Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jan 8

REWELACJA!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 12:55 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jan 8
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 8, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Researchers design dendrite-free lithium battery

New study reveals strong El Nino events cause large changes in Antarctic ice shelves

'Hide or get eaten,' urine chemicals tell mud crabs

North American waterways are becoming saltier and more alkaline

Researchers study complex morphology of the protoplanetary disc around star MWC 758

Best of Last Week – A system for studying four-dimensional physics, a moon event and how alcohol causes DNA damage

Bacteria makes blue jeans green

Surprising result shocks scientists studying spin

Team modifies nanoscale virus to deliver peptide drugs to cells, tissues

Inkjet-printed thermite deposits energetic materials safely

What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say

Taking paracetamol during pregnancy may reduce fertility of daughters

In Antarctic dry valleys, early signs of climate change-induced shifts in soil

Toyota 3.0 vehicle talking points: Augmented LIDAR, sleek design

What's on center stage at the CES tech show? Your voice

Nanotechnology news

	Team modifies nanoscale virus to deliver peptide drugs to cells, tissues By chipping away at a viral protein, Rice University scientists have discovered a path toward virus-like, nanoscale devices that may be able to deliver drugs to cells.
	Scientists develop graphene sensors that could revolutionise the Internet of Things Researchers at The University of Manchester have devised graphene sensors embedded into RFIDs, which have the potential to revolutionise the Internet of Things (IoT).
	Ultra-thin light emitting diodes National University of Singapore scientists have developed energy efficient ultra-thin light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for next generation communication technologies.

Physics news

	Surprising result shocks scientists studying spin Imagine playing a game of billiards, putting a bit of counter-clockwise spin on the cue ball and watching it deflect to the right as it strikes its target ball. With luck, or skill, the target ball sinks into the corner pocket while the rightward-deflected cue ball narrowly misses a side-pocket scratch. Now imagine your counter-clockwise spinning cue ball striking a bowling ball instead, and deflecting even more strongly—but to the left—when it strikes the larger mass.
	New approach can save up to 95 percent of energy used for pipelines Scientists have assumed that once a flow of a fluid has become turbulent, turbulence would persist. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), including Professor Björn Hof and co-first authors Jakob Kühnen and Baofang Song, have now shown that this is not the case. In their experiments, which they published in Nature Physics, they destabilized turbulence in a pipe so that the flow turned to a laminar (non-turbulent) state, and they observed that the flow remained laminar thereafter. Eliminating turbulence can save as much as 95 percent of the energy required to pump a fluid through a pipe.
	Scientist's work may provide answer to Martian mystery By seeing which way the wind blows, a University of Texas at Dallas fluid dynamics expert has helped propose a solution to a Martian mountain mystery.
	Room-temperature multiferroic thin films and their properties Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Tohoku University have developed high-quality GFO epitaxial films and systematically investigated their ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties. They also demonstrated the room-temperature magnetocapacitance effects of these GFO thin films.
	Machine learning and neural networks recognize exotic insulating phases in quantum materials Does it conduct electricity? Or insulate against electricity? Physicists commonly classify material phases as one or the other. Machine learning is a powerful tool for pattern recognition and thus could help identify phases of matter. However, machine learning needs a bridge to the quantum world, where the physics of atoms, electrons, and particles differs from that of larger objects or galaxies. Now, scientists have provided a bridge, which they call the quantum loop topography technique. This is a machine-learning algorithm based on neural networks. It detects with high efficiency an exotic phase where electricity is conducted around the material's surface but not through the middle. Also, it distinguishes between normal insulators and these exotic topological insulators.
	What's the noise eating quantum bits? Super powerful quantum computing relies on quantum bits, aka qubits, which are the equivalent of the classical bits used in today's computers. SQUIDs are being investigated for the development of qubits. However, system noise can destroy the data stored in the resulting qubits. Calculations have confirmed experimental evidence that oxygen molecules adsorbed on the surface of the SQUID are the most likely source of low-frequency magnetic noise. Scientists identified mitigation strategies, such as surface protection and improved vacuum environments. These approaches lowered the surface oxygen and the associated noise to levels needed for SQUIDs to be used in the next generation of computers.

Earth news

	New study reveals strong El Nino events cause large changes in Antarctic ice shelves A new study published Jan. 8 in the journal Nature Geoscience reveals that strong El Nino events can cause significant ice loss in some Antarctic ice shelves while the opposite may occur during strong La Nina events.
	North American waterways are becoming saltier and more alkaline Across North America, streams and rivers are becoming saltier, thanks to road deicers, fertilizers and other salty compounds that humans indirectly release into waterways. At the same time, freshwater supplies are becoming more alkaline.
	In Antarctic dry valleys, early signs of climate change-induced shifts in soil In a study spanning two decades, a team of researchers led by Colorado State University found declining numbers of soil fauna, nematodes and other animal species in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, one of the world's driest and coldest deserts. This discovery is attributed to climate change, which has triggered melting and thawing of ice in this desert since an uncharacteristically warm weather event in 2001.
	Pond scum explains evolution of first animals Microbial mats that existed on sea floors prior to the Cambrian explosion provided the foundation for early animal life to arise, new research looking at trace fossils of that early life has found.
Poisonous and running out: Pakistan's water crisis Barely 15 days old, Kinza whimpers at an Islamabad hospital where she is suffering from diarrhoea and a blood infection, a tiny victim among thousands afflicted by Pakistan's severely polluted and decreasing water supplies.
	Amazon biodiversity hotspot to suffer even more losses after contentious law passed In August 2017, the Bolivian government passed a contentious law that paved the way for construction of a new 190-mile road cutting through one of the country's most iconic and biodiverse protected rainforests. But a report in Current Biology on January 8 shows that the Isiboro-Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory (or TIPNIS, as the area is commonly known) has been subject to alarming levels of deforestation within its borders for many years, a reality that is too often overlooked.
	Biochar could benefit anaerobic digestion of animal manure New research by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists shows biochar has potential to make anaerobic digestion of animal manure a more efficient method to rid farms of waste while producing methane for energy.
	The view from near-earth orbit—scientist helps set satellites' priorities The "eye in the sky" has become a major part of research for segments of the scientific community. But how should it be trained?
	Trawl of Red Sea surface waters finds little plastic The Red Sea has relatively low amounts of floating plastic debris in its surface waters due to fewer sources or faster removal.
	Scientists sift through lunar dirt for record of early Earth's rocks Hidden in the particles of moon dirt brought back by astronauts more than fifty years ago, secrets of ancient Earth lie in wait.
	On the way to plastic-free oceans Four days since leaving port, Dr. Katsiaryna Pabortsava reaches her destination. She's in the middle of the North Atlantic, thousands of miles from land, and she's looking for microplastics.
	US hits record for costly weather disasters: $306 billion (Update 2) With three strong hurricanes, wildfires, hail, flooding, tornadoes and drought, the United States tallied a record high bill last year for weather disasters: $306 billion.
	NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Ava's landfall on Madagascar's coast NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Ava as it made landfall along the coast of northeastern Madagascar.
	Hurricane Harvey survivors feel grief, distress months later Deb Eberhart couldn't sleep and was easily moved to tears as she worked to coordinate repairs to her Houston home in the months after flooding from Hurricane Harvey besieged it with 3-feet of water.
	Scientists find culprits for extreme rainfall over Yangtze River in May 2016 In May 2016, an extreme rainfall occurred in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley. The area averaged anomaly of total precipitation over the region (117°-121°E, 26°-34°N) was the third wettest on record since 1961. There were 25 stations that broke 56-year maximum records. Meanwhile, the 2015-16 El Niño event was regarded as one of the strongest El Niño events in recorded history, bringing heavy rains and drought around the world. After such a super El Niño event, what causes subsequent precipitation extremes—anthropogenic forcing or natural variability? And what are the changes in the risk?
The coldest temperatures recorded during 120 years of weather data On Grounds, like most of the Eastern Seaboard, it's been really cold the past few days. Can't-feel-my-face cold. Run-not-walk-in-the-parking-lot cold.
	Trump's offshore oil drilling plans ignore the lessons of BP Deepwater Horizon The Trump Administration is proposing to ease regulations that were adopted to make offshore oil and gas drilling operations safer after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. This event was the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Eleven workers died in the explosion and sinking of the oil rig, and more than 4 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have estimated that the spill caused more than US$17 billion in damages to natural resources.
Reducing climate uncertainty, improving weather forecasts, and understanding sea-level rise NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) should implement a coordinated approach for their space-based environmental observations to further advance Earth science and applications for the next decade, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This approach should be based on key scientific questions in areas such as reducing climate uncertainty, improving weather and air quality forecasts, predicting geological hazards, and understanding sea-level rise. The report also recommends building a robust, resilient, and balanced U.S. program of Earth observations from space that will enable the agencies to strategically advance the science and applications with constrained resources.
California is well-equipped to block new drilling There are two things working against the Trump administration's proposal to open up California coastal waters to new oil and gas drilling: state regulators and simple economics.
	Tropical Cyclone Ava moving away from Madagascar NASA's Terra satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Ava as it continued moving away from the island nation of Madagascar. Ava was located in the Southern Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of the country.
	Powerful tropical cyclone irving examined with GPM On Jan. 8, Tropical Cyclone Irving was hurricane-force in the Southern Indian Ocean. The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission or GPM core satellite passed overhead and measured cloud heights and rainfall rates in the powerful storm.

Astronomy & Space news

	Researchers study complex morphology of the protoplanetary disc around star MWC 758 Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, an international team of researchers has studied the disc surrounding the star MWC 758. The new observations reveal further insights into the complex morphology of this disc. The study was presented in a paper published December 23 on arXiv.org.
	NASA: Legendary astronaut, moonwalker John Young has died Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died, NASA said Saturday. Young was 87.
	SpaceX launches secretive Zuma mission SpaceX on Sunday blasted off a secretive US government payload known as Zuma, a mission whose nature—and the agency behind it—remains a mystery.
	Special star is a Rosetta Stone for understanding the sun's variability and climate effect The spots on the surface on the sun come and go with an 11-year periodicity known as the solar cycle. The solar cycle is driven by the solar dynamo, which is an interplay between magnetic fields, convection and rotation. However, our understanding of the physics underlying the solar dynamo is far from complete. One example is the so-called Maunder Minimum, a period in the 17th century, where spots almost disappeared from the surface of the sun for a period of over 50 years.
	Gravitational waves measure the universe The direct detection of gravitational waves from at least five sources during the past two years offers spectacular confirmation of Einstein's model of gravity and space-time. Modeling of these events has also provided information on massive star formation, gamma-ray bursts, neutron star characteristics, and (for the first time) verification of theoretical ideas about how the very heavy elements, like gold, are produced.
Weightlessness increases astronauts' body temperature Astronauts float weightlessly in space, and the condition of weightlessness is something many would love to experience. However, in addition to producing both physical and psychological stress, a trip into space affects the core body temperature of astronauts. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have observed that body temperature rises during weightlessness, and that, even at rest, astronauts' body temperature is approximately 1°C above the normal value of 37°C (98.6°F). Results from this study have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
	W. M. Keck Observatory achieves first light with NIRES Astronomers at W. M. Keck Observatory have successfully met a major milestone after capturing the very first science data from Keck Observatory's newest instrument, the Caltech-built Near-Infrared Echellette Spectrometer (NIRES).
	Image: A sun a day This montage of 365 images shows the changing activity of our sun through the eyes of ESA's Proba-2 satellite during 2017, along with a partial eclipse for good measure.
	Image: Hubble's barred and booming spiral galaxy This image, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), shows a galaxy named UGC 6093. As can be easily seen, UGC 6093 is something known as a barred spiral galaxy—it has beautiful arms that swirl outwards from a bar slicing through the galaxy's center.

Technology news

	Inkjet-printed thermite deposits energetic materials safely Researchers have developed a method to deposit tiny amounts of energetic materials (explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics) using the same technology as an inkjet printer.
	Toyota 3.0 vehicle talking points: Augmented LIDAR, sleek design Toyota is talking up what will be the third iteration of its autonomous research vehicle.
	What's on center stage at the CES tech show? Your voice What's the hottest thing in the world of technology these days? Your voice.
	Eyes as a portal to cardiovascular risk factors Researchers from Google Research, Verily Life Sciences, and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, are showing that the eyes have it in offering a portal to one's health status.
	Robot duck's aim: Helps kids with cancer via power of play A plush, robotic duck may soon become a fixture in the world of children who have cancer—a social robot that can be silly, happy, angry, scared or sick just like them, and help them cope creatively with their illness through the power of play.
	Startup unveils 'car of future' for $45,000 A Chinese startup unveiled its vision for the automobile of the future Sunday, promising to deliver an "intuitive and intelligent" car to global markets starting next year from around $45,000.
	Swallowable sensors reveal mysteries of human gut health Findings from the first human trials of a breakthrough gas-sensing swallowable capsule could revolutionise the way that gut disorders and diseases are prevented and diagnosed.
	Twitter won't block world leaders, citing need for discourse Twitter announced Friday it would not block the accounts of world leaders even if their statements are "controversial," citing a need to promote a "public conversation" on political issues.
Top tech lobby joins legal battle to keep 'net neutrality' The lobby group for some of the most powerful US tech firms said Friday it would join the legal challenge to the planned rollback of "net neutrality" rules requiring internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally.
Florida hack exposed files of up to 30,000 Medicaid patients Florida officials say hackers may have accessed the personal information and medical records of up to 30,000 Medicaid recipients two months ago.
	FX chief: Even peak TV can be a 'sideshow' to internet Television keeps churning out record numbers of original series but is being overshadowed by the internet's dubious distractions, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf said Friday.
Hackers already targeting Pyeongchang Olympics: researchers Hackers have already begun targeting the Pyeongchang Olympic Games with malware-infected emails which may be aimed at stealing passwords or financial information, researchers said Saturday.
	Fear not the alphabet soup of TV features unveiled at CES (Update) New TVs are coming with an alphabet soup of features designed to get you to spend more.
Apple investors urge action to curb child gadget addiction Two major Apple investors have urged the iPhone maker to take action to curb growing smartphone addiction among children, highlighting growing concern about the effects of gadgets and social media on youngsters.
Tech faithful gather to worship at mecca of innovation After a rollercoaster year for the tech world, many industry leaders are looking to the cutting edge for salvation.
Virtual aide market a "wildfire" at CES gadget show Voice-commanded virtual assistants packed into speakers and other devices will be a "game-changing" trend this year, Consumer Electronics Show researchers said Sunday.
	Scientists develop ultrafast battery with quarter-million cycle life Aluminum-ion batteries (AIB) have significant merits of low cost, non-flammability, and high-capacity metallic aluminum anodes based on three-electron redox properties. However, due to its inadequate cathodic performance, especially in terms of capacity, high-rate capability, and cycle life, AIB still cannot compete with Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.
	Net neutrality may be dead in the US, but Europe is still strongly committed to open internet access The belief that unrestricted internet access is vital to modern life is not necessarily a view held by all businesses that provide internet services. And now that net neutrality – the equal treatment of all data sent and received without differential charges and service quality – has come to an end in the US, how will this affect the rest of the world?
	How blockchain can democratize green power Imagine buying a solar panel from a hardware store, mounting it on your roof, then selling the green electricity you produce at a price you set.
	Signal processing: A field at the heart of science and everyday life The notion of "signal processing" might seem like something impenetrably complex, even to scientists. However, the fact is that most of them have already being doing it for a long time, albeit in an unconscious way. Acquiring, shaping and transforming data, cleaning it for the sake of improved analysis and extraction of useful information – all of this is what experimental science is about. And by adding ideas of modelling and algorithms, you can arrive at an ensemble of methods that constitutes a scientific discipline in its own right.
	Driverless cars might follow the rules of the road, but what about the language of driving? Recently, while on my way to the University of Pittsburgh's campus, I made a quick "Pittsburgh left" – taking a left turn just as the light turns green – while facing a driverless car.
LG adds Google AI in 'smart home' push (Update) Consumer electronics titan LG on Monday proclaimed this year a "tipping point" for smart homes, pushing hard into artificial intelligence and building Google Assistant into a smart speaker.
Toyota brings the store to you with self-driving concept vehicle Self-driving buses aren't new, but Toyota's concept vehicle unveiled Monday aims to be more than just that—a mobile platform for e-commerce, ridesharing and medical services, for a start.
	Malaysia OKs new search by private company for missing plane Malaysia's government said Saturday that it has approved a new attempt by a private company to find the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, nearly four years after its disappearance sparked one of aviation's biggest mysteries.
	Bitcoin and cryptocurrency for n00bs Everyone is talking about it, but no one actually understands it. Read this and impress your friends by explaining bitcoin.
	The Latest: Autos overshadow the small at CES tech show The Latest on the CES technology show in Las Vegas (all times local):

Chemistry news

	Researchers design dendrite-free lithium battery By designing a solid electrolyte that is rigid on one side and soft on the other, researchers have fabricated a lithium-metal battery that completely suppresses dendrite formation—a major safety hazard that can cause fires and shorten battery lifetime. This design also overcomes a tradeoff that is typically present in these batteries, by simultaneously eliminating dendrite growth and reducing the resistance at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Typical methods cannot achieve both of these goals at the same time.
	Bacteria makes blue jeans green They can be tight, flared, ripped at the knee. Jeans come in all styles and colours these days, but one hue will always be synonymous with the world's favourite garment: indigo blue.
	Chemists discover plausible recipe for early life on Earth Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a fascinating new theory for how life on Earth may have begun.
New catalyst for making fuels from shale gas Methane in shale gas can be turned into hydrocarbon fuels using an innovative platinum and copper alloy catalyst, according to new research led by UCL (University College London) and Tufts University.
	New model measures characteristics of carbon nanotube structures for energy storage and water desalination applications Using electrodes made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can significantly improve the performance of devices ranging from capacitors and batteries to water desalination systems. But figuring out the physical characteristics of vertically aligned CNT arrays that yield the most benefit has been difficult.

Biology news

	'Hide or get eaten,' urine chemicals tell mud crabs Psssst, mud crabs, time to hide because blue crabs are coming to eat you! That's the warning the prey get from the predators' urine when it spikes with high concentrations of two chemicals, which researchers have identified in a new study.
	What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them—from 100-foot blue whales to microscopic bacteria—has an advantage over the others in the universal struggle for existence.
	Noise pollution causes chronic stress in birds, with health consequences for young Birds exposed to the persistent noise of natural gas compressors show symptoms remarkably similar to those in humans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, new research shows.
	Interactions between simple molecular mechanisms give rise to complex infection dynamics Bacteria, which cause infections, can themselves be infected by viruses called bacteriophages. Just as not all bacteria are harmful to humans, not all viruses are harmful to bacteria, and some can even benefit them. Can bacteria distinguish good and bad viruses? An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) studied how infections with potentially beneficial viruses play out in bacteria that carry a certain type of anti-viral immune mechanism called restriction-modification (RM). They show that population-level interactions between viruses and bacteria make the infection proceed in a way that compensates for the inherent disadvantage of individual cells and allows immune bacteria to acquire many more beneficial viruses in the long term. This is the finding of a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The study was carried out by Maros Pleska, a PhD student and Moritz Lang a postdoc in the group of Celin Guet at IST Austria, as well as collaborators Dominik Refardt at Zurich University of Applied Sciences and Bruce Levin at Emory University.
	Genome size affects whether plants become invasive A University of Rhode Island scientist who studies the invasive plant Phragmites was part of an international research team that found that the most significant factor in determining whether a plant will become invasive is the size of its genome.
	A biological solution to carbon capture and recycling? Scientists at the University of Dundee have discovered that E. coli bacteria could hold the key to an efficient method of capturing and storing or recycling carbon dioxide.
	How bacteria turbocharged their motors Using detailed 3-D images, researchers have shown how bacteria have evolved molecular motors of different powers to optimize their swimming.
	Agricultural fungicide attracts honey bees, study finds When given the choice, honey bee foragers prefer to collect sugar syrup laced with the fungicide chlorothalonil over sugar syrup alone, researchers report in the journal Scientific Reports.
	Self-defense for plants When you see brown spots on otherwise healthy green leaves, you may be witnessing a plant's immune response as it tries to keep a bacterial infection from spreading. Some plants are more resistant to such infections than others, and plant biologists want to understand why. Salk Institute scientists studying a plant protein called SOBER1 recently discovered one mechanism by which, counterintuitively, plants seem to render themselves less resistant to infection.
	Most sea turtles now female in north Great Barrier Reef The vast majority of green sea turtles in the northern Great Barrier Reef are now female because of warmer temperatures due to climate change, which influences their sex during incubation, researchers said Monday.
Less chewing the cud, more greening the fuel Plant biomass contains considerable calorific value but most of it makes up robust cell walls, an unappetising evolutionary advantage that helped grasses to survive foragers and prosper for more than 60 million years.
	DNA evidence is putting rhino poachers behind bars, study shows In murder investigations, DNA evidence often helps to link a perpetrator to a crime scene and put him or her behind bars. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on January 8 show that DNA evidence is also successfully being used to link rhinoceros horns seized from poachers and traffickers in various countries directly to the specific crime scenes where rhinoceros carcasses were left behind.
	Strengthening citric fruit to better resist climate change Research of the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the Natural World of the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón, Spain, has identified the genes within citric fruit that biotechnology could improve to fight climate change. Work spearheaded by professor Vicent Arbona is progressing in the understanding of the signaling pathway of a plant hormone that will make plants more resistant to stress by flooding. Conclusions of the research have been published in Plant Molecular Biology.
	Developing flies jump without legs Imagine jumping 25 times your body length in only 2.5 seconds. Impossible, right? Now imagine making that jump with no running start, having just gotten out of bed…and with no legs. Though utterly impossible for humans to conceive, some larval insects across many orders, including Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera–the true flies, can do this by using their entire body to propel themselves.
	Parasites from domestic pets affecting wildlife world wide Fleas from domestic pets are infesting native wildlife and feral animals in all continents except Antarctica, a new study reveals.
	Scientist dives hundreds of underwater caves hunting for new forms of life Maybe when you picture a university professor doing research it involves test tubes and beakers, or perhaps poring over musty manuscripts in a dimly lit library, or maybe going out into the field to examine new crop-growing techniques or animal-breeding methods. All of it's good, solid research and I commend them all.
	Finding form by folding Ribosomes are the organelles responsible for protein synthesis in cells. LMU researchers have now dissected early steps in their assembly and visualized how their RNA components fold correctly and find their places in the growing structure.
	Two of the world's tea species extinct in the wild according to new report The Red List of Theaceae, the tea family, published by the Global Trees Campaign (a joint initiative between Fauna & Flora International and Botanic Gardens Conservation International), has identified more than a third of the world's Theaceae species are threatened with extinction. Sadly, two species of tea, Franklinia alatamaha and Camellia amplexicaulis are already extinct in the wild, highlighting the urgent need for conservation action.
	Survival strategy of messenger RNAs during cellular sugar shortage If a cell runs low on sugar, it stores certain messenger RNAs in order to prolong its life. As a research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has now discovered, the protein Puf5p determines whether individual messenger RNAs will be stored or degraded when sugar levels are low. The study published in eLife shows that Puf5p therefore sends the messenger RNAs to a cell organelle where their fate is sealed.
A botanical mystery solved by phylogenetic testing Missouri Botanical Garden researchers used DNA testing to rediscover Dracaena umbraculifera, which was thought to be extinct. The methods and results were published in Oryx. The authors include Garden researchers in both St. Louis and Madagascar.
	Even if you don't know you're sick yet, your face will give you away People can judge whether someone is sick by looking at a photo for just a few seconds.
Gene therapy offers long-term treatment for mice with diabetes The newly resurgent field of gene therapy, which recently produced treatments for blood cancers and blindness, has taken a step toward fighting a scourge that is on the rise worldwide: diabetes.
	Pan-European sampling campaign sheds light on the massive diversity of freshwater plankton In a major pan-European study, a research team from Germany have successfully extracted environmental DNA (eDNA) from as many as 218 lakes to refute a long-year belief that vital microorganisms do not differ significantly between freshwater bodies and geographic regions the way plants and animals do.
	Many Midwestern retailers sell mislabeled invasive vines Gardeners hoping to celebrate the beauty of American bittersweet - a native vine that produces orange berries in the fall and is used for wreaths - may be unwittingly buying an invasive bittersweet instead. That's because many Midwestern retailers are selling oriental bittersweet with labels misidentifying it as the native plant, researchers report. These sales are occurring in stores and online.

Medicine & Health news

	Taking paracetamol during pregnancy may reduce fertility of daughters Taking paracetamol during pregnancy may impair the future fertility of female offspring, according to a review published in Endocrine Connections. The article reviews three separate rodent studies that all report altered development in the reproductive systems of female offspring from mothers given paracetamol during pregnancy, which may impair their fertility in adulthood.
	Appetite control depends on signaling at the 'primary cilium,' mouse study shows UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that the brain's ability to regulate body weight depends on a novel form of signaling in the brain's "hunger circuit" via antenna-like structures on neurons called primary cilia.
	Throwing molecular wrench into gene control machine leads to 'melting away' of leukemia Cancer researchers today announced they have developed a way of sidelining one of the most dangerous "bad actors" in leukemia. Their approach depends on throwing a molecular wrench into the gears of an important machine that sets genes into motion, enabling cancer cells to proliferate.
	Biochemists confirm existence of theoretical genetic disorder Thanks to the sequencing of the human genome, scientists can now discover potential disorders for which there are no known patients. One such disorder is MPS III-E, originally also called Dierks's disorder after its discoverer. Doctors at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem (Israel) found consistent symptoms of progressive blindness in three patient families that indicated the presence of a previously unknown genetic defect. Genomic analyses at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) delivered a candidate gene on which Professor Dr. Thomas Dierks from Bielefeld University had already published a research article in 2012. Studies by Dierks' research team now revealed that these patients indeed suffer from MPS III-E. The researchers are now presenting their analysis in the journal Genetics in Medicine.
	Disease discoveries unlock door to diagnosis and new treatments An international team of scientists and doctors has identified a family of five new genetic diseases which are likely to affect more than 1 in 5000 children.
	Study suggests air pollution breathed in the months before and after conception increases chance of birth defects A team of researchers with the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital has found evidence that indicates that pre-and post-pregnant women living in an area with air pollution are at an increased risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects. In their paper published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the groups describe the details of their study, what they found, and also offer some advice to pregnant women.
	Monthly brain cycles predict seizures in patients with epilepsy UC San Francisco neurologists have discovered monthly cycles of brain activity linked to seizures in patients with epilepsy. The finding, published online January 8 in Nature Communications, suggests it may soon be possible for clinicians to identify when patients are at highest risk for seizures, allowing patients to plan around these brief but potentially dangerous events.
	Cellular traffic jam seen in ALS/FTD—Supports drug strategy A cellular traffic jam appears to affect neurons in most forms of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville have shown.
	Severe obesity linked to newly identified gene mutations Researchers have discovered mutations in a gene related to obesity, offering new treatment possibilities in the fight against the global epidemic.
	New biomarkers predict outcome of cancer immunotherapy Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified biomarkers in the blood that make it possible to predict whether cancer patients will respond positively to immunotherapy. Pa-tients for whom therapy does not work can thus be treated using different methods at an earlier stage.
	US childhood mortality rates have lagged behind other wealthy nations for the past 50 years In a new study of childhood mortality rates between 1961 and 2010 in the United States and 19 economically similar countries, researchers report that while there's been overall improvement among all the countries, the U.S. has been slowest to improve.
	Researchers discover that a 'muscle' cancer is not really a muscle cancer St. Jude Children's Research Hospital oncologists have discovered the cell type that gives rise to rhabdomyosarcoma, the most prevalent soft tissue cancer in children. Previously, scientists thought the cancer arose from immature muscle cells, because the tumor resembled muscle under the microscope. However, the St. Jude researchers discovered the cancer arises from immature progenitors that would normally develop into cells lining blood vessels.
	Team finds that brain implants can rely on more than neurons to function Implanted devices send targeted electrical stimulation to the nervous system to interfere with abnormal brain activity, and it is commonly assumed that neurons are the only important brain cells that need to be stimulated by these devices. However, research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering reveals that it may also be important to target the supportive glial cells surrounding the neurons.
Tobacco shops associated with crime in urban communities of color Tobacco shops, also known as smoke shops, may represent potential "nuisance properties" in urban communities of color, a study led by a researcher at the University of California, Riverside has found. Nuisance properties are properties where unsafe activities affecting public health and safety occur repeatedly.
	Beware carbon monoxide dangers when cold weather strikes (HealthDay)—As temperatures plummet across the northern half of the United States this weekend, gas heating use goes up. So does the risk for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
	Stress is tough on medical 'surrogates' when a loved one is ill (HealthDay)—When seriously ill hospital patients can't express their wishes about their medical care, decision-making often falls to emotionally drained family members.
	'Mountain madness' found to be a real psychosis (HealthDay)—The "madness" mountain climbers often experience isn't a type of altitude sickness, as once thought, but rather an actual psychotic disorder, a new study suggests.
	Best ways to quit smoking, cut your lung cancer risk (HealthDay)—While there is no sure way to avoid lung cancer, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.
	Hydrochlorothiazide may up basal, squamous cell cancer risk (HealthDay)—Hydrochlorothiazide use is associated with an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), with evidence of a dose-response relationship, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
	Physicians frequently continue to work while ill (HealthDay)—Many physicians continue working and caring for patients while they are sick, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Teens show decreased risk for heart disease later in life after bariatric surgery Adolescents with severe obesity who had bariatric surgery showed significant improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to the most recent "Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery" (Teen-LABS) study, published online today by Pediatrics. Prior to bariatric surgery, 33 percent of the study participants had three or more defined cardiovascular disease risk factors. However, three years post-surgery only 5 percent of study participants had three or more risk factors; representing significant reduction in the overall likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease later in life.
	Efforts to track food intake on smartphone app impacted by day of week but not season of year Dietary self-monitoring is a key component of successful behavioral weight loss interventions and is essential for facilitating other behavior change techniques (eg, setting goals, providing behavioral feedback). Few studies, however, have examined weekly and seasonal patterns of dietary self-monitoring, particularly when using a smartphone application (app). A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that the amount of time in a study and day of the week were associated with dietary self-monitoring but not season.
Repeated influenza vaccination helps prevent severe flu in older adults Repeated vaccination for influenza in older adults reduced the severity of the virus and reduced hospital admissions, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
New study finds large increase in non-powder gun-related eye injuries A new study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital investigated sports- and recreation-related eye injuries during a 23-year period and found a slight decrease in eye injuries overall; however, the rate of eye injury associated with non-powder guns (including BB, pellet and paintball guns) increased by almost 170%.
	Proper exercise can reverse damage from heart aging Exercise can reverse damage to sedentary, aging hearts and help prevent risk of future heart failure - if it's enough exercise, and if it's begun in time, according to a new study by cardiologists at UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources.
Multi-gene test predicts early heart disease risk A risk score based on multiple genetic differences, or polygenic risk score, predicted significantly more cases of early-onset heart disease than standard tests for single genetic defects, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.
Middle-aged couch potatoes may reverse heart effects of a sedentary life with exercise training Middle-aged couch potatoes may reduce or reverse the risk of heart failure associated with years of sitting if they participate in two years of regular aerobic exercise training, according to a new study in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
	Respiratory virus lurks as wintertime worry (HealthDay)—A common respiratory virus that circulates in winter can pose a serious threat to children, an expert warns.
	Growing opioid epidemic forcing more children into foster care The opioid epidemic has become so severe it's considered a national public health emergency. Addiction to prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone and morphine, has contributed to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths and health care costs. What many don't realize, it's also associated with an alarming number of children placed into foster care.
	Gene test to predict breast cancer recurrence less cost effective in real world practice The most commonly used gene expression profile test used to help predict breast cancer recurrence may not be as cost-effective as once thought, say a team of researchers led by Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
	Research paves the way for treatment strategies of multidrug-resistant chronic infections Antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas infections in cystic fibrosis patients show predictable sensitivities to other classes of antibiotics. A new study made by scientists from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability at the Technical University of Denmark suggests that this could lead to new ways of optimizing treatments for chronic infections.
	Scientists uncover why sauna bathing is good for your health Over the past couple of years, scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have shown that sauna bathing is associated with a variety of health benefits. Using an experimental setting this time, the research group has investigated the physiological mechanisms through which the heat exposure of sauna may influence health. Their latest study with 100 test subjects shows that taking a sauna bath of 30 minutes reduces blood pressure and increases vascular compliance, while also increasing heart rate similarly to medium-intensity exercise.
	Skin patch offers solution to antibiotic resistance crisis A team of researchers from Queen's University Belfast, led by Professor Ryan Donnelly, Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology are developing a new type of skin patch (microarray patch) that administers drugs directly into the bloodstream through thousands of individual "microneedles" which are being tested as a possible answer to the antibiotic resistance crisis.
PrEP and targeted intervention strategies effective in high risk adolescent sexual minority males Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) along with targeted implementation strategies have the potential to significantly reduce HIV incidence among high risk, adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM), according to a recent study developed by the University of Washington and Emory University. ASMM are males 18 years of age or younger who identify as gay or bisexual or are sexually active with other males.
Mechanism that converts white fat to brown identified An international team of researchers led from Karolinska Institutet have, in experiments on mice, pinpointed a mechanism for the conversion of energy-storing white fat into energy-expending brown fat. The study is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
	How much potassium is too much? An international collaboration to investigate why and how potassium can help lower blood pressure will be trialled at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
	Looking to take type 2 diabetes into remission Since launching two years ago, an innovative study, led by Western professor Irene Hramiak, aims to induce remission of type 2 diabetes and has captured the attention of hundreds of Londoners. For those with type 2 diabetes, like Greg Ackland and Jocelyne Chauvin, the idea of stopping all medications has translated from a dream to a reality through participation in the REMIT study at Lawson Health Research Institute.
Can eating sugar cause cancer? A recent study published by Belgian biologists found a relationship between glucose (sugar) and the activation of a gene that stimulates the growth of cancer cells. This led to public fear that everything with sugar should be avoided as it will cause or "feed" cancer.
	Breakthrough in diabetic heart disease The molecule responsible for heart disease in diabetics has been identified by University of Otago researchers, greatly improving chances of survival.
Toll from listeria outbreak in S.Africa reaches 61 The number of deaths from a year-long outbreak of listeriosis, caused by a food-borne bacteria, has jumped to 61, South Africa's health minister said on Monday.
	Elite rugby players not immune to body image issues Despite being in peak physical form, young elite rugby players may be suffering from body image issues and poor nutritional choices, a University of Otago study has found.
	Health of primary teeth an early predictor of adult teeth Do children really need their baby teeth? Many believe that primary teeth aren't all that important. After all, they typically fall out by age 12, and new, adult teeth take their place.
	Cellular hitchhikers aid recovery from spinal cord injury The healing effects of stem cells in spinal cord injury can be aided by their ability to hitch intercellular rides to specific anti-inflammatory cells called M2 macrophages, Yale researchers report.
	Saliva test aims to detect HPV throat cancers A QUT researcher is developing a simple saliva test to detect Human papilloma virus (HPV) in throat cancers.
	How useful is the glycemic index? If you could rank foods from best to worst and base your eating decisions on that, it would certainly make healthy eating easier. For some people, the glycemic index seems to offer just that possibility, assigning scores to foods with carbohydrates based on the effects on a person's blood sugar level.
	Early intervention is key to support students with anxiety about starting university Roughly one in five students drop out of university in Australia in their first year. Students with prior emotional difficulties, who are doing their degrees part-time, mature age at entry, or from a lower socioeconomic status background are most likely to be in this category.
APA releases new practice guideline on treatment of alcohol use disorder Today, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a new practice guideline on the treatment of alcohol use disorder. This practice guideline provides evidence-based statements designed to increase knowledge of the disorder and ensure the appropriate use of medications. An executive summary of the guideline is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, available online today. The full guideline, executive summary and related materials are available at psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/clinical-practice-guidelines.
	If you don't have coeliac disease, avoiding gluten isn't healthy Coeliac disease, an allergy to gluten that causes damage to the intestine, affects 1% of Australians. But more than ten times this number, or around 11% of the population, follows a gluten-free diet by choice, and up to 30% of people in the United States try to reduce their gluten intake.
	Palliative care study highlights need for more vigilance An Australian review of palliative care services has revealed the impact of opioid medication errors on patients in the final weeks of their lives.
	Seasonal patterns of depressive symptoms more common in women than men Women, but not men, experience seasonal changes in their mood across the year, including more depressive symptoms in winter, a new study from the University of Glasgow has found. These changes appear to be independent of social and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol use and physical activity.
	How the Victorians explain our obsession with the microbiome In recent years, the microbiome has made a transformation from "obscure to ubiquitous". Numerous studies have tentatively associated the whole range of microorganisms that live inside us with our immune, bodily, and even mental health. From how well we respond to cancer treatments (or indeed how vulnerable we are to cancer), from whether or not we suffer from inflammatory bowel disorders or autistic spectrum disorders, to how gracefully we age, microbiome studies claims insider knowledge.
Camelina oil improves blood lipid profile The use of camelina oil reduces overall and LDL cholesterol levels in persons with impaired glucose metabolism, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The findings were published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
	Women at greater risk after heart attacks: study Fewer women who suffer a heart attack each year in the UK would die if they were simply given the same treatments as men, according to new research.
	Parkinson's disease 'jerking' side effect detected by algorithm A mathematical algorithm that can reliably detect dyskinesia, the side effect from Parkinson's treatment that causes involuntary jerking movements and muscle spasms, could hold the key to improving treatment and for patients with the disease.
Resolve to avoid 'detox diets' in the new year Now that the new year is here, many Americans begin to consider what changes they can make in order to improve themselves in the new year. According to a survey conducted in 2017, a little over 21 percent of Americans made resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier in 2017. While some may reach success, many fall prey to dieting scams toting quick fixes that involve restarting the metabolism and utilizing detox diets.
	Mediterranean diet could protect older adults from becoming frail Following a Mediterranean diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts may reduce the risk of frailty in older individuals, according to a UCL-led study.
	Beta blockers may boost immunotherapy, help melanoma patients live longer A common, inexpensive drug that is used to prevent heart attacks and lower blood pressure may also help melanoma patients live longer, according to researchers.
Conjoined Gaza twins separated in 'successful' Saudi op Conjoined twin girls born in the blockaded Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip were separated in "successful" surgery in Riyadh Monday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.
	For poorer Americans, stress brings worse health (HealthDay)—In a finding that will surprise few, new research shows that minorities and the poor suffer more stress than their wealthy, white peers.
	Poor credit scores, poor health (HealthDay)—You know that poor lifestyle choices today can affect your health tomorrow. But according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, there's another surprising predictor of future illness: your financial health.
Number of flu cases, and related deaths, rise in California So many people have fallen sick with influenza in California that pharmacies have run out of flu medicines, emergency rooms are packed and the death toll is rising higher than in previous years.
	Zika retreats widely, but health experts remain concerned Two years ago, the world was gripped in Zika panic as the mosquito-borne virus infected millions and spread across 80 countries. Officials declared a global health emergency and tourists canceled their tropical vacations. Thousands of babies were born with devastating birth defects after their mothers were infected in pregnancy.
	No, it's not too late to get a flu shot Is it too late to get a flu shot?
Novo Nordisk woos Belgian nano-drug maker Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the world's leading insulin manufacturer, announced Monday an offer to buy the Belgian biotech firm Ablynx for 2.6 billion euros ($3.1 billion).
'Immunomap' suggests more is better when it comes to immune cell receptors and patients' response to immunotherapy Johns Hopkins scientists have used a form of artificial intelligence to create a map that compares types of cellular receptors, the chemical "antennas" on the surface of immune system T-cells. Their experiments with lab-grown mouse and human T-cells suggest that people with cancer who have a greater variety of such receptors may respond better to immunotherapy drugs and vaccines.
	New long-acting, less-toxic HIV drug suppresses virus in humanized mice A team of Yale researchers tested a new chemical compound that suppresses HIV, protects immune cells, and remains effective for weeks with a single dose. In animal experiments, the compound proved to be a promising new candidate to enhance current HIV treatment regimens—without increasing toxic side effects, the researchers said.
Conception during IUD use increases risks to mother and infant Women who conceive while using an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) have a greater risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight babies, bacterial infections, or losing a fetus, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Soroka University Medical Center. The research will be presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's 38th Annual Pregnancy Meeting in Dallas, Texas on January 29 to February 3..
	Novel PET tracer clearly identifies and tracks bacterial infection in lungs Researchers at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, have demonstrated that a new radiotracer, 2-18F-fluorodeoxysorbitol (18F-FDS), can identify and track bacterial infection in lungs better than current imaging methods and is able to differentiate bacterial infection from inflammation. The study is the featured basic science article in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Improved blood stabilization should expand use of circulating tumor cell profiling A new blood stabilization method, developed at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM), significantly prolongs the lifespan of blood samples for microfluidic sorting and transcriptome profiling of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs), living cancer cells carried in the bloodstream. This work, which overcomes a significant barrier to the translation of liquid biopsy technologies for precision oncology and other applications, was recently published in Nature Communications.
Feel anxious? Have trouble sleeping? You may be traveling for business too often People who travel for business two weeks or more a month report more symptoms of anxiety and depression and are more likely to smoke, be sedentary and report trouble sleeping than those who travel one to six nights a month, according to a latest study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and City University of New York.  Among those who consume alcohol, extensive business travel is associated with symptoms of alcohol dependence.  Poor behavioral and mental health outcomes significantly increased as the number of nights away from home for business travel rose. This is one of the first studies to report the effects of business travel on non-infectious disease health risks. The results are published online in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
VA bests Medicare in end-of-life care for cancer patients, study reports Cancer patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs are less likely to receive excessive end-of-life interventions than those treated through Medicare, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.
	Apple investors press for parental controls on iPhones (HealthDay)—Parents aren't the only ones worried about their kids' smartphone habits. Some big Apple investors want the iPhone developer to make it easier for Mom and Dad to manage their children's phone time.
	Adjuvanted shingles subunit vaccine likely more cost-effective (HealthDay)—The new adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine (HZ/su) is cost-effective compared with the currently recommended live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (ZVL), according to a study published online Jan. 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Pharmacies can up access to direct-acting antivirals for hep C (HealthDay)—Provider collaboration with local specialty pharmacies (LSPs) is associated with reduced delays in therapy and lower rates of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) denial for patients with hepatitis C, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.
	Increased long-term mortality for all weight categories in T2DM (HealthDay)—For patients with type 2 diabetes, all weight categories show increased long-term mortality, with a nadir at a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to
	Pain self-efficacy questionnaire helps to evaluate migraine pain (HealthDay)—The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) successfully demonstrates the extent of debility in migraine surgery patients and puts migraine pain in perspective within the realm of other known pain conditions, according to a study published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
	Type 1 IFNs may mediate Zika pregnancy complications (HealthDay)—Type 1 interferons (IFNs) may mediate pregnancy complications in the context of congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of Science Immunology.
	Usage remains low for pill that can prevent HIV infection From gritty neighborhoods in New York and Los Angeles to clinics in Kenya and Brazil, health workers are trying to popularize a pill that has proven highly effective in preventing HIV but which—in their view—remains woefully underused.
	Activity monitors only effective when users set goals The activity monitors that many received as holiday gifts won't automatically make their recipients active or healthy, new research indicates; however, trackers can have a significant impact when users establish clearly defined objectives.
Recreational marijuana legalization: Do more youth use or do youth use more? What impact may legalization of recreational marijuana in Oregon have on teen marijuana use? Recent results from an Oregon Research Institute (ORI) study indicate that the influence of legalization on youth may depend on whether they were already using at the time of legalization. Following legalization of recreational marijuana, no significant changes in the numbers of youth who used marijuana occurred, yet increases in the frequency of use by youth who were already using marijuana were found. For teenagers who had tried marijuana by 8th grade, the frequency of use during the following year increased 26% more for those who were in 9th grade after marijuana was legalized compared to those who were in 9th grade prior to legalization. The research results are published online in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
ACA Medicaid expansion resulted in fewer hospital closures, especially in rural areas A new report published in the January issue of Health Affairs is the first to examine hospital closures in the context of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. The study from researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus used data from 2008 to 2016, including multiple years of post-expansion hospital performance data.
	Fewer of America's poor kids are becoming obese (HealthDay)—Obesity rates among poor kids may be declining, U.S. health officials report.
Female night shift workers may have increased risk of common cancers Night shift work was associated with women having an increased risk of breast, skin, and gastrointestinal cancer, according to a meta-analysis.
	Science fiction and folk medicine inspire novel wound dressings A relatively inexpensive egg-based formula and a Star Trek-like plasma patch can accelerate healing of serious and chronic wounds, which affect millions of Europeans every year.
Compared with medical treatment, percutaneous closure procedures prevent recurrent stroke Two systematic evidence reviews and meta-analyses show that percutaneous closure procedures prevent recurrent stroke in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) compared with medical treatment alone. The first review was conducted by researchers from Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy and the second by researchers from the University of Tennessee, School of Medicine. Both are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Structured exercise program provides mobility benefits to all older patients, regardless of frailty status Physicians should prescribe physical activity to all older patients, regardless of frailty status. A structured, moderate-intensity physical activity program was not associated with a reduced risk for frailty over 2 years among sedentary older adults; however, it did reduce major mobility disability in both frail and nonfrail patients. Findings from a secondary analysis of the LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders) trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Modifying memories during sleep could reduce trauma Reducing the trauma associated with bad memories while someone is asleep sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but it could become a reality in 10 years thanks to a greater understanding of how the brain encodes memories during sleep.
Learning the cue for baby poo Changing nappies is probably one of the most unpleasant things that goes along with having babies. It also creates an enormous amount of waste to be disposed of, but there is another way.
	New research reveals how gardeners can dig for health, not injury New research from Coventry University and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) reveals that a bad digging technique can as much as double the load on the joints in the body, leaving people susceptible to chronic injuries.
	Amphetamine abuse disrupts development of mouse prefrontal cortex Recreational drug use during adolescence may disrupt development of an understudied part of the prefrontal cortex, according to a study of male mice published in eNeuro.
Frail patients losing access to dental house calls Devon Rising shakes his head and tries to cover his face with his hands. It's time to get his few remaining teeth cleaned, and he fusses for a bit.
Researchers investigate the potential of lung restoration for transplant Q: What is the role of lung restoration in lung transplants? How does it work?
Study uncovers healthcare disparities among octogenarians and nonagenarians with advanced lung cancer A new study reveals that, among patients of advanced age with stage III lung cancer, African Americans and individuals who live in lower income areas are more likely to not receive any treatment. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also found that patients who receive the standard of care treatment for their cancer live longer.
Can good blood sugar control during labor benefit offspring of diabetic mothers? Hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, is a common and potentially serious outcome in newborns whose mothers were diabetic during pregnancy. Clinicians have wondered whether good blood sugar control during labour might reduce the risk that newborns will have hypoglycaemia.
	The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine issues guidance on informal milk sharing In response to the increasing informal sharing of human milk, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has published guidelines to minimize the risk of this practice while enhancing the health benefits. The position statement is published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

Other Sciences news

	Best of Last Week – A system for studying four-dimensional physics, a moon event and how alcohol causes DNA damage It was a good week for physics as a team with Griffith's Centre for Quantum Dynamics in Australia showed that quantum "spooky action at a distance" is becoming practical—they demonstrated a means for rigorously testing quantum nonlocality under adverse conditions—such as outside of a lab. Also, an international team built an experimental system that allows for studying four-dimensional physics in two dimensions and used it to demonstrate that it could be used for such purposes as testing predictions regarding the quantum Hall effect.
	Vision, sensory and motor testing could predict best batters in baseball New research from Duke Health suggests baseball scouts looking for a consistent, conscientious hitter may find clues not only in their performance on the field, but also in front of a computer screen.
	The CSI effect—viewing TV crime shows does not make better criminals Does watching the work of fictional forensic investigators on TV influence viewers? There is a belief that this is the case and that the consequences of people watching shows such as the American crime drama television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are filtering through into real life, a phenomenon that has been called the CSI effect. In the worst case, it is feared, studious criminals will learn how to better conceal crimes. In addition, concerns have been expressed that members of U.S. juries may now have excessive expectations regarding the evidence and as a result are more likely to acquit the accused. A team of psychologists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz working under Professor Heiko Hecht have now sounded the all-clear—at least in one respect. In an experimental study, the German researchers have been able to find no evidence of a correlation between watching forensic science TV shows and the ability to get away with committing a crime. This is the first study to look at the question of whether criminals could profit from viewing dramas of this sort.
	What we know so far about where humans come from The question of where we humans come from is one many people ask, and the answer is getting more complicated as new evidence is emerging all the time.
	Why I jumped at the chance to bring the real T. rex to life for TV The chance to work on a major documentary is always a testing experience for a researcher. It's a huge opportunity to communicate cutting edge research to the public, but the way the information is presented can lack nuance and detail. This is especially true for dinosaur documentaries that are inevitably watched by young children and have to counter a huge range of myths that have built up in the popular imagination. Trying to educate, inform and entertain the audience all at once is a huge challenge.
	Why African board games should be introduced into the classroom When most of us think about learning, we imagine a teacher and a classroom. In reality most of the things we know, and a great number of the skills we acquire as children and adults, are learned outside the classroom – in conversations with peers, engaging in community service, on the playground.
	New research must be better reported—the future of society depends on it Newspaper articles, TV appearances and radio slots are increasingly important ways for academics to communicate their research to wider audiences. Whether that be the latest health research findings or discoveries from the deepest, darkest parts of the universe.
Researchers call for true picture of domestic violent crime Violence against women could become significantly less visible in police-recorded crime figures when a new counting method comes into effect, warn researchers at Lancaster University.
	Twitter, Trump and sexual assault: A call to men for action The social media backlash against sexual assault not only gives victims a collective outlet for disclosure, but also serves as a powerful tool to urge boys and men to condemn violence against women, finds a first-of-its-kind study by Michigan State University scholars.
Yale professor to receive $1M for warrior-scholar project A Yale astronomy and physics professor has been awarded a $1 million prize to expand her work on a project that helps military veterans prepare for college.

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