ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Large mammals were the architects in prehistoric ecosystems
• A new renewable energy source? Device captures energy from Earth's infrared emissions to outer space
• Electronics based on a two dimensional electron gas
• Think it’s safe to type a quick text while walking? Think again
• Yosemite bears and human food: Study reveals changing diets over past century
• Usain Bolt's superhuman speed would give him the power of flight on Saturn's moon Titan
• World-class orchestras judged by sight not sound
• Talking Neanderthals challenge the origins of speech
• Famed Milwaukee County Zoo orangutan's death caused by strange infection
• Donor lungs from heavy smokers appear safe for transplantation
• Can non-invasive electrical stimulation of brain help patients regain state of consciousness after coma?
• Can a story help doctors curb the prescription opioid abuse epidemic?
• Characterization of stink bug saliva proteins opens door to controlling pests
• Exercise, surgically removing belly fat improves cognition in obese, diabetic mice

Large mammals were the architects in prehistoric ecosystems Posted: 03 Mar 2014 12:41 PM PST Elephants, rhinoceroses and aurochs once roamed around freely in the forests of Europe, while hippopotamuses lived in rivers such as the Thames and the Rhine. New research shows how we can use knowledge about the past to restore a varied landscape with a high level of biodiversity.

A new renewable energy source? Device captures energy from Earth's infrared emissions to outer space Posted: 03 Mar 2014 12:40 PM PST When the sun sets on a remote desert outpost and solar panels shut down, what energy source will provide power through the night? A battery, perhaps, or an old diesel generator? Perhaps something strange and new. Scientists now envision a device that would harvest energy from Earth's infrared emissions into outer space. Heated by the sun, our planet is warm compared to the frigid vacuum beyond. Thanks to recent technological advances, the researchers say, that heat imbalance could soon be transformed into direct-current (DC) power, taking advantage of a vast and untapped energy source.

Electronics based on a two dimensional electron gas Posted: 03 Mar 2014 12:40 PM PST Usually, microelectronic devices are made of silicon or similar semiconductors. Recently, the electronic properties of metal oxides have become quite interesting. These materials are more complex, yet offer a broader range of possibilities to tune their properties. An important breakthrough has now been achieved: a two dimensional electron gas was created in strontium titanate. In a thin layer just below the surface electrons can move freely and occupy different quantum states.

Think it’s safe to type a quick text while walking? Think again Posted: 03 Mar 2014 11:33 AM PST Texting and walking is a known danger, but an emergency doctor says distracted walking results in more injuries per mile than distracted driving. Consequences include bumping into walls, falling down stairs, tripping over clutter or stepping into traffic. The issue is so common that in London, bumpers were placed onto light posts along a frequented avenue to prevent people from slamming into them. Though injuries from car accidents involving texting are often more severe, physical harm resulting from texting and walking occurs more frequently, research shows.

Yosemite bears and human food: Study reveals changing diets over past century Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:44 AM PST Black bears in Yosemite National Park and elsewhere are notorious for seeking out human food, even breaking into cars and cabins for it. A new study reveals just how much human food has contributed to the diets of Yosemite bears over the past century. Researchers estimated the proportion of human-derived food in bears' diets by analyzing chemical isotopes in hair and bone samples.

Usain Bolt's superhuman speed would give him the power of flight on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:43 AM PST We all know Usain Bolt is one of the fastest people on Earth. Now, students have shown his superhuman speeds would actually allow him to fly like a bird on one of Saturn's moons while wearing a wingsuit. The world-record holding sprinter has reached top speeds of 12.27 meters per second, which would be fast enough for him to take off on Titan while wearing a regular wingsuit. Theoretically, the Olympic athlete would then be able to soar above the planet – without any need for propulsion.

World-class orchestras judged by sight not sound Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST World-class orchestras can be accurately identified by silent video footage of performances, but not through sound recordings, a new study has found.

Talking Neanderthals challenge the origins of speech Posted: 02 Mar 2014 03:52 PM PST We humans like to think of ourselves as unique for many reasons, not least of which being our ability to communicate with words. But ground-breaking research shows that our 'misunderstood cousins,' the Neanderthals, may well have spoken in languages not dissimilar to the ones we use today.

Famed Milwaukee County Zoo orangutan's death caused by strange infection Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:47 AM PST Mahal, the young orangutan who became a star of the Milwaukee County Zoo and an emblem of survival for a dwindling species, led an extraordinary life. It turns out, the young ape died an extraordinary death, too. Rejected by his biological mother at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo., and eventually flown to Milwaukee aboard a private jet to live with a surrogate mother, Mahal became one of the Milwaukee County Zoo's star attractions. His unexpected death at age 5 in late December 2012 was a shock to the community. Now, thanks to cutting-edge genetic diagnostics, a team of researchers has documented the cause of Mahal's death, identifying a species of tapeworm unknown to science and newly recognized as a threat to primates.

Donor lungs from heavy smokers appear safe for transplantation Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:12 AM PST Transplanting lungs from donors with a history of heavy smoking does not appear to negatively affect recipient outcomes following surgery. Currently, lung transplantation is significantly limited by donor organ shortage, and a smoking history of more than 20 pack years (equivalent to smoking a pack a day for 20 years) often makes lungs ineligible for donation. However, researchers have found that transplanting lungs from donors who smoked or were heavy smokers did not yield inferior early or mid-term outcomes compared with lungs from donors who never smoked.

Can non-invasive electrical stimulation of brain help patients regain state of consciousness after coma? Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:51 PM PST Researchers have shown that transcranial direct-current stimulation allows patients in a minimally conscious state to recover cognitive and motor skills. This simple, safe and relatively low-cost technique could offer clinicians a new way to help these patients recover, even several years after their coma. However, the positive effects appear to be temporary at this stage of research.

Can a story help doctors curb the prescription opioid abuse epidemic? Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:55 PM PST In the fight against a nationwide prescription opioid abuse epidemic, researchers are using storytelling to help doctors recall important, potentially lifesaving national guidelines on how to prescribe these medications. Researchers found that physicians who heard a narrative about opioid guidelines were more likely to recall the guideline content after an hour than those who just heard a summary of the guidelines.

Characterization of stink bug saliva proteins opens door to controlling pests Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:45 AM PST Brown marmorated stink bugs cause millions of dollars in crop losses across the United States because of the damage their saliva does to plant tissues. Researchers have now developed methods to extract the insect saliva and identify the major protein components, which could lead to new pest control approaches. "Other than using synthetic pesticides, there have been few alternative approaches to controlling these pests. By identifying the major protein components of saliva, it now may be possible to target the specific factors in saliva that are essential for their feeding and, therefore, design new approaches for controlling stink bugs," states one of the authors.

Exercise, surgically removing belly fat improves cognition in obese, diabetic mice Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:52 AM PST Cognitive decline that often accompanies obesity and diabetes can be reversed with regular exercise or surgical removal of belly fat, scientists report. A drug already used to treat rheumatoid arthritis also helps obese/diabetic adult mice regain their ability to learn and comprehend, while transplanting belly fat to a normal mouse reduces those abilities. Studies in humans and animals indicate that obesity and diabetes -- which often go hand in hand -- essentially triple the risk of mild cognitive impairment as well as Alzheimer's.

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