ScienceDaily: Strange Science News |
- Programming smart molecules: Machine-learning algorithms could make chemical reactions intelligent
- Sniffing out danger: Fearful memories can trigger heightened sense of smell
- Fast radio bursts might come from nearby stars
- Surprise: Duck-billed dinosaurs had fleshy 'cocks comb'
- Combining mutants results in 5-fold lifespan extension in C. elegans
- New definition for old age
- Controlling PCs and tablets with hand movements
- Toxic substances in banana plants kill root pests
- Staph can lurk deep within nose, study finds
- Establishing the basis of humor
- Evolution of 'third party punishment'
| Programming smart molecules: Machine-learning algorithms could make chemical reactions intelligent Posted: 12 Dec 2013 01:03 PM PST Computer scientists have shown that an important class of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms could be implemented using chemical reactions. In the long term, they say, such theoretical developments could open the door for "smart drugs" that can automatically detect, diagnose, and treat a variety of diseases using a cocktail of chemicals that can perform AI-type reasoning.  |
| Sniffing out danger: Fearful memories can trigger heightened sense of smell Posted: 12 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST Neuroscientists studying the olfactory -- sense of smell -- system in mice have discovered that fear reaction can occur at the sensory level, even before the brain has the opportunity to interpret that the odor could mean trouble.  |
| Fast radio bursts might come from nearby stars Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:34 AM PST First discovered in 2007, "fast radio bursts" continue to defy explanation. These cosmic chirps last for only a thousandth of a second. The characteristics of the radio pulses suggested that they came from galaxies billions of light-years away. However, new work points to a much closer origin -- flaring stars within our own galaxy.  |
| Surprise: Duck-billed dinosaurs had fleshy 'cocks comb' Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST A rare, mummified specimen of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosauraus regalis shows for the first time that those dinosaurs' heads were adorned with a fleshy comb, most similar to the roosters' red crest.  |
| Combining mutants results in 5-fold lifespan extension in C. elegans Posted: 12 Dec 2013 09:33 AM PST What are the limits to longevity? Scientists combined mutations in two pathways well-known for lifespan extension and report a synergistic five-fold lifespan extension in the nematode C. elegans. The worms lived to the human equivalent of 400 to 500 years. The research introduces the possibility of combination therapy for aging and could help explain why scientists are having a difficult time identifying single genes responsible for long lives in human centenarians.  |
| Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:01 AM PST Age is not just the number of years one has lived, argue population researchers. A new study provides a set of tools for measuring age in all its dimensions.  |
| Controlling PCs and tablets with hand movements Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST Scientists are working to develop interaction between themselves and mobiles/ iPads - which does not require touching the display. They have been able to scroll through pages for some time. Now they are working on selecting and moving objects, or saying stop by raising a hand.  |
| Toxic substances in banana plants kill root pests Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST An international team of researchers has discovered that some banana varieties accumulate specific plant toxins in the immediate vicinity of root tissue that has been attacked by the parasitic nematode Radopholus similis. The toxin is stored in lipid droplets in the body of the nematode and the parasite finally dies. These findings provide important clues for the development of pest-resistant banana varieties.  |
| Staph can lurk deep within nose, study finds Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST Scientists have revealed that formerly overlooked sites deep inside the nose may be reservoirs for Staphylococcus aureus, a major bacterial cause of disease.  |
| Establishing the basis of humor Posted: 11 Dec 2013 04:02 AM PST The act of laughing at a joke is the result of a two-stage process in the brain, first detecting an incongruity before then resolving it with an expression of mirth. Interestingly, the brain actions involved in understanding humour differ between young boys and girls.  |
| Evolution of 'third party punishment' Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:31 PM PST The stronger a community's social ties and the longer most people stay within the community, the more likely it is that bystanders will step forward to punish a neighbor for perceived wrongdoing. A psychologist teamed with campus computer scientists, using evolutionary game theory to predict the emergence of this complex human behavior.  |
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