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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 25, 2017:
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Astronomy & Space news
 | Elevated zinc and germanium levels bolster evidence for habitable environments on MarsNew data gathered by the Mars Curiosity rover indicates a potential history of hydrothermal activity at Gale Crater on the red planet, broadening the variety of habitable conditions once present there, scientists report in a new study. |
 | Kepler satellite discovers variability in the Seven SistersThe Seven Sisters, as they were known to the ancient Greeks, are now known to modern astronomers as the Pleiades star cluster – a set of stars which are visible to the naked eye and have been studied for thousands of years by cultures all over the world. Now Dr Tim White of the Stellar Astrophysics Centre at Aarhus University and his team of Danish and international astronomers have demonstrated a powerful new technique for observing stars such as these, which are ordinarily far too bright to look at with high performance telescopes. Their work is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. |
 | Phoenicid meteor shower from dead comet sighted again after 58 yearsThe Phoenicid meteor shower (named after the constellation Phoenix) was discovered by the first Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition on December 5, 1956, during its voyage in the Indian Ocean. However, it has not been observed again. This has left astronomers with a mystery: Where did the Phoenicids come from and where did they go? |
 | Image: A world of snowy dunes on MarsIt was spring in the Northern hemisphere when this image was taken on May 21, 2017, at 13:21 local Mars time, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Over the winter, snow and ice have inexorably covered the dunes. Unlike on Earth, this snow and ice is carbon dioxide, better known to us as dry ice. |
 | Collecting data unique to a solar eclipseOn Monday, just as CU Denver began the new academic year, an awe-inspiring solar eclipse captivated people across North America. A thin line of total solar coverage spanned, at various intervals, the continental United States, completely blocking out the sun from Lincoln Beach, Ore., to Charleston, S.C., for a few remarkable minutes. |
 | SwRI-led study captures science data from Great American EclipseTwo NASA WB-57F research aircraft successfully tracked the August 21 solar eclipse as part of a NASA project led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to study the solar corona and Mercury's surface. |
 | Should NASA keep flying flagship missions? A new report weighs inNASA's biggest, most ambitious missions may cost billions - but they're well worth it, according to a report published Thursday. |
 | ESA and Chinese astronauts train togetherESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts earlier this month for nine days of sea survival training off China's coastal city of Yantai. The ultimate goal is for ESA to establish a long term cooperation with China and ESA astronauts to fly on China's space station. |
Technology news
 | Patent talk: A wand-like input device from Microsoft(Tech Xplore)—It looks as if Microsoft is thinking in terms of a wand-like controller for augmented reality, if patent-watching is anything to go by. A number of tech sites have reported on a patent dated August 22, spotted by WalkingCat, where Microsoft talks about the "Augmented reality input device." |
 | Drones relay RFID signals for inventory controlRadio frequency ID tags were supposed to revolutionize supply chain management. The dirt-cheap, battery-free tags, which receive power wirelessly from scanners and then broadcast identifying numbers, enable warehouse managers to log inventory much more efficiently than they could by reading box numbers and recording them manually. |
 | Go fetch! Drones help Swiss rescue dogs find the missingCapo, a golden retriever wearing a bright orange rescue harness, runs with his handler in tow towards a body sprawled in the high grass as a giant drone whirrs overhead. |
 | South Korean court sentences Samsung heir to 5 years prisonA South Korean court sentenced the billionaire chief of Samsung to five years in prison for crimes that helped topple the country's president, a stunning downfall that could freeze up decision making at a global electronics powerhouse long run like a monarchy. |
 | SoftBank invests $4.4 bn in shared offices firm WeWorkOffice sharing startup WeWork on Thursday announced that Japan's SoftBank Group has made a $4.4 billion investment in the company. |
 | Researchers develop highly flexible, wearable displayHow do you feel when technology you saw in a movie is made into reality? Collaboration between the electrical engineering and the textile industries has made video screens and displays on clothing a reality. |
 | When will you be ready to get in a driverless car?We are really close to perfecting the technology for self-driving cars. But our driverless future won't go anywhere if people don't trust it. It's one thing for our autonomous test cars to take us for a drive with a safety driver behind the wheel. But soon there won't be anyone in that seat. When will you be ready to get in? |
 | The rise of the chatbotsSkills of the Modern Age (SOMA) has been running an event series about the future, right here in Perth. The events focus on near technologies, with the goal of Australians staying ahead of the curve. SOMA's most recent (and sold out) event in early August looked at the future of interaction with each other and with machines. |
 | Never mind killer robots – even the good ones are scarily unpredictableThe heads of more than 100 of the world's top artificial intelligence companies are very alarmed about the development of "killer robots". In an open letter to the UN, these business leaders – including Tesla's Elon Musk and the founders of Google's DeepMind AI firm – warned that autonomous weapon technology could be misused by terrorists and despots or hacked to perform in undesirable ways. |
FBI: Chinese national supplied rare, malicious malwareA Chinese national has been charged in California with distributing a type of computer malware that has been linked to attacks on U.S. businesses and to the theft of personnel records of millions of U.S. government employees, authorities said. | |
Britain to test part-driverless platoons of trucksBritain is set to conduct road trials of self-driving trucks, involving a "platoon" of vehicles controlled by a driver in the front. | |
Tech companies unlikely to follow S&P's new Snap-inspired rulesWhen the company that produces the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index announced this month that it would exclude the corporate parent of Snapchat from its benchmark market measure, the move was cheered by advocates of better corporate governance. | |
Digital rights groups want more information on Facebook's policing of offensive contentWith more than 2 billion users worldwide, Facebook has been making tough calls when it comes to policing hate speech, harassment, nudity and violence online. | |
Nandan Nilekani lays out his agenda at India's InfosysNandan Nilekani, the newly appointed chairman of troubled Indian software services giant Infosys, said Friday he wanted to find a new chief executive, reconstitute the board and stabilise a business roiled with conflict in recent months. | |
 | Globalized auto industry vulnerable to new Brexit bordersFord's Dagenham diesel engine plant is a marvel of mechanization—a steel and chrome hangar full of LED lighting, robots and computer-controlled machine tools. |
Authorities say Apple shuts down Iranian appsApple Inc. has removed all Iranian mobile apps from its App Store, authorities said Friday. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Research sheds new light on the link between gut bacteria and anxietyResearch published in the open access journal Microbiome sheds new light on how gut bacteria may influence anxiety-like behaviors. Investigating the link between gut bacteria and biological molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) in the brain; researchers at the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork, which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, found that a significant number of miRNAs were changed in the brains of microbe-free mice. These mice are reared in a germ-free bubble and typically display abnormal anxiety, deficits in sociability and cognition, and increased depressive-like behaviors. |
 | Dancing can reverse the signs of aging in the brainAs we grow older we suffer a decline in mental and physical fitness, which can be made worse by conditions like Alzheimer's disease. A new study, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, shows that older people who routinely partake in physical exercise can reverse the signs of aging in the brain, and dancing has the most profound effect. |
 | Study identifies genes linked to better immune response to flu vaccineYale experts and their partners in a national research consortium have identified several genes and gene clusters associated with the immune response to flu vaccination. The findings point to the prospect of using genetic profiles to predict individual responses to the flu vaccine. |
 | Given the choice, zebrafish willingly dose themselves with opioidsAs the opioid crisis escalates, the science behind addiction remains poorly understood. To address this need, researchers at University of Utah Health devised a system that allowed zebrafish, a small tropical fish, to self-administer doses of hydrocodone, an opioid commonly prescribed to people for pain. After one-week, the fish had increased their drug-seeking behavior, even when doing so required them to put themselves in risky conditions. Further, 48-hours after the last exposure, conditioned fish showed signs of anxiety, a hallmark of withdrawal. |
 | Heart hormones protect against obesity and insulin resistanceResearchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in Lake Nona, Florida have shown that enhanced natriuretic peptide (NP) signaling in adipose tissue protects against obesity and insulin resistance. The findings suggest that boosting levels of NPs in adipose tissue may be an important avenue to explore for combating metabolic disease. The study was published in Science Signaling. |
 | New research on Fragile X syndrome reinforces importance of early detectionFragile X syndrome—the most common heritable cause of autism spectrum disorder—is something of a phantom. It interferes with the production of a protein critical to synapse formation during a brief period in early development when the brain is optimizing its ability to process sensory input. Then it dials way down...leaving behind permanent changes in neural circuit structure that can cause low IQ, learning disabilities and hypersensitivity, along with other symptoms characteristic of ASD. |
Flame retardants and likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing fertility treatmentsWomen with higher urinary concentrations of a common type of flame retardant had reduced likelihood of clinical pregnancy and live birth than those with lower concentrations, according to researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study, conducted in the Fertility Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the first to examine associations between organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs)—which are used in polyurethane foam in many products, including upholstered furniture, baby products, and gym mats—and reproductive outcomes in women. | |
 | Next-generation drug testing on chipsResearchers at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) in Japan have designed a small 'body-on-a-chip' device that can test the side effects of drugs s on human cells. The device solves some issues with current, similar microfluidic devices and offers promise for the next generation of pre-clinical drug tests. |
 | Study explains why patients with shingles feel painIn most cases, chickenpox is a benign childhood infection with symptoms that disappear within 10 days. However, the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) that causes it remains dormant in the patient forever. In some cases, the virus can be reactivated years later, causing a different disease known as herpes zoster, or shingles. |
 | HIIT releases endorphins in the brainFinnish researchers at the University of Turku have revealed that exercise-induced endorphin release in the brain depends on the intensity of the exercise. Endorphin release induced by exercise may be an important mechanism that affects exercise motivation and maintenance of regular physical activity. |
Enzyme produced in the liver promotes obesity, fatty liver disease and insulin resistanceIn mice that are fed a high-fat diet, an increased production of the enzyme DPP4 by the liver promotes an increase in body fat, the development of fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. These were the findings of a study by DZD-researchers in Potsdam and Tübingen. | |
 | Scientists have found a new mechanism for the liver cell regenerationAn international research collaborative has demonstrated for the first time the role of cholangiocytes (epithelial bile duct cells) in liver regeneration. The results of the study are highly promising for regenerative medicine and the fight against liver disease. The team's findings have been published in Nature. |
 | How video goggles and a tiny implant could cure blindnessAt 16, Lynda Johnson was ready to learn how to drive. Yes, she had a progressive eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which already had stolen her night vision. But throughout her childhood, the Millbrae, California, girl had kept up with her brother and sister, climbing trees, skateboarding and even riding a bike. She had studied the Department of Motor Vehicles manual and passed the written test. All she needed for her learner's permit, the DMV clerk told her, was a physician's note saying she could get behind the wheel. |
 | Existing drugs could treat chikungunyaChikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection could be treated with autoimmune therapies currently used for other conditions, according to research led by A*STAR scientists. |
 | Brain health researchers delve into dopamineUniversity of Otago researchers studying learning processes affected in brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have made new discoveries about how nerve impulses form memories, findings which have implications for developing new therapies for these conditions. |
 | Ringing in ears keeps brain more at attention, less at rest, study findsTinnitus, a chronic ringing or buzzing in the ears, has eluded medical treatment and scientific understanding. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that chronic tinnitus is associated with changes in certain networks in the brain, and furthermore, those changes cause the brain to stay more at attention and less at rest. |
 | Computer algorithm links facial masculinity to autismA link between masculine facial features and autism has been discovered by researchers from The University of Western Australia, Telethon Kids Institute and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. |
 | Masking the bitter taste of antioxidant quercetin could enable its use in food productsEncapsulating the antioxidant quercetin in carnauba wax could mask its bitterness and enable its use in a wide range of food products, according to new research from Singapore. |
 | Lockdown genes to reduce IVF failure ratesEmbryos kickstart a vibrant genetic program to thrive, but if the wrong genes are active the cells can self-destruct. A*STAR scientists have discovered one of the genes that needs to be tightly locked down for an embryo to develop: a finding that could improve IVF success rates. |
 | New chimeric antibody that suppresses malignant cancers in dogsSimilar to humans, dogs live longer than before and an increasing number of them die from cancer. As seen in humans, dogs have malignant cancers that cannot be treated by existing therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Oral malignant melanoma (OMM), a highly invasive cancer in dogs, is one such example. |
Delivering medicine to cancer cells while protecting healthy cellsCancer treatments, including chemotherapy, have helped many people with the disease to live healthy lives. Nevertheless, chemotherapy takes a toll on the body. During treatment, chemotherapy attacks all of the body's cells, not just cancer cells. The result destroys healthy cells, causing many patients to suffer major side effects during and after treatment. | |
 | Bacterial infection in exhaled breathAlthough ethylene (or ethene) is best known as a plant hormone, humans also produce it as consequence of oxidative stress, caused, for example, by UV radiation from the sun. An international team led by Simona Cristescu from Radboud University found that ethylene is produced during inflammation and quickly released in exhaled breath as a biomarker of bacterial infection, thus having important clinical implications. The study has been published by Scientific Reports on July 31. |
 | Pancreatic factor promotes remyelination in the central nervous system after injuryBrain functions are maintained by the neural network. Neural network is formed by the connection between the neurite, and this connection is supported by the wrapping of myelin. Demyelination is detected in the patients of several diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, and is associated with neurological dysfunctions. A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by scientists at Osaka University shows that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 promotes remyelination in mice and may be a promising key molecule for treating demyelinating diseases. |
 | Postpartum depression can affect dads – hormones may be to blamePostpartum depression has become more visible as celebrity moms including Brooke Shields, Drew Barrymore and Chrissy Teigen have publicly shared their struggles with feeling sad and hopeless after birth. But when a father – Adam Busby, from reality TV show "OutDaughtered" – recently opened up about his own postpartum depression, he received instant backlash, including comments telling him to "man up." |
Pain, emotions and the placebo effectIn a pioneering study, researchers at the University of Luxembourg used fMRI technology to show that a person's ability to reinterpret negative events and to control feelings influences how strongly a placebo will work to reduce pain. Dr Marian van der Meulen gave us additional input. | |
 | Americans are confused about food and unsure where to turn for answers, survey showsMore than one-third of Americans do not know that foods with no genetically modified ingredients contain genes, according to the new nationally representative Food Literacy and Engagement Poll we recently conducted at Michigan State University. For the record, all foods contain genes, and so do all people. |
 | How 3-D cameras are helping doctors catch sleep apnoeaImagine you're at your local GP clinic. You've been feeling tired and irritable but aren't sure why. |
 | Some developed countries should target adolescents and adults for measles vaccinationEven if measles infection incidence has decreased by at least 90 percent all over the world since the introduction of the vaccine, measles is still one of the major causes of death in children among vaccine-preventable diseases. Regular measles epidemics are reported in developing countries and recurrent episodic outbreaks occur in the developed world. |
 | Implant-lymphoma link underscores importance of breast device registryA paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia, involving Monash University researchers, stresses the importance of long-term post market surveillance of breast implants by a clinical quality registry as essential for patient health and well-being. |
Mothers with pre-eclampsia may encounter challenges later in lifeA new study has found that a condition that threatens the lives of some pregnant women and the fetus may continue to put the mother at risk later in life. | |
 | Cookies, apples or yogurt? Not always a simple choice for kids(HealthDay)—Kids are driven mostly by food preferences—not healthy eating—in choosing their snacks. But some can be swayed by food brands and their own allowance, according to new research. |
 | Expert tips to avoid accidental poisonings at school(HealthDay)—At schools and daycares, an army of sanitizers and detergents is used to keep germs at bay. |
 | Hobbies and your health(HealthDay)—Feeling overwhelmed or stressed? Consider taking up a hobby. |
 | Cardiopulmonary exercise testing prognostic in aortic stenosis(HealthDay)—For patients judged as symptomatic or questionably symptomatic for aortic stenosis, an initially conservative management strategy results in good prognosis if cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) does not indicate significant hemodynamic compromise, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. |
Health advocates urge incoming college students to get new meningitis vaccineAs young adults head off to college and into close quarters with others in dorms, cafeterias and classrooms, health advocates urge students and their parents to consider a new vaccine that may not be on their radar. | |
Some eclipse watchers fear they hurt their eyes. Here's what you should know.At the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at UIC, a front desk employee says he's gotten calls from patients afraid that they're experiencing eclipse-related eye damage. | |
 | Hormonal IUDs have no effect on lactation or breastfeedingHaving a hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) implanted immediately after birth does not affect a woman's ability to lactate and breastfeed, according to new research by investigators at University of Utah Health and University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The results of this study are available online August 21 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. |
Frenchwoman's arms reattached after horror train accidentA woman whose arms were sliced off in a train accident has had the limbs successfully reattached in a rare and complicated operation in France, medics said Friday. | |
 | Some newborns don't get heart defect, hearing loss tests(HealthDay)—Some newborns in the United States still aren't getting screened for hearing loss or congenital heart disease, a new report shows. |
 | Diacerein reduces mean hemoglobin A1c levels in T2DM(HealthDay)—An immune-modulator anti-inflammatory drug, diacerein, reduces the mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in Diabetes Care. |
 | ART era has changed secondary cancers after Kaposi sarcoma(HealthDay)—There has been a significant decline in the risk of secondary cancers after Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in the era of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), according to a study published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Oncology. |
 | Asthma tied to later inflammatory bowel disease(HealthDay)—Asthma is associated with subsequent development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published in the September issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. |
 | Insufficient sleep may lead to increased risk-taking behavior(HealthDay)—Chronic sleep restriction may lead to risk-seeking behavior, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the Annals of Neurology. |
 | More evidence evolocumab exceeds cost-effectiveness(HealthDay)—At its current price, the addition of evolocumab to standard therapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease generally exceeds accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in JAMA Cardiology. |
 | Noninvasive test for NASH, fibrosis in patients with psoriasis(HealthDay)—For patients with psoriasis receiving long-term methotrexate sodium therapy, a noninvasive test for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis (NASH FibroSure) can be used to monitor development of methotrexate-induced hepatotoxic effects, with a significant correlation for cumulative methotrexate dose with higher score in women, but not men, according to research published online Aug. 23 in JAMA Dermatology. |
 | Minimally invasive sx use up for paraesophageal hernia repair(HealthDay)—A minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approach is increasingly being used for paraesophageal hernia (PEH) repair, accounting for almost 80 percent of PEH repairs in 2012, according to a research letter published online Aug. 23 in JAMA Surgery. |
 | Which TAVR patients are at risk for hospital readmission? Research identifies new prognostic markerAs more elderly patients undergo the minimally invasive heart valve procedure called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVR), concerns have been raised as to what causes some to be readmitted for heart failure after the procedure. |
Study finds efficacy rate of over 70 percent in Chinese medicine treatment of chronic renal failureThe School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) recently conducted a clinical observation of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic renal failure (CRF). The results indicate that a particular type of Chinese medicine treatment that nourishes the kidneys, and removes blood stasis and turbidity is effective in improving the clinical symptoms of CRF patients and postpones the deterioration of renal function. The overall efficacy rate of this treatment is 72.7 percent. | |
 | Insight into brain's complexity revealed thanks to new applications of mathematicsThe lack of a formal link between neural network structure and its emergent function has hampered our understanding of how the brain processes information. The discovery of a mathematical framework to describe the emergent behaviour of the network in terms of its underlying structure comes one step closer. |
 | Researchers predict when cholera epidemic in Yemen would peakHokkaido University scientists developed a new mathematical model which accurately forecast that a devastating cholera epidemic in Yemen would peak by early July, the 26th week of 2017, and the cumulative incidence would be the order of 700,000 to 800,000 cases. |
Team reaches milestone in development of Kinase Chemogenomic SetThe Structural Genomics Consortium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (SGC-UNC), in partnership with the DiscoverX Corporation, has reached the milestone halfway point in its development of the Kinase Chemogenomic Set, a potent group of inhibitors which allow deeper exploration of the human kinome, a family of enzymes critical to understanding human disease and developing new therapies. | |
Augmented reality technology may help guide plastic and reconstructive surgeryA plastic surgery research group has developed an augmented reality system that enables them to create 3-D simulations of the desired results of facial reconstructive procedures and project them over the patient's face during surgery, reports a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). | |
Biology news
 | Study shows endangered sharks, rays further threatened by global food marketsA majority of shark fins and manta ray gills sold around the globe for traditional medicines come from endangered species, a University of Guelph study has revealed. |
 | Microbes compete for nutrients, affect metabolism, development in mice"Gut bacteria get to use a lot of our food before we do," says Federico Rey, a professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Then we get their leftovers—or their waste. |
 | US, Canada to investigate deaths of endangered whales (Update)Marine authorities in the U.S. and Canada said Friday they will marshal resources to try to find out what's behind a string of deaths of endangered North Atlantic right whales. |
 | Human stem cell defenses activated by irradiation, study findsResearchers from several Russian institutes, including MIPT, have found out how prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation affects human stem cells. They discovered that it causes a cell cycle delay, which leads to faster repairs of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks, with fewer errors. It is unclear what the health implications are, in particular, how this affects the risk of developing cancer. The paper was published in Oncotarget. |
 | Fishing for DNA during breeding season could help control invasive speciesResearch reveals that an invasive crayfish species is easier to detect in water samples during breeding, which could lead to better control. |
 | Stem cell treatment for children with spina bifida helps dogs firstA pair of English bulldog puppies are the first patients to be successfully treated with a unique therapy—a combination of surgery and stem cells—developed at the University of California, Davis, to help preserve lower-limb function in children with spina bifida. |
 | Researchers discover Australian canyons are hotspots for fish lifeResearch carried out by scientists from The University of Western Australia has found that underwater canyons may be critical and overlooked habitats for many commercially valuable species of fish such as tuna, swordfish and mackerel. |
 | Loveless monkey adopts chicken at Israeli zooA lonely monkey at an Israeli zoo has found a way to soothe her maternal urges: by adopting a chicken. |
 | 'Mudbug' crabs on the march in central BerlinThey have pointy eyes, prickly red claws, and they eat just about anything—an exotic crustacean is on the loose in Berlin's central government district. |
 | A Galapagos seabird's population expected to shrink with ocean warmingWithin the next century, rising ocean temperatures around the Galápagos Islands are expected to make the water too warm for a key prey species, sardines, to tolerate. A new study by Wake Forest University biologists, published in PLOS ONE Aug. 23, uses decades of data on the diet and breeding of a tropical seabird, the Nazca booby, to understand how the future absence of sardines may affect the booby population. |
Study reveals mechanisms of fighting pathogenic virusesResearchers of the KFU Omics Lab have succeeded in deciphering a Phi29-family virus genome. Junior researcher Raihan Shah Mahmud of Kazan Federal University says, "There is an immense number of viruses in nature, hundreds of times more than bacteria. Simply put, viruses are the most abundant and the least studied life form on Earth. There are viruses which are not dangerous to humans but can kill pathogenic bacteria, such as bacteriophages of the cholera germ or diphtheria. It is known that bacteriophages are very good at fighting pathogens if they have appropriate enzymes or biomolecules. Only sequencing of such non-pathogenic viruses can help us identify new biomolecules that may be of use against infectious bacteria. The importance of such work grows, because of increasing antibiotic resistance." | |
 | Norway fines tourist guide for scaring polar bearUsually the humans are scared of the wild animals. But in the Norwegian far-north, an Arctic tourist guide has been fined 1,300 euros ($1,500) for scaring off a polar bear. |
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