Science X Newsletter Friday, Jun 23

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 23, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Magnetic nanoknots evoke Lord Kelvin's vortex theory of atoms

Physicists settle debate over how exotic quantum particles form

Existing drugs could benefit patients with bone cancer, genetic study suggests

Critical gaps in knowledge of where infectious diseases occur

Researchers say U.S. policies on drugs and addiction could use a dose of neuroscience

How brains surrender to sleep

Dutch astronomers discover recipe to make cosmic glycerol

In marine bacteria, evolution of new specialized molecules follows a previously unknown path

Peering at the crystal structure of lithium

Fungal toxins easily become airborne, creating potential indoor health risk

Experts uncover first molecular events of organ rejection

Jellyfish fluorescence shines new light on DNA copying

A single electron's tiny leap sets off 'molecular sunscreen' response

From strands to droplets—new insights into DNA control

Energetic cost of the entatic state of cytochrome c quantified

Astronomy & Space news

	Dutch astronomers discover recipe to make cosmic glycerol A team of laboratory astrophysicists from Leiden University (the Netherlands) managed to make glycerol under conditions comparable to those in dark interstellar clouds. They allowed carbon monoxide ice to react with hydrogen atoms at minus 250 degrees Celsius. The researchers published their findings in the Astrophysical Journal.
	Sun eruptions hit Earth like a 'sneeze', say scientists Long-term power cuts, destruction of electronic devices and increased cancer risk for aeroplane passengers are all potential effects of the Earth being hit by a powerful solar eruption.
	CHESS mission will check out the space between stars Deep in space between distant stars, space is not empty. Instead, there drifts vast clouds of neutral atoms and molecules, as well as charged plasma particles called the interstellar medium—that may, over millions of years, evolve into new stars and even planets. These floating interstellar reservoirs are the focus of the NASA-funded CHESS sounding rocket mission, which will check out the earliest stages of star formation.
	Total solar eclipse casts spotlight on rural Oregon town Just before sunrise, there's typically nothing atop Round Butte but the whistle of the wind and a panoramic view of Oregon's second-highest peak glowing pink in the faint light.
	Why no one under 20 has experienced a day without NASA at Mars As the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft approached its destination on July 4, 1997, no NASA mission had successfully reached the Red Planet in more than 20 years.
	Does dark matter annihilate quicker in the Milky Way? Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai have proposed a theory that predicts how dark matter may be annihilating much more rapidly in the Milky Way, than in smaller or larger galaxies and the early Universe.
Total solar eclipse 1st in 99 years to sweep width of US This August, the U.S. will experience its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 99 years.
	ESA to develop gravitational wave space mission with NASA support ESA (the European Space Agency) has selected the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) for its third large-class mission in the agency's Cosmic Vision science program. The three-spacecraft constellation is designed to study gravitational waves in space and is a concept long studied by both ESA and NASA.

Technology news

	Skin-based biofuel cell developed for scavenging energy from human sweat (Tech Xplore)—A team of researchers at the University of California has developed a skin patch that uses human sweat as a fuel source to power an external device. In their paper published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, the team describes how they built their patch and how well it works.
	Wristband device emulates mosquito to take blood samples (Tech Xplore)—A team of researchers at the University of Calgary has developed a device that can be worn on the wrist that periodically collects blood samples for testing with glucose strips. In their paper published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, the group describes the development of their device, where it stands now, and future applications.
	Researchers design sounds that can be recorded by microphones but inaudible to humans Microphones, from those in smartphones to hearing aids, are built specifically to hear the human voice—humans can't hear at levels higher than 20 kHz, and microphones max out at around 24 kHz, meaning that microphones only capture the sound we can hear with our ears.
	TEO the robot shows off ironing skills (Tech Xplore)—You can see an ironing robot in a video.
	Bioengineers create more durable, versatile wearable for diabetes monitoring Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration.
Don't leave baby boomers behind when designing wearable technology Wearable devices have been heralded as one of the next great technological frontiers. They can provide all users, including older ones, with constantly updated medical information by tracking cardiac health, identifying potential illnesses, and serving as emergency alert systems, among other benefits. That is, if you can get older users to adopt wearable technology. In their article in the July 2017 issue of Ergonomics in Design, "Designing Wearable Technology for an Aging Population," human factors/ergonomics researchers lay out a framework for improving the usability of wearable technology for older adults.
	Tesla looking at entering music streaming Electric carmaker Tesla said Thursday it was considering ways to enter music streaming amid a report it may launch a unique new service.
	'Superhero' 3D printed hands help kids dream in Argentina Being born without fingers can be tough for any child. Getting new ones—especially red and blue superhero themed digits—has made 8-year-old Kaori Misue a vibrant playground star.
	Toshiba gets earnings report extension, faces delisting risk Money-losing Japanese electronics and nuclear company Toshiba Corp. has until Aug. 10 to get auditors to sign off on its earnings statements, or else it faces the risk of getting delisted.
	Russia threatens Telegram app with ban Russia's state communications watchdog on Friday threatened to ban the Telegram messaging app because the company behind the service had failed to submit company details for registration.
	hitchBOT creators to study how AI and robots can help patients McMaster and Ryerson universities today announced the Smart Robots for Health Communication project, a joint research initiative designed to introduce social robotics and artificial intelligence into clinical health care.
	Technological innovation 'trumps' politics Technological innovation, often induced by national and sub-national policies, is a key driver of global climate and energy policy ambition and action. Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement will hardly affect this trend.
	Explainer: how law enforcement decodes your photos For as long as humans have been making images, we have also been manipulating them.
	Synthetic options for the diesel engine Synthetic fuels, such as oxymethylene ether, could prepare Diesel vehicles to play a major role in the drive train mix of tomorrow. Scientists at the TU Darmstadt are carrying out research into the practical viability of alternative fuels.
	Equipping form with function Common toys such as steerable cars or waving wind-up figures are available as 3D-printable models, which also contain their mechanical components. However, these mechanical structures are optimized to fit exactly one particular shape of the toy. If designers want to reuse such a mechanism with different shapes, the necessary manual adjustments to the individual components are often unmanageable for non-experts, in addition to being extremely tedious. Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) in collaboration with colleagues from Adobe Research have now solved this problem by developing an interactive design tool that allows users to easily adjust a mechanical template to the shape of their choice. The software tool, which will be made available in the future, will be presented at this year's prestigious "SIGGRAPH" conference by first author and PhD student Ran Zhang from the research group of Bernd Bickel.
Founder of Russian messaging app defies official ultimatum The founder of a Russian encrypted messaging app is defying the government's request to provide information about his company.
	Scientists design unique energy absorbing container Researchers have developed a technology to ensure the safety and efficiency of fragile equipment like high-precision devices weighing up to 8 kg when dropped from 125 meters height to a hard surface. It's a protective container with world's best energy absorption characteristics designed and manufactured at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Computer-Aided Engineering Centre of Excellence (CompMechLab) in collaboration with LLC 'Special and Medical Equipment'.
German parties salvage vote on social media hate posts bill Germany's governing parties have cleared the way for parliament to vote on legislation designed to get illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news removed quickly from social networking sites.

Medicine & Health news

	Existing drugs could benefit patients with bone cancer, genetic study suggests A subgroup of patients with osteosarcoma - a form of bone cancer - could be helped by an existing drug, suggest scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators at University College London Cancer Institute and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. In the largest genetic sequencing study of osteosarcoma to date, scientists discovered that 10 per cent of patients with a genetic mutation in particular growth factor signalling genes may benefit from existing drugs, known as IGF1R inhibitors.
	Researchers say U.S. policies on drugs and addiction could use a dose of neuroscience Tens of thousands of Americans die from drug overdoses every year – around 50,000 in 2015 – and the number has been steadily climbing for at least the last decade and a half, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Yet a team of Stanford neuroscientists and legal scholars argues that the nation's drug policies are at times exactly the opposite from what science-based policies would look like.
	How brains surrender to sleep Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna study fundamental aspects of sleep in roundworms. Using advanced technologies, they monitor the activity of all nerve cells in the brain while they are falling asleep and waking up. The journal Science publishes their ground-breaking results this week.
	Experts uncover first molecular events of organ rejection Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Toronto have uncovered the first molecular steps that lead to immune system activation and eventual rejection of a transplanted organ. The findings, published today in Science Immunology, may be used someday to create better donor-recipient matches and develop new ways to prevent rejection of transplanted tissues.
	The neural relationship between light and sleep Humans are diurnal animals, meaning that we usually sleep at night and are awake during the day, due at least in part to light or the lack thereof. Light is known to affect sleep indirectly by entraining—modifying the length of—our circadian rhythms and also rapidly and directly due to a phenomenon known as masking. But while a great deal is known about how light affects circadian rhythms, little is known about the direct effects of light on sleep: Why do we tend to wake up if the lights are flipped on in the middle of the night? Why does darkness make us sleepy? Caltech researchers in the laboratory of Professor of Biology David Prober say they have discovered at least part of the answer: a specific protein in the brain that responds to light and darkness to set the correct balance between sleep and wakefulness.
	Increased risk for autism when genetic variation and air pollution meet A new analysis shows that individuals with high levels of genetic variation and elevated exposure to ozone in the environment are at an even higher risk for developing autism than would be expected by adding the two risk factors together. The study is the first to look at the combined effects of genome-wide genetic change and environmental risk factors for autism, and the first to identify an interaction between genes and environment that leads to an emergent increase in risk that would not be found by studying these factors independently. A paper describing the research appears online in the journal Autism Research.
	Chatter in the deep brain spurs empathy in rats It's a classic conundrum: while rushing to get to an important meeting or appointment on time, you spot a stranger in distress. How do you decide whether to stop and help, or continue on your way?
	Guided exercise may help chronic fatigue patients: study An expert-guided, self-help exercise program may help people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a new study suggests.
	Scientists recreate Californian Indian water bottles to study ancient exposure to chemicals Water bottles replicated in the traditional method used by Native Californian Indians reveal that the manufacturing process may have been detrimental to the health of these people. The study is published this week in the open access journal Environmental Health.
Putting others first can cost lives in emergencies Selfless heroism isn't the best strategy in life-and-death disaster situations involving groups of people, a new study from the University of Waterloo suggests.
Making changes to diet, physical activity and behaviour may reduce obesity in children and adolescents A Cochrane report which was led by a University of Warwick researcher summarizes evidence on the effects of different interventions for treating obesity and overweight in adolescence.
The presence of the protein KIF1B-beta can play a central role for the outcome of a neuroblastoma diagnosis A high percentage of KIF1Bβ means a greater chance of the tumour spontaneously regressing and disappearing. These are the results of a study by Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd. The study is to be published in the scientific journal Genes and Development.
	Tough times make for more impulsive pre-teens The loss of a grandparent. Marital discord at home. Trouble with peers. When pre-teens are forced to deal with adverse life events such as these they tend to become more impulsive in their decision-making later in life. And while that could help motivate kids to work harder for rewards in some areas, it could also make risky behaviours seem more appealing, according to Western researchers.
	Washing hands after gardening could protect against Legionnaire's disease Washing hands after using compost could protect gardeners from contracting a common but dangerous strain of Legionnaire's disease, new University of Otago research shows.
	Co-housing options for older people to live independent, fulfilling lives Older people in co-housing could lead independent and socially fulfilling lives in their communities at an affordable cost, new research has found.
Important role of GPs in reducing alcohol-related harms Two new reports launched at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on 22 June 2017, involving the University of Stirling, highlight the important role that GPs have in raising the issue of alcohol use in GP consultations.
	Diabetes moving from affliction of affluent countries to a global problem The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled from 1980 to 2014, and 415 million adults in the world now have diabetes, according to Rollins researchers. Globally, it was estimated that diabetes accounted for 12 percent of health expenditures in 2010, or at least $376 billion—a figure expected to hit $490 billion in 2030.
Stem cells: the future of medicine Imagine being able to take cells from your skin, transform them into other types of cells, such as lung, brain, heart or muscle cells, and use those to cure your ailments, from diabetes to heart disease or macular degeneration. To realise this, however, challenges still remain, Professor Janet Rossant, a pioneer in the field, says.
	Are the chemicals we encounter every day making us sick? When her kids were young, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, knew more than most people about environmental toxics. After all, she was a senior scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But even she never dreamed, as she rocked her children to sleep at night, that the plastic baby bottles she used to feed them contained toxic chemicals that could leach into the warm milk.
	Bacteria from cystic fibrosis patient could help fight antibiotic-resistant TB A newly discovered antibiotic, produced by bacteria from a cystic fibrosis patient, could be used to treat cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). This is the finding of a team of scientists from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences and the University of Warwick.
	What is cognitive reserve? How we can protect our brains from memory loss and dementia As we get older we have a greater risk of developing impairments in areas of cognitive function – such as memory, reasoning and verbal ability. We also have a greater risk of dementia, which is what we call cognitive decline that interferes with daily life. The trajectory of this cognitive decline can vary considerably from one person to the next.
	Paramedics treating more young women for alcohol intoxication than men More young people are needing emergency assistance for alcohol intoxication than in previous years, new data from Western Australia show.
	New study maps out core concepts in the vaccination debate The recent measles outbreak in Minnesota — by June, new cases of the disease in that state surpassed nationwide totals for all of 2016 — has been a sobering reminder of how highly concentrated populations of vaccination skeptics can elevate an entire community's risk of infection.
	How operational deployment affects soldiers' children So many of us have seen delightful videos of friends and family welcoming their loved ones home from an operational tour of duty. The moment they are reunited is heartwarming, full of joy and tears – but, for military personnel who were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan post 9/11, their time away came with unprecedented levels of stress for their whole family.
	No increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome after HPV vaccination Girls receiving one or more doses of HPV vaccine have no greater risk of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS / ME) than unvaccinated girls. This is shown in a new major study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
	How the duty to be beautiful is making young girls feel like failures From the daily application of high-tech lotions and potions to non-surgical procedures such as botox, fillers and peels, the beauty industry is booming like never before.
	A unique amino acid for brain cancer therapy Photodynamic therapy is often used to treat brain tumors because of its specificity—it can target very small regions containing cancerous cells while sparing the normal cells around it from damage. It works by injecting a drug called a photosensitizer into the bloodstream, where it gathers in cells, and then exposing the drug-filled cells to light. When the photosensitizer is exposed to this light, it emits what is known as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) that causes the cells to die. The method is precise because photosensitizers preferentially gather in cancerous cells over normal cells. As such, when they are exposed to the light, the normal cells will be spared from damage.
	Avoiding tick bites Following an unseasonably warm winter, the tick population is flourishing and these shiver-inducing, cringe-worthy arachnids are making themselves known.
	Study finds children carry implicit bias towards peers who are overweight Even children as young as 9 years old can carry a prejudice against their peers who are overweight, according to a new study led by Duke Health researchers. They might not even realize they feel this way.
MRI without contrast agents? Yes, with sugar In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast agents are used to enhance the imaging of tissue structures. While they enhance signals in blood vessels and in spaces between cells, they do not reach the interior of the cell. By contrast, glucose is taken up and then broken down in the body cells. Tumor cells are particularly hungry for glucose in order to feed their high energy needs. By observing glucose metabolism activity it may therefore be possible to identify solid tumors or very aggressively growing tumor areas. Radiologists and physicists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg have now succeeded in employing this novel type of imaging.
	Following a friend leads to unsafe driving behavior Have you ever tried following a friend in a car? It can stressful; if you don't keep up, you are likely to get lost. To avoid this, you may make unsafe driving manoeuvres to keep sight of the car ahead.
	Treating Lyme disease: When do symptoms resolve in children? For many Americans, the warmer weather of summer means more time spent outside: More gardening and yard work, more hikes in the woods, more backyard barbecues. But for this year in particular, some experts predict warmer weather will lead to more ticks.
	Public health guidelines aim to lower health risks of cannabis use Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, released today with the endorsement of key medical and public health organizations, provide 10 science-based recommendations to enable cannabis users to reduce their health risks. The guidelines, based on a scientific review by an international team of experts, are published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Leisure activities lower blood pressure in Alzheimer's caregivers Going for a walk outside, reading, listening to music—these and other enjoyable activities can reduce blood pressure for elderly caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease, suggests a study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.
	Individualizing deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease Working with colleagues from Harvard Medical School and Würzburg, researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have been examining the use of deep brain stimulation in the treatment of Parkison's disease in an attempt to optimize treatment effectiveness. Specifically, they have been looking at which brain regions need to be connected to the electrode used for deep brain stimulation. The researchers found a way to use brain connectivity (i.e. connections in the brain) to predict the best possible relief of Parkinson's Disease symptoms. The results, describing an effective network profile of deep brain stimulation has been reported in the journal Annals of Neurology.
Measles outbreak kills 30 in Romania A measles outbreak affecting several European countries has killed 30 people in Romania, most of them children, health authorities in Bucharest said on Friday.
	Choosing the right sunglasses (HealthDay)—You might think of eye problems like cataracts as signs of old age, but one step you can take now will protect your vision for the future—and you can do it with style.
	Need braces? Say goodbye to 'metal-mouth' taunts (HealthDay)—Braces have long been a kind of geeky right-of-passage—something that must be endured for a few years to ensure a lifelong smile with straight teeth.
	1991-2014 saw minimal change in health spending per state (HealthDay)—From 1991 to 2014 there was minimal change in health spending by state, according to a study published online June 14 in Health Affairs.
	Protective association identified for asthma against sepsis (HealthDay)—For patients with infections, those with asthma have reduced risk of sepsis, according to a letter to the editor published online May 22 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
	Patient-controlled analgesia reduces pain at higher cost (HealthDay)—For patients presenting to the emergency department in pain, who are subsequently admitted to the hospital, the cost per hour in moderate or severe pain averted is higher for patient-controlled analgesia versus standard care, according to a study published online May 26 in Anaesthesia.
	More breast cancers were diagnosed at early stage after Affordable Care Act took effect A Loyola University Chicago study published this month has found an increase in the percentage of breast cancer patients who were diagnosed in early Stage 1, after the Affordable Care Act took effect.
	Anti-epilepsy drug restores normal brain activity in mild Alzheimer's disease In the last decade, mounting evidence has linked seizure-like activity in the brain to some of the cognitive decline seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Patients with Alzheimer's disease have an increased risk of epilepsy and nearly half may experience subclinical epileptic activity—disrupted electrical activity in the brain that doesn't result in a seizure but which can be measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) or other brain scan technology.
Patient race and gender are important in predicting heart attack in the emergency department Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) found that certain symptoms are more and less predictive of patients' risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes heart attack, in patients of different gender and race.
Intensive blood pressure lowering benefits patients with chronic kidney disease Results from a recent clinical trial indicate that intensive blood pressure lowering reduces chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients' risks of dying prematurely or developing cardiovascular disease. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
	New report examines evidence on interventions to prevent cognitive decline, dementia Cognitive training, blood pressure management for people with hypertension, and increased physical activity all show modest but inconclusive evidence that they can help prevent cognitive decline and dementia, but there is insufficient evidence to support a public health campaign encouraging their adoption, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Additional research is needed to further understand and gain confidence in their effectiveness, said the committee that conducted the study and wrote the report.
How the Senate health bill compares to House, 'Obamacare' The Senate Republican health care bill would guarantee immediate assistance for insurance markets that are struggling in many states. Yet overall it would do the same thing as its House counterpart: less federal money for health insurance and a greater likelihood that more Americans will be uninsured.
	Yemen cholera cases could jump to 300,000 by September: UN A cholera outbreak in war-ravaged Yemen will probably have infected more than 300,000 people by September, up sharply from the current tally of nearly 193,000 cases, the United Nations said Friday.
	Novel glimpses into early lung development For most prematurely born infants, it's not their tiny size itself that makes life a struggle. Rather, it's the development of their lungs that spells the difference between life and death.
America's frontline physicians denounce the Better Care Reconciliation Act The physician leaders of six organizations representing more than half a million of America's frontline physicians are strongly opposed to the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The U.S. Senate's proposed health reform bill contains provisions that would do great harm to patients by repealing and undermining essential coverage and key patient protections established by the Affordable Care Act and make health care unaffordable for millions of Americans.
Monitoring the development of foster children Foster children's behaviour is more problematic than that of their peers in 'normal' family situations. However, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of behavioural problems. Anouk Goemans, a researcher in clinical child and adolescent studies, calls for more screening and monitoring. PhD defence on 27 June.
Combined molecular biology test is the first to distinguish benign pancreatic lesions When performed in tandem, two molecular biology laboratory tests distinguish, with near certainty, pancreatic lesions that mimic early signs of cancer but are completely benign. The lesions almost never progress to cancer, so patients may be spared unnecessary pancreatic cancer screenings or operations. The two-test combination is the only one to date that can accurately and specifically identify these benign pancreatic lesions. Its utility was described in one of the largest studies of patients with this form of pancreatic lesion by researchers from Indiana University, Indianapolis. The results of the study now appear in an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print publication.
Cholera suspected as several ill at Kenya medical conference "Several" participants at a medical conference at a hotel in Nairobi have come down with a foodborne disease suspected to be cholera, the Kenya Medical Association said Friday.

Biology news

	Critical gaps in knowledge of where infectious diseases occur The scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution has published a joint statement from scientists at the University of Copenhagen and North Carolina State University calling attention to a serious lack of data on the worldwide distribution of disease-causing organisms. Without this data, predicting where and when the next disease outbreak will emerge is inhibited. Macroecologists have the expertise to create the needed data network and close the knowledge gaps.
	In marine bacteria, evolution of new specialized molecules follows a previously unknown path It's one of the tiniest organisms on Earth, but also one of the most abundant. And now, the microscopic marine bacteria called Prochlorococcus can add one more superlative to its list of attributes: It evolves new kinds of metabolites called lanthipeptides, more abundantly and rapidly than any other known organism.
	Fungal toxins easily become airborne, creating potential indoor health risk Toxins produced by three different species of fungus growing indoors on wallpaper may become aerosolized, and easily inhaled. The findings, which likely have implications for "sick building syndrome," were published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Jellyfish fluorescence shines new light on DNA copying Scientists at the University of York have used florescent proteins from jellyfish to help shed new light on how DNA replicates.
	From strands to droplets—new insights into DNA control A host of proteins and other molecules sit on the strands of our DNA, controlling which genes are read out and used by cells and which remain silent. This aggregation of genetic material and controlling molecules, called chromatin, makes up the chromosomes in our cell nuclei; its control over which genes are expressed – or not – is what determines the difference between a skin cell and a neuron, and often between a healthy cell and a cancerous one.
	Plants sacrifice 'daughters' to survive chilly weather Plants adopt different strategies to survive the changing temperatures of their natural environments. This is most evident in temperate regions where forest trees shed their leaves to conserve energy during the cold season. In a new study, a team of plant biologists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that some plants may selectively kill part of their roots to survive under cold weather conditions.
	Firing up your car with lipids Sometimes, when a science experiment doesn't work out, unexpected opportunities open up.
	Dramatic differences spotted in chimp communities Dramatic differences in chimp societies, discovered by researchers at the University of St Andrews, reveal variations in social status and sharing food, as seen in human cultures.
	New research reveals impact of seismic surveys on zooplankton Marine seismic surveys used in petroleum exploration could cause a two to three-fold increase in mortality of adult and larval zooplankton, new research published in leading science journal Nature Ecology and Evolution has found.
	It's a girl: Japan zoo's star panda baby gets a checkup The baby panda who has become an overnight celebrity in Japan is a girl.
	Sweet bribes for ants are key to crops bearing fruit, study shows Flowering crops such as beans and cotton offer their sweetest nectar to recruit colonising ants in a strategy that balances their need for defence and to reproduce, research suggests.
	Dune ecosystem modelling Acacia longifolia, which is native to Australia, is a species which was cultivated in Portugal primarily to stabilize dunes and as an ornamental plant; now it has spread out uncontrollably in Portugal and into many ecosystems around the world. This has varying effects on native species. Because of a symbiosis with bacteria at its roots, Acacia longifolia can use atmospheric nitrogen from the air; it also grows fast and produces a lot of biomass. This means it adds nitrogen to the otherwise low-nutrient dune ecosystem, giving it unintended fertilizer. The acacia also uses more water than the native species. A team of researchers headed by the ecologists Professor Christiane Werner and Christine Hellmann, in collaboration with scientists at the Universities of Münster and Hamburg, has worked out a new approach to determine the extent to which the physical surroundings influence the acacia's interaction with other plants.
	Turtle go-slow zone extensions needed James Cook University marine scientists are calling for an extension of go-slow zones in turtle habitats to reduce boat strikes on the threatened creatures.
Discovery of a new mechanism involved in the migration of cancer cells A team of young French researchers has discovered a new mechanism which facilitates cell migration. On the surface of its membrane, the cell develops multiple small hooks which help it to attach to fibers outside the cell and move along them. This action helps us to understand better how a cell escapes from the tumor mass and moves around the body to form a new focus.
	Researchers work with dogs to sniff out chemicals that identify human remains Researchers from the University of Leicester are working with police forces in the UK to improve the accuracy of police dogs in identifying human remains in criminal investigations.
	Indian man arrested for selling lizard penises as tantric root plants An Indian man has been arrested for selling dried monitor lizard penises online as a rare root plant believed to bring good luck, Indian forest department officials said Friday.
	Better cell factories for the drugs of the future Pharmaceuticals based on proteins are promising candidates for the treatment of cancer and other severe diseases, but they can be hard to produce. In a new research project, Chalmers researchers will develop new genetically modified cells, so-called cell factories, which can produce the desired proteins.
Kansas jury awards $218M to farmers in Syngenta GMO suit A Kansas federal jury awarded nearly $218 million on Friday to farmers who sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed variety.

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