Want To Kick The Bottle? Science Has Found a Way.

                Targeting a network of neurons in the brain may completely reverse alcohol dependence. We can completely reverse alcohol dependence By targeting a network of neurons. The findings built on previous studies showing that frequent alcohol use can activate specific groups of neurons. The more a person drinks, the more they reinforce activation in the neuronal “circuit”, which then drives further alcohol use and addiction. It is as if the brain carves a special path between alcohol and reward. For the new study, the researchers investigated whether there was a way to influence only the select neurons that form these circuits. In both humans and rats, these neurons make up only about five percent of the neurons in the brain’s central amygdala.

Twin Stars Hosting Giant Planets Found

                Scientists have discovered three giant planets in a binary star system composed of stellar “twins” that are also effectively siblings of our Sun. One star hosts two planets and the other hosts the third. The system represents the smallest separation binary in which both stars host planets that has ever been observed. The findings may help explain the influence that giant planets like Jupiter have over a solar system’s architecture.

DNA Sequenced in Space For First Time

                NASA has successfully conducted the first genome sequencing in space aboard the International Space Station. The ability to Sequence the DNA of living organisms in space opens a whole new world of scientific and medical possibilities. For the first time ever, DNA was successfully sequenced in microgravity as part of the Bimolecular Sequencer experiment performed by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. With a way to sequence DNA in space, astronauts could diagnose as illness, or identify microbes growing in the ISS and determine whether or not they represent a health threat. A space based DNA sequence would be an important tool to help protect astronaut health during long duration missions on the journey to Mars.

Most Breast Cancer Patients May Not Need Chemo

                When is it safe for a woman with breast cancer to skip chemotherapy? A new study helps answer that question, based on test of gene activity in tumours. It found that nearly half of women with early stage breast cancer who would traditionally receive chemo can avoid it, with little risk of the cancer coming back or spreading in the next five years. The so called genomic test measures the activity of genes that control the growth and spread of cancer, and can identify women with a low risk of recurrence and therefore little to gain from chemo.

                More and more evidence is mounting that there is a substantial number of women with breast cancer who will not need chemotherapy to do well. The researchers estimated that their findings, would apply to 35,000 to 40,000 women a year in the United States, and 60,000 to 70,000 in Europe. They are patients with early disease who because of tumours size, cancerous lymph nodes and other factors would normally be prescribed chemo. Genomic tests, which doctors gave been using for about 10 years in some breast cancer patients, are part of a growing effort to spare women from chemo and its harsh side effects whenever it is safe to do so. But the decision to forgo a potentially lifesaving treatment is never taken lightly, and doctors have been eager for more data to make sure they are on the right path.

                The new study is one of the largest and most rigorous trials of genomic testing, and offers reassurance to doctors and patients that the technology can be trusted to help identify patients who do not need chemo. But an editorial accompanying the report said the study was not the final word, and additional research now underway would provide more clarity. Although women who skipped chemo had low recurrence rates, their rates were slightly higher than those of women who had chemo.

Scientists Decided To Launch Field Trials of Oil-Degrading Bacteria in Kochi

                The Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute of Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in July 2016 joined hands to launch field trials of oil-degrading bacteria in Kochi. The scientists will undertake the trail to establish the oil-degrading properties of three new strains of bacteria. The oil-degrading properties of these bacteria will pave the way for the development of bioremediation agents to clean up petroleum pollutants from the environment. The three new strains including two species of Pseudomonas have been sequenced and submitted to the Genbank database on organisms. Scientists at the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute of Plant Sciences have completed the sequencing of a new species of oil-degrading soil fungi belonging to the Paecilomyces genus.

SpaceX Launched Unmanned Dragon Cargo Capsule to International Space Station

                On 18 July 2016, SpaceX launched its unmanned Dragon cargo Capsule to the International Space Station, carrying a key piece of equipment that was lost in 2015 due to rocket explosion. The launch to the ISS is a resupply mission for NASA. Dragon spaceship was packed with nearly 23000 kilograms of gear, including science experiments and equipment for the astronauts living in space. After blasting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the rocket separated after sending the cargo to orbit. Then the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed back on the solid ground in Cape Canaveral at the NASA facility. As per the plan, the Dragon arrived at the space station early 20 July 2016. With this, SpaceX now has five successful rocket landings to its name. The first occurred in December 2015, When a Falcon 9 first stage came back to Cape Canaveral during a commercial satellite launch. The other three successful launches happened in April (one) and May (two), these launches were featured with sea landings, on a robotic ship named Of Course I Still Love You.

Signal From Earth Mistaken For Alien Contact

                A new signal has been found deep in space that could come from aliens. The community of astronomers and scientists who scan the skies with telescopes in an attempt to find extra-terrestrial life is abuzz with excitement over a “strong signal” detected deep in space that could have come from an alien civilization. But some scientists have cautioned people not to get quite so excited – at least yet. The evidence remains preliminary and more work will need to be done to establish whether it is not just a mistake, let alone whether it’s actually a message from aliens.

                The message appeared to have come from a nearby star, HD164595, in the constellation Hercules. That star is 95 light years away – relatively close at the scale of the universe – and almost exactly the same size as our star. What’s more, that same star has at least one planet, HD164595b, which is roughly the size of Neptune and has 40 day year. It’s that planet that has people excited, since it appears it could have the right conditions for supporting life. The signal was actually detected in May last year, and was only brought to light after a presentation by the scientists who found it.