Fwd: Science X Newsletter Sunday, May 31

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 2:40 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Sunday, May 31
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for May 31, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Insect mating behavior has lessons for drones
- Google puts virtual reality in reach with cardboard
- Self-folding robot walks, swims, climbs, dissolves
- Australian state lists koala as 'vulnerable'
- Hurricane Andres strengthens off Mexican coast
- New wave of smart tech on show at Taiwan's Computex
- Solar Impulse takes off for six-day, six-night Pacific flight
- New treatments may prolong health after breast cancer
- Solar Impulse 2 over Sea of Japan, day after take-off

Earth news

	Hurricane Andres strengthens off Mexican coast Andres, the first storm of the Pacific season, strengthened Saturday to a Category Two hurricane as it churned hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Mexico, the National Weather Service said.
	This has been a month of extreme weather around the world Even for a world getting used to wild weather, May seems stuck on strange.
	Japanese volcano calm 'for now': weather agency A violent volcanic eruption in Japan that forced the evacuation of an island appears to have come to a halt, the country's weather agency said Saturday.
	Spike in water toxins blamed for hundreds of turtle deaths Hundreds of small turtles have washed up dead on the eastern end of Long Island in the last month, a die-off scientists blame on waterborne toxins that have reached unprecedented levels for reasons that aren't entirely clear.
	12 hurt in Japan quake as life returns to normal Twelve people suffered minor injuries and businesses returned to normal Sunday after a powerful earthquake near remote Japanese islands shook most of the country the previous night, but it was well beneath the earth's surface and did not trigger a tsunami.
	The flip side of years of no hurricanes: Good luck runs out For millions of Americans living in the hurricane zones on the Gulf and East coasts, recent decades have been quiet—maybe too quiet.
	Rain brings relief as India heatwave death toll tops 2,200 Scattered rain on Sunday brought much-needed but only temporary relief to parts of India hit by a long heatwave as the death toll from the blistering temperatures crossed 2,200, officials said.
	EPA says first day of oil spill spent 'planning' On the afternoon of the largest coastal oil spill in California in 25 years, graduate student Natalie Phares quickly organized a volunteer bucket brigade to clean a beach north of Santa Barbara.
	California beaches reopen after goo cleanup Seven miles of Southern California beach shut down for three days by an invasion of oily goo were reopened Friday evening after health officials declared the sand and water safe following a cleanup.

Astronomy & Space news

	Corruption tarnishes Russia's new showpiece cosmodrome Designed to showcase a revamped space industry and divert attention from recent failures, Russia's multi-billion-dollar project to build its own space launch pad to take over from Soviet-era Baikonur has been mired in corruption scandals.
Four arrested in Argentina smuggling more than ton of meteorites Police nabbed four alleged smugglers in Argentina trying to steal more than a ton of protected meteorites, authorities said Saturday.

Technology news

	Google puts virtual reality in reach with cardboard Google said this week one of its least expensive innovations—virtual reality headgear made of cardboard—has become a huge hit.
	Self-folding robot walks, swims, climbs, dissolves A demo sparking interest at the ICRA 2015 conference in Seattle was all about an origami robot that was worked on by researchers. More specifically, the team members are from the computer science and artificial intelligence lab at MIT and the department of informatics, Technische Universitat in Germany. "An untethered miniature origami robot that self-folds, walks, swims, and degrades" was the name of the paper, co-authored by Shuhei Miyashita, Steven Guitron, Marvin Ludersdorfer, Cynthia R. Sung and Daniela Rus. They focused on an origami robot that does just what the paper's title suggests. A video showing the robot in action showcases each move.
	New wave of smart tech on show at Taiwan's Computex Smart living and wearable technology will take centre stage at Asia's largest tech trade show from Tuesday with gadgets promising to do everything from analysing state of mind to identifying burglars.
	Solar Impulse takes off for six-day, six-night Pacific flight The revolutionary Solar Impulse 2 aircraft took off early Sunday for a six-day, six-night flight over the Pacific Ocean, the most ambitious leg of its quest to circumnavigate the globe powered only by the sun.
	Solar Impulse 2 over Sea of Japan, day after take-off The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft flew over the Sea of Japan Monday, almost 24 hours after it set off on the most ambitious leg of its quest to circumnavigate the globe powered only by the sun.
Newspapers struggle to find path in digital age The news remains mostly bleak for the American newspaper industry, struggling over the past decade to adapt to the new digital landscape.
China's new tech giants show old bias with porn stars E-commerce giant Alibaba sought job applicants with porn star attributes and other tech firms host adult video starlets: China's new economy powerhouses are not immune from old-style sexism.
Woman tosses Apple computer that turns out to be worth $200K Her electronic waste is someone else's treasure.
Surveillance powers to lapse without Senate action Sunday A midnight deadline drew near for senators meeting in an extraordinary Sunday session to extend surveillance programs, but a lapse seemed unavoidable and intelligence officials worried about giving terrorists greater freedom to operate.

Biology news

	Insect mating behavior has lessons for drones Male moths locate females by navigating along the latter's pheromone (odor) plume, often flying hundreds of meters to do so. Two strategies are involved to accomplish this: males must find the outer envelope of the pheromone plume, and then head upwind.
	Australian state lists koala as 'vulnerable' Australia's Queensland state will list the koala as a "vulnerable species" throughout the northeastern region, saying urban expansion, car accidents and dog attacks were threatening the much-loved furry animal.
	Mass deaths of rare Kazakhstan antelopes stir conservation fears The sudden deaths of tens of thousands of endangered antelopes in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan over the past two weeks have left scientists scrambling for answers and conservationists worried about the animal's future.

Medicine & Health news

	New treatments may prolong health after breast cancer Promising advances in research could mean longer, healthier lives for women with breast cancer, the number one cancer in women worldwide, experts said Saturday at a major US cancer conference.
Removing more breast tissue reduces by half the need for second cancer surgery Removing more tissue during a partial mastectomy could spare thousands of breast cancer patients a second surgery, according to a Yale Cancer Center study. The findings were published online May 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
Experts on aging: UN Sustainable Development Goals discriminatory, ageist One of the main health targets proposed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is to reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases such as cancer, stroke and dementia. The goals for 2016-2030 define premature mortality as deaths occurring among people aged 69 years old or younger.
Before an operation, low blood pressure rather than high is a risk factor for death New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia congress in Berlin, Germany, suggests that, before an operation, low blood pressure (hypotension) rather than high blood pressure (hypertension) is an independent risk factor for death. The study is by Assistant Professor Dr Robert Sanders, Anesthesiology & Critical Care Trials & Interdisciplinary Outcomes Network (ACTION), Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA, and Drs Puja Myles and Sudhir Venkatesan, University of Nottingham, UK, together with collaborators from the University of Southampton, Oxford University and University College London (all UK).
Smokers and those exposed to passive smoke require more anesthetic and painkiller during operations Research published at this year's Euroanaesthesia meeting in Berlin (30 May-2 June) shows that both smokers and those exposed to passive smoke require more anaesthetic and painkillers to reach the same level of anaesthesia as non-smokers. The study is by Dr Erdogan Ozturk, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey, and colleagues.
Study shows hypothermia occurs during surgery in around half of patients A study presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia congress in Berlin (30 May-2 June) shows that hypothermia occurs in around half of patients undergoing surgery, despite national guidelines for its prevention. The study is by Dr Esther Godfrey, Department of Anaesthesiology, Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, UK, and colleagues.
	FDA warns of complications from facial fillers (HealthDay)—Soft tissue fillers used in cosmetic procedures can accidentally be injected into blood vessels in the face and cause serious harm, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
	Catheterization increasing for seniors with STEMI (HealthDay)—From 1999 to 2009 there was a decrease in the proportion of older adults with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) who did not undergo cardiac catheterization, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Teens more satisfied than adults with lumbar disc herniation Sx (HealthDay)—Adolescent patients are more satisfied with surgery for lumbar disc herniation than younger or older adults, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
	Score IDs patients with upper extremity DVT at low risk (HealthDay)—For patients with upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), six easily available factors can be used to create a score that identifies those at low risk of adverse events during the first week, according to a study published online May 18 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
	Weight-based enoxoparin dosing best for obese after C-section (HealthDay)—Weight-based dosing of enoxaparin is more effective than body mass index (BMI)-based dosing for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis among morbidly obese women after cesarean delivery, according to a study published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Rapamune approved for rare lung disease (HealthDay)—Rapamune (sirolimus) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare, progressive lung disease that mostly affects women of childbearing age.
	AMA: Physicians driving the slowing of health care costs (HealthDay)—Low physician spending is contributing to an overall slowing of health care costs, according to a viewpoint piece published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
	RYGB cuts markers of oxidative stress in subcutaneous tissue (HealthDay)—Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery attenuates markers of oxidative stress in subcutaneous adipose tissue, according to a study published online May 22 in Diabetes.
	Outpatient uterine polypectomy more cost-effective (HealthDay)—For women with abnormal uterine bleeding and hysteroscopically diagnosed endometrial polyps, outpatient treatment is more cost-effective than inpatient treatment, according to research published online May 25 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
	Celecoxib safe, effective for brucellosis-associated depression (HealthDay)—Celecoxib seems safe and effective for treatment of depression due to acute brucellosis, according to a study published online May 26 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
Targeted drug can 'diminish the suffering' of myelofibrosis Use of the targeted agent pacritinib significantly reduced the symptoms and burden of advanced myelofibrosis in patients, says a Mayo Clinic researcher who co-led PERSIST-1, the worldwide phase III clinical trial that tested the therapy. Specifically, pacritinib substantially reduced severe enlargement of the spleen, a typical feature of advanced myelofibrosis, in more than 20 percent of patients and alleviated debilitating side effects in more than 46 percent.
Combining targeted drug with chemotherapy offers longer life to b-cell cancer patients Because of the significant benefit found in combining the targeted drug ibrutinib with standard chemotherapy for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), an interim analysis has closed the international HELIOS phase III clinical trial.
	'Ebola will return', veteran scientist warns Congolese expert Jean-Jacques Muyembe may be little known to the public, but he has been one of the world's top Ebola investigators since the first epidemic erupted in central Africa in 1976.
	New research shows immunotherapy targeting several cancers Immunotherapy, which has shown remarkable success against advanced melanoma skin cancers, is now being used to target other cancers that are tough to treat.
	Drug boosts long-term survival after breast cancer After a diagnosis of localized breast cancer, women are often prescribed tamoxifen for five years to help prevent a recurrence, but researchers said Saturday another drug, anastrazole, may work better.
	Study finds no need for lymph node surgery in some melanomas Worldwide, people who are diagnosed with melanoma are urged to have any lymph nodes that test positive for cancer removed, but researchers said Saturday the operation doesn't necessarily help patients live longer.
	New targeted therapy shows promise against breast cancer Pfizer's new targeted drug, palbociclib, has been shown to halt the progression of the most common form of advanced breast cancer in women, researchers said Saturday.
Study identifies possible new combination chemotherapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer For more than a decade, oncologists using cytotoxic chemotherapy to treat patients with advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have relied on the sequential use of single agent taxanes such as docetaxel and cabazitaxel. For example, docetaxel is commonly used as the "first-line" therapy, while cabazitaxel is used as the "second-line" therapy. A role for combination therapy using two or more chemotherapy agents at the same time has not been well studied. This week, however, results of a clinical trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center may change the perspective on a role for combination chemotherapy in advanced disease.
Hong Kong quarantines 18 over MERS fears Hong Kong authorities quarantined 18 fellow passengers of a South Korean man who arrived in the city infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS.
Immunotherapy combo increases progression-free survival in advanced melanoma patients Treating advanced melanoma patients with either a combination of the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) or nivolumab alone significantly increases progression-free survival (PFS) over using ipilimumab alone, according to new findings from researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) simultaneously presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Examining specific characteristics of each patient's tumor has also given researchers clearer understanding of which patients should receive the combination.
	Contact lens wearers note: Your eyes may get more infections because their microbiomes changed Using high-precision genetic tests to differentiate the thousands of bacteria that make up the human microbiome, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center suggest that they have found a possible—and potentially surprising—root cause of the increased frequency of certain eye infections among contact lens wearers.
Doctors' checklist could help decrease length of COPD patients' hospital stay Patients with worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease spend less time in hospital when their doctors manage their care by using a checklist of steps called order sets.
	Pentagon: Anthrax shipments broader than first thought The Pentagon said Friday that the Army's mistaken shipments of live anthrax to research laboratories were more widespread than it initially reported, prompting the Defense Department's second-ranking official to order a thorough review.
	ESMO announces scale to stratify magnitude of clinical benefit of anticancer medicines ESMO, the European Society for Medical Oncology, has announced today the publication of the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS)(1), a tool to assist oncology clinicians in evaluating the most effective anti-cancer medicines for their patients.

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