Fwd: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Jul 23

RESPEKT!

Metamaterial undermines 250-year-old construction principles

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 3:48 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Jul 23
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 23, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Kiwi bird genome sequenced
- Anticipation grows over Nokia news at upcoming LA event
- Researchers feed white blood cells micro-lasers causing them to produce light
- NASA discovers Earth-like planet orbiting 'cousin' of Sun
- A seemingly obvious way to make the electricity market better may actually make it worse
- Report outlines predictions regarding changes to wildlife in England over the next half century
- LG Display plans heavy investment in OLED plant
- New X-ray actions revealed
- Female stink bugs 'select' the color of their eggs
- The mystery of the instant noodle chromosomes
- Small oxygen jump helped enable early animals take first breaths
- Brown dwarfs, stars share formation process, new study indicates
- Video: Are invisibility cloaks possible?
- Drones could contribute to saving endangered chimpanzees
- Top cock: Roosters crow in pecking order

Nanotechnology news

	Artificial moth eyes enhance the performance of silicon solar cells Mimicking the texture found on the highly antireflective surfaces of the compound eyes of moths, we use block copolymer self assembly to produce precise and tunable nanotextured designs in the range of ~20 nm across macroscopic silicon solar cells. This nanoscale texturing imparts broadband antireflection properties and significantly enhances performance compared with typical antireflection coatings. Proper design of an antireflection coating involves managing the refractive index mismatch at an abrupt optical interface. The most straightforward approach introduces a single layer of an intermediate optical index atop of a surface to create a system that engenders destructive interference in reflected light. This usually provides full antireflection at only a single wavelength. Increasingly broadband coverage, for application in transparent window coatings, military camouflage, or solar cells, is possible using multilayered th! in-film schemes. An alternative to thin-film coating strategies, nanoscale patterns applied to the surface of a material, can create an effective medium between the substrate and air. Such structures provide broadband antireflection over a wide range of incident light angles when nanoscale, sub-wavelength textures are sufficiently tall and closely spaced. In this work, we enhance the broadband antireflection properties of a nanofabricated moth eye structure through simultaneous control of both the geometry and optical properties, using block copolymer self assembly to design nanotextures that are sufficiently small to take advantage of a beneficial material surface layer that is only a few nanometers thick.
	Innovative method improves strength and modulus in carbon fibers Carbon fibers are stronger and lighter than steel, and composite materials based on carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers are being used in an expanding range of aerospace, automotive, and other applications – including major sections of the Boeing 787 aircraft. It's widely believed, moreover, that carbon-fiber technology has the potential to produce composites at least 10 times stronger than those in use today.
	Plasmonics study suggests how to maximize production of 'hot electrons' for cheap, efficient metal-based solar cells New research from Rice University could make it easier for engineers to harness the power of light-capturing nanomaterials to boost the efficiency and reduce the costs of photovoltaic solar cells.
Researchers observe how nanoparticles grow when exposed to helium A team of researchers from the University of Leicester and France's G2ELab-CNRS in Grenoble have for the first time observed the growth of free nanoparticles in helium gas in a process similar to the decaffeination of coffee, providing new insights into the structure of nanoparticles.
	Nanotechnology research leads to super-elastic conducting fibers An international research team based at The University of Texas at Dallas has made electrically conducting fibers that can be reversibly stretched to over 14 times their initial length and whose electrical conductivity increases 200-fold when stretched.
	Changing the color of light Researchers at the University of Delaware have received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to explore a new idea that could improve solar cells, medical imaging and even cancer treatments. Simply put, they want to change the color of light.
	The virtual laboratory Supercomputers can be used to simulate materials at vastly diverse scales, from the flow of air past an aeroplane's wing down to the movement of electrons around individual atoms. Different length and time scale domains provide different levels of information, but little is currently known about how these levels of information are connected. Professor Peter Coveney of University College London has been spearheading a long-term programme that aims to connect the scales, relating the behaviour of atoms and molecules to tangible properties at the macroscale.
Nanopaper as an optical sensing platform An international team led by the ICREA Prof Arben Merkoçi has just developed new sensing platforms based on bacterial cellulose nanopaper. These novel platforms are simple, low cost and easy to produce and present outstanding properties that make them ideal for optical (bio)sensing applications. The results have been reported in ACS Nano.
More efficient process to produce graphene developed by researchers Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and University of Western Australia researchers have developed a new process to develop few-layer graphene for use in energy storage and other material applications that is faster, potentially scalable and surmounts some of the current graphene production limitations.

Physics news

	A seemingly obvious way to make the electricity market better may actually make it worse Restaurants often have their best specials in the middle of the week as a way to increase business on their slowest days. By evening out the flow of customers, carefully timed sale prices can reduce fluctuations in demand. Logically, researchers have wondered if a similar "adaptive pricing strategy" could be used to reduce daily fluctuations in demand in the electricity market, which has become a growing problem with the increased use of fluctuating energy sources, such as wind and solar.
	Researchers feed white blood cells micro-lasers causing them to produce light A team of researchers working at the University of St Andrews in Scotland has found a way to place a laser inside a living human cell. In their paper published in the journal Nano Letters, the team describes their technique and the ways in which the new procedure may be used for future medical applications.
	Photonic waveguides suppress "crosstalk among neighbors" Silicon photonics holds great promise for low-cost, large-scale integration of photonic components.  The demand for increasing density of these components has led to a multitude of technological challenges in their manufacture and operation.
	Physicists find surprising 'liquid-like' particle interactions in Large Hadron Collider Three years ago, Rice physicists and their colleagues on the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC's) Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment stumbled on an unexpected phenomenon. Physicists smashed protons into lead nuclei at nearly the speed of light, which caused hundreds of particles to erupt from these collisions. But that wasn't the surprise. What was surprising is where these particles went: Rather than spreading out evenly in all directions, the particles coming out of the collisions preferentially lined up in a specific direction.
Simple model explains crystal formation of exceptional atoms Scientists from the FOM Foundation, Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Buenos Aires have discovered why fluctuations in the number of Rydberg atoms that forms in an ultracold gas decreases as the interaction between the atoms becomes stronger. They published the results on 22 July in Physical Review Letters.
	Metamaterial undermines 250-year-old construction principles Researchers have demonstrated how a rubber beam subjected to less pressure bends faster. This behaviour defies expectations and appears to undermine centuries-old bending laws. The beam is made from a metamaterial, which gives it the name "metabeam." Metamaterials have special properties that do not occur in nature. By providing the metabeam with a carefully chosen pattern of small holes, the researchers induced the strange behaviour. They published their work on 21 July online in Physical Review Letters.
	Controlling interactions between distant qubits A big part of the burgeoning science of quantum computation is reliably storing and processing information in the form of quantum bits, or qubits. One of the obstacles to this goal is the difficulty of preserving the fragile quantum condition of qubits against unwanted outside influence even as the qubits interact among themselves in a programmatic way.
	Video: Are invisibility cloaks possible? Have you ever wished you could hide under an invisibility cloak like Harry Potter or conceal your car with a Klingon cloaking device like in Star Trek? In a special Thursday bonus episode of Reactions, we celebrate the International Year of Light by exploring the science behind light, sight and invisibility. Though we can't make ourselves invisible yet, some promising research may light the way - or rather, bend the light away.
	The mystery of the instant noodle chromosomes A group of researchers from the Lomonosov Moscow State University tried to address one of the least understood issues in the modern molecular biology, namely, how do strands of DNA pack themselves into the cell nucleus. Scientists concluded that packing of the genome in a special state called "fractal globule", apart from other known advantages of this state, allows the genetic machinery of the cell to operate with maximum speed due to comperatively rapid thermal diffusion. The article describing their results was published in Physical Review Letters which is one of the most prestigious physics journals with the impact factor of 7.8.
	Penn researchers discover new chiral property of silicon, with photonic applications By encoding information in photons via their spin, "photonic" computers could be orders of magnitude faster and efficient than their current-day counterparts. Likewise, encoding information in the spin of electrons, rather than just their quantity, could make "spintronic" computers with similar advantages.
	Tic toc: Why pendulums swing in harmony Almost 350 years ago, Dutch inventor and scientist Christiaan Huygens observed that two pendulum clocks hanging from a wall would synchronise their swing over time.

Earth news

	Decrypting 1,000 years of past climate history in Europe Research by University of Reading scientists into climatic patterns from the past 1,000 years has improved our understanding of how the weather in Europe could respond to changes in the future.
Small oxygen jump helped enable early animals take first breaths If oxygen was a driver of the early evolution of animals, only a slight bump in oxygen levels facilitated it, according to a multi-institutional research team that includes a Virginia Tech geoscientist.
	Researchers map out trajectory of April 2015 earthquake in Nepal Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have accurately mapped out the movement of the devastating 7.8-magnitude Nepal earthquake that killed over 9,000 and injured over 23,000 people. Scientists have determined that the earthquake was a rupture consisting of three different stages. The study could help a rapidly growing region understand its future seismic risks.
	Study finds abrupt climate change may have rocked the cradle of civilization New research reveals that some of the earliest civilizations in the Middle East and the Fertile Crescent may have been affected by abrupt climate change. These findings show that while socio-economic factors were traditionally considered to shape ancient human societies in this region, the influence of abrupt climate change should not be underestimated.
	Mounting threat to Galapagos from 'El Nino' The Galapagos Islands, celebrated for their breathtaking biodiversity, could face a major threat from "El Nino," the weather system known to wreak havoc every few years.
	Ten things to know about thunderstorms that strike at night Thunderstorms that strike by night are a mysterious phenomenon. Scientists are burning the midnight oil this summer in search of some answers.
	Insect-killed forests pose no additional likelihood of wildfire As mountain pine beetles and other insects chew their way through Western forests, forest fires might not seem far behind. Lands covered by dead trees appear ready to burst into flame.
	The impact of climate change in Ecuador's Andean mountains The lakes of El Cajas National Park, located at 4,000 metres high in Ecuador's Azuay province, are the scene of fieldwork carried out by the research project ECUAFLUX, an initiative to analyse the carbon cycle in the Andean basins of Ecuador and predict the impact of climate change on natural ecosystems.
	Researchers monitor conditions in Delaware Bay aboard Cape May-Lewes Ferry As families make their way down to the beach each summer day, a pleasant breeze moves up the sand to greet them. Known as the sea breeze, this gentle air current originates over the open water and is driven toward land by changes in surface heat and pressure between water and land.
Mangroves help protect against sea level rise Mangrove forests could play a crucial role in protecting coastal areas from sea level rise caused by climate change, according to new research involving the University of Southampton.
	Keep Tahoe blue? Less algae, not clarity, key for lake's blueness Lake Tahoe's iconic blueness is most strongly related to algae, not clarity, according to research released today from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC. In the "Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2015," researchers found the lower the algal concentration, the bluer the lake.
	Synthetic coral could remove toxic heavy metals from the ocean A new material that mimics coral could help remove toxic heavy metals like mercury from the ocean, according to a new study published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. The researchers, from Anhui Jianzhu University in China, say their new material could provide inspiration for other approaches to removing pollutants.
	Meeting face-to-face with El Capitan Granitic rocks make up much of Earth's continental crust and many of the planet's most iconic landscapes. However, granite's formation is poorly understood because it happens tens of kilometers below the surface. In this unique study, authors Roger Putnam and colleagues combine decimeter-scale field mapping, rock climbing, and new dating and geochemical analyses to evaluate the timing and intrusive dynamics of the granitic rocks that make up El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, USA.
	NASA looks inside Typhoon Halola Satellite technology has the ability to see things we could never imagine, like how hard the rain is falling in storms, and how high cloud tops stretch into the atmosphere. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory satellite does both of those things and has been providing that information each time it passes over Typhoon Halola in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Scientists pursue specific cause of mystery beach blast Scientists trying to figure out the reason why a mysterious beach blast that sent a woman flying into a jetty are now pursuing a specific cause, Rhode Island's top environmental official says, but she isn't disclosing their theory until testing is finished.
	Benefits of strip-till surface after five-year study How does style of tilling make a difference in crop success? The blades on a till don't simply chop up soil and move it around. They blend dead plant material left from harvest into the soil. They also expose wetter soil to the air and loosen it.
	China ire as Myanmar jails scores for illegal logging Beijing on Thursday expressed concern after Myanmar handed long jail sentences to more than 150 Chinese nationals for illegal logging, in the latest tremor to shake relations between the neighbours.
New flood action team launched to investigate flash flooding across the UK A band of 'storm chasers' has been set up by Newcastle University to help collect data about flash flooding and inform the way we manage future flood risk.
	Image: Smoke over the Greenland Sea The 2015 wildfire season in the Arctic has been very intense – and very smoky. As of July 15, over 3,190,000 acres had burned across Canada, according to Natural Resources Canada. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), more than 600 fires had burned millions of acres in Alaska as of July 7, making this worst wildfire season so far in state's history. In much of Russia the 2015 fire season also started early and intensely, with highly destructive fires as early as April in the northern regions.
	Satellite sees birth of Tropical Storm Felicia in Eastern Pacific Ocean Tropical Storm Felicia was born early on July 23 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, over 400 miles southwest of Baja California's southern tip. NOAA's GOES-West satellite provided an infrared image of the newborn storm.
	NASA sees newborn Tropical Depression 12W near northeastern tip of Philippines When Tropical Depression 12W formed on the northeastern tip of the Philippines in the Luzon Region, NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on the newborn storm.

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA discovers Earth-like planet orbiting 'cousin' of Sun Astronomers hunting for another Earth have found what may be the closest match yet, a potentially rocky planet circling its star at the same distance as the Earth orbits the Sun, NASA said Thursday.
Vesta's potassium-to-thorium ratio reveals hot origins Studies of materials on the surface of Vesta offer new evidence that the giant asteroid is the source of howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) basaltic meteorites, supporting current models of solar system evolution and terrestrial planet formation, a new paper by Planetary Science Institute researcher Tom Prettyman says.
	Could 'windbots' someday explore the skies of Jupiter? Among designers of robotic probes to explore the planets, there is certainly no shortage of clever ideas. There are concepts for robots that are propelled by waves in the sea. There are ideas for tumbleweed bots driven by wind, rolling across Antarctica or Mars. Recently a team of engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, wondered if a probe could be buoyant in the clouds of Earth or a distant gas giant planet, like Jupiter.
	Mini-Neptunes might host life under right conditions M-dwarfs, which are cooler than our sun, have habitable zones closer to the stars. As such, any habitable planets orbiting these stars would transit frequently, making the chances of discovery better.
	Opinion: Why the $100m alien listening project may be a huge waste of time The launch of the $100M Breakthrough Initiative project to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been supported by many leading scientists including Stephen Hawking and astronomer royal Martin Rees. But there is no evidence – and few convincing theories – to suggest that intelligent, communicative aliens actually exist. So are listening projects really the best way to search for extraterrestrial life?
	After Pluto there's still plenty of the solar system left to explore The past couple of years have been very exciting for space exploration. We've watched as spacecraft made visits to Mars, comet 67P and, just last week, Pluto, which for decades marked the edge of our solar system.
	Treasure hunting in archive data reveals clues about black holes' diet Using archival data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray telescopes, a team of astronomers have discovered a gigantic black hole, which is probably destroying and devouring a massive star in its vicinity. With a mass of 100 million times more than our Sun, this is the largest black hole caught in this act so far. The results of this study are published in a paper in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
	New X-ray actions revealed Potentially destructive high-energy electrons streak into Earth's atmosphere from space, not as Shakespeare's "gentle rain from heaven," but at velocities approaching the speed of light.
	Brown dwarfs, stars share formation process, new study indicates Astronomers using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) have discovered jets of material ejected by still-forming young brown dwarfs. The discovery is the first direct evidence that brown dwarfs, intermediate in mass between stars and planets, are produced by a scaled-down version of the same process that produces stars.
	Sunny, with a chance of nuclear bullets In space, far above Earth's turbulent atmosphere, you might think the one thing you don't have to worry about is weather. But you would be wrong. Just ask the people charged with the safety of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), one of the climate-research satellites orbiting our planet. When the sun hurled an enormous electromagnetic storm at us in mid-June, they were forced to shut down CALIPSO's laser instrument for 11 days to prevent potentially catastrophic damage.
	Russian capsule docks with International Space Station A Soyuz space capsule carrying a Russian, an American and a Japanese docked smoothly Thursday with the International Space Station.
	Student's system for locking satellites together to get first space test MIT's Lennon Rodgers, a research scientist who did graduate work in the MIT Space Systems Laboratory (SSL), led a team of students to build a universal docking port (UDP) for the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) testbed on the International Space Station (ISS). The flight versions were subsequently developed by graduate students Duncan Miller, David Sternberg, and Chris Jewison, working with Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., and launched to the ISS from Kazakhstan on Wednesday. The SPHERES with UDPs will be used to test autonomous, vision-based algorithms for complex docking maneuvers. Rodgers spoke with MIT News about what he hopes this mission will accomplish.
	New website gathering public input on NASA Mars images Science-team members for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are soliciting help from the public to analyze exotic features near the south pole of Mars.
	Launch, docking returns International Space Station crew to full strength Three crew members representing the United States, Russia and Japan have arrived at the International Space Station to continue important research that advances NASA's journey to Mars while making discoveries that can benefit all of humanity.

Technology news

	Anticipation grows over Nokia news at upcoming LA event Now sending Nokia what's-next watchers into a collective buzz: A story that Nokia is set to introduce a virtual reality product next week. Ina Fried in Re/code said the information came from sources "familiar with the company's plans."
	LG Display plans heavy investment in OLED plant Apple's iPhone displays are linked to the South Korean company LG Display in a news report. The Telegraph said that LG Display has invested heavily in a flexible-screen production line.
	A Wi-Fi reflector chip to speed up wearables Whether you're tracking your steps, monitoring your health or sending photos from a smart watch, you want the battery life of your wearable device to last as long as possible. If the power necessary to transmit and receive information from a wearable to a computer, cellular or Wi-Fi network were reduced, you could get a lot more mileage out of the technology you're wearing before having to recharge it.
	Venture funding for startups still surging Investors pumped some $32.5 billion into more than 1,800 venture-backed companies around the world in the past quarter, amid feverish interest in tech startups, a survey showed Thursday.
	Researchers boost wireless power transfer with magnetic field enhancement Research from North Carolina State University and Carnegie Mellon University shows that passing wireless power transfer through a magnetic resonance field enhancer (MRFE) – which can be as simple as a copper loop – can boost the transfer efficiency by at least 100 percent as compared to transferring through air alone. MRFE use could potentially boost transfer efficiency by as much as 5,000 percent in some systems, experts say.
	Smartwatches open new hacking risk The surging market for smartwatches opens up new ground for hackers, according to researchers who found vulnerabilities in all the devices they tested.
Tech-staffing startup thinks it's time for temp workers to know the score The technology boom that has generated a flood of engineering jobs in cities like Seattle also means a boost to a related part of the economy: vendors and temporary workers.
	NYC strikes Uber deal: No cap on company during study New York City and Uber struck an eleventh-hour deal that backs off, for now, placing a cap on the number of cars the ride-hailing company can have on the streets of the nation's largest city.
	Canada announces fresh funding to fight cybercrime Canada is investing Can$142 million to beef up its cybersecurity measures and help private companies ward off attacks, officials said, after government websites were hacked last month.
	New technology could help high-performance aircraft turbine engines stay cool, perform better High-performance aircraft turbine engine manufacturers are facing unprecedented increases in the amount of heat that must be released in order to maintain acceptable temperatures in supersonic engines that is required for the aircraft to operate at optimum levels.
	Clean water for Nepal On the steep, tea-covered hillsides of Ilam in eastern Nepal, where 25 percent of households live below the poverty level and electricity is scarce, clean running water is scarcer still. What comes out of the region's centralized distribution systems is unfiltered, untreated, and teeming with nitrates, viruses, and E. coli. Purifying it is the consumer's responsibility.
	Review: Google photo service is strong on search Google's new service for organizing and backing up images blends some of the best of what Apple and Yahoo have rolled out in recent months.
	Nearly half of China's population now online China has 668 million Internet users, accounting for 48.8 percent of the country's total population, as e-commerce boomed in the world's second-largest economy, authorities said.
	Google's Street View enters Mongolia on horseback After recording images of towns and cities across the world, Google's Street View service launched on Thursday in a less likely location—the vast, sparsely-populated Asian country of Mongolia.
	Pakistani intelligence sought huge data collection tools: report Pakistani intelligence sought to tap worldwide Internet traffic via underwater cables that would have given the country a digital espionage capacity to rival the US, according to a report by Privacy International.
	YouTube creators looking elsewhere for money When 29-year-old YouTube star Meghan Tonjes launched a podcast with crowd-funding site Patreon a year ago, it was one of dozens of things the singer-songwriter was doing to grind out a living online. Today, it's paying her rent.
SK Hynix Q2 profit misses analyst estimates as chip prices fall South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix reported a 65 percent on-year increase in second quarter net profit on Thursday, missing analyst estimates, as slowing demand for personal computers and smartphones dampened memory chip prices.
Samsung keeps top spot as smartphone market grows Samsung remained the top global smartphone vendor in the second quarter despite slowing sales, while Apple and Chinese manufacturers boosted market share, a survey showed Thursday.
Comcast adds Internet customers; box office pumps up revenue Despite a slowdown in subscriber growth, the Internet is still propelling Comcast.

Chemistry news

	Bleach a possible key to life on earth Hydrogen peroxide - commonly used as hair bleach - may have provided the energy source for the development of life on Earth, two applied mathematicians have found.
	Ultra-thin hollow nanocages could reduce platinum use in fuel cell electrodes A new fabrication technique that produces platinum hollow nanocages with ultra-thin walls could dramatically reduce the amount of the costly metal needed to provide catalytic activity in such applications as fuel cells.

Biology news

	Kiwi bird genome sequenced Its unusual biological characteristics make the flightless kiwi a unique kind of bird. Researchers of the University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now sequenced the genetic code of this endangered species and have identified several sequence changes that underlie the kiwi's adaptation to a nocturnal lifestyle: They found several genes involved in colour vision to be inactivated and the diversity of odorant receptors to be higher than in other birds - suggesting an increased reliance on their sense of smell rather than vision for foraging. The study was published in the journal "Genome Biology".
	Report outlines predictions regarding changes to wildlife in England over the next half century A new report released by Natural England outlines what scientists in that country believe will happen to wildlife in England over the coming years as warming takes place. Warmth-loving creatures in the South are expected to thrive while those that prefer the cold, which live mostly at higher elevations or in the North, will likely suffer, the authors of the report suggest.
	Researchers conclude popular rockfish is actually two distinct species A new analysis confirms that the Blue Rockfish (Sebastes mystinus), a popular and commercially significant rockfish sought by anglers primarily off the California and Oregon coasts, is actually two separate and distinct species.
	Opinion: Engaging the public with science can yield unexpected rewards As a young(ish) female, I have been cautioned many times over the years that if I want to be taken seriously then I shouldn't make jokes about my work on sperm, and that it is probably better to avoid talking about my research in public.
	Top cock: Roosters crow in pecking order Roosters crow in order of seniority—the top cock announcing daybreak while juniors patiently wait their turn, said a study Thursday which revealed a long-guarded secret of chickendom.
	Drones could contribute to saving endangered chimpanzees A new study has revealed that drones fitted with a standard camera are able to detect chimpanzee nests, saving conservation researchers hours of ground work.
	Simple technology makes CRISPR gene editing cheaper University of California, Berkeley, researchers have discovered a much cheaper and easier way to target a hot new gene editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to cut or label DNA.
	Stressed young birds stop learning from their parents and turn to wider flock Highly-social zebra finches learn foraging skills from their parents. However, new research has found that when juvenile finches are exposed to elevated stress hormones just after hatching, they will later switch strategies and learn only from unrelated adult birds - ignoring their parents' way of doing things and instead gaining foraging skills from the wider network of other adult finches.
	Female stink bugs 'select' the color of their eggs Stink bug mothers will lay darker or lighter eggs depending on how much light is reflecting off of a surface. The newly discovered adaptation is likely related to how some species of stink bugs are able to deposit their eggs on top of leaves, as the darker-colored eggs are better protected from UV radiation. Surprisingly, the eggs are not darkened by melanin, but by a previously unknown pigment. The findings, published July 23 in Current Biology, were driven by the curiosity of a University of Montreal PhD student, who uses the stink bugs as hosts for parasitic wasps.
	Four-legged fossil suggests snakes evolved from burrowing ancestors The discovery of a four-legged fossil of a snake hints that this suborder may have evolved from burrowing, rather than marine, ancestors. The unique four-legged specimen, found in Brazil's Crato Formation, provides us with more insight into how these creatures transitioned into the sleek, slithering reptiles that we are familiar with - and often fearful of - today.
	Mammoths killed by abrupt climate change New research has revealed abrupt warming, that closely resembles the rapid man-made warming occurring today, has repeatedly played a key role in mass extinction events of large animals, the megafauna, in Earth's past.
	Scientists see risks in biodiversity offsets misuse Australian scientists have warned governments against using biodiversity offsetting to meet existing conservation commitments.
	Discovery of proteins that cause haze in beer Beer drinkers and barley growers are toasting the discovery of two proteins that cause an unattractive haze to form when chilling or storing an otherwise perfect beer.
	Faster, better, cheaper: A new method to generate extended data for genome assemblies Long range genetic data is an invaluable source for plant, crop and animal genetic research. Sequencing genomes requires breaking them into small manageable pieces and then working out how they go back together - similar to a million or billion piece jigsaw puzzle. To do this, a combination of short range (a jigsaw piece) and long range (tells you about the nearby pieces) sequence data is needed.
	Reintroduced Channel Islands eagles thrive on a diet of seabirds and fish Reintroducing a species into an area where it has vanished can be a great tool for conservation, but for reintroduction to be successful it's crucial to understand how the habitat has changed in the interim and whether the reintroduced species will be able to thrive in its former home.
	Fighting mosquito resistance to insecticides Controlling mosquitoes that carry human diseases is a global health challenge as their ability to resist insecticides now threatens efforts to prevent epidemics. Scientists from the CNRS, IRD, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble and Institut Pasteur in French Guiana have identified new genetic markers for mosquito resistance to insecticides, which could improve its detection in the field. This work was published in Genome Research on 23 July 2015.
Simple flip of genetic switch determines aging or longevity in animals When does aging really begin? Two Northwestern University scientists now have a molecular clue. In a study of the transparent roundworm C. elegans, they found that adult cells abruptly begin their downhill slide when an animal reaches reproductive maturity.
US breast milk is glyphosate free Washington State University scientists have found that glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, does not accumulate in mother's breast milk.
Biologists identify ways to enhance complex data integration across research domains The integration of data from two or more domains is required for addressing many fundamental scientific questions and understanding how to mitigate challenges impacting humanity and our planet, according to a new workshop report from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). The publication identifies key barriers to complex data integration and offers recommendations for the research community, research funding organizations, and others.
	Bear alert: Russians warned off visiting cemetery Armed police are patrolling a cemetery in a far eastern Russian city and escorting mourners after two bears strayed from the woods in search of food.
	Anger as S. African airline lifts ban on hunting trophies Animal welfare activists on Thursday decried a decision by South Africa's national air carrier to reverse a ban on the transportation of hunting trophies.

Medicine & Health news

Educational benefits of deworming children questioned by re-analysis of flagship study Deworming children may not improve school attendance and the evidence that informs international policy needs to be re-appraised following a major re-analysis by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Their re-analysis of original data from an influential trial corrected earlier errors and led the researchers to question the finding that deworming children increased school attendance.
Research suggests retail meat is a potential vehicle for disease-causing Klebsiella Chicken, turkey and pork sold in grocery stores harbors disease-causing bacteria known as Klebsiella pneumoniae, according to a new study. The research, which was published online today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, shows that contaminated meat may be an important source of human exposure to Klebsiella.
Leading experts prescribe how to make cancer drugs more affordable A group of 118 of the nation's leading cancer experts have drafted a prescription for reducing the high cost of cancer drugs and voiced support for a patient-based grassroots movement demanding action on the issue. Their recommendations and support are outlined in a commentary, co-authored by the group, in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Costa Rica to regulate IVF after long row Costa Rica's president will issue a decree to regulate in vitro fertilization (IVF) after a long legal battle, he said Wednesday.
Study of Bangladeshis' economic behavior leads to research on hand-washing Graduate student Reshmaan Hussam has always seen economics as more than a collection of numbers: For her, it also entails history, health, and human behavior. Now, as a fifth-year PhD student in economics at MIT, she applies this outlook to understanding sanitation and hygiene behavior in the developing world, with an eye toward affecting policy and behavioral changes.
New 'chemotherapy booster' could treat lung and pancreatic cancer A new drug that blocks cancer's escape route from chemotherapy could be used to treat deadly lung and pancreatic cancers, research has revealed.
	Is cheese America's favorite food? What did the taco say to the tortilla chip? "It's nacho problem."
	Less-invasive repair of aortic aneurysm better in short term: study (HealthDay)—Minimally invasive surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm appears to boost survival in the short term more than traditional surgery does, but that advantage diminishes over time, researchers report.
	Short sleep duration ups odds of metabolic syndrome (HealthDay)—Short sleep duration (less than seven hours) is associated with increased likelihood of metabolic syndrome, according to a meta-analysis published online July 13 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
	Optical coherence tomography IDs brain atrophy in MS (HealthDay)—Rates of ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCIP) atrophy mirrors that of whole brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS), as measured by optimal coherence tomography (OCT), according to a study published online July 18 in the Annals of Neurology.
	Lidocaine patches don't cut pain after robotic cardiac valve sx (HealthDay)—For patients undergoing robotic cardiac valve surgery, lidocaine 5 percent patches do not reduce acute or persistent pain, according to a study published online July 14 in Pain Medicine.
Brain activity can explain the causes of prejudice An international team of scientists, led from Karolinska Institutet, has investigated the neural basis of racial biases. The results, published in the scientific journal NeuroImage, show that after an aversive experience, differences in brain activity are seen, depending on whether the experience is associated with a member of the person's own ethnic group or another.
	Software helps deaf and hearing communities interact For most Americans, communication is an oral endeavor. We learn to speak and read through sound, to distinguish between hard and soft k's, to make the hiss of a double "s" or the slight lisp of a "th."
	Glioma tumor's genetic profile more telling than physical appearance In the diagnosis of a glioma brain tumor, looks can be deceiving. A glioma that looks relatively unaggressive under a microscope may still have a lethal potential.
National salt reduction goal could aid fight against cardiovascular disease Setting a national salt reduction target could be an effective way to stem cardiovascular disease, propose University of Sydney researchers.
Neuroscientists identify substances in saliva that may predict the development of Alzheimer's disease New research from the University of Alberta shows that body fluids such as saliva may hold the keys to understanding a person's likelihood of developing Alzheimer's, even among those who don't yet have memory and thinking problems associated with the disease.
	Making sure blueberry juice worth the squeeze Blueberries can help with mental acuity, Metabolic Syndrome, gut health and muscle repair. But to make the best quality juice, a processor needs to ensure key chemicals in the whole fruit are retained. A Massey University student has developed a tool to help local processors keep the health-promoting qualities of whole blueberries when they make juice.
Research into human body cell behaviour reveals interesting results Researchers from Western Australia, Japan and Germany have collaborated to create the first map of cell-to-cell communication between the hundreds of cell types which make up our bodies.
Investigators at VIB and UGent have developed a tool for more accurate interpretation of biomedical research Investigators affiliated with VIB and UGent recently achieved great success with a study involving biomedical research on mouse models. The research group of Prof Peter Vandenabeele (VIB/UGent) recently used tangible examples to demonstrate how the side effects of genetic modification of mice can complicate the interpretation of biomedical research. The team developed a web tool that allows scientists to estimate the impact of this phenomenon more accurately. Their findings were recently published in the medical journal Immunity and received ample attention by a preview in Immunity and a comment in The Scientist.
Social climbing makes the English happier than Americans People who grow up in a working class family are more satisfied in later life than those from a higher class background according to new research from The University of Manchester.
	The case against unlimited screen time for children PLOS Blogs colleague Beth Skwarecki has a post this week on the potential benefits of screen time for kids. It's makes points that are similar to those brought up by former PLOS Blogger Melinda Wenner Moyer over at Slate last year, and another by Emily Oster at Five Thirty Eight titled Screen Time for Kids is Probably Fine.
	5 things: House bill would prevent mandatory GMO labeling States could no longer require labels on genetically modified foods under legislation the House is considering.
	Researcher invents chemo delivery system that minimizes impact on healthy cells A researcher at Dalhousie Medical School has developed a new way to deliver chemotherapy drugs. Using nanotechnology, the novel system releases chemo in cancerous cells only, leaving healthy cells alone. The work was recently published in Nature's Scientific Reports.
	Promising prognosis as cancer deaths continue to fall The rate of Australians dying from cancer is on a steady, downhill trajectory, thanks to powerful advances made in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows a promising outlook for those diagnosed with cancer.
	Cortisone affects acute lung injury (ALI) via pro-inflammatory signalling pathways There's no time to lose when an emergency doctor diagnoses "shock lung" at an accident scene. What physicians know as "acute lung injury" (ALI) otherwise leads to death by suffocation without immediate treatment. This is due to water retention in the lung tissues (oedemas) and to a massive inflammatory response that, in the end, destroys lung tissues and hinders gas exchange. This acute lung injury (ALI) is treated through artificial respiration and anti-inflammatory cortisone.
New insights into the circuitry of PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have devastating consequences. Both are associated with high rates of disability and suicide, and although they are separate conditions, they commonly co-occur. For example, a soldier who has developed PTSD as a result of a traumatic experience may have also sustained a brain injury during that experience.
	Online cancer fakers may be suffering a different kind of illness Trust is very important in medicine. Increasing numbers of people are using the internet to manage their health by looking for facts about specific illnesses and treatments available. And patients, their carers and the public in general need to trust that this information is accurate, reliable and up to date.
Continued domestic abuse facilitated by post-separation contact Contact between children and fathers in the aftermath of parental separation facilitates the continued abuse of women and children, according to new research focusing on the experiences of families with a prior history of domestic abuse conducted by social work experts at Trinity College Dublin
	Web app helps researchers explore cancer genetics Brown University computer scientists have developed a new interactive tool to help researchers and clinicians explore the genetic underpinnings of cancer.
Same genes may influence GCSE results across range of subjects Many of the same genes may affect GCSE results across a broad range of subjects according to a new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London.
Novel algorithm identifies DNA copy-number landscapes in African American colon cancers An algorithm dubbed ENVE could be the Google for genetic aberrations—and it comes from Case Western Reserve.
	It takes a village... to ward off dangerous infections? New microbiome research suggests so Like a collection of ragtag villagers fighting off an invading army, the mix of bacteria that live in our guts may band together to keep dangerous infections from taking hold, new research suggests.
Researchers develop first genetic test to predict tumor sensitivity to radiation therapy Recent advances in the understanding of cancer have led to more personalized therapies, such as drugs that target particular proteins and tests that analyze gene expression patterns in tumors to predict a patient's response to therapy. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have contributed to these advances by developing the first test that analyzes the sensitivity of tumors to radiation therapy. They discovered that colon cancer metastases have varying sensitivity to radiation therapy based on their anatomic location.
Researchers decode molecular action of combination therapy for deadly thyroid cancer In their bid to find the best combination of therapies to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus demonstrated that all histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are not created equal.
Expert panel sets nutrition guidelines to manage GI symptoms in autism A new guideline for the nutrition of management gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) provides a framework for clinicians to navigate frequently seen issues such as food selectivity, alternative diets and nutritional deficits. The expert panel was convened at Marcus Autism Center, an affiliate of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the resulting guideline was published online by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAND).
Chemotherapy and quality of life at the end of life Chemotherapy for patients with end-stage cancer was associated with worse quality of life near death for patients with a good ability to still perform many life functions, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.
Study identifies challenges of delirium detection in older adults in emergency department An estimated one to two million older adults with delirium visit hospital emergency departments in the United States annually. Yet about two-thirds of the cases of this sudden and potentially lethal change in mental status are unrecognized by emergency department clinicians who are under time pressure and almost always managing multiple patients at once. Half a year later, those with undetected delirium who were discharged from the emergency department have significantly higher mortality rates than those whose delirium was recognized.
Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response, research finds The brain's effect on other parts of the body has been well established. Now, a group that includes two University of Florida Health researchers has found that it's a two-way street: Body fat can send a signal that affects the way the brain deals with stress and metabolism.
	New antibody portal bolsters biomedical research reliability For years, a crisis has been brewing in molecular biology. The problem is that antibodies - research tools used to identify key proteins at work in a cell - aren't always what they seem. Unreliable antibodies have led to numerous instances of false findings, failed experiments, and wasted money and samples.
Study finds link between physician training and brand name prescribing Physicians in training are twice as likely to order a costly brand-name statin (used to lower blood cholesterol levels) when supervised by senior physicians who prefer those medications in their own practice, according to a new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. These findings document a link between low-value prescribing and graduate medical training, which physicians undergo after completing medical school but before they can practice independently.
	The genetic roots of adolescent scoliosis Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis—a condition featuring curvature of the spine—affects tens of millions of children worldwide, but does not have a known cause. Now, scientists at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in collaboration with Keio University in Japan have discovered a gene that is linked to susceptibility to the condition. Published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the work details how the susceptibility gene is associated with increased expression of the protein BNC2, which is in turn regulated by another protein called YY1.
Opening the door to the cause of myeloid leukemia: Finding the targets of common mutation Researchers at the University of Birmingham have made a breakthrough in understanding how mutated genes in leukaemia reprogram blood stem cells and send them spiralling out of control.
	College social life can predict well-being at midlife It's well known that being socially connected promotes a person's overall and psychological health. A new study from the University of Rochester now shows that the quantity of social interactions a person has at 20—and the quality of social relationships that person has at age 30—can benefit her well-being later in life.
Overeating caused by a hormone deficiency in brain? If you find yourself downing that extra piece of chocolate fudge cake even though you're not hungry, it might be the absence of a hormone in your brain that's causing you to overeat purely for pleasure.
Genetically distinct cells reveal nature's strategy for avoiding pregnancy complications Researchers add a new twist to the more than century old biological principles of Mendelian inheritance - describing a small group of cells in pregnant mothers that promote genetic fitness and multi-generational reproductive health.
	Leukemia thwarted by cutting off link to environmental support A new study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reveals a protein's critical - and previously unknown—role in the development and progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing and extremely difficult-to-treat blood cancer.
Scientists identify schizophrenia's 'Rosetta Stone' gene Scientists have identified a critical function of what they believe to be schizophrenia's "Rosetta Stone" gene that could hold the key to decoding the function of all genes involved in the disease.
Researchers find promising treatment for devastating genetic disorder A multi-institutional team of researchers has identified an apparently successful treatment for a genetic immune disorder that causes a multitude of health problems - ranging from infections, diabetes, lung disease and the body's immune system attacking and damaging healthy tissues.
	Tracking breast cancer before it grows A team of scientists led by University of Saskatchewan researcher Dr. Saroj Kumar is using cutting-edge Canadian Light Source techniques to screen and treat breast cancer at its earliest changes.
	US South Asians more reluctant to seek medication for pain When compared with other ethnicities, Asians are the most unsatisfied with the health care they received in the United States, previous research has shown. This dissatisfaction with health care partly is caused by health practices in the U.S. clashing with the practices Asian patients and families may be more used to experiencing overseas. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that health care providers perceive South Asians living in the U.S. to be more reluctant than other ethnicities to report pain as well as seek medications to treat the pain they experience near the end of their lives. Researchers say this finding provides an opportunity for health care professionals to deliver better culturally responsive care to South Asian patients and their families.
	Burn treatment calls for 'constant' feeding For someone recovering from severe burns, eating is often the last thing they want to do. However, burn specialists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center say nutrition is so vital to their patients' recovery that they make it a quality indicator for patient care.
Building confidence helps people with MS have fuller lives The physical symptoms of weakness and fatigue from multiple sclerosis (MS) can rock a person's confidence and ability to engage in what he or she feels is important, from being a good parent and friend to taking up a hobby, according to Matthew Plow, assistant professor from Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
Stem cell transplantation for children with rare form of leukemia improves outcomes Researchers in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have shown greatly improved outcomes in using stem cell transplantation to treat patients with a serious but very rare form of chronic blood cancer called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML).
	Why West Nile virus is more dangerous in the elderly West Nile virus (WNV) is particularly dangerous in older people, who account for a large number of severe cases and deaths caused by the virus. WNV infection turns serious when the virus crosses the blood-brain-barrier and wreaks havoc among nerve cells in the brain. A study published on July 23rd in PLOS Pathogens suggests that several critical components of the early immune response to the virus are impaired in elderly individuals, and that this can explain their vulnerability.
	Cell phone notifications may be driving you to distraction Whether you are alerted to an incoming phone call or text by a trendy ringtone, an alarm bell or a quiet vibration, just receiving a notification on your cell phone can cause enough of a distraction to impair your ability to focus on a given task, according to a new Florida State University study.
	Scientists set sights on glaucoma medication to treat TB A new discovery by Michigan State University scientists suggests that a common medication used to treat glaucoma could also be used to treat tuberculosis, even the drug-resistant kind.
Researchers pinpoint where the brain unites our eyes' double vision If you have two working eyes, you are live streaming two images of the world into your brain. Your brain combines the two to produce a view of the world that appears as though you had a single eye—like the Cyclops from Greek mythology.
	Exercise good for brain, even for those with Alzheimer's Exercise may do more than keep a healthy brain fit: New research suggests working up a good sweat may also offer some help once memory starts to slide— and even improve life for people with Alzheimer's.
Researchers discover new role for protein in cell division Pharmaceutical sciences researchers at Washington State University have discovered a protein's previously unknown role in cell division.
	An innovative algorithm is helping scientists decipher how drugs work inside the body Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have developed a computer algorithm that is helping scientists see how drugs produce pharmacological effects inside the body. The study, published in the journal Cell, could help researchers create drugs that are more efficient and less prone to side effects, suggest ways to regulate a drug's activity, and identify novel therapeutic uses for new and existing compounds.
Researcher to study genetic and social aspects of HIV clusters Kayo Fujimoto, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, has been awarded a grant to study the genetic and social network aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission.
Preventing knee pain in at-risk adults with diabetes Knee pain in older adults, often caused by osteoarthritis, usually means more visits to the doctor and also can be a harbinger of disability.
	Tiny mechanical wrist gives new dexterity to needlescopic surgery With the flick of a tiny mechanical wrist, a team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University's Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory hope to give needlescopic surgery a whole new degree of dexterity.
Estrogen-suppressing drugs substantially reduce breast cancer deaths A class of hormonal drugs called aromatase inhibitors substantially reduce the risk of death in postmenopausal women with the most common type of breast cancer, a major study of more than 30,000 women shows.
Hormesis hypothesis may be acknowledged by US regulatory action When environmental toxicologist Edward Calabrese in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst heard recently that the U.S. National Regulatory Commission has opened a new docket on proposed rule changes and standards for radiation protection, he felt it as "a vindication of my 30-year career, in many ways."
Study: Drug may relieve menopausal symptoms Women who suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss and other miseries of menopause might find safe relief for their symptoms in a new medication under study at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
	One in 4 people prescribed opioids progressed to longer-term prescriptions Opioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and substance abuse were likeliest to use opioid painkillers long-term.
Cosmetic surgery leads to possible pain relief from migraines Bryan Kirsch knew something was wrong when the stairs moved. After roughhousing with his children in 2011, he was walking upstairs with one when, he remembered, "I look up the stairs, and the whole world is spinning."
Biomarkers higher in binge drinkers A biomarker found in the blood of alcohol users is significantly higher in binge drinkers than in those who consume alcohol moderately, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The biomarker, called phosphatidylethanol (PEth), could be used to screen young adults for harmful or heavy drinking such as binge drinking.
USDA: Bird flu vaccine works on chickens; testing on turkeys Scientists have developed a vaccine strain that has tested 100 percent effective in protecting chickens from bird flu and testing is underway to see if it also protects turkeys, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the House Agriculture Committee at a hearing on Wednesday.
Researchers urge use of hepatitis C-positive kidneys as one solution to kidney shortage The average wait time for a kidney transplant is five years and there are more than 100,000 people on the waiting list. However, there are thousands of viable hepatitis C-positive kidneys that are discarded each year solely because they're infected. A new perspective paper written by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that "new antiviral therapies with cure rates exceeding 95 percent should prompt transplant-community leaders to view HCV (hepatitis C virus)-positive organs as a valuable opportunity for transplant candidates with or without pre-existing HCV infection."
Expert discusses ways to stay heart healthy, hydrated and fit during the summer Summer can be a lazy time. Cookouts, vacations, graduation parties and similar events may tempt us to throw caution to the wind when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, particularly as it relates to diet and exercise. However, experts at the Pauley Heart Center, part of Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, suggest being ever mindful of lifestyle habits that promote good heart health.
French doctors decide whether to allow vegetative man to die French doctors will decide Thursday whether to allow a severely brain-damaged man to die in the latest turn of a bitter legal battle over his fate which ended up at Europe's top rights court.
	5 things from annual check-up for Social Security, Medicare Looking at the big picture, the financial health of Social Security and Medicare doesn't appear to have worsened.
Roche sees 1st-half profit drop on franc strength; sales up Drug maker Roche Holding AG says its first-half profit was weighed down by the surging Swiss franc and one-time effects, while solid sales of cancer treatments helped push revenue higher.
High-throughput approach to select subpopulations of multipotent cells for regenerative medicine Rapid, large-scale screening to characterize the different subpopulations of multipotent cells that can be derived from fat tissue is an effective strategy to identify and select for specific cell types that would be advantageous for particular therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The use of flow cytometry to determine the expression of a defined set of markers on the surface of human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) is described in an article in Tissue Engineering.
Can patient navigators reduce no-shows for cancer screening follow-up? Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital reported a 20% decline in the rate of missed appointments for cervical cancer evaluation following a Pap smear when a patient navigator program was initiated at the referral center. The impact of the program and the main reasons for patient no-shows are explored in an article in Journal of Women's Health.
	Proposed 2016 Medicare physician cuts threaten access to community-based radiation therapy The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is concerned about proposed additional payment cuts to radiation therapy detailed in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), released July 8, 2015, which will take effect on January 1, 2016. Freestanding centers estimate that the combined impact of the Medicare proposals would result in a five to seven percent reduction in payment for radiation oncology services at community-based centers, although the cuts will vary and could be more than 10 percent for some freestanding centers, depending upon their patient population.
Colorado nuns appeal birth control ruling to Supreme Court A group of Colorado nuns said Thursday they will go to the U.S. Supreme Court to appeal a ruling that allows their employees to receive birth control from a third party under the Affordable Care Act, fueling a combustible argument over contraception and religion ahead of next year's presidential election.
House passes bill to prevent mandatory GMO labeling Food companies would not have to disclose whether their products include genetically modified ingredients under legislation passed by the House Thursday.
Researchers identify potential new targets for treating kidney disease Chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension cause injury to the kidneys, which can lead to scarring and the development of chronic kidney disease. By identifying proteins important to this scarring process, researchers now point to a new strategy for possibly preventing kidney failure and the need for dialysis or transplantation in many patients. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

Other Sciences news

	Oldest known Koran text fragments discovered Two pages of text written on parchment that are believed to be sections of the Koran (Chapters 18 and 20) have been discovered by a PhD student in a British university library and are believed to be the oldest ever found. The two pages, written in Hijazi, were discovered by Alba Fedeli bound in a newer version of the Koran in the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.
	Camp counselor finds mammoth tooth on trek along Salt Creek A summer camp counselor suspects recent flooding may have helped unearth or carry to Lincoln a baseball-sized tooth believed to belong to a baby mammoth.
	Study suggests that in congress, working-class backgrounds matter New UC Berkeley research shows that members of Congress with working-class childhoods—especially Democrats—are more likely to cast roll-call votes for policies expanding opportunities for low-income families in health care, food aid, the minimum wage and higher education.
Most people experience relative poverty at some point How does one define "poverty?" The federal government draws a line, and if you're below it, you're poor. A Cornell sociologist seeking a more nuanced view of the American experience says poverty can be better understood in a relative sense – that is, looking at how people stack up against each other, as opposed to against a specific income standard.
	Review uncovers favourite rock shelter hangouts Archaeologists studying data from excavations around Fortescue Metals Group's Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mines say some Pilbara rock shelters were far more important to early humans than previously thought.
Personalized banner ads are a double-edged sword Sometimes consumers might appreciate a pop-up ad that reflects the merchandise they were recently browsing online, and sometimes they just might decide to spike it and thereafter avoid the seller that placed the ad. Retailers can learn about this behavior in the September 2015 issue of the Journal of Retailing.
Managers beware of gender faultlines Do you have gender "faultlines" in your organization? New research suggests that such fissures appear when gender differences solidify into cliques. And this tends to occur when members of one gender share other demographic traits and professional interests, such as age, job responsibilities and time served. For example, the men in one organization might be young techies, while the women might tend to be middle-aged marketers. Or vice versa. What's important is that several qualities align in addition to gender, creating a stronger sense of in-group identity among men and women.
	Why doesn't work always offer a safe escape route from poverty? On Monday, British lawmakers will vote on a welfare bill which reflects a widely accepted idea that paid employment provides an important route out of poverty for people of working age. In fact, the proposals make it clear that this government regards paid work as the only acceptable route out of poverty; Chancellor George Osborne has even argued that "progressive" Labour MPs should offer their support. But the uncomfortable truth here is that many of those who enter paid employment remain stuck in a cycle of struggle.
Deepsea Challenger sub involved in truck fire The submarine that visited the deepest spot in the world's oceans has been scorched in a truck fire on a Connecticut highway.

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