The Life Technology™ News Blog: April 2019

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Evolving alongside viruses impacts susceptibility to future infections

Researchers have shown that when fruit flies co-evolve with viruses, different genetic changes occur to those caused by encountering a virus for the first time, altering the insects' susceptibility to future infection.

* This article was originally published here

Galaxy Fold review: Should you pay $2,000 for Samsung's delayed folding phone tablet?

Samsung's new $1,980 Galaxy Fold has been making waves over the last two weeks, not necessarily for all the right reasons.

* This article was originally published here

Team develops system to legally test GPS spoofing vulnerabilities in automated vehicles

Southwest Research Institute has developed a cyber security system to test for vulnerabilities in automated vehicles and other technologies that use GPS receivers for positioning, navigation and timing.

* This article was originally published here

Cannabis-based medicine may reduce seizures for children with difficult-to-treat epilepsy

Taking a pharmaceutical formulation of cannabidiol, a cannabis-based medicine, cut seizures nearly in half for children with a rare and severe type of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome, according to a phase 3 study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 71st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, May 4 to 10, 2019. Dravet syndrome, which starts in infancy, can lead to intellectual disability and frequent, prolonged seizures. Cannabidiol is derived from marijuana that does not include the psychoactive part of the plant that creates a "high."

* This article was originally published here

Harnessing sunlight to pull hydrogen from wastewater

Hydrogen is a critical component in the manufacture of thousands of common products from plastic to fertilizers, but producing pure hydrogen is expensive and energy intensive. Now, a research team at Princeton University has harnessed sunlight to isolate hydrogen from industrial wastewater.

* This article was originally published here

Consumers prefer pork cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, study says

Are pork chops on the menu this grilling season? According to new research from University of Illinois meat scientists, pork enthusiasts can improve taste, juiciness, and tenderness by cooking chops to the new USDA standard: 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 C).

* This article was originally published here

Circadian rhythm disruption tips the cell-cycle balance toward tumor growth

Disrupting normal circadian rhythms promotes tumor growth and suppresses the effects of a tumor-fighting drug, according to a new study publishing April 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Yool Lee, Amita Sehgal, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania. The results provide mechanistic support for "chronotherapy," the delivery of cancer drugs timed to the endogenous circadian rhythm.

* This article was originally published here

Match me if you can: Cryptographic breakthrough helps spies to shake hands

When spies meet, they use secret handshakes to confirm their identities, ensuring they are who they say they are. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology, and colleagues, have solved a 15-year-old problem that allows handshake-style encryption to be used for time-delayed digital communications such as email—a challenge once thought to be impossible.

* This article was originally published here

Advanced detection tool to limit the spread of devastating tree pathogens

Seeking to prevent the introduction and spread of quarantine tree pathogens, the EU Horizon 2020-funded project HOMED (HOlistic Management of Emerging forest pests and Diseases) supports the development of an innovative tool for on-site detection of pathogens. The tool was developed by a team of scientists from the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council (IPSP-CNR) and the Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence and is described in an open access paper, published in the journal AMB Express.

* This article was originally published here

NASA's Aqua Satellite finds Tropical Cyclone Fani stronger, more organized

Visible imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed Tropical Cyclone Fani appeared more organized than the previous day.

* This article was originally published here

New forecasting system alerts residents of New Delhi about unhealthy air

Residents of New Delhi and nearby heavily polluted areas of northern India now have access to air quality forecasts that provide critical information for reducing their exposure to potentially unhealthy air.

* This article was originally published here

Combo nicotine replacement Tx ups success in quitting smoking

(HealthDay)—People who use combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are more likely to successfully quit smoking than people who use a single form of NRT, according to a review published online April 18 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers develop secure method for sending sensitive personal data from wearable tech

Smart watches. Pacemakers. Internet-connected glasses. These are devices designed to make life easier. And yet, all this wearable technology can be hacked. The devices send personal health information to your smartphone over the airways, so anyone with the know-how could scoop it up and steal it. But now, researchers at Northeastern have a better, more secure idea: Send data through your body.

* This article was originally published here

FDA puts tough warning label on ambien, lunesta, other sleep aids

(HealthDay)—Many Americans use prescription sleep meds such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata to get good shut-eye. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday slapped a tough new warning label on this class of drugs, due to dangers from daytime drowsiness the day after their use.

* This article was originally published here

Computer scientists develop novel software to smartly balance data processing load in supercomputers

The modern-age adage "work smarter, not harder" stresses the importance of not only working to produce, but also making efficient use of resources.

* This article was originally published here

Consumers prefer pork cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, study says

Bots exploiting blockchains for profit

Blockchains have been hailed as fair and open, constructed so a single user can't falsify or alter records because they're all part of a transparent network.

* This article was originally published here

PaintBot: A deep learning student that trains then mimics old masters

Artificial intelligence has been showing us many ish tricks as apers of human-created art, and now a team of researchers have impressed AI watchers with PaintBot. They have managed to unleash their AI as a capable mimic of the old masters.

* This article was originally published here

Caffeine gives solar cells an energy boost

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Solargiga Energy in China have discovered that caffeine can help make a promising alternative to traditional solar cells more efficient at converting light to electricity. Their research, published April 25 in the journal Joule, may enable this cost-effective renewable energy technology to compete on the market with silicon solar cells.

* This article was originally published here

Designer drugs to inhibit hepatitis A virus

Structure-based drug design revealed that a compound previously investigated for the treatment of head-and-neck cancer could function as a lead compound for the development of drugs to treat hepatitis A virus infection, according to a study publishing April 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Dan Su of Sichuan University, Zihe Rao of Tsinghua University, Xiangxi Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues.

* This article was originally published here

Match me if you can: Cryptographic breakthrough helps spies to shake hands

Designer drugs to inhibit hepatitis A virus

Patients find video primary care visits convenient

(HealthDay)—Primary care video visits are convenient and may improve the patient-provider relationship, according to a research letter published online April 30 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

* This article was originally published here

Maternal comorbidity higher for women with congenital heart defects

(HealthDay)—Pregnant women with congenital heart defects (CHDs) are more likely to have comorbidities and experience adverse events during delivery, according to a study published in the May 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

* This article was originally published here

3-D printing of metallic micro-objects

3-D printing has become an increasingly important production method. Researchers at ETH have now developed a new 3-D printing technique by which micrometre-sized objects made of several metals can be produced with high spatial resolution.

* This article was originally published here

New approach predicts glass' always-evolving behaviors at different temperatures

Not everything about glass is clear. How its atoms are arranged and behave, in particular, is startlingly opaque.

* This article was originally published here

UK advisers set to recommend 2050 carbon neutral deadline

The UK's top advisory body on climate change is set to recommend the government reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, in a move that would help Britain reclaim its global leadership on the environment.

* This article was originally published here

Galaxy Fold review: Should you pay $2,000 for Samsung's delayed folding phone tablet?

Samsung's new $1,980 Galaxy Fold has been making waves over the last two weeks, not necessarily for all the right reasons.

* This article was originally published here

Destructive plant pest thwarted by two native fungi

Cornell University-led research reports that two local fungal pathogens could potentially curb an invasive insect that has New York vineyard owners on edge.

* This article was originally published here

Diabetes drug could help smokers kick the habit

Phillip Robinson has gone from 10 cigarettes a day to one or two every other day after enrolling in a smoking cessation clinical trial launched by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). To help smokers quit, researchers are using a drug known more for helping people with diabetes control their blood sugar.

* This article was originally published here

New study identifies drug that can reverse hyperactivity induced by parasitic infection

When rodents get infected by Toxoplasma gondii, the single-celled brain parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, they become hyperactive risk-takers. In findings published this week in mBio, researchers show for the first time that it's possible to reverse that behavioral change. Surprisingly, the study also showed that the restoration of normal behavior resulted from reducing inflammation—and not from reducing the amount of parasites in the brain.

* This article was originally published here

Biologists warn of peril from biological invasions as White House proposes to halve funding

As the Trump Administration prepares to cut in half the budget for the National Invasive Species Council, a group of invasive species experts led by a University of Rhode Island professor has issued a warning about the growing peril of biological invasions and the increasing threat they pose to the economy, environment, public health and national security.

* This article was originally published here

American students pledge future salary to avoid debt

American college students are turning to a new strategy to avoid the debt trap that has captured millions, pledging a share of their future earnings to pay for their education rather than borrowing.

* This article was originally published here

A simple technique allows robots to recognize touch and proximity

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have recently proposed an easy and configurable technique that enhances a robot's ability to perceive and interact with people in its surroundings. Their technique, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, utilizes affordable Bluetooth low energy (BLE) devices. Among its many possible applications, it could enhance therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), allowing robots to act as mediators and monitor children in their surroundings.

* This article was originally published here

Caffeine gives solar cells an energy boost

Bio-based chemicals could reduce fossil fuel use

Petrochemicals, the oil- and gas-derived compounds that serve as the molecular backbones for much of modern commerce, commanded a $539.3 billion market value in 2018.

* This article was originally published here

Gender impacts brain activity in alcoholics

Compared to alcoholic women, alcoholic men have more diminished brain activity in areas responsible for emotional processing (limbic regions including the amygdala and hippocampus), as well as memory and social processing (cortical regions including the superior frontal and supramarginal regions) among other functions.

* This article was originally published here

GM reports lower sales in China, North America

US automaker General Motors saw profits more than double in the first quarter, but said Tuesday that lower sales in China and North America ate into total revenues.

* This article was originally published here

3-D printing of metallic micro-objects

Study helps chaplains provide proactive care to families in crises

A new model developed and implemented by the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Health provides chaplains with a framework to deliver better care to families and surrogate decision makers during health emergencies.

* This article was originally published here

Study: Health care providers split on who should prescribe HIV prevention drug

Health care practitioners are split when it comes to opinions on which provider should take the lead in prescribing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which is administered to people at high risk for HIV.

* This article was originally published here

Despite its green image, NZ has world's highest proportion of species at risk

A recent update on the state of New Zealand's environment paints a particularly bleak picture about the loss of native ecosystems and the plants and animals within them.

* This article was originally published here

Computer scientists design way to close 'backdoors' in AI-based security systems

It sounds like a plot out of a spy novel, with a touch of cyberpunk: An agent approaches a secure location, protected by a facial recognition system, accessible only to a head of state or CEO. Flashing an unusually shaped earring, the agent tricks the system into thinking they're that VIP, opening the door and exposing the secrets inside. The key—an undetectable "sleeper cell" was placed inside the AI behind the security system months or years earlier to grant access to anyone wearing the specified jewelry.

* This article was originally published here

What predicts college students' drinking habits? How much they think others are drinking.

Students' perception of how much their peers are drinking is one of the most important predictors of whether their alcohol use will increase in college—even more so than the actual drinking habits of their randomly assigned roommate, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.

* This article was originally published here

'Seeing the light' behind radiation therapy

Delivering just the right dose of radiation for cancer patients is a delicate balance in their treatment regime. However, in a new study from UBC Okanagan and Duke University, researchers have developed a system they say may improve the ability to maximize radiation doses to cancer tissues while minimizing exposure to healthy ones.

* This article was originally published here

Security researcher discovers hotspot finder app with leaks

Another day, another app mishap story, and it is in the Ouch range. This one is called WiFi Finder.

* This article was originally published here

A simple technique allows robots to recognize touch and proximity

Alzheimer's in minibrains

In the majority of cases, dementia can be traced back to Alzheimer's disease. Its causes are not really understood yet. What is known is that plaques form from misfolded proteins and that there is an increase in neuronal cell death levels in the brain. However, the plaques don't necessarily go hand in hand with any symptoms. Dr. Thorsten Müller, Head of the research group Cell Signalling at the Chair of Molecular Biochemistry at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), suspects other deposits to cause the disease, namely ones that form in the nuclei. He intends to verify this hypothesis using tissue that resembles that of the brain. Rubin, the RUB's science magazine, published a report on his research.

* This article was originally published here

Computer scientists design way to close 'backdoors' in AI-based security systems

LS2 report: Before the return of the cold

Since the start of January, the liquid helium flowing through the veins of the LHC's cooling system has gradually been removed the accelerator and, one by one, the eight sectors of the LHC have been brought back to room temperature. "It takes about four weeks to bring a single sector from its nominal temperature of 1.9 K (-271°C) back to room temperature," explains Krzysztof Brodzinski, an engineer working on the operation of the LHC's cryogenic system. At least 135 tonnes of helium are required to supply the whole of the LHC's cryogenic system. Once it has been brought up to the surface, some of this precious cooling agent is stored at CERN and the remainder (about 80 tonnes) is entrusted to the suppliers for the duration of LS2.

* This article was originally published here

Malawi is testing a new malaria vaccine. But it's still early days

Malaria is a leading cause of death and illness around the world. Over 200 million cases are reported every year, and more than 400 000 people die. More than 90% of cases are reported in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists have spent decades searching for an effective vaccine. Hence the recent excitement when Malawi's government announced it had launched a pilot programme for the world's first malaria vaccine, RTS,S (also known as Mosquirix), produced by the pharmaceutical company, GSK. It's the first vaccine to demonstrate significant reduction in malaria in children. The Conversation Africa's Ina Skosana asked immunologist Faith Osier about RTS,S.

* This article was originally published here

New research offers insight into the proteins in the brain that detect cannabis

Researchers at the University of Bristol have made new progress in understanding how cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs), the proteins that detect the active components of marijuana, are controlled in the brain.

* This article was originally published here

Antibiotics may treat endometriosis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found, in mice, that treatment with an antibiotic reduces the size of lesions caused by endometriosis.

* This article was originally published here

Informal and illegal housing on the rise as our cities fail to offer affordable places to live

Despite the cooling property market, affordable rental housing remains in critically short supply across Australia. Unable to get a private rental unit or social housing, many low-income renters must resort to informal and insecure accommodation. These range from share homes or rooms, to dwellings that breach planning or building regulations.

* This article was originally published here

Study finds both men and women take a negative view of women who drink

In a study examining perceptions of women who drink alcohol, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor and colleagues found that both men and women view women who drink alcohol in a social setting to be "less human." The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, looks at the social perceptions of women and men who drink alcohol, and considers the consequences of these perceptions.

* This article was originally published here

Squishy robots can drop from a helicopter and land safely

Sometimes the toughest among us come in shapes that are round and just a little bit squishy.

* This article was originally published here

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevalence is very high in susceptible groups worldwide

A major new review of the world literature has found that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is 10 to 40 times higher in certain susceptible groups than the general population. These groups include children in care, people in correctional services or special education services, Aboriginal populations, and people using specialized clinical services.

* This article was originally published here