Fwd: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Apr 14

HOT!

Reconfigured Tesla coil aligns, electrifies materials from a distance

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 3:49 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Thursday, Apr 14
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

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Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 14, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Dwarf dark galaxy hidden in ALMA gravitational lens image
- Saturn spacecraft samples interstellar dust
- Liquid marbles can be caused to move with laser light (w/ Video)
- Reconfigured Tesla coil aligns, electrifies materials from a distance
- Dino dinner, dead or alive
- Scientist identifies mechanism underlying peripheral neuropathy
- Coding and computers help spot methane, explosives
- Improved brain mapping tool 20 times more powerful than previous version
- How the brain consolidates memory during deep sleep
- Hidden genetic mutations in stem cells could undermine therapeutic benefit
- Mice with genetic defect for human stuttering offer new insight into speech disorder
- Scientists crack secrets of the monarch butterfly's internal compass
- Study identifies memory suppressor gene, may hold key to new Alzheimer's treatments
- A simple and efficient 3-D fabrication technique for bio-inspired hierarchical structures
- Europa's heaving ice might make more heat than scientists thought

Nanotechnology news

Reconfigured Tesla coil aligns, electrifies materials from a distance Scientists at Rice University have discovered that the strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil causes carbon nanotubes to self-assemble into long wires, a phenomenon they call "Teslaphoresis."

Flake-like nanoparticles offer reliable rust protection Large quantities of steel are used in architecture, bridge construction and ship-building. Structures of this type are intended to be long-lasting. Furthermore, even in the course of many years, they must not lose any of their qualities regarding strength and safety. For this reason, the steel plates and girders used must have extensive and durable protection against corrosion. In particular, the steel is attacked by oxygen in the air, water vapor and salts. Nowadays, various techniques are used to prevent the corrosive substances from penetrating into the material. One common method is to create an anti-corrosion coating by applying layers of zinc-phosphate. Now, research scientists at INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials developed a special type of zinc-phosphate nanoparticles. In contrast to conventional, spheroidal zinc-phosphate nanoparticles, the new nanoparticles are flake-like. They are ten times as long as they are! thick. As a result of this anisotropy, the penetration of gas molecules into the metal is slowed down.

Physics news

	Liquid marbles can be caused to move with laser light (w/ Video) (Phys.org)—A team of researchers with Osaka Institute of Technology in Japan, has developed liquid balls that propel themselves when exposed to laser light. In their paper published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the team describes how the liquid balls are made, how they can be used and some possible applications for them.
	Dyamic real-time video captures how surfaces are modified by nuclear techniques The surface properties of materials can be significantly modified by techniques such as ion implantation which is used to improve the hardness of polymers and metals but materials must demonstrate sufficient radiation tolerances during the process. The ion implantation process has applications in medical devices and prostheses, mechanical parts and is used widely to produce a range of industrial metals.
	New laser gets to the heart of imaging Yale scientists have developed a laser imaging system with the versatility to look at both the structure of biological tissue and the dynamic activity—such as a heartbeat or the movement of blood cells—that goes on inside.
	A simple and efficient 3-D fabrication technique for bio-inspired hierarchical structures Nature is no doubt the world's best biological engineer, whose simple, exquisite but powerful designs have inspired scientists and engineers to tackle the challenges of technologies for centuries. Scientists recently mimicked the surface structure of a moth's eye, a unique structure with an antireflective property, to develop a highly light-absorbent graphene material. This is breakthrough in solar cell technology. Rice leaves and butterfly wings also have unique self-cleaning surface characteristics, which inspire scientists to develop novel materials resistant to biofouling. The bio-inspired periodic multi-scale structures, called hierarchical structures, have recently caught broad attention among scientists in various applications such as solar cells, Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), biomaterials and anti-bacterial surfaces.
Single-atom magnet breaks new ground for future data storage EPFL scientists have built a single-atom magnet that is the most stable to-date. The breakthrough paves the way for the scalable production of miniature magnetic storage devices.
	Scientists grow a material based on hafnium oxide for a new type of non-volatile memory Scientists from MIPT have succeeded in growing ultra-thin (2.5-nanometre) ferroelectric films based on hafnium oxide that could potentially be used to develop non-volatile memory elements called ferroelectric tunnel junctions. The results of the study have been published in the journal ACS Applied Material Interfaces.
	Improving gravitational wave detectors using a cat flap We've already found gravity waves through a detector that can sense movement which is around 100 trillion times less than the width of a human hair, so what's the next step? How about increasing that sensitivity by using a cat flap.
	First particles circulate in SuperKEKB accelerator The SuperKEKB particle accelerator at the KEK research center in Japan has recently reached a major milestone: electrons and positrons have been circulated for the first time around the rings. The accelerator is now being commissioned and the start of data taking is foreseen for 2017. One of the core questions to be investigated in these experiments is why the universe today is filled almost only with matter while in the Big Bang matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts. Physicists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are involved in the development of the slow-control of the detector. The group of Professor Concettina Sfienti at the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Mainz University will be working together with some 600 scientists from 23 countries to analyze the data.
	BEPCII luminosity sets world record as 1*10^33/cm^2/s At 22:29 pm, April 5th, the luminosity of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPCII) reached 1×1033cm-2s-1, a new landmark in the performance of the BEPCII— 100 times better than before it was upgraded. This is also the highest luminosity yet achieved for such an accelerator in this energy region.
	Probing the transforming world of neutrinos Every second, trillions of neutrinos travel through your body unnoticed. Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, but they are difficult to study because they very rarely interact with matter. To find traces of these elusive particles, researchers from Caltech have collaborated with 39 other institutions to build a 14,000-ton detector the size of two basketball courts called NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance, or NOvA. The experiment, located in northern Minnesota, began full operation in November 2014 and published its first results in Physical Review Letters this month.

Earth news

	Scientists: Greenland ice sheet is melting freakishly early Greenland's massive ice sheet this week started melting freakishly early thanks to a weather system that brought unseasonably warm temperatures and rain, scientists say.
	'Trickle of food' helped deep sea creatures survive asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs A team led by experts at Cardiff University has provided new evidence to explain why deep sea creatures were able to survive the catastrophic asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65m years ago.
	Chemical weathering controls erosion rates in rivers Chemical weathering can control how susceptible bedrock in river beds is to erosion, according to new research. In addition to explaining how climate can influence landscape erosion rates, the results also may improve scientists' ability to interpret and predict feedbacks between erosion, plate tectonics and Earth's climate.
	Great Barrier Reef risks losing tolerance to bleaching events A new study has found that Great Barrier Reef (GBR) corals were able to survive past bleaching events because they were exposed to a pattern of gradually warming waters in the lead up to each episode. However, this protective pattern is likely to be lost under near future climate change scenarios.
	Trees trade carbon among each other, study reports Forest trees use carbon not only for themselves; they also trade large quantities of it with their neighbours. Botanists from the University of Basel report this in the journal Science. The extensive carbon trade among trees - even among different species - is conducted via symbiotic fungi in the soil.
	Oyster hatchery sows pearls of wisdom on climate change Say "infrastructure" and most people think roads and bridges, not tubes and valves. But to Bill Mook, the black box in the basement of his oyster hatchery is every bit as fundamental as the basic facilities and structures that serve as a community's framework.
	UN climate panel to explore 1.5-degree warming goal The U.N.'s scientific panel on climate change will write a special report on how to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times.
	Microplastics harm freshwater fauna Microplastics—tiny particles of plastic less than five millimeters in size—are polluting rivers and ponds along with chemical contaminants. The particles come from cosmetics such as exfoliating body scrubs or are washed out of synthetic fabrics. Until now, scientists have primarily investigated the concentrations and effects of microplastics in seawater. Professor Christiane Zarfl of the Center for Applied Geosciences (ZAG) of the University of Tübingen has cooperated with Saskia Rehse and Werner Kloas from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin in testing how high concentrations of standardized plastic particles affect water fleas. Their experiments showed that the ubiquitous residents of bodies of freshwater ingest tiny particles of a micrometer, or one thousandth of a millimeter in size. This clearly limited the water fleas' mobility, and as a result, their intake of nutrients. Lar! ger particles had no measurable effect. The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal, Chemosphere. The scientists see this as the first of further, necessary research into the effects of microplastic pollution of freshwater. One of their further research directions will focus on the interactions of plastics with various chemicals that also end up in the environment. They say the experiments must also be extended to include entire ecosystems.
	How does an invisible underwater crater prove an asteroid killed the dinosaurs? A team of scientists recently set off to drill a 1,500m-deep hole into the seabed off the coast of Mexico. Their goal is to learn more about the asteroid impact some 66m years ago that many scientists believe killed the dinosaurs. But how do we know that this now-invisible crater, measuring some 180km across, is responsible for such devastation to life across the globe?
	Exxon seeks to block subpoena over climate-change documents Exxon Mobil Corp. is squaring off against government investigators who believe the energy giant covered up knowledge of how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.
	Robot finds 'monster' in Loch Ness—but it's a movie prop An underwater robot exploring Loch Ness has discovered a dark, monster-shaped mass in its depths.
	Strong quake kills 2 injures 45 in Japan At least two people were killed and 45 injured by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake that knocked down houses and buckled roads in southern Japan on Thursday night.
El Nino weakens, here comes La Nina, meteorologists say In the midst of an epic El Nino, federal meteorologists say its flip side, La Nina, is around the corner.
	Measuring drought impact in more than dollars and cents The standard way to measure the impact of drought is by its economic effect. Last year, for example, the severity California's four-year drought was broadly characterized by an estimate that it would cost the state's economy $2.7 billion and 21,000 jobs.
EPA, other agencies seek more careful review of oil pipeline The Environmental Protection Agency and two other federal agencies have asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to more carefully review and revise its preliminary plan for the Dakota Access oil pipeline, saying it should pay closer attention to the impact a spill would have on drinking water for Native American tribes.
	Scientists suggest appealing to human psychology to create solutions to climate change Human psychology influences the decisions we make every day, including unwise ones. Our psychological profile can make us reluctant to pay for services that benefit everyone, including those who don't contribute. It makes us focus on achieving short-term gains and avoiding short-term losses. And, most importantly, it prompts us to engage in rationalization and denial rather than tackle difficult challenges.
	What causes air pollution? By definition, pollution refers to any matter that is "out of place". In other words, it is what happens when toxins, contaminants, and other harmful products are introduced into an environment, disrupting its normal patterns and functions. When it comes to our atmosphere, pollution refers to the introduction of chemicals, particulates, and biological matter that can be harmful to humans, plants and animals, and cause damage to the natural environment.
Transparency is not a panacea for the resource curse, new study finds Global campaigns such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to bring more transparency to the oil and gas sectors in an effort to alleviate the resource curse have yet to live up to their promises, a new study finds.
	After Paris climate deal, now the hard part Five months after 195 nations sealed the world's first global climate deal, diplomats gather again in the French capital Friday to start translating good intentions into reality.
	NASA's satellites see Fantala intensifying as it moves west Three different NASA satellites caught images of the storm as it rapidly intensifies and moves west. Currently there are no threatened landmasses in its wake, but it this storm is packing quite a punch. The MODIS and AIRS instruments that fly aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provided visible and infrared data on the storm while the RapidScat instrument that flies aboard the International Space Station looked at the speeds of the surface winds.

Astronomy & Space news

	Dwarf dark galaxy hidden in ALMA gravitational lens image Subtle distortions hidden in ALMA's stunning image of the gravitational lens SDP.81 are telltale signs that a dwarf dark galaxy is lurking in the halo of a much larger galaxy nearly 4 billion light-years away. This discovery paves the way for ALMA to find many more such objects and could help astronomers address important questions on the nature of dark matter.
	Saturn spacecraft samples interstellar dust NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected the faint but distinct signature of dust coming from beyond our solar system. The research, led by a team of Cassini scientists primarily from Europe, is published this week in the journal Science.
	First light for ExoMars The ESA–Roscosmos ExoMars spacecraft are in excellent health following launch last month, with the orbiter sending back its first test image of a starry view taken en route to the Red Planet.
	The hot problem of black hole firewalls For the last four years, physicists studying the mathematical underpinnings of black holes have been wrestling with a strange idea: that black holes contain a region known as a "firewall," which utterly annihilates matter that dares to cross its boundaries. However, a new paper titled Naked Black Hole Firewalls, co-authored by University of Alberta physics professor Don N. Page, aims to attack the fundamental tenets that give rise to this strange idea—with something much stranger.
	Supernova iron found on the moon Approximately two million years ago a star exploded in a supernova close to our solar system: Its traces can still be found today in the form of an iron isotope found on the ocean floor. Now scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with colleagues from the US, have found increased concentrations of this supernova-iron in lunar samples as well. They believe both discoveries to originate from the same stellar explosion.
	Europa's heaving ice might make more heat than scientists thought Jupiter's moon Europa is under a constant gravitational assault. As it orbits, Europa's icy surface heaves and falls with the pull of Jupiter's gravity, creating enough heat, scientists think, to support a global ocean beneath the moon's solid shell.
Camera lens used during 1971 moon mission up for auction A camera lens used by the commander of the 1971 Apollo 15 space mission both on the lunar surface and in orbit is up for auction.
	Last surviving space shuttle external tank on way to L.A. NASA's only remaining space shuttle external fuel tank is headed to California, where it will land as part of a permanent display with the retired space shuttle Endeavor.
	Why sailing to the stars has suddenly become a realistic goal It takes a bold person to declare that interstellar travel is now within our grasp. Physicist Stephen Hawking has shown that he is just that, taking part in the Breakthrough Starshot initiative. The project has announced a $100m research programme to investigate the technology of using light to propel spacecraft out of the solar system to explore neighbouring stars. For the first time in human history, interstellar travel is a realistic and achievable aspiration, and not just the playground of science fiction.
	How could we build an invisibility cloak to hide Earth from an alien civilization? What would it take to hide an entire planet? It sounds more like a question posed in an episode of "Star Trek" than in academic discourse, but sometimes the bleeding edge of science blurs with themes found in science fiction.
	Clean Space board game teaches the environmental costs of space missions It might not look like a training exercise: space engineers sitting around a meeting table, throwing down cards on a board game. But they are busily learning about the hidden environmental costs of space missions.
British astronaut all set to run London Marathon from space Britain's first official spaceman, Timothy Peake, says he's ready to run the London Marathon in 1½ weeks—from 250 miles up. But he's not expecting to set a P-R, or personal record.
	Getting ready for launch—final testing of GOES-R The road from construction in a clean room to sitting atop a rocket in just six months is a busy one. Watch here to learn more about how GOES-R will make the journey. Lockheed Martin, the prime spacecraft developer, will complete the final testing to ensure the spacecraft is ready for shipment in the coming months.

Technology news

	Google Calendar helps make the most of spare time Google has made it tougher for people to hide behind excuses when it comes to finding time to hit the gym or learn new languages.
	Thermoplastic carbon fiber composite aids seismic reinforcement Scientists are looking at the next generation of materials and carbon fiber ranks highly on the list for further explorations. Inside the fabric laboratory of Komatsu Seiren, the focus is on carbon fiber for seismic reinforcement.
	A formula for preventing power outages The power supply of a city or an entire region often hinges on just a few lines. The loss of an important section may lead to a blackout with potentially severe economic consequences. Power grid operators therefore use complex simulations to detect weak points in the grid. Thanks to a new formula, developed by a team headed by physicist Marc Timme from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) and Dirk Witthaut from Forschungszentrum Jülich, this analysis could become a lot simpler in the near future. The formula provides reliable data on whether a particular line is critical or not in next to no time.
	Scientists use DNA to investigate cleaner energy sources The key to unlocking cleaner energy might be in our DNA, according to a new study by Stanford scientists. By combining synthetic DNA with microscopic particles, Yuran Zhang and a team of geothermal energy researchers hope to tap into the widely available but often overlooked cleaner energy source all over the world.
	Are 'chatbots' the future of online business? An artificial intelligence "chatbot" from Taco Bell now lets you order a meal in a smartphone text exchange that might look something like this:
	Facebook pushes Internet to more corners of the world After taking to the air with drones to provide Internet to remote spots, Facebook on Wednesday unveiled new land-based systems to provide connectivity to people in urban settings.
	Journalist sentenced to 2 years in LA Times hacking case A well-known social media journalist was sentenced to two years in federal prison Wednesday after he was convicted of conspiring with the hacking group Anonymous to break into the Los Angeles Times' website and alter a story.
	Air bag danger: US counts 85M unrecalled Takata inflators About 85 million Takata air bag inflators that haven't been recalled are inside cars and trucks now being driven in the U.S. and would have to be replaced if the company can't prove they are safe, the government said Wednesday.
	Argentina court stops Uber in its tracks A Buenos Aires court ordered Uber to suspend service Wednesday and launched an inquiry into whether the app is unfair competition, a day after it began operating in the Argentine capital.
House panel's bill strengthens privacy for older emails The House Judiciary Committee approved a bipartisan bill on Wednesday making it harder for government agencies to get their hands on Americans' older emails and other electronic data.
	US could force firms to help break encryption, under new bill Two key US lawmakers Wednesday unveiled legislation to require technology firms to help law enforcement unlock encrypted devices—prompting a fierce outcry from the industry and privacy activists.
	Electric car firm Faraday aims to start Nevada plant by 2018 Upstart electric car company Faraday Future hopes to have its first vehicles rolling off the assembly line in 2018, a company executive said Wednesday, as officials marked the start of construction on a planned $1 billion Las Vegas-area production plant.
	GoPro shares jump with hire of Apple designer Shares of GoPro jumped on word that the troubled maker of mini-cameras popular for capturing first-person action had hired a longtime Apple designer.
	China's live-streaming sites offer chance to gain cash, fame China's live-streaming sites have become a burgeoning cottage industry, offering money-making opportunities and even stardom to their mostly female hosts and an entertaining new alternative for millions of viewers to online dramas and stodgy state-controlled TV.
	'Smart' sensor predicts failures, improves safety for mechanical, medical technologies A Purdue University technology that can help predict failures to the integrity of a tire, hose or other mechanical and medical equipment could help increase automotive safety, improve patient care and reduce liability costs.
	3-D microwave video camera safer than X-ray inspection systems Missouri University of Science and Technology researchers have developed a real-time, portable and 3-D microwave video camera prototype.
	Fast-tracking medical device development A portable ultrasound scanner is a marvelous device for medical diagnostic imaging—safe, painless, relatively inexpensive, and available instantly in a medical office or at a patient's bedside. But current scanners don't provide reliable quantitative information over time, because sonographers can neither position nor orient them in exactly the same way each time.
	Taking a stand against 'killer robots' Lethal autonomous weapons (or killer robots as the media likes to call them) are the subject of intense discussion in the corridors and committee rooms of the United Nations in Geneva this week.
	EU parliament overhauls Internet data protection rules (Update) The European Parliament on Thursday adopted for the first time a single set of rules for the 28-nation EU to protect the privacy of people using the Internet.
	U.S. rooftops get a thumbs-up for solar after Sandia testing Most U.S. rooftops in good repair can take the weight of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. That's the conclusion of a three-year study by a research team led by Sandia National Laboratories.
	How to protect nuclear plants from terrorists In the wake of terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris, Istanbul, Ankara and elsewhere, nations are rethinking many aspects of domestic security.
How big data can enhance medical research There's a reason "flu season" has earned its miserable prominence: When the flu is severe, it's difficult to avoid.
	How playing video games can change your retirement The teenagers who were hooked on Pac-Man in the arcades and amusement parks of the early 1970s are getting ready for retirement, but many of them have never stopped playing video games. In fact, it doesn't look like they are going to stop gaming anytime soon.
	UA team revs up connected-vehicle technology For all their anti-theft, fuel efficiency and satellite radio features, even the priciest new cars still travel on roads using decades-old traffic management technology.
	Microsoft sues US over secret demands for customer data In the latest clash over privacy rights in the digital age, Microsoft is suing the U.S. government over a federal law that allows authorities to examine customer emails or online files without the individual's knowledge.
	Deep in the virtual world: A newbie's first brush with VR My descent from the boat, gliding through schools of fish and clouds of phosphorescent jellyfish, seemed to be going pretty smoothly. At least until the shark emerged from the deeper gloom and tried to tear its way into my protective cage.
GM says it will phase out cars without air bags by 2019 General Motors Co. says it's phasing out cars without air bags and other safety features by 2019 after its Chevrolet Sail subcompact flunked a crash test in Latin America.
	Robotic lifeguard aids in first response around the world A robot assistant lifeguard called EMILY is making waves by helping migrants cross the Mediterranean Sea safely. In the wake of unrest, over 500 refugees have drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece. Members from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station's (TEES) Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) and Roboticists Without Borders gathered at the Greek island of Lesvos to assist the local Coast Guard and lifeguard organizations to prevent this from happening in the future.
	Kerfless wafers substantially reduce the cost of Si solar cells World-leading nanoelectronics research center imec and Crystal Solar, a pioneer in direct wafer growing technologies for the next generation of solar photovoltaic products, today announced that they have achieved a 22.5 percent cell efficiency (certified by FhG ISE CalLab) with nPERT silicon (Si) solar cells manufactured on 6-inch mono-crystalline epitaxially grown kerfless wafers. Marking an industry first, imec and Crystal Solar have demonstrated the highest efficiency to-date for homojunction solar cells on epitaxially grown silicon wafers, paving the way toward industrialization of this promising technology.
	Researchers develop LED covering full visible light spectrum Researchers have developed the first standard LED covering the full visible light, in collaboration with Nichia Corporation.
	Exploiting the near-far effect in underwater acoustic networks Research activities in networks and future wireless communications are not merely restricted to on-land scenarios. Underwater acoustic networking is an emerging research area that is attracting more and more attention. Paolo Casari, Assistant Research Professor and leader of the Ubiquitous Wireless Networks Group at IMDEA Networks gives us a brief introduction to some of the aspects of this fascinating research area.
Water recovered from whey can be used for clean-in-place procedures Water scarcity is a serious issue and a concern among the dairy industry, as declines in the availability of water could decrease food supply and increase food price. Water is necessary for many applications, including equipment cleaning, which can use 1 to 60 liters of water per kilogram of processed milk. Given the amount of water needed and concerns regarding resource scarcity, researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sought to find a method to recycle and reuse water from whey for clean-in-place systems. Their findings provide scientific evidence of the safety of reuse of reconditioned water in food processing plants, contributing to building a culture of water conservation and sustainable production throughout the food supply chain.
NY Times adds $50 million for global digital expansion The New York Times announced plans Thursday to invest $50 million into efforts to boost digital readership and revenue outside the United States.

Chemistry news

	Mysterious 'four-dimensional' iron oxide explained An international group of researchers including Russian scientists from the Moscow State University has been studying the behaviour of the recently-discovered iron oxide Fe4O5. The group has succeeded in describing its complex structure, and proposed an explanation for its very unusual properties. The article appeared in the current issue of the journal Nature Chemistry.
	Astringent mouthfeel of wine results from a lubrication failure in the mouth We are all familiar with that strange feeling in the mouth after a sip of red wine or tea, or a bite of unripe fruit. It has been described as dry, leathery, or even furry. This astringent effect is caused by tannins or polyphenolic compounds that bind to mucins, lubricating proteins in the mucus membranes of the mouth. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a Chinese and Korean research team has now shown the relationship between astringency and disrupted lubrication of the oral cavity.
	Microscope uses artificial intelligence to find cancer cells more efficiently Scientists at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have developed a new technique for identifying cancer cells in blood samples faster and more accurately than the current standard methods.
	Using methane rather than flaring it Chemists at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute have found a new, direct way to convert gaseous methane into liquid methanol. This offers industry the interesting prospect of using the gas, rather than simply burning it off, as is currently the case.
	Coding and computers help spot methane, explosives A modern twist on an old technology could soon help detect rogue methane leaks, hidden explosives and much more. A Duke University team is using software to dramatically improve the performance of chemical-sniffing mass spectrometers.
Chemical tracers reveal oxygen-dependent switch in cellular pathway to fat Using tracer compounds, scientists have been able to track the cellular production of NADPH, a key coenzyme for making fat, through a pathway that has never been measured directly before.
	Slow-binding inhibition of cholinesterases Reversible inhibition of an enzyme, an activity in which the inhibiting molecular entity (often a small chemical called ligand or inhibitor) associates and dissociates from the protein's binding site, is a very fast process. During enzyme-substrate interaction, enzyme-inhibitor equilibrium is established within microseconds. Thus, classical reversible inhibitors are characterized by rapid on/off rates. However, a number of enzymes do not respond instantly to reversible inhibitors. In such cases, there is a slow onset of inhibition. This type of reversible inhibition is called slow-binding inhibition (SBI) and is characterized by slow establishment of enzyme-inhibitor equilibrium.
	Radical route for the synthesis of chiral molecules The research group of Prof. Paolo Melchiorre at ICIQ has developed a new methodology for the selective formation of chiral molecules. The work, that has been published in Nature, combines two strategies which require very mild reaction conditions—enantioselective iminium ion chemistry and photoredox catalysis—to set quaternary carbon stereocentres with high enantioselectivity.
	New nano-paint reduces the cost of processing foodstuffs When processing milk and juice, the food industry is required to maintain high standards of hygiene. This includes keeping the number of microbes at a minimum during the whole process so that there is no risk to the consumer. Heat exchangers are used in numerous steps throughout the process. In spite of the fact that the large surface in the heat exchangers cools down the heated, liquid foodstuffs again quickly, microbes can remain stuck in the numerous grooves and recesses of the heat exchanger, persistent biofilms can form or sticky residues accumulate. As a result, heat exchangers must be cleaned at regular intervals using aggressive chemicals. Now the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials is introducing new nano-coatings that reduce the effort required for cleaning heat exchangers. In these new coatings, the research scientists combine antiadhesive and antimicrobial qualities. Heat exchangers coated with these paints req! uire intensive cleaning far less often.

Biology news

	Team bolsters theory that sexual reproduction protects against threats Leave it to evolutionary biologists to name a theory from a line in Alice in Wonderland.
	Newly identified cell explosions involved in bacterial secretion and adherence Researchers have been unclear on how bacteria form and release certain extracellular components involved in cell adhesion and multicellular structures that also contribute to antibiotic resistance. However, a recent study from a multinational team of researchers identified a previously unknown phenomenon, explosive cell lysis, as crucial in the production of membrane vesicles and biofilm formation. The study was reported in Nature Communications.
	Scientists document rare DNA transfer between animals and plants Very few cases of natural DNA transfers between animals and plants are documented, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist, but recently his team did just that.
	Scientists crack secrets of the monarch butterfly's internal compass Each fall, monarch butterflies across Canada and the United States turn their orange, black and white-mottled wings toward the Rio Grande and migrate over 2,000 miles to the relative warmth of central Mexico.
	Visualizing and predicting evolution by mapping the elusive 'fitness landscape' Suppose you were trying to design a vaccine to combat next season's influenza virus. Having a detailed map that tells you exactly how various strains of the flu bug will evolve would be extremely helpful.
	Yeast study charts survival impact of genetic mutations Scientists have mapped how thousands of genetic mutations can affect a cell's chances of survival.
	A cellular sensor of phosphate levels Inorganic phosphate is an essential building block of cell membranes, DNA and proteins. It is also a main component of ATP, the "cell currency" of energy transfer. All cells therefore need to maintain a sufficient concentration of phosphate in their cytoplasm and have developed systems to transport and store this nutrient. But how does a cell know how much phosphate it actually needs?
	Study argues 'winner-winner' behavior may shape animal hierarchies Researchers have developed a behavioral model that explains the complexity and diversity of social hierarchies in ants, and which scientists believe may help us understand the nature of other animal societies - from primates to dolphins. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University, the University of Oxford and Arizona State University.
	New genus and five new flea species discovered in Indonesia A new genus of flea and its five new species have been described in an article in the Journal of Medical Entomology. Four of the species were collected on the island of Sulawesi and the fifth was collected in the Indonesian province of West Papua on the island of New Guinea. The discovery by David K. Mardon and Lance A. Durden provides a window on the history, both prehistoric and recent, of Indonesia and illustrates the importance of scientific collections.
	Spreading seeds by human migration Using DNA collected from corn grown by immigrant farmers in Los Angeles and Riverside, researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found the genetic diversity of corn in some home and community gardens in Southern California far exceeds levels found in commercially available seeds.
UConn receives grant to exhibit collection of 2 million ants A federal grant will bring new life to decades of work by a University of Connecticut biologist who made more than 20 expeditions with his wife to the jungles of Central and South America following, studying and collecting millions of army ants.
	Growth of GM crops slows for first time in 20 years The growth of genetically-modified crops has dipped for the first time following two decades of steady increases, according to a study released Wednesday.
	Biggest library of bat sounds compiled The biggest library of bat sounds has been compiled to identify bats from their calls in Mexico - a country which harbours many of the Earth's species and has one of the highest rates of extinction and habitat loss.
	LA museum enlists volunteers in search for bugs, plants Long before Southern California was paved over with freeways and covered with cars and millions of people, it was teeming with snakes, slugs, spiders, snails and uncounted other slimy, creepy, crawly creatures.
	Algae enlisted to produce biofuel using discarded papayas There was a time when a green mat of algae was little more than pond scum—but no longer. Now, thanks to advances in science and technology, these microscopic plants are considered promising natural sources of oil that can be converted to biodiesel fuel.
	Why genome editing offers a targeted way of breeding better crops Greater resistance to pests, less sensitivity to drought, higher yields – this is just a small selection of the requirements that crops will have to fulfil in future. Humanity needs new crops that can withstand the changes arising from global warming and can meet the growing demand for food. With the help of a new method called genome editing, scientists are seeking to develop new crop varieties more efficiently than before. If no foreign genes are inserted into these plants they cannot be distinguished from plants that have been bred using traditional methods. For this reason, Detlef Weigel from the Tübingen-based Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, together with colleagues from the USA and China, is asking for genome-edited plant varieties of this kind not to be classified as genetically modified plants.
	The flowers miss the bees We can thank bees for one of every three bites of food we eat. Bees pollinate crops that range from blueberries and cherries to almonds, squash and coffee beans. Bees also help ecosystems thrive by encouraging a diversity of plants, keeping water and soil healthy, and providing food for animals that forage.
	The evolutionary origins of laughter are rooted more in survival than enjoyment Laughter plays a crucial role in every culture across the world. But it's not clear why laughter exists. While it is evidently an inherently social phenomenon – people are up to 30 times more likely to laugh in a group than when alone – laughter's function as a form of communication remains mysterious.
	Threatened bandicoots return home Travel deep into WA's arid interior and you'll find a harsh and seemingly unforgiving expanse of red dirt that is housing a comeback to one of the state's many threatened mammals.
	Using genomics to save endangered species Currently, many threatened and endangered species are present in captivity. Their management is mostly focused on keeping the population viable (both demographically and genetically) and as similar to the wild ancestor populations as possible. To achieve these goals, captive populations are often managed in a breeding program with the highest priority. However, information on which the breeding program is based is often incomplete or missing. This causes breeding programs to make the, often incorrect, potentially dangerous assumption that founders are unrelated, which can lead to unintended inbreeding.
	Solomon Islands expedition seeks to conserve the extraordinary monkey-faced bat and giant rat The Australian Museum has announced a scientific expedition to the Solomon Islands to research a coconut cracking megabat and giant rat, with Professor Tim Flannery as one of the leaders of the program.
	Viruses hitch a ride to greater infectivity in insects An international research team including scientists from Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands have found evidence of a previously unknown interaction between viruses.
Scorpion toxin insights may lead to a new class of insecticides In an evolutionary game of cat and mouse, predators have adapted a clever arsenal of new tricks to capture their ever-elusive prey.
	Study unveils novel crosstalk mechanism between mitochondrial translation and cytoplasmic translation Protein is the fundamental substance of life. The genetic code directing protein synthesis is stored in DNA. When a cell is instructed, the code information transfers from DNA to mRNA. Then, information on mRNA is further transferred to protein.
	Unveiling the withering process: A hormone activates organ shedding in plants During their life, plants constantly renew themselves. They sprout new leaves in the spring and shed them in the fall. No longer needed, damaged or dead organs such as blossoms and leaves are also cast off by a process known as abscission. By doing so, plants conserve energy and prepare for the next step in their life cycle. But how does a plant know when it is the right time to get rid of unnecessary organs? Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Oslo (UiO) now shed light on this process. It is regulated by receptor proteins located at the surface of specific cells that form a layer around the future break point. When it is time to shed an organ, a small hormone binds to this membrane receptor and, together with a helper protein, the abscission process is initiated. Their findings are now published in the journal eLife.
	Animal-encounter data under-detects hunted species in Amazon ecosystems Evidence of wildlife passage, such as tracks, scat, fur, and disturbed surroundings, is a more accurate tool for assessing wildlife conservation status than actual encounters with animals, according to an international team of scientists from six universities, including Virginia Tech, publishing Wednesday (April 13, 2016) in PLOS ONE.
	The city of angels and flies: 12 unknown scuttle fly species have been flying around LA Although the second-largest and rather concrete metropolis in the United States might not be anywhere near one's immediate association for a biodiversity hotspot, the fly fauna of Los Angeles is quite impressive. As part of BioSCAN, a project devoted to exploring the insect diversity in and around the city, a team of three entomologists report on their latest discovery - twelve new scuttle fly species. Their study is published in the open access Biodiversity Data Journal.
	Plants force fungal partners to behave fairly Plants react intelligently to their environment: If they can choose between more cooperative and less cooperative fungal partners, they supply the latter with fewer nutrients and thus force them to cooperate more. Based on these findings, scientists believe that plants could also be used to test market and behavioral theories.
	Surface mutation lets canine parvovirus jump to other species Canine parvovirus, or CPV, emerged as a deadly threat to dogs in the late 1970s, most likely the result of the direct transfer of feline panleukopenia or a similar virus from domesticated cats.
The secret language of microbes Social microbes often interact with each other preferentially, favoring those that share certain genes in common. However, the basis for this behavior, known as "kind discrimination," is often unclear. A new study reveals a so-called "green beard" system used by a fungus to decide whether or not it should approach a new individual in the neighborhood and fuse with it.
	New resource for managing the Mexican rice borer A moth caterpillar called the Mexican rice borer (Eoreuma loftini) has taken a heavy toll on sugar cane and rice crops in Texas, and has moved into Louisiana, Florida, and other Gulf Coast states. Now a new article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management provides information on the biology and life cycle of the pest, and offers suggestions about how to manage them.
	Dutch bulb garden depicts Golden Age in flowers Millions of bulbs have blossomed in a riot of colour from Delft blues to reds and porcelain whites, drawing huge crowds to an annual Dutch springtime rite at the renowned Keukenhof gardens.
	Rare Bengal tiger cubs born to travelling circus in Nicaragua A trio of rare Bengal tiger cubs have become the stars of a Mexican circus in Nicaragua, one of the few Central American countries that still allow circuses to own live animals.
	Crush and burn: Malaysia destroys huge ivory trove Malaysia has destroyed 9.5 tonnes of elephant ivory it seized over the years, which authorities hope will help deter smugglers who have long used the country as a trans-shipment point.
	Future demand and climate change could make coffee a driver of deforestation A report released today by Conservation International found that the future demand for coffee and the impacts of climate change have the potential to make coffee production a future driver of deforestation, which could threaten the last remaining intact tropical forests and the services they provide: carbon storage, provision of fresh water, and biodiversity that aids in food provision.
Study finds lack of diversity among fisheries scientists Researchers who study fish put a high value on biodiversity in the field, yet a new study found a surprising lack of diversity among fisheries scientists themselves.
	America's astounding progress in ending overfishing In the 1970s, Ted Stevens, a former Army pilot-turned U.S. Senator and avid Alaskan fisherman, was flying above the Bering Sea en route to the remote Pribilof Islands. Along the way, he saw a scene that alarmed him: Japanese trawlers, 90 that he could count, were fishing in Alaskan waters.
	Breeding value for sires for feed intake As from today, the Dutch dairy farmers can view how feed efficient the offspring of sires are. The Netherlands is one of the first countries in the world publishing this breeding value. The increased world population requires efficient food productions, especially the production of animal proteins. This breeding value is a tool to achieve that. The publication of the breeding values is a result of research done by Wageningen UR Livestock Research in the past years.
	Making fish farming more sustainable The American Heart Association recommends that we eat fish at least twice a week, since fish are high in protein, low in saturated fats and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Global per capita fish consumption has almost doubled from the 1960s to 2012. And today, about half of all the seafood destined for human consumption is produced through fish farming, also called aquaculture.
	New project helps researchers build a biomedical knowledgebase April 14, 2016 - Imagine attempting to bake a cake—except you have to go to different stores for flour and milk, drive across town to get eggs and call a friend to borrow a cake pan.
How urban research center in Los Angeles will track bugs Scientists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County unveiled an ambitious plan Thursday to find and catalog every species of bug, reptile and squirrel that flies, crawls, slithers or hops across Southern California.

Medicine & Health news

	Neurobiologists show how satiety may influence decisions Anyone who has gone shopping while hungry knows that the shopping cart often ends up with more items than initially intended. It almost seems as if we notice food more when hungry. Herwig Baier and his team at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology recently showed that this is actually the case in the brain of larval zebrafish. The neurobiologists demonstrated, that hunger recruits additional nerve cells in a specific brain region via two molecular signaling pathways. As a consequence, potential prey objects activate significantly more nerve cells in hungry fish, resulting in the increased pursuit of these objects. The study shows that hungry animals perceive objects differently than satiated fish and are more willing to take risks when looking for food.
	Midnight Blue—A new system for color vision The swirling skies of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night illustrate a mystery that has eluded biologists for more than a century—why do we perceive the color blue in the dimly lit night sky? A newly discovered mechanism of color vision in mice might help answer this question, Caltech researchers say.
Study shows complex ideas can enter consciousness automatically It's difficult to look at pictures of cars shown on a computer and then keep yourself from saying "car" inside your head the next time one shows up on the screen—even when someone tells you to avoid saying it. Now, a new study led by SF State researcher Ezequiel Morsella concludes that this same automatic effect can occur with much more complicated mental manipulations—for instance, transforming "car" to the pig latin "ar-cay" in your head after you've been told to avoid that transformation.
	Two studies highlight the role DNA repair processes play in production of mutation-prone sequences involved in cancer (Medical Xpress)—The results of two studies by two different teams studying the role that DNA repair plays in the production of mutation-prone sequences—precursors to cancer, have been published in the journal Nature. In the first, a team working in Australia found patterns when they studied approximately 1,200 whole genome sequences looking at mutation densities in enhancer, promoter heterochromatic sequences and gene coding sequences, which were related to more than a dozen types of cancer. In the second study a team working in Spain found similar patterns when looking at sequences from approximately 36 skin cancer samples found in the Cancer Genome Atlas project. Ekta Khurana with Weill Cornell Medical College, has published a News & Views research piece on the work done by the two teams and suggests that such studies are laying the groundwork for the development of future diagnostic tools and treatments that can be tailore! d to individual patients.
	Mouse study shows how fault tolerance works in the brain (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers working at Howard Hughes Medical Institute has found a form of fault-tolerance in the brains of mice. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes their experiments with mice, what they found and its implications for further understanding how the brain works. Byron Yu, with Carnegie Mellon University has published a News & Views paper on the work done by the team in the same journal issue, explaining how the study was done.
	Scientists develop recipe for testosterone-producing cells Researchers led by teams at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Wenzhou Medical University of China have discovered a way to keep adult stem cells that are destined to become testosterone-producing cells multiplying and on track to fulfill their fate, a new study reports.
	Electrical brain stimulation enhances creativity, researchers say Safe levels of electrical stimulation can enhance your capacity to think more creatively, according to a new study by Georgetown researchers.
	Improved brain mapping tool 20 times more powerful than previous version Salk Institute scientists have developed a new reagent to map the brain's complex network of connections that is 20 times more efficient than their previous version. This tool improves upon a technique called rabies virus tracing, which was originally developed in the Callaway lab at Salk and is commonly used to map neural connections.
Study identifies memory suppressor gene, may hold key to new Alzheimer's treatments While research has identified hundreds of genes required for normal memory formation, genes that suppress memory are of special interest because they offer insights into how the brain prioritizes and manages all of the information, including memories, that it takes in every day. These genes also provide clues for how scientists might develop new treatments for cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
	Mice with genetic defect for human stuttering offer new insight into speech disorder Mice that vocalize in a repetitive, halting pattern similar to human stuttering may provide insight into a condition that has perplexed scientists for centuries, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health.
	Hidden genetic mutations in stem cells could undermine therapeutic benefit For the first time, scientists have confirmed the long-standing hypothesis that as people age, they accumulate gene mutations in their mitochondria—cells' energy source.
	Scientist identifies mechanism underlying peripheral neuropathy Recent research by Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory identifying the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, has raised the prospect that drug therapies can be developed for the treatment of this condition, which causes pain, numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet. The research was published March 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Troublesome T cells have a healing side Immune system cells linked to allergies also turn out to direct healing of mouse muscle wounds when paired with biologic "scaffolding" to support them, researchers from Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Krieger Institute report. The finding, described in the April 15 issue of Science, adds to evidence that the immune system is key not just to fighting infectious and other diseases but also to kick-starting healing after an injury. They also indicate that so-called biomaterial scaffolds can more effectively spur healing if designed to "partner" with immune cells, the researchers say.
	New hope for malaria treatment as drug resistance found unable to spread for the first time New hope for malaria treatment as drug resistance found unable to spread for the first time
	New study illuminates key aspects of how we fall asleep and wake up Falling asleep and waking up are key transitions in everyone's day. Millions of people have trouble with these transitions - they find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, and hard to stay awake during the day. Despite decades of research, how these transitions work - the neurobiological mechanics of our circadian rhythm - has remained largely a mystery to brain scientists.
	How the brain consolidates memory during deep sleep Research strongly suggests that sleep, which constitutes about a third of our lives, is crucial for learning and forming long-term memories. But exactly how such memory is formed is not well understood and remains, despite considerable research, a central question of inquiry in neuroscience.
	Immunosuppressive medication effectively treats ocular graft-versus-host-disease Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have conducted a clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of topical tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive therapy, and topical methylprednisolone, a steroid medication, in patients with ocular graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD)—a complication associated with allogeneic bone marrow transplants in which the transplanted immune system's cells attack certain parts of the recipient's body, including the cornea and ocular surface. The researchers found that patients treated with tacrolimus experienced equal relief of ocular symptoms as those treated with methylprednisolone, with fewer negative serious side effects. The findings from the clinical trial, published today in Ophthalmology, suggest that tacrolimus is an effective therapeutic option for ocular GVHD without the known hypertensive effects of steroids.
Certain types of polyps may warrant keeping closer tabs on the colon Being on the lookout for certain features of polyps may help physicians keep a closer eye on patients at risk for colorectal cancer.
	New research explains why HIV is not cleared by the immune system Scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have identified a human (host) protein that weakens the immune response to HIV and other viruses. The findings, published today in Cell Host & Microbe, have important implications for improving HIV antiviral therapies, creating effective viral vaccines, and advance a new approach to treat cancer.
Affordable Care Act payment reform achieves early gains: study Accountable care organizations that joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) when it launched in 2012 achieved modest savings while maintaining or improving performance on measures of quality of patient care in 2013, the first full year of the program, researchers at Harvard Medical School found in the first rigorous examination of this key health care payment reform program. These early adopters lowered spending by 1.4 percent in 2013 relative to a control group of non-ACO providers in the same areas, which represents a $238 million reduction in spending.
	Scans confirm brain damage in babies born with microcephaly associated with Zika Brain abnormalities in babies born with microcephaly and associated with the current Zika virus epidemic in Brazil are described by a team of doctors in a new study published in The BMJ today.
People with hepatitis C are two to five times more likely to develop certain head and neck cancers Long associated with liver cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reveals for the first time that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with certain head and neck cancers. The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, could have significant implications for both the screening of those with the virus and the treatment of those with head and neck cancers.
	CDC: Zika definitely causes severe birth defects Confirming the worst fears of many pregnant women in the United States and Latin America, U.S. health officials said Wednesday there is no longer any doubt the Zika virus causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and other severe brain defects.
	Report: US medicine spending up 8.5 percent 2015 U.S. spending on prescription drugs rose 8.5 percent last year, slightly less than in 2014, driven mainly by growing use of ultra-expensive new drugs and price hikes on other medicines.
Seeing e-cigarettes in shops may influence their use by teenagers Adolescents who recall seeing e-cigarettes in shops are more likely to have tried them in the past and are more likely to intend to try them in the future, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
High rate of early cancer recurrence following direct-acting antiviral treatment for hep C virus A new study fast-tracked for publication today in the Journal of Hepatology has shown that patients with a prior history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and who have been treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for Hepatitis C (HCV) infection have a higher than expected early recurrence rate of their liver cancer than previously thought - with the rate in some subgroups exceeding 40%. The study authors posit that the recurrences could be a result of a weakened immune system following DAA therapy.
'Risk' genes heighten the chances of heavy drinkers developing alcoholic hepatitis New research presented today at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain has uncovered a genetic link that explains why certain people with alcohol dependence are more susceptible to developing severe alcoholic hepatitis.
	Scientists discover how to control heart cells using a laser Scientists from MIPT's Laboratory of the Biophysics of Excitable Systems have discovered how to control the behaviour of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) using laser radiation; this study will help scientists to better understand cardiac mechanisms and could ultimately provide a method of treating arrhythmia. The paper has been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
	Increased BMI during adolescence predicts fatal cardiovascular events in adulthood Overweight and obesity in adolescents have increased substantially in recent decades, and currently affect a third of the adolescent population in some developed countries. This is an important public health concern because obesity early in life is considered to be a risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease and from all causes in adulthood.
	Overweight individuals more likely to make unhealthier choices when faced with real food Overweight people make unhealthier food choices than lean people when presented with real food, even though both make similar selections when presented with hypothetical choices, according to research led by the University of Cambridge and published today in the journal eNeuro.
	Chemotherapy delivered directly to tumors may slow pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in part because it is very difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach the pancreas, which is located deep within the abdomen.
	Knowing whether it's abuse and how to respond What do you do when you're out in public and you witness what you believe to be child abuse?
	Sugary drinks tax would offer big benefits A 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened drinks would result in widespread, long-lasting public health benefits and significant health cost savings, a new study shows.
	Neuroscience research into dyslexia leads to 'brainprints' A wonderful thing about basic research is its tendency to produce advances researchers hadn't anticipated. Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah Laszlo, for instance, found her early childhood learning studies took an unexpected jump into the worlds of security and identity verification.
	Future of sperm donor anonymity threatened by growth of genetic testing The rise of personal genetic testing and growth of international DNA databases could put an end to anonymous sperm and egg donation as donor-conceived individuals may unintentionally discover biological relatives, according to UCL researchers.
	What are the symptoms of concussions, and what are the best ways for athletes to deal with them? Concussions can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. As many as 5 to 10 percent of athletes will experience a concussion in any given sport season, resulting in 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions in the United States each year.
Circumcision does not reduce penile sensitivity, research finds New research conducted at Queen's University has found the penises of men who were circumcised as newborns are no less sensitive than intact (uncircumcised) penises.
	How LSD helped us probe what the 'sense of self' looks like in the brain Every single person is different. We all have different backgrounds, views, values and interests. And yet there is one universal feeling that we all experience at every single moment. Call it an "ego", a "self" or just an "I" – it's the idea that our thoughts and feelings are our own, and no one else has access to them in the same way. This may sound a bit like post-war French existentialism or psycho-analysis, but it's actually a topic that's being increasingly addressed by neuroscientists.
	On the road to allergy prophylaxis Researchers of MedUni Vienna succeeded in binding allergens to endogenous, endogenic white blood corpuscles to trigger a tolerance reaction in case of a future, possible contact with the respective allergen. The results in animal models are promising and give rise to hope that it may be possible in future to prevent allergens before they appear - be it by "vaccination" with endogenic cells or other vaccination strategies.
Climate change threatens nutrients essential to human health Essential fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA, are vital to the health of all vertebrates, with a direct relationship to cardiovascular and immune system health, as well as neurological function, vision, and reproduction. New research from Ryerson University shows that climate warming may have a significant negative effect on production of these omega-3 fatty acids in algae, which may lead to cascading effects throughout the world's ecosystems, culminating in an overall decline in the global availability of these nutrients for human wellbeing.
	Specific gene in the tumor determines the effectiveness of cancer treatment A cancer treatment can be basically effective but, equally, it may have negative consequences. Hitherto, it has not been possible to determine prior to treatment whether a patient will benefit from standard cancer treatment or not. However, a specific gene, which is frequently mutated in cancer, seems to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. This has now been shown by the research group led by the cancer surgeon Daniela Kandioler of the University Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna in a large study conducted with colorectal cancer patients. The main finding: the effect of standard chemotherapy was dependent upon whether the TP53 gene in the tumor was mutated or not.
Back on the market—understanding condom use in the over-50s Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the over-50 age group and, in fact, could surpass the infection rates of younger people, says a QUT researcher investigating the low use of condoms in this age group.
	New recipes show how oats and barley can make our favourite meals healthier There is more to oats and barley than just porridge and broth as a new recipe book, Go with the Grain developed and compiled by researchers at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health aims to show.
	Gratitude—'A vaccine against impulsiveness' What small thing are you grateful for today? Me? I am grateful that David DeSteno, professor of psychology in the College of Science, agreed to postpone our interview on Tuesday about his new paper because I wasn't feeling well.
	Obese people can maintain stable weight loss Maintaining a stable weight loss is the biggest struggle for obese individuals, yet new research from University of Copenhagen have allowed researchers new insights into the complex processes involved in obesity and especially weight loss in obesity. It is now possible to offer overweight people a clearer understanding of how to sustain weight loss.
Global spending on health is expected to increase to $18.28 trillion worldwide by 2040 Global inequities in health spending are expected to persist and intensify over the next 25 years, according to a new study that estimates total health financing in countries around the world.
	Team leads world-first new treatment for alcohol addictions Alcohol addiction causes almost 3.8 per cent of deaths worldwide but a study led by QUT researchers offers new hope in the form of a drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
	Tuberculosis elimination at stake New data released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO/Europe ahead of World TB Day show that an estimated 340 000 Europeans developed tuberculosis (TB) in 2014, corresponding to a rate of 37 cases per 100 000 population.
	British cancer op streamed in virtual reality 'world first' A British surgeon livestreamed a cancer operation using virtual reality technology on Thursday, in what he said was a world first that would help in training and allow doctors to advise on operations remotely.
	Lower-carb diet slows growth of aggressive brain tumor in mouse models University of Florida Health researchers have slowed a notoriously aggressive type of brain tumor in mouse models by using a low-carbohydrate diet.
	Modified flu virus can 'resensitize' resistant pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy A common flu virus could be used to overcome patients' resistance to certain cancer drugs—and improve how those drugs kill cancer cells, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Enzyme in myelination process could lead to better understanding of neurological disorders The removal of the enzyme Dnmt1 during oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) differentiation in the central nervous system resulted in inefficient myelin formation and neurological deterioration, including loss of control of bodily movements, in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal Cell Reports. The results could lead to a new understanding of multiple sclerosis and other myelin disorders in humans.
	Stop the growth: Researchers take aim at cancer metastasis Most cancer drugs today work by attacking tumor growth. Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, however, are taking aim at a different piece of the cancer puzzle—preventing its ability to spread to new parts of the body, known as metastasis, which is the cause of most cancer deaths.
Discovery of asprosin, a new hormone, could have potential implications in the treatment What started as a search for answers for patients suffering from a rare genetic condition called neonatal progeroid syndrome (NPS) that keeps the body from accumulating fat, among other symptoms, has now turned into a discovery that could potentially impact the lives of millions of people living with type 2 diabetes. The findings appear today in the journal Cell.
RERE gene mutations result in features similar to 1p36 deletion syndrome One in 5,000 babies is born missing a small amount of genetic material from the tip of chromosome 1, a region called 1p36. Missing genes in the 1p36 region is a relatively common cause of intellectual disability. These children may also have delayed development, seizures, heart and kidney defects, and problems with vision and hearing. The number and severity of these medical conditions varies greatly among children with 1p36 deletions. Scientists think that one reason for this variability is that the genes that are missing from the 1p36 region are not the same in each individual. Knowing which genes are actually involved in the development of this syndrome would help physicians predict the type of medical conditions a child with a 1p36 deletion might encounter and would make it easier to create individualized care plans for these patients. In a paper published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics, a multidisciplinary te! am including Baylor College of Medicine researchers has determined that mutations in one gene, RERE, can cause many of the features associated with 1p36 deletions.
	New principle for brain-controlled hormone secretion The concentration of the hormone prolactin in the blood is controlled by dopamine. However, the system can be thrown off balance by certain drugs, especially antipsychotics, which can result in sexual side effects. A new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet in rats, published in the journal Cell Reports, shows how dopamine can regulate itself and provides new knowledge about how the side effects arise.
	Genomic makeup of colorectal cancers predicts immune system ability to fight tumors Colorectal cancers heavily bedecked with tumor-related proteins called neoantigens are likely to be permeated with disease-fighting white blood cells, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard report in a new study. Because such an influx of white blood cells often signifies an immune system attack on cancer, the discovery will sharpen research into therapies that make tumors more vulnerable to such an attack.
	Cancer cells turn healthy cells to the 'dark side' Cancer cells use a mutant gene to coerce neighbouring healthy tissue into helping with the disease's growth and spread, a major new study reports.
International panel reclassifies thyroid tumor to curb overdiagnosis of cancer Led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, an international panel of pathologists and clinicians has reclassified a type of thyroid cancer to reflect that it is noninvasive and has a low risk of recurrence. The name change, described today in JAMA Oncology, is expected to reduce the psychological and medical consequences of a cancer diagnosis, potentially affecting thousands of people worldwide.
	Shorter times to blood transfusion associated with decreased death risk in trauma patients Patients who get blood quickly after severe injuries are less likely to die, according to researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Emergency Medicine.
	Brain scan method may help detect autism Many doctors and scientists think they could improve the diagnosis and understanding of autism spectrum disorders if they had reliable means to identify specific abnormalities in the brain. Such "biomarkers" have proven elusive, often because methods that show promise with one group of patients fail when applied to another. In a new study in Nature Communications, however, scientists report a new degree of success. Their proposed biomarker worked with a comparably high degree of accuracy in assessing two diverse sets of adults.
Study estimates number of births and terminations with Down syndrome in Massachusetts A multi-institutional research team has estimated for the first time the number of children born with Down syndrome each year in Massachusetts over the past century, along with the numbers of pregnancies of a child with Down syndrome lost to either termination or miscarriage. Their report receiving advance online publication in the journal Genetics in Medicine is a follow-up to a 2015 paper describing such estimates on a nationwide level.
Neratinib plus paclitaxel vs. trastuzumab plus paclitaxel in breast cancer While neratinib plus paclitaxel was not superior to trastuzumab plus paclitaxel as first-line treatment for ERBB2-positive metastatic breast cancer in terms of progression-free survival, the combination was associated with delayed onset and reduced frequency of central nervous system metastases, a finding that requires a larger study to confirm, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.
	Thyroid cancer cases in US level off, perhaps reflecting diagnostic changes (HealthDay)—Fewer thyroid cancers are diagnosed in the United States now than in the recent past, perhaps signaling a change in physician practices, a new study says.
	Antihistamines affect exercise recovery, may or may not be a problem After vigorous exercise, some 3,000 genes go to work to aid recovery by boosting muscles and blood vessels, but in the presence of high doses of antihistamines almost 27 percent of the gene response is blunted, according to University of Oregon researchers.
Colombia confirms first cases of birth defects tied to Zika Colombia has confirmed the first two cases of a rare birth defect associated with the spread of Zika.
Rescuing human light-sensors in a common form of Leber congenital amaurosis Scientists at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have identified the mechanism behind a common inherited cause of severe sight loss in young children. The results also point to a potential new treatment that may be possible to deliver by simple injection to the eye. The research was funded by charities Fight for Sight, Moorfields Eye Charity and Guide Dogs, with support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Low-grade brain tumors: Radiation plus chemotherapy is best treatment, trial suggests New clinical-trial findings show that patients with a low-grade form of brain cancer who are treated with radiation plus a combination of chemotherapy drugs have better survival than patients treated with radiation alone.
Memory may aid emotion regulation, particularly in older adults In a study exploring the relationship between memory for specific past experiences and recovery from strong negative emotions, University of Massachusetts Amherst research psychologists report that episodic memory may be more important in helping midlife and older adults recover from a negative event than it is for younger adults.
High levels of mental illness reported by victims of human trafficking in the UK New research reveals the severe mental health problems experienced by men and women trafficked to the UK for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced labour, including high levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
More exposure to vegetation linked with lower mortality rates in women Women in the U.S. who live in homes surrounded by more vegetation appear to have significantly lower mortality rates than those who live in areas with less vegetation, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital. The study found that women who lived in the greenest surroundings had a 12% lower overall mortality rate than those living in homes in the least green areas.
Psoriasis severity linked to rising risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms Psoriasis sufferers may face a higher risk of developing abdominal aortic aneurysms, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.
	Better patient outcome linked to get with the guidelines-stroke Stroke patients at hospitals participating in a nationwide quality-improvement program were more likely to be discharged home and less likely to die after discharge than patients in non-participating hospitals, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
	What viruses do to neuronal stem cells—effects of congenital transmission Congenital transmission (from mother to unborn child) of viruses can cause abnormal brain development in the fetus. Examples of viruses that can pass through the placenta and into the fetal brain include cytomegalovirus, rubella, and zika virus. A study published on April 14th in PLOS Pathogens examines the effects of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection on neuronal stem cells and reports that the virus delays or prevents proper differentiation of the stem cells into mature brain cells by activating a key signaling pathway.
Don't count on strangers in medical emergencies, especially if you're African-American In the first study of its kind, Cornell sociologists have found that people who have a medical emergency in a public place can't necessarily rely on the kindness of strangers. Only 2.5 percent of people, or 1 in 39, got help from strangers before emergency medical personnel arrived, in research published April 14 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Study reveals substantial reductions in years lived without disability for men, women with diabetes New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) shows that men and women with diabetes (both types) face not only reduced overall life expectancy, but also higher numbers of years living with disability compared to those people without diabetes. The research is by Associate Professor Dianna Magliano and Dr Lili Huo, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues.
	By age 3 environmental factors like parenting are relevant to the development of self-control University of Texas at Arlington researchers have found that by age 3 environmental influences such as parenting are relevant factors in the development of toddlers' self-control when they are asked not to do something they want to do, such as run into the street or eat a forbidden snack.
	Study uncovers genetic variation that predicted type and rate of physical decline in patients with Parkinson's disease Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions have uncovered a site of genetic variation that identified which patients with Parkinson's disease are more likely to have tremors versus difficulty with balance and walking. The Penn team also found that patients with this genetic variation had a slower rate of Parkinson's disease progression, and lower amounts of alpha-synuclein in the brain. Alpha-synuclein is a protein that experts know plays a role in the development of Parkinson's disease.
Potential cholesterol-lowering drug molecule has prostate cancer fighting capabilities Standard treatment for prostate cancer can include chemotherapy that targets receptors on cancer cells. However, drug-resistant cancer cells can emerge during chemotherapy, limiting its effectiveness as a cancer-fighting agent. Researchers at the University of Missouri have proven that a compound initially developed as a cholesterol-fighting molecule not only halts the progression of prostate cancer, but also can kill cancerous cells.
	Protective mastectomies that preserve nipple safe for women at high breast cancer risk Protective mastectomies that preserve the nipple and surrounding skin prevent breast cancer as effectively as more invasive surgeries for women with a genetic mutation called BRCA that raises their risk of developing breast cancer, a multi-institution study led by Mayo Clinic found. The research should reassure patients and surgeons that nipple-sparing mastectomies, which leave women with more natural-looking breasts than other mastectomies, are a safe way to reduce breast cancer risk in BRCA carriers, the authors say. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons in Dallas.
	Quest Diagnostics launches test for picking hepatitis C drug Top testing company Quest Diagnostics has begun offering new hepatitis C tests that can help doctors determine which of the expensive new drugs for the liver-destroying virus will work best for each patient.
How can lay health advisor programs be designed for maximum impact? Lay health advisors who share similar social, economic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and values with the medically underserved groups they interact with have been shown to reduce health disparities. Looking to identify elements that can help make these advisors and the programs they support as effective as possible, researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that support from the sponsoring organization and clear role expectations are critical for the success of these lay advisors. The study is one of the largest to date involving African-American lay health advisors. The findings have been published in the journal Implementation Science.
	First case of Zika infection after sex between gay men: US US health authorities on Thursday described the first known case of Zika being transmitted during sex between gay men, suggesting yet another route for infection with the mosquito-borne virus.
Makers of corn masa flour can add folic acid (HealthDay)—Makers of corn masa flour can voluntarily add up to 0.7 mg. of folic acid per pound of corn masa flour under a new approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
	Radiation may help after surgery for 'soft-tissue' cancers (HealthDay)—Older patients with a type of cancer called soft-tissue sarcomas may benefit more from radiation therapy after surgery than younger patients do, a new study suggests.
	Hunger sending some Americans to the hospital (HealthDay)—More than half of Americans with high rates of hospitalization either don't have regular access to healthy food or are at risk of not having enough food at home, a small study suggests.
	No drop in teen use of tobacco products, CDC says, and E-cigs may be why (HealthDay)—Use of tobacco products by U.S. teens hasn't fallen since 2011, and federal officials say electronic cigarettes may be to blame.
	One-a-day anti-seizure drug shows promise for people with epilepsy (HealthDay)—A once-daily epilepsy drug may control seizures just as well as a twice-daily drug, researchers report.
	About half of women may benefit from mammograms at 40: analysis (HealthDay)—New research suggests that all women turning 40 should get a breast cancer risk assessment, since half of them may have risks that are high enough to warrant annual mammograms right away.
	Self-management group rehab benefits persons with dementia (HealthDay)—Self-management group rehabilitation is beneficial for persons with dementia (PwD) and their spouses, according to a study published online April 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	For rosacea, ivermectin offers lasting improvement in HRQoL (HealthDay)—For patients with rosacea, ivermectin treatment is associated with long-term improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), according to a study published online April 8 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
	Brain network charts could help predict attention impairment (HealthDay)—Growth charting methods identify a correlation between intrinsic connectivity networks (ICN) and attention performance, according to a study published online April 13 in JAMA Psychiatry.
	Progress made in comprehensive primary care initiative (HealthDay)—Two years into the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, practices have made progress toward transforming delivery of primary care but have not yet shown savings in expenditures, according to a study published online April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Fusion not always necessary for back pain from stenosis (HealthDay)—Spinal fusion surgery is too often used to treat lower back pain caused by stenosis when decompression would suffice, but is still beneficial for select patients, according to a pair of new clinical trials published in the April 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Adding number of vessels with CAC ups prediction of CVD events (HealthDay)—Inclusion of the number of vessels with coronary artery calcium (CAC) improves the capacity of the Agatston CAC score to predict cardiovascular events, according to a study published online April 13 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.
	Heavy cannabis use associated with reduced dopamine release in brain, similar to other addictions In a recent study, researchers found evidence of a compromised dopamine system in heavy users of marijuana. Lower dopamine release was found in the striatum - a region of the brain that is involved in working memory, impulsive behavior, and attention. Previous studies have shown that addiction to other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, have similar effects on dopamine release, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now.
Pennsylvania set to OK medical marijuana; Ohio could follow Pennsylvania is set to become the latest state to legalize medical marijuana as the Legislature sent a bill to the governor on Wednesday after parents of children suffering from debilitating seizures circulated the Capitol urging lawmakers to act.
New antibiotic stewardship guidelines focus on practical advice for implementation Preauthorization of broad-spectrum antibiotics and prospective review after two or three days of treatment should form the cornerstone of antibiotic stewardship programs to ensure the right drug is prescribed at the right time for the right diagnosis. These are among the numerous recommendations included in new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
20-year survival expected for 4 out of 5 children who receive liver transplants A new study presented today shows that 20-year survival after childhood liver transplantation can be expected for almost 80% of patients. The study, presented at The International Liver CongressTM 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, shares long-term outcome data from medical records of children who received liver transplants over a five-year period, with a mean follow-up of 22 years.
Newly approved all-oral hep C combination drug found more effective in head-to-head comparison Findings presented today from a Phase 3 head-to-head study that compared two direct-acting antiviral treatment regimens, demonstrated that the all-oral, once daily combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir was more effective and safer than the combination of sofosbuvir and pegylated interferon with ribavirin, in certain patients with Hepatitis C (HCV).
Study demonstrates the potential for a new triple combination treatment for hepatitis C patients A new combination treatment for hepatitis C has potential for patients who were not cured by current treatment options.
Hep C infected livers offer similar outcomes to healthy livers in those waiting for liver transplant Data from a new study presented today may help reduce the waiting time for a liver transplant for people with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The study, presented at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrated that the medium to long-term outcomes for people with HCV who have received a HCV-positive liver were no different from those who were given a healthy liver.
UK Biobank launches world's biggest body scanning project The world's largest health imaging study, funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is launched today. It will create the biggest collection of scans of internal organs, and transform the way scientists study a wide range of diseases, including dementia, arthritis, cancer, heart attacks and strokes.
New triple drug combination shows promise in hepatitis C infected patients New data presented today at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrates a high sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks from the all-oral combination of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir and experimental compound GS-9857 in patients with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
	Treating patients for hepatitis C could reduce the need for liver transplants A new study presented today demonstrates that patients on the liver transplant list with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and severe liver damage were more likely to be taken off the list or have their need of a liver transplant reduced as a result of direct-acting antiviral therapy.
Scoring system can predict risk of mortality in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Researchers today demonstrated that a scoring system can predict a person's risk of death from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the world's most prevalent liver disease. The study results were presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
Study raises questions about the risks of treating patients with late stage hep C virus New data presented today raise the question of whether patients with severe Hepatitis C virus (HCV) should be treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), given their high risk of short-term death at this late-disease stage.
	Canada's new assisted suicide bill doesn't allow visitors Canada on Thursday introduced a new assisted suicide law that will apply only to citizens and residents, meaning Americans won't be able to travel to Canada to die.
	Technology-based patient engagement system helps people get better and stay well Every year, tens of thousands of people are hospitalized for various ailments, and each of them require daily in-hospital visits from doctors, nurses, and other health care staff to manage their care. They often are prescribed a dizzying array of new medications for a diagnosis they're unfamiliar with. And, once they're well enough to go home, they're inundated with detailed instructions for post-discharge care. Is it any wonder some of these patients and their families are overwhelmed and confused?
	Homeless Australians eat only two meals a day Homeless Australians eat only 14 meals per week on average according to a University of Melbourne report about homelessness and access to food.
	Bringing sexual violence out of the shadows For countries in South Asia that have endured conflict, acknowledging the violence and the suffering of victims is an important step in overcoming past grievances. Yet the blight of sexual violence in the region remains taboo, limiting restitution for victims and allowing perpetrators to avoid punishment.
	San Francisco's homeless youth at 10 times higher risk of death A university of California, Berkeley, study of homeless youth living on the streets of San Francisco found that they have a 10 times higher mortality rate than their peers, mostly due to suicide and substance abuse.
88 people at NY college fall ill with norovirus symptoms Officials say nearly 90 people at a private university in western New York have fallen ill with symptoms linked to norovirus.
Osimertinib given as first-line treatment may alter biology of EGFR mutated NSCLC The third generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) osimertinib is effective in the first-line treatment of EGFR mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a late-breaking abstract presented at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.1 A second late-breaking abstract confirms the drug's effectiveness in patients with the T790M mutation.
	New snakebite treatment under development at UA College of Medicine - Tucson Time is of the essence for treating venomous snakebites, and a product being developed by University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson researchers may extend that window for treatment.
Growth in maternal and child health funding outpaces spending on HIV, TB, and malaria Funding earmarked for improving maternal and child health in low- and middle-income countries has grown faster since 2010 than funding for HIV, TB, and malaria.
	FEMA study to test exercise regimen in preventing back injury in firefighters The University of South Florida and Tampa Fire Rescue have launched a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a worksite exercise regimen targeted to reduce the risk of low back injury and disability in firefighters—a physically demanding occupation particularly prone to back problems that can lead to chronic pain and early retirement.
	People in Miyagi coastal areas continue to show higher levels of depressive tendencies Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) has revealed that in 2014, three years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, depressive symptoms continue to be higher in the coastal areas than in the inland areas of Miyagi Prefecture.
	Reduced brain connectivity in frontal cortex linked to propofol-induced loss of consciousness A new study shows that loss of responsiveness induced by propofol, a commonly used anesthetic, is associated with greatly diminished brain connectivity in the frontal cortex and significant changes in resting state brain networks. The study, based on a novel method for constructing total brain connectivity maps and comparing them with results obtained for resting state networks, is published in Brain Connectivity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Brain Connectivity website until May 14, 2016.
Immunotherapy with live bacterium improves response rate in malignant pleural mesothelioma Immunotherapy with a live bacterium combined with chemotherapy demonstrated more than 90% disease control and 59% response rate in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), according to the results of a phase Ib trial presented today at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
SPECT-MRI fusion minimizes surgery for diagnosis of early-stage cervical cancer patients A recent study reported in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine found that cervical cancer patients without enlarged lymph nodes could benefit from SPECT-MRI imaging of their sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) to assess whether metastases are present.
One known Ebola case left in Guinea after girl's discharge A dedicated Ebola clinic was treating Guinea's only known case of the virus on Thursday after the recovery of a girl diagnosed with the disease, the charity running the facility said.
Commonly used reflux and ulcer medication may cause serious kidney damage New research indicates that long-term use of certain medications commonly used to treat heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers can have damaging effects on the kidneys. The findings come from a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Obesity and male infertility: A global health problem The increasing number of overweight/obese individuals has established obesity as one of the most relevant health problems for years to come. Subfertility or infertility are silent problems that overweight/obese men have to face. This is particularly relevant since there is an enormous increase of children, adolescents and young adult men who are overweight or obese. This is a health issue that should be carefully addressed and deserves attention from policymakers and the media.
	High-volume lung transplant centers have lower costs and readmissions High-volume lung transplant centers have lower transplantation costs and their patients are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of leaving the hospital following surgery, according to a new study of more than 3,000 Medicare patients who received lung transplants.
'Unmet nursing care' may contribute to racial disparities in rehospitalizations after heart attack Why are black older adults at higher risk of repeat hospital admission after a heart attack? Treatment at hospitals with higher rates of missed nursing care may be a contributing factor, reports a study in the May issue of Medical Care.
	Antibiotics may have lasting impact on the immune system of children Scientists want to know whether taking antibiotics early in life can disrupt your immune system function lifelong.

Other Sciences news

Research reveals greatest Formula One driver of all time Juan Manuel Fangio is the greatest Formula One driver of all time, according to new research by the University of Sheffield.
	Dino dinner, dead or alive When asked to think of meat-eating dinosaurs we usually conjure images of voracious predators chasing down helpless prey. These visions are no doubt inspired by the depiction of species such as Tyrannosaurs rex and Velociraptor in the movie Jurassic Park; however, new research conducted at Trinity College Dublin suggests that many of these species might be better remembered as oversized, scaly or feathered hyenas.
	Artificial Intelligence in education—imagining and building tomorrow's cyber learning platform today In the late 1960s, urban planners Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber began formulating the concept of "wicked problems" or "wicked challenges" —problems so vexing in the realm of social and organizational planning that they could not be successfully ameliorated with traditional linear, analytical, systems-engineering types of approaches.
	Few consumers penalize companies after data breach, study finds About a quarter of American adults reported that they were notified about their personal information being part of a data breach in the previous year, but only 11 percent of those who have ever been notified say they stopped doing business with the hacked company after the event occurred, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
	Education chief looks for more well-rounded learning Education Secretary John B. King Jr. wants to see a return to a more well-rounded education for schoolchildren, one that spotlights the importance of science, social studies, world languages and the arts.
	Ancient mummies meet modern technology For her senior honors thesis, Tulane University student Savanna Bailey accompanied two ancient Egyptian mummies—well, actually, just their heads—to Tulane Medical Center in downtown New Orleans. The patients in question hadn't had a medical appointment in 18 years, so the trip was quite a milestone.
	Archaeologists home in on Australia's lost 'clachan' The lure of a hidden Irish settlement near Kapunda has been drawing Susan Arthure back to Baker's Flat for a long time – and this week, she plans on finally finding it.
Financial knowledge not enough for low-income parents, says study Low-income parents of young children frequently face day-to-day difficulties in feeding and housing their families. Social services for such parents often include financial education designed to help build basic knowledge about financial matters such as budgeting and saving for the future. However, a study by University of Kansas researchers finds that financial knowledge may not be enough to reduce economic strain among low-income parents with young children. The study suggests that financial inclusion, or owning accounts in mainstream financial institutions, is necessary as well.
	For women, waiting to have children until after 30 minimizes career income losses Working women who want to minimize career income losses related to motherhood should wait until they are about 30 years old to have their first children, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
Celebrities and politicians tell us their deepest, darkest secrets. Why? Public figures sharing private information is the norm nowadays. Our thirst for information, combined with the wonders of the internet and lax approaches to privacy, is creating a perfect storm.
	Is risk-taking behavior contagious? Why do we sometimes decide to take risks and other times choose to play it safe? In a new study, Caltech researchers explored the neural mechanisms of one possible explanation: a contagion effect.
	Ancient mass graves discovered in Greece Archaeologists have discovered two mass graves near the Greek capital containing the skeletons of 80 men who may have been followers of ancient would-be tyrant Cylon of Athens.
Juvenile offenders probably more criminal to begin with It's a long-simmering debate in juvenile justice: Do young offenders become worse because of their experience with the justice system, or are they somehow different than people who don't have their first criminal conviction until later in life?
	Obama touts robots, US ingenuity at White House Science Fair They came with eco-glue and Lego launchers. Their tag board displays were filled with charts, graphs and research on pollution. There were no little kids with plaster volcanoes in this crowd. But there was a trash-eating robot.
If the people can't get to their jobs, bring the jobs to the people It is difficult to find a public transport solution to Sydney's congestion problem. It is equally difficult to find a motorways solution. The real problem is that Sydney's urban structure is being configured in a way that defies a transport solution of any sort. And central to the problem is the journey-to-work rat race in Sydney's west.
	New book co-edited by UAH history professor expands, advances field of slave studies A few years ago, Dr. Christine Sears published a nonfiction book about American slaves and African masters whose tales of high-seas misadventure sounded more like a Patrick O'Brian novel than a depiction of real life. Now the associate professor of history at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is back, with a collection of essays that delve into the commodification of slavery, slave communities, and how slavery compared between different nations. "A lot of the research I couldn't include in my first book I was able to incorporate into this one," she says.
	We need to change what people think modern slavery is What images does the word "slavery" conjure up in your mind? Men in iron collars shipped from Africa on huge wooden galleons, forced to work the fields under the whip of the master? Perhaps you think that slavery is an old concept that became obsolete in Britain in 1833 with the introduction of the Slavery Abolition Act?
Family dynamics cause major stress for Latino immigrant families Commitment to family is both a driving force and source of hardship for Latino immigrants, according to a Florida State University researcher.
California mental health stigma-reduction campaign creates economic benefits California's investment in a social marketing campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness may provide the state with positive economic benefits by increasing employment and worker productivity, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

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