficial.
Study links fatty liver and heart failure in obese people Fatty liver is independently associated with subclinical heart failure in obese people, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The findings add more support to the importance of dietary interventions in such patients, researchers said.
	Schools must do more to combat obesity among hispanic kids: report (HealthDay)—Exercise and healthy nutrition can be hard to come by at U.S. schools that serve mainly Hispanic students, according to a new report.
	Obstetricians' group urges docs to help support breast-feeding (HealthDay)—There are many things obstetricians and gynecologists can do to support breast-feeding mothers, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says.
	Coronary CT angiography findings modify statin, aspirin Rx (HealthDay)—Knowledge of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) results is associated with improved alignment of aspirin and statin prescribing with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
	Considerable symptom burden with adjuvant endocrine Tx (HealthDay)—Patients treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) for primary breast cancer have considerable symptom burden, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	Submental fat reduced with cryolipolysis vacuum applicator (HealthDay)—Submental fat can be reduced safely and effectively with a small volume cryolipolysis vacuum applicator, according to research published in the January issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
	Validity of automated falls detection device unclear (HealthDay)—For nursing home residents there is poor concordance between the falls recorded by an investigational fall detection device and falls reported by nursing staff, according to a study published online Jan. 19 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Dysgraphia described after sertraline intake (HealthDay)—Dysgraphia after sertraline intake has been documented in a case report published online Jan. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
	Only severe preeclampsia linked to anti-beta-2GP1 immunoglobulin G (HealthDay)—Severe preeclampsia (S-PEecl), but not non-severe preeclampsia (NS-PEecl), is associated with antiβ2GP1 immunoglobulin (Ig)G, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
	Research confirms that melatonin could prevent sepsis, top cause of death in hospital ICUs Sepsis is a serious disease that takes place when the body has an excessive immune response to a bacterial infection. It's the leading cause of death in hospitaL intensive care units (ICUs), and there's no specific treatment for at present. Although it is a systemic inflammation, known anti-inflammatories are not effective.
Treating depressive symptoms at their roots A wide range of compounds is on the market to ameliorate depressive symptoms. However, their efficiency is achieved only after long periods of treatment and not in all patients. Inserm researchers identified early cellular changes in the brain for the emergence of depressive symptoms, and a novel promising drug target. These results were published in the journal Nature Medicine on Janaury 25th, 2016.
Researchers study how weather affects pain in people with arthritis and other conditions It's a mystery that's perplexed people for over 2,000 years, but now University of Manchester scientists are on the verge of working out if the weather affects pain in people with arthritis and other conditions, all thanks to the British public and their smartphones.
	How science can teach us to be more relaxed After a busy and stressful year, I recently found myself physically and mentally exhausted with a very real need to relax. A last-minute holiday felt like a perfect solution and I returned feeling refreshed and recharged. What was it that helped me to relieve my physical tension and restore my inner calm? Was it exploring somewhere new, swimming in the sea, spending time with family – or just lying on the beach, touching the sand and completely switching off?
	The amyloid protein alpha-synuclein has been visualised in the cell for the first time The protein α-synuclein plays an important role in Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although a considerable amount is known about the structure of the protein within the Parkinson's-typical amyloid deposits, nothing was known about its original state in the healthy cell up to now. Scientists from the Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin have now for the first time visualised the protein in healthy cells with the help of high resolution spectroscopic procedures. Surprisingly, they discovered an unstructured state. The new findings, which have appeared in Nature and Nature Communications, represent a milestone for research worldwide: It is now known that the structure of the protein changes dramatically over the course of the disease.
Research shows link between young people's mental health and future inequality Mental health issues in early adulthood can impact upon a person's future life chances, a new study has shown.
Medical school access 'dominated by most affluent', says new study Access to medical school across the UK is still dominated by students from more affluent parts of society, a new study led by the University of Dundee has shown.
	Discrimination, alcohol and tobacco linked to panic attacks in minorities A new study has identified discrimination, alcohol and tobacco as significant predictors of minority Americans' experiencing panic attacks—fearful spells with psychological symptoms that last a few minutes and are often debilitating and disruptive.
	Yin and yang in retinal degeneration Mutations in the peripherin-2 gene are among the major causes of retinal degeneration. LMU researchers have now discovered why different mutations in the gene preferentially affect one or other of the two types of photoreceptor cells in the eye.
S. aureus can spread from blood to eye, endangering vision Nearly ten percent of cases of Staphylococcus aureus infections of the blood spread to the eyeball, according to a team of Korean clinical investigators. That spread can severely impair vision, and even cause blindness. The research was published January 11 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Social media use in young adults linked to sleep disturbance Young adults who spend a lot of time on social media during the day or check it frequently throughout the week are more likely to suffer sleep disturbances than their peers who use social media less, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
	Regular caffeine consumption does not result in extra heartbeats, study shows Contrary to current clinical belief, regular caffeine consumption does not lead to extra heartbeats, which, while common, can lead in rare cases to heart-or stroke-related morbidity and mortality, according to UC San Francisco researchers.
	Better access to contraception means more sex for married couples Married couples in low- and middle-income countries around the world that use contraception are having more frequent sexual intercourse than those that do not, new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.
Community-level violence linked to teens' risky sexual behavior Teens' experiences with violence—either through fear of violence, observing violent events, or being victims of violence themselves—are associated with how likely they are to have sex and use condoms, new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.
	Health minister: Brazil is 'losing battle' against mosquito Brazil's health minister says the country will mobilize some 220,000 troops to battle the mosquito blamed for spreading a virus suspected of causing birth defects—but he also says the war is already being lost.
	Comparison of smoking cessation therapies finds similar quit rates Among adults motivated to quit smoking, 12 weeks of treatment with a nicotine patch, the drug varenicline, or combination nicotine replacement therapy produced no significant differences in confirmed rates of smoking abstinence at 26 or 52 weeks, raising questions about the current relative effectiveness of intense smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, according to a study in the January 26 issue of JAMA.
	Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy, risk of asthma, wheezing in offspring Two randomized trials in the January 26 issue of JAMA examine if vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy would reduce the risk of asthma or persistent wheezing in offspring.
	New policies, educational programs help—but don't solve—problems with opioid abuse A recent study showed that medical provider training, new clinic policies and efforts to "taper" opioid use for pain treatment could significantly reduce the level of opioid medication that patients used—a limited but positive step for a nation enmeshed in opioid use, abuse and overdose deaths.
	Mosquitos capable of carrying Zika virus found in Washington, D.C. On Monday (Jan. 25, 2016), the World Health Organization announced that Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that in the past year has swept quickly throughout equatorial countries, is expected to spread across the Americas and into the United States.
Key mechanism discovered which prevents memory loss in Alzheimer's disease Neurons communicate with one another by synaptic connections, where information is exchanged from one neuron to its neighbor. These connections are not static, but are continuously modulated in response to the ongoing activity (or experience) of the neuron. This process, known as synaptic plasticity, is a fundamental mechanism for learning and memory in humans as in all animals. In fact, we now know that alterations in synaptic plasticity are responsible for memory impairment in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these alterations take place are still starting to be uncovered.
	Incidence of psychiatric disorders has increased in a shrinking population of smokers Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and New York State Psychiatric Institute have found that while cigarette smoking rates have declined among younger people in the United States, those who do smoke are more likely to have a psychiatric or substance use disorder compared with those who began smoking in earlier decades.
	DNA imprinting defects associated with childhood osteosarcoma development and progression Children diagnosed with osteosarcoma may be impacted by a DNA imprinting defect also found in parents, according to new research from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. DNA imprinting is a phenomenon in which just one of the two inherited genes is active while the other is present but inactive.
	Toxic exposures caused illness in gulf war veterans, new report says Twenty-five years after 700,000 U.S. troops fought and won the first Gulf War with remarkably low casualties, research "clearly and consistently" shows that exposure to pesticides and other toxins caused Gulf War Illness, a complex and debilitating disorder that affects as many as 250,000 of those deployed, according to a new report led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher.
	UN: Zika virus link to small-head condition 'circumstantial' The World Health Organization says it suspects a link between the mosquito-borne Zika virus and a rare birth defect that gives babies abnormally small heads but says so far the evidence is circumstantial.
Scientists identify potential 'guardian' against neurodegeneration Stopping disruptions in cellular "trash removal" brought on by errors in molecular marks on DNA may guard against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.
	Screening for depression recommended for adults, including pregnant and postpartum women The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is recommending screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women, and that screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up. The report appears in the January 26 issue of JAMA.
	Alzheimer-type brain pathology after transplantation of dura mater Up to now Alzheimer's disease has not been recognized as transmissible. Now researchers at the University of Zurich and the Medical University Vienna demonstrated Alzheimer-type pathology in brains of recipients of dura mater grafts who died later from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Being married might hurt your chances of weight loss after surgery Spouses ideally could play a key role in helping patients lose pounds and keep them off after weight-loss surgery, but being married might actually work against patients, researchers from The Ohio State University have found.
Antibiotic use in early life disrupt normal gut microbiota development The use of antibiotics in early childhood interferes with normal development of the intestinal microbiota, shows research conducted at the University of Helsinki. Particularly the broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotics, commonly used to treat respiratory tract infections, have adverse effects. Macrolides appear also to contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
Disclosure of incidental genetic findings can have positive impact for patients A new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has found that providing unanticipated information about risk of coronary artery disease during a genetic risk assessment for Alzheimer's disease helped some participants cope with their results, and also motivated participants to make changes to their health behaviors. The results of the randomized controlled study are published online in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine on Jan. 26.
	On Twitter, e-cigarette ads spread like secondhand smoke Are 500 retweets the modern equivalent of "everyone's doing it" when it comes to e-cigarette marketing? While the Food and Drug Administration has proposed a ban on the sales of e-cigarettes to people under 18, as we are beginning to understand the health effects of the substitute to smoking, a recent study by researchers at Drexel University and the University of Southern California suggests that e-cigarette marketing on social media is about as containable as second-hand smoke.
	Monoclonal antibody holds promise of reducing learning, memory problems in schizophrenia Chronic learning and memory problems that plague patients with schizophrenia may have a worthy foe in a monoclonal antibody that also holds promise in the fight against cancer and is already used to treat a rare disorder similar to lymphoma, researchers say.
	Task force urges doctors to screen all adults for depression All adults, including pregnant women and new mothers, should be screened for depression as a routine part of health care, a government advisory group recommended Tuesday.
Many Latino kids struggle to reach a healthy weight by kindergarten More Latino kids are obese by ages 2-5 than white kids, due to maternal obesity, less exclusive breastfeeding, and workplace and childcare issues that affect nutrition and physical activity levels, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for Latino childhood obesity prevention funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Why you should never use the term 'the mentally ill' Even subtle differences in how you refer to people with mental illness can affect levels of tolerance, a new study has found.
Mass media coverage helps slow down disease spread in an epidemic Mass media coverage about an epidemic can help slow the spread of the disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. The authors of the study, from Shaanxi Normal University in China and York University in Canada, say to maximize this effect media reports should focus on changing people's behavior in an epidemic.
Pharmaceutical industry self-regulation of off-label drug promotion in the UK The UK's self-regulatory approach to preventing pharmaceutical companies from promoting off-label use of their drugs detects mainly high-visibility promotional activity such as print advertising, according to a document analysis of off-label promotion rulings published this week in PLOS Medicine by Shai Mulinari and colleagues at Lund University, Sweden, and King's College London, UK. The study indicates that the UK self-regulatory approach is less capable of uncovering complex marketing campaigns than the government-led approach in the US.
	A master switch that plays a key role in energy metabolism and human brain evolution Scientists have long used comparative animal studies to better understand the nuances of human evolution, from making diverse body plans to the emergence of entirely powerful and unique features structures, including the human brain.
	Anti-asthma drugs taken during pregnancy associated with autism risk By comparing birth records over a period of nine years, Drexel researchers found that the children of mothers who took a certain asthma medication during pregnancy faced an elevated risk of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
	For breast cancer patients, never too late to quit smoking Documenting that it's never too late to quit smoking, a large study of breast cancer survivors has found that those who quit smoking after their diagnosis had a 33 percent lower risk of death as a result of breast cancer than those who continued to smoke.
Early puberty associated with gestational diabetes Women who began having menstrual cycles at a younger age are at greater risk of developing gestational diabetes, a disease affecting up to 7 percent of pregnant women that can cause babies to develop type 2 diabetes and other complications, new research shows.
Cancer in China: More than 7500 cancer deaths per day estimated A new report estimates there were 4.3 million new cancer cases and more than 2.8 million cancer deaths in China in 2015, with lung cancer the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in China.
	Smokers who quit more than 15 years ago still need screening for lung cancer Expanding lung cancer screening to include people who quit smoking more than 15 years ago could detect more cases and further reduce associated mortality, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
	E-cigarette vapor boosts superbugs and dampens immune system Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System report data suggesting that e-cigarettes are toxic to human airway cells, suppress immune defenses and alter inflammation, while at the same time boosting bacterial virulence. The mouse study is published January 25 by the Journal of Molecular Medicine.
	Sleep apnea treatment associated with reduced readmissions for patients with heart failure Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea may reduce six-month readmissions for patients hospitalized with heart failure, according to research recently published online by the American Journal of Cardiology.
	Researchers find Zika virus in Colombia, look for ways to stop it In October 2015, a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Universidad de Sucre in Colombia ran the first tests confirming the presence of Zika virus transmission in the South American country.
	Brain's wiring connected to sensory processing disorder Researchers at UC San Francisco have found that boys and girls with sensory processing disorder (SPD) have altered pathways for brain connectivity when compared to typically developing children, and the difference predicts challenges with auditory and tactile processing.
	Research begins into possibility of a vaccine for Zika virus The U.S. government is beginning research into a possible vaccine for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that is suspected of causing an unusual birth defect as it spreads in Latin America.
Brazil army to go 'house to house' in Zika fight: report Brazil is mobilizing more than 200,000 troops to go "house to house" in the battle against Zika-carrying mosquitoes, blamed for causing horrific birth defects in a major regional health scare, a report said Monday.
Thais quarantine 33 after Omani tests positive for MERS Thai health authorities Tuesday said they had placed 33 people in quarantine after an Omani national seeking medical help in the kingdom tested positive for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
The increasing rates of food allergy and food intolerance In recent years, researchers have noted a significant increase in food intolerances and allergy. But when is it really an allergy? Is it possible to prevent by intervening in the first few months of life?
	Futuristic diagnostic tools to help healthcare professionals Prof. Woonggyu Jung of the School of Life Sciences of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, in conjunction with Adic Co., Ltd. has recently developed a new diagnostic system that will reduce the costs of high-level healthcare.
	Interactive app to assist rehabilitation of Alzheimer's patients Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia take their new Alzheimer's app out for first testing and feedback from real-life users.
Emerging roles of glial cells in neuroscience When we think of the brain, we often think of the amazing things it is capable of—from conjuring up wild dreams to mastering foreign languages. At the same time, we may also think of devastating neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) that arise when different parts of the brain are disturbed. Underlying these processes and diseases are groups of cells, intricately connected to one another, and constantly communicating, like a large social network. Their goal is to update one another on the state of our brain, our body, and our environment. Historically, most neuroscience research has focused on the neuron, however, there are other important cell-types in the brain. These include astrocytes – cells known to support neurons and their environment, oligodendrocytes – cells that myelinate neurons and speed up the transmission of signals between them, a process ! that goes awry in Multiple Sclerosis, and microglia, which act as the immune cell of the brain, cleaning up debris and providing local surveillance in the nervous system. Although these cell types have generally been viewed as support cells, secondary to the neurons of the brain, research in the past decade has started to shine some new light on these underrated elements, suggesting that these other cells participate in a variety of complex processes important for proper brain function.
Team publishes work on Asian American and white women's views on face image Researchers at Chapman University have published work on how Asian American women and white women feel about their faces, their weights, and their overall appearances. The researchers surveyed 303 Asian American women and 367 white women at universities in Hawaii and California.
Improved chances of discovering hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis New insights in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) improve the chances of diagnosing the genetic disease using ECG and ultrasound. In a new doctoral dissertation by Sandra Arvidsson at Umeå University in Sweden, an explanation to the varying symptoms in patients with ATTR is explored. Of particular interest is why the disease only affects the heart in some patients—pinpointing age and gender as important explanations.
Use of psychosocial treatments in conjunction with medication for opioid addiction—recommended, but research is sparse Psychosocial interventions, used together with effective medications, are a key part of recommended treatment for opioid addiction. But while research generally supports the effectiveness of psychosocial treatments, there are major gaps in the evidence on their use in conjunction with medications, according to a review and update in the January/February Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
Rio sends Zika fumigators into carnival stadium Rio de Janeiro sent fumigators Tuesday into the city's carnival stadium, which will also be used for Olympic archery in August, to combat an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Serious adverse drug reactions rare from certain treatment for vascular tumor in infants Sorilla Prey, M.D., of the Université de Bordeaux, France and colleagues examined the safety of propranolol therapy in treating infantile hemangioma, a vascular tumor characterized by rapid growth during the first weeks of life. Severe forms require systemic therapy. Propranolol, a beta blocker, induces regression, but safety data have been lacking for children. The study appears in the January 26 issue of JAMA.
	Health care fines press millenials as sign-up deadline nears Millions of young adults healthy enough to think they don't need insurance face painful choices this year as the sign-up deadline approaches for President Barack Obama's health care law.
Updated clinical practice guideline issued on chiropractic care for low back pain The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), the official scientific journal of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), published an update to a previously issued evidence-based clinical practice guideline on chiropractic management of low-back pain (LBP). The update, which revised and combined three previous guidelines, supports that doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are well-suited to diagnose, treat, co-manage and manage the treatment of patients with low-back disorders.
	Cardiac and metabolic risk factors significantly more likely in severely obese teens Compared to normal weight adolescents, severely obese teens had at least a 2-fold greater risk of having high total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose levels, and a greater than 5-times increased risk of elevated blood pressure. These cardio-metabolic risk factors varied with weight, with risk greater for severely obese children and teens compared to moderately obese and normal weight youngsters, as reported in a study published in Childhood Obesity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Childhood Obesity website until February 26, 2016.
	The developmental origins of osteoporosis Osteoporosis may have its origins in early life, but the consequences are not apparent until late adult life, meaning that opportunities that can reduce its occurrence or severity may be overlooked. It remains an extremely common health burden in all societies, with enormous public health consequences due to the morbidity and mortality of the resulting fractures. Wood et al. discuss the developmental origins of osteoporosis and outline some of the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in early life, both antenatal and postnatal. They review data relating to birth size and early growth in both preterm and term born infants and emerging data on the role of epigenetic mechanisms.
19 Zika virus cases in Puerto Rico: official The mosquito-borne Zika virus has now been found in 19 people in Puerto Rico, although none were pregnant women, the group most at risk, the island's health secretary said.
Rio anxious to keep Zika mosquitoes from Carnival The scare over the Zika virus, thought to cause brain damage in babies, is spooking Brazilians who fear mosquitoes carrying the disease will be unwelcome guests at Rio's mega-Carnival.
Pharmacists key to detecting chronic kidney disease in at-risk patients January 26, 2016 (Ottawa): Pharmacists who screened at-risk patients for chronic kidney disease (CKD) found previously unrecognized disease in 1 of every 6.4 patients tested, according to a study to be published in the January/February 2016 issue of the Canadian Pharmacists Journal.
Mexico opens landmark debate on marijuana laws Mexico opened on Tuesday a national debate on prohibitionist marijuana laws, as the government appeared open to legalizing medical cannabis use.

Biology news

	Genomic study of Indian populations finds five distinct ancestral components (Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with the National Institute of BioMedical Genomics, in India has found via genetic study, five distinct ancestral components for the people of India. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Analabha Basu, Neeta Sarkar-Roy and Partha Majumder describe their genetic analysis of the genomes of several hundred people from across the country and what their study revealed about Indian history.
	Scientists prove key aspect of evolutionary theory Evolutionary theory predicts that pairs of chromosomes within asexual organisms will evolve independently of each other and become increasingly different over time in a phenomenon called the 'Meselson effect'.
	Snake-hunting secretary birds use the force of five times their body weight to stamp on and kill their prey A team of scientists from Royal Holloway, University of London, the Royal Veterinary College and the Hawk Conservancy Trust have discovered Secretary Birds can kick with 195 Newtons, which is equivalent to five times their own body weight, when they attack and kill their prey. And the contact time between the bird's feet and the snake is delivered extremely quickly - on average just 15 milliseconds.
	The magnetic compass of birds is affected by polarised light The magnetic compass that birds use for orientation is affected by polarised light. This previously unknown phenomenon was discovered by researchers at Lund University in Sweden.
	Ancient medicinal clay shows promise against today's worst bacterial infections Naturally occurring clay from British Columbia, Canada—long used by the region's Heiltsuk First Nation for its healing potential—exhibits potent antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.
	CRISPR-Cas9 tool expedites production of biofuel precursors and specialty polymers in living systems A team led by a researcher at the University of California, Riverside has adapted the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system for use in a yeast strain that can produce useful lipids and polymers.
	Diverse migration helps birds cope with environmental change Migratory birds that are 'set in their ways' could be more vulnerable to environmental impacts - according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Recombinant bacterium boosts production of compound that can relieve menopause symptoms A soy isoflavone derivative that goes by the scientific moniker, (S)-equol, has proven potent for mitigating menopausal symptoms. However, it has been impossible to produce in quantities sufficient for widespread commercial nutraceutical production. But now, a team of Korean researchers reports having constructed a recombinant bacterium which they say can boost production. The research is published January 22nd in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Don't blame grey squirrels: Their British invasion had much more to do with us DNA profiling reveals grey squirrels are not as good invaders as we think, and that humans played a much larger role in spreading them through the UK.
	Bed bugs that feed are more likely to survive pesticide exposure Many studies have been done on how effective certain pesticides are when they are applied to bed bugs. However, most have not allowed the bed bugs to take a blood meal after being exposed to pesticides, which can change the mortality rates, according to an article in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
	Ecotourism, natural resource conservation proposed as allies to protect natural landscapes If environmentalists want to protect fragile ecosytems from landing in the hands of developers—in the U.S. and around the globe—they should team up with ecotourists, according to a University of Georgia study published in the Journal of Ecotourism.
	Molecular method promises to speed development of food crops The first human farmers needed hundreds of years and a lot of good luck to shape the first domesticated crops. Modern plant breeders wait weeks or months, not centuries, to discover what the literal fruits of their labors might be; now, a study led at Illinois and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has explored the strengths of a molecular method that reduces this wait time to a few days.
	The beauty of butterflies Butterflies' special place in human culture stems from the fact that they have used their wings not only for flight, but as a canvas for some of the most striking patterns in nature. Evolving from an ancestral moth-like insect about 60 million years ago, the sheer beauty of their wings, and the metaphorical power of their emergence fully formed from rather unpromising pupae, has made butterflies an object of admiration and inspiration.
	Sri Lanka destroys biggest ever illegal ivory haul Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday destroyed its biggest ever illegal ivory haul in the first public crushing of poached tusks in South Asia, intended to send a stark message to smugglers.
	Kenya to destroy largest ever ivory stockpile at celebrity burning Kenya said Tuesday it will torch its vast stockpile of ivory at a star-studded summit to include Hollywood celebrities, presidents and business leaders against "poaching and illegal trade in ivory."
Wildfire plan seen as biggest land policy change in decades A year after Interior Secretary Sally Jewell shifted the national approach to fighting wildfires across a wide swath of sagebrush country in the West, her strategy is turning out to be one of the most significant federal land policy changes in some 80 years, public land experts, outdoor enthusiasts and scientists say.

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