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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/resistance-to-last-resort-drug-arose-in-patient-over-3-weeks

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-clears-critical-sunshield-deployment-testing

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/lead-pollution-from-native-americans-attributed-to-crushing-galena-for-glitter-paint

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/nasa-finds-a-transitioning-tropical-storm-neoguri

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/study-suggests-a-new-way-to-think-about-the-brains-link-to-postpartum-depression

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/after-decades-in-development-hondas-jets-quietly-evolving

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/n-ireland-laws-on-abortion-same-sex-marriage-set-to-change

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/dozens-of-elephants-die-in-zimbabwe-drought

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/climate-warming-promises-more-frequent-extreme-el-nino-events

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).

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/song-learning-neurons-identified-in-songbirds

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/mystery-solved-ocean-acidity-in-the-last-mass-extinction

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/catastrophic-events-carry-forests-of-trees-thousands-of-miles-to-a-burial-at-sea

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/comparisons-of-4-7-million-mtdna-sequences-show-genbank-is-reliable-for-animal-ids

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/animal-study-shows-how-stress-and-mothers-abuse-affects-infant-brain

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/butterflies-and-plants-evolved-in-sync-but-moth-ears-predated-bats

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/study-shows-class-bias-in-hiring-based-on-few-seconds-of-speech

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/ai-rivals-expert-radiologists-at-detecting-brain-hemorrhages

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/uncovering-the-principles-behind-rna-folding

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/crisis-could-claim-third-of-big-global-banks-mckinsey

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/google-maps-on-iphone-is-adding-traffic-features-made-popular-by-waze

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/gita-is-a-new-cargo-robot-that-can-follow-you-carry-your-stuff-for-about-4-hours

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.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/study-points-to-virus-as-culprit-in-kids-paralyzing-illness

Global warming eclipses nuclear war as top concern: Nobel laureate

The threat of climate change has overtaken the prospect of nuclear war as the most pressing concern facing humanity, a former Colombian president and Nobel peace laureate warned Monday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/global-warming-eclipses-nuclear-war-as-top-concern-nobel-laureate