Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Mar 12

RESPEKT!


                      

Study finds that genes play a role in empathy

 

Study: Two drugs prevent heart problems in breast cancer patients Data released today from a large multi-center study provides a view into the effectiveness of two drugs used to prevent heart problems resulting from breast cancer treatment.

                   

Childhood trauma link offers treatment hope for people with schizophrenia People with schizophrenia may now benefit from more effec

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 11:58 PM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Mar 12
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 12, 2018:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Surprising preference for simplicity found in common model

This is 'nanowood,' an invention that could reduce humanity's carbon footprint

Astronomers discover two bright high-redshift quasars

Riding the (quantum magnetic) wave—Next-generation electronics one leap closer to reality

Method to grow large single-crystal graphene could advance scalable 2-D materials

Humans thrived in South Africa through the Toba super-volcanic eruption about 74,000 years ago

Best of Last Week – A new way to see the quantum world, a battery breakthrough and cognitive control in creative people

'Sweet spot' in sweet material for hydrogen storage

New research finds the brain is less flexible than we thought when learning

Arrested development: Hubble finds relic galaxy close to home

How to build a better railway—in (almost) every cell in your body

Skulls show women moved across medieval Europe, not just men

Researcher creates 'Instagram' of immune system, blending science, technology

Waymo self-driving rigs to haul Google cargo

DeepMind boss admits 'risks' of AI

Nanotechnology news

	Method to grow large single-crystal graphene could advance scalable 2-D materials A new method to produce large, monolayer single-crystal-like graphene films more than a foot long relies on harnessing a "survival of the fittest" competition among crystals. The novel technique, developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, may open new opportunities for growing the high-quality two-dimensional materials necessary for long-awaited practical applications.
	'Sweet spot' in sweet material for hydrogen storage Rice University engineers have zeroed in on the optimal architecture for storing hydrogen in "white graphene" nanomaterials—a design like a Lilliputian skyscraper with "floors" of boron nitride sitting one atop another and held precisely 5.2 angstroms apart by boron nitride pillars.
	How to build a better railway—in (almost) every cell in your body New work from the University of Warwick shows how a microscopic 'railway' system in our cells can optimise its structure to better suit bodies' needs.
Polymer nanoparticle shows ability to locate and treat breast tumors One major problem in treating cancer is identifying the location of small tumors and treating them before they metastasize.

Physics news

	Surprising preference for simplicity found in common model Researchers have discovered that input-output maps, which are widely used throughout science and engineering to model systems ranging from physics to finance, are strongly biased toward producing simple outputs. The results are surprising, as naïvely there is no reason to suspect that one output should be more likely than any other.
	Riding the (quantum magnetic) wave—Next-generation electronics one leap closer to reality In 1991, University of Utah chemist Joel Miller developed the first magnet with carbon-based, or organic, components that was stable at room temperature. It was a great advance in magnetics, and he's been exploring the applications ever since.
	Mastering metastable matter The phenomenon of metastability, in which a system is in a state that is stable but not the one of least energy, is widely observed in nature and technology. Yet, many aspects underlying the mechanisms governing the behaviour and dynamics of such systems remain unexplored. Physicists at ETH Zurich have now demonstrated a promising platform for studying metastability on a fundamental level, using an exquisitely well controlled gas consisting of a few ten thousands of atoms.
	A possible experiment to prove that gravity and quantum mechanics can be reconciled Two teams of researchers working independently of one another have come up with an experiment designed to prove that gravity and quantum mechanics can be reconciled. The first team is a pairing of Chiara Marletto of the University of Oxford and Vlatko Vedral of National University of Singapore. The second is an international collaboration. In the papers, both published in Physical Review Letters, the teams describe their experiment and how it might be carried out.
	Holography approach improves heads up displays for planes and cars Heads-up displays are transparent devices used in airplanes and cars to provide information such as critical flight data or driving directions on the windshield. An innovative holography-based approach could soon make these heads-up displays much easier to see with a large eye box.
	Movable silicon 'lenses' enable neutrons to see new range of details inside objects You can't see well without lenses that can focus, whether those lenses are in your eye or the microscope you peer through. An innovative new way to focus beams of neutrons might allow scientists to probe the interiors of opaque objects at a size range they were blind to previously, allowing them to explore the innards of objects from meteorites to cutting-edge manufactured materials without damaging them.
Researchers use 'flying focus' to better control lasers over long distances When you were a kid, you might have used a magnifying glass to focus the sun's light onto a spot on the sidewalk. The lens of the magnifying glass allowed you to concentrate the sun's energy by converging the light rays on a point.
	Chemical topology of silica can influence the effectiveness of many chemical processes that use it Better known as glass, silica is a versatile material used in myriad industrial processes, from catalysis and filtration, to chromatography and nanofabrication. Yet despite its ubiquity in labs and cleanrooms, surprisingly little is known about silica's surface interactions with water at a molecular level.
	Metamaterials bend waves of all kinds As the exciting new field of metamaterials advances, Duke has become one of the world's leading centers of this research. Founded in 2009, Duke's Center for Metamaterials and Integrated Plasmonics (CMIP) has grown to encompass dozens of researchers dedicated to exploring artificially structured materials.
	Why is it so hot at night in some cities? During the nighttime, it is hotter in the city than in nearby suburbs or the countryside. But just how much hotter differs between cities. Researchers from the MSE2 (CNRS / MIT) international joint research laboratory and the Centre Interdisciplinaire des Nanosciences de Marseille (CNRS / Aix-Marseille University)1 have shown that the determining factor is how cities are structured: more organized cities, like many in North America with straight and perpendicular streets, trap more heat. Conversely, cities that are less organized, like those founded long ago, shed heat easily. The team's findings, published in Physical Review Letters (March 9, 2018), suggest new directions to explore for optimal urban planning and energy management.
	Revolutionizing computer memory—with magnets When the energy efficiency of electronics poses a challenge, magnetic materials may have a solution.

Earth news

	Humans thrived in South Africa through the Toba super-volcanic eruption about 74,000 years ago Imagine a year in Africa that summer never arrives. The sky takes on a gray hue during the day and glows red at night. Flowers do not bloom. Trees die in the winter. Large mammals like antelope become thin, starve and provide little fat to the predators (carnivores and human hunters) that depend on them. Then, this same disheartening cycle repeats itself, year after year. This is a picture of life on earth after the eruption of the super-volcano, Mount Toba in Indonesia, about 74,000 years ago. In a paper published this week in Nature, scientists show that early modern humans on the coast of South Africa thrived through this event.
	Studies show urbanization impacts storms, rainfall despite surroundings Two Purdue University studies show that urbanization changes storm patterns and rainfall amounts, highlighting the need for urban planning and infrastructure design that considers how the landscape will affect the weather.
	Unravelling the mystery of ice ages using ancient molecules Researchers from Cardiff University have revealed how sea ice has been contributing to the waxing and waning of ice sheets over the last million years.
	Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish Researchers monitoring San Francisco Bay for algal toxins have found a surprising array of different toxins in the water and in mussels collected from the bay. Four different classes of toxins, including one produced in freshwater environments, occur regularly throughout the bay, according to a study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers and published March 10 in Harmful Algae.
	Mexico's 2017 earthquake emerged from a growing risk zone Under Mexico, where the Cocos Plate from the Pacific Ocean slides under the North American Plate, a bending line of hills, created when the seafloor first formed, sits atop a flattened area of subduction.
	More homes built near wild lands leading to greater wildfire risk More than 10 million acres burned across the country during the 2017 U.S. wildfire season at a cost of more than $2 billion—the largest bill ever.
	Voyaging for the Sentinels Two recent expeditions that took scientists 26 000 km across the Atlantic Ocean have returned critical information to make sure that the Copernicus Sentinel satellites are delivering accurate data about the state of our oceans.
	Researchers issue first-annual sea-level report cards Researchers at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science are launching new web-based "report cards" to monitor and forecast changes in sea level at 32 localities along the U.S. coastline from Maine to Alaska. They plan to update the report cards in January of each year, with projections out to the year 2050.
	US scientists rescued in Antarctica by Argentina icebreaker A group of American scientists who were stranded in an ice-bound island off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula were rescued Sunday by an Argentine icebreaker, U.S. and Argentine authorities said Monday.
After EPA flip, a push to block 'harmful' pesticide A month after Scott Pruitt began leading the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the former Oklahoma attorney general rejected an Obama-era recommendation from agency scientists to ban a widely used pesticide from use on food crops.
	No room for vegetables? Pot up your plants Many vegetables grow well in containers located on a patio, porch, balcony or windowsill, so don't let lack of yard space keep you from gardening this spring and summer.
Accurately measuring embodied carbon in buildings Embodied carbon in the construction industry is a major factor of climate change, but it is rarely measured accurately. A reference text co-edited by an EPFL researcher calls for greater transparency surrounding embodied carbon, along with the introduction of international standards.
	NASA finds strongest storms in newly formed Tropical Cyclone 13P Infrared satellite data showed Tropical Cyclone 13P quickly developed powerful storms with very cold cloud top temperatures. NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed the system in infrared light to determine where its strongest storms were located.
	Suomi NPP Satellite sees Tropical Cyclone Hola dissipating When NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the South Pacific Ocean it captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Hola being torn apart by wind shear.

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers discover two bright high-redshift quasars Using VST ATLAS and WISE surveys astronomers have identified two new bright high-redshift quasars. The newly found quasi-stellar objects, designated VST-ATLAS J158.6938-14.4211 and VST-ATLAS J332.8017-32.1036, could be helpful in improving our understanding of the evolution of the universe. The finding is reported March 4 in a paper published on arXiv.org.
	Arrested development: Hubble finds relic galaxy close to home Astronomers have put NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on an Indiana Jones-type quest to uncover an ancient "relic galaxy" in our own cosmic backyard.
	15 new planets confirmed around cool dwarf stars A research team led by Teruyuki Hirano of Tokyo Institute of Technology's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has validated 15 exoplanets orbiting red dwarf systems. One of the brightest red dwarfs, K2-155 that is around 200 light years away from Earth, has three transiting super-Earths. Of those three super-Earths, the outermost planet, K2-155d, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, could be within the host star's habitable zone.
	James Webb Observatory prepares for additional testing Engineers removed the combined optics and science instruments of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope from their shipping container in a high bay at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, California, on March 8, signaling the next step in the observatory's integration and testing.
	Space bases could preserve civilization in World War III: Elon Musk Bases on the moon and Mars could help preserve human civilization and hasten its regeneration on earth in the event of a third world war, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, said on Sunday.
Computer analytics finds a way to astronaut's hearts Keeping an eye on your health is extra important if you're 54 million kilometres from a hospital.

Technology news

	Waymo self-driving rigs to haul Google cargo Google-owned Waymo on Friday said that its self-driving trucks will haul cargo bound for the internet giant's data centers in Georgia.
	DeepMind boss admits 'risks' of AI Artificial intelligence offers huge scientific benefits but also brings risks depending on how it is used, Demis Hassabis, the head of leading British AI firm DeepMind, said Friday.
	Flow Hive 2 sees sweet success in offering new features for honey on tap People are talking about the whopping amount of money an innovative beehive has raised on Indiegogo. The beehive is actually a redesign of a once popularly crowdfunded beehive concept but now has gone through some redesigns.
	'Citizen scientists' track radiation seven years after Fukushima Beneath the elegant curves of the roof on the Seirinji Buddhist temple in Japan's Fukushima region hangs an unlikely adornment: a Geiger counter collecting real-time radiation readings.
	Apple patent talk: Keyboard users can have their work and muffins too Dust and crumbs: Two keyboard imps that could make you a victim of a stuck key just when you need to finish work most.
	VWs using more diesel, failing pollution tests after recalls: study Volkswagen vehicles recalled and fixed after the worldwide "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal are using more fuel and still failing pollution tests, according to a study by Australia's peak motoring body released Monday.
	Tokyo Tech's six-legged robots get closer to nature A study led by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) has uncovered new ways of driving multi-legged robots by means of a two-level controller. The proposed controller uses a network of so-called non-linear oscillators that enables the generation of diverse gaits and postures, which are specified by only a few high-level parameters. The study inspires new research into how multi-legged robots can be controlled, including in the future using brain-computer interfaces.
	A game changer: Metagenomic clustering powered by supercomputers Did you know that the tools used for analyzing relationships between social network users or ranking web pages can also be extremely valuable for making sense of big science data? On a social network like Facebook, each user (person or organization) is represented as a node and the connections (relationships and interactions) between them are called edges. By analyzing these connections, researchers can learn a lot about each user—interests, hobbies, shopping habits, friends, etc.
	Internet overseers weigh website owner privacy The group overseeing Internet addresses is scrambling to balance the privacy of website owners and the right to know who is behind online pages.
	German energy giant EON to buy RWE subsidiary Innogy German energy giant EON plans to take over Innogy, the renewables subsidiary of competitor RWE, in a complex deal valued at around 20 billion euros ($25 billion), both companies said Sunday.
	Sue thy neighbour—study reveals the dark side of the digital universe Private individuals rather than public figures have emerged as the primary source of defamation in the digital age, a study by the Centre for Media Transition at the University of Technology Sydney shows.
	Mastering the future power grid The electric energy system is becoming increasingly diverse and distributed. This trend is bound to have an impact on how the system operators will control and optimize the future grid, blogs Gabriela Hug.
	Voice assistants will have to build trust before we're comfortable with them tracking us We're all used to targeted advertisements on the internet. But the introduction of voice assistants like Apple's Siri and Google Assistant mean that companies are capturing all new kinds of data on us, and could build much more detailed "behaviour profiles" with which to target us.
	Keeping GPUs young Graphics processing units (GPUs) are used for many computationally intensive tasks. Their aging process can be slowed by clever management, as TU Wien (Vienna) and University of California (Irvine) have now shown.
	Embroidering electronics into the next generation of 'smart' fabrics Archaeology reveals that humans started wearing clothes some 170,000 years ago, very close to the second-to-last ice age. Even now, though, most modern humans wear clothes that are only barely different from those earliest garments. But that's about to change as flexible electronics are increasingly woven into what are being called "smart fabrics."
Printing the 'soft' robots of the future Three-dimensional printing offers unique advantages, but still faces many challenges, for fabricating small, flexible robots that can navigate through the human body and other confined spaces, according to a review in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.
	Dropbox IPO aiming to raise $748 mn Cloud data service Dropbox aims to raise as much as $748 million through its initial public offering and a private sale of stock, according to an updated securities registration filed Monday.
	German automakers biggest spenders on electric cars: study Germany's massive car industry is the biggest investor worldwide in electric vehicles, a study published Monday found, as it scrambles under increasing pressure to adopt low-emissions technology.
	French auto giant to set up assembly plant in Namibia French car giant PSA announced Monday it would start assembling Peugeot and Opel brands in Namibia in the second half of 2018.
	Broadcom speeds HQ move to US amid security review Singapore-based chipmaker Broadcom said Monday that it would complete moving its headquarters to the United States by April 3, ahead of a planned shareholder vote by takeover target Qualcomm.
	Google under fire over anti-Semitic search results in Sweden Google on Monday said it was taking measures to address criticism against the internet giant for allowing the spread of anti-Semitic propaganda through various search results, which had triggered outrage in Sweden.
What if we could predict when an athlete was going to be injured? Thousands of athletes showcased their abilities for the world in PyeongChang, South Korea, in pursuit of Olympic gold. But for every dazzling triple axel or stellar snowboarding run, athletes face the risk of career-ending injuries.
	Ag robot speeds data collection, analyses of crops as they grow A new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot could transform data collection and field scouting for agronomists, seed companies and farmers.
US could block Broadcom's takeover of Qualcomm, officials warn US officials are warning they could recommend against Singapore-based Broadcom's mega-acquisition of smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm on national security grounds.
	Central banks warned to weigh risks of virtual currencies A global financial body warns central banks should carefully weigh the risks before introducing their own virtual currencies, saying such innovations could risk destabilizing banking systems and unleash disruption across borders.
	Apple buys digital magazine subscription service Apple announced Monday it is buying digital magazine subscription service Texture, adding to the side of its business aimed at making money from online content or services.
Texas guv confirms Amazon visit to Austin, Dallas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed on Thursday that Amazon HQ2 scouts have been to Austin and Dallas as he accepted an annual award that recognizes the top performing states for business and job creation.
Google, Facebook come down on the side of elephants, rhinos, tigers A week after the United States quietly lifted a ban on imports of sport-hunted elephants' ivory and lion parts from certain African countries, the World Wildlife Fund has announced that Google, Facebook and other major tech firms are joining an effort to halt the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife parts.
	Putting people at the heart of big data Big data has given scientists – and companies – a treasure trove of new information for analysing, understanding and predicting human behaviour, but it's also thrown up a raft of questions about privacy and ownership.
	Technology and regulation must work in concert to combat hate speech online Online bullying, hate and incitement are on the rise, and new approaches are needed to tackle them. As the Australian Senate conducts hearings for its Inquiry into cyberbullying, it should consider a two-pronged approach to combating the problem.
	Shhh! How to stream March Madness when the boss isn't around March Madness begins Tuesday. And that may mean strategizing to sneak in some games when the boss isn't looking.
	German utility EON to cut 5,000 jobs in RWE mega-deal German utility EON on Monday said it plans to cut up to 5,000 jobs as part of its takeover of the renewables unit Innogy from rival RWE, in a deal that will redraw the country's energy landscape.

Chemistry news

	This is 'nanowood,' an invention that could reduce humanity's carbon footprint Scientists have designed a heat-insulating material made from wood that is both light and strong and made entirely from tiny, stripped-down wood fibers.
	MRI tags stick to molecules with chemical 'Velcro' Imagine attaching a beacon to a drug molecule and following its journey through our winding innards, tracking just where and how it interacts with the chemicals in our bodies to help treat illnesses.
	Platform optimizes the design of new, tunable catalytic systems In the late 1700s, a Scottish chemist named Elizabeth Fulhame discovered that certain chemical reactions occurred only in the presence of water and that, at the end of those reactions, the amount of water was not depleted. Fulhame was the first scientist to demonstrate the power of a catalyst—a material that can speed up a chemical reaction without being consumed by it.
	Study yields more than a million new cyclic compounds, some with pharmaceutical potential Researchers say they can now produce a vast library of unique cyclic compounds, some with the capacity to interrupt specific protein-protein interactions that play a role in disease. The new compounds have cyclic structures that give them stability and enhance their ability to bind to their targets.
	Painting a clear picture of how nitrogen oxides are formed Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are some of the most significant pollutants in our atmosphere—they contribute to the formation of smog, acid rain and ground-level ozone. Because of this, combustion researchers and engine companies have been working since the 1980s to understand how these gases are produced during combustion so that they can find ways to reduce them.
	A new cross-coupling simplifies the synthesis of drug-like molecules Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have designed a new molecule-building method that uses sulfones as partners for cross-coupling reactions, or the joining of two distinct chemical entities in a programmed fashion aided by a catalyst. The technique, described recently in the journal Science, paves the way toward other new chemical reactions and facilitates the synthesis of pharmaceutically-relevant molecules.
	Mutating Ebola's key protein may stop replication Researchers may be able to stop the replication of Ebola virus by mutating its most important protein, according to a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
	Tracking mechanisms of crystallization in real time Researchers at the Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center quantified transient penta-coordinated Al3+ species during the crystallization of gibbsite from hydrous aluminum gels in solutions of concentrated sodium hydroxide. The research shows that concentrated electrolytes in solution affect hydrogen bonding, ion interactions, and coordination geometries in currently unpredictable ways.

Biology news

	Citizen science birding data passes scientific muster As long as there have been birdwatchers, there have been lists. Birders keep detailed records of the species they've seen and compare these lists with each other as evidence of their accomplishments. Now those lists, submitted and aggregated to birding site eBird, can help scientists track bird populations and identify conservation issues before it's too late.
	Pretty polly or pests? Dutch in a flap over parakeets To their detractors, they're dirty alien invaders whose incessant chatter ruins Sunday morning lie-ins. To their supporters, they're beautiful, cheerful reminders of warmer climes amid the winter chill.
	Forty years of data quantifies benefits of Bt corn adoption across multiple crops for the first time University of Maryland researchers have pulled together forty years of data to quantify the effects of Bt field corn, a highly marketed and successful genetically engineered technology, in a novel and large-scale collaborative study. Other studies have demonstrated the benefits of Bt corn or cotton adoption on pest management for pests like the European corn borer or cotton bollworm in corn or cotton itself, but this is the first study to look at the effects on other offsite crops in North America. By tracking European corn borer populations, this study shows significant decreases in adult moth activity, recommended spraying regimens, and overall crop damage in vegetable crops such as sweet corn, peppers, and green beans. These benefits have never before been documented and showcase Bt crops as a powerful tool to reduce pest populations regionally thereby benefitting other crops in the agricultural landscape.
	A novel effect of epigenetic drugs on metabolic activity Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system in a novel technique, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich researchers have uncovered a novel effect of epigenetic drugs on metabolic activity
	Building the machinery that makes proteins All of the proteins necessary for life are made by giant molecular machines called ribosomes. A ribosome, in turn, is built from proteins and ribosomal RNAs stitched together with immaculate precision.
	Computers discover compounds that could reduce Listeria's virulence In a proof-of-concept study, researchers from North Carolina State University have pinpointed new compounds that may be effective in containing the virulence—or ability to produce disease - of Listeria, a well-known bacterium that can cause severe food poisoning and even death.
	Researchers identify key step in viral replication Viruses are intracellular parasites that cause disease by infecting the cells in the body and, in a study published today in Nature Microbiology, researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed how a common virus hijacks a host cell's protein to help assemble new viruses before they are released. The findings increase our understanding of how viruses reproduce in the body and could lead to new therapeutics.
	Researchers make breakthrough in glyphosate resistance in pigweeds Kansas State University researchers have discovered how weeds develop resistance to the popular herbicide glyphosate, a finding that could have broad future implications in agriculture and many other industries.
	It's mostly luck, not pluck, that determines lifetime reproductive success A tree will drop hundreds of seedlings over the course of its lifetime, but only a small fraction will ever get to grow into the forest canopy like their progenitor. And studies have shown that dominant female birds can produce up to 95 percent of the offspring within a group.
	Plants faring worse than monkeys in increasingly patchy forests of Costa Rica Cattle ranching, agriculture and other human activities are breaking up Costa Rican forests into isolated patchy fragments, but causing more problems for native plant populations than for monkey species sharing the same habitat.
	How the color-changing hogfish 'sees' with its skin Some animals are quick-change artists. Take the hogfish, a pointy-snouted reef fish that can go from pearly white to mottled brown to reddish in a matter of milliseconds as it adjusts to shifting conditions on the ocean floor.
	West Coast waters returning to normal but salmon catches lagging Ocean conditions off most of the U.S. West Coast are returning roughly to average, after an extreme marine heat wave from about 2014 to 2016 disrupted the California Current Ecosystem and shifted many species beyond their traditional range, according to a new report from NOAA Fisheries' two marine laboratories on the West Coast. Some warm waters remain off the Pacific Northwest, however.
	Hi-tech conservationists fight Indonesia wildlife crime From cutting-edge DNA barcoding to smartphone apps that can identify illegal wildlife sales, conservationists are turning to hi-tech tools in their battle against Indonesia's animal traffickers.
	Life in the fast flow: Tadpoles of new species rely on 'suction cups' to keep up Indonesia, a megadiverse country spanning over 17,000 islands located between Australia and mainland Asia, is home to more than 16% of the world's known amphibian and reptile species, with almost half of the amphibians found nowhere else in the world. Unsurprisingly, biodiversity scientists have been feverishly discovering and describing fascinating new animals from the exotic island in recent years.
To combat iguana problem, researchers bash in reptiles' heads Researchers are on a critical mission in the heart of Broward County—bashing in the brains of iguanas in an attempt to eliminate the reptiles that have overtaken South Florida.
	Defect in cellular sensory cilia linked to deformed organs in zebrafish A protein at the base of the 'antenna' of many of the body's cells is vital to a crucial type of cell signal and to whether organs like the heart develop correctly, a test with zebrafish shows. The test is part of a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark.
	Ancient clams preserve evidence of parasite increase in higher seas How will sea-level rise influence the prevalence of infectious diseases? The best way to answer that question, says paleoecologist John Huntley of the University of Missouri, may be to look to the distant past.
	Protecting tigers could be beneficial for their prey Protecting one of Asia's most formidable apex predators may not seem like the most obvious way to help another species that might be on its dinner menu, but that is precisely what Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is doing in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat National Park, the second-largest national park in Southeast Asia.
Research could improve management of conflict between wildlife and farmers across the globe A new study led by the University of Stirling highlights improvements in the way conflicts between wildlife conservation and farming are managed worldwide.
	Early warning system for deadly amphibian pathogen New technology being developed at Washington State University could help save amphibians around the world from a deadly fungal pathogen.
	Using artificial intelligence to investigate illegal wildlife trade on social media Illegal wildlife trade is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity conservation and is currently expanding to social media. This is a worrisome trend, given the ease of access and popularity of social media. Efficient monitoring of illegal wildlife trade on social media is therefore crucial for conserving biodiversity.
	Humans behind majority of raptor deaths in Ontario, study finds Human encroachment is the leading cause of death among Ontario's at-risk birds of prey, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study.
	The Alps are home to more than 3,000 lichens Historically, the Alps have always played an emblematic role, being one of the largest continuous natural areas in Europe. With its numerous habitats, the mountain system is easily one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in Europe.
	The changing voices of North Atlantic right whales Researchers have found that right whale calls, much like human voices, change as individuals age.
	Water troughs are key to E. coli contamination in cattle A major study led by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers reveals for the first time that water troughs on farms are a conduit for the spread of toxic E. coli in cattle, which can then spread the pathogen to people through bacteria in feces. The study was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.
	Elephant declines imperil Africa's forests Poaching and habitat loss have reduced forest elephant populations in Central Africa by 63 percent since 2001. This widespread killing poses dire consequences not only for the species itself but also for the region's forests, a new Duke University study finds.
State ponders lowest moose hunt numbers in modern era The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is recommending the lowest number of moose hunting permits this year in the modern era as the herd continues to decline from infestations of ticks and brain worms believed to be caused by the warming climate.
You are not just you—you are a chimera In Greek mythology, the chimera was a fire-breathing monster—part goat, part snake and part lioness. Guess what? You are a bit like this—a patchwork of genes and foreign cells.

Medicine & Health news

	New research finds the brain is less flexible than we thought when learning Nobody really knows how the activity in your brain reorganizes as you learn new tasks, but new research from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh reveals that the brain has various mechanisms and constraints by which it reorganizes its neural activity when learning over the course of a few hours. The new research finds that, when learning a new task, the brain is less flexible than previously thought.
	Researcher creates 'Instagram' of immune system, blending science, technology Being on the cutting edge of science and technology excites Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) researcher Carsten Krieg, Ph.D. Each day, he walks into his lab that houses a mass cytometry machine aptly labeled Helios. Krieg explains how it can heat plasma up to 6,000 degrees Celsius, levels comparable to temperatures found on the sun.
	Study finds that genes play a role in empathy A new study published today suggests that how empathic we are is not just a result of our upbringing and experience but also partly a result of our genes.
	Scientists use nanotechnology to detect molecular biomarker for osteoarthritis For the first time, scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have been able to measure a specific molecule indicative of osteoarthritis and a number of other inflammatory diseases using a newly developed technology.
	Early signatures of social brain: Children as young as 3 have brain network devoted to interpreting thoughts of others Humans use an ability known as theory of mind every time they make inferences about someone else's mental state—what the other person believes, what they want, or why they are feeling happy, angry, or scared.
	Autism's social deficits are reversed by an anti-cancer drug Of all the challenges that come with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the social difficulties are among the most devastating. Currently, there is no treatment for this primary symptom of ASD. New research at the University at Buffalo reveals the first evidence that it may be possible to use a single compound to alleviate the behavioral symptoms by targeting sets of genes involved in the disease.
	Investigators identify neural circuit, genetic 'switch' that maintain memory precision Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have identified a neural circuit mechanism involved in preserving the specificity of memories. They also identified a genetic 'switch' that can slow down memory generalization—the loss of specific details over time that occurs in both age-related memory impairment and in post-traumatic stress disorder, in which emotions originally produced by traumatic experiences are elicited in response to innocuous cues that have little resemblance to the traumatic memory.
	Feed or flee—the brain cells that tell us when to eat and when to run away Feeling peckish? Eating may be taken for granted as a fundamental part of life, but getting it wrong can have serious consequences for our health.
	The Great Recession took a toll on public health, study finds The Great Recession, spanning 2008 to 2010, was associated with heightened cardiovascular risk factors, including increased blood pressure and glucose levels, according to a new UCLA-led study. The connections were especially pronounced among older homeowners and people still in the work force, two groups that may have been especially vulnerable to the stresses the Recession brought about.
	Barbershop-based healthcare study successfully lowers high blood pressure in African-American men African-American men successfully lowered their high blood pressure to healthy levels when aided by a pharmacist and their local barber, according to a new study from the Smidt Heart Institute.
	New research shows why babies need to move in the womb Scientists have just discovered why babies need to move in the womb to develop strong bones and joints. It turns out there are some key molecular interactions that are stimulated by movement and which guide the cells and tissues of the embryo to build a functionally robust yet malleable skeleton. If an embryo doesn't move, a vital signal may be lost or an inappropriate one delivered in error, which can lead to the development of brittle bones or abnormal joints.
	Study tackles neuroscience claims to have disproved 'free will' For several decades, some researchers have argued that neuroscience studies prove human actions are driven by external stimuli—that the brain is reactive and free will is an illusion. But a new analysis of these studies shows that many contained methodological inconsistencies and conflicting results.
	Scientists find treasure trove of 110 genes linked to breast cancer Scientists have linked 110 genes to an increased risk of breast cancer in the most comprehensive study ever to unpick the genetics of the disease.
	Large-scale genetic study provides new insight into the causes of stroke An international research consortium studying 520,000 individuals from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, thus tripling the number of gene regions known to affect stroke risk. The results demonstrate shared genetic influences with multiple related vascular conditions, especially blood pressure, but also coronary artery disease, venous thromboembolism and others. Linking these results with extensive biological databases provides novel clues on stroke mechanisms and illustrates the potential of genetics to identify drug targets for stroke therapy.
	Extracellular vesicles could be personalized drug delivery vehicles Creating enough nanovesicles to inexpensively serve as a drug delivery system may be as simple as putting the cells through a sieve, according to an international team of researchers who used mouse autologous—their own—immune cells to create large amounts of fillable nanovesicles to deliver drugs to tumors in mice.
	Researchers discover structure of protein associated with inflammation, Parkinson's In a recent paper published in Nature Communications, Saint Louis University scientists report that they have determined the structure of a key protein that is involved in the body's inflammatory response. This finding opens the door to developing new treatments for a wide range of illnesses, from heart disease, diabetes and cancer to neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease.
	Could living at high altitude increase suicide risk? Evidence suggests possible treatments High-altitude areas—particularly the US intermountain states—have increased rates of suicide and depression, suggests a review of research evidence in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.
	Blood stored longer may be less safe for patients with massive blood loss and shock Human blood from donors can be stored for use up to 42 days, and it is a mainstay therapy in transfusion medicine. However, recent studies looking back at patient records have shown that transfusion with older, stored blood is associated with adverse effects.
	Study: Absence of key protein, TTP, rapidly turns young bones old The absence of a protein critical to the control of inflammation may lead to rapid and severe bone loss, according to a new University at Buffalo study.
	Heart attack protocol can improve outcomes, reduce disparities between men and women Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that implementing a four-step protocol for the most severe type of heart attack not only improved outcomes and reduced mortality in both men and women, but eliminated or reduced the gender disparities in care and outcomes typically seen in this type of event.
	PET myocardial perfusion imaging more effective than SPECT scans in detecting coronary disease Patients who receive cardiac positron emission testing (PET) imaging instead of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan experienced a significant increase in the detection of severe obstructive coronary artery disease, according to researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.
	Anti-cholesterol drug Praluent cuts death risk The anti-cholesterol drug Praluent (alirocumab), made by France's Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, is linked to a 15 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke, a study said Saturday.
	Proteins associated with diabetic complications and increased heart disease identified Protein pathways that are closely linked to changes in both triglyceride and hemoglobin A1c levels in diabetic patients have been identified in new research by the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.
Eliminating cost barriers helps heart patients comply with drug regimens Doctors often cite the high price of a prescription drug as a reason they don't prescribe it, while patients similarly say that cost is a main reason they quit taking a drug.
New cardiac pump device improves long-term outcomes for heart failure patients New findings, presented today at the American College of Cardiology, provide long-term information about survival, stroke rates and durability of a novel centrifugal-flow pump compared with a commercial axial flow pump for heart-failure patients. BWH investigators report that patients who received the centrifugal-flow pump had significantly lower rates of pump-related blood clots and stroke. Results from the MOMENTUM 3 trial's analysis at 24 months were presented in a Late Breaking Clinical Trial at ACC by Mandeep R. Mehra, MD, executive director of the Center for Advanced Heart Disease and medical director of the Heart & Vascular Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and published simultaneously online in the New England Journal of Medicine.
	Study: Two drugs prevent heart problems in breast cancer patients Data released today from a large multi-center study provides a view into the effectiveness of two drugs used to prevent heart problems resulting from breast cancer treatment.
	Transcatheter aortic valve replacement dramatically improves heart patients' quality of life Patients who undergo a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR—a minimally-invasive surgical procedure that repairs a damaged heart valve—experienced a significant increase in their quality of life, according to a new study by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.
	Childhood trauma link offers treatment hope for people with schizophrenia People with schizophrenia may now benefit from more effective, tailored treatments and greater self-empowerment, thanks to research establishing a link between childhood trauma and some of schizophrenia's most common symptoms.
	A combination of personality traits might make you more addicted to social networks As social networking companies feel the heat to create a more socially responsible and positive experience for their millions of users, new research out of Binghamton University, State University of New York explores how the interaction of personality traits can impact the likelihood of developing an addiction to social networking.
Socioeconomic status may affect survival of patients with anal cancer In a study of patients with anal cancer, living in low median household income areas was linked with an increased risk of early death. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that socioeconomic inequalities may affect cancer outcomes, especially for highly treatable and curable tumors such as anal cancer.
	One in 10 stroke survivors need more help with taking medication, study finds Over a half of stroke patients require a degree of help with taking medicine and a sizeable minority say they do not receive as much assistance as they need, according a study published today in the journal BMJ Open.
	Ratings rise over time because they feel easier to make Tasks often feel easier to perform as we gain experience with them, which can have unintended consequences when the task involves rating a series of items, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings show that people tend to attribute the increasing ease of making ratings to the items themselves rather than to the ratings process, resulting in rating inflation over time.
	Caloric restriction in combination with low-fat diet helps protect aging mouse brains A low-fat diet in combination with limited caloric consumption prevents activation of the brain's immune cells—called microglia—in aging mice, shows research published today in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. The study also finds that exercise is significantly less effective than caloric restriction in preventing these age-related changes.
	Study finds therapy dogs help stressed university students Therapy dog sessions for stressed-out students are an increasingly popular offering at North American universities. Now, new research from the University of British Columbia confirms that some doggy one-on-one time really can do the trick of boosting student wellness.
	Doctors facing challenge to help needy while protecting practices (HealthDay)—Physicians are increasingly being challenged to protect their practice finances while helping patients without insurance, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
	Modulation of Fgf21 gene in early-life ameliorates adulthood diet-induced obesity The importance of good nutrition in the early development of children has been recognized for many decades. Nutritional experiences in early life can have profound and long-lasting effects on body weight in later life. For instance, malnutrition in early life as a result of poor nutrition during pregnancy and/or the lactation period may cause epigenetic changes that persist into adulthood, thereby increasing the susceptibility to metabolic diseases such as obesity in later life. This area of epigenetics has become one of the fastest-growing and most complex areas of biological science.
	A new solution for chronic pain Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition affecting 7 to 10 percent the population in France, and for which there is no effective treatment. Researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier (INSERM/Université de Montpellier) and the Laboratory for Therapeutic Innovation (CNRS/Université de Strasbourg) have uncovered the mechanism behind the appearance and continuation of pain. They have developed an innovative treatment that produced an immediate, robust and long-lasting therapeutic effect on pain symptoms in animal subjects. The study was published in Nature Communications.
	Turning off autophagy helps chemotherapy stress cancer cells to death A process called autophagy (from the Greek term for "self-eating") helps cells survive stress - very basically, autophagy acts as a kind of cellular recycling system in which unwanted or old parts of the cell are degraded and reused to promote cell health. Unfortunately, cancer cells can hijack autophagy to avoid the stress of anti-cancer drugs that are designed to kill them. This makes autophagy an attractive target for anti-cancer therapies; blocking autophagy may make cancer cells unable to overcome the stress of treatments, leading to their death. In fact, dozens of clinical trials are testing the ability of autophagy-inhibitors along with chemotherapy drugs, radiation or targeted treatments to push cancer cells over the edge into a specific kind of cell death known as apoptosis.
Parenting stress associated with epigenetic differences in African American mothers Parenting can be stressful - and this stress may be influencing the DNA methylation of African American mothers, finds a new study led by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.
	New link between obesity and body temperature Reduced ability to maintain body temperature in colder environments may contribute to the development of obesity in adulthood, suggests a new study in mice published in JNeurosci.
	Mice increase wheel running, activation of key brain regions two hours before methamphetamine availability The brain regions activated in anticipation of methamphetamine are identified in a noninvasive study of male mice published in eNeuro.
Ticagrelor has comparable safety to clopidogrel after heart attack Among people younger than 75 years who were given clot busters to treat a heart attack, taking the more potent blood thinner ticagrelor did not increase the risk of major bleeding (the primary endpoint) compared with the standard blood thinner clopidogrel, in a trial being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Personalized approach to selecting antiplatelet drugs improves outcomes Patients with acute coronary syndrome experienced a substantially lower rate of heart attack, stroke, death from cardiovascular causes and major bleeding at 12 months if genetic information was used to inform the selection of their antiplatelet medication in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
	In the eye of the medulloblastoma Can genes normally expressed only in the eye be activated in brain tumours? The phenomenon, though surprising, has been observed in certain types of medulloblastoma, paediatric tumours of the cerebellum. Researchers from the CNRS, Institut Curie, Inserm and Université Paris-Sud, together with researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, United States), have pinpointed the role of these genes in the tumour process, thus offering new therapeutic targets. Their findings appear in the 12 March 2018 edition of Cancer Cell.
Wearable defibrillator cuts overall mortality, but not sudden deaths after heart attack Wearing a lightweight vest equipped with a cardioverter defibrillator that detects abnormal heart rhythms in addition to taking recommended medications is associated with a reduction in the likelihood of dying during the first 90 days following a heart attack in people whose heart function was also impaired, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. People who wore the wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) during the study timeframe were 35 percent less likely to die for any reason compared with those who received medications alone.
Alirocumab reduces cardiovascular events after acute coronary syndrome Among patients with persistently high cholesterol despite high-intensity statin therapy, the proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor alirocumab reduced rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 15 percent compared with placebo, in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. The drug's effect was even greater for patients at highest risk—those who started the study with LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, of 100 mg/dL or higher—who saw a 24 percent reduction in cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, compared with placebo.
	New treatment for aggressive breast cancer Approximately 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer cases do not respond to treatment with hormone therapy, which means that they are more aggressive and often recur. An international research team led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden has uncovered a way to treat these aggressive tumours through manipulation of the connective tissue cells of the tumour. The researchers are now developing a new drug that transforms aggressive breast cancer so that it becomes responsive to standard hormone therapy.
	Why the world looks stable while we move Head movements change the environmental image received by the eyes. People still perceive the world as stable, because the brain corrects for any changes in visual information caused by head movements. For the first time, two neuroscientists of the University of Tübingen's Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN) have observed these correction processes in the brain with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Their study, now published in NeuroImage, has far-reaching implications for the understanding of the effects of virtual realities on our brain.
Precision medicine and the prevention of cardiovascular disease on older Americans Knowing your risk for cardiovascular disease is a critical first step to preventing heart attack, stroke and other life threatening cardiac events. However, the current recommended risk-assessment guidelines have limitations when it comes to older adults, and there is confusion for both physicians and patients about how aggressive treatment for common risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol in older individuals should be.
Kids with easy access to firearms are more likely to be depressed Easy access to a gun at home is bad for a child's mental health, particularly for girls —bad enough, according to a new examination of a study of American schoolchildren from the 1990s, to suggest parents think carefully before making the decision to bring a gun into the home, especially one that may be accessible by the children in the household.
Study sheds new light on Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome Investigators at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI) have revealed a gene mutation's role in Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, a genetically inherited disease which causes tumor growth in several organs.
Genetic heart diseases cause fewer SIDS deaths than previously thought, study finds Genetic mutations linked to heart disease have been considered a leading cause of sudden infant death syndrome, but a new study by Mayo Clinic, British and Danish researchers finds they are to blame for far fewer SIDS deaths than previously thought. The findings are opening new lines of inquiry into possible causes of the syndrome and may help prevent unnecessary genetic testing of surviving family members. The study results appear in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Some breast cancer patients are missing out on genetic counseling As new genes are linked to breast cancer occurring in families and as genetic testing becomes more important in directing treatment for newly diagnosed patients, a substantial number of those at the highest risk are not getting tested.
ASTRO issues clinical guideline for whole breast radiation therapy The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) today issued a new clinical guideline for the use of whole breast radiation therapy for breast cancer that expands the population of patients recommended to receive accelerated treatment known as hypofractionated therapy.
	New iPad app could improve colon cancer screening rates Say ordering a cancer screening test was as easy as booking a hotel room online. Would that improve screening rates?
Study finds shared decision making still lacking in prostate cancer screening A new study finds many men receiving prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing do so without a comprehensive shared decision making process, contrary to current guidelines. The American Cancer Society study, appearing in Annals of Family Medicine, finds that in both 2010 and 2015 about 6 in 10 men who reported recent PSA testing said they had received at least one component of shared decision making. Meanwhile, only 1 in 10 with no PSA test reported receiving any component of shared decision making in both 2010 and 2015.
	New online tool can predict your melanoma risk Australians over the age of 40 can now calculate their risk of developing melanoma with a new online test. The risk predictor tool estimates a person's melanoma risk over the next 3.5 years based on seven risk factors.
Indigenous health leaders aim to tackle long-standing health inequalities Twelve Indigenous health leaders are embarking on a bold and innovative leadership program through the Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Melbourne to tackle some of Australia's long-term health problems.
Colorectal cancer: Screening should include environment, genetic factors When it comes to colorectal cancer, many people would benefit from individually tailored screening rather than standardized population guidelines.
Statins may bring benefits at time of treatment for heart attack, angina Getting a large dose of a statin did not have an impact on major adverse cardiac events among a broad population of patients slated to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure to clear blocked arteries, in a trial being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. However, statins did significantly reduce the rates of such events among the subset of trial participants who actually underwent PCI.
Beta blocker shows mixed results in protecting against chemo-induced heart damage After six months of follow up, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who were given the beta blocker carvedilol to prevent heart issues while undergoing chemotherapy showed no difference in declines in heart function compared with those taking a placebo. Patients who took carvedilol, however, were significantly less likely to have an elevated marker in the blood that signals injury to the heart, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Inhaled therapy ineffective in difficult-to-treat heart failure Four weeks of treatment with a novel inhaled medication failed to improve exercise capacity, daily activity levels, severity of symptoms or quality of life in patients with a type of heart failure for which no effective treatment options currently exist, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Popular heart medications can prevent Herceptin-induced heart issues in some patients Breast cancer patients who started taking one of two well-known heart medications at the same time they initiated trastuzumab—a targeted cancer therapy that has been linked to heart damage—received no benefit in terms of preventing declines in heart function, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. However, in patients who had received or were concurrently receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy in addition to trastuzumab, the occurrence of heart damage was halved among those taking either the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-inhibitor) lisinopril or beta blocker carvedilol, compared with placebo after two years of follow-up.
	DNA repair genes in bats could be the key to understanding the ageing process With an average lifespan of 78 years and rising, Europeans can look forward to longer lives. But these lives may not necessarily be healthy, since the onset of age-related diseases has failed to follow this upward trend.
	Sound localization: Where did that noise come from? The ability to estimate distances to sound sources accurately can be crucial for survival. A new study carried out under the direction of Professor Lutz Wiegrebe at the Department of Biology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich sheds light on a novel mechanism that is employed by humans to estimate their relative distance from sound sources. The investigation reveals that humans can perform this task more efficiently when they are allowed to move. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
	Exclusive breastfeeding in hospital associated with longer breastfeeding duration New findings from AllerGen's CHILD Study show that exclusive breastfeeding during the first few days of life is positively associated with longer-term breastfeeding, while in-hospital formula use is associated with breastfeeding for a significantly shorter duration.
	Expert debunks sleep myths and offers four tips for getting a restful slumber Sleep, wrote Elizabethan author Thomas Dekker, "is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together," yet Canadians don't get enough of it.
	Smoking heightens risk of psychoses Smoking at least 10 cigarettes a day is linked to a higher risk of psychoses compared to non-smoking young people. The risk is also raised if the smoking starts before the age of 13. This has been shown in a study led by Academy Research Fellow, Professor Jouko Miettunen. The results were recently published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
	A dose of humor for treating fears When children have significant difficulty reducing their fears and anxieties, the solution can be a surprisingly natural one: play, humor and silliness.
	Three radical steps to derail doping in elite sport Elite British cycling outfit Team Sky "crossed an ethical line" by giving medicines to squad members which could be used to enhance performance, according to the new UK parliamentary committee report into doping in British cycling and athletics.
	Adult human brains don't grow new neurons in hippocampus, contrary to prevailing view When our recent study met significant skepticism, we weren't surprised. After all, we ourselves remained skeptical of what we were seeing throughout our investigation. But repeated and varied experiments convinced us our conclusions were correct: New brain cells don't grow (or are extremely rare) in the adult human hippocampus, a region important for learning and memory. The birth of new neurons in human memory circuits, in other words, declines during childhood to undetectable levels in the adult.
More deaths, strokes seen with perioperative beta blocker one year after surgery During the 12 months after undergoing noncardiac surgery, patients with or at risk for heart disease who were treated with the beta blocker metoprolol for 30 days were less likely than patients who received a placebo to have a heart attack, but more likely to die or have a stroke, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Major cardiovascular study of gout patients has unexpected finding A large study of cardiovascular events in gout patients taking one of two medications to prevent excess build-up of uric acid has found that one of the drugs, febuxostat, increased the risk of death for those with heart disease, compared to study participants taking allopurinol.
	Why mental health treatment is not an easy solution to violence In the wake of mass shootings and other tragedies, a frequent refrain is: Why don't we get those dangerous people off the streets? And, just as frequently, people suggest that mental health treatment is the answer.
Patients in primary care networks had fewer visits to ED, shorter stays Patients receiving care from physicians in primary care networks were less likely to visit emergency departments, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
	Dengue fever linked to increased risk of stroke A new study has found that people with dengue fever have a higher risk of stroke, especially in the first 2 months following infection. The study is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Canakinumab reduces risk of cardiovascular events in populations with unmet clinical need Two new analyses of data from more than 10,000 heart attack survivors worldwide were presented by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital at the 2018 American College of Cardiology meeting. Paul Ridker, MD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH, and Brendan Everett, MD, director of the General Cardiology Inpatient Service at BWH, assessed whether the anti-inflammatory therapy canakinumab reduced rates of major adverse cardiovascular events and co-morbidities among high-risk atherosclerotic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or those with pre-diabetes/diagnosed type 2 diabetes, respectively. They found that canakinumab substantially reduced cardiovascular event rates in both populations, while having neither clinically meaningful benefits nor substantive harms with respect to adverse renal events or glucose control. Findings related to patients with or at high risk of diabetes were simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and a paper on the CKD findings is forthcoming.
	Stress of open-heart surgery significantly reduces vitamin D levels, but supplementation helps The stress of open-heart surgery significantly reduces patients' vitamin D levels, but aggressive supplementation with vitamin D3, just before and after surgery, can completely eliminate the observed drop in vitamin D, researchers have found.
Stomach-burning fidget spinners on EU warning list Fidget spinners have become a worldwide playground craze, but some of the cult toys can also cause serious injuries to children, according to a new EU report on dangerous products released on Monday.
	High-containment lab raises sand flies to investigate global health issue They're smaller than a mosquito; they only live for about a month, yet these tiny flying insects are having a big impact on people's health. During their short life, sand flies infect about one million people each year with the parasite Leishmania, causing a chronic disease called Leishmaniasis. The World Health Organization estimates as many as 30,000 people die annually from the disease, and hundreds of thousands of others have lifelong disfiguring scars on their skin. There is no vaccine. Treatment with intravenous medications can be extremely painful and hard to access.
	Can pursuing happiness make you unhappy? People generally like to feel happy, but achieving a state of happiness takes time and effort. Researchers have now found that people who pursue happiness often feel like they do not have enough time in the day, and this paradoxically makes them feel unhappy. Aekyoung Kim of Rutgers University in the US and Sam Maglio of the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada have investigated this effect in a study in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, which is published by Springer and is an official journal of the Psychonomic Society.
Reduced device clotting, decreased strokes seen with novel heart pump At two years of follow-up, severely ill patients with advanced heart failure who received a novel heart pump fully implantable within the chest experienced no malfunctions requiring replacement or removal of the device for blood clotting. Further, their risk of a stroke was halved compared with patients who received the established version of the pump that requires an abdominal location for the implant, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
	Fighting a cold or flu? beware of overdosing on tylenol (HealthDay)—A brutal flu season has had people reaching for relief in their medicine cabinet, but a new study warns that overdosing on acetaminophen (Tylenol) is more common when bugs and viruses are circulating.
	Dealing with an exercise-related injury (HealthDay)—If you love exercise, one of the hardest parts of suffering an injury is being sidelined. But if you take the time to heal a sprain or strain correctly, you'll get back in the game faster.
Stem cells could boost this Maryland baby's heart and chance for a normal life Surgeons trying a new way to save the life of a baby born with half a heart stood over her open chest and waited for the FedEx box.
Canakinumab doesn't prevent prediabetes from progressing to diabetes The anti-inflammatory drug canakinumab had no effect on rates of newly diagnosed diabetes in people who had prediabetes (elevated blood sugar levels at risk of developing into diabetes), according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Low-dose 'triple pill' lowers blood pressure more than usual care A pill combining low doses of three blood pressure-lowering medications significantly increased the number of patients reaching blood pressure targets compared with usual care, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. There was also no significant increase in adverse effects with the "Triple Pill."
Blood thinner significantly reduces the risk of death after non-cardiac surgery Researchers in Hamilton have discovered that a blood-thinning drug, dabigatran, significantly reduces the risk of death, heart attack, stroke, and other heart or blood-vessel complications in patients who have a heart injury following major, non-cardiac surgery.
Study finds flatfoot reconstruction effective for older patients When someone develops adult-acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD), they are offered either a reconstruction or foot fusion depending on the severity of the flatfoot and their age. Typically reconstructions are performed in younger patients, while older patients undergo fusions, even though it can limit mobility.
	Would you pay for an Ebola vaccine? Most say yes. The 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak was the deadliest in history, infecting more than 28,000 people and killing more than 11,000. While the number of people infected in the United States was low, it was covered extensively in the media, leading to widespread fear. Now, given the success of recent clinical trials, we are closer than ever to a vaccine to prevent it.
Drug stops dangerous bleeding in patients taking factor Xa inhibitors The experimental drug andexanet was associated with control of serious bleeding in patients taking a common class of anticoagulants known as Factor Xa inhibitors, according to interim clinical trial results presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session. Millions of patients take Factor Xa inhibitors, which elevate the risk of serious bleeding. If approved by the FDA, andexanet would be the first agent available to directly reverse the effects of Factor Xa inhibition if bleeding occurs.
Heart attack risk increases with six-month dual antiplatelet therapy The combined rate of death from any cause, heart attack or stroke within 18 months was not significantly different in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were randomly assigned to receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for either six months or at least 12 months after receiving a drug-eluting stent. Patients who were given DAPT for only six months, however, had more than double the risk of a heart attack compared with those treated for at least 12 months, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Trial bolsters evidence in favor of closing hole in heart after stroke Among people with a type of hole in the heart, known as patent foramen ovale (PFO), those who received a medical device to close this opening after a stroke fared better after two years compared with those who received stroke-preventing medications alone. These findings from a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session support the results of several similar trials in recent years and suggest patients with a high-risk PFO are likely to benefit most from the device.
Critical limb ischemia treatment shows no improvement at three months Patients with foot ulcers or gangrene who received the experimental drug JVS-100 did not show evidence of faster wound healing, compared with those receiving a placebo, in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Patients living longer with Duchenne muscular dystrophy pose new challenge for caregivers Diagnostic and treatment advances are helping patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy—one of nine major types of muscular dystrophy that affects males—live into their 30s and beyond, raising challenges in such areas as education, vocation, levels of independence, personal relationships, emotional health, and intimacy. To address these shifting circumstances, as well as reflect promising new treatment options, new guidelines aimed at physicians who care for DMD patients have recently been issued.
Researchers find bone density scans can also help identify cardiovascular disease Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research, University of Western Australia, University of Sydney, and Edith Cowan University have discovered that bone density scans, typically used to determine fracture risk, could also be an aid in identifying cardiovascular disease. The study was recently published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
	Children's Colorado experts find surgery promising option for severely obese adolescents When a bariatric surgeon and an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes examined the effectiveness of medical versus surgical management of type 2 diabetes in adolescents, the results of the surgical intervention proved to be promising. The research, led by Thomas H. Inge, MD, PhD, director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado), and Philip Zeitler, MD, PhD, chair of endocrinology at Children's Colorado, is published in the March issue of JAMA Pediatrics. The recent study consisted of a secondary analysis of data from two longitudinal studies: Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) and Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS).
	Certain teens more likely to get hooked on opioids (HealthDay)—Teenagers with any mental health problem are more prone to painkiller dependence after receiving a prescription opioid, a new study finds.
	No safety concerns noted in study of intranasal insulin use (HealthDay)—Intranasal insulin application appears to be safe, according to a review published online March 6 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
	Genetic variations impacting empathy tied to psych issues (HealthDay)—Genetic variations associated with empathy play a role in psychiatric conditions and traits, including schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, and extraversion, according to a study published online March 11 in Translational Psychiatry.
	Odds of opioid prescriptions up in head and neck cancer patients (HealthDay)—The odds of opioid prescription are increased for patients with head and neck cancer (HNCA) versus those with lung or colon cancer (LCCA), according to a research letter published online March 8 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
	Childhood maltreatment, bullying seem to up teen pregnancy risk (HealthDay)—Higher teen pregnancy among sexual minorities is partially explained by childhood maltreatment and bullying, according to a study published online March 12 in Pediatrics.
	Babies fed soy-based formula have changes in reproductive system tissues Infants who consumed soy-based formula as newborns had differences in some reproductive-system cells and tissues, compared to those who used cow-milk formula or were breastfed, according to a new study. The researchers say the differences, measured in the months after birth, were subtle and not a cause for alarm, but reflect a need to further investigate the long-term effects of exposure to estrogen-like compounds found in soy-based formulas.
Gun laws stopped mass shootings in Australia—new research The odds of a 22-year absence of mass shootings in Australia since 1996 gun reforms being due to chance are one in 200,000, new research reveals.
High school athletes with shoulder instability benefit from nonoperative treatment Nonoperative treatment of high school athletes with shoulder instability is an effective approach, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in New Orleans. Researchers also noted that using the Non-Operative Instability Severity Score (NSIS) tool can help identify higher-risk patients who may require other forms of treatment.
Osteochondral allograft transplantation effective for certain knee cartilage repairs Isolated femoral condyle lesions account for 75% of the cartilage repair procedures performed in the knee joint, and physicians have a variety of techniques to consider as part of surgical treatment. Osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA) is a valuable and successful approach for this condition, as described by research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in New Orleans.
Access to real-time genetic testing data impacts prescriber behavior following minimally invasive stent procedure Today, in a late-breaking featured clinical research session at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2018, researchers from Penn Medicine present first-of-its-kind data on the impact of real-time CYP2C19 genotype results when prescribing antiplatelet drugs in the clinic.
Previous cortisone injections may increase risk of future rotator cuff repair Cortisone injections are a common nonsurgical approach to treating rotator cuff injuries. However, researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in New Orleans suggest that individuals who receive injections less than six months before a rotator cuff repair may have an increased risk for revision rotator cuff repair.
	Non-invasive technology is a money-saver for heart patients needing PCI Doctors evaluating patients for blockages in the heart are aided by having a good roadmap of the vascular terrain before they can insert stents to clear the impasse.
Study identifies shortcomings when young patients with type 2 diabetes transition from pediatric to adult care Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is increasing globally as a result of pediatric obesity. A new study in Diabetic Medicine shows that young adults with type 2 diabetes have substantially worse blood sugar control and loss to follow-up during healthcare transition from pediatric to adult health systems. This is the first study of healthcare transition effects in youth-onset type 2 diabetes.
Self-applied chest patch catches common irregular heartbeat more quickly than usual care For people at heightened risk for atrial fibrillation (AFib)—a common heart rhythm disorder that also carries a high risk of stroke—wearing a self-adhering chest patch that records heart patterns may better detect the condition and facilitate more timely treatment than relying on usual care, according to one-year data being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Reducing co-payments improves patient, physician adherence to guideline-recommended treatment post-MI When patients who had a heart attack were given vouchers to cover their co-payments for medication to prevent a recurrence, physicians were more likely to prescribe a more effective, branded drug and patients were more likely to continue taking the medication for a full year as recommended in treatment guidelines, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
Dabigatran reduces major CV complications in patients with myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery Treatment with the blood-thinning drug dabigatran significantly reduced the risk of death, heart attack, stroke and other heart or blood-vessel complications among patients who were at elevated risk for these events because of heart damage that occurred after major noncardiac surgery, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.
	Bids to curb health care costs offer little more than talk It started as a bipartisan attempt to curb soaring health care premiums.
	Calcium testing in coronary arteries better way to predict heart attacks than stress testing alone Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City have found that incorporating underused, but available, imaging technologies more precisely predicts who's at risk for heart attacks and similar threats—in time to prevent them.
	Study links type of blood pressure medication to increased variability and higher risk of death Two types of blood pressure medications—alpha blockers and alpha 2 agonist—show increased variability in blood pressure measurements between doctor visits, which is associated with an increased risk of death, according to new research from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.
Understanding neutropenia Q: My 1-year-old has neutropenia, and his neutrophil count is very low (310). He often gets infections, and his neutrophil count goes even lower when he's on antibiotics. What are our options at this point to get him healthy?
	Precision oncology in advanced cancer patients improves overall survival The use of advanced molecular diagnostic technologies, such as Next-Generation Sequencing based gene panel testing, to select targeted therapies in advanced cancer patients is known as precision oncology.
	Preclinical characterization of therapeutic antibodies Even though the Shh pathway is mainly quiescent in adults, the safety of Shh-targeting with therapeutic antibodies was questioned initially because not only does the N-terminus of the Shh protein play an important role in embryonic development, but Shh also plays a poorly understood role in tissue homeostasis and repair in adults.
Study identifies 76 quality indicators essential for emergency care systems in Africa The need for emergency care in low-income and middle-income countries has never been greater, but until now, measurable indicators for providing this care have been lacking. A study conducted by the sidHARTe - Strengthening Emergency Systems Program at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in collaboration with the African Federation of Emergency Medicine fills this gap, identifying 76 quality indicators for emergency care for use in critical care facilities in Africa.
	Moderate Facebook use promotes happiness in adults with Autism spectrum disorder Among adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study has shown that those who use Facebook, in moderation, are happier than those who do not. This finding could not be generalized to overall use of social media, however, because the same was not true of those who used Twitter, for example, as reported in an article published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
Gerontologists tackle social isolation, increasingly a public health concern Social connectivity and meaningful social engagement must be promoted as integral components of healthy aging, according to a new collection of articles in the latest issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR) from The Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Several authors also detail a series of initiatives that, if replicated, hold promise for decreasing isolation among older adults.
Colonoscopy significantly reduces mortality from colorectal cancer in Veterans Affairs study Colonoscopy was associated with a 61 percent reduction in colorectal cancer mortality among veterans receiving care through the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system. The reduction was observed for both left- and right-sided colorectal cancer, although the association was weaker for right-sided cancer (46 percent versus 72 percent reduction). The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Other Sciences news

	Best of Last Week – A new way to see the quantum world, a battery breakthrough and cognitive control in creative people It was a good week for physics as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics team at NIST announced that they had invented a new way to 'see' the quantum world—an imaging technique that produces rapid, precise measurements of quantum behavior in an atomic clock. Also, a team at Queen's University Belfast announced that they have cracked the 70-year-old mystery of how magnetic waves heat the sun—they crash through it, apparently. And Konstantin Batygin, an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technolog found that massive astrophysical objects are governed by a subatomic equation—the Schrödinger Equation.
	Skulls show women moved across medieval Europe, not just men The newcomers who arrived in the little farming villages of medieval Germany would have stood out: They had dark hair and tawny skin, spoke a strange language and had remarkably tall heads.
	Genetic prehistory of Iberia differs from central and northern Europe In a multidisciplinary study published in PNAS, an international team of researchers combined archaeological, genetic and stable isotope data to encapsulate 4000 years of Iberian biomolecular prehistory.
	Pre-election polls not becoming less reliable: study Pre-election polls are not becoming less reliable, said a study Monday addressing public distrust stemming from surprise results in Britain's 2015 general election and the 2016 US presidential vote.
	Crisis or self-correction: Rethinking how the media cover science One of the recurring media narratives about the nature of science today is that it is "broken" or "in crisis." In the mainstream press, some stories about the failure to reproduce study results or the rising retraction rate or incidents of scientific fraud have been accompanied by assertions about a "systemic crisis" in areas of science - or in science itself.
	Female researchers publish childcare recommendations for conference organizers Many women in science are raising concerns over the fact that parents with young children are often excluded from fully participating in academic conference activities.
University education makes students more agreeable, conscientiousness A recent study published in Oxford Economic Papers indicates that university education has a dramatically positive effect on the development of non-cognitive skills like conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness, in addition to the expected intellectual benefits. The paper also shows that the impact of education on these skills is even more dramatic for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Tall black men are perceived as more threatening than tall white men, study shows The taller a guy is, the more attractive, intelligent, and successful he seems, right?
	Research team explores the melding of concepts from different fields In a new report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Christian E Vincenot from Kyoto University's Department of Social Informatics investigates how seemingly separate concepts in scientific fields fuse to become universal approaches.
	How social networks help perpetuate the cycle of segregation Think about the last time you looked for a new apartment or house.
	The fight for education doesn't stop when working-class boys get into university Whether it is high rates of suicide and mental health problems, a lack of appropriate role models, absent fathers, access to secure employment, drug and alcoholic dependency, men – when compared to their female counterparts – are often reported to be in trouble.
	How companies can make more money by allowing you to 'pay as you want' The last couple of years has seen the rise of restaurants, museums and other businesses allowing customers to pay as they want. There may be altruistic reasons for companies to adopt this pricing, but research shows that "pay what you want" pricing can sometimes lead to an increase in revenue.
	Climate change and looters threaten the archaeology of Mongolia The history and archaeology of Mongolia, most famously the sites associated with the largest land empire in the history of the world under Ghengis Khan, are of global importance. But they're facing unprecedented threats as climate change and looting impact ancient sites and collections.
	Digging up the precambrian—fossil burrows show early origins of animal behavior In the history of life on Earth, a dramatic and revolutionary change in the nature of the sea floor occurred in the early Cambrian (541–485 million years ago): the agronomic revolution. This phenomenon was coupled with the diversification of marine animals that could burrow into seafloor sediments. Previously, the sea floor was covered by hard microbial mats, and animals were limited to standing on, resting on, or moving horizontally along those mats. In the agronomic revolution, part of the so-called Cambrian Explosion of animal diversity and complexity, vertical burrowers began to churn up the underlying sediments, which softened and oxygenated the subsurface, created new ecological niches, and thus radically transformed the marine ecosystem into one more like that observed today.
Why some older people are rejecting digital technologies Fear of making mistakes and wider concerns about their social responsibility are among reasons why older people are rejecting digital technologies, a new study reveals.
	Great Recession still plagues workers with lower lifetime wages Losing a job often leads to lower earnings that stretch long beyond the time of unemployment. Yet it's hard to know exactly what causes these lower lifetime earnings.
	Two behaviors linked to high school dropout rates While the national high school dropout rate has declined, many school systems still struggle with a high number of students who do not finish high school.

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