Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Jun 18

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 18, 2019:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Study sheds light on gauge invariance in ultrastrong-coupling cavity quantum electrodynamics

Applying active inference body perception to a humanoid robot

Ring resonators corner light

Automated cryptocode generator is helping secure the web

Collaborative research charts course to hundreds of new nitrides

Another brown dwarf in the system? Study investigates properties of HD 206893

Engineers boost output of solar desalination system by 50%

Neuroscientists 3-D model 'face identity information' stored in the brain

Does the gas in galaxy clusters flow like honey?

Rising methane may thwart efforts to avoid catastrophic climate change

Fossil teeth reveal ancient hyenas in the Arctic

Researchers find genetic cause for fatal response to Hepatitis A

A warming Midwest increases likelihood that farmers will need to irrigate

Earthquake swarms reveal missing piece of tectonic plate-volcano puzzle

Collegiate affirmative action bans tied to rise in smoking among minority high schoolers

Astronomy & Space news

	Another brown dwarf in the system? Study investigates properties of HD 206893 Aiming to constrain the orbit and dynamical mass of the brown dwarf in the HD 206893 system, an international team of astronomers has investigated the host star and its companion using a combination of observing techniques. Results of this observational campaign suggest the presence of another massive object in the system, most likely a brown dwarf. The findings are detailed in a paper published June 7 on arXiv.org.
	Does the gas in galaxy clusters flow like honey? We have seen intricate patterns that milk makes in coffee and much smoother ones that honey makes when stirred with a spoon. Which of these cases best describes the behavior of the hot gas in galaxy clusters? By answering this question, a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has deepened our understanding of galaxy clusters, the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity.
	How to detect life on Mars When MIT research scientist Christopher Carr visited a green sand beach in Hawaii at the age of 9, he probably didn't think that he'd use the little olivine crystals beneath his feet to one day search for extraterrestrial life. Carr, now the science principal investigator for the Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes (SETG) instrument being developed jointly by the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital, works to wed the worlds of biology, geology, and planetary science to help understand how life evolved in the universe.
	Radically different telescope design offers deeper look into space A radically different type of X-ray space telescope has been designed by scientists in Sweden, using advanced optic techniques that were originally developed in medical imaging research.
	ALMA finds earliest example of merging galaxies Researchers using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observed signals of oxygen, carbon, and dust from a galaxy in the early Universe 13 billion years ago. This is the earliest galaxy where this useful combination of three signals has been detected. By comparing the different signals, the team determined that the galaxy is actually two galaxies merging together, making it the earliest example of merging galaxies yet discovered.
	Closer look at supernova dust suggests there's more of it than previously assumed A pair of researchers with the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry dust from a supernova have found evidence that suggests it is more abundant than thought. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, Jan Leitner and Peter Hoppe describe their use of new technology to examine grains of supernova dust and what they found.
	New Earth-like exoplanets discovered around red dwarf Teegarden star An international team led by the University of Göttingen (Germany) with participation by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) have discovered, using the CARMENES high-resolution spectrograph at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almería) two new planets like the Earth around one of the closest stars within our galactic neighbourhood.
	Look up! The Strawberry Moon will shine bright tonight Be sure to look up from your phones for a few minutes tonight to see the Strawberry Moon, which will be visible from sundown to sunrise.
Inflatable heat shield could deliver heavy payloads to worlds with a thick atmosphere One of the greater challenges of sending payloads to Mars is contending with the planet's atmosphere. While incredibly thin compared to Earth's (with roughly half of 1 percent of Earth's air pressure), the resulting air friction is still an issue for spacecraft looking to land there. And looking to the future, NASA hopes to land heavier payloads on Mars, as well as other planets—some of which may have atmospheres as dense as Earth.
	eROSITA – the hunt for dark energy begins On 21 June 2019 the Spektrum-Röntgen-Gamma (Spektr-RG / SRG) spacecraft will be launched from the Kazakh steppe, marking the start of an exciting journey. SRG will be carrying the German Extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) X-ray telescope and its Russian ART-XC partner instrument. A Proton rocket will carry the spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome towards its destination—the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, L2, which is 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

Technology news

	Applying active inference body perception to a humanoid robot A key challenge for robotics researchers is developing systems that can interact with humans and their surrounding environment in situations that involve varying degrees of uncertainty. In fact, while humans can continuously learn from their experiences and perceive their body as a whole as they interact with the world, robots do not yet have these capabilities.
	Automated cryptocode generator is helping secure the web Nearly every time you open up a secure Google Chrome browser, a new MIT-developed cryptographic system is helping better protect your data.
	Now your phone can become a robot that does the boring work If any factory worker could program low-cost robots, then more factories could actually use robotics to increase worker productivity.
	Researchers use biological evolution to inspire machine learning As Charles Darwin wrote in at the end of his seminal 1859 book On the Origin of the Species, "whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Scientists have since long believed that the diversity and range of forms of life on Earth provide evidence that biological evolution spontaneously innovates in an open-ended way, constantly inventing new things. However, attempts to construct artificial simulations of evolutionary systems tend to run into limits in the complexity and novelty which they can produce. This is sometimes referred to as "the problem of open-endedness." Because of this difficulty, to date, scientists can't easily make artificial systems capable of exhibiting the richness and diversity of biological systems.
	Facebook takes on the world of cryptocurrency with 'Libra' coin Facebook unveiled plans Tuesday for a new global cryptocurrency called Libra, pledging to deliver a stable virtual money that lives on smartphones and brings over a billion "unbanked" people into the financial system.
	New AI system manages road infrastructure via Google Street View Geospatial scientists have developed a new program to monitor street signs needing replacement or repair by tapping into Google Street View images.
	NVIDIA going full stack for ARM boosts supercomputing presence NVIDIA and ARM make one power couple for supercomputing. NVIDIA has announced its chips will work with ARM processors. Outside observers got busy earlier this week assessing why this was a big deal to empower both companies and the effort to explain was not at all difficult.
	Tired of #$%& passwords? Single Sign-on could be savior The experience we know as password hell could be radically changed for the better within the next year and a half to three years.
	Comcast remote lets people with physical disabilities control the TV with their eyes Most TV viewers take for granted the ability to change the channel from their couches with a remote control. That task may be near impossible for viewers with the most severe physical challenges.
	Engineer's 'Smart Speaker Firewall' isolates Alexa devices in a snap Chuck Carey is an experienced engineer and self-described technophile, but he's also wary of the proliferation of data-hoovering, Internet-connected devices such as the microphone-and-speaker combos used with digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
	How energy choices after Fukushima impacted human health and the environment After the March 2011 nuclear power plant accident at Fukushima, Japan, nuclear power output experienced a rapid and large decline in that country as well as Germany. Although the specific reasons for this decline differed between the two countries, it is clear that antinuclear public attitudes were a major factor. Soon after the accident, Germany announced plans to completely phase out its remaining nuclear by 2022.
	Ireland to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 Ireland has announced it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 as part of its new climate change plan.
	How cryptocurrencies can replace other pay options Cryptocurrencies live in a volatile, roller-coaster world, which Facebook is seeking to change with its new Libra digital money.
	Heathrow publishes 'masterplan' for controversial third runway London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, on Tuesday issued plans for its controversial third runway, including the rerouting of rivers and roads, as it sought also to allay environmental concerns.
	Surveillance cameras will soon be unrecognizable It is often argued that the UK is the most surveilled country on the planet. This may or may not have been the case in the past but there are certainly now millions of surveillance cameras in public spaces—not to mention private buildings and homes. Behind those lenses they are changing in ways that people are often barely aware of, with privacy implications that should be widely discussed as a matter of urgency.
	With virtual money, Facebook bets on disrupting the world, again Facebook's ambitious plan for a virtual currency has the potential to disrupt the way people store, spend and send money and open up new business opportunities for the world's leading social network.
	Germany's Siemens says to cut 2,700 jobs worldwide Industrial conglomerate Siemens said Tuesday it would slash 2,700 jobs worldwide at its gas and power unit, including 1,400 in its home country Germany, "over several years".
	Europe wary as Facebook takes up cryptocurrency challenge European financial leaders on Tuesday vowed vigilance after Facebook announced it was diving into the cryptocurrency market, as analysts warned the social media giant could face major regulatory questions.
	Boeing's troubled 737 MAX gets huge vote of confidence from IAG US aircraft giant Boeing got a welcome vote of confidence in its beleaguered 737 MAX plane on Tuesday when International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways, said it wanted to buy 200 of the planes.
	A new manufacturing process for aluminum alloys An advanced manufacturing process to produce nano structured rods and tubes directly from high-performance aluminum alloy powder—in a single step—was recently demonstrated by researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
	Google pledges $1 bn for housing crisis in Bay Area Google on Tuesday pledged to commit more than $1 billion to help address the severe housing crisis in the region that includes its headquarters and Silicon Valley.
Mattel revs up Hot Wheels to new digital generation Hot Wheels is ready to zoom into the new century.
	New mapping application visualizes costs of developing renewable energy resources A new report, "Exploring Renewable Energy Opportunities in Select Southeast Asian Countries: A Geospatial Analysis of the LCOE of Utility-Scale Wind and Solar PV," finds that there is abundant potential for utility-scale, land-based wind and solar PV development across Southeast Asia.
	New study suggests automation will not wipe out truck-driving jobs While stories in the media present automation as having the potential to eliminate large swaths of jobs in the near future, a new study by researchers Maury Gittleman and Kristen Monaco argues otherwise.
	The smartphone: a global product Smartphones are a product with which China has demonstrated not only its manufacturing prowess, but its ambitions to become a cutting-edge technology developer thanks to the rise of Huawei.
	Saudi, Philippines airlines order Airbus, IAG goes for Boeing Saudi Arabian Airlines, the kingdom's national airline, said Tuesday it had ordered 65 A320neo-type aircraft from Airbus, worth more than $7.4 billion at list prices, giving an early boost to the European manufacturer at the Paris Air Show.
	French minister presses Renault to back Nissan reforms French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday urged Renault to back governance reforms at Japan's Nissan, saying it would send a "positive sign" for the future of the alliance between the two car makers.
	France demands 'guarantees' on Facebook's cryptocurrency plan France's finance minister said Tuesday that strong guarantees were needed over the use of cryptocurrencies after Facebook announced it was leaping into the market with its own digital money.
	A device emerges from the fusion of IGZO and ferroelectric-HfO2 As a part of JST PRESTO program, Associate professor Masaharu Kobayashi, Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, has developed a ferroelectric FET (FeFET) with ferroelectric-HfO2 and ultrathin IGZO channel. Nearly ideal subthreshold swing (SS) and mobility higher than poly-silicon channel have been demonstrated.
	Facebook plans its own currency for 2 billion-plus users Facebook already rules daily communication for more than 2 billion people around the world. Now it wants its own currency, too.
	To improve drones, researchers study flying insects The unmanned aircraft known as drones, used by hobbyists, researchers and industry to take aerial images and perform other tasks, are growing ever more popular—and smaller. But that miniaturization, which has produced drones that fit in a person's palm, has started to bump into the laws of physics.
	Outage knocks out Google Calendar on desktop computers Hopefully you remember when and where your next appointment is.
	New Yolo anonymous Q&A app attracts millions of teenage users, has parents wary As schools head into summer break, a new app allowing users to ask one another questions anonymously is captivating millions of teenagers.

Medicine & Health news

	Neuroscientists 3-D model 'face identity information' stored in the brain In a world first, neuroscientists from the University of Glasgow have been able to construct 3-D facial models using the unique information stored in an individual's brain when recalling the face of a familiar person.
	Researchers find genetic cause for fatal response to Hepatitis A Researchers have identified a genetic mutation that caused an 11-year-old girl to suffer a fatal reaction to infection with the Hepatitis A virus (HAV). The study, which will be published June 18 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that mutations in the IL18BP gene causes the body's immune system to attack and kill healthy liver cells, and suggests that targeting this pathway could prevent the deaths of patients suffering rapid liver failure in response to viral infection.
	Collegiate affirmative action bans tied to rise in smoking among minority high schoolers College affirmative action bans may adversely affect the health of underrepresented minority high school students, according to the results of a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine. Between 1996 and 2013, nine U.S. states banned consideration of race and ethnicity in college admissions. A new study in PLOS Medicine shows that the action bans had unanticipated effects, specifically resulting in increased rates of smoking among minority high school students. The researchers also found evidence to suggest these effects could persist, as these students were also more likely to smoke into young adulthood compared to those who lived in states where an affirmative action ban was not enacted.
	The fractal brain, from a single neuron's perspective Hacking into brain signals may be more straightforward than once thought.
	Redundancies in T cells Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered redundancies in the biochemical signalling pathways of immune cells. This finding has important implications for advances in cancer immunotherapy, among other areas.
	Anti-inflammation approach shows promise for preventing cancer metastasis An anti-inflammatory drug called ketorolac, given before surgery, can promote long-term survival in animal models of cancer metastasis, a team of scientists has found. Furthermore, so-called "pro-resolution" therapies can also trigger the immune system to eliminate metastatic cells. The research also suggests that flanking chemotherapy with anti-inflammatory drugs can unleash anti-tumor immunity.
	Dormant neural stem cells in fruit flies activate to generate new brain cells A new research study by Duke-NUS Medical School describes how dormant neural stem cells in fruit flies are activated and generate new neurons. The findings could potentially help people with brain injury or neuronal loss if similar mechanisms apply in humans.
	One of the genes behind cannabis use disorder identified A large team of researchers with members from Denmark, Iceland and the U.S. has isolated a gene associated with cannabis use disorder (CUD). In their paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the group describes their genome-wide association study surrounding CUD and what they found.
	New drug compound could tackle major life-limiting kidney disease Scientists from the University of Sheffield are part of an international collaboration to develop a new class of drugs to treat a common genetic kidney disease which is a major cause of kidney failure.
	Study reveals biology of leptin, the hunger hormone In a new study, Yale researchers offer insight into leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in appetite, overeating, and obesity. Their findings advance knowledge about leptin and weight gain, and also suggest a potential strategy for developing future weight-loss treatments, they said.
	Microfluidics device captures circulating cancer cell clusters Cancer touches nearly everyone in one way or another, and regrettably, it will claim another 600,000 lives in the U.S. in 2019, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers from San Diego State University, TumorGen MDx Inc., and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute set out to explore a seemingly basic question: What is it about cancer that kills?
	San Francisco weighs 1st US city ban on e-cigarette sales San Francisco supervisors are considering whether to move the city toward becoming the first in the United States to ban all sales of electronic cigarettes to crack down on youth vaping.
	FDA designates molecular test for concussions as 'breakthrough device' A portable test to help people suspected of having concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries has received a boost from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
GPs should not use inflammatory marker tests to rule out serious conditions, study finds Blood tests that detect inflammation, known as inflammatory marker tests, are not sensitive enough to rule out serious underlying conditions and GPs should not use them for this purpose, according to researchers from the University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Exeter and the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West).
	Health policies key factor in hospitalization of seniors Government policy and infrastructure have a substantial impact on hospitalization of older adults, according to a University of Waterloo study.
Study finds alcohol and tobacco appear frequently in UK reality television A new study in the Faculty of Public Health's Journal of Public Health finds that tobacco and alcohol usage are extremely common in British reality television shows.
	Terminally ill who request doctors make decisions undergo more aggressive final treatments Terminally ill patients who request that physicians make decisions on their behalf are more likely to receive aggressive treatments in the weeks before they die, according to a Rutgers study.
	Reducing brain inflammation could treat tinnitus and other hearing loss-related disorders Inflammation in a sound-processing region of the brain mediates ringing in the ears in mice that have noise-induced hearing loss, according to a study publishing June 18 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Shaowen Bao of the University of Arizona, and colleagues.
	Sanofi turns to Google in search for better treatments French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi said Tuesday it is partnering with Google to use artificial intelligence and deep analytics tools to sift through its data to find better treatments.
Anger in India as lychee-linked brain fever kills 113 children Ten more children died Tuesday from a mysterious brain fever potentially linked to lychees, officials said, taking the death toll to 113 this month and sparking angry protests in India's poorest Bihar state.
	Teen sexting associated with delinquency, sexual behaviours and mental health issues, study finds A broad analysis of 23 studies on adolescent sexual behaviours, involving 41,723 participants, revealed that teen sexting is associated with a bevy of risk factors for youth, including multiple sexual partners, lack of contraception use, and mental health problems like anxiety, depression, delinquent behaviour and substance use.
Study holds promise for novel and safe treatment for Type 2 diabetes Reducing a specific protein in the fat cells of mice not only prevents onset of Type 2 diabetes but also appears to reverse the disease in the animals, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Sweden's Karolinska Institute have found.
	Pregnancy-specific anxiety may impact how long a woman exclusively breastfeeds her child. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization for the first six months of life because of the benefits for both mom and baby. In Canada, approximately 32% of women meet this recommendation.
	High quality websites and apps could help those in chronic pain to manage symptoms, researcher says Smartphone apps and pain management websites could fill a significant gap in helping to support the one in five New Zealanders living with chronic or persistent pain, a pain researcher from the University of Otago, Wellington says.
	Can probiotics and other factors be used reliably to benefit health? Steven Finkel tells the story of a close family member who had a discomforting health issue—the kind you don't discuss at the dinner table.
	Social media can threaten medical experiments Testing new pharmaceutical treatments is a complicated process. Very often, participants have preferences or hopes, either about what the test should measure or about what the outcome should be. Patients often enrol in the trial seeking access to experimental drugs while physicians usually have guesses about which treatment will work better. The sponsor will only recover millions of investment in the drug development if the trial is successful.
	Gut microbes associated with temperament traits in children Scientists in the FinnBrain research project of the University of Turku discovered that the gut microbes of a 2.5-month-old infant are associated with the temperament traits manifested at six months of age. Temperament describes individual differences in expressing and regulating emotions in infants, and the study provides new information on the association between behaviour and microbes. A corresponding study has never been conducted on infants so young or on the same scale.
	When it comes to therapy for stroke patients, sometimes treating the wrong hand is exactly right A tiny clot moves up through the carotid artery, into a branch that leads to the right half of your brain. The vessel narrows and branches again; the clot snags on the vessel wall, blocking the flow of blood to parts of the right cerebral cortex. Stroke.
	History professor traces the rise of psychiatric drugs Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science and director of undergraduate studies, Anne Harrington, has watched the field of mental health evolve over decades, and its struggles to reach a consensus on basics such as the root causes of and best treatments for mental illnesses. Since the days of Sigmund Freud, various factions of psychiatry have battled to define the discipline.
	Teenage sexting linked to increased sexual behaviour, drug use and poor mental health You glance at your teen's smartphone and see a text message light up the screen. Was that a sext you just saw? Questions flood your mind. Is this what kids are doing nowadays? Does this mean my child is having sex too?
	Explainer: what is fibromyalgia, the condition Lady Gaga lives with? At least one in ten of us suffer some sort of troublesome, long-term (chronic) pain. But not all have fibromyalgia.
	Cell division at high speed In malignant tumours, the cells usually proliferate quickly and uncontrollably. A research team from the Biocenter of Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, has discovered that two important regulators of cell division can interact in this process. If this is the case, affected patients have particularly poor chances of survival. A special form of lung cancer was investigated.
	Researchers discover new nerve pathway in the body A newly discovered nerve pathway that connects the foot and the face on the same side of the body may potentially provide explanations to unknown neurological conditions, according to new research led by Curtin University.
	Ultrasound imaging can monitor the exact drug dose and delivery site in the brain An ultrasound imaging technique called passive cavitation imaging was able to create an image and estimate the amount of a drug that crossed the blood-brain barrier to reach a specific location in the brain, according to a study by NIBIB-funded bioengineers at Washington University. The technique monitors the activity of microbubbles, microscopic bubbles that help create clearer ultrasound images using detectors to estimate the effects they have on the different biological structures—in this case, the brain.
	Study: Marijuana use increases, shifts away from illegal market A new article published by researchers from University of Puget Sound and University of Washington reports that, based on analysis of public wastewater samples in at least one Western Washington population center, cannabis use both increased and substantially shifted from the illicit market since retail sales began in 2014.
	Drug boosts growth in youngsters with most common form of dwarfism, new study finds A groundbreaking drug that helps regulate bone development has boosted growth rates in children with achondroplasia—the most common type of dwarfism—in a global trial led by Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
	Researchers deliver a new understanding into a common cause of syndromic autism Australian and Chilean scientists have made a breakthrough in their understanding of the genetics of a common form of syndromic autism—and they hope their work could one day lead to the development of treatments for the condition.
	New toolkit guides health-care professionals to assess dementia in a new way University of Alberta-led research is revolutionizing the way health professionals assess the decision-making capacity of seniors in Edmonton and across the province.
	Antidepressants can lead to reductions in behavioral and neural responses to pain empathy Depression is a disorder that often comes along with strong impairments of social functioning. Until recently, researchers assumed that acute episodes of depression also impair empathy, an essential skill for successful social interactions and understanding others. However, previous research had been mostly carried out in groups of patients who were on antidepressant medication. Novel insights of an interdisciplinary collaboration involving social neuroscientists, neuroimaging experts, and psychiatrists from the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna show that antidepressant treatment can lead to impaired empathy regarding perception of pain, and not just the state of depression itself. The results of this study have been published in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry.
Earth's population could shrink in a few decades "As women become better educated and gain access to birth control, they don't want to have as many children," says Professor Chris Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IMHE) in the United States.
	Porous border could hinder efforts to stem spread of Ebola Several well-trodden paths crisscross this lush area where people walk between Congo and Uganda to visit nearby family and friends and go to the busy markets.
	Molecular switch for 'exhaustion mode' of immune cells discovered Tumors and certain viral infections pose a challenge to the human body which the immune system typically fails to handle. In these diseases it switches to a hypofunctional state that prevents adequate protection. However, a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has achieved a major success: They were able to identify the crucial molecular switch that triggers such dysfunctional immune responses. This could make it possible in the future to switch off or to prevent this state.
	New methods from material sciences find their way into cancer research A new study on the behavior of water in cancer cells shows how methods usually limited to physics can be of great use in cancer research. The researchers, Murillo Longo Martins and Heloisa N. Bordallo at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have shown how advanced methods in materials analysis—a combination of neutron scattering and thermal analysis—can be used to map the properties of water in breast cancer cells. This pilot work shows how the mobility of water molecules confined in cancer cells changes when subjected to treatment with a chemotherapy drug. This proposed methodology holds potential for advance diseases diagnosis and might guide to the advancement of the approach used in cancer treatment, one of the biggest challenges in medical research. The result, now published in Scientific Reports, is exactly that.
	Researcher carving a new path for skier safety When QBI researcher Dr Will Harrison "stacked it" on a ski slope in Canada, his holiday transformed into a research project in the snow.
	Study shows healthcare workers often care for patients while ill Large numbers of healthcare workers risk transmitting respiratory viruses to patients and co-workers by attending work even when they have symptoms, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The study found that 95 percent of people working in healthcare settings have worked while sick, most often because the symptoms were mild or started during their workday.
	Italian woman who was Europe's oldest person has died at 116 A 116-year-old Italian woman who authorities say was the oldest person in Europe and the second oldest in the world has died.
	'Invisible pandemic': WHO offers global plan to fight superbugs The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global campaign Tuesday to curb the spread of antibiotic resistant germs through safer and more effective use of the life-saving drugs.
Democrats and Republicans agree: Take politics out of health policymaking It's no secret that Americans are politically divided, but a new report offers hope that Democrats and Republicans find common ground on at least one issue: the role of "evidence" in developing and shaping health laws. Strong bipartisan support exists for a greater use of "evidence—defined as information based on reliable data and produced by statistical methods—in development of health policy in the United States. The study is published today in Translational Behavioral Medicine from a researcher at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health.
	Women's awareness of alcohol's role in breast cancer risk is poor Women's awareness of alcohol's role in boosting breast cancer risk is poor, indicates research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
	Researchers describe new functions of protein that play key role in some tumors and rare diseases Cohesin is a protein complex that is essential for chromosome segregation in dividing cells. Recent evidence suggests that it also plays an important role in 3-D genome architecture, which folds like origami and regulates essential cellular processes that include gene expression, DNA replication and DNA repair. Cohesin mutations have been identified in some types of cancer and in rare diseases referred to as cohesinopathies. In a paper published in Cell Reports, the Chromosome Dynamics Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Ana Losada, describes new functions of cohesin in mouse embryonic stem cells that might help understand and address the causes of these disorders.
	A dietary supplement improves skills of an atypical Rett syndrome patient A multicentric translational research study carried out by groups of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (HSJD) , the University of Barcelona (UB), Hospital Clínic (IDIBAPS), the University of Vic (UVic), Sant Pau i la Santa Creu Hospital (IIB Sant Pau), the Rare Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERER) and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA, France), has demonstrated the potential of the amino acid L-serine—administered as a dietary supplement—to improve the neuronal function of a patient with a mutation of glutamate receptors associated with atypical Rett syndrome with severe encephalopathy.
	Researchers relate amplification of chromosomal region with resistance to chemotherapeutic drug in breast cancer Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), with the participation of collaborators from the Baylor College of Medicine (Houston) and the University Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), publish today in Cancer Research a study where they relate the high number of copies of a chromosomal region with the appearance of resistance to a chemotherapeutic drug. The research was led by Dr. Eva González-Suárez, head of the Transformation and Metastasis group at IDIBELL.
	Scientists discover a powerful antibody that inhibits multiple strains of norovirus Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and their colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center have discovered an antibody that broadly inhibits multiple strains of pandemic norovirus, a major step forward in the development of an effective vaccine for the dreaded stomach virus.
	Alcohol advertisements influence intentions to intervene in sexual assault situations College students who viewed alcohol advertisements that included objectified images of women were less likely than others to report intentions to intervene in alcohol-facilitated sexual assault situations in a study published in the Journal of Health Communication.
Parental support is key when autistic adolescents want to learn to drive Autistic adolescents need the support of their parents or guardians to prioritize independence so that they are prepared for learning to drive, according to a study of specialized driving instructors who have worked specifically with young autistic drivers. These findings were compiled by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and recently published in the journal Autism in Adulthood.
	Cognitive consequences worse for pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (HealthDay)—Patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) have a more rapid reduction in information-processing efficiency over time in adulthood, and they are more likely to experience cognitive impairment than patients with adult-onset MS (AOMS), according to a study published online June 17 in JAMA Neurology.
	Abdominal obesity may raise risk for psoriasis (HealthDay)—Abdominal obesity may increase the risk for psoriasis, according to a study published online May 31 in the Journal of Dermatology.
	Pediatric T1DM medication adherence drops on weekends, holidays (HealthDay)—For children with type 1 diabetes, medication adherence is lower during school holidays and on weekends, according to a study recently published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
	Adding bevacizumab improves overall survival in NSCLC (HealthDay)—The addition of bevacizumab to carboplatin/pemetrexed is associated with improved overall survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
	FDA approves victoza injection for children 10 years and older (HealthDay)—Victoza (liraglutide) injection is now approved to treat type 2 diabetes in children 10 years and older, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.
	Inhaling air pollution-like irritant alters defensive heart-lung reflex for hypertension Air pollution significantly increases the risk for premature deaths, particularly in people with underlying cardiovascular disease, clinical and epidemiological studies have determined.
	Students restore motion to five-year-old boy's arms His arms paralyzed by a rare virus three years ago, Max Ng has struggled to push, pull and poke his way through the world with the gleeful ease that most 5 year olds enjoy.
	Is interval training the fountain of youth? (HealthDay)—High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise technique done by alternating short bursts of all-out effort in an aerobic activity with periods done at a very slow pace.
	Popcorn as a snack—healthy hit or dietary horror show? Popcorn, with its ample dietary fiber and typically low calorie count, makes it easy to understand why many people think a giant bucket at the movie theater qualifies as a healthy snack.
	Another climate change threat: More 'flesh-eating' bacteria? (HealthDay)—A flesh-eating bacteria has migrated into the Delaware Bay between Delaware and New Jersey, drawn north by the warmer waters of climate change, doctors say.
	U.S. youth suicide rate reaches 20-year high (HealthDay)—Suicide rates among teens and young adults have reached their highest point in nearly two decades, a new study reports.
	Afraid of food? The answer may be in the basal forebrain After fasting for 24 hours the typical laboratory mouse spends much time eating. Surprisingly, this is not what Jay M. Patel saw when he was studying basal forebrain circuits in mice.
	How hepatitis B and delta viruses establish infection of liver cells Princeton University researchers have developed a new, scalable cell culture system that allows for detailed investigation of how host cells respond to infection with hepatitis B (HBV) and delta virus (HDV). The paper describing their findings was published online on June 18, 2019 in the journal Hepatology.
	New evidence supports the presence of microbes in the placenta Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine previously found evidence that the placenta harbors a sparse but still present community of microorganisms, which they and other researchers speculate may contribute to key functions in pregnancy, including immunity.
	US preschoolers less pudgy in latest sign of falling obesity Preschoolers on government food aid have grown a little less pudgy, a U.S. study found, offering fresh evidence that previous signs of declining obesity rates weren't a fluke.
	Study reveals new genetic link to heart disease A collaboration involving the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the German Heart Center Munich, AstraZeneca, and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has demonstrated that more than 30 percent of heart disease risk stems from genetic factors, much more than was previously understood. The study findings, published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, introduce the biology of gene networks as a means to better understand the heritability and genetic underpinnings of heart disease.
	Researchers identify compounds that starve melanoma cancer cells of energy Researchers at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University have found a possible counterpunch to the drug resistance of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
	Gender bias continues in recognition of physicians and nurses A new study has shown that patients are significantly more likely to correctly identify male physicians and female nurses, demonstrating continuing gender bias in the health care environment. These lingering perceptions may slowly be changing, though, as younger patients were more likely to correctly identify female physicians and male nurses, according to the study published in Journal of Women's Health.
	Promising esophageal reconstruction based on engineered constructs The loss of complete segments of the esophagus often results from treatments for esophageal cancer or congenital abnormalities, and current methods to re-establish continuity are inadequate. Now, working with a rat model, researchers have developed a promising reconstruction method based on the use of 3-D-printed esophageal grafts. Their work is published in Tissue Engineering.
	Detecting pressure ulcers in sweat and sebum Pressure ulcers are a major burden to patients, carers and the healthcare system. Particularly vulnerable populations are elderly, bedridden and spinal cord injured individuals. Ph.D. researcher Jibbe Soetens investigated the response of the human skin to prolonged loading. Hospitals can use his results to detect and even predict pressure ulcers. Also the design of, for example, mattresses and wheelchairs can be improved with his findings. Soetens will defend his dissertation tomorrow (18 June) at Eindhoven University of Technology.
	MRI technique provides doctors with more reliable information about breast cancer Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women. According to the World Health Organization, some 627 000 women died from it in 2018, accounting for about 15 percent of all cancer deaths among women. Early detection is crucial to improve breast cancer outcomes and survival. There has been significant progress on this front in recent years thanks to various imaging techniques such as mammography and MRI.
More than 100 children die in India in encephalitis outbreak More than 100 children have died in an encephalitis outbreak in India's eastern state of Bihar, authorities said Tuesday.
Adequate protein intake associates with lower risk of frailty Adequate intake of protein is associated with a reduced risk of frailty and prefrailty in older women, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Adequate protein intake was defined as at least 1.1 g per kg of body weight. The findings were published in European Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers identify potential modifier genes in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Gene modifiers may explain why symptoms and severity vary in CMT and other inherited diseases, according to research published in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases
	Fitness trackers and personalised training programmes On average, people spend over 3,500 days (or 84,000 hours) at work over a lifetime. This makes work the ideal place to encourage and support physical activity and exercise. And a new study from Germany shows that doing so can help employees increase their fitness, improve their cardiovascular and mental health, and even increase productivity.
	Henry Ford Cancer Institute treats its first patient with innovative 'living drug' therapy Henry Ford Cancer Institute has treated its first patient with CAR T-cell therapy, an approach that uses engineered cells from a patient's immune system to destroy cancer. The altered cells remain active for years after the treatment, acting as a "living drug."
	Food neophobia may increase the risk of lifestyle diseases Food neophobia, or fear of new foods, may lead to poorer dietary quality, increase the risk factors associated with chronic diseases, and thus increase the risk of developing lifestyle diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
	No-cook summer recipes featuring cool, sweet fruit (HealthDay)—Sweet summer fruits make a luscious ending to a meal, but there's no reason to limit them to dessert. Here are three fruity no-cook dishes that will please every palate.
Survivors of breast cancer face increased risk of heart disease Thanks to advanced medical treatments, women diagnosed with breast cancer today will likely survive the disease. However, some treatment options put these women at greater risk for a number of other health problems. A new study out of Brazil shows that postmenopausal women with breast cancer are at greater risk for developing heart disease. Results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Biology news

	Wearable device reveals how seals prepare for diving A wearable non-invasive device based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to investigate blood volume and oxygenation patterns in freely diving marine mammals, according to a study publishing June 18 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by J. Chris McKnight of the University of St. Andrews, and colleagues. The results provide new insights into how voluntarily diving seals distribute blood and manage the oxygen supply to their brains and blubber, yielding important information about the basic physiological patterns associated with diving.
	Turning the switch on biofuels Plant cell walls contain a renewable, nearly limitless supply of sugar that can be used in the production of chemicals and biofuels. However, retrieving these sugars isn't all that easy.
	3-D cranial reconstruction elucidates the evolution of new world monkeys Researchers have used computed tomography (CT) scanning to examine and reconstruct cranial fossils belonging to two extinct species of monkey, Caipora bambuiorum and Cartelles coimbrafilhoi. The fossils were found almost 30 years ago in a cave complex in Bahia, Brazil, located in the Caatinga, a semiarid biome that occupies part of Brazil's Northeast Region.
	Dark centers of chromosomes reveal ancient DNA Geneticists exploring the dark heart of the human genome have discovered big chunks of Neanderthal and other ancient DNA. The results open new ways to study both how chromosomes behave during cell division and how they have changed during human evolution.
	The fellowship of the wing: Pigeons flap faster to fly together New research publishing June 18 in the open-access journal, PLOS Biology, led by Dr. Lucy Taylor from the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology now reveals that homing pigeons fit in one extra wingbeat per second when flying in pairs compared to flying solo.
	Size matters: New data reveals cell size sparks genome awakening in embryos Transitions are a hallmark of life. When dormant plants flower in the spring or when a young adult strikes out on their own, there is a shift in control. Similarly, there is a transition during early development when an embryo undergoes biochemical changes, switching from being controlled by maternal molecules to being governed by its own genome. For the first time, a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found in an embryo that activation of its genome does not happen all at once, instead it follows a specific pattern controlled primarily by the various sizes of its cells. The researchers published their results this week as the cover story in Developmental Cell.
	Cell structure linked to longevity of slow-growing Ponderosa Pines Slow-growing ponderosa pines may have a better chance of surviving longer than fast-growing ones, especially as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of drought, according to new research from the University of Montana.
	Coral bleaching causes a permanent change in fish life Repeat coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures has resulted in lasting changes to fish communities, according to a new long-term study in the Seychelles.
	Meet the naked mole-rat: impervious to pain and cancer, and lives ten times longer than it should The naked mole-rat is perhaps one of the most bizarre beasts on the planet. At first glance, it looks like little more than a cocktail sausage with legs and teeth. But beneath its wrinkly pink skin, this creature's strange and beautiful biology has me fascinated—so much so that I set up a whole research group devoted to studying them. Largely immune to cancer, impervious to some forms of pain, and seemingly blessed with the elixir of life, you may well owe your life to them one day.
	Risky business: New data show how manatees use shipping channels A new publication in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science tracks West Indian manatee movements through nearshore and offshore ship channels in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The publication, "Linking Use of Ship Channels by West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus) to Seasonal Migration and Habitat Use", provides new fundamental knowledge on movement ecology of a large, protected marine species and important information to guide future conservation practices.
	Scientists identify plant that flowers in Brazilian savanna one day after fire Plants in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado, have evolved to deal with fire. When fire is used intelligently as part of a carefully planned land management method, it is indispensable to the conservation of this superb ecosystem, the world's most biodiverse savanna. Two months suffice for the Cerrado to burst into flower after a fire.
	Monitoring biodiversity with sound: How machines can enrich our knowledge For a long time, ecologists have relied on their senses when it comes to recording animal populations and species diversity. However, modern programmable sound recording devices are now the better option for logging animal vocalisations. Scientists lead by the University of Göttingen have investigated this using studies of birds as an example. The results were published in the journal Ecological Applications.
	Sea otters have low genetic diversity like other threatened species, biologists report Sea otters have low genetic diversity, which could endanger their health as a species, a UCLA-led team of life scientists has discovered. The findings have implications for the conservation of rare and endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction.
	Egg-sucking sea slug from Florida's Cedar Key named after Muppets creator Jim Henson Feet from the raw bars and sherbet-colored condominiums of Florida's Cedar Key, researchers discovered a new species of egg-sucking sea slug, a rare outlier in a group famous for being ultra-vegetarians.
	Methods in belowground botany Plant root systems play a crucial role in ecosystems, radically impacting everything from nutrient cycling to species composition. Despite their importance, scientists are just beginning to develop the tools to understand how these complex systems are structured, how they function, and how structure and function are related. Much of the research into root systems today uses sophisticated new technologies to address basic questions and descriptions. A recent special issue of Applications in Plant Sciences contains six papers from the cutting edge of root science, exploring questions from the subcellular to the ecosystem level.
	Jellyfish researchers want you to start thinking about these creatures for your next meal A few summers ago, Stefano Piraino was walking along the rocky shoreline on a small island off the coast of Sicily when he spotted a washed up jellyfish. Naturally, he tore a piece off and popped it into his mouth.
	Hungry polar bear found wandering in Russia industrial city A hungry polar bear has been spotted on the outskirts of the Russian industrial city of Norilsk, hundreds of miles from its natural habitat, authorities said Tuesday.
	Scientists challenge notion of binary sexuality with naming of new plant species A collaborative team of scientists from the US and Australia has named a new plant species from the remote Outback. Bucknell University biology postdoctoral fellow Angela McDonnell and professor Chris Martine led the description of the plant that had confounded field biologists for decades because of the unusual fluidity of its flower form. The discovery, published in the open access journal PhytoKeys, offers a powerful example of the diversity of sexual forms found among plants.

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