ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Tiny bio-robot is a germ suited-up with graphene quantum dots
• 'Tipping point' between quantum and classical worlds identified
• Four-stranded DNA-binding protein conserved in plants and animals
• Scientists build a nanolaser using a single atomic sheet
• Prehistoric super salamander was top predator, fossils suggest
• Quantum experiment verifies Einstein's 'spooky action at a distance'
• Artificial hand able to respond sensitively thanks to muscles made from smart metal wires
• 'Most attractive' male birds don't have best genes
• Shape-shifting frog discovered in Ecuadorian Andes
• A rehearsal space with musicians 2,700 kilometers apart from each other

Tiny bio-robot is a germ suited-up with graphene quantum dots Posted: 24 Mar 2015 11:07 AM PDT Researchers have created an electromechanical device -- a humidity sensor -- on a bacterial spore. Like other first-generation bio-robots, the new nanobot is a far cry from Robocop. It's a robotic germ.

'Tipping point' between quantum and classical worlds identified Posted: 24 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PDT If we are ever to fully harness the power of light for use in optical devices, it is necessary to understand photons -- the fundamental unit of light. Achieving such understanding, however, is easier said than done. That's because the physical behavior of photons -- similar to electrons and other sub-atomic particles -- is characterized not by classical physics, but by quantum mechanics. Now, scientists have observed the point at which classical and quantum behavior converge.

Four-stranded DNA-binding protein conserved in plants and animals Posted: 24 Mar 2015 08:13 AM PDT Molecular biophysicists show that the same type of protein works in plants and animals to bind to peculiar DNA structures called G-quadruplexes, or G4 DNA for short.

Scientists build a nanolaser using a single atomic sheet Posted: 24 Mar 2015 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have built a new nanometer-sized laser using a semiconductor that's only three atoms thick. It could help open the door to next-generation computing that uses light, rather than electrons, to transfer information.

Prehistoric super salamander was top predator, fossils suggest Posted: 24 Mar 2015 05:51 AM PDT A previously undiscovered species of crocodile-like amphibian that lived during the rise of dinosaurs was among Earth's top predators more than 200 million years ago, a study shows. Palaeontologists identified the prehistoric species -- which looked like giant salamanders -- after excavating bones buried on the site of an ancient lake in southern Portugal.

Quantum experiment verifies Einstein's 'spooky action at a distance' Posted: 24 Mar 2015 05:48 AM PDT Scientists have for the first time demonstrated Albert Einstein's original conception of 'spooky action at a distance' using a single particle.

Artificial hand able to respond sensitively thanks to muscles made from smart metal wires Posted: 24 Mar 2015 05:47 AM PDT Engineers have taken a leaf out of nature's book by equipping an artificial hand with muscles made from shape-memory wire. The new technology enables the fabrication of flexible and lightweight robot hands for industrial applications and novel prosthetic devices. The muscle fibers are composed of bundles of ultrafine nickel-titanium alloy wires that are able to tense and flex. The material itself has sensory properties allowing the artificial hand to perform extremely precise movements.

'Most attractive' male birds don't have best genes Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:22 PM PDT 'Attractive' male birds that mate with many females aren't passing on the best genes to their offspring, according to new research that found promiscuity in male birds leads to small, genetic faults in the species' genome. Although minor, these genetic flaws may limit how well future generations can adapt to changing environments.

Shape-shifting frog discovered in Ecuadorian Andes Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:28 AM PDT A frog in Ecuador's western Andean cloud forest changes skin texture in minutes, appearing to mimic the texture it sits on. And, the new species, called Pristimantis mutabilis, or mutable rainfrog, has company. A known relative of the P. mutabilis shares the same texture-changing quality -- but the ability was never reported before.

A rehearsal space with musicians 2,700 kilometers apart from each other Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:10 AM PDT Scientists are making concerts possible with musicians separated by vast distances with minimal latency - delay between a musical performance and listening or recording. For this purpose, live demonstration experiments have been conducted with professional musicians using pioneering music technologies in Europe.

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