Science X Newsletter Thursday, Feb 26

Phys.org Newsletter for February 26, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Surgeon to offer ideas on a way to do human head transplants 
- Remotely operated vehicle finds heterotrophs abundant in deepest part of the ocean 
- Research pair finds color a big factor in how much an image is shared on Pinterest 
- Spotify deals with random shuffle and we mortals 
- Pebble turns to crowdfunding (again) for latest smartwatch 
- Smart bottles make use of printed sensor tags 
- Teacher unconscious prejudices put girls off math, science 
- Researchers develop method for mapping neuron clusters 
- Altering perception of feeding state may promote healthy aging 
- Ancient wheat points to Stone Age trading links 
- Bumblebees make false memories too 
- Intermediary neuron acts as synaptic cloaking device 
- How mantis shrimp evolved many shapes with same powerful punch 
- Study identifies neurons that help predict what another individual will do 
- Amphibian chytrid fungus reaches Madagascar 

Nanotechnology news

	Caging of molecules allows investigation of equilibrium thermodynamics High performance materials for gas storage, thermal insulators or nanomachines need a thorough understanding of the behavior of the material down to the molecular level. Thermodynamics, which have been developed two hundred years ago to increase the efficiency of steam engines, typically observes and averages over a large number of molecules. Now a team of scientists has developed a methodology, to investigate the equilibrium thermodynamics of single molecules.
Ultra-small block 'M' illustrates big ideas in drug delivery By making what might be the world's smallest three-dimensional unofficial Block "M," University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated a nanoparticle manufacturing process capable of producing multilayered, precise shapes.
	Semiconductor miniaturisation with 2D nanolattices A European research project has made an important step towards the further miniaturisation of nanoelectronics, using a highly-promising new material called silicene. Its goal: to make devices of the future vastly more powerful and energy efficient.

Physics news

	Research team bends highly energetic electron beam with crystal An international team of researchers working at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has demonstrated that a bent silicon crystal can bend the paths of focused, very energetic electron beams much more than magnets used today. The method could be of interest for particle accelerator applications such as next-generation X-ray lasers that will help scientists unravel atomic structures and motions in unprecedented detail.
	Physicists find a new form of quantum friction Physicists at Yale University have observed a new form of quantum friction that could serve as a basis for robust information storage in quantum computers in the future. The researchers are building upon decades of research, experimentally demonstrating a procedure theorized nearly 30 years ago.
	Optical features embedded in marine shells may help develop responsive, transparent displays The blue-rayed limpet is a tiny mollusk that lives in kelp beds along the coasts of Norway, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. These diminutive organisms—as small as a fingernail—might escape notice entirely, if not for a very conspicuous feature: bright blue dotted lines that run in parallel along the length of their translucent shells. Depending on the angle at which light hits, a limpet's shell can flash brilliantly even in murky water.
	The building blocks of the future defy logic Wake up in the morning and stretch; your midsection narrows. Pull on a piece of plastic at separate ends; it becomes thinner. So does a rubber band. One might assume that when a force is applied along an axis, materials will always stretch and become thinner. Wrong. Thanks to their peculiar internal geometry, auxetic materials grow wider when stretched. After confounding scientists for decades, University of Malta researchers are now developing mathematical models to explain the unusual behaviour of these logic-defying materials, unlocking a plethora of applications that could change the way we envision the future forever.
New research predicts when, how materials will act In science, it's commonly known that materials can change in a number of ways when subjected to different temperatures, pressures or other environmental forces.
	Top-precision optical atomic clock starts ticking A state-of-the-art optical atomic clock, collaboratively developed by scientists from the University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University, and Nicolaus Copernicus University, is now "ticking away" at the National Laboratory of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Toruń, Poland. As the first of its kind in Poland and one of just a handful of clocks of this caliber in the world, the new clock will keep track of the passage of time with extraordinary precision.

Earth news

	Remotely operated vehicle finds heterotrophs abundant in deepest part of the ocean A team of researchers with ties to several institutions in Japan has found an abundance of microscopic bacteria known as heterotrophs living on or near the ocean floor in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes their expedition work and what they found using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
	Drilling ancient African lakes sheds light on human evolution How was human evolution and migration influenced by past changes in climate?
	30 years of above-average temperatures means the climate has changed If you're younger than 30, you've never experienced a month in which the average surface temperature of the Earth was below average.
Interaction of Atlantic and Pacific oscillations caused 'false pause' in warming The recent slowdown in climate warming is due, at least in part, to natural oscillations in the climate, according to a team of climate scientists, who add that these oscillations represent variability internal to the climate system. They do not signal any slowdown in human-caused global warming.
	World's challenges demand science changes—and fast, experts say World's challenges demand science changes - and fast, experts say. The world has little use - and precious little time—for detached experts.
Embrace unknowns, opt for flexibility in environmental policies We make hundreds, possibly thousands, of decisions each day without having full knowledge of what will happen next. Life is unpredictable, and we move forward the best we can despite not knowing every detail.
Geochemists model underground movement of stored carbon dioxide Computer modeling by geochemists at Indiana University and colleagues in China and Sweden takes scientists several steps closer to understanding what happens when greenhouse gases are injected deep underground in a process called carbon capture and storage.
Waste-biogas is at least ten times more effective than crop-biogas at reducing greenhouse gas emissions In a paper just released in the leading bioenergy journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy, researchers from Bangor University and the Thünen Institute in Germany conclude that crop-biogas and liquid biofuels are at best inefficient options for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, per hectare of land used and per £ public subsidy required. At worst these options could actually lead to higher global GHG emissions owing to indirect land use change caused by displacement of food production. In comparison, waste-biogas and Miscanthus (woody grass) heating pellets achieve at least ten times more GHG mitigation per tonne of dry matter biomass and per hectare of land used, respectively, leading to cost-effective GHG mitigation.
	'Blue-green algae' proliferating in lakes The organisms commonly known as blue-green algae have proliferated much more rapidly than other algae in lakes across North America and Europe over the past two centuries - and in many cases the rate of increase has sharply accelerated since the mid-20th century, according to an international team of researchers led by scientists at McGill University.
IPCC sea-level rise scenarios not fit for purpose for high-risk coastal areas The sea-level rise scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) do not necessarily provide the right information for high-risk coastal decision-making and management, according to new research involving scientists from the University of Southampton.
	Jordan, Israel sign deal to help save Dead Sea Jordan and Israel signed a deal on Thursday to build a pipeline to link the Red Sea with the shrinking Dead Sea and combat regional water shortages.
	Thousands of dead fish again wash up in Rio Olympic bay An "unprecedented" thousands of dead fish washed up in Rio's heavily polluted Guanabara Bay this week, deepening fears for the health of competitors at the 2016 Olympics and alarming fishermen.
	Africa, from a CATS point of view From Saharan dust storms to icy clouds to smoke on the opposite side of the continent, the first image from NASA's newest cloud- and aerosol-measuring instrument provides a profile of the atmosphere above Africa.
Food security in Africa needs a tailored approach, suggests new research A one-size-fits-all approach to African agriculture development will not lead to growth, suggests research published in Food policy. The authors of the study say that instead of blindly adopting 'solutions' that have worked in other continents, governments and researchers should consider the context more closely and develop a tailored approach. Selected by an international advisory board, the research paper has been awarded this month's Elsevier Atlas award.
	'Ecosystem services' help assess ocean energy development With many projects under development in coastal regions such as New England, tidal power—which extracts "hydrokinetic" energy from marine environments—seems poised to join other U.S. commercial power sources. A new study finds that little is known of the impacts that tidal power projects may have on coastal environments and the people who depend on them, but that the perspective of "ecosystem services" could provide a promising framework for evaluating impacts.
	Group backs off plan to put fracking ban on Colorado ballot (AP)—An activist group on Thursday backed off its earlier announcement that it would to try to get a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing on the Colorado ballot and said it would instead try to persuade Gov. John Hickenlooper to halt the practice.

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA missions may re-elevate Pluto and Ceres from dwarf planets to full-on planet status Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, and NASA's Dawn spacecraft will arrive at this dwarf planet on March 6, 2015.
	ALMA reveals surprisingly mild environment around a supermassive black hole A research team led by Shuro Takano at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and Taku Nakajima at Nagoya University observed the spiral galaxy M77, also known as NGC1068, with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and discovered that organic molecules are concentrated in a region surrounding a supermassive black hole at its center. Although these molecules around a black hole are throught to be dissociated by strong X-rays and UV photons, the research results indicate that some regions are shielded from X-rays and UV photons due to a large amount of dust and gas. These results, which were made possible by the high sensitivity and wideband observing capability of ALMA, will be a key to understanding the mysterious environment around supermassive black holes.
	Water-world Earths could host life, even if they're askew Life could be habitable on an Earth-sized waterworld tilted on its side if the oceans aren't too shallow, a new study reveals.
	What is Mars made of? For thousands of years, human beings have stared up at the sky and wondered about the Red Planet. Easily seen from Earth with the naked eye, ancient astronomers have charted its course across the heavens with regularity. By the 19th century, with the development of powerful enough telescopes, scientists began to observe the planet's surface and speculate about the possibility of life existing there.
	Looking deeply into the universe in 3-D The MUSE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope has given astronomers the best ever three-dimensional view of the deep Universe. After staring at the Hubble Deep Field South region for only 27 hours, the new observations reveal the distances, motions and other properties of far more galaxies than ever before in this tiny piece of the sky. They also go beyond Hubble and reveal previously invisible objects.
	New insight found in black hole collisions New research by an astrophysicist at The University of Texas at Dallas provides revelations about the most energetic event in the universe—the merging of two spinning, orbiting black holes into a much larger black hole.
	NASA's Chandra finds intriguing member of black hole family tree A newly discovered object in the galaxy NGC 2276 may prove to be an important black hole that helps fill in the evolutionary story of these exotic objects, as described in our latest press release. The main image in this graphic contains a composite image of NGC 2766 that includes X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (pink) combined with optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Digitized Sky Survey (red, green and blue). The inset is a zoom into the interesting source that lies in one of the galaxy's spiral arms. This object, called NGC 2276-3c, is seen in radio waves (red) in observations from the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network, or EVN.
	'Bright spot' on Ceres has dimmer companion Dwarf planet Ceres continues to puzzle scientists as NASA's Dawn spacecraft gets closer to being captured into orbit around the object. The latest images from Dawn, taken nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers) from Ceres, reveal that a bright spot that stands out in previous images lies close to yet another bright area.
	Astrophysicist explores star formation in Orion's belt U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) astrophysicist Dr. T.L. Wilson is part of a multi-national research team that has discovered an outburst in the infrared from a deeply embedded protostar. The Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS) team's discovery, which helps resolve the discrepancy between the mass accretion rate and luminosity, furthers their understanding of the early stages of star formation. This research is published in the February 10, 2015 issue of Astrophysical Journal.
	CubeSats offered deep-space ride on ESA asteroid probe Think of it as the ultimate hitchhiking opportunity: ESA is offering CubeSats a ride to a pair of asteroids in deep space.
	NASA spacecraft prepares for March 12 launch to study earth's dynamic magnetic space environment Final preparations are underway for the launch of NASA's quartet of Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, which constitute the first space mission dedicated to the study of magnetic reconnection. This fundamental process occurs throughout the universe where magnetic fields connect and disconnect with an explosive release of energy.

Technology news

	Smart bottles make use of printed sensor tags You're looking at a commercial future where vendors will seek to leverage new technologies to track customer behavior, buying patterns, user patterns and to send out information realtime, up close, personal, as never before possible. What if your bottle of Johnnie Walker bottle, for example, turned "smart" and helped to suggest cocktail recipes or promotional offers? That appears to be in the works and will be showcased next month. An NFC-enabled smart bottle was announced Wednesday and will be presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Diageo—focused on drinks—and Thin Film Electronics ("Thinfilm")—focused on printed electronics—are teaming up to add something new to the role of the bottle. They have announced a prototype Johnnie Walker Blue Label "smart bottle." The prototype will be on display at Thinfilm's booth at the show.
	Pebble turns to crowdfunding (again) for latest smartwatch Never mind that there are a number of smartwatch brands on the market and that competition is fierce. Never mind that the marketplace is getting crowded with brands in an increasingly competitive smartwatch arena, with eyes staring beyond in wait of the Apple watch coming out this year, no less. Who dares to join the parade? Palo Alto, California-based Pebble does, is still at it, the smartwatch pioneers still actively promoting an ability to produce an ideal smartwatch that people won't just like but love.
	Research pair finds color a big factor in how much an image is shared on Pinterest A pair of researchers, one with Yahoo Labs, the other Georgian Tech University, has found via analysis of data on the photo sharing site Pinterest, that the colors that dominate in an image can have an impact on how much an image is shared. In their paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, Saeideh Bakhshi and Eric Gilbert describe how they obtained sharing information on over a million images on the site, and what trends they found by doing so.
	Spotify deals with random shuffle and we mortals How do we mortals perceive random sequences? An entry in the question-and-answer site Quora focused on a question involving a music-streaming service Spotify. That question signifies how we perceive what is and what is not random.
	Linguists tackle computational analysis of grammar Children don't have to be told that "cat" and "cats" are variants of the same word—they pick it up just by listening. To a computer, though, they're as different as, well, cats and dogs. Yet it's computers that are assumed to be superior in detecting patterns and rules, not 4-year olds. John Goldsmith, the Edward Carson Waller Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science, and graduate student Jackson Lee are trying to, if not to solve that puzzle definitively, at least provide the tools to do so.
New paper focuses on degree centrality in networks Social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter play an increasingly central role in our lives. Centrality is also an important concept in the theory of social networks. Centrality of an individual, called a "node" in network theory, measures its relative importance within a network.
	Social circles: Study details the degree to which urban movement is linked to social activity If you live in a city, you know that a fair amount of your movement around town is social in nature. But how much, exactly? A new study co-authored by MIT researchers uses a novel method to infer that around one-fifth of urban movement is strictly social, a finding that holds up consistently in multiple cities.
	Vandalism in Arizona shows the Internet's vulnerability (AP)—Computers, cellphones and landlines in Arizona were knocked out of service for hours, ATMs stopped working, 911 systems were disrupted and businesses were unable to process credit card transactions—all because vandals sliced through a fiber-optic Internet cable buried in the rocky desert.
Judge orders Oracle to keep hosting Oregon's Medicaid system (AP)—An Oregon judge has ordered technology giant Oracle Corp. to continue hosting Oregon's Medicaid health insurance system for low-income Oregonians even after the company's contract expires this weekend.
	Google unveils reorganization in Europe Google said Wednesday it was launching a reorganization of its European operations in the face of a tougher regulatory environment.
	Gmail available in Burmese, the email's 74th language Google said Wednesday that Gmail is now available in Burmese, marking the 74th language for the popular email service.
	Bank regulator eyes tougher rules to fight hacking Banks could be required to beef up their online password systems under new regulations designed to avert a so-called "cyber 9/11," a top financial regulator said Wednesday.
	Cyber thugs taking data hostage Marriage therapist Valerie Goss turned on her computer one day and found that all of her data was being held hostage.
	Regulators move to toughen Internet provider rules (AP)—Internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile would have to act in the "public interest" when providing a mobile connection to your home or phone, under new rules being considered by the Federal Communications Commission.
	Creating the energy Internet It only takes a power outage of a few minutes in the middle of a busy workday to drive home the hazards of relying on an energy infrastructure rooted in the Industrial Age. Without the electricity delivered over the nation's power grid, commerce would grind to a halt, communication networks would fail, transportation would stop and cities would go dark.
	Machines master classic video games without being told the rules Think you're good at classic arcade games such as Space Invaders, Breakout and Pong? Think again.
	Intelligent data analysis with guaranteed privacy Siemens is developing tools that ensure smart data applications abide by data protection regulations. The reliable protection of data privacy is very important because it is a precondition for people or institutions to provide applications with personal data. In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (Fraunhofer IAIS), the researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) are therefore creating a toolbox that helps users of smart data to adhere to the data protection regulations that apply to their applications. Although a great variety of algorithms exist for making data anonymous, many of them are not suited to the software environments that are typical of smart data. The new toolbox will contain a selection of algorithms for such environments.
	Radar sensors support parking management Siemens is researching the use of sensor networks in an advanced parking management solution that will hopefully counter the increasing parking space crisis in cities. The online magazine Pictures of the Future reports about this solution, which will be used this spring for the first time in a pilot project in Berlin. In this concept, sensor networks collect information about the parking situation in cities. The information is forwarded to the drivers in order to make it easier for them to find unoccupied parking spaces. In addition, the data is transmitted to a parking management center so that cities can intelligently manage their parking spaces.
	Florentine basilica gets high-tech physical Late last year, two University of California, San Diego students set out for Florence, Italy, to diagnose a patient that had no prior medical record, couldn't be poked or prodded in any way, and hadn't been in prime condition for more than 800 years.
International project will improve wind farm efficiency and profitability AWESOME, financed in the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme, gathers some of Europe's most prominent research centres, universities and businesses in the field of wind power with a view to enhancing knowledge on wind farm management and maintenance.
We could all be worse off because of price comparison websites The existence of price comparison websites may be bad for consumers, research by the University of Warwick's Department of Economics has found.
Negative posts hurt company's rep, but 'inoculation' may help, says study When people read negative Facebook posts about an organization, it erodes their trust in the institution and diminishes its reputation. Efforts to "inoculate" readers against damaging messages, however, do appear to mitigate the harm somewhat.
Local electricity could meet half our needs by 2050 Research conducted by nine leading UK universities has found that up to 50 per cent of electricity demand in the UK could be met by distributed and low carbon sources by 2050.
Lithium from the coal in China: Extracting lithium metal from Chinese coal Coal from China could become a major source of the metal lithium, according to a review of the geochemistry by scientists published in the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology.
Cyber threats expanding, new US intelligence assessment says (AP)—The U.S. has elevated its appraisal of the cyber threat from Russia, the U.S. intelligence chief said Thursday, as he delivered the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country.
Automakers hire rocket firm to probe air bag problems (AP)—The auto industry, fed up with slow progress toward finding the cause of air bags to explode with too much force, has hired a Virginia rocket science company to investigate the matter.
	Facebook adds new gender option for users: fill in the blank Facebook users who don't fit any of the 58 gender identity options offered by the social media giant are now being given a rather big 59th option: fill in the blank.
	Spotify woos karaoke users with new lyrics feature Fans of a bedroom sing-along can now look beyond karaoke systems as music streaming giant Spotify tries to attract their attention by integrating lyrics into its service.
	US regulator adopts rules banning two-speed Internet US regulators Thursday approved landmark Internet rules that would prevent broadband providers from separating online traffic into slow and fast lanes.
	Mystery Apple event planned for March 9, likely on Watch Apple sent invitations Thursday for a mystery event due to take place March 9, amid speculation about an imminent launch of its much anticipated Apple Watch.
Google looks for more revenue from ads in Android app store (AP)—Google will start showing ads in its online store for mobile apps and entertainment as the Internet search leader strives to bring in more revenue from smartphones and tablets.
German consumer groups warns Facebook over data protection (AP)—German consumer groups said Thursday they will file a lawsuit against Facebook unless the social network changes its terms of service.
Key facts on US 'open Internet' regulation A landmark ruling by the US Federal Communications Commission seeks to enshrine the notion of an "open Internet," or "net neutrality." Here are key points:
Nickelodeon debuts mobile service Noggin for the pre-K set (AP)—Nickelodeon is creating brand-new content and resurrecting old shows for a mobile subscription service aimed at preschoolers.
	Young Spaniards moving to Germany get trapped in dismal jobs (AP)—Edur Ansa couldn't find work for a year after he got his nursing degree from Barcelona University. Like many other Spaniards, he started looking for work in Germany and ended up with a job at a private hospital.
Bayer confident after 'successful' 2014 German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer said Thursday it was "optimistic" for business this year after a "very successful" 2014.
	Pakistan tightens cellphone control after Taliban massacre (AP)—Almost every Pakistani citizen has a cellphone, but from now on, Big Brother is checking to make sure their name, number and fingerprints are on record. The measures are meant to tighten control of cellphones and avert their use for militant attacks after the Taliban massacre two months ago at a school in Peshawar.
SatisFactory project for more attractive factories launched Known as either "Industrial Revolution 4.0" or as "Industrial Renaissance", the need for visionary industrial approaches is widely recognized in the European Union. SatisFactory, a three-year research project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon2020 program, started in January 2015 to tackle this problem and offer a feasible and attractive solution for the shopfloor of smart factories. The Information Technologies Institute (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas), the coordinator of the project is going to research and develop emerging knowledge-driven training techniques and wearable devices for the enhancement of innovation, productivity and scheduling of work in factory production lines, while improving flexibility through the support of team interactions.
	Imec demonstrates compact wavelength-division multiplexing CMOS silicon photonics transceiver Today, at the 2015 International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), nanoelectronics research center imec, in collaboration with Tyndall National Institute, the University of Leuven (KULeuven) and the Ghent University, demonstrated a 4x20Gb/s wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) hybrid CMOS silicon photonics transceiver, paving the way to cost-effective, high-density single-mode optical fiber links.
	Breakthrough in CMOS-based transceivers for MM-wave radar systems Today, at the 2015 International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), imec and Panasonic presented a transceiver chip for phase-modulated continuous-wave radar at 79GHz. This achievement demonstrates the potential of downscaled CMOS for cheap millimeter-wave (mm-wave) radar systems that can be used for accurate presence and motion detection.
	Demonstration of "CrystEna" energy storage system Hitachi America, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. and Demansys Energy, Inc. ("Demansys"), a smart grid technology company with offices in Connecticut and Troy, New York, announced today that they have completed construction and commissioning of a 1 MW Lithium Ion energy storage facility utilizing Hitachi's "CrystEna" compact container-type energy storage system and have started a demonstration project in Somerdale, New Jersey.
Italian pacemaker firm Sorin to merge with Cyberonics The Italian manufacturer of pacemakers Sorin announced Thursday it plans to merge with US medical device firm Cyberonics, creating a new company valued at around 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion).
IBM outlines plan to revamp business for investors (AP)—IBM's CEO says the company's plan to revamp its business to shift away from hardware and focus on business analytics, cloud computing, mobile services and security is on track.
	Barnes & Noble to keep Nook digital business after all (AP)—Barnes & Noble is keeping its Nook Media digital business after all.
FCC allows city-owned Internet providers to expand (AP)—The Federal Communications Commission says city-owned broadband companies can expand and compete with commercial Internet providers.
Tech stocks soaring again, but with stronger wings this time (AP)—Whenever you hear, "this time is different," the wise move is usually to ignore it.
Judge orders suspension of WhatsApp in Brazil (AP)—A judge says he has ordered the suspension of the globally popular instant messaging system WhatsApp across Brazil because it has allegedly failed to help in an investigation.

Biology news

	Baby sea turtles starved of oxygen by beach microbes On a small stretch of beach at Ostional in Costa Rica, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles nest simultaneously in events known as arribadas. Because there are so many eggs in the sand, nesting females frequently dig up previously laid nests, leaving the beach littered with broken eggs. But these endangered sea turtles are facing a new threat: sand microbes encouraged by the decomposing eggs.
	Bio-inspired computer model that can design street layouts Researchers at the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC) at The University of Western Australia have created a biologically inspired computer model that can autonomously design urban residential layouts without human assistance.
Lager yeast ancestors were full of eastern promise There are few drinks as iconic as a 'pint of the black stuff'. It might, therefore, surprise beer connoisseurs to learn that the DNA of the all-important brewing yeast – the building blocks of the perfect Stout – is the same as that which encodes the yeast required to brew a clean, crisp lager.
	A taxi ride to starch granules Plant scientists at ETH have discovered a specific protein that significantly influences the formation of starch in plant cells. The findings may be useful in the food and packaging industries.
	Amphibian chytrid fungus reaches Madagascar The chytrid fungus, which is fatal to amphibians, has been detected in Madagascar for the first time. This means that the chytridiomycosis pandemic, which has been largely responsible for the decimation of the salamander, frog and toad populations in the USA, Central America and Australia, has now reached a biodiversity hotspot.
Study affirms role of specialized protein in assuring normal cell development Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center and New York University have demonstrated that a specialized DNA-binding protein called CTCF is essential for the precise expression of genes that control the body plan of a developing embryo.
Malaria transmission linked to mosquitoes' sexual biology Sexual biology may be the key to uncovering why Anopheles mosquitoes are unique in their ability to transmit malaria to humans, according to researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Perugia, Italy. Through analysis of 16 Anopheles genomes, they found that these mosquitoes' reproductive traits evolved along with their capacity to transmit the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria. These findings may provide a new target for malaria control, particularly in regions hardest hit by the disease.
	Fighting the Colorado potato beetle with RNA interference Colorado potato beetles are a dreaded pest of potatoes all over the world. Since they do not have natural enemies in most potato producing regions, farmers try to control them with pesticides. However, this strategy is often ineffective because the pest has developed resistances against nearly all insecticides. Now, scientists from the Max Planck Institutes of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and Chemical Ecology in Jena have shown that potato plants can be protected from herbivory using RNA interference (RNAi). They genetically modified plants to enable their chloroplasts to accumulate double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeted against essential beetle genes.
	How mantis shrimp evolved many shapes with same powerful punch The miniweight boxing title of the animal world belongs to the mantis shrimp, a cigar-sized crustacean whose front claws can deliver an explosive 60-mile-per-hour blow akin to a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun.
	Intermediary neuron acts as synaptic cloaking device Neuroscientists believe that the connectome, a map of each and every connection between the millions of neurons in the brain, will provide a blueprint that will allow them to link brain anatomy to brain function. But a new study from Carnegie Mellon University has found that a specific type of neuron might be thwarting their efforts at mapping the connectome by temporarily cloaking the synapses that link a wide field of neurons.
	Bumblebees make false memories too It's well known that our human memory can fail us. People can be forgetful, and they can sometimes also "remember" things incorrectly, with devastating consequences in the classroom, courtroom, and other areas of life. Now, researchers show for the first time in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on February 26 that bumblebees can be unreliable witnesses too.
	Cats put sight over smell in finding food Cats may prefer to use their eyes rather than follow their nose when it comes to finding the location of food, according to new research by leading animal behaviourists.
Sharp rise in experimental animal research in US The use of animals in experimental research has soared at leading US laboratories in recent years, finds research published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
	Study characterizes genetic resistance to wheat disease A new study co-authored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers has unearthed the genetic roots of resistance to a wheat disease that has recently devastated crop yields from southern Africa through the Middle East.
	Scientists rustle up snail solution with microwave Researchers at the Department of Agriculture and Food WA have shown low doses of microwave radiation can completely eradicate snail populations in localised areas.
Forest tree seeds stored in the Svalbard seed vault A new method for the conservation of the genetic diversity of forest trees will see its launch on 26 February 2015, as forest tree seeds are for the first time stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Spitsbergen Island, protected by permafrost. Conserving the genetic resources of forest trees is part of the mandate of the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
	Aerial robots, artificial intelligence and statistics revolutionise wildlife tracking and research Monitoring the movements and populations of koalas, dingos, feral pigs and other wildlife will be a lot easier thanks to a QUT collaboration involving a dynamic blend of high profile research areas including aerial robots, artificial intelligence and Bayesian statistics.
	Unburnt habitat needed to safeguard animal diversity Fire management plans need to conserve long unburnt tracts of land to ensure habitat for a greater diversity of mammals and reptiles, according to a recent Edith Cowan University study.
	Aggressive plant fungus threatens wheat production The spread of exotic and aggressive strains of a plant fungus is presenting a serious threat to wheat production in the UK, according to research published in Genome Biology. The research uses a new surveillance technique that could be applied internationally to respond to the spread of a wide variety of plant diseases.
Better genes for better beans Some of the most underappreciated crops could soon become the most valuable tools in agriculture with new research from the Centre for Underutilised Crops at the University of Southampton. Coordinator Mark Chapman has created a resource of new genetic data that will enable scientists to uncover why certain legume crops succeed where others fail. Ultimately, the new data will prepare the world for future pressures on agriculture.
	Skeleton of cells controls cell multiplication A research team from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC; Portugal), led by Florence Janody, in collaboration with Nicolas Tapon from London Research Institute (LRI; UK), discovered that the cell's skeleton can trigger the multiplication of cells through the action of proteins that control cellular rigidity. During this process genes that promote cancer - oncogenes - become activated, leading to tumor formation in living organisms. This study was published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Current Biology.
	Could squirmy livestock dent Africa's protein deficit? As a cheap and easy source of protein for humans, it might be hard to beat the mighty mealworm.
	Living in the genetic comfort zone The information encoded in the DNA of an organism is not sufficient to determine the expression pattern of genes. This fact has been known even before the discovery of epigenetics, which refers to external modifications to the DNA that turn genes "on" or "off". These modifications do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how genes are expressed. Another, less known mechanism called canalization keeps organisms robust despite genetic mutations and environmental stressors. If an organism experiences environmental or genetic perturbations during its development, such as extreme living conditions or genetic mutations, canalization acts as a way of buffering these disturbances. The organism remains stable and can continue to develop without recognizable changes.
Parasite infecting Florida snails poses health danger (AP)—A rare parasite found in snails and rats that can cause serious health problems in humans and animals is more pervasive in South Florida than previously thought, a new study has found.
	Feds spot third baby orca born recently to imperiled pods (AP)—U.S. scientists following endangered killer whales from a research vessel have spotted a baby orca off the coast of Washington state, the third birth documented this winter but still leaving the population dangerously low.
A whale of a fight is brewing over Atlantic coastal drilling Oil and gas companies hoping to drill in the Atlantic Ocean will have to contend with a new federal proposal to declare waters off the Carolinas and Georgia as critical for endangered whales.
Study shows troubling rise in use of animals in experiments Despite industry claims of reduced animal use as well as federal laws and policies aimed at reducing the use of animals, the number of animals used in leading U.S. laboratories increased a staggering 73 percent from 1997 to 2012, according to a new study by PETA to be published Feb. 25 11:30 p.m. UK time in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Ethics, the world's leading bioethics journal.
Wheat harvest larger than oat for the first time in a century On the average, the Finnish grain crop harvest has been over four billion kilograms every other year in the 2000s. In 2014, this figure was exceeded for the seventh time. For the first time in the over hundred years that crop statistics have been compiled in Finland, the wheat crop was slightly larger than that of oat. In recent years, barley, wheat and oat crops have been sufficient to enable exporting. The same does not apply to rye.

Medicine & Health news

	Surgeon to offer ideas on a way to do human head transplants Sergio Canavero of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group has made it known that he intends to announce at this summer's American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons meeting, that he believes he has put together a group of techniques that should make it possible to attach a human donor body to a head. As a preview, he has published his ideas in Surgical Neurology International.
	Vilsack: Smart phones could tell consumers what's in food (AP)—In the ever-complicated debate over labeling of genetically modified foods, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he has an idea: use your smart phone.
	Harry Potter provides window into the DNA of behavioral genetics Harry Potter, the hero of J. K. Rowling's seven fantasy novels, is a chip off the old wizarding block when it comes to quidditch, the fictional sport played by rival houses at Hogwarts, the school for wizards and witches. Like his father before him, Harry is a master of the game. Perhaps his skill is in his DNA.
	A new understanding of Alzheimer's Although natural selection is often thought of as a force that determines the adaptation of replicating organisms to their environment, Harvard researchers have found that selection also occurs at the level of neurons, which are post-mitotic cells, and plays a critical role in the emergence of Alzheimer's disease.
	DNA 'barcodes' help researchers track rise, fall of yeast dynasties Bakers and beer brewers welcome the gentle, gradual bubbling that occurs when yeast is stirred into warm, sugary liquid. However, this soothing sign that all is well in the kitchen or brewery belies a pitched battle waged just under the murky surface.
	Watching the death throes of tumours A clinical trial due to begin later this year will see scientists observing close up, in real time – and in patients – how tumours respond to new drugs.
	Research cracks the code that governs infections caused by simple, single-stranded RNA viruses Researchers, including Dr Robert Coutts, Research Fellow from the School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, have cracked a code that governs infections caused by simple, single-stranded RNA viruses similar in many respects to viruses that cause the common cold, polio and the winter vomiting norovirus infections.
	Marshaling the body's own weapons against psoriasis A three-character code brings relief to patients with psoriasis and sheds light on complex immunoregulation processes: IL-4, an abbreviation for the endogenous signaling molecule Interleukin 4. The substance's ability to inhibit inflammation is well known, but its mechanism of action was not fully understood. Scientists from the Technische Universität München (TUM) and the University of Tübingen have now shown in an animal model and in a study on patients exactly how IL-4 helps against psoriasis at the molecular level and the important role it plays in our immune system.
	Thinking of God makes people bigger risk-takers Reminders of God can make people more likely to seek out and take risks, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings suggest that people are willing to take these risks because they view God as providing security against potential negative outcomes.
Researchers reverse type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease in rats Yale researchers developed a controlled-release oral therapy that reversed type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease in rats, according to a study published on Feb. 26 by Science.
	Research shows Asian herb holds promise as treatment for Ebola virus disease New research that focuses on the mechanism by which Ebola virus infects a cell and the discovery of a promising drug therapy candidate is being published February 27, 2015, in the journal Science. Dr. Robert Davey, scientist and Ewing Halsell Scholar in the Department of Immunology and Virology at Texas Biomedical Research Institute announced today that a small molecule called Tetrandrine derived from an Asian herb has shown to be a potent small molecule inhibiting infection of human white blood cells in vitro or petri dish experiments and prevented Ebola virus disease in mice.
	Study identifies neurons that help predict what another individual will do Every day we make decisions based on predicting what someone else will do - from deciding whether the driver approaching an intersection will stop for the red light to determining whether a particular negotiation strategy will result in a desired outcome. Now a study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has discovered two groups of neurons that play key roles in social interactions between primates - one that is activated when deciding whether to cooperate with another individual and another group involved in predicting what the other will do. Their findings appear in the March 12 issue of Cell and have been published online.
Altering perception of feeding state may promote healthy aging Targeting mechanisms in the central nervous system that sense energy generated by nutrients might yield the beneficial effects of low-calorie diets on healthy aging without the need to alter food intake, suggests new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Researchers develop method for mapping neuron clusters A team of scientists has developed a method for identifying clusters of neurons that work in concert to guide the behavior. Their findings, which appear in the journal Neuron, address a long-standing mystery about the organization of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)—one of the most recently evolved parts of the primate brain that underlies complex cognitive functions.
Should smoking be banned in UK parks? Lord Ara Darzi and Oliver Keown at the Institute of Global Health Innovation want a ban to help smokers quit and to protect children from seeing people lighting up.
Million man study examines long-term effects of blocking inflammation Inflammation - the body's response to damaging stimuli - may have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease, according to a study published today in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Shopping vouchers could help 1 in 5 pregnant women quit smoking Financial incentives could help one in five women quit smoking during pregnancy, according to new research published today in the journal Addiction. The study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King's College London, found that only a small number of women 'gamed' the system to receive the incentives whilst continuing to smoke.
People with ADHD are twice as likely to die prematurely, often due to accidents People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD have a lower life expectancy and are more than twice as likely to die prematurely as those without the disorder, according to new research published in The Lancet. Accidents are the most common cause of death in people with ADHD, and the relative risk of dying is much higher for women than men with ADHD and individuals diagnosed in adulthood. The study is the first to shed light on the role of ADHD in premature death.
Sewage provides insight into human microbiome A new study demonstrates that sewage is an effective means to sample the fecal bacteria from millions of people. Researchers say the information gleaned from the work provides a unique opportunity to monitor, through gut microbes, the public health of a large population without compromising the privacy of individuals.
Children of undocumented Mexican immigrants have heightened risk of behavior problems Children of undocumented Mexican immigrants have a significantly higher risk of behavior problems than their co-ethnic counterparts with documented or naturalized citizen mothers, according to a new study.
	Competition among physicians and retail clinics drive up antibiotic prescribing rate Competition among doctors' offices, urgent care centers and retail medical clinics in wealthy areas of the U.S. often leads to an increase in the number of antibiotic prescriptions written per person, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers has found.
	Study maps extroversion types in the brain's anatomy Everyday experience and psychological studies alike tell us that there are two different types of extroverts: The gregarious "people-persons" who find reward in sharing affection and affiliation with others, and the ambitious "go-getters" who flash those bright-white smiles in their pursuit of achievement and leadership agendas. A new study shows that these overlapping yet distinct personalities have commensurately overlapping yet distinct signatures in the anatomy of the brain.
Ebola doctor: Media, politicians fueled the public's fear (AP)—A doctor who contracted the deadly Ebola virus but rode the subway system and dined out before he recovered from it said the media and politicians could have done a better job by educating people on the science of it instead of focusing on their fears.
	Can a zen-like state of mind power super cyclist to one of sport's great world records? A golden age of British cycling appears to be coming to an end. In the recent World Championships in Paris, the country's cyclists performed below expectations, recording their poorest showing at that level since 2001.
Team approach boosts human and environmental wellbeing Even seemingly intractable problems such as the antibiotic crisis and the obesity epidemic could be resolved by treating human health and society as an integral part of an ecosystem.
Retinal swelling in premature infants tied to poorer neuro-development Using a portable, non-invasive imaging device, a team of Duke Medicine doctors have identified swelling in the back of the eyes of premature infants that correlates with poorer neurodevelopment as the babies grow.
	Students use new lab to study how sounds influence human health The Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State has established the Social Science Acoustics Lab in Keller Building at the University Park campus. The lab is used in a variety of ways to investigate the impact natural sounds have on human health.
	Obesity poses serious health risks for moms and their babies Veronica Romero was 21 years old and worried. Pregnant with her first child, she was putting on a lot of weight. Her obstetrician leveled with her: "You're gaining too much." But as she neared 50 pounds of weight gain near the end of her pregnancy, Romerfo felt helpless. "I tried to watch what I was eating, but it was so hard. Pregnant women get cravings, and my cravings were sugary," recalls Romero, who had fought her weight even before conceiving.
	Seeking solutions for the impact of obesity stigma Arizona State University medical anthropologist and President's Professor Alexandra Brewis Slade says that even as more and more Americans find themselves carrying extra weight, the stigma attached to being overweight has grown.
Newly identified protein expected to help with spinal cord injury treatment A research group from Waseda University, Japan, has discovered that by controlling CRMP4, a protein that regulates the body's cytoskeleton, it is possible to prevent reactions that impede recovery.
	Gut microbes targeted for diagnosis, treatment of childhood undernutrition Guided by the immune system, researchers have identified types of gut bacteria in young children in Malawi that are linked to nutritional health and that have diagnostic and therapeutic implications for childhood undernutrition.
Scientists discover beliefs can be just as powerful as nicotine Two identical cigarettes led to a discovery by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. Study participants inhaled nicotine, yet they showed significantly different brain activity. Why the difference? Some subjects were told their cigarettes were nicotine free.
Longer duration of prescribed antismoking medication before quitting appears promising Smokers may be more likely to successfully quit their habit if simple adjustments were made to how an existing anti-smoking medication is prescribed, according to a new study by a University at Buffalo research team.
	Irisin destroys aggressive cancer cells without negatively affecting normal cells University of New Mexico researchers are studying a newly discovered hormone that releases from muscle after exercise. Irisin, named for the Greek "messenger" goddess Iris, may prevent breast cancer and boost the effects of chemotherapy drugs used in breast cancer treatment.
	Study suggests that limiting saturated fat could help people with a genetic predisposition to obesity Limiting saturated fat could help people whose genetic makeup increases their chance of being obese. Researchers the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts identified 63 gene variants related to obesity and used them to calculate an obesity risk score for more than 2,800 white American men and women enrolled in two large studies on preventing heart disease.
	Technology as a social lifeline for kids with Asperger's Technology is often maligned for having a negative influence on young people, particularly on their ability to develop healthy social relations and a sense of identity. But technology can also be a force for good.
	New molecule could slow Parkinson's Researchers have designed a molecule that, if developed into a drug, could slow the progression of Parkinson's Disease.
Brain biomarkers could provide the ammunition to fight eating disorders During Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Dr Ciara McCabe, neuroscientist at the University of Reading, says we need more understanding of the neurobiology of these disorders if we are to develop new, effective treatments.
New drug treatment could offer stroke survivors better outcomes Promising results for a new drug treatment for ischaemic stroke patients have been published today in the journal Lancet Neurology.
	One brain area, two planning strategies Ready to strike, the spear fisherman holds his spear above the water surface. He aims at the fish. But he is misled by the view: Due to the refraction of light on the surface, he does not see the actual location of the fish. How must his brain now plan the arm movement? Do the brain cells (neurons) reflect the position where the fish was spotted, in other words, the visual target? Or do they plan the physical target, which is the actual direction in which the arm and spear should move in order to hit the fish?
Early signs in young children predict type 1 diabetes New research shows that it is possible to predict the development of type 1 diabetes. By measuring the presence of autoantibodies in the blood, it is possible to detect whether the immune system has begun to break down the body's own insulin cells.
Researchers identify pancreatic cancer patients who benefit from personalized treatment Cancer researchers at Indiana University report that about 15 percent of people with pancreatic cancer may benefit from therapy targeting a newly identified gene signature.
Research suggests anesthetics could have long-term impact on children's brains A group of anesthesiologists and toxicologists today issued a caution to parents and health care professionals about the use of general anesthetics in children.
	Researchers demonstrate optogenetic stimulation of the brain to control pain A new study by a University of Texas at Arlington physics team in collaboration with bioengineering and psychology researchers shows for the first time how a small area of the brain can be optically stimulated to control pain.
Twin study lends new insights into link between back pain and depression Genetic factors help to explain the commonly found association between low back pain and depression, suggests a large study of twins in the March issue of PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Researchers find link between persistent insomnia and increased mortality risk A connection between persistent insomnia and increased inflammation and mortality has been identified by a group of researchers from the University of Arizona. Their study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, found that people who suffer from persistent insomnia are at greater risk than those who experience intermittent insomnia.
Chemo before breast cancer operation increases likelihood of breast-preserving procedure Patients with largEr malignant tumors of the breast who undergo chemotherapy before a breast cancer operation are more likely to opt for a breast-preserving procedure and forgo a mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast), according to a new study published online as an "article in press" in the journal of the american college of surgeons. the study will appear in a print edition of the Journal this spring.
Ireland passes EU's first tobacco plain packaging law Ireland on Thursday became the first European Union member state to pass a law introducing mandatory plain packaging for tobacco products, prompting the tobacco industry to threaten legal action.
Researchers identify protein pathway involved in brain tumor stem cell growth Glioblastomas are a highly aggressive type of brain tumor, with few effective treatment options. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are one step closer to understanding glioblastoma development following the identification of a key protein signaling pathway involved in brain tumor stem cell growth and survival. Brain tumor stem cells are believed to play an important role in glioblastoma development and may be possible therapeutic targets.
Reasons for ibrutinib therapy discontinuation in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia About 10 percent of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) discontinued therapy with the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor drug ibrutinib because of disease progression during clinical trials, according to a study published online by JAMA Oncology.
Patient perceptions of physician compassion measured Cancer patients perceived a higher level of compassion and preferred physicians when they provided a more optimistic message in a clinical trial that used videos with doctors portrayed by actors, according to a study published online by JAMA Oncology.
Human antibodies target Marburg, Ebola viruses; 1 step closer to vaccine Researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The Scripps Research Institute for the first time have shown how human antibodies can neutralize the Marburg virus, a close cousin to Ebola.
	Small molecule helps get stem cells to sites of disease and damage Bioengineers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) with collaborators at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi have identified small molecules that can be used to program stem cells to home in on sites of damage, disease and inflammation. The techniques used to find and test these small molecules may represent important tools in advancing cell-based therapy, offering a new strategy for delivering cells to the right locations in the body. The results of their work appear online this week in Cell Reports.
	Scaffold-free iPS cell-based hyaline cartilage for joint repair Cranky knees and other joint pains are normal in the elderly and sometimes even in the young. While these pains are rarely life threatening, those who have them know the burden and effect on quality of life. In many cases, the cause is a loss of hyaline cartilage, which does not have the capacity to regenerate, meaning once gone it is gone forever. Hyaline cartilage is constituted of chondrocytes and its secretions, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, which includes collagens II and XI. They do not include collagen I, which is the primary collagen in fibrocartilage, or scar tissue. The key to a successful recovery then is to introduce into the deteriorated cartilage chondrocytes that secrete only hyaline cartilage ECM proteins.
Leukemia-associated mutations almost inevitable as we age It is almost inevitable that we will develop genetic mutations associated with leukaemia as we age, according to research published today in Cell Reports. Based on a study of 4219 people without any evidence of blood cancer, scientists estimate that up to 20 per cent of people aged 50-60 and more than 70 per cent of people over 90 have blood cells with the same gene changes as found in leukaemia.
Gene discovery sheds light on causes of rare type of dwarfism A gene linked to a type of dwarfism has been identified, in a development that will help to provide better diagnoses for those families affected.
HIV latency is not an accident: It is a survival tactic employed by the virus New research from the Gladstone Institutes for the first time provides strong evidence that HIV latency is controlled not by infected host cells, but by the virus itself. This fundamentally changes how scientists perceive latency, presenting it as an evolutionarily advantageous phenomenon rather than a biological accident.
GLP-1 secretion is reduced in overweight, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes GLP-1 is a hormone that regulates glucose levels in the body by stimulating the secretion of insulin, and GLP-1 also inhibits appetite. "We have found that GLP-1 is reduced by up to 25% among people with pre-diabetes and up to 20% among obese people compared to normal weight people. This indicates that the reduction in GLP-1 is not a consequence of type 2 diabetes, but appears much earlier in the disease development and may predispose people to type 2 diabetes," says one of the lead investigators Kristine Faerch, Senior Research Fellow at the Steno Diabetes Center in Gentofte, Denmark.
Interaction of estrogen receptor and coactivators seen for first time For more than 50 years, Dr. Bert O'Malley, chair of Baylor College of Medicine's department of molecular and cellular biology, has worked to understand the estrogen receptor, how it works and how it partners with other molecules in the cell.
	Growth signal can influence cancer cells' vulnerability to drugs, study suggests In theory, a tumor is an army of clones, made up of many copies of the original cancerous cell. But tumor cells don't always act like duplicates, and their unpredictable behavior can create problems for treatment. For while some cells within a tumor succumb to anti-cancer drugs, others may survive to bring the cancer back to life once therapy has ended.
Novel precision medicine tool could help personalize cancer treatments By measuring how vigorously tumor cells turn on "self-destruct" signals when exposed to different cancer drugs, a novel lab test can predict within less than 24 hours which agent is most likely to work against a particular tumor, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
	CDC: in U.S., half million C. difficile infections in 2011 (HealthDay)—Almost half a million Americans were infected with the bacteria Clostridium difficile in 2011, and 29,000 died within a month of diagnosis, U.S. health officials say. The report is published in the Feb. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
	More musculoskeletal pain for workers in interventional lab (HealthDay)—Health care workers who are involved in procedures utilizing radiation more often report experiencing work-related musculoskeletal pain, according to a study published in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	CBT, sertraline insufficient in diabetes and depression (HealthDay)—For patients with diabetes and depression, improvements in depression are seen with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or sertraline, with a significant advantage for sertraline, but glycemic control remains unchanged with both treatments, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in Diabetes Care.
	Longer needles recommended for epinephrine autoinjectors (HealthDay)—Given the increasing epidemic of obesity, epinephrine autoinjectors (EAIs) for anaphylaxis require longer needles to ensure intramuscular injection, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in Allergy.
	U.S. pedestrian death rate leveling off, but still too high (HealthDay)—The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads is expected to remain unchanged from 2013 to 2014, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
	More cases of high blood pressure in less affluent states (HealthDay)—Your odds of suffering from high blood pressure may rise depending on the state you live in, a new study suggests.
	Cancer drug first tested in pet dogs begins human trials A new drug that prompts cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing healthy cells is now entering phase I clinical trials in humans. The drug, called PAC-1, first showed promise in the treatment of pet dogs with spontaneously occurring cancers, and is still in clinical trials in dogs with osteosarcoma.
Minipool technology to prepare immunoglobulins to fight viral infections in developing countries A study publishing February 26th, 2015 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases describes a new, pragmatic, method for the production of immunoglobulin G (IgG) from human plasma in developing countries. IgG are therapeutic preparations on the WHO Medicine Essential List that are used to treat patients with primary immune immunodeficiency (PID) and to fight various infectious diseases. PID affects approximately 1 out of 5000 individuals. IgG are manufactured mostly in sophisticated facilities located in advanced economies and are produced from plasma collected in the USA or Europe. There are serious shortages of IgG worldwide, leaving PID patients in the developing world without treatment and therefore exposed to local viral and bacterial pathogens.
A novel immunotherapy technique to treat patients with osteosarcoma and neuroblastoma A novel phase 1 clinical trial that leverages T-cell immunotherapy is now under way at Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) in Detroit and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; bringing new hope to children and young adults with osteosarcoma and neuroblastoma. This new clinical trial is being funded by charity partners Solving Kids' Cancer and Fishin' For The Cure.
Poor response to cholesterol drugs may indicate blocked arteries If your "bad" cholesterol level stays the same or increases after you take statin drugs, you may have more blocked arteries than people whose levels drop, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
Screening for diabetes at dental visits using oral blood It is estimated that 8.1 million of the 29.1 million Americans living with diabetes are undiagnosed and many who have diabetes have poor glycemic control. Given that each year many Americans visit a dental provider but not a primary care provider, dental visits may be an opportune site for diabetes screening and monitoring glucose control for many at-risk patients.
Urine test predicts heart failure patients' risk of kidney injury Levels of a protein in the urine may help clinicians predict which patients with acute heart failure are at increased risk of developing kidney injury during hospitalization, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Strong connection between violence and mental illness during Guatemala Civil War Violence during the civil war in Guatemala from 1960 to 1996 resulted in the development of significant mental health problems and conditions for the county's people, according to a new multi-institution study from researchers under the Guatemala-Penn Partnership . People who experienced or witnessed violence were four times more likely to suffer from alcohol-related disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the civil war, researchers from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Brown University report this week in the American Journal of Public Health.
Poverty, race drive asthma rates more than city living It was the day after Mother's Day in 2012 when Faith Walker ran into her East Baltimore house unable to breathe.
Novel gene variants found in a difficult childhood immune disorder Genomics researchers analyzing a rare, serious immunodeficiency disease in children have discovered links to a gene crucial to the body's defense against infections. The finding may represent an inviting target for drugs to treat common variable immunodeficiency (CVID).
	Why debunked autism treatment fads persist The communication struggles of children with autism spectrum disorder can drive parents and educators to try anything to understand their thoughts, needs and wants. Unfortunately, specialists in psychology and communication disorders do not always communicate the latest science so well.
	African Americans who fled the South during Great Migration led shorter lives, study finds Millions of African Americans moved from the South in the early 20th century to seek better job opportunities and higher wages, but a new study on the historic Great Migration shows that with improved economic conditions came a greater risk of mortality.
Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D may control brain serotonin Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In a new paper published in FASEB Journal by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), serotonin is explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders.
Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel may prove more effective for long-term treatment of PD Although levodopa remains the "gold standard" to effectively control motor deficits in the treatment of early stage Parkinson's disease (PD), it loses effectiveness as the disease progresses. After four to six years of treatment with oral medications for Parkinson's disease, about 40% of patients experience lack of muscle control (dyskinesias), end-of-dose wearing off, and fluctuations in "On/Off" states. By nine years of treatment, about 90% will suffer these effects.
	Drinking coffee may lower risk of multiple sclerosis People who drink four to six cups of coffee daily may be less likely to get multiple sclerosis, according to international research out Thursday.
	Use new meningitis vaccines only for outbreaks (AP)—A U.S. panel on Thursday recommended that two new meningitis vaccines only be used for rare outbreaks, resisting tearful pleas to give it routinely to teens and college students.
Heat blamed for spray vaccine's failure against swine flu (AP)—The makers of the nasal spray version of the flu vaccine say now they know why it has failed to protect young U.S. children against swine flu—fragile doses got too warm.
Electronic alerts may do more harm than good for kidney patients The use of electronic alerts by hospitals treating patients with acute kidney injury may increase interventions without improving care, a study by Yale researchers found.
New evidence helps health workers in the fight against Ebola One year after the first Ebola cases started to surface in Guinea, the latest findings from a Cochrane review show new ways of hydrating patients in critical care environments across the world.
	Researchers find hospital design has little effect on patient satisfaction Contrary to previous reports, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers found that patients' satisfaction scores only modestly improved based on the newly remodeled design of a hospital.
Ebola-hit Liberia no longer America's forgotten stepchild As Liberia's president visits the US Senate on Thursday to thank Americans for their pivotal role in the Ebola recovery, she will reflect on a sometimes fractious relationship spanning two centuries.
Australia to tighten food labelling laws after China scare Australia is set to strengthen food labelling laws after a series of hepatitis A infections were linked to frozen berries from China, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Thursday.
Panel: Base quarantines, other outbreak decisions on science (AP)—Attempts to quarantine health workers returning to the U.S. from Ebola-stricken West Africa were a mistake, the president's bioethics advisers said Thursday.
Income inequality – not just low wages – is taking a toll on the health of American workers "Income inequality" has already become a buzz phrase for the campaigns leading up to the 2016 elections. Likely candidates and pundits on both ends of the political spectrum have begun to talk about how fairness, social justice and—even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act—the cost of health care insurance are contributing to the large and growing gap between the rich and poor.
Children and young people to get more say in their health care The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has been chosen as one of seven new sites to develop Patient Centred Outcome Measures (POCMs) by NHS England. The new centres will mean that children and young people will play a more active role in deciding which outcomes are important to them.
	Extra medical tests for disability support can make health worse The review of the national welfare system released today has proposed reducing the number of basic payments and tightening eligibility for disability support. But a government move towards the latter is already risking the integrity of the welfare system, and the health of people with disability.
Ensuring burn victims receive the best nutrition University of Adelaide researchers are working to solve one of the biggest problems of caring for critically ill burns victims – how to provide them with the nutrition they need to survive.
Ebola teaches us public health preparedness requires ethics preparedness Today the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (Bioethics Commission) reported that the federal government has both a prudential and a moral responsibility to actively participate in coordinated global responses to public health emergencies wherever they arise.
Studies find emergency doctors and paramedics commonly misinterpret documents for end-of-life care choices Emergency care providers vary in their understanding of a type of medical order intended to communicate seriously ill patients' choices for life-sustaining treatments, according to a pair of studies in the March Journal of Patient Safety.
Suits filed against scope maker in superbug infection (AP)—Two lawsuits target the maker of a medical scope linked to the outbreak of a superbug at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Blood samples as surrogates for tumor biopsies in patients with lung cancer A study examined the feasibility of using circulating free DNA (cfDNA) from blood samples of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer as a surrogate for tumor biopsies to determine tumor-causing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and then correlate that with expected patient outcomes, according to a study published online by JAMA Oncology.
Ultrasound lags behind MRI for supplemental breast cancer screening Cancer screening of women with dense breast tissue is a subject of great interest to both the medical community and the press. Dense parenchyma reduces the sensitivity of mammography to half that of fatty breasts. Approximately 40% of women 40 years of age or older have dense breast tissue, making supplemental breast cancer screening essential.
Impact of a supermarket on children's diets Locating full-service supermarkets within neighborhoods considered to be "food deserts" may not result in healthful dietary habits or reductions in childhood obesity—at least in the short term, according to a new study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers in the February 26th online edition of the journal Public Health Nutrition.
US wraps up Ebola military mission in Liberia The United States staged a military ceremony Thursday to end its five-month Ebola mission in Liberia, with the west African nation in recovery from the worst-ever outbreak of the virus.
NYC mayor defends deal oral suction circumcision ritual (AP)—Mayor Bill de Blasio is defending New York City's tentative agreement with members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community over a tradition known as oral suction circumcision.
	Use of injected opioid tied to HIV outbreak in indiana (HealthDay)—Addicts' use of a powerful painkiller is driving a large HIV outbreak in Indiana, according to health officials.
New antibiotic avycaz approved (HealthDay)—The combination antibiotic Avycaz (ceftazidime-avibactam) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with complicated infections of the intra-abdominal area or urinary tract, including the kidneys.
	Fewer americans burdened by medical bills (HealthDay)—The number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills has declined every year since 2011 and particularly since 2013, a new government report shows.
People with disabilities experience unrecognized health disparities, new research shows People with disabilities have unmet medical needs and poorer overall health throughout their lives, and as a result should be recognized as a health disparity group so more attention can be directed to improving their quality of life, a team of policy researchers has found.
Better insurance access leads to more hip, knee replacements among minorities Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found that the expansion of insurance coverage in Massachusetts increased the number of elective knee and hip replacement procedures by 4.7 percent, with greater increases among black and Hispanic patients. The findings are published online in advance of print in the British Medical Journal.
Hospitals face growing active shooter threat A new Viewpoint article in The Journal of the American Medical Association questions whether the notion of the community hospital as a sanctuary from violence may have become too quaint. The fatal shooting death of a Boston surgeon Jan. 20, 2015, the authors note, was another in what appears to be an increasingly frequent series of "active shooter" incidents in U.S. health care facilities.
	If Supreme Court says no, they'd lose health insurance help (AP)—Millions of Americans have a big personal stake in next Wednesday's Supreme Court challenge to the nation's health care law: Can they legally continue to get subsidies to help pay for their insurance? If the court says no, people across more than 30 states could lose federal subsidies for their premiums.
Chile government rejects 14 year-old's plea for euthanasia (AP)—Chile's government on Thursday rejected an ailing 14-year-old girl's plea to let her "sleep forever."
Online education tool helps bridge gaps in therapeutic decision-making for advanced NSCLC A new interactive online tool helps educate practicing oncologists worldwide with therapeutic decision-making for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on a patient's molecular and clinical characteristics by providing feedback from an expert panel.
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are much less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer According to new research, adults in Ontario with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are significantly less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer than the general population.

Other Sciences news

	Humour in the 13th century characterized by ridicule We tend to think of the Middle Ages as grotesque and dreary. However, 13th century elites made use of laughter quite deliberately – and it resounded most loudly when it was at someone else's expense.
	Teacher unconscious prejudices put girls off math, science It's a fact: Women are vastly underrepresented in the fields of computer science, engineering, and mathematics. But less clear are the trajectories—academic and otherwise—that lead young women toward other professions. Higher education has already opened the door to equal opportunities for women and minorities in the U.S.—so is it possible that elementary school, as a new Tel Aviv University study suggests, is the critical juncture at which girls are discouraged from pursuing science and mathematics?
Ancient wheat points to Stone Age trading links (AP)—Britons may have discovered a taste for bread thousands of years earlier than previously thought, thanks to trade with more advanced neighbors on the European continent.
Study finds that women and minorities are still underrepresented among actors, directors and executives "The best and the whitest" was how host Neil Patrick Harris described the Hollywood elite being honored at the Feb. 22 Academy Awards ceremony.
Opportunities—and some challenges—face more racially diverse United States The United States is becoming racially diverse more quickly than at any time in its history, and current projections show that by 2050 nonwhites will outnumber whites in this country for the first time, according to a University of Michigan demographer.
	Safer online behaviour and the implications of 'sexting' in schools and society As technology changes, so too do the ethics that govern its use. Nowhere has this been more apparent than with the proliferation of smartphones and the concurrent rise in the practice of sharing explicit images or videos, known as 'sexting'.
Cities luring young residents back from inner-ring suburbs City centers across the country are attracting younger, wealthier and more educated residents, according to a new study published by the Demographics Research Group of the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
	How music listening programmes can be easily fooled For well over two decades, researchers have sought to build music listening software that can address the deluge of music growing faster than our Spotify-spoilt appetites. From software that can tell you about the music you are hearing in a club and software that can recommend the music you didn't know you wanted to hear. From software that can intelligently accompany you practicing your instrument or act as an automated sound engineer, machine music listening is becoming increasingly prevalent.
	New IS video shows militants smashing ancient Iraq artifacts (AP)—The Islamic State group released a video on Thursday showing militants using sledgehammers to smash ancient artifacts in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, describing the relics as idols that must be removed.
Music teachers share their unique perspective on music education in America Across the country music teachers believe that factors at the school level have the greatest impact on their programs. Matters beyond the school are not seen as having a significant influence on their programs, even though district, state and national educational policies have an effect on music education; according to a new study published in the Journal of Research in Music Education.
Traditional forms of media coverage valued over advertising, study finds In an age where digital media is constantly changing, public relations practitioners and business professionals still see the benefits of traditional media coverage, according to a recent study in Public Relations Journal conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia.
	White House threatens veto of bill to overhaul education law (AP)—The White House threatened Wednesday to veto a Republican bill to overhaul the widely criticized No Child Left Behind law, calling the effort "a significant step backwards."