Fwd: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Feb 11

HOT!
Germany train crash—ways in which rail safety systems can fail

RESPEKT!

Study finds Zika virus in fetal brain, a clue in outbreak

Evidence grows for Zika role in brain damage

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 3:21 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Feb 11
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for February 11, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- 'Lasers rewired': Scientists find a new way to make nanowire lasers
- Gravitational waves detected 100 years after Einstein's prediction
- Researchers determine physical conditions of two exoplanets in Kepler-36 system
- Neanderthal DNA has subtle but significant impact on human traits
- Research reveals carbon films can give microchips energy storage capability
- The neuroscience of seeking company
- This is what a wasp sees to learn the way home (w/ Video)
- Study reveals new link between brain and fat-burning circuit
- Researchers transform common cell to master heart cell
- Scientists identify a memory suppressor that may play a role in autism
- Why smiles (and frowns) are contagious
- Origins of 'rage' identified in brain in male animal model
- True love: How transcription factors interact to create a heart
- How your brain might be secretly thwarting your New Year's resolutions
- Scientists learn how young brains form lifelong memories by studying worms' food choices

Nanotechnology news

	'Lasers rewired': Scientists find a new way to make nanowire lasers The nanowires, with diameters as small as 200 nanometers (billionths of a meter) and a blend of materials that has also proven effective in next-generation solar cell designs, were shown to produce very bright, stable laser light. Researchers say the excellent performance of these tiny lasers is promising for the field of optoelectronics, which is focused on combining electronics and light to transmit data, among other applications.
	Silicon chip with integrated laser: Light from a nanowire Physicists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a nanolaser, a thousand times thinner than a human hair. Thanks to an ingenious process, the nanowire lasers grow right on a silicon chip, making it possible to produce high-performance photonic components cost-effectively. This will pave the way for fast and efficient data processing with light in the future.
	Bumpy liquid films could simplify fabrication of microlenses Have you ever noticed that when heated a film of oil in a pan doesn't remain completely flat? Instead, it forms a wavy pattern that resembles the exterior of an orange. These sorts of deformations inspired a group of researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germany, to explore whether they could be used to improve and streamline microfabrication processes.

Physics news

	Gravitational waves detected 100 years after Einstein's prediction For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window to the cosmos.
	Sneezing produces complex fluid cascade, not a simple spray Here's some incentive to cover your mouth the next time you sneeze: New high-speed videos captured by MIT researchers show that as a person sneezes, they launch a sheet of fluid that balloons, then breaks apart in long filaments that destabilize, and finally disperses as a spray of droplets, similar to paint that is flung through the air.
	Scientists produce an extremely cold gas of organic polar molecules The study of ultracold molecules is a science of its own. Ultracold molecules provide the possibility to investigate fundamental chemical processes or to explore physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. The only snag is the fact that molecules are very difficult to cool down to really low temperatures because of their manifold vibrational and rotational states. A team of scientists led by Dr. Martin Zeppenfeld from the Quantum Dynamics Division of Prof. Gerhard Rempe at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching has now made a virtue of necessity: the so-called optoelectrical Sisyphus technique, developed in the group, exploits the polarity of formaldehyde molecules, while reaching temperatures as low as 420 micro-Kelvin.
	Scientists glimpse Einstein's gravitational waves (Update) In a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy, scientists said Thursday they have glimpsed the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time that Albert Einstein predicted a century ago.
	A 'magical' space-time ripple that wasn't believed, at first The wave that made history snuck up on them. David Shoemaker will never forget the date—September 14, 2015—when he woke up to a message alerting him that an underground detector had spotted a 1.3-billion-year-old ripple in the fabric of space-time.
	Gravitational waves: Why the fuss? (Update) Great excitement rippled through the physics world Thursday at the announcement that gravitational waves have been detected after a 100-year search.
GGC physicist leads team in innovative black hole research Black holes are the subject of much fascination, not just in science but also in popular media. For example, the 2014 movie "Interstellar" portrays a fast-rotating, supermassive black hole, into which the protagonist falls in order to probe its center.
	Twisting magnets enhance data storage capacity Members of a research collaboration have succeeded in experimentally verifying the properties of crystals of chiral magnetic materials, which may lead to the development of new types of magnetic memories with unprecedented storage capacities. The collaboration "A Consortium to Exploit Spin Chirality in Advanced Materials" was established in 2015 between scientists in several countries including Japan, Russia, and the UK.
	The world's most sophisticated science machines: LIGO The machines that gave scientists their first-ever glimpse at gravitational waves are the most advanced detectors ever built for sensing tiny vibrations in the universe.
	Discovery of new iron oxides points to large oxygen source inside the Earth Using a special high-pressure chamber, scientists have discovered two new iron oxides in experiments at DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III and other facilities. The discovery points to a huge, hitherto unknown oxygen source in the lower mantle of the Earth. The team led by Dr. Elena Bykova from the University of Bayreuth reports its results in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
	Einstein writings show theory 100 years ahead of time It took a century, but the theory from Albert Einstein handwritten neatly on paper that is now yellowing has finally been vindicated.
	In-depth Q&A: Three researchers on the front line of today's gravitational wave discovery News broke earlier today that elusive ripples in space-time—known as gravitational waves—have been detected for the first time here on Earth by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).

Earth news

	Ice sheet modeling of Greenland, Antarctica helps predict sea-level rise The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will make a dominant contribution to 21st century sea-level rise if current climate trends continue. However, predicting the expected loss of ice sheet mass is difficult due to the complexity of modeling ice sheet behavior.
Peat bog sheds new light on Greenland pollution Scientists from the University of Aberdeen have provided the strongest evidence yet of the origin of atmospheric lead pollution in Greenland, after studying a peat bog on the southern tip of the island.
	India's smog-choked capital to resume car ban in April New Delhi will restart draconian driving restrictions that will take around a million cars off the roads, to combat air quality in the world's most polluted capital, the government said Thursday.
	Testing detects algal toxins in Alaska marine mammals Toxins from harmful algae are present in Alaskan marine food webs in high enough concentrations to be detected in marine mammals such as whales, walruses, sea lions, seals, porpoises and sea otters, according to new research from NOAA and its federal, state, local and academic partners.
	Herpes outbreak, other marine viruses linked to coral bleaching event A study at Oregon State University has concluded that significant outbreaks of viruses may be associated with coral bleaching events, especially as a result of multiple environmental stresses.
	NASA's RapidScat spots newborn Tropical Cyclone Tatiana As Tropical Cyclone Tatiana was developing in the Coral Sea, east of Queensland, Australia, NASA's RapidScat measured the surface winds in the intensifying tropical cyclone.
	NASA's two eyes on Tropical Cyclone Daya Two of NASA's "eyes" have been watching Tropical Cyclone Daya and providing data to forecasters. As Tropical Cyclone Daya continued to move away from La Reunion Island in the Southern Indian Ocean, NASA's RapidScat instrument and NASA's Aqua satellite gathered visible imagery and infrared temperature data on the developing storm that showed its strength and development.

Astronomy & Space news

	Researchers determine physical conditions of two exoplanets in Kepler-36 system (Phys.org)—Located about 1,530 light years from the Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, Kepler-36 is a sun-like star orbited by two known alien worlds. The inner planet, designated Kepler-36b is a so-called "super-Earth," as it is larger than our home planet but smaller than Neptune; the larger Kepler-36c, resembling the solar system's outermost planet, is described as a "mini-Neptune." What is unusual about this planetary system is that these two exoworlds have very close orbits, separated only by 0.013 astronomical units (AU)—five times the Earth-moon distance. In a new research paper published online on Feb. 9, Princeton scientists are trying to determine physical conditions and understand the evolution process of this curious, distant system.
	New X-ray space observatory to study black holes and history of galaxy clusters Black hole enthusiasts, galaxy cluster aficionados, and X-ray astronomers have much to be excited about. On Friday, Feb. 12, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will be launching their sixth satellite dedicated to X-ray astronomy, ASTRO-H, from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, Japan. The observatory carries a state-of-the-art instrument and two telescope mirrors built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The launch is scheduled at 3:45 a.m. EST.
	Model suggests carbon dioxide could cause loss of planetary water as easily as increased solar radiation (Phys.org)—A trio of researchers affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and Princeton University has created a computer simulation that shows that a large increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide can cause a loss of planetary water as easily as an increase in solar radiation. The team has published the details of their model and what it showed in Nature Communications.
	Hubble image: The sleeping giant The placid appearance of NGC 4889 can fool the unsuspecting observer. But the elliptical galaxy, pictured in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, harbours a dark secret. At its heart lurks one of the most massive black holes ever discovered.
	Gravitational waves found, black-hole models led the way Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1916, and now, almost exactly 100 years later, the faint ripples across space-time have been found. The advanced Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO) has achieved the first direct measurement.
	Students to build a third space debris observation satellite Too bad there is no frequent flier program for microsatellites. If there was, University at Buffalo students would accrue serious points.
	How does an experiment at LIGO actually work? Gravitational waves are mysterious ripples in the fabric of space and time that travel across our universe at the speed of light. Predicted by Einstein exactly 100 years ago, a number of experiments have been searching for them. One of these experiments, LIGO, has been the focus of much speculation. But how does it actually work and how reliable is it?
	Largest rocky world found We thought we understood how big rocky planets can get. But most of our understanding of planetary formation and solar system development has come from direct observation of our own solar system. We simply couldn't see any others, and we had no way of knowing how typical—or how strange—our own solar system might be.

Technology news

	Research reveals carbon films can give microchips energy storage capability After more than half a decade of speculation, fabrication, modeling and testing, an international team of researchers led by Drexel University's Dr. Yury Gogotsi and Dr. Patrice Simon, of Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, have confirmed that their process for making carbon films and micro-supercapacitors will allow microchips and their power sources to become one and the same.
Record for fastest data rate set A new record for the fastest ever data rate for digital information has been set by UCL researchers in the Optical Networks Group. They achieved a rate of 1.125 Tb/s as part of research on the capacity limits of optical transmission systems, designed to address the growing demand for fast data rates.
	GPS tracking down to the centimeter Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new, more computationally efficient way to process data from the Global Positioning System (GPS), to enhance location accuracy from the meter-level down to a few centimeters.
	New computer vision algorithm predicts orientation of objects Seen from any angle, a horse looks like a horse. But it doesn't look the same from every angle. Scientists at Disney Research have developed a method to help computer vision systems avoid the confusion associated with changes in perspective, such as the marked difference in a horse's appearance from the side and from the front.
The cloud can't kill demand for computers as big as a fridge For PGS, an oil-imaging company in Oslo, Norway, finding pockets of oil and natural gas in the ground essentially starts by taking a large ultrasound picture of Earth.
	Apple co-founder is bringing us an even nerdier 'Comic Con' Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak had a front row seat as the personal computer began to reshape society. So it made perfect sense to him to bring a convention meshing technology with pop culture to Silicon Valley.
As industry shifts, Las Vegas cabs do some soul-searching The arrival of Uber and Lyft in Nevada last fall and a state audit accusing regulators of allowing cabs to charge $47 million in excessive fees each year have the powerful Las Vegas taxi industry and its overseers in the hot seat, facing down a recommendation that the agency be disbanded and its duties passed to another entity.
Tesla ramps up sales, sets date for new model Tesla said Wednesday its 2015 sales were up 51 percent as the electric carmaker reaffirmed plans for its new model that aims at a wider market.
	Twitter woes deepen as user base fails to grow Twitter's woes deepened Wednesday as the struggling messaging platform said it failed to add users in the past quarter, adding to concerns it is lagging in the fast-moving world of social networks.
Lego arm for disabled kids wins digital innovation prize A prosthetic arm made of Lego that disabled children can customise to their own needs won the grand prize at the Netexplo forum for digital technology in Paris on Wednesday.
Nokia says quarterly profit rose but cautions on outlook (Update) Nokia Corp. saw fourth-quarter profit grow more than 50 percent to 498 million euros ($560 million) on a slight increase in sales, but the telecom networks company cautioned it would face some "market headwinds," especially in China.
	Congress gives final OK to banning local Internet taxes (Update 3) Congress voted Thursday to permanently bar state and local governments from taxing access to the Internet, as lawmakers leapt at an election-year chance to demonstrate their opposition to imposing levies on online service.
	Israeli navy vet wants to sink smugglers with sea of data Israeli navy veteran Ami Daniel points at his computer screen and explains why the ship he was tracking should have been stopped and searched.
	Young adults swipe right on Tinder, but is it just a game? Online dating services are now hip with young adults, but not always for dating.
	Researchers release open source code for powerful image detection algorithm A UCLA Engineering research group has made public the computer code for an algorithm that helps computers process images at high speeds and "see" them in ways that human eyes cannot. The researchers say the code could eventually be used in face, fingerprint and iris recognition for high-tech security, as well as in self-driving cars' navigation systems or for inspecting industrial products.
	Smart cities better defined by new research Researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified a handful of key elements that define 'smart cities'– cities like Singapore and Copenhagen, which are both at the top of their game in using technology to enable their citizens to enjoy a better quality of life, but in different ways.
	Syncing simultaneous processing tasks could dramatically increase the efficiency of 'cloud' simulations In large-scale simulations that involve simultaneous computational tasks on distributed computers, the overall speed of the simulation is limited by the slowest link. By adaptively redistributing computational resources in real-time according to workload, a Singapore-based research team have shown how to overcome this 'slowest link' limitation.
	My robot Valentine—could you fall in love with a robot? Imagine it's Valentine's Day and you're sitting in a restaurant across the table from your significant other, about to start a romantic dinner.
	Germany train crash—ways in which rail safety systems can fail Whenever we hear of an accident such as the head on train collision that occurred in Bavaria on Tuesday our first thoughts must be with the victims who were killed or injured, and their friends and families. But as with all accidents an investigation is now underway, which should bring answers to how such a tragedy can happen.
	Smart chip makes low-powered, wireless neural implants a possibility Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a small smart chip that can be paired with neural implants for efficient wireless transmission of brain signals.
	Head of Google in Europe grilled by UK lawmakers A British parliamentary committee has grilled Google's president of European operations, questioning in blunt terms whether the Internet giant had paid its fair share of taxes.
	Tinder-style apps score as online dating grows The age-old quest for love is moving inexorably online for young and old Americans alike—whether this means swiping on their phone for a hot date, or using matchmaking sites to find the perfect mate.
	Twitter resumes skid on disappointing quarterly report Twitter shares skidded Thursday after its quarterly update failed to ease concerns that the messaging platform's growth initiatives are sputtering.
	Time gets MySpace with ad platform acquisition (Update) US magazine publisher Time Inc. said Thursday it was acquiring the online advertising group Viant Technology, which includes the remnants of social network pioneer MySpace.
	Cruz app data collection helps campaign read minds of voters Protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens from the government is a pillar of Ted Cruz's Republican presidential candidacy, but his campaign is testing the limits of siphoning personal data from supporters.
Amazon executive to do stint with Italian government Online retail colossus Amazon on Wednesday said that one of its senior executives will take two years off to work for free for the Italian government.
	Compact lens-free digital microscope At next week's SPIE Photonics West 2016, imec will demonstrate a lens-free microscope for large field-of-view live imaging at micrometer resolution. Imec's on-chip lens-free microscope can be integrated into life sciences and biotech tools, targeting multiple applications such as label-free cell monitoring, automated cell culturing, or automated high-throughput microscopy.
Lawmakers say UK's draft online spying law needs changes The British government is under pressure to amend a contentious Internet surveillance bill after a parliamentary committee said plans to make service providers retain all users' data have not been adequately thought through.
Can sustainable office buildings increase workers' productivity? Green buildings can both protect the environment and benefit the people using them. But to do so, users should be involved in the planning from the very beginning.
New IBM Sports Insights Central provides cognitive analytics foundation for talent evaluation As part of the grand opening of the Toronto Raptors' BioSteel Centre today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) are introducing a first of its kind solution called IBM Sports Insights Central. The solution is designed to transform the Raptors' talent evaluation processes by reimagining data through cognitive and analytics technology.
Indonesia warns messaging apps to drop same-sex emoticons Indonesia's government has demanded that instant messaging apps remove stickers featuring same-sex couples, in the latest high-profile attempt to discourage visible homosexuality in the socially conservative country.

Chemistry news

	Researchers discover new glass technology Imagine if the picture window in your living room could double as a giant thermostat or big screen TV. A discovery by researchers at the University of British Columbia has brought us one step closer to this becoming a reality.
	Breaking cell barriers with retractable protein nanoneedles The ability to control the transfer of molecules through cellular membranes is an important function in synthetic biology; a new study from researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Harvard Medical School (HMS) introduces a novel mechanical method for controlling release of molecules inside cells.
	'Electronic nose' determines food freshness A new device analyzes gas mixtures using semiconductor sensors. Odor is determined by a combination of existing gases in the atmosphere. Researchers have found that the conductivity of a semiconductor probe changes during sedimentation of the gas molecules from the atmosphere, which indicates their presence, says Timur Muksunov. During manufacture, the sensor can be customized to react differently to various atmospheric gases.
	Scientists gain insights into 'forbidden' chemistry Gabriele Saleh, a research fellow at MIPT, and Prof. Artem Oganov, a Laboratory Supervisor at MIPT and Professor at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), have discovered what causes the stability of various compounds that are not commonly found in 'textbook' chemistry.
	Single-step process transforms carbon dioxide into building blocks for polymeric materials The power of carbon dioxide has been harnessed by A*STAR researchers to make two symmetrical star-shaped molecules in a single step. These molecules could be used to build complex, functional polymeric materials useful for catalysis, coatings and drug delivery.
New target found in search for new, more effective herbicide Scientists at the John Innes Centre have discovered a new target in plants for the development of new herbicides for use by farmers and gardeners.

Biology news

	Could the food we eat affect our genes? Study in yeast suggests this may be the case Almost all of our genes may be influenced by the food we eat, according to new research published in the journal Nature Microbiology. The study, carried out in yeast – which can be used to model some of the body's fundamental processes – shows that while the activity of our genes influences our metabolism, the opposite is also true and the nutrients available to cells influence our genes.
	Mutual sabotage in parasites Some parasites have only one goal: to develop completely in their intermediate host, await the right time to infect their definitive host and procreate there. Many parasites manipulate their intermediate host's behaviour. This causes the host to act differently and, depending on the parasite's requirements, be more or less evident to its natural predator. But what happens when parasites in different developmental stages or even different species of parasites with contradictory goals infect the same host? Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany, have discovered that two different species of parasites in different developmental stages in the same copepod will mutually sabotage each other's efforts and disable the other's manipulation. According to the researchers, the parasite in the infective stage always retains the upper hand in cases of conflicts of interest.
	How your cells build tiny 'train tracks' could shed light on human disease Researchers from the University of Warwick have discovered how cells in the human body build their own 'railway networks', throwing light on how diseases such as bowel cancer work. The results have just been published in Nature Scientific Reports.
True love: How transcription factors interact to create a heart Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that three transcription factors—proteins that direct gene expression—interact with each other and the genome to influence how a heart forms in an embryo. Without these protein interactions, severe congenital heart defects can occur. By understanding how the transcription factors work together during heart development, researchers may discover new ways to treat heart disease.
	Researchers transform common cell to master heart cell By genetically reprogramming the most common type of cell in mammalian connective tissue, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have generated master heart cells—primitive progenitors that form the developing heart.
	This is what a wasp sees to learn the way home (w/ Video) When ground-nesting wasps leave their nests each day, they turn back toward home before flying along a series of ever-increasing arcs. While the insects gain height and distance, their attention remains focused on the nest. By reconstructing what wasps see during these learning flights, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on February 11 say that they have new insight into how the insects find their way home.
	New strategy results in custom 'designer proteins' for sensing a variety of molecules Biosensors are powerful tools in synthetic biology for engineering metabolic pathways or controlling synthetic and native genetic circuits in bacteria. Scientists have had difficulty developing a method to engineer "designer" biosensor proteins that can precisely sense and report the presence of specific molecules, which has so far limited the number and variety of biosensor designs able to precisely regulate cell metabolism, cell biology, and synthetic gene circuits.
	By switching 'bait,' biologists trick plants' bacterial defense into attacking virus Scientists at Indiana University have modified a plant gene that normally fights bacterial infection to confer resistance to a virus.
	A protein produced by cells in response to stress can improve the production of biological medicines Production of an antibody can be doubled without loss in quality by genetically modifying special cells to overexpress heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), a Singaporean research team has shown, bringing efficient production of therapeutics a step closer.
	Opposition to genetically modified animals could leave millions hungry In a world with a ballooning population and deteriorating environment, we will need to use every trick in the book to stave off mass starvation, disease and political chaos.
	Rubisco activase best clue for better photosynthesis in fluctuating light Scientists and plant breeders who are aiming to improve food production by improving photosynthesis in crop plants, would make a good choice if they chose to change the composition and concentration of the protein Rubisco activase. In conditions where light intensity changes often and strongly, Rubisco activase is an important limiting factor in boosting the photosynthesis process when light suddenly increases. Elias Kaiser, crop physiologist at Wageningen UR, publishes this new insight in his PhD thesis that he will be defending at Wageningen University on 15 February 2016.
	Tracking microbial mat formation in Yellowstone Researchers determined the contributions of different microbes toward the establishment of microbial mat communities in the hot and acidic environments of the Yellowstone Hot Springs.
	Tiny worm opens big discovery on nerve degeneration A discovery in a transparent roundworm has brought scientists one step closer to understanding nerve degeneration.
	Two new zoantharian species found on eunicid worms in the dark in the Indo-Pacific ocean While studying the abundant, yet poorly known fauna of the zoantharian Epizoanthus genus in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, Japanese graduate student Hiroki Kise and Dr. James Davis Reimer, both affiliated with University of the Ryukyus, Japan, focused on examining the species living on eunicid worm tubes. These Epizoanthus species form colonies and are only found living on the outside surfaces of tubes in which the eunicid worms live. Although these zoantharians often live in areas that are deeper than the range of SCUBA divers and tend to be indistinguishable on the outside, the present research, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, reports the discovery of two new species.
	The third sister: Long-suspected third desert tortoise species proven to exist in Mexico The huge variability among the desert tortoise populations of Mexico has finally been given an explanation after casting doubts for several decades. The puzzle was solved by an international team of researchers, led by Dr. Taylor Edwards, The University of Arizona, who teamed up to find out whether there has been a previously unknown third sister species all along. Moreover, unlike their predecessors, the team have managed to provide enough evidence to prove its existence. Their study is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
	KSU researchers staying ahead of wheat blast disease In the past seven years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Kansas State University $6.5 million to keep a wheat fungus that has had a devastating impact on wheat production in South America out of the United States.
	Updates on the fight to save amphibians On January 12, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service imposed a ban on the import and interstate transport of 201 species of salamanders, in an effort to prevent the deadly fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) from reaching the United States. First discovered in the Netherlands in 2013, Bsal was found to have hitched a ride on Asian salamanders imported to Europe as pets. While some salamander species worldwide are resistant to Bsal, many European and North American salamanders—which did not co-evolve with the fungus—seem to be more susceptible to infection.
	124 crocodiles suffocate in Mexico truck trip More than 120 crocodiles died from apparently suffocating and crushing each other while being transported across Mexico in a truck, authorities said.
Antimicrobial resistance on the rise in the European Union, EFSA and ECDC warn Bacteria in humans, food and animals continue to show resistance to the most widely used antimicrobials, says the latest report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria in Europe. Scientists warn that resistance to ciprofloxacin, an antimicrobial that is critically important for the treatment of human infections, is very high in Campylobacter, thus reducing the options for effective treatment of severe foodborne infections. Multi-drug resistant Salmonella bacteria continue to spread across Europe.
	New action plans outline recovery efforts for eight 'Species in the Spotlight' Today, NOAA Fisheries released new five-year action plans for the eight marine species identified as among the most at risk of extinction through NOAA's Species in the Spotlight.

Medicine & Health news

	Link between malformations of the cerebral cortex and the occurrence of epilepsy Why does a structural irregularity in the temporal lobe make humans more susceptible to epileptic seizures? Experts have been searching for the answer to this question for a long time. A group of scientists at the Freiburg University Medical Center consisting of members of the University of Freiburg's Cluster of Excellence Brain Links-Brain Tools has published a study involving a comparison of nearly 30,000 genes in the journal Cerebral Cortex. The team describes pathological processes in the brain tissue in developmental disorders of the cerebral cortex. The study is the largest of its kind to date. The authors of the study see the research as an excellent example of cooperation between fundamental researchers and clinicians.
Researchers find marker identifying most basic form of blood stem cell After a long series of experiments, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a unique cell marker that they say allows them to pick out the most fundamental form of the stem cell that gives rise to the blood and immune system.
	Researchers discover underlying cause of myeloma Yale Cancer Center researchers have identified what causes a third of all myelomas, a type of cancer affecting plasma cells. The findings, published Feb. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine, could fundamentally change the way this cancer and others are treated.
	Researchers link immune cells, weight control, disease resistance New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has shown how our DNA determines our ability to fight off viruses, revealing that many genes work together to control immune cells, tissue inflammation – and even our body weight after infection.
	Breakable genes may promote disease and brain cell diversity Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have identified 27 genes in brain stem cells that are prone to a type of DNA damage. The fragility of those genes could explain why they are often mutated or deleted in cancers and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. But their tendency to break could also benefit the brain by providing a way to produce a greater diversity of neurons.
	Alternative proteins encoded by the same gene have widely divergent functions in cells It's not unusual for siblings to seem more dissimilar than similar: one becoming a florist, for example, another becoming a flutist, and another becoming a physicist.
	Scientists identify a memory suppressor that may play a role in autism Discovered only in the 1990s, microRNAs are short molecules that work within virtually all cells. Typically, each one functions as a "dimmer switch" for the expression of one or more genes, regulating a wide variety of cellular processes, including learning and memory.
	Study reveals new link between brain and fat-burning circuit A new study in animal models, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is the first to show that oxygen sensing in the brain has a role in metabolism and sensing an organism's internal state.
	'Grit' adds little to prediction of academic achievement Personality characteristics - especially conscientiousness - have previously been shown to have a significant but moderate influence on academic achievement. However, a new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, suggests that 'grit', defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, adds little to the prediction of school achievement.
	Origins of 'rage' identified in brain in male animal model Violent, unprovoked outbursts in male mice have been linked to changes in a brain structure tied to the control of anxiety and fear, according to a report by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center to be published in the journal Current Biology online Feb. 11, 2016.
	How your brain might be secretly thwarting your New Year's resolutions The human brain is wired to pay attention to previously pleasing things—a finding that could help explain why it's hard to break bad habits or stick to New Year's resolutions.
	Why smiles (and frowns) are contagious Smile! It makes everyone in the room feel better because they, consciously or unconsciously, are smiling with you. Growing evidence shows that an instinct for facial mimicry allows us to empathize with and even experience other people's feelings. If we can't mirror another person's face, it limits our ability to read and properly react to their expressions. A Review of this emotional mirroring appears February 11 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
	The neuroscience of seeking company Social animals are strongly motived to seek out the company of others, especially after periods of isolation, because their brains are wired to find it rewarding. A study in mice published February 11 in Cell now reveals a neural circuit that mediates social seeking behavior driven instead by a loneliness-like state. By shedding light on the neuroscience of isolation, the findings could help our understanding of social anxiety and autism spectrum disorders.
Scientists identify factor that may trigger type 1 diabetes A team of researchers, led by investigators at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, have identified a new class of antigens that may be a contributing factor to type 1 diabetes, according to an article published in the current issue of the journal Science.
	Unraveling the enigma of salty taste detection Public health efforts to reduce dietary sodium intake have been hindered by an incomplete understanding of the complex process by which humans and other mammals detect salty taste.
	Scientists learn how young brains form lifelong memories by studying worms' food choices Members of neuroscientist Cori Bargmann's lab spend quite a bit of their time watching worms move around. These tiny creatures, Caenorhabditis elegans, feed on soil bacteria, and their very lives depend on their ability to distinguish toxic microbes from nutritious ones. In a recent study, Bargmann and her colleagues have shown that worms in their first larval stage can learn what harmful bacterial strains smell like, and form aversions to those smells that last into adulthood.
	Faulty bioelectric signal responsible for facial defects caused by rare genetic disorder Tufts University biologists have discovered the bioelectric mechanism by which the rare genetic disorder Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) causes facial abnormalities, a finding that could lead to preventive measures and treatments for a host of disorders, from birth defects to cancer. The discovery appears February 11, 2016, in the Journal of Physiology published online in advance of print.
Long-term benefits of 'senolytic' drugs on vascular health in mice Building on previous studies, Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated significant health improvements in the vascular system of mice following repeated treatments to remove senescent cells. They say this is the first study to show that regular and continual clearance of senescent cells improves age-related vascular conditions - and that the method may be a viable approach to reduce cardiovascular disease and death. The findings appear online in Aging Cell.
	Study finds Zika virus in fetal brain, a clue in outbreak New details about the possible effects of the Zika virus on the fetal brain emerged Wednesday as U.S. health officials say mosquito eradication here and abroad is key to protect pregnant women until they can develop a vaccine.
Internet searches reflect vaping's surge The Oxford Dictionaries selected "vape"—as in, to smoke from an electronic cigarette—as word of the year in 2014. It turns out that Internet users' search behavior tells a similar story.
	Landmark study finds dementia risk varies significantly among racial and ethnic groups In the largest and longest study thus far of ethnic disparities in dementia risk, researchers compared six ethnic and racial groups within the same geographic population and found significant variation in dementia incidence among them. The results are published online today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
	New milestone for device that can 'smell' prostate cancer A research team from the University of Liverpool has reached an important milestone towards creating a urine diagnostic test for prostate cancer that could mean that invasive diagnostic procedures that men currently undergo eventually become a thing of the past.
	How best to tackle the stigma of menstruation? An Oxford University study says while many girls and women stay away from school and work because of the stigma attached to having periods, very little research has been done into whether programmes set up to tackle the problem are actually working.
	Study finds new model for pediatric appointments improves preventive care for low-income families Well-child care visits are the checkups that children receive to ensure optimal health and well-being. The appointments are intended to give pediatricians the opportunity to identify health, social, development and behavioral issues.
	The risks and benefits of tanning Eighty years ago, when sun exposure was first associated with skin cancer, popular culture was exalting tanning by emphasizing that a "fine brown color suggests health and good times, and is a pleasant thing to see."
	Better definition needed for reasonable medical certainty in child abuse cases Physicians use different definitions of "reasonable medical certainty" when testifying as expert witnesses in child abuse cases. The variability is troubling because it could result in flawed rulings, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
Your brain may be what interests that guy checking you out Brains over beauty? But we all know that guys are hardwired for pretty faces and shapely bodies when it comes to choosing a mate, right?
	Gene switch may repair DNA and prevent cancer A team of scientists in Japan has found that a DNA modification called 5hmC – thought to be involved in turning genes on and off – localizes at sites of DNA damage and repair. They also found that a family of recently discovered enzymes, called TETs for short, is important in maintaining 5hmC's reparative role.
	The function of mature B cells is regulated by a small genomic cluster called mir-17-92 B cells are immune cells that generate antibodies against foreign antigens and play an important role in fighting pathogens. The overproduction of antibodies is a cause of the autoimmune disease lupus, leading to kidney dysfunction. Now A*STAR researchers have identified a small cluster of RNAs that regulate antibodies in mice, shedding light on how B cells are regulated.
	Putting the brakes on accelerated aging Telomeres are to chromosomes what aglets are to shoelaces—protective caps that stop the tightly wound strings from unraveling. Every time a cell divides, its telomeres are trimmed, eventually becoming so short that the cell goes into an unproductive state of senescence. Lifestyle changes can slow or hasten this biological clock, which has become a popular area of research in the last few years. Scientists are looking at the link between aging and telomeres from all angles, from genetics to diet and lifestyle choices.
	Isolating the cells responsible for healthy skin grafts could optimize burn therapy Better treatment for burn victims could follow the discovery of a new marker that can selectively isolate stem cells from a skin sample. This technique, developed by a Singaporean research collaboration, could produce more robust, higher-quality grafts for patients who sustain severe burns, potentially improving treatment for more than 11 million people worldwide each year.
Mobile phone test can reveal vision problems in time Apps that test visual function at home can discover deterioration of the eye's macula lutea long before traditional vision tests. A doctoral thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy explored this issue.
	Maternal health linked to child's risk of obesity Women's fat levels before and during pregnancy are linked to those of their infants in ways that can vary depending on a mother's ethnicity, a Singapore-based study shows, and highlights the need for nuanced health advice.
	New treatment option for the acute phase of the rare disease TTP Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) is a rare disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency. This can be heriditary or can be acquired as an autoimmune condition. Due to the associated excessive activity of a certain protein, blood clots enriched with blood platelets form and block the smallest blood vessels. The disorder is life-threatening and very difficult to treat, particularly in the acute phase. Researchers at the Clinical Department of Haematology and Haemostaseology and the University Department of Clinical Pharmacology at MedUni Vienna have developed a treatment strategy to prevent this clotting in the blood vessels.
	Zika emergency puts open data policies to the test The Zika outbreak comes at a time of ongoing advances in data sharing policy, including a new call by the Wellcome Trust for journals and research funders to support open sharing of Zika research. PLOS Medicine Chief Editor Larry Peiperl and PLOS NTDs co-Editor-in-Chief Peter Hotez call on researchers to make full use of these opportunities.
	The benefits of "mummy blogging" In our digitally evolving age, we are seeing the rise of a new sensation—"mummy blogging".
	Anal sex linked to increased risk of incontinence in both males, females Engaging in the practice of anal sex may increase risks for bowel problems, including fecal incontinence and bowel leakage, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Medicine study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Researchers identify protein that plays key role in brain cancer stem cell growth and survival A team of physicians and scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered that a kinase protein, mixed lineage kinase 4, also known as MLK4, plays a crucial role in survival of patient-derived brain cancer stem cells in pre-clinical animal models. The findings suggest that MLK4 could potentially be a useful target for cancer treatment.
	New study shines light on teenage drinking and parental influence A study of adolescents' drinking habits between the ages of 11 to 17 has found that the heaviest consumers of alcohol were teenagers who were under the lowest levels of parental control, and who were also the most secretive about their drinking.‌
	It's easier to learn words that sound like what they mean What makes some words easier to learn than others? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and Radboud University taught Japanese words to Dutch students and found that ideophones—words that sound like what they mean—are easier to learn than regular words. This suggests that some of our associations between sound and meaning may be universal.
	High-cholesterol diet, eating eggs do not increase risk of heart attack, not even in persons genetically predisposed A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that a relatively high intake of dietary cholesterol, or eating one egg every day, are not associated with an elevated risk of incident coronary heart disease. Furthermore, no association was found among those with the APOE4 phenotype, which affects cholesterol metabolism and is common among the Finnish population. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
	Expanded understanding of promising blood fat-lowering protein New research on the blood lipid-lowering protein FGF21 shows how it redistributes fatty acids by two distinct mechanisms. The discovery could lead to improved pharmaceutical treatment for type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related diseases. This according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
	Darks are conveyed faster than lights "Did something move over there?" Everyone has experienced this situation. One is looking towards a sound source, but with the best will in the world, one cannot detect an object. Only its sudden movement, even if minimal, allows its immediate perception. Scientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum have investigated this phenomenon and show for the first time how simultaneous counterchange of luminance at the borders between object and background triggers activity waves in the visual brain. These waves may constitute a sensitive signal for motion detection. The results of this study have now been published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
	Scientists seek to improve flu vaccine for the very young Scientists at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry have discovered a way to make a nasal spray flu vaccine safer for those who are at greatest risk of catching the flu, particularly infants under the age of 2. The work is early and a long way from being applied in people, but offers promise for a vaccine that could better protect the most vulnerable.
New test could help select the best treatment for bowel cancer patients A new test could help patients with advanced bowel cancer get the best treatment for their disease, according to a Cancer Research UK clinical trial published today in JAMA Oncology.
	Increasing BRCA testing rates in young women with breast cancer Rates of genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have increased among women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.
	Type 2 diabetes drug can exhaust insulin-producing cells Long-term use of liraglutide, a substance that helps to lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, can have a deteriorating effect on insulin-producing beta cells, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. This according to a study on mice implanted with human insulin-producing cells conducted by a team of scientists from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Miami, USA. The researchers flag the possible consequences of this popular form of therapy in the next issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.
	How a master regulator in ovarian cancer can go from helpful to harmful When it comes to our immune system, dendritic cells serve as a sort of lighthouse for T-cells. These specialized immune cells break down cancer cells into smaller pieces known as antigens. Once this happens, they can signal white blood cells that are now able to recognize these matching antigens in cancer cells and respond appropriately.
	Researchers urge further study on long-term safety of promising diabetes drug A drug used by people with type 2 diabetes to regulate blood sugar led to pancreatic beta cell burnout in mice exposed to high doses over a period of six months. The study, published February 11 in Cell Metabolism, adds to the continuing conversation about the long-term effects of liraglutide and similar drugs on the pancreas. However, more research is needed to assess the potential safety of continuing treatment with these drugs.
Brazil, Texas state hospital reach deal on Zika vaccine Brazil has signed an agreement with a Texas research hospital to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus, the country's health minister said Thursday, adding the goal is for the vaccine to be ready for clinical testing within 12 months.
	Researchers come up with new answers concerning a weight-regulating hormone For years, scientists have failed to locate the DNA variants that control the weight-regulating hormone, leptin. However, new research has enabled the identification of four genes associated with leptin levels, which is particularly relevant within an obesity context. The study focuses on the powerful hormone leptin, which regulates humans' long-term energy balance by informing the brain about the amount of stored body fat.
	I want her to want me: Where men, sex and personality meet A man walks into a bar. He thinks the attractive woman smiling at him from across the room wants to have sex with him. True? Or is it all in his head?
Daily dose of beetroot juice improved endurance and blood pressure Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found that a daily dose of beetroot juice significantly improved exercise endurance and blood pressure in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF).
	Vitamin D-rich foods during pregnancy may reduce allergy risk in children Higher intake of foods containing vitamin D during pregnancy - but not supplemental vitamin D intake - was associated with reduced risk of development of allergies in children, according to a study led by an investigator from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
	Novel neuroprotective therapy found to enhance memory Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), essential for brain formation, is frequently mutated in children on the autism spectrum. In older men and women, ADNP expression in the blood is correlated with cognition and further altered in Alzheimer's disease. While the three-to-one ratio of autism in boys to girls is well known, as is the greater number of female Alzheimer's patients than male Alzheimer's patients, the reasons for these phenomena—and the theory that men and women may have different brain constitutions—remain in hot dispute.
Early diet of infants, not maternal obesity, influences development of gut microbiome After the age of nine months, the development of the infant gut microbiota is driven by the transition to family foods, not maternal obesity, according to results from a new study. The study was published online this week in mSphere, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Younger T cells may improve immunotherapy for children's cancer Pediatric oncologists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have investigated techniques to improve and broaden a novel personalized cell therapy to treat children with cancer. The researchers say that a patient's outcome may be improved if clinicians select specific subtypes of T cells to attack diseases like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoma.
	Internet is growing market for illegal drugs, says EU watchdog The Internet is now a growing and varied market place for trading illegal drugs in Europe, the European Union's watchdog agency said on Thursday.
	Team finds a potential therapy for the most aggressive type of lung cancer in preclinical models Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer, with more than 20,000 new cases diagnosed each year in Spain. Lung adenocarcinomas carrying oncogenic KRAS, the engine driving these tumours in 30% of cases, constitute the most aggressive sub-type because, unlike other types of lung cancer, there are no targeted therapies beyond the standard cisplatin-based treatment.
Doctors' reminders help keep people more engaged in their health care Research led by UCLA professor on 'OpenNotes' model finds that follow-up emails are critical to keeping patients in the know
	To preserve its memories, the brain must regulate its neural networks Memory, i.e. our ability to record, to preserve and to recall our past experiences, makes up one of the most fundamental and fascinating abilities of our brain. For over forty years, neuroscientists have been interested in the biological mechanisms underlying the storage of the information that our brain records every day. Today, a team from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) demonstrates how the brain regulates the size of the neuronal ensembles that reflect the memory trace to optimize performance. By targeting neurons in the hippocampus, the scientists show that it is possible to inhibit - or on the contrary to resurface - a memory. These results can be read in Neuron.
	CDC ships Zika test for pregnant women; Puerto Rico at risk The government is shipping Zika virus tests for pregnant women to health departments around the country, but warning there could be temporary shortages, as travelers try to tell if they returned with an infection that could put a developing baby at risk.
Mystery illness sickens 174 students at Pennsylvania college The number of students sickened by a mystery illness at Ursinus College in eastern Pennsylvania has risen to over 170.
Iron in the blood could cause cell damage, say researchers Concentrations of iron similar to those delivered through standard treatments can trigger DNA damage within 10 minutes, when given to cells in the laboratory.
	Adenovirus dampens host DNA damage response—implications for control and cancer therapy Adenoviruses (Ad) are everywhere, and while they pose limited threat in individuals with healthy immune systems, they cause significant disease burden in immunocompromised patients. A study published on February 11th in PLOS Pathogens reports on a new mechanism by which the virus interferes with the host's ability to detect and eliminate viral intruders.
Two distinct subspecies of plague associated with differences in geographical elevation Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America have carried out a genetic study of plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis in Uganda. Although Uganda has one of the highest incidences of plague in the modern world there is very limited research on the bacterial lineage specific to the region. This study uses three different genetic typing methods to examine 61 isolates from culture-confirmed plague cases and identifies two genetically distinct subspecies within the West Nile region of Uganda.
	More evidence found on potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes While e-cigarette use is increasing worldwide, little is known about the health effects e-cigarettes pose for users. A University of Louisville researcher is working to change that status.
Put that in your e-cigarette and smoke it, or should you? Smoking cigarettes dramatically increases a person's risk for a host of diseases, and there's an assumption that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are not harmful because users do not inhale smoke full of known carcinogens. Findings from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine suggest the story is not that simple.
Common antimalarial drug could be used to treat major injury A common anti-malarial drug Artesunate could be used to reduce organ failure following injury, according to an early study in rats led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Recent asthma may be linked with abdominal aneurysm rupture Patients aged 50 and older with recent asthma activity were significantly more likely than non-asthmatics to experience abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture and sudden death, according to new research published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.
	New study confirms different generics have equal efficacy when treating epilepsy While approved generics are required to be equivalent to their brand-named counterparts in terms of active ingredients, some may wonder if a switch between generics could cause problems for someone who relies on daily medication to control a severe, chronic condition, like seizures.
	Evidence grows for Zika role in brain damage Evidence piled up Thursday implicating the Zika virus in a surge of brain damaged babies in Latin America, with two reports of the disease found in the neural tissue of affected infants.
	Varied diets may not curb childhood obesity, study suggests (HealthDay)—Eating a greater variety of healthy foods may reduce the odds of being overweight in adults. But, a surprising new study suggests that a greater diversity of foods might not have the same effect in very young, poorer children, and may even increase their risk of becoming overweight.
	Impotence not an inevitable part of aging (HealthDay)—While the risk of impotence—erectile dysfunction—increases with age, men should know it's not an inevitable part of growing older, experts say.
Should PCORI fund more primary care research? The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), established under the Affordable Care Act, is charged with funding research that ultimately helps patients make better-informed health care decisions. But some at the forefront of such research—primary care physicians—say the grant money is not supporting the PCORI mission.
Mylan offers to buy Swedish pharma firm Meda for $9.9 bn US pharmaceutical giant Mylan said Wednesday it has struck a $9.9 billon deal to buy Meda, capping two years of dogged pursuit of the Swedish drugmaker.
A new cross-sectorial platform for genomics integration in surveillance of food-borne pathogens Multinational outbreaks of food-borne pathogens cause considerable threats to European public health. Implementing a whole genome sequencing (WGS) in routine surveillance and outbreak investigations is becoming a strategic goal for many public health authorities all over the world. With this in mind a group of researchers have developed an initiative called INNUENDO, which aims to deliver a cross-sectorial framework of bacterial WGS integration in routine surveillance and epidemiological investigations. The project is coordinated by Assistant Professor Mirko Rossi from the University of Helsinki, and co-financed by a Thematic Grant of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Britain being overwhelmed by long-term conditions, warns foundation The rising tide of people with long-term conditions threatens to overwhelm Britain's economy and the NHS, according to a new report published today by leading think tank, Lancaster University's Work Foundation.
Open data on adolescent health in 41 countries released A WHO-project on health in the adolescent population is now giving researchers access to data collected in 41 countries worldwide. The data gives insight on matters concerning health, well-being, social environment and health related behaviour of 11, 13 and 15 year old boys and girls.
UK govt will impose contracts on doctors to end strikes Britain's government said Thursday it would impose new contracts on junior doctors to force an end to strikes over changes to their working conditions.
Rabid bats kill 12 children in Peru At least 12 indigenous children in Peru have died from rabies after being bitten by blood-sucking bats, which locals at first blamed on witchcraft, health officials said.
Remote telemonitoring does not reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients Increasingly patients and providers are interested in using remote monitoring devices to help with their health care. The researchers sought to determine if these devices could be useful in preventing 180-day all-cause hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
New report finds illness continues to be major effect linked to Gulf War military service Although more than $500 million in federally funded research on Persian Gulf War veterans between 1994 and 2014 has produced many findings, there has been little substantial progress in the overall understanding of the health effects, particularly Gulf War illness, resulting from military service in the war, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Aligning with conclusions in a 2010 IOM report, the committee that carried out the latest study said veterans who were deployed to the Gulf War appear to have an increased risk for Gulf War illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, functional gastrointestinal conditions, and mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and substance abuse. There is some evidence that service during the conflict is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fibromyalgi! a, chronic widespread pain, and self-reported sexual difficulties, but the data are limited.
Sierra Leone releases last four people from Ebola quarantine Four people who had been in contact with Sierra Leone's last known Ebola case were declared free of the disease and released from quarantine Thursday, health authorities said.
	Interview: IOC medical chief seeks to allay Zika fears Seeking to allay fears over the Zika outbreak, the IOC medical director said "everything that can be done is being done" to combat the virus in Brazil and provide safe conditions for athletes at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Jury: Smokers didn't prove Marlboros have defective design A federal jury has rejected claims by a group of Massachusetts smokers who sued Philip Morris USA to try to force the cigarette maker to pay for lung cancer screenings.
Panel advances bill to require ultrasounds before abortions Kentucky lawmakers have advanced a bill that would require doctors to perform ultrasounds prior to abortions and to describe what is seen to the pregnant woman.
The history of hemodialysis sheds light on the ethical use of limited medical resources As medical research continues to generate new technologies and drugs for a wide variety of uses, many questions arise regarding how such resources should be used and who should have access to them. These questions are especially pertinent as society strives to address rising healthcare costs and consider responsible distribution of limited healthcare dollars. A paper appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) addresses these questions, using the history of hemodialysis as a guide.

Other Sciences news

	Neanderthal DNA has subtle but significant impact on human traits Since 2010 scientists have known that people of Eurasian origin have inherited anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals.
	Gorilla fossil suggests split from humans as far back as 10 million years ago (Phys.org)—An international team of researchers studying fossils unearthed in Ethiopia's Chorora Formation in the Afar rift has dated some gorilla teeth fossils to approximately 8 million years ago, which the team suggests, shows that the human gorilla split had to have occurred at least 10 million years ago. The team has published a report of its findings and theories in the journal Nature.
	South Africa's Sterkfontein Caves produce two new hominin fossils Two new hominin fossils have been found in a previously uninvestigated chamber in the Sterkfontein Caves, just North West of Johannesburg in South Africa.
	100-mllion-year-old amber preserves oldest animal societies Fighting ants, giant solider termites, and foraging worker ants recently discovered in 100-million-year-old amber provide direct evidence for advanced social behavior in ancient ants and termites—two groups that are immensely successful because of their ability to organize in hierarchies. The new work, led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Kansas, and published today in two papers in the journal Current Biology, proves that advanced sociality in ants and termites was present tens of millions of years earlier than indicated by the previous fossil record.
	First nationwide survey of climate change education How is climate change being taught in American schools? Is it being taught at all? And how are teachers addressing climate change denial in their classrooms, schools, and school districts?
	College students' commitment to activism, political and civic engagement reach all-time highs Colleges and universities across the U.S. experienced an increase in student activism over the past year, as students protested rising college costs and hostile racial climates on their campuses. Now, findings from UCLA's annual CIRP Freshman Survey (PDF) suggest that participation in demonstrations may intensify in the months ahead.
Journalists' social media efforts not saving industry, according to study With the rise of speed-driven journalism, reporters face an industrywide expectation to use social media to engage readers. But new research from UT Dallas finds actual practices are falling short of that goal.
Compliance cannot compel ethical behavior Corporate ethics compliance programs have flourished since the federal government gave companies that established one a break on fines and penalties in 1991.
	How punitive, omniscient gods may have encouraged the expansion of human society For the bulk of our evolutionary history, human groups were small, tightly knit communities. Only quite recently, some human groups started evolving into the large-scale societies with vast interconnected trade networks we know today. Urban areas in Mesopotamia, for example, developed around 5,000 years ago. Whether trading or purchasing goods online, many people all over the world now interact with multitudes of anonymous people on a regular basis. How did this dramatic growth happen?
	Underwater archaeologists explore the wreck of the Erebus When Sir John Franklin and more than 100 sailors from the British Navy set sail in 1845 aboard the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to discover a Northwest Passage, they had no idea that not one of them would live to tell the story of the expedition. Now, Parks Canada archeologists, in partnership with Inuit communities in the Northwest Territories, have made a start at piecing together their tale, thanks to the 2014 discovery of the wreck of the Erebus.
Archaeologists present findings of Chamorros migration Archaeologists say they have found evidence indicating that Guam's ancient Chamorros came from two waves of migration.
Learning about struggles of famous scientists may help students succeed in science High school students may improve their science grades by learning about the personal struggles and failed experiments of great scientists such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
	Oldest footprints in Catalonia The ichnites or fossilised footprints of the Manyanet Valley (within the municipality of Sarroca de Bellera) are in two areas that differ in their environments: meandering fluvial systems in one and unconfined waters in the other. These two palaeoenvironments would have been inhabited by groups of different tetrapods during the Permian Period. The early tetrapods (from the Ancient Greek word meaning "four-footed") were the first vertebrates to tread terra firma, developing lungs to capture atmospheric oxygen and turning fins into legs, but with a life cycle that was still closely tied to aquatic environments.
What 'tainted' engagement rings reveal about consumer expectations We're told diamonds—and their value—are forever.
Open-source textbooks gain in push for college affordability The standard textbook for Fundamentals of General Chemistry I at the University of Connecticut has a list price of $303. For students who use the version professor Edward Neth is preparing for the fall semester, the cost will be zero.
	Engineers battle bias in the criminal justice system If future scholars of American history remember 2015 for one defining issue, it may well be the rising public uproar over ugly and often fatal encounters between police and black citizens.
Study indicates immigration not to blame for terrorism Migration is overall not a source of terrorism according to new research from the University of Warwick.
	Improvisation is curbing innovation at small and medium-sized Spanish construction firms Small and medium-sized Spanish construction firms prioritize securing contracts and production over any R&D activity. These firms are focused on their day-to-day responsibilities and do not dedicate time to generate creative ideas. Their technological improvements arise as a result of problem-solving at the construction site. However, these innovations are not reported or shared with anyone, leading to their eventual disappearance, according to a study carried out by the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
'Housing Policy Debate' publishes study on affordable housing Housing Policy Debate recently published a study on the effect micro-neighborhood conditions have on adult educational attainment in subsidized housing. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's (Penn Nursing) Therese S. Richmond, PhD, FAAN, CRNP, the Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, served as the study's senior author. The research team was led by former Penn Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society post-doctoral fellow, Laura Tach PhD, who is now an Assistant Professor at Cornell University College of Human Ecology.
Hope for peace may be encouraged by enemies in Israeli-Palestinian conflict Jewish Israelis may feel more hopeful when they hear messages of hope from Palestinians regardless of whether they are portrayed as peace activists or former militia members who had attacked Israeli military targets, according to new research published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

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