ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• 'Trophy wife' stereotype is largely a myth, new study shows
• Livestock gut microbes contributing to greenhouse gas emissions
• Bats make social alliances that affect roosting behavior
• Scientists predict fermionic matter in a previously unknown state
• Strange physics turns off laser
• Could 'fragile Y hypothesis' explain chromosome loss?
• Fecal transplants restore healthy bacteria and gut functions
• With light echoes, the invisible becomes visible
• Three parents and a baby: Scientists advise caution with regard to artificial insemination method
• How do bats use swimming pools? Researchers want public help
• Quantum biology: Algae evolved to switch quantum coherence on and off
• The games genes play: Algorithm helps explain sex in evolution
• Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost

'Trophy wife' stereotype is largely a myth, new study shows Posted: 17 Jun 2014 01:43 PM PDT The trophy wife stereotype is largely a myth fueled by selective observation that reinforces sexist stereotypes and trivializes women's careers, researchers conclude. Research also indicates that, contrary to the trophy wife stereotype, social class barriers in the marriage market are relatively impermeable. Beautiful women are unlikely to leverage their looks to secure upward mobility by marriage.

Livestock gut microbes contributing to greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 17 Jun 2014 09:19 AM PDT One-fifth of methane emissions has been attributed by researchers to livestock such as cattle, sheep and other ruminants, but the amount of methane produced varies substantially among animals in the same species. Researchers aimed to explore role the microbes living in the rumen play in this process.

Bats make social alliances that affect roosting behavior Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:22 AM PDT Depending on habitat availability, the endangered Indiana bat may be able to use its social connections to survive a certain amount of roost destruction, according to research. Indiana bats form maternity colonies in summer beneath the bark of live trees or standing dead trees known as snags. "Social dynamics are important to bat roosting behavior," said one investigator. "And now, looking at results of a study of roosting and foraging activity in a new light, we have evidence that Indiana bats make social contacts during foraging."

Scientists predict fermionic matter in a previously unknown state Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:20 AM PDT Scientists have presented theoretical calculations which indicate the possible existence of fermionic matter in a previously unknown state -- in the form of a one-dimensional liquid, which cannot be described within the framework of existing models.

Strange physics turns off laser Posted: 17 Jun 2014 07:29 AM PDT Inspired by anomalies that arise in certain mathematical equations, researchers have demonstrated a laser system that paradoxically turns off when more power is added rather than becoming continuously brighter. The findings could lead to new ways to manipulate the interaction of electronics and light, an important tool in modern communications networks and high-speed information processing.

Could 'fragile Y hypothesis' explain chromosome loss? Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:40 AM PDT A new study suggests a 'fragile Y hypothesis' to explain why some species lose their Y chromosome and others, such as humans, keep it. They believe the size of an area where X and Y genetic information mingle or recombine can serve as a strong clue that a species is at risk of losing the Y chromosome during sperm production.

Fecal transplants restore healthy bacteria and gut functions Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:38 AM PDT Fecal microbiota transplantation -- the process of delivering stool bacteria from a healthy donor to a patient suffering from intestinal infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile -- works by restoring healthy bacteria and functioning to the recipient's gut, according to a new study.

With light echoes, the invisible becomes visible Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:32 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel camera system which can see around the corner without using a mirror. Using diffusely reflected light, it reconstructs the shape of objects outside of the field of view. A laser shines on the wall; a camera watches the scene. Nothing more than white ingrain wallpaper with a bright spot of light can be seen through the lens. A computer records these initially unremarkable images and as the data is processed further, little by little, the outlines of an object appear on a screen.

Three parents and a baby: Scientists advise caution with regard to artificial insemination method Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT The approval of a new treatment method by which three parents will be able to beget a child is being discussed since a few years in Great Britain and will possibly become a reality in two years. The method is supposed to help in eliminating the mother's genetic defects already in the test tube. The defect lies in so-called mitochondria, the "power houses" of cells. To get rid of defective mitochondria the nucleus of one egg cell has to be transferred to another egg cell bearing intact mitochondria. Scientists now show for the first time that even a few defective mitochondria dragged along in the transfer could cause diseases.

How do bats use swimming pools? Researchers want public help Posted: 16 Jun 2014 05:39 PM PDT As spring turns to summer, many of us enjoy the longer days by lingering on our back porches or sitting by the pool. It's the latter on which researchers are focusing. They would like the public's help in understanding how bats use swimming pools. A nationwide survey is now available online, so if you own, use or manage a swimming pool, you can provide valuable information. Even if you have never seen a bat near your pool, that's important, researchers say.

Quantum biology: Algae evolved to switch quantum coherence on and off Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how algae that survive in very low levels of light are able to switch on and off a weird quantum phenomenon that occurs during photosynthesis. The function in the algae of this quantum effect, known as coherence, remains a mystery, but it is thought it could help them harvest energy from the sun much more efficiently. Working out its role in a living organism could lead to advances such as better organic solar cells.

The games genes play: Algorithm helps explain sex in evolution Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT Computer theorists have identified an algorithm to describe the strategy used by genes during sexual recombination. In doing so, they address the dueling evolutionary forces of survival of the fittest and of diversity. "The key to this work is the making of a connection between three theoretical fields: algorithms, game theory and evolutionary theory," said one researcher. "This new bridge is an uncommon advance that opens up possibilities for cross-fertilization between the fields in the future."

Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT A powerful new model to detect life on planets outside of our solar system more accurately than ever before has been developed by researchers. The new model focuses on methane, the simplest organic molecule, widely acknowledged to be a sign of potential life. The new model has been tested and verified by successfully reproducing in detail the way in which the methane in failed stars, called brown dwarfs, absorbs light.

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