Thursday 4 July 2019

Potential harm from medical instruments not made clear in studies

The potential harm from medical instruments is not made clear in academic studies, according to research by the University of York.

* This article was originally published here

Sports playbook helps doctors predict cancer patient outcomes

In this season of global soccer competitions and hotly contested political primaries, bookies and pundits are scouring every evolving scrap of information and sifting through mountains of data in an effort to predict the outcome of the next game or election. These predictions can change on a dime, however, based on a player's poor pass or a candidate's stellar debate performance.

* This article was originally published here

They're cutting opioid prescriptions by stopping pain before it starts

Doctors today are reducing their patients' need for strong opioid medications after surgery by pre-treating patients with other pain relievers before they even enter the operating room.

* This article was originally published here

Why the 'molecular scissors' metaphor for understanding CRISPR is misleading

Last week I read an article about CRISPR, the latest tool scientists are using to edit DNA. It was a great piece—well researched, beautifully written, factually accurate. It covered some of the amazing projects scientist are working on using CRISPR, like bringing animals back from extinction and curing diseases. It also gave me the heebies, but not for the reason you might expect.

* This article was originally published here

Instagram's new group chats sticker for Stories lets your followers request to join

Instagram is making it easier to get in touch with your circle of friends.

* This article was originally published here

Asteroid Vesta originates from a cosmic 'hit-and-run' collision

The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter preserves the processes of planetary formation, frozen in time. Vesta, the second largest asteroid in this belt, provides an outstanding opportunity for scientists to investigate the origin and formation of planets. In particular, Vesta has kept its crust, mantle and metallic core, much like Earth. Careful mapping of Vesta by NASA's Dawn mission showed that the crust at the south pole of Vesta is unusually thick.

* This article was originally published here

We subscribe to movies and music, why not transport?

Many mainstays in our lives—phones, personal music libraries and movies—began as pay-as-you-go services. But subscription services are starting to rule, from iTunes shifting to Apple Music, and "all-you-can-watch" subscriptions to the Netflix catalogue.

* This article was originally published here

Immune-boosting compound makes immunotherapy effective against pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is especially challenging to treat—only eight percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are of limited benefit, and even immunotherapy—which revolutionized treatment for other kinds of cancer by activating the body's immune system to attack cancer cells—has been largely ineffective because pancreatic tumors have ways to dampen the immune assault.

* This article was originally published here

Deep-CEE: The AI deep learning tool helping astronomers explore deep space

Galaxy clusters are some of the most massive structures in the cosmos, but despite being millions of lightyears across, they can still be hard to spot. Researchers at Lancaster University have turned to artificial intelligence for assistance, developing "Deep-CEE" (Deep Learning for Galaxy Cluster Extraction and Evaluation), a novel deep learning technique to speed up the process of finding them. Matthew Chan, a Ph.D. student at Lancaster University, is presenting this work at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy meeting on 4 July at 3:45pm in the Machine Learning in Astrophysics session.

* This article was originally published here

Genes could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a role in tooth decay and gum disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/genes-could-play-a-role-in-tooth-decay-and-gum-disease

Stromboli clears up ash after deadly volcano eruption

The village of Ginostra on Stromboli began sweeping away layers of ash on Thursday, the day after a dramatic volcanic eruption on the tiny Italian island killed a hiker.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/stromboli-clears-up-ash-after-deadly-volcano-eruption

Scientists combine light and matter to make particles with new behaviors

Every type of atom in the universe has a unique fingerprint: It only absorbs or emits light at the particular energies that match the allowed orbits of its electrons. That fingerprint enables scientists to identify an atom wherever it is found. A hydrogen atom in outer space absorbs light at the same energies as one on Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-combine-light-and-matter-to-make-particles-with-new-behaviors

New Zealand slams Google over murder case gaffe

Google was accused of "giving the middle finger" by New Zealand's Justice Minister Thursday, after the US tech giant refused to tighten publication standards after breaching court suppression orders in a high-profile murder case.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-zealand-slams-google-over-murder-case-gaffe

Chinese official: Pig fever outbreak 'complicated and grim'

The death toll from a disease outbreak in China's pig herds that has pushed up global pork prices has risen to 1.2 million animals, but its spread has "significantly slowed," a deputy agriculture minister said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/chinese-official-pig-fever-outbreak-complicated-and-grim

French lawmakers approve 3% tax on online giants

France's lower house of parliament approved Thursday a small, pioneering tax on internet giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook—and the French government hopes other countries will follow suit.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/french-lawmakers-approve-3-tax-on-online-giants

Hot weather in Greek capital shuts down Acropolis

Greece's most famous archaeological site, the Acropolis in Athens, has shut down to visitors for four hours because of hot weather in the capital.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hot-weather-in-greek-capital-shuts-down-acropolis

Jakarta residents sue Indonesia government over air pollution

Residents of Indonesia's capital on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the government over the toxic levels of air pollution that regularly blanket the city.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/jakarta-residents-sue-indonesia-government-over-air-pollution

A bio-inspired flow-sensing cupula for submersible robotics

Nature can be a precious source of inspiration for researchers developing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Studies in submersible robotics, for instance, have often tried to replicate or incorporate mechanisms observed in aquatic life, such as fish locomotion patterns and shark skin textures.

* This article was originally published here

Looks like guys are more prone to pack on the 'Freshman 15'

(HealthDay)—When a high school senior becomes a university freshman, change is the name of the game. A new school. New friendships. Even new ways of eating.

* This article was originally published here

New technique could brighten screens and make smartphone batteries last longer

Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-technique-could-brighten-screens-and-make-smartphone-batteries-last-longer

Sharing control with robots may make manufacturing safer, more efficient

Hulking robots common to assembly line manufacturing tend to be loners. They often cut, bend and weld metal inside cages and behind barriers meant to safely separate them from human workers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sharing-control-with-robots-may-make-manufacturing-safer-more-efficient

Uber Eats bows to fans and removes green from Marseille shirt logo

Uber Eats has changed the colour of the logo that will appear on Marseille shirts next season to placate the club's fans.

* This article was originally published here

With little training, machine-learning algorithms can uncover hidden scientific knowledge

Sure, computers can be used to play grandmaster-level chess (chess_computer), but can they make scientific discoveries? Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown that an algorithm with no training in materials science can scan the text of millions of papers and uncover new scientific knowledge.

* This article was originally published here

Simpler name for cancer genetic syndrome could save lives

As medical science links certain genetic mutations with a greater variety of cancers, the names for these risk syndromes are falling out of step.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/simpler-name-for-cancer-genetic-syndrome-could-save-lives

Creation of big data tool leads to new ideas on form and function of insect eggs

Sometimes disproving an old hypothesis is as important as proving a new one. In a new paper in Nature, Cassandra G. Extavour manages to do both, while helping create a tool that will enable similar big-data studies moving forward.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/creation-of-big-data-tool-leads-to-new-ideas-on-form-and-function-of-insect-eggs

Further insight needed into potential development delays in preterm children

Executive functioning delays—such as difficulties with attention, concentration and self-control—which frequently occur in preterm children actually persist beyond early infancy, through to school-entry age, new research has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/further-insight-needed-into-potential-development-delays-in-preterm-children

Researchers map crystals to advance treatments for stroke, diabetes, dementia

Medications attach to the proteins in our bodies the way spacecrafts dock into the International Space Station. Describing that process in detail can reveal a lot about how the medications work—and what form new medications should take.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-crystals-to-advance-treatments-for-stroke-diabetes-dementia

More money, skills and knowledge needed for social prescribing to serve as route into work

New funding, greater expertise and wider awareness in the system—and beyond—are needed to embed work outcomes into social prescribing practice.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/more-money-skills-and-knowledge-needed-for-social-prescribing-to-serve-as-route-into-work