Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer.

* This article was originally published here

No-take marine areas help fishers (and fish) far more than we thought

One hectare of ocean in which fishing is not allowed (a marine protected area) produces at least five times the amount of fish as an equivalent unprotected hectare, according to new research published today.

* This article was originally published here

French MPs back giving online platforms 24 hours to remove hate speech

French MPs on Thursday backed a proposal to give online platforms just 24 hours to remove hate speech or face hefty fines, the latest initiative in Europe to tackle online racism, anti-Semitism, sexism and homophobia.

* This article was originally published here

Daylight robbery: how human-built structures leave coastal ecosystems in the shadows

About half of the coastline of Europe, the United States and Australasia is modified by artificial structures. In newly published research, we identified a new effect of marine urbanisation that has so far gone unrecognised.

* This article was originally published here

Do passengers prefer autonomous vehicles driven like machines or like humans?

Passenger and pedestrian confidence and acceptance will be key to the future and development of autonomous vehicles so researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have just conducted and reported an experiment to see which autonomous vehicles driving style engendered the highest levels of confidence among autonomous vehicles passengers—driving with full machine efficiency, or driving in a way that emulates average human driving. The surprising result was that neither was optimal but that a blend of both might be best.

* 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

Ignoring cues for alcohol and fast food is hard—but is it out of our control?

A UNSW psychology experiment has shown why it can be so hard to direct our attention away from cues that might lead to behavior we'd like to avoid, like drinking alcohol and eating unhealthy food.

* This article was originally published here

A tiny soft robot that mimics jellyfish

A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has developed a soft robot that effectively mimics a tiny jellyfish. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the group describes the robot and its capabilities.

* This article was originally published here

New research suggests three profiles of communication delays in early childhood

Parenting books, magazines and apps are filled with tools to help parents keep track of their child's developmental milestones. Parents are often particularly concerned about their child's language and communication skills. But what does it mean if your child doesn't meet these early milestones?

* This article was originally published here

Substantial increase in body weight since 1960s due to interplay between genes and environment

People with a genetic predisposition to obesity are not only at greater risk of excess weight, their genes interact with an increasingly "obesogenic" environment, resulting in higher body mass index (BMI) in recent decades, finds a study from Norway published by The BMJ today.

* This article was originally published here

Do passengers prefer autonomous vehicles driven like machines or like humans?

Passenger and pedestrian confidence and acceptance will be key to the future and development of autonomous vehicles so researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have just conducted and reported an experiment to see which autonomous vehicles driving style engendered the highest levels of confidence among autonomous vehicles passengers—driving with full machine efficiency, or driving in a way that emulates average human driving. The surprising result was that neither was optimal but that a blend of both might be best.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/do-passengers-prefer-autonomous-vehicles-driven-like-machines-or-like-humans

Ignoring cues for alcohol and fast food is hard—but is it out of our control?

A UNSW psychology experiment has shown why it can be so hard to direct our attention away from cues that might lead to behavior we'd like to avoid, like drinking alcohol and eating unhealthy food.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/ignoring-cues-for-alcohol-and-fast-food-is-hard-but-is-it-out-of-our-control

Making wireless communication more energy efficient

Omer Tanovic, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, joined the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) because he loves studying theory and turning research questions into solvable math problems. But Omer says that his engineering background—before coming to MIT he received undergraduate and master's degrees in electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina—has taught him never to lose sight of the intended applications of his work, or the practical parameters for implementation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/making-wireless-communication-more-energy-efficient

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

Ossia suits up for new day in wireless charging

Technology advances by leaps, bounds—and stagnates in a stubborn flat line. Technology has showcased machines that can learn how to make a sophisticated pizza, identify individuals by heartbeat and bring self-driving cars to move, stop and park. We are still, however, sentenced to charging pads and holding patterns on walls to juice our devices.

* This article was originally published here

A bite acquisition framework for robot-assisted feeding systems

According to a survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau, around 12.3 million Americans require assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), one of which is feeding. Robots could be of great help to people affected by severe disabilities, allowing them to eat meals and complete other daily tasks without reliance on constant assistance from other human beings.

* This article was originally published here

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.

* This article was originally published here

Smart glasses follow our eyes, focus automatically

Though it may not have the sting of death and taxes, presbyopia is another of life's guarantees. This vision defect plagues most of us starting about age 45, as the lenses in our eyes lose the elasticity needed to focus on nearby objects. For some people reading glasses suffice to overcome the difficulty, but for many people the only fix, short of surgery, is to wear progressive lenses.

* 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

Incarceration and economic hardship strongly associated with drug-related deaths in the US

Growing rates of incarceration in the USA since the mid-1970s may be linked with a rise in drug-related mortality, and may exacerbate the harmful health effects of economic hardship, according to an observational study involving 2,640 US counties between 1983 and 2014, published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/incarceration-and-economic-hardship-strongly-associated-with-drug-related-deaths-in-the-us

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

Scientists discover autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-discover-autoimmune-disease-associated-with-testicular-cancer

One in 10 UK hospital inpatients is alcohol dependent

A new review of evidence from the UK has found high levels of alcohol dependence among hospital inpatients. The researchers estimate one in five patients in the UK hospital system uses alcohol harmfully, and one in ten is alcohol dependent.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-in-10-uk-hospital-inpatients-is-alcohol-dependent

Facebook services back online after worldwide outage

Facebook said it was "back at 100 percent" Wednesday evening after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/facebook-services-back-online-after-worldwide-outage

Tornado kills 6, injures nearly 200 in China

A tornado has left six people dead and nearly 200 injured after ripping through a northeastern Chinese city, local authorities said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/tornado-kills-6-injures-nearly-200-in-china