Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Jun 16

Dear Mahesh Sagar Khanal,

Be an ACS Industry Insider: https://connect.acspubs.org/Insider?LS=SciX

Sign-up and get free, monthly access to articles that cover exciting, cutting edge discoveries in Energy, Environmental Science and Agriculture.

---

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for June 16, 2020:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

A quantum metrology protocol for locating noncooperative targets in 3-D space

A fractional corner anomaly reveals higher-order topology

Dark Energy Survey detects thousands of low-surface-brightness galaxies

ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet

Your brain shows if you are lonely or not

Scientists propose explanation for baffling form of childhood OCD

Turning faces into thermostats: Autonomous HVAC system could provide more comfort with less energy

Wearable patch may provide new treatment option for skin cancer

Hunting in savanna-like landscapes may have poured jet fuel on brain evolution

Australian fossil reveals new plant species

Could the cure for IBD be inside your mouth?

How does our brain trigger different sighs? New findings could provide answers

Persistent DNA damage in the placenta affects pregnancy outcomes

Determining effective magnetic moment of multicore nanoparticles

Previously undetected brain pulses may help circuits survive disuse, injury

Nanotechnology news

	Wearable patch may provide new treatment option for skin cancer Conventional melanoma therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, suffer from the toxicity and side effects of repeated treatments due to the aggressive and recurrent nature of melanoma cells.
	Determining effective magnetic moment of multicore nanoparticles Magnetic nanoparticles, a class of nanoparticles that can be manipulated by magnetic fields, have a wide range of technical and biomedical applications, including magnetic hyperthermia, targeted drug delivery, new magnetic storage media and nanorobots. Most commercial nanoparticles do not possess a single magnetic core but have a number of small magnetic crystals called crystallites.
	With a 'catch-and-release' process, researchers advance graphene electronics In recent years, atomically flat layered materials have gained significant attention due to their prospects for building high-speed and low-power electronics. Best known among those materials is graphene, a single sheet of carbon atoms. Among the unique qualities of this family of materials is that they can be stacked on top of each other like Lego pieces to create artificial electronic materials.
	Scientists grow optical chips in a petri dish The modern photonics industry is constantly working on making its devices more compact, be it computing systems or sensors and lidars. For this, it is necessary to make lasers, transistors and other elements smaller. A team of scientists led by ITMO researchers proposed a quick and affordable method to create optical chips right in a Petri dish. The research was published in ACS Nano.

Physics news

	A quantum metrology protocol for locating noncooperative targets in 3-D space Radar technology, which stands for radio detection and ranging, has been around for several decades and has a wide range of real-world applications. Radar is currently used to detect targets or other objects in many settings. For instance, it is employed during military and aerospace operations to determine the location, range, angle and/or velocity of aircrafts, ships, spacecrafts, missiles or other vehicles.
	A fractional corner anomaly reveals higher-order topology Topological insulators (TIs) have an insulating interior and support conducting surface states with additional interfacing properties. The exotic metallic states on their surfaces can provide new routes to generate new phases and particles with potential applications in quantum computing and spintronics. Researchers have developed a theoretical framework to help identify and characterize such exotic states using new topological markers such as fractional charge density to detect topological states of matter. The resulting agreement between experimental work and theory has encouraged applications across topological platforms. In this work, Christopher W. Peterson and a team of scientists in electrical and computer engineering, physics, and mechanical science at the University of Illinois and the Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. discuss this new topological indicator introduced to identify higher-order topology and demonstrate the associated higher-order bulk-boundary correspondence. The work is now published on Science.
	Flushing toilets create clouds of virus-containing particles Researchers used a computer simulation to show how a flushing toilet can create a cloud of virus-containing aerosol droplets that is large and widespread and lasts long enough that the droplets could be breathed in by others.
	Quantum cryptography keys for secure communication distributed 1,000 kilometers farther than previous attempts The exchange of a secret key for encrypting and decrypting messages over a distance of 1,120 kilometers is reported in Nature this week. This achievement is made using entanglement-based quantum key distribution, a theoretically secure communication technique. Previous attempts to directly distribute quantum keys between two ground users under real-world conditions have reached distances of only around 100 kilometers.
	Feel the beat: implanted microlasers scan heart from inside It sounds like science fiction—but lasers beating to the rhythm of a live heart is exactly what researchers at the University of St Andrews have developed to improve the understanding of heart failure and to help develop more effective treatments.
	What do 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Macbeth,' and a list of Facebook friends all have in common? To an English scholar or avid reader, the Shakespeare Canon represents some of the greatest literary works of the English language. To a network scientist, Shakespeare's 37 plays and the 884,421 words they contain also represent a massively complex communication network. Network scientists, who employ math, physics, and computer science to study vast and interconnected systems, are tasked with using statistically rigorous approaches to understand how complex networks, like all of Shakespeare, convey information to the human brain.
	Borrowing from robotics, scientists automate mapping of quantum systems Scientists at the University of Sydney have adapted techniques from autonomous vehicles and robotics to efficiently assess the performance of quantum devices, an important process to help stabilize the emerging technologies.
	Quantum material research facilitates discovery of better materials that benefit our society A joint research team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Institute of Physics at Chinese Academy of Science, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Beihang University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai, has provided a successful example of modern era quantum material research. By means of the state-of-art quantum many-body simulations, performed on the world's fastest supercomputers (Tianhe-I and Tianhe-III protype at National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin and Tianhe-II at National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou), they achieved accurate model calculations for a rare-earth magnet TmMgGaO4 (TMGO). They found that the material, under the correct temperature regime, could realize the the long-sought-after two-dimensional topological Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) phase, which completed the pursuit of identifying the KT physics in quantum magnetic materials for half a century. The research work has been published in Nature Communications.
	The smallest motor in the world A research team from Empa and EPFL has developed a molecular motor which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level. The special feature of the motor is that it moves exactly at the boundary between classical motion and quantum tunneling - and has revealed puzzling phenomena to researchers in the quantum realm.
	Multicolor super-resolution imaging made easy Scientists at EPFL have developed robust and easy-to-implement multicolor super-resolution imaging. The approach is based on the simultaneous acquisition of two spectral channels followed by spectral cross-cumulant analysis and unmixing. They exploit fluorophore blinking and spectral crosstalk for the generation of additional color channels with super-resolved images.
	New ideas in the search for dark matter Since the 1980s, researchers have been running experiments in search of particles that make up dark matter, an invisible substance that permeates our galaxy and universe. Coined dark matter because it gives off no light, this substance, which constitutes more than 80 percent of matter in our universe, has been shown repeatedly to influence ordinary matter through its gravity. Scientists know it is out there but do not know what it is.
	Ultraviolet laser induces color centers in ytterbium-doped silica glasses Ytterbium-doped silica fiber (YDF) has important applications in material processing and scientific research. The photodarkening (PD) effect, which originates from the formation of color centers, can decrease the laser output power over 1,000 h by about 10% and will seriously restrict the power stability of the fiber laser. However, the nature of the PD color centers has not been adequately elucidated until now.
	Combining magnetic data storage and logic Computers normally store and process data in separate modules. But now researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a method that allows logical operations to be performed directly within a memory element.
	A 'pause button' for light particles How do you stop something that is faster than anything else, intangible and always in motion by nature? A team led by physicists Dr. Thorsten Peters and Professor Thomas Halfmann is doing the seemingly impossible: stopping light for tiny fractions of a second. They then end the stopover at the push of a button letting the light pulse continue its journey. The researchers are even stopping individual light particles.
	Physicists document method to improve magnetoelectric response University of Arkansas physicists have documented a means of improving the magnetoelectric response of bismuth ferrite, a discovery that could lead to advances in data storage, sensors and actuators.

Earth news

	Study projects more intense rain during future hurricanes Climate models by team of researchers at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University predict that future tropical cyclones, or hurricanes, will feature more intense rain, with more rain produced per hour than previous storms. Published early online in Geophysical Research Letters, the study suggests that while rain intensity is likely to increase the number of storms that make landfall in the United States will decrease.
	Hurricane season combined with COVID-19 pandemic could create perfect storm When extreme climate conditions interact with stressors to social systems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences could be severe unless experts from diverse backgrounds work together to develop comprehensive solutions to combat their negative impacts.
	Wastewater treatment boom changes essential nutrient balance in lakes A vast number of new wastewater treatment plants in developing countries has led to an imbalance between phosphorous and nitrogen in surface waters. The result could be excessive growth of potentially poisonous algae with a preference for nitrogen. A new study calls for better nutrient reduction in order to maintain ecosystem biodiversity in lakes and others surface waterbodies.
	Coal-burning in Siberia led to climate change 250 million years ago A team of researchers led by Arizona State University (ASU) School of Earth and Space Exploration professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton has provided the first ever direct evidence that extensive coal burning in Siberia is a cause of the Permo-Triassic Extinction, the Earth's most severe extinction event. The results of their study have been recently published in the journal Geology.
	New research reveals geographical processes behind perplexing fluvial strata The Torridon sandstone in northwestern Scotland preserves six kilometers of river sediment from Precambrian times. But what sort of geological events were able to leave their mark for researchers to find 1 billion years later?
	A world redrawn: Worry about climate not COVID, says James 'Gaia' Lovelock James Lovelock—founder of the Gaia theory and, arguably, the field of Earth system science—thinks the world has lost perspective in responding to the new coronavirus, and should focus on a far more formidable foe: global warming.
	China pressed on Mekong dams after record low water levels China was pressed Tuesday to show more transparency over its dam operations on the Mekong River, months after downstream water levels hit record lows and threatened millions of livelihoods.
	Temperature has significant influence on air pollution in wintertime Coal-fired central heating is widely used in the winter in northeast China, and the consumption of fossil fuels for winter heating could produce a large number of fine particulates, sulfides and nitrogen oxides, which aggravates the air pollution situation in northeast China in winter.
	Academic warns deep sea mining activity could affect CO2 absorption rates in ocean ecosystems A leading marine scientist from Heriot-Watt University took the opportunity of a lifetime to dive to the bottom of the ocean.
	Huge forest fires put health at risk After Australia, Siberia is burning, indicating that the frequency of such events is on the rise, with myriad dire consequences: devastated ecosystems, risk of desertification, CO2 emissions, toxic particles, further climate impacts... An expert in atmospheric processes at EPFL, Athanasios Nenes shares his views about it.
	Could Africa have a sustainable palm industry? Palm plantations are associated with deforestation and ecological harm, but researchers are pointing to ways things can be done differently in Africa.
	The number of climate deniers in Australia is more than double the global average, new survey finds Australian news consumers are far more likely to believe climate change is "not at all" serious compared to news users in other countries. That's according to new research that surveyed 2,131 Australians about their news consumption in relation to climate change.
	Pass the shiraz, please: how Australia's wine industry can adapt to climate change Many Australians enjoy a glass of homegrown wine, and A$2.78 billion worth is exported each year. But hotter, drier conditions under climate change means there are big changes ahead for our wine producers.
	Refining projections of Antarctic ice loss and global sea level rise Antarctica is rapidly shedding ice, a loss that contributes to rising seas. Research demonstrates that human-induced global climate change and warming ocean temperatures are the main culprits behind the ice loss. But the rate of ice loss and how much it may raise global sea levels remain uncertain.
New satellite data made available to help tackle public challenges The public sector can access new satellite images of the UK to help issues such as town planning and flood mapping.
	Carpet shell clams reveal high levels of pollution in several coastal lagoons in Tunisia Transitional waters, those situated between land and the sea, such as lagoons and estuaries, are more exposed to human activity and these waters are slowly refreshed, meaning that their ecosystems are more vulnerable to pollution. In order to understand the environmental health of Tunisia's coastal lagoons, a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology research team at the University of Cordoba used a carpet shell clam (Venerupis decussata) as a bioindicator to get an image of pollution in these ecosystems.

Astronomy and Space news

	Dark Energy Survey detects thousands of low-surface-brightness galaxies An international team of astronomers has identified nearly 21,000 low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) in the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The detection of such a huge sample could be essential to improving our knowledge about how LSBGs form and evolve. The finding is reported in a paper published June 8 on arXiv.org.
	ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has detected glowing green oxygen in Mars' atmosphere—the first time that this emission has been seen around a planet other than Earth.
	Evidence for volcanic craters on Saturn's moon Titan Volcano-like features seen in polar regions of Saturn's moon Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft could be evidence of explosive eruptions that may continue today, according to a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Charles A. Wood and coauthor Jani Radebaugh of Brigham Young University.
	This supernova 'pizza' in a lab mimics the cosmic blast's splendid aftermath Nestled in the constellation Taurus, a spectacle of swirling cosmic gasses measuring half a dozen lightyears across glows in shades of emerald and auburn. The Crab Nebula was born of a supernova, the explosion of a giant star, and now, a lab machine the size of a double door replicates how the immense blasts paint the astronomical swirls into existence.
	Solar Orbiter makes first close approach to the sun ESA's sun-exploring mission Solar Orbiter has made its first close approach to the star on June 15, getting as close as 77 million kilometers to its surface, about half the distance between the sun and Earth.
	Scientists find clues to solar variability in observations of other stars One of the fundamental questions for climate scientists is the extent to which solar output may vary in the future. The sun's all-encompassing effect on Earth's atmosphere means that even slight changes in irradiance can have significant implications for global climate.
	Supergiant atmosphere of Antares revealed by radio telescopes An international team of astronomers has created the most detailed map yet of the atmosphere of the red supergiant star Antares. The unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of both the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) revealed the size and temperature of Antares' atmosphere from just above the star's surface, throughout its chromosphere, and all the way out to the wind region.
	As many as six billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, according to new estimates To be considered Earth-like, a planet must be rocky, roughly Earth-sized and orbiting Sun-like (G-type) stars. It also has to orbit in the habitable zones of its star—the range of distances from a star in which a rocky planet could host liquid water, and potentially life, on its surface.
	Meteorites from Mars contain clues about the red planet's geology Despite the pandemic, NASA is on track to launch its Mars rover, Perseverance, this July from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its central mission will be to search for evidence of previous life on Mars.
	China delays launch to complete GPS-like Beidou network Citing technical reasons, China has delayed the launch of the final satellite to complete its Beidou Navigation Satellite System constellation that emulates the U.S. Global Positioning System.
	PICASSO, ESA's CubeSat to sift secrets from sunrise There is always a sunrise and sunset happening somewhere on our planet. Soon ESA's newest CubeSat—flying aboard Europe's Vega launcher this Friday—will be keeping watch. The miniature PICASSO mission will use the filtering of sunlight by Earth's atmosphere to check the health of our protective ozone layer.
	Simba CubeSat to swivel from Earth to sun to help track climate change Due to launch aboard Friday's Vega rocket, ESA's Simba CubeSat is a tiny mission with a big ambition: to measure one of the fundamental drivers of climate change in a new way. The 30-cm long nanosatellite will turn from Earth to space to the sun and back again, to calculate our planet's overall energy budget.
	Storm hunter turns two The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor or ASIM, mounted outside the European laboratory of the International Space Station, enters its second year of science operations.
	FSSCat/Ф-sat-1 ready for launch The first artificial intelligence to be carried onboard a European Earth observation mission will be launched this week from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The pioneering artificial intelligence technology named ɸ-sat-1, pronounced PhiSat-1, will be the first experiment to improve the efficiency of sending vast quantities of data back to Earth.
	Dancing stars and black holes in a cosmic cloud of gas: New research of the 'common envelope phase' Most massive stars are born in binaries (and sometimes triples, quadruples, and so on). As stars age, they grow larger in size by a hundred-fold or even thousand-fold expansion. When stars in binaries expand, parts of them approach the other star in the binary, whose gravity can then pull off the outer portions of the expanding star. The result is mass transfer from one star to the other.
	Martian rover motors ahead European engineers, together with Canada, are working on the technologies needed to find and retrieve samples from Mars, as part of ESA's plans to send material from the Red Planet to Earth.
	If there is life out there, can we detect it? Instruments aboard future space missions are capable of detecting amino acids, fatty acids and peptides, and can even identify ongoing biological processes on ocean moons in our solar system. These are the exciting conclusions reached by two studies from an international team led by scientists of the Planetary Sciences research group at Freie Universität Berlin. The two studies were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Astrobiology.
	Almost 90% of astronauts have been men. But the future of space may be female Only 566 people have ever travelled to space. Sixty-five of them, or about 11.5%, were women.
	Amyloid formation on the International Space Station Amyloids, abnormal fibrillar aggregates of proteins, are associated with various disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of amyloid formation is critical for developing clinical strategies and drugs against these diseases. However, accumulating evidence suggests that amyloid formation processes and the consequent morphology of fibrils can be affected by various environmental factors. This is an obstacle for the integrative understanding of the mechanisms underlying amyloid formations. As gravity causes convectional perturbations in the microenvironments surrounding amyloid fibrils in solution, it may unavoidably affect the processes of molecular assembling.
	Tunisia's first satellite to highlight country's technology When 35-year-old Tunisian farmer Azyz Ben Mustapha looks to the future, he feels a growing sense of unease.
	Using sunlight to save satellites from a fate of 'space junk' No satellite stays the same once launched into space. How much it changes can go unnoticed—until something bad happens.

Technology news

	Turning faces into thermostats: Autonomous HVAC system could provide more comfort with less energy As lockdown requirements ease, COVID-19 is changing the way we use indoor spaces. That presents challenges for those who manage those spaces, from homes to offices and factories.
	New method ensures complex programs are bug-free without testing A team of researchers have devised a way to verify that a class of complex programs is bug-free without the need for traditional software testing. Called Armada, the system makes use of a technique called formal verification to prove whether a piece of software will output what it's supposed to. It targets software that runs using concurrent execution, a widespread method for boosting performance, which has long been a particularly challenging feature to apply this technique to.
	Intel Tiger Lake to have built-in malware defense Intel Corporation announced Monday that its forthcoming Tiger Lake processors will pack a defense mechanism against Spectre-type malware attacks.
	Digitize your dog into a computer game Researchers from the University of Bath have developed motion capture technology that enables you to digitize your dog without a motion capture suit and using only one camera.
	Open-source, low-cost, quadruped robot makes sophisticated robotics available to all Robots capable of the sophisticated motions that define advanced physical actions like walking, jumping, and navigating terrain can cost $50,000 or more, making real-world experimentation prohibitively expensive for many.
	T-Mobile says it's working to fix widespread network issues T-Mobile, one of the three largest mobile carriers in the U.S., said it's working to fix a widespread network issue.
	Online news wins subscribers around world but trust low: survey Increasing numbers of readers are paying for online news around the world even if the level of trust in the media in general remains very low, according to a report published Tuesday.
	Molten salt solutions may supply scientists with new insights into nuclear energy Molten salt reactors could become a cornerstone of the future nuclear energy industry, allowing companies to generate carbon-free power in a safe and efficient way. But first, researchers have to better understand how salt solutions behave in nuclear environments.
	EU authorities open two Apple antitrust investigations European Union regulators began two antitrust investigations on Tuesday into Apple's mobile app store and payment platform over concerns its practices distort competition, opening a new front in the EU's battle against the dominance of big tech companies.
	Researchers overcome fundamental operation challenge for voltage-controlled magnetic RAM This week, at the 2020 Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits, imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, presents a deterministic write scheme for voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) magnetic random access memories (MRAMs), obviating the need for pre-reading the device before writing. This significantly improves the write duty cycle of the memory, enabling ns-scale write speeds. As a second improvement, a manufacturable solution for external-field-free VCMA switching operation was demonstrated. Both innovations address fundamental write operation challenges for VCMA MRAMs, making them viable candidates for future high-performance low-power memory applications.
	How your behaviour on social media could be limiting the quality of your news feeds An international team of researchers including The University of Western Australia has examined how people's online behaviour and preferences on social media could be limiting the quality and balance of information they receive through their news feed.
	Researcher builds solution to work-from-home cloud-computing 'storms' The outbreak of COVID-19 pushed rapid deployment of the work-from-home movement. Azure Cloud Computing saw a 775% increase in cloud usage in social-distanced areas, while Amazon Web Services experienced 33% growth in the first quarter of this year alone.
	Coronavirus tracing app a test for privacy-minded Germany Germany launched a the continent's strict data privacy standards.
	Dog-like robots now on sale for $75,000, with conditions You can now buy one of those unnerving animal-like robots you might have seen on YouTube—so long as you don't plan to use it to harm or intimidate anyone.
	Amazon unveils visual aid to workplace distancing Amazon said Tuesday it was introducing a "distance assistant" as part of its effort to reduce virus infections at its workplaces.
	US eases conditions for working with Huawei on 5G standards The US is letting blacklisted Chinese technology giant Huawei back into the fold when it comes to companies working together to set standards for 5G telecom networks.
	Czech sculptor creates 3D-printed floating house A Czech sculptor has teamed up with a group of architects to create a 3D-printed house prototype that could become a holiday home for the future.
Aviation hub Singapore suspends construction of airport terminal Singapore will suspend the construction of a major airport terminal for at least two years as global aviation struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the transport minister said Tuesday.
	Plane speaking: IEA says aviation to hold back oil recovery Demand for petrol and diesel is set to heal by the end of the year but the coronavirus crisis is likely to leave scars on the airline industry and the oil market, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.
Research suggests significant benefits to investing in advanced machinery maintenance The maintenance of machinery in the manufacturing industry consists of three primary approaches: reactive, preventive, and predictive. Reactive maintenance is when a manufacturer runs the machinery until it breaks down and requires maintenance. Preventive maintenance is when maintenance is scheduled based on time or cycles. This is similar to changing a car's oil after 3 months or 3000 miles. Lastly, predictive maintenance is based on data and observations. This is similar to how newer cars track different variables and indicate when the oil needs to be changed.
Warner Bros to hold massive virtual event for DC Comics fans Comic-Con may be canceled this year, but Warner Bros. will convene a 24-hour virtual gathering of the biggest names in the DC Comics universe.
	Study shows Ohio freeway median cable barriers stop vehicles from crashing into oncoming traffic As America slowly reopens and people resume hitting the open road, travelers through the Buckeye State can rest assured median cable barriers are doing their job. A University of Dayton Transportation Engineering Lab study of 2,209 highway crashes where a vehicle hit or crossed median cable barriers shows only 1.7% of vehicles involved breached the barriers and crashed into oncoming traffic.
	Amnesty sounds alarm over Gulf, Norway virus apps Amnesty International warned Tuesday that contact-tracing technology developed to contain the novel coronavirus threatens users' privacy, highlighting Bahraini, Kuwaiti and Norwegian apps as "among the most dangerous".
	'Smart Gear': An innovative gear principle As part of his master's thesis at TU Graz, Philipp Eisele developed a concept for a collaborative robot in 2019, i.e. an industrial robot that works together with humans. As a doctoral student at TU Graz's Institute of Production Engineering, he developed the concept further—and is now the inventor of 'Smart Gear.' This is an innovative and meanwhile patented drive system which is currently being implemented as a prototype and could be a watershed in drive technology.

Chemistry news

	Sulfur provides promising 'next-gen' battery alternative With the increasing demand for affordable and sustainable energy, the ongoing development of batteries with a high energy density is vital. Lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted the attention of academic researchers and industry professionals alike due to their high energy density, low cost, abundance, nontoxicity and sustainability. However, Li-sulfur batteries tend to have poor cycle life and low energy density due to the low conductivity of sulfur and dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates in the electrolytes, which are generated when pure sulfur reacts with Li-ions and electrons.
	Portable smartphone add-on can measure methanol in alcoholic beverages A team of researchers and engineers from Particle Technology Laboratory, ETH Zurich and University Hospital Zurich has designed and built a palm-sized device that can measure the amount of methanol in an alcoholic beverage. In their paper published in the journal Nature Food, the researchers describe their device, how it works and how well it performed when tested.
	Scientists discover a long-sought-after nitrogen allotrope in black phosphorus structure Graphene, or a single layer of graphite, has a set of novel properties that have attracted tremendous attention since its discovery. Nitrogen is the next neighbor to carbon in the periodic table of elements, so it is natural to question whether nitrogen can form a 2-D material similar to graphene. It is not easy to imagine such a nitrogen layer because nitrogen has one more electron than carbon, overwhelming the bonding requirement of graphene. However, all elements in the VA group bar nitrogen do possess allotropes with layered structures similar to graphite but with the layers being buckled (Figure 1A). Phosphorene is a typical 2-D material derived from the buckled honeycomb layers of black phosphorus. It exhibits a number of unusual electronic, mechanical, optical, and transport properties with great potential as a prototypical next-generation 2-D material. Finding a BP-structured nitrogen means the synthesis of a nitrogen-based 2-D material, or nitrogene, may become possible.
New technique for polymer manufacturing with reduced solvents aimed at vehicle, packaging production A team of Purdue University innovators hopes its new technology provides a more business-friendly option to utilize sustainable cellulose nanomaterials for use in vehicles, food packaging and other manufactured items.
	All of the performance, none of the fuss: nitrile hydrogenation done right The need to be mindful consumers is becoming a priority for an ever-growing portion of society. This means that achieving efficient and environmentally sustainable chemical processes is more important than ever before. One way of influencing reaction efficiency is catalysis. However, when choosing a catalyst there is often a need to trade-off different factors including performance and cost. Osaka University researchers have reported a nano-cobalt phosphide catalyst for the hydrogenation of nitriles that combines efficiency, cost effectiveness, ease of handling, and reusability. Their findings were published in Chemical Science.
Understanding water-repellent enzymes The ability of some molecules, such as fatty or oily molecules, to repel water is known as hydrophobicity. The opposite, water attracting, is hydrophilicity. The hydrophobic force that keeps water molecules at bay is one of the most fundamental of chemical interactions, but it is not only about why oil and water do not mix, it lies at the heart of how the proteins, the molecular machinery of our cells fold into their active form and indeed how they work to keep us and every other living thing alive.
	Novel redshift mechanism of Ce3+ emission in Ce As the most commonly used color phosphor in w-LEDs, Ce: Y3Al5O12 (Ce: YAG) makes an almost perfect match with blue chips to convert blue light into yellow light and obtain white light. But unfortunately, the deficiency of the red component in the mixed white light makes the light quality too poor to meet the standards of modern lighting. The redshift of Ce3+ emission in Ce: YAG is of high interest to industry and researchers.
	Redesigning hand sanitizer and donating 7,000 gallons to fight COVID-19 So many people Seth Marder spoke to didn't see the hand sanitizer crisis brewing. The country was going to run dangerously short if someone did not act urgently.
	Support drives fate of protected gold nanoclusters as catalysts In collaboration with experimentalists from Ghent University, Belgium and Utrecht University, Netherlands, researchers at the Nanoscience Center (NSC) at the University of Jyväskylä, have recently discovered that the choice of a support material for model catalysts, made from gold nanoclusters protected by organic molecules, may have drastic effects on the structure of the catalyst. On certain supports, the clusters completely disintegrate, while on others, the organic protective layer peels away leaving behind the intact metallic nanoclusters that can act as catalysts for a desired reaction. The research was published in Chemistry-A European Journal (2020).

Biology news

	Hunting in savanna-like landscapes may have poured jet fuel on brain evolution Ever wonder how land animals like humans evolved to become smarter than their aquatic ancestors? You can thank the ground you walk on.
	Streamlined and scalable CHANGE-Seq method improves understanding of genome editors Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have developed an easy to use, sensitive and high-throughput method to define sites of unintended double stranded breaks in DNA caused by genome editors like the CRISPR-Cas9 technique. They called the method Circularization for High-throughput Analysis of Nuclease Genome-wide Effects by Sequencing (CHANGE-seq). The work appears as an advance online publication today in Nature Biotechnology.
	Simulated sea slug gets addicted to drug Scientists built a computer model of a simple brain network based on that of a sea slug, taught it how to get food, gave it an appetite and the ability to experience reward, added a dash of something called homeostatic plasticity and then exposed it to a very intoxicating drug. To no one's surprise, the creature became addicted.
	Summer favorite bitter gourd genome shows unusual domestication, insight into evolution The bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a summer vegetable that graces the tables of many homes and restaurants in Asia. In Okinawa and Kyushu, the southern islands of Japan, the bitter gourds grow easily and have long been said to have many health benefits. The bitter gourds are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, minerals, carotenes and catechins. It is thought to ward off the feeling of sluggishness that can accompany the summer heat and humidity.
	A small protein transports electrons between the two photosystems involved in plant photosynthesis The emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis made it possible for complex multicellular life-forms to evolve on Earth. By utilizing solar energy to turn carbon dioxide into sugars, while also generating molecular oxygen from water, photosynthesis provides the basis for both plant and animal life. These two processes are carried out by distinct, but functionally connected complexes called photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII). In cyanobacteria, algae and plants, these photosystems—all of which employ chlorophyll pigments to capture light energy—are embedded in specialized lipid membranes called thylakoids. Moreover, the thylakoids that contain PS I and PSII differ in their organization, which effectively enables the two systems to convert light of different wavelengths into chemical energy.
	How plants' vascular cells turn into holes Theoretical biologists have solved a unique puzzle in the structure of plants' vascular tissue. Two mutations that had opposite effects appear to lead to the same result. Professor of Computational Developmental Biology Kirsten ten Tusscher has shown that both accelerating or delaying the transport of auxin through the plant's vascular tissue result in the creation of a Swiss-cheese-like pattern of holes in new vascular cells. She has published her findings in the journal Nature Communications, together with her experimental plant biologist colleagues from Switzerland.
	Hormone systems can still be adapted in adulthood How do animals adapt their behavior during life in order to assure survival and reproduction? This is a question of great interest for behavioral biologists worldwide. An essential step is to examine hormonal mechanisms which have a fundamental impact on the animal's behavior and thus make adaptations to various social situations possible.
	Cattle vs. hippopotamus: Dung in rivers of the savannah In many regions of the world, populations of large mammalian herbivores have been displaced by cattle breeding—for example, in Kenya, hippos by large herds of cattle. This can change aquatic ecosystems due to significant differences in the amount and type of dung input. Researchers from the University of Eldoret in Kenya, the University of Innsbruck and the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) have therefore taken a closer look at the dung of hippopotamus and cattle.
	Honeybee lives shortened after exposure to two widely used pesticides The lives of honeybees are shortened—with evidence of physiological stress—when they are exposed to the suggested application rates of two commercially available and widely used pesticides, according to new Oregon State University research.
	'Relaxed' T cells critical to immune response Like finding that needle in the haystack every time, your T cells manage what seems like an improbable task: Quickly finding a few invaders among the many imposters in your body to trigger its immune response.
	Research reveals the chemistry behind the bombardier beetle's extraordinary firepower If you want to see one of the wonders of the natural world, just startle a bombardier beetle. But be careful: when the beetles are scared, they flood an internal chamber with a complex cocktail of aromatic chemicals, triggering a cascade of chemical reaction that detonates the fluid and sends it shooting out of the insect's spray nozzle in a machine-gun-like pulse of toxic, scalding-hot vapor. The explosive, high-pressure burst of noxious chemicals doesn't harm the beetle, but it stains and irritates human skin—and can kill smaller enemies outright.
	Wildfires cause bird songs to change A new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances suggests that wildfires change the types of songs sung by birds living in nearby forests.
	Shining like a diamond: A new species of diamond frog from northern Madagascar Despite the active ongoing taxonomic progress on Madagascar's frogs, the amphibian inventory of this hyper-diverse island is still very far from being complete. The known diversity of the diamond frog genus Rhombophryne in Madagascar has increased significantly (more than doubled!) over the last 10 years, but still there are several undescribed candidate species awaiting description. New species are constantly being discovered in Madagascar, often even within already well-studied areas. One such place is the Montagne d'Ambre National Park in northern Madagascar.
	In virus lockdown, Europe's predators regain turf The hunter-prey drama took place just outside wildlife enthusiast Ennio Ciccotti's window, in the central Italian town of Scanno.
	Cats wreak havoc on native wildlife, but we've found one adorable species outsmarting them Feral and pet cats are responsible for a huge part of Australia's shameful mammal extinction record. Small and medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals are most susceptible.
	Red Sea plankton communities ebb and flow with the seasons The communities of tiny picoplankton in oceans reveal a great deal about the health of marine ecosystems and food webs. KAUST researchers have examined how numbers of these organisms vary across the year in both coastal and offshore locations in the Red Sea, while investigating the predators and viruses that control them.
	Coffee, cocoa and vanilla: an opportunity for more trees with tropical agroforestry The cultivation of coffee, cocoa and vanilla secures the income of many small-holder farmers and is also a driver of land-use change in many tropical countries. In particular, cultivation in agroforestry systems, in which these crops are combined with trees that provide shade, is often considered to have great potential for ecologically sustainable cultivation. Researchers at the University of Göttingen are now showing that the land-use history of agroforestry systems plays a crucial role in assessing the sustainability of agroforestry. The results have been published in the journal Conservation Letters.
	Researchers fabricate functionalized black phosphorus nanosheets for circulating tumor DNA detection Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) refers to DNA found in the bloodstream that comes from cancerous cells and tumors. CtDNA identification is one of the most meaningful approaches to early cancer diagnosis. However, there are few effective and practical methods for analyzing this emerging class of biomarkers.
	Crop residue decisions affect soil life between planting seasons After harvest in the fall, farmers take the harvested crops to market or store them on their farm. They don't take the whole plant from the field, though. The leftover parts of the plant, like the stalk and leaves from corn, remain in the field. This debris is called crop residue.
	Fitbit-like devices used to save turtles in Australia Researchers from Murdoch University are using Fitbit-like technology to monitor the activity of flatback turtles to inform better conservation management practices.
	Study finds 82 percent of avocado oil rancid or mixed with other oils Consumer demand is rising for all things avocado, including oil made from the fruit. Avocado oil is a great source of vitamins, minerals and the type of fats associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But according to new research from food science experts at the University of California, Davis, the vast majority of avocado oil sold in the U.S. is of poor quality, mislabeled or adulterated with other oils.
	Researchers perform southern white rhino oocyte collection and embryo creation In order to prevent the extinction of species such as the northern white rhino, the BioRescue consortium is developing new methods and technologies for conservation. An important part of this work is basic research in cooperation with zoological institutions. This partnership has enabled the BioRescue team to continue working even during the Corona pandemic. On May 26, 2020, the team extracted oocytes from the southern white rhino female Makena in Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Germany, and then fertilized them in the Avantea laboratory in Italy to create four viable embryos. This was the team's most successful procedure of its kind and nourishes the hope that advanced assisted reproduction technologies (aART) are well established to ensure the survival of the northern white rhino in the near future.
	Fishing with Elders builds these children's Oji-Cree language, cultural knowledge and writing In a northern Ontario First Nation community, a council member who also drove the children's school bus volunteered to take three primary teachers and their students to a nearby river. They had heard that the suckers were running. It was May, the time of the sucker moon; time for community members to harvest the fish.
	Researchers uncover mysterious tanaids Tanaids are one of the most underappreciated animals in the world. These small crustaceans can be found in virtually all marine benthic habitats, from mangroves, rocky shores and coral reefs along the coasts to mud volcanoes, cold seeps and trenches in the deepest oceans. They even inhabit the shell surfaces of sea turtles, live inside gastropod shells like hermit crabs, and reside under the skin of deep-sea sea cucumbers.
	World's most complete health analysis of nesting sea turtles conducted in Florida While it's only about a 10-kilometer stretch, Juno Beach is home to one of the largest aggregations of nesting green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Florida and is one of the highest-density nesting beaches in the state. Although this high-profile turtle population has routinely been monitored for nest counts since 1989, an in-depth health assessment of these turtles has never been conducted.
	Improved heat-resistant wheat varieties are identified Wheat, in its own right, is one of the most important foods in the world. It is a staple food for more than 2.5 billion people, it provides 20% of the protein consumed worldwide and, according to the FAO, supplies more calories than any other grain. Its long-term productivity, however, is threatened by rising temperatures, among other factors. Stress from heat, an increasing trend due to climate change, affects its performance, a fact that requires urgent solutions bearing in mind that, according to some estimates, the world's population will reach 9 billion by the year 2050.
	Scientists uncover new mechanism for balancing protein stability during neuronal development A research team led by Dr. Chaogu Zheng from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with a team led by Professor Martin Chalfie (2008 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry) from the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University, recently discovered an unexpected role of heat shock proteins (HSPs), also known as the molecular chaperones, during neuronal differentiation, which refers to the process a neuron takes to acquire its shape and function. HSPs are mostly known to protect cells from various stresses, e.g. extreme temperatures, toxins, and mechanical damage, and to safeguard tissue development. This new study, however, suggests that the Hsps can also play an inhibitory role in neuronal differentiation by destabilizing the cytoskeleton of the neurons. The research findings were recently published in a leading international journal in the developmental biology, Development.
	Need for better approaches to tackle multiple stressors in European lakes and rivers A newly released Nature paper highlights a continued management need for reduction of nutrient stress in lakes. It also shows that river management requires more complicated approaches to tackle several stressors simultaneously.
	Shhhh, the whales are resting We need new guidelines to shield whales from human-made noise to ensure them some peace and quiet. It is no good keeping whale-watching boats out of whales' sight if the noise from the boats' engines disturb the whales most. And whales can hear the boats' engines from far away, according to a Danish-Australian research team.
	Newly discovered plant gene could boost phosphorus intake Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered an important gene in plants that could help agricultural crops collaborate better with underground fungi—providing them with wider root networks and helping them to absorb phosphorus. The discovery has the potential to increase agricultural efficiency and benefit the environment.
	Agroforestry is 'win win' for bees and crops, study shows Planting woody plant species alongside crops could double the number of insect pollinators helping farmers produce food, new research has demonstrated for the first time.
	Overlooked: The role of bacterial viruses in plant health We know how important bacteria and fungi are for the health of plants. In marine environments and in our own gut, bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) are important in regulating the microbiome. Yet, their effect on bacteria living around the roots of plants has hardly been studied. "I cannot believe that they are not important," says Joana Falcao Salles, Professor of Microbial Community Ecology at the University of Groningen. She is the lead author of a review paper in Trends in Microbiology, which argues for more research into the role of bacteriophages in plant health.
	New papers describe discoveries at MBARI's long-term deep-sea research site off California For 30 years, MBARI ecologist Ken Smith and his colleagues have studied deep-sea communities at a research site called Station M, located 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) below the ocean's surface and 290 kilometers (180 miles) off the coast of Central California. A recent special issue of the journal Deep-Sea Research features 16 new papers about research at Station M by scientists from around the world. These papers cover a wide range of topics, from satellite observations of the sea surface to the behavior and genetics of deep-sea life.

Medicine and Health news

	Your brain shows if you are lonely or not Social connection with others is critical to a person's mental and physical well-being. How the brain maps relationships with other people in relation to one's self has long been a mystery. A Dartmouth study finds that the closer you feel to people emotionally, the more similarly you represent them in your brain. In contrast, people who feel social disconnection appear to have a lonelier, neural self-representation. The findings are published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
	Scientists propose explanation for baffling form of childhood OCD Yale scientists may have found a cause for the sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in some children, they report.
	Could the cure for IBD be inside your mouth? While many people put off their regular trips to the dentist, recent research has shown that the consequences of doing so may go beyond cavities and root canals. From heart disease to diabetes, poor oral health is often a reflection of a person's overall health and may even be the cause of systemic disease.
	How does our brain trigger different sighs? New findings could provide answers One group of neurons controls various types of sighing, but they receive their instructions from different areas of the brain depending on the reason for the sigh, according to a study scheduled to publish June 16 in the journal Cell Reports.
	Persistent DNA damage in the placenta affects pregnancy outcomes Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have shown that a dysfunctional placenta can play a previously unrecognized role during the earliest stages of development in mouse models of Cornelia de Lange syndrome. People with this rare genetic disorder often harbor mutations in cohesins, ring-like proteins that help DNA organize and repair itself.
	Previously undetected brain pulses may help circuits survive disuse, injury A neuroscientist's neon pink arm cast led him and fellow researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to discover previously undetected neuronal pulses in the human brain that activate after an immobilizing illness or injury.
	New technique may quickly and accurately predict effective therapies in solid tumors A new method of screening thousands of drugs in freshly collected human tumor cells can help identify which of the drugs are most likely to be effective against those cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers report today in a study published in Science Signaling.
	Transparent fish reveal the subtle, cellular dance in which sensory organs take shape We owe a great deal to the hair cells in our inner ear. Without them, we couldn't detect sounds or take five steps without tripping. Moreover, these cells happen to be a useful model for biologists who want to understand how tissues self-organize into complex shapes during embryonic development.
	Susceptibility to carcinogens varies due to genetics, find UH researchers A new study led by the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center looks into how and why certain individuals develop cancer and others do not. The research was published in Nature Reviews Cancer, one of the most influential and prestigious journals in medicine and science. In addition to lead author Michele Carbone and co-author Haining Yang, collaborators include top cancer researchers, including a Nobel Laureate, and several members of the U.S. and European Academy of Sciences.
	The 'love hormone' oxytocin can also give rise to aggressive behavior During the pandemic lockdown, as couples have been forced to spend days and weeks in one another's company, some have found their love renewed while others are on their way to divorce court. Oxytocin, a peptide produced in the brain, is complicated in that way: A neuromodulator, it may bring hearts together or it can help induce aggression. That conclusion arises from unique research by scientist of the Weizman Institute of Science and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in which mice living in semi-natural conditions had their oxytocin producing brain cells manipulated in a highly precise manner. The findings could shed new light on efforts to use oxytocin to treat a variety of psychiatric conditions, from social anxiety and autism to schizophrenia.
	Study shows low socioeconomic status people experience more declines in age-related functions A pair of researchers at University College London has found that people with low socioeconomic status experience more declines in age-related functions as they grow older than do people who have a higher socioeconomic status. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Andrew Steptoe and Paola Zaninotto describe their study of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and what they learned.
	Cholesterol-busting gut bacteria may affect people's cardiac health Of the thousands of species of bacteria that live in the digestive tract, scientists know how only a handful of them directly influence human health. Now, researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Harvard University have discovered a group of gut bacteria that can metabolize enough cholesterol to potentially affect people's metabolism.
	New discovery paves way for next generation malaria vaccine In an unprecedented first, scientists at Seattle Children's Research Institute have developed a genetically attenuated parasite (GAP) that arrests late in the liver stage of human malaria. Their findings published in JCI Insight pave the way for a novel, next generation vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria in humans.
	Why you don't get out of your office chair: Toward a new psychology of sitting behavior Gaining a better understanding of our sitting behavior requires detailed psychological research into our motivations for sitting down and standing up. For example, would you stay seated for longer if you were tired (due to mentally demanding work), or would you actually be quicker to stand up? And during which part of the day would you be quicker to change your posture? A publication by researchers from Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center (PNAS, June 15th) is the first step toward the psychology of sitting.
	New mechanism underlying colorectal cancer reveals a crucial role for intestinal microbes A collaborative study by research groups from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research and Ghent University uncovered a new mechanism causing colorectal cancer. The researchers found that abnormal expression of the protein Zeb2 affects the integrity of the intestinal wall or 'epithelium.' This epithelium normally functions as a barrier to prevent infiltration by intestinal microbes. Zeb2 undermines this barrier and allows infiltrating bacteria to cause inflammation that drives cancer progression. Importantly, the scientists demonstrated that manipulating the immune system or removing the microbiota can prevent the development of cancer. These findings may lead to new treatments and are published in the leading journal Nature Cancer.
	Premature epigenomic aging acts like a 'sleeper cell' that is awakened by Western-style diet The epigenome is sometimes referred to as the "software" or "operating system" of the genome. It comprises small chemical modifications to DNA and the proteins that make up our chromosomes, and controls the activity of all the genes within the genome.
	Teens who say their parents are overcontrolling struggle with relationships, educational goals as adults What happens to teenagers whose parents are overbearing? A new longitudinal study sought to determine the long-term impact on youth of parenting that is psychologically controlling. Although the study did not establish causation, it found that overbearing and overcontrolling tactics by parents when children were 13 years old were associated with difficulties in social relationships and educational attainment by the time the teens reached age 32.
	Most people accessing USC COVID-19 patient self-assessment tool report mild symptoms Of the more than 275,000 people worldwide who accessed a USC web-based COVID-19 patient self-assessment tool, only 20 percent reported severe symptoms requiring immediate medical attention, according to new research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
	Traits associated with increased risk of gun use among high-risk adolescents Research out today identifies traits among high-risk adolescents associated with increased risk for gun use. Among high-risk adolescents, those with greater callous-unemotional traits were more likely to carry a gun and to use a gun during a crime over a four-year period following an initial arrest, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
	Mindfulness combined with hypnotherapy aids highly stressed people, study finds A new treatment for stress which combines mindfulness with hypnotherapy has shown positive results in a Baylor University pilot study.
	US approves first 'digital therapeutic' game for ADHD (Update) US health officials have approved the first game-based treatment for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, part of a trend toward "digital therapeutics" or software to address certain conditions.
	60 minutes of endurance training is enough to shift body clock in mice New research published today in the Journal of Physiology shows that just one 60 minutes bout of exercise shifted the muscle clocks of mice by around an hour in either direction. If this research is replicated in humans, it makes a case for prescribing exercise for night-shift workers and for treating diseases like heart disease, both of which can result in disrupted clocks throughout the body.
	Effect of high-deductible insurance use in bipolar disorder A new study led by the Department of Population Medicine finds that individuals with bipolar disorder who switched to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) experienced a moderate decrease in nonpsychiatrist mental health outpatient visits, but rates of psychiatrist visits, medication use, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations did not change. The study, "Effect of High-deductible Insurance on Healthcare Use in Bipolar Disorder" appears in The American Journal of Managed Care on June 16.
	Irregular findings common in knees of young competitive alpine skiers Bony lesions on the lower part of the thigh bone near the knee are a common but benign finding on MRI in young alpine skiers and should not be confused with more serious conditions, according to a study from Switzerland published in the journal Radiology.
	Children with developmental disabilities more likely to develop asthma Children with developmental disabilities or delay are more at risk of developing asthma, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open led by public health researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as part of the Center for Pediatric Population Health.
Cancer patients less likely to be prescribed cardioprotective medications As cancer survivor rates increase with modern treatments, cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates are rising in cancer patients and survivors and CVD has emerged as a leading cause of long-term preventable death in this population. Even though cardioprotective medications—including statins, ACE inhibitors and antiplatelet therapies—are frontline primary and secondary CVD prevention, patients with a prior or current history of cancer had lower rates of utilization compared to those without cancer, according to a research letter published in JACC: CardioOncology.
	Treatment plan helps keep young cancer patients home  An Australian program that avoids hospital admission for some young cancer patients with a fever is helping to ease pressure on the UK health system during the COVID-19 crisis. The AUS-rule system, now published in E Clinical Med, guides doctors when deciding whether patients can be treated and supported at home.
	Deep UV light disinfection could help prevent disease and virus spread A device capable of automatically disinfecting common surfaces, such as doorknobs, light switches, and elevator buttons, could be a vital tool in virus and disease mitigation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
	Golimumab preserves beta-cell function in children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes In research led by a University at Buffalo pediatric endocrinologist, a drug called golimumab showed that it preserved beta-cell function in children and young adults with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, according to findings from a Phase 2 study.
	Researcher finds positive implications from social support among breast cancer patients A new study by a University of Arkansas communication researcher shows that breast cancer patients with strong social support are more likely to take an active role in treatment and experience positive outcomes. Mengfei Guan, assistant professor of communication in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, joined the university in 2019.
	Exercise may offer 'profound' benefits for Friedreich's ataxia, research suggests Atop exercise researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is urging clinical trials of exercise in patients with Friedreich's ataxia after finding that physical activity has a "profound" protective effect in mouse models of the debilitating genetic disease.
	Risk of preterm births falls under new initiative The rate of potentially fatal preterm births in Western Australian hospitals can be safely reduced by up to 20% when a coordinated series of interventions is applied to pregnant women, according to researchers at The University of Western Australia.
	Working in the sun—heating of the head may markedly affect safety and performance Prolonged exposure of the head to strong sunlight significantly impairs cognitively dominated functions and coordination of complex motor tasks, according to a new study from the Heat-Shield project coordinated by researchers from Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at University of Copenhagen. This may have important implications for work safety and productivity.
	Artificial womb improves survival rates for the very smallest An artificial womb to enhance the chances for survival and quality of life of extremely premature babies by mimicking the conditions of a real womb. Whereas a year ago during the Dutch Design Week there was only an initial design, in the next years the focus will be on working towards the first (pre)clinical tests. Researchers Prof. Frans van de Vosse and Prof. Guid Oei of TU/e and MMC are the initiators of this research.
	New study helps improve detection of disease in newborn babies New research will help health-care practitioners more accurately diagnose illness in newborn babies from urine samples by comparing them with samples from healthy babies.
	Booze ads designed to keep you laughing all the way to the bottle shop 'Get them laughing to get them drinking' seems to be the motto of the alcohol industry according to an analysis of alcohol ads displayed across a range of media types in Australia.
Including patients in hospital discharge communication would improve outcomes of care Sending discharge letters to patients as well as their GPs when they leave hospital could make a substantial difference to patient outcomes, according to a new study by University of Warwick researchers.
	Two new, powerful small molecules may be able to kill cancers that other therapies can't City of Hope scientists have identified and developed two potent small molecules that appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers even when other treatments cease to work, possibly due to the development of drug resistance.
	Loss of lipid-regulating gene fuels prostate cancer spread Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers from the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences identified a lipid-regulating protein that conveys what the researchers describe as "superpowers" onto prostate cancer cells, causing them to aggressively spread.
	Gut health: does exercise change your microbiome? The diverse, non-human life forms that live in our guts—known as our microbiome—are crucial to our health. A disrupted balance of these contribute to a range of disorders and diseases, including obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease. It could even affect our mental health.
	Comforting, monitoring 7,600 COVID patients at home How do you monitor patients who have COVID-19 symptoms but are not ill enough to come to the emergency department? And how do you help those patients feel cared about and less frightened while convalescing at home?
	Adult life tougher for teens who had controlling parents: Study (HealthDay)—Back off, Mom and Dad: Teens who feel their parents are overly controlling may have more difficulty with romantic relationships as adults, a new study suggests.
	Stressful life events may up CHD risk in type 2 diabetes (HealthDay)—Higher levels of stressful life events are associated with a higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) among postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online June 4 in Diabetes Care.
	Blood test that measures alcohol use may predict risk for bleeding strokes People who drink large amounts of alcohol have nearly fivefold odds of experiencing a potentially deadly type of stroke compared with those who drink very little or not at all, a new study finds.
	Telehealth may help rural Americans keep the weight off (HealthDay)—Although many people can lose weight, few maintain the loss. Could individual telephone support be the key to keeping extra pounds at bay?
	Multi-institutional study looks at brain MRI findings in COVID-19 A new multi-institutional study published in the journal Radiology identifies patterns in abnormal brain MRI findings in patients with COVID-19.
	Is too much vitamin C harmful? Your body needs vitamin C, but megadoses can cause many digestive problems. Find out how much of the nutrient you really require.
	On the road again: COVID-19 safety tips for commuters Many commuters are back on the road as COVID-19 restrictions are lifting across the country and businesses are reopening.
	High antibiotic prescription rates in low- and middle-income countries may indicate misuse Inappropriate use of antibiotics is an important driver of antimicrobial resistance, yet the extent of antibiotic prescribing in outpatient primary care settings across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unknown. A study published in PLOS Medicine by Giorgia Sulis and Madhukar Pai at McGill University, Montreal, Canada and colleagues found that approximately 50% of patients at primary care clinics in LMICs received at least one antibiotic, possibly suggesting widespread overprescribing.
Switching from general to regional anaesthesia may cut greenhouse gas emissions Switching from general to regional anaesthesia may help cut greenhouse emissions and ultimately help reduce global warming, indicates a real life example at one US hospital over the course of a year, and reported in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.
	'Trigger warnings' may do more harm than good, study finds Trigger warnings are meant to alert trauma survivors about unsettling text or content that they might find potentially distressing.
	Which surgery works best for lower back pain? (HealthDay)—Patients with lower back problems often worry about how much time they'll need to recover if they have surgery. A new study finds similar results for two common minimally invasive spine procedures.
	Study in Philadelphia links growth in tree canopy to decrease in human mortality The first city-wide health impact assessment of the estimated effects of a tree canopy initiative on premature mortality in Philadelphia suggests that increased tree canopy could prevent between 271 and 400 premature deaths per year. The study by Michelle Kondo, a Philadelphia-based research social scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and her partners suggest that increased tree canopy or green space could decrease morbidity and mortality for urban populations—particularly in areas with lower socioeconomic status where existing tree canopies tend to be the lowest.
	Novel antisense drug shows promise in slowing fatty liver disease Using a first-of-its-class drug in a clinical trial, an international research effort headed by a scientist at University of California San Diego School of Medicine reports that inhibition of a key enzyme safely and effectively improved the health of persons with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic metabolic disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
	Continuous glucose monitoring reduces hypoglycemia in older adults with type 1 diabetes Results from a six-month, multi-site clinical trial called the Wireless Innovation for Seniors with Diabetes Mellitus (WISDM) Study Group have been published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
	Researchers generate developmental map of human T-cells Chintan Parekh, MD, of the The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has led a team of investigators that generated a comprehensive roadmap for how T-cells develop in the human thymus. The study will be published in the journal Immunity on June 16. T-cells are a type of white blood cell involved in immune response—fighting off invaders like pathogens or cancer cells. Understanding human T-cell development is crucial for treating diseases arising from abnormal T-cell development, like leukemia and immunodeficiencies, and for developing highly effective immunotherapies, like CAR-T.
	Study finds depression associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease A new study co-led by Simon Fraser University health sciences professor Scott Lear provides further evidence of the link between depressive symptoms and an increased risk of heart disease and early death.
	Experts analyze options for treating multiple sclerosis-related cognitive impairment Experts in cognitive research evaluated the status of available treatments as well as promising strategies for treating cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis. The article, "Treatment and management of cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis", was published in Nature Reviews Neurology 2020 May 05. The authors are John DeLuca, Ph.D., and Nancy Chiaravalloti, Ph.D., of Kessler Foundation, and Brian Sandroff, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
	Primitive stem cells point to new bone grafts for stubborn-to-heal fractures Although most broken bones can be mended with a firm cast and a generous measure of tender loving care, more complicated fractures require treatments like bone grafting. Researchers at Texas A&M University have now created superior bone grafts using primitive stem cells. They found that these cells help create very fertile scaffolds needed for bone to regenerate at the site of repair.
	Rifampin regimen found to be cheaper than isoniazid for latent tuberculosis A 4-month rifampin regimen was found to be cheaper than a 9-month course of isoniazid for the treatment of latent tuberculosis in a cost-comparison study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Currently, isoniazid is the standard of treatment in most countries for latent tuberculosis infection. The finding that 4 months rifampin treatment is cheaper adds to previously published evidence that this treatment is as effective, while also significantly safer and more likely to be completed, than 6 months or 9 months isoniazid treatment. These findings have the potential to change the way latent tuberculosis is treated.
	Getting the facts about COVID-19 to the African American faith community Even though he was just appointed director of VCU Massey Cancer Center in December, Robert Winn, M.D., already has become an asset to the African American faith community in Richmond.
	Video: The psychology of ageing Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey joined the University in 2018 under its Strategic Hires and Retention Pathways (SHARP) scheme, an initiative of the UNSW 2025 Strategy to recruit world-class researchers to the University, and the NeuRA Discovery Fund.
	Australia's decisive win on plain packaging paves way for other countries to follow suit The decision, handed down on June 9 by the World Trade Organisation's appeals body, that Australia's plain packaging tobacco control policy doesn't flout WTO laws marks the end of almost a decade of legal wrangling over this landmark public health policy. And more importantly, it paves the way for other nations around the world to follow Australia's lead.
	Identifying Europe's most COVID-vulnerable countries As people in Europe emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns, a study has identified which countries have populations most at risk from the virus. The work was produced by researchers from the COST burden-eu Action, which is strengthening capacity to assess the risk and burden of disease in populations worldwide.
	Young people with early psychosis may not require antipsychotic medications to recover Researchers at Orygen have found that some young people with early stage first episode psychosis (FEP) can experience reduced symptoms and improve functioning without antipsychotic medication when they are provided with psychological interventions and comprehensive case management.
	Brain research sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of depression A new study conducted in Turku, Finland, reveals how symptoms indicating depression and anxiety are linked to brain function changes already in healthy individuals.
	Nearly 43,000 pounds of ground beef products recalled (HealthDay)—Nearly 43,000 pounds of ground beef products have been recalled by New Jersey-based Lakeside Refrigerated Services due to possible contamination with potentially deadly Escherichia coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says.
	Study makes new dataset publicly available for genome researchers around the world The extensive source of genetic association results based on 135.000 individuals became available this week for the whole research community.
	Louisiana widening access to medical marijuana under new law More Louisiana residents will have access to medical marijuana under a significant expansion of the state's therapeutic cannabis program that was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
	Experts advocate for earlier treatment of COVID-19 to save lives Infectious disease experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine are advocating for earlier actions to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

	Repeated coughing seriously degrades face mask efficiency Face masks are thought to slow the spread of viruses, including the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but little is known about how well they work.
	Under-20s half as likely to contract coronavirus: study People under the age of 20 are half as likely to contract COVID-19 than the rest of the population, according to new modeling released on Tuesday that suggests four out of five infected young people show no symptoms.
	Cheap drug is first shown to improve COVID-19 survival Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.
	Researchers identify potent antibody cocktail with potential to treat COVID-19 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) evaluated several human antibodies to determine the most potent combination to be mixed in a cocktail and used as a promising anti-viral therapy against the virus that causes COVID-19. Their research, conducted in collaboration with scientists at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, was published today in the journal Science. The study demonstrates the rapid process of isolating, testing and mass-producing antibody therapies against any infectious disease by using both genetically engineered mice and plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients.
	New Zealand reports first new virus cases in 25 days New Zealand reported its first new cases of coronavirus in almost a month on Tuesday when two recent arrivals from Britain tested positive after being released early from quarantine to visit a dying relative.
	1 in 5 people worldwide have an underlying health condition that could increase their risk of severe COVID-19 An estimated 1.7 billion people, 22% of the world population, have at least one underlying health condition that could increase their risk of severe COVID-19 if infected, according to a modelling study that uses data from 188 countries, published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
	Antibodies against sugars, internal radiation: Powerful package against cervical cancer The sugar coating on cancer cells helps them thrive, and a new study indicates patients with cervical cancer who make antibodies to those sugars appear to do better when they also receive internal radiation therapy.
	Rise in infections shows need for vigilance as world reopens European countries reopened borders Monday after a three-month coronavirus shutdown, although international visitors are still being kept away and there was uncertainty over whether many Europeans will quickly embrace travel outside their home countries.
	UK begins coronavirus vaccine trial; France pledges funding (Update) Scientists at Imperial College London will start immunizing people in Britain this week with their experimental coronavirus shot, while pharmaceutical company Sanofi and the French government announced more than 800 million euros ($890 million) in investment Tuesday as part of the worldwide race to find an effective vaccine.
	New virus cases in China, N. Zealand sound pandemic alarm More than two dozen new coronavirus cases in China and the first New Zealand infections in almost a month on Tuesday underlined the immense challenges still ahead in containing the deadly pandemic, even as some EU nations reopened their borders to fellow Europeans.
	German virus hunters track down corona outbreaks A team of medical students pressed into service by Cologne's public health office are scrambling to cut off potential new chains of coronavirus infections by endlessly repeating the same questions.
	Israeli firm monitors sewers in fight against coronavirus An Israeli company is monitoring coronavirus traces in a coastal city's sewers and hopes to deploy its technology more widely to provide early warning of future concentrations of the respiratory disease.
	Study finds evidence that loneliness makes it harder to quit smoking In a study published today in Addiction, University of Bristol researchers have found evidence for a causal link between prolonged experience of loneliness and smoking.
	Poll: Americans are the unhappiest they've been in 50 years It's been a rough year for the American psyche. Folks in the U.S. are more unhappy today than they've been in nearly 50 years.
	Beijing virus situation 'extremely severe' as 27 new cases reported Beijing's coronavirus situation is "extremely severe", a city official warned Tuesday, as 27 new infections were reported in the Chinese capital from a cluster that has sparked a huge trace-and-test programme.
	Better public child care is the engine we need for recovery post-coronavirus As of June 12, child-care centres in Ontario can open, following reopenings in most regions of Québec.
	Urgent testing, tracing, and isolation could save lives and economy Population-wide testing, contact tracing, and isolation (PTTI) in the UK could save 50,000 lives and £700bn of GDP over the next two years, finds research co-led by UCL, University of Edinburgh and University of Haifa.
	Researchers design bluetooth stethoscope with a 50-foot range to help healthcare practitioners stay safe The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious issue for doctors and nurses assessing a patient's heart and lungs with a traditional stethoscope.
	Are we all OCD now, with obsessive hand-washing and technology addiction? One of the hallmarks of obsessive-compulsive disorder is contamination fears and excessive hand-washing. Years ago, a patient with severe OCD came to my office wearing gloves and a mask and refused to sit on any of the "contaminated" chairs. Now, these same behaviors are accepted and even encouraged to keep everyone healthy.
	Fast COVID-19 vaccine timelines are unrealistic and put the integrity of scientists at risk The average times of the fastest sprinters in the 100-metre dash are in the ballpark of 10 seconds. So, what would you think if someone promised to run the race in one second?
	Too much alcohol can cause similar effects to dementia – and the two are often confused In the UK, 21% of people are drinking more alcohol than they did before the pandemic, according to a recent survey. This follows a reported 31% increase in alcohol sales at the start of lockdown.
	2 new COVID-19 cases in New Zealand, but elimination of community transmission still stands New Zealand is one of a handful of countries where community transmission of COVID-19 has been eliminated.
	Study explores online misinformation around immune boosting and COVID-19 Anyone who spends time surfing the net knows it is commonplace to see online advertisements making dubious health claims. Now, with the arrival of COVID-19, misinformation related to the pandemic has proliferated.
	Caution urged for reopening schools to prevent spread of COVID-19 crisis With fast-approaching preparations required for a new school year with no consensus plan yet in place, a team of clinicians, scientists and educators—including a University of California, Irvine pediatrician—stress the need for caution when re-opening America's schools and advocate for large-scale viral testing in children, contract tracing and other actions to avoid compounding the COVID-19 crisis.
	Can contact tracing stop the spread of COVID-19? As economies around the world start to reopen, governments are looking for ways to help track and contain new coronavirus infections. One tool is contact tracing, used by public health officials to halt the ongoing transmission of an infectious disease.
	Italy survey finds irritability, anxiety in locked-down kids A survey conducted in Italy on the psychological impact of coronavirus lockdowns on children has quantified what many parents observed during weeks cooped up at home: kids were more irritable, had trouble sleeping and for some of the youngest, wept inconsolably and regressed developmentally.
	How will dating change after coronavirus? Psychology offers some clues The dating scene could be a confusing place in world where at least some social distancing seems likely for the foreseeable future. And while many people will have maintained or begun contact with romantic partners online during lockdown, video chats and text messages are clearly not a long-term substitute for intimate (or even non-intimate) physical contact.
	Why are black and Asian people at greater risk of coronavirus? Here's what we found The coronavirus pandemic has markedly increased awareness of health inequalities. Researchers have long understood that ethnicity and socioeconomic conditions play a major role in influencing our health, but the pandemic has illuminated these stark inequalities and the need for urgent action to tackle them.
	Ready to see your doctor but scared to go? Here are some guidelines What happens when a pandemic brings in-person visits with your doctor to a grinding halt? While the world grappled with managing COVID-19, millions found routine appointments—for vaccines, pap smears, mammograms, colonoscopies or other chronic disease management—deferred or canceled. Now, as U.S. coronavirus incidence appears to level offand states begin to reopen, many are wondering when they can safely return to their doctor's office. This is especially important as it pertains to childhood vaccinations, as vaccination rates declined across the U.S. throughout this first surge of the pandemic.
	Children show increase in mental health difficulties over COVID-19 lockdown Parents/carers of children aged 4-10 years of age reported that over a one-month period in lockdown, they saw increases in their child's emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, according to early results from the Co-SPACE study, asking parents and carers about their children's mental health through the COVID-19 crisis.
	People are getting sick from coronavirus spreading through the air—and that's a big challenge for reopening I am a scientist that studies infectious diseases and I specialize in severe respiratory infections, but I also serve as a member of my church's safety team.
	Virus co-opts immune protein to avoid antiviral defences By discovering a trick the hepatitis C virus uses to evade the immune system, scientists have identified a new antiviral defense system that could be used to treat many virus infections, according to new research published today in eLife.
	Study finds most people saw a decrease in their sexual behavior early in the pandemic One in five adults in the United States report they have experienced change—mostly a decrease—in their sexual behavior during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.
	COVID-19 death risk 12 times higher for those with chronic health conditions (HealthDay)—With U.S. coronavirus cases now past 2 million, a new report finds that COVID-19 is much more lethal for Americans with underlying health issues—illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or lung ailments.
	Elderly, sick, essential workers will get virus vaccine first: US The United States plans to give priority to the elderly, those with pre-existing conditions and essential workers once there is a vaccine against COVID-19, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday.
	Telemedicine may be the new normal in a post-coronavirus world. Here's how it works in six common specialties The new coronavirus pandemic has necessitated the embrace of virtual medicine regardless of how ready patients, doctors, nurses and health care systems were for the shift.
	How COVID-19 affects pediatric patients New insights into the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could facilitate early identification and intervention in suspected patients, according to a study publishing on June 16, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Xihui Zhou of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, China and colleagues.
	Refugee camps vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks A COVID-19 outbreak in a refugee settlement will likely overwhelm the available healthcare capacity and infrastructure and spread through nearly the entire settlement population if left unchecked, according to a new study published June 16 in PLOS Medicine by Paul Spiegel of Johns Hopkins University, United States, and colleagues.
	If you've lost your health plan in the COVID crisis, you've got options The coronavirus pandemic—and the economic fallout that has come with it—boosted health insurance enrollment counselor Mark Van Arnam's workload. But he wants to be even busier.
	Off-the-shelf tool for making mouse models of COVID-19 Until there are effective treatments or vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic will remain a significant threat to public health and economies around the world. A major hurdle to developing and testing new anti-viral therapies and vaccines for COVID-19 is the lack of good, widely available animal models of the disease.
	Registry tracks outcomes among thoracic cancer patients sickened by COVID-19 New data from TERAVOLT, a global consortium that tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19, offers clues as to why they experienced a high death rate of 33% when the coronavirus swept across Europe.
	NIH launches analytics platform to harness COVID-19 patient data to speed treatments The National Institutes of Health has launched a centralized, secure enclave to store and study vast amounts of medical record data from people diagnosed with coronavirus disease across the country. It is part of an effort, called the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), to help scientists analyze these data to understand the disease and develop treatments. This effort aims to transform clinical information into knowledge urgently needed to study COVID-19, including health risk factors that indicate better or worse outcomes of the disease, and identify potentially effective treatments.
	Beijing expands lockdowns as cases top 100 in new outbreak Chinese authorities locked down a third neighborhood in Beijing on Tuesday as they rushed to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 100 people in a country that appeared to have largely contained the virus.
	Mexico begins reopening even as cases, deaths remain high Mexico began more re-openings of businesses shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, even as deaths and new cases continued at an unbroken pace.
	'Still scared': Health workers feel the toll of virus fight Outside a back door to a hospital where the coronavirus hit like a hurricane, a half-dozen staffers gathered recently to look back, and look inward.
	Haiti says virus infections have peaked Haitian health officials said Monday that COVID-19 infections had peaked and the number of cases being detected was going down, leading them to voice cautious hope the epidemic might not be as bad as some of the more alarming predictions had led them to believe.
	What are the potential long-term effects of having COVID-19? What are the potential long-term effects of having COVID-19?
	Turkey makes masks compulsory in 42 provinces after uptick Turkey has made the wearing of face masks mandatory in five more provinces, following an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
	Video: Does remdesivir work for COVID-19? The first double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers discovered that patients treated with the drug were on average sick for less time – an average of 11 days versus 15.
	Uruguay quietly beats coronavirus, distinguishing itself from its South American neighbors – yet again Latin America is the world's new coronavirus epicenter, but Uruguay—a small South American nation of 3.5 million people—has so far avoided the devastation raging across the rest of the region.
	Don't lose focus on diseases of poverty in COVID-19 crisis Many scientists working on diseases affecting people in developing countries and their animals are refocusing part of their work on COVID-19. The result is that while the pandemic response is receiving a welcome boost, the prospect for research into lesser-known diseases of poor people in poor countries is less certain.
UK coronavirus patients to get dexamethasone steroid immediately Britain will immediately start giving dexamethasone to coronavirus patients, after a trial showed the steroid saved the lives of one third of the gravest cases, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Tuesday.
	'Normal' human body temperature is a range around 98.6 F – a physiologist explains why Fever is common in the symptomatic stage of COVID-19, and as workplaces and child care spaces reopen, temperature checks are one way officials are trying to identify those sick with the coronavirus. To maintain no-contact conditions, many are scanning skin temperature.
	Study highlights key leadership practices guiding New Zealand's COVID-19 success A recently published study by a leadership scholar at Massey University, Dr. Suze Wilson, has identified a set of key leadership practices deployed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Government in the country's successful fight against COVID-19.
	Repurposing approved drugs for COVID-19 at an accelerated pace The United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has signed an Agreement worth up to $16 million over the next year with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University to identify and test FDA-approved drugs that could be repurposed to prevent or treat COVID-19. This highly collaborative effort leverages the Institute's computational drug discovery pipelines and human Organ Chip technologies, and has already found multiple approved compounds that show promise against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
	COVID-19 adds to challenges for LGBTQ youth Even before the pandemic, LGBTQ youth faced unique health challenges. Now, social isolation is heightening concerns about protecting their mental well-being.
	A coordinated COVID-19 response helped western Washington state 'flatten the curve' Despite having the first confirmed case of coronavirus and the first major COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, the state of Washington implemented a response plan that kept its death rate the lowest among all states that have had major outbreaks. A multidisciplinary consensus panel of 26 experts analyzed western Washington's response and identified six key factors that contributed to "flattening the curve" in the state. They report on their findings in an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print.
	NATO to stockpile medical equipment for virus 2nd wave NATO is to stockpile medical equipment to prepare for a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, its chief announced Tuesday.
	A drug offers hope amid spikes in coronavirus infections As nations grapple with new outbreaks and spiking death tolls from the coronavirus, a commonly available drug appeared Tuesday to offer hope that the most seriously ill could have a better chance of survival.
	Canada, US extend border restrictions to July 21. Canada and the US have agreed to extend their agreement to keep their border closed to non-essential travel to July 21 during the coronavirus pandemic.
	Is it safe to visit older loved ones as COVID-19 restrictions ease? What experts say Despite surges in COVID-19 numbers across the country, more and more states are reopening and relaxing stay-at-home orders—especially during the summer, when people are vacationing or making plans to travel.
	Doctors' prescription for a safer summer: Masks, off-peak beach visits, lots of hand washing While the end of the school year is a time for kids to enjoy the outdoors, the coronavirus pandemic has put hopes of summertime fun in doubt. Experts from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) held a virtual town hall on Thursday to discuss what summer activities look like in the time of COVID-19.

Other Sciences news

	Australian fossil reveals new plant species Antoine Champreux, a Ph.D. student in the Global Ecology Lab at Flinders University, has cataloged the discovery of the new fern-like plant species as part of an international effort to examine the Australian fossil in greater detail.
	Remains excavated of strategy board game from the Roman Iron Age This April, researchers from the University Museum of Bergen excavated the remains of a small Early Iron Age grave cairn at Ytre Fosse, Western Norway. The location is spectacular, overlooking Alversund and the "Indre Skipsleia," a part of the old shipping lane, Nordvegen, which gave Norway its name. The whole area is dotted with monumental grave mounds on both sides of Alversund, symbols of an Iron Age political landscape and the power and control of goods and travels along the Norwegian coast.
	French cave reveals secrets of life and death from the ancient past Grotte de Cussac cave in Dordogne, France, is the site of stunning cave art, containing more than 800 figurative engravings of animals and humans that are between 25,000 and 30,000 years old.
	Researchers discover the origins of the beloved guinea pig New University of Otago research sheds light on guinea pig domestication and how and why the small, furry animals became distributed around the world.
	Seafood helped prehistoric people migrate out of Africa, study reveals Prehistoric pioneers could have relied on shellfish to sustain them as they followed migratory routes out of Africa during times of drought, a new study suggests.
	Appetite for fast fashion goes out of style when people learn about impact of mass-produced clothing, study shows Learning in groups how to make, mend, and modify clothing reduces the appetite for fast fashion, a new study shows.
	Study settles the score on whether the modern world is less violent While the first half of the twentieth century marked a period of extraordinary violence, the world has become more peaceful in the past 30 years, a new statistical analysis of the global death toll from war suggests.
	A question of trust: should bosses be able to spy on workers, even when they work from home? Anyone familiar with George Orwell's novel 1984 will relate to the menace of Big Brother watching their every keystroke and mouse click. For a growing share of the workforce that dystopian reality arrived while most of us were hunkering down in our "bubbles".
Ways to reduce tense relationships between detectives and homicide victims' families suggested in study Systemic changes may be needed to improve the relationship between police detectives and the families and friends of murder victims, according to a Georgia State University study.
	Our relationship with our stuff is mutual, says researcher When you exclaim "I love that!" about a favourite possession, do you really mean it?
'Telepresence' can help bring advanced courses to schools that don't offer them In schools where students want to take an advanced course that the school doesn't offer, the telepresence model, which enables students in one school to use videoconferencing to take a course offered at another school, is an effective alternative that can keep students learning and engaged.
	How aerial technology helped us discover the largest Pictish settlement in Scotland A much-loved local landmark with an ancient fort at its summit, Tap O'Noth is a gently sloping hill overlooking the lush rolling farmland around the village of Rhynie in Aberdeenshire.
	Focused approach to policing could reduce gun violence A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that broad "stop-and-search" practices used for many years by Baltimore police to look for illegally possessed guns have minimal, if any, impact on gun violence. These practices also result in mental and physical harm to those who are unjustifiably searched and serve to undermine community trust in police.
Researchers study New Zealand's long history of decapitations and paint attacks on public statues Controversy over public statues is nothing new, with protestors taking to New Zealand's statues with a range of weapons including an axe, a concrete cutter and a hammer over recent decades, a study by researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, has found.
	It's never too early to talk with children about race Infants as young as six months old can recognize differences in skin color. By age two and a half, research has shown, children prefer playmates who are similar in race and gender. And as early as age three, they are forming judgments about people based on racial differences.
	Racial discrimination ingrained in jury selection, law school report finds An eye-opening report from Berkeley Law's Death Penalty Clinic finds that racial discrimination is a consistent aspect of jury selection in California. The exhaustive study investigates the history, legacy, and ongoing practice of excluding people of color—especially African Americans—from state juries through prosecutors' peremptory challenges.
Decade-long study shows why South Africa needs to stop stereotyping young black men South Africa's Youth Day celebration on the 16th of June, just after my birthday on the 15th, remained a special day in my life as a young black man. But the day also raised questions for me. A lot gets said in the media about the youth of today, especially young black men who (unlike the young lions of 1976) are generally described and depicted as reckless, irresponsible, aggressive and violent.
	How politics have played a big role in the release of prisoners As governments around the world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, they released prisoners in large numbers. The scale and scope of these releases are unprecedented, but this phenomenon is not new.
	Video: What might help rebuild police-community relations? Sanford School Ph.D. candidate Ajenai Clemmons does research that is part of the headlines. She has spent years interviewing police and minority group residents in East Durham and East London. Her data on the factors helping and harming community relations will be shared with leaders of both cities.
	Police use-of-force policies fall short of human rights standards, report finds Police use-of-force policies in the nation's 20 largest cities fail to meet international human rights standards, according to a new report from the University of Chicago Law School.
	Tomography studies of coins shed light on the history of Volga Bulgaria Kazan Federal University, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia), and Khalikov Institute of Archeology (Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Kazan, Russia) are working together to study the physical properties of the coins found on the territory of former Volga Bulgaria.
	What Buddhism and science can teach each other – and us – about the universe These are trying times. A global recession sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, and widespread civil unrest, have created a combustible mix of angst—stressors that heighten the risk for long-term health woes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued guidelines to cope with this anxiety. Among them is meditation.
	What superpower conflicts mean for indigenous peoples International attention returned to the ill-defined Himalayan border between India and China last month as disputes between soldiers stationed there escalated into beatings and fistfights. In recent days, both countries have been working to diplomatically resolve the tension, which has been ongoing with occasional episodes of heightened hostility since a border was first drawn decades ago. This latest geopolitical spat is just one chapter of a long history of statemaking projects that have had environmental and social consequences on local peoples.
	The nexus between economic inequality and social welfare Equity (or, its counterpart, inequity) plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of the different dimensions of social welfare. But how can we consider and compare its different dimensions? These issues are in fact traditionally considered and compared across individuals—be it within national boundaries or across countries, but also over time, when we consider the distribution of resources over time and the related questions of savings, intergenerational distribution stemming from capital dynamics or the intertemporal use of natural resources. Finally, there's a third dimension ("states of the world" or future worlds) that takes into account the presence of uncertainty affecting the realizations of random variables.

---

This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future, please unsubscribe here.
You are subscribed as bimahesh.scifi@blogger.com. You may manage your subscription options from your Science X profile