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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 8, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Aging a flock of stars in the Wild Duck ClusterDo star clusters harbor many generations of stars or just one? Scientists have long searched for an answer and, thanks to the University of Arizona's MMT telescope, found one in the Wild Duck Cluster, where stars spin at different speeds, disguising their common age. |
 | Astronomers witness David versus Goliath fight between galaxiesAstronomers have witnessed, in the finest detail yet, a brutal David-vs-Goliath fight between two nearby galaxies that are tearing chunks from each other and flinging them into the gaseous Magellanic Stream, a cosmic river of blood encircling our Milky Way. |
 | Video: ESA's future Lagrange mission to monitor the sunSpace weather describes the changing environment throughout the Solar System, driven by the energetic and unpredictable nature of our sun. Solar wind, solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections can result in geomagetic storms on Earth, potentially damaging satellites in space and the technologies that rely on them, as well as infrastructure on the ground. |
 | Cosmic detective work: Why we care about space rocksThe entire history of human existence is a tiny blip in our solar system's 4.5-billion-year history. No one was around to see planets forming and undergoing dramatic changes before settling in their present configuration. In order to understand what came before us—before life on Earth and before Earth itself—scientists need to hunt for clues to that mysterious distant past. |
 | How massive solar eruptions 'probably' detonated dozens of US sea minesAn extraordinary account of the impact space weather had on military operations in Vietnam in 1972 was found buried in the US Navy archives, according to a newly published article in Space Weather. |
 | Image: Recovery of the test Orion capsule in the Pacific OceanOn Nov. 1, 2018, the USS John P. Murtha recovered the test version of the Orion capsule at sunset in the Pacific Ocean. |
Technology news
 | Visual rendering of shapes on 2-D display devices guided by hand gesturesResearchers at NIT Kurukshetra, IIT Roorkee and IIT Bhubaneswar have developed a new Leap Motion controller-based method that could improve rendering of 2-D and 3-D shapes on display devices. This new method, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, tracks finger movements while users perform natural gestures within the field of view of a sensor. |
 | See-through film rejects 70 percent of incoming solar heatTo battle the summer heat, office and residential buildings tend to crank up the air conditioning, sending energy bills soaring. Indeed, it's estimated that air conditioners use about 6 percent of all the electricity produced in the United States, at an annual cost of $29 billion dollars—an expense that's sure to grow as the global thermostat climbs. |
 | Harvesting renewable energy from the sun and outer space at the same timeScientists at Stanford University have demonstrated for the first time that heat from the sun and coldness from outer space can be collected simultaneously with a single device. Their research, published November 8 in the journal Joule, suggests that devices for harvesting solar and space energy will not compete for land space and can actually help each other function more efficiently. |
 | Extending the life of low-cost, compact, lightweight batteriesMetal-air batteries are one of the lightest and most compact types of batteries available, but they can have a major limitation: When not in use, they degrade quickly, as corrosion eats away at their metal electrodes. Now, MIT researchers have found a way to substantially reduce that corrosion, making it possible for such batteries to have much longer shelf lives. |
 | Batteryless smart devices closer to realityResearchers at the University of Waterloo have taken a huge step towards making smart devices that do not use batteries or require charging. |
 | Skin-like sensor maps blood-oxygen levels anywhere in the bodyInjuries can't heal without a constant influx of blood's key ingredient—oxygen. |
 | Samsung folding screen lets smartphone open into tabletSamsung on Wednesday showed off a folding screen that lets a smartphone open into a tablet, heralding it as the future for portable devices. |
 | Head full of expression and language chops aims to serve in business interactionsWith the launch of Furhat, one can see a flip side of the pundit-nervousness over an evil empire of smart space kiddies, pups and muscle-bound guardians turning on us, no mercy included . The visionaries in the company Furhat Robotics appear to believe that you might want to join them in a world where technology can be more human. |
 | Miniaturised pipe organ could aid medical imagingA miniaturised version of a musical instrument that could be used to improve the quality of medical images has been manufactured by researchers at the University of Strathclyde. |
 | Cranking up the power setting may help some who use prostheticsAmputees who use powered prosthetic ankles may be able to avoid the energetic costs typically associated with prosthetics by cranking up the power provided by their devices. |
 | Report: Google planning big New York City expansionGoogle is planning a major expansion in New York City, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal . |
 | NewsCorp sees higher profits as subscriptions riseProfits rose in the past quarter at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, led by gains in digital subscriptions at the Wall Street Journal and newspapers in Britain and Australia, the company said Wednesday. |
 | Toshiba slashes 7,000 jobs, downgrades profit outlookThe boss of struggling Toshiba said Thursday he would cut 7,000 jobs over the next five years as the Japanese engineering firm pulled out of foreign investments and downgraded its annual profit forecasts. |
 | Tesla names new board chair in settlement with regulators (Update)Tesla's board has named one of its own as chairman to replace Elon Musk, complying with terms of a fraud settlement with U.S. securities regulators. |
 | Dating apps use artificial intelligence to help search for loveForget swiping though endless profiles. Dating apps are using artificial intelligence to suggest where to go on a first date, recommend what to say and even find a partner who looks like your favourite celebrity. |
 | EU court backs Dyson on vacuum cleaner energy testsAn EU court ruled Thursday that Brussels regulators are wrong to test the energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners using empty dust bags, in a victory for British manufacturer Dyson. |
 | Securing IoT connections by edge computingA new reconfigurable security solution outperforms currently available ones in protecting Internet of things (IoT) devices and data by exploiting edge computing. |
 | German court orders diesel bans in Cologne, BonnA German court Thursday ordered Cologne and Bonn to join a slew of cities in banning older diesels from its roads to combat air pollution, as the government struggled to reach a deal with carmakers on cleaning up the cars. |
 | Driving autonomous cars off the beaten pathAutonomous vehicles can follow the general rules of American roads, recognizing traffic signals and lane markings, noticing crosswalks and other regular features of the streets. But they work only on well-marked roads that are carefully scanned and mapped in advance. |
A cavernous hangar for Google's huge ambitionsGoogle has moved a step closer to transforming the historic Spruce Goose hangar in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles into a state-of-the-art office and production facility, the latest sign of how tech giants are expanding their presence in Hollywood's backyard. | |
Sprint ups mobile hotspot to 50GB, turns on faster 4G LTE network before 5G arrives in 2019Sprint users looking for a little holiday cheer are getting some small, but nice gifts Tuesday: more hotspot data and access to a faster 4G LTE network, if you have a more recent phone. | |
Subaru recalls nearly 400K vehicles to fix stalling problemsSubaru is recalling nearly 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix two problems that can cause them to stall. | |
 | Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi debuts in LondonChina's Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 8 Pro smartphone in London Thursday, making a UK debut as the tech giant ramps up its European presence before an expected American launch next month. |
 | Ford enters scooter wars with acquisiton of startup SpinFord Motor Co. agreed Thursday to acquire the electric scooter-sharing startup Spin, entering the fast-growing segment of last-mile urban mobility. |
 | Mozilla chief regrets internet's addictive qualityWeb users are being drawn into a relationship with the internet that resembles gambling addicts using slot machines, the head of non-profit tech company Mozilla said Thursday. |
 | Purdue's giant leap toward personalized medicine helps eyes drain themselvesPurdue University researchers have invented a new smart drainage device to help patients with glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the world, as they try to save their eyesight. |
 | Watchdog approves landmark Australian media mergerA landmark merger between Australian broadcaster Nine Entertainment and venerable newspaper group Fairfax won regulatory approval Thursday, clearing the way for the creation of a media giant across television, print, video streaming and digital. |
 | Siemens delivers upbeat outlook despite profit dropIndustrial equipment and technology company Siemens says its net profit fell 46 percent in the most recent quarter due to expenses for severance and higher tax. |
 | Nissan first-half profit slumps on rising costsJapanese automaker Nissan on Thursday logged a 10.9-percent drop in net profit for the six months to September due to a decline in global sales and rising material costs. |
 | Automated feminine hygiene disposal for developing communitiesThe lack of safe and discreet menstrual hygiene options contributes to lost workplace productivity and missed schooling for millions of women and girls around the world. A technical solution called S.H.E. strives to address this pressing need. |
Artificial sensor mimics human sense of touchA team of researchers have developed an artificial tactile sensor that mimics the ability of human skin to detect surface information, such as shapes, patterns and structures. This may be one step closer to making electronic devices and robots that can perceive sensations such as roughness and smoothness. | |
 | CommScope, getting ready for 5G, spends $5.7B for ArrisTelecommunications equipment maker CommScope is paying $5.7 billion for Arris International as it prepares for the entrance of faster 5G service to the wireless market. |
 | Ryanair strikes deal with German cabin crew unionRyanair has forged a preliminary labour agreement with German cabin crews, the low cost airline said Thursday, after strikes over employment contracts caused widespread disruption earlier this year. |
 | Bombardier to cut 5,000 jobs in restructuringCanadian aircraft and transport company Bombardier will cut 5,000 jobs globally and sell off its aging turboprop line in a bid to "streamline" operations, the struggling firm announced Thursday. |
 | Better chocolate with mobile technologySmart farming uses technology to access real-time information on crop yields and soil-mapping, fertiliser application, weather data, and intelligent assessment and so improve agricultural efficiency and crop yields. However, for some economies, there remains a huge gap between farmer and app, as it were. For those valuable commodity products such as cocoa and coffee beans, the mobile technology revolution is yet to reach the farm in anything but the most superficial way. |
How Whole Foods has affected the grocery business one year after the Amazon dealIt's been more than a year since e-commerce giant Amazon.com bought Whole Foods Market Inc. for $13.7 billion, a deal many expected would upend the grocery industry, especially in the hotly competitive Southern California region. | |
 | Google reforms sexual misconduct rulesGoogle is promising to be more forceful and open about its handling of sexual misconduct cases, a week after high-paid engineers and others walked out in protest over its male-dominated culture. |
 | Tech leaders call for greater social media regulationSocial networks need better regulation to stop them spreading "fake news" and undermining democracy, disillusioned tech pioneers said at an industry conference that closed in Lisbon Thursday. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Dopamine primes the brain for enhanced vigilanceImagine a herd of deer grazing in the forest. Suddenly, a twig snaps nearby, and they look up from the grass. The thought of food is forgotten, and the animals are primed to respond to any threat that might appear. |
 | Novel strategy appears to protect retina when disease reduces oxygenAn enzyme known to help our liver get rid of ammonia also appears to be good at protecting our retina, scientists report. |
 | Novel antibiotic shows promise in treatment of uncomplicated gonorrheaAn investigational oral antibiotic called zoliflodacin was well-tolerated and successfully cured most cases of uncomplicated gonorrhea when tested in a Phase 2 multicenter clinical trial, according to findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, sponsored the clinical study. |
 | Gene signature discovery may predict response to immune therapyScientists led by Dr. Daniel De Carvalho at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered a gene signature biomarker that may predict which patients will respond—or not—to immune therapy. |
 | Brain activity pattern may be early sign of schizophreniaSchizophrenia, a brain disorder that produces hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive impairments, usually strikes during adolescence or young adulthood. While some signs can suggest that a person is at high risk for developing the disorder, there is no way to definitively diagnose it until the first psychotic episode occurs. |
 | Study finds new mechanism for regulating sleep in fruit flies using an ingredient commonly found in energy drinksSleep is an essential behavioral state in animals ranging from invertebrates to humans. It is critical for immune function, stable metabolism, brain repair, learning and memory. Over the course of a lifetime, more than 30 percent of people will experience a sleep disorder, which is associated with a number of diseases including Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. |
 | Brain signature of depressed mood unveiled in new studyMost of us have had moments when we're feeling down—maybe we can't stop thinking about our worst mistakes, or our most embarrassing memories—but for some, these poor mood states can be relentless and even debilitating. Now, new research from UC San Francisco has identified a common pattern of brain activity that may be behind those feelings of low mood, particularly in people who have a tendency towards anxiety. The newly discovered network is a significant advance in research on the neurobiology of mood, and could serve as a biomarker to help scientists developing new therapies to help people with mood disorders such as depression. |
 | Watch a 3-D-engineered human heart tissue beatResearchers have developed a way to grow human heart tissue that can serve as a model for the upper chambers of the heart, known as the atria. The tissue, derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPCSs), beats, expresses genes, and responds to drugs in a manner similar to a real human atrium. The model, described November 8 in the journal Stem Cell Reports, may be useful for evaluating disease mechanisms and drugs for atrial fibrillation—the most common type of arrhythmia. |
 | Automated detection of sleep states from olfactory brain wavesScientists have developed a completely automated technique for real-time detection of sleep/wake states in freely moving mice. Conducted by Karim Benchenane, Sophie Bagur and colleagues at the National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris, the study, publishing on November 8 in the open-access journal, PLOS Biology, describes how local brain activity in the olfactory bulb is enough to accurately classify mouse vigilance states into wake, REM sleep, and non-REM sleep. The olfactory bulb is a brain structure that transmits information related to the sense of smell to the rest of the brain, and in mice projects forward from under the cerebral cortex, towards the nasal cavity. |
 | Long-term study shows that HIV-2 is deadlier than previously thoughtA study published in The Lancet HIV shows that HIV-2 is more pathogenic than previously demonstrated. The new findings indicate that early treatment should be applied to all patients with HIV, not only to those with HIV-1. |
 | Novel discovery could lead to new cancer, autoimmune disease therapyA new discovery by an international research team—co-led by UBC Canada 150 Research Chair Josef Penninger and Harvard Medical School neurobiologist Clifford Woolf—could have implications for therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. |
 | Cancer gets a sting with new discoveryToday a paper authored by 44 scientists was published in the scientific journal Nature, reporting a potential new class of immunotherapy drugs to treat some of the most common cancers. The study shows how these molecules work and what they might mean for the future of cancer treatment. |
 | A look at how colds and chronic disease affect DNA expressionWe're all born with a DNA sequence that encodes (in the form of genes) the very traits that make us, us—eye color, height, and even personality. We think of those genes as unchanging, but in reality, the way they are expressed, or turned into proteins, which are the workhorses of our molecular selves, is regularly in flux. |
 | Using mice, researchers identify how allergic shock occurs so quicklyWhen someone has a severe allergy, the life-threatening effects of an exposure are nearly instantaneous—skin rash, fainting, labored breathing, weak pulse, racing heart. |
 | Failing heart cells trigger self-protection mechanismAn unexpected finding that links a structural heart protein to gene regulation following heart stress suggests potential new avenues for developing heart failure therapies. |
 | Breast milk and babies' saliva shape oral microbiomeNewborn breastfed babies' saliva combines with breastmilk to release antibacterial compounds that help to shape the bacterial communities (microbiota) in babies' mouths, biomedical scientists have found. |
 | 'Orphan' RNAs make cancer deadlier, but potentially easier to diagnoseScientists have long known that cancer can hijack a cell's existing regulatory circuitry and transform healthy cells into deadly malignancies. But a new discovery from UC San Francisco demonstrates that cancer is more than just a mutineer that seizes control of the cell's administrative operations—it's also a clever engineer, capable of constructing entirely new disease-promoting networks out of raw materials readily available in the cell. |
 | Navigating our thoughts: Fundamental principles of thinkingIt is one of the most fundamental questions in neuroscience: How do humans think? Until recently, we seemed far from a conclusive answer. However, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) and collaborators offer a new proposal in the current issue of the journal Science—humans think using their brain's navigation system. |
 | Calcifications in the eye increase risk for progression to advanced AMD by more than six timesCalcified nodules in the retina are associated with progression to late stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Experts from Queen's University Belfast, working in partnership with the University of Alabama of Birmingham and in collaboration with UK material scientists and US clinical ophthalmology practices, made the ground-breaking discovery that the calcified nodules in the retina – the thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye – increase the risk for progression to advanced AMD more than six times. |
 | A cancer blood test based on DNA fragment sizeA team of researchers from the U.K., Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands and Switzerland has developed a new way to test for cancer—by looking at the size of tumor DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes their technique and how well it worked when tested on patients with different kinds of cancer. Ellen Heitzer and Michael Speicher, with Medical University of Graz, offer a Focus piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | Scientists find that sensory neurons can be used to discover therapies for ALSVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have shown that mutations in specific genes that destroy motor neurons and thereby cause the devastating effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis— also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease—also attack sensory neurons. |
 | Recessive genes explain only small fraction of undiagnosed developmental disordersThe Deciphering Developmental Disorders study has discovered that only a small fraction of rare, undiagnosed developmental disorders in the British Isles are caused by recessive genes. The study by researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators estimated that only five per cent of the patients had inherited a disease-causing gene mutation from both parents, far fewer than previously thought. This will guide research and could lead to a better understanding of the risk for future pregnancies. |
 | Smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure increase women's risk of heart attackSmoking, diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk of a heart attack more in women than in men, new research from The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford has found. |
 | Childhood exercise can reverse negative health effects caused by father's obesityExercise in childhood has been shown to promote long-lasting health and can counteract the risk of developing diabetes that comes from having an obese father. |
One in five homicides of children two to 14 years of age is related to intimate partner violenceApproximately 20 percent of homicides of children 2 to 14 years of age in the United States may be related to intimate partner violence (IPV), a fact that is currently underreported by the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), according to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The findings will be presented at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting in San Diego on November 12, 2018. | |
 | Patients with untreated hearing loss incur higher health care costs over timeOlder adults with untreated hearing loss incur substantially higher total health care costs compared to those who don't have hearing loss—an average of 46 percent, totaling $22,434 per person over a decade, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This is one of the largest studies to look at this issue, following many individuals for a full 10 years. The project was done in collaboration with AARP, University of California San Francisco and OptumLabs. |
ThyroSeq test helps patients avoid unnecessary diagnostic thyroid surgery, study showsA genetic test developed by researchers at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine can help avoid costly diagnostic surgery that involves removing one or both lobes of the thyroid gland, by reliably distinguishing between benign and cancerous thyroid nodules using a very small sample of cells, according to the results of an international clinical trial published today in the journal JAMA Oncology. | |
 | New decision support tool improves discharge outcomesIn an effort to lessen readmission risk after discharge and achieve the best possible outcomes for patients, hospital-based clinicians are more intentionally planning discharge of those who require post-acute care (PAC). Yet, although hospital clinicians strive to effectively refer patients who require PAC, their discharge-planning processes often vary greatly and typically are not evidence-based. |
 | Mobile workers in north Ethiopia vulnerable to visceral leishmaniasis transmissionVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a life-threatening disease transmitted by the bite of a sand fly. Between 3,700 to 7,400 people in Ethiopia are infected annually, particularly in the northern, agricultural regions with favorable climate and environment to sand fly vectors. A study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases by Rebecca Coulborn from Epicentre, France, and colleagues suggests that transitory populations in Ethiopia may be particularly vulnerable to acquisition of and death from VL infections. |
 | Flood dynamics increase population vulnerability to waterborne disease and climateDiarrheal disease, a preventable and treatable illness, remains the second-leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 and a persistent public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers have now uncovered how surface water dynamics may increase the vulnerability of dependent populations to diarrheal disease and climate change. |
 | Pain isn't just physical—why many are using painkillers for emotional reliefAustralians are increasingly using prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to ease emotional, rather than physical, pain. Our cultural understanding of pain is changing, and as a result it's becoming more difficult to distinguish intoxication from relief. |
 | Mark your calendar: All infectious diseases are seasonalMost of us are aware of the seasonal cycle of influenza outbreaks, which for Americans peak in the winter. In a new paper, Micaela Martinez, Ph.D., a scientist at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, makes a case that all infectious diseases have a seasonal element. The "Pearl" article appears in the journal PLOS Pathogens. |
 | Cannabis poisonings in children predicted to riseNow that cannabis is legal, children face a higher risk of intentional and unintentional poisoning from edibles, according to Andrew Dixon, an emergency pediatrician and professor at the University of Alberta. |
 | Researchers use burn victims' own cells to regrow skin up to 30 percent quickerUniversity of Toronto researchers are planning to give burn victims live stem cells from their own burned skin in an effort to speed up recovery and increase their chances of surviving fires and industrial accidents. |
 | How to hack your memory with memory trainingCan we train our brains to remember the things we want? |
 | Breast cancer follow-up can be less intensiveDoctoral research by Annemieke Witteveen at the University of Twente has shown that the number of follow-up visits for women after breast cancer treatment in the Netherlands could be reduced by about 9,000 visits per year. The follow-up could be offered based on the to the risk of recurrence, so that women with a low risk possible would need to revisit the hospital for a mammogram less frequently. Personalized follow-up reduces the burden on patients, care providers and possible the care budget. |
 | Stressed? Your relationship with your boss may be playing a roleEverybody knows how horrible it is to be stressed out at work. Sadly, across the world, employees are being subjected to increasing work demands and, as a result, work stress is on the rise. As we try to understand the root of the problem, we often end up blaming our boss. |
 | Berry juice processing by-products could reduce the risk of cancerScientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, are investigating the possibility of using berry pomace to increase the safety of meat products and to mitigate their negative effects on human health. According to the hypothesis proposed by the scientists, phytochemicals, i.e. the biologically active natural compounds found in berries, might mitigate the negative impact of additives used in meat products as well as naturally forming hazardous compounds during their processing, thus lowering the risk of cancer. |
 | Blue light can reduce blood pressureExposure to blue light decreases blood pressure, reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a new study from the University of Surrey and Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf in collaboration with Philips reports. |
 | Pro-breastfeeding communities empower new momsSocial media can positively influence breastfeeding related attitudes, knowledge and behavior, according to a new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Breastfeeding support groups on social media create a sense of community for new moms to share experiences and support each other in the breastfeeding practice and could be considered pillars of support for new moms. |
 | Nested sequences: An indispensable mechanism for forming memoriesRepetition is the best memorization method for neurons themselves. This is the principle behind what neurobiologists call sequence reactivations: During sleep, neurons in the hippocampus related to a task quickly activate in a precise order, which consolidates the memory of this task. Sequence reactivations are fundamental for long-term memorization and for exchanges between the hippocampus and the rest of the brain. These are only present at rest, so they appear after initial neuron activity, which implies that they "memorize" the order they should turn on in. But by which mechanism? |
 | Addition of elotuzumab ups PFS in refractory multiple myeloma(HealthDay)—For patients with multiple myeloma in whom treatment with lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor has failed, progression-free survival (PFS) is longer in those receiving the immunostimulatory monoclonal antibody elotuzumab in addition to pomalidomide and dexamethasone versus pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone, according to a study published in the Nov. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
Breakthrough mouse model for diabetic kidney disease suggests a role for immune and inflammatory pathwaysScientists led by Duke-NUS Medical School have designed mice that successfully emulate a severe form of kidney damage in humans with diabetes, called diabetic nephropathy. Genetic analyses of the mice led to the surprising finding that expression of genes controlling immune and inflammatory responses may play a causal role in promoting kidney damage, and suggest these pathways might be promising targets for therapy. | |
 | Jump into plyometrics—the exercises to power muscles(HealthDay)—Plyometrics isn't a new technique, but it's getting renewed attention because of its value as a training tool, the American Council on Exercise explains. |
 | Marijuana use tied to serious diabetes complication(HealthDay)—People with type 1 diabetes who use marijuana may double their risk of developing a life-threatening complication, a new study suggests. |
 | For adults, the terrible twos are a confusing earfulHere's another reason you might be exhausted after that preschool birthday party: Your brain had to work to figure out who actually asked for more ice cream. |
 | Men focused on muscle building struggle with binge drinking and other problemsYoung men who are overly preoccupied with building muscle have a significantly higher risk of depression, weekend binge drinking, and dieting that is not connected to obesity. They also have four times the probability of using legal and illegal supplements and anabolic steroids, a new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Harvard University has shown. |
Allergy Chip: Multi-allergen test can even be done with dried bloodUsing the Allergy Chip co-developed by MedUni Vienna, sensitisation to allergens can be detected early on. This normally requires a doctor taking a blood sample for subsequent analysis in a laboratory equipped with the Chip. In Austria, provision is excellent and there are enough laboratories offering this new test. Elsewhere, however, there are only a few per country – blood samples are therefore often protected as well as possible, carefully packed, chilled and air-freighted for analysis. That is a complicated and expensive process. A MedUni Vienna team led by lead investigator Rudolf Valenta from the Institute of Pathophysiologyand Allergy Research has now shown that this multi-allergen test works just as well with dried blood. Just a few drops of blood dried on a strip of Whatman paper (the extremely absorbent blotting paper most commonly used throughout the world) are enough. | |
 | The tobacco industry plays price games to make it even tougher to quit smokingIt is thought about two in three smokers want to kick their deadly habit, and with good reason – the same proportion of them are believed to die prematurely because of smoking. Around the world, the habit kills more than 6m people a year. |
 | In tackling our physical inactivity pandemic, we risk ignoring those who need the most helpThe longest living humans on Earth report engaging in daily physical activity as the secret of their longevity. For those who don't live such long lives, we know that spending too much time being inactive is a major cause of early death. Incredibly, it kills more people in the world than tobacco smoking each year. |
Combination chemotherapy and immunotherapy effective in Phase II leukemia studyA combination of the standard-of-care chemotherapy drug known as azacitidine, with nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, demonstrated an encouraging response rate and overall survival in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) according to findings from a Phase II study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. | |
 | Body clock researchers prevent liver cancer growth in miceThe body's internal clock could play a critical role in the fight against certain types of liver cancer, according to a preclinical study by scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The results were published recently in the journal Nature Communications. |
 | Researchers closer to gonorrhea vaccine after exhaustive analysis of proteinsIn a study of proteins historic in its scope, researchers at Oregon State University have pushed closer both to a vaccine for gonorrhea and toward understanding why the bacteria that cause the disease are so good at fending off antimicrobial drugs. |
 | Study calls for sugar taxPeople who drink sugary beverages are more likely to eat fast food and confectionery and less likely to make healthy dietary choices, University of Otago research has found. |
Doctor and dad duo design new 'cancer maps' to aid diagnosisA GP has joined forces with his dad to invent a new online mind-mapping tool for doctors that aims to help GPs speed up cancer diagnosis. | |
 | More adults and children are using yoga and meditationOver the past five years, more Americans of all ages are rolling out their yoga mats and meditating. A large nationally representative survey shows that the number of American adults and children using yoga and meditation has significantly increased over previous years and that use of chiropractic care has increased modestly for adults and held steady for children. |
 | What do metastatic cancer cells have in common with sharks?When animal predators search for sparsely distributed food, they maximize their chances of success by adopting a special movement pattern composed of many small steps interspersed with infrequent but long strides toward new hunting grounds. These so-called "Lévy walks" have been studied for several decades and observed in foraging mammals, birds, sharks, and even immune cells searching for infected cells. Researchers at the Center for Soft and Living Matter, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea, and several collaborating institutes in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Poland have reported that when cancer cells become invasive (metastatic), they start behaving in "predatory" ways. |
 | NC reports the first death from Hepatitis A outbreakNorth Carolina has reported its first death from Hepatitis A, a virus-borne infection that can be prevented by vaccination. |
Rushing kids to specialize in one sport may not be best path to successIt may be tempting for parents or coaches to urge young children to specialize in one sport early on to help maximize their chance at making it to the big leagues, but that might not be the best path to success. | |
 | Can stimulating the brain treat chronic pain?For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine showed they could target one brain region with a weak alternating current of electricity, enhance the naturally occurring brain rhythms of that region, and significantly decrease symptoms associated with chronic lower back pain. |
 | Traditional glaucoma test can miss severity of diseaseThe most common tests for glaucoma can underestimate the severity of the condition by not detecting the presence of central vision loss, according to a new Columbia University study. |
 | Genetic 'whodunnit' for cancer gene solvedLong thought to suppress cancer by slowing cellular metabolism, the protein complex AMPK also seemed to help some tumors grow, confounding researchers. Now, Salk Institute researchers have solved the long-standing mystery around why AMPK can both hinder and help cancer. |
 | Pilot study suggests pedal desks could address health risks of sedentary workplaceA recent pilot study by kinesiologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that pedaling while conducting work tasks improved insulin responses to a test meal. Investigators led by Dr. Stuart Chipkin found that insulin levels following the meal were lower when sedentary workers used a pedal desk compared to a standard desk. In addition, work skills were not decreased in the pedaling condition. |
 | Neurons that fire together, don't always wire togetherAs the adage goes "neurons that fire together, wire together," but a new paper published today in Neuron demonstrates that, in addition to response similarity, projection target also constrains local connectivity. |
 | Link between autoimmune, heart disease explained in micePeople with autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, even though none of these conditions seem to target the cardiovascular system directly. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis believe they have begun to understand the link between the two. |
 | FDA approves return of popular Primatene Mist asthma inhalerA new version of the once-popular asthma inhaler Primatene Mist will soon return to U.S. stores. |
Study triggers change in WHO treatment guidelines for lymphatic filariasisResearchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have shown that a single "cocktail" of three pill-based anti-parasite medications is significantly more effective at killing microscopic larval worms in people diagnosed with lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, than other standard two-drug combinations previously used in the global effort to eliminate this infectious disease. A combination of all three drugs given simultaneously had never been tested until now. An estimated 120 million people in over 50 tropical and subtropical countries are infected with lymphatic filariasis and another 856 million people are at risk. | |
Brain learns to recognize familiar faces regardless of where they are in the visual fieldA Dartmouth study finds that recognition of faces varies by where they appear in the visual field and this variability is reduced by learning familiar faces through social interactions. These biases are stable and idiosyncratic. More importantly, these biases are reduced for more familiar identities suggesting that the brain recognizes personally familiar faces more uniformly across the visual field. The findings suggest that repeated social interactions may tune populations of visual neurons in the face processing network to enable consistent and rapid recognition of familiar faces. The study was published in eNeuro, an open-access journal of the Society for Neuroscience. | |
 | Double whammy for grieving spouses with sleep problemsSleep disturbances have a strong negative impact on the immune system of people who have recently lost a spouse, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine and Rice University. |
 | Report finds inequity may slow progress in preventing child pneumonia and diarrhea deathsGlobally, pneumonia and diarrhea together led to nearly one of every four deaths that occurred in children under five years of age in 2016. The 2018 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report—released ahead of the 10th annual World Pneumonia Day, on November 12, by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health—describes efforts to fight pneumonia and diarrhea in 15 countries with the greatest number of deaths from these illnesses. |
 | Social media use increases depression and lonelinessThe link between the two has been talked about for years, but a causal connection had never been proven. For the first time, University of Pennsylvania research based on experimental data connects Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use to decreased well-being. Psychologist Melissa G. Hunt published her findings in the December Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. |
 | US smoking rates hit record low(HealthDay)—Cigarette smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. |
 | Yoga, meditation surging in popularity in US(HealthDay)—If it seems like everyone you know is trying yoga or meditation, you might be right. A new government survey shows that the number of Americans practicing the "mindfulness" techniques has surged in the past few years. |
 | Traumatic childhood could increase heart disease risk in adulthoodChildren who grow up in distressing or traumatic environments are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke by the time they reach middle age, according to a new study. |
 | Concussion-related biomarkers vary based on sex, race(HealthDay)—Concussion-related serum biomarkers vary by sex and race, which may complicate their interpretation, according to three studies published online Nov. 7 in Neurology. |
 | Age, race are leading predictors of heart attacks in pregnant womenHeart attacks in pregnant women are rare, but the number is rising, particularly among older expectant mothers, according to a new study that looked at the most common factors behind the increase. |
 | First-ever prostate cancer treatment uses gold nanoparticles to destroy tumorous cellsA small clinical trial using gold nanoparticles that act as tumor-seeking missiles on a mission to remove prostate cancer has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). It is the first trial of its kind in the world. |
 | Moving the motivation meterTwo novel drugs kickstart motivation in rats suffering from apathy and a lack of oomph, UConn researchers reported at the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego on Nov. 5. |
 | When low-income families can meet their basic needs, children are healthierA series of reports from five cities across the US found that young children and their parents are healthier when they are able to afford basic needs. New research published by Children's HealthWatch, headquartered at Boston Medical Center, highlights the need for policymakers to improve access to and effectiveness of programs that enable all families with low incomes to afford basic needs such as food, shelter, utilities, medical care, prescription medicines and childcare. |
 | Dissecting digital cadaversWith the click of a button, Vivien Coulson-Thomas removes the cadaver's skin. Another click and she removes muscle to reveal her target—blood vessels. All the while the assistant professor of optometry marvels at the one-touch dissection process. |
High patient satisfaction rates after 'Adam's apple' reduction surgeryCosmetic surgery to reduce the masculine appearance of the "Adam's apple" has a high patient satisfaction rate, according to a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). | |
 | New research documents how modifications to RNA keep nerve junctions flexibleResearchers found that a molecule, called m6A, makes modifications at brain-nerve junctions that are essential for proper signal transmission. The research finding, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, could help further understanding of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism. |
 | 'Boy erased'—why conversion therapies and ex-gay ministries should be outlawed"Pray the gay away" is shorthand for Christian programs that, disguised as love, purport that God heals homosexuality. Through the lens of sexual sin, homosexuality is construed as something in need of healing, a disease in need of a cure, an error in need of remedy. |
 | Meet the men who donate sperm on FacebookGeorge (not his real name) is 24 and single. In the past four years, he has helped three couples get pregnant. The first couple had two sons. The second couple had a girl. And the third couple just found out they are expecting. A participant in my research, he said: "I'm making a huge impact on these people's lives. Why not keep helping them out?" |
 | Possible Salmonella prompts Duncan Hines cake mix recall(HealthDay)—Four varieties of Duncan Hines cake mix have been recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination. |
 | Medicaid expansion approved in three Republican-leaning states(HealthDay)—Hundreds of thousands more low-income Americans could get health insurance after voters in three Republican-leaning states approved Medicaid expansion in the midterm elections. |
New legal maps capture important policy strategies for addressing the opioid epidemicTwo new legal maps released today on LawAtlas.org track key laws and other regulatory strategies related to managing access to opioid prescriptions in the United States. | |
Targeted radiation provides option for kids with difficult-to-treat liver cancerTargeted tumor radiation provides a feasible treatment option for children with difficult-to-treat liver cancer, according to a new study published today in the journal Pediatric Blood and Cancer. The treatment, known as Transarterial Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 (TARE-Y90), shows promise for patients with liver cancer that is resistant to chemotherapy and cannot be surgically removed to help improve survival time, or to shrink tumor size to allow for surgical treatment or transplant. | |
Why modest goals are so appealingThanks to a quirk in the way our brain evaluates goals, people feel it's easier to achieve a small incremental goal than to maintain the status quo, when both goals are assessed in isolation. This is especially true if the context is seen as unfavourable. | |
Radiation therapy advances extend, improve lives of patients with anal cancer, studies findTwo recent studies find advances in radiation therapy are helping to prolong or improve the lives of people with anal cancer, including those whose cancer has advanced to stage IV. Both studies were published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (Red Journal), the flagship scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). | |
 | After long wait, 1st legal pot shops on East Coast to openWith its youthful vibe and eclectic mix of culture, a small Massachusetts city seems a logical site for the nation's first legal recreational marijuana sales east of Colorado. |
Harvard Medical School receives 'transformational' giftHarvard has received a $200 million gift that officials say is the largest in its medical school's 236-year history. | |
 | Prostate cancer radiotherapy more precisely targeted with nuclear medicine imagingCurrent standard imaging techniques for initial staging of prostate cancer often underestimate the extent of disease beyond the prostate. A study featured in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine's November issue demonstrates that prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can pinpoint prostate cancer locations with superior accuracy. More accurate detection makes more precisely targeted treatment possible. Men with non-metastatic disease who chose radiotherapy could, therefore, improve their chances of a successful outcome with PSMA PET/CT imaging to more accurately define the areas targeted for irradiation. |
 | Study demonstrates that long-term follow up in a trauma patient population is achievableAchieving high follow-up rates for a difficult-to-track violently injured emergency department population is feasible. That is the finding of a study to be published in the November 2018 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), a journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). |
Conversion 'therapy' begins at homeA study from the Family Acceptance Project (FAP) has found that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young people who experience sexual orientation change efforts during adolescence report attempts to change their sexual orientation (often called "conversion therapy") both by their parents and by therapists and religious leaders. | |
Biology news
 | Loss is more: Today's budding yeasts shed traits from their 400-million-year-old ancestorOn their way to decoding the genome of every organism in a major branch of the tree of life—that of the humble budding yeasts—a team of evolutionary biologists successfully reconstructed the genomic and metabolic characteristics of the last common ancestor of today's more than 1,000 species of the organism. |
 | Replaying the tape of life: Is it possible?How predictable is evolution? The answer has long been debated by biologists grappling with the extent to which history affects the repeatability of evolution. |
 | Study shows pesticide exposure can dramatically impact bees' social behaviorsFor bees, being social is everything. |
 | Dry conditions may have helped a new type of plant gain a foothold on EarthIn the dramatically changing conditions of ancient Earth, organisms had to evolve new strategies to keep up. From the mid-Oligocene, roughly 30 million years ago, to the mid-to-late Miocene, about 5 million years ago, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere fell by a roughly a third. This same period saw the emergence of a new form of photosynthesis in a subset of plants, the C4 pathway. Present in a subset of plants, the C4 pathway supplemented the earlier C3 photosynthetic pathway, meaning those species now reaped energy from the sun using two different strategies. |
 | We now know how RNA molecules are organized in cellsWorking with colleagues in the U.S., a team of Université de Montreal researchers has for the first time visualized how RNA molecules are organized in cells. |
 | Researchers generate plants with enhanced drought resistance without penalizing growthExtreme drought is one of the effects of climate change that is already occurring. This year, the decrease in rainfall and the abnormally hot temperatures in northern and eastern Europe have caused large losses in cereals and potato crops and in other horticultural species. Experts have long warned that to ensure food security, it is becoming necessary to use plant varieties that are productive in drought conditions. Now, a team led by the researcher at the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) Ana Caño-Delgado has obtained plants with increased drought resistance by modifying the signaling of plant steroid hormones known as brassinosteroids. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to find a strategy to increase hydric stress resistance without affecting overall plant growth. |
 | Decline in shorebirds linked to climate change, experts warnClimate change could be responsible for a substantial decline in populations of shorebirds, say researchers from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, following a study published in Science analysing population data over a period of 70 years. |
 | Short stature in rainforest hunter-gatherers may be linked to cardiac adaptationAfrican and Asian rainforest hunter-gatherers share short stature, and now an international team of researchers has shown that this is an example of convergent adaptation that may also be linked to changes in cardiac development pathways. |
 | Exploiting epigenetic variation for plant breedingEpigenetic changes can bring about new traits without altering the sequence of genes. This may allow plants to respond quicker to changes in their environment. Plant biologists at the University of Zurich have now demonstrated that epigenetic variation is also subject to selection and can be inherited. This could expand the possibilities for crop breeding. |
 | Embryos remember the chemicals that they encounterWe all start out as a clump of identical cells. As these cells divide and multiply, they gradually take on distinct identities, acquiring the traits necessary to form, for instance, muscle tissue, bone, or nerves. A recent study from Rockefeller scientists offers new insight into how these cellular identities are cultivated over the course of development. |
 | Unique study shows how bats manoeuvreFor the first time, researchers have succeeded in directly measuring the aerodynamics of flying animals as they manoeuvre in the air. Previously, the upstroke of the wings was considered relatively insignificant compared to the powerful downstroke but, in a new study, biologists at Lund University in Sweden have observed that it is on the upstroke of the wings that bats often turn. |
 | Some of retina's light-sensing cells may have ancient rootsScientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified what may be an ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells. |
 | Common allergen, ragweed, will shift northward under climate changeNew research from the University of Washington and the University of Massachusetts—Amherst looks at how the most common cause of sneezing and sniffling in North America is likely to shift under climate change. |
 | Culture may explain why brains have become biggerA theory called the cultural brain hypothesis could explain extraordinary increases in brain size in humans and other animals over the last few million years, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics and Political Science and Harvard University, and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and Harvard University. |
 | Live-streaming a marshland for fun—and scienceIf a tree falls in the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, it doesn't matter if there's no one around. You can hear it anyway. |
 | Marine Protected Areas overlook a large fraction of biodiversity hotspotsCurrent marine protected areas (MPAs) leave almost three-quarters of ecologically and functionally important species unprotected, concludes a new performance assessment of the Finnish MPA network. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the study finds the MPAs were designated with little knowledge of local marine biodiversity—and that increasing existing networks by just 1% in ecologically most relevant areas could double conservation of the most important species. In addition to identifying areas of high conservation value, the methodology—which uses a unique new dataset of 140,000 samples—can also be used in ecosystem-based marine spatial planning and impact avoidance, including siting of wind energy infrastructure, aquaculture and other human activities. |
 | Learning from gorillas to save killer whalesIn 2018, the southern resident killer whale population in the Pacific Northwest's Salish Sea was at its lowest ever. The world watched in September as an orca named Scarlet, or J50, wasted away and died, leaving just 74 of her kind left. Some wondered if this was "What extinction looks like." |
 | DNA fragments reveal the variety of species in riversBits of genetic material in rivers make it possible to detect the organisms living in them – without having to collect these and examine them under the microscope. Researchers at Eawag, the ETH and the EPFL have now developed a computer model that, with the help of single DNA measurements, even simulates exactly where and how often the species are present in bodies of water. |
 | Are organisms basically living machines?Scientists are increasingly interested in the prospect of solving a range of fundamental problems facing our civilisation by designing and reconstructing organisms. |
 | Molecular inhibition gets cells on the moveResearchers at Osaka University show how the mutual inhibition of two molecules results in their localization at opposite ends of cells, acting as a trigger for the formation of appendages at one cell end that makes directional cell movement possible |
 | Hunt for interesting metabolites with the antiSMASH databaseScientists who hunt for interesting bacterial metabolites using the online tool antiSMASH now have the opportunity to use an antiSMASH database with pre-calculated results of nearly 25,000 bacterial genomes. This database will ease the discovery of antibiotics, pesticides, and anti-cancer drugs. |
 | New integrated analytical approach reveals molecules involved in diseaseTechnological advances have enabled scientists to obtain massive amounts of data on different information-carrying molecules in cells and tissues, such as DNA, proteins and various forms of RNA. However, to date, it has been difficult to perform integrated analyses of such information to further our knowledge on the molecules and processes involved in the development of particular diseases. |
 | Bats versus dolphins – the ultimate battle of sonar systemsActive sensors are incorporated into a number of technologies, such as meteorology devices and self-driving cars, and use the echo from sound, radio or light waves to locate objects. But despite nearly a century of development, these active sensing technologies still fail to replicate the performance of sonars (sound waves) used in the biological world by dolphins and bats for echolocation. |
 | Florida monarch butterfly populations have dropped 80 percent since 2005A 37-year survey of monarch populations in North Central Florida shows that caterpillars and butterflies have been declining since 1985 and have dropped by 80 percent since 2005. |
 | Biodiversity draws the ecotourism crowdNature—if you support it, ecotourists will come. Managed wisely, both can win. |
 | Unique Indigenous native seed farm to help meet supply challengesA team of scientists from Curtin University's ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration (CMSR) has helped to install an Indigenous-owned and operated native seed farm to supply Australia's growing land rehabilitation needs. |
 | Researchers work with sushi restaurants to reduce seafood fraudA new monitoring project involving UCLA researchers and partners aims to take "fake sushi" off Los Angeles diners' plates. The Los Angeles Seafood Monitoring Project team—which includes university researchers, students, sushi restaurants and government regulators—is working to reduce sushi fraud and the mislabeling of fish. |
 | Yellowstone streams recovering thanks to wolf reintroductionIn the first study of its kind, research by Oregon State University scientists shows that the return of large terrestrial carnivores can lead to improved stream structure and function. |
 | New tool to predict which plants will become invasiveAround the world, over 13,000 plant species have embedded themselves in new environments—some of them integrate with the native plants, but others spread aggressively. Understanding why some plants become invasive, while others do not is critical to preserving the world's biodiversity. |
 | Lions suspected in drowning of 400 buffaloes in BotswanaMore than 400 buffaloes believed to have been chased by lions drowned in a river in northern Bostwana this week, the government said. |
 | Video: Is throwing rice at weddings bad for birds?Many people believe that throwing rice at weddings is harmful to wild birds. Supposedly, the rice expands in the birds' digestive systems and injures them. |
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