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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 17, 2020:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | XMM-Newton discovers scorching gas in Milky Way's haloESA's XMM-Newton has discovered that gas lurking within the Milky Way's halo reaches far hotter temperatures than previously thought and has a different chemical make-up than predicted, challenging our understanding of our galactic home. |
 | Here and gone: Outbound comets are likely of extra-solar originAstronomers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) have analyzed the paths of two objects heading out of the Solar System forever and determined that they also most likely originated from outside of the Solar System. These results improve our understanding of the outer Solar System and beyond. |
 | Scientists measure the evolving energy of a solar flare's explosive first minutesToward the end of 2017, a massive new region of magnetic field erupted on the Sun's surface next to an existing sunspot. The powerful collision of magnetic energy produced a series of potent solar flares, causing turbulent space weather conditions at Earth. These were the first flares to be captured, in their moment-by-moment progression, by NJIT's then recently opened Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) radio telescope. |
 | First Spacebus Neo satellite launchedAriane 5's first launch of 2020 has delivered two telecom satellites, Konnect and GSAT-30, into their planned transfer orbits. Arianespace announced liftoff at 21:05 GMT (22:05 CET, 18:05 local time) this evening from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. |
 | New astronomical instrument on the hunt for exoplanetsAt the highest point of the Quinlan mountains, overlooking the Sonoran Desert as it stretches across southern Arizona, NEID (pronounced like "fluid") recently collected its first observations, known colloquially by astronomers as "first light," at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. |
 | Image: Hubble views galaxy from famous catalogThis bright, somewhat blob-like object—seen in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope—is a galaxy named NGC 1803. It is about 200 million light-years away, in the southern constellation of Pictor (the Painter's Easel). |
Technology news
 | Thin-film identification tags for transferring data to touchscreen devicesToday, countless electronic devices have touchscreens, including smart phones, tablets and smart home appliances. Touchscreen interfaces have become some of the most common means for users to communicate with and browse through their devices. |
 | Edible 'security tag' to protect drugs from counterfeitManufacturing prescription drugs with distinct markings, colors, shapes or packaging isn't enough to protect them from counterfeiting, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports have shown. |
 | AlphaFold makes its mark in predicting protein structuresPlayers applaud, say words like Whoo, bang plastic knives on the table and enjoy the best weekends with artificial intelligence as the main act, thanks to AI unleashed in games. |
 | AI learning technique may illustrate function of reward pathways in the brainA team of researchers from DeepMind, University College and Harvard University has found that lessons learned in applying learning techniques to AI systems may help explain how reward pathways work in the brain. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes comparing distributional reinforcement learning in a computer with dopamine processing in the mouse brain, and what they learned from it. |
 | Google parent Alphabet valuation hit $1 trillionGoogle's parent company Alphabet saw its value reach $1 trillion for the first time Thursday, becoming the fourth US tech company to hit the milestone. |
 | Small screen tech: First look at new smart contact lensThe "eyes" have it—quite literally. |
 | Green is the new blackGreen cars and green energy are not new. Very few conversations go by without someone mentioning green variations of energy. |
 | New scheduling tool offers both better flight choices and increased airline profitsResearchers from Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an original approach to flight scheduling that, if implemented, could result in a significant increase in profits for airlines and more flights that align with passengers' preferences. The approach is presented in a paper, "Airline Timetable Development and Fleet Assignment Incorporating Passenger Choice," recently published in Transportation Science, the leading journal in the field of transportation analysis. |
 | Researchers find that cookies increase ad revenue for online publishersHow long has it been since you logged onto a Web site and you were prompted to decide whether to opt out of "cookies" that the site told you will enhance your online experience? Minutes? Hours? |
 | Vodafone India's shares plunge almost 40%, future in doubtShares in Vodafone's Indian unit plunged almost 40 percent on Friday after officials rejected its appeal against paying $4 billion in back fees, raising questions about the British giant's future in the country. |
 | US tech sector sees only modest relief in China trade dealThe US tech sector is getting some relief from a trade truce with China signed this week, but the deal leaves many of the industry's concerns unresolved. |
 | The paints that eat pollutants and heat homesApplying a coat of paint on the walls of a house may soon help to heat it, saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. It could also clean the air that we breathe, breaking down chemicals and pollutants, and eliminating harmful pathogens. |
 | Homomorphic encryption for cloud usersA new approach to encryption could improve user perception of cloud computing services where the users are concerned about private or personal data being exposed to third parties. Writing in the International Journal of Cloud Computing, the team outlines a proposed homomorphic encryption system. |
 | Dutch tech firm caught in US-China rowDutch computer chip machine manufacturer ASML found itself on Friday at the centre of a row between Beijing and Washington over the delivery of a hi-tech system to China. |
 | Digital athletics in analogue stadiumsGlobally, arenas and stadiums that seat tens of thousands of people are filling up for whole weekends with crowds excited to watch their favourite sports stars sit on chairs and stare at screens. These fans are here to watch men and women play computer games, and researchers from Aalto and Tampere University are studying why. |
 | Tough love for Amazon's Bezos in IndiaAmazon boss Jeff Bezos on Friday promised to create a million new jobs in India in a farewell love letter to the country, after ending a tough visit that reportedly included a snub by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Real-time flu prediction may be possible using wearable heart rate and sleep tracking devicesFirst study to evaluate de-identified data from wearable devices on resting heart rate and sleep finds improved real-time prediction of influenza-like illness in five US states compared to current surveillance methods. |
 | Researchers uncover new vulnerability in kidney cancerA UT Southwestern researcher led a team that identified a new vulnerability in kidney tumors, the 10th most common cause of cancer death in men and women. |
 | America's most widely consumed oil causes genetic changes in the brainNew UC Riverside research shows soybean oil not only leads to obesity and diabetes, but could also affect neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, and depression. |
 | Why we differ in our ability to fight off gut infectionsΤhe ability of the immune system to fight off bacterial, viral and other invading agents in the gut differs between individuals. However, the biological mechanism by which this happens is not well understood, but at least part of this difference may be explained by genetic factors. |
 | Loss of function in key Y-chromosome genes increases cancer risk in menNumerous studies have shown that men are more susceptible to cancer than women; however, the reason for this difference remains poorly understood. A new study by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has identified a key biological mechanism that puts men at higher risk of cancer: loss of function in certain genes of the sex-determining Y chromosome. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was carried out in collaboration with Pompeu Fabra University, the University of Adelaide and the Estonian Genome Centre. |
 | Obesity, heart disease, and diabetes may be communicableNon-communicable diseases including heart disease, cancer and lung disease are now the most common causes of death, accounting for 70 percent of deaths worldwide. These diseases are considered "non-communicable" because they are thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors and can't be transmitted between people. |
 | 'Dialogic praxis' enhances psychotherapeutic success for youthFor young patients, therapy works best when they are encouraged to become co-experts in the search for answers, according to a Perspectives article published by the New England Journal of Medicine co-authored by Dominique Béhague, associate professor of Medicine, Health and Society and Reader at King's College London. The article is part of a series that aims to highlight the importance of social concepts and social context in clinical medicine. |
 | Aging: How our 'epigenetic clocks' slow down as we get olderFrom the tap dancing 90-year-old to the 40-year-old who struggles to run a mile, we all know people who seem surprisingly young or old for their age. Scientists believe that it may be possible to distinguish between two types of age: biological age, a measure of how well the body functions, and chronological age, your age in years. |
 | Research suggests expanding amblyopia treatment approachesWhen University of California, Irvine neurobiologist Carey Y.L. Huh, Ph.D., set her sights on discovering more about amblyopia, she brought personal insight to her quest. As a child, Huh was diagnosed with the condition, which is often called "lazy eye." |
 | Cell research offers diabetes treatment hopeA new cell treatment to enhance islet transplantation could help maintain healthy blood sugar levels in Type 1 diabetes without the need for multiple transplants of insulin producing cells or regular insulin injections, research suggests. |
 | Research shows real risks associated with cannabis exposure during pregnancyA new study from researchers at Western University and Queen's University definitively shows that regular exposure to THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, during pregnancy has significant impact on placental and fetal development. With more than a year since the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, the effects of its use during pregnancy are only now beginning to be understood. |
 | Study quashes controversial vitamin C treatment for sepsis with global trialIn 2017 a paper was published asserting that intravenous vitamin C given to patients with sepsis was literally a life saver. Despite the study only looking at 47 subjects, the results garnered international coverage and the treatment was adopted in many ICUs worldwide. |
 | Neuron found in mice could have implications for effective diet drugsEver eaten something, gotten sick and then didn't want to eat that food again because of how it made you feel? That's because a signal from the gut to the brain produced that sickness, creating a taste aversion. |
 | Reward improves visual perceptual learning—but only after people sleepPast studies have found that rewarding participants during a visual perceptual task leads to performance gains. However, new research suggests that these performance gains occur only if participants follow up the task with sleep. |
 | Faking emotions at work does more harm than goodThe adage "Fake it until you make it"—the idea that someone can fake a positive attitude to elicit real-life benefits—often backfires when used with co-workers, according to a study led by a University of Arizona researcher. |
 | Helping patients prep mind and body for surgery pays off, study suggestsAn inexpensive program to help surgery patients get physically and mentally ready for their upcoming operation may help reduce overall costs and get them home faster, according to new research involving hundreds of patients in 21 hospitals across Michigan. |
 | Mix of stress and air pollution may lead to cognitive difficulties in childrenChildren with elevated exposure to early life stress in the home and elevated prenatal exposure to air pollution exhibited heightened symptoms of attention and thought problems, according to researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Psychiatry. Early life stress is common in youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who also often live in areas with greater exposure to air pollution. |
Older ethnic minority adults have fewer close friendsOlder adults from ethnic minority groups report having fewer close friends and fewer friends who live locally than older white people, according a new UCL study. | |
Long term risks cast further doubt on the use of Viagra for foetal therapyUniversity of Manchester scientists investigating a possible treatment for foetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition in which babies grow poorly in the womb, have urged further caution on the use of Viagra. | |
 | Second person dies from SARS-linked virus in ChinaA second person has died in China from a mysterious SARS-linked virus that has stricken dozens and appeared in two other Asian countries, with a new case reported in Thailand on Friday. |
 | China birth rate hits lowest level since 1949China's birth rate dropped last year to its lowest level since the Communist country was founded in 1949, adding to concerns that an ageing society and shrinking workforce will pile pressure on a slowing economy. |
 | Number of suicides in Japan hits record lowThe number of suicides in Japan fell to a record low in 2019, the government said Friday, as the country tackles one of the world's highest suicide rates. |
Thais find second case linked to China mystery virusThailand detected its second case of a mysterious SARS-linked virus in a visitor from China, health officials said Friday, as authorities ramp up airport screenings ahead of an expected surge in arrivals for Chinese New Year. | |
 | Psychology program for refugee children improves wellbeingA positive psychology program created by researchers at Queen Mary University of London focuses on promoting wellbeing in refugee children. It is unusual in that it focuses on promoting positive outcomes, rather than addressing war trauma exposure. |
 | 2003 to 2017 saw drop in infant mortality due to birth defectsFrom 2003 to 2017, there was a decrease in infant mortality attributable to birth defects (IMBD) overall, although considerable differences were seen in the decreases by maternal and infant characteristics, according to research published in the Jan. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
 | CDC: Many Americans are inactive, with Southerners faring worseMore than 15 percent of American adults are physically inactive, according to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. |
 | Improving cardiovascular health of the most vulnerableStarting in 2016, a two-year partnership between the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (NCACC) and the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NCAFCC) provided free lipid lowering therapy and clopidogrel to patients at seven free clinics in North Carolina. The results of this pilot study were recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. |
 | No shield from X-rays: How science is rethinking lead apronsPatients have come to expect a technician to drape their torsos with a heavy lead apron when they get an X-ray, but new thinking among radiologists and medical physicists is upending the decades-old practice of shielding patients from radiation. |
 | What's the link between prediction and pleasure? She's scanning brains to find out.On the most basic cognitive level, music is a guessing game, and our enjoyment of it hinges on whether we can predict what's coming next. When the notes rise and fall as expected, the reward centers in our brains are activated. |
 | Opioids prescribed more often than recommended to patients with musculoskeletal painDuring their first physician visit, patients experiencing newly diagnosed chronic musculoskeletal pain are prescribed opioids more often than physical therapy, counseling, and other nonpharmacologic approaches, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pain. The use of opioids over other approaches stands in contrast with clinical recommendations for the use of nonopioid pain approaches and nonpharmacologic approaches. The study included authors from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health; the University of Montreal; and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. |
 | Scientists reveal ADHD medication's effect on the brainAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. People with the condition are often prescribed a stimulant drug called methylphenidate, which treats these symptoms. However, scientists do not fully understand how the drug works. |
 | Rethinking interactions with mental health patientsNew research overturns the belief that people with severe mental illness are incapable of effective communication with their psychiatrist, and are able to work together with them to achieve better outcomes for themselves. |
 | Artificial intelligence to improve resolution of brain magnetic resonance imagingResearchers of the ICAI Group–Computational Intelligence and Image Analysis–of the University of Malaga (UMA) have designed an unprecedented method that is capable of improving brain images obtained through magnetic resonance imaging using artificial intelligence. |
 | To improve firefighters' mental health, we can't wait for them to reach out—we need to 'reach in'Many firefighters will by now be exhausted, having been on the front line of Australia's bushfire crisis for weeks or months. |
 | Why teen depression rates are rising faster for girls than boysWe're in the middle of a teen mental health crisis—and girls are at its epicenter. |
 | Study finds that disruptive behavior in operating rooms often goes unreportedUniversity of Manitoba researchers have found that disruptive behaviors are happening all too often in the operating room (OR) – and many clinicians who see the behavior are not reporting it to management. |
 | Cheap roundworm drug found to enhance the effects of chemotherapy in prostate cancerScientists at the University of Glasgow and Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute have tested close to 1000 existing medicines and discovered that a cheap drug commonly used to treat parasitic worm infection could be a game-changing treatment for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men and the second most common cause of cancer death for men in the UK. |
 | Cheap drug may alleviate treatment-resistance in leukemiaA common and inexpensive drug may be used to counteract treatment resistance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), one of the most common forms of blood cancer. This is the conclusion of a study in mice and human blood cells performed at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab and published in the medical journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The researchers will now launch a clinical study to test the new combination treatment in patients. |
 | Let babies be in charge of how much they eat – it could help them stay a healthy weightHow babies are fed is often a topic of hot discussion. It's known that babies should be introduced gradually to solid foods at around six months old. But in recent years, another question has arisen: should parents be spoon-feeding babies special pureed baby foods or could they just join in with the family and feed themselves from the very start? |
 | Identifying aquatic plants with drones could be the key to reducing a parasitic infection in peopleFor the majority of people on Earth, parasites are a fact of life. These organisms live inside the human body, causing debilitating or fatal diseases. Among the parasitic diseases, one of the very worst is schistosomiasis, caused by worms living in the human circulatory system. The disease can cause bleeding, organ damage, and elevated risk of HIV infection and cancer. For children, infection can stunt growth and impair cognitive development. |
 | As superbugs spread, WHO raises alarm over lack of new antibioticsThe World Health Organization warned Friday that a dire lack of new antibiotics was threatening efforts to curb the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, which kill tens of thousands of people each year. |
 | Study finds link between blood fats and artery size in people with MSA recent study by a team of University at Buffalo researchers has found a link between fats in the blood and problems with the arteries in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). |
 | Students with intense smartphone use sleep worseSmartphones play an important role in students their daily lives. The question is whether this smartphone use is that innocent. New research conducted at Ghent University and University of Antwerp (Belgium) suggest it is not for students' sleep quality. Moreover, previous research showed that students with a reduced sleep quality perform worse at exams. |
 | Violence and adversity in early life can alter the brainChildhood adversity is a significant problem in the US, particularly for children growing up in poverty. Those who experience poverty have a much higher risk of being exposed to violence and suffering from a lack of social support, which can have long-term consequences including higher rates of diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. |
 | China reports 2nd death from virus behind pneumonia outbreakA second person has died from a new coronavirus that has caused an outbreak of pneumonia in central China, health authorities said. |
 | Psychedelic drugs could help treat PTSDClinical trials suggest treatment that involves psychedelics can be more effective than psychotherapy alone. More than three million people in the United States are diagnosed each year with post-traumatic stress disorder, whose symptoms include nightmares or unwanted memories of trauma, heightened reactions, anxieties, and depression—and can last months, or even years. |
 | 2011 to 2017 saw increase in binge drinks per binge drinker(HealthDay)—From 2011 to 2017, there was an increase in the total annual number of binge drinks per adult who reported binge drinking, according to research published in the Jan. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. |
 | Acute flaccid myelitis features differ in peak, nonpeak years(HealthDay)—Clinical and laboratory characteristics of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) cases differ in peak and nonpeak years, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | CDC: Benzodiazepines prescribed at 27 office visits per 100 adults(HealthDay)—Benzodiazepines were prescribed at 27 annual physician office visits per 100 adults during 2014 to 2016, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
 | Lack of self-exams hampers early melanoma identification(HealthDay)—The biggest obstacle to early detection and treatment of melanoma among residents of rural, frontier communities is a chronic lack of skin self-examination (SSE), according to a study recently published in Psychology, Health & Medicine. |
 | Before grabbing a grapefruit, understand its powerGrapefruit looks sweet and friendly, but you might have heard it possesses powers far beyond those of ordinary produce. |
 | Do you take warfarin? Time of day might not matter(HealthDay)—Patients taking the blood thinner warfarin have been told that it should be taken at night, but a new study found the time of day doesn't matter. |
 | Fish oil supplements might help men become dads(HealthDay)—Couples struggling to get pregnant might want to add a little more fish in their diet, a new study says. |
 | Acid reflux drugs may have negative side effects for breast cancer survivorsAcid reflux drugs that are sometimes recommended to ease stomach problems during cancer treatment may have an unintended side effect: impairment of breast cancer survivors' memory and concentration. |
 | Professors create free research-backed games to train your brainUniversity professors from New York and California designed and developed three digital games—available online and in the iOS and Google Play app stores—to help its users' brains work more efficiently. While some digital games falsely claim to improve cognitive skills, these three games have actually proven to. Evidenced through a series of research studies, these games can help users boost memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. |
 | Human fetal lungs harbor a microbiome signatureThe lungs and placentas of fetuses in the womb—as young as 11 weeks after conception—already show a bacterial microbiome signature, which suggests that bacteria may colonize the lungs well before birth. This first-time finding deepens the mystery of how the microbes or microbial products reach those organs before birth and what role they play in normal lung and immune system development. |
 | Coronavirus: new disease spreading in Asia revives SARS fearsAfter Thailand detected its second case of a mysterious SARS-linked virus this week following confirmed cases in China and Japan, here are a few key points about coronavirus. |
 | US begins airport screenings as SARS-linked virus kills 2 in ChinaThe US will begin screening passengers Friday arriving from a Chinese city at the heart of a mysterious SARS-linked virus, officials said, after an outbreak that has stricken dozens claimed a second life. |
 | Study finds disparity in critical care deaths between non-minority and minority hospitalsWhile deaths steadily declined over a decade in intensive care units at hospitals with few minority patients, in ICUs with large numbers of minority patients, there was less improvement, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.The disparity was most pronounced among critically ill African American patients. |
 | Research shows cervical hernias can cause brain damageSpecialists of the UMH university of Alicante, Spain, have detected brain damage in patients with cervical hernias by using neuroimage and artificial intelligence techniques. |
 | Black kids and suicide: Why are rates so high, and so ignored?Teen suicide rates among black youth are increasing. In 2016 and again in 2018, national data revealed that among children age 5-11, black children had the highest rate of death by suicide. For the years 2008 to 2012, 59 black youth died by suicide, up from 54 in the years 2003-2007. |
Biology news
 | New dog, old tricks? Stray dogs can understand human cuesIf you have a dog, hopefully you're lucky enough to know that they are highly attuned to their owners and can readily understand a wide range of commands and gestures. But are these abilities innate or are they exclusively learned through training? |
 | Study traces evolution of acoustic communicationImagine taking a hike through a forest or a stroll through a zoo and not a sound fills the air, other than the occasional chirp from a cricket. No birds singing, no tigers roaring, no monkeys chattering, and no human voices, either. Acoustic communication among vertebrate animals is such a familiar experience that it seems impossible to imagine a world shrouded in silence. |
 | Study shows human ancestors could have consumed hard plant tissues without damaging their teethGo ahead, take a big bite. |
 | Sanitary care by social ants shapes disease outcomeSanitary care in ants to fight disease is known to improve the wellbeing of the colony, yet it has been unclear how social disease defense interferes with pathogen competition inside the individual host body. In their recent study published in Ecology Letters, Sylvia Cremer and her research group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) revealed that collective care-giving has the power to bias the outcome of co-infections in fungus-exposed colony members. |
 | Plant organ growth is not so different from animalsFor a long time, researchers assumed that cell death occurs mainly during animal organ growth, but not in plant organs. A research group led by Hannele Tuominen from UPSC has now demonstrated that the death of certain cells in the root facilitated the growth of lateral roots. These new findings hint at organ growth of plants and animals might not be so different as thought. The study was published today in the journal Current Biology. |
 | Surveying all the proteins on a neuron's surfaceScientists have found a new way to home in on the proteins covering a particular cell's surface. The feat offers insight into how brain cells form intricate networks during development. |
 | We found the genes that allowed plants to colonize land 500 million years agoThe world 500 million years ago looked very different to today. The land was bare, with only bacteria, fungi and algae able to survive on it. Everything else lived in the ocean, but once plants moved onto land, they changed almost everything on Earth's surface. They helped to create soils, rivers and the oxygen-rich atmosphere, which eventually allowed animals to live a life out of water. |
 | Mysterious little red jellies: A case of mistaken identityLittle red jellies are commonplace near the deep seafloor in Monterey Bay and around the world. Most of them are small—less than five centimeters (two inches) across—and a ruddy red color, but we know little else about them. Though MBARI researchers have observed them for decades, their role in the food web, what they eat, and what eats them, still largely remain mysteries. Now scientists are finding that even their evolution and relationships to one another are probably incorrect. |
 | Human-caused biodiversity decline started millions of years agoThe human-caused biodiversity decline started much earlier than researchers used to believe. According to a new study published in the scientific journal Ecology Letters the process was not started by our own species but by some of our ancestors. |
 | Climate may play a bigger role than deforestation in rainforest biodiversity"Save the rainforests" is a snappy slogan, but it doesn't tell the full story of how complicated it is to do just that. Before conservationists can even begin restoring habitats and advocating for laws that protect land from poachers and loggers, scientists need to figure out what's living, what's dying, and which patterns explain why. Tackling these questions—in other words, finding out what drives a region's biodiversity—is no small task. |
 | What is an endangered species?What makes for an endangered species classification isn't always obvious. |
 | Homosexuality may have evolved as an outcome of increased sociability in humansHow did homosexuality in humans evolve? |
 | Novel protein positioning technique improves functionality of yeast cellsA research team at Kobe University has developed a method of artificially controlling the anchorage position of target proteins in engineered baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). |
 | How do sea stars move without a brain? The answer could impact robotics and moreHave you ever seen a sea star move? To many of us, sea star seem motionless, like a rock on the ocean's floor, but in actuality, they have hundreds of tube feet attached to their underbelly. These feet stretch and contract to attach to rough terrain, hold on to prey and, of course, move. |
 | Native plants can flourish after bushfire, but there's only so much hardship they can takeIn a fire-blackened landscape, signs of life are everywhere. A riot of red and green leaves erupt from an otherwise dead-looking tree trunk, and the beginnings of wildflowers and grasses peek from the crunchy charcoal below. |
 | Fins and limbs tell evolutionary taleAbout 400 million years ago, our early ancestors took their first hesitant steps out of the primordial seas on to land. |
 | Lessons on how to effectively tackle insect invasionsKenyan food production and grazing land is under threat from a huge desert locust invasion. The insects are currently in two counties in northern Kenya and are now spreading to other Kenyan regions including Meru, Laikipia, and Rift Valley. The government has yet to quantify losses but past attacks have caused harvest losses of up to 70%. |
 | French oyster farmers fume as norovirus shuts down salesSeveral oyster farmers along France's Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts have been forced to halt sales since December after their sites were contaminated by the highly contagious norovirus, which they blame on overflowing sewage treatment plants. |
 | Sea lions yawn due to anxietyResearchers have analysed these animals for 14 months, concluding that the frequency of their yawns increases immediately after a social conflict among members of the group. |
ISSCR statement on ethical standards for stem cell-based embryo modelsThe ISSCR is updating its Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation to respond to recent scientific advances that include the use of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) to create models of early human embryo development (see Stem Cell Reports 14:1-6). As the science continues to advance, it raises important scientific, clinical, ethical, and societal issues for researchers, regulators, and funding agencies. The ISSCR believes the scientific community must address these challenges to establish parameters for research in this area. | |
 | Trophy hunt of protected Alpine ibex sparks Swiss debateA woman wearing a bright orange vest aims her rifle and on her second shot, a large Alpine ibex with majestic curved horns collapses in the snow. |
 | Sea lions: Cash cows in the Bay Area, but farther south, fishermen say 'Shoot 'em'Sea lions are increasingly living in parallel universes along the California coast, a disparity best observed amid the noisy, stinking spectacle that rolls out daily at San Francisco's Pier 39 shopping center. |
 | Black rhino population shows steady growthGood news stories can be hard to come by in an era of extinction, but the steady improvement in the fortunes of the black rhino is one of those stories. |
 | Changing the leopard's spotsSince wildlife poaching in Africa became a critical conservation issue, Chinese people have been portrayed as ruthless in the apparent pursuit of wildlife body parts. The Africa-China Reporting Project in Wits Journalism enable journalists to cut through the rhetoric, stereotypes and generalisations. |
 | How grass dances with fireThere's a long-held myth that Johannesburg is the globe's largest urban forest, resplendent with an annual purple Jacaranda show. But before the planting of these (alien) trees for timber during the Gold Rush in the 19th Century, Johannesburg was a rich and varied grassland—a biome [community of plants and animals] that is one of the least protected in South Africa. Fortunately, the Department of Environmental Affairs prohibits plantation forestry in our grasslands, because of the negative impact it has on water resources and biodiversity. |
 | Hands off our grasslandsIn the north eastern Free State, a 60 km green corridor is being created that will link the upper Wilge Protected Environment to the Sneeuwberg. |
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