ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Brain process takes paper shape
• Ancient reptile birth preserved in fossil: Ichthyosaur fossil may show oldest live reptilian birth
• Well-child visits linked to more than 700,000 subsequent flu-like illnesses
• The physics of curly hair: Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair

Brain process takes paper shape Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:23 PM PST A paper-based device that mimics the electrochemical signalling in the human brain has been created by a group of researchers from China. The thin-film transistor (TFT) has been designed to replicate the junction between two neurons, known as a biological synapse, and could become a key component in the development of artificial neural networks, which could be utilized in a range of fields from robotics to computer processing.

Ancient reptile birth preserved in fossil: Ichthyosaur fossil may show oldest live reptilian birth Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:37 PM PST Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that evolved from land reptiles and moved to the water. Scientists report a new fossil specimen that belongs to Chaohusaurus (Reptilia, Ichthyopterygia), the oldest of Mesozoic marine reptiles that lived approximately 248 million years ago. The partial skeleton was recovered in China and may show a live birth.

Well-child visits linked to more than 700,000 subsequent flu-like illnesses Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:46 AM PST New research shows that well-child doctor appointments for annual exams and vaccinations are associated with an increased risk of flu-like illnesses in children and family members within two weeks of the visit. This risk translates to more than 700,000 potentially avoidable illnesses each year, costing more than $490 million annually.

The physics of curly hair: Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST The heroes and villains in animated films tend to be on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. But they're often similar in their hair, which is usually extremely rigid or -- if it moves at all -- is straight and swings to and fro. It's rare to see an animated character with bouncy, curly hair, since computer animators don't have a simple mathematical means for describing it. But now, researchers have developed the first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair.

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