Science: What Geeks are talking about from EurekAlert

DNA barcodes gone wild
A team of researchers at Sinai Health System’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre has developed a new technology that can stitch together DNA barcodes inside a cell to simultaneously search amongst millions of protein pairs for protein interactions. The paper will be published today in the journal Molecular Systems Biology.

Fructose alters hundreds of brain genes, which can lead to a wide range of diseases
Consuming fructose, a sugar that’s common in the Western diet, alters hundreds of genes that may be linked to many diseases, UCLA life scientists report. However, they discovered good news as well: an important omega-3 fatty acid known as DHA seems to reverse the harmful changes produced by fructose.

Thin-film solar cells: How defects appear and disappear in CIGSe cells
An international collaboration of German, Israeli, and British teams has investigated the deposition of thin chalcopyrite layers. They were able to observe specific defects as these formed during deposition and under what conditions they self-healed using the BESSY II X-ray source at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. The results of their research provide clues to optimizing fabrication processes and have now been published in Energy & Environmental Science.

Discover the genetic cause for intellectual disability
A research group led by Osaka University and collaborative institutions discovered that disorders in the same gene PIGG are the cause for intellectual disability with seizures and hypotonia. PIGG is one of the enzymes active in the GPI anchor glycolipid synthesis and the current study revealed its significance in the development of the cerebral nervous system.

Research reveals a new secret to the miracle of breast milk
One of the secrets to rich milk production in lactation has been uncovered by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Their studies have revealed that breast cells develop two nuclei as the breast switches on lactation to nurture the newborn.This change begins to occur in late pregnancy with the generation of vast numbers of cells with two nuclei.

Atoms placed precisely in silicon can act as quantum simulator
In a proof-of-principle experiment, researchers at UNSW Australia have demonstrated that a small group of individual atoms placed very precisely in silicon can act as a quantum simulator, mimicking nature — in this case, the weird quantum interactions of electrons in materials. Their success provides a route to developing new ways to test fundamental aspects of quantum physics and to design new, exotic materials.

Dark matter does not contain certain axion-like particles
Researchers at Stockholm University are getting closer to corner light dark-matter particle models. Observations can rule out some axion-like particles in the quest for the content of dark matter. The article is now published in the Physical Review Letters.

Researchers uncover ‘local heroes’ of immune system
Research led by Dr. Axel Kallies and Dr. Klaas van Gisbergen at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and Dr. Laura Mackay from the University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity has identified the genes Hobit and Blimp1 and found that these genes control a universal molecular program responsible for placing immune cells at the ‘front lines’ of the body to fight infection and cancer.

Cpf1: CRISPR-enzyme scissors cutting both RNA and DNA
Scientists delineate molecular details of a new bacterial CRISPR-Cpf1 system and open possible avenue for alternative gene editing uses like targeting several genes in parallel.

The Universe, where space-time becomes discrete
A theoretical study just published in Physical Review Letters and led by SISSA in Trieste has analyzed a model that saves special relativity and reconciles it with granularity by introducing small-scale deviations from the principle of locality demonstrating that it can be experimentally tested with great precision. The team is already collaborating on developing an experiment, which will take place at the LENS (European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy) in Florence, some members of which have also taken part in the theoretical study.

Gateway to the brain
Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) have derived a structural model of a transporter at the blood-brain barrier called Mfsd2a. This is the first molecular model of this critical transporter, and could prove important for the development of therapeutic agents that need to be delivered to the brain — across the blood-brain barrier. In future, this could help treat neurological disorders such as glioblastoma.

Mergers not the answer for HEIs seeking savings, according to new research
As the sole UK academic presenting a paper at a large-scale conference in the USA, the University of Huddersfield’s Professor Jill Johnes introduced her audience to some new concepts in education finance and also returned with fresh ideas of her own.

It is critical to screen patients with rheumatoid arthritis for hearing impairment
The objective of this review is to evaluate published clinical reports related to hearing impairment in patients with RA. Furthermore, we discuss possible pathologies and associated factors as well as new treatment modalities.

Risk of liver cancer from hepatitis B persists even after clearing the virus
Long-term infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause liver inflammation and increase the risk of liver cancer. Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, found that resolving HBV infection was not associated with reduced rates of liver cancer.

Changing the world, 1 fridge at a time
To help change the world, have a look inside your fridge — this is one of the messages contained in an article published in the most recent issue of the authoritative academic journal Science. Food waste has attained monumental proportions in both the developed and developing worlds, and the sum of individual consumer´s actions can have major impacts on a global scale, according to the article’s author, Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, an associate professor at Aarhus BSS, the business school of Aarhus University, Denmark.

Attosecond physics: New movies from the microcosmos
With the aid of terahertz radiation, Munich physicists have developed a method for generating and controlling ultrashort electron pulses. With further improvements, this technique should be capable of capturing even electrons in motion.

Successful laboratory test of photoswitchable anti-tumor agent
Photoswitchable agents might reduce side effects of a chemotherapy. So far, photodynamic therapies have been dependent on oxygen in the tissue. But hardly any oxygen exists in malignant, rapidly growing tumors. A group of researchers of KIT and the University of Kiev has now developed a photo-switchable molecule as a basis of an oxygen-independent method. Their successful laboratory tests on tumors are reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

When beauty becomes the beast: UC research efforts successfully combat invasive species
New UC biology research helps halt the spread of non-native plants into natural wooded areas, giving native plants a fighting chance and the opportunity to re-establish themselves.

Sleep loss detrimental to blood vessels
Getting too little sleep causes changes in the metabolism of cholesterol, demonstrates a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. According to the results, long-term sleep loss may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Adding some salt to the recipe for energy storage materials
A team of researchers from Drexel University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University recently discovered a way to improve the recipe and make the resulting materials bigger and better and soaking up energy — the secret? Just add salt.

Dartmouth-led study of chimpanzees explores the early origins of human hand dexterity
Chimpanzees use manipulative dexterity to evaluate and select figs, a vital resource when preferred foods are scarce, according to a new Dartmouth-led study just published by Interface Focus. The action resembles that of humans shopping for fruits, and the study demonstrates the foraging advantages of opposable fingers and careful manual prehension, or the act of grasping an object with precision. The findings shed new light on the ecological origins of hands with fine motor control.

Researcher studies how animals puncture things
If shooting arrows from a crossbow into cubes of ballistics gelatin doesn’t sound like biological science to you, you’ve got a lot to learn from University of Illinois animal biology professor Philip Anderson, who did just that to answer a fundamental question about how animals use their fangs, claws and tentacles to puncture other animals.

Organ recipients with previous cancers linked to higher death rates, new cancers
People who had cancer before receiving an organ transplant were more likely to die of any cause, die of cancer or develop a new cancer than organ recipients who did not previously have cancer, a new paper has found.

Older adults need better blood pressure and cholesterol control to prevent cardiovascular disease
Prevention of cardiovascular events in elderly patients presents a therapeutic challenge because this age group is generally underrepresented in clinical trials, and doctors often assume that it is too late to initiate preventive therapy in the elderly. A review by clinical experts of the best available evidence concluded that cholesterol-lowering and blood pressure-controlling therapy are the most effective treatments for reducing cardiovascular events in older adults, but that treatment needs to be individualized, reports the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

Infant BMI is good predictor of obesity at age 2
Babies with a high body mass index (BMI) at age two months are at risk for obesity at age two years, say pediatric researchers. The authors say that BMI better predicts early childhood obesity than weight-for-length, the current standard measurement.

Inspirational managers may harm workers’ health
Managers who inspire their staff to perform above and beyond the call of duty may actually harm their employees’ health over time, according to researchers from the University of East Anglia.

The Lancet: Blood transfusions in high risk malaria zones could be made safer with new blood treatment technology
Patients, especially children, who undergo blood transfusions in sub-Saharan Africa are at high risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria. A new trial, published in The Lancet today, suggests that treating donated blood with a new technology that combines UV radiation and vitamin B is safe and could minimize the risk of malaria infection following blood transfusions.

Test aims to identify shale gas hazard in groundwater
A test has been developed to check for contamination of shallow groundwater from unconventional gas extraction techniques, such as fracking.

Gender stereotyping may start as young as 3 months — study of babies’ cries shows
Gender stereotyping may start as young as three months, according to a study of babies’ cries from the University of Sussex.

Reducing infectious malaria parasites in donated blood could help prevent transmission
A technique for reducing the number of infectious malaria parasites in whole blood could significantly reduce the number of cases of transmission of malaria through blood transfusion, according to a collaboration between researchers in Cambridge, UK, and Kumasi, Ghana.

New study shows electronic health records often capture incomplete mental health data
This study compares information available in a typical electronic health record (EHR) with data from insurance claims, focusing on diagnoses, visits, and hospital care for depression and bipolar disorder.

Outwitting poachers with artificial intelligence
Human patrols serve as the most direct form of protection of endangered animals, especially in large national parks. However, protection agencies have limited resources for patrolling.With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Army Research Office, researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) and game theory to solve poaching, illegal logging and other problems worldwide, in collaboration with researchers and conservationists in the U.S., Singapore, Netherlands and Malaysia.

Plastic below the ocean surface
Current measurement methods skim the surface of the ocean while computer modeling shows ocean turbulence may force plastics far below the surface despite their buoyancy.

Study points to how low-income, resource-poor communities can reduce substance abuse
Cocaine use has increased substantially among African Americans in some of the most underserved areas of the United States. Interventions designed to increase connection to and support from non-drug using family and friends, with access to employment, the faith community, and education, are the best ways to reduce substance use among African Americans and other minorities in low-income, resource-poor communities, a study led by a medical anthropologist at the University of California, Riverside concludes.

Columbia Engineering-led team advances single molecule electronic DNA sequencing
Columbia Engineering-led team reports achieving real-time single molecule electronic DNA sequencing at single-base resolution using a protein nanopore array. The team includes researchers from Columbia University, Genia Technologies (Roche), Harvard University, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The work sets the stage for revolutionary, cost-effective genetic diagnostic platforms with unprecedented potential for precision medicine. (PNAS, 4/18/2016)

Cleaning up hybrid battery electrodes improves capacity and lifespan
Hybrid batteries that charge faster than conventional ones could have significantly better electrical capacity and long-term stability when prepared with a gentle-sounding way of making electrodes. Called ion soft-landing, the high-precision technique resulted in electrodes that could store a third more energy and had twice the lifespan compared to those prepared by a conventional method, the researchers report in Nature Communications.

Evolution in action detected in Darwin’s finches
The most characteristic feature of Darwin’s finches is the diversification of beak morphology that has allowed these species to expand their utilization of food resources in the Galápagos archipelago. A team of scientists from Uppsala University and Princeton University has now identified a gene that explains variation in beak size within and among species. The gene contributed to a rapid shift in beak size of the medium ground finch following a severe drought. The study is published in Science.

Yale study suggests immune response to flu causes death in older people, not the virus
A new Yale-led study suggests that death from influenza virus in older people may be primarily caused by a damaging immune response to flu and not by the virus itself. The insight could lead to novel strategies for combating flu in the most vulnerable patients, said the researchers.

USU chemists shed new light on global energy, food supply challenge
Utah State University, NREL, University of Colorado and Montana State announce light-driven process to convert dinitrogen to ammonia.

For American youth, rich-poor gap in life expectancy narrowing: Free
The life expectancy gap between America’s rich and poor is shrinking for the young, a new study reports. In fact, life expectancy at birth has been improving for virtually all income groups born in 1990 onward.

Giant dinosaurs hatched with adult-like proportions
Analysis of a new dinosaur fossil suggests that the largest species ever known to walk the Earth was born with adult-like proportions, perhaps allowing it to be more independent than some other species of dinosaur.

Genomic analysis of finches identifies genetic locus associated with beak size
Nearly 200 years ago, based on observations of finches in the Galápagos Islands, Charles Darwin proposed that a species may diverge in traits when competing for resources, and now, supporting this concept, a new study identifies the genetic locus that controls changes in beak size of these finches.