science news 11.9.2019

Today's selection of science news. Links are normally to press releases on EurekAlert (at the bottom end I may also add a couple of newspaper stories). I include quotes from the summary in italics in cases where the title alone doesn't reveal what the story is about. My own thoughts appear without italics if I have any.


astrobiology

Nitrogen explosions created craters on Saturn moon Titan



plant science

Raising a glass to grapes' surprising genetic diversity
genome sequence of Chardonnay grape


behaviour

Sex for cooperation
Using behavioral and hormonal data from a habituated bonobo community at the long-term LuiKotale field site in the Democratic Republic of Congo researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Harvard University and the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology have now shown that same-sex sexual behavior in female bonobos increases friendly social interactions, including cooperation.


nanoworld

Optical vacuum cleaner can manipulate nanoparticles


humans

Researchers find earliest evidence of milk consumption
A research team, led by archaeologists at the University of York, have identified a milk protein called beta lactoglobulin (BLG) entombed in the mineralised dental plaque of seven individuals who lived in the Neolithic period around 6,000 years-ago.



A jaw bone used in the study -- from the collections of the Dorset County Museum.
Credit: Dr Sophy Charlton, University of York


Bones of Roman Britons provide new clues to dietary deprivation
Researchers at the University of Bradford have shown a link between the diet of Roman Britons and their mortality rates for the first time, overturning a previously-held belief about the quality of the Roman diet.

The vagina monocultures
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have taken the first step towards trials of vaginal microbiota transplantation (VMT). Inspired by the success of fecal transplantation, it is hoped that transplants of vaginal fluids from healthy donors will provide the first restorative, curative treatment for bacterial vaginosis. Published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, the team's donor screening concept aims to ensure that only beneficial microbes are transferred by VMT - and not potential pathogens.
The award for today's best headline goes to ...


--------------

In the news:

The science says that badger culls don't work against bovine TB, because badgers are social animals and if you disrupt their community structures, they'll move and spread any TB they carry even more. Regardless, UK governments are keen to approve badger culls, just to show farmers that they are doing something for them - and never mind the science. The Guardian reports today that a badger cull of unprecedented scale has been approved for this autumn.