ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks
• Eco-pottery product from water treatment sludge
• Vasculature of the hive: How honey bees stay cool
• Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye
• Bird 'backpacks' put wood thrush migration on the map
• The physics of lead guitar playing
• Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster'
• Wide-faced men negotiate nearly $2,200 larger signing bonus
• New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters
• Can machines think? Misidentification of humans as machines in Turing tests
• Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin
• Virtual humans as models: Say goodbye to Naomi, Kate and Claudia ... Enter 'Ava'
• The electric slide dance of DNA knots

Smarter than a first-grader? Crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks Posted: 23 Jul 2014 03:08 PM PDT In Aesop's fable about the crow and the pitcher, a thirsty bird happens upon a vessel of water, but when he tries to drink from it, he finds the water level out of his reach. Not strong enough to knock over the pitcher, the bird drops pebbles into it -- one at a time -- until the water level rises enough for him to drink his fill. New research demonstrates the birds' intellectual prowess may be more fact than fiction.

Eco-pottery product from water treatment sludge Posted: 23 Jul 2014 03:07 PM PDT Sludge obtained from water treatment plants were studied as suitable materials to be used in the pottery industry to make suitable pottery products.

Vasculature of the hive: How honey bees stay cool Posted: 23 Jul 2014 01:19 PM PDT Honey bees, especially the young, are highly sensitive to temperature and to protect developing bees, adults work together to maintain temperatures within a narrow range. New research also supports the theoretical construct of the bee hive as a superorganism — an entity in which its many members carry out specialized and vital functions to keep the whole functioning as a unit.

Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye Posted: 23 Jul 2014 12:20 PM PDT Spinach gave Popeye super strength, but it also holds the promise of a different power for a group of scientists: the ability to convert sunlight into a clean, efficient alternative fuel. Physicists are using spinach to study the proteins involved in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the sun's energy into carbohydrates used to power cellular processes. Artificial photosynthesis could allow for the conversion of solar energy into renewable, environmentally friendly hydrogen-based fuels.

Bird 'backpacks' put wood thrush migration on the map Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:18 AM PDT Researchers have created the first migratory connectivity map produced for a songbird, using tracking from both breeding and winter sites. They were able to trace the route taken by wood thrushes from North America using bird 'backpacks'. They discovered that wood thrushes from Canada don't migrate to the same areas as their southern neighbors, and actually have a longer migratory route. The map will help identify specific areas for habitat protection.

The physics of lead guitar playing Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT String bends, tapping, vibrato and whammy bars are all techniques that add to the distinctiveness of a lead guitarist's sound, whether it's Clapton, Hendrix, or BB King. Now a guitarist and physicist has described the physics underlying these techniques.

Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster' Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Dogs exhibit jealous behaviors. The first experimental test of jealousy in dogs supports the view that there may be a more basic form of jealousy, which evolved to protect social bonds from interlopers.

Wide-faced men negotiate nearly $2,200 larger signing bonus Posted: 23 Jul 2014 09:39 AM PDT Having a wider face helps men when they negotiate for themselves but hurts them when they are negotiating in a situation that requires compromise. Additionally, men who are more attractive are better collaborators compared to less attractive men.

New approach in search for extraterrestrial intelligence: Target alien polluters Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Humanity is on the threshold of being able to detect signs of alien life on other worlds. By studying exoplanet atmospheres, we can look for gases like oxygen and methane that only coexist if replenished by life. But those gases come from simple life forms like microbes. What about advanced civilizations? Would they leave any detectable signs? They might, if they spew industrial pollution into the atmosphere.

Can machines think? Misidentification of humans as machines in Turing tests Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:08 AM PDT Pairs were set up and judges were tasked with identifying whether who they were talking to was human or a computer. Can machines be successful in 'being human' in real conversations?

Satellite galaxies put astronomers in a spin Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:08 AM PDT Astronomers have studied 380 galaxies and shown that their small satellite galaxies almost always move in rotating discs. However, such satellite galaxy discs are not predicted by current models of the formation of structures in the Universe. This discovery could cause modelers serious headaches in the years ahead.

Virtual humans as models: Say goodbye to Naomi, Kate and Claudia ... Enter 'Ava' Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:07 AM PDT Forget top models. With haute couture turning to virtual reality, holographic versions of the world's most in-demand models are now striding down the catwalks alongside their human counterparts. But does this mean temperamental models are on their way out?  New research has been revealed which shows it could be the end of the fashion world as we know it.

The electric slide dance of DNA knots Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:04 AM PDT DNA has the nasty habit of getting tangled and forming knots. Scientists study these knots to understand their function and learn how to disentangle them (e.g. useful for gene sequencing techniques). Scientists have been carrying out research in which they simulate these knots and their dynamics. They have now devised and tested a method based on the application of electric fields and "optical tweezers".

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