Science X Newsletter Week 14

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 14:

	Scientists set to unveil first picture of a black hole The world, it seems, is soon to see the first picture of a black hole.
	MIT and NASA engineers demonstrate a new kind of airplane wing A team of engineers has built and tested a radically new kind of airplane wing, assembled from hundreds of tiny identical pieces. The wing can change shape to control the plane's flight, and could provide a significant boost in aircraft production, flight, and maintenance efficiency, the researchers say.
	Researchers develop way to control speed of light, send it backward University of Central Florida researchers have developed a way to control the speed of light. Not only can they speed up a pulse of light and slow it down, they can also make it travel backward.
	Evidence found of Denisovans interbreeding with humans in Southeast Asia more recently than thought An international team of researchers has found evidence of Denisovans interbreeding with modern humans in Southeast Asia more recently than thought. The group gave a presentation at this year's meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists outlining a genetic study they conducted.
	Scientists capture live, atomic-level detail of nanoparticle formation Scientists at the Sensitive Instrument Facility of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory achieved real-time atom rearrangement monitoring using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy during the synthesis of intermetallic nanoparticles (iNPs).
	Alcohol-induced brain damage continues after alcohol is stopped Although the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain are widely known, the structural changes observed are very heterogeneous. In addition, diagnostic markers are lacking to characterize brain damage induced by alcohol, especially at the beginning of abstinence, a critical period due to the high rate of relapse that it presents.
	Scientists discover first organism with chlorophyll genes that doesn't photosynthesize For the first time scientists have found an organism that can produce chlorophyll but does not engage in photosynthesis.
	In a first, electric cars outsell traditional ones in Norway In a symbolic first, electric cars outsold fossil fuel-powered ones in Norway last month.
	Scientists find likely source of methane on Mars The mystery of methane on Mars may finally be solved as scientists Monday confirmed the presence of the life-indicating gas on the Red Planet as well as where it might have come from.
	Ancient, four-legged whale with otter-like features found along the coast of Peru Cetaceans, the group including whales and dolphins, originated in south Asia more than 50 million years ago from a small, four-legged, hoofed ancestor. Now, researchers reporting the discovery of an ancient four-legged whale—found in 42.6-million-year-old marine sediments along the coast of Peru—have new insight into whales' evolution and their dispersal to other parts of the world. The findings are reported in the journal Current Biology on April 4.
	Forever young: study uncovers protein that keeps skin youthful Beauty might only be skin deep, but for those wondering how to keep that skin young, scientists may have found an answer in the form of a protein that encourages cell competition.
	Gut microbiome directs the immune system to fight cancer The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors—which "release the brakes" of the body's immune system to launch an efficient tumor attack—are a major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. However, these treatments don't work for everybody and are often associated with significant side effects. The ability to stratify patients based on potential response to immune checkpoint inhibitors could therefore personalize cancer treatment. Efforts to understand the regulation of anti-tumor immunity (when the immune system fights a tumor) point to the importance of the gut microbiome. However, the underlying molecular mechanism(s) remain largely elusive.
	Routine HPV vaccination linked to dramatic reduction in cervical disease among young women Routine vaccination of girls aged 12 or 13 years with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Scotland has led to a dramatic reduction in cervical disease in later life, finds a study published by The BMJ today.
	Carbon dioxide levels highest in 3 million years, shows unprecedented computer simulation CO2 greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are likely higher today than ever before in the past 3 million years. During this time, global mean temperatures never exceeded preindustrial levels by more than 2 degrees C. The study is based on breakthrough computer simulations of ice age onset in Earth's past climate.
	Physicist applies statistical mechanics theories to explain how children learn a language Eric DeGiuli, a physicist at École Normale Supérieure, has proposed that a human language grammar can be viewed as if it were a physical object, allowing theories such as those in statistical mechanics to explain how a child learns a language. In his paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, he describes his ideas and his hopes that they might one day be associated with neurological evidence.
	Unexpected rain on sun links two solar mysteries For five months in mid 2017, Emily Mason did the same thing every day. Arriving to her office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, she sat at her desk, opened up her computer, and stared at images of the Sun—all day, every day. "I probably looked through three or five years' worth of data," Mason estimated. Then, in October 2017, she stopped. She realized she had been looking at the wrong thing all along.
	After the Moon in 2024, NASA wants to reach Mars by 2033 NASA has made it clear they want astronauts back on the Moon in 2024, and now, they are zeroing in on the Red Planet—the US space agency confirmed that it wants humans to reach Mars by 2033.
	First bacterial genome created entirely with a computer All the genome sequences of organisms known throughout the world are stored in a database belonging to the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the United States. As of today, the database has an additional entry: Caulobacter ethensis-2.0. It is the world's first fully computer-generated genome of a living organism, developed by scientists at ETH Zurich. However, it must be emphasised that although the genome for C. ethensis-2.0 was physically produced in the form of a very large DNA molecule, a corresponding organism does not yet exist.
	Depression, obesity, chronic pain could be treated by targeting the same key protein Major depression, obesity and chronic pain are all linked to the effects of one protein, called "FK506-binding protein 51," or FKBP51. Until now, efforts to inhibit this target have been hampered by the difficulty of finding something specific enough to do the job and not affect similar proteins. Now a research group has developed a highly selective compound that can effectively block FKBP51 in mice, relieving chronic pain and having positive effects on diet-induced obesity and mood. The new compound also could have applications in alcoholism and brain cancer.
	People with autism have an altered sense of self New research has indicated that people with autism have an altered sense of self, which may explain some of the differences shown in social functioning.

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