Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 11, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | New study uncovers insights about the nature of the ultraviolet-bright star Barnard 29Analyzing data from spectroscopic instruments, astronomers have reported fundamental properties of Barnard 29, an ultraviolet-bright star in globular cluster Messier 13. Results of the analysis, presented in a paper published March 1 on arXiv.org, provide important insights into the nature of this star. |
 | Massive twin star discovered snuggling close to its stellar sibling in its cradleAstronomers have discovered a binary star system with the closest high-mass young stellar objects ever measured, providing a valuable "laboratory" to test theories on high mass binary star formation. |
 | How a vintage film format brought 'Apollo 11' back to lifeNew documentary "Apollo 11," which tells the story of man's first steps on the Moon, contains footage so striking that it seems practically a crime that it remained hidden for nearly five decades. |
 | Rehearsing for the Mars landings in Hawaii and IdahoImagine astronauts on Mars, tasked with picking rock samples that will be used by scientists to search for signs of life. But they can only transport a limited number back to Earth. What should they look for? Are some types of rocks better than others? They could try to ask for advice from the team of geologists and biologists back on Earth, but due to the distance between Earth and Mars it could take roughly 40 minutes before they would receive a response. |
 | NASA Goddard teams to study unopened Apollo samplesTwo proposals submitted by teams, led by scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have been selected to analyze unopened Apollo samples. |
Technology news
 | A new approach to overcome multi-model forgetting in deep neural networksIn recent years, researchers have developed deep neural networks that can perform a variety of tasks, including visual recognition and natural language processing (NLP) tasks. Although many of these models achieved remarkable results, they typically only perform well on one particular task due to what is referred to as "catastrophic forgetting." |
 | How to train your robot (to feed you dinner)About 1 million adults in the United States need someone to help them eat, according to census data from 2010. It's a time-consuming and often awkward task, one largely done out of necessity rather than choice. |
 | A robotic leg, born without prior knowledge, learns to walkFor a newborn giraffe or wildebeest, being born can be a perilous introduction to the world—predators lie in wait for an opportunity to make a meal of the herd's weakest member. This is why many species have evolved ways for their juveniles to find their footing within minutes of birth. |
 | Testers look into security of car alarmsA: "You mean your keyless-entry car was stolen in spite of your alarm?" B: "No, my car was stolen because of my alarm." Does this make any sense? It would if you read about a UK security firm's findings when they went looking into third-party car alarms. |
 | Patent talk: A speaker system idea for virtual reality is explored by HarmanHarman international is a known player in the marketplace for audio systems. This month, Harman is making news over a patent filing proposing how to make virtual reality sounds more realistic. |
 | Are human brains vulnerable to voice morphing attacks?A recent research study led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Computer Science investigated the neural underpinnings of voice security, and analyzed the differences in neural activities when users are processing different types of voices, including morphed voices. |
 | Tiny implantable device can measure tissue oxygen levels inside the bodyAn international team of researchers has developed a tiny implantable device that can measure the oxygen level of internal tissue in a living animal. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes how their device was made and how well it worked when tested. |
 | A new way to calculate global intensive care unit mortality riskA man with a history of cardiac arrhythmia is admitted to an emergency room in Virginia, with symptoms of chest pain and irregular heartbeat. Based on factors such as age, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and platelet count, doctors are able to determine the likelihood of his surviving under intensive care. They do this with the help of an intensive care unit (ICU) severity-of-illness score, the most common of which is the APACHE system. APACHE—Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation—was originally designed in the early 1980s as a tool for predicting, then presenting critical-care mortality risk in a simplified format. |
 | Researchers discover the key to safer batteries lies on the surfaceEveryone wants smaller, cheaper, longer-lasting batteries. Find one that also has greater safety and stability, and you have the Holy Grail of better batteries. |
 | Philadelphia says no to totally cashless futureWith an increasing number of US businesses no longer accepting cash, Philadelphia—the City of Brotherly Love—is taking a stand to protect the so-called "unbanked" and will force merchants to accept greenbacks. |
 | What Facebook's 'privacy vision' really meansMark Zuckerberg's abrupt Wednesday declaration of a new "privacy vision " for social networking was for many people a sort of Rorschach test. |
 | How Facebook stands to profit from its 'privacy' pushAt first glance, Mark Zuckerberg's new "privacy-focused vision " for Facebook looks like a transformative mission statement from a CEO under pressure to reverse years of battering over its surveillance practices and privacy failures. |
 | Modern policing: Algorithm helps NYPD spot crime patternsWhen a syringe-wielding drill thief tried sticking up a Home Depot near Yankee Stadium, police figured out quickly that it wasn't a one-off. A man had also used a syringe a few weeks earlier while stealing a drill at another Home Depot 7 miles (11 kilometers) south in Manhattan. |
 | Robo-journalism gains traction in shifting media landscapeA text-generating "bot" nicknamed Tobi produced nearly 40,000 news stories about the results of the November 2018 elections in Switzerland for the media giant Tamedia—in just five minutes. |
 | Turbulence injures 30 on flight from Istanbul to New YorkSevere turbulence tossed terrified passengers and crew around a Turkish Airlines plane cabin as it passed over Maine on Saturday, with 30 people suffering bumps, bruises, cuts and a broken leg before the flight landed safely at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, officials said. |
 | Boeing 737 MAX safety record questioned after two tragediesFor the second time in less than six months, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 has crashed minutes after takeoff and killed everyone on board, raising fresh questions about the safety of a model that is crucial to the US giant's future plans. |
T-Mobile's latest pitch for Sprint merger: Taking on cable internet and TVAs T-Mobile's bid to merge with Sprint continues to face challenges on Capitol Hill, the company is continuing to make its case to regulators. | |
 | 'Failure of trust': Why regulators need to get tough on Facebook and GoogleTwo leading Australian digital media experts have backed proposed tougher regulations for digital platforms, saying the public has lost faith in tech giants like Facebook and Google. |
 | Nvidia buys Israeli chipmaker Mellanox for $6.9 bnUS computer graphics giant Nvidia said Monday it is acquiring Israeli data center firm Mellanox for $6.9 billion, to expand its presence in the high performance computing segment. |
 | Turning buildings into energy producersPhotovoltaics can be used directly in building and renovation projects and serve as a construction material in their own right. Integrating solar panels into facades and roofs can transform buildings into electricity producers and reduce CO2 emissions. To develop and promote this technology, Be-Smart project partners will design multifunctional solar panels that not only produce energy but also do the job of other building materials with insulating, soundproofing or aesthetic qualities. The project partners will also develop a methodology for architects and construction companies and find ways to drastically reduce the costs of BIPV. |
 | Humans and machines can improve accuracy when they work togetherWhether artificial intelligence systems steal humans' jobs or create new work opportunities, people will need to work together with them. |
 | Tesla changes course, will keep more showrooms openElectric carmaker Tesla is reversing course on its decision to move most of its sales online, saying it will keep many of its showrooms open—but will need to hike prices to do so. |
 | Grounding the Boeing 737 a touchy subject for US authoritiesFollowing Sunday's crash in Ethiopia of another Boeing 737 MAX 8, the second accident in five months, the flagship US manufacturer faces fresh questions about the planes' airworthiness. |
 | In competition, people get discouraged by competent robotsIt's not whether you win or lose; it's how hard the robot is working. |
 | Apple sets March 25 event, hints at streamingApple announced plans Monday for a March 25 media event, hinting at a widely expected plan to unveil its own Netflix-style streaming service with original video. |
 | Web inventor urges users to seek 'complete control' of dataWorld Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee on Monday slammed the increasing commodification of personal information and appealed for internet users to strive to maintain "complete control" of their data. |
 | The nations grounding their Boeing 737s (Update)A number of countries have grounded Boeing's 737 MAX 8 medium-haul workhorse jet on Monday in response to an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Are eyes the window to our mistakes?We all make poor decisions from time to time. Researchers at the University of Arizona are working to better understand why, and they're looking to the eyes for answers. |
 | Precision drugs could unmask cancers to immune system and boost effects of immunotherapyPrecision cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors have a previously unknown ability to boost the immune system, and could help many more patients benefit from immunotherapy, a new study reveals. |
 | Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity each linked to unhealthy brainsFactors that influence the health of our blood vessels, such as smoking, high blood and pulse pressures, obesity and diabetes, are linked to less healthy brains, according to research published in the European Heart Journal today. |
 | For infants, distinguishing between friends and strangers is a laughing matterInfants as young as five months can differentiate laughter between friends and that between strangers, finds a new study by researchers at New York University and UCLA. The results suggest that the ability to detect the nature of social relationships is instilled early in human infancy, possibly the result of a detection system that uses vocal cues. |
 | Moderate muscle strength may lower risk for type 2 diabetesOf the 30 million Americans with diabetes, 90 to 95 percent have type 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | Could an eye doctor diagnose Alzheimer's before you have symptoms?A quick eye exam might one day allow eye doctors to check up on both your eyeglasses prescription and your brain health. |
 | Researchers identify role gender-biased protein may play in autismResearchers at the University of New Hampshire are one step closer to helping answer the question of why autism is four times more common in boys than in girls after identifying and characterizing the connection of certain proteins in the brain to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). |
 | Selfish genetic elements amplify inflammation and age-related diseasesAging affects every living organism, but the molecular processes that contribute to aging remain a subject of debate. While many things contribute to the aging process, one common theme in animal aging is inflammation—and this may be amplified by a class of selfish genetic elements. |
 | Brain stimulation improves depression symptoms, restores brain waves in clinical studyWith a weak alternating electrical current sent through electrodes attached to the scalp, UNC School of Medicine researchers successfully targeted a naturally occurring electrical pattern in a specific part of the brain and markedly improved depression symptoms in about 70 percent of participants in a clinical study. |
 | Binge drinking in adolescence may increase risk for anxiety later in lifeA growing body of evidence supports the idea that alcohol exposure early in life has lasting effects on the brain and increases the risk of psychological problems in adulthood. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that adolescent binge drinking, even if discontinued, increases the risk for anxiety later in life due to abnormal epigenetic programming. The findings of the study, which was conducted in animals, was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. |
 | Forgetting uses more brain power than rememberingChoosing to forget something might take more mental effort than trying to remember it, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin discovered through neuroimaging. |
 | For infection-fighting cells, a guideline for expanding the troopsT cells are like the special ops forces of the immune system, detecting and killing infected cells. When a new threat is detected, the cells ramp up from just a few sentry cells to a full platoon. But how does the immune system make just the right amount of T cells, when the starting populations of T cells vary? |
Madagascar battles killer measles outbreakFrangeline is aged two but weighs no more than a four-month-old—the terrible result of her battle with measles, which is cutting a deadly swathe through Madagascar. | |
 | Colorectal cancer in patients with early onset is distinct from that in older patientsNew research indicates that colorectal cancer diagnosed at an early age has clinical and genetic features that are different from those seen in traditional colorectal cancer diagnosed later in life. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also revealed certain unique features in especially young patients and those with predisposing conditions. |
 | Smoking during pregnancy doubles the risk of sudden unexpected infant death, study warnsThe first findings to result from a collaboration between Seattle Children's Research Institute and Microsoft data scientists provides expecting mothers new information about how smoking before and during pregnancy contributes to the risk of an infant dying suddenly and unexpectedly before their first birthday. |
 | Computer kidney could provide safer tests for new medicationsA University of Waterloo researcher has spearheaded the development of the first computational model of the human kidney. |
 | Air pollution may impact fetal cardiovascular system, study saysMicroscopic particles in air pollution inhaled by pregnant women may damage fetal cardiovascular development, according to a study by Rutgers researchers. |
 | Study shows many preteens screen positive for suicide risk during ER visitsA research team found nearly one-third of youth ages 10 to 12 years screened positive for suicide risk in emergency department settings. As part of a larger study on youth suicide risk screening in emergency departments, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, and collaborators sought to explore how frequently preteen youth ages 10 to 12 screened positive for suicide risk. Notably, 7 percent of the preteens who screened positive for suicide risk were seeking help for physical—not psychiatric—concerns. The study appears online March 11 in Hospital Pediatrics. |
Academic performance of urban children with asthma worse than peers without asthmaLiving in an urban area can negatively affect asthma outcomes—particularly for children. A new study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) shows that urban children with poorly controlled asthma, particularly those who are ethnic minorities, also suffer academically. | |
Study of young athletes suggests snoring and sleep apnea are linked to sudden cardiac deathA study of university rugby players has shown that they are more likely to suffer sleep disordered breathing than an average middle-aged man. | |
Care home dehydration tests don't workStandard tests used to identify dehydration are not working for older people living in care homes—according to new research from the University of East Anglia. | |
 | Study finds that parents often permit e-cigarette use in homes and cars with childrenA study led by MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers is the first to examine parents' rules about prohibiting both electronic cigarette and regular cigarette use in homes and cars. The paper published in Pediatrics shows that parents who use e-cigarettes—whether or not they also smoke traditional cigarettes—were much more likely to permit e-cigarette use inside both homes and cars than parents who smoke only traditional cigarettes |
 | How does the cheese challenge on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook affect a baby's developing brain?If I were to throw a slice of cheese at your face, dear reader, it would be weird for you. You might say, "Hey. Why did you throw that slice of cheese at my face? That was out of the ordinary." |
 | New ORNL AI tool revolutionizes process for matching cancer patients with clinical trialsA team of researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory Health Data Sciences Institute has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to better match cancer patients with clinical trials. |
Improving researchers' abilities to forecast epidemicsAn annual influenza season forecasting challenge issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control provides unique insight into epidemic forecasting, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. | |
 | Easier access to nicotine vaping products likely to improve public health and reduce health system costs, study saysEasier access to e-cigarettes containing nicotine is highly likely to lead to health gains and cost savings in the health sector, Australian and New Zealand researchers have found. |
 | Hospital cleaning trial cuts infectionsA major trial of a bundle of hospital cleaning practices in 11 Australian hospitals has made significant reductions in healthcare associated infections and demonstrated cost-benefits. |
 | How to breathe for better health, studying and test takingIf you're reading this you're obviously breathing, but are you doing it right? |
 | Is moderate drinking healthy?For the past three decades or so, the conventional wisdom has been that drinking alcohol at moderate levels is good for us. |
 | Exfoliation syndrome may up risk for COPD(HealthDay)—Patients with exfoliation syndrome (XFS) may be at increased risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published in the January-February issue of Ophthalmology Glaucoma. |
 | Becoming active in middle age still offers health benefits(HealthDay)—Becoming physically active in middle age may provide comparable health benefits to long-term participation in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), according to a study published online March 8 in JAMA Network Open. |
 | Mumps outbreak reported at Temple University(HealthDay)—Ten confirmed cases of mumps, six probable cases, and a case under investigation have been reported at Temple University in Philadelphia. |
 | WHO launches strategy to fight 'inevitable' flu pandemicsThe World Health Organization on Monday launched a strategy to protect people worldwide over the next decade against the threat of influenza, warning that new pandemics are "inevitable". |
 | Gambling research shows rapid increases in sport related gambling advertising since 2013 - 2014A survey led by a University of Warwick psychology researcher of gambling advertising research since 2014 shows a shows rapid increases in amount and potential influence. |
 | A fix for back pain? Scientists test bio-synthetic discs in goatsOf all the parts of the human body, the stubby little discs between the bones in the spine represent one of the more remarkable feats of nature's design. |
 | California looks to lead nation in unraveling childhood traumaImagine identifying a toxin so potent it could rewire a child's brain and erode his immune system. A substance that, in high doses, tripled the risk of heart disease and lung cancer and reduced life expectancy by 20 years. |
 | Two years after face transplant, Andy Sandness' smile shows his progressIt has been 2 years since Andy Sandness was wheeled into an operating room at Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minnesota, campus for a 56-hour marathon surgery to give him a complete face transplant. |
 | SniffPhone detects cancer from breathSniffPhone, currently in its prototype phase, enables early diagnosis of gastric cancer from a person's exhaled breath. The new method may revolutionise cancer screening all over the world. VTT has participated to the development of SniffPhone prototype and concept with nine other project partners. |
 | Slow down! Eating too fast can pile on the pounds(HealthDay)—Has your hectic lifestyle turned you into someone who gulps down meals? |
 | Stretches for calves, hamstrings and quads(HealthDay)—Stretching your leg muscles can improve your flexibility and prevent injury. Here are three stretches that you can do every day and at every age. |
 | Potential way to improve cancer surgery outcomes by managing nontraditional risk factorsIn a study of 142 patients preparing for cancer surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have evidence that psychological or social risk factors such as depression, limited resilience and lack of emergency resources along with standard medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes are linked with higher risks of surgical complications. |
 | Fear of hospitalization keeps men from talking about suicideFear of psychiatric hospitalization is one of the primary reasons that older men—an age and gender group at high risk for suicide—don't talk about suicide with their physicians. |
 | What's for dinner? Sushi, with a side of cricketsWhile insects have been consumed for centuries worldwide, many people still haven't warmed to the idea of a creepy-crawly on the tongue. |
 | Female academic EM doctors less likely than male doctors to hold rank of full professorAs few as one-third of academic emergency medicine physicians are female and these physicians face significant disparities in representation and academic rank by gender. That is the conclusion of a study to be published in a March 2019 special issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) titled: "Influence of Gender on the Profession of Emergency Medicine." |
 | New diagnostic clues found for life limiting lung conditionA new biomarker that could be used to provide earlier diagnosis for a life limiting lung condition has been identified by researchers at the University of Bradford. |
 | Sepsis a leading cause of death in US hospitals but many deaths may not be preventableSepsis is a major contributor to disability, death and health care costs in the United States and worldwide. A growing recognition of the high burden of sepsis as well as media coverage of high-profile, sepsis-induced deaths have catalyzed new efforts to prevent and manage the disease. While new initiatives have been beneficial in paving the road toward better detection and treatment of sepsis, the role of sepsis in associated deaths and their preventability remain largely unknown. To address this question, a research team at Brigham and Women's Hospital has comprehensively reviewed the characteristics and clinical management of patients who died with sepsis. The results are published in JAMA Network Open. |
 | How susceptible are hospital employees to phishing attacks?Cybersecurity threats are a rising problem in society, especially for health care organizations. Successful attacks can jeopardize not only patient data but also patient care, leading to cancellations and disruptions in the critical services that hospitals provide. While many hospitals have taken steps to educate, inform and forewarn their employees about cybersecurity attacks, few studies have quantified how susceptible hospital employees are to phishing attacks. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital addresses these questions through a multicenter study that aggregated data from six health care institutions that ran phishing simulations over the course of seven years. The team reports a high click rate for simulated phishing but also a reduction in click rates with increasing campaigns, suggesting a potential benefit for raising awareness. The team's findings are published in JAMA Network Open. |
 | Multi-country study: Many Airbnb listings that allow smoking lack smoke detectorsIn a study that analyzed Airbnb listings across 17 countries, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that less than half of the Airbnb venues that allow smoking are equipped with smoke detectors, while nearly two-thirds of Airbnb venues that do not allow smoking are equipped with smoke detectors. |
 | Researchers say education a major barrier to following heart healthy dietPeople with a college education are nearly seven times more likely to adhere to a Mediterranean Diet than people with only a high school education, according to research in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. |
 | Mindfulness found to improve mental health of studentsMental health amongst university students could be improved by introducing mindfulness training. These are the findings from the first UK study, published in Education Research International, to measure the efficacy of mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on students. |
Cutting the standard dose of medication for acute mountain sickness in half does not reduce its effectivenessA new study published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine demonstrated that trekkers and climbers taking a lower dose of acetazolamide (62.5 mg twice daily) were no more likely to develop acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms than those who took twice that amount, which is the standard prophylactic dose. | |
 | Kids' concussion recovery like snakes and ladders gameNew guidelines that reduce the amount of rest required for children recovering from a concussion have been developed by CanChild, a McMaster University research institute. |
 | Patterns of joint behavior useful for juvenile arthritis classification(HealthDay)—An algorithm that can classify patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) into seven distinct groups based on patterns of swollen or painful joints in the body can help predict disease course, according to a study published online Feb. 26 in PLOS Medicine. |
 | Cardiorespiratory fitness tied to coronary heart disease risk(HealthDay)—Poor cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a low-risk population, according to a study recently published in the European Heart Journal. |
 | Chest CT may be better than PET/CT for HNSCC distant metastasis evaluation(HealthDay)—As distant metastasis (DM) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a rare event, computed tomography of the chest may be more cost-effective for evaluation, according to a study recently published in Oral Oncology. |
 | Over 17.7 million cosmetic procedures performed in U.S. in 2018(HealthDay)—More than 17.7 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States in 2018, with an increasing trend seen in body-shaping procedures, according to a report published online March 11 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). |
 | College campuses are thinking about lactation spaces—but could be doing moreA college campus may not seem like a place that requires extensive lactation support. But while most undergraduates don't have children, several populations within these higher-education environments—graduate students, faculty, staff, visitors—may need access to breastfeeding and pumping spaces. |
New plastic surgery statistics reveal trends toward body enhancementNew data released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) shows there were nearly a quarter million more cosmetic procedures performed in 2018 than the previous year. According to the ASPS annual plastic surgery statistics report, there were more than 17.7 million surgical and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2018, a number that has risen steadily over the past five years. | |
 | As hospitals post price lists, the public is asked to check themFederal officials required hospitals nationwide this year to post their "list" prices online. But it's not yet clear how many are doing it, even as the government has taken the rare step of asking consumers to monitor hospital compliance. |
 | Success of university programs to promote rural healthcare in JapanAn ambitious health economics study from a consortium of five Japanese universities has shown that different university programs to promote the equal geographic distribution of physicians increases the number of graduates practicing in rural areas in Japan. Graduates from these programs were on average 24 percent more likely to work in non-metropolitan areas than those not involved these programs. |
 | Mobile device to provide instant diagnosis of heart diseasesCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to be a leading cause of death. According to the World Health Organization, more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. Since their diagnosis might require specialised testing that could be costly and difficult to perform, the identification of individuals at risk could play a crucial role in early intervention. This is the vision of the EU-funded CARDIS project that has developed a prototype medical device for the diagnosis of various CVDs such as arterial stenosis and heart failure. Its technology is based on silicon photonics. |
 | Persons with Alzheimer's disease have a higher risk of head injuriesPersons with Alzheimer's disease have approximately 30 percent higher risk of head injuries, and 50 percent higher risk of traumatic brain injuries than persons without Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from University of Eastern Finland shows. The results were published in Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. |
 | Gender-based salary gap persists among academic emergency medicine physiciansAlthough overall salaries for emergency physicians have increased over the past four years, and despite a call to end gender disparities in salary, men still make 18 percent more than women, and a $12,000 gender salary gap remains essentially unchanged. That is the finding of a study to be published in a March 2019 special issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) titled: "Influence of Gender on the Profession of Emergency Medicine." |
 | New regulatory factor identified in bone formationResearchers report the identification of a novel transcription factor that helps regulate the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into bone in mice. Bone cell differentiation is still poorly understood, and MSCs offer a promising source of stem cells for regenerative medicine applications. The new transcription factor, called Osteoblast Inducer (ObI)-1, is described in an article published in Stem Cells and Development. |
 | New 'tracers' improve diagnosis of cancer and may be useful for treatmentResearchers have identified two new nuclear medicine tracers that make it easier to diagnose and potentially treat cancer. A proof-of-concept investigation, published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, reports that 68Ga-FAPI positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) provides high-contrast images with quality equal to or better than that of the standard 18F-FDG imaging. Further, no diet changes or fasting are needed before beginning imaging with 68Ga-FAPI, and image acquisition times are substantially shorter than with 18F-FDG PET/CT. |
Tunisia: 12 infants die of hospital-acquired infectionTunisia's interim health minister says 12 newborn babies have died while receiving care at a public maternity hospital. | |
 | Multitasking amygdala neurons respond to sights, sounds, and touchIndividual neurons in the monkey amygdala that respond to touch also respond to imagery and sounds, according to new research published in JNeurosci. These cells may provide the building blocks needed to process multisensory social and emotional information. |
Guidelines on the use of genetic testing in psychiatryAn expert committee of psychiatrists and geneticists has issued revised guidelines for the use of genetic testing in psychiatric care. The new guidelines, which represent the first complete revision since 2014, address several controversial questions, including the use of genetic testing to guide treatment decisions (pharmacogenetics), diagnosis of mental disorders with powerful new molecular genetic technologies, and the special ethical challenges posed by genetic testing in psychiatric patients. The guidelines are written especially for non-specialist health care providers who may find the growing menu of clinical genetic tests confusing and difficult to evaluate, while facing a spike in genetic testing requests by patients and their families. | |
Biology news
 | Common beetle's gut microbiome benefits forests, holds promise for bioenergyInsects are critical contributors to ecosystem functioning, and like most living organisms their co-evolution with microbes has been essential to support these functions. While many insects are infamous for wreaking havoc wherever they roam, many thousands of species go quietly about their business, providing important services essential to healthy ecosystems using the innovative biochemistry of their microbiomes. |
 | Protection from Zika virus may lie in a protein derived from mosquitoesBy targeting a protein found in the saliva of mosquitoes that transmit Zika virus, Yale investigators reduced Zika infection in mice. The finding demonstrates how researchers might develop a vaccine against Zika and similar mosquito-borne viruses, the study authors said. |
 | Honey bees can help monitor pollution in citiesHoney from urban bees can tell us how clean a city is and help pinpoint the sources of environmental pollutants such as lead, new University of British Columbia research has found. |
 | Genes that evolve from scratch expand protein diversityOne of the most important questions in biology is how rapidly new proteins evolve in organisms. Proteins are the building blocks that carry out the basic functions of life. As the genes that produce them change, the proteins change as well, introducing new functionality or traits that can eventually lead to the evolution of new species. |
 | Study confirms horseshoe crabs are really relatives of spiders, scorpionsBlue-blooded and armored with 10 spindly legs, horseshoe crabs have perhaps always seemed a bit out of place. |
 | Ancient records prompt rethink of animal evolution timelineScientists are rethinking a major milestone in animal evolution, after gaining fresh insights into how life on Earth diversified millions of years ago. |
 | Experts present a new framework for global species monitoringA group of international experts has developed a much-needed framework to significantly improve the monitoring of status and trends of species worldwide. This finding comes after a multi-year collaboration under the auspices of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). |
 | Short birth intervals associated with higher offspring mortality in primatesShorter intervals between primate births are associated with higher mortality rates in offspring, finds a new study of macaque monkeys. The results are consistent with previous research on human birth intervals, suggesting that this is a pattern of evolutionary origin. |
 | Pheromones and social status: Macho mice smell betterMale house mice produce several pheromones, which are volatile and non-volatile chemical signals that have potent effects on the reproductive physiology and behavior of female mice. A recent study conducted by researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna now shows that female house mice are attracted to the scent of dominant males, and that these males produce higher levels of certain pheromones compared to subordinates. |
 | Virus deletes gene to regain replicationOne virus' genetic loss can become its evolutionary gain, says a pioneering study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. |
 | Study warns of disinfectant use in hospitalsThe use of disinfectants to clean and control infections in hospitals should be regulated in the same way that prescribing antibiotics is, according to researchers from the University of Aberdeen. |
 | Analysis reveals key gene for bacterial infectionTo successfully infect their hosts, bacteria need to evade the host immune system in order to reproduce and spread. Over the course of evolution, hosts—such as humans—develop increasingly sophisticated defenses against bacterial infection, while bacteria in turn develop new strategies to overcome these defenses in a biological arms race. |
 | Sex differences in personality traits in Asian elephantsScientists from the University of Turku, Finland, have found that male and female Asian elephants differ in their personality. Previous work on a timber elephant population from Myanmar has shown that Asian elephants have three personality factors: Attentiveness, Sociability and Aggressiveness. The new study demonstrates that male elephants score higher on the Aggressiveness trait than females, whereas female elephants score higher on the Sociability trait than males. |
 | People are essential to conserving pollinatorsA global study has concluded that people are essential to conserving the pollinators that maintain and protect biodiversity, agriculture and habitat. |
 | For hyenas, there's no 'I' in clanWhen it comes to advancing social status, it's not what you know, it's who you know—for humans and spotted hyenas alike. |
 | When coyote parents get used to humans, their offspring become bolder, tooAcross North America, coyotes are moving into urban environments, and regardless of how they feel about it, urban residents are having to get used to some new animal neighbors. A big question for wildlife researchers is how coyotes habituate to humans, which can potentially lead to conflict. |
 | US regulators clear path for genetically modified salmonU.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light to salmon genetically modified to grow about twice as fast as normal, but the company behind it may face legal challenges before the fish can be sold domestically. |
 | New species of stiletto snake capable of sideways strikes discovered in West AfricaFollowing a series of recent surveys in north-western Liberia and south-eastern Guinea, an international team of researchers found three stiletto snakes which were later identified as a species previously unknown to science. |
 | Illuminating the genomeThe CRISPR/Cas9 system has been causing ripples in the scientific community ever since its mechanisms were reported in 2012. Commonly referred to as a genome editing tool, many scientists have found different applications for the scissor-like properties of the Cas9-protein. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK Gatersleben) have now found a way to utilise the RNA/protein complex in a slightly different way—as a cytogenetic torch. Other than in conventional in situ hybridisation, the new RNA-guided endonuclease—in situ labelling-tool (RGEN-ISL) no longer requires denaturation of the DNA. The new method therefore leaves the chromatin intact, enabling investigation of the structure of the sample. Moreover, RGEN-ISL can be combined with protein-detection methods and allows real-time visualisation of the labelling-process. Whilst initially developed for plant genomes, RGEN-ISL can be used in all organisms and shows to be a promising new tool in the field of chromosome biology. |
 | When a cell's 'fingerprint' can be a weapon against cancerA research team led by Nuno Barbosa Morais, group leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM) in Lisbon, computationally analysed the expression of marker genes that are associated with a "fingerprint" of cancer cells in thousands of tumors and revealed its therapeutic potential in the fight against cancer. The study published today in PLoS Computational Biology shows the types of tumors in which these genes are most active and identifies drugs that can selectively eliminate cells that carry that label. |
 | Researchers report two pathways that cells use to mend cancer-causing DNA damageDNA damage occurs in all cellular organisms. In human cells, it can be caused by the body's normal metabolic activities, by environmental factors or by chemotherapy. During the crucial phase when cells replicate their genetic content, they are susceptible to lesions – damaged sections of a DNA molecule. Common lesions known as DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs) can prevent the cell from replicating itself and may lead to genome instability, a cause of cancer and ageing. |
 | Sugar set for 'energycane' reinventionGene-editing sugarcane for use in renewable energy and bio-plastics could help secure the industry's future. |
 | Super clones to conquer coconut crisisAgeing coconut palm trees could be replaced quickly and cheaply by superior cloned coconuts being developed by University of Queensland researchers. |
 | How birds become male or female, and occasionally bothThe highly unusual "semi-identical" Australian twins reported last week are the result of a rare event. It's thought the brother and sister (who have identical genes from their mother but not their father) developed from an egg fertilised by two different sperm at the same moment. |
 | Viruses interact socially with each other to evade the immune systemPilar Domingo, Ernesto Segredo, María Durán and Rafael Sanjuán from the Institute of Integrated Systems Biology (I²SysBio) have shown that viruses behave altruistically to avoid the immune system. This research, published on Monday in Nature Microbiology and carried out in the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), has potential applications in the development of antiviral and vaccine treatments. |
 | Soaking up clues from freshwater spongesUniversity of Minnesota Crookston researchers, aided by students, are shedding light on freshwater sponges in Minnesota, which may be indicators of water quality. |
 | Novel insect vectors and host trees harbor Dutch elm diseaseResearchers from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the University of Krakow have revealed novel and unexpected insect vectors and host trees for the Dutch elm disease, a deadly and devastating fungal disease of elm trees. Global trade and climate change enhance the risk of new exotic insect and fungi introductions. |
 | The fiddlers influencing mangrove ecosystemsThe types of bacteria living in and around fiddler crab burrows vary widely between mangroves, but their functional activities are remarkably similar. |
 | Fair Isle Bird Observatory—Watching the birdwatchersNote: This post was scheduled just as news came in that the Fair Isle Bird Observatory had been destroyed by fire on Sunday, 10th March 2019). Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire. Plans are already afoot to rebuild, but that will take time and money. |
 | Scientists discover a potential strategy to treat influenza AA team of researchers from Scripps Research and Janssen Research & Development LLC has discovered an orally active small molecule that neutralizes influenza A group 1 viruses, the most common flu strains. Scientists uncovered the potential therapy in a large chemical library and optimized lead compounds to produce JNJ-4796. Now they have proven its effectiveness against influenza in mice. |
 | Anti-malarial shows promise in human clinical studyAn experimental drug, called DSM265, cured seven volunteers of a Plasmodium falciparum infection, a malaria parasite that is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The goal of this research is to find a cure for malaria with a single dose, and ultimately, eradicate the parasite. The research is published March 11 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. |
 | Wanted: More pastures for West's overpopulated wild horsesIf you ever wished to gaze at a stomping, snorting, neighing panorama of Western heritage from your living-room window, now could be your chance. |
 | Biologists study enzymes that help wheat to fight fungiScientists from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University together with their Russian colleagues studied the reaction of wheat plants to damage caused by pathogenic fungi. They examined the activation of enzymes involved in cell death induced in response to infection. The research results and enzyme classification were published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. |
 | Dog therapy: What I've learned overseeing 60 canine campus teamsThe interaction always played out the same way. I'd leave my office and make my way across campus in search of coffee, my dog Frances by my side, and I would be besieged by students who, for the most part, would ignore me and lose themselves in Frances. They would eventually look up with tear-filled eyes and say: "As much as I miss my parents, I miss my dog more." |
 | Sowing the seeds – The past, present and future of plant conservation at FFIYou have to fast-forward almost 80 years from the origins of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) before you find any formal acknowledgement of our interest in things botanical, but plant conservation was on our agenda long before 'Flora' featured in our actual name. |
 | To slow malaria, cure mosquitoes with drug-treated bed netsFor decades, one of the strongest weapons against malaria has been a one-two punch: low-tech mosquito bed nets to physically block biting, treated with deadly insecticides to kill the mosquitoes. |
 | Bee diversity critical to world's food supplyEcosystems that contain only a few bee species underperform in terms of plant production whereas those with many different species thrive, according to research which highlights the importance of bee diversity to securing the world's food supply. |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future, please unsubscribe here.
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com. You may manage your subscription options from your Science X profile
No comments:
Post a Comment