ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created
• See what a child will look like using automated age-progression software
• Scientists reconstruct ancient impact that dwarfs dinosaur-extinction blast
• Recycling astronaut urine for energy and drinking water
• Images from NASA Mars rover include bright spots
• Sea otters can get the flu, too: Human H1N1 pandemic virus infected Washington State sea otters
• 'RoboClam' hits new depths as robotic digger
• Processing new information during sleep compromises memory
• Surprising truth about obsessive-compulsive thinking
• 3-D printing trials of unmanned aircraft broaden possibilities for this emergent technology
• Why auditory pitch and spatial elevation get high together: Shape of human ear may have evolved to mirror acoustics in natural world
• Are Southern death-row inmates more polite?
• Faster eye responses in Chinese people not down to culture
• Targeting sperm protection in mosquitoes could help combat malaria

Genetic circuits: Bacterial 'FM radio' created Posted: 09 Apr 2014 10:47 AM PDT A team of biologists and engineers has developed a 'rapid and tunable post-translational coupling' for genetic circuits.

See what a child will look like using automated age-progression software Posted: 09 Apr 2014 10:46 AM PDT Researchers have developed software that automatically generates images of a young child's face as it ages through a lifetime. The technique is the first fully automated approach for aging babies to adults that works with variable lighting, expressions and poses.

Scientists reconstruct ancient impact that dwarfs dinosaur-extinction blast Posted: 09 Apr 2014 09:58 AM PDT Picture this: A massive asteroid almost as wide as Rhode Island and about three to five times larger than the rock thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs slams into Earth. The collision punches a crater into the planet's crust that's nearly 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) across: greater than the distance from Washington, D.C. to New York City, and up to two and a half times larger in diameter than the hole formed by the dinosaur-killing asteroid.

Recycling astronaut urine for energy and drinking water Posted: 09 Apr 2014 07:34 AM PDT On the less glamorous side of space exploration, there's the more practical problem of waste -- in particular, what to do with astronaut pee. But rather than ejecting it into space, scientists are developing a new technique that can turn this waste burden into a boon by converting it into fuel and much-needed drinking water. Their report could also inspire new ways to treat municipal wastewater.

Images from NASA Mars rover include bright spots Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:51 PM PDT Images taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on April 2 and April 3 include bright spots, which might be due to the sun glinting off a rock or cosmic rays striking the camera's detector.

Sea otters can get the flu, too: Human H1N1 pandemic virus infected Washington State sea otters Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:36 PM PDT Northern sea otters living off the coast of Washington state were infected with the same H1N1 flu virus that caused the world-wide pandemic in 2009, according to a new study. The researchers discovered antibodies for the 2009 H1N1 flu virus in blood samples from 70 percent of the sea otters studied. None of the otters were visibly sick, but the presence of antibodies means that the otters were previously exposed to influenza.

'RoboClam' hits new depths as robotic digger Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:35 PM PDT A digging robot inspired by the unique mechanisms employed by the Atlantic razor clam has been created by a group of researchers in the US. The robot, dubbed RoboClam, is able to dig with extreme efficiency by transforming the surrounding soil from a solid into a liquid, and could have a variety of applications from anchoring underwater robots to subsea cable installation and mine neutralization.

Processing new information during sleep compromises memory Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:33 PM PDT New research highlights the important role sleep plays in strengthening and maintaining the accuracy of a memory and hints at why the brain shuts out sensory information during periods of deep sleep. The study found that introducing new odor information to an animal while it sleeps compromises its ability to remember the difference between new and previously encountered smells while awake.

Surprising truth about obsessive-compulsive thinking Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT People who check whether their hands are clean or imagine their house might be on fire are not alone. New global research shows that 94 percent of people experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images and/or impulses. The study people on six continents, and found that the thoughts, images and impulses symptomatic of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are widespread.

3-D printing trials of unmanned aircraft broaden possibilities for this emergent technology Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:14 AM PDT Engineers have successfully printed a 1.5m-wide prototype unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for a research project looking at 3D printing of complex designs. The engineers said the polymer craft could form the basis of cheap and potentially disposable UAVs that could be built and deployed in remote situations potentially within as little as 24 hours.

Why auditory pitch and spatial elevation get high together: Shape of human ear may have evolved to mirror acoustics in natural world Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:14 AM PDT Have you ever wondered why most natural languages invariably use the same spatial attributes -- high versus low -- to describe auditory pitch? Or why, throughout the history of musical notation, high notes have been represented high on the staff? According to neuroscientists, high pitched sounds feel 'high' because, in our daily lives, sounds coming from high elevations are indeed more likely to be higher in pitch.

Are Southern death-row inmates more polite? Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:49 AM PDT Southern states are known to uphold a culture of honor and adhere to traditional politeness norms, but does this hold true for death-row convicts? A new article finds that Southern death-row offenders are more likely to apologize for crimes in their final statements than offenders from other regions of the US.

Faster eye responses in Chinese people not down to culture Posted: 07 Apr 2014 04:27 PM PDT New research has cast doubt on the theory that neurological behavior is a product of culture in people of Chinese origin. Scientists tested three groups -- students from mainland China, British people with Chinese parents and white British people -- to see how quickly their eyes reacted to dots appearing in the periphery of their vision. The findings revealed that the British Chinese and mainland Chinese participants were similar in their responses, with the white British participants markedly different. Culturally the British Chinese participants were similar to their white British counterparts and different to the mainland Chinese students.

Targeting sperm protection in mosquitoes could help combat malaria Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a way of reducing the fertility of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, potentially providing a new tactic to combat the disease. "Malaria kills over 650,000 people every year and we need to find new ways of tackling it, partly because mosquitoes continue to evolve ways of resisting our efforts. We are interested in cutting the numbers of malarial mosquitoes by impairing their ability to reproduce, and our new study suggests a way that we might be able to do this," a lead author stated.

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