Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 6, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Helium exoplanet inflated like a balloon, research showsAstronomers have discovered a distant planet with an abundance of helium in its atmosphere, which has swollen to resemble an inflated balloon. |
 | Unknown treasure trove of planets found hiding in dust"Super-Earths" and Neptune-sized planets could be forming around young stars in much greater numbers than scientists thought, new research by an international team of astronomers suggests. |
 | An exoplanet loses its atmosphere in the form of a tailA new study led by scientists from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) reveals that the giant exoplanet WASP-69b carries a comet-like tail made up of helium particles escaping from its gravitational field and propelled by the ultraviolet radiation of its star. The results of this work are published today in the journal Science. |
 | Bizarre 'dark fluid' with negative mass could dominate the universeIt's embarrassing, but astrophysicists are the first to admit it. Our best theoretical model can only explain 5% of the universe. The remaining 95% is famously made up almost entirely of invisible, unknown material dubbed dark energy and dark matter. So even though there are a billion trillion stars in the observable universe, they are actually extremely rare. |
 | Mice display altered immune system following spaceflightNew research published in The FASEB Journal brings to light new information regarding the increased susceptibility of mice to infection during spaceflight. Based on examinations of mice that had been on board the Bion-M1 biosatellite, the study demonstrates that the outer space environment impairs the production of B lymphocytes, the white blood cells responsible for antibody production. The study also shows that such adverse effects persist at least one week after returning to Earth. |
 | Getting a grip on space weatherAn international group of scientists has developed a new method for analyzing the sun's energy outbursts, which can help better understand and predict extreme space weather phenomena that directly affect the operation of engineering systems in space and on Earth. The results of their study were published in the Astrophysical Journal. |
 | Blast off for first UK-led experiment on the International Space StationUK-led research is taking place on the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, following a successful launch from Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral in the US. |
 | LIGO supercomputer upgrade will speed up groundbreaking astrophysics researchIn 2016, an international team of scientists found definitive evidence—tiny ripples in space known as gravitational waves—to support one of the last remaining untested predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity. The team used the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), which has since made several gravitational wave discoveries. Each discovery was possible in part because of a global network of supercomputer clusters, one of which is housed at Penn State. Researchers use this network, known as the LIGO Data Grid, to analyze the gravitational wave data. |
 | Can space help us understand our cells?Do astronauts' brains get bigger in space? The answer may be found in 10 small containers of human brain cells on board a SpaceX spacecraft that is scheduled for blast off Dec. 5 for a 16-month voyage to the International Space Station as part of joint project between UCLA and the NASA Ames Research Center. |
 | Dutch research team involved in first landing on the far side of the moonThe Chinese space agency will be launching the Chang'e 4 moon lander on Friday 7 December, hoping to make China the first country to land on the far side of the moon. Dutch astronomers are also looking forward to the launch as they are collaborating with Chinese scientists on this mission. A satellite containing a Dutch radio instrument has already been launched to the far side of the moon, ready to be switched on once the moon lander touches down. |
 | Space weather 'piggyback'The first ESA-funded space weather monitoring instrument was launched on 4 December 2018, hitching a ride on South Korea's new geostationary satellite, GEO-KOMPSAT-2A – the Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-2A. |
Technology news
 | A conceptual framework for modeling human-robot trustResearchers at Pennsylvania State University, MIT and Georgia Institute of Technology have recently developed a conceptual framework to model the human-robot trust phenomenon. Their framework, outlined in a paper published on ACM Digital Library, uses computational representations inspired by game theory to represent trust, a notion defined using theory in social psychology. |
 | 'Sun in a box' would store renewable energy for the gridMIT engineers have come up with a conceptual design for a system to store renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, and deliver that energy back into an electric grid on demand. The system may be designed to power a small city not just when the sun is up or the wind is high, but around the clock. |
 | New battery concept based on fluoride ions may increase battery lifespansImagine not having to charge your phone or laptop for weeks. That is the dream of researchers looking into alternative batteries that go beyond the current lithium-ion versions popular today. Now, in a new study appearing in the journal Science, chemists at several institutions, including Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech for NASA, as well as the Honda Research Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have hit on a new way of making rechargeable batteries based on fluoride, the negatively charged form, or anion, of the element fluorine. |
 | Google's personal-touch reach gets spotlight in DuckDuckGo studyGoogle Chrome Help tells visitors that "When you browse privately, other people who use the device won't see your activity. Chrome doesn't save your browsing history or information entered in forms. Cookies and site data are remembered while you're browsing, but deleted when you exit Incognito mode." But then it says "Incognito mode stops Chrome from saving your browsing activity. Your activity might still be visible to: Websites you visit, including the ads and resources used on those sites Your employer, school, or whoever runs the network you're using. Your internet service provider." |
 | Team creates 3-D-printed glucose biosensorsA 3-D-printed glucose biosensor for use in wearable monitors has been created by Washington State University researchers. |
 | Zuckerberg defends Facebook in new data breach controversyFacebook chief Mark Zuckerberg pushed back Wednesday against emails showing the social media giant offering Netflix and other popular apps preferential access to people's data even after it had tightened its privacy rules. |
 | Location data as an 'identifier' of personal dataA recent doctoral dissertation in legal studies reveals alarming news regarding the vulnerability of location and location data on mobile devices, and while using the internet and location-based services (LBSs) in those devices. |
 | Looking past the hype about 'trackless trams'The optically guided bus is the latest in a long line of initiatives to repackage the bus as premium rail-derived technology. The name "trackless trams", the vehicle design, and the modest deployment costs all have broad appeal. The concept has gained traction in Australia, with prominent advocates including Professor Peter Newman. |
 | Protecting our digital heritage in the age of cyber threatsOne of the key functions of the government is to collect and archive national records. This includes everything from property records and registers of births, deaths and taxes, to Parliamentary proceedings, and even the ABC's digital library of Australian news and entertainment. |
 | An app for operating a self-driving carThe Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and IT Engineering, a Korean electric vehicle producer, have jointly developed a smartphone software package for calling and moving a self-driving car with voice recognition. |
 | Widespread decrease in wind energy resources found over the Northern HemisphereAs climate change is becoming a greater matter of concern, efforts on mitigation are being undertaken by the world community. Developing clean and renewable energy is a major component of those efforts for its significant contribution to reducing carbon emission to the atmosphere compared with fossil fuel. In 2016, renewable energy contributed more than 19 percent to global energy consumption. Of all the renewable energy sources, the wind is key in terms of installed electricity generating capacity, which is only exceeded by hydropower. |
 | Here's why data breaches like the one at Marriott are 'treasure troves for spammers'The massive data breach revealed by Marriott International sheds light on what hackers often do with the personal data they steal, said Long Lu, a cybersecurity expert at Northeastern. Hackers, he said, frequently sell people's names, email addresses, and other personal information to spammers who, in turn, use it steal people's identities or trick people into installing harmful software or buying fake merchandise. |
 | Keeping up with Moore's LawThese days, Moore's Law is not so much a scientific law as an aspiration. The notion that there is a doubling every year of the number of components that can be squeezed on to the same area of integrated circuitry was first observed in the mid-1960s by Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. Ever since the microelectronics industry has strived to Moore's Law although in some periods that annual doubling seems to occur over a period of 18 months if not longer. |
 | Smart trains with no driverEveryone's talking about autonomous cars, wondering if they'll soon be whizzing along our roads. This hype surprises me, because many vehicles in other transport systems have been moving about driverless for years, or even decades. In industrial environments and harbours, automated transport systems have been in place for over 60 years. And most of the metros are highly automated. These systems just haven't received much media attention, maybe because they pose fewer ethical and regulatory challenges than autonomous cars. |
 | The web really isn't worldwide: Every country has different accessWhat the internet looks like to users in the U.S. can be quite different from the online experience of people in other countries. Some of those variations are due to government censorship of online services, which is a significant threat to internet freedom worldwide. But private companies – many based in the U.S. – are also building obstacles to users from around the world who want to freely explore the internet. |
 | Sails make a comeback as shipping tries to go greenAs the shipping industry faces pressure to cut climate-altering greenhouse gases, one answer is blowing in the wind. |
 | More belt-tightening at VW to fund electric new startGerman car giant Volkswagen said Thursday it is looking for three billion euros ($3.8 billion) in new savings to help fund its pivot towards electric vehicles, adding that it could not rule out job cuts. |
 | Australia passes cyber snooping laws with global implicationsAustralia Thursday passed controversial laws allowing spies and police to snoop on the encrypted communications of suspected terrorists and criminals, as experts warned the "unprecedented powers" had far-reaching implications for global cybersecurity. |
 | EKG, other heart health features come to Apple WatchApple Watch is now fulfilling its promise to let people take EKGs of their heart and notify them of any irregular heartbeat. |
 | Millions of O2, SoftBank customers hit by glitchUK mobile phone operator O2 and Japan's SoftBank said Thursday that tens of millions of their customers were unable to use data due to a glitch with sofware made by Sweden's Ericsson. |
 | Nissan hit by new inspection scandal after Ghosn arrest: reportNissan plans to conduct another recall owing to "improper" tests on new vehicles, a newspaper said Thursday, dealing a fresh blow to the Japanese car giant following the shock arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn. |
 | Top Huawei executive detained in Canada, angering ChinaA top executive and daughter of the founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei has been arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the United States, officials said Thursday, angering Beijing days into a trade war truce with the US. |
 | 5G network to improve road safetyNext-generation mobile network and fast data transmission solutions can be used to collect a huge amount of data on vehicles on the road. The information can be used, for example, to provide road weather services, carry out road maintenance and control self-driving cars. Ultimately the aim is to reduce accidents. |
 | Electrifying transportation in Trikala, GreeceAn EU project will deploy 10 new light electric vehicles in smart city Trikala to show citizens the benefits of driving three- and four-wheel electric vehicles in urban areas. |
 | Toothed giant rips through Alps despite rail link protestsThere is a fierce nip in the air outside, but inside the temperature is almost tropical and the further you advance into the dark, the louder the noise becomes. |
 | US interstate highways need overhaul, says new reportThe future of the U.S. Interstate Highway System is threatened by a persistent and growing backlog of structural and operational deficiencies and by various looming challenges, such as the progress of automated vehicles, developments in electric vehicles, and vulnerabilities due to climate change. Unless a commitment is made to remedy the system's deficiencies and prepare for these oncoming challenges, there is a real risk that the nation's interstates will become increasingly unreliable and congested, far more costly to maintain, less safe, incompatible with evolving technology, and vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report calls for a 20-year "blueprint for action," which includes creating an "Interstate Highway System Renewal and Modernization Program," increasing the federal fuel tax to help pay for it, and allowing tolls and per-mile-charges on more interstate routes. |
 | Internet access via mobile phones starts for all CubansFor the first time, average Cubans became eligible to sign up for internet service for their mobile phones Thursday, a development long awaited on the communist-ruled island. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Progress made in transplanting pig hearts into baboonsA large team of researchers from several institutions in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. has transplanted pig hearts into baboons and kept them alive for an extended period of time. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes changes they made to heart transplant procedures and how well they worked. Christoph Knosalla with the German Heart Center Berlin has written a News & Views piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | Classifying brain microglia: Which are good and which are bad?Microglia are known to be important to brain function. The immune cells have been found to protect the brain from injury and infection and are critical during brain development, helping circuits wire properly. They also seem to play a role in disease—showing up, for example, around brain plaques in people with Alzheimer's. |
 | Link between neonatal vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia confirmedNewborns with vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life, a team of Australian and Danish researchers has reported. |
 | Scientists cut main heart disease risk locus out of DNA by genome editingOver the past decade we've learned that billions of people carry a mysterious specter in their DNA that strongly increases their risk for life threatening cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks, aneurysms or strokes, no matter what diet, exercise or medical regimen they follow. |
 | 'Chemo brain' caused by malfunction in three types of brain cells, study findsMore than half of cancer survivors suffer from cognitive impairment from chemotherapy that lingers for months or years after the cancer is gone. In a new study explaining the cellular mechanisms behind this condition, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have demonstrated that a widely used chemotherapy drug, methotrexate, causes a complex set of problems in three major cell types within the brain's white matter. |
 | Hysterectomy linked to memory deficit in an animal modelBy age 60, one in three American women have had a hysterectomy. Though hysterectomy is a prevalent and routine surgery, the removal of the uterus before natural menopause might actually be problematic for cognitive processes like memory. |
 | Newly identified T cells could play a role in cancer and other diseasesResearchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have identified a new type of T cell called a phospholipid-reactive T cell that is able to recognize phospholipids, the molecules that help form cells' outer membranes. |
 | Silicosis is on the rise, but is there a therapeutic target?Researchers from the CNRS, the University of Orléans, and the company Artimmune, in collaboration with Turkish clinicians from Atatürk University, have identified a key mechanism of lung inflammation induced by silica exposure, which leads to silicosis, an incurable disease. Their study in mice and patients, published in Nature Communications (December 6th, 2018), shows that this inflammation can be prevented by extracellular DNA degradation, suggesting a new therapeutic target. |
 | Hybrid prevalence estimation: Method to improve intervention coverage estimationsLSTM's Professor Joseph Valadez is senior author on a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which outlines proposals for a more accurate estimator of health data. |
 | Major breakthrough in quest for cancer vaccineThe idea of a cancer vaccine is something researchers have been working on for over 50 years, but until recently they were never able to prove exactly how such a vaccine would work. |
 | PET scans to optimize tuberculosis meningitis treatments and personalize care, study findsAlthough relatively rare in the United States, and accounting for fewer than 5 percent of tuberculosis cases worldwide, TB of the brain—or tuberculosis meningitis (TBM)—is often deadly, always hard to treat, and a particular threat to young children. It may leave survivors with lifelong brain damage. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have used PET scans, a rabbit model and a specially tagged version of the TB drug rifampin to advance physicians' understanding of this disease by showing precisely how little rifampin ever reaches the sites of TB infection in the brain. |
Three quarters of a Quebec population fall short of healthy eating guidelinesIn a web-based study reported in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, more than three quarters of French-speaking adults in Quebec, Canada, fall short of meeting current dietary guidelines regarding consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, sodium, and saturated fats. The authors recommend stronger, more impactful actions to support everyone in adopting healthier dietary habits to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. While these observations relate specifically to the population analyzed, similar findings might apply to many other jurisdictions internationally if studied. | |
Cardiac rehabilitation linked to improved sexual functioning and frequencyA new systematic review of the literature comparing the sexual health of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who attended cardiac rehabilitation (CR) with patients who did not, found that rehab attendance is associated with improved sexual function and sexual frequency. Published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, the study validates the benefit of exercise training and points to the need for more high quality research to better understand the role of counseling and other therapies in easing the sexual repercussions of a cardiac event. The investigators also conclude that more evidence is needed to clarify whether CR has an impact on sexual satisfaction, sexual activity resumption, and other aspects of sexual health. | |
 | Revolutionary technology pinpoints biopsies to detect prostate cancerMedical software developed at UCL that overlays tumour information from MRI scans onto ultrasound images can help guide surgeons conducting biopsies and improve prostate cancer detection. |
 | New PET tracer identified for imaging tau in Alzheimer's disease patientsIn the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the search for effective treatments, tau tangles in the brain have joined amyloid build-up as markers of the disease and potential therapy targets. In the December issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the featured article of the month reports on the identification of a promising second-generation positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for imaging and measuring tau pathology. |
 | Food system organizations must strengthen their operations to safeguard against potential threatsFood systems face growing threats as extreme weather events become more common and more extreme due to climate change. Events such as Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 have drawn attention to the havoc natural disasters can wreak. A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, highlights characteristics of organizations involved in the food system that may lead them to be more prepared to respond to such disasters, and opportunities for local, state, and federal organizations to improve resilience across the urban food system. |
 | Study explores sexuality and gender gaps in political perspectives among college studentsA University of Oklahoma sociologist, Meredith Worthen, has published a new study in the journal, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, on sexuality and gender gaps in political perspectives among lesbian, gay, bisexual, mostly heterosexual and heterosexual college students in the southern United States. Worthen confirms a clear "sexuality gap" between exclusive heterosexuals and all others as well as gender gaps among mostly heterosexual and lesbian, gay and bisexual students, though some gaps are in the opposite direction from the results expected. |
 | Protecting cell powerhouse paves way to better treatment of acute kidney injuryFor the first time, scientists have described the body's natural mechanism for temporarily protecting the powerhouses of kidney cells when injury or disease means they aren't getting enough blood or oxygen. |
 | Subtype of immune B cells can delay type 1 diabetes onset in miceA team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Michigan Medical School reports today in the JCI Insight that a subset of immune B cells, known as CD19+IgM+ B cells, can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in a mouse model of the condition. These findings open an opportunity to develop novel treatments for a subgroup of diabetes mellitus that affects about 420 million people around the world. |
 | Predicting the transmission of rare, genetically based diseasesThere are only 25 people in the whole of Quebec at the moment who have a rare recessive genetic disease called chronic atrial and intestinal dysrhythmia (CAID). It is a serious disease that affects both heart rate and intestinal movements. A McGill-led research team has been able to trace the gene mutations underlying the disease back to two European founding families who arrived in the province in the 17th century. To track the transmission histories of these rare mutations, the researchers developed a sophisticated computational process, which took two weeks to run, that should help them and others trace a range of other genetically based rare diseases. They hope to extend their search techniques to tracing the transmission histories of more common genetically based diseases in the future and to identify new genetic variants responsible for rare diseases. |
 | Putting the brakes on tumor stealthNew research undertaken at Monash University has shed new light on how some cancers are able to escape our immune system. |
Study among first to describe work environments for nurses in MexicoA study of nurses in Mexico identifies both positive and problematic areas of their work environments, with age, experience, and education level influencing nurses' perceptions of their workplaces. | |
 | Obesity intervention needed before pregnancyNew research from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute supports the need for dietary and lifestyle interventions before overweight and obese women become pregnant. |
 | Natural compound 2HF treats leishmaniasis infections, study findsCurrent treatment options for the parasitic disease leishmaniasis are largely ineffective, expensive, and tend to be plagued by resistant parasites and side effects. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have showed that a natural flavonoid is effective at treating Leishmania amazonensis infections. |
 | Infectivity of different HIV-1 strains may depend on which cell receptors they targetDistinct HIV-1 strains may differ in the nature of the CCR5 molecules to which they bind, affecting which cells they can infect and their ability to enter cells, according to a study published December 6 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Bernard Lagane of the Institut Pasteur and INSERM, and colleagues. As noted by the authors, the findings have implications for the development of HIV-1 entry inhibitors targeting CCR5. |
 | More people are experiencing severe food allergies than ever beforeThe recent inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from anaphylaxis after eating a Pret A Manger baguette she was unaware contained sesame, could lead to a change in labelling legislation. Indeed, a recent investigation found that undeclared allergens were present in a quarter of foods sampled. But a more fundamental issue needs to be addressed: why are more people experiencing severe food allergies than ever before? |
 | Why Victorians feared modern technology would make everyone blindFrom concerns over blue light to digital strain and dryness, headlines today often worry how smartphones and computer screens might be affecting the health of our eyes. But while the technology may be new, this concern certainly isn't. Since Victorian times people have been concerned about how new innovations might damage eyesight. |
 | New genetic insight could help treat rare debilitating heart and lung conditionThe largest study of genetic variation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension has associated two important genes with the disease. |
 | A new therapeutic target for metastatic and resistant prostate cancersProstate Cancer researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Dr. Álvaro Aytés report a new combined therapy to fight the most aggressive and resistant prostate cancers. The team, which has just published its results in Nature Communications, also includes researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Columbia University in New York and the University of Bern in Switzerland. |
 | New therapeutic avenue for type 2 diabetesRestoring the action of insulin is one of the keys to fighting type 2 diabetes. Researchers from Inserm led by Dominique Langin at the Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases (Inserm/Université de Toulouse) are developing a therapeutic strategy that uses the properties of an enzyme (hormone-sensitive lipase) which, when stimulating fatty-acid synthesis in the fat cells, has a beneficial effect on insulin action. This research has been published in Nature Metabolism. |
 | How sport can tackle violence against women and girlsSport is central to the lives of many Australians. This isn't simply a reference to participation levels, but the importance of sport as a social institution. Organised sport, from the elite level though to local community clubs, is a part of a complex social ecology that is an important part of our lives. |
 | DF-PGT, now possible through massive sequencing techniquesA research team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), in collaboration with the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia, has implemented a massive sequencing platform for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for the first time in history. |
 | PTSD study of combat veterans finds similar outcomes among common therapiesIn a study among United States combat veterans, researchers found no significant difference between two of the most common treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and no benefit for combination treatment. The study results are published in the Dec. 5 online issue of JAMA. |
 | Tissue stiffness is a "mosh pit" where cancer cells thriveImagine being at a packed concert hall with a mosh pit full of dancers creating a wall against outsiders. When targeted drugs try to make their way toward a pancreas tumor, they encounter a similar obstacle in stiff tissue that surrounds and protects the cancer. |
 | Australia unprepared for climate change impact on allergiesA rise in dangerous and even fatal asthma and other allergic attacks – as occurred in Melbourne's deadly 2016 'thunderstorm asthma event' – could be one of Australia's biggest health challenges from climate change, warns the author of a major new review of international evidence. |
 | How safe is your complementary health product?NUS researchers have found that skin allergies are the most common adverse reaction associated with the use of complementary health products. |
 | Researchers find biomarkers for identifying Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment in saliva samplesThe discovery of three biomarkers that detect mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's has the potential to lead to the development of a saliva test to diagnose the chronic neurodegenerative disease. |
 | What does 'gaslighting' mean?Shortlisted for the Oxford English Dictionary's 2018 word of the year, "gaslighting" has well and truly found its way into contemporary thought and vernacular. |
 | By analyzing the chemicals in the blood, scientists can find out who develops active tuberculosisAlthough a quarter of the world population is infected with the pathogen that causes tuberculosis, only about ten percent develop the disease during their lifetime. An international team of scientists, including some from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin showed that the amounts of certain chemical compounds which circulate in the blood, change prior to the onset of the disease even months before a clinical diagnosis can be made. In the future, this may allow to predict tuberculosis based on a blood screening – a highly valuable progress in the fight against this life threatening disease. |
 | Mass proliferation of information evolving beyond our control, says new psychology researchVastly increased choice might seem a good thing, but not when it comes to our choice of information according to new psychology research from the University of Warwick. |
 | Countering misinformation about flu vaccine is harder than it seemsMany Americans hold beliefs about the flu vaccine that are at odds with the best available scientific evidence. For example, a recent study found that more than two-fifths, or 43 percent, of Americans believe that the seasonal flu vaccine can give us the flu. Scientific research strongly suggests that this is not true. Because modern flu vaccines do not contain a live virus, the shot itself simply cannot get us sick. |
 | Accelerated partial breast irradiation inequivalent to whole breast irradiation for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrenceData from the NRG (NSABP B-39/RTOG 0413) trial indicated that ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) rates 10 years after treatment could not reject the hypothesis that accelerated partial breast irradiation (PBI) after lumpectomy was inferior to whole breast irradiation (WBI), according to a presentation at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 4–8. |
 | Circulating tumor cell count could help choose treatment for metastatic breast cancer patientsCirculating tumor-cell (CTC) count could be used to choose hormone therapy or chemotherapy as frontline treatment for patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), HER2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer, according to data from the phase III STIC CTC clinical trial presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 4–8. In the case of discrepancy between CTC count-based treatment choice and physician's choice of treatment, frontline chemotherapy was associated with a significant gain in overall survival. |
 | Alterations in brain networks explain why some children are resilient to maltreatmentPeople who experience childhood maltreatment frequently have perturbations in their brain architecture, regardless of whether they develop psychiatric symptoms, but a study in Biological Psychiatry found additional alterations in people who don't develop symptoms. The study, by researchers at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, suggests that the additional changes may help compensate for the effects of maltreatment. |
 | Infant formula companies are behind the guidelines on milk allergy, and their sales are soaringThere has been a six-fold increase in sales of infant formula prescribed for babies with cows' milk protein allergy in the United Kingdom from 2006 to 2016. This is despite no evidence of a concurrent increase in the prevalence of infants with the allergy. |
 | South Africa's children aren't getting the mental health care they needAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received increased scientific, clinical and public attention over the past few decades. It's the most common psychiatric disorder in children – affecting 2% to 16% of the school going population. |
 | 'Hangxiety' higher in shy peopleVery shy people are more likely to suffer "hangxiety" – anxiety during a hangover – than their extrovert friends, new research shows. |
 | Performance on exercise test predicts risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancerPerformance on an exercise test predicts the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other causes, reports a study presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2018. Good performance on the test equates to climbing three floors of stairs very fast, or four floors fast, without stopping. The findings underline the importance of fitness for longevity. |
Many Americans unaware of promise of targeted, 'personalized' medicine: poll(HealthDay)—Medical science has made tremendous advances in "personalized medicine"—drugs that fight cancer and other diseases by boosting the immune system or targeting specific genetic traits. | |
 | Another plus to cardiac rehab: better sex(HealthDay)—Heart patients taking part in cardiac rehabilitation could receive a spicy side effect from the program—a boost in their sex life. |
 | Fewer early stage breast cancer patients may need lymph node removal: study(HealthDay)—For many breast cancer patients, removal of lymph nodes in the armpit area is a common procedure, due to worries that the tumor has spread to these tissues. |
 | Rethinking where you shop for food(HealthDay)—A change as simple as where you do most of your food shopping could translate to a better diet. |
 | Make those school lunches more nutritious(HealthDay)—Brown-bag lunches give you control over what you eat and what your children eat, but studies show that these to-go meals need to be healthier. This is especially important for kids because their eating habits are developed during the preschool years. |
 | Type 2 diabetes linked to colorectal cancer risk in men(HealthDay)—Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), with the association significant for men only, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the British Journal of Cancer. |
Acute heart failure patients with 'metabolically healthy obesity' have better survivalAcute heart failure patients with 'metabolically healthy obesity' have better survival than those with 'metabolically unhealthy obesity' or with normal weight regardless of metabolic status, according to a study presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2018.1 Obese patients had less deterioration in heart structure and function. | |
Lymph node ratio may predict who lives and dies from oral cavity cancerFive years after diagnosis, only 40 percent of patients with locally-advanced oral cavity cancer will still be alive. The question is who is likely to live and who is likely to die? The answer to this question could not only help patients better predict the course of their disease, but could help doctors choose the most appropriate post-surgical treatments—patients at highest risk could receive the most aggressive combinations of radiation and chemotherapy. | |
 | Drawing is better than writing for memory retentionOlder adults who take up drawing could enhance their memory, according to a new study. |
 | Elevated hormone flags liver problems in mice with methylmalonic acidemiaResearchers have discovered that a hormone, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), is extremely elevated in mice with liver disease that mimics the same condition in patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), a serious genomic disorder. Based on this finding, medical teams treating patients with MMA will be able to measure FGF21 levels to predict how severely patients' livers are affected and when to refer patients for liver transplants. The findings also might shed light on more common disorders such as fatty liver disease, obesity and diabetes by uncovering similarities in how MMA and these disorders affect energy metabolism and, more specifically, the function of mitochondria, the cells' energy powerhouses. The study, conducted by researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published December 6 in JCI Insight. |
 | Blood test for tau, Alzheimer's disease under developmentToday, the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer's disease in life is through brain scans and tests of cerebrospinal fluid that must be collected via lumbar puncture. Though cumbersome and expensive, such tests provide the most accurate diagnoses for patients. Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital are working to develop a blood test that could replace these procedures to accurately diagnose or even predict Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear. The tau protein has long been implicated in Alzheimer's, however, tau occurs as a family of related molecules which have subtly different properties. The Brigham team took advantage of the complexity of tau and built assays to measure different forms of tau and identified a subset of tau proteins which are specifically elevated in Alzheimer's disease. The team's new approach is detailed in Alzheimer's & Dementia and featured in the journal's December issue. |
New imaging tools that trace key breast cancer enzymes may help guide therapiesA set of emerging diagnostic tools may help identify breast cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from therapies that target important enzymes fueling a range of subtypes, including BCRA-mutated and triple negative cancers. New research from two studies conducted by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, are presented on today at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. | |
 | Another medical cold case cracked by the MUHC's 'Dr. House'A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by Dr. Donald Vinh, the RI's so-called "Dr. House" because of his research into rare diseases, has discovered a new human disease and the gene responsible for it, paving the way for the proper diagnosis of patients globally and the development of new therapies. Their findings are published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. |
 | Scientists develop new technology for profiling unique genetic makeup of myeloma tumor cellsCancer arises when cells lose control. Deciphering the "blueprint" of cancer cells—outlining how cancer cells hijack specific pathways for uncontrolled proliferation—will lead to more efficient ways to fight it. Joint effort of scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and clinicians from major hemato-oncology departments in Israel succeeded in creating detailed profiles of myeloma cancer in both pre-cancer stages, in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients as well as post treatment and relapse. These detailed blueprints will help in future precision diagnosis and treatment of this disease. |
 | Media coverage of disasters can have lasting effects on children's mental healthIn 2018, American children have been exposed to multiple disasters—ravaging wildfires in California, to major Hurricanes in Florida and the Carolinas, and mass shootings in schools and places of worship—all of which have been covered 24/7 by the media. Disaster communication experts at the University of Missouri say disaster media coverage can have lasting effects on children's mental health and suggest teachers and parents be prepared to respond to questions during and after a catastrophe. |
What does expanded Medicaid mean for the health and work lives of enrollees? A lotFive states will expand Medicaid in 2019. Fourteen may start requiring Medicaid enrollees to work in return for their health coverage. And a new study could help all of these states understand what might be in store under these policies. | |
 | Regular bedtimes and sufficient sleep for children may lead to healthier teensHaving a regular, age-appropriate bedtime and getting sufficient sleep from early childhood may be important for healthy body weight in adolescence, according to researchers at Penn State. |
 | What can a snowflake teach us about how cancer spreads in the body?What can seashells, lightning and the coastline of Britain teach us about new drugs for cancer? |
 | Hazelnuts improve older adults' micronutrient levelsOlder adults who added hazelnuts to their diet for a few months significantly improved their levels of two key micronutrients, new research at Oregon State University indicates. |
Study that took aim at 'Joy of Cooking' is retractedMore work by a prominent food researcher, including a study that took aim at the "Joy of Cooking," has been retracted because of problems with the data. | |
The naked eye alone is not enough to ensure the accurate diagnosis of skin cancer, say expertsThe visual inspection of a suspicious skin lesion using the naked eye alone is not enough to ensure the accurate diagnosis of skin cancer, a group of experts have concluded following a largescale systematic review of research. | |
Information on reproductive health outcomes lacking in Catholic hospitalsAs Catholic health care systems expand nationwide, little is known about the reproductive outcomes of their patients compared to patients in other settings, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. | |
More patient family-provider communication could mean fewer errorsNew research from Boston Children's Hospital finds that harmful medical errors decreased by 38 percent following intervention to improve communication between healthcare providers and patients and families. The study is led by Alisa Khan, MD, MPH, a pediatric hospitalist and researcher at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is published in British Medical Journal today. | |
Key to lifelong heart health is childhood interventionEvolving evidence shows that heart healthy habits in adults are rooted in the environments we live in in early childhood, representing a window of opportunity in young children to focus on health promotion and potentially prevent disease in adulthood, according to a review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Senior author Valentin Fuster, MD, Ph.D., MACC, will also discuss related findings on Dec. 9 in a Future of Health Education Session at the American College of Cardiology's New York Cardiovascular Symposium. | |
 | 12-year-old heart defect survivor inspires NFL player's foundationGavin Kuykendall's life has been shaped by his fight against heart disease. Now almost 12, he recently expressed all he's been through—by writing a letter to his heart disease. |
 | Obesity ups survival in heart failure, but that's no reason to pile on pounds(HealthDay)—Obese people with heart failure may live longer than those who are thinner—especially if they are "metabolically healthy," a new study suggests. |
 | Opioids overprescribed after arthroscopic meniscectomy(HealthDay)—Prescription opioid medications are overprescribed after simple arthroscopic meniscectomy, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. |
 | New guidance addresses early dx of dysmenorrhea in adolescents(HealthDay)—Early diagnosis of dysmenorrhea is key to ensuring that adolescents and women can maintain their quality of life, according to a Committee Opinion published in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. |
 | High sensitivity, specificity for chlamydia point-of-care test(HealthDay)—A point-of-care (POC) polymerase chain reaction test (Atlas io) has high sensitivity and specificity for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), according to a study published in the November issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. |
 | Pumping up fitness app features may add muscle to workout commitmentFitness apps are easy to download and can help motivate people to start workout routines, but that may not be enough to sustain those routines in the long run. However, Penn State researchers suggest there may be ways to tweak those apps to inspire a deeper commitment to a fitness routine and help users hit their fitness goals. |
 | Researchers test effectiveness of anti-opioid vaccineVirginia Commonwealth University researchers are testing a vaccine against opioid abuse developed by the Scripps Research Institute in California. The vaccine is meant to block the effects of heroin and fentanyl in patients with opioid use disorder. |
 | Kidneys from deceased donors with acute kidney injury suitable for transplantOrgan procurement teams are sometimes leery of accepting kidneys from deceased donors with acute kidney injury (AKI), fearing they will harm the recipients. However, a national study chaired by a Johns Hopkins kidney specialist suggests these fears may be unfounded. |
Surgeon General: Federal drug classification needs changesThe nation's drug classification system should be revisited but illegal drugs shouldn't simply be decriminalized nationwide, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told a gathering of police leaders focused on the opioids crisis Thursday in Boston. | |
 | Drugmaker to sell cheaper generic rival to EpiPen injectorsA generic drugmaker plans to start selling a slightly cheaper version of the EpiPen in the U.S. early next year. |
 | Nobel laureates: Despite progress, cancer won't be wiped outThe winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine say they expect substantial advances toward treating cancer in the next several decades, although it is unlikely the disease could be eradicated. |
Providing supervised medical-grade heroin to heavy users can reduce harmsProviding supervised access to medical-grade heroin to people whose use continues after trying multiple traditional treatments has been successful in other countries, and should be piloted and studied in the United States, according to a new RAND Corporation study. | |
Harmful, unfounded myths about migration and health have become accepted, used to justify policies of exclusionPublic health protection and cost savings are often used as reasons to restrict migrants' access to health care, or to deny them entry. Yet, as the new UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health lays out with new international data and analysis, the most common myths about migration and health are not supported by the available evidence and ignore the important contribution of migration to global economies. | |
 | Hard work in team sports—there's more to it than how far you runThe levelling off point for maximum exertion and how long an athlete can maintain that (known as critical power) is a better measurement of effort than the total distance they cover in a match. |
 | Anxious people respond worst to bushfire threatResearch from The University of Western Australia has found people who are anxious or easily stressed are less likely to be well prepared or respond well to bushfires. |
 | Arc welding fumes detrimental to human healthWorking as part of an international group of toxicologists, scientists of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) have found that harmful nanoparticles are formed in the process of arc welding using the most common types of electrodes today. Suspended in welding fumes, these particles infiltrate the respiratory tract. The study is published in Scientific Reports. |
 | DNA damage leads to genetic diseases and cancerScientists have reported that many inheritance mutations are caused by DNA damage rather than errors in DNA doubling. The study was conducted by an international research group and published in Nature Genetics. |
 | Low-dose tamoxifen safe and effective at reducing recurrence of DCIS, LCIS, and ADHTreatment with a low dose of tamoxifen (5 mg per day) halved the risk of disease recurrence and new disease for women who had been treated with surgery following a diagnosis of breast intraepithelial neoplasia compared with placebo, and it did not cause more serious adverse events, according to data from the randomized, phase III TAM-01 clinical trial presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 4–8. |
Axillary RT and lymph node surgery yielded comparable outcomes for patients with breast cancerPatients with early-stage breast cancer who had cancer detected in a sentinel lymph node biopsy had comparable 10-year recurrence and survival rates following either axillary radiotherapy or axillary lymph node dissection, according to data from the randomized, phase III AMAROS clinical trial presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 4-8. | |
University of Maryland doctors treat first breast cancer patients with GammaPod radiotherapyRadiation oncologists at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) are now treating patients with the GammaPod, a new FDA-cleared radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer. The UMGCCC is the first site to treat patients with this first-of-its-kind system, which was invented by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) scientists and physicians. This is the only external-beam radiation delivery system specifically designed to treat breast cancer. | |
Penn plastic surgeons perform world's first robotic bilateral breast reconstructionA team of surgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the first in the world to use a surgical robot to assist with a bilateral free flap breast reconstruction—a procedure in which tissue is taken from the lower abdomen—similar to a "tummy tuck—and used to rebuild the breast. The robot allows surgeons to make a much smaller incision into the abdominal wall muscles, allowing patients to recover and be discharged more quickly and without the use of addictive narcotic painkillers. Suhail Kanchwala, MD, an associate professor of Plastic Surgery, led the team that performed the procedure, which took place at Pennsylvania Hospital earlier this month. Kanchwala partnered with Ian Soriano, MD, FCAS, a clinical assistant professor of Surgery, who specializes in minimally invasive procedures, to develop the technique. | |
How do schools address self-harm in adolescents?In a survey-based study of 153 secondary schools in England and Wales, staff stated that adolescent self-harm is an important concern, but emotional health and wellbeing is the primary health priority for schools. In the Child & Adolescent Mental Health study, counselling was seen as the most useful school-based provision to respond to adolescent self-harm. | |
Liquid biopsies in SOLAR-1 trial predict benefit of Alpelisib in PIK3CA-mutant breast cancerLiquid biopsy-based assessment of PIK3CA mutational status served as a better indicator of progression-free survival compared with analysis of tissue biopsy in breast cancer patients enrolled in the phase III clinical trial SOLAR-1, according to data presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 4-8. | |
Drug company Actelion to pay $360M in kickback probeA pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay $360 million to resolve allegations that it used a charitable foundation to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients. | |
Black breast cancer patients have worse outcomes than whites, despite similar treatmentsBlack women with the most common form of early breast cancer had worse outcomes than white women even after receiving equivalent care, according to a major new study led by Loyola Medicine medical oncologist Kathy Albain, MD, FACP, FASCO. | |
 | Insider attacks: Purdue developing new treatment options for millions with autoimmune diseasesLiving with an autoimmune disease can feel like an insider is attacking your body. An estimated 24 million people in the United States are affected by autoimmune diseases, a group of diseases in which the person's immune system attacks part of the person's own body. |
Reusable respirators are an effective and viable option for protecting health care personnelHalf-facepiece reusable elastomeric respirators are an effective and viable option for protecting health care workers from exposure to airborne transmissible contaminants or infectious agents—for example, influenza virus—during day-to-day work or with a sudden or rapid influx of patients, such as during a public health emergency, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Implementation challenges including storage, disinfection, and maintenance; training and education; user comfort and tolerability; and supply logistics and emergency stockpiling need to be addressed. | |
 | Houston Methodist launches real-time flu tracker websitePathologists at Houston Methodist developed a real-time website to track flu cases, just in time to assist physicians, the CDC and patients for the fall 2018 flu season. |
Biology news
 | Acrobatic geckos, highly maneuverable on land and in the air, can also race on waterGeckos are renowned for their acrobatic feats on land and in the air, but a new discovery that they can also run on water puts them in the superhero category, says a University of California, Berkeley, biologist. |
 | One million mosquitoes and 500,000 tests later, new buzz about a malaria prevention drugMost malaria drugs are designed to reduce symptoms after infection. They work by blocking replication of the disease-causing parasites in human blood, but they don't prevent infection or transmission via mosquitoes. What's worse, the malaria parasite is developing resistance to existing drugs. |
 | Young aphids piggyback on adult aphids to get to safety fasterYoung aphids may ride on the backs of adult aphids to get back to the safety of a host plant quicker, according to an article published in Frontiers in Zoology. |
 | An ancient strain of plague may have led to the decline of Neolithic EuropeansA team of researchers from France, Sweden, and Denmark have identified a new strain of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, in DNA extracted from 5,000-year-old human remains. Their analyses, publishing December 6 in the journal Cell, suggest that this strain is the closest ever identified to the genetic origin of plague. Their work also suggests that plague may have been spread among Neolithic European settlements by traders, contributing to the settlements' decline at the dawn of the Bronze Age. |
 | Wild African fruit flies offer clues to their modern-day domestic lifeThe fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is quite possibly the most studied organism on the planet. Fruit flies are also quite familiar residents in many of our kitchens, attracted as they are to the fruit bowl. But how do the flies live in the wild? Surprisingly little is known. |
 | New ways to look at protein-RNA networksFor their vital tasks, all RNA molecules require proteins as binding partners. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and colleagues from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have developed the first method to analyze the composition of the entire RNA protein network of the cell. The new method has now been published in the scientific journal Cell. |
 | New insights in rust resistance in wheatFor more than 20 years, a large international group of researchers, including from Aarhus University, has worked purposefully to investigate a gene that protects wheat against yellow rust. Yellow rust is a widespread and serious fungal disease that causes many losses in wheat globally. The researchers' new knowledge is an important piece in the jigsaw regarding the development of new cultivars of wheat that are resistant to yellow rust. The results were recently published in Nature Communications. |
 | Evolution of the inner ear: Insights from jawless fishResearchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics (BDR) and collaborators have described for the first time the development of the hagfish inner ear. Published in the journal Nature, the study provides a new story for inner ear evolution that began with the last common ancestor of modern vertebrates. |
 | Double the stress slows down evolutionLike other organisms, bacteria constantly have to fight to survive in hostile living conditions. Together with colleagues in Finland, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön have discovered that bacteria adapt to their environment more slowly and less efficiently as soon as they are exposed to two stress factors rather than one. This is due to mutations in different genes. The slower rate of evolution led to smaller population sizes. This means that evolution can take divergent paths if an organism is exposed to several stress factors. |
 | How molecular partners form dynamic scaffolding for protein machineryScientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have mapped key details of how molecular partners regulate assembly of protein-making factories called ribosomes. |
 | Researchers discover information about a gene that helps define us as humansUniversity of Otago researchers have discovered information about a gene that sets primates—great apes and humans—apart from other mammals, through the study of a rare developmental brain disorder. |
 | Parrot genome analysis reveals insights into longevity, cognitionParrots are famously talkative, and a blue-fronted Amazon parrot named Moises—or at least its genome—is telling scientists volumes about the longevity and highly developed cognitive abilities that give parrots so much in common with humans. Perhaps someday, it will also provide clues about how parrots learn to vocalize so well. |
 | Industrial fisheries are starving seabirds all around the worldIndustrial fisheries are starving seabirds like penguins and terns by competing for the same prey sources, new research from the French National Center for Scientific Research in Montpellier and the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia has found. |
Hormones help endangered frogs get in the mood to mate in world-first programIn a world first, reproductive biologists at the University of Wollongong (UOW) have successfully applied hormones topically to the abdomens of northern corroboree frogs to get breeding pairs of the critically endangered frog "in the mood" to mate. | |
 | Interventions in dog populations could reduce rabies in rural ChinaDomestic dogs play a key role in the transmission and expansion of rabies in rural areas of China, according to a study published December 6 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Huaiyu Tian of Beijing Normal University, Hailin Zhang of the Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Simon Dellicour of KU Leuven, and colleagues. |
 | Hidden koala blood parasites offer new clue for their illnessA new test for detecting multiple parasites in koalas has been developed by a Perth veterinarian and post-doctoral scientist. |
 | Survey reveals bovine TB in a fifth of roadkill badgers in CheshireThe first study to test for bovine tuberculosis in badgers on the edge of the cattle TB epidemic in England, has shown that one in five badgers tested positive for the disease. |
 | New approach helps mitigating the effect of climate change on sea turtlesNew research has reported effective conservation strategies that can mitigate the impacts of climate warming on sea turtle nesting success. |
New molecular tool identifies sugar-protein attachmentsResearchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new molecular tool they call EXoO, which decodes where on proteins specific sugars are attached—a possible modification due to disease. The study, published in issue 14 of Molecular Systems Biology, describes the development of the tool and its successful use on human blood, tumors and immune cells. | |
 | US to ease oil drilling controls protecting imperiled birdThe Trump administration moved forward Thursday with plans to ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling, mining and other activities across millions of acres in the American West that were put in place to protect an imperiled bird species. |
 | Malaysia torches 2.8 tonnes of African pangolin scalesMalaysia on Thursday torched nearly three tonnes of seized scales of endangered pangolins worth $9 million in a bid to deter illegal wildlife trafficking from Africa. |
Whales have worse than average year for entanglement in gearFederal officials say last year was slightly worse than average for the entanglement of large whales, which is a major threat to the animals' populations. | |
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