Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 29, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | NASA's Mars helicopter completes flight testsSince the Wright brothers first took to the skies of Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina, Dec. 17, 1903, first flights have been important milestones in the life of any vehicle designed for air travel. After all, it's one thing to design an aircraft and make it fly on paper—or computer. It is quite another to put all the pieces together and watch them get off the ground. |
 | Researchers find that the sun's magnetic field is ten times stronger than previously believedThe sun's magnetic field is ten times stronger than previously believed, new research from Queen's University Belfast and Aberystwyth University has revealed. |
 | Spacewalking astronauts install better station batteriesSpacewalking astronauts hustled through battery hookups outside the International Space Station on Friday in a major upgrade of the solar power grid. |
 | Hubble spots flock of cosmic ducksThis star-studded image shows us a portion of Messier 11, an open star cluster in the southern constellation of Scutum (the Shield). Messier 11 is also known as the Wild Duck Cluster, as its brightest stars form a "V" shape that somewhat resembles a flock of ducks in flight. |
 | ESA and NASA to team up on lunar scienceESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker, and Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, signed a Statement of Intent to coordinate joint science research about the moon and identify opportunities for lunar mission cooperation. |
 | How to use gravitational waves to measure the expansion of the universeOn the morning of Aug. 17, 2017, after traveling for more than a hundred million years, the aftershocks from a massive collision in a galaxy far, far away finally reached Earth. |
 | Shadows on the Moon - a tale of ephemeral beauty, humans and hubrisBetween 1969 and 1972, a new type of archaeological site was created. For the first time, human bodies and the technology needed to sustain them altered the landscape of another world. The astronauts from the six Apollo missions left a suite of space-age artefacts behind on the lunar surface. And not only that: the missions brought to the moon new kinds of shadows, cast by machines and bodies and flags and rovers, in an interplay of movement and stillness. |
Final frontier: Russia develops washing machine for spaceThe days of astronauts packing enough clean clothes to last a whole mission could soon be over as Russia said Friday it is developing a washing machine for space. | |
 | UN talks on space peace treaty fail to reach consensusUnited Nations-backed talks to prevent an arms race in outer space ended without agreement on Friday, delivering another blow to global disarmament diplomacy. |
 | SpaceX releases a new render of what the all-steel Starship will look like returning to earthThe design for SpaceX's Starship (aka. Big Falcon Rocket) is really starting to come together. Over the holidays, sections of the Starship Hopper (a miniature version of the Starship) were photographed at the company's South Texas Launch Site. By mid-January, the parts were fully integrated, forming the body of the stainless-steel prototype that would test the spacecraft's overall architecture. |
Technology news
 | Building 3-D models of unknown objects as they are manipulated by robotsResearchers at Rutgers University have recently developed a probabilistic approach for building 3-D models of unknown objects while they are being manipulated by a robot. Their approach, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, uses a physics engine to verify hypothesized geometries in simulations. |
 | Tests carried out on plywood delivery drone solutionA drone for serving military needs—to resupply fast-moving ground forces—has been developed and has been put through a number of tests. |
 | KAIST team used fuzzing to spot newer LTE protocol vulnerabilitiesResearchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) discovered 36 vulnerabilities in 4G LTE wireless networks. Why the stir: Even though there is so much forward-looking talk about next-wave 5G, it is still 4G that is very much in use worldwide, by mobile networks and users. |
 | Lyft's shares soar as investors bet on ride-hailing futureLyft's shares soared as the company went public Friday, giving investors their first chance to bet on the future of the ride-hailing industry. |
 | Investigators believe anti-stall system activated in Ethiopia crash: WSJInvestigators probing the fatal crash of a Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia have reached a preliminary conclusion that a suspect anti-stall system activated shortly before it nose-dived to the ground, the WSJ reported Friday citing people familiar with the matter. |
 | WakeMed in Raleigh is the spot as UPS makes its first deliveries with drones in the USA white drone with four rotors appeared over the roof of WakeMed's main hospital on a recent Tuesday morning and landed outside the front doors carrying a small brown box with a UPS logo on the side. |
 | Hey, Google and Alexa: Parents worry voice assistants can listen in on kids, survey findsYou're cool chatting up Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant and Siri and having each come alive when you utter the "Alexa," "Hey, Google" or "Hey, Siri" wake words. |
 | Boosting the 'brains' of computers with less wasted energyMany internal components used in today's computers reach temperatures that are hot enough to cook a Thanksgiving meal. The heat produced by the computations can easily burn human skin and tissue – and much of the heat is simply wasted energy, a byproduct of the computer's internal functions. |
 | Five things to consider before speed limiters are added to carsThe recent announcement that EU rules for fitting speed limiters to new cars from 2022 will be adopted by the UK was welcomed by many, including the European Transport Safety Council, as a move that will save lives. However, not everyone is convinced by this "guardian angel" technology. |
 | Facebook beefs up political ad rules ahead of EU electionFacebook said Friday it is further tightening requirements for European Union political advertising, in its latest efforts to prevent foreign interference and increase transparency ahead of the bloc's parliamentary elections. |
 | To imagine the '5G' future, revisit our recent wireless pastThe mobile industry is cranking up its hype machine for sleek new "5G" networks that it says will make your phone and everything else faster and wonderful. If you believe the marketing. |
 | Boeing anti-stall system was activated in Ethiopia crash: sourceBoeing's MCAS anti-stall system, which was implicated in the October crash of a 737 MAX 8 airliner in Indonesia, was also activated shortly before a recent accident in Ethiopia, a source with knowledge of the investigation said Friday. |
 | Hyundai finds new engine problem, prompting another recallHyundai has found a new problem that can cause its car engines to fail or catch fire, issuing yet another recall to fix problems that have affected more than 6 million vehicles during the past 3,5 years. |
 | Huawei defends security record as annual sales top $100BChinese tech giant Huawei's deputy chairman defended its commitment to security Friday after a stinging British government report added to Western pressure on the company by accusing it of failing to repair dangerous flaws in its telecom technology. |
 | Fiat Chrysler to cut 1,500 jobs at Canada plantFiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced it will cut some 1,500 jobs at its factory in Windsor, Canada, around a quarter of its local workforce. |
 | Mt. Gox bitcoin exchanges' Karpeles appeals convictionMark Karpeles, who headed Mt. Gox, a Japan-based bitcoin exchange that went bankrupt after a massive hacking, is appealing his conviction on charges of manipulating electronic data. |
IBM purged 'gray hairs' and 'old heads' as it launched 'Millennial Corps': lawsuitTechnology giant IBM targeted "grey hairs" and "old heads" for negative performance reviews so it could oust them from the company, as it formed a "Millennial Corps" and focused on hiring "early professionals," a new age-discrimination lawsuit claims. | |
Google suspended from LGBTQ equality index after failing to remove controversial appThe Human Rights Campaign suspended Google from the 2019 Corporate Equality Index after the tech conglomerate did not remove a conversion therapy app. | |
Google, Microsoft and Starbucks are some of the best places to work in the US, workers sayLet's face it, some jobs are just better than others. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | A new model to trial preventative treatments for schizophreniaNeuroscientists at The University of Queensland have developed a new animal model of schizophrenia that will enable researchers around the world to better understand the disease and develop new treatments. |
 | Movement toward a poop test for liver cirrhosisFor the estimated 100 million U.S. adults and children living with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whether or not they have liver cirrhosis, or scarring, is an important predictor for survival. Yet it's difficult and invasive to detect liver cirrhosis before it is well advanced. In an effort to quickly and easily identify people at high risk for NAFLD-cirrhosis, researchers in the NAFLD Research Center and Center for Microbiome Innovation at University of California San Diego identified unique patterns of bacterial species in the stool of people with the condition. |
 | Researchers discover two, rare genes associated with Alzheimer's diseaseResearchers have identified two, extremely rare genetic variants linked to Alzheimer disease (AD) for the first time. |
 | People can survive organ failure, a review explores howAlthough organ failure can be fatal, your kidneys, heart, and liver are prepared for this catastrophe. Emerging research supports the finding that two cell populations quickly respond and work together to restore a non-functioning, or failing, organ. First, the surviving cells go into overdrive, working to keep the organ functioning while stem-like cells replace damaged tissue. A Review published March 29 in the journal Trends in Molecular Medicine explores how this dual-response can save lives. |
 | Major step towards individual cancer immunotherapyMedicine has great hopes for personalised cancer immunotherapy. The idea is to have a vaccine prompt the immune system to fight a tumour. Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a method that allows them to determine which molecules are suited to patient-specific immunisation. |
 | Genomic analysis offers roadmap for diagnosis and treatment of a high-risk leukemiaAcute erythroid leukemia (AEL) is a high-risk cancer with a dismal prognosis, uncertain genetic basis and controversy surrounding the diagnosis. That is changing, thanks to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital that appears today in the journal Nature Genetics. |
 | Study highlights need to increase diversity within genetic data setsPolygenic scores can predict a person's risk for conditions like coronary artery disease, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) with great accuracy, even in patients who lack common warning signs. This new genome analysis tool holds promise for physicians, who may be able to intervene earlier to help prevent common disease for at-risk individuals. |
 | The great sex recession: celibate Americans at record highThe share of American adults having no sex in the past year reached an all-time high in 2018, an intimate survey revealed Friday, and many of those missing out are men in their 20s. |
 | Death rates from cesarean section far higher in developing countriesCaesarean sections are disproportionately threatening the lives of women and babies in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London. |
Team finds universal background checks lower homicide ratesFirst-ever side-by-side comparison of state gun laws finds states with universal background checks for all gun sales had homicide rates 15 percent lower than states without such laws. | |
 | Drug survival rates highest for ustekinumab for pediatric psoriasis(HealthDay)—In real-life conditions, drug survival rates are higher for ustekinumab than for adalimumab and etanercept for all treatments and types of psoriasis in children, according to a study published online March 18 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. |
 | Frailty may up fracture risk in patients with type 2 diabetes(HealthDay)—Patients with type 2 diabetes are frailer than participants without diabetes, and frailty increases the risk for fragility fractures, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes Care. |
 | Pain, pain go away: new tools improve students' experience of school-based vaccinesResearchers at the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have teamed up with educators, public health practitioners and grade seven students in Ontario to develop and implement a new approach to delivering school-based vaccines that improves student experience. |
 | Omega-3 fatty acids tied to fewer childhood asthma symptomsA six-month study of children from Baltimore City by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has added to evidence that having more omega-3 fatty acids in the diet results in fewer asthma symptoms triggered by indoor air pollution. The same study suggests that higher amounts of dietary omega-6 fatty acids may have the opposite effect, and be associated with more severe asthma. |
 | Hawaii eyes flavored e-cigarette ban to curb teen vapingThe first state to limit tobacco and electronic cigarette sales to people 21 and older is contemplating a new nicotine crackdown: outlawing flavored electronic cigarette liquids and flavored tobacco to combat a spike in teenage vaping. |
 | Smoking and pre-eclampsia may cause fertility problems for offspring, study suggestsLow levels of oxygen in the womb—which can be caused by smoking or conditions such as pre-eclampsia—may cause problems with fertility later in life, a study carried out in rats suggests. |
 | Public domain antibiotic found highly effective against triple-negative breast cancerOf the three major subtypes of breast cancer, triple negative is the most lethal. Half of all breast cancer deaths are attributed to it, whereas it accounts for only about 15 percent of incidences of breast cancer. And unlike other breast cancers, it is resistant to most existing therapies. By studying the properties of clofazimine, a 70-year-old antibiotic, scientists from the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Lausanne (UNIL), in Switzerland, demonstrate its effectiveness in stopping the progression of the disease in in vivo tests. Indeed, it blocks the Wnt cell signaling pathway—a disruption of the cell mechanism that causes many cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer. These results, published in Cancer Letters, highlight the need to re-examine the drugs already on the market with a fresh eye, especially older ones. |
 | A ventilation system proves effective at reducing hospital infectionsBeing admitted to the hospital for a specific illness or infection and coming down with another during one's hospital stay is not common, due to the effectiveness of prevention systems, but it is also not an isolated incident. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 6 percent of hospital patients get an infection while staying at the hospital, which generates a financial impact of 7 trillion euros in Europe as a whole. |
 | Call in the reserves: Two types of stem cells repair intestinal injuryNew research from NC State reveals your body's "backup plan" – in the form of reserve stem cells – for recovering from severe intestinal injury due to lack of blood supply. |
 | Calming, ocean-themed room offers tranquility for those with sensory processing issuesThe relaxing sound of the ocean greets you as you take in the soft glow of twinkling lights around you and the smooth billows of white satin overhead. Sinking into the cozy hug of an oversized bean-bag chair, your mind begins to calm, absorbing the soothing ambiance and letting go of the day's distractions. You've found peace at last—that is, until the school bell rings and reminds you that you're not at the spa. You're in the calming sensory room at the Early Learning Center (ELC) on the campus of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). |
 | Researchers discover a new migraine-associated mechanismA mutation in the gene that codes the ionic channel TRESK, involved in the control of neuron irritability, causes the dysfunction of some neurons that increase neuronal activity and induce migraine pain. |
 | New findings indicate additional benefits of exercise to breast cancer survivorsCan exercise reduce the risk of heart disease in women with breast cancer? |
 | How proximity to substance use treatment programs affects opioid-related health outcomesDespite federal and state efforts to reduce opioid availability and increase treatment access, opioid-related deaths are on the rise in New York and 29 other states. To examine whether geographic access to treatment options helped reduce opioid-related hospital visits and mortality in New York State between 2012 and 2014, CUNY SPH faculty Sean Haley, Andrew Maroko, and Katarzyna Wyka led a study with alumna Margaret Ryerson Baker published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. |
 | When parents play favourites, what happens to the kids?Many siblings, when they get together as adults, joke about which child was loved the most. But is it really a joke or is there an edge of truth that still rankles us? |
 | Why sleep training will not hurt your childThroughout my medical training, I thought putting an infant to sleep was as simple as putting them down in a bassinet or a crib. When parents approached me complaining of how difficult it was to get their infant to sleep, I would think to myself, "put them down and that's that!" |
 | Lifetime hypertension risk high for black men and women, white men(HealthDay)—Lifetime risks of hypertension under the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2017 threshold exceed 75 percent for white men and African-American men and women, according to a study published online March 27 in JAMA Cardiology. |
 | Guidance lists new first-line treatment for severe malaria in the U.S.(HealthDay)—The drug artesunate—the World Health Organization-recommended first-line treatment for severe malaria—will become the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a new guidance to health care providers. |
 | Cimzia injection approved for new inflammatory arthritis indication(HealthDay)—Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) injection has been approved to treat adults with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) with objective signs of inflammation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced. |
 | Q&A: Evaluation can determine cause, guide treatment for knee painDear Mayo Clinic: One year ago, I fell and broke my arm. While my arm has healed, my knees also have been bothering me since I fell. I have arthritis in both knees and a slight tear in the meniscus on one knee, but both knees are extremely painful when I walk. Is it possible that arthritis is causing this much pain, or could there be another reason, perhaps related to my fall? I am 59. |
 | Nurses say proposed state law limiting number of patients would save livesDescribing 12-hour shifts with no break for a meal or even a trip to the bathroom, hospital nurses who say they're overloaded with patients are pushing for a new state law that would limit the number of people they care for at the same time. |
 | Study finds young athletes are slightly more likely to have enlarged heart aortasAthletics training is associated with an increase in the athletes' heart ventricle wall thickness and cavity size. These changes are facilitated by the growth of heart muscle cells, or myocytes, in response to an increased load on the heart from intensive physical exercise. Following episodes of 'detraining', the heart size returns to normal. |
 | The first complete mapping of cerebral functional lateralisationSome cerebral processes preferably occur in the brain's right or left hemisphere. But which functions and which side? A Franco-Italian research team directed by a CNRS researcher from the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (AP-HP/CNRS/INSERM/Sorbonne Université) has just answered this question by delivering the first complete mapping of cerebral functional lateralisation, published on 29 March 2019 in Nature Communications. Their results show for the very first time that as well as perception, action and emotions, decision-making uses the right half of the brain more. On the other hand, symbolic communication uses the left half of the brain more. |
 | Researchers report a new targetable vulnerability in breast cancer cellsResearchers at the University of Helsinki and Karolinska Institutet have discovered new molecular mechanisms of breast cancer cell signaling that contribute to aggressive behavior of cancer cells. |
Research into tropical eye worm yields new tests to rapidly assess safety of anti-filarial drugsResearchers at the LSTM's Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, and University of Buea, Cameroon have developed new models of the tropical eye worm, Loa loa for the development of new drugs against filariasis. | |
 | The dying art of conversation – has technology killed our ability to talk face-to-face?What with Facetime, Skype, Whatsapp and Snapchat, for many people, face-to-face conversation is used less and less often. |
Clinical trial finds therapy to be well-tolerated in patients with aggressive brain tumourA phase I clinical trial that set out to assess the safety of a new combination therapy for a type of aggressive brain tumour has found the treatment to be well tolerated in patients. | |
 | Poor lung function in shorter people linked to increased risk of heart diseaseResults from a study led by researchers from Queen Mary University of London has found that an association between shorter stature and higher risk of heart disease is mainly attributed to our lungs. |
 | The exercise conundrum: sometimes active people put on more weight than couch potatoes – here's whyGovernments are always telling us to eat less and exercise more to be healthier, but this presents an obvious problem. Being active is liable to make you hungrier, so there's a risk you end up eating extra to compensate, and putting on more weight than if you'd never got off the sofa in the first place. |
 | Home-based tools can help assess dementia risk and progressionClinical trials to develop new therapeutic and preventive treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are costly, complicated and often preclude persons most at risk of developing the degenerative neurological condition: Older individuals with less mobility and significant medical issues, both making it more difficult for them to participate in traditional, clinic-based assessments with trained personnel. |
Kicking goals for kids with autism: Coaching the Coach to coach the kidsAhead of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, researchers from the University of South Australia are turning autism interventions on their head with a stand-out sports program that's training coaches how to best achieve results for students with autism. | |
 | Study reveals exercise is more critical than diet to maintain weight lossA new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center (AHWC) at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus revealed physical activity does more to maintain substantial weight loss than diet. |
 | Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk that your baby will become obeseUsing foreskin tissue from newborn circumcisions, a group of researchers have identified a potential cellular mechanism that connects a mother's smoking while pregnant with an increased risk of offspring obesity later in life. |
 | More Americans now think vaping is harmful(HealthDay)—Amid growing concern about the safety of e-cigarettes, more American adults now believe vaping is just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. |
 | Genetic testing helps family uncover inherited heart conditionKristen Criss' father died of complications from a stroke, her mother died from a heart condition at age 40 and her sister passed away at 33. |
 | Shift work is tough on workers' hearts, study shows(HealthDay)—Millions of Americans work in shifts, and new research suggests it's doing no favors for their cardiovascular health. |
 | The 1-parent family and kids' health risks(HealthDay)—It's been known for some time that when one parent is absent because of death, divorce or separation, kids are at higher risk for drinking alcohol and smoking than their counterparts in a two-parent household. |
 | When you need to see a dermatologist(HealthDay)—You might think of seeing a skin specialist for cosmetic procedures, to freshen skin or to get rid of lines. But do you recognize the signs of problems that need the attention of a skin doctor? |
 | CDC: 2017 to 2018 saw increase in enterovirus D68 detection(HealthDay)—Based on active surveillance data of acute respiratory illness (ARI), enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was detected in 0.8 percent of patients in 2017 and in 13.9 percent in 2018, according to research published in the March 29 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
 | Use of biologics to treat IBD in U.S. adults may be suboptimal(HealthDay)—Varied study design and methodology make it difficult to assess real-world trends in adherence and persistence in use of biologics among U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a review published online March 14 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. |
 | Doctors more likely to prescribe preventive therapy if prompted by EMRPurely educating doctors about the importance of prescribing certain therapies may not be enough to make a meaningful impact, according to a new Penn Medicine study. Using acid suppression therapy—an effective method of reducing the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in vulnerable cardiac patients—Penn researchers tested interventions that utilized both education and an electronic "dashboard" system linked to patients' electronic medical records (EMRs) which gave doctors up-to-date information on which patients would likely benefit from the therapy. Researchers found that the education on acid suppression therapy alone did not have a noticeable effect on prescribing rates, but adding use of the dashboard resulted in an 18 percent increase in needed medication orders. The study was published this month in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. |
Can a protein in cord blood predict risk of death, cerebral palsy in preterm infants?Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that some preterm babies born without haptoglobin, a protein in blood cells, have higher odds of brain bleeding, cerebral palsy and death. Their findings suggest that the absence of the protein could serve as a potential biomarker indicating a need for increased monitoring or other preventive interventions. | |
 | Scientists develop way to perform supercomputer simulations of the heart on cellphonesYou can now perform supercomputer simulations of the heart's electrophysiology in real time on desktop computers and even cellphones. A team of scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech developed a new approach that can not only help diagnose heart conditions and test new treatments, but pushes the boundaries of cardiac science by opening up a floodgate of new cardiac research and education. |
Lumbar spine MRI reports are too difficult for patients to understandAs increasing numbers of patients gain online access to their radiology reports, a new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) assesses how thoroughly patients understand these complex documents. | |
Contrast-enhanced MRI provides useful findings in discordant core biopsy managementAn essential part of breast intervention is the process of assessing concordance between imaging findings and core biopsy results. When pathology results are considered benign discordant, current standard of care is surgical excision, even though many of these lesions will ultimately be found benign. | |
 | Emails show FDA worry after romaine outbreaksAfter repeated food poisoning outbreaks tied to romaine lettuce, a U.S. food safety official shared his concerns in an internal email, saying the produce industry's water testing "failed in an epic and tragic way." |
 | Mozambique cholera cases jump to 139 a day after outbreakCholera cases in Mozambique among survivors of a devastating cyclone have shot up to 139, officials said, as nearly 1 million vaccine doses were rushed to the region and health workers desperately tried to improvise treatment space for victims. |
Aspiring doctors seek advanced training in addiction medicineThe U.S. Surgeon General's office estimates that more than 20 million people have a substance use disorder. Meanwhile, the nation's drug overdose crisis shows no sign of slowing. Yet, by all accounts, there aren't nearly enough physicians who specialize in treating addiction—doctors with extensive clinical training who are board-certified in addiction medicine. | |
 | A new method to evaluate stress and allostatic load in primary careA new evaluation strategy for assessing stress, allostatic load and distress has been found of clinical value in a trial in primary care published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. A number of studies have documented psychosocial problems, psychiatric morbidity and impaired quality of life in primary care patients. The aim of this trial was to test the usefulness of the joint use of different diagnostic interviews and self-rated questionnaires. |
 | Why are we losing so many Indigenous children to suicide?The recent child and youth suicides in our communities are a tragedy. Five young Indigenous Queenslanders have taken their lives this month. This adds to a spate of child deaths in Adelaide and Western Australia in January. |
 | Men are fooled by placebo more often than womenIt was not until the 1990s that researchers fully began to include both genders in health research. Sara Magelssen Vambheim has contributed with valuable new insights in her study of gender differences in pain experiences. |
 | World first 3D printed feet: steps up treatment for diabeticsIt's gory, sticky and undoubtedly on the nose, but a blend of icing sugar, chicken stock and flexible resin is proving to be the just the right recipe for creating realistic foot ulcers as part of a world-first podiatric training initiative at the University of South Australia. |
 | DRC reports new Ebola contaminationDR Congo authorities Friday indicated fresh cases of Ebola contamination in two localities as they battle an epidemic that has killed 652 to date. |
 | Medical marijuana bill clears SenateA bill that would allow the in-state production and sale of low-potency medical marijuana oil has passed the Georgia senate, just two days after the proposal was limited significantly in committee. |
Patient factors contribute to imaging follow-up ratesA new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) considers several potential factors that might have led to disparities in follow-up imaging rates among patients with indeterminate initial abdominal imaging findings. | |
Uterine artery embolization can be considered for well controlled symptomatic leiomyomasA new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) investigates the safety of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic leiomyomas in patients with various autoimmune diseases. | |
Biology news
 | Fluorescence discovered in tiny Brazilian frogsAn international team of researchers led by NYU Abu Dhabi Postdoctoral Associate Sandra Goutte was studying the acoustic communications of these miniature frogs. When they discovered that Brachycephalus ephippium could not hear its own mating calls, they searched for alternative visual signals the frogs could use to communicate instead. Unexpectedly, when they shone an ultra-violet (UV) lamp on the frogs, their backs and heads glowed intensely. |
 | New, more efficient way to reduce water use and improve plant growthA team of scientists has revealed a new, sustainable way for plants to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake for photosynthesis while reducing water usage. |
 | Introducing a kinder, gentler way to blow holes in cellsWhen scientists attempt to slip big molecules, like the Cas9 enzyme that is key to CRISPR gene editing, into cells, things can get messy. |
 | Fossils show recovery from extinction event helped shape evolutionary historyAncient sea-floor dwellers are providing new clues about how mass extinctions steer life's evolutionary history, according to scientists. |
 | Lab finds a new gene essential for making ears of cornA team of scientists led by University of Missouri maize geneticist Paula McSteen has identified a gene essential for forming the ears in corn. |
 | New model predicts substantial reduction of malaria transmitting mosquitoesThe role of mosquitoes in spreading malaria is the biggest factor behind a recent study that found them to be the 'World's Deadliest Animal'. It is particularly concerning that current measures to control them (the most important of which is the use of insecticide treated bed-nets) are losing potency as mosquitoes are evolving resistance. |
 | Rare Sumatran tiger cubs make public debut at Sydney zooThree rare Sumatran tiger cubs ventured into public view for the first time Friday in what Sydney zookeepers called a "wonderful success" for the future of the critically endangered species. |
 | Tasmanian devils prove quick adaptors in bid for survivalA contagious cancer is threatening Tasmanian devils with extinction, but these unique carnivores—and their human helpers—are adapting at breakneck speed, giving new hope for their survival. |
 | Expert explains key role of frogs in healthy ecosystemsDr. Jodi Rowley explains why frogs are so vital for healthy ecosystems, how she is working to conserve them and the positive impact she has already made to the study of amphibians in Southeast Asia. |
 | Scientists trial drones to protect coffee plants from devastating fungal diseaseResearchers are trialling the use of drones to monitor coffee plant health in Thailand in a bid to prevent the spread of disease. |
 | Researcher studies new camera-in-a-capsule method of examining a horse's gutHorses are notorious for belly ailments. Over the course of a lifetime, chances are good a horse will suffer at least once from some kind of gastrointestinal (GI) problem, with severity ranging from mild to life threatening. |
 | Keeping plants nourished: The workings of a photosynthesis backup systemPhotosynthesis is how plants 'make their food' and feed the rest of the planet. The key ingredient in that recipe is carbon. So, the process captures energy from the sun, which is then used to tear away carbon from atmospheric CO2. |
 | Expert discusses alternatives to pesticidesA researcher at the University of Arizona has discovered compounds derived from Photorhabdus, an insect pathogenic bacterium, that have antimicrobial and nematicidal properties that can potentially replace chemical pesticides. |
 | What 'Big Data' reveals about the diversity of speciesBig data and large-scale analyses are critical for biodiversity research to find out how animal and plant species are distributed worldwide and how ecosystems function. The necessary data may come from many sources: museum collections, biological literature, and local databases. Researchers at the University of Göttingen have investigated how this wealth of knowledge can best be integrated so that it can be transported into the digital age and used for research. The results were published in the journal PLOS Biology. |
Origin of Scandinavian wolves clarifiedThere are no signs that hybrids of dog and wolf have contributed to the Scandinavian wolf population – a matter that has been discussed, especially in Norway. These wolves appear to have originated from the Nordic region or adjacent parts of Northern Europe, new genetic research from Uppsala University shows. | |
 | New study models the proposed reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx to ScotlandExperts have used an innovative approach to model the proposed reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx to Scotland. |
Sweeping census provides new population estimate for western chimpanzeesA sweeping new census published in the journal Environmental Research Letters estimates 52,800 western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) live in eight countries in western Africa, with most of them found outside of protected areas, some of which are threatened by intense development pressures. | |
 | Science Says: Why scientists prize plant, animal genomesJust about every week, it seems, scientists publish the unique DNA code of some creature or plant. Just in February, they published the genome for the strawberry, the paper mulberry tree, the great white shark and the Antarctic blackfin icefish. |
 | Study finds white sharks with high levels of mercury, arsenic and lead in their bloodResearchers found high concentrations of mercury, arsenic, and lead, in blood samples obtained from Great white sharks in South Africa. The samples had levels that would be considered toxic to many animals. However, the study found no apparent negative consequences of these heavy metals on several health parameters measured in the sharks, including body condition, total leukocytes, and granulocyte to lymphocyte ratios, suggesting no adverse effects on their immune system. |
 | Vietnam seizes 9 tonnes of suspected ivory from CongoVietnam has seized more than nine tonnes of suspected ivory in a timber shipment from the Republic of Congo, customs officials said Friday, in one of the country's largest illegal wildlife hauls in years. |
 | Scientists discover how mosquitoes zero in on our sweatJust like fresh-baked cookies or sizzling bacon is to us, the scent of your sweat is a mouthwatering aroma to mosquitoes. Now, scientists have discovered how these undesirable insects zero in on our delectable odor. |
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