Fwd: Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Mar 17

RESPEKT!

Researchers develop revolutionary 3D printing technology

3-D snapshot of protein highlights potential drug target for breast cancer

Mental training exercises shown to help mitigate the effects of 'chemo brain'

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 3:52 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Mar 17
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 17, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- A better method for making perovskite solar cells
- Study: Ancient whale swam hundreds of miles up African river
- Researchers develop revolutionary 3D printing technology
- Researchers discover oldest Roman fort – possible origin of Trieste, Italy
- Researchers report successful test of thermostable ricin vaccine in macaques
- Real-time holographic displays one step closer to reality
- Anthropologist offers possible explanation for collapse of ancient city of Teotihuacan
- E-signature, mobile tools in Adobe PDF subscription service
- Study into two-dimensional materials shows great potential for battery life-span improvement
- Winter hack: Textured rubber that grips slick, icy surfaces
- Research uncovers flawed IQ scoring system
- Cultivated papaya owes a lot to the ancient Maya, research suggests
- New cystic fibrosis research takes aim at deadly pathogen
- Imperfect graphene opens door to better fuel cells
- 3-D snapshot of protein highlights potential drug target for breast cancer

Nanotechnology news

	A better method for making perovskite solar cells Research led by a Brown University Ph.D. student has revealed a new way to make light-absorbing perovskite films for use in solar cells.
	Imperfect graphene opens door to better fuel cells The honeycomb structure of pristine graphene is beautiful, but Northwestern University scientists, together with collaborators from five other institutions, have discovered that if the graphene naturally has a few tiny holes in it, you have a proton-selective membrane that could lead to improved fuel cells.
	Researchers pattern magnetic graphene Graphene, an atomically thin sheet of carbon, has been intensively studied for the last decade to reveal exceptional mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. Recently, researchers have started to explore an even more surprising property—magnetism. Theories and experiments have suggested that either defects in graphene or chemical groups bound to graphene can cause it to exhibit magnetism; however, to date there was no way to create large-area magnetic graphene which could be easily patterned. Now, scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have found a simple and robust means to magnetize graphene using hydrogen.
	Can engineered carbon nanotubes help to avert our water crisis? Carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes have a bright future in addressing the world's growing need to purify water from the sea, researchers say in a study published in the journal Desalination.

Physics news

	Real-time holographic displays one step closer to reality Researchers from the University of Cambridge have designed a new type of pixel element and demonstrated its unique switching capability, which could make three-dimensional holographic displays possible.
	LHC experiments join forces to zoom in on the Higgs boson Today during the 50th session of "Rencontres de Moriond" in La Thuile Italy, ATLAS and CMS presented for the first time a combination of their results on the mass of the Higgs boson. The combined mass of the Higgs boson is mH = 125.09 ± 0.24 (0.21 stat. ± 0.11 syst.) GeV, which corresponds to a measurement precision of better than 0.2%. The Higgs boson is an essential ingredient of the Standard Model of particle physics, the theory that describes all known elementary particles and their interactions. The Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, through which the existence of the Higgs boson was predicted, is believed to give mass to all elementary particles. It is the most precise measurement of the Higgs boson mass yet and among the most precise measurements performed at the LHC to date.
	Nanospheres cooled with light to explore the limits of quantum physics A team of scientists at UCL led by Peter Barker and Tania Monteiro (UCL Physics and Astronomy) has developed a new technology which could one day create quantum phenomena in objects far larger than any achieved so far. The team successfully suspended glass particles 400 nanometres across in a vacuum using an electric field, then used lasers to cool them to within a few degrees of absolute zero. These are the key prerequisites for making an object behave according to quantum principles.
	Winter hack: Textured rubber that grips slick, icy surfaces Winter storms dumped records amounts of snow on the East Coast and other regions of the country this February, leaving treacherous, icy sidewalks and roads in their wake. Now researchers from Canada are developing new methods to mass-produce a material that may help pedestrians get a better grip on slippery surfaces after such storms.
	Data structures influence speed of quantum search in unexpected ways Using the quantum property of superposition, quantum computers will be able to find target items within large piles of data far faster than conventional computers ever could. But the speed of the search will likely depend on the structure of the data.
	Superconductivity's turning point from niche to mass markets Following is an interview with Dr John Durrell, newly appointed Lecturer in Superconductivity, by Philip Guildford, Director of Research:
	Synchronised rotations of molecules for novel investigations Scientists in Hamburg have resorted to a physical trick to persuade entire groups of molecules to perform synchronized cartwheels, virtually endlessly. This technique opens up new opportunities for imaging molecules and their chemical dynamics. Prof. Jochen Küpper and his team at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) are presenting their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters.
	How rocket science may improve kidney dialysis A team of researchers in the United Kingdom has found a way to redesign an artificial connection between an artery and vein, known as an Arterio-Venous Fistulae, which surgeons form in the arms of people with end-stage renal disease so that those patients can receive routine dialysis, filtering their blood and keeping them alive after their kidneys fail.

Earth news

	Morning is the time for powerful lightning Wherever you are, if it's 8 a.m. it's time for the kids to be in school, time perhaps for a second cup of coffee, and time for the most powerful lightning strokes of the day.
	Professor uses data gathered from squirrels to make music The squirrels are wary at first. They carefully sniff at the traps set on the chilly ground of Alaska's north slope, suspicious of their sudden arrival. But soon, unable to resist the temptation of the small bits of carrot set as bait, they venture inside and snap! They find themselves behind bars.
	Ecological engineering is a breath of life for marine ecosystems Oxygen is essential for many life forms. But we don't often give it the attention it deserves because we assume that it is always there. While oxygen is ubiquitous in our atmosphere, it is not necessarily the case for many bodies of water like rivers, lakes or even oceans. Here a lack of oxygen can result in significant impacts on the ecosystem like the killing of fish that subsequently float to the surface. But artificially oxygenating water can breathe new life, as we found recently while working with a fjord in Sweden.
	Assisted regeneration could make farmers money Researchers have found that assisting vegetation to grow back naturally could be a far more profitable way for farmers to lock in carbon than the more commonly considered method of planting trees and shrubs.
	Gulf of Mexico marine food web changes over the decades Scientists in the Gulf of Mexico now have a better understanding of how naturally-occurring climate cycles—as well as human activities—can trigger widespread ecosystem changes that ripple through the Gulf food web and the communities dependent on it, thanks to a new study published Saturday in the journal Global Change Biology.
Researchers find a new way to clear the air In 1999, then-Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said that Beijing's pall of smog "would shorten my life at least five years," a hazard level scientists affirmed two years ago with a study of China's air pollution. That reality that did not sit well with Stanford University researcher Yi Cui, who makes frequent trips to China.
New lake surface temperature database will help to study climate change A group of York University investigators and their international counterparts have jointly created a database of lake surface temperatures, to help study ecological effects of climate change.
	Keurig coffee share grows-so does environmental controversy One measure of how heated the environmental battle has become over coffee giant Keurig Green Mountain's $5 billion-a-year, single-serve plastic pods is how often the company's opponents resort to galactic comparisons.
	UN says 24 dead in Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam Relief workers tried desperately on Tuesday to reach Vanuatu's remote outer islands that were smashed by a monstrous cyclone, as the United Nations reported that 24 people were confirmed dead and 3,300 displaced by the storm that tore through the South Pacific archipelago.
	Harvard's president speaks in China about climate change The Harvard president told students at one of China's most prestigious universities Tuesday that academic institutions must be unfettered places where every topic can be raised and every question asked to help tackle challenges such as climate change.
Coping with the Anthropocene Overpopulation, the greenhouse effect, warming temperatures and overall climate disruption are all well recognized as a major threat to the ecology and biodiversity of the Earth. The issue of mankind's negative impact on the environment, albeit hotly debated and continuously present in the public eye, still only leads to limited policy action.
Scientist investigates changing sea levels The sea level has been rising by an average of 3.1 millimetres a year since 1993. Long-term measurements recorded since the start of the 20th century indicate an acceleration in the averaged sea level change. Coastal flooding and land loss are just some of the severe consequences. Geodesist Dr.-Ing. Luciana Fenoglio-Marc, is currently using satellite data to analyse sea level change and its causes.
	Video game to help islanders understand volcano's power The inhabitants of a Caribbean island will soon be able to learn more about the volcano which towers over their homes thanks to a video game created at Plymouth University.
	Drought-stricken California ramps up water restrictions (Update) California residents have to turn off their sprinklers, and restaurants won't give customers water unless they ask under new drought regulations approved Tuesday.
	RapidScat eyes Ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam's winds near Chatham Islands The New Zealand Meteorological Service issued a Storm Warning for the Chatham Islands today as NASA's RapidScat instrument found that winds in one quadrant of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam is still generating tropical-storm-force winds east of its center.
	NASA eyes Tropical Cyclone Nathan's Australian comeback NASA's Aqua satellite saw Tropical Storm Nathan preparing for its Australian "comeback" as the storm made a loop in the Coral Sea and is headed back to Queensland.
	World's first fully integrated research facility opens in Calgary wastewater plant For the first time, university researchers are working side-by-side with municipal operators to advance wastewater treatment technologies and knowledge that will lead to cleaner water, a better protected ecosystem and improved public health.
	NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Bavi losing steam Tropical Cyclone Bavi's convection and developing thunderstorms have been waning because of wind shear, and NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared look at the weakening storm.
	Isolated tribe ventures out of threatened Peru forests Dressed in loincloths and speaking an unknown language, the Mashco-Piro, one of the last isolated peoples on Earth, are increasingly venturing out of their forests in Peru—to the government's distress.
	Humanity at 'five to midnight' on climate: EU official Time is running out for the world to achieve a climate change agreement, the president of the European Parliament said Tuesday ahead of a key United Nations meeting in Paris later this year.

Astronomy & Space news

	Team puts Earhart on the moon with discovery of new crater The discovery of a massive, 124-mile-wide crater on the moon was announced at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on Monday (March 16).
	Severe solar storm may disrupt power, satellites (Update) A pair of solar eruptions over the weekend have unleashed a severe geomagnetic storm that could disrupt power and communications on Earth, US officials said Tuesday.
	Image: Groovy rings of Saturn From afar, Saturn's rings look like a solid, homogenous disk of material. But upon closer examination from Cassini, we see that there are varied structures in the rings at almost every scale imaginable.
	Image: Solar corona viewed by Proba-2 This snapshot of our constantly changing Sun catches looping filaments and energetic eruptions on their outward journey from our star's turbulent surface.
	GOES-R coming to an orbit near you, one year and counting… With eyes to the future of improved weather forecasting, the team behind NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series will launch its first satellite, GOES-R, one year from now in March 2016.
	New binocular nova discovered in Sagittarius Looks like the Sagittarius Teapot's got a new whistle. On March 15, John Seach of Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia discovered a probable nova in the heart of the constellation using a DSLR camera and fast 50mm lens. Checks revealed no bright asteroid or variable star at the location. At the time, the new object glowed at the naked eye limit of magnitude +6, but a more recent observation by Japanese amateur Koichi Itagaki puts the star at magnitude +5.3, indicating it's still on the rise.
	Other asteroids contributed elusive olivine to Vesta Olivine should be one of the most abundant minerals on asteroid Vesta, but it remains elusive. Scientists working on NASA's Dawn mission to Vesta were initially thrilled to find few scattered remains of this enigmatic mineral as evidence for telltale signs of planetary differentiation. However, a new paper in the journal Icarus says that at least some of this olivine might not have come from Vesta, but instead was delivered by other asteroids.
	Awe and fear: Russian cosmonaut recalls mankind's first spacewalk Fifty years after Alexei Leonov carried out the first spacewalk he still vividly recalls the moment he emerged from the capsule to become the only human to have floated in the cosmos.

Technology news

	Researchers develop revolutionary 3D printing technology A 3D printing technology developed by Silicon Valley startup, Carbon3D Inc., enables objects to rise from a liquid media continuously rather than being built layer by layer as they have been for the past 25 years, representing a fundamentally new approach to 3D printing. The technology, to appear as the cover article in the March 20 print issue of Science, allows ready-to-use products to be made 25 to 100 times faster than other methods and creates previously unachievable geometries that open opportunities for innovation not only in health care and medicine, but also in other major industries such as automotive and aviation.
	E-signature, mobile tools in Adobe PDF subscription service Adobe, the company behind the ubiquitous PDF format for documents, is touting electronic-signature and mobile capabilities in a new subscription package aimed at helping individuals and businesses manage their documents.
	Dyson likes what he sees in solid-state battery company Michigan-based Sakti3, a spinout of the University of Michigan, is set on commercializing a breakthrough solid-state battery technology that would deliver high performance. The company working on their early prototypes started on simple equipment, with the self-challenge to produce "great battery cells on equipment that was not overly specialized." They worked to make sure that everything they did could be scaled.
	A call to change recycling standards as 3-D printing expands The 3-D printing revolution has changed the way we think about plastics. Everything from children's toys to office supplies to high-value laboratory equipment can be printed. The potential savings of producing goods at the household- and lab-scale is remarkable, especially when producers use old prints and recycle them.
	'Additive manufacturing' could greatly improve diabetes management Engineers at Oregon State University have used "additive manufacturing" to create an improved type of glucose sensor for patients with Type 1 diabetes, part of a system that should work better, cost less and be more comfortable for the patient.
	'Smart bandage' detects bed sores before they are visible to doctors Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, are developing a new type of bandage that does far more than stanch the bleeding from a paper cut or scraped knee. Thanks to advances in flexible electronics, the researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at UC San Francisco, have created a new "smart bandage" that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen by human eyes - and while recovery is still possible.
	Europe braces for 'unprecedented' power issues from solar eclipse Europe's power operators are bracing for potential disruption from the solar eclipse expected Friday, which will knock out almost all solar-generated electricity in an "unprecedented" test for the network.
	Windows 10 devices to allow sign in with face, iris The new Windows 10 operating system will allow users to sign in to a device without a password by using biometrics, including facial recognition, Microsoft announced Tuesday.
	Facebook rolling out payments to friends in Messenger Facebook announced Tuesday it was launching a system to send money to friends for US customers using its Messenger mobile app.
Uber says CFO Brent Callinicos is leaving Ride-sharing company Uber said Monday that CFO Brent Callinicos is leaving the company to spend more time with his family.
	Apple in talks with major networks over TV service: report Apple is in talks with US television networks to offer around 25 channels across any iOS device as soon as September, The Wall Street Journal reports.
	IT firm baits hackers with online model train set Somewhere on Earth a computer hacker types a malicious command and hits enter. Half a world away, an urban commuter train speeds out of control, derails and crashes into a building.
	US lawmakers weigh in on 'net neutrality' A decision to impose tough new regulations on cable and wireless companies that provide Internet service to Americans wasn't influenced by politics, a top U.S. regulator told House lawmakers on Tuesday.
From cancer-battling bacteria to life on Mars at TED Brilliant minds wrapped around heady notions ranging from injecting medicine by laser to cherishing life on Earth while seeking a future in the stars as the TED conference began Monday.
Nintendo forms alliance with mobile game firm in about face After years of scoffing at the threat from smartphones, Nintendo Co. is doing an about face and entering an alliance with Japanese mobile game company DeNA Co. to develop games for mobile devices.
	Postal Service looks to improve on 9 miles per gallon in mail trucks The boxy mail truck familiar on American roads for more than two decades soon may be a thing of the past. The Postal Service is beginning the process of replacing some 180,000 of the trucks, a significant portion of its total fleet.
Ultra-reliable internet will make the impossible possible Cars will coordinate on their own who yields to whom with tomorrow's ultra-reliable and massively widespread wireless Internet. Such is the prediction from Professor Petar Popovski of Aalborg University's Department of Electronic Systems who with an enviable new research grant from the European Research Council (ERC) will be working on the fundamental technology to enable this.
	The challenges of digital forensics Forensics is changing in the digital age, and the legal system is still catching up when it comes to properly employing digital evidence.
	Have a digital day—new tech toys at German IT fair There's the intelligent yoga mat, the coffee flask that'll give you and your smartphone a jolt, and a super-smart dinosaur toy with his head in the cloud.
	Rain delays next leg of solar plane's round-the-world bid Poor weather has delayed Solar Impulse 2's departure from India on the next leg of its epic bid to become the first plane to fly around the world powered solely by the sun.
China firm seeks $100 bn from Qualcomm A Chinese semiconductor company will seek a $100 billion penalty against Qualcomm for trademark infringement, it said Tuesday—almost as much as the US mobile chip titan's entire market capitalisation.
	Nintendo steps into smartphone games market Nintendo said Tuesday it was teaming up with a mobile gaming company to develop games for smartphones in what could be a turning point for the Japanese giant which has long refused to enter the soaring market.
	Coffee and code: Software giant opens Silicon Valley cafe (AP)—Silicon Valley has no shortage of coffee shops where sleep-starved programmers and eager entrepreneurs sit hunched over laptop computers and talk about ideas for launching the next Google or Facebook. Now a giant tech company is opening its own cafe for the same clientele.
	'Distracted driving' at an all-time high; new approaches needed Young, inexperienced drivers have always gotten into more automobile accidents, but if you add in a lot of distractions, it's a recipe for disaster - and a new Pacific Northwest research program is learning more about these risks while identifying approaches that may help reduce them.
	Apple Watch app added automatically in iPhone update IPhone owners are finding a surprise when they update their operating systems.
Microsoft moves MSN team into Windows development group Microsoft is folding its MSN team into the Windows division, a shakeup announced months ahead of the expected release of Windows 10, the latest version of the operating system.
	SDSC researchers win NVIDIA's 2015 Global Impact Award Researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, are the recipient of NVIDIA's 2015 Global Impact Award for their collaborative work in developing an accelerated GPU (graphics processing unit) code to simulate earthquake physics necessary for safer building design.
Major US health insurer hacked, affecting 11 million Premera Blue Cross said Tuesday its computer network had been hacked, potentially exposing data from 11 million people, in the second recent such attack on a major US health insurer.
	Twitter eclipses The Sun, finds new stars for UK election "It's The Sun wot won it," the best-selling British tabloid declared after the 1992 general election.
	S.Korea accuses North of cyber-attacks on nuclear plants South Korea's government accused North Korea Tuesday of carrying out cyber-attacks last December on its nuclear power plant operator, describing them as a provocation which threatened people's lives and safety.
	Refs cheer new high-def replay system for NCAA tournaments The NCAA is going all in on high-def video reviews during March Madness.
New technologies could lead to more drinkable, cleaner water An estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide drink water that is contaminated by human and animal waste, according to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation.
	Musical sparks fly with new electrical innovation An engineering student from Plymouth University has given a 19th century electrical device a modern twist, using it to generate striking new versions of some of Hollywood's best loved film scores.
	New world-first road safety work zone crash barriers to save lives New portable, composite, steel and plastic water filled road safety crash barriers developed by a QUT research team to withstand high speed impact will be manufactured by a Brisbane company and sold worldwide, reducing the severity of accidents and helping to maintain traffic flow.
Improving productivity of welding by reducing groove angle LUT has been developing materials and technology suitable for Arctic conditions. Principles for safe and ecological design and manufacturing of structures and devices used for energy production in the Arctic have been defined in the Arctic Materials Technologies Development project.
	Coming to a theater near you: esports Competitive gaming is ready for its close-up.
State Dept unclassified computer network back online The State Department says portions of its unclassified computer network that it shut down last week are back online. That follows the completion of security upgrades in response to attempted hacking attacks.
ABC News streaming live on Roku ABC News is available as a streaming channel on Roku, executives said Monday.
	ORNL and SINAP cooperate on development of salt-cooled reactors Representatives from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) are meeting at ORNL this week as part of an agreement between the two institutions to work together on the advancement of salt-cooled nuclear reactor technologies.

Chemistry news

	Characterizing catalytic reactions in aqueous environments Whether producing fuel cells or fertilizer, catalysts instigate reactions without being consumed. Despite their ubiquitous nature, solid catalysts in liquids are not completely characterized because scientific tools often struggle to analyze the reactions under realistic conditions in real time. However, new tools are providing insights. Three scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Technische Universität München reviewed recent advances in Catalysis Science and Technology. The Royal Society of Chemistry selected the review as a "hot article." It is available at no cost until March 31, 2015.
	Inexpensive, efficient bi-metallic electrocatalysts may open floodgates for hydrogen fuel University of Delaware researchers have discovered a cheap and efficient catalyst for converting water to hydrogen fuel (known as hydrogen evolution), a vital step in making hydrogen a viable and sustainable energy source.
	Study into two-dimensional materials shows great potential for battery life-span improvement Not having to constantly charge one's phone or to be able to drive a car for 500 miles without a fill-up or a charge are technical advances most people would appreciate. Drexel researchers, along with colleagues at Aix-Marseille University in France, have discovered a high performance cathode material with great promise for use in next generation lithium-sulfur batteries that would last far longer than what is used today.
	A pinch of baking soda for better vision? Bicarbonate (baking soda) makes sparkling water sparkle, causes bread to rise, absorbs odors and can be used for cleaning all sorts of stuff, including your teeth. In the body, it plays essential roles in buffering pH, aiding in digestion and neutralizing lactic acid produced during physical exertion. Much of the bicarbonate in our bodies comes from carbon dioxide, which is produced as a waste product in all cells, although some is ingested with carbonated beverages and certain types of foods.
	Rare African bush may help kidney cancer treatment New University of Leeds research has shown why a bush that is only found in some African countries could hold a key to killing renal (kidney) cancer cells.
	Detecting cyanide poisoning in 70 seconds The diagnostic test to determine cyanide exposure takes 24 hours.
Targeting one enzyme is the key to tackling two tropical diseases A way to combat malaria developed by scientists at Imperial College London and the University of York may also be effective against the deadly tropical disease leishmaniasis, new research has shown.
	How water molecules dance to activate proteins An international team of researchers has shed light on the molecular mechanism behind the importance of water for functional protein dynamics. The scientists have discovered that water's ability to flow on the surface of proteins makes them sufficiently dynamic to be biologically active. The results have just been published in Nature Communications.
From heat and cold comes image and mirror image Many chemical compounds exist as an image and a mirror image: they differ in their spatial orientation, like the left and right hand. The properties of these so-called chiral molecules are also often quite different – synthesising them cleanly is therefore of critical importance in pharmaceutical development and agricultural chemistry. The working group headed by Prof. Dr. Oliver Trapp at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of Heidelberg University has succeeded for the first time in developing a catalyst that generates both molecular mirror images of a compound solely by controlling the temperature. Their findings were published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
	Clean energy future: New cheap and efficient electrode for splitting water UNSW Australia scientists have developed a highly efficient oxygen-producing electrode for splitting water that has the potential to be scaled up for industrial production of the clean energy fuel, hydrogen. The new technology is based on an inexpensive, specially coated foam material that lets the bubbles of oxygen escape quickly.
	New cobalt catalyst transforms propane to propene Adam Hock, assistant professor of chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and colleagues have developed a new cobalt catalyst that selectively transforms propane to propene and hydrogen.
	Video: Sunglasses on demand Apart from their style, sunglasses have changed very little in the last few decades. Photochromic lenses that change from clear to tinted in sunlight were a big breakthrough.

Biology news

	Researchers unravel secrets of shape-shifting bacteria Sixty years ago, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Joshua Lederberg first described a biological mystery. He showed how bacteria could lose the cell walls that define their shapes, potentially becoming less visible to the immune system, only to later revert back to their original form and regain their full infectious potential.
	Gravity-resisting gene stops our bodies being squashed flat A team led by scientists from University's Department of Biology & Biochemistry has solved the century-old mystery of how our bodies withstand gravity and take on their 3D shape.
	Researchers rethink how our feathered friends evolved A recently published global genome study that used the data-intensive Gordon supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer at the University of California, San Diego, has researchers rethinking how avian lineages diverged after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
	Cultivated papaya owes a lot to the ancient Maya, research suggests A genetic study of papaya sex chromosomes reveals that the hermaphrodite version of the plant, which is of most use to growers, arose as a result of human selection, most likely by the ancient Maya some 4,000 years ago.
	The secret to an effortless, split-second slime attack The velvet worm is a slow-moving, unassuming creature. With its soft body, probing antennae, and stubby legs, it looks like a slug on stilts as it creeps along damp logs in tropical climates.
	Conifers' helicoptering seeds are result of long evolutionary experiment The whirling, winged seeds of today's conifers are an engineering wonder and, as University of California, Berkeley, scientists show, a result of about 270 million years of evolution by trees experimenting with the best way to disperse their seeds.
	Chimpanzees will travel for preferred foods, innovate solutions Just as humans will travel to their favorite restaurant, chimpanzees will travel a farther distance for preferred food sources in non-wild habitats, according to a new study from scientists at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo that publishes on March 17 in the journal PeerJ.
	Bumblebees shy away from field-facing hedgerows The pollination service provided by bumblebees on the field-side boundaries of hedgerows may be limited because farming methods are having a negative impact on their sources of food, a study has found.
	Scientist pursues the perfect pachyderm pedicure Finding the best method of trimming the feet of captive elephants is the focus of a University of Queensland study to help prevent painful and untreatable foot diseases.
Discovery holds promise for gene therapy and agriculture A fundamental question pursued by plant scientists worldwide for the past decade has been answered by researchers led by the University of Sydney.
	How algae research could help clean wastewater in the Middle East As one of the most water-poor countries in the world, Jordan's current water resources are significantly below the global water scarcity line. Annual rainfall falls under 50mm in 95% of the country and nearly all the groundwater sources are being seriously overexploited. Experts are warning that the country could soon face absolute water poverty.
Targeting threats alone 'won't save our wildlife' The world needs to rethink its approach to conservation if it is to save nature from a looming wave of extinctions.
	Language of gene switches unchanged across the evolution The language used in the switches that turn genes on and off has remained the same across millions of years of evolution, according to a new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal eLife, indicate that the differences between animals reside in the content and length of the instructions that are written using this conserved language.
	What's on the menu for young African sawflies? Sawflies belong to the same insect group as wasps, bees and ants. Unlike many of the latter, sawflies seldom make themselves conspicuous to humans, although the young stages (larvae) of some species, nearly all of which feed on plants, sometimes attract attention by damaging these.
	First global review on the status, future of Arctic marine mammals For Arctic marine mammals, the future is especially uncertain. Loss of sea ice and warming temperatures are shifting already fragile Northern ecosystems.
	West Coast waters shifting to lower-productivity regime, new report finds Large-scale climate patterns that affect the Pacific Ocean indicate that waters off the West Coast have shifted toward warmer, less productive conditions that may affect marine species from seabirds to salmon, according to the 2015 State of the California Current Report delivered to the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
	Canines, drones battle deadly avocado fungus In just a few weeks, redbay ambrosia beetles will be on the move in Florida, a major concern for the state's multimillion dollar avocado industry. Florida International University (FIU) researchers believe a combination of drones and dogs could be game-changers in the fight to stop a deadly fungus spread by these invasive pests.
Greater-than-additive management effects key in reducing corn yield gaps While many recent studies have documented that agricultural producers must significantly increase yields in order to meet the food, feed, and fuel demands of a growing population, few have given practical solutions on how to do this. Crop science researchers at the University of Illinois interested in determining and reducing corn yield gaps are addressing this important issue by taking a systematic approach to the problem.
	Smithsonian's National Zoo asks public to name Andean bear cub brothers The Smithsonian's National Zoo, in collaboration with Univision's ¡Despierta America!, is inviting the public to name two rambunctious and charismatic 18-week-old male Andean bear cubs. Starting today, March 16, fans can vote on the Zoo's website for their favorite among names reflecting the cultural significance of Andean bears to the Quechua and Aymara, the indigenous communities of the Andes region, the native habitat of Andean bears.
	Research to focus on how deer respond to changes in moon phase, weather There seems to be a lot of common wisdom that exists when it comes to whitetails, such as, "It's near full moon, so the deer are only moving at night." Or how about, "A cold front is coming, which is why the deer are out feeding."
	Could man's best friend be man's best medicine? Most dog owners will tell you their furry friends make them feel good emotionally. But the health benefits of owning a dog may not end there.
	High-tech boost for beef producers The farmers of the future will soon have a new tool at their disposal. Within two years, an artificial intelligence system trained to recognise indicators of animal condition will take its place in the yards of livestock producers.
Artificial control of starch synthesis in plants A research group is the first in the world to identify the gene that controls starch synthesis in plants. Their study, entitled "CO2 Responsive CCT protein, CRCT Is a Positive Regulator of Starch Synthesis in Vegetative Organs of Rice," was published in the American academic journal Plant Physiology on February 25. The results of their study will be useful not only to increase rice yield, but also to produce high starch containing plants for biofuel.
	Freo leads the pack with greenie gardens Factors like a sense of community and residents who are 'keeping up with the Jonses' are among complex drivers behind Australian's preferences for European, colonial style gardens over designs using native plants.
	Estimating the distribution of rare endemic and related exotic giant salamander species A research group has succeeded in determining the habitat distribution of the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), a designated special natural monument of Japan, and the distribution of a related exotic or invasive species, the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). The team determined this information from salamander DNA that is naturally floating in river water (environmental DNA). The results of their research were published online on the British science journal named Journal of Applied Ecology on February 13, 2015, The essential points of their study are as follows:
	2,000 snow geese die from illness in Idaho wildlife areas Some 2,000 migrating snow geese have died recently in eastern Idaho, likely from a disease that comes on quickly and can kill birds in midflight, wildlife officials say.
	The need for a more open attitude towards invasive alien species data New research published with the support of the FP7 large-scale bioinformatics project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON) and the Alien Challenge COST action reveals the importance of open data in the study and control of invasive alien species. The study was published online in open access in the journal Management of Biological Invasions.
The future of 'bioprocessing' for medical therapies What's in store for the future of industrial bioprocessing for medical therapies, which involves the use of living organisms or cells to create drugs or other agents? Will the batch or continuous bioprocessing platform dominate biomanufacturing of human therapeutics down the road? Three pioneers in the field address these questions in an upcoming issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering.
	Top chefs tout anchovies, sardines to save the oceans Top world chefs launched a campaign Tuesday to protect over-exploited fish species by promoting alternatives such as the humble anchovy, sardine and herring in their restaurants.
	Things to Know about California's sea lion crisis More than 1,800 starving sea lion pups have washed up on California beaches since Jan. 1 and 750 are being treated in rescue centers across the state, according to updated numbers released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists with the federal agency believe the crisis hasn't reached its peak and sea lions could continue to arrive on beaches sick and starving for at least two more months.

Medicine & Health news

	Researchers report successful test of thermostable ricin vaccine in macaques (Medical Xpress)—Ricin toxin (RT), the second most lethal toxin known, is produced by the plant Ricin communis, and is a byproduct of castor oil. Because it is easily produced, the military has had a longstanding goal of developing a prophylactic ricin vaccine, though none has yet been added to the U.S. National Vaccine Stockpile.
	Researchers identify a new trigger of cellular self-destruction Researchers have identified a bacterial protein that triggers a self-inflicted cell death pathway in immune system cells and could lead to a better understanding of an important cellular structure.
	Researchers discover ingredient in cough medicine may help with Type 2 diabetes (Medical Xpress)—A large team of researchers with members from across the globe has found that an ingredient in popular cough medicines may help people with Type 2 diabetes. They have published a description of their research and their findings in the journal Nature Medicine.
	Teaching science to the brain: How the brain learns the way things work When you learn a new technical concept, something happens in your brain, but exactly what has been a mystery until now.
	New cystic fibrosis research takes aim at deadly pathogen A new method of testing the most common cause of life-threatening infection in people with cystic fibrosis could improve efforts to study and combat the illness.
	Neuroscientists identify cell type in the brain that controls body clock circadian rhythms UT Southwestern Medical Center neuroscientists have identified key cells within the brain that are critical for determining circadian rhythms, the 24-hour processes that control sleep and wake cycles, as well as other important body functions such as hormone production, metabolism, and blood pressure.
	3-D snapshot of protein highlights potential drug target for breast cancer The genome of a cell is under constant attack, suffering DNA damage that requires an army of repair mechanisms to keep the cell healthy and alive. Understanding the behavior of the enzymes defending these assaults helps determine how - and where - cancer gets its foothold and flourishes. New research published in an Advance Online Publication of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology shows that one of these enzymes - human DNA polymerase theta (POLQ) - may be a promising drug therapy target for inhibiting breast cancer.
Genetic analysis of current smokers shows that high tobacco consumption lowers body weight Published online in the International Journal of Epidemiology, a new study of 80,342 participants, including 15,220 current smokers, from the Copenhagen General Population Study has shown that smokers who consume a high amount of tobacco are more likely to weigh less.
	Dietary dioxins not associated with increased breast cancer risk Estimated exposure to dioxins through dietary intake is not associated with an increased risk of developing a breast cancer among low exposed women, according to a large cohort study published in open access journal Breast Cancer Research. This contradicts a popular belief held by many about the effect of dioxins.
	Diet soda linked to increases in belly fat in older adults A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that increasing diet soda intake is directly linked to greater abdominal obesity in adults 65 years of age and older. Findings raise concerns about the safety of chronic diet soda consumption, which may increase belly fat and contribute to greater risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.
Workplace suicide on the rise: Specific occupations pose higher risks than others Suicide is responsible for more than 36,000 deaths in the United States and nearly 1 million deaths worldwide annually. In 2009, suicides surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death by injury in the U.S. A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine analyzes the upward trend of suicides that take place in the workplace and identifies specific occupations in which individuals are at higher risk. The highest workplace suicide rate is in protective services occupations (5.3 per 1 million), more than three times the national average of 1.5 per 1 million.
	Medications used to treat diabetes may trigger heart failure, study finds A comprehensive study examining clinical trials of more than 95,000 patients has found that glucose or sugar-lowering medications prescribed to patients with diabetes may pose an increased risk for the development of heart failure in these patients.
	Obese women 40 percent more likely to get cancer Obese women have around a 40 per cent greater risk of developing a weight-related cancer in their lifetime than women of a healthy weight, according to new figures released by Cancer Research UK today.
	Global economic impact of diabetes revealed in new study Diabetes reduces people's employment chances and wages around the world - according to a new study from the University of East Anglia, supported by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR).
	Do You Watch Cooking Shows for Entertainment or Inspiration? Do you watch cooking shows for cooking and recipe inspiration or to be wowed by the tempting culinary mastery of celebrity chefs? According to a new Food and Brand Lab study, if you often cook from scratch and source your recipes from TV, you are likely to weigh about 11 pounds more than if you watch cooking shows for entertainment and don't often cook! "One reason for this phenomenon may be that often the recipes portrayed on TV are not the healthiest and allow you to feel like it's ok to prepare and indulge in either less nutritious food or bigger portions," says co-author Brian Wansink, PhD, Professor and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, and author of the new book, Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.
	Old blood as good as fresh in patients with life-threatening illnesses Just like milk and many other foods, blood used for transfusions is perishable. But contrary to popular belief, new research shows that blood stored for three weeks is just as good as fresh blood - findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	UK, drugmakers establish $100M Alzheimer's venture fund Major drugmakers, the British government and a top Alzheimer's research charity are pooling more than $100 million to create a global fund to accelerate efforts to find a treatment or even a cure for the mind-robbing disease within a decade.
Study suggests parental warmth does not remove the anxiety that follows punishment A loving mom can't overcome the anxiety and aggression caused by corporal punishment, and her otherwise warm demeanor may make it worse, according to research led by Duke University that was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.
	Mental training exercises shown to help mitigate the effects of 'chemo brain' UCLA researchers have developed a program that could improve the day-to-day lives of women with breast cancer by addressing post-treatment cognitive difficulties, sometimes known as "chemo brain," which can affect up to 35 percent of women after their treatments.
	Exercise used to combat mental health issues Following the mantra that a healthy body equals a healthy mind, exercise physiology students from the University of Queensland are providing exercise and lifestyle programs to people with mental illness.
The hopes, fears and realities of weight loss surgery The statistics tell us that rates of gastric banding and other weight loss surgery are rising steeply, yet very little is known about the experiences of people who undergo it.
	Can our bones protect us against diabetes and obesity? A team of researchers at the IRCM led by Mathieu Ferron, PhD, in collaboration with researchers at Columbia University, discovered a new function of the skeleton associated with diabetes and obesity. The scientific breakthrough, published today in the scientific journal The Journal of Cell Biology, reveals how a hormone produced by bones, and controlled in part by vitamin K, can influence the whole body's energy and glucose metabolism.
	Clinical trials of treatments for children's behaviour disorders Most parents have times when their defiant, argumentative child seems like an antagonistic alien. Hostile, boundary-pushing behaviour is usually part of normal childhood development.
New compound prevents onset of type 1 diabetes in animal models Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have successfully tested a potent synthetic compound that prevents type 1 diabetes in animal models of the disease.
	Potential drug target found to prevent bowel cancer spread Monash scientists have discovered a molecule that is crucial to the survival of stem cells in the intestine.
	How do we choose the food we eat? Every day we make choices about the foods we eat. Try as we might, it's all too easy to make decisions that aren't the best for our short-term waistlines or long-term health. In the developed world, and in urban centres in many developing countries, we live in what's now referred to as an 'obesogenic environment': one replete with myriad culinary options from around the world that wouldn't have been dreamt of just 20 years ago, let alone a hundred.
	High sugar consumption linked to obesity, research finds People who eat more sugar are much more likely to be obese than those who eat less, according to a landmark finding by University of Reading scientists.
Researchers collaborate to identify 'master regulator' in cell division Three years after discovering that a single, unidentified mechanism was modifying about 800 proteins simultaneously during cell division, Florida State University researchers have identified that mystery enzyme.
	New MIND diet may significantly protect against Alzheimer's disease A new diet, appropriately known by the acronym MIND, could significantly lower a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, even if the diet is not meticulously followed, according to a paper published online for subscribers in March in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
	Bodysuit or sleep sack? Scientists at the Laboratoire Éthologie Animale et Humaine,, working in collaboration with a neonatologist from Brest University Hospital, observed the effect of preterm babies' clothing on their behavior. Newborns placed in a sleep sack were less active and touched parts of their bodies less frequently than those dressed in a simple bodysuit. The scientists suppose that the former may have been more stressed for two reasons: their movements were hampered, so that comforting self-touching was less frequent. This study is published on 17 March 2015 in Scientific Reports.
	New anti-inflammatory molecule could halt MS progression Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have developed a new drug-like molecule that can halt inflammation and has shown promise in preventing the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Patients 80 years and older would benefit from aggressive treatment Patients over age 80 with acute coronary syndromes would likely benefit from more invasive tests and therapies that may otherwise be denied them due to their age, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego.
Emerging diseases likely to be more harmful in similar species When viruses such as influenza and Ebola jump from one species to another, their ability to cause harm can change dramatically, but research from the University of Cambridge shows that it may be possible to predict the virus's virulence by looking at how deadly it is in closely-related species.
Microenvironment provides growth factor for metastasis Healthy bone is continuously involved in a dynamic process that includes bone deposition and bone resorption. However, when a person has cancer that spreads to the bone and bone marrow, the tissue becomes increasingly fragile, and this process is disrupted, usually leading to increased bone resorption.
Joint fluid harbors bacterial clumps after replacement despite pre-surgery antibiotics Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and the National Institutes of Health are building on their research which seeks to understand why joint infections persist despite standards of care designed to stop them. More Americans than ever will receive joint replacements, and with an infection rate of approximately 1 percent, the potential exists for tens of thousands to experience post-operative infection and complications each year.
Study reveals previously unknown site of anesthetic action Anesthetics have been used in surgical procedures for more than 150 years, but the mechanisms by which inhaled anesthesia actually work are poorly understood. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have discovered that anesthetics bind to and interfere with certain proteins in excitatory neurons, which are necessary for these neurons to transmit signals involved in anesthesia and the perception of pain.
Arm is safer access point than groin for catheter-based heart procedures Patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing coronary angiogram, a procedure used to assess blockages in the heart's arteries, had a significantly lower risk of major bleeding and death if their interventional cardiologist accessed the heart through an artery in the arm rather than the groin, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session. Study authors said the results should prompt a re-evaluation of clinical guidelines and that the arm, currently used in a minority of cases in the United States, should be the preferred approach for most catheter-based heart procedures.
	New treatments for blood clots on horizon Researchers have made a discovery that could lead to new therapies for treating heart attack and stroke patients.
An in-depth look at health care spending by those under 65 Less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could have great impact on the Affordable Care Act, new research from the University of Michigan paints a picture of health care spending by the group most targeted under what has become known as Obamacare.
Researchers identify which patients are at risk for continued pain after orthopedic surgery When it comes to determining which patients will have long-lasting pain after orthopedic shoulder surgery, cognitive coping style and genetic predisposition to pain sensitivity may actually be bigger factors than the size or intensity of the operation, a new University of Florida Health study finds.
Trial of bivalirudin during angioplasty reports mixed results Patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing angioplasty who received the anticoagulant drug bivalirudin did not show significant improvements in either of two co-primary endpoints—a composite of rate of death, heart attack or stroke at 30 days, or a composite of those events plus major bleeding—as compared to patients receiving standard anticoagulation therapy, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session. However, bivalirudin was associated with significantly lower rates of bleeding complications and death, two of the study's secondary endpoints.
Complete angioplasty safe for certain heart attack survivors Patients who experience the deadliest form of heart attack—ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)—and suffer from substantial narrowing in multiple heart arteries may benefit from receiving angioplasty in constricted arteries not affected by the heart attack, thereby reducing the need for future angioplasty, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session.
Meta-analysis finds extended DAPT related to increased mortality after DES implantation Data from a meta-analysis published today in The Lancet found that extended duration dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation was associated with significantly higher rates of mortality compared to shorter DAPT.
Heart valve repair improves emotional wellbeing in patients with mitral regurgitation Patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) often suffer from psycho-emotional symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, but after undergoing mitral valve repair surgery patients experience a marked improvement in emotional and physical wellbeing, according to an article in the March 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Hormones with statins may help women's hearts after menopause Hormones may not protect women from heart disease or stroke after menopause, but when combined with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, they may help protect women from these killers, shows a population study from Sweden to be published in the April issue of Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). During the study, women who took both hormones and statins had a significantly lower risk of dying of any cause and a moderately lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.
Erectile dysfunction drug relieves nerve damage in diabetic mice New animal studies at Henry Ford Hospital found that sildenafil, a drug commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, may be effective in relieving painful and potentially life-threatening nerve damage in men with long-term diabetes.
	Finding a new test for children with concussions Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -The Neuro, at McGill University and the MUHC, are working to develop a much needed tool for helping diagnose concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries suffered by thousands of young Canadians —-hockey and football players among them. Post-concussion symptoms can include physical ailments, emotional disturbances and sleep disruption. Objective methods for predicting how severely mild brain trauma can affect a young person's brain are sorely needed. The potential for harmful effects is especially real in the case of children and youths - with the higher threat of repeated injury and cumulative effects of concussions (and links to other serious neurological illnesses) - accurate diagnosis and proper follow-up is essential.
	Prices of cancer drugs have soared since 1995, study finds The prices of leading cancer drugs have risen at rates far outstripping inflation over the last two decades, according to a new study co-authored by an MIT economist—but the exact reasons for the cost increases are unclear.
	Senior citizens increasingly satisfied with their sex lives Senior citizens have experienced a considerable improvement in their sex lives since the 1970s. A doctoral thesis by Nils Beckman at Sahlgrenska Academy has found that six out of every ten women and seven out of every ten men over 70 are highly satisfied with their sex lives.
	Propranolol seems prophylactic against infantile hemangiomas (HealthDay)—Propranolol seems to be prophylactic against infantile hemangiomas, according to a case report published online March 16 in Pediatrics.
	Study: Euthanasia cases more than double in northern Belgium (Update) Almost one in 20 people in northern Belgium died using euthanasia in 2013, more than doubling the numbers in six years, a study released Tuesday showed.
New mobile app will find dementia friendly places A 'TripAdvisor'-style app is being launched which allows carers to locate and rate dementia-friendly places so they are better able to get out and about with their loved-ones. Triggered by Dr Katie Brittain, a Lecturer in Social Gerontology at Newcastle University, the Dementia Friendly Places project is one of the first to use the App Movement platform to collectively develop an app that meets a community need.
	Moderate hypoglycemia impacts language processing (HealthDay)—Moderate hypoglycemia is associated with deterioration in language processing in adults with and without type 1 diabetes, according to a study published online March 10 in Diabetes Care.
	Gender-specific variation in medical specialties (HealthDay)—Medical specialties vary by gender, with obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics dominated by female residents and specialties such as surgery, emergency medicine, and anesthesiology dominated by males, according to a report published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Better breakfast, better grades A new study from the University of Iowa reinforces the connection between good nutrition and good grades, finding that free school breakfasts help students from low-income families perform better academically.
	Effect of aspirin, NSAIDs on colorectal cancer risk may differ from genetic variations Among approximately 19,000 individuals, the use of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with an overall lower risk of colorectal cancer, although this association differed according to certain genetic variations, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA.
Duration of antiplatelet therapy following PCI, risk of adverse events An additional 18 months of dual antiplatelet therapy among patients who received a bare metal coronary stent did not result in significant differences in rates of stent thrombosis (formation of a blood clot), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, or moderate or severe bleeding, compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA. The authors note that limitations in sample size may make definitive conclusions regarding these findings difficult.
Early imaging for back pain in older adults not associated with better outcomes Older adults who had spine imaging within 6 weeks of a new primary care visit for back pain had pain and disability over the following year that was not different from similar patients who did not undergo early imaging, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA.
Macrophages may play critical role in melanoma resistance to BRAF inhibitors In the last several years, targeted therapies - drugs that directly impact specific genes and proteins involved in the progression of cancer - have been approved for a wide variety of cancers, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute have discovered one way in which melanoma becomes resistant to a particular form of targeted therapy, and understanding this phenomenon may lead to a new melanoma target or prompt new designs of these treatments.
Study raises concerns about reporting of noninferiority trials An examination of the reporting of noninferiority clinical trials raises questions about the adequacy of their registration and results reporting within publicly accessible trial registries, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA.
Study examines diagnostic accuracy of pathologists interpreting breast biopsies In a study in which pathologists provided diagnostic interpretation of breast biopsy slides, overall agreement between the individual pathologists' interpretations and that of an expert consensus panel was 75 percent, with the highest level of concordance for invasive breast cancer and lower levels of concordance for ductal carcinoma in situ and atypical hyperplasia, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA.
	Aspirin users with common genes may get less colon cancer Researchers have identified common genetic traits that may explain how aspirin can help protect against colon cancer.
	HIV not as infectious soon after transmission as thought (Update) People who recently have been infected with HIV may not be as highly infectious as previously believed, a finding that could improve global efforts to prevent HIV transmission and save lives. In particular, the finding bolsters the strategy of treating patients with antiretroviral drugs before the onset of AIDS to prevent transmission.
Decline in heart health can start in childhood Your heart health, which is optimal for most of us at birth, can decline substantially with unhealthy childhood behaviors, according to research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
New cancer fears in France over breast implants (Update) France's national cancer institute said on Tuesday there was a "clearly established link" between a rare form of cancer and a certain type of breast implant, as the health minister sought to allay fears.
	Women retain insulin sensitivity better than men It's long been known that obese men are more likely to develop type two diabetes than obese women, but researchers at McMaster University have discovered it may be related to a difference between the sexes in the activity of a protein in the muscle.
	Vitamin D may help prevent and treat diseases associated with aging, study finds Vitamin D may play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with aging, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). These findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Aging and Gerontology.
	Face-to-face handoff doesn't improve patient outcomes (HealthDay)—There are no significant improvements in patient outcomes associated with face-to-face handoff of patients admitted to general medical services at a large academic tertiary referral hospital, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
	Culture-based screening algorithm cuts TB in immigrants (HealthDay)—Implementation of a culture-based screening algorithm in 2007 reduced the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among immigrants and refugees bound for the United States, according to a study published in the March 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Kidney disease awareness grows as new dialysis cases drop World Kidney Day was celebrated recently, and Cheryl Biggs took the time to go to her church in Larimer, Pa., for a free screening for kidney disease by the National Kidney Foundation for one reason.
Socioeconomic status moderates genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use Research on genetic and environmental influences underlying alcohol use has thus far failed to uncover specific causes, likely because genetic and environmental influences vary by context. A study of the moderating effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use has found that genetic effects on amount of alcohol use are greater in socioeconomically disadvantaged environments.
Comparing the diagnostic criteria for the DSM-5 and ICD-10 Both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition (ICD-10) have established diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). While the DSM is widely used by clinicians, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently called for providers to bill for services using ICD-10 designations. Given the ramifications for who will and will be not eligible for treatment, this study compares the two diagnostic approaches, finding discrepancies between the two for more mild and moderate cases of AUDs.
Identifying how drinking contexts and youth characteristics change over time Previous research among young and older adults has suggested that the context in which drinking occurs may contribute to specific alcohol-related problems, such as aggression, risky sex, and drinking and driving. However, little is known about how young drinkers select drinking contexts. A longitudinal study of drinking patterns, and demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with youth drinking in different contexts, has found that where youth drink alcohol varies by characteristics such as age, gender, drinking frequency, smoking, and deviant behaviors.
	Tuberculosis still raging in Eastern Europe (Update) About a thousand people still contract tuberculosis daily in Europe and Central Asia, despite an overall decline of the disease, a report by the Europe Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) revealed Tuesday.
	Unique procedure offered for patients with inoperable bile duct cancers University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute transplant surgeons are offering a unique procedure to remove inoperable, cancerous tumors from the bile duct of the liver, known as cholangiocarcinoma, potentially improving survival rates for patients who may otherwise have few treatment options.
	Decisions made about doctors during a GMC investigation are fair and consistent New independent research published today has found that the decisions made about doctors during a GMC investigation are fair and consistent.
	Beyond taps and toilets in Alaska Safe, clean drinking water and sewerage facilities are basic necessities you would hope to find in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But that's not always the case in the US.
New mental health resource puts the power in your pocket A new app and educational programme designed to help young people manage mental health problems is being launched today (17 March) at an event at St Stephens High School in Port Glasgow.
	Health system factors improve medication adherence among seniors with diabetes Specific system-level factors controlled by health care systems - including prescriptions with a medication supply greater than 90 days, mail-order pharmacy use, and lower copayments and out-of-pocket maximums - nearly doubled the likelihood that patients adhered to prescribed heart and diabetes medications, according to a new study published in the journal Medical Care.
'Inspired to Change,' illustrates patient-centered care The American Journal of Nursing has selected the book, "Inspired to Change: Improving Patient Care One Story at a Time," by the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center's Linda Larin, MBA, FACCA, FACHE, as one of the most valuable texts of 2014.
Findings from the BRIGHT trial published Data from the BRIGHT trial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrated that bivalirudin was superior to both heparin monotherapy and heparin plus tirofiban for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Findings were first reported at last year's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).
French lawmakers OK terminal sedation, not euthanasia France's lower house of Parliament has approved a bill that allows doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes.
	New metabolic mechanisms discovered that regulate the macrophage's role in immune response A group of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Agios Pharmaceuticals and ITMO University has discovered new metabolic mechanisms that regulate macrophage polarization - the unique ability of these immune cells to change their specialization depending on the required task. The research opens new possibilities for the development of a new class of drugs based on controlling the metabolism of immune cells. The results were published today in the Immunity journal.
	First in human nanotherapy brain cancer trial launched at CTRC David Williams is the first human being ever to have a new radiation treatment implanted in the center of his brain tumor.
Female health workers increased use of health services in hard-to-reach rural area Female community health extension workers deployed to a remote rural community in northern Nigeria led to major and sustained increases in service utilization, including antenatal care and facility-based deliveries, according to latest research by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public. The research also showed that providing a rural residence allowance in addition to a standard salary helped recruit and retain female workers. Other key components to the program's success were posting workers in pairs to avoid isolation, ensuring supplies and transportation means for home visits, and allowing workers to perform deliveries. Findings are published in Global Health: Science and Practice.
House leaders work on $213B plan on doc Medicare payments Bipartisan House leaders are working on a $213 billion plan to permanently change how doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients, a costly problem that's vexed Congress for years, a document circulating among lawmakers showed Tuesday.

Other Sciences news

	Study: Ancient whale swam hundreds of miles up African river A 22-foot beaked whale that apparently took a wrong turn up an African river about 17 million years ago may offer clues to the climate-change forces that shaped human evolution.
	Anthropologist offers possible explanation for collapse of ancient city of Teotihuacan (Phys.org) —Linda Manzanilla, an anthropologist with Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México has published a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offering a possible explanation for the collapse of the early central Mexican city of Teotihuacan—she believes it was due to clashes between groups with differing economic interests.
	Researchers discover oldest Roman fort – possible origin of Trieste, Italy (Phys.org) —A large team of researchers working near Italy's northeastern border with Slovenia has discovered the remains of what appears to be the oldest known example of an ancient Roman fort. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes advanced techniques they used to uncover the hidden remains of the fort, and why they believe what they have found could lead to answering questions about how the old Roman army became such a daunting force.
	Link between good looks and financial risk Advertisers have long known that a consumer who aspires to be like the happy person they see in an ad will subconsciously be inspired to buy the product. In which case, if the desired outcome is to inspire men to take on greater financial risk, banks may want to picture buff dudes rather than professionals in suits.
	Research uncovers flawed IQ scoring system Queen's University professor Allyson Harrison has uncovered anomalies and issues with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), one of the most widely used intelligence tests in the world. IQ scores are used to predict educational success, to help identify intellectual disabilities or intellectual giftedness and to establish whether a person has a specific learning disability.
	The largest known bronze mask of Pan uncovered by researchers A large bronze mask of the god Pan, the only of its kind, was uncovered at the University of Haifa's excavation at Hippos-Sussita National Park. According to Dr. Michael Eisenberg, bronze masks of this size are extremely rare and usually do not depict Pan or any of the other Greek or Roman mythological images. "Most of the known bronze masks from the Hellenistic and Roman periods are miniature."
	First dolphins appeared millions of years earlier than previously thought Japanese researchers have described the earliest species of a true dolphin in the known fossil record: the oldest Miocene delphinid fossil including a skull. Their research has huge implications for our understanding of dolphin evolution.
	Researcher builds four-dimensional figure in his office The curious child of bookish parents who browses through their libraries sometimes falls down a rabbit hole while apparently reading quietly in an armchair.
British society among the most harmful to its citizens, says research Liberal societies such as the UK, US and Australia are among the most harmful to their citizens, according to new research from the University of Birmingham.
	Creating a malaria test for ancient human remains Ancient malaria patients, the anthropologist will see you now.
	Social media training works best for student-athletes, study shows Placing less reliance on monitoring software and modifying new media training to align with student-athletes' habits and input will promote more positive and responsible usage of social networks.
	Teens' approach to social media risk is different from adults' For every parent who ever wondered what the heck their teens were thinking when they posted risky information or pictures on social media, a team of Penn State researchers suggests that they were not really thinking at all, or at least were not thinking like most adults do.
	Team offers new perspectives on China's long history of reunifications Archaeologists from The Field Museum in Chicago, IL and Shandong University (Jinan, China) have investigated the historical processes leading up to China's political unification through the juxtaposition of macro- and micro-scale analysis. The study offers new perspectives on how human impacts of infrastructural investments, interactive technologies, social contracts, and ideologies that were implemented during the Qin and Han Dynasties and before have helped establish the rough spatial configuration of what is today China.
	Racism 'a factor' in child removal For nearly three excruciating days, Albert Hartnett had no clue where his 18-month-old daughter, Stella, was being kept.
Building a better course starts with the syllabus Recent award-winning research from the University of Virginia's Teaching Resource Center shows that tailoring teaching to how students learn improves courses and creates long-lasting impact.
Hollywood's messages about nature and the environment A study published recently in Environmental Communication has revealed the dual and conflicting messages in commercial films for young audiences about pivotal environmental problems and their potential resolution.

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