ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Sweat-eating bacteria may improve skin health
• Glaciers in the Grand Canyon of Mars?
• Sleep twitches light up the brain
• Cassini watches mysterious feature evolve in hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan
• Harvesting energy from walking around: Shoe insole charges AAA and watch batteries
• Dolphins are attracted to magnets: Add dolphins to the list of magnetosensitive animals, French researchers say
• Smart, eco-friendly new battery made of seeds and pine resin
• Scientists make droplets move on their own
• Tooth buried in bone shows prehistoric predators tangled across land, sea
• Simulations reveal an unusual death for ancient stars
• Hand size appears to stay constant, providing natural 'ruler'
• Self-made billionaires more likely to give than inheritors
• Mimicking brain cells to boost computer memory power
• 'Cloaking' device uses ordinary lenses to hide objects across range of angles
• Smelly discovery challenges effectiveness of antimicrobial textiles
• Risk of esophageal cancer decreases with height
• Goats better than chemicals for curbing invasive marsh grass

Sweat-eating bacteria may improve skin health Posted: 29 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Bacteria that metabolize ammonia, a major component of sweat, may improve skin health and some day could be used for the treatment of skin disorders, such as acne or chronic wounds. Human volunteers using the bacteria reported better skin condition and appearance compared with a placebo control group.

Glaciers in the Grand Canyon of Mars? Posted: 29 Sep 2014 12:42 PM PDT For decades, planetary geologists have speculated that glaciers might once have crept through Valles Marineris, the 2000-mile-long chasm that constitutes the Grand Canyon of Mars. Using satellite images, researchers have identified features that might have been carved by past glaciers as they flowed through the canyons; however, these observations have remained highly controversial and contested.

Sleep twitches light up the brain Posted: 29 Sep 2014 12:39 PM PDT A new study finds twitches during rapid eye movement sleep comprise a different class of movement, which researchers say is further evidence that sleep twitches activate circuits throughout the developing brain and teach newborns about their limbs and what they can do with them.

Cassini watches mysterious feature evolve in hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 29 Sep 2014 09:32 AM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft is monitoring the evolution of a mysterious feature in a large hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan. The feature covers an area of about 100 square miles (260 square kilometers) in Ligeia Mare, one of the largest seas on Titan. It has now been observed twice by Cassini's radar experiment, but its appearance changed between the two apparitions.

Harvesting energy from walking around: Shoe insole charges AAA and watch batteries Posted: 29 Sep 2014 07:52 AM PDT A device that fits inside a pair of shoes harvests the energy left-over when someone walks. This energy is then stored in AAA or watch batteries.

Dolphins are attracted to magnets: Add dolphins to the list of magnetosensitive animals, French researchers say Posted: 29 Sep 2014 07:52 AM PDT Add dolphins to the list of magnetosensitive animals, French researchers say. Dolphins are indeed sensitive to magnetic stimuli, as they behave differently when swimming near magnetized objects.

Smart, eco-friendly new battery made of seeds and pine resin Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:40 AM PDT Present-day lithium batteries are efficient but involve a range of resource and environmental problems. Using materials from alfalfa (lucerne seed) and pine resin and a clever recycling strategy, researchers have now come up with a highly interesting alternative.

Scientists make droplets move on their own Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT Droplets are simple spheres of fluid, not normally considered capable of doing anything on their own. But now researchers have made droplets of alcohol move through water. In the future, such moving droplets may deliver medicines.

Tooth buried in bone shows prehistoric predators tangled across land, sea Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:06 AM PDT Before dinosaurs, it was thought the top aquatic and terrestrial predators didn't often interact. But researchers have discovered that the smaller of the two apex predators was potentially targeting the larger animal.

Simulations reveal an unusual death for ancient stars Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:05 AM PDT Certain primordial stars -- between 55,000 and 56,000 times the mass of our sun, or solar masses -- may have died unusually. In death, these objects -- among the universe's first generation of stars -- would have exploded as supernovae and burned completely, leaving no remnant black hole behind.

Hand size appears to stay constant, providing natural 'ruler' Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:05 AM PDT People tend to perceive their dominant hand as staying relatively the same size even when it's magnified, lending support to the idea that we use our hand as a constant perceptual 'ruler' to measure the world around us.

Self-made billionaires more likely to give than inheritors Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:04 AM PDT Billionaires who have built their own fortunes are more likely to pledge to donate a large portion of their wealth to charities, than those who are heirs to family fortunes, a study has shown. The researchers examined written testaments of wealthy philanthropists who have signed up to The Giving Pledge, a venture which encourages billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charitable causes.

Mimicking brain cells to boost computer memory power Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT Researchers have brought ultra-fast, nano-scale data storage within striking reach, using technology that mimics the human brain. The researchers have built a novel nano-structure that offers a new platform for the development of highly stable and reliable nanoscale memory devices.

'Cloaking' device uses ordinary lenses to hide objects across range of angles Posted: 29 Sep 2014 05:52 AM PDT Inspired perhaps by Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, scientists have recently developed several ways -- some simple and some involving new technologies -- to hide objects from view. The latest effort not only overcomes some of the limitations of previous devices, but it uses inexpensive, readily available materials in a novel configuration.

Smelly discovery challenges effectiveness of antimicrobial textiles Posted: 26 Sep 2014 12:04 PM PDT Anti-odor clothing may not be living up to its promise, and a researcher is saying it could all be a matter of how the product was tested.

Risk of esophageal cancer decreases with height Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer and it's precursor, Barrett's esophagus, according to a new study. Esophageal cancer incidence increased eight-fold in the U.S. from 1973 to 2008. Almost all cases arise from Barrett's esophagus.

Goats better than chemicals for curbing invasive marsh grass Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:27 AM PDT Herbivores, not herbicides, may be the most effective way to combat the spread of Phragmites australis, one of the most invasive plants now threatening East Coast salt marshes. A new study finds allowing small herds of goats and other livestock to graze in severely affected marshes can reduce phragmites cover from 94 percent to 21 percent and help restore natural species diversity, marsh function, and valuable shoreline views of the water.

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• New molecule found in space connotes life origins
• Football-size robot can skim discreetly along a ship's hull to seek hollow compartments concealing contraband
• Neuroscientists use morphed images of Hollywood celebrities to reveal how neurons make up your mind
• Can cartoons be used to teach machines to understand the visual world?
• Turning the Moon into a cosmic ray detector
• Skin pigment renders sun's UV radiation harmless using projectiles
• How plankton gets jet lagged: Hormone that govern sleep and jet lag in humans also drives mass migration of plankton

New molecule found in space connotes life origins Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:36 PM PDT Hunting from a distance of 27,000 light years, astronomers have discovered an unusual carbon-based molecule contained within a giant gas cloud in interstellar space. The discovery suggests that the complex molecules needed for life may have their origins in interstellar space.

Football-size robot can skim discreetly along a ship's hull to seek hollow compartments concealing contraband Posted: 26 Sep 2014 08:21 AM PDT Football-size robot can skim discreetly along a ship's hull to seek hollow compartments concealing contraband.

Neuroscientists use morphed images of Hollywood celebrities to reveal how neurons make up your mind Posted: 26 Sep 2014 08:21 AM PDT Morphed images of celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Bob Marley, Sylvester Stallone, Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Clinton and George Bush, and others were shown to participants in a recent study. The study found that neurons fire in line with conscious recognition of images rather than the actual images seen, thereby leading scientists to believe that neurons play a key role in the formation of memory.

Can cartoons be used to teach machines to understand the visual world? Posted: 26 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT An enormous gap exists between human abilities and machine performance when it comes to understanding the visual world from images and videos. Humans are still way out in front.

Turning the Moon into a cosmic ray detector Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT Scientists are to turn the Moon into a giant particle detector to help understand the origin of Ultra-High-Energy (UHE) cosmic rays -- the most energetic particles in the Universe. The origin of UHE cosmic rays is one of the great mysteries in astrophysics. Nobody knows where these extremely rare cosmic rays come from or how they get their enormous energies. Physicists detect them on Earth at a rate of less than one particle per square kilometer per century.

Skin pigment renders sun's UV radiation harmless using projectiles Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT The pigment of the skin protects the body from the sun's dangerous UV rays, but researchers have not until recently known how this works. Now they report that skin pigment converts the UV radiation into heat through a rapid chemical reaction that shoots protons from the molecules of the pigment.

How plankton gets jet lagged: Hormone that govern sleep and jet lag in humans also drives mass migration of plankton Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:56 AM PDT A hormone that governs sleep and jet lag in humans may also drive the mass migration of plankton in the ocean, scientists have found. The molecule in question, melatonin, is essential to maintain our daily rhythm, and scientists have now discovered that it governs the nightly migration of a plankton species from the surface to deeper waters. The findings indicate that melatonin's role in controlling daily rhythms probably evolved early in the history of animals, and hold hints to how our sleep patterns may have evolved.

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ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Mechanized human hands: System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage
• Earth's water is older than the sun: Likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space
• Yoga, meditation may help train brain to help people control computers with their mind
• A galaxy of deception: Hubble snaps what looks like a young galaxy in the local Universe
• Celiac disease: A wriggly solution to a first-world problem
• Chemists recruit anthrax to deliver cancer drugs
• When David beats Goliath: Smaller birds can dominate larger species, especially when related
• Magnetic field opens and closes nanovesicle

Mechanized human hands: System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage Posted: 25 Sep 2014 02:26 PM PDT Engineers have developed and successfully demonstrated the value of a simple pulley mechanism to improve hand function after surgery. The device, tested in cadaver hands, is one of the first instruments ever created that could improve the transmission of mechanical forces and movement while implanted inside the body.

Earth's water is older than the sun: Likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT Water was crucial to the rise of life on Earth and is also important to evaluating the possibility of life on other planets. Identifying the original source of Earth's water is key to understanding how life-fostering environments come into being and how likely they are to be found elsewhere. New work found that much of our solar system's water likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space.

Yoga, meditation may help train brain to help people control computers with their mind Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT People who practice yoga and meditation long term can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience, new research by biomedical engineers shows. The research could have major implications for treatments of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.

A galaxy of deception: Hubble snaps what looks like a young galaxy in the local Universe Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Astronomers usually have to peer very far into the distance to see back in time, and view the Universe as it was when it was young. This new image of galaxy DDO 68, otherwise known as UGC 5340, was thought to offer an exception. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighborhood. But, is it really as young as it looks?

Celiac disease: A wriggly solution to a first-world problem Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT Groundbreaking results were achieved in a clinical trial using hookworms to reduce the symptoms of celiac disease. The results are good news for sufferers of other inflammatory conditions such as asthma and Crohn's disease. In the small trial run over a year, 12 participants were each experimentally infected with 20 Necator americanus (hookworm) larvae. They were then given gradually increasing doses of gluten, with their daily dose in the final stage being equivalent to a medium-sized bowl of spaghetti.

Chemists recruit anthrax to deliver cancer drugs Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT With some tinkering, a deadly protein becomes an efficient carrier for antibody drugs, researchers have discovered. "Anthrax toxin is a professional at delivering large enzymes into cells," says one researcher. "We wondered if we could render anthrax toxin nontoxic, and use it as a platform to deliver antibody drugs into cells."

When David beats Goliath: Smaller birds can dominate larger species, especially when related Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT Body size has long been recognized to play a key role in shaping species interactions, with larger species usually winning conflicts with their smaller counterparts. But a biologist has now found that occasionally, small species of birds can dominate larger species during aggressive interactions, particularly when they interact with distantly related species.

Magnetic field opens and closes nanovesicle Posted: 24 Sep 2014 05:48 AM PDT Chemists and physicists have managed to open and close nanovesicles using a magnet. This process is repeatable and can be controlled remotely, allowing targeted drug transport in the body, for example.

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• Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers
• Evolution of snake courtship and combat behavior
• Eyeless Mexican cavefish eliminate circadian rhythm to save energy
• Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae
• Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor
• Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows
• Buffet pricing affects satisfaction of food
• False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules
• Surgeon employs novel technique using cadaver meniscus to reconstruct finger joints
• 'Univofutah': Asteroid named for University of Utah
• Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows
• Facial masculinity not always a telling factor in mate selection

Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains, according to new research. People who frequently use several media devices at the same time have lower grey-matter density in one particular region of the brain compared to those who use just one device occasionally.

Evolution of snake courtship and combat behavior Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT A small study suggests snakes may have developed courtship and male-to-male combat behavior, such as moving undulations, neck biting, and spur-poking, over time.

Eyeless Mexican cavefish eliminate circadian rhythm to save energy Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT The Mexican tetra fish has two variants, a fully-eyed fish living close to the surface and a blind, deep water, cave-dwelling fish. Scientists in this study used these two fish to study evolutionary adaptation in fish residing in near or total darkness.

Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT In a new study, researchers point out that the elemental abundance of the most iron-poor star can be explained by elements ejected from supernova explosions of the universe's first stars. This reveals that massive stars, which are several tens of times more immense than the Sun, were present among the first stars.

Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered clear skies and steamy water vapor on a planet outside our Solar System. The planet, known as HAT-P-11b, is about the size of Neptune, making it the smallest exoplanet ever on which water vapor has been detected.

Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT Skin color displayed amongst one species of monkey provides a key indicator of how successfully they will breed, a new study has shown. The collaborative international research also shows that skin coloration in male and female rhesus macaques is an inherited quality -- the first example of heritability for a sexually-selected trait to be described in any mammal.

Buffet pricing affects satisfaction of food Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:36 AM PDT Does the price you pay at a buffet influence how much you like the food? Surprisingly, yes, say researchers. A new study found that when charged more for an all-you-can-eat buffet diners rated the food higher than when charged less for the same food.

False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Our tendency to create false memories could be related to our ability to learn rules according to new research. New research suggests that individuals who are particularly good at learning rules and classifying objects by common properties are also particularly prone to false memory illusions.

Surgeon employs novel technique using cadaver meniscus to reconstruct finger joints Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Artist Joost van Oss was chopping wood a few years ago when he injured the middle knuckle on his right hand. The intense pain and swelling that followed nearly ended his career as a painter and a sculptor. But thanks to a novel surgery using knee meniscus from a cadaver to reconstruct his finger joint, he's back to cooking, sailing, painting and sculpting – all pain free.

'Univofutah': Asteroid named for University of Utah Posted: 23 Sep 2014 01:11 PM PDT What's rocky, about a mile wide, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and poses no threat to Earth? An asteroid named "Univofutah" after the University of Utah. Discovered on Sept. 8, 2008, by a longtime Utah astronomy educator, the asteroid also known as 391795 (2008 RV77) this month was renamed Univofutah by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Scientists often measure the effects of temperature on insects to predict how climate change will affect their distribution and abundance, but a new study shows, for the first time, that insects' fear of their predators, in addition to temperature, ultimately limits how fast they grow.

Facial masculinity not always a telling factor in mate selection Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Women living where rates of infectious disease are high, according to theory, prefer men with faces that shout testosterone when choosing a mate. However, an international study says that may not be true.

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• 'Plasma bubbles' may have aided enemy in fatal Afghan battle
• Search for better biofuels microbes leads to human gut
• 'Bendy' LEDs: Displays and solar cells with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods one step closer
• Termites evolved complex bioreactors 30 million years ago
• Artificial intelligence that imitates children’s learning
• Graphene: When a doughnut becomes an apple
• Scientists seen as competent but not trusted by Americans
• Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution?

'Plasma bubbles' may have aided enemy in fatal Afghan battle Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:18 AM PDT Plasma bubbles may have contributed to communications outages during the 2002 battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan. A new model could help predict the impact of such bubbles on future military operations.

Search for better biofuels microbes leads to human gut Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:07 AM PDT Scientists have scoured cow rumens and termite guts for microbes that can efficiently break down plant cell walls for the production of next-generation biofuels, but some of the best microbial candidates actually may reside in the human lower intestine, researchers report.

'Bendy' LEDs: Displays and solar cells with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods one step closer Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:06 AM PDT "Bendy" light-emitting diode (LED) displays and solar cells crafted with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods are moving one step closer to reality, thanks to graphene. Currently, most flexible electronics and optoelectronics devices are fabricated using organic materials. But inorganic compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) can provide plenty of advantages over organic materials for use in these devices -- including superior optical, electrical and mechanical properties.

Termites evolved complex bioreactors 30 million years ago Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:16 AM PDT Achieving complete breakdown of plant biomass for energy conversion in industrialized bioreactors remains a complex challenge, but new research shows that termite fungus farmers solved this problem more than 30 million years ago. The new insight reveals that the great success of termite farmers as plant decomposers is due to division of labor between a fungus breaking down complex plant components and gut bacteria contributing enzymes for final digestion.

Artificial intelligence that imitates children’s learning Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT The computer programs used in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are highly specialized. They can for example fly airplanes, play chess or assemble cars in controlled industrial environments. Scientists have now created an AI program that can learn how to solve problems in many different areas. The program is designed to imitate certain aspects of children's cognitive development.

Graphene: When a doughnut becomes an apple Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT In experiments using the wonder material graphene, researchers have been able to demonstrate a phenomenon predicted by a Russian physicist more than 50 years ago. They analyzed a layer structure that experts believe may hold great promise.

Scientists seen as competent but not trusted by Americans Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:13 PM PDT While Americans view scientists as competent, they are not entirely trusted. This may be because they lack 'warmth' and are not perceived to be friendly and trustworthy. One way to combat this perception is through showing concern for humanity and the environment, according to research.

Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution? Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT A study of Africa's Kalahari Bushmen suggests that stories told over firelight helped human culture and thought evolve by reinforcing social traditions, promoting harmony and equality, and sparking the imagination to envision a broad sense of community, both with distant people and the spirit world.

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