ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Written all over your face: Humans express four basic emotions rather than six
• Arctic cod inspire new way to help hospitals keep blood on ice
• Painting robot lends surgeons a hand in the operating room
• 'Envy-free' algorithm developed for settling disputes from divorce to inheritance
• Greenhouse 'time machine' sheds light on corn domestication
• Researchers develop first single-molecule LED
• Whether you lose or gain weight depends on weekdays
• White silk wrappings key to female spider's heart
• Rat islands 'a laboratory of future evolution': Rats predicted to fill in Earth's emptying ecospace
• Making frozen smoke: Commercializing aerogel fabrication process
• Divorce rate cut in half for newlyweds who discussed five relationship movies
• Perceived benefits of casual video games among adults

Written all over your face: Humans express four basic emotions rather than six Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST Human beings are emotional creatures whose state of mind can usually be observed through their facial expressions. A commonly-held belief posits there are six basic emotions which are universally recognized and easily interpreted through specific facial expressions, regardless of language or culture. These are: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. New research suggests that in fact, there are really only four.

Arctic cod inspire new way to help hospitals keep blood on ice Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Antifreeze proteins from fish living in icy seas have inspired a new way to freeze blood which could one day increase the precious stocks available for medical procedures.

Painting robot lends surgeons a hand in the operating room Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:09 AM PST A robotic painting arm has been developed that could one day lend doctors a hand in practicing complex, robot-assisted surgeries without having to step foot in an operating room.

'Envy-free' algorithm developed for settling disputes from divorce to inheritance Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:09 AM PST Whether it's season tickets to Green Bay Packers' games or silver place settings, divorce and inheritance have bred protracted disputes over the assignment of belongings. But, now, a trio of researchers has found a method for resolving such conflicts in an envy-free way.

Greenhouse 'time machine' sheds light on corn domestication Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:38 AM PST A grass called teosinte is thought to be the ancestor of corn, but it doesn't look much like corn at all. Scientists were surprised to find that teosinte planted in growth chambers under climate conditions that simulate the environment 10,000 to 12,000 years ago looks more like corn. This may help to explain why early farmers chose to cultivate teosinte and lends support to the idea that teosinte was domesticated to become one of the most important staple crops in the world.

Researchers develop first single-molecule LED Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:35 AM PST The ultimate challenge in the race to miniaturize light emitting diodes (LED) has now been met: Scientists have developed the first ever single-molecule LED. The device is formed from a single polythiophene wire placed between the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and a gold surface. It emits light only when the current passes in a certain direction.

Whether you lose or gain weight depends on weekdays Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:45 AM PST Almost everyone loses weight on weekdays and gains weight on weekends. What separates the slim from the heavy isn't how much more they gain on weekends. It's how much they lose during the weekdays. In this study, researchers look into the impact that the seven-days-a-week human cycle has on weight.

White silk wrappings key to female spider's heart Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST South American spider females pick their mates according to how well the nuptial gift is wrapped. It's not only what's inside the nuptial gift that a potential suitor brings to a female Paratrechalea ornata spider that counts. It's the whole package, white silk wrappings and all, that can give one male spider the edge over another.

Rat islands 'a laboratory of future evolution': Rats predicted to fill in Earth's emptying ecospace Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST New research predicts that rats will continue to grow and fill a 'significant chunk' of Earth's emptying ecospace. Their global influence is likely to grow in the future as larger mammals continue to become extinct.

Making frozen smoke: Commercializing aerogel fabrication process Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST One day, "frozen smoke" could improve some of our favorite machines, including cars. "When you hold aerogel it feels like nothing -- like frozen smoke. It's about 95 to 97 percent air," said a mechanical engineering.

Divorce rate cut in half for newlyweds who discussed five relationship movies Posted: 31 Jan 2014 10:05 AM PST Discussing five movies about relationships over a month could cut the three-year divorce rate for newlyweds in half, researchers report. The study, involving 174 couples, is the first long-term investigation to compare different types of early marriage intervention program

Perceived benefits of casual video games among adults Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST New research finds that while a majority of adults cite the ability to compete with friends as their primary reason for playing online casual video games such as Bejeweled Blitz, they report differing perceived benefits from playing the games based upon their age.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610