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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 27, 2019:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers investigate pulsar wind nebula DA 495Astronomers have carried out a multiwavelength investigation of a pulsar wind nebula (PWN), designated DA 495, to unveil its mysterious physical nature. Results of the study, based on observations using HAWC and VERITAS ground-based observatories as well as NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft, are presented in a paper published May 17 on arXiv.org. |
 | 'A long ride': 50 years ago, a dress rehearsal for the Moon landingAs Earth grew ever smaller below his spacecraft, Apollo 10 commander Tom Stafford made an unusual request to mission control. |
Close encounters? SpaceX satellites spark Dutch UFO frenzyA Dutch website set up to record UFO sightings was flooded early Saturday with reports after a "train of stars" was spotted crossing the Netherlands' skies, sparking fears of an alien invasion. | |
 | NASA's Mars 2020 gets a dose of space here on EarthNASA's Mars 2020 spacecraft has completed acoustic and thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The acoustic test of the spacecraft that will carry the Mars 2020 rover to a soft touchdown in Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, is the best Earthly approximation for what the spacecraft will endure during launch, where it will encounter potentially destructive levels of sound and vibration. TVAC introduces the vacuum and extreme temperatures of space that could cause components to malfunction or fail. |
Technology news
 | An approach to enhance machine learning explanationsResearchers at IBM Research U.K., the U.S. Military Academy and Cardiff University have recently proposed a technique they call Local Interpretable Model Agnostic Explanations (LIME) for attaining a better understanding of the conclusions reached by machine learning algorithms. Their paper, published on SPIE digital library, could inform the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that provide exhaustive explanations of how they reached a particular outcome or conclusion. |
 | K-Athena: a performance portable magnetohydrodynamics codeRunning large-scale simulations is a crucial aspect of modern scientific research, yet it often requires a vast amount of computational resources. As we approach the era of exascale computing, which will be marked by the introduction of highly performing supercomputers, researchers have been trying to develop new architectures and codes to meet the huge computational requirements of our times. An important property to consider when developing codes for the exascale computing era is performance portability, which prevents the repeated, non-trivial refactoring of a code for different architectures. |
 | Italy team cheers robot pulling a passenger planeThis four-legged robot has pull—3 tons of it—and its engineers were proud to show it off on May 23 as rugged and powerful as it is. |
 | Amazon patent application explores activating Alexa without wake word firstWhat is a wake word? By now, many are aware of voice assistance and can easily figure out that this is the word that activates your Alexa-enabling device. Well, now Amazon is suggesting something beyond that, to accommodate easy activation even if you don't say the word first. |
First American Financial exposed data in millions of mortgage documents, report saysAn estimated 885 million digitized documents from mortgage deals dating back to 2003 have been exposed by First American Financial Corp, a provider of title insurance and other services to the real estate and mortgage industries, according to a report by the KrebsOnSecurity security news site. | |
 | Report: FTC's political wrangling delays Facebook settlementFacebook may have to wait longer before resolving a U.S. government investigation into the company's mishandling of personal information. |
 | United Airlines extends cancellation of Boeing Max flightsUnited Airlines is canceling another month's worth of flights with Boeing 737 Max planes that were grounded after two deadly accidents. |
 | Renault, Fiat Chrysler in tie-up talksFrench and Italian-US auto giants Renault and Fiat Chrysler are set to announce talks on an alliance, with a view to a potential merger, informed sources said on Sunday. |
 | 'Don't be too optimistic': Huawei employees fret at US banWhile Huawei's founder brushes aside a US ban against his company, the telecom giant's employees have been less sanguine, confessing fears for their future in online chat rooms. |
 | Renault and Fiat Chrysler flirt with audacious mega-merger (Update)French automaker Renault said Monday that it would study "with interest" a 50-50 merger proposal from Fiat Chrysler, a deal that could reshape the industry as Renault reviews its options following the arrest in Japan of its chief executive. |
 | Google updates Maps, Search and Assistant so you can order food without appGoogle just made ordering pizza, pad thai and fried chicken from your favorite restaurants even easier. |
 | Could drones be the solution to traffic gridlock?Could passenger-carrying drones someday be the answer to traffic delays? |
 | Better together: Human and robot co-workers more efficient, less accident-proneMore and more processes are being automated and digitized. Self-driving delivery vehicles, such as forklifts, are finding their way into many areas—and companies are reporting potential time and cost savings. However, an interdisciplinary research team from the universities of Göttingen, Duisburg-Essen and Trier has observed that cooperation between humans and machines can work much better than just human or just robot teams alone. The results were published in the International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies. |
 | Team develops highly flexible high-energy textile lithium battery for wearable electronicsPolyU's novel lightweight Textile Lithium Battery demonstrates high energy density of more than 450 Wh/L, and excellent flexibility—with a bending radius of less than 1mm, and foldability of over 1,000 cycles with marginal capacity degradation. In comparison, the existing bendable lithium battery can only reach a bending radius of about 25 mm, and with much lower performance of less than 200 Wh/L. The Textile Lithium Battery, of less than 0.5 mm thick, also possesses fast charging/discharging capability, and long cycle life comparable with conventional lithium batteries.[Please refer to the Annex for detailed comparison of performance between PolyU's Textile Lithium Battery and other batteries] |
 | Speed bumps on German road to lower emissionsGermany has in recent years polished its "green" image abroad, but the country was only recently forced to admit it will miss a self-imposed 2020 climate target. |
 | You could be unknowingly loading malicious content from 'trusted' sitesNew research from CSIRO's Data61, the data and digital specialist arm of Australia's national science agency, questions the "trustability" of websites and in a world first quantifies the extent to which the trust model of today's World Wide Web is fundamentally broken. |
 | New auto giant? Fiat Chrysler wants to merge with RenaultFiat Chrysler proposed on Monday to merge with France's Renault to create the world's third-biggest automaker, worth $40 billion, and combine forces in the race to make electric and autonomous vehicles. |
 | Overwatch League commissioner leaving to work on FortniteOverwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer is leaving the competitive video game circuit to oversee esports competition for Fortnite publisher Epic Games. |
 | Two decades of tie-ups and break-ups among EU carmakersFrench auto giant Renault and Italian-US counterpart Fiat Chrysler are planning to announce an alliance, further reshaping Europe's auto sector which has already witnessed two decades of takeovers, alliances and break-ups. |
 | Nasdaq withdraws offer to acquire Oslo stock exchangeUS stock market operator Nasdaq said Monday it was withdrawing its offer of nearly 700 million euros ($784 million) to acquire the Oslo Stock Exchange, clearing the way for its European competitor Euronext. |
 | Old partner Nissan left sidelined by Renault-Fiat mergerNissan, a long-time Renault partner, has been left sidelined by a potential tie-up between the French firm and Fiat-Chrysler, just as the beleaguered Japanese firm battles to recover from the arrest of former boss Carlos Ghosn. |
 | Renault-Fiat merger a tempting match as challenges mount: expertsThe prospect of a merger between French carmaker Renault and Italian-US auto giant Fiat Chrysler received a warm welcome on Monday, with analysts hailing the idea as an ideal fit for two companies who must keep up in the highly competitive industry. |
 | New traffic light system automatically recognizes pedestrians' intent to cross the roadIn Vienna there are some 200 push-button pedestrian lights (signalized pedestrian crossings). They allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. But only after a waiting time, which is annoying for many people. This often results in pedestrians not waiting for the green phase, but instead walking in a different direction or crossing the street when the lights are red. For some people, push-button lights are an invitation to trigger off the green phase as they go past—just for fun. Something that annoys car drivers, who have to stop at the crossing even though nobody is crossing the road. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Artificial intelligence detects a new class of mutations behind autismMany mutations in DNA that contribute to disease are not in actual genes but instead lie in the 99% of the genome once considered "junk." Even though scientists have recently come to understand that these vast stretches of DNA do in fact play critical roles, deciphering these effects on a wide scale has been impossible until now. |
 | Group A strep genome research expedites vaccine development effortsThe global search for a group A streptococcal (Strep A) vaccine has narrowed after researchers identified a common gene signature in almost all global Strep A strains by sequencing thousands of genomes in a project spanning 10 years and more than 20 countries. |
 | Brain stimulation enhances visual learning speed and efficiencyPractice results in better learning. Consider learning a musical instrument, for example: the more one practices, the better one will be able to learn to play. The same holds true for cognition and visual perception: with practice, a person can learn to see better—and this is the case for both healthy adults and patients who experience vision loss because of a traumatic brain injury or stroke. |
 | De-TOXing exhausted T cells may bolster CAR T immunotherapy against solid tumorsA decade ago researchers announced development of a cancer immunotherapy called CAR (for chimeric antigen receptor)-T, in which a patient is re-infused with their own genetically modified T cells equipped to mount a potent anti-tumor attack. Since then CAR T approaches (one of several strategies collectively known as "adoptive T cell transfer") have made headlines as a novel cellular immunotherapy tool, most successfully against so-called "liquid cancers" like leukemias and lymphomas. |
 | WHO recognises 'burn-out' as medical conditionThe World Health Organization has for the first time recognised "burn-out" in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers. |
 | Viruses wearing 'protein coats' are more infectious, linked to Alzheimer's diseaseNew research from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet shows that viruses interact with proteins in the biological fluids of their host which results in a layer of proteins on the viral surface. This coat of proteins makes the virus more infectious and facilitates the formation of plaques characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. |
 | E-cigarette use, flavorings may increase heart disease risk, study findsThe flavoring liquid for electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease when inhaled, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. |
 | Malaria back with a vengeance in crisis-hit VenezuelaIf it weren't for the Center for Malaria Studies in Caracas, Francelis Pacheco would have been unable to get treatment for a disease she has contracted around 20 times. |
 | Don't overdo omega-6 fat consumption during pregnancyIn Western societies, we are eating more omega 6 fats, particularly linoleic acid, which are present in foods such as potato chips and vegetable oil. Other research has shown that linoleic acid can promote inflammation and may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease. |
In vitro fertilization linked to deadly heart disease in pregnancyWomen undergoing fertility treatment should urgently see their doctor if they have heart failure symptoms, according to a study presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). | |
 | Biomarkers help tailor diuretic use in acute heart failure patientsAdrenomedullin activity predicts which acute heart failure patients are at the greatest risk of death without diuretic treatment post-discharge, according to late breaking research presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). |
 | Growing up high: Neurobiological consequences of adolescent cannabis useAbout one in five Canadian adolescents uses cannabis (19% of Canadians aged 15-19), and its recent legalization across the country warrants investigation into the consequence of this use on the developing brain. Adolescence is associated with the maturation of cognitive functions, such as working memory, decision-making, and impulsivity control. This is a highly vulnerable period for the development of the brain as it represents a critical period wherein regulatory connection between higher-order regions of the cortex and emotional processing circuits deeper inside the brain are established. It is a period of strong remodeling, making adolescents highly vulnerable to drug-related developmental disturbances. Research presented by Canadian neuroscientists Patricia Conrod, Steven Laviolette, Iris Balodis and Jibran Khokhar at the 2019 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting in Toronto on May 25 featured recent discoveries on the effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain. |
Diuretic withdrawal is safe for stable heart failure patientsDrug therapy for patients with stable heart failure can be simplified by stopping diuretics, according to late breaking results from the ReBIC-1 trial presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). | |
Lonely patients with heart failure least likely to follow treatment recommendationsLess than 10% of heart failure patients comply with advice on salt and fluid restrictions, daily weighing, and physical activity, reports a study presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). | |
 | A gut check for heart failure patientsHeart failure patients who consume more dietary fibre tend to have healthier gut bacteria, which is associated with reduced risk of death or need of a heart transplant. The fibre study was presented today at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). |
 | In vaping response, schools mull treatment with disciplineA glimpse of student athletes in peak physical condition vaping just moments after a competing in a football game led Stamford High School Principal Raymond Manka to reconsider his approach to the epidemic. |
Over 600 people test HIV positive in Pakistan cityPakistan said on Sunday over 600 people, most of them children, had tested HIV positive in a city in the southern Sindh province. | |
 | Many patients with pancreatic cancer miss out on treatment that may extend survivalDespite potential for prolonging survival with treatment, one-third of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer do not see a medical oncologist, and even more do not receive cancer-directed treatment, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). |
 | Israeli drugmaker Teva to pay Oklahoma $85 mn in opioid suitIsraeli pharmaceutical giant Teva agreed on Sunday to pay the US state of Oklahoma $85 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of fueling the state's opioid epidemic, Oklahoma's attorney general said. |
Skilled health workforce in India does not meet WHO recommended thresholdThe skilled health workforce in India does not meet the minimum threshold of 22.8 skilled workers per 10,000 population recommended by the World Health Organisation, shows research published today in the online journal BMJ Open. | |
 | Gene therapy for gamma-sarcoglycanopathy moves toward a clinical trialIsabelle Richard's team, a CNRS researcher in an Inserm unit at Genethon, the AFM-Telethon laboratory, has demonstrated the efficacy of gene therapy and determined the effective dose for treating a rare muscle disease, gamma-sarcoglycanopathy, in mouse models of the disease. Based on these encouraging results, published in Molecular Therapy: Methods and Clinical Development, the researchers are preparing a clinical trial. |
 | Shedding light on the burden of dengue in BangladeshDengue, also known as dengue fever, is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. The incidence of dengue is currently increasing dramatically, and it is now one of the diseases said to be re-emerging. In Bangladesh, sporadic cases were reported in the 1960s and a major outbreak occurred in 2000, with clinical cases reported annually since then. However, the burden of dengue is unclear. Researchers at the Institut Pasteur have conducted a study to determine the burden of dengue in Bangladesh and identify key risk factors for infection. |
 | Cancer cells are quick-change artists adapting to their environmentUntil now, researchers have assumed that the growth of solid tumors originates from cancer stem cells characterized by specific surface markers, which develop in a fixed, hierarchical order. Accordingly, such cancer stem cells are responsible for tumor progression and produce specific types of more differentiated cancer cells whose fates are predetermined. In a joint interdisciplinary project led by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), researchers now show that cancer cells of glioblastomas—conspicuously aggressive solid brain tumors—manifest developmental plasticity and their phenotypic characteristics are less constrained than believed. Cancer stem cells, including their progeny, are able to adapt to environmental conditions and undergo reversible transformations into various cell types, thereby altering their surface structures. The results imply that novel therapeutic approaches, which target specific surface structures of cancer stem cells, will be of limited utility. The research team has published its findings in Nature Communications in April 2019. |
 | New algorithm uses disease history to predict intensive care patients' chances of survivalResearchers from the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet have used data on more than 230,000 intensive care patients to develop a new algorithm. Among other things, it uses disease history from the past 23 years to predict patients' chances of survival in intensive care units. |
 | Study identifies a novel oncogene for most common types of blood cancerMiguel Gallardo, researcher and coordinator of the H12O-CNIO Haematological Malignancies Clinical Research Unit headed by Joaquín Martínez at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has participated in a study that revealed that hnRNP K overexpression may cause B-cell lymphomas, the most common types of blood cancer. The finding that this tumour suppressor gene may also cause cancer may lead to new methods for assessing patients and to the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The findings of the study, led by Sean Post, associate professor of Leukaemia at MD Anderson, were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). Besides CNIO, the University Hospital 12 de Octubre and Complutense University of Madrid also participated in the study. |
 | T2DM is risk factor for liver fibrosis progression in NAFLDType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for progression of liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to a study published online May 21 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. |
 | Would overturning abortion rights turn back clock to 1973?A wave of state abortion bans has set off speculation: What would happen if Roe v. Wade, the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide, were overturned? |
 | Support needed for multiple-birth families to improve outcomesHaving multiple-birth babies can be a time of wonder and excitement, however, according to the first-ever international collaborative report released today, these babies and their families can face serious disadvantages compared to parents of single-birth babies. |
Reinvent Motherisk to protect mothers and babiesCanada should reinvent the Motherisk program to support pregnant women to have healthy babies, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). | |
Licorice tea causes hypertensive emergency in patientLicorice tea, a popular herbal tea, is not without health risks, as a case study of a man admitted to hospital for a high-blood pressure emergency demonstrates in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). | |
Britain wakes up to student mental health plightFormer business student Greg used to resort to drink and drugs to get to sleep—a common story at British universities struggling to adapt to growing concerns about student mental health problems. | |
 | Broken brain cells repaired in dementia mouse modelDysfunctional neurons in the hippocampus of adult female mice modeling dementia can be repaired and reconnected to distant parts of the brain, reports a new study published in JNeurosci. The similarity between the mouse model and the human condition underscores the therapeutic potential of targeting these cells in dementia patients. |
 | Turn up the heat with healthy hot chili peppersRed or green, sweet or hot, peppers are a great source of vitamins A, C, E and many of the B vitamins, plus minerals like calcium, iron and potassium. |
 | How to burn calories during everyday tasksLooking for ways to burn extra calories? Don't just stand there—these moves allow you to multitask for fitness. |
 | Canada's Ontario province says will sue opioid makersCanada's most populous province of Ontario on Monday announced plans to sue opioid makers to recover health care costs related to the deadly addiction epidemic. |
 | Over 830,000 cholera vaccinations planned in DR Congo: WHOMore than 830,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province will be vaccinated against cholera, which has claimed over 240 lives this year, the World Health Organization said Monday. |
Biology news
 | Scientists uncover a trove of genes that could hold key to how humans evolvedResearchers at the Donnelly Centre in Toronto have found that dozens of genes, previously thought to have similar roles across different organisms, are in fact unique to humans and could help explain how our species came to exist. |
 | Scientists throw new light on photosynthetic supercomplex structureA team of scientists from Arizona State University has taken a significant step closer to unlocking the secrets of photosynthesis, by determining the structure of a very large photosynthetic supercomplex. |
 | Monkey experiments offer clues on origin of languageGreen and vervet monkeys live on either side of Africa and their evolutionary paths diverged 3.5 million years ago, and yet the two species share a hard-wired vocabulary when faced with danger, clever experiments have shown. |
 | Rare albino panda caught on camera in China: state mediaA rare all-white panda has been caught on camera at a nature reserve in southwest China, showing albinism exists among wild pandas in the region, state media reported. |
 | Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhino dies: officialsMalaysia's last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country and pushing the critically-endangered species closer to extinction. |
 | To save biodiversity and feed the future, first cure 'plant blindness'From our perches in the urban jungle—or even in the leafier parts of suburbia—we often have a tough time naming the last plant we saw. Even if we just ate part of it. This is a symptom of "plant blindness," a term coined two decades ago by researchers who showed that modern civilization is perilously disconnected from the plant kingdom. Our blindness has progressed even further since then, to the point where we hardly recognize the plants that feed us every day. |
 | How to prevent mosquitofish from spreading in water ecosystemsPreventing the introduction of the mosquitofish and removing its population are the most effective actions to control the dispersal of this exotic fish in ponds and lakes, according to a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Neither the presence of predators nor the degradation of the quality of water and natural habitat are a threat to this invasive species -from the Atlantic coast in North America- which competes against and moves local species away. |
Four years after California's largest dam removal project, how are the fish doing?Four years ago, construction crews with huge jackhammers tore apart a 10-story concrete dam in the wooded canyons of the Carmel River, between the Big Sur hills and the beach front town of Carmel. | |
New plan would fight invasive Asian carp with air bubbles, electric shocks, noiseThe head of the Army Corps of Engineers has signed off on a $778 million plan to stop the spread of Asian carp toward the Great Lakes with air bubbles, electric shocks and noise, sending it to Congress for approval. | |
 | Exploring the history of the apple from its wild originsRecent archaeological finds of ancient preserved apple seeds across Europe and West Asia combined with historical, paleontological, and recently published genetic data are presenting a fascinating new narrative for one of our most familiar fruits. In this study, Robert Spengler of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History traces the history of the apple from its wild origins, noting that it was originally spread by ancient megafauna and later as a process of trade along the Silk Road. These processes allowed for the development of the varieties that we know today. |
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