ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• First images of historic San Francisco shipwreck, SS City of Rio de Janeiro
• Oldest horned dinosaur species in North America found in Montana: Hooked beak, sharply pointed cheeks distinguishes neoceratopsian species
• Fungus-growing ants selectively cultivate their crops
• Dragonflies on the hunt display complex choreography
• Honeybee hive sealant promotes hair growth in mice
• Phenomenal fossil and detailed analysis reveal details about enigmatic fossil mammals
• With experience, people can tell bears apart
• Laughing gas shows promise for severe depression, pilot study suggests
• Abandoned wells can be 'super-emitters' of greenhouse gas

First images of historic San Francisco shipwreck, SS City of Rio de Janeiro Posted: 10 Dec 2014 02:17 PM PST Researchers released 3-D sonar maps and images of an immigrant steamship lost more than 100 years ago in what many consider the worst maritime disaster in San Francisco history. On Feb. 22, 1901, in a dense morning fog, the SS City of Rio de Janeiro struck jagged rocks near the present site of the Golden Gate Bridge and sank almost immediately, killing 128 of the 210 passengers and crew aboard the ship.

Oldest horned dinosaur species in North America found in Montana: Hooked beak, sharply pointed cheeks distinguishes neoceratopsian species Posted: 10 Dec 2014 11:08 AM PST Scientists have named the first definite horned dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous in North America. The limited fossil record for neoceratopsian--or horned dinosaurs--from the Early Cretaceous in North America restricts scientists' ability to reconstruct the early evolution of this group.

Fungus-growing ants selectively cultivate their crops Posted: 10 Dec 2014 10:13 AM PST Ever since agriculture evolved ca 10,000 years ago, plants have been artificially selected to become the fast growing and highly productive varieties we know today. However, humans were not the first to see merit in cultivating their own food, as ants have been doing this for 50 million years.

Dragonflies on the hunt display complex choreography Posted: 10 Dec 2014 10:10 AM PST The dragonfly is a swift and efficient hunter. Once it spots its prey, it takes about half a second to swoop beneath an unsuspecting insect and snatch it from the air. Researchers have used motion-capture technology to reveal new insight into the sophisticated information processing and acrobatic skills of dragonflies on the hunt.

Honeybee hive sealant promotes hair growth in mice Posted: 10 Dec 2014 08:43 AM PST Hair loss can be devastating for the millions of men and women who experience it. Now scientists are reporting that a substance from honeybee hives might contain clues for developing a potential new therapy. They found that the material, called propolis, encouraged hair growth in mice.

Phenomenal fossil and detailed analysis reveal details about enigmatic fossil mammals Posted: 10 Dec 2014 08:43 AM PST Mammals that lived during the time of the dinosaurs are often portrayed as innocuous, small-bodied creatures, scurrying under the feet of the huge reptiles. In reality, this wasn't the case, and a new fossil from Madagascar further underscores this point, revealing fascinating perspectives on the growing diversity of Mesozoic mammals.

With experience, people can tell bears apart Posted: 10 Dec 2014 07:00 AM PST Studying the social interaction of bears through the use of camera traps and visual observations requires that humans be able to tell individuals apart. A study done using volunteers to study the vulnerable Andean bear indicates that people can learn to identify individual bears, given a little practice.

Laughing gas shows promise for severe depression, pilot study suggests Posted: 10 Dec 2014 04:41 AM PST Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, has shown early promise as a potential treatment for severe depression in patients whose symptoms don't respond to standard therapies. The pilot study is believed to be the first research in which patients with depression were given laughing gas.

Abandoned wells can be 'super-emitters' of greenhouse gas Posted: 09 Dec 2014 09:04 AM PST Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown, and possibly substantial, source of the greenhouse gas methane to Earth's atmosphere. After testing a sample of abandoned oil and natural gas wells in northwestern Pennsylvania, the researchers found that many of the old wells leaked substantial quantities of methane. Because there are many abandoned wells nationwide, the researchers believe the overall contribution of leaking wells could be significant.

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