ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Scientists build new 'off switch' to shut down neural activity
• Skin layer grown from human stem cells could replace animals in drug, cosmetics testing
• The blood preserved in the preserved relic pumpkin did not belong to Louis XVI
• A step up for NASA’s robonaut: Ready for climbing legs
• Your T-shirt's ringing: Printable tiny flexible cell phones for clothes?
• Take notes by hand for better long-term comprehension
• Bake your own droplet lens: Cheap, high-quality lenses made from droplets of transparent silicone
• Hydrothermal vents: How productive are the ore factories in the deep sea?
• Asteroids made easy: 'Patch of asteroid' being built inside a satellite
• How a plant beckons bacteria that will do it harm
• It's a bubble, but not as we know it
• Microbes provide insights into evolution of human language
• Luck affects how we judge reckless actions
• New shape discovered using rubber bands
• Wind turbine movement can generate lightning
• Pain curbs sex drive in female mice, but not in males

Scientists build new 'off switch' to shut down neural activity Posted: 24 Apr 2014 11:09 AM PDT Nearly a decade ago, the era of optogenetics was ushered in with the development of channelrhodopsins, light-activated ion channels that can, with the flick of a switch, instantaneously turn on neurons in which they are genetically expressed. What has lagged behind, however, is the ability to use light to inactivate neurons with an equal level of reliability and efficiency. Now, scientists have used an analysis of channelrhodopsin's molecular structure to guide a series of genetic mutations to the ion channel that grant the power to silence neurons with an unprecedented level of control.

Skin layer grown from human stem cells could replace animals in drug, cosmetics testing Posted: 24 Apr 2014 09:52 AM PDT The first lab-grown epidermis -- the outermost skin layer -- with a functional permeability barrier akin to real skin has been developed by scientists. The new epidermis, grown from human pluripotent stem cells, offers a cost-effective alternative lab model for testing drugs and cosmetics, and could also help to develop new therapies for rare and common skin disorders.

The blood preserved in the preserved relic pumpkin did not belong to Louis XVI Posted: 24 Apr 2014 08:33 AM PDT The results of an international study indicate that the DNA recovered from the inside of a pumpkin, attributed so far to the French King Louis XVI, does not actually belong to the monarch, guillotined in 1793. Complete genome sequencing suggests that blood remains correspond to a male with brown eyes, instead of blue as Louis XVI had, and shorter.

A step up for NASA’s robonaut: Ready for climbing legs Posted: 24 Apr 2014 08:20 AM PDT Getting your "space legs" in Earth orbit has taken on new meaning for NASA's pioneering Robonaut program. Thanks to a successful launch of the SpaceX-3 flight of the Falcon 9/Dragon capsule on Friday, April 18, the lower limbs for Robonaut 2 (R2) are aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Safely tucked inside the Dragon resupply vehicle, R2's legs are to be attached by a station crew member to Robonaut's torso already on the orbiting outpost.

Your T-shirt's ringing: Printable tiny flexible cell phones for clothes? Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:28 AM PDT A new version of 'spaser' technology being investigated could mean that mobile phones become so small, efficient, and flexible they could be printed on clothing. A spaser is effectively a nanoscale laser or nanolaser. It emits a beam of light through the vibration of free electrons, rather than the space-consuming electromagnetic wave emission process of a traditional laser.

Take notes by hand for better long-term comprehension Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:28 AM PDT Dust off those Bic ballpoints and college-ruled notebooks: research shows that taking notes by hand is better than taking notes on a laptop for remembering conceptual information over the long term. "Our new findings suggest that even when laptops are used as intended -- and not for buying things on Amazon during class -- they may still be harming academic performance," says a psychological scientist involved in the study.

Bake your own droplet lens: Cheap, high-quality lenses made from droplets of transparent silicone Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:28 AM PDT Researchers have created a new type of lens that costs less than a penny to make, and can be used in a 3-D printed attachment that turns a Smartphone into a dermascope, a tool to diagnose skin diseases like melanoma. Normal dermascopes can cost $500 or more, but this version costs a mere $2 and is slated to be commercially available in just a few months.

Hydrothermal vents: How productive are the ore factories in the deep sea? Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:26 AM PDT Hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, the so-called 'black smokers,' are fascinating geological formations. They are home to unique ecosystems, but are also potential suppliers of raw materials for the future. They are driven by volcanic 'power plants' in the seafloor. But how exactly do they extract their energy from the volcanic rock?

Asteroids made easy: 'Patch of asteroid' being built inside a satellite Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:21 AM PDT A dozen astronauts have walked on the moon, and several rovers have been piloted on Mars, giving us a good understanding of these off-world environments. But when it comes to asteroids, scientists enter uncharted territory. Landing on an asteroid is notoriously difficult. Scientists are now looking to mitigate risk involved in landing on an asteroid by building a "patch of asteroid" inside of a small, spinning satellite.

How a plant beckons bacteria that will do it harm Posted: 24 Apr 2014 07:20 AM PDT A common plant puts out a welcome mat to bacteria seeking to invade, and scientists have discovered the mat's molecular mix. The team showed that the humble and oft-studied plant Arabidopsis puts out a molecular signal that invites an attack from a pathogen. The study reveals new targets during the battle between microbe and host.

It's a bubble, but not as we know it Posted: 23 Apr 2014 07:16 PM PDT Multi-sensory technology that creates soap bubbles, which can have images projected onto them or when the bubbles are burst release a scent, is being unveiled at an international conference. The research could be used in areas such as gaming or education and encourage a new way of thinking about multi-sensory technologies.

Microbes provide insights into evolution of human language Posted: 23 Apr 2014 07:14 PM PDT Research into Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria common in water and soil, shows that they can communicate in a way that was previously thought to be unique to humans and perhaps some other primates. The bacteria used combinatorial communication, in which two signals are used together to achieve an effect that is different to the sum of the effects of the component parts.

Luck affects how we judge reckless actions Posted: 23 Apr 2014 07:12 PM PDT A person, who acts immorally or recklessly but is "lucky" by escaping dire consequences, is judged less harshly than an "unlucky" person, even when both have committed the same act. "Moral luck" is a term used in philosophy that describes situations in which a person is subjected to moral judgments by others despite the fact that the assessment is based on factors beyond his or her control, i.e. "luck."

New shape discovered using rubber bands Posted: 23 Apr 2014 07:12 PM PDT While setting out to fabricate new springs to support a cephalopod-inspired imaging project, a group of researchers stumbled upon a surprising discovery: the hemihelix, a shape rarely seen in nature. This made the researchers wonder: Were the three-dimensional structures they observed randomly occurring, or are there specific factors that control their formation? The scientists answered that question by performing experiments in which they stretched, joined, and then released rubber strips.

Wind turbine movement can generate lightning Posted: 23 Apr 2014 06:47 AM PDT Under favorable atmospheric conditions any elevated structure can generate upward lightning flashes. Even aircraft can do so —- in fact, height and movement are two of the factors that contribute to this phenomenon. The tips of wind turbine blades move at speeds of several tens of meters per second. However, no one had previously demonstrated the relationship between this movement and the triggering of electrical discharges.

Pain curbs sex drive in female mice, but not in males Posted: 22 Apr 2014 05:20 PM PDT Pain from inflammation greatly reduced sexual motivation in female mice in heat -- but had no such effect on male mice, a study concludes. "We know from other studies that women's sexual desire is far more dependent on context than men's -- but whether this is due to biological or social/cultural factors, such as upbringing and media influence, isn't known," says a corresponding author of the study. "Our finding that female mice, too, show pain-inhibited sexual desire suggests there may be an evolutionary biology explanation for these effects in humans -- and not simply a sociocultural one."

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