Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Mar 23

RESPEKT!

Universe may be on the brink of collapse (on the cosmological timescale)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 4:01 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Mar 23
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 23, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Universe may be on the brink of collapse (on the cosmological timescale)
- Big browsers fall in Pwn2Own exploit competition
- Squid-inspired 'invisibility stickers' could help soldiers evade detection in the dark
- Best of Last Week – Testing for extra dimensions, solving the riddle of life on Earth and fatty acids that slow cancer
- A stiff new layer in Earth's mantle: Why the planet's conveyor belt hangs up 930 miles deep
- Colliding stars explain enigmatic 17th century explosion
- Landmark study proves that magnets can control heat and sound
- Quantum correlation can imply causation (Update)
- Archaeologists discover Maya 'melting pot'
- New processing technology converts packing peanuts to battery components
- Wandering Jupiter accounts for our unusual solar system
- Chemical fingerprints of ancient supernovae found
- Shape-shifting frog discovered in Ecuadorian Andes
- Policy makers should not discount the damages from future climate tipping points
- Adopted kids' average IQ higher than non-adopted siblings, study finds

Nanotechnology news

	New device takes images of lithium battery as it works and recharges Used in everything from electric vehicles to laptop computers, the lithium battery is ubiquitous, but it is not well understood at the atomic scale. To see what happens on the nanoscale, scientists at DOE's Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) designed and implemented a small device, known as an operando electrochemical stage. Using this stage inside a state-of-the-art aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope they can take nanoscale-resolution pictures of lithium ions as they are deposited on or dissolve off of an electrode while the battery runs.
	A graphene solution for microwave interference Microwave communication is ubiquitous in the modern world, with electromagnetic waves in the tens of gigahertz range providing efficient transmission with wide bandwidth for data links between Earth-orbiting satellites and ground stations. Such ultra-high frequency wireless communication is now so common, with a resultant crowding of the spectral bands allocated to different communications channels, that interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) are serious concerns.
	Toward a more realistic picture of how molecules move within cells A candid photo can reveal much more about the mood of a party than a stiff, posed picture. The same might be true for molecules, according to researchers. In a report appearing in the journal ACS Central Science, they report use of a newly developed method that can take a candid snapshot of how molecules really move in vitro and in cells. This information could help resolve some controversial claims about how nanocrystals assemble.
	Graphene applications in mobile communication GSM, UMTS, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth – to name just a few of the wireless standards that have become a natural part of mobile communication today. For all these wireless standards, signal processing could not be done without the filtering of frequencies. Micro-acoustic piezoelectric resonators are the dominant technology in the market for this purpose. Theory predicts excellent oscillation characteristics for these resonators, if  the electrode used for the excitation of the oscillation becomes very light. And the lightest conceivable electrode is electrically conductive graphene.

Physics news

	Universe may be on the brink of collapse (on the cosmological timescale) (Phys.org)—Physicists have proposed a mechanism for "cosmological collapse" that predicts that the universe will soon stop expanding and collapse in on itself, obliterating all matter as we know it. Their calculations suggest that the collapse is "imminent"—on the order of a few tens of billions of years or so—which may not keep most people up at night, but for the physicists it's still much too soon.
	Squid-inspired 'invisibility stickers' could help soldiers evade detection in the dark Squid are the ultimate camouflage artists, blending almost flawlessly with their backgrounds so that unsuspecting prey can't detect them. Using a protein that's key to this process, scientists have designed "invisibility stickers" that could one day help soldiers disguise themselves, even when sought by enemies with tough-to-fool infrared cameras.
	Landmark study proves that magnets can control heat and sound Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered how to control heat with a magnetic field.
	Quantum correlation can imply causation (Update) Does taking a drug and then getting better mean that the drug made you better? Did that tax cut really stimulate the economy or did it recover on its own? The problem of answering such questions - of inferring causal relationships from correlations - reaches across the sciences, and beyond.
	LHCb's new analysis confirms old puzzle Today, at the 50th Moriond Electroweak conference (link) (La Thuile, Italy), LHCb physicists presented their latest analysis of the rare B → K*μμ decay. The new results show deviations from Standard Model calculations.
	Have researchers discovered the sound of the stars? A chance discovery by a team of researchers, including a University of York scientist, has provided experimental evidence that stars may generate sound.

Earth news

	A stiff new layer in Earth's mantle: Why the planet's conveyor belt hangs up 930 miles deep By crushing minerals between diamonds, a University of Utah study suggests the existence of an unknown layer inside Earth: part of the lower mantle where the rock gets three times stiffer. The discovery may explain a mystery: why slabs of Earth's sinking tectonic plates sometimes stall and thicken 930 miles underground.
	Japan opts for massive, costly sea wall to fend off tsunamis Four years after a towering tsunami ravaged much of Japan's northeastern coast, efforts to fend off future disasters are focusing on a nearly 400-kilometer (250-mile) chain of cement sea walls, at places nearly five stories high.
	World's largest asteroid impacts found in central Australia A 400 kilometre-wide impact zone from a huge meteorite that broke in two moments before it slammed into the Earth has been found in Central Australia.
	Policy makers should not discount the damages from future climate tipping points Society should set a high carbon tax now to try and prevent climate change reaching a point of no return according to a new study.
	Atlantic Ocean overturning found to slow down already today The Atlantic overturning is one of Earth's most important heat transport systems, pumping warm water northwards and cold water southwards. Also known as the Gulf Stream system, it is responsible for the mild climate in northwestern Europe. Scientists now found evidence for a slowdown of the overturning—multiple lines of observation suggest that in recent decades, the current system has been weaker than ever before in the last century, or even in the last millennium.
	Ascension of marine diatoms linked to vast increase in continental weathering A team of researchers, including Rensselaer professor Morgan Schaller, has used mathematical modeling to show that continental erosion over the last 40 million years has contributed to the success of diatoms, a group of tiny marine algae that plays a key role in the global carbon cycle. The research was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Western forests decimated by pine beetles not more likely to burn Western U.S. forests killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic are no more at risk to burn than healthy Western forests, according to new findings by the University of Colorado Boulder that fly in the face of both public perception and policy.
	No tornadoes reported anywhere across US in March With only about two-dozen twisters recorded so far this year during a period when 100 or more are typical, the U.S. appears to be in a tornado drought as cool, stable air prevents the ingredients of the violent storms from coming together, meteorologists said Friday.
	Thousands gather to watch France's 'tide of the century' Some 10,000 people gathered at Mont Saint-Michel in northern France on Friday to watch what has been billed as "the high tide of the century" wash around the picturesque landmark.
	Australia unveils plan to secure Great Barrier Reef's future Australia released its long-term blueprint to save the Great Barrier Reef Saturday, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott saying protecting the World Heritage site was a priority.
	Smog-choked Paris forces half of cars off roads French authorities will on Monday put in place emergency traffic-limiting measures in Paris, as the City of Light and much of northern France suffers from a choking smog.
	Chile wildfires damage unique flora, fauna Massive wildfires raging in drought-stricken southern Chile have wiped out hundreds of plant species, and are now threatening animal life as well, officials warned.
Australian icebreaker in Antarctic mercy dash An Antarctic expeditionary team were working round the clock Sunday to refuel an Australian icebreaker forced to turn back to its frozen base to pick up a seriously ill worker.
Australian icebreaker rescues ailing Antarctic base worker A seriously ill worker has been evacuated by helicopter from Australia's Antarctic station to an icebreaker ship in a dramatic round-the-clock rescue.
	Current forest models are at odds with real-world observations Trees are dying at increasing rates across much of the U.S., surprising forest managers and climate scientists alike. After all, the memories of early 20th century land clearing and logging are fading from today's forests. Now, new research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shows that the problem in predicting how forests age may lie in the forest models, not the trees. As reported in Biogeosciences, the research team found that trees may be dying from old age, but in general, forests are much more resilient than originally thought.
	Operation IceBridge debuts its seventh Arctic campaign NASA's Operation IceBridge, an airborne survey of polar ice, successfully completed its first Greenland research flight of 2015 on March 19, thus launching its seventh Arctic campaign. This year's science flights over Arctic sea and land ice will continue until May 22.
	Doppler radar pitched for farmers Expanded mobile phone coverage and the introduction of Doppler radar are being pushed to overcome critical shortcomings in WA farming regions.
	3D satellite, GPS earthquake maps isolate impacts in real time When an earthquake hits, the faster first responders can get to an impacted area, the more likely infrastructure—and lives—can be saved.
Global water use may outstrip supply by mid-century Population growth could cause global demand for water to outpace supply by mid-century if current levels of consumption continue. But it wouldn't be the first time this has happened, a Duke University study finds.
	As lakes become deserts, drought is Iran's new problem Nazar Sarani's village in southeast Iran was once an island. It is now a desert, a casualty of the country's worsening water crisis.
	Thousands flock to France's Mont Saint-Michel for 'supertide' Thousands of people flocked to Mont Saint-Michel on Saturday to watch what they hoped would be a "tide of the century" surround the picturesque landmark on France's northern coast.
	Top China weather expert warns on climate change China's top weather official has issued a stark warning on climate change, saying that rising temperatures could have "huge impacts" on the world's most populous country, state media reported Sunday.
	Radiation, climate force Bikini Islanders to seek US refuge A tiny central Pacific community, forced to evacuate their homes because of US nuclear testing, are now demanding refuge in the United States as they face a new threat from climate change.
	Conservation works: Forests for water in eastern Amazonia Brazil's 'arc of deforestation' accounted for 85% of all Amazon deforestation from 1996 to 2005. Although deforestation rates have dropped considerably since 2005, the forests of the southeastern Amazon remain vulnerable to expanding development, which affects the amount of water cycled through the climate system in the region and exacerbates the effects of climate change. A new study published in the Journal of Hydrology led by WHRC scientist Prajjwal Panday found that large protected areas in the Xingu River Basin have helped shield this Amazonian watershed from the effects observed in its less-protected neighbor, the Araguaia-Tocantins.
	Paris ends smog-fighting traffic restrictions after one day French authorities announced Monday that emergency traffic-limitation measures to combat high pollution levels in Paris would not be extended as forecasts showed the air was clearing.
	Malaspina discovers the key to the long-term storage of DOC in the deep ocean Researchers from the Malaspina Expedition have made strides in the understanding of the mechanisms governing the persistence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for hundreds or thousands of years in the deep ocean. Most of this material is below 1,000 meters deep, but it is not degraded by bacteria. Until now, it was thought that it consisted of non-degradable chemical compounds, but this study shows that it actually comprises very low concentrations of thousands of readily degradable compounds. The finding, published in the latest issue of the Science journal, provides new keys to further deepen the understanding of the regulation of the carbon cycle and the global climate.
NASA catches the two day life of Tropical Cyclone Reuben Tropical Cyclone Reuben formed on Sunday, March 21 at 22:35 UTC in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and by March 23 was already dissipating. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Reuben when it was in the prime of its life on March 22.
	US drillers scrambling to thwart OPEC threat OPEC and lower global oil prices delivered a one-two punch to the drillers in North Dakota and Texas who brought the U.S. one of the biggest booms in the history of the global oil industry.
	NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Nathan over Australia's Top End Tropical Cyclone Nathan moved from Queensland, Australia west across the Gulf Carpentaria and is now crossing The Top End. NASA's Aqua and Terra satellite provided a day-to-day look at Nathan's western journey.

Astronomy & Space news

	Colliding stars explain enigmatic 17th century explosion New observations made with APEX and other telescopes reveal that the star that European astronomers saw appear in the sky in 1670 was not a nova, but a much rarer, violent breed of stellar collision. It was spectacular enough to be easily seen with the naked eye during its first outburst, but the traces it left were so faint that very careful analysis using submillimetre telescopes was needed before the mystery could finally be unravelled more than 340 years later. The results appear online in the journal Nature on 23 March 2015.
	Wandering Jupiter accounts for our unusual solar system Long before Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars formed, it seems that the inner solar system may have harbored a number of super-Earths—planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. If so, those planets are long gone—broken up and fallen into the sun billions of years ago largely due to a great inward-and-then-outward journey that Jupiter made early in the solar system's history.
	Measuring galaxy evolution with globular clusters Globular clusters are gravitationally bound ensembles of stars, as many as a million stars in some cases, grouped in roughly spherical clusters with diameters as small as only tens of light-years. Globular clusters are typically located in the outer regions (the halos) of galaxies; the Milky Way galaxy has about two hundred globular clusters orbiting it. Astronomers are interested in globular clusters in part because they are home to many of the oldest known stars, but also because of their locations in the halos. C
	Chemical fingerprints of ancient supernovae found A Carnegie-based search of nearby galaxies for their oldest stars has uncovered two stars in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy that were born shortly after the galaxy formed, approximately 13 billion years ago. The unusual chemical content of the stars may have originated in a single supernova explosion from the first generation of Sculptor stars. The team, which includes Carnegie's Josh Simon, Ian Thompson, and Stephen Shectman, will publish their work in The Astrophysical Journal.
	Solar eclipses offer opportunity for science, as well as for awe and wonder A solar eclipse is a rare event to witness first hand. A wag might add that once you've factored in the British weather they're rarer still, however observers in some areas of the UK managed to peer through the clouds and experience a partial solar eclipse from Exeter and Truro in the South-West to Nottingham in the Midlands, and Hull and Newcastle and the North-East.
	Catching dead satellites with nets One of humanity's oldest technologies, the humble fishing net, may yet find a new role in space: bringing down dead satellites.
	Image: Misshapen NGC 2936 galaxy What do you see in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope: a porpoise or a penguin?
	American, Russian leave Earth this week for year in space An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut are moving into the International Space Station this week and staying for an entire year.
	One-year space crewmen will miss weather, nature while gone The American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut about to embark on a one-year flight are similar in many ways: born in the 1960s, fathers of daughters, military backgrounds.
	What to pack for year in space? A 'superhero utility belt' What's one thing astronaut Scott Kelly can't do without when he moves into space this week for a year? A belt.

Technology news

	Big browsers fall in Pwn2Own exploit competition Name any of the big browsers and there's an exploit for it. All four major browsers fell down during the Pwn2Own hacking competition running concurrently with the CanSecWest 2015 Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. That meant showdowns on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox. All four were unable to survive exploits at the event. The Pwn2Own drew security researchers who attempted exploits in 30 minutes, as per requirements, in return for cash.
	Chinese airline completes cooking oil fuel flight A Chinese airline on Saturday completed the country's first commercial flight using biofuel, made from waste cooking oil, as the government seeks to promote greater environmental sustainability.
	Dew Collector: Greenhouse for food growth, water In Ethiopia, the University of Gondar's Faculty of Agriculture is actively involved in real-life problems that are familiar to many farmers on the continent. The university is pursuing research as well as development efforts and toward that end has entered links with an organization called Roots Up. The latter says it will build a workshop on the campus for farmers living nearby and facing tough issues and harsh living conditions. The organization said the center will be made out of "Earthbags."
'Robo-advisor' growth hits Wall Street money managers When it comes to investment advice, would you trust a financial professional or a robot?
	Sawyer is a new face in collaborative robots Sawyer is a new collaborative robot (robots that work with employees) from Boston, Massachusetts-based Rethink Robotics. In human terms, the salient feature about this robot is its friendly eyes on its "face" screen. On the technical side, the salient feature is its single arm designed to execute machine-tending, circuit-board testing and other precise tasks, "specifically those that take place in the middle of a long assembly line of electronics products," said IEEE Spectrum.
	New image-analysis methods can automate identification of cost-effective sites for development Projects that target aid toward villages and rural areas in the developing world often face time-consuming challenges, even at the most basic level of figuring out where the most appropriate sites are for pilot programs or deployment of new systems such as solar-power for regions that have no access to electricity. Often, even the sizes and locations of villages are poorly mapped, so time-consuming field studies are needed to locate suitable sites.
	Cooperative software framework helps tame "too big" data Furthering work involving the Graph Engine for Multithreaded Systems, or GEMS, a multilayer software framework for querying graph databases developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, scientists from PNNL and NVIDIA Research used GEMS to customize commodity, distributed-memory high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and apply graph algorithms to large-scale data sets on clusters. By incorporating GEMS, HPC query solutions, such as parallel processing, are exploited and results are more predictable. Moreover, GEMS translates SPARQL queries, a Resource Description Framework (RDF) query language, to C++, a general, cross-platform programming language, more efficiently to optimize HPC-based graph-matching methods. In their comparison with alternative approaches, GEMS provided noticeable speedups, particularly with larger data sets.
	Images that fool computer vision raise security concerns Computers are learning to recognize objects with near-human ability. But Cornell researchers have found that computers, like humans, can be fooled by optical illusions, which raises security concerns and opens new avenues for research in computer vision.
	How safe is encryption today? When checking your email over a secure connection, or making a purchase from an online retailer, have you ever wondered how your private information or credit card data is kept secure?
	Study finds location sharing by apps prompts privacy action Many smartphone users know that free apps sometimes share private information with third parties, but few, if any, are aware of how frequently this occurs. An experiment at Carnegie Mellon University shows that when people learn exactly how many times these apps share that information they rapidly act to limit further sharing.
	Snake robots learn to turn by following the lead of real sidewinders Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who develop snake-like robots have picked up a few tricks from real sidewinder rattlesnakes on how to make rapid and even sharp terms with their undulating, modular device.
	Boeing gets patent for a shockwave attenuation system In scince fiction, force fields act as a defense against enemy fire. This month, Boeing got a patent for generating force fields that keep shockwaves from harming military vehicles. The Boeing Company's patent, "Method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc," was filed in May 2012.
System to automatically find a common type of programming bug significantly outperforms its predecessors Integer overflows are one of the most common bugs in computer programs—not only causing programs to crash but, even worse, potentially offering points of attack for malicious hackers. Computer scientists have devised a battery of techniques to identify them, but all have drawbacks.
Judge OKs punitive damages in California gender bias case A California trial judge ruled Saturday that a woman suing a Silicon Valley venture capital firm in a high-profile gender bias case may seek punitive damages that could add tens of millions of dollars to the $16 million in lost wages and bonuses she is pursuing.
	No Amazon? No problem for Pakistan's e-commerce pioneers For Shayaan Tahir, it all began when an order he placed on Amazon for a new iPod was rejected because the online giant would not deliver electronics to Pakistan.
Techies snatching up more real estate in Southern California Internet moguls like Amazon's Jeff Bezos aren't the only techies snatching up real estate in Southern California.
Startup reports preinstalled apps do not consume more power than user-installed apps Officials at a software startup company based on a Purdue University innovation have conducted a study that concludes preinstalled apps on smartphone devices do not use more energy than apps installed by the user, dispelling a common myth.
	Researchers use unmanned aircraft to inspect energy pipeline route in rural Virginia The first Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech test flight using a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to inspect an energy pipeline route—with a piloted chase plane following behind to ensure safety beyond the ground observers' sight line —was completed last week. The flight was a step toward making aerial inspections of energy pipelines safer and more economical, researchers say.
	When your body becomes your password, the end of the login is nigh Passwords are a pain. I've just had to rummage around for the password required in order to post this article. I seem to have 100 or more different identities on different websites to manage. Whenever I book a flight or buy a concert ticket this often means setting up yet another persona and coming up with a password to authenticate it.
	Airships – the future of aviation? Researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, have completed a three year investigation into stratospheric passenger airships as part of a multi-national engineering project designed to provide a future sustainable air transport network.
Bound to please: Book-making machines star at French fair Chose a PDF file on the screen and five minutes later a book, printed and bound with a proper cover, spits out. It used to be science fiction, but machines that do this are here now and increasingly grabbing the attention of publishers and the public.
High court will hear DirecTV appeal over termination fees The Supreme Court will consider whether satellite provider DirecTV can cut off a class action lawsuit and force customers suing over early termination fees into private arbitration hearings instead.
	Instagram releases collage-making app called Layout Instagram on Monday released a stand-alone application that makes it easy to create collages of iPhone pictures.
	New partnerships extend Microsoft's reach into Android Microsoft on Monday unveiled partnerships with Samsung and other manufacturers to install its services including Word and Skype on devices powered by the rival Google Android system.
	"Game of Thrones" to live stream premiere in San Francisco The U.S. premiere of the fifth season of "Game of Thrones" will be held at a palatial building in San Francisco, aptly suited for the television show about a mythical kingdom.
Tenet to build presence in short-stay surgery centers, UK Hospital chain Tenet Healthcare will spend more than $600 million on separate deals to expand its presence in short-stay surgery and grow in the United Kingdom.
	Engineering a multipurpose, environmentally friendly dam Researchers in the Philippines are using green engineering to develop a low-cost dam that aims to prevent flooding, generate electricity, and help end food and water shortages.
	Utilisation of smartwatches in situations requiring alerts VTT Technical Research of Centre Ltd has developed various kinds of software for smartwatches that utilise speech recognition in social communication and show smart traffic data on the watch display. Now, you no longer need to take a peek around a bend in the rails to see whether the train is approaching yet; you can simply have a quick look at your watch. You can also inform others of a hold-up in traffic simply by dictating a speech message on your watch that is then forwarded as text to the smart devices of other people nearby.
	A rehearsal space with musicians 2,700 kilometers apart from each other Making concerts possible with musicians separated by vast distances with minimal latency - delay between a musical performance and listening or recording - is the aim of a joint project of the Supercomputing Centre of Galicia and the University of Santiago de Compostela. For this purpose, live demonstration experiments have been conducted with professional musicians using pioneering music technologies in Europe.
	Taylor Swift, Microsoft among those buying up .porn suffixes The singer Taylor Swift, Microsoft Corp. Harvard University are among those buying up .porn and .adult Web suffixes as a pre-emptive move before those domain names become available this summer.

Chemistry news

	New processing technology converts packing peanuts to battery components Researchers have shown how to convert waste packing peanuts into high-performance carbon electrodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that outperform conventional graphite electrodes, representing an environmentally friendly approach to reuse the waste.
	Chlorine use in sewage treatment could promote antibiotic resistance Chlorine, a disinfectant commonly used in most wastewater treatment plants, may be failing to completely eliminate pharmaceuticals from wastes. As a result, trace levels of these substances get discharged from the plants to the nation's waterways. And now, scientists are reporting preliminary studies that show chlorine treatment may encourage the formation of new, unknown antibiotics that could also enter the environment, potentially contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Air pollutants could boost potency of common airborne allergens A pair of air pollutants linked to climate change could also be a major contributor to the unparalleled rise in the number of people sneezing, sniffling and wheezing during allergy season. The gases, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone, appear to provoke chemical changes in certain airborne allergens that could increase their potency. That, in combination with changes in global climate, could help explain why airborne allergies are becoming more common.
	A molecule from plants and trees could make our roads and roofs 'greener' Construction crews may someday use a plant molecule called lignin in their asphalt and sealant mixtures to help roads and roofs hold up better under various weather conditions. It also could make them more environmentally friendly, according to a researcher today at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
	Sewage could be a source of valuable metals and critical elements Poop could be a goldmine—literally. Surprisingly, treated solid waste contains gold, silver and other metals, as well as rare elements such as palladium and vanadium that are used in electronics and alloys. Now researchers are looking at identifying the metals that are getting flushed and how they can be recovered. This could decrease the need for mining and reduce the unwanted release of metals into the environment.
	Altering mechanical properties of cell environments to produce desired chemical outputs Researchers in MIT Associate Professor Krystyn J. Van Vliet's group last year showed that three biomechanical and biophysical markers could accurately identify the most desirable stem cells from a mixed group of bone marrow-derived cells. Now, MIT biological engineering graduate student Frances Liu is trying to advance that work by understanding how to alter the stem cells' physical environment to get them to produce the most desirable chemical output.
	Atoms crowd and abandon catalyst's internal channel surfaces, changing its ability to drive reactions Simple improvements to a bland-looking catalyst could change biofuel refining; the challenge is discovering how the catalyst truly works. Led by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a team answered a key question: how does adding water change a dehydrated aluminum- and silicon-based catalyst known as H-Beta zeolite. The team watched as water was added. Spots inside the catalyst's channel—the pores that dot the catalyst's surface—shifted as more water molecules crowd around certain aluminum atoms, which are responsible for the catalyst getting the job done. The channel continued to change as more water was added.
	Catch-release-repeat: Study reveals novel technique for handling molecules Like vast international trading companies, biological systems pick up freight items (in the form of small molecules), transport them from place to place and release them at their proper destination. These ubiquitous processes are critical for activities ranging from photosynthesis to neuronal signaling.
	Discovery could yield more efficient portable electronics, solar cells By figuring out how to precisely order the molecules that make up what scientists call organic glass—the materials at the heart of some electronic displays, light-emitting diodes and solar cells—a team of chemists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has set the stage for more efficient and sturdier portable electronic devices and possibly a new generation of solar cells based on organic materials.
Opossum-based antidote to poisonous snake bites could save thousands of lives Scientists will report in a presentation today that they have turned to the opossum to develop a promising new and inexpensive antidote for poisonous snake bites. They predict it could save thousands of lives worldwide without the side effects of current treatments.
Breakthrough in identification of important protein Researchers from the University of Copenhagen are the first in the world to develop a secure way of measuring the important protein apo-M. This could prove relevant for research into diseases such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis and sclerosis.
	Mimicking nature's chemistry to solve global environmental problems What many people might call the daily laboratory grind Theodore Betley, Ph.D., calls play. As a student, he developed a passion for lab work that could now pay off for the rest of the world. Today, he will present pioneering work that could help turn greenhouse gases into useful products during "The Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecture" at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
	Mining the secrets of carbohydrates for new leads on antibiotics Laura Kiessling, Ph.D., thrives on steep learning curves. So when she started her research lab, she took a risk and plunged into the wide-open field of carbohydrates, which despite their ubiquity and notoriety for expanding waistlines, have many secrets. Now, her team has stumbled on something about these molecules that opens up new possibilities for fighting bacteria that are resistant to known antibiotics.
	New membranes deliver clean water more efficiently Researchers from the Melbourne School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, in conjunction with CSIRO, have developed new membranes or micro-filters that will result in clean water in a much more energy efficient manner.
	A method to simplify pictures makes chemistry calculations a snap A method smartphones use to simplify images when storage space is limited could help answer tough chemistry problems. In a report appearing in ACS Central Science, researchers apply this technique, called compressed, or compressive sensing, to quickly and efficiently address central questions, like predicting how molecules vibrate. As these predictions get better and faster, researchers could get closer to the ideal of a "virtual laboratory," which could address many issues without ever lifting a pipet.

Biology news

	New low-calorie rice could help cut rising obesity rates Scientists have developed a new, simple way to cook rice that could cut the number of calories absorbed by the body by more than half, potentially reducing obesity rates, which is especially important in countries where the food is a staple.
	New viruses discovered in ocean depths The intraterrestrials, they might be called.
	Shape-shifting frog discovered in Ecuadorian Andes A frog in Ecuador's western Andean cloud forest changes skin texture in minutes, appearing to mimic the texture it sits on.
	Non-native plants are 'not a threat' to floral diversity Non-native plants are commonly listed as invasive species, presuming that they cause harm to the environment at both global and regional scales. New research by scientists at the University of York has shown that non-native plants - commonly described as having negative ecological or human impacts - are not a threat to floral diversity in Britain.
	'Most attractive' male birds don't have the best genes 'Attractive' male birds that mate with many females aren't passing on the best genes to their offspring, according to new UCL research which found promiscuity in male birds leads to small, genetic faults in the species' genome.
	Comparing the genomes of the leprosy bacteria Leprosy is a chronic infection of the skin, peripheral nerves, eyes and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, affecting over a quarter million people worldwide. Its symptoms can be gruesome and devastating, as the bacteria reduce sensitivity in the body, resulting in skin lesions, nerve damage and disabilities. Until recently, leprosy was attributed to a single bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae; we now suspect that its close relative, Mycobacterium lepromatosis, might cause a rare but severe form of leprosy. Scientists at École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have analyzed for the first time the complete genome of M. lepromatosis, and compared it to that of the major leprosy-causing bacterium. Published in PNAS, the study reveals the origin and evolutionary history of both bacteria, and offers new insights into their biology, global distribution, and possibly treatment.
	A duel between mathematical models supports the reigning theory of the genetics of altruism It isn't that often that a scientific controversy is featured in the New Yorker, but in 2012 an article titled "Kin and Kind" describing a tempest over a biological theory appeared in its pages.
	US agency: Keep threatened status for green sea turtles Hawaii's green sea turtles should continue to be classified as threatened because its population is small and nearly all of them nest at the same low-lying atoll, federal wildlife agencies said Friday.
	US lawyer argues chimps are people too Attorney Steven Wise is on a crusade to prove that, as a matter of law, chimps are people too.
Botswana hosts wildlife summits as elephants fight for survival Wildlife experts and officials from around 30 governments will gather next week in Botswana to confront the threat that wild elephants could be heading for extinction, due in part to Chinese demand for ivory.
	Researchers to send worms into space for muscle mass and strength study It is common knowledge that the longer humans spend in space, the longer it takes them to regain muscle strength upon their return to earth. The biggest question is, why. With the help of Caenorhabditis elegans, one Texas Tech University researcher hopes to find out.
	Elusive mouse edges close to extinction A University of Queensland researcher who has caught the endangered northern hopping mouse on camera for the first time believes the tiny mammal could be closer to the brink of extinction than previously thought.
	Stalking the sweet-singing, reclusive wood thrush The wood thrush's song is one of the most beautiful among eastern birds, and its flute-like warble is one of the reasons Vitek Jirinec picked this species to study.
	Scientists call for caution in using DNA-editing technology A group of 18 scientists and ethicists today warned that a revolutionary new tool to cut and splice DNA should be used cautiously when attempting to fix human genetic disease, and strongly discouraged any attempts at making changes to the human genome that could be passed on to offspring.
	Researchers develop detection test for subclinical mastitis in dairy cows Kansas and U.S. dairy producers may avoid some of the billions of dollars lost to mastitis thanks to a Kansas State University technology that is detecting the early stages of the disease in dairy cows.
	Flower-enriched farms boost bee populations A two-year study of farms in West Sussex and Hampshire found that England's most common bumblebee species saw significant population growth where targeted, bee-friendly planting schemes were in place.
	Farmers fund research to breed gluten-free wheat Kansas farmers are paying for genetic research to figure out exactly why some people struggle to digest wheat.
	Skin microbiome may hold answers to protect threatened gold frogs from lethal fungus A team of scientists including Virginia Tech researchers is one step closer to understanding how bacteria on a frog's skin affects its likelihood of contracting disease.
	Olive tree disease in Italy alarms EU Brussels called for "complete vigilance" Monday to stop the spread of a strain of bacteria killing olive trees in southern Italy, the European Union's second biggest producer of olive oil.
	Colombia drug debate revived as herbicide deemed carcinogen The new labeling of the world's most-popular weed killer as a likely cause of cancer is raising more questions for an aerial spraying program in Colombia that is the cornerstone of the U.S.-backed war on drugs.
	Nine whales die after Australia stranding Nine whales died on Monday after stranding themselves against a rocky breakwater on Australia's east coast, with experts working to herd the rest of their group out to sea.
	A new vaccine to fight poultry diseases Vaccination is one method used to help prevent the spread of infectious poultry diseases, but current vaccines could be safer and more effective.
	Czechs deploy wild horses from Britain to save biodiversity Twenty-five years ago it was a military zone where occupying Soviet troops held exercises. Today it's a sanctuary inhabited by wild animals that scientists hope will improve biodiversity among local plants as well as save endangered species.
	Frenchman fights to make Gabon a gorilla haven Hearing the dreaded sound of human footsteps, three enormous gorillas jump down from the branches of central Gabon's lush rainforests and rush off into the distance.
	Ryegrass screening method aids farmers A recently developed risk rating system will aid farmers in determining ryegrass toxicity within their hay paddocks or bales of hay.
	Time running out for wild African elephants: experts African elephants could be extinct in the wild within a few decades, experts warned on Monday at a major conservation summit in Botswana that highlighted an alarming decline in numbers due to poaching.
	Poachers slaughter 30 elephants in DR Congo Ivory-hungry poachers have killed 30 elephants in a Congolese national park in the past two weeks, park authorities said Monday, adding that the culprits were likely Sudanese militia.
	Water content thresholds recommended for Gardenia jasminoides More efficient irrigation management has become a primary focus in sustainable container plant production as growers look for ways to improve resource use and mitigate negative environmental impacts of fertilizers and pesticides that are often found in nursery runoff. Among the new technologies for increasing irrigation efficiency is the use of soil moisture sensors for automated irrigation. The practice allows nursery personnel to schedule plant irrigation when substrate volumetric water content drops below a certain threshold, thus improving irrigation efficiency by applying water only when needed.

Medicine & Health news

	Vitamin D may keep low-grade prostate cancer from becoming aggressive Taking vitamin D supplements could slow or even reverse the progression of less aggressive, or low-grade, prostate tumors without the need for surgery or radiation, a scientist will report today.
	Popular artificial sweetener could lead to new treatments for aggressive cancers Saccharin, the artificial sweetener that is the main ingredient in Sweet 'N Low, Sweet Twin and Necta, could do far more than just keep our waistlines trim. According to new research, this popular sugar substitute could potentially lead to the development of drugs capable of combating aggressive, difficult-to-treat cancers with fewer side effects.
	How people use "common knowledge" to coordinate their actions Harvard researchers have discovered a new psychological capacity for cooperation.
	Research on small cellular changes may lead to big cancer solutions Among cancers, scientists have spent their entire research careers looking for cellular similarities that may lead to a single cure for many cancers –– the rare chance to have a single answer to a multifaceted problem. In 1997, scientists discovered a gene that they believed was the key to cellular immortality. Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase, or TERT, is a catalytic piece of telomerase, and while cellular immortality sounds like a good idea, it is actually how cancerous tumors grow and proliferate in cancer patients.
	Biotechnologists develop gene therapy for erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction is a taboo subject among men. No one likes to talk about it. But the fact is that as men age, an increasing number will suffer from erectile dysfunction. From the age of 30, the number of men who have unsatisfactory erections or none at all increases. In the over-60 age group, more than half of all men have been affected by erectile dysfunction.
Combination therapy boosts antiviral response to chronic infection A Yale-led team has identified a promising new combination immunotherapy to enhance the body's ability to fight chronic viral infections and possibly cancer.
	Genomewide screen of learning in zebrafish identifies enzyme important in neural circuit Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania describe the first set of genes important in learning in a zebrafish model in the journal Neuron this week. "Using an in-depth analysis of one of these genes, we have already revealed an important relevant signaling pathway," says senior author Michael Granato, PhD, a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. "The proteins in this pathway could provide new insights into the development of novel pharmacological targets."
	Researchers discover why drug for severe COPD becomes less effective Roflumilast, a drug recently approved in the United States to treat severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), increases the production of a protein that causes inflammation, which possibly results in patients developing a tolerance to the drug after repeated use and makes the drug less effective, according to researchers at Georgia State University, Kumamoto University and the University of Rochester Medical Center.
	New gene influences apple or pear shape, risk of future disease Scientists have known for some time that people who carry a lot of weight around their bellies are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than those who have bigger hips and thighs. But what hasn't been clear is why fat accumulates in different places to produce these classic "apple" and "pear" shapes.
	Promising vaccine strategy for type 1 diabetes extended to humans A molecule that prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice has provoked an immune response in human cells, according to researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado. The findings, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that a mutated insulin fragment could be used to prevent Type 1 diabetes in humans.
	High-definition scans suggest effects of smoking may be seen in unborn babies The harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy may be reflected in the facial movements of mothers' unborn babies, new research has suggested.
	Adopted kids' average IQ higher than non-adopted siblings, study finds Adopted children tend to have a slightly higher IQ than siblings who remained with their biological parents, a recent study found.
	Global conference declares all tobacco products harmful A global anti-tobacco conference that ended Saturday urged countries to take steps to reduce the consumption of tobacco, which it said was a leading cause of disease and death worldwide.
	Special microbes make anti-obesity molecule in the gut Microbes may just be the next diet craze. Researchers have programmed bacteria to generate a molecule that, through normal metabolism, becomes a hunger-suppressing lipid. Mice that drank water laced with the programmed bacteria ate less, had lower body fat and staved off diabetes—even when fed a high-fat diet—offering a potential weight-loss strategy for humans.
'Dizziness', the super-tobacco hooking UAE teens Despite campaigns on the risks of smoking, teenagers in the United Arab Emirates are turning to a little-known tobacco product five times more potent than cigarettes and said to cause seizures.
	Liberians overcome fear to volunteer for Ebola vaccine trial Liberians are overcoming their fears of Ebola to volunteer for a vaccine trial.
Blood test for patients on acne medication deemed unnecessary A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has found that for young, healthy women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne, frequent office visits and blood draws are an unnecessary health care expense. For the approximately 1,000 patients studied, blood tests to monitor potassium levels did not change the course of treatment, but the tests cumulatively totaled up to $80,000. The research team suggests that routine potassium monitoring should no longer be recommended for this patient population in order to improve the patient care experience, decrease unnecessary office visits and reduce health care spending. Their results appear online March 22 in JAMA Dermatology and are presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Conference March 23.
New potential for personalized treatments in bowel cancer Scientists have found that genetic changes in bowel tumours are linked to the way the body's immune system responds to the cancer, according to research published today in the journal Oncoimmunology.
Stress management techniques improve long-term mood and quality of life A new study shows that providing women with skills to manage stress early in their breast cancer treatment can improve their mood and quality of life many years later. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that women given the opportunity to learn stress management techniques during treatment may benefit well into survivorship.
Experts warn of potential upsurge in mosquito and tick-borne diseases as UK climate gets warmer Climate change could accelerate the emergence of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile virus in the UK, warn leading public health experts Dr Jolyon Medlock and Professor Steve Leach from the Emergency Response Department at Public Health England, writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Roll over Ebola: measles is the deadly new threat The people of Monrovia's Peace Island ghetto, refugees of civil war who found themselves suddenly overwhelmed and outmanoeuvred by the deadly Ebola epidemic, are used to life under siege.
	Legalizing marijuana and the new science of weed More than a year into Colorado's experiment legalizing marijuana, labs testing the plants are able for the first time to take stock of the drug's potency and contaminants—and openly paint a picture of what's in today's weed. At the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), one such lab will present trends—and some surprises—that its preliminary testing has revealed about the marijuana now on the market.
	The challenges of diagnosing cancers earlier: a GP's perspective As GPs, we know that too many of our patients worry about wasting our time – a point underlined by a recent Cancer Research UK-funded study.
	Smokers at twice risk of prostate cancer recurring after surgery Current smokers, and those who have quit smoking less than 10 years previously, have twice the risk of a recurrence of prostate cancer after surgery, according to new research presented at the European Association of Urology conference in Madrid.
How good is our memory of everyday visual stimuli? In our world of branding and repetitive advertising, it is feasible that we dutifully soak up visuals and messages and store them accurately in our mind's eye. New research published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology tests this theory by examining our memory of the ubiquitous Apple logo and our perceived ability for recall.  Blake, Castel and Nazarian ask 'are we really paying attention?' Their experiment reveals some surprising insights.
	Changes in a blood-based molecular pathway identified in Alzheimer's disease By the time most people receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease—based on clinical signs of mental decline—their brains have already suffered a decade or more of damage. But although the mechanisms that spur the destruction of neurons in Alzheimer's disease are not yet fully understood, two well-documented signs of the condition are accumulation of the amyloid-β peptide (the main component of plaques found in Alzheimer's patient brains) and chronic inflammation. New research from Rockefeller University, published March 16 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies a bridge between the two. That bridge, a molecular cascade known as the contact system, may provide opportunities for early diagnosis of the disease through simple blood tests.
	Brain fitness for a long and healthy life The strategies for living a long and healthy life are well known and relatively simple, if not always easily executed: Maintain an appropriate weight. Eat the right foods. Exercise. Limit stress.
Study shows homeless people with mental health conditions benefit from personalized primary care Homeless people with mental health conditions have a better primary care experience in clinics tailored to their unique needs, according to a study co-authored by University of Maryland School of Public Health researcher Dr. Cheryl Holt. Published by PLOS ONE, an international online publication of the Public Library of Science, the multi-site study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs Research and Development.
	Better blood pressure management may help slow the aging process Could the aging process be slowed by aggressively managing an older person's high blood pressure?
Highly effective and affordable weight loss program A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows that TOPS Club, Inc., community-based program aimed at curbing obesity in older, African-American women, is highly effective when paired with researchers who can develop safe, effective weight loss protocols.
	Crushing medications risks effectiveness People who take more than four doses of medicine a day appear more likely to crush tablets or open capsules potentially reducing their effectiveness, QUT research has found.
	Exposure to bushfire smoke increases risk of cardiac arrest in men over 35 Men over 35 have an increased risk of cardiac arrest if exposed to poor quality air from bushfires, a new study has found.
	Government anti-drinking messages irrelevant to young binge drinkers, study finds Government advertising campaigns to tackle excessive drinking are dismissed as irrelevant by young binge drinkers, because consuming extreme quantities of alcohol is part of their sub-cultural social identity, according to research published this week (18th March) in the Journal of Business Research.
	Should I use mouthwash? A mouthwash or therapeutic rinse can complement brushing and flossing, but it's not a license to abandon proven oral health care. Here are a few things to consider before incorporating one into your daily routine.
	Researchers explore mechanism to stop ageing As medicine has improved, we are increasing our ability to treat disease and improve longevity. The deterioration of the body with age, though, is a whole other matter.
	Brain activity during cardiac arrest All over the world, researchers are trying to solve an age-old mystery: What happens in the brain when the heart stops? With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, medical experts from Vienna are participating in an international study that looks into memory processes during cardiac arrest.
	Copycat behaviour may assist stroke rehabilitation Stroke survivors with impaired mobility in their arms appear to significantly improve in both motor function and confidence when they observe an individual performing a task and then mimic their actions.
	Research reveals biological barrage that corrodes orthopedic implants About half a million people receive hip replacements worldwide every year. Of these, a small percentage will develop health complications due to their implant. Complications like inflammation and infection, even damage to bone and tissue, can become so severe that some devices need to be painfully and invasively removed and replaced. Syracuse Biomaterials Institute Professor Jeremy Gilbert's latest research challenges the conventional wisdom of why this occurs.
	Understanding and healing concussion In recent years, many Canadians have become aware of traumatic brain injury (TBI) through the reporting of concussions suffered by hockey players and other athletes. In addition to widespread sports-related injuries, TBIs often occurs as the result of, among other events, automobile collisions, workplace accidents and explosions (military and civilian).
How do anorexics control their appetite? Many adults, regardless of their weight, resolve to avoid fatty foods and unhealthy desserts. But despite one's best intentions, when the moment for decision comes, that chocolate lava cake is often too enticing and self-control vanishes.
Today's 75-year-olds are cognitively fitter and happier than the 75-year-olds of 20 years ago Older adults today show higher levels of cognitive functioning and well-being than older adults of the same age 20 years ago. This has been found in a collaborative study among several research institutions in Berlin, including the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB), and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). The result will be published in the scientific journal Psychology and Aging.
	Research identifies novel steps in dementia progression Research by biologists at the University of York has identified new mechanisms potentially driving progression of an aggressive form of dementia.
	Stress granules ease the way for cancer metastasis Tumors that produce more stress granules are more likely to metastasize, according to a study published in The Journal of Cell Biology. The results suggest that drugs to inhibit the formation of these structures might rein in cancer metastasis.
	Exercise linked to improved erectile and sexual function in men Men who exercise more have better erectile and sexual function, regardless of race, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
	Majority of new pediatricians satisfied with first jobs Despite reports indicating job dissatisfaction among some physicians, at least one group of doctors seems to be starting their careers on the right note - pediatricians.
Study pinpoints pregnancy complications in women with sickle cell disease New research reports that when compared to healthy pregnant women, pregnant women with a severe form of sickle cell disease (SCD) are six times more likely to die during or following pregnancy and have an increased risk for stillbirth, high blood pressure, and preterm delivery. Research findings, published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), are the first to estimate several health risks facing pregnant women with SCD and identify those who are at highest risk of complications.
Chef-enhanced school meals increase healthy food consumption Schools collaborating with a professionally trained chef to improve the taste of healthy meals significantly increased students' fruit and vegetable consumption, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also found that using "choice architecture" (environmental nudges to promote healthy choices) in school cafeterias improved students' selection of fruits and vegetables, but did not increase consumption over the long-term. The study is the first to examine the long-term impact of choice architecture and chef-enhanced meals in school cafeterias on selection and consumption of healthier foods.
Neither vitamin D nor exercise affected fall rates among older women in Finland In a clinical trial that explored the effectiveness of exercise training and vitamin D supplementation for reducing falls in older women, neither intervention affected the overall rate of falls, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Long-term effect of deep brain stimulation on pain in patients with Parkinson's disease Patients with Parkinson disease who experienced pain before undergoing subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) had that pain improved or eliminated at eight years after surgery, although the majority of patients developed new pain, mostly musculoskeletal, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology.
Discontinuing statins for patients with life limiting illness Discontinuing statin use in patients with late-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses may help improve patients' quality of life without causing other adverse health effects, according to a new study by led by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Duke University and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
	Study first to identify spontaneous coronary artery disease as inherited A Mayo Clinic study has identified a familial association in spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a type of heart attack that most commonly affects younger women, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the condition, researchers say. The results are published in the March 23 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Scientists use DNA sequencing to trace the spread of drug-resistant TB Scientists have for the first time used DNA sequencing to trace the fatal spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between patients in the UK.
Varied immunity by age five in children vaccinated with serogroup B meningococcus as babies Young children who received the 4CMenB vaccine as infants to protect against serogroup B meningococcal disease had waning immunity by age 5, even after receiving a booster at age 3 ½, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
Research into brain's ability to heal itself offers hope for novel treatment of brain injury Innovative angles of attack in research that focus on how the human brain protects and repairs itself will help develop treatments for one of the most common, costly, deadly and scientifically frustrating medical conditions worldwide: traumatic brain injury.
	Blood thinning drug helps in understanding a natural HIV barrier A blood thinning agent is helping researchers at the University of East Anglia understand more about the body's natural barriers to HIV.
Lean business approach helps hospitals run more efficiently Implementing a well-established business approach allowed physicians to shave hours off pediatric patient discharges without affecting readmission rates, according to researchers at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.
'Made in China' tops EU list of unsafe products From toy-shaped cigarette lighters to a short-circuting plush rabbit that catches fire, a European safety watchdog warned Monday of a growing number of dangerous products for sale, with most coming from China.
	As patients face death, doctors push straight talk on care Dr. Angelo Volandes remembers performing rib-cracking CPR on a frail elderly man dying of lung cancer, a vivid example of an end-of-life dilemma: Because his patient never said if he wanted aggressive care as his body shut down, the hospital had to try. He died days later.
	Number of births may affect mom's future heart health Women who give birth to four or more children are more likely to have cardiovascular changes that can be early indicators of heart disease than women who have fewer children, new research by UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists finds.
Greater wealth equals better health for most Canadian moms and their newborns Across all income levels, Canadian moms in better socioeconomic standing have better health outcomes than moms in lower socioeconomic brackets. The same relationship between socioeconomic position and health outcomes holds true for these moms' newborn babies, according to a new study.
	Combining the old and new to kill cancer cells A team of Singapore based scientists have found that pairing a new approach with an old drug may be an effective approach to treat common cancers. In a landmark study, Professor David Virshup and Dr. Jit Kong Cheong, from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS), identified a new signalling pathway that regulates the internal diet of cancers.
Smoking in front of your kids may increase their risk of heart disease as adults Kids exposed to their parents' smoking may have a higher risk of developing heart disease in adulthood than those whose parents didn't smoke, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
Detecting cancer cells in blood can give an early warning of treatment failure A blood test that measures the number of cells shed from prostate tumours into the bloodstream can act as an early warning sign that treatment is not working, a major new study shows.
Implementing decision aids affects care decisions in urology After Group Health Cooperative implemented video-based decision aids for men with two common prostate conditions, rates of elective surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and rates of active treatment for localized prostate cancer declined over six months. But the total cost of health care for those patients did not fall significantly, according to a new report called "Decision Aids for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer" in the American Journal of Managed Care.
	Zinc deficiency linked to immune system response, particularly in older adults Zinc, an important mineral in human health, appears to affect how the immune system responds to stimulation, especially inflammation, new research from Oregon State University shows.
Cerebellar ataxia can't be cured, but some cases can be treated No cures are possible for most patients who suffer debilitating movement disorders called cerebellar ataxias.
Scientists discover enzyme that keeps blood stem cells functional to prevent anemia Stem cells can generate any type of cell in the body, but they are inactive most of the time—and for good reason. When stem cells become too active and divide too often, they risk acquiring cell damage and mutations. In the case of blood stem cells (also called hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs), this can lead to blood cancers, a loss of blood cells and an impaired ability to fight disease.
Along with antiretroviral medications, doctors may prescribe exercise for people with HIV In addition to antiretroviral medications, people with HIV may soon begin receiving a home exercise plan from their doctors, according to a researcher at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
Blood test can help identify stroke risk following heart surgery The results of a blood test done immediately after heart surgery can be a meaningful indicator of postoperative stroke risk, a study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has found.
	Study may identify new cause of brain bleeds in fetuses and newborns A newly discovered bodily process in mice may explain why some human fetuses who have different antigens than their mothers suffer life-threatening brain bleeds, according to a new study.
How to get smarter on pills for seniors Open the medicine cabinet of a senior and you're likely to find scores of pill bottles. Physicians are often unaware of all the medications a patient is taking, which can result in unnecessary additional prescriptions, non-prescription medications and potential drug-drug interactions that cause unexpected adverse effects. When a cancer diagnosis is thrown into the mix, the drug-drug interactions can become even more complex. A new study evaluates the currently available screening tools for determining if and when seniors with cancer are taking too many medications and finds that a more comprehensive medication assessment and monitoring plan is needed to improve treatment for this population.
	Cytomegalovirus hijacks human enzyme for replication More than 60 percent of the world's population is infected with a type of herpes virus called human cytomegalovirus. The virus replicates by commandeering the host cell's metabolism but the details of this maneuver are unclear.
Metformin and vitamin D3 show impressive promise in preventing colorectal cancer The concept was simple: If two compounds each individually show promise in preventing colon cancer, surely it's worth trying the two together to see if even greater impact is possible.
	Experiments reveal key components of the body's machinery for battling deadly tularemia Research led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has identified key molecules that trigger the immune system to launch an attack on the bacterium that causes tularemia. The research was published online March 16 in Nature Immunology.
Unraveling cystic fibrosis puzzle, taking it personally matters In the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), the most severe symptoms are recurring episodes of lung inflammation and bacterial infection (known as "exacerbations") that happen from one to three times a year and cause ever-increasing amounts of lung damage through the course of a CF patient's life. While it is well understood that CF lung problems are ultimately due to bacterial infections encouraged by a CF patient's abnormally thick mucus, medical science has been unable to define specific causes that trigger the periodic flare-ups.
Report reveals alarming lack of water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities The World Health Organization and UNICEF have commissioned the first comprehensive, multi-country analysis on water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services in health care facilities, calling for global action to push toward 100 percent coverage of these services through new policies, collaboration, monitoring and training.
	Clinical professor shows pain diaries may slow patient recovery For some people suffering from chronic pain, part of their daily routine is recording the extent of it in a pain diary. Often done at the request of their physician or therapist, patients may be asked to record how severe the pain is, how it affects daily activities and which treatments ease it or make it worse.
	New insights into survival outcomes of Asian Americans diagnosed with cancer Numerous studies have documented racial differences in deaths from cancer among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans, but little has been known about survival outcomes for Asian Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer, until now. A new study from Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD and colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) examined cancer patients in eight different Asian American subgroups and found their cancer-specific mortality (CSM) was substantially lower than that of non-Hispanic white patients. The findings are published in the March 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI).
	India needs to do much more to tackle its alarming TB epidemic Effective tuberculosis control in India needs political will and commitment, backed by sufficient resources, says a senior doctor in The BMJ this week.
	Latest diabetes care guidelines focus on individual approach (HealthDay)— When caring for people with diabetes, primary care doctors need to tailor blood sugar targets and treatments to the individual patient, new recommendations suggest.
	Adopting US culture ups diabetes risk in Mexican-American kids (HealthDay)—The more that Mexican-American children adopt mainstream U.S. culture, the greater their risk for type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
Liberia investigates how latest Ebola patient got infected Liberian officials were investigating Saturday how the country's latest Ebola patient became infected, after weeks with no cases of the disease in the country.
Sierra Leone orders three-day lockdown against Ebola (Update) Sierra Leone's President Ernest Koroma ordered the country's entire population Saturday to stay in their homes for three days in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly Ebola epidemic.
Expanding Medicaid under ACA helped to identify 23 percent more people with undiagnosed diabetes States that have expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are capturing an increased number of people with previously undiagnosed diabetes, allowing them to begin treatment earlier, potentially reducing complications and other negative outcomes, according to a study being published online today and in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
MSF and WHO trade blame over slow global Ebola response A war of words broke out Monday between aid agency Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization over who was to blame for the slow response to the Ebola epidemic that broke out a year ago.
	Medication error reporting not indicative of patient safety A comparative study at two Australian hospitals suggests that hospitals' incident data have significant shortcomings, especially as the basis for monitoring safety over time and between sites.
Tri-national study promotes early intervention strategies to improve indigenous oral health A first of its kind, a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, involving indigenous populations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand is attempting to tackle a growing problem in indigenous populations: early childhood caries.
	Don't let sweet treats leave a sour taste this Easter Waking to a chocolate egg or two on Easter Sunday is a pleasure most children look forward to, but parents are advised to be moderate and not shower kids with a mountain of chocolate they will be eating for weeks to come.
	Sweeping prostate cancer review upends widely held belief on radiation after surgery Important news for men receiving treatment for prostate cancer: Two new studies from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have upended the widely held view that it's best to delay radiation treatment as long as possible after the removal of the prostate in order to prevent unwanted side effects.
	Project to reduce violence in Panama City with improved parenting University of Manchester researchers have piloted a parenting trial which aims to improve child behaviour in Panama City the place with the eighth highest murder rate in the world.
Deuterated sigma-1 agonist showed anti-seizure activity in traumatic brain injury models Research results published in the Journal of Neurotrauma and conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as part of a collaboration with Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. showed that a novel deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist invented at Concert, called C-10068, demonstrated anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory effects in a preclinical model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). C-10068, a novel metabolically-stabilized morphinan derivative, is based on a compound first identified at WRAIR in the 1990s as possessing anticonvulsant properties. In the current study C-10068 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in frequency and duration of seizures following TBI in a preclinical model developed at the WRAIR. C-10068 affects multiple neurochemical pathways, including sigma-1 receptors which have a widespread modulatory role in the central nervous system (CNS).1 The C-10068 study was conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) granted to Concert in collaboration with the WRAIR.
Study shows association between migraine and carpal tunnel syndrome Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are more than twice as likely to have migraine headaches, reports a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Insulin resistance linked to a human gene variant Insulin resistance is a risk factor for developing both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Almost one third of the U.S. population has some degree of insulin resistance, though it is undiagnosed in many of these individuals. Obesity is associated with reduced insulin sensitivity and the development of insulin resistance. However, recent large-scale genetic studies have indicated that insulin resistance is heritable.
Metabolic compensation underlies drug resistance in glioblastoma Gliobststoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor that is resistant to many conventional cancer therapies. The kinase mTOR induces pathways that are aberrantly activated in GBM. However, mTOR inhibitors have not shown much promise for treating GBM.
	WHO denies politics swayed Ebola emergency declaration The World Health Organization denied Monday that politics swayed the decision to declare an international emergency over the spread of the Ebola virus last year, despite evidence senior staffers repeatedly discussed the diplomatic and economic fallout of such a move.

Other Sciences news

	Best of Last Week – Testing for extra dimensions, solving the riddle of life on Earth and fatty acids that slow cancer It was another good week for physics as a trio of physicists suggested that if scientists are someday able to detect mini black holes at the LHC, at certain energy levels, it could indicate the existence of parallel universes in extra dimensions—and that, they claim, would support string theory. Meanwhile, in another collaborative effort, researchers studying data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope found that "spacetime foam" was not slowing down photons from a faraway gamma-ray burst, which, they say, is another confirmation of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Also, another team invented a new way to control light that could prove critical for the next generation of super-fast computers. They built a very tiny honeycombed structure that can bend light around tighter curves than has been possible before.
	Archaeologists discover Maya 'melting pot' Archaeologists working in Guatemala have unearthed new information about the Maya civilization's transition from a mobile, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a sedentary way of life.
	Neanderthals shape up as globe's first jewellers The widely-held vision of Neanderthals as brutes may need a stark rethink after research found they crafted the world's earliest jewellery from eagle talons 130,000 years ago, long before modern humans appeared in Europe.
	Poisons, plants and Palaeolithic hunters Dozens of common plants are toxic. Archaeologists have long suspected that our Palaeolithic ancestors used plant poisons to make their hunting weapons more lethal.  Now Dr Valentina Borgia has teamed up with a forensic chemist to develop a technique for detecting residues of deadly substances on archaeological objects.
	Researchers take another step in bringing back a wooly mammoth (Phys.org)—A team of researchers working at Harvard University has taken yet another step towards bringing to life a reasonable facsimile of a woolly mammoth—a large, hairy elephant-like beast that went extinct approximately 3,300 years ago. The work by the team has not been published as yet, because as team lead George Church told The Sunday Times, recently, they believe they have more work to do before they write up their results.
	Mathematicians solve 60-year-old problem A team of researchers, led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Yuri Lvov, has found an elegant explanation for the long-standing Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) problem, first proposed in 1953, investigated with one of the world's first digital computers, and now considered the foundation of experimental mathematics.
	Peru's growing capital seeks to preserve Inca ruins Puruchuco, an ancient Incan complex, sits at the fast-moving edge of Lima's real estate boom, forcing authorities in the Peruvian capital to get creative as they seek to preserve the archeological treasure.
Museum says mummy was Peruvian girl who lived centuries ago Museum officials in Ohio say medical scans of mummified remains show they are those of a girl who lived more than 500 years ago in Peru.
	Obama, wowed by young scientists, announces new STEM pledges (Update 2) The small Lego machine inside the White House whirred, and in a moment it was turning the pages of a story book. One page flipped, then another, ever faster as President Barack Obama marveled at its efficiency.
Biomechanical research puts spotlight on illegal sporting techniques Cricketers sidelined for illegal bowling action can return to the pitch without losing their spin rate according to a new study by biomechanics experts at the University of Sydney.
	Ancient Roman city remains unscathed by "selfie" invasion Dr Zena Kamash from the Department of Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London, has discovered the photos tourists take of Pompeii are almost identical to those taken by our ancestors.
	DNA reveals the origins of modern Europeans Europe is famously tesselated, with different cultural and language groups clustering in different regions. But how did they all get there? And how are they related?
	Research shows value of outdoor learning for school pupils Teachers who bring their pupils into the outdoors find it makes their learning more enjoyable, challenging, active and collaborative, according to University of Stirling research published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
	How much math, science homework is too much? When it comes to adolescents with math and science homework, more isn't necessarily better—an hour a day is optimal—but doing it alone and regularly produces the biggest knowledge gain, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
SciDetect discovers fake scientific papers After intensive collaboration with Dr. Cyril Labbé from Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France, Springer announces the release of SciDetect, a new software program that automatically checks for fake scientific papers. The open source software discovers text that has been generated with the SCIgen computer program and other fake-paper generators like Mathgen and Physgen. Springer uses the software in its production workflow to provide additional, fail-safe checking. Springer and the University are releasing the software under the GNU General Public License, Version 3.0 (GPLv3) so others in the scientific and publishing communities can benefit.
	Supercomputers give universities a competitive edge, researchers find Researchers have long believed that supercomputers give universities a competitive edge in scientific research, but now they have some hard data showing it's true.
	Social networks to drive economic forecasts Should one produce wheat or corn this year? When is the best time to put products on the market? In emerging countries in particular, producers are exposed to food price fluctuations. Can social networks be used as a means of anticipating highs and lows? A group of students enrolled in the Master's degree program in information technology have taken a closer look at this question.
	New study to examine Aussie English A new study of Australian English is trying to find out if Australians all sound the same, or if people speak differently in the country compared to cities or across the states.
US engineering schools to educate 20,000 students to tackle grand challenges In a letter of commitment presented to President Barack Obama at the White House Science Fair today, more than 120 U.S. engineering schools announced plans to educate a new generation of engineers expressly equipped to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century.
Delayed retirement could increase inequalities among seniors Raising the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement will increase inequalities between older people.

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