Fwd: Science X Newsletter Sunday, Aug 2

HOT!

Childhood cancer cells drain immune system's batteries

Cecil the lion lights up New York's Empire State building

CDC: 20 percent of U.S. adults have a disability

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 3:44 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Sunday, Aug 2
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 2, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Netherlands bank customers can get vocal on payments
- Empty tables, crowded gyms: Learning with Density
- Victory Motorcycles introducing all-electric addition to its lineup
- Microsoft describes hard-to-mimic authentication gesture
- Nextbit to launch phone distance away from marketplace crowd
- Better together: graphene-nanotube hybrid switches
- Shedding light on millipede evolution
- Innovations from the wild world of optics and photonics
- Affordable genetic diagnostic technique for target DNA analysis developed
- Bend me, shape me, any way you want me: Scientists curve nanoparticle sheets into complex forms
- From cameras to computers, new material could change how we work and play

Nanotechnology news

	Better together: graphene-nanotube hybrid switches Graphene has been called a wonder material, capable of performing great and unusual material acrobatics. Boron nitride nanotubes are no slackers in the materials realm either, and can be engineered for physical and biological applications. However, on their own, these materials are terrible for use in the electronics world. As a conductor, graphene lets electrons zip too fast—there's no controlling or stopping them—while boron nitride nanotubes are so insulating that electrons are rebuffed like an overeager dog hitting the patio door.
	From cameras to computers, new material could change how we work and play Serendipity has as much a place in science as in love. That's what Northeastern physicists Swastik Kar and Srinivas Sridhar found during their four-year project to modify graphene, a stronger-than-steel infinitesimally thin lattice of tightly packed carbon atoms. Primarily funded by the Army Research Laboratory and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the researchers were charged with imbuing the decade-old material with thermal sensitivity for use in infrared imaging devices such as night-vision goggles for the military.
	Bend me, shape me, any way you want me: Scientists curve nanoparticle sheets into complex forms Scientists have been making nanoparticles for more than two decades in two-dimensional sheets, three-dimensional crystals and random clusters. But they have never been able to get a sheet of nanoparticles to curve or fold into a complex three-dimensional structure. Now researchers from the University of Chicago, the University of Missouri and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have found a simple way to do exactly that.

Physics news

Innovations from the wild world of optics and photonics Traditional computers manipulate electrons to turn our keystrokes and Google searches into meaningful actions. But as components of the computer processor shrink to only a few atoms across, those same electrons become unpredictable and our ability to shuttle them across long and short distances diminishes.

Earth news

	Smog threatens visitors to U.S. national parks: report (HealthDay)—Air pollution afflicts many national parks across the United States, a new study suggests.
	Highly active volcano erupts on Reunion amid media frenzy Journalists arriving this week to the Indian Ocean island Reunion to report about the discovery of a jet wing fragment were met with another spectacular sight: the eruption of one of the Earth's most active volcanoes.
"Mystery booms" cause identified So-called "mystery booms" that have puzzled residents in California's Gold Country appear to be coming from a U.S. military installation over 100 miles away in the Nevada desert.
	Tracking the retreat of Arctic ice Not so long ago, skeleton staff overwintering at the Ny-Alesund research centre could walk on the Arctic town's frozen bay and race their snow mobiles across its surface.
	For Rio's Olympic sailors, it's not safe to go in the water Here's a piece of advice for sailors at next year's Rio Olympics: think twice before leaping into the water to celebrate the end of a race.
	Obama to unveil 'biggest step ever' in climate fight US President Barack Obama will Monday unveil what he called the "biggest, most important step we've ever taken" to fight climate change, a sensitive issue central to his legacy.
	Adriatic oil, gas exploration raises concerns for Croatia tourism As Croatia gears up for exploration of oil and gas in the Adriatic sea, green groups have raised concerns about the environment and economy of the tourism-dependant country's islands and pristine coastline.

Astronomy & Space news

	Image: Blue moon over Washington A second full moon for the month of July is seen next to the dome of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, July 31, 2015 in Washington. In recent years, people have been using the name Blue Moon for the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition of Blue Moon is that it's the third of four full moons in a single season.
Challenger, Columbia wreckage on public display for 1st time NASA is offering up wreckage from the Challenger and Columbia for public view after hiding it from the world for decades.
Astronaut mementoes: Cowboy boots, prayer beads, lunch box The 14 display cases at Kennedy Space Center contain intensely personal mementoes and other items representing the astronauts who perished in the Challenger and Columbia accidents.
Putin puts Crimean archaeological site under federal control Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Saturday placed a major archaeological site in Crimea, which he has hailed as the country's most sacred spiritual symbol, under federal control following turmoil over the appointment of its director.

Technology news

	Netherlands bank customers can get vocal on payments Are some people fed up with remembering and using passwords and PINs to make it though the day? Those who have had enough would prefer to do without them. For mobile tasks that involve banking, though, it is obvious that some measure of protection is needed.
	Microsoft describes hard-to-mimic authentication gesture Photos. Messages. Bank account codes. And so much more—sit on a person's mobile device, and the question is, how to secure them without having to depend on lengthy password codes of letters and numbers. Vendors promoting other solutions are all around, including the ability to unlock your phone with swiping gestures.
	Victory Motorcycles introducing all-electric addition to its lineup Victory Motorcycles has introduced its Empulse TT, the first all-electric addition to the Victory lineup. Features include adjustable suspension featuring a single rear shock and inverted front forks; dual-disk front brakes for high-performance stopping power; lightweight aluminum wheels; and an LCD instrument display.
	Empty tables, crowded gyms: Learning with Density Futurists are encouraged by possibilities residing in Internet-connected sensors for making us better aware of how to get through the day,
	Nextbit to launch phone distance away from marketplace crowd Mobile software startup Nextbit is to launch its first smartphone. The company CEO said that Foxconn is manufacturing the smartphones, according to Engadget. That means the company is moving in a new hardware direction as well, and last month was a buzz-filled wrap about what all this might mean—in the absence of any firm details.
Food tech startups raking in cash: survey Farm and food tech startups were red-hot in the first half of 2015, pulling in $2.06 billion from investors, a new survey showed Friday.
	Researchers warn of bogus emails offering Windows 10 Some hackers are exploiting Microsoft's offer of free upgrades to its new Windows 10 operating system.
Shamers on the prowl in social media jungle The killing of a Zimbabwean lion by an American dentist is a vivid reminder of how, in this era of social media, it's a virtual jungle out there.
Facebook hackathon gives Super Mario millennial touch Amanda Maler wasn't even born yet when Nintendo's beloved Super Mario made his debut 30 years ago.
Red and white fleet going green When it comes to environmental sustainability, Red and White Fleet president Tom Escher is all in.
Social media amplifies damage of product recalls to firms—rivals, too A product recall is never good news for a firm. And though it might seem like a great occasion for schadenfreude, a recall is not necessarily good news for competitors, either.
Computing at full capacity Over 12 million servers in 3 million data centers in the U.S. burn about 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. Billions of dollars are spent on data center energy every year, with billions more spent on power distribution and cooling infrastructures. Even with the magnitude of these numbers, energy and cooling represent only about 20 percent of the typical total cost of ownership of data centers, which is typically dominated by server hardware (about 40 percent) and software (about 25 percent) costs. Additional costs, including storage, networking, and information technology labor, further swell the price tag.
	Hitchhiking robot's cross-country trip in US ends in Philly A hitchhiking robot that captured the hearts of fans worldwide met its demise in the U.S.
	Smart gadgets from guns to cars ripe for hacking Hackers are not just after your computer: connected devices from cars to home security systems to sniper rifles are now targets for actors looking to steal or cause mischief.
	China tightens controls on export of drones, supercomputers China is tightening controls on exports of some drones and powerful computers and will require firms to register to ensure they do not "compromise national security", state media reported Sunday.
	Yahoo tries to get more fashionable with Polyvore purchase Yahoo is buying style-tip specialist Polyvore in its latest attempt to become a more fashionable place to advertise.

Chemistry news

Ethylene production via sunlight opens door to future Here's the future of ethylene production as Dr. Jianping Yu sees it. "We envision some farms in the field that cover many acres. We will have cyanobacteria harvesting sunlight and C02 and then produce ethylene or ethylene derivatives," said Yu, a research scientist in the Photobiology Group at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "That's pretty far from where we are now, but that's the goal. If things work out, 10 years from now we should see some farms making petrochemical replacements."

Biology news

	Shedding light on millipede evolution As an National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded entomologist, Virginia Tech's Paul Marek has to spend much of his time in the field, hunting for rare and scientifically significant species. He's provided NSF with an inside look at a literal bug hunt, and the fascinating world of bioluminescence.
	Affordable genetic diagnostic technique for target DNA analysis developed Professor Hyun-Gyu Park of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a technique to analyze various target DNAs using an aptamer, a DNA fragment that can recognize and bind to a specific protein or enzyme. This technique will allow the development of affordable genetic diagnosis for new bacteria or virus, such as Middle Ease Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The research findings were published in the June issue of Chemical Communications, issued by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. The paper was selected as a lead article of the journal.
There may be a complex market living in your gut Conventional theories used by economists for the past 150 years to explain how societies buy, sell, and trade goods and services may be able to unlock mysteries about the behavior of microbial life on earth, according to a study by researchers from Claremont Graduate University, Boston University, and Columbia University.
	Another US hunter suspected of illegal Zimbabwe lion kill Another US trophy hunter is suspected of killing a lion in Zimbabwe without a permit, authorities in Harare said Sunday, days after the killing of Cecil the lion by an American dentist caused global outrage.
	Cecil the lion lights up New York's Empire State building A giant photo of the beloved Zimbabwean lion killed by an American trophy hunter was among images projected Saturday onto the Empire State Building in New York in a dazzling display.

Medicine & Health news

	Many older americans feel prepared for aging (HealthDay)—Most older Americans feel they are prepared for the process of aging, but many have concerns about maintaining their physical and mental health as they get older, a new survey finds.
	Mountain biker survives after neck impaled by tree branch (HealthDay)—A day out mountain biking went terribly wrong for one middle-aged man in New Mexico: He ended up with a tree branch impaled in his neck.
	Effective ebola vaccine may be here: health officials (HealthDay)—An experimental Ebola vaccine appears highly effective against the deadly infectious disease, according to an interim analysis of findings from a clinical trial being conducted in the West African nation of Guinea.
	AMA wants doctor input on EHRs, meaningful use (HealthDay)—The American Medical Association (AMA) is encouraging clinicians to share their perspectives on electronic heath records (EHRs) and the meaningful use program.
	Accuracy, timing of pre-op lung CA evaluation can be improved (HealthDay)—For suspected lung cancer patients, the thoroughness, accuracy, and timeliness of preoperative evaluation could be improved, according to research published online July 30 in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
	Social media can inform patient-doctor dialogue about LVADs (HealthDay)—Social media outlets represent a promising source of information relating to left ventricular assist device treatment for heart failure, but their reliability is hampered by current lack of oversight into content, according to a study published online July 28 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
	Tyrosine kinase inhibitors seem safe in CML with CKD (HealthDay)—Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) appear to be safe in patients with chronic-phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online July 28 in Cancer.
	Most obstetricians screen for group B strep at 35 to 37 weeks (HealthDay)—Almost all obstetricians collect group B streptococcus screening samples, but practice patterns vary, according to research published in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
	Test set performance indicators correlate well with clinical audit (HealthDay)—Some performance indicators for mammography test sets are associated with aspects of clinical audit parameters, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology.
	'Thrifty phenotype' leads to less weight loss in obese (HealthDay)—For obese individuals, energy expenditure during fasting and response to overfeeding predict weight loss in response to caloric restriction, according to a study published in the August issue of Diabetes.
	Treatment targets not met by most older patients with diabetes (HealthDay)—Only one-third of American seniors with diabetes have their disease under control as defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, according to research published in the July issue of the Diabetes Care.
Researchers reveal climbing a tree can improve cognitive skills Climbing a tree and balancing on a beam can dramatically improve cognitive skills, according to a study recently conducted by researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Florida.
	Childhood cancer cells drain immune system's batteries Cancer cells in neuroblastoma contain a molecule that breaks down a key energy source for the body's immune cells, leaving them too physically drained to fight the disease, according to new research published in the journal Cancer Research.
	Stay safe when temperatures rise (HealthDay)—Extremely hot weather can be deadly if you don't take the proper precautions, an expert warns.
	CDC: 20 percent of U.S. adults have a disability (HealthDay)—More than 50 million Americans live with a physical or mental disability, according to research published in the July 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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