Science X Newsletter Week 15

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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for week 15:

	Researchers unearthed more evidence that replacing butter with vegetable oils does not decrease risk of heart disease A research team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health has unearthed more evidence that casts doubt on the traditional "heart healthy" practice of replacing butter and other saturated fats with corn oil and other vegetable oils high in linoleic acid.
	Astronomers in South Africa discover mysterious alignment of black holes Deep radio imaging by researchers in the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape, in South Africa, has revealed that supermassive black holes in a region of the distant universe are all spinning out radio jets in the same direction – most likely a result of primordial mass fluctuations in the early universe. The astronomers publish their results in a new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
	Microbots can clean up polluted water (Phys.org)—A new study shows that a swarm of hundreds of thousands of tiny microbots, each smaller than the width of a human hair, can be deployed into industrial wastewater to absorb and remove toxic heavy metals. The researchers found that the microbots can remove 95% of the lead in polluted water in one hour, and can be reused multiple times, potentially offering a more effective and economical way to remove heavy metals than previous methods.
	Reconfigured Tesla coil aligns, electrifies materials from a distance Scientists at Rice University have discovered that the strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil causes carbon nanotubes to self-assemble into long wires, a phenomenon they call "Teslaphoresis."
	Employment status affects our morals around money In the study 'Moral consequences of becoming unemployed', endorsed by the prestigious scientific journal PNAS, researchers at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Economics and Business and at the University of Nottingham (UK) have analysed a moral consequence of unemployment that together with the effects it has on people's mental health, could explain why these people become disengaged from the labor market. 151 young adults in Córdoba and Bilbao were involved in the study.
	Chinese team uses CRISPR to genetically modify human embryo (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers at Guangzhou Medical University in China has published a paper in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics describing their efforts to genetically modify a human embryo using CRISPR/Cas9, the gene editing technique. The research, the team reports, was carried out on embryos that carried an extra set of chromosomes, and thus were not viable.
	SLAC researchers recreate the extreme universe in the lab Conditions in the vast universe can be quite extreme: Violent collisions scar the surfaces of planets. Nuclear reactions in bright stars generate tremendous amounts of energy. Gigantic explosions catapult matter far out into space. But how exactly do processes like these unfold? What do they tell us about the universe? And could their power be harnessed for the benefit of humankind?
	Radio-carbon study suggests Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave art much older than thought (Phys.org)—A long-term study by an international team of researchers has led to findings that suggest drawings in the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave are approximately 10,000 years older than has been previously thought. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes their study and the timeline of the cave they were able to build.
	New hypervelocity binary star challenges dark matter, stellar acceleration models A team of astronomers at the Friedrich Alexander University led by Péter Németh has discovered a binary star moving nearly at the escape velocity of our galaxy. There are about two dozen so-called hypervelocity stars known to be escaping the galaxy. While all of them are single stars, PB3877 is the first wide binary star found to travel at such a high speed. Additionally, the results of the new study challenge the commonly accepted scenario that hypervelocity stars are accelerated by the supermassive black hole at the galactic center. The findings are being published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters today.
	Stephen Hawking joins futuristic bid to explore outer space (Update) With famed physicist Stephen Hawking at his side, an Internet investor announced Tuesday that he's spending $100 million on a futuristic plan to explore far outside our solar system.
	1917 astronomical plate has first-ever evidence of exoplanetary system You can never predict what treasure might be hiding in your own basement. We didn't know it a year ago, but it turns out that a 1917 image on an astronomical glass plate from our Carnegie Observatories' collection shows the first-ever evidence of a planetary system beyond our own Sun. This unexpected find was recognized in the process of researching an article about planetary systems surrounding white dwarf stars in New Astronomy Reviews.
	Researchers generate clean energy using bacteria-powered solar panel Researchers have taken the next step in the evolution of bacteria-powered energy.
	Europa's heaving ice might make more heat than scientists thought Jupiter's moon Europa is under a constant gravitational assault. As it orbits, Europa's icy surface heaves and falls with the pull of Jupiter's gravity, creating enough heat, scientists think, to support a global ocean beneath the moon's solid shell.
	Are humans the new supercomputer? Team blurred the boundaries between man and mac The saying of philosopher René Descartes of what makes humans unique is beginning to sound hollow. 'I think—therefore soon I am obsolete' seems more appropriate. When a computer routinely beats us at chess and we can barely navigate without the help of a GPS, have we outlived our place in the world? Not quite. Welcome to the front line of research in cognitive skills, quantum computers and gaming.
	Biochemists solve the structure of cell's DNA gatekeeper Caltech scientists have produced the most detailed map yet of the massive protein machine that controls access to the DNA-containing heart of the cell.
	The hot problem of black hole firewalls For the last four years, physicists studying the mathematical underpinnings of black holes have been wrestling with a strange idea: that black holes contain a region known as a "firewall," which utterly annihilates matter that dares to cross its boundaries. However, a new paper titled Naked Black Hole Firewalls, co-authored by University of Alberta physics professor Don N. Page, aims to attack the fundamental tenets that give rise to this strange idea—with something much stranger.
	Archaeologist sees Bosnia stone sphere as the most massive in Europe An archaeologist is looking at a rock with great interest, a sphere unearthed in a forest, believed to be part of ancient civilization. Or is it just a very big rock?
	Inflatable modules could be the future of space habitats The astronauts of the International Space Station welcomed the arrival of what we call the "Bigelow Bungalow", officially known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on April 10.
	Image: Hubble frames a unique red rectangle The star HD 44179 is surrounded by an extraordinary structure known as the Red Rectangle. It acquired its moniker because of its shape and its apparent color when seen in early images from Earth. This strikingly detailed Hubble image reveals how, when seen from space, the nebula, rather than being rectangular, is shaped like an X with additional complex structures of spaced lines of glowing gas, a little like the rungs of a ladder.
	US advises deleting QuickTime from Windows computers A cyber security team at the US Department of Homeland Security is advising people to remove QuickTime media software from Windows computers to avoid being hacked.

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