Science X Newsletter Week 50

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 50:

	Major cause of dementia discovered An international team of scientists have confirmed the discovery of a major cause of dementia, with important implications for possible treatment and diagnosis.
	Ancient penguin was as big as a (human) Pittsburgh Penguin Fossils from New Zealand have revealed a giant penguin that was as big as a grown man, roughly the size of the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
	New silicon structure opens the gate to quantum computers In a major step toward making a quantum computer using everyday materials, a team led by researchers at Princeton University has constructed a key piece of silicon hardware capable of controlling quantum behavior between two electrons with extremely high precision. The study was published Dec. 7 in the journal Science.
	Doing without dark energy: Mathematicians propose alternative explanation for cosmic acceleration Three mathematicians have a different explanation for the accelerating expansion of the universe that does without theories of "dark energy." Einstein's original equations for General Relativity actually predict cosmic acceleration due to an "instability," they argue in paper published recently in Proceedings of the Royal Society A.
	National MagLab's latest magnet snags world record, marks new era of scientific discovery The Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has shattered another world record with the testing of a 32-tesla magnet—33 percent stronger than what had previously been the world's strongest superconducting magnet used for research and more than 3,000 times stronger than a small refrigerator magnet.
	Discovery of new planet reveals distant solar system to rival our own The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google's Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system's status as having the highest number of known planets. We're now in a tie.
	Humans can feel molecular differences between nearly identical surfaces How sensitive is the human sense of touch? Sensitive enough to feel the difference between surfaces that differ by just a single layer of molecules, a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has shown.
	No alien 'signals' from cigar-shaped asteroid: researchers No alien signals have been detected from an interstellar, cigar-shaped space rock discovered travelling through our Solar System in October, researchers listening for evidence of extraterrestrial technology said Thursday.
	Upper body strength key factor in men's bodily attractiveness What makes a man's body attractive? In many mammalian species, females evolved to prefer the strongest males. According to research from Griffith University, the same is true of humans.
	Study links health risks to electromagnetic field exposure A study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage, providing new evidence regarding their potential health risks. The Kaiser Permanente study was published today in the journal Scientific Reports.
	Study confirms link between the number of older brothers and increased odds of being homosexual Groundbreaking research led by a team from Brock University has further confirmed that sexual orientation for men is likely determined in the womb.
	Laser-driven technique for creating fusion is now within reach, say researchers A laser-driven technique for creating fusion that dispenses with the need for radioactive fuel elements and leaves no toxic radioactive waste is now within reach, say researchers.
	Hyperlens crystal capable of viewing living cells in unprecedented detail Just imagine: An optical lens so powerful that it lets you view features the size of a small virus on the surface of a living cell in its natural environment.
	Complete design of a silicon quantum computer chip unveiled Research teams all over the world are exploring different ways to design a working computing chip that can integrate quantum interactions. Now, UNSW engineers believe they have cracked the problem, reimagining the silicon microprocessors we know to create a complete design for a quantum computer chip that can be manufactured using mostly standard industry processes and components.
	Researchers discover new way to power electrical devices A team of University of Alberta engineers developed a new way to produce electrical power that can charge handheld devices or sensors that monitor anything from pipelines to medical implants.The discovery sets a new world standard in devices called triboelectric nanogenerators by producing a high-density DC current—a vast improvement over low-quality AC currents produced by other research teams.
	New tree species in Brazil probably the world's heaviest living organism Kew scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Brazil and Canada, have recently published a description of a new tree species from the legume family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae). Dinizia jueirana-facao G.P. Lewis & G.S. Siqueira, discovered in Brazil, grows to a whopping 40 metres with an estimated weight of up to 62 tonnes.
	Intermittent fasting found to increase cognitive functions in mice (Medical Xpress)—The Daily Mail spoke with the leader of a team of researchers with the National Institute on Aging in the U.S. and reports that they have found that putting mice on a diet consisting of eating nothing every other day for a period of time day resulted in improved cognitive functioning. The research was led by Dr. Mark Mattson who runs a neuroscience lab at the institute.
	Electromagnetic water cloak eliminates drag and wake Researchers have developed a water cloaking concept based on electromagnetic forces that could eliminate an object's wake, greatly reducing its drag while simultaneously helping it avoid detection.
	Engineers create plants that glow Imagine that instead of switching on a lamp when it gets dark, you could read by the light of a glowing plant on your desk.
	Mammal long thought extinct in Australia resurfaces A crest-tailed mulgara, a small carnivorous marsupial known only from fossilised bone fragments and presumed extinct in NSW for more than century, has been discovered in Sturt National Park north-west of Tibooburra.

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