Science X Newsletter Week 42

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 42:

	Mammals cannot evolve fast enough to escape current extinction crisis Humans are exterminating animal and plant species so quickly that nature's built-in defence mechanism, evolution, cannot keep up. An Aarhus-led research team calculated that if current conservation efforts are not improved, so many mammal species will become extinct during the next five decades that nature will need 3 to 5 million years to recover.
	Study documents paternal transmission of epigenetic memory via sperm Studies of human populations and animal models suggest that a father's experiences such as diet or environmental stress can influence the health and development of his descendants. How these effects are transmitted across generations, however, remains mysterious.
	Researchers cure drug-resistant infections without antibiotics Biochemists, microbiologists, drug discovery experts and infectious disease doctors have teamed up in a new study that shows antibiotics are not always necessary to cure sepsis in mice. Instead of killing causative bacteria with antibiotics, researchers treated infected mice with molecules that block toxin formation in bacteria. Every treated mouse survived. The breakthrough study, published in Scientific Reports, suggests infections in humans might be cured the same way.
	Beer supply threatened by future weather extremes Severe climate events could cause shortages in the global beer supply, according to new research involving the University of East Anglia (UEA).
	A Bose-Einstein condensate has been produced in space for the first time An international team of researchers has successfully produced a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in space for the first time. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes creating a small experimental device that was carried on a rocket into space and the experiments that were conducted during its freefall.
	First proof of quantum computer advantage For many years, quantum computers were not much more than an idea. Today, companies, governments and intelligence agencies are investing in the development of quantum technology. Robert König, professor for the theory of complex quantum systems at the TUM, in collaboration with David Gosset from the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and Sergey Bravyi from IBM, has now placed a cornerstone in this promising field.
	Letting your dog sleep with you is good for chronic pain sufferers, new study shows For chronic pain sufferers, it may be smart to let sleeping dogs lie, a new University of Alberta study suggests.
	New moon: China to launch lunar lighting in outer space China is planning to launch its own 'artificial moon' by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday.
	Nutrition has a greater impact on bone strength than exercise One question that scientists and fitness experts alike would love to answer is whether exercise or nutrition has a bigger positive impact on bone strength.
	Nearly half the world lives on less than $5.50 a day: World Bank Despite progress in reducing extreme poverty, nearly half the world's population lives on less than $5.50 a day, with a rising share of the poor in wealthier economies, the World Bank said Wednesday.
	Researchers confirm Earth's inner core is solid A new study by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) could help us understand how our planet was formed.
	Two degrees decimated Puerto Rico's insect populations While temperatures in the tropical forests of northeastern Puerto Rico have climbed two degrees Celsius since the mid-1970s, the biomass of arthropods—invertebrate animals such as insects, millipedes, and sowbugs—has declined by as much as 60-fold, according to new findings published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Engineered enzyme eliminates nicotine addiction in preclinical tests Scientists at Scripps Research have successfully tested a potential new smoking-cessation treatment in rodents.
	Giant planets around young star raise questions about how planets form Researchers have identified a young star with four Jupiter and Saturn-sized planets in orbit around it, the first time that so many massive planets have been detected in such a young system. The system has also set a new record for the most extreme range of orbits yet observed: the outermost planet is more than a thousand times further from the star than the innermost one, which raises interesting questions about how such a system might have formed.
	Carbon fiber can store energy in the body of a vehicle A study led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has shown that carbon fibres can work as battery electrodes, storing energy directly. This opens up new opportunities for structural batteries, where the carbon fibre becomes part of the energy system. The use of this type of multifunctional material can contribute to a significant weight-reduction in the aircraft and vehicles of the future—a key challenge for electrification.
	Hawking's final book offers brief answers to big questions Stephen Hawking's final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched on Monday by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant's death.
	Probiotics and antibiotics create a killer combination In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, MIT researchers have enlisted the help of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics.
	All in the family: Kin of gravitational wave source discovered On October 16, 2017, an international group of astronomers and physicists excitedly reported the first simultaneous detection of light and gravitational waves from the same source—a merger of two neutron stars. Now, a team that includes several University of Maryland astronomers has identified a direct relative of that historic event.
	Adequate consumption of 'longevity' vitamins could prolong healthy aging, nutrition scientist says A detailed new review of nutritional science argues that most American diets are deficient in a key class of vitamins and minerals that play previously unrecognized roles in promoting longevity and in staving off chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and, potentially, neurodegeneration.
	Scientists grow functioning human neural networks in 3-D from stem cells A team of Tufts University-led researchers has developed three-dimensional (3-D) human tissue culture models for the central nervous system that mimic structural and functional features of the brain and demonstrate neural activity sustained over a period of many months. With the ability to populate a 3-D matrix of silk protein and collagen with cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions, the tissue models allow for the exploration of cell interactions, disease progression and response to treatment. The development and characterization of the models are reported today in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

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