Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Feb 23

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for February 23, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- DNA 'Trojan horse' smuggles drugs into resistant cancer cells
- Probiotics dramatically modulate liver cancer growth in mice
- Researchers discover a royal flush in powering fuel cells with wastewater
- Researchers use optogenetics to cause recoding of mouse associative memory
- How to make electrons behave like a liquid
- How junk food primes the brain's food-seeking behavior
- Researchers find link between impatience and faster aging
- Engineers achieve Wi-Fi at 10,000 times lower power
- Team discovers how mobile ads leak personal data
- Imaging technique may help discover Earth-like planets
- A new recipe for biofuel: Genetic diversity can lead to more productive growth
- Visualizing the emotional power of music
- Self-directed robot can identify objects
- Climate 'carbon budget' soon maxed out: study
- New therapeutic pathway may keep cancer cells turned 'off'

Astronomy & Space news

	Image: Cassini captures group photo of Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas Three of Saturn's moons—Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas—are captured in this group photo from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
	Imaging technique may help discover Earth-like planets One of the biggest quests in astrophysics is to find Earth-like planets around other stars - places where life may exist. Regular telescopes are not good at directly imaging such small objects because a host star's light generally drowns out the relatively dimmer light of a potential planet.
	Search narrows for Planet Nine US astronomers announced last month they may have found a ninth planet beyond Neptune, but conceded they had no idea where on an estimated 10,000-20,000-year orbit it might be.
	SpaceX warns of failure in Wednesday's rocket landing California-based SpaceX is already warning that failure is likely in Wednesday's attempt at landing its Falcon 9 rocket, following the launch of a European satellite into a distant orbit.
	LIGO's twin black holes might have been born inside a single star On September 14, 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes 29 and 36 times the mass of the Sun. Such an event is expected to be dark, but the Fermi Space Telescope detected a gamma-ray burst just a fraction of a second after LIGO's signal. New research suggests that the two black holes might have resided inside a single, massive star whose death generated the gamma-ray burst.
	Image: Hubble's diamond in the dust Surrounded by an envelope of dust, the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is a young forming star known as HBC 1. The star is in an immature and adolescent phase of life, while most of a sun-like star's life is spent in a stable stage comparable to human adulthood.
	We should work together in the race to mine the solar system With interest in the prospect of mining the moon and asteroids gaining pace, it's time to take a hard look at what's really at stake.
	Messier 4 (M4) – the NGC 6121 globular cluster During the late 18th century, Charles Messier began to notice that a series of "nebulous" objects in the night sky that he originally mistook for comets. In time, he would notice that they were in fact something significantly different. With the hope of preventing other astronomers from making the same mistake, he began compiling a list of these in what would come to be known as the Messier Catalog.
	The science behind leap years and how they work Most of the time, a year is made up of 365 days. But this year, just like 2012, and the year four years before that, has 366. And that vital extra day, a leap day, is (partly) what keeps our calendars in working order.
	Image: ExoMars 2016 trace gas orbiter fuelled for Mars The ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter being fuelled at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Technology news

	Researchers discover a royal flush in powering fuel cells with wastewater As renewable energy sources goes, solar rays have historically hogged the limelight.
	Engineers achieve Wi-Fi at 10,000 times lower power The upside of Wi-Fi is that it's everywhere - invisibly connecting laptops to printers, allowing smartphones to make calls or stream movies without cell service, and letting online gamers battle it out.
	Team discovers how mobile ads leak personal data The personal information of millions of smartphone users is at risk due to in-app advertising that can leak potentially sensitive user information between ad networks and mobile app developers, according to a new study by the School of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
	Some Linux Mint downloads on February 20 not at all sweet What a way to end a weekend. Those who know a thing or three about systems in general and Linux fans may have felt his pain. The Linux Mint Blog carried a post after midnight Saturday in the wee hours of Sunday from the creator of Mint, Clem Lefebvre.
	Internet by light promises to leave Wi-Fi eating dust Connecting your smartphone to the web with just a lamp—that is the promise of Li-Fi, featuring Internet access 100 times faster than Wi-Fi with revolutionary wireless technology.
	Self-directed robot can identify objects "That is a ball." "I do believe that is a cone." "Seems like a wonderful book." The voice is mechanical and flat, and anyone offering such banal commentary and sounding so bored would surely bomb in a job interview. But in this case, the observations are impressive. They're made by what looks like a two-foot-tall stack of hors d'oeuvre trays on wheels, careening around the floor and proclaiming its discoveries as its "eye," an attached camera, falls on them.
	Visualizing the emotional power of music Musical styles and genres differ around the world, but the emotional power of music is universally felt. To understand this evocative force, researchers in many fields, including information science, neural perception, and signal processing, investigate music's underlying structure, examining features such as the tone, timbre, and auditory and rhythmic features of a piece.
	Food printers and eye writing: tech show's quirkiest gadgets While tens of thousands flock to the Mobile World Congress to check out the latest smartphones, the show also offers glimpses of some of the coolest off-beat—and downright strange—innovations.
	Uber defends driver scrutiny in wake of shooting Uber said it was devastated by a deadly shooting spree by one of its drivers but had no plans to change its background check methods.
	Hottest phones you've never heard of—same bang, less buck (Update) Move over, Apple and Samsung. The next big smartphone might be from little-known Chinese brands such as TCL and OPPO.
	UN panel agrees to ban battery shipments on airliners A U.N. panel approved on Monday a temporary ban on cargo shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger planes because they can create intense fires capable of destroying an aircraft.
	Printed prosthetics are here, and complex bioprinting is coming, orthopedic technologist says Once confined to the realm of science fiction, 3D printers have become part of the mainstream. These machines fabricate physical objects by melting and layering plastic through a nozzle. Users can create or download professionally designed plans and produce custom objects ranging from tree ornaments to prosthetic limbs.
	Bill Gates supports government efforts in Apple case (Update) Bill Gates is supportive of investigators' efforts to force Apple to help them crack into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, saying a balance needs to be struck between government access and the need to preserve data security.
	EU to launch action plan to develop superfast 5G mobile network The European Union said Tuesday it will launch an action plan to develop 5G mobile networks which will massively speed up Internet connections, in an effort to avoid falling behind other regions.
	MIT researchers create citywide building energy model for Boston City governments in the age of climate change often find themselves in a predicament: It's hard to create a more energy-efficient city without detailed information about how—and when—buildings consume electricity and heating fuel.
	Riversimple's hydrogen fuel cell Rasa gives car design a clean slate The prototype of a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was unveiled this month by the Welsh company Riversimple. The company has named its vehicle named "Rasa" after the Latin phrase tabula rasa, which means: clean slate.
	Forcing Apple to open doors to our digital homes would set a worrying precedent Who controls what in the digital world? Apple is currently involved in a court face off with the FBI, and has refused to produce software that would help investigators to unlock the phone of San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. The clash is just the latest illustration of how important, as more and more of our lives are reduced to streams of data, access to that data has become.
	Microchip shrinks radar cameras to fit into a palm Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a chip that allows new radar cameras to be made a hundred times smaller than current ones.
	Paper demonstrates autonomous underwater vehicles can be pre-programmed to make independent decisions More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, yet scientists know more about space than about what happens in the ocean.
	Participate in Pegasus II—Real-time Internet of Things experiment from the edge of space When you dream of state-of-the-art, real-time Internet of Things (IoT), what do you imagine? Do you imagine open and distributed systems where system components and subsystems communicate without physical boundaries to form a holistic system that can achieve a specific goal? Do you imagine convergence between digital and physical systems so that the combined system is agnostic about its components—whether digital or physical? Or, perhaps real-time IoT system actors one-day processing discrete information in the context that is observed so that outputs can be produced? (A theory consistent with our understanding of theories and the applied mathematics of systems.)
	World's lightest OLED binocular see-through smart glasses Epson has today announced the third generation of its Moverio smart glasses for Augmented Reality. On display at the Mobile World Congress starting today in Barcelona, Spain, and available in selected markets from later this year, the Moverio BT-300 features Epson's own cutting edge silicon-based OLED (organic light emitting diode) digital display technology, enabling the device to be the lightest see-through binocular smart glasses on the market, and setting the new standard for augmented reality smart eyewear. The Moverio BT-300 is approximately 20% lighter than its predecessor, the BT-200.
	Selfies could replace security passwords – but only with an upgrade The next time you do some online shopping or call your bank, you may find you no longer have to scrabble around to remember your security password. Banks are increasingly turning to voice recognition technology as their preferred way of ensuring customers are who they say they are when they use telephone banking services. Mastercard has even announced that it will accept fingerprints or selfies as proof of identity for online purchases.
	Dynamic detection system could protect smartphones from malicious content The danger of acquiring a computer virus or spyware used to come with the risk of visiting the dark, sketchy corners of the Internet. But now trusted and harmless smartphone apps like MyFitnessPal and Candy Crush carry their own risks.
	Wearables market races ahead, paced by Fitbit, Apple The global market for connected wearable devices accelerated at the end of 2015, with Fitbit pacing the leaders and Apple closing ground, a survey showed Tuesday.
	Apple fight on iPhone access extends to other cases (Update) Apple is battling the US government over unlocking devices in at least 10 cases in addition to its high-profile dispute involving the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino attackers, court documents show.
Vestas in $1.2B deal to build huge wind power farm in Norway Danish company Vestas Wind Systems A/S says it has been awarded a 1.1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) deal to supply 278 wind turbines for Norwegian power company Statkraft and its partners for a wind power project in central Norway.
Apple: Feds want to circumvent security on other phones, too Apple is challenging government efforts to overcome encryption on at least 14 electronic devices nationwide in addition to the phone of a San Bernardino, California, shooter, its lawyers say.
	Apple to tell judge in California case: Congress must decide (Update) Apple Inc. will tell a federal judge this week in legal papers that its fight with the FBI over accessing a locked and encrypted iPhone should be kicked to Congress, rather than decided by courts, The Associated Press has learned.
	ESA in partnership with Europe's railways Europe's railway network plays a vital role in keeping our continent on the move. A new ESA initiative is considering the ways that space can add value to the network as it enters its third century of operations.
	EU, Brazil agree to cooperate on ultra-fast 5G The European Union and Brazil signed an agreement Tuesday to cooperate on developing ultra-fast 5G mobile networks, aimed at massively speeding up Internet connections on either side of the Atlantic.
Innovative scatterometry approach for self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) process control Nano-electronics research center Imec and Nova Measuring Instruments, a leading innovator and key provider of metrology solutions for advanced process control used in semiconductor manufacturing, announced today at SPIE advanced lithography conference that they are jointly developing an innovative scatterometry approach to enable SAQP process control. The initial results will be presented during the conference.
Three French Anonymous on trial for targeting police officers Three French Anonymous activists went on trial Tuesday for hacking a police union website, collecting contact information for hundreds of police officers and disclosing the details online in 2012.
Honeywell says regulators wouldn't prevent United Tech deal Industrial conglomerate Honeywell is touting the benefits of a possible combination with United Technologies and says regulators wouldn't be a big obstacle to the deal.

Medicine & Health news

	Probiotics dramatically modulate liver cancer growth in mice (Medical Xpress)—Medical research over the last decade has revealed the effects of the gut microbiome across a range of health markers including inflammation, immune response, metabolic function and weight. There is a corresponding interest in priobiotics as a therapeutic approach to the many illnesses affected by gut flora.
	Researchers find link between impatience and faster aging A team of researchers with members from the U.S. and Singapore has found that young women who scored as more impatient on a common psychology test, tended to have shorter telomere length than their more patient peers. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes the experiments they conducted, the testing they carried out and the results they found.
	Researchers use optogenetics to cause recoding of mouse associative memory (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers working at Oxford University has for the first time, caused an external decoding of an associative memory in a mammal. In their paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the researchers describe how they caused an associative memory to form in test mice, and then the technique they used to recode it, to cause the memory to be removed.
	How junk food primes the brain's food-seeking behavior (Medical Xpress)—The current epidemic of obesity in developed countries should be a warning for health officials in the developing world with newly opened markets. Food manufacturers, restaurant franchising companies, food supply chains and advertisers collaborate to create environments in which extremely palatable, energy-dense foods and their related cues are readily available; however, people still have adaptive neural architecture best suited for an environment of food scarcity. In other words, the brain's programming may make it difficult to handle the modern food ecosystem in a metabolically healthy way.
	New study finds our desire for 'like-minded others' is hard-wired A path-breaking new study on how we seek similarity in relationships, co-authored by researchers at Wellesley College and the University of Kansas, upends the idea that "opposites attract," instead suggesting we're drawn to people who are like-minded. The study could lead to a fundamental change in understanding relationship formation—and it sounds a warning for the idea that couples can change each other over time.
	Tracking prejudices in the brain We do not always say what we think: we like to hide certain prejudices, sometimes even from ourselves. But unconscious prejudices become visible with tests, because we need a longer time if we must associate unpleasant things with positive terms. Researchers in Bern now show that additional processes in the brain are not responsible for this, but some of them simply take longer.
	How a sweaty t-shirt gives clues about human disgust reactions Psychologists at the University of Sussex have found that a person's core disgust response is reduced if the source is within their own social group.
	Computers can tell if you're bored, says new study Computers are able to read a person's body language to tell whether they are bored or interested in what they see on the screen, according to a new study led by body-language expert Dr Harry Witchel, Discipline Leader in Physiology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).
	Transplanting brown adipose tissue into rats found to reduce symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers from a variety of institutions in China has found via experimentation, that transplanting brown adipose tissue (BAT) into female rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) led to a reduction in symptoms. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes why they tried the approach, what they found, and their plans for testing the same sorts of treatment in humans.
	Body's immune system may play larger role in Alzheimer's disease than thought Immune cells that normally help us fight off bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.
	Everyday mindfulness linked to healthy glucose levels Dispositional, or "everyday" mindfulness is the inherent trait of being aware of one's present thoughts and feelings. In a new study of 399 people that measured health indicators including dispositional mindfulness and blood glucose, researchers found that those with higher scores for mindfulness were significantly more likely than people with low scores to have healthy glucose levels.
	What bats reveal about how humans focus attention You're at a crowded party, noisy with multiple conversations, music and clinking glasses. But when someone behind you says your name, you hear it and quickly turn in that direction.
	New therapeutic pathway may keep cancer cells turned 'off' Osteosarcoma is a cancer that develops in the bones of children and adolescents. It is one of the most aggressive cancers, with only a 15 per cent, five-year survival rate when diagnosed in an advanced metastatic stage. There are approximately 800 new cases diagnosed each year in the US, and no viable treatments.
	Fat cells outlive skinny ones Cells with higher fat content outlive lean cells, says a new study from Michigan State University.
	Television exposure directly linked to a thin body ideal in women For the first time experts have been able to eliminate external factors and specifically pinpoint television as having a direct link with female body ideals.
	Survivors of sexual abuse find support in online 'anonymity' A study led by Drexel University researchers suggests that survivors of sexual abuse who seek guidance and support in online forums may be doing so because they find comfort in the relative anonymity the forums provide, which allows them to speak candidly about their experience and be direct in asking for help.
	US-Brazil teams seek mothers, babies for Zika research U.S. and Brazilian health workers fanned out across one of Brazil's poorest states Tuesday in search of mothers and their infants for a study aimed at determining whether the Zika virus is causing birth defects in babies.
	Racial gap in U.S. cancer deaths is narrowing: report (HealthDay)—The gap in cancer deaths among blacks and whites in the United States has narrowed for most cancers, but disparities remain for two common cancers, a new report from the American Cancer Society says.
	SCCM: circulating histones for most with thrombocytopenia (HealthDay)—Most patients with thrombocytopenia have circulating histones, according to a research letter published online Feb. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association to coincide with the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress, held from Feb 20 to 24 in Orlando, Fla.
	More American women opting for mastectomy, study finds (HealthDay)—More women in the United States are undergoing mastectomies, even though the overall rate of breast cancer has remained stable, a new federal government report reveals.
	CDC: 14 more US reports of possible Zika spread through sex (Update) U.S. health officials are investigating more than a dozen possible Zika infections that may have been spread through sex.
	New study shows emotional cost for parents who put on a happy face for their children How do parents feel when they regulate their emotional expressions in ways that do not match their genuine feelings? Recent research suggests that parents' attempts to suppress negative and amplify positive emotions during child care can detract from their well-being and high-quality parent-child bonds. The findings were published in the March 2016 edition of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
	How we keep track of what matters When watching basketball, we are easily able to keep track of the ball while also making frequent eye and head movements to look at the different players. Neuroscientists Tao Yao, Stefan Treue and B. Suresh Krishna from the German Primate Center (DPZ) in Göttingen, Germany, wanted to understand the neural mechanisms that allow us to see a stable world and keep track of relevant objects even without directly looking at them and when we shift our gaze. Their study shows that the rhesus macaque's brain "marks" relevant visual objects and rapidly updates the position of these markers as the monkey looks around. Since humans and monkeys exhibit very similar eye-movements and visual function, these findings are likely to generalize to the human brain. These results are also likely to be important for our understanding of disorders like schizophrenia, visual neglect and other attention deficit disorders.
Survey: Public supports use of GMO mosquitoes to fight Zika virus The U.S. public overwhelmingly supports introducing genetically engineered mosquitoes to help control the spread of the Zika virus, two Purdue researchers found in a nationwide survey.
	Optical guide aims to keep orthopedic procedures right on target In the United States alone, hip fracture fixation is performed on 258,000 patients; spinal fusion accounts for 350,000 persons every year. As the population ages, the number of these surgical procedures will continue to grow.
	Markov-inverse-F measure—a network connectivity approach using MVPA of fMRI Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies is considered effective for studying how the human brain represents the meanings of words, when combined with a representational space of language corpus.
	Children aren't active enough in winter, say researchers Children should be given more support to enable them to be more active during the winter, particularly at weekends, say researchers from the University of Cambridge. Their call comes in response to their findings that children are less active and spend more time sitting in autumn and winter compared to other times of the year.
	Do we crave the food our bodies need? Food craving is an intense desire to consume a particular food that is difficult to resist. This is different from hunger, as consumption of any number of foods satisfies hunger.
Health benefits from connecting children with nature Spending time in nature improves mood, reduces stress and promotes better physical health.
First hospital-based rapid detection Zika test now available Collaboration between two Texas Medical Center institutions has resulted in today's release of the country's first hospital-based rapid tests for the Zika virus.
Drug that curbs heavy drinking is more effective in patients with specific genotype The drug topiramate (Topamax) is effective at helping alcohol-dependent individuals and heavy drinkers avoid heavy drinking, but many patients and clinicians have shied away from using the drug due to its reputation for side effects, such as drowsiness and cognitive difficulties. A new risk-benefit analysis from psychiatrists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, shows that topiramate is both highly effective and seems to cause fewer side effects in drinkers who carry a specific genotype for the gene GRIK1. The findings appear this week in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Research aims to better target treatment for young cancer patients Thirty years ago any child diagnosed with paediatric malignancy would succumb to their disease. Today, children's cancer is a success story, due to advancements in medical clinical trials and translating research into clinical outcomes.
	Researcher who played a key role in determining the cause of a life-threatening disease It all began with a medical puzzle. A severe diarrheal disease called pseudomembranous colitis, and later known as Clindamycin-induced colitis, had been observed by doctors since the 1890s. It spread dramatically with the rise of antibiotic use in the 20th century. In the mid-1970s, infectious disease specialist Sherwood Gorbach, M62, J84P, organized his research team at Tufts—including Te-Wen Chang, M84P, and John Bartlett—to look into what was causing the colitis.
	A beginner's guide to sex differences in the brain Asking whether there are sex differences in the human brain is a bit like asking whether coffee is good for you – scientists can't seem to make up their minds about the answer. In 2013, for example, news stories proclaimed differences in the brain so dramatic that men and women "might almost be separate species." Then in 2015, headlines announced that there are in fact no sex differences in the brain at all. Even as I write this, more findings of differences are coming out.
	Copper destroys MRSA at a touch New research from the University of Southampton shows that copper can destroy MRSA spread by touching and fingertip contamination of surfaces.
	Described a powerful drug to advance in the fight against familial amyloidosis Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (IBB-UAB), in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company SOM Biotech, located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), have published, in Nature Communications, the results of a drug repositioning study in which they describe a powerful drug, SOM0226 (tolcapone) that could significantly improve the pharmacological treatment of familial transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR).
	Diabetes drug found not to cause pancreatic cancer The use of incretin-based drugs is not associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The research was conducted by the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES), which used the health records of almost 1 million patients with types 2 diabetes.
	What happens to your brain when you're pregnant – clumsiness, food cravings, and moodiness? My forgetful friend – the subject of my original article – gave birth to a baby girl on Thanksgiving Day. She's a beauty, and I know her mum agrees that the morning sickness, crazy sense of smell and forgetfulness were worth it in the end.
	Hospitals rationing drugs behind closed doors—a civil rights issue The United States is facing a shortage of prescription drugs, ranging from antibiotics to cancer treatments. These shortages are putting the medical profession in the frequent position of deciding who will get the drugs that are in short supply and, more importantly, who will not.
	Brain, body and mind—understanding consciousness A bedside device that measures 'brain signatures' could help diagnose patients who have consciousness disorders – such as a vegetative state – to work out the best course of treatment and to support family counselling.
	New electronic stethoscope and computer program diagnose lung conditions The classic stethoscope has entered the digital age. Medical researchers have created a computer program that connects to an electronic stethoscope to classify lung sounds into five common diagnostic categories.
	Influenza viruses can hide from the immune system Influenza is able to mask itself, so that the virus is not initially detected by our immune system. This is the result of new research from Aarhus University. The researchers behind the study hope that the discovery can be used to develop better treatment against influenza and chronic inflammation conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Vaginal delivery doubles the risk of stress incontinence compared to cesarean section Stress and urgency incontinence are the two most frequent and the most bothersome urinary symptoms among women. It has been estimated that about twelve percent of women report significant bother from stress incontinence and eight percent from urgency incontinence. Urinary incontinence affects hundreds of millions of women worldwide. The costs caused by these symptoms are remarkable.
	Study supports fish consumption during pregnancy A new study supports the theory that the detrimental effects of low-level exposure to mercury may be outweighed by the beneficial effects of fish consumption.
Critical care resuscitation unit speeds up transfer of critically ill patients A team of surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has developed a program that utilizes its Shock Trauma Center (STC) model to direct critically ill non-trauma patients to the appropriate treatment location and get them into an operating room and hospital intensive care unit (ICU) bed as quickly as possible. Before this program was implemented, its fast intake and treatment strategy had existed only for patients critically injured in automobile crashes or catastrophic events.
	Alcohol exposure during pregnancy affects multiple generations When a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy, even a small dose, she can increase the chances that the next three generations may develop alcoholism, according to a new study from Binghamton University.
	Food-based proteins discovered as key to child malnutrition in developing countries Contrary to popular belief among world relief workers, children in developing countries may not be eating enough protein, which could contribute to stunted growth, a Johns Hopkins-directed study suggests.
Clinical manual addresses how to approach organ donation after euthanasia A new practical manual addresses the controversial topic of organ donation after euthanasia, providing guidance to clinicians whose patients have requested euthanasia and the desire to offer their organs to others in need. The manual is published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
	CDC: One in two gay black men in US will be diagnosed with HIV About half of gay and bisexual black men will be diagnosed with the AIDS virus in their lifetime, according to new government estimates.
Option B+ to prevent maternal transmission of HIV shows rise in women initiating therapy The first findings from a study in the Kingdom of Swaziland on a new approach to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV were presented at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston.
	Sinister shock: Researcher studies how explosive shock waves harm the brain Today's warfighters are outfitted with body armor strong enough to withstand shrapnel from a bomb or other explosive device. One debilitating threat from a blast, however, is a force they can't see—the explosive shock wave itself.
Zolodrenic acid can prevent early bone loss in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy A single dose of the drug zoledronic acid was found to inhibit the bone loss that is common in HIV-infected patients and that is increased during the first two years of treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Bone loss also leads to a higher rate of fracture in HIV-infected individuals.
	Natural sugar may treat fatty liver disease Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition closely linked to obesity, affects roughly 25 percent of people in the U.S. There is no drug treatment for the disease, although weight loss can reduce the buildup of fat in the liver.
Predicted impact of different alcohol taxation and pricing policies on health inequalities Alcohol-content-based taxation or minimum unit pricing (MUP) are both predicted to reduce health inequalities more than taxation based on product value (ad valorem taxes) or alcohol tax increases under the current system (excise duty plus value added tax) in England, according to research published this week in PLOS Medicine. Petra Meier of the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, and colleagues, used the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (SAPM), to estimate how price changes would affect individual-level alcohol consumption and how consumption changes affect the illnesses and deaths associated with 43 alcohol-attributable conditions.
Health and development in infants after mefloquine antimalarial treatment during pregnancy Early development does not appear to be affected in children born to mothers who were treated with the antimalarial mefloquine (MQ) during pregnancy compared to children of mothers treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), according to research appearing this week in PLOS Medicine. The cohort study, conducted by Clara Menéndez of the Universitat de Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues, followed children born to mothers who were included in a clinical trial that compared intermittent preventative treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) using either MQ or SP.
What are the benefits and harms of cancer screening? Most guidelines don't tell you Screening for cancer has many obvious benefits - you're preventing cancer or catching it early. But each screening tool also comes with potential harms or risks.
Migraine, tension headaches and irritable bowel syndrome linked? Migraine and tension-type headaches may share genetic links with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.
	Frozen section analysis for breast cancer could save time, anxiety When diagnosed with breast cancer, women may have thousands of questions running through their minds, but one they may not have immediately is: Will my choice of provider save me time and money?
Increased demand for 'vaginal seeding' from new parents, despite lack of evidence Doctors are seeing a rise in the number of parents requesting so-called 'vaginal seeding' for babies born by caesarean section, according to an editorial in the BMJ.
High-dose statin before, after cardiac surgery does not reduce risk of kidney injury Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, high-dose treatment with atorvastatin before and after surgery did not reduce the overall risk of acute kidney injury compared with placebo, according to study published by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress.
Zika virus fight a 'long journey': WHO chief The head of the World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the fight against Zika, a mosquito-transmitted virus linked to serious birth defects, will be long and complex.
	Younger female heart patients more likely to need follow-up care (HealthDay)—Women under 50 who've been treated once for heart disease seem to fare worse than similarly treated men, a new report shows.
	Anxiety in women may mask heart disease symptoms, researchers say (HealthDay)—Women with an anxiety disorder may have less blood going to their heart when exercising, according to a new study— and researchers suggest doctors may sometimes miss signs of heart disease in these women.
	Poor leg circulation hits women with kidney disease earlier than men (HealthDay)—Compared to men, women under the age of 70 who have kidney disease are at higher odds for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), an often disabling impairment of blood flow in the legs.
	'Mindfulness' might help older adults with back pain (HealthDay)—Mindful meditation may offer a measure of pain relief to seniors suffering from chronic lower back pain, new research suggests.
	Could adults' expectations drive up ADHD diagnoses in kids? (HealthDay)—Rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have risen globally, and adults' unreasonable expectations of young children could be one reason why, researchers suggest.
	Steroid may be safe, effective gout treatment, study finds (HealthDay)—A steroid pill may be as good as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating painful gout, new research suggests.
	Intralesional cryosurgery feasible for BCC in elderly (HealthDay)—Intralesional cryosurgery is feasible for treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the lower extremities in elderly patients, according to a study published in the March issue of the International Journal of Dermatology.
	Ob-gyn lags in placing women in department leadership (HealthDay)—Compared with other clinical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology is behind in progressing women to departmental leadership, according to research published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Low risk of recurrent VTE for upper extremity DVT, SVT (HealthDay)—Patients with upper extremity deep and superficial vein thrombosis (UEDVT and UESVT) have low risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) but high mortality, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
	American Pain Society releases guideline on postoperative pain (HealthDay)—The American Pain Society has issued recommendations on the management of postoperative pain. The clinical practice guideline was published in the February issue of the Journal of Pain.
450 cases of birth defects from anti-epilepsy drug in France: health officials A common drug used to treat epilepsy has caused congenital defects in around 450 babies in France who were exposed to the medication before birth in the uterus, according to an estimate by health authorities published Tuesday.
	Expect more drug coverage changes as cost-control push grows CVS Health is refining its prescription for controlling drug costs, and patients can expect more frequent coverage changes as the pharmacy benefits manager scours data and reacts quicker to expense spikes.
British Ebola survivor nurse hospitalised for third time A British nurse who was twice successfully treated after contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone in 2014 was on Tuesday admitted to a special isolation ward in London for a third time, health officials said.
	Testosterone beyond sex When we think about sex hormones, notably estrogens and androgens, we usually associate them with sex, gender and body development. Like all hormones, they are chemical messengers, substances produced in one part of the body that go on to tell other parts what to do. However, we often have the tendency to forget the enormous impact that these steroid hormones have on brain functions. From animal studies, it has become clear that during early development, exposure of the brain to testosterone and estradiol, hormones present in both males and females, leads to irreversible changes in the nervous system (McCarthy et al., 2012). A growing and very appealing body of science suggests that sex hormones play a neuromodulatory role in cognitive brain function (Janowsky, 2006). Moreover, testosterone dysfunctions (hypogonadism, chemical castration, etc.) have shown to be associated with memory defects. However, in spite of these advances, i! t still remains an enigma how sex hormones affect the brain.
	Why the Zika outbreak is really about reproductive rights for Latin American women Health Ministries of Latin American countries have recommended that women avoid pregnancy until 2018 due to the presumed prenatal consequences of Zika virus. This is despite a lack of sexual education in schools, limited contraceptive access, and strict abortion laws. Women attempting to adhere to this health policy are faced with cultural, religious, financial and legal barriers.
New mathematical model for Ebola can help save lives Ebola is a serious, often fatal, virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014 was responsible for over 11,000 deaths. There continues to be no effective way to produce vaccine or drug therapies for emerging diseases such as Ebola; new outbreaks are a constant concern for the world's health authorities. A new mathematical model developed at Ryerson University examining the 2014 Ebola outbreak may help to significantly improve survival rates for this and other similarly spread diseases—such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
	Radioactively labelled antibodies to help detect invasive pulmonary aspergillosis The EU MATHIAS project has developed a new clinical imaging method that could enable doctors to tackle one of the main killers of patients with a weakened immune system.
	Innovative mattress aims to prevent cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome EU researchers have developed and are now in the process of patenting an intelligent monitoring system to prevent unexpected deaths in otherwise healthy infants.
It's great to have siblings, but they're also hard work What do children think about their new families? A research project conducted by the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University focuses on what happens to sibling relationships when mum and dad get divorced and find new partners.
Childhood leukemia patients from high-poverty areas more likely to suffer early relapse Among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common pediatric cancer, those who live in high-poverty areas are substantially more likely to suffer early relapse than other patients, despite having received the same treatment, according to new research from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. The findings, published today in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer, are significant because ALL that relapses early is more difficult to successfully treat.
Specialist treatment delivery at university hospitals Universitätsmedizin Berlin compares the true cost of treating patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease with costs recoverable under the current German DRG-based system. The treatment of these conditions, which include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is usually complex, and generally requires the multidisciplinary care approach primarily offered by academic health care organizations. The study shows that the actual costs incurred are not currently reflected by the fixed-priced schedule used for cost recovery. Results from this study have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Two forms of radiosurgery for brain metastases are equally effective While two advanced radiosurgery approaches—Gamma Knife and RapidArc—offer different strengths, they are equally effective at eradicating cancer in the brain, say researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.
	Can virtual reality help fight obesity? Virtual reality offers promising new approaches to assessing and treating people with weight-related disorders, and early applications are revealing valuable information about body image. The advantages of virtual reality (VR) for evaluating body image disturbances and the potential to use VR to combat obesity are discussed in an article that is part of special issue on Virtual Reality and Obesity published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
	CAR trials drive leukemia and lymphoma treatment in new direction Cancer immunology is based upon boosting the body's own immune system to vanquish malignancies. It is among the fastest growing areas of oncology research. Researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center have launched three clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of a novel cellular-immunotherapy that uses modified T cells - one of the immune system's primary weapons - to treat three different types of blood cancer that often defy existing therapies.
Feinstein Institute researcher presents new definitions for sepsis and septic shock Clifford S. Deutschman, MS, MD, vice chair of research in the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center and an investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , presented new definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis and septic shock at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) 45th Critical Care Congress in Orlando, FL. He was also corresponding author for an article outlining the findings that was published February 23 in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
College psychology classes lack curriculum about disabilities Psychology classes are among the most popular courses on college campuses today, but new research shows that many of them lack important information about the largest single minority group in the U.S. - people with disabilities.
Special issue highlights new heart disease research on women, call for more The annual women's issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal, focuses on research promoting the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women - the No. 1 killer of women in the United States.
	Why is impulsive aggression in children so difficult to treat? Maladaptive and impulsive aggression is explosive, triggered by routine environmental cues, and intended to harm another person, making it a significant challenge for clinicians, family members, and others who interact with affected children and adolescents. Efforts to develop effective treatments would benefit from better descriptive and quantitative methods to characterize this disorder, as described in an article published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Biology news

	Mystery of Dracula orchids' mimicry is unraveled with a 3-D printer Scientists have unlocked the mystery of mimicry used by Dracula orchids to attract flies and ensure their survival. A team led by University of Oregon researchers did it using a 3-D printer.
	Magnetoreception molecule found in the eyes of dogs and primates Cryptochromes are light-sensitive molecules that exist in bacteria, plants and animals. In animals, they are involved in the control of the body's circadian rhythms. In birds, cryptochromes are also involved in the light-dependent magnetic orientation response based on the Earth's magnetic field: cryptochrome 1a is located in photoreceptors in birds' eyes and is activated by the magnetic field. Now researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt have also detected cryptochrome 1 in photoreceptors in several mammalian species. Therefore, it is possible that these animals also have a magnetic sense that is linked to their visual system.
	Humans speeding up evolution by causing extinction of 'younger' species Just three years after crayfish were introduced to a B.C. lake, two species of fish that had existed in the lake for thousands of years were suddenly extinct. But it's what took their place that has scientists fascinated.
	Pigs' genetic code altered in bid to tackle deadly virus Researchers have made an advance in the fight against a deadly virus that affects pigs.
	New study says 'fear itself' can help restore ecosystems Lions, wolves and other large carnivores are frightening beasts that strike fear into humans and other animals. A new study led by Western University demonstrates that the fear these top predators inspire can have cascading effects down the food chain critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems, making large carnivore conservation all the more valuable given the significant 'ecosystem service' the fear of them provides.
	A new recipe for biofuel: Genetic diversity can lead to more productive growth Before farmers settled the Midwestern United States and planted crops, the extensive root systems of prairie grasses—including the tall, strong-stemmed switchgrass species—enriched the soil, creating millions of acres of prime farmland. Today, scientists are exploring how grasses, and switchgrass in particular, can enrich the nation's biofuel supply, which is currently dominated by corn, a crop relatively easy to convert to biofuel but also in demand for food, livestock feed and industrial products.
	Dodos might have been quite intelligent, new study finds New research suggests that the dodo, an extinct bird whose name has entered popular culture as a symbol of stupidity, was actually fairly smart. The work, published today in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, finds that the overall size of the dodo's brain in relation to its body size was on par with its closest living relatives: pigeons—birds whose ability to be trained implies a moderate level of intelligence. The researchers also discovered that the dodo had an enlarged olfactory bulb—the part of the brain responsible for smelling—an uncharacteristic trait for birds, which usually concentrate their brainpower into eyesight.
	Tracking worm sex drive, neuron by neuron The males prowl a dark, crowded space. Using a mix of instinct and sensory cues, they pursue potential mates. But how do they decide when to make their move? New findings answer that question, at least for the tiny soil-dwelling worms known as Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).
	'Kurly' protein keeps cilia moving, oriented in the right direction A new study of a protein found in cilia - the hair-like projections on the cell surface - may help explain how genetic defects in cilia play a role in developmental abnormalities, kidney disease and a number of other disorders.
	Baby gorilla born after rare caesarean section A baby Western lowland gorilla has been born at Bristol Zoo Gardens after an emergency caesarean procedure by University of Bristol academic, David Cahill, Professor in Reproductive Medicine and Medical Education.
	Why bats don't get sick from the deadly diseases they carry Bats are a natural host for more than 100 viruses, some of which are lethal to people. These include Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola and Hendra virus. These viruses are among the most dangerous pathogens to humans and yet an infected bat does not get sick or show signs of disease from these viruses.
	Study reveals how cells of an organism interact with their extracellular matrix The cells of an organism interact not only with each other but with the extracellular matrix that surrounds them. Increasing evidence is unveiling the relevance of this structure—which is secreted by the cells themselves— for the correct function of the organism and also for the development of various diseases.
	New virus transmission route discovered in pigs Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus causes serious inflammation of the brain in people and fertility problems in pigs. Mosquitoes were previously the only known transmission route. However, the virus can also be spread from pig to pig by direct contact, and this could enable it to circulate in pigs during the mosquito-free winter season.
Old data may provide new insights on honey bee populations Over the past decade, beekeepers in the U.S. and other countries have had problems keeping their bees healthy. Some of the potential causes of their problems include the Varroa destructor mite, pesticides, pathogens, and the reduction of floral resources due to land development or conversion.
	Fenced in: The Kashmir barrier that is endangering wildlife A double row of fence and tangled concertina wire curves like a Frankenstein stitch across the Kashmir frontier, blocking anything that might try to cross one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints—including, environmentalists say, migrating wildlife.
	Ecologists test stability of Maine ecosystem over two decades Working on a lobster boat in Swan's Island, Maine, typically means an early wake-up call. The boats head out around 5:30 in the morning.
Creation of an island: the extinction of animals on Zanzibar Researchers at the University of York have been part of the first comprehensive study of how Zanzibar was formed, charting the extinction of various animals from the island.
Veterinarian offers insight into canine influenza, suggests pet owners consider risk factors before vaccinating Recent reports of an increase in canine influenza virus (CIV) diagnoses have pet owners worried and alarmed. Richard Meadows, Curators Distinguished Teaching Professor of Small Animal Community Practice Medicine at the University of Missouri, says that while pet owners should be cautious, print and broadcast media reports showing increases in canine flu may be exaggerated. He suggests that pet owners should consider the risk factors associated with canine flu and consult with their pets' veterinarians before making a determination about whether to have their pets vaccinated.
	In South Africa, drones used to battle rhino poaching In hills where Zulu royalty once hunted wildlife, South African conservationists now scan live video from a thermal-imaging camera attached to a drone, looking for heat signatures of poachers stalking through the bush to kill rhinos.

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