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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 4, 2016:
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Astronomy & Space news
Scientists catalog nearly 100 dusty globules in the Crab NebulaResearchers from Sweden have recently studied the presence of dust in the Crab Nebula to locate and characterize numerous dusty globules of this well-known supernova remnant. As a result, they have cataloged 92 dusty globules and derived their properties. A paper describing the research was published Oct. 26 on the arXiv pre-print repository. | |
China says new rocket brings space station plans closerChina's plans for a permanent space station remain firmly on track with the successful launch of its new heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket that will enable ambitious future missions, including a planned trip to Mars. | |
Schiaparelli crash site in colourNew high-resolution images taken by a NASA orbiter show parts of the ExoMars Schiaparelli module and its landing site in colour on the Red Planet. | |
Effort to image black hole, a chance to rule on EinsteinBeing an astrophysicist and father of two is no easy task. Just ask Dimitrios Psaltis. | |
Tsunami of stars and gas produces dazzling eye-shaped feature in galaxyAstronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered a tsunami of stars and gas that is crashing midway through the disk of a spiral galaxy known as IC 2163. This colossal wave of material - which was triggered when IC 2163 recently sideswiped another spiral galaxy dubbed NGC 2207 - produced dazzling arcs of intense star formation that resemble a pair of eyelids. | |
Image: Hubble takes flight with the toucan and the clusterIt may be famous for hosting spectacular sights such as the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy and 47 Tucanae (heic1510), the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, but the southern constellation of Tucana (The Toucan) also possesses a variety of unsung cosmic beauties. | |
Detour via gravitational lens makes distant galaxy visibleNever before have astrophysicists measured light of such high energy from a celestial object so far away. Around 7 billion years ago, a huge explosion occurred at the black hole in the center of a galaxy. This was followed by a burst of high-intensity gamma rays. A number of telescopes, MAGIC included, have succeeded in capturing this light. An added bonus: it was thus possible to reconfirm Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, as the light rays encountered a less distant galaxy en route to Earth - and were deflected by this so-called gravitational lens. | |
Sentinel satellites reveal east–west shift in Italian quakeNew information on the effects of the 30 October earthquake that struck central Italy continues to emerge as scientists analyse radar scans from satellites. | |
Image: Orion crew module underway recovery testingU.S. Navy divers and other personnel in a rigid hull Zodiac boat have attached tether lines to a test version of the Orion crew module during Underway Recovery Test 5 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Oct. 27, 2016. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and the U.S. Navy are conducting a series of tests using the USS San Diego, various watercraft and equipment to practice for recovery of Orion on its return from deep space missions. The testing will allow the team to demonstrate and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in open waters. | |
Image: NASA's SDO performs calibration maneuversOn Oct. 19, 2016, operators instructed NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, to look up and down and then side to side over the course of six hours, as if tracing a great plus sign in space. During this time, SDO produced some unusual data. Taken every 12 seconds, SDO images show the sun dodging in and out of the frame. SDO captured these images in extreme ultraviolet light, a type of light that is invisible to our eyes. Here, they are colorized in red. | |
NASA's NavCube could support an X-ray communications demonstration in space—a NASA firstTwo proven technologies have been combined to create a promising new technology that could meet future navigational challenges in deep space. It also may help demonstrate—for the first time—X-ray communications in space, a capability that would allow the transmission of gigabits per second throughout the solar system. | |
NASA's MMS breaks Guinness World RecordNASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, or MMS, is breaking records. MMS now holds the Guinness World Record for highest altitude fix of a GPS signal. Operating in a highly elliptical orbit around Earth, the MMS satellites set the record at 43,500 miles above the surface. The four MMS spacecraft incorporate GPS measurements into their precise tracking systems, which require extremely sensitive position and orbit calculations to guide tight flying formations. | |
Space balloons inflating passenger flight hopesAfter a string of high-profile setbacks for rocket programmes aimed at one day flying paying customers into space, a Spanish tech firm plans to send stargazers skyward using gas-filled balloons. |
Technology news
China train biggies eye high-speed maglev train with 373 mph capability(Tech Xplore)—China has a magnetic levitating train on its mind with amazing numbers. It is, yes, no keyboard error, 373 mph, meant as a commercial rail system. | |
Debunking the myth of password securityWhen U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton was found to have used a private email server for government business as Secretary of State, there was a collective gasp of disbelief. That disbelief quickly turned into horror when it was later revealed that she did not even protect her office computer with a password. | |
Demographic change depresses tax revenuesPopulation aging and ultimately population shrinking in Germany will depress tax revenues in the medium and long term, as a recent analysis by Fraunhofer FIT and Prognos shows. | |
Increased access to data could bring many benefits but faces significant challengesAlthough we currently live in the "Information Age" what we actually generate, and most of the time fail to make meaningful use of, is data. The Australian Government's Productivity Commission has released a report that highlights the economic, health and social costs of Australia's failure to make effective use of the increasing data produced within Australia. Currently, it estimates that companies, governments and researchers are only making use of just 5% of the useful data that is currently available. | |
There really is a link between your Facebook posts and your personalityPrivacy campaigners this week applauded Facebook's decision to block big UK insurance firm Admiral from using young people's social media data to help set their car insurance premiums. But this is just the start of a debate over the use of social media information for such purposes. Setting aside privacy issues for a moment, there is a very valid social reason for doing this. In fact, it could benefit countless numbers of people. | |
Preventing infant deaths in hot carsSo far this year, 39 U.S. infants and toddlers have died of heat stroke due to being left unattended in hot cars. In an effort to prevent such tragedies, two Harvard students are developing a tech-driven car seat alert system. | |
Virtual reality app makes haptics as immersive as visualsDisney Research has developed a 360-degree virtual reality application that enables users to enhance their experience by adding customized haptic effects that can be triggered by user movements, biofeedback or timelines. | |
A remote-controlled drone helps in designing future wireless networksThe development of mobile devices has set increasingly high requirements for wireless networks and the emission of radio frequencies. Researcher Vasilii Semkin together with a research group at Aalto University and Tampere University of Technology has recently tested in their research work how aerial photographs taken using a so-called drone could be used in designing radio links. | |
Samsung to recall 2.8 million washing machines in USSamsung is recalling 2.8 million washing machines with a potential for a dangerous detachment of its top lid, the South Korean company and US safety officials announced Friday. | |
Activision Blizzard wants eSports to be big leagueActivision Blizzard is creating an eSports league of its own with competitive play of team-based shooter game "Overwatch," and a goal of building professional stars—possibly with big-league payouts. |
Medicine & Health news
Two genetic markers that predict malaria treatment failure foundScientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have discovered genetic markers in malaria parasites linked with resistance to the anti-malarial drug piperaquine. Reported in Lancet Infectious Diseases, this research will allow health officials to monitor the spread of resistance, and help doctors and public health officers decide where the treatment is most likely to be effective. | |
First 13 cases of deadly fungal infection emerge in USThirteen cases of a sometimes deadly and often drug-resistant fungal infection, Candida auris, have been reported in the United States for the first time, health officials said Friday. | |
Study challenges model of Alzheimer's disease progressionAlzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder for which, despite years of research, there are no effective treatments or cures. | |
Stressed-out rats consume more alcohol, revealing related brain chemistryStress, defined broadly, is a well-known risk factor for later alcohol abuse; however, the brain chemistry underlying interactions between stress and alcohol remain largely unknown. Reinforcement of addictive substance use and stress signaling involves common neural systems, including the brain reward center. Better understanding the brain chemistry involved in stress and increased alcohol consumption could have implications for getting to the root of such disorders as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). | |
'Worried well' may be boosting their risk of heart diseasePeople who needlessly worry that they have, or will develop, serious illness—popularly referred to as 'the worried well'—may be boosting their risk of developing heart disease, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. | |
Urine of pregnant women could be used to predict fetal growth and birth weightThe urine of pregnant women could be used to help identify lifestyle interventions that help maintain a healthy birth weight for their baby, according to new research published in BMC Medicine. Abnormal fetal growth and birth weight are well-established risk factors for chronic diseases later in life, including the development of type-2 diabetes and obesity. | |
Tumor cells in blood samples could predict prostate cancer spreadResearchers have found a group of circulating tumour cells in prostate cancer patient blood samples which are linked to the spread of the disease, according to new research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool. | |
In Singapore, experts seek solutions for the rising burden of osteoporosis in Asia-PacificThe burden of osteoporosis in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to surge in the coming decades. Countries such as Singapore, Japan and Korea are among the high-risk countries for osteoporosis related fractures. Throughout the region, and particularly in China, a vast elderly population will drive a huge rise in the socio-economic burden of the disease. In fact, it is expected that by 2050 more than half of the world's hip fractures will occur in Asia. | |
Hip fracture patients fare best during recovery in high-occupancy nursing homes with higher level physician staffingHip fractures are a common and disabling condition that occurs more than 300,000 times each year in the United States in those 65 and older—1.6 million times worldwide. A new study from Penn Medicine, which compared outcome variations in acute and post-acute care facilities, suggests that for older adults hospitalized with hip fracture, the quality of the post-acute care they receive has a greater impact on long-term recovery than the care they received at the hospital. This study was published today online ahead of print in Medical Care, a journal of the American Public Health Association. | |
Internet gaming's 'not as addictive as gambling but more research is needed'A new Oxford University study suggests that playing internet games is not as addictive as gambling. It is the first research that has tried to measure the scale of gaming addiction in the general population using symptoms of 'internet gaming disorder' as defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Researchers from the University's Oxford Internet Institute asked nationally representative samples of men and women in four countries how they felt after gaming using the APA checklist of health symptoms. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, investigates concerns voiced recently by the APA about a lack of good quality research into the effects of playing internet games. | |
Research finds brain changes, needs to be retrained after ACL injuryResearchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that regaining full function after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is more than just physical - it requires retraining the brain. | |
WHO urges curbs on online food marketing to childrenGovernments must do more to protect children from sophisticated online methods used to market unhealthy foods to them, the World Health Organization in Europe said in a report released Friday. | |
Researchers expand on neuroanatomical model of semantic aphasiaFor the last 70 years, it was largely believed that spatial processing disorders, including those seen in language, occurred when the temporal-parietal-occipital (TPO) junction of the brain's left hemisphere was damaged. But according to researchers from the HSE Neurolinguistics Laboratory, it damage to the axonal fibers connected to this area of the brain that are most important. | |
Opioids can pose particular danger to childrenOverdose of prescription pain killers may seem like a grown-up problem, but children are increasingly being hospitalized for opioid poisoning, according to results of a recent study by researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health. | |
Startup develops engaging, interactive way for kids with autism to improve comprehensionA Purdue-based startup is developing educational mobile applications designed as instructional tools to help people with special needs learn new or difficult skills. The company's first product is an app that could help children with autism read, understand and spell words in a more customized, engaging and rewarding way by using printable labels. | |
Teaching, not toggling, key to positive screen time for children, says pediatrics expertThe American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced an update to its screen time guidelines, which included a revamped definition of screen time as it relates to unhealthy, online toggle time. The organization now says its limits apply just to time spent on entertainment and not on educational tasks. No more than two hours had been the AAP's standard guideline for online activity. | |
Deconstructing chit chatThe only thing that we can be absolutely sure about human behaviour is that it is unpredictable. To gain deeper insight into people's thinking, behaviour and motivation, it would be ideal if we were privy to their conversations with minimum interference—sort of like being a fly on the wall, but with their knowledge and permission. | |
Study finds decrease in Medicare hospital readmissions a result of Affordable Care Act penaltiesIn some settings, an encore is applauded; when that encore occurs in the form of a repeat visit to the hospital, it's not. The good news, as recently discovered in a new study by Jennifer Mellor, professor of economics and director of the Schroeder Center for Health Policy at William & Mary, and Molly Smith '16, is that repeat visits for Medicare patients in Virginia are on the decline. | |
Protein PartnersAs proteins go, the sirtuins are the cool kids, attracting attention for their connection to aging and age-related disorders. Sirtuins' home base, mitochondria, is also known for its role in health and disease. | |
Cancers could be identified using blood testsBy enlarging molecules in the blood by 1,500 and marking them with a fluorescent, it may become easier to both identify signs of cancer and to find out if a treatment is effective. This is shown in a new thesis from Uppsala University. | |
Fat reduction did not reduce incidence of colon and liver tumors in mouse studiesLosing weight may not protect against colon and liver cancer, even though obesity is associated with increased risk of certain types of gastrointestinal malignancy. Researchers from the University of South Carolina found the incidence of tumors in the colon remained unchanged after weight loss in mouse studies. The paper, published in the American Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for November. | |
Sedentary behavior raises disease risk, mortality rates for physically active, tooPeople who meet recommended weekly physical activity guidelines are still at risk of developing chronic disease if they spend too much non-exercising time sitting, new research suggests. Peter Katzmarzyk, associate executive director for population and public health sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., will discuss epidemiological data and other current findings about the effects of sedentary behavior on long-term health at the American Physiological Society's Integrative Biology of Exercise 7 meeting in Phoenix. | |
Identification of gene defects helps the treatment of prostate cancerThe current method of treating prostate cancer involves identifying gene defects, which could help with the diagnosis of cancer and the development of individualised cancer treatments for patients. Professor Tapio Visakorpi at the University of Tampere is studying the molecular biology of prostate cancer, with funding by the Academy of Finland. The goal is to obtain a holistic picture of the disease's mechanisms and use those mechanisms as a basis for developing new treatments. | |
Genetic mutations that lead to macular degeneration blindness mapped by new researchTwo gene mutations that trigger a retinal disease that causes blindness in one in 5,000 males have been mapped, leading to the potential for new therapeutic treatments. | |
Researcher develops safer gene therapyA Washington State University researcher has developed a way to reduce the development of cancer cells that are an infrequent but dangerous byproduct of gene therapy. | |
Male sleep habits may increase risk of cancerMen who have worked night shifts for more than 20 years, or who work night shifts without daytime napping, or sleep for more than ten hours per night on average may have an increased risk of cancer, according to a study published in Annals of Medicine. | |
Smoking increases risk of precancerous colorectal lesions in women more than in menMen are more likely to develop colorectal cancer or its precursors than women. A new study conducted by MedUni Vienna shows that known risk factors do not explain this difference between the sexes. However, the research team led by Monika Ferlitsch was able to confirm that smoking significantly increases the risk of developing the precursors of colorectal cancer and have shown that the habit endangers women more than it does men. The results also emphasise the importance of colonoscopy as a preventive measure. | |
Many obese patients are lacking formal diagnosis(HealthDay)—Many patients with obesity, as classified according to body mass index (BMI), have not received a formal diagnosis using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) documentation, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society (ObesityWeek), held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 in New Orleans. | |
Review identifies features of congenital zika infection(HealthDay)—A distinctive phenotype of congenital Zika syndrome has been described in a review published online Nov. 3 in JAMA Pediatrics. | |
Genetic cause for shift work fatigue discoveredSome people adapt easily to shift work, but not everyone can handle constant disruptions to their daily rhythm. Finnish researchers have now found that a melatonin receptor gene influences tolerance to shift work. | |
Children's health and privacy at risk from digital marketingFor the first time, researchers and health experts have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the concerning situation in the World Health Organisation European Region regarding digital marketing to children of foods high in fats, salt and sugars. | |
A race against time to diagnose deadly weight loss in cancer patientsAbout one third of cancer patients die because of cachexia - an involuntary weight loss, characterized primarily by muscle wasting and metabolic changes, which cannot be addressed or treated solely with increased food intake. A study by researchers at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), published in Clinical Nutrition, aims to save patient lives by giving doctors a practical tool to easily diagnose cachexia before it becomes irreversible. | |
An integrated approach to HIV preventionThe success of HIV treatment programs depends upon the identification, enrollment, and retention of HIV-infected individuals, but public health officials have learned that there are numerous barriers to such success at every point in this care continuum. | |
Researchers find immunotherapy treatments better for advanced skin cancerMcMaster University researchers have found that for patients diagnosed in the late stages of one of the most common and deadly forms of skin cancer, treatment with a combination of immunotherapy options improves survival and lowers the risk of life-threatening events. | |
Researchers propose mechanism for spread of metastatic breast cancer to boneNew research explains how metastatic breast cancer cells might use bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to help them spread to bone tissue. A study using a 3D scaffold model has shown that breast tumor-derived factors can promote the maturation of MSCs into bone cells, and that mechanical compression of the scaffold further stimulates bone development, according to an article published in Tissue Engineering, Part A, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free for download on the Tissue Engineering website until December 2, 2016. | |
Research validates the defining hallmark of Transcendental Meditation—effortlessnessAs the value of meditation becomes widely recognized, researchers are increasingly trying to understand the differences among approaches. A study published today in Brain and Cognition reports subjective experiences and cortical activation patterns that distinguish the Transcendental Meditation technique from other meditation practices. | |
Experts discover gene variants that protect a lucky few primates against obesity from a high fat dietA team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, the Oregon National Primate Research Center, and the University of Colorado may have discovered the answer to why a lucky few primates are resistant to obesity. In a paper that appears online in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers found two gene variants associated with a group of primates that maintained a healthy weight while consuming a high-fat diet that mimics many American diets. | |
Are Colombia's missing microcephaly cases linked to a pesticide in Brazil?Since the appearance of Zika in Colombia more than a year ago, public health officials have awaited a surge in the number of newborns with microcephaly—a surge that has yet to materialize. The current total of 56 cases remains far below what most experts predicted based on the much larger number of cases reported in Brazil, over 2,000 to date. According to a new report by the New England Complex Systems Institute, the relationship between Zika and microcephaly remains unclear even within Brazil's borders, raising serious questions about its use as a model for predicting the disease's spread and side effects. | |
Genes may dictate your love—or hate—of exercise(HealthDay)—Whether you get pumped up for gym time or you'd rather crawl back into bed if someone mentions exercise, your genes might be to blame, a new study suggests. | |
Hypochondriacs may worry themselves into heart trouble(HealthDay)—Constantly worrying about having a heart attack may make it more likely you'll have one, Norwegian researchers report. | |
Rubella virus persists after vaccination in some patients with rare immune disordersSome patients with rare primary immunodeficiency disorders may be at risk for infection by rubella virus, and possibly serious skin inflammation, after receiving the rubella vaccine, usually administered as part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Although the vaccine for rubella (German measles) has an established record of safety and effectiveness in the general population, patients with severe deficiencies in their immune defenses may be susceptible to side effects from the vaccine. | |
E-cig vapor does not induce genetic mutations associated with cigarette smoke exposureE-cigarette vapour does not induce DNA mutations commonly observed with tobacco smoke exposures in lab-based tests. | |
Multidrug-resistant bacteria from chickens pose risk to human healthIsolates of a common poultry pathogen collected from animals in Indian bird markets were mostly resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics. The study provides the first data on prevalence and isolation of Helicobacter pullorum in India. The research is published November 4 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. | |
Medicare to cover key services championed by AGS to improve care for chronically illThis week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Final 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule showing their continued support for reimbursing services provided to Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. | |
Older dogs better at learning new tricksOlder adolescents and adults can learn certain thinking skills including non-verbal reasoning more effectively than younger people, finds new UCL (University College London) research. | |
Study reveals a network within the brain that plays a role maintaining consciousnessPhilosophers have long struggled to define human consciousness. Now, a team of researchers led by neurologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has pinpointed the regions of the brain that may play a role maintaining it. Their findings, which have already garnered multiple awards from the American Academy of Neurology, were published today in that society's journal, Neurology. | |
Suspected norovirus at UK Mexican chain sickens 350-plusA chain of Mexican restaurants in England has closed several locations amid a suspected norovirus outbreak that has sickened more than 350 people. | |
FDA panel narrowly backs Cempra antibioticA panel of federal health advisers has narrowly recommended approval for an experimental antibiotic from Cempra Inc., a small North Carolina drugmaker. |
Biology news
Thorny devil found to drink through its skin with assist from gravityA team of researchers with Aachen University in Germany has found that the thorny devil lizard is able to supplement its water intake by covering its body with sand and then using straw-like folds in its skin to pull in water, which is then directed to its throat. In their paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the team describes experiments they carried out with several lizard specimens, what they observed and the means by which the odd-looking lizards survive in the arid desert region of Western Australia. | |
Herbivorous mammals have bigger belliesAs an international study conducted by the University of Zurich based on 3-D reconstructions of animal skeletons reveals for the first time: Herbivorous mammals have bigger bellies than their usually slim carnivorous counterparts. In dinosaurs, however, there is no notable difference between carnivores and herbivores. | |
Scientists decode the genome of Chinese licoriceIn research published in The Plant Journal, a group of scientists led by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science in Japan have decoded the genome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, or Chinese licorice, a plant that is important for its use in Chinese medicine and as a natural sweetener. | |
Research on photosynthetic antenna complexes illuminates how they harvest light in plants, algae and bacteriaWalk through any woods, branches swaying overhead, and you're surrounded by billions of the world's most efficient systems for collecting energy. Inside every leaf, blade of grass, and algal cell, clusters of proteins and tiny pigments, called photosynthetic antenna complexes, capture sunshine. | |
New research provides insight into plumage evolutionDuring his notable trip to the Galápagos Islands, Charles Darwin collected several mockingbird specimens on different islands in the region. He later discovered that each island only contained a single species of mockingbird and no two species of mockingbird co-existed on an individual island. Due to their geographical separation, over time these birds had evolved different characteristics in coloration, behavior, and beak shape. These observations raise the question: how does a geographical region influence the evolution of a species? | |
Scientists reconstruct largest ever family tree of major flowering plant groupScientists have developed the largest ever family tree of a major group of flowering plants called monocots, which could help protect their diversity. | |
Faster diagnosis of sepsis pathogensMicrobial pathogens can be diagnosed unambiguously and within just 24 hours by means of high-throughput sequencing of their genetic makeup and special bioinformatics evaluation algorithms. Fraunhofer researchers have validated this in a clinical study with sepsis patients. The researchers present the NGS diagnosis platform at Medica in Düsseldorf from November 14–17, 2016. | |
Molecular mechanism controlling fat accumulation elucidatedScientists in Rafal Ciosk's group at the FMI have identified a novel regulator of fat accumulation in the nematode C. elegans. An RNase, REGE-1, degrades the mRNA encoding a fat loss promoting transcription factor, ETS-4. The RNase and the transcription factor form an autoregulatory module controlling fat metabolism. | |
Non-native insects change more than native host plant survivalWhen non-native herbivores invade new geographic regions, the consequences can be devastating to the native plants. Epidemic levels of herbivory damage may ensue because the delicate biological interactions that keep everything in balance within the herbivore's native habitats may be missing in the invaded region. |
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