AI can diagnose some genetic disorders using photos of faces
arstechnica.com – DeepGestalt takes faces apart and reassembles them to diagnose genetic disorders.
Source: Yaron Gurovich, et al. Identifying facial phenotypes of genetic disorders using deep learning. Nature Medicine, 2019.
Millions of years ago a massive whale-eating whale roamed the seas
newscientist.com – Huge sharp-toothed whales lived in the oceans million of years ago. An analysis of stomach contents suggests the species was top of the food chain
Source: Manja Voss, Mohammed Sameh M. Antar, Iyad S. Zalmout, Philip D. Gingerich, Carlo Meloro. Stomach contents of the archaeocete Basilosaurus isis: Apex predator in oceans of the late Eocene. PLOS ONE, 2019.
Scientists Could Soon Develop ‘Mosquito Birth Control’ to Prevent Diseases
geek.com – Mosquitoes are some of the deadliest creatures on Earth. Now, scientists have taken a major step toward developing a “mosquito birth control” drug that can help prevent diseases responsible for several million human deaths …
Source: Jun Isoe, et al. Identification and characterization of a mosquito-specific eggshell organizing factor in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. PLOS Biology, 2019.
Physicists Create World’s First Laser-Cooled Neutral Plasma
sci-news.com – Plasmas are naturally formed at high temperatures, such as those reached in the interiors of stars. Neutral plasmas consist of equal numbers of positive ions and electrons. In recent experiments, a team of physicists at Rice University worked with a cold neutral plasma created out of atoms of strontium that were ionized by laser light. The team used lasers to cool the ions down to about 50 mK (millikelvin), a breakthrough that could lead to simulators for exotic states of matter that occur...
Source: Thomas K. Langin, Grant M. Gorman, Thomas C. Killian. Laser cooling of ions in a neutral plasma. Science, 2019.
Light powers faster 3D printing
upi.com – Scientists have developed a new technique for faster, more efficient 3D printing.
Source: Martin P. de Beer, et al. Rapid, continuous additive manufacturing by volumetric polymerization inhibition patterning. Science Advances, 2019.
Easter Island statues: mystery behind their location revealed
theguardian.com – Location of statues was based on nearby fresh water and other resources, says US study
Source: Robert J. DiNapoli, et al. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) monument (ahu) locations explained by freshwater sources. PLOS ONE, 2019.
Thousands of Female Penguins Are Being Stranded in South America
livescience.com – Over the past 10 years, thousands of Magellanic penguins have washed up dead on the coasts of South America — two-thirds of them females. Now, scientists think they might know why.
Source: Takashi Yamamoto, Ken Yoda, Gabriela S. Blanco, Flavio Quintana. Female-biased stranding in Magellanic penguins. Current Biology, 2019.
Bacterial compounds may be as good as DEET at repelling mosquitoes
sciencenews.org – A bacterium’s metabolic by-products are as effective as DEET in deterring Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Source: Mayur K. Kajla, Gregory A. Barrett-Wilt, Susan M. Paskewitz. Bacteria: A novel source for potent mosquito feeding-deterrents. Science Advances, 2019.
60% of the planet's wild coffee species face extinction. What that means for your morning caffeine kick.
mashable.com – "If you don’t have those wild species protected, you have probably crippled your ability to address the problem."
Source: Aaron P. Davis, et al. High extinction risk for wild coffee species and implications for coffee sector sustainability. Science Advances, 2019.
An ancient child from East Asia grew teeth like a modern human
sciencenews.org – Choppers from a youngster with an unknown evolutionary background indicate that hominids evolved a humanlike life span in East Asia by 100,000 years ago.
Source: Song Xing, et al. First systematic assessment of dental growth and development in an archaic hominin (genus, Homo ) from East Asia. Science Advances, 2019.
