Lucy mission completes critical design review

The Lucy mission led by Southwest Research Institute is one step closer to its 2021 launch to explore the Trojan asteroids, a population of ancient small bodies that share an orbit with Jupiter. With the successful completion of its critical design review last week, the Lucy spacecraft is on track to begin a 12-year journey of almost 4 billion miles to visit a record-breaking seven asteroids—one main belt asteroid and six Trojans.

Resistance to last resort drug arose in patient over 3 weeks

French investigators have described development of resistance to one of the last resort therapies used to treat extremely drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. That resistance arose in a single patient over a scant 22 days. They subsequently identified the single nucleotide mutation in P. aeruginosa that caused the resistance. The research is published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope clears critical sunshield deployment testing

The sunshield for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has passed a test critical to preparing the observatory for its 2021 launch. Technicians and engineers fully deployed and tensioned each of the sunshield's five layers, successfully putting the sunshield into the same position it will be in a million miles from Earth.

Lead pollution from Native Americans attributed to crushing galena for glitter paint

Native American use of galena at Kincaid Mounds, a settlement occupied during the Mississippian period (1150 to 1450 CE), resulted in more than 1.5 metric tons of lead pollution deposited in a small lake near the Ohio River. New data from IUPUI researchers found the lead did not originate from this Southern Illinois settlement, but instead was brought to the site from other Midwest sources.

NASA finds a transitioning Tropical Storm Neoguri

NASA's Terra satellite passed over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean on Oct. 21 and captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Neoguri. Satellite imagery revealed that the storm is becoming extra-tropical.

Study suggests a new way to think about the brain's link to postpartum depression

Chronic stress during pregnancy triggers an immune response in the brain that has potential to alter brain functions in ways that could contribute to postpartum depression, new research in animals suggests.

After decades in development, Honda's jets quietly evolving

Nearly four years after delivering its first jet, Honda is facing decisions as the company better known for cars and lawnmowers considers whether to sink billions more into its decades-in-the-making aircraft division.

N Ireland laws on abortion, same-sex marriage, set to change

Northern Ireland is set to decriminalize abortion and set the stage for legalization of same-sex marriages as of midnight Monday, bringing its laws in line with the rest of the U.K.

Dozens of elephants die in Zimbabwe drought

At least 55 elephants have died in a month in Zimbabwe due to a lack of food and water, its wildlife agency said Monday, as the country faces one of the worst droughts in its history.

Climate warming promises more frequent extreme El Niño events

El Niño events cause serious shifts in weather patterns across the globe, and an important question that scientists have sought to answer is: how will climate change affect the generation of strong El Niño events? A new study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science by a team of international climate researchers led by Bin Wang of the University of Hawaii's International Pacific Research Center (IPRC), has an answer to that question. Results show that since the late 1970's, climate change effects have shifted the El Niño onset location from the eastern Pacific to the western Pacific and caused more frequent extreme El Niño events. Continued warming over the western Pacific warm pool promises conditions that will trigger more extreme events in the future.

Song-learning neurons identified in songbirds

A group of brain cells, the corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons, are important for vocal learning in young birds, but not in adult birds, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Mystery solved: Ocean acidity in the last mass extinction

A new study led by Yale University confirms a long-held theory about the last great mass extinction event in history and how it affected Earth's oceans. The findings may also answer questions about how marine life eventually recovered.

Catastrophic events carry forests of trees thousands of miles to a burial at sea

Flooding from torrential rains caused by cyclones and monsoonal storms, as well as other catastrophic events, are responsible for moving huge amounts of fresh wood to a watery grave deep under the ocean, according to Earth scientists.

Comparisons of 4.7 million mtDNA sequences show GenBank is reliable for animal IDs

Did a murderer walk through the room? Did a shark just swim by? Is this a poisonous mushroom? Which reef species are lost when the coral dies? These questions can potentially be answered quickly and cheaply based on tiny samples of DNA found in the environment. But identifying DNA requires a trustworthy library of previously identified DNA sequences for comparison. Smithsonian scientists and their colleagues analyzed more than 4.7 million animal DNA sequences from GenBank, the most commonly used tool for this purpose, and discovered that animal identification errors are surprisingly rare—but sometimes quite funny.

Animal study shows how stress and mother's abuse affects infant brain

A new study in rats shows the extent of brain damage in newborn rodents from even short-term abuse by their mother.

Butterflies and plants evolved in sync, but moth 'ears' predated bats

Butterflies and moths rank among the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, with nearly 160,000 known species, ranging from the iconic blue morpho to the crop-devouring armyworm.

Study shows class bias in hiring based on few seconds of speech

Candidates at job interviews expect to be evaluated on their experience, conduct, and ideas, but a new study by Yale researchers provides evidence that interviewees are judged based on their social status seconds after they start to speak.

AI rivals expert radiologists at detecting brain hemorrhages

An algorithm developed by scientists at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley did better than two out of four expert radiologists at finding tiny brain hemorrhages in head scans—an advance that one day may help doctors treat patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), strokes and aneurysms.

Uncovering the principles behind RNA folding

A Northwestern Engineering research team led by Professor Julius Lucks has uncovered a new understanding of how RNA molecules act as cellular 'biosensors' to monitor and respond to changes in the environment by controlling gene expression. The findings could impact the design of future RNA-specific therapeutics as well as new synthetic biology tools that measure the presence of toxins in the environment.

Crisis could claim third of big global banks: McKinsey

US consulting firm McKinsey said Monday that a third of big global banks may not survive a major financial shock, with those in western Europe and Asia most at risk.

Google Maps on iPhone is adding traffic features made popular by Waze

One of the most popular features on the Android version of Google Maps is finally coming to the iPhone.

Gita is a new cargo robot that can follow you, carry your stuff for about 4 hours

Consumer-focused personal robots have a spotty history.

Study points to virus as culprit in kids' paralyzing illness

Scientists have found the strongest evidence yet that a virus is to blame for a mysterious illness that can start like the sniffles but quickly paralyze children.

Taking new angle to enable more efficient, compact fusion power plants

Researchers at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego have demonstrated a new approach for injecting microwaves into a fusion plasma that doubles the efficiency of a critical technique that could have major implications for future fusion reactors. The results show that launching the microwaves into the plasma via a novel geometry delivers substantial improvements in the plasma current drive.

American Indians may have a higher risk for irregular heartbeat

Irregular heartbeat or atrial fibrillation (AFib) occurred more often among American Indians than among other racial and ethnic groups, according to new research published in Circulation, the American Heart Association's premier cardiovascular research journal.

Lab-grown meat: Researchers grow muscle cells on edible fibers

Lab-grown or cultured meat could revolutionize food production, providing a greener, more sustainable, more ethical alternative to large-scale meat production. But getting lab-grown meat from the petri dish to the dinner plate requires solving several major problems, including how to make large amounts of it and how to make it feel and taste more like real meat.

California's crashing kelp forest

First the sea stars wasted to nothing. Then the purple urchins took over, eating and eating until the bull kelp forests were gone. The red abalone starved. Their fishery closed. Red sea urchins starved. Their fishery collapsed. And the ocean kept warming.

Online ordering boom gives rise to virtual restaurants

Frato's Pizza looks like a typical family restaurant, with its black-and-white checkered floor and red chairs. But in the kitchen, the cooks are whipping up dishes for four other restaurants at the same time.

Record-number of over 200,000 galaxies confirm: Galaxy mergers ignite star bursts

When two galaxies merge, there are brief periods of stellar baby booms. A group of astronomers led by Lingyu Wang (SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research) has now used a sample of over 200,000 galaxies to confirm that galaxy mergers are the driving force behind star bursts. It is the first time that scientists have used artificial intelligence in a galaxy merger study. The results are published in Astronomy & Astrophysics on October 21st.

Public, election officials may be kept in the dark on hacks

If the FBI discovers that foreign hackers have infiltrated the networks of your county election office, you may not find out about it until after voting is over. And your governor and other state officials may be kept in the dark, too.

Maritime industry seeks solutions to limit pollution

Shipowners say they are trying to cut their heavy-polluting industry's impact on the environment by using cleaner energy—but some have stalled over limiting the speed of ships.

Committee pitches concept to settle all opioid lawsuits

A committee guiding OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy has suggested other drugmakers, distributors and pharmacy chains use Purdue's bankruptcy proceedings to settle more than 2,000 lawsuits seeking to hold the drug industry accountable for the national opioid crisis.

Exercise capacity may affect cognitive health of survivors of childhood leukemia

A new study found a link between reduced exercise capacity and neurocognitive problems in survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old street in Jerusalem built by Pontius Pilate

An ancient walkway most likely used by pilgrims as they made their way to worship at the Temple Mount has been uncovered in the "City of David" in the Jerusalem Walls National Park.

Prevention better than cure at preventing young users from getting involved in cybercrime

Highly-targeted messaging campaigns from law enforcement can be surprisingly effective at dissuading young gamers from getting involved in cybercrime, a new study has suggested.

No link found between youth contact sports and cognitive, mental health problems

Adolescents who play contact sports, including football, are no more likely to experience cognitive impairment, depression or suicidal thoughts in early adulthood than their peers, suggests a new University of Colorado Boulder study of nearly 11,000 youth followed for 14 years.

Limiting mealtimes may increase exercise motivation

Limiting access to food in mice increases levels of the hormone, ghrelin, which may also increase motivation to exercise, according to a study published in the Journal of Endocrinology.

Study: 20% of patients are prescribed opioids after cardiac device implantation surgery

One in five patients is prescribed opioids after having a pacemaker or similar device implanted, according to a large US study conducted at Mayo Clinic published in HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society and the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society published by Elsevier. Eighty percent of patients who were prescribed opioids had never taken them before. Investigators stress the importance of improving postoperative pain management following cardiac device procedures to reduce use of prescription opioids.

Episiotomy may be beneficial in reducing severe perineal tears among forceps and vacuum deliveries

The use of episiotomy during childbirth has declined in Canada, although its benefit in births assisted by forceps or vacuum merits reconsideration of this practice, according to a large study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Data mining applied to scholarly publications to finally reveal Earth's biodiversity

At a time when a million species are at risk of extinction, according to a recent UN report, ironically, we don't know how many species there are on Earth, nor have we noted down all those that we have come to know on a single list. In fact, we don't even know how many species we would have put on such a list.

IBD prevalence three times higher than estimates and expected to rise, new study reveals

The number of people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is three times higher than previous estimates, with sufferers also at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), according to new research presented today at UEG Week Barcelona 2019.

Resistance to antibiotics doubles in 20 years, new study finds

Resistance to commonly-used antibiotics for treating harmful bacteria related to a variety of stomach conditions has more than doubled in 20 years, new research presented today at UEG Week Barcelona 2019 has shown.

FMT is effective in IBS, but having a 'super-donor' is essential, new study finds

The results of a large, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study have confirmed that faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) using a single 'super-donor' is an effective and well tolerated treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), producing high rates of clinical response and marked symptom improvements. The study reported today, which involved a large cohort of patients with various subtypes of IBS, used several enhanced methodologies, and highlighted the importance of donor selection for optimising the effectiveness of FMT as a treatment for IBS.

Plant-based foods and Mediterranean diet associated with healthy gut microbiome

A study presented at UEG Week 2019 has shown that specific foods could provide protection for the gut, by helping bacteria with anti-inflammatory properties to thrive.

National poll: Half of parents have declined kids' play date invites

The new school year often leads to playdate invitations, sometimes between families who don't know each other.