Science X Newsletter Friday, Mar 13

Phys.org Newsletter for March 13, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Magic states offer surprisingly low error rates for quantum computing 
- Study proposes new way to measure superconducting fluctuations 
- China's Yutu lunar rover finds moon geography more complex than thought 
- Geckos found to have skin mechanism that flings off water (w/ video) 
- Researchers address long-standing mysteries behind anti-wear motor oil additive 
- IBM's 'Jeopardy!' champ ventures to new worlds 
- Researchers attach silicon photonic chips directly onto a processor package 
- Cosmic bumps on cosmic ripples 
- Solving the obstetrical dilemma: Study shows wide hips do not mean less efficient locomotion 
- Team unlocks the mysteries of wound healing 
- New Mercury surface composition maps illuminate the planet's history 
- Rosetta: OSIRIS detects hints of ice in the comet's neck 
- Scientists make breakthrough in understanding how to control intense heat bursts in fusion experiments 
- Panoptes offers obstacle-avoidance system for drones 
- Autonomous car prepares for 3,500-mile US road trip 

Nanotechnology news

Scientists develop atomic force microscopy for imaging nanoscale dynamics of neurons Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and Kanazawa University (Japan) have succeeded in imaging structural dynamics of living neurons with an unprecedented spatial resolution.

Physics news

	Magic states offer surprisingly low error rates for quantum computing (Phys.org)—Quantum computers hold a special allure, as they offer a way to harness quantum phenomena and put it to use to do things that are impossible for ordinary computers. But as powerful as quantum computers could be, they are also delicate in a way, since they must be shielded from the "noise" in the environment that causes detrimental errors. Making quantum computers that are noise-resistant, or fault-tolerant, is one of the biggest challenges facing their development.
	Study proposes new way to measure superconducting fluctuations A study published last month by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory provides theoretical evidence for a new effect that may lead to a way of measuring the exact temperature at which superconductivity kicks in and shed light on the poorly understood properties of superconducting materials above this temperature.
	How does order emerge? German scientists from the MPQ, LMU, and the FUB analyze how fast order can appear in a quantum-mechanical system.
	The world's largest distributed computer grid crunches LHC's huge numbers The world's largest science experiment, the Large Hadron Collider, has potentially delivered one of physics' "Holy Grails" in the form of the Higgs boson. Much of the science came down to one number – 126, the Higgs boson's mass as measured in gigaelectronvolts. But this three-digit number rested upon something very much larger and more complicated: the more than 60,000 trillion bytes (60 petabytes) of data produced by colliding subatomic particles in four years of experiments, and the enormous computer power needed to make sense of it all.
	Researchers attach silicon photonic chips directly onto a processor package The computing and telecommunications industries have ambitious plans for the future: Systems that will store information in the cloud, analyze enormous amounts of data, and think more like a brain than a standard computer. Such systems are already being developed, and scientists at IBM Research have now demonstrated what may be an important step toward commercializing this next generation of computing technology. They established a method to integrate silicon photonic chips with the processor in the same package, avoiding the need for transceiver assemblies.
	Scientists make breakthrough in understanding how to control intense heat bursts in fusion experiments Researchers from General Atomics and the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have made a major breakthrough in understanding how potentially damaging heat bursts inside a fusion reactor can be controlled. Scientists performed the experiments on the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, a tokamak operated by General Atomics in San Diego. The findings represent a key step in predicting how to control heat bursts in future fusion facilities including ITER, an international experiment under construction in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy.

Earth news

	Double impact crater in Canada formed in two separate impacts An asteroid smashing into a planet can dramatically alter the planet's habitability by setting back evolution or even encouraging biodiversity.
	Get the science right to value nature An international group of scientists, industry representatives and policymakers wants to set guidelines for the science behind valuing nature.
	Flooding in Vanuatu as cyclone hits maximum strength Tropical Cyclone Pam intensified to a maximum category five storm off Vanuatu on Friday and was already causing flooding in the capital Port Vila, officials said.
	Geologist sees a path to easing fracking concerns The natural gas boom that transformed the energy picture in the United States in the last decade is still in its infancy, says John Shaw, chair of Harvard's Earth and Planetary Sciences Department.
	Common weed revealed to diminish water pollution Francisco Delgado Vargas, from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS), researches the use of the plant Typha domingensis in reducing bacterial contamination of water for agricultural use. This plant helps to reduce up to 98 percent of pollution by enterobacteria (usually found in the intestines of mammals) involved in the development of disease.
	Ancient Caribbean tsunami caused by volcano collapse smaller than thought Tsunamis triggered by the partial collapse of the Caribbean Monserrat volcano, 13,000 years ago, would have been much smaller than previously thought, according to research soon to be published in Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems.
	Saving on oil well costs using everyday nails Ordinary nails can reinforce oil wells. There's no quicker or cheaper way.
	River algae affecting mercury pollution at Superfund site, study shows Dartmouth scientists and their colleagues have found that periphyton—a community of algae, bacteria and other natural material living on submerged surfaces - is helping to transform mercury pollution from a Superfund site along a New Hampshire river into a more toxic form of the metal.
Study: Carbon emissions stabilize despite growing economy Global energy emissions stayed stable last year even though the economy grew, according to data released Friday that could boost chances for a landmark climate accord later this year.
	Egg production study explores environmental impact of industry Iowa State University researchers played a key role in a recently completed comprehensive study of egg production systems that details the tradeoffs producers may face among considerations such as animal health, efficiency and environmental impact.
	Image: Azores island of São Miguel This image from over the Azores island of São Miguel features a volcanic complex called the Sete Cidades Massif.
Novel monitoring tools tackle chemical surface waters pollution With the socio-economic developments of the last decades, new emerging compounds have been produced, released and discharged through different point and diffuse sources in European rivers, lakes, and marine-coastal and transitional waters. Treated municipal wastewaters contain a multitude of organic chemicals including pharmaceuticals, hormones, and personal care products, which are continuously introduced into aquatic ecosystems. Their possible effects on the environment and human health is often unknown. The exposure of organisms, communities and humans to mixtures of chemical compounds must be considered to be the most common exposure scenario, but for technical and economical reasons, it is not possible to detect and quantify all chemical substances that are present in the aquatic environment.
	Tropical Cyclone Olwyn landfalls as NASA's Terra satellite flies overhead Shortly after Tropical Cyclone Olwyn made landfall near Cape Cuvier in Western Australia early on March 13, NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the storm.
	NASA sees major Tropical Cyclone Pam near Vanuatu The Southern Pacific Ocean's Tropical Cyclone Pam was a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead. Aqua saw the eye of the major hurricane just to the east of Vanuatu.
	Tropical Storm Bavi moving through Northwestern Pacific Ocean NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Bavi as it continued on a west-northwesterly track through the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Bavi has already generated a typhoon watch for Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan.
	Tropical Cyclone Nathan crawling in NASA satellite imagery Tropical Cyclone Nathan has made its cyclonic loop in the Coral Sea near Queensland, Australia's Cape York Peninsula, and is headed away from land. However, satellite imagery reveals that Nathan's movement away from Queensland is a slow crawl.
	NASA sees fading rare south Atlantic storm 90Q, one of three since 2004 Just one day after it formed, the southern Atlantic Ocean the now former sub-tropical storm 90Q appeared to be fizzling out on NASA satellite imagery. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed little convection associated with the storm on March 12. Sub-tropical and tropical storms are rare in the Southern Atlantic, and this one marks the third since 2004.

Astronomy & Space news

	China's Yutu lunar rover finds moon geography more complex than thought (Phys.org)—A team of researchers working on China's Chang'E-3 lunar mission has found multiple distinct geographic rock layers beneath the surface of the moon, indicating a much more complex geographical history than was previously thought by most in the scientific community. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their analysis of data sent back by the Yutu rover.
	NASA launches four spacecraft to solve magnetic mystery NASA launched four identical spacecraft Thursday on a billion-dollar mission to study the explosive give-and-take of the Earth and sun's magnetic fields.
	Cosmic bumps on cosmic ripples In 1969, the astrophysicists Rashid Sunyaev and Yakov Zel'dovich realized that the then recently discovered cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) would be distorted by hot cosmic gas. Hot electrons in the intergalactic medium preferentially scatter the light in one direction, causing a change in the brightness of the CMBR towards clusters of galaxies where electrons should be abundant. They showed that the effect would reveal the large-scale structure of the universe, the nature of the CMBR, cosmological parameters like the Hubble constant, and physical conditions in galaxy clusters.
	New Mercury surface composition maps illuminate the planet's history Two new papers from members of the MESSENGER Science Team provide global-scale maps of Mercury's surface chemistry that reveal previously unrecognized geochemical terranes—large regions that have compositions distinct from their surroundings. The presence of these large terranes has important implications for the history of the planet.
	Rosetta: OSIRIS detects hints of ice in the comet's neck The Hapi region on the neck of Rosetta's comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko reflects red light less effectively than most other regions on the comet. It thus appears slightly blueish. The Hapi region is located between the comet's two lobes and has in the past months proven to be particularly active and the source of spectacular jets of dust and gas. Scientists from the OSIRIS team are using images obtained with the color filters of Rosetta's scientific imaging system to study the reflectivity properties of 67P's surface. Their analyses confirm that the Hapi region is unique. Its bluish coloring might point to the presence of frozen water mixed intimately with the dust at the surface.
	NASA spacecraft in Earth's orbit, preparing to study magnetic reconnection Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system.
	How do we know dark matter exists? Dark matter can't be seen or detected by any of our instruments, so how do we know it really exists?
	Will the March 20th total solar eclipse impact Europe's solar energy grid? The first eclipse of 2015 is coming right up on Friday, March 20th, and may provide a unique challenge for solar energy production across Europe.
	New system watches ionospheric weather conditions over the US southwest Imagine taking the world's most powerful radio telescope, used by scientists around the globe, and piping a nearly continuous data stream into your research laboratory. That is exactly what scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. have done in collaboration with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NRAO VLA). The newly-completed VLA Low Band Ionospheric and Transient Experiment (VLITE for short) has been built to piggyback on the $300 million dollar infrastructure of the VLA.
	Sixth Galileo satellite reaches corrected orbit The sixth Galileo satellite of Europe's navigation system has now entered its corrected target orbit, which will allow detailed testing to assess the performance of its navigation payload.
Want to see the solar eclipse in Norway? Mind the bears Norwegian authorities are reminding visitors who want to eye a total solar eclipse from the remote Arctic island of Svalbard this month to be aware of polar bears, dress warmly and make sure they have a place to stay before coming.
	Urban artist's alien work appears on the International Space Station Inspired by the 1970s Space Invaders video game, a small and colourful mosaic has been found on the International Space Station by ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
	Physicists getting closer to reading the inside of stars UK nuclear physicists are one step closer to being able to read the inside of stars and discover new elements that exist for only a trillionth of a trillionth of a second inside exploding supernovae.

Technology news

	At odds with Google, US seeks new rule on computer access The Justice Department is at odds with Google and privacy groups over the government's push to make it easier to locate and hack into computers in criminal investigations, a simmering conflict with constitutional and policy implications.
	Japan firm marks one small step for solar energy in space A major Japanese machinery company said Friday that it has succeeded in transmitting energy wirelessly, marking a step toward making solar power generation in space a reality.
	Vertical farming will produce edible greens in Newark Welcome to your grocery-getting, cooking and eating future. You will want to get more familiar with phrases such as "vertical farming" and "controlled agriculture" to grasp what may be a growing force in how we produce and get our food. Dickson Despommier, Ph.D, respected Columbia professor of microbiology and public health and best teacher award-winner, has a website called The Vertical Farm and he has conveyed his belief that the world would be a much better place if we had vertical farming.
	Necklace and smartphone app can help people track food intake A sophisticated necklace developed by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science can monitor food and drink intake, which could help wearers track and improve their dietary habits.
	IBM's 'Jeopardy!' champ ventures to new worlds IBM Watson initially won fame as the artificially intelligent computer system that won $1 million for whipping former "Jeopardy!" champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on the televised game show in 2011.
	Panoptes offers obstacle-avoidance system for drones A device designed to deliver low-speed obstacle avoidance for drones, working indoors and outdoors, is being proposed in the form of the Panoptes eBumper4 from Panoptes Systems. No question, drones are going places. Thing is, you don't want them flying blindly. You want the drone to sense obstacles and respond as necessary. The Panoptes team including Michael Humphrey, mechanical engineer, Eddy Jacinto, lead electronics engineer, Donnie Rogers, systems integration lead, Andrew Kehlenbeck lead GNC engineer and Fabrice Kunzi, chief technology officer, are out to promote their device, installed on a drone.
	New technology may double radio frequency data capacity A team of Columbia Engineering researchers has invented a technology—full-duplex radio integrated circuits (ICs)—that can be implemented in nanoscale CMOS to enable simultaneous transmission and reception at the same frequency in a wireless radio. Up to now, this has been thought to be impossible: transmitters and receivers either work at different times or at the same time but at different frequencies. The Columbia team, led by Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Harish Krishnaswamy, is the first to demonstrate an IC that can accomplish this. The researchers presented their work at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco on February 25.
Autonomous car prepares for 3,500-mile US road trip Call it a preview of the cross-country road trip of the future.
	Developers neglect privacy and security in health apps Telemedicine researchers at the University of Valladolid have proposed a series of recommendations to programmers to improve the security of health applications on mobile devices. According to these specialists, it is a rapidly growing area, but the insecure handling of clinical and medical data can be critical for users.
	New study shows surprising risk created by access to personal information online Access to routine information about you—like where you grew up and your relationship status—can help others manipulate you, according to a recent study by a University at Buffalo research team.
	Researchers develop technology to find rotten onions, prevent spread of disease Onions, one of the biggest vegetable crops in Georgia, risk disease when they are harvested and stored. To solve this issue, University of Georgia researchers have developed new technologies, including a gas sensor and imaging methods, to detect diseases in onions.
	Mobile quarantine station for malicious Android apps The attacks were perfidious: In February this year, the Czech IT security company Avast declared that it had identified several malicious game apps for mobile phones in the Google Play Store – ones that would only become criminally active on the device after several weeks. Then the affected smartphones or tablet computers would suddenly take minutes, instead of seconds, to display all the usual settings in proper colors. Or a message would appear when unlocking the device, claiming that the memory was infected or full of pornographic data. Anyone following the instructions given there would be redirected to suspicious sites, which make users download even more malicious programs (malware).
	We need to take responsibility for our own safety online Going online without understanding the basics of how the internet works is like getting behind the wheel without knowing the road rules: you might still get where you're going, but you could be a danger to yourself and those around you.
	Technology is rewriting the rulebook for human interaction Consider the following two situations.
Tim Cook offered liver to save Steve Jobs: book Apple's chief executive Tim Cook offered part of his liver for a transplant to Steve Jobs before the company co-founder died, but the offer was rejected, a new book states.
Wearable tech goes to the dogs, with connected collars and more With the cognoscenti breathlessly occupied with the launch of the Apple Watch, we thought we'd check in with another distinguished group of users just drooling for the latest wearable technology: Dogs.
Minnesota engineer takes on climate control giants Deepinder Singh, a Minnesota entrepreneur born in India, met the girl he would marry on a school bus in Punjab Province about 30 years ago.
	Apple Watch's six unmatched features The early reviews of the Apple Watch are pointing in one direction: It should save users a minute here and there, but the fact that many functions require an iPhone to be nearby cuts down on its usefulness.
Starbucks readies rollout of mobile ordering in Seattle area Imagine getting your Starbucks fix at rush hour without a long line - and your name on that to-go cup always properly spelled.
Amazon launches store for latest product inventions Early adopters, take note: Amazon.com has launched a store section called Amazon Exclusives that features new innovations from up-and-coming brands.
Smart products tackle pancakes, makeovers In the persistent quest to take all human effort out of basic tasks, manufacturers showcased several new "smart" products at the recent International Home and Housewares Show that tackle everything from pancake design to makeovers.
	Review: Netgear's new Arlo security camera system is a winner Anyone who has bought a security camera system knows they can be pricey and a pain to set up.
TiVo gets bankruptcy court approval to buy some Aereo assets TiVo said Friday that it has received bankruptcy court approval to buy some assets of Aereo, an online startup that offered a cheaper alternative to cable TV.
Twitter buys livestream app maker Periscope Twitter said Friday it had purchased the maker of the video streaming app Periscope, amid what seems to be surging interest in live video sharing.
	Solar eclipse will test Germany's green power grid Will next week's partial solar eclipse turn off the lights in Germany?
Alibaba investment puts Snapchat valuation in stratosphere It started as a classroom project at Stanford University. The idea: An app for sending photos that would disappear seconds later.
	Calif. judges: Juries should hear driver vs Uber, Lyft suits Two San Francisco federal judges say juries will have to decide whether drivers for Uber and Lyft were independent contractors, or employees of the ride-hailing companies with all of the protections and benefits the state affords regular workers.
Dueling views in Silicon Valley sex discrimination suit A calculating schemer burning with resentment and with a thirst for a quick buck or an innocent victim of sickening sexual discrimination?
	Facebook fraud suspect on the lam; family, dog also missing A man accused of faking an ownership stake in Facebook to justify a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against its founder Mark Zuckerberg has vanished.
Embracing tech, Miami airport seeks to improve passenger experience Miami International Airport used to be famous for the hours-long lines passengers waited in when they arrived from other countries.
	Review: Toshiba Chromebook 2 raises the bar Shopping for laptops can be maddening. There are hundreds of laptops from many different manufacturers, and they're mostly fine. But remember, you get what you pay for. It's pretty easy to find a Windows laptop that costs as little as $400 or as much as $2,500.

Chemistry news

	Researchers address long-standing mysteries behind anti-wear motor oil additive The pistons in your car engine rub up against their cylinder walls thousands of times a minute; without lubrication in the form of motor oil, they and other parts of the engine would quickly wear away, causing engine failure. Motor oil contains chemical additives that extend how long engines can run without failure, but, despite decades of ubiquity, how such additives actually work to prevent this damage have remained a mystery.
	Unlikely hydrogen bond discovered As with magnets and alternating current, positively charged molecules never aim for one another. Indeed, similarly charged poles are repelled. Nevertheless, a team from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Chemistry has managed to become the first to bond positively charged phosphorus atoms with positively charged hydrogen ones. Their insight may prove pivotal to understanding how biologically important molecules such as DNA and proteins form properly.
	Team first to blend high-end imaging techniques Vanderbilt University researchers have achieved the first "image fusion" of mass spectrometry and microscopy—a technical tour de force that could, among other things, dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
	Biotech materials made simple—crystal structures altered by a single protein In nacre, layer lattices of inorganic calcium carbonate alternate with layers of organic material. Chitin, collagen and various proteins ensure that the calcium carbonate grows in these defined layers. What role the proteins play during growth had not previously been explained, but the assumption was that several proteins acted together to control the structure of the calcium carbonate lattice as well as forming part of the nacreous layers. However, Ingrid Weiss of the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken and her colleague Boaz Pokroy at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology have now shown that the crystal lattice of calcium carbonate can be altered using just a single protein species.
The 'LIFE-Valorlact' project is developing new food prototypes using whey from cheese-making dairies AZTI's Food Research Unit has managed to obtain a series of food prototypes using whey produced by cheese-making dairies, which allows a commercial outlet to be provided for an organic product that is routinely treated as waste and which could end up causing pollution if it is not properly disposed of. The NEIKER R&D centre has likewise produced various animal feed prototypes which contain between 6% and 12% of whey in their composition. This research comes within the framework of the 'Valorlact' project funded by the European Commission's Life+ Programme. This programme aims to stop the whey produced in cheese-making dairies being regarded as a waste product and to encourage its incorporation into the food chain, which means a new business opportunity for the cheese-making and foodstuff production sectors.
	High power and high safety oxide-based negative electrode materials for Li-ion battery Toyohashi Tech researchers in Japan show electrochemical Li insertion and deinsertion property of Ti-Nb mixed oxide Ti2Nb10O29 (TNO) at high current rate is greatly improved by vacuum annealing. This is mainly attributed to enhancement of intrinsic electronic conductivity of TNO by introducing oxygen vacancy. Vacuum-annealed TNO is promising negative electrode material of high power and high safety Li-ion battery for large scale application.

Biology news

	Geckos found to have skin mechanism that flings off water (w/ video) A small team of researchers with members from institutions in Australia and the U.K. has found that in addition to being able to walk on walls, at last one type of gecko has a skin feature that causes water to be thrown off its body. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the team describes their close up study of the lizard's skin and the features and forces at work they discovered.
	Researchers identify a vital protein that can determine head and brain development A protein that is necessary for the formation of the vertebrate brain has been identified by researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Boston Children's Hospital, in collaboration with scientists from Oxford and Rio de Janeiro.
	Big toe's big bone holds evolutionary key Our skeletons hold tell-tale signs that show that human bipedalism – walking upright and on two feet – are unique to humans especially when compared to our closest living relatives, apes. Exactly when these signs first appear in our evolutionary history is one of the fundamental questions driving the study of human evolution, or Palaeoanthropology, today.
	Solving the obstetrical dilemma: Study shows wide hips do not mean less efficient locomotion Among the facts so widely assumed that they are rarely, if ever studied, is the notion that wider hips make women less efficient when they walk and run.
	Invasive species use landmarking to find love in a hopeless place Tiny populations of invasive species such as Asian carp start their domination of new ecosystems by hanging out at local landmarks, according to a new study published in the journal Theoretical Ecology this week.
Chitin, a structural molecule associated with allergy response, is identified in vertebrates Scientists at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) have made an unexpected discovery that overturns a longstanding belief in the biological sciences. Research, led by Chris Amemiya, PhD, a member at BRI, and primarily conducted by Joyce Tang, was published online in today's issue of Current Biology. The research demonstrates that chitin, a molecule that was previously thought to be absent in vertebrates and that has been shown to trigger an allergy/immune reaction in mammals, is endogenously produced in fishes and amphibians.
	Organisms can keep gene expression in check York University researchers have learned how living beings can keep gene expression in check—which might partly explain the uncontrolled gene expression found in many cancers.
	Cattle parasite found to be widespread WA researchers have discovered widespread resistance to roundworm treatments across south-west beef cattle farms.
	Comprehensive catalog of active genes from multiple developmental stages of the cereal crop sorghum A new online resource prepared by scientists at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science provides vital baseline information on the staple crop sorghum for plant breeders and researchers. Sorghum bicolor, called morokoshi in Japanese (Fig. 1), is the fifth-most widely grown cereal in the world. Particularly suited to hot, dry climates, it is a staple food but also a source of cooking fuel and animal forage for millions of people in semi-arid environments where other crops, such as maize or sugar cane, would struggle. The crop also accumulates high levels of sugar and starch, making it a potential resource for bioethanol production.
	Female mice do not avoid mating with unhealthy males Female mice are attracted more strongly to the odour of healthy males than unhealthy males. This had already been shown in an earlier study by researchers from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the Vetmeduni Vienna. Now the team of behavioural scientists went one step further – and tested a common assumption that more attractive males have better mating success than other males.
	Scientists question tropical protected areas' role under climate change New research led by University of York scientists highlights how poor connectivity of protected area (PA) networks in Southeast Asia may prevent lowland species from responding to climate change.
	The number of fungal species has been greatly overestimated A study led by the researchers of the University of Tartu Natural History Museum discovered that the most species-rich fungal communities are in tropical rainforests. The estimated global species richness of fungi, 1.5–5.1 million species, however, seems to be a vast overestimation, according to their data.
	OSKM stoichiometry determines iPS cell reprogramming Researchers at Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application discover a simple way to increase the production of induced pluripotent stem cells. A major hurdle in reprogramming science is generating a sufficient number of iPS cells to conduct basic research experiments. Yet, a report published in Stem Cell Reports shows that simply adding 9 amino acids to the induction transgene Klf4 dramatically elevates the production of fully reprogrammed mouse iPS cells.
	Lion makes surprise comeback in Gabon The noble lion has made a comeback in southeast Gabon, after disappearing for years, according to US wildlife organisation Panthera, which recently took live video footage of a male.
	New approach to biomonitoring waterways useful in stress ecology The application of techniques from molecular diagnostics represents a new approach that can detect and distinguish stressors and subsequently reveal information that is beyond the reach of traditional assessments alone.
	The Blue13 strain of the fungus responsible for potato blight is detected in Spain Scientists at the NEIKER-Tecnalia Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development have studied the genetic structure of Phytophthora infestans —responsible for potato blight— and have identified the existence of the Blue13 (13_A2) genotype for the first time in Spain. The identification has been carried out by means of genotyping using micro-satellite markers (SSR). The discovery stems from the results obtained in the PhD thesis by the agricultural engineer Néstor Alor, submitted at the University of Lleida and supervised by Dr José Ignacio Ruiz de Galarreta.

Medicine & Health news

	Blood pressure drug protects against symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models An FDA-approved drug for high blood pressure, guanabenz, prevents myelin loss and alleviates clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models, according to a new study. The drug appears to enhance an innate cellular mechanism that protects myelin-producing cells against inflammatory stress. These findings point to promising avenues for the development of new therapeutics against MS, report scientists from the University of Chicago in Nature Communications on March 13.
	New genome-editing technology to help treat blood cancers Melbourne researchers have developed a new genome editing technology that can target and kill blood cancer cells with high accuracy.
	Analysis of worm neurons suggest how a single stimulus can trigger different responses Even worms have free will. If offered a delicious smell, for example, a roundworm will usually stop its wandering to investigate the source, but sometimes it won't. Just as with humans, the same stimulus does not always provoke the same response, even from the same individual. New research at Rockefeller University, published online today in Cell, offers a new neurological explanation for this variability, derived by studying a simple three-cell network within the roundworm brain.
	Antibiotics found to have unexpected effects on mitochondria An EPFL study has shown that tetracycline-based antibiotics have an unexpected effect on the development of many organisms. In addition to pointing out the issue of soil pollution by these antibiotics, which are widely administrated to livestock, the scientists call upon colleagues to explore the consequences of using them in experiments that modulate gene expression.
	Team unlocks the mysteries of wound healing Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered what causes and regulates collective cell migration, one of the most universal but least understood biological processes in all living organisms.
	Why Super Mario runs from left to right There may be a fundamental bias in the way people prefer to see moving items depicted in pictures according to research.
Genetically engineered immunotoxin shows early promise in patients with B-cell malignancies Almost all patients with a group of blood cancers called B-cell malignancies have two prominent "fingerprints" on the surface of leukemia and lymphoma cancers, called CD22 and CD19, Vallera explained. To develop the drug, Vallera and colleagues chose two antibody fragments that each selectively bind to CD19 and CD22. They used genetic engineering to attach these two antibodies to a potent toxin, the bacterial diphtheria toxin. When the antibody fragments bind to the two targets on the cancer cell, the entire drug enters the cell, and the toxin kills the cell.
Environmental tobacco smoke is associated with periodontitis in US non-smokers Today at the 93rd General Session and Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, researcher Aderonke A. Akinkugbe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, will present a study titled "Environmental Tobacco Smoke is Associated With Periodontitis in U.S. Non-smokers." The IADR General Session is being held in conjunction with the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the 39th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.
Birth weight and pregnancy complications associated with the enamel defects Today at the 93rd General Session and Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research, researcher Bertha A. Chavez Gonzalez, Universidade de Minas Gerias, Lima, San Borja, Peru, will present a study titled "Birth Weight and Pregnancy Complications Associated With the Enamel Defects." The IADR General Session is being held in conjunction with the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research and the 39th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.
	Experts call for a tobacco-free world by 2040 Leading public health researchers today call for the sale of tobacco to be phased out by 2040, showing that with sufficient political support and stronger evidence-based action against the tobacco industry, a tobacco-free world - where less than 5% of adults use tobacco - could be possible in less than three decades.
Study paints mixed picture of global smoking trends Smoker numbers are declining in many parts of the world, but upward trends in African and Mediterranean countries mean the global total will not change much over the next 10 years, researchers said Friday.
Researchers develop more accurate tool to predict whether liver cancer will recur in transplant patients UCLA transplant researchers have developed a novel method to more accurately calculate the risk of disease recurring in people with liver cancer who have undergone a liver transplant. The approach gives physicians a new tool to help make treatment and surveillance decisions.
Major report on powdered cocaine use launched The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has today (12 March) published a major report on powdered cocaine and its impact on British society which was authored by a group led by a University of Manchester academic.
	New website aims to improve understanding of chronic kidney disease A new website is launched today that will help bridge the communication gap between healthcare professionals and patients diagnosed with mild chronic kidney disease (CKD) after research revealed a disparity between what GP's explain and what patients understand about the condition. The resource has been developed by University of Bristol academics.
	Cholera vaccine succeeds in rural Haiti A vaccination campaign that almost didn't happen was widely effective in reducing transmission of cholera in the midst of an ongoing outbreak of the disease in rural Haiti.
	GPS technology provides peace of mind for families coping with dementia It was a phone call that changed everything. Two years ago, while Allison Warman was driving from Edmonton to her house in Calgary, she became confused and disoriented to the point that she couldn't remember the way home.
	Diabetes drug shown not to increase heart failure risk People with the most common form of diabetes can take the new drug Alogliptin without concern for an increased risk of heart failure or cardiovascular disease, according to research by a UConn cardiologist just published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Nodal alone does not produce anti-cancer effects Metastatic melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths in the United States; once melanoma has spread (metastasized), life expectancy for patients can be dramatically shortened. At present, the reference therapy for patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma is Dacarbazine (DTIC), which is associated with poor patient outcomes.
MERS kills 10 in Saudi after surge in virus deaths Ten more people have died in Saudi Arabia from the MERS virus since last week, health ministry data showed on Friday, adding to a surge in cases over the past month.
	New quality measures approved for childhood sleep apnea A work group of physicians from leading academic medical centers across the country, including NYU Langone Medical Center, has developed new quality measures for the detection and treatment of childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially morbid, life-altering condition that affects hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents nationwide. The measures, commissioned and endorsed by the American Association of Sleep Medicine (AASM), are published on March 15 in a special section of The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
	Listening to classical music modulates genes that are responsible for brain functions Although listening to music is common in all societies, the biological determinants of listening to music are largely unknown. According to a latest study, listening to classical music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport, synaptic neurotransmission, learning and memory, and down-regulated the genes mediating neurodegeneration. Several of the up-regulated genes were known to be responsible for song learning and singing in songbirds, suggesting a common evolutionary background of sound perception across species.
Significance of tablet computer usage position, potential for neck damage Tablet use has rocketed. Last year in the US, for example, 42% of under 18's owned one and more than half of 35-49 year olds used them regularly. This figure seems unlikely to decrease and yet only limited guidance is available on minimising health risks. Tablet use requires significant head and neck flexion and has implications for potential neck injury to users. In this article in Ergonomics, researchers from Washington State University evaluate the head-neck biomechanics during tablet use, the implications for the neck musculature and future ergonomics recommendations.
	E-cigarettes can be regulated now without more research, expert says A legal scholar and tobacco control expert says he has developed a research-based roadmap that allows for the immediate regulation of e-cigarettes.
	Could the future be finger-stick free for diabetics? (HealthDay)—A lot of excitement surrounded the announcement from Apple that its new watch will be able to monitor blood sugar levels. Has Apple figured out a way for folks with diabetes to check their blood sugar without the dreaded finger stick?
95-year-old shares tricks of safe falling Elliott Royce estimates that he has fallen down at least 15,000 times over the past 10 years.
Telemedicine making sense for more doctors and patients On New Year's Eve, singer Kim Archer was scheduled to perform at a party. The problem was she had an asthma attack early in the day and didn't have any medicine.
With Ebola crisis easing, efforts to test new drugs are in jeopardy After killing at least 9,936 people and infecting more than 24,202, the Ebola epidemic appears to be running out of steam. And for some medical researchers, this hard-won progress poses a problem.
	Bariatric surgery appears to cut risks for serious asthma-related events A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators suggests that bariatric surgery can significantly reduce the risk of asthma attacks - also called exacerbations - in obese patients with asthma. Their report, published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, is the first to find that significant weight reduction can reduce serious asthma-associated events.
	Common herpes medication reduces HIV-1 levels, independent of herpes infection Case Western Reserve researchers are part of an international team that has discovered that a common herpes drug reduces HIV-1 levels—even when patients do not have herpes.
World's first successful penis transplant performed in S. Africa (Update) South African doctors announced Friday that they had performed the world's first successful penis transplant, three months after the ground-breaking operation.
	Prolonged shortened sleep increases blood pressure at night People exposed to prolonged periods of shortened sleep have significant increases in blood pressure during nighttime hours, Mayo Clinic researchers report in a small study of eight participants.
	Energy drinks raise resting blood pressure, with effect most dramatic in those not used to caffeine Healthy young adults who don't consume caffeine regularly experienced greater rise in resting blood pressure after consumption of a commercially available energy drink—compared to a placebo drink—thus raising the concern that energy drinks may increase the risk of cardiac events, Mayo Clinic researchers found.
	Enhanced flu protection: Adding a second strain of B flu lessens likelihood of mismatched vaccine A flu vaccine given just under the surface of the skin that includes four strains of inactivated influenza could be more protective than a similar flu vaccine containing only three strains, Saint Louis University research found.
	How cannabis use affects people with Bipolar Disorder The first study to examine the use of cannabis in the context of daily life among people with Bipolar Disorder has shown how the drug is linked to increases in both manic and depressive symptoms.
Publication of sleep medicine quality measures promotes value-based care Today the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published new quality measures for five common sleep disorders, which represents a landmark achievement in the promotion of high quality, patient-centered care in the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine.
Antibiotic nanoparticles attack respiratory infection and reduce drug side effects Treating respiratory disease is often difficult because drugs have to cross biological barriers such as respiratory tissue and mucosa, and must therefore be given in large quantities in order for an effective amount to reach the target. Now researchers from Germany, Brazil and France have shown that the use of nanoparticles to carry antibiotics across biological barriers can be effective in treating lung infections. Doing so allows better delivery of the drug to the site of infection, and hence prevents the development of antibiotic resistance which may be caused by too large and continued doses of antibiotic. Additionally, such a strategy might help to overcome the rapid metabolism and excretion of the antibiotic from the body, which happens when it is administered by traditional routes, either orally or intravenously.
After four years of war, Syrians plagued by depression Exhausted by four years of war and economic hardship, Syrians are suffering from an epidemic of mental illness, from suicidal adults to children plagued by recurring nightmares.
	S. Korea develops smartphone app to curb student suicide (Update) South Korea has developed smartphone apps to help bring down its high student suicide rate by warning parents when their children might be at risk, the education ministry said Friday.
	Number of medical marijuana dispensaries surpasses limit set by Los Angeles voters Despite a Los Angeles city ordinance that voters approved in 2013 to limit the number of registered medical marijuana businesses to no more than 135 that have been in continuous operation since September 2007, UCLA researchers found that more than three times that number were operating in the city of Los Angeles as of 2014.
The rising status of superfruits and super seeds Superfruits and super seeds fit the bill for consumers' desire for natural, minimally processed, or unprocessed foods. Although there is no universal standard definition of a super seed or superfruit, they are often described as providing a number of nutrients and possessing a nutritional halo with their reported health benefits that go beyond their nutritional profiles.
American who contracted Ebola arrives at US hospital An American healthcare worker who contracted Ebola while volunteering in a Sierra Leone treatment unit arrived safely at the National Institutes of Health's hospital in Maryland, officials announced early Friday.
The correlation between a strong primary care structure and person-focused care Being the best at something doesn't necessarily mean there is no more room for improvement. Take Europe's healthcare systems: with most national schemes being ranked among the World Health Report's top 30, you would think our patients are the happiest in the world. But is this really the case?
International experts call for an end to preventable deaths from acute kidney injury by 2025 Preventable deaths caused by acute kidney injury (AKI) could be nearly eliminated in just 10 years, according to leading medical experts. This often forgotten condition - which affects around 13 million people every year and contributes to 1.7 million deaths annually - is preventable and can be treated for as little as $US150 per patient.
More than 2 million people die prematurely every year because treatment for kidney failure is unavailable New estimates published in The Lancet indicate that at best only half of people worldwide needing kidney dialysis or transplantation to treat kidney failure in 2010 received it. This suggests that at least 2.3 million people may have died prematurely from kidney failure because they could not access this life-saving treatment.
Expanding blood pressure screenings beyond primary care can improve hypertension detection Expanding blood pressure screenings to non-primary care settings can help identify more patients with high blood pressure, commonly called hypertension, and could contribute to better hypertension control and management, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.
American Ebola patient in 'serious' condition An American healthcare worker who tested positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone was in serious condition Friday after being admitted to a specialized hospital near the US capital for treatment, officials said.
More Americans may have been exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone Several American healthcare workers who may have come in contact with a US volunteer who tested positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone are being monitored for signs of illness, officials said Friday.
Louisiana germ release likely due to lax use of lab garments The accidental release of dangerous bacteria at a Louisiana research center probably occurred because workers were lax about how they wore protective garments in the lab where the germ was kept, federal officials said Friday.
House leaders work toward bipartisan Medicare deal In a rare show of unity, top House Republicans and Democrats are working toward a $200 billion agreement revamping how doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients, a package that would be largely financed by adding to the federal deficit, lobbyists said Friday.

Other Sciences news

	Bronze Age bones offer evidence of political divination Trying to divine the future of a precarious administration, "House of Cards" President Frank Underwood enters the inner sanctum with a trusted adviser. "It's really a crapshoot," the adviser says, and the president nods. The bourbon is drained, cigars are snuffed, and the political leader emerges with a more confident sense of what's to come.
	Japanese battleship blew up under water, footage suggests (Update) Debris scattered over a large area at the bottom of sea in the Philippines indicate that the massive Japanese World War II battleship Musashi had blown up in an undersea explosion after it sank beneath the surface 70 years ago.
	On Pi Day, how scientists use this number If you like numbers, you will love March 14, 2015. When written as a numerical date, it's 3/14/15, corresponding to the first six digits of pi (3.1415)—a once-in-a-century coincidence! Pi Day, which would have been the 136th birthday of Albert Einstein, is a great excuse to eat pie, and to appreciate how important the number pi is to math and science.
	Age of jawbones mean the origins of humans just got older There's plenty of excitement this month amid reports that scientists had identified the "dawn of humankind" in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
Presentation is key in antenatal information, research suggests The font type of written text and how easy it is to read can be influential when it comes to engaging people with important health information and recruiting them for potentially beneficial programmes, new research by The University of Manchester and Leeds Beckett University has found.
	Nearly 70 percent of evangelicals do not view religion, science as being in conflict Media and popular culture might portray religion and science as being at odds, but new research from Rice University suggests just the opposite.
	Going full circle for math and pastries on a special Pi Day Saturday is the day when love of math and a hankering for pastry come full circle. Saturday is Pi Day, a once-in-a-year calendar date that this time squares the fun with a once-in-a-century twist.
	Overworked, underpaid, but ready to rock Australia's musicians are a happy bunch, despite many being poorly paid, having little job security, working long hours – and drinking heavily.
	Research challenges boat turn–back policy Research by The University of Queensland's Migrant Smuggling Working Group shows that Australia's policy to turn-back boats does little to combat migrant smuggling, violates international obligations and jeopardises the fragile relationship with Indonesia.
	Young people do not want US style written constitution in Britain, study finds Most 16-18 year olds are opposed to Britain adopting a written constitution, like that which defines the system of government in the United States and in most other countries, according to research at Royal Holloway, University of London.