Fwd: Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Apr 22

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 3:38 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Apr 22
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

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Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 22, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- All will be illuminated: Real-time multicolor imaging with luminescent protein-based Nano-lanterns
- Immobilized Yutu rover still providing valuable lunar data
- Charged holes in graphene increase energy storage capacity
- Google launches its own mobile telephone service
- From metal to insulator and back again
- Putting a new spin on computing memory
- Marmosets found to learn to take turns when vocalizing
- Decoding the cell's genetic filing system
- Cloud security reaches silicon: System for defending against memory-access attacks implemented in chips
- Electron spin brings order to high entropy alloys
- Preventing deformed limbs: New link found between physical forces and limb development
- Ants self-organize the traffic on their trails to accommodate greater numbers and speeds
- Small electric voltage alters conductivity in key materials
- Ship ballast dumps around Australia climbing increasing risk of invasive species getting foothold
- Popular pesticide hurts wild bees in major field study

Nanotechnology news

	Charged holes in graphene increase energy storage capacity Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered a method to increase the amount of electric charge that can be stored in graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon. The research, published recently online in the journal Nano Letters, may provide a better understanding of how to improve the energy storage ability of capacitors for potential applications in cars, wind turbines, and solar power.
	Small electric voltage alters conductivity in key materials Modern research has found no simple, inexpensive way to alter a material's thermal conductivity at room temperature.
	Nanoparticle drug reverses Parkinson's-like symptoms in rats As baby boomers age, the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is expected to increase. Patients who develop this disease usually start experiencing symptoms around age 60 or older. Currently, there's no cure, but scientists are reporting a novel approach that reversed Parkinson's-like symptoms in rats. Their results, published in the journal ACS Nano, could one day lead to a new therapy for human patients.
	Huge reduction of heat conduction observed in flat silicon channels Combining state-of-the-art realistic atomistic modelling and experiments, a new paper describes how thermal conductivity of an ultrathin silicon membrane is controlled to a large extent by the structure and the chemical composition of the surface. A detailed understanding of the connections of fabrication and processing to structural and thermal properties of low-dimensional nanostructures is essential to design materials and devices for phononics, nanoscale thermal management, and thermoelectric applications.

Physics news

	Exploding stars help to understand thunderclouds on Earth How is lightning initiated in thunderclouds? This is difficult to answer - how do you measure electric fields inside large, dangerously charged clouds? It was discovered, more or less by coincidence, that cosmic rays provide suitable probes to measure electric fields within thunderclouds. This surprising finding is published in Physical Review Letters on April 24th. The measurements were performed with the LOFAR radio telescope located in the Netherlands.
	Smaller and cheaper particle accelerators? Traditionally, particle accelerators have relied on electric fields generated by radio waves to drive electrons and other particles close to the speed of light. But in radio-frequency machines there is an upper limit on the electric field before the walls of the accelerator "break down," causing it to not perform properly, and leading to equipment damage.
	Chemists create 'comb' that detects terahertz waves with extreme precision Light can come in many frequencies, only a small fraction of which can be seen by humans. Between the invisible low-frequency radio waves used by cell phones and the high frequencies associated with infrared light lies a fairly wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum occupied by what are called terahertz, or sometimes submillimeter, waves. Exploitation of these waves could lead to many new applications in fields ranging from medical imaging to astronomy, but terahertz waves have proven tricky to produce and study in the laboratory. Now, Caltech chemists have created a device that generates and detects terahertz waves over a wide spectral range with extreme precision, allowing it to be used as an unparalleled tool for measuring terahertz waves.
	Expanding the reach of metallic glass Metallic glass, a class of materials that offers both pliability and strength, is poised for a friendly takeover of the chemical landscape.
	Electron spin brings order to high entropy alloys Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered that electron spin brings a previously unknown degree of order to the high entropy alloy nickel iron chromium cobalt (NiFeCrCo) - and may play a role in giving the alloy its desirable properties.
	Putting a new spin on computing memory Ever since computers have been small enough to be fixtures on desks and laps, their central processing has functioned something like an atomic Etch A Sketch, with electromagnetic fields pushing data bits into place to encode data. Unfortunately, the same drawbacks and perils of the mechanical sketch board have been just as pervasive in computing: making a change often requires starting from the beginning, and dropping the device could wipe out the memory altogether. As computers continue to shrink—moving from desks and laps to hands and wrists—memory has to become smaller, stable and more energy conscious. A group of researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering is trying to do just that with help from a new class of materials, whose magnetism can essentially be controlled by the flick of a switch.
	From metal to insulator and back again New work from Carnegie's Russell Hemley and Ivan Naumov hones in on the physics underlying the recently discovered fact that some metals stop being metallic under pressure. Their work is published in Physical Review Letters.
	Electrons move like light in three-dimensional solid Electrons were observed to travel in a solid at an unusually high velocity, which remained the same independent of the electron energy. This anomalous light-like behavior is found in special two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, but is now realized in a three-dimensional bulk material. High-resolution angle-resolved electron spectroscopy, stimulated by synchrotron x-ray radiation, was used to substantiate the theoretically predicted exotic electron structure.
	Quantum 'paparazzi' film photons in the act of pairing up In the quantum world of light, being distinguishable means staying lonely. Only those photons that are indistinguishable can wind up in a pair, through what is called Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. This subtle quantum effect has been successfully imaged for the first time by two doctoral students from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw.

Earth news

	Weird: Four rainbows photographed, but not quadruple rainbow A photo of four rainbows in New York is striking a pot of gold on social media, but an expert in such rare events said this isn't quite the quadruple miracle that it seems.
	Top experts call for zero-carbon world by 2050 A group of top international experts on Wednesday urged governments to stick to their promises to combat climate change and said the aim should be to create a "zero-carbon society" by 2050.
New York City aims to cut its waste by 90 percent by 2030 The nation's biggest city, in a far-reaching effort to limit its impact on the environment, is set to mark Earth Day by announcing a plan to reduce its waste output by 90 percent by 2030.
	International experts analyze impacts of Ethiopian dam According to present plans, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)—now under construction across the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia—will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, and one of the 12 largest in the world. But controversy has surrounded the project ever since it was announced in 2011—especially concerning its possible effects on Sudan and Egypt, downstream nations that rely heavily on the waters of the Nile for agriculture, industry, and drinking water.
	Magma intrusion is likely source of Columbia-Ecuador border quake swarms The "seismic crisis" around the region of the Chiles and Cerro Negro de Mayasquer volcanoes near the Columbia-Ecuador border is likely caused by intruding magma, according to a report by R. Corredor Torres of the Servicio Geológico Colombiano and colleagues presented at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America (SSA).
	Earthquake potential where there is no earthquake history It may seem unlikely that a large earthquake would take place hundreds of kilometers away from a tectonic plate boundary, in areas with low levels of strain on the crust from tectonic motion. But major earthquakes such as the Mw 7.9 2008 Chengdu quake in China and New Zealand's 2011 Mw 6.3 quake have shown that large earthquakes do occur and can cause significant infrastructure damage and loss of life. So what should seismologists look for if they want to identify where an earthquake might happen despite the absence of historical seismic activity?
	New study shows how discarded plastic bags are smothering marine life New research shows that plastic litter can smother marine life, dramatically reducing the numbers of organisms – and compromising the ecosystem services they provide – in coastal marshes.
'Considerable scope' for improvement in agricultural pollution During the industrial era, financial indicators were a company's primary measuring stick. But as the concept of sustainable development has gained relevance, a fundamental change in the assumptions underlying how businesses are measured has also started to take hold.
	More Americans at risk from strong earthquakes, says new report More than 143 million Americans living in the 48 contiguous states are exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking from earthquakes, with as many as 28 million people likely to experience strong shaking during their lifetime, according to research discussed at the annual meeting of Seismological Society of America. The report puts the average long-term value of building losses from earthquakes at $4.5 billion per year, with roughly 80 percent of losses attributed to California, Oregon and Washington.
	Miami Beach sees rising seas as no threat to real estate boom, for now Miami Beach's condo boom is bubbling hot, with glass towers being built as fast as they can be—even as scientists say rising seas could swamp much of the storied city by the century's end.
	Beijing govt says air had less pollution in first part of year A key measure of air pollutants in China's capital showed a 19 percent drop in the first three months of the year, local authorities said Wednesday.
	High levels of lead contamination in northeast Tasmanian drinking water A new study into lead contamination in North-East Tasmanian drinking water has revealed high levels of lead, from a surprising source.
New initiative explores African opportunities for sustainable food systems Sustainable improvement of food and nutrition security and the livelihoods of African farmers are at issue when 23 African and European research partners collaborate on a long term research and innovation partnership. The focus is on sustainable intensification of the agro-food system in Africa.
	Carnegie launches next generation airborne laboratory for Earth Carnegie Science announces the launch of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory-3 (CAO-3), the most scientifically advanced aircraft-based mapping and data analytics system in civil aviation today. "The future of ecosystem research takes off," remarked principal investigator Greg Asner of Carnegie's Department of Global Ecology.
	Earthquake 'super-cycle' patterns on the Garlock fault A new look at slip rate data and geologic evidence for ancient earthquakes on the central Garlock fault suggest that seismic activity along the fault may be controlled in part by "super-cycle" changes in strain that occur on thousand-year timescales.

Astronomy & Space news

	Immobilized Yutu rover still providing valuable lunar data (Phys.org)—The Chinese Chang'e 3 mission to the moon successfully landed and deployed the Yutu rover in December 2013. Although the rover experienced operational difficulties after 14 days, it is still gathering and transmitting useful lunar data.
	First exoplanet visible light spectrum Astronomers using the HARPS planet-hunting machine at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile have made the first-ever direct detection of the spectrum of visible light reflected off an exoplanet. These observations also revealed new properties of this famous object, the first exoplanet ever discovered around a normal star: 51 Pegasi b. The result promises an exciting future for this technique, particularly with the advent of next generation instruments, such as ESPRESSO, on the VLT, and future telescopes, such as the E-ELT.
	Most powerful space telescope ever to launch in 2018 As the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 25 years in space this week, NASA and its international partners are building an even more powerful tool to look deeper into the universe than ever before.
	The clusters of monster stars that lit up the early universe The first stars in the Universe were born several hundred million years after the Big Bang, ending a period known as the cosmological 'dark ages' – when atoms of hydrogen and helium had formed, but nothing shone in visible light. Now two Canadian researchers have calculated what these objects were like: they find that the first stars could have clustered together in phenomenally bright groups, with periods when they were as luminous as 100 million Suns. Alexander DeSouza and Shantanu Basu, both of the University of Western Ontario in Canada, publish their results in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
	Tau Ceti: The next Earth? Probably not As the search continues for Earth-size planets orbiting at just the right distance from their star, a region termed the habitable zone, the number of potentially life-supporting planets grows. In two decades we have progressed from having no extrasolar planets to having too many to search. Narrowing the list of hopefuls requires looking at extrasolar planets in a new way. Applying a nuanced approach that couples astronomy and geophysics, Arizona State University researchers report that from that long list we can cross off cosmic neighbor Tau Ceti.
	Hubble Space Telescope marking 25th anniversary in orbit One of NASA's crowning glories, the Hubble Space Telescope, marks its 25th anniversary this week.
	Why the Hubble Space Telescope has been such a stellar success When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched back in April 1990 the World Wide Web was just months old and iPads only existed on Star Trek.
	A new collaboration to aid the search for life on distant worlds A new NASA initiative is embracing a team approach to the problem of finding life on planets around other stars.
	The race is still on for a reusable rocket despite the SpaceX setback The commercial company SpaceX has now completed six successful re-supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Along the way it has created a lot of headaches for its competitors, who don't appear to be able to compete on a cost basis.
	Enormous hole in the universe may not be the only one Astronomers have found evidence of a giant void that could be the largest known structure in the universe. The "supervoid" solves a controversial cosmic puzzle: it explains the origin of a large and anomalously cold region of the sky. However, future observations are needed to confirm the discovery and determine whether the void is unique.
	Perseverance paves way for wind laser Developing new satellite instruments is always challenging, but at times more head-scratching is needed to create something truly cutting-edge. ESA's Aeolus mission may have caused a few headaches along the way, but its wind lasers are now ready and the task of putting the rest of the instrument together can begin for launch in 2016.
	What it took to get the Hubble Space Telescope off the ground Iconic images of astronomical pillars of gas and dust, views of galaxies soon after they were formed, an accelerating universe driven by Dark Energy… "give us more!" say the public and the taxpayers. The Hubble Space Telescope is undoubtedly one of the most popular science projects today. It was not always thus.
	PHOTOS: Hubble's turn to smile, marks 25 years in orbit Hubble, it's your turn to smile for the cameras!
US astronaut launches geography quiz on Twitter American astronaut Scott Kelly has launched a geography quiz on Twitter and will post a picture from the International Space Station each week so fans can guess his location.
	Image: Laser test bench This ESA test bench is usually shrouded in darkness, except for the laser beam being projected across it.

Technology news

	Mt. Everest biogas digester project aims to treat human waste "I climbed Mount Everest." This is a boast that some climbers worldwide may think about as the reward for the biggest challenge of a lifetime. For Nepalese and foreign professionals who work there, getting up and down is not the only issue weighing on their minds. Climbers and adventurous trekkers arrive at the world-famous site and then leave with their memories but the human waste that they leave behind is a problem. The waste is attended to but there is a problem.
	Cloud security reaches silicon: System for defending against memory-access attacks implemented in chips In the last 10 years, computer security researchers have shown that malicious hackers don't need to see your data in order to steal your data. From the pattern in which your computer accesses its memory banks, adversaries can infer a shocking amount about what's stored there.
	Gamers feel the glove: Student team creates feedback device for the hand for virtual environments (w/ Video) Rice University engineering students are working to make virtual reality a little more real with their invention of a glove that allows a user to feel what they're touching while gaming.
	Security meet hears about "No iOS Zone" vulnerability At the RSA security conference in San Francisco. a security firm's researchers presented what they said was a vulnerability allowing attackers to crash iOS devices in range of a WiFi hotspot. Chris Mills in Gizmodo reacted to the news and said "Gulp." The attack can occur whether or not the victim deliberately connects.
	Solar plane Pacific-crossing a 'human challenge' The pilot set to attempt an ambitious crossing of the Pacific Ocean in a solar-powered plane said on Wednesday that the flight will not only test the aircraft but his own endurance as well.
	Google launches its own mobile telephone service Google said Wednesday it was launching its own US mobile wireless service, with considerable potential savings for customers using their devices at home and for international travel.
	Google's Waze app to alert kidnappings in LA Alerts about hit-and-runs and kidnappings in Los Angeles will soon pop up on traffic app Waze, along with road closure information, the West Coast city's mayor said.
	Self-driving cars hold key to future highway: Google exec Self-driving vehicles hold the key to reducing traffic fatalities and will transform the automobile industry, a top Google executive predicted Tuesday.
	China tech firms shake up world's biggest car market Chinese technology giants Alibaba and Tencent are promising to build the cars of the future, vehicles linked seamlessly to the Internet and offering shopping and navigation help while on the road.
Uber to return—legally—to Portland, Oregon It's been dubbed "Taxis Gone Wild," and for the next 120 days Oregon's largest city will see a big shakeup in an old-school industry.
	Review: Plenty of options for HBO online, not enough time HBO Now, the cable channel's new stand-alone streaming service, is both a blessing and a curse.
	Privacy advocates seek more openness on NSA surveillance As Congress considers whether to extend the life of a program that sweeps up American phone records, privacy advocates and civil liberties groups say too much about government surveillance remains secret for the public to fully evaluate its reach or effectiveness.
	Sony narrows annual loss forecast as sales pick up Sony on Wednesday chopped its loss forecast for the just-ended fiscal year owing to a pick up in sales and falling costs in its home entertainment business.
	Doxxing, swatting and the new trends in online harassment Imagine this: there's a knock at your door. "Pizza delivery!" It's the fifth time in the last hour that you've had to say to a delivery-person: "No, I really didn't order anything." That's irritating.
	If airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi, they should invest in an extra black box for security In-flight Wi-Fi is one of the most sought-after facilities for air travellers these days, now that laptops and smartphones are so common and so much of our working and personal life revolves around online services.
	Researchers test brain activity to identify cybersecurity threats The old adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link certainly applies to the risk organizations face in defending against cybersecurity threats. Employees pose a danger that can be just as damaging as a hacker.
	Streaming, binge-watching gain in US: survey American consumers are increasingly streaming television instead of viewing live broadcasts, often using services like Netflix for binge-watching, a survey showed Wednesday.
	Drivers want new safety technology, but it will cost them Drivers want more collision-prevention technology in their cars, but there is a limit to how much they will pay.
House passes bill designed to thwart cyberattacks The House on Wednesday passed long-awaited legislation designed to thwart cyberattacks by encouraging private companies to share information about the attackers' methods with each other and the government.
	NERSC, Cray move forward with next-generation scientific computing The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Research Scientific Computing (NERSC) Center and Cray Inc. announced today that they have finalized a new contract for a Cray XC40 supercomputer that will be the first NERSC system installed in the newly built Computational Research and Theory facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
	Feeling safe? Try attending Internet security conference A conference of Internet security experts is not for the faint of heart.
	Facebook profit down but revenues, user base grow Facebook said Wednesday that profit in the first quarter plunged 20 percent from a year ago but revenues got a lift from robust growth in mobile advertising.
S. Korea, US strike new civil nuclear deal South Korea and the United States agreed a new nuclear cooperation pact Wednesday that stopped short of granting Seoul the permission it had sought to start reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.
	Sensor detects when a driver drank too much alcohol and blocks the vehicle As a strategy to decrease road accidents caused under the influence of alcohol, a group of young students at the Institute of Technology of Cintalapa, Chiapas, (southeast state of Mexico) have developed an automotive safety system that detects the alcohol blood level of a person and prevents them from driving.
Industrial virtual factory lowers costs and reduces emissions In collaboration with European companies and research institutes, VTT has developed a cloud-based, easily customized, modular software platform for improving the sustainability performance of industrial products by lowering production costs and reducing emissions. The platform provides a virtual collaborative environment for organisations that are jointly developing the same product and/or service.
	Taxes and renewable energy surcharges raise the cost of wind power On 22 April 2015, it is world Earth Day. The idea is to raise awareness of the need to rely on renewable energy. The EU requires its member states to provide a a 27% share of renewable energies by 2030—up from a 23.3% share of the overall electricity generated in Europe in 2012. Thus, wind power is on the rise. But its success depends on European countries' renewable energy policies, which have a knock on effect on raising electricity bills.
Senate leaders propose extending NSA phone records storage Weeks before a key surveillance law expires, Senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would allow the National Security Agency to continue collecting the calling records of nearly every American.
	A 'Beat the Clock' for the YouTube generation This isn't your grandparents' "Beat the Clock."
Vehicle cost, lack of consumer information hinder purchases of plug-in electric vehicles Vehicle cost, current battery technology, and inadequate consumer knowledge are some of the barriers preventing widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. Developing less expensive, better performing batteries is essential to reducing overall vehicle cost, and a market strategy is needed to create awareness and overcome customer uncertainty. The report recommends a range of incentives that the federal government can offer to address these and other barriers.
	Small business: visa quotas hinder finding skilled help Some small business owners say government quotas are keeping them from finding the highly skilled help they need.
White House hackers 'Russian speakers': researchers Hackers who penetrated the State Department and White House computer networks in recent month were "Russian speakers," security researchers said Wednesday.

Chemistry news

	Engineering the P450 enzyme to perform new reactions Enzymes, the micro machines in our cells, can evolve to perform new tasks when confronted with novel situations. But what if you want an enzyme to do an entirely different job—one that it would never have to do in a cell? In a recent report published in ACS Central Science, researchers show that they can mimic nature and perform evolution in a test tube, developing enzymes that can perform brand-new chemical reactions.
Invisible inks could help foil counterfeiters of all kinds Real or counterfeit? Northwestern University scientists have invented sophisticated fluorescent inks that one day could be used as multicolored barcodes for consumers to authenticate products that are often counterfeited. Snap a photo with your smartphone, and it will tell you if the item is real and worth your money.
	Student creates powerful catalyst from potassium Of what use is a newborn baby? This rhetorical question, variously attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday and Thomas Edison, is meant to suggest that a novel discovery or invention whose ultimate utility is not yet known should be viewed as a bouncing bundle of potential.
	A 'frozen reaction' as key to eco-friendly chemical catalysis Enzymes are naturally existing biocatalysts of great potential for application in sustainable chemistry. Yet, controlling enzyme reactions at atomic level is still a challenge in biology. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology provide novel tools to study enzyme catalysis, which allow them to direct the incorporation of 'naked hydrogen atoms' into substrates.
	A leap for 'artificial leaf': Generating power by breaking up water molecules As an idea, the notion of an "artificial leaf" was always meant to be simple: Could scientists, using a handful of relatively cheap materials, harness the power of light to generate two powerful fuels—hydrogen and oxygen—by breaking apart water molecules?
	Scientists watch living taste cells in action Scientists have for the first time captured live images of the process of taste sensation on the tongue.
	Decoding the cell's genetic filing system A fully extended strand of human DNA measures about five feet in length. Yet it occupies a space just one-tenth of a cell by wrapping itself around histones—spool-like proteins—to form a dense hub of information called chromatin.
	3D-printed aerogels improve energy storage A new type of graphene aerogel will make for better energy storage, sensors, nanoelectronics, catalysis and separations.
Survey results link role of principal investigators to lab safety Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in academic research laboratories say that they witness and experience fewer accidents and injuries when the lab's lead faculty member or supervisor is actively engaged in safety programs, according to a UCLA study.
	Biomimetic access to yellow pigment found in red sandalwood The sandalwood tree (Pterocarpus santalinus) provides a durable timber that is used in Asia both as a source of incense and as the basis for devotional figurines, chess-pieces, and prayer beads. The characteristic red color of this precious hardwood is due to the presence of several complex secondary metabolites, such as the santalins and santarubins.
	Study resolves molecular structures of Spiegelmers for the first time Using DESY's ultra bright X-ray source PETRA III, scientists have resolved the molecular structure of two promising drug candidates from the new group of Spiegelmers for the first time. The results provide a deeper understanding of the mode of action of these substances that have already entered clinical trials. The researchers from the Universities of Hamburg and Aarhus (Denmark) together with colleagues from the biotech company NOXXON in Berlin present their work in the journal Nature Communications.
	Drug research enhanced by fragment screening libraries Generation of fragment screening libraries could enhance the analysis and application of natural products for medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, according to Griffith University's Professor Ronald Quinn.
	Soy: It's good for eating, baking—and cleaning up crude oil spills If you've studied ingredient labels on food packaging, you've probably noticed that soy lecithin is in a lot of products, ranging from buttery spreads to chocolate cake. Scientists have now found a potential new role for this all-purpose substance: dispersing crude oil spills. Their study, which could lead to a less toxic way to clean up these environmental messes, appears in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
Desert plant could bolster world's supply of natural rubber Tropical plantations in Southeast Asia have supplied most of the essential, natural rubber for truck, car and airplane tires for the past century. Now the tire industry and others say they're finally overcoming long-standing challenges to turn a desert shrub into an alternative source of the stretchy material. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) explains that the latest developments will help diversify an otherwise vulnerable supply chain.

Biology news

	All will be illuminated: Real-time multicolor imaging with luminescent protein-based Nano-lanterns While fluorescence imaging (in which external light is used to excite a specimen that then emits light in response) is essential in cell biology, it has a number of significant drawbacks, including autofluorescence, phototoxicity and photobleaching, resulting from that excitation light. In addition, fluorescence imaging has the unfortunate side effect of triggering cellular activation when combined with optogenetics – an otherwise extremely valuable tool. On the other hand, luminescence (in this case, a type of chemiluminescence called bioluminescence) imaging doesn't require light activation, and so eschews these issues – but currently suffers from low brightness and poor color variants.
	Myth of tolerant dogs and aggressive wolves refuted Dogs are regarded as more tolerant and less aggressive compared to their ancestors, the wolves. Researchers from the Messerli Research Institute at the Vetmeduni Vienna question this image. They show in a recent study that wolves interact with conspecifics in an even more tolerant way than dogs, suggesting that dogs have a steeper dominance hierarchy than wolves. The results will be published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
	Proteins for anxiety in humans and moulting in insects have common origin Neuropeptides are small proteins in the brains of all animals that bind to receptor proteins and cause activity in cells. The researchers at Queen Mary University of London, led by Professor Maurice Elphick, were investigating whether a particular sea urchin neuropeptide was an evolutionary link between neuropeptides in humans and insects.
	Evolution makes invading species spread even faster Today, invasive animals and plants spread all around the globe. Predicting the dynamics of these invasions is of great ecological and socioeconomical interest. Yet studying them is fundamentally challenging because of the large spatial and temporal scales involved. Scientists at Eawag and University of Zurich are now using computer simulations and small artificial laboratory worlds, to study how rapid evolution makes invaders spread even faster.
	Look mom, no eardrums: Studying evolution beyond the fossil record Researchers at the RIKEN Evolutionary Morphology Laboratory and the University of Tokyo in Japan have determined that the eardrum evolved independently in mammals and diapsids—the taxonomic group that includes reptiles and birds.
	Sailing against prevailing winds, spotting big islands: Calculating how the Pacific was settled Using statistics that describe how an infectious disease spreads, a University of Utah anthropologist analyzed different theories of how people first settled islands of the vast Pacific between 3,500 and 900 years ago. Adrian Bell found the two most likely strategies were to travel mostly against prevailing winds and seek easily seen islands, not necessarily the nearest islands.
	Spread of pathogens between species is predictable, research finds A study of disease dynamics in a California grassland has revealed fundamental principles underlying the spread of pathogens among species, with broad implications for the maintenance of biodiversity and for addressing practical problems related to plant diseases.
	Boldness in individuals linked with shell shape protectiveness in pond snails (Phys.org)—A team of researchers affiliated with Lund University in Sweden has found that "bolder" snails from a local pond tended to have stronger, more protective shells than their meeker peers. In their paper published in Royal Society Biology Letters, the team describes how they raised snails, measured them and also tested for boldness, and what their findings may mean for the phenotypic compensation' hypothesis.
	Low-reflection wings make butterflies nearly invisible The effect is known from the smart phone: Sun is reflected by the display and hardly anything can be seen. In contrast to this, the glasswing butterfly hardly reflects any light in spite of its transparent wings. As a result, it is difficult for predatory birds to track the butterfly during the flight. Researchers of KIT under the direction of Hendrik Hölscher found that irregular nanostructures on the surface of the butterfly wing cause the low reflection. In theoretical experiments, they succeeded in reproducing the effect that opens up fascinating application options, e.g. for displays of mobile phones or laptops.
	Ants self-organize the traffic on their trails to accommodate greater numbers and speeds Rather than slowing down, ants speed up in response to a higher density of traffic on their trails, according to new research published in Springer's journal The Science of Nature – Naturwissenschaften. When the researchers increased the supply of food by leaving food next to the trail, ants accelerated their speed by 50 percent. This was despite more than double the density of traffic.
	Preventing deformed limbs: New link found between physical forces and limb development University of Toronto engineers and a pediatric surgeon have joined forces to discover that physical forces like pressure and tension affect the development of limbs in embryos—research that could someday be used to help prevent birth defects.
	Marmosets found to learn to take turns when vocalizing (Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with the University of California has found that marmosets learn to wait for others to stop making noise before they vocalize, at a very young age. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Cecilia Chow, Jude Mitchell and Cory Miller describe a study they undertook with young marmoset twins and their parents and what they learned by doing so.
	Ship ballast dumps around Australia climbing increasing risk of invasive species getting foothold (Phys.org)—A small team of math and biological researchers with the University of Adelaide, has found that the amount of ballast water being dumped into the waters around Australia more than doubled over a thirteen year study period increasing the possibly of invasive species introduction. In their paper published in Royal Society Open Science, the team describes how they studied historic ballast data to create a model of ballast dumping, and discovered that most of the increase can be attributed to mining operations.
	Popular pesticide hurts wild bees in major field study A common type of pesticide is dramatically harming wild bees, according to a new in-the-field study that outside experts say may help shift the way the U.S. government looks at a controversial class of chemicals.
	Twins experiment reveals genetic link with mosquito bites The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be down to our genes, according to a study carried out on twins.
	DNA of bacteria crucial to ecosystem defies explanation Scientists have found something they can't quite explain in one of the most barren environments on Earth: a bacterium whose DNA sequence contains elements usually only found in a much higher organism.
	Frozen semen earmarked for Washington giant panda The National Zoo in Washington is hoping to get its giant panda Mei Xiang pregnant this spring after taking delivery of frozen panda semen from China for the first time.
	Ecosystems not searching for balance Species abundances in natural ecosystems may never settle at a stable equilibrium. Biologists from the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Leigh Marine Laboratory (New Zealand) and Cornell University (USA) report that species in one of the world's oldest marine reserves showed chaotic fluctuations for more than 20 years. The species replaced each other in cyclic order, yet the exact timing and abundances of the species were unpredictable. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
	Grey squirrels' role as hosts of Lyme disease bacteria under the spotlight Grey squirrels have been described as one of the 'world's worst invasive species' and have caused a decline in indigenous red squirrel populations and damaged forestry in the UK.
	Testosterone key to new bird bang theory New research from a Wake Forest University biologist who studies animal behavior suggests that evolution is hard at work when it comes to the acrobatic courtship dances of a tropical bird species.
	Invasion of the earthworms, mapped and analyzed An international research team is bringing a new weapon to bear against invasive earthworms.
	Flame retardants could contribute to hyperthyroidism in older cats For years, health advocates have been pushing to ban some flame retardants for their potentially harmful effects, especially on young children and infants. Now scientists report these compounds could play a role in a common health problem for one of our most beloved pets: cats. In the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, a new study found that cats with hyperthyroidism had high levels of certain flame retardants, hinting at a possible link.
New genetic test will improve biosecurity of honey bees around the globe A genetic test that can prevent 'killer' bees from spreading around the world has been created in a research effort led by University of Sydney scholars jointly with York University scientists.
	How foreign animals affect Newfoundland's food chain It's not just the people that make Newfoundland unique; it's the animals too—both the native species and those that come-from-away.
	Researchers discover new method to detect most common bacteria contaminating oysters In a major breakthrough in shellfish management and disease prevention, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have discovered a new method to detect a bacterium that has contaminated New England oyster beds and sickened consumers who ate the contaminated shellfish. The new patent-pending detection method - which is available for immediate use to identify contaminated shellfish - is a significant advance in efforts to identify shellfish harboring disease-carrying strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
	First invasive lionfish discovered in Brazil A single fish caught with a hand spear off the Brazilian coast is making big waves across the entire southwestern Atlantic. In May 2014, a group of recreational divers spotted an adult lionfish—the voracious invader Pterois volitans—in the rocky reefs of southeastern Brazil. A group of researchers, including scientists from the California Academy of Sciences, used genetic analysis to link the lionfish to the infamous Caribbean population of invaders. In light of a separate study detailing the lionfish penchant for eating critically endangered Caribbean reef fish, news of lionfish in Brazilian waters raises alarm for Atlantic reefs and the region's already-threatened marine life. The discovery is published this week in PLOS ONE.
	Arctic beetles may be ideal marker of climate change Wanna know about climate change? Ask a beetle.
	EU agrees opt-out deal for GMO imports The EU announced plans Wednesday to allow member states to individually decide whether to allow the import of controversial genetically modified foods and animal feed, drawing a sharp US response.
	Birds show surprising resilience in the face of natural stresses Life as a wild baby bird can involve a lot of stress; competing with your siblings, dealing with extreme weather, and going hungry due to habitat loss are just a few examples. However, birds have an amazing capacity to overcome stresses experienced early in life and go on to reproductive success as adults, according to a new Perspective paper in The Auk: Ornithological Advances by Hugh Drummond and Sergio Ancona of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
	Backyard birds enhance life in urban neighborhoods How aware are you of the birds that live in your neighborhood? Do you know how many different species there are? Do enjoy your local birds, or find them annoying? J. Amy Belaire of St. Edward's University, Lynne Westphal of the U.S. Forest Service, and Emily Minor and Christopher Whelan of the University of Illinois at Chicago visited urban neighborhoods in the Chicago area to answer these questions and learn more about how people see their backyard birds. Their results, published in a new paper in The Condor: Ornithological Applications, provide a fascinating look at the relationship between people and nature in a city setting.
	EU executive body wants member states to rule on GM crop ban The European Union started legislative work on Wednesday that would allow individual nations to ban the imports of genetically modified crops even if approved by the food safety authority of the 28-nation bloc.
	Soil moisture detector helps protect endangered South African forest A University of Nebraska-Lincoln researcher's high-tech soil moisture detector is being put to the test in the wild. Hydrogeophysicist Trenton Franz is applying technology developed for precision agriculture to help protect an endangered native forest in South Africa.
	Faster method to spay cats found to be safe, effective A new type of procedure to spay female cats has been shown to be safe, effective, and saves a little bit of time – which can be important in some high-volume programs such as those operated by animal shelters.
	India plans more tiger reserves as big cat numbers jump India is planning more tiger reserves across the country, bolstered by a recent survey that shows the big cats' numbers are growing, an official said Wednesday.
	Worried sick over canine flu? Tips to help protect your pup An outbreak of canine flu has sickened more than 1,000 dogs in the Midwest, killing a handful and stirring concern among animal lovers nationwide that the highly contagious virus will sideline their pets.
Sea lion pup waddles away from water, gets ride back to sea A healthy sea lion pup that was returned to the sea by deputies after waddling a quarter-mile onshore seemed to be staying in the waves on Wednesday—at least for now, officers said.
	Flameproof falcons and hawks: Most polluted bird on record found in Vancouver A Cooper's hawk, found in Greater Vancouver, is the most polluted wild bird that has been found anywhere in the world. A team of Canadian researchers made this startling discovery while analyzing liver samples from birds of prey that were discovered either injured or dead in the Vancouver area. The levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the contaminated Cooper's hawk were 196 parts per million, significantly higher than those recorded in birds found either in cities in California or in an electronic waste site in China. PBDEs are a group of chemicals that act as flame retardants and were once used widely in computers, stereos, televisions, vehicles, carpets and furniture.

Medicine & Health news

	A recipe for long-lasting livers People waiting for organ transplants may soon have higher hopes of getting the help that they need in time. Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology have developed a new technique that extends the time that donor organs last and can also resuscitate organs obtained after cardiac arrest.
	Stem cell scientists develop more effective way to create motor neurons Often described as the final frontier of biology, the nervous system is a complex network comprised of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that run through the body. Published today by scientists led by Bennett Novitch, Ph.D. at the Eli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, new research using embryonic stem cells enhances the study of this intricate and perplexing system. Such discoveries are vital to the understanding and treatment of devastating disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and spinal muscular atrophy, which are caused by the loss or degeneration of motor neurons – the nerves that control muscle movement.
	Researchers develop Ebola treatment effective three days after infection Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp., have successfully developed a post-exposure treatment that is effective against a specific strain of the Ebola virus that killed thousands of people in West Africa.
	New drug 'dials down' protein synthesis to treat demyelinating diseases In 2013, University at Buffalo researchers published a paper showing how slowing down protein synthesis can improve myelin production and repair in some demyelinating diseases, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, (CMT). The research held promise for other misfolded protein diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
	Harnessing the clinical potential of microvesicles released from cancer cells Over the past few years, extracellular vesicles, or membrane sacs secreted from cells, have emerged as important mediators by which cells communicate with their surroundings to regulate a diverse range of biological processes. In addition, specialized roles for extracellular vesicles are beginning to be recognized in various diseases including cancer, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. Moreover, engineered extracellular vesicles are likely to have applications in drug delivery.
	3D structure solved for vulnerable region of glaucoma-causing protein Scientists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a key part of a protein that is associated with glaucoma and identified regions of this domain that correlate with severe forms of the disease.
	Toxic mushroom-based drug may help battle colorectal cancer For some time, cancer scientists have considered the toxin, alpha-amanatin derived from "death cap" mushrooms, as a possible cancer treatment. However, due to its penchant for causing liver toxicity, its potential as an effective therapy has been limited.
	Scientists discover asthma's potential root cause and a novel treatment Published today in Science Translational Medicine journal, Cardiff University researchers, working in collaboration with scientists at King's College London and the Mayo Clinic (USA), describe the previously unproven role of the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) in causing asthma, a disease which affects 300 million people worldwide.
	How to identify drugs that work best for each cancer patient More than 100 drugs have been approved to treat cancer, but predicting which ones will help a particular patient is an inexact science at best.
Concerns over UK government plan to increase participation in school rugby The UK government plan to fund and to increase participation in rugby in schools has not been informed by injury data, warn experts in The BMJ this week.
	Metformin use may not improve pancreatic cancer survival Metformin use did not improve survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in a retrospective cohort study, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, April 18-22.
	Most cancer patients want tumor profiling, even if it reveals other genetic risks Most cancer patients would opt for tumor profiling even if the test revealed that they or their families were at risk for other genetic diseases, according to a Yale Cancer Center study. The findings were presented April 21 at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2015 in Philadelphia.
New finding could help develop test for kidney disease Scientists at The University of Manchester have made an important finding that could help develop an early test for kidney disease.
Social exchange can amplify subjective fears The world is a risky place. But our subjective fears and anxieties are often at odds with the evidence. New findings by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University of Konstanz show that subjective fears about potential risks may be amplified in social exchange. Their findings have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
FACC-29 gathers authenticated canine cancer cell lines for research and drug development Much of what we know about cancer and many modern medicines that treat it grow from experiments on cancer cells. However, it is notoriously difficult to maintain the integrity of cell lines - due to contamination or simple mistakes such as mislabeling, later generations of a cell line may bear no resemblance to the original sample, potentially invalidating results of research performed on mistaken cells. For this reason, the National Cancer Institute maintains a library of 60 authenticated human cancer cell lines for the purposes of research, called the NCI-60.
	Triple negative breast cancer in African-American women has distinct difference What makes triple negative breast cancer more lethal in African American women than White women or women of European descent? A new study reveals specific genetic alterations that appears to impact their prognosis and ultimately survival rates. The study will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015 in Philadelphia.
	Team shows how blood-brain barrier is maintained The brain is a privileged organ in the body. So vital to life, the brain is protected from alterations elsewhere in the body by a highly regulated gateway known as the blood-brain barrier, which allows only selected molecules to pass through.
	How the immune system fights worm infections The immune system can 'remember' infectious invaders. EPFL scientists now show how immune memory triggers the body's ability to repair tissues damaged during worm infections. The work could lead to better drugs against worms, but also to treatments that actually promote wound healing.
Studies reveal severe diabetes worsens Parkinson's symptoms A pair of studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate a correlation between diabetes severity and parkinsonism, or parkinsonian tremors; and examine the caregiving differences between men and women with PD.
	Plasma Ap0A1 associates with age at onset and motor severity in early Parkinson's disease Building on previous research showing that plasma Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) may be a useful biomarker for Parkinson's disease, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have replicated these findings in approximately 1,000 patients from across the world, upholding their initial findings from a screen of many candidate proteins. Their work will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, April 23.
New brain mapping model could improve effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation Brain researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new brain mapping model which could improve the success rate of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in treating conditions including depression, neuropathic pain, and stroke. The model helps pinpoint target sites during TMS, a procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to alleviate or eliminate symptoms of stroke, depression, and attention disorders. The new model will be presented at the 67th American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 22.
A transportable MRI machine to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients Victoria University of Wellington has designed a transportable MRI machine to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients.
	Researchers seek to decode the mechanics of the lower vertebrae Thanks to a collaboration with the Balgrist University Hospital and University of Pittsburgh, Empa is beginning to decode the mechanics of the lower vertebrae. Researchers would like be able to reveal how wear and tear comes about on vertebral bodies and spinal disks. This would also make choosing the appropriate therapy much easier.
	Personality, sexual orientation influence online dating site use Your personality and sexual orientation could affect how you use online dating sites—even if your uses do not include finding a life partner, according to a new study led by SF State researcher Chris Clemens.
	Reducing school bus pollution improves children's health Use of clean fuels and updated pollution control measures in the school buses 25 million children ride every day could result in 14 million fewer absences from school a year, based on a study by the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.
Programs for college students suffering from depression, anxiety and stress Is it possible to prevent mental health problems in higher education students? The answer is "yes" according to a team of psychologists from Loyola University Chicago who conducted a careful, systematic review of 103 universal interventions involving over 10,000 students enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities and graduate programs. The findings appear in the May 2015 issue of Prevention Science.
	Why are HIV survival rates lower in the Deep South than the rest of the US? The Deep South region has become the epicenter of the US HIV epidemic. Despite having only 28% of the total US population, nine states in the Deep South account for nearly 40% of national HIV diagnoses. This region has the highest HIV diagnosis rates and the highest number of people living with HIV of any US region based on data for 2008-2011. And new research has found that the five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with HIV or AIDS is lower in the Deep South than in the rest of the country.
	Mechanism of action of two new synthetic drugs unravelled for the first time Substances such as 4-MEC and 4-MEPP belong to the category of new hybrid cathinone derivatives and have a highly stimulant and euphoria-inducing effect, similar to the synthetic drug mephedrone, which was banned in Austria five years ago. Until now, the mechanisms by which these two drugs worked have been unknown. Scientists at the MedUni Vienna have now been able, through an international cooperation agreement, to unravel this mechanism for the first time.
One child in five still not vaccinated: WHO One-fifth of the world's children are still not receiving routine life-saving vaccinations and efforts to ensure global immunisation coverage remain "far off track," the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
	Brain abnormalities found among those experiencing blast-related mild traumatic brain injury Individuals with mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), particularly those who have had loss of consciousness (LOC), show structural brain abnormalities in their white matter as measured by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
Cirrhosis deaths drop 41 percent from 2002 to 2012 A new study by UNC researchers has found dramatic improvements in the survival of patients with cirrhosis and liver failure supporting improved treatment strategies for patients with cirrhosis and concurrent bacterial infections.
Cloth masks—dangerous to your health? The widespread use of cloth masks by healthcare workers may actually put them at increased risk of respiratory illness and viral infections and their global use should be discouraged, according to a UNSW study.
	Global Hepatitis B epidemic can be treated for $36 per person per year Scientists at the University of Liverpool have demonstrated that a drug for treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) could be mass-produced for only £24 ($36) per person per year, versus the current UK NHS price of £4,600, and the US price of over $15,000.
	Personalizing bipolar disorder treatment Rapidly swinging from extremes of joy and energy to sadness, fatigue, and confusion, bipolar disorder (BD) patients feel desperate and largely alone in the world. And according to the National Institutes of Health, between 25-50 percent of the roughly 3% of Americans living with BD attempt suicide at least once. Lithium is among the most effective therapies for BD, and remains the first-line treatment even as other mood stabilizing drugs have become available. But about half of the patients prescribed lithium do not respond to the treatment.
	Protein Adseverin identified as key factor driving bone loss in osteoinflammatory disease Adseverin, a protein found in the body, has been identified as the key driver behind the bone loss associated with the world's most common inflammatory disease: gum disease, or periodontitis. The findings, published this month in the FASEB Journal by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry, paves the way for new preventive treatment models for this prevalent disease.
	Autism and prodigy share a common genetic link Researchers have uncovered the first evidence of a genetic link between prodigy and autism.
Study links adverse childhood experiences to pediatric asthma Robyn Wing, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Hasbro Children's Hospital, recently led a study that found children who were exposed to an adverse childhood experience (ACE) were 28 percent more likely to develop asthma. The rate of asthma occurrence further increased in children with each additional ACE exposure. The study, recently published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, suggests that psychosocial factors may contribute to pediatric asthma.
	This is your teen's brain behind the wheel A new study of teenagers and their moms reveals how adolescent brains negotiate risk - and the factors that modulate their risk-taking behind the wheel.
Papers identify effective and cost-effective treatments for complex wounds Deciding how to treat a complex wound is a bit like shopping at a supermarket: there's a lot to choose from.
	Missing genetic link found in a challenging immune disease In the largest genetic study to date of a challenging immunodeficiency disorder, scientists have identified a gene that may be a "missing link" between overactive and underactive immune activity. The gene candidate also plays a key role in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies.
	New discovery could impact the study of chronic pain conditions Researchers at the IRCM led by Artur Kania, PhD, uncovered the critical role in pain processing of a gene associated with a rare disease. Their breakthrough, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, paves the way for a better understanding of chronic pain conditions.
	CDC eyeing bird flu vaccine for humans, though risk is low Federal officials said Wednesday they're taking steps to create a human vaccine for the bird flu virus that's slammed the Midwest poultry industry, though they still consider the danger to be low and the food supply not at risk.
	Patient-doctor ethnic differences thwart end-of-life conversations Most doctors balk at talking with seriously ill patients about what's important to them in their final days, especially if the patient's ethnicity is different than their own, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Demanding jobs may increase survival in frontotemporal dementia People with more demanding jobs may live longer after developing the disease frontotemporal dementia than people with less skilled jobs, according to a new study published in the April 22, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Frontotemporal dementia, which often affects people under the age of 65, results in changes in personality or behavior and problems with language, but does not affect the memory.
Cancer scan could remove need for radiotherapy for cured patients A UK National Cancer Research Institute trial led from The University of Manchester and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust has suggested that in patients with early stage Hodgkin lymphoma the late effects of radiotherapy could be reduced by using a scan to determine those who actually need it.
Alcoholic hepatitis treatments fail to keep patients alive The main drugs used to treat alcoholic hepatitis are not effective at increasing patients' survival, a major study has found.
NEJM perspective: 'Patient CARE Act' Medicaid block grant likely unconstitutional The Medicaid block grant proposed as part of the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility and Empowerment Act ("Patient CARE Act") would radically transform Medicaid without the consent of states and would likely be considered unconstitutional, say two legal experts in a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective article published online today.
	Verbal therapy could block consolidation of fear memories in trauma victims A verbal 'updating' technique aimed at blocking the consolidation of traumatic memories could protect against the long-term psychological and physiological effects of trauma, according to new research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London and the University of Oxford.
	Boosting the malaria battle-line In a huge boost to the global fight against malaria, researchers have discovered how the malaria parasite protects itself by building resistance against the last-line in antimalarial medications, and how a new medical treatment can overcome the parasite's defences.
Researcher advises translational med hubs best place for clinical phenotyping efforts President Barack Obama launched the "Precision Medicine Initiative" this past winter during the State of the Union address, and politicians on both sides of the aisle applauded the announcement. Broadly, precision medicine is meant to help diagnose individuals more accurately and better tailor treatment according to their physiology.
	Stressed-out parasites: Overcoming drug-resistant malaria Drug resistance to the critical antimalarial therapeutics of the artemisinin family has emerged in Southeast Asia, highlighting the need to understand how these drugs work and how they can be used more effectively. Research now shows that artemisinins may function by chemically damaging the malaria parasite's proteins, causing them to activate a cellular stress response. Parasites resistant to artemisinins have developed a more vigorous stress response, making them impervious to the normal drug treatments. However, it appears that with prolonged artemisinin treatment, even this improved stress response can be overwhelmed, leading to parasite clearance. This work suggests that extending artemisinin treatment or co-administering drugs that target the stress response can overcome drug resistance.
	A promising step toward new treatment against cancer A research team of Université catholique de Louvain's de Duve Institute, co-financed by the WELBIO Institute of the Walloon Region, has developed a new treatment approach against cancer.
	Sugar and carbs, not physical inactivity, behind surge in obesity, say experts Excess sugar and carbs, not physical inactivity, are behind the surge in obesity, say experts in an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine published online today.
	Ban flavoring, ads for E-cigarettes, doctors' group says (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should ban flavorings and television ads for e-cigarettes, a prominent physicians' organization says.
	30-day unplanned readmit rate low but costly in head, neck Sx (HealthDay)—For patients undergoing head and neck surgery, 30-day unplanned readmission rates are low, but costly, according to a review published online March 9 in Head & Neck.
	Review examines salpingectomy alone for cutting ovarian CA risk (HealthDay)—Salpingectomy alone may be a risk management option for women at hereditary risk of ovarian cancer, according to a review published in the May issue of Cancer Prevention Research.
	Eating disorders common in girls with type 1 diabetes (HealthDay)—For girls and young women with type 1 diabetes, eating disorders are common and persistent, according to a study published online April 17 in Diabetes Care.
	Researchers see promise in treatment to reduce incidence of dementia after TBI It was once thought that effects of a mild head injury—dizziness, headaches, memory problems—were only temporary, and the brain would heal over time. However, while the long-term consequences of head trauma are not fully known, growing evidence suggests that even a mild head injury can increase the risk for later-in-life development of dementias such as Alzheimer's disease.
	Sugary drinks boost risk factors for heart disease, study shows Beverages sweetened with low, medium and high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup significantly increase risk factors for cardiovascular disease, even when consumed for just two weeks by young, healthy men and women, reports a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.
	Microinjection platform tests multiple cancer drugs in tumors, predicts systemic response A newly developed technology for simultaneously comparing response to multiple cancer drugs or combinations while a tumor is still in a patient's body has been shown to accurately predict systemic response to the drugs, according to researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Presage Biosciences. The patented technology, called CIVO, consists of an arrayed microinjection drug delivery device and quantitative analysis methodology.
	Stem cells that prevent birth defect also repair facial injury Researchers have pinpointed a primary cause of a rare skull disorder in infants, and the discovery could help wounded soldiers, car-wreck victims and other patients recover from disfiguring facial injuries.
	Researchers discover never-before-seen tick-borne disease Tick-borne diseases are a major public health problem around the world. Ticks carry and transmit a variety of microbes that cause disease. These illnesses, which include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia, can cause a variety of symptoms, often serious and sometimes deadly.
'Exciting discovery' could aid frontline spinal injury treatment Rapid treatment with a new anti-inflammatory could have a major impact on recovery from spinal cord injury, University of Queensland researchers have found.
	Study illuminates role of cancer drug decitabine in repairing damaged cells A Purdue University study sheds light on how cell damage is reversed by the cancer drug decitabine and identifies a potential biomarker that could indicate a patient's stage of cancer and response to treatment.
	Study shows how breast milk protects against severe intestinal disease in preemies The immune-boosting properties of breast milk have long been known. Now a team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins pediatric surgeon-in-chief David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D., says experiments in mice reveal how breast milk works to ward off the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating intestinal disorder that affects 12 percent of premature babies and claims the lives of one in four of those who have it.
High-level commission focuses on law's power to significantly improve world's health Law should be viewed as a major determinant of health and safety and can be utilized as a powerful and innovative tool to address pressing global health concerns, says a newly formed, high-level commission announced today by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in partnership with The Lancet.
Serious violence in England and Wales drops 10 percent in 2014 Overall, an estimated 211,514 people attended Emergency Departments (EDs), Minor Injury Units (MIUs) and Walk-in Centres in England and Wales for treatment following violence in 2014 - 22,995 fewer than in 2013.
Death rate from alcohol and drug misuse in former prisoners alarmingly high Alcohol and drug misuse are responsible for around a third of all deaths in former male prisoners and half in female ex-prisoners, a new study of almost 48000 ex-prisoners published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal has found. Moreover, the research shows that a substantial proportion of these deaths are from preventable causes, including accidents and suicide (42% in men and 70% in women).
Treating patients with dignity—but what about hands-on care? Research suggests health and social care professionals put a different emphasis on the meaning of dignity than their patients do.
	With bird flu spreading, USDA starts on potential vaccine The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working on a vaccine to counter a deadly strain of bird flu, as losses to poultry producers mount.
	Researchers study married combat veterans' leisure habits Penn State researchers are studying leisure in the lives of married Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as a first step to ultimately designing an intervention program for veterans returning home after deployment.
Olaparib and PI3K inhibitor BKM120 combination active against ovarian and breast cancer subtypes Combination treatment with the poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib and the investigational phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor BKM120 was safe and yielded evidence of clinical benefit for women with triple-negative breast cancer and for those with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, according to data from a phase I clinical trial presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, held April 18-22.
'No jab, no pay' vaccination policy needs improvement The federal government's new 'no jab, no pay' policy is "well intended" but won't lift vaccination rates among young children, according to University of Sydney public health experts.
	Using smartphones to avoid spatial disorientation of elderly Researchers from UPM have used new technologies of mobile network operators to locate and send alerts when an elderly person with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) suffers from episodes of spatial disorientation.
Home-based treatment of autism Much can still be done to improve autism treatment besides finding a cure. The MICHELANGELO project, which ended in March, has developed a set of technologies for personalised, home-based behaviour monitoring and treatment of patients.
Health program improves pregnancy and delivery care in Ethiopia The established and comprehensive health programme Health Extension Programme, HEP, aims to improve the access to health care for women and children in Ethiopia. According to Tesfay Gebrehiwot, some of the results of the programme are clearly improved coordination of prenatal care, delivery care and postnatal care of women and children in particularly deprived areas. He defends his thesis on Friday 24 April at Umeå University, Sweden.
	Ebola survivors donate plasma to tackle outbreak The first donations of plasma, from survivors of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, have been received by an international research team working to help tackle current and future disease outbreaks in West Africa.
Breast arterial calcification strong predictor of coronary artery calcification In a study to ascertain whether breast arterial calcification (BAC) detected with digital mammography correlates to chest CT findings of coronary artery calcification (CAC), researchers have discovered a striking relationship between the two factors. In 76% of the study cohort, women who had a BAC score of 0 also had a CAC score of 0. As the BAC score increases, there is a concomitant increase in the CAC score.
Balding German man refused free wig Baldness among older men is not a medical condition requiring health insurance companies to cover a toupee or wig, a German federal court ruled Wednesday, turning down a 76-year-old man's bid for false hair.
Clinical studies show 'CHORI-bar' results in broad scale health improvements A fruit-based micronutrient and fiber-dense supplement bar (the "CHORI-bar") conceived by Drs. Bruce Ames and Mark K. Shigenaga at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), was shown in clinical trials to improve metabolism in overweight/obese (OW/OB) otherwise healthy adults in ways that are consistent with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Consumption of the bar for two months also reduced chronic inflammation, and initiated a reduction in weight and waist circumference. Decreased inflammation and improved weight and weight distribution can lower the risk of many chronic diseases.
Roche sales up 3 percent amid demand for breast cancer drugs Breast cancer drugs such as Herceptin as well as new uses for multi-cancer drug Avastin helped Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche grow sales by 3 percent during the first quarter.
New therapeutic target for a type of colorectal cancer with poor prognosis has been identified Researchers at the Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM) have identified a new way of treating colorectal cancer. In the study published in the journal Science Signaling, the team led by LLuís Espinosa, investigator of IMIM's research group into stem cells and cancer, have shown that inhibition of endosomal activity is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancers with the BRAF mutated gene. This discovery is an important step in the personalisation of the treatment of colorectal cancer, as the presence of this mutation is associated with an increased resistance compared to standard therapies. Researchers from IDIBELL - the Catalan Institute of Oncology also participated.
	Natural reparative capacity of teeth elucidated Researchers at Inserm and Paris Descartes University have just taken an important step in research on stem cells and dental repair. They have managed to isolate dental stem cell lines and to describe the natural mechanism by which they repair lesions in the teeth. This fundamental discovery will make it possible to initiate unprecedented therapeutic strategies to mobilise the resident dental stem cells and magnify their natural capacity for repair.
Study examines long-term adverse health effects of Ebola survivors Ebola survivors experienced negative health effects that persisted more than two years after the 2007-2008 Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) outbreak in Uganda that claimed 39 lives. These findings are detailed in a paper published online today in Lancet ID. This represents the largest long-term study to-date on Ebola survivors, and examines health events more than two years after initial exposure to BDBV.
	Quit smoking at age 60: Lower risk for heart attack and stroke within the first five years In the most comprehensive study ever on the impact of smoking on cardiovascular disease in older people, epidemiologist Dr. Ute Mons from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) analyzed 25 individual studies, compiling data from over half a million individuals age 60 and older.
Team compiles current research on liquid biopsy The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) today published a special article in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics titled, "Do Circulating Tumor Cells, Exosomes, and Circulating Tumor Nucleic Acids Have Clinical Utility?" The report provides a thorough overview of research to-date on the minimally invasive "liquid biopsy" approaches to cancer diagnostics.
Inflammatory bowel disease treatment gets boost from new educational resource A new educational resource for doctors and healthcare professionals will help improve knowledge and treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Resource Centre was developed by Elsevier, the journal Digestive and Liver Disease, and was made possible through an educational grant from Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Resource Center is a free online platform designed to increase healthcare professionals' knowledge of IBD.
Sierra Leone hunts Ebola quarantine escapees Police in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown are hunting seven people who fled a slum that was placed under quarantine when a member of their family died of Ebola, the government said Wednesday.
Computer-assisted diagnosis tool helps physicians assess skin conditions In the first major study to examine the use of a computer-assisted, photo-driven differential diagnosis generator for skin conditions, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found physicians routinely used the tool, without an increase in calling for inpatient dermatology consultations. The software diagnostic tool, VisualDx, aids in diagnosing dermatologic conditions by allowing physicians to enter information such as the type and location of a rash, and associated symptoms such as pain or itching, and then generating a range of possible diagnoses accompanied by photographs. This enables users to rapidly compare the rash of an individual patient to a database of more than 1,300 pediatric and adult skin conditions represented by nearly 30,000 images, with the aim of improving diagnostic accuracy reducing misdiagnosis-related harm.
Morocco seeks to encourage organ donors, overcome prejudices Morocco launched a campaign Wednesday to encourage organ donations that will include a programme to train imams to teach that the practice is not contrary to Islam, the health minister said.
Bird flu spreads in US, but risk to people 'low' Bird flu is spreading among wild birds, chickens and turkeys across much of the United States but health authorities said Wednesday there is a low risk of people getting sick.
	First guidelines from the American Thyroid Association: Managing thyroid nodules, cancer in children Previous guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) for evaluating and managing thyroid nodules and thyroid cancers targeted adults. Recognizing the potential differences in clinical presentation and long-term outcomes, and the potential risks of overly aggressive therapy in pediatric patients with thyroid cancer, an ATA Task Force developed management guidelines for children with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), which are published in Thyroid. The guidelines are available free on the Thyroid website.

Other Sciences news

	Study finds ancient clam beaches not so natural In their second study to be published in just over a year, an SFU led team of scientists has discovered that ancient coastal Indigenous people were more than hunter-gatherers.
	Copying behavior in social groups may be governed by optimal control theory Nature has provided herding animals and flocking birds with abilities to react to predator attacks and to sense risky features in their environment— like trees or cliffs—that might impede their defense. But how do these abilities work? What's going on inside individual animals and the group as a whole as they protect themselves with coordinated movements?
	Stegosaurus plates may have differed between male, female Stegosaurus, a large, herbivorous dinosaur with two staggered rows of bony plates along its back and two pairs of spikes at the end of its tail, lived roughly 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic in the western United States.
	Will social media kill branding? For decades, corporations used a steadfast formula in branding a product: big advertising investments that produced customer awareness and built a positive product reputation. By investing heavily in and tightly managing a product's image via controlled communications, dominant brands could be leveraged to cultivate loyalty and a long-term stream of profits.
	How "time is money" thinking can hurt the environment Thinking "time is money" can be a barrier for people to act in environmentally friendly ways, even for tasks like recycling that take mere seconds, according to UBC research.
	Ten more years of real money We will still be using "real" money for at least the next 5 to 10 years, but financial transactions carried out using mobile electronic devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, will increasingly become the norm during that time period, according to research published in the International Journal of Electronic Business.
	Women in management who wear provocative clothing are seen as less competent Females who wear provocative clothing at work are more likely to be seen as incompetent than those that dress more conservatively by other females, finds research from the University of Hertfordshire.
	Government needs own Plan A to make sustainable clothing more fashionable Growing alarm at environmentally unsustainable clothing consumption can only be addressed by more government support for retailers and their customers, a University of Leeds academic has argued.
	Study: Polarization in Congress is worsening... and it stifles policy innovation American politics has grown so polarized in recent years that there's hardly any cooperation at all across the aisle, but the process that brought us here started long ago. Disagreements have been growing exponentially since the 1950s, according to a new quantitative analysis of the U.S. House of Representatives published in PLOS ONE. But the bigger fear, the authors say, is that as cooperation has declined, Congress's ability to come up with new ideas to solve the nation's problems has stagnated.
Better social media techniques increase fan interest, engagement Due to the ever-increasing number of people using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, businesses and organizations, such as professional sports teams, are expanding their marketing and communication efforts to engage people with their brands through those sites. Now, Nicholas Watanabe, an assistant teaching professor at the University of Missouri, along with colleagues from MU and Louisiana State University, analyzed Major League Baseball (MLB) teams' use of Twitter to engage and increase fan interest. They found that the more individual teams released original content from their Twitter accounts, such as score updates or player profiles, the more followers they gained and engagement they initiated. The researchers say their findings could provide guidance for many businesses struggling with how to use social media.
Psychologists explain why British are so apathetic about the general election If you are not feeling enthused by the general election, you are not alone. An article in the May issue of The Psychologist magazine quotes research finding that, in the UK, 31 per cent of people trust the government and only 20 per cent trust political parties.
User creativity made YouTube the world's biggest music service Alternative variations from popular artists' videos may reach an audience of millions, shows the new study from Finland's Aalto University.

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