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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 3, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Curiosity Mars rover checks odd-looking iron meteoriteLaser-zapping of a globular, golf-ball-size object on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover confirms that it is an iron-nickel meteorite fallen from the Red Planet's sky. |
 | Study confirms that stellar novae are the main source of lithium in the universeLithium, the lightest solid element, is created during astrophysical phenomena, but its origin has been elusive. Recently, a group of researchers detected enormous quantities of beryllium-7, an unstable element that decays into lithium in 53.2 days, inside nova Sagittarii 2015 N.2, which suggests that novae are the main source of lithium in the galaxy. |
 | A record of ancient tectonic stress on MarsSets of ridges and troughs some 1000 km north of the giant Olympus Mons volcano contain a record of the intense tectonic stresses and strains experienced in the Acheron Fossae region on Mars 3.7–3.9 billion years ago. |
 | Image: Mars in LanzaroteESA's Matthias Maurer with ESA astronauts Luca Parmitano and Pedro Duque on a field trip for the Pangaea planetary geology course. |
 | Fairyfloss asteroids—a window into the early solar systemRocky asteroids were formed by collisions between giant, fairy floss-like dust clouds as our Solar System formed, according to planetary geologist Lucy Forman. |
 | NASA's new asteroid alert system gives five days of warningEveryone knows it was a large asteroid striking Earth that led to the demise of the dinosaurs. But how many near misses were there? Modern humans have been around for about 225,000 years, so we must have come close to death by asteroid more than once in our time. We would have had no clue. |
 | Watch Asteroid 2016 VA pass through Earth's shadowHoly low-flying space rocks, Batman. |
 | China launches first heavy-lift rocketChina launched its most powerful rocket ever on Thursday, state media said, as the country presses on with a program which has seen it become a major space power. |
 | Clearing the air in space: Improving life support on International Space Station and for deep space explorationFor decades, NASA engineers have been key players in the design, fabrication and testing of the equipment that keeps astronauts safe in space—on Skylab, SpaceHab and the International Space Station. Teaming with industry, they created the Environmental Control and Life Support System for the orbiting laboratory to provide clean water and air, the basic elements needed for survival. |
Technology news
 | 'Morphing' wing could enable more efficient plane manufacturing and flightWhen the Wright brothers accomplished their first powered flight more than a century ago, they controlled the motion of their Flyer 1 aircraft using wires and pulleys that bent and twisted the wood-and-canvas wings. This system was quite different than the separate, hinged flaps and ailerons that have performed those functions on most aircraft ever since. But now, thanks to some high-tech wizardry developed by engineers at MIT and NASA, some aircraft may be returning to their roots, with a new kind of bendable, "morphing" wing. |
 | Can radioactive waste be immobilized in glass for millions of years?How do you handle nuclear waste that will be radioactive for millions of years, keeping it from harming people and the environment? |
 | Google speaker is secretary, radio ... and work in progressGoogle's new smart speaker is at once a secretary, a librarian and a radio. |
 | Omate looking to market Yumi, an Android powered robot that features Amazon's Alexa voice assistant(Tech Xplore)—Omate, the company that produced one of the first smartwatch's running Android and then Amazon's smart voice assistant Alexa, has now unveiled plans (via YouTube) to market a small robot named Yumi that will apparently offer many of the same functions as a smartwatch, but in a small robot form. The company has plans to launch an INDIEGOGO project on November 15th, which is the time frame the company has set for releasing its first working versions of the robot. Shipping is planned to begin in March of next year. |
Virtual reality: Hybrid Virtual Environment 3-D comes to the cinemaProfessor Tomás Dorta compared the virtual reality experience with two different systems: the one with VR headsets versus one with an immersive projection system using a concave-spherical screen, developed by his research team and called Hybrid Virtual Environment 3D (Hyve-3D). He immersed 20 subjects whom preferred the virtual reality without headsets, because they could interact with other viewers and share their impressions in real time. | |
 | Nanosensors on the alert for terrorist threatsScientists from the Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICP RAS) and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have demonstrated that sensors based on binary metal oxide nanocomposites are sensitive enough to identify terrorist threats and detect environmental pollutants. The results of their study have been published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. |
Data traffic system switches control to network administratorsTorrents of information flow through computer data centers, driving the operations of financial markets, communications systems, commerce and just about any complex web-based activity. Much of modern society is built on these invisible networks but the infrastructure that routes the rivers of data between racks upon racks of computers can be cumbersome and inflexible. | |
 | NICE framework provides resource for a strong cybersecurity workforceThe U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a resource that will help U.S. employers more effectively identify, recruit, develop and maintain cybersecurity talent. The draft NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NCWF) provides a common language to categorize and describe cybersecurity work to help organizations build a strong staff to protect their systems and data. It was announced today at the 2016 NICE Conference and Expo. |
 | Simulation brings global 100% renewable electricity system alive for the first timeA new model developed by Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) shows how an electricity system mainly based on solar and wind works in all regions of the world. It shows the functioning of an electricity system that fulfils the targets set by the Paris agreement by using only renewable energy sources. |
Mining digital crumbs helps predict crowds' mobilityGetting urban planning right is no mean feat. It requires understanding how and when people travel between different places. This knowledge, in turn, helps in dimensioning roads and motorways and in scaling the capacity of utilities, such as power grids or mobile phone towers. Now, physicists at the Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation in Turin, Italy, have exploited the geolocalisation data from millions of users of the photo sharing site Flickr to show how it is possible to predict crowd movements. Mariano Beiró and colleagues have combined this data with existing theoretical models explaining the movement of people. | |
 | Automated cars could threaten jobs of professional driversRonald De Feo has watched robots take factory jobs for years. Now he sees them threatening a new class of worker: People who drive for a living. |
 | Facebook skids on growth worries after blowout quarterFacebook shares tumbled Thursday after the huge social network delivered a blockbuster earnings report but warned that its stunning growth pace was set to slow. |
 | Google rejects new EU anti-trust chargesUS Internet search giant Google on Thursday rejected new accusations by EU anti-trust regulators that it illegally abuses its market dominance, in its formal reaction to allegations by Brussels earlier this year. |
 | White House announces US electric car recharging networkThe White House announced plans Thursday to create a 25,000 mile (40,000 km) recharging network for electric cars that it hopes will encourage drivers to switch from gasoline-powered vehicles. |
Break through the hype of unlimited data plansCellphone carriers are going all in on unlimited data. | |
 | Android gets record 87.5% of smartphone market: surveyGoogle's Android operating system captured a record-high 87.5 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter, a research firm said. |
 | Huawei takes jab at Samsung with 'no explosion' phoneChinese electronics firm Huawei on Thursday unveiled its latest Mate 9 smartphone in Munich, designed to challenge global market leaders Apple and Samsung with features including a high-quality camera and higher-capacity battery. |
WikiLeaks founder denies Russia behind Podesta email hackingWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied Thursday that the Russian government or any other "state parties" were his group's source for more than 50,000 hacked emails from the files of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. | |
 | Safe navigation through the Northwest PassageThe Northwest Passage is becoming navigable for longer periods of the year. Ship traffic, however, still bears hazardous risks. A German-Canadian research team co-initiated by Fraunhofer wants to change that. In the project PASSAGES, it is conducting the preparatory work for a safe navigation through the icy waters. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Scientists find key protein for spinal cord repairA freshwater zebrafish costs less than two bucks at the pet store, but it can do something priceless: Its spinal cord can heal completely after being severed, a paralyzing and often fatal injury for humans. |
 | Scientists successfully tune the brain to alleviate painScientists at The University of Manchester have shown for the first time that if the brain is 'tuned-in' to a particular frequency, pain can be alleviated. |
 | Researchers report promising new Alzheimer's drugA new experimental treatment against Alzheimer's has proved to be promising and free of harmful side effects, researchers in the United States reported Wednesday. |
 | Injections might help prevent genital herpes transmission for months: study(HealthDay)—Three injections of a therapeutic vaccine may control genital herpes as effectively as daily pills for at least a year, a new study suggests. |
 | New study suggests Ebola can adapt to better target human cellsA new study co-led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) suggests that Ebola virus gained a genetic mutation during the 2013-16 epidemic that appears to have helped it better target human cells. |
 | Study paves the way for new autoimmune disease treatments with fewer side effectsNew research has raised the possibility of minimising the side effects of treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. |
 | Study reveals non-invasive prenatal genetic test is accurate five weeks into pregnancyThe latest developments in prenatal technology conceived by scientists at the Wayne State University School of Medicine that make it possible to test for genetic disorders a little more than one month into pregnancy were revealed this week in Science Translational Medicine, a journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. |
 | How the liver dances to a day/night rhythmFollowing the day-night cycle, the liver has its own metabolic rhythm. Using cutting-edge proteomics, scientists at EPFL and the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences have now identified over 500 liver proteins that change in abundance over the course of the day in the cell nucleus, opening a new dimension of metabolism. |
 | Why some songs get stuck in your headAlmost all of us get songs stuck in our heads from time to time but why do certain tunes have the 'stick factor'? |
 | Research could explain why some obese people develop diabetes while others don'tFor years, scientists have known that someone who is thin could still end up with diabetes. Yet an obese person may be surprisingly healthy. |
 | Why bad genes aren't always bad newsWe usually think of mutations as errors in our genes that will make us sick. But not all errors are bad, and some can even cancel out, or suppress, the fallout of those mutations known to cause disease. Little is known about this process—called genetic suppression—but that's about to change as University of Toronto researchers begin to lay out the general rules behind it. |
 | Smoking a pack a day for a year causes 150 mutations in lung cellsScientists have measured the catastrophic genetic damage caused by smoking in different organs of the body and identified several different mechanisms by which tobacco smoking causes mutations in DNA. Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and their collaborators found smokers accumulated an average of 150 extra mutations in every lung cell for each year of smoking one packet of cigarettes a day. |
 | Scientists identify 'collateral vessel' gene that protects against stroke damageResearchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a major clue that may explain why some people sustain relatively little damage from strokes or heart attacks despite severe arterial blockages. The clue lies in the little-understood gene Rabep2. |
 | Illuminating lies with brain scan outshines polygraph test, study findsWhen it comes to lying, our brains are much more likely to give us away than sweaty palms or spikes in heart rate, new evidence from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggests. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found that scanning people's brains with fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging, was significantly more effective at spotting lies than a traditional polygraph test. |
 | New computational tool may speed drug discoveryA new computational tool called fABMACS is helping scientists see beyond static images of proteins to more efficiently understand how these molecules function, which could ultimately speed up the drug discovery process. |
Insulin resistance reversed by removal of proteinBy removing the protein galectin-3 (Gal3), a team of investigators led by University of California School of Medicine researchers were able to reverse diabetic insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in mouse models of obesity and diabetes. | |
 | Prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in West Africa higher than previously thoughtMultidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) could become a serious public health threat in West Africa unless effective surveillance and control measures are implemented, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Medicine. Researchers from the West-African Network of Excellence for TB, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM) found the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) to be unexpectedly high in eight West-African countries. |
 | Kids continue to consume too much salt, putting them at riskCardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, kills more than 800,000 Americans each year. We know that too much salt may contribute to high blood pressure and increased cardiovascular risk. According to a new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American children are consuming sodium at levels that far exceed the daily recommended limit. Taste preferences for high sodium foods, formed as children, follow individuals into adulthood and put them at increased risk for developing cardiovascular problems later in life. |
Poor self-regulation in teens associated with circadian rhythms and daytime sleepinessChronic insufficient sleep is at epidemic levels in U.S. teens and has been associated with depression, substance use, accidents, and academic failure. Poor self-regulation or an inability to alter thinking, emotions, and behaviors to meet varying social demands is thought to be a key link between inadequate sleep in teens and poor health and school-related outcomes. However, a study led by Judith Owens, MD, MPH, at Boston Children's Hospital and Robert Whitaker, MD, MPH, at Temple University found that the number of hours teens sleep on school nights may not be the main problem. Instead, daytime sleepiness and a tendency to be a "night owl," referred to as an evening chronotype, appear to be more strongly associated with poor self-regulation. Findings were published online November 3 by Pediatrics. | |
For smokers with HIV, smoking may now be more harmful than HIV itselfAmong people living with HIV who smoke cigarettes, smoking may now shorten their lifespan more than HIV itself, according to a new modeling study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. With smoking rates more than twice as high among people with HIV as in the general U.S. adult population, the study suggests that making smoking cessation a priority and finding effective ways to help people with HIV quit can significantly improve their lifespan. | |
 | More than three million children under five years old will die from infectious diseases next yearThe "Small Steps for Big Change" report, commissioned by The Global Hygiene Council (GHC) is published today, highlighting the alarming burden of preventable infectious diseases in children worldwide and calls for a simple 5-step plan to be implemented by families, communities and healthcare professions to improve everyday hygiene practices and stop children dying from preventable infections. |
 | CDC: Progress reducing uninsured rate threatens to stallWith deep divisions over President Barack Obama's health care law reappearing in the election's final days, a government report shows that progress in reducing the number of uninsured Americans has slowed to a crawl. |
 | Surgery not the answer for most back pain, sports doctor says(HealthDay)—Back pain is a common problem, but most cases can be treated without surgery, a sports medicine specialist says. |
 | Maternal, neonatal adverse events up with antenatal ART(HealthDay)—For HIV-infected pregnant women, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is associated with significantly lower rates of early HIV transmission, but with a higher risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, according to a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | College athletes report few symptoms to doctors(HealthDay)—College athletes report less than 1 percent of symptoms captured with a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to sports medicine clinicians, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in Denver. |
 | Consuming rapeseed oil enriched with omega-3 reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseaseA team of scientists from the University of Granada, along with their collaborators, has shown that consuming canola oil (an improved form of rapeseed, with less than 2 percent erucic acid) enriched with omega-3 reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. |
Heart defects identified in progeria patients that increase the risk of arrhythmias and premature deathResearchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), working in collaboration with colleagues at other centers in Spain and abroad, have identified defects in the hearts of progeria patients that appear to be related to an elevated risk of arrhythmias and premature death. The study, published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that these risks are linked to anomalies in the transmission of electrical signals in the hearts of individuals with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), also known as progeria. Similar findings were observed in a mouse model of the disease The findings of this study open the way to research into new treatments to correct these characteristic defects. The study could also provide clues about the mechanisms involved in the development of cardiovascular disease during normal aging. | |
 | Kids most likely to suffer sport-related eye injuriesRoughly 30,000 sports-related eye injuries serious enough to end in a visit to the emergency room occur each year in the United States, and the majority happen to those under the age of 18, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests. |
Study links intestinal microbial population to production of inflammatory proteinsA study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and two academic medical centers in the Netherlands has begun to elucidate how differences in the gut microbiome - the microbial population of the gastrointestinal tract - affect the immune response in healthy individuals. The study is one of three related papers published in this week's issue of Cell, the other two looking at genetic and environmental influences, as part of the Human Functional Genomics Project (HFGP). | |
 | Research links secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy to developmental delays in children and adolescentsThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long documented the health consequences of secondhand smoke. Now, a new study by FIU criminal justice professor Ryan Meldrum links prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke to lower levels of self-control in children and adolescents. |
Sensor for blood flow discovered in blood vesselsPhysical forces like blood pressure and the shear stress of flowing blood are important parameters for the tension of blood vessels. Scientists have been looking for a measurement sensor for many years that enables the translation of mechanical stimuli into a molecular response, which then regulates the tension in blood vessels. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now discovered just such a sensor in the inner layer of the blood vessel wall: the molecule in question, known as PIEZO1, is a cation channel and could one day provide a starting point for the treatment of high blood pressure. | |
Words matter when talking about Alzheimer'sUsing war metaphors in reference to Alzheimer's disease should be replaced with messages of resilience against a complex, age-associated condition that may not be fully defeatable, according to a team of researchers. | |
Med costs, insurance worry New Yorkers, survey showsA painful, pre-existing condition – obsession over the cost of medical care and health insurance – makes the latest announcements of rising insurance rates a potent political issue, according to a survey that polled patients throughout New York state this year. | |
 | Potential treatment for Niemann-Pick type C, a rare neurodegenerative diseaseResearchers in Japan have improved a potential treatment for a rare genetic disease, decreasing its negative toxic effects by threading it onto a dumb-bell-shaped chain and holding it in place until it reaches its target. |
 | Evolving immune fighters in the gutThe inside of our small intestine teems with microbes – our gut microbiome – while just across a thin barrier, the immune system patrols and prepares for battle. |
First US study to measure exposure to 59 toxic chemicals in pregnant women and their newbornsLow income and Latina pregnant women who seek care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) have widespread exposure to environmental pollutants, many of which show up in higher levels in newborns than the mothers, according to a new study from UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and Biomonitoring CA. | |
 | Discovery of molecular marker specific to early embryonic heart developmentResearchers centered at Osaka University identify molecule specifically expressed on one of the first cell populations to emerge as a precursor of the heart in embryos, which enables the cells to be isolated and studied, and potentially transplanted as a treatment for heart failure. |
 | When 'energy' drinks actually contained radioactive energyModern life have you feeling frazzled? Flagging a bit as you rush through your day? Maybe you're one of the millions of consumers who lean on energy drinks to put a little extra pep in your step. |
 | Preeclampsia in pregnancy linked to teenagers' lack of motor skillsA Perth researcher's discovery of links between preeclampsia in pregnancy with lack of coordination for teenagers many years later could lead to better results for those kids. |
Blood pressure may open door to personalized medicine for PTSDTreatment with the drug prazosin effectively reduces symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for many people, but about one third of patients don't respond to the treatment at all. Attempts to understand why people respond differently, based on symptom type or severity, have fallen short. Now, a new study reports that soldiers with higher blood pressure before beginning prazosin treatment see better results from the medication. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, is the first to look for a biological marker that could be used to predict individual response to a drug treatment for combat PTSD. | |
 | Not eating enough in hospital—risk factors are the same all over the worldInadequate food intake and malnourishment in sick people is an area of concern for health policy and Public Health and one which impacts upon the social economics of countries with both high and low incomes. "Ensuring that patients receive adequate nutrition should therefore be part of an holistic treatment plan," explains Karin Schindler, nutritional expert at MedUni Vienna's Department of Medicine III. Morbidity and mortality rates are up to 8-times higher in malnourished patients: in some cases this prolongs the time they need to spend in hospital. Schindler: "On the other hand, we must bear in mind that 50 – 60% of patients do not eat all of a meal that is offered and this reduced food intake is rarely offset by nutritional care." |
Automated assessment of early autismAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is usually diagnosed in early childhood, but genetic detection of this brain disorder could mean more timely interventions that improve life for the patient and their carers. Research published in the International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics, suggests that machine learning might be used to analyze genetic data that points to an ASD diagnosis before symptoms become obvious. | |
 | Ordering deadly drugs from China is easyA few thousand dollars, a few minutes and a decent internet connection are all it takes to source carfentanil online from multiple Chinese vendors. |
 | Study puts Weight Watchers to the test for type 2 diabetesA study coordinated by the MUSC Health Weight Management Center shows the scales tipping in Weight Watchers' favor instead of standard care when it comes to helping people with Type 2 diabetes. |
Body builders aren't necessarily the strongest athletesAn increase in muscle size with exercise may not be directly related to an increase in muscle strength, according to a recent analysis of the literature. | |
Immune cell insight offers hope for tackling deadly lung conditionFresh insights into a life-threatening lung condition triggered by blood poisoning could signal a new approach to treating the disease, researchers found. | |
Association between sugary diet and coronary artery diseaseWhat connection is there between food and drink with added sugar and coronary artery disease? Until recently, the question had been inadequately answered by research, but an extensive study from Lund University in Sweden has now contributed important clues. | |
Both providers and patients drive health care spending, study findsIn Miami, health care providers spent about $14,423 per Medicare patient in 2010. But in Minneapolis, average spending on Medicare enrollees that year was $7,819, just over half as much. In fact, the U.S. is filled with regional disparities in medical spending. Why is this? | |
 | Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Llama antibodies detect cerebral lesionsThe major challenge facing physicians treating Alzheimer's is the ability to detect markers of the disease as early as possible. These markers, located in the brain, are difficult to access, hampering diagnosis. Using two types of llama antibody capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm, the CNRS, the CEA, Pierre & Marie Curie and Paris Descartes Universities and Roche have developed a non-invasive approach to reach brain cells in a mouse model of the disease. Once in the brain, these llama antibodies can specifically mark and show amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the two types of lesions that characterize Alzheimer's disease. These results were published in the Journal of Controlled Release on October 7, 2016. |
 | Seven substances added to 14th Report on CarcinogensToday's release of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 14th Report on Carcinogens includes seven newly reviewed substances, bringing the cumulative total to 248 listings. |
 | Brain scientists examine brain networks during short-term task learning'Practice makes perfect' is a common saying. We all have experienced that the initially effortful implementation of novel tasks is becoming rapidly easier and more fluent after only a few repetitions. |
A roadmap to life after the worst injuries, in times of war and peaceThe wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a horrific type of medical trauma known as the "dismounted complex blast injury" (DCBI). Caused when an improvised explosive device detonates beneath a soldier patrolling on foot, DBCIs often lead to the loss of both legs and at least one arm, cause severe damage to the abdomen and pelvic area, and result in catastrophic bleeding. Experts estimate dozens of members of the armed forces suffered these types of injuries during the conflicts that have marked the past 15 years. Previously, these injuries were considered deadly, but today, training for soldiers includes advanced first aid techniques - such as the application of tourniquets and infusion of blood products - that can allow many soldiers with DCBIs to survive long enough to reach surgical care. | |
India's doctors raise questions over new president of top medical ethics bodyThe recent inauguration of Dr Ketan Desai as the new president of the World Medical Association (WMA) raises questions from senior doctors in The BMJ. | |
Newly discovered protein may hold key to better drugs for neglected diseasesA newly identified method of activating drugs to combat one of the world's most destructive `neglected' diseases could lead to better medicines according to new research led by the University of Dundee. | |
 | Injury triggers stem cell growth in the parasite that causes schistosomiasisParasitic flatworms known as schistosomes require a gene called cpb1 in order to survive in mice, according to a new study published in PLOS Pathogens. The study also shows that schistosome stem cells grow in response to injury. |
 | Cholesterol may help proteins pair up to transmit signals across cell membranesCholesterol may act as a selective glue that binds proteins into paired structures that enable human cells to respond to outside signals, according to a new study in PLOS Computational Biology. |
 | Sandfly spit vaccinates mice against leishmaniasis infectionA vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin infection caused by Leishmania parasites, may be spitting distance away—sand fly spit, that is. Saliva from a species of the fly responsible for transmitting leishmaniasis can be used to vaccinate mice against the infection, researchers have shown. The new study, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, also found that humans with cutaneous leishmaniasis tend to have lower levels of antibodies against this sand fly saliva than others living in areas where the infection is endemic. |
 | Here's how your body transports zinc to protect your healthZinc is essential for wound healing, for vision, for DNA creation, for our senses of taste and smell, even for sexual health. But despite its importance, scientists have never fully understood the mechanism that moves the mineral through the body - until now. |
| Can you smell through your lungs?It was always thought that olfactory receptors' sole bodily function was to smell, and could only be found inside a nose. But now a new study, published in Frontiers in Physiology, has found two olfactory receptors in human lung tissue. |
Breast-friendly, radiation-free alternative to mammogram in the makingEach year around a million women in the Netherlands undergo mammograms for early detection of possible breast cancer. It's an unpleasant procedure that uses X-rays. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology are working on a 'breast-friendly' method, without radiation, that is more accurate and generates 3D rather than 2D images. They published their proof of concept last month in the online journal Scientific Reports. | |
New low cost workforce is effective in decreasing depression burden in primary careThe Aging Brain Care Medical Home, a novel brain-focused population health management program implemented in the homes of older adults, lowered depression severity by more than 50 percent over six months according to a new study from the Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University Center for Aging Research, IU Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science, and Eskenazi Health. | |
 | Pupil response to negative facial expressions predicts risk for depression relapsePupil dilation in reaction to negative emotional faces predicts risk for depression relapse, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. |
US government quandary: is Nutella dessert or jam?The sugary hazelnut paste Nutella has been beloved the world over for 50 years. But is it a desert or a jam? | |
 | Reducing exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) lowers levels of this environmental estrogen in womenWomen who avoided foods, cosmetics, and other products packaged in BPA-containing plastic containers for 3 weeks had significant reductions in urinary levels of BPA, a commonly used "endocrine disruptor" associated with negative health effects including weight gain. Over the 3-week study period, the women who participated in an intervention designed to minimize BPA exposure also had significant weight loss, as reported in Journal of Women's Health. |
 | Sunshine matters a lot to mental health; temperature, pollution, rain not so muchSunshine matters. A lot. The idea isn't exactly new, but according to a recent BYU study, when it comes to your mental and emotional health, the amount of time between sunrise and sunset is the weather variable that matters most. |
Innovating fine needle aspiration for diagnosing autoimmune pancreatitisAutoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) can closely resemble pancreatic cancer, but these two diseases require distinctly different courses of treatment. A new study suggests that an endoscopic procedure using a larger-gauge needle may offer a solution for making this important differential diagnosis. The study, "Diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis by EUS-guided FNA using a 22-gauge needle: a prospective multicenter study," is published in the November issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly, peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). | |
Researchers show genetic variants and environmental exposures have influence on healthScientists at the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics have shown for the first time the extent by which interactions between environmental exposures and genetic variation across individuals have a significant impact on human traits and diseases like diabetes, heart disease and obesity, strengthening the case for precision medicine initiatives. | |
High hospital profits hurt medicineIs the medical profession losing the race to attract the best and the brightest? In a series of insightful commentaries on Negative Secular Trends in Medicine published in the American Journal of Medicine, Robert M. Doroghazi, MD, retired cardiologist and publisher of The Physician Investor Newsletter, explains how high hospital profits are hurting the practice of medicine. | |
For malignant biliary obstruction, plastic stents may be cost-effective alternativePreoperative biliary drainage (PBD) with stent placement has been commonly used for patients with malignant biliary obstruction. In PBD, the placement of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) may provide better patency duration and a lower incidence of cholangitis compared with plastic stents. But a new study suggests that plastic stents may provide similar outcomes at a potential cost savings. The study, "Metal versus plastic stents for drainage of malignant biliary obstruction before primary surgical resection," is published in the November issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly, peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). | |
Mammo outcomes improve when docs compare prior screeningsThe recall rate of screening mammography is reduced when radiologists compare with more than one prior mammogram, a study published in the October 2016 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology said. | |
 | Brain 'reads' sentences the same in English and PortugueseAn international research team led by Carnegie Mellon University has found that when the brain "reads" or decodes a sentence in English or Portuguese, its neural activation patterns are the same. |
 | Tuberculosis bacteria find their ecological nicheTuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health problem. Treatment often takes many months and till this day there is no effective vaccine. Various TB bacterial strains exist globally, with different geographical spread. Only the so-called Lineage 4 occurs on all continents. It is responsible for the majority of the 10 million new infections and 2 million deaths annually. |
 | Graphic pictures on cigarette packs would significantly reduce smoking death rate, study findsUsing prominent, graphic pictures on cigarette packs warning against smoking could avert more than 652,000 deaths, up to 92,000 low birth weight infants, up to 145,000 preterm births, and about 1,000 cases of sudden infant deaths in the U.S. over the next 50 years, say researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. |
 | Researchers identify receptor that may allow HIV to infect kidney cellsHIV-1 associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is a kidney condition that can arise in HIV-positive patients of African ancestry who are not treated appropriately with antiretroviral therapy. Despite many years of extensive research, it remains unclear how patients' kidney epithelial cells, which do not express the major HIV-1 CD4 receptor, become infected. Now, however, a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) describes a new mechanism to explain how HIV-1 may infect these cells. |
 | Northerly climes linked to younger age for start of multiple sclerosis symptomsLatitude is strongly linked to the age at which symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) first start, reveals a large international study, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. |
 | Georgetown researchers describe method to study real time cancer invasionA research team at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center has described the steps, in both written and video format, that allow cancer investigators to track, in real time, cancer cell invasion and metastasis in transparent zebrafish embryos. Using these fish models, researchers can find answers to cancer questions in one to three days instead of months for the typical mouse model. |
Stem cell therapy appears to have traumatic brain injury treatment effectResults of a cellular therapy clinical trial for traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a patient's own stem cells showed that the therapy appears to dampen the body's neuroinflammatory response to trauma and preserve brain tissue, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). | |
Study details rare cardiac side effects of immune checkpoint cancer therapiesCombination therapy utilizing two approved immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment may cause rare and sometimes fatal cardiac side effects linked to an unexpected immune response. | |
 | Skip dinner and maybe boost your metabolism(HealthDay)—Overweight people who eat during a much smaller window of time each day than is typical report fewer hunger swings and burn slightly more fat at certain times during the night, according to a new study. |
CHEST experts issue advice for investigating occupational and environmental causes of chronic coughAlthough the understanding of cough triggered by occupational and environmental causes has improved, experts say there is still a gap between current guidelines and clinical practice. A report by the CHEST Expert Cough Panel published in the journal CHEST suggests an approach to investigating occupational and environmental causes when these are suspected. The report has been endorsed by professional associations in the U.S., Canada, and Asia. | |
 | Increased global, subcutaneous inflammation in psoriasis(HealthDay)—Psoriasis patients have increased global arterial inflammation and subcutaneous inflammation, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in the British Journal of Dermatology. |
 | Severe neurologic disorder with administration of BIA 10-2474(HealthDay)—Healthy participants receiving the orally administered reversible fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor, BIA 10-2474, can experience a severe neurologic disorder, according to research published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Lower anti-Mullerian hormone values for endometriomas(HealthDay)—Women with endometriomas have significantly lower anti-Müllerian hormone values, and surgical excision of endometriomas appears to have temporary detrimental effects on ovarian reserve, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | Pharmacogenetic analyses can optimize clomipramine dosing(HealthDay)—Pharmacogenetic analysis can help optimize clomipramine doses in patients who do not respond to standard-dose treatment, according to a report published online Oct. 31 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. |
Fall 2017 trial for alleged leader in $1B health care fraudA fall 2017 trial date is set for a South Florida businessman accused of orchestrating a $1 billion Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme. | |
 | Pros and cons of egg bankingFreezing and storing your own eggs when you are not trying to get pregnant used to be rare. It was something young women with cancer might do, if treatment could badly damage their eggs or ability to ovulate. |
Cambodia bans booming commercial surrogacy industryCambodia has become the latest country to issue a ban on commercial surrogacy after curbs on the industry in other parts of the globe sparked a local boom in the unregulated baby business. | |
 | Strict law pushes Polish women to have abortions abroadWhile the streets of Warsaw have been engulfed by vehement protests over the government's plan to further restrict abortion, individual Polish women are struggling daily to find ways of ending their unwanted pregnancies. |
 | New metabolomic screening method detects multiple inborn errors of metabolism in urineAnalysis of a single urine sample using a metabolomics-based screening approach can identify multiple different inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), facilitating early disease detection and rapid initiation of treatment, as described in an article published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers. |
Collection provides tools to improve clinical research in Africa and AsiaQuality assurance of clinical research is critical to ensure meaningful results in compliance with universal ethical standards. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) codes have been developed as tools to ensure data integrity and ethical study conduct. However, these codes are often considered beyond reach for resource constrained settings. A recently published collection in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases shares experiences, lessons learned and practical tools developed during clinical research on neglected tropical diseases in Africa and Asia. | |
 | Why health care eats more of your paycheck every yearMillions of Americans are finding out this month that the price of their health insurance is going up next year—as it did this year, last year, and most of the years before that. |
France expects 13 times as many centenarians by 2070France, which already has the most centenarians of any European country, could be home to 13 times more people over the age of 100 by 2070, the national statistics agency Insee said Thursday. | |
 | Healthy recipes and effective social marketing campaign improve eating habitsThe Food Hero social marketing campaign is an effective way to help low-income families eat more nutritious meals through fast, tasty, affordable and healthy recipes, two new research studies from Oregon State University have found. |
 | Health professionals view insurance as solution in obesity(HealthDay)—More than half of health professionals view improved health insurance coverage as a solution for obesity management and weight loss, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society (ObesityWeek), held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 in New Orleans. |
Biology news
 | Birds maintain rare plant species, study findsOutside of human influences, why do rare plant species persist instead of dwindling away to extinction? It's a question that has plagued ecologists for centuries. Now, for the first time, scientists at Penn State and Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina, demonstrate that fruit-eating birds play an important role in maintaining rare plant species. |
 | Lab scientists identify new genetic mutations in antibiotic-resistant bioterrorism agentResearchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) identified new genetic mutations in antibiotic-resistant Francisella tularensis bacteria that could be used in a bioterrorist attack. |
 | Female fish judge males on DIY skills, study showsFemale fish judge males based on their ability to design nests best suited for the conditions of their environment, according to a new study by University of Leicester researchers. |
 | Major family of gene-regulating proteins has drug-sized pocketAn entire class of proteins called transcription factors, which regulate the activity of certain genes by interacting with specific sequences of DNA, has largely been ignored by the pharmaceutical industry because it's difficult to design and screen drugs against them. But a new study from scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute suggests that a key group of transcription factors are in fact 'druggable,' including several that could be targeted to treat cancer, metabolic disease, or autoimmune conditions. |
 | Plant roots in the dark see lightResearchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, and Seoul National University, South Korea, were able to show for the first time that roots react directly to light which is transmitted from the shoot to the underground parts of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Roots can thus effectively adapt plant growth to the light conditions in the environment. |
 | Feedback loop behind spiral patterns in plants uncovered?This flower-like image shows a plant that is not developing quite right. It comes from a study in which scientists at EMBL and the University of Sydney unearthed the molecular feedback loop that creates the spiral pattern of leaves around a stem. The work is published today in Current Biology. |
 | Gene regulation: Shaping up to make the cutBefore RNA copies of genes can program the synthesis of proteins, the non-coding regions are removed by the spliceosome. Munich researchers report that distinct conformations of a member of this molecular complex play a vital role in the process. |
 | Molecular conductors help plants respond to droughtWe can tell when plants need water: their leaves droop and they start to look dry. But what's happening on a molecular level? |
 | New Battle of Midway pits military history against wildlifeMIDWAY ATOLL, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (AP)—The Battle of Midway was a major turning point in World War II's Pacific theater. The remote atoll where thousands died is now a delicate sanctuary for millions of seabirds, and a new battle is pitting preservation of its vaunted military history against the protection of its wildlife. |
 | Debate about croc numbers reignited in AustraliaSaltwater crocodile numbers have exploded in northern Australia since being declared a protected species, and a spate of recent attacks has reignited debate about controlling them. |
 | Sucrose and citric acid combination effective at killing bacteriaSucrose and citric acid are common ingredients in a cup of tea. But as a NADES (Natural deep eutectic solvents) compound these substances in combination can kill bacteria as effectively as if they were overrun by a bulldozer. |
 | Frog and toad larvae become vegetarian when it is hotClimate change is currently one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and one of the groups of animals most affected by the increase in temperature is amphibians. A team of scientists with Spanish participants studied how heat waves affect the dietary choices of three species of amphibian found on the Iberian Peninsula: the European tree frog, the Mediterranean tree frog and the Iberian painted frog. |
 | Ebola adapted to better infect humans during 2013-2016 epidemicResearchers have identified mutations in Ebola virus that emerged during the 2013-2016 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa that increased the ability of the virus to infect human cells, two independent teams of researchers are reporting November 3 in Cell. |
 | Plants cheat too: A new species of fungus-parasitizing orchidPlants usually produce their own nutrients by using sun energy, but not all of them! A new 'cheater' species of orchid from Japan, lives off nutrients obtained via a special kind of symbiosis with fungi. The study was published in the open access journal PhytoKeys. |
 | Discovery of new bacteria complicates problem with salmon poisoning in dogsResearchers at Oregon State University have identified for the first time another bacterium that can cause symptoms similar to "salmon poisoning" in dogs - and may complicate the efforts of Pacific Northwest pet owners to keep their dogs protected and healthy. |
EPA proposes expanded use of new herbicide, Enlist DuoThe Environmental Protection Agency has proposed more than doubling the number of states allowed to use a new version of a popular weed killer on genetically modified crops despite its earlier concerns. | |
Eastern Shoshone Tribe in Wyoming marks return of buffaloMembers of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe are marking the return of buffalo to their reservation in central Wyoming more than a century after the animals were wiped out. | |
 | Award for innovative cell culture technologyResearchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new cell culture method, which may very well enable to forgo certain tests on animals in the future. The scientists were awarded an international prize for more humane treatment of laboratory animals. |
Biodiversity needs citizen scientistsCitizen scientists are already providing large amounts of data for monitoring biodiversity, but they could do much more, according to a new study published in the journal Biological Conservation, which suggests that citizen science has the potential to contribute much more to regional and global assessments of biodiversity. Citizen scientists are regular people who provide data or input to science, for example by monitoring species in their community or examining satellite imagery for evidence of deforestation or land use change. | |
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