Science X Newsletter Week 43

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 43:

	Flawed analysis casts doubt on years of evolutionary research Years of research on the evolution of ancient life including the dinosaurs have been questioned after a fatal flaw in the way fossil data is analysed was exposed.
	Brazil mutant mosquitoes to breed out diseases Scientists in Brazil are preparing to release millions of factory-bred mosquitoes in an attempt to wipe out their distant cousins that carry tropical diseases. The insects' method: have sex and then die.
	For the first time, magnets are be made with a 3-D printer Today, manufacturing strong magnets is no problem from a technical perspective. It is, however, difficult to produce a permanent magnet with a magnetic field of a specific pre-determined shape. That is, until now, thanks to the new solution devised at TU Wien: for the first time ever, permanent magnets can be produced using a 3D printer. This allows magnets to be produced in complex forms and precisely customised magnetic fields, required, for example, in magnetic sensors.
	New gene-editing technology successfully cures a genetic blood disorder in mice A next-generation gene-editing system developed by Carnegie Mellon University and Yale University scientists has successfully cured a genetic blood disorder in living mice using a simple IV treatment. Unlike the popular CRISPR gene-editing technique, the new technology can be administered to living animals and it significantly decreases unwanted, off-target gene mutations. The findings, reported in Nature Communications, offer a new therapeutic approach to treat genetic diseases of the blood like beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease by targeting faulty genes in hematopoietic stem cells.
	Israel firm wants super-efficient engine to power car revolution An Israeli firm says a super-efficient engine it has created could drastically reduce fuel consumption and help power an auto industry revolution as manufacturers search for environmentally sound alternatives.
	A new look at vitamin D challenges the current view of its benefits A simple Google search for "what does vitamin D do?" highlights the widely used dietary supplement's role in regulating calcium absorption and promoting bone growth. But now it appears that vitamin D has much wider effects—at least in the nematode worm, C. elegans. Research at the Buck Institute shows that vitamin D works through genes known to influence longevity and impacts processes associated with many human age-related diseases. The study, published in Cell Reports, may explain why vitamin D deficiency has been linked to breast, colon and prostate cancer, as well as obesity, heart disease and depression.
	Bubble nucleus discovered Research conducted at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University has shed new light on the structure of the nucleus, that tiny congregation of protons and neutrons found at the core of every atom.
	Breakthrough Listen to search for intelligent life around weird star Tabby's star has provoked so much excitement over the past year, with speculation that it hosts a highly advanced civilization capable of building orbiting megastructures to capture the star's energy, that UC Berkeley's Breakthrough Listen project is devoting hours of time on the Green Bank radio telescope to see if it can detect any signals from intelligent extraterrestrials.
	Scientists say boron nitride-graphene hybrid may be right for next-gen green cars Layers of graphene separated by nanotube pillars of boron nitride may be a suitable material to store hydrogen fuel in cars, according to Rice University scientists.
	Light-driven atomic rotations excite magnetic waves Controlling functional properties by light is one of the grand goals in modern condensed matter physics and materials science. A new study now demonstrates how the ultrafast light-induced modulation of the atomic positions in a material can control its magnetization. An international research team led by Andrea Cavalleri from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter at CFEL in Hamburg used terahertz light pulses to excite pairs of lattice vibrations in a magnetic crystal. These short bursts of light caused the lattice ions to rotate around their equilibrium positions, acting as an ultrafast effective magnetic field on the electronic spins to coherently drive a magnetic wave. These findings represent an important hallmark on how light interacts with matter and establish a novel approach in the control of magnetization at terahertz speed, making the research potentially relevant for magnetic storage technologies.
	Physicists make it possible to 3-D print your own baby universe Researchers have created a 3D printed cosmic microwave background - a map of the oldest light in the universe - and provided the files for download.
	Improved water splitting advances renewable energy conversion Washington State University researchers have found a way to more efficiently create hydrogen from water - an important key in making renewable energy production and storage viable.
How often do quantum systems violate the second law of thermodynamics? The likelihood of seeing quantum systems violating the second law of thermodynamics has been calculated by UCL scientists.
	New metamaterial paves way for terahertz technologies A research team led by UCLA electrical engineers has developed an artificial composite material to control of higher-frequency electromagnetic waves, such as those in the terahertz and far-infrared frequencies.
	Parasitic plants may form weapons out of genes stolen from hosts Sneaky parasitic weeds may be able to steal genes from the plants they are attacking and then use those genes against the host plant, according to a team of scientists.
	Researchers invent 'perfect' soap molecule that is better for the environment A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has invented a new soap molecule made from renewable sources that could dramatically reduce the number of chemicals in cleaning products and their impact on the environment.
	Extreme cold winters fuelled by jet stream and climate change The research, carried out by an international team of scientists including the University of Sheffield, has found that warming in the Arctic may be intensifying the effects of the jet stream's position, which in the winter can cause extreme cold weather, such as the winter of 2014/15 which saw record snowfall levels in New York.
	Close up of the new mineral merelaniite A team led by a physicist from Michigan Technological University has discovered a new mineral, named for the region in Tanzania where it comes from.
	A tiny machine: Engineers design an infinitesimal computing device In 1959 renowned physicist Richard Feynman, in his talk "Plenty of Room at the Bottom," spoke of a future in which tiny machines could perform huge feats. Like many forward-looking concepts, his molecule and atom-sized world remained for years in the realm of science fiction.
	Nickel-78 is a 'doubly magic' isotope, supercomputing calculations confirm For many of us, the term "doubly magic" may evoke images of Penn & Teller. However, for nuclear physicists, it describes atomic nuclei that have greater stability than their neighbors thanks to having shells that are fully occupied by both protons and neutrons. Theoretical physicists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently used Titan, America's most powerful supercomputer, to compute the nuclear structure of nickel-78, consisting of 28 protons and 50 neutrons, and found that this neutron-rich nucleus is indeed doubly magic. The results, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, may improve understanding of the origin, organization and interactions of stable matter.

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