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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 24, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Meteor magnets in outer space—study finds elusive giant planetsAstronomers believe planets like Jupiter shield us from space objects that would otherwise slam into Earth. Now they're closer to learning whether giant planets act as guardians of solar systems elsewhere in the galaxy. |
 | SpaceX launches first 60 satellites of its internet networkSpaceX has launched a rocket carrying the first 60 satellites of its "Starlink" constellation, which is intended to provide internet from space in an array that could one day contain over 12,000 orbiting transponders. |
 | Scientists uncover exotic matter in the sun's atmosphereScientists from Ireland and France today announced a major new finding about how matter behaves in the extreme conditions of the Sun's atmosphere. |
 | Hubble spies curious galaxy moving a little closerThis Hubble image stars Messier 90, a beautiful spiral galaxy located roughly 60 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation of Virgo (the Virgin). The galaxy is part of the Virgo Cluster, a gathering of galaxies that is over 1,200 strong. |
 | New catalogue of 12,000 X-ray spectral linesX-ray sources in the sky radiate "bar codes" revealing their properties. These bar codes consist of narrow peaks and troughs within the source's spectrum. The RGS instrument on the satellite XMM-Newton was built to find these bars—or spectral lines. Astronomer Junjie Mao and his colleagues at SRON and ESA have now created a catalogue filled with 12,000 X-ray lines, which astronomers can use to conduct large-scale surveys among the stellar population. They have reported its development in Astronomy & Astrophysics. |
 | What caused the fireballs that lit up the sky over Australia?Over the past few days a pair of spectacular fireballs have graced Australia's skies. |
 | World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativityCelebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary. |
 | NASA's Mars 2020 mission drops in on Death ValleyOn a test flight in Death Valley, California, an Airbus helicopter carried an engineering model of the Lander Vision System (LVS) that will help guide NASA's next Mars mission to a safe touchdown on the Red Planet. During the flight - one in a series—the helicopter (which is not part of the mission and was used just for testing) and its two-person crew flew a pre-planned sequence of maneuvers while LVS collected and analyzed imagery of the barren, mountainous terrain below. |
Video: 100 years of gravityOne hundred years ago this month, observations performed during a total solar eclipse proved for the first time the gravitational bending of light predicted by Albert Einstein's new theory of gravity, general relativity. In this video, Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, reflects on this historic measurement that inaugurated a century of exciting experiments, investigating gravity on Earth and in space and proving general relativity in ever greater detail. | |
Technology news
 | Three convolutional neural network models for facial expression recognition in the wildTwo researchers at Shanghai University of Electric Power have recently developed and evaluated new neural network models for facial expression recognition (FER) in the wild. Their study, published in Elsevier's Neurocomputing journal, presents three models of convolutional neural networks (CNNs): a Light-CNN, a dual-branch CNN and a pre-trained CNN. |
 | Mona Lisa guest on TV? Researchers work out talking heads from photos, artA paper discussing an artificial intelligence feat now up on arXiv is giving tech watchers yet another reason to feel this is the Age of Enfrightenment. |
 | Electrified methane reformer produces far less carbon dioxideA team of researchers from several institutions in Denmark, along with colleagues from Sintex and Haldor Topsoe, has developed an electrified methane reformer that produces far less CO2 than conventional steam-methane reformers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their new technology and how well it works. Kevin Van Geem, Vladimir Galvita and Guy Marin with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology and Center for Sustainable Chemistry in Ghent have published a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue. |
 | A quicker eye for robotics to help in our cluttered, human environmentsIn a step toward home-helper robots that can quickly navigate unpredictable and disordered spaces, University of Michigan researchers have developed an algorithm that lets machines perceive their environments orders of magnitude faster than similar previous approaches. |
 | 'Neural Lander' uses AI to land drones smoothlyLanding multi-rotor drones smoothly is difficult. Complex turbulence is created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground as the ground grows ever closer during a descent. This turbulence is not well understood nor is it easy to compensate for, particularly for autonomous drones. That is why takeoff and landing are often the two trickiest parts of a drone flight. Drones typically wobble and inch slowly toward a landing until power is finally cut, and they drop the remaining distance to the ground. |
 | Regulators fail to set date for 737 MAX return to serviceCivil aviation regulators from around the world failed to make a determination Thursday on when Boeing's popular 737 MAX aircraft can return to the skies after being grounded following two deadly crashes. |
 | Rights and obligations under EU's data protection rulesThe EU's stringent data protection rules have bolstered the rights of European citizens and imposed new responsibilities on companies since coming into force a year ago. |
 | One year on, EU's GDPR sets global standard for data protectionThe EU's strict data laws have set the global benchmark for protecting personal information online since coming into force a year ago, but some worry that many users have barely noticed the change. |
 | Facebook plans cryptocurrency launch next year: BBCFacebook has been in contact with US and British financial regulators with a view to launching its own cryptocurrency next year, the BBC reported on Friday. |
 | People assume they're immune to social network dynamics, but other people aren'tA number of prominent figures have called for some sort of regulation of Facebook—including one of the company's co-founders and a venture capitalist who was one of Facebook's early backers. |
 | In-car technology: are we being sold a false sense of security?The retired football star David Beckham recently received a six-month driving ban after being photographed using his hand-held phone while driving. Unfortunately, Beckham is not alone in apparently thinking that time spent driving can also be usefully spent doing something else. |
 | Tesla's bad news accelerates as Wall Street loses faithLate last year, Tesla Inc. was fully charged and cruising down the highway on Autopilot. |
 | Fake Facebook accounts: the never-ending battle against botsThe staggering figure of more than three billion fake accounts blocked by Facebook over a six-month period highlights the challenges faced by social networks in curbing automated accounts, or bots, and other nefarious efforts to manipulate the platforms. |
 | Ex-Facebook exec recommends Zuckerberg step down as CEOFacebook's former security chief is disagreeing with calls to break up the social network. |
Energy storage in the Midwest and beyond: A timely analysisAs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released an update to last year's order on energy storage, MRS Energy & Sustainability today publishes a timely collection of papers that unpack the issue of energy storage in the Midwest and beyond. | |
 | Virtual reality helps police in dealing with autistic people (Update)An autistic man walks out of a store without paying for a toy he picked up. He's followed by a storekeeper demanding he come back inside. The situation quickly escalates, and police are called. |
 | A step toward fully electric ferriesHybrid and electric vessels are under the spotlight lately, thanks to intensified efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping, a significant source of CO2 and other pollutants. There are already several offerings of such green ships in Europe, and a Danish operator is ready to pave the way for the widespread use of fully electric powered vessels in the ferry sector. |
 | CEOs get $800,000 pay raise, leaving workers further behindDid you get a 7% raise last year? Congratulations, yours was in line with what CEOs at the biggest companies got. But for chief executives, that 7% was roughly $800,000. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Engineering B cells to express pathogen-specific antibodies to protect against infectionAntibodies are currently in use to treat diseases that range from cancer to autoimmunity and are usually administered to patients in multiple doses, much like medical drugs. However, the production and storage of antibodies are comparatively more expensive, with considerable interest on finding alternative strategies to deliver them. |
 | Virtual reality can spot navigation problems in early Alzheimer's diseaseVirtual reality (VR) can identify early Alzheimer's disease more accurately than 'gold standard' cognitive tests currently in use, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. |
 | Did Leonardo da Vinci have ADHD?Leonardo da Vinci produced some of the world's most iconic art, but historical accounts show that he struggled to complete his works. 500 years after his death, King's College London researcher Professor Marco Catani suggests the best explanation for Leonardo's inability to finish projects is that the great artist may have had Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). |
 | A step closer to identifying cause of a blinding diseaseLeber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is an inherited form of vision loss that causes people to have trouble with their colour vision and difficulty seeing in the centre of their visual field. Due to the founder effect from the filles du roi, there is a disproportionate preponderance of a particular LHON mutation among the French-Canadian population. |
 | Researchers investigate hormonal links between diet and obesityObesity is a growing public health crisis, bringing with it many serious risk factors, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. As the number of people who are either overweight or obese now outnumbers those with a healthy body weight by a ratio of two to one, researchers face an urgent need to better understand how the body burns fuel. |
 | New study reveals gut segments organized by functionAs food enters the intestine, it embarks on windy, lengthy journey. For most of the route, its surroundings don't appear to change much. But new research from Rockefeller's Daniel Mucida shows that the food-processing canal consists of compartments that pace the immune system's reactions to the food passing through—with less aggressive defenses in the first segments where nutrients are absorbed, and more forceful responses at the end, where pathogens are eliminated. |
 | High sugar levels during pregnancy could lead to childhood obesityThe children of women who have high glucose blood levels during pregnancy, even if their mothers are not diagnosed with gestational diabetes, are at an increased risk of developing obesity in childhood, according to a new study published in PLOS One. |
 | Biotech startup uses nanoparticles to induce immune toleranceMore than 100 approved drugs in the U.S. warn of immune-related side effects on their labels. Countless others never make it onto shelves because of unwanted immune responses that can harm patients and limit the effectiveness of drug candidates. |
Researchers discover how three-dimensional organization of the genome regulates cell differentiationA new study from the University of Minnesota Medical School clarifies how the three-dimensional organization of the genome is regulated at the onset of skeletal muscle formation. Although the DNA sequence of the genome is a linear code, like a long sentence, the actual DNA molecule twists and folds in 3-D space, with some sequences that are distant from each other in sequence being physically close to each other in space. These 3-D interactions are thought to allow proteins that bind DNA to regulate the activity of genes that are distant from where they are binding. | |
 | New neurons form in the brain into the tenth decade of life, even in people with Alzheimer'sIn a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers examining post-mortem brain tissue from people ages 79 to 99 found that new neurons continue to form well into old age. The study provides evidence that this occurs even in people with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, although neurogenesis is significantly reduced in these people compared to older adults with normal cognitive functioning. |
 | FDA approves $2M medicine, most expensive everU.S. regulators have approved the most expensive medicine ever, for a rare disorder that destroys a baby's muscle control and kills nearly all of those with the most common type of the disease within a couple of years. |
 | Nerve stimulation could provide new treatment option for most common type of strokeResearch led by a UCLA scientist found that a new nerve stimulation therapy to increase blood flow could help patients with the most common type of stroke up to 24 hours after onset. |
 | Experimental fertility preservation provides hope for young menTesticular tissue samples obtained from 189 males who were facing procedures that could imperil fertility were cryopreserved at one university, proving the feasibility of centralized processing and freezing of testicular tissue obtained from academic medical centers, including Children's National, scattered around the world. |
 | Spanish flu may have lingered two years before 1918 outbreak and vaccine could have treated itThe most severe pandemic in recent history, killing some 50 million people worldwide, the Spanish influenza, may have emerged up to two years earlier than previously believed. And, according to a new and influential study, its early manifestation was ignored at the time as a "minor infection". |
 | CBT could benefit mental health of children with long-term conditionsThe mental health of children and young people with some long term physical conditions could benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), according to a recent study from the University of Exeter Medical School. The systematic review used robust methods to bring together and make sense of the best science in this area. |
 | US dentists out-prescribe UK dentists when it comes to opioidsResearchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that dentists practicing in the U.S. write 37 times more opioid prescriptions than dentists practicing in England. And, the type of opioids they prescribe has a higher potential for abuse. |
 | Blood pressure and glucose control may prevent common arrhythmiaBlood-pressure and glucose control may be effective in preventing heart block, a common form of arrhythmia, and the subsequent need for a pacemaker, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco. |
 | Hospitals fall short in teaching fall prevention to departing patientsFalls are a leading cause of hospitalizations and emergency room visits among older adults, but until now, little was known about the relationship between falls and hospital readmissions. |
 | Researchers spot tell-tale signs of potentially fatal cardiac arrestHypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people (such as the unexpected near fatal cardiac arrest suffered by the-then 23 year old footballer Fabrice Muamba), but the microscopic heart muscle abnormalities behind these tragic events can only be picked up in a post-mortem. |
 | Open communication helps teens manage type 1 diabetesIt's a simple concept, but new research reinforces the idea: Teens with type 1 diabetes benefit when they feel their concerns have been heard. |
 | Most patients at high risk of opiate overdose do not receive naloxone RxPatients at high risk of opioid overdose rarely receive prescriptions for naloxone, despite many interactions with the health care system, according to a study published online May 3 in JAMA Network Open. |
 | Volume overload present in patients on peritoneal dialysisVolume overload is present before the start of peritoneal dialysis (PD), and is associated with risk of death, according to a study published online May 23 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. |
 | U.S. lawmakers say WHO opioid guidelines too laxThe World Health Organization's pain care guidelines contain false claims about the safety of prescription opioid painkillers and should be withdrawn, two U.S. lawmakers say. |
 | How pathogens are controlled when tissue is deprived of adequate oxygen supplyInfected tissue has a low concentration of oxygen. The body's standard immune mechanisms, which rely on oxygen, can then only function to a limited extent. How does the immune system nevertheless manage to control bacteria under such conditions? The working groups led by PD Dr. Anja Lührmann and Prof. Dr. Jonathan Jantsch have investigated this question in collaboration with other groups from Erlangen, Regensburg and Jena. The researchers discovered that fewer metabolites are produced in the citric acid cycle under hypoxic conditions, leading to a reduced rate of reproduction among bacteria in macrophages. The results have recently been published in the journal Cell Reports. |
 | Low-carb breakfasts reduce sugar spikes in those with Type 2 diabetesKeto, low-carb, low glycemic index, Mediterranean, DASH diet, low-fat: there are a dizzying array of diets claiming to optimize health. Some are based on sound science and some are not. |
 | Silent heart attack may increase stroke riskWhile heart attacks that cause classic symptoms such as pressure and pain in the chest are an established risk factor for stroke because they can lead to blood clot formation, new research by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators indicates that heart attacks that have few, if any, recognized symptoms may also increase risk. |
 | Population DNA testing for disease risk is coming. Here are five things to knowDNA testing to predict disease risk has the potential to prevent disease and save lives. Yet few Australians can currently access predictive DNA testing via the health-care system. |
 | Measles vaccination: 'All for one and one for all'Measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, but has reappeared in recent months in the form of outbreaks in several states. Of the 704 people in the U.S. infected with this highly contagious virus in 2019, 500 were never vaccinated and the remainder are likely to have never received a second follow up dose. |
Black lung disease continues to surge in Appalachia; new research suggests whyNew mining methods that churn up silica-laden rock are likely responsible for the surge of black lung disease that has afflicted hundreds of miners across Central Appalachia in recent years, according to new research presented at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting this week. | |
 | Scientists spy on superbugs to see how they outsmart our antibioticsScientists have discovered yet another way that single-celled organisms have outsmarted us. |
 | Medicaid expansion improves health of moms and babies, study showsMedicaid coverage, especially for minority and low-income women, plays a key role in improving the health of moms and babies, according to a new report. |
 | How single neurons and brain networks support spatial navigationSpatial navigation is an essential cognitive function, which is frequently impaired in patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders. Research groups worldwide have studied the neuronal basis of spatial navigation, and the activity of both individual nerve cells and large cell assemblies in the brain appear to play a crucial role in the process. However, the relationship between the behavior of individual cells and the behavior of large cell networks has for the most part remained unexplored. |
 | Worry less for better healthDo you worry a lot? Besides the anxiety it's causing you emotionally, it can threaten your health. |
 | Got knee pain? What you need to know about alternatives to surgeryArthritis in the knees can strike people as young as 45, with symptoms severe enough to limit activities and harm quality of life. What can be done about it? |
 | 360-degree immersive video of surgeon performing cancer surgeryNew technology has allowed the public to immerse themselves in a cancer operating theatre by filming a complex operation performed by Professor Tim Underwood in 360 Degrees. |
 | ALS research reveals new treatment approachOn June 2, 1941, at the age of 37, baseball player Lou Gehrig succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Today, nearly 80 years following his death, scientists are still searching for the root cause—and an effective treatment—for the condition. |
 | People with traumatic brain injury, who often lose empathy, can regain it with treatmentMost people can easily determine when a loved one is feeling sad or anxious. This recognition will often trigger the person to offer a comforting gesture or even have a contagious emotional reaction, causing them to also feel sad or anxious, too. |
 | Study suggests infants with autism risk may be less able to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar speech patternsA new study by Columbia University researchers found that infants at high risk for autism were less attuned to differences in speech patterns than low-risk infants. The findings suggest that interventions to improve language skills should begin during infancy for those at high risk for autism. |
 | If you could learn every disease your child could possibly develop in life, would you?Newborn screening is required in the U.S. and differs slightly depending on which state you live in. For the most part, it's done before a newborn baby leaves the hospital and includes a blood test that screens for 30-50 serious health problems that usually arise in infancy or childhood, and could hinder normal development. |
 | Study analyzes mortality risks among pro athletesProfessional football players appear to have a somewhat elevated risk of death, including higher risk of succumbing to cardiac and neurodegenerative diseases, compared with professional baseball players of similar age, according to new research. |
 | Mobile phone app designed to boost physical activity in women shows promise in trialActivity trackers and mobile phone apps are all the rage, but do they really help users increase and maintain physical activity? A new study has found that one mobile phone app designed for inactive women did help when combined with an activity tracker and personal counseling. |
 | Drug-resistant infections: If you can't beat 'em, starve 'em, scientists findHow do you fight a fungal infection that is becoming increasingly resistant to medicine? By starving it, found a team of University at Buffalo and Temple University researchers. |
 | Short-term use of opioids increases subjective pleasureThe human opioid system contributes to the regulation of emotions, pleasure and pain. Opioids are strong analgesics. In addition to effectively relieving pain, external opioids may improve mood and reduce negative emotions. However, not much has been known about the effect of opioids on emotional responses caused by external stimuli. |
 | Vision loss may up cognitive decline-related functional limitations(HealthDay)—Vision impairment is associated with increased subjective cognitive decline (SCD)-related functional limitations for adults aged 45 years and older, according to research published in the May 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
 | Poor glycemic control linked to sarcopenia in T2DM(HealthDay)—For patients with type 2 diabetes, poor glycemic control is associated with sarcopenia, according to a study published online May 9 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation. |
 | Vertical plating offers benefit for mandibular body fractures(HealthDay)—For treatment of mandibular body fractures, vertical plating offers equal or greater resistance to torsional forces and is associated with reduced incidence of postoperative complications and operative time, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. |
 | Obstructive sleep apnea linked to cancer diagnosis in women(HealthDay)—Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cancer diagnosis, especially among women, according to a research letter published online May 20 in the European Respiratory Journal. |
 | U.S. incidence of pediatric thyroid cancer on the rise(HealthDay)—From 1973 to 2013, there was an increase in the incidence rates of pediatric thyroid cancer, with marked increases from 2006 to 2013, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. |
 | Drinking red wine for heart health? read this before you toastFor years, studies have shown a relationship between drinking a moderate amount of red wine and good heart health, but experts say it's important to understand what that means before you prescribe yourself a glass or two a day. |
New approaches to study the genetics of autism spectrum disorder may lead to new therapiesCanadian neuroscientists are using novel experimental approaches to understand autism spectrum disorder, from studying multiple variation in a single gene to the investigation of networks of interacting genes to find new treatments for the disorder. | |
 | California bill to tighten vaccine exemptions moves forwardA bill that would tighten control over vaccination exemptions for children in California was sent by state senators to the Assembly on Wednesday. |
 | Prostate cancer marker activates vascular and lymphangiogenic growth factors, contributors to the spread of cancerA new study indicates that PSA, a prostate cancer marker, is one of the catalysts that activate vascular endothelial and lymphangiogenic growth factors which contribute to the spread of cancer. |
 | The clinical utility of network analysis is still uncertainA paper published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, provides a careful analysis of network analysis, a new methodology for understanding psychiatric symptoms. |
 | Researchers recommend limiting the time during which mother's milk is given to premature babiesGiving human milk to premature babies is recommended by the WHO for at least six months to provide nutrients and essential antimicrobial substances for those babies born with low weight or who are immunosuppressed. In premature babies, milk is administered through a nasogastric tube. These newborns are at risk of infection by pathogens such as Cronobacter sakazakii. |
Researchers propose new federal rule of evidence for more accurate verdicts in courtWhile many juries use commonsense when determining an innocent or guilty verdict, research has shown that commonsense can be misleading and inaccurate. In a new study, researchers propose a new federal rule of evidence that ensures a jury is educated on theories of false memory in order to produce more just verdicts—a rule that would especially be of aid in testimonies from children. | |
 | WHO praises Brazil lawsuit against tobacco giantsThe World Health Organization has praised Brazil's move to sue two global cigarette makers and their local units for costs of treating tobacco-related diseases, but the firms said Friday they were still waiting for details of the lawsuit. |
Biology news
 | Older male crickets attract more females—but have less sexOlder male crickets are better at getting females to live with them—but they mate less than younger rivals once they find a partner. |
 | Scientists discover signalling circuit boards inside body's cellsCells in the body are wired like computer chips to direct signals that instruct how they function, research suggests. |
 | New research shows that mites and ticks are close relativesScientists from the University of Bristol and the Natural History Museum in London have reconstructed the evolutionary history of the chelicerates, the mega-diverse group of 110,000 arthropods that includes spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks. |
 | Crabs' camouflage tricks revealedCrabs from a single species rely on different camouflage techniques depending on what habitat they live in, new research shows. |
 | The extraordinary powers of bacteria visualized in real timeThe global spread of antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue and a priority for international microbiology research. In a paper to be published in the journal Science, a team led by Christian Lesterlin, Inserm researcher at CNRS/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 filmed the process of antibiotic resistance acquisition in real time, discovering an unexpected key player in its maintenance and spread within bacterial populations. |
 | Dolphin study reveals the genes essential for species' survivalUNSW scientists have added to the growing body of research into genetic markers that are important for animal conservation. |
 | A 'crisper' method for gene editing in fungiCRISPR/Cas9 is now a household name associated with genetic engineering studies. Through cutting-edge research described in their paper published in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from Tokyo University of Science, Meiji University, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, led by Dr. Takayuki Arazoe and Prof Shigeru Kuwata, has recently established a series of novel strategies to increase the efficiency of targeted gene disruption and new gene "introduction" using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the rice blast fungus Pyricularia (Magnaporthe) oryzae. These strategies include quicker (single-step) gene introduction, use of small homologous sequences, and bypassing of certain prerequisite host DNA "patterns" and host component modification. |
 | More than a protein factory: A role for ribosomes in regulating human gene expressionResearchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new function of ribosomes in human cells that may show the protein-making particle's role in destroying healthy mRNAs, the messages that decode DNA into protein. |
 | How corn's ancient ancestor swipes left on crossbreedingDetermining how one species becomes distinct from another has been a subject of fascination dating back to Charles Darwin. New research led by Carnegie's Matthew Evans and published in Nature Communications elucidates the mechanism that keeps maize distinct from its ancient ancestor grass, teosinte. |
 | Dead roots, not just waves, account for marsh losses in gulfA new Duke University-led study finds that the death of marsh plants due to disturbances like the heavy oiling from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can double the rate of shoreline erosion in hard-hit marshes. |
 | Scientists investigate global spread of stinging jellyfish"Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" shrieked Mary Carman, a marine ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as she flailed knee deep in the bath-like water of Farm Pond on Martha's Vineyard. She was observing tunicates (also known as sea squirts) in the quiet coastal pond, garbed in a full wetsuit and snorkeling gear as she hovered through the shallow grassy water. She was well covered except for parts of her face, including her lips which became a landing spot for a clinging, stinging jelly. |
 | Signs of selection in the stomachHelicobacter pylori, a globally distributed gastric bacterium, is genetically highly adaptable. Microbiologists at LMU have now characterized its population structure in individual patients, demonstrating an important role of antibiotics for its within-patient evolution. |
 | Automatic insect identification for better grasp on biodiversityOne hundred camera traps, developed specifically for the automatic counting and recognition of insects, will be placed throughout the Netherlands this summer. This is a first, as this system has never before been used. Counting insects is very important and the system, announced last year, is popular. The builders have already received more requests than they can honor this year. The official launch of the project was in Engewormer on May 15. |
Paper stickers to monitor pathogens are more effective than swabsUsing paper stickers to collect pathogens on surfaces where antisepsis is required, such as in food processing plants, is easier, and less expensive than swabbing, yet similarly sensitive. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. | |
 | Army Corps approves $778M plan to block Asian carp advanceThe head of the Army Corps of Engineers has sent Congress a $778 million plan to fortify an Illinois waterway with noisemakers, electric cables and other devices in the hope that they will prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, where the aggressive invaders could leave other fish with too little to eat. |
 | Colombian breeds rare frogs to undermine animal traffickersIn a small farmhouse surrounded by cloud forest, Iván Lozano inspects dozens of glass containers that hold some of the world's most coveted frogs. |
 | Sleepless in Berlin: Nightingales flock to scruffy city parksSarah Darwin, the great-great granddaughter of British biologist Charles Darwin, was sleepless in Berlin when, to her "enormous surprise", she heard a nightingale warbling merrily outside her window. |
 | Vietnam seizes 5 tonnes of pangolin scales from NigeriaVietnam police have seized more than five tonnes of pangolin scales stashed in a cashew shipment from Nigeria, the government said Friday. |
Sea dragons captivate visitors at California aquariumAt first glance, it looks like a branch of kelp, but then an eye moves among its leafy appendages, and ridges of tiny, translucent fins start to flutter, sending the creature gliding through the water like something from a fairy tale. | |
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