ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• New digital map reveals stunning hidden archaeology of Stonehenge
• Brain structure could predict risky behavior
• New species of extinct dolphin sheds light on river dolphin history
• Experts create multiuser, multiantenna scheme to make most of UHF band
• Two-dimensional electron liquids: Looking for novel forms of superconductivity
• 'Solid' light could compute previously unsolvable problems
• Companion star hidden for 21 years in a supernova's glare
• Squeezed quantum communication: Flashes of light in quantum states transmitted through atmosphere
• Miniature light-emitting devices and optical sensors: Pesky insect inspires practical technology
• Buckyballs and diamondoids in tiny electronic gadget: Two exotic types of carbon form molecule for steering electron flow
• Eating habits, body fat related to differences in brain chemistry
• Biologists try to dig endangered pupfish out of its hole
• Nuclear waste eaters: Scientists discover hazardous waste-eating bacteria
• Milestone reached in work to build replacement kidneys in the lab
• Sharks in acidic waters avoid smell of food
• Tear gas could have temporary impact on lung health
• Whale sex: It's all in the hips
• Enigmatic Viking fortress discovered in Denmark
• How quickly viruses can contaminate buildings -- from just a single doorknob

New digital map reveals stunning hidden archaeology of Stonehenge Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:21 PM PDT A host of previously unknown archaeological monuments have been discovered around Stonehenge as part of an unprecedented digital mapping project that will transform our knowledge of this iconic landscape -- including remarkable new findings on the world's largest 'super henge,' Durrington Walls.

Brain structure could predict risky behavior Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:21 PM PDT Some people avoid risks at all costs, while others will put their wealth, health, and safety at risk without a thought. Researchers have found that the volume of the parietal cortex in the brain could predict where people fall on the risk-taking spectrum.

New species of extinct dolphin sheds light on river dolphin history Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:20 PM PDT Researchers described a new fossil dolphin species from the Miocene -- dating to more than 16 million years ago -- of the Pisco Basin, a desert on the coast of Peru. It belongs to a rare extinct family of marine dolphins, the squalodelphinids, which are related to the endangered Ganges and Indus river dolphins living today.

Experts create multiuser, multiantenna scheme to make most of UHF band Posted: 09 Sep 2014 01:23 PM PDT Researchers have found a way to make the most of the unused UHF TV spectrum by serving up fat streams of data over wireless hotspots that could stretch for miles.

Two-dimensional electron liquids: Looking for novel forms of superconductivity Posted: 09 Sep 2014 01:23 PM PDT Truly two-dimensional objects are rare. Even a thin piece of paper is trillions of atoms thick. When physicists do succeed in producing 2D systems, quantum interactions can lead to new phenomena and Nobel prizes. Two examples: graphene -- single-atom-thick sheets of carbon atoms -- has unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties; and two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) -- planar collections of electrons supported at the interface between certain semiconductors such as gallium arsenide -- allow the observation of such emergent behaviors as the quantum Hall effect and the spin Hall effect. Using an overlying bath of ionic liquid, a piece of superconductor -- divided by an insulating strip -- supports narrow tunnels which permit currents to flow between.

'Solid' light could compute previously unsolvable problems Posted: 09 Sep 2014 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have begun crystallizing light as part of an effort to answer fundamental questions about the physics of matter. As part of an effort to develop exotic materials such as room-temperature superconductors, the researchers have locked together photons, the basic element of light, so that they become fixed in place.

Companion star hidden for 21 years in a supernova's glare Posted: 09 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a companion star to a rare class of supernova, known as a Type IIb. The discovery confirms a long-held theory that the supernova, dubbed SN 1993J, occurred inside what is called a binary system, where two interacting stars caused a cosmic explosion.

Squeezed quantum communication: Flashes of light in quantum states transmitted through atmosphere Posted: 09 Sep 2014 08:33 AM PDT Scientists have sent a pulse of bright light in a particularly sensitive quantum state through 1.6 kilometers of air. This quantum state, which they call squeezed, was maintained, which is something many physicists thought to be impossible. Eavesdropping on a message protected by quantum cryptography cannot be done without being noticed.

Miniature light-emitting devices and optical sensors: Pesky insect inspires practical technology Posted: 09 Sep 2014 08:32 AM PDT Our hands and swatters often fail in the struggle to kill flies. This isn't our fault, but rather is due to flies' compound eyes. Arranged in a hexagonal, convex pattern, compound eyes consist of hundreds of optical units called ommatidia, which together bestow upon flies a nearly 360-degree field of vision. With this capability in mind, a team of researchers is drawing on this structure to create miniature light-emitting devices and optical sensors.

Buckyballs and diamondoids in tiny electronic gadget: Two exotic types of carbon form molecule for steering electron flow Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT Scientists have married two unconventional forms of carbon -- one shaped like a soccer ball, the other a tiny diamond -- to make a molecule that conducts electricity in only one direction. This tiny electronic component, known as a rectifier, could play a key role in shrinking chip components down to the size of molecules to enable faster, more powerful devices.

Eating habits, body fat related to differences in brain chemistry Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT People who are obese may be more susceptible to environmental food cues than their lean counterparts due to differences in brain chemistry that make eating more habitual and less rewarding, according to new research.

Biologists try to dig endangered pupfish out of its hole Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT A biologist is giving important guidance in the efforts to rescue a critically endangered fish found only in Devils Hole, about 60 miles east of Death Valley National Park. It is estimated that fewer than 100 Devils Hole pupfish remain. Considered the world's rarest fish, the wild pupfish faces a 28 to 32 percent risk of extinction over the next 20 years.

Nuclear waste eaters: Scientists discover hazardous waste-eating bacteria Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT Tiny single-cell organisms discovered living underground could help with the problem of nuclear waste disposal, say researchers. Although bacteria with waste-eating properties have been discovered in relatively pristine soils before, this is the first time that microbes that can survive in the very harsh conditions expected in radioactive waste disposal sites have been found.

Milestone reached in work to build replacement kidneys in the lab Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:21 AM PDT Working with human-sized pig kidneys, researchers have developed the most successful method to date to keep blood vessels in the new organs open and flowing with blood. This is a significant hurdle in the quest to engineer replacement kidneys for patients.

Sharks in acidic waters avoid smell of food Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:21 AM PDT The increasing acidification of ocean waters caused by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could rob sharks of their ability to sense the smell of food, a new study suggests.

Tear gas could have temporary impact on lung health Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:46 PM PDT The effects of tear gas are not just short term and could be experienced for up to two weeks after the event, according to a new study. Results found a range of respiratory symptoms, with 70% of respondents reporting respiratory difficulties, 80% reporting a lasting cough, 45% phlegm production and 43% chest pain. The median duration of both cough and chest pain was 15 days.

Whale sex: It's all in the hips Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:15 AM PDT Whales and dolphins need their hips, it turns out. The bones that we used to believe were vestigial turn out to be important to reproduction. The muscles that control a cetacean's penis -- which has a high degree of mobility -- attach directly to its pelvic bones. As such, it made sense to researchers that the pelvic bones could affect the level of control over the penis that an individual cetacean has, perhaps offering an evolutionary advantage.

Enigmatic Viking fortress discovered in Denmark Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT On fields at Vallø Estate, near Køge, researchers have discovered traces of a massive Viking fortress built with heavy timbers and earthen embankments. The perfectly circular fortress is similar to the famous so-called 'Trelleborg' fortresses, which were built by King Harald Bluetooth around AD 980.

How quickly viruses can contaminate buildings -- from just a single doorknob Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT Using tracer viruses, researchers found that contamination of just a single doorknob or table top results in the spread of viruses throughout office buildings, hotels, and health care facilities. Within 2 to 4 hours, the virus could be detected on 40 to 60 percent of workers and visitors in the facilities and commonly touched objects.

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