ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather
• Platelets modulate clotting behavior by 'feeling' their surroundings
• Lego-like modular components make building 3-D 'labs-on-a-chip' a snap
• Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing…and melting
• Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks
• Compound from hops aids cognitive function in young animals
• Engineers show light can play seesaw at the nanoscale: Step toward faster and more energy-efficient optical devices
• New RFID technology helps robots find household objects
• Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars
• Engineered proteins stick like glue -- even in water
• New 'star' shaped molecule breakthrough
• A breakthrough in electron microscopy: Scientists reconstruct third dimension from a single image
• Climate change: Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance
• Genetically driven 'gut feelings' help female flies choose a mate
• Monitoring Ebola in wild great apes -- using feces

Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Astronomers have observed what may be the first-ever signs of windy weather around a T Tauri star, an infant analog of our own Sun. This may help explain why some T Tauri stars have disks that glow weirdly in infrared light while others shine in a more expected fashion.

Platelets modulate clotting behavior by 'feeling' their surroundings Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Platelets respond to surfaces with greater stiffness by increasing their stickiness, the degree to which they "turn on" other platelets and other components of the clotting system, researchers have found. Platelets, the tiny cell fragments whose job it is to stop bleeding, are very simple. And yet they have proven to be "smarter than we give them credit for," researchers have found.

Lego-like modular components make building 3-D 'labs-on-a-chip' a snap Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Thanks to new Lego-like components, it is now possible to build a 3-D microfluidic system (or 'lab-on-a-chip') quickly and cheaply by simply snapping together small modules by hand.

Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing…and melting Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Antarctic fishes that manufacture their own 'antifreeze' proteins to survive in the icy Southern Ocean also suffer an unfortunate side effect, researchers report: The protein-bound ice crystals that accumulate inside their bodies resist melting even when temperatures warm.

Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT The smell of cut grass in recent years has been identified as the plant's way of signalling distress, but new research says the aroma also summons beneficial insects to the rescue. Such findings may help plant breeders know how to develop new varieties that are more resistant to insects and drought.

Compound from hops aids cognitive function in young animals Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Xanthohumol, a type of flavonoid found in hops and beer, has been shown in a new study to improve cognitive function in young mice, but not in older animals. The findings are another step toward understanding, and ultimately reducing the degradation of memory that happens with age in many mammalian species, including humans.

Engineers show light can play seesaw at the nanoscale: Step toward faster and more energy-efficient optical devices Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Electrical engineering researchers have developed a unique nanoscale device that for the first time demonstrates mechanical transportation of light. The discovery could have major implications for creating faster and more efficient optical devices for computation and communication.

New RFID technology helps robots find household objects Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:05 AM PDT Researchers have created a new search algorithm that improves a robot's ability to find and navigate to tagged objects. The team has implemented their system on a PR2 robot, allowing it to travel through a home and correctly locate different types of tagged household objects, including a medication bottle, TV remote, phone and hair brush.

Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:12 AM PDT Scientists have shown how gravitational waves -- invisible ripples in the fabric of space and time that propagate through the universe -- might be 'seen' by looking at the stars. The new model proposes that a star that oscillates at the same frequency as a gravitational wave will absorb energy from that wave and brighten, an overlooked prediction of Einstein's 1916 theory of general relativity. The study contradicts previous assumptions about the behavior of gravitational waves.

Engineered proteins stick like glue -- even in water Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT Researchers have found new adhesives based on mussel proteins could be useful for naval or medical applications. To create their new waterproof adhesives, researchers engineered bacteria to produce a hybrid material that incorporates naturally sticky mussel proteins as well as a bacterial protein found in biofilms -- slimy layers formed by bacteria growing on a surface. When combined, these proteins form even stronger underwater adhesives than those secreted by mussels.

New 'star' shaped molecule breakthrough Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:50 AM PDT Scientists have generated a new star-shaped molecule made up of interlocking rings, which is the most complex of its kind ever created. Known as a 'Star of David' molecule, scientists have been trying to create one for over a quarter of a century.

A breakthrough in electron microscopy: Scientists reconstruct third dimension from a single image Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:50 AM PDT Imagine that you want to find out from a single picture taken of the front of a house, what the building looks like from behind, whether it has any extensions or if the brickwork is damaged, and how many rooms are in the basement. Sounds impossible? Not in the nanoworld. Scientists have developed a new method with which crystal structures can be reconstructed with atomic precision in all three dimensions.

Climate change: Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance Posted: 19 Sep 2014 11:28 AM PDT Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns may get the lion's share of our climate change attention, but predators may want to give some thought to wind, according to a zoologist's study, which is among the first to demonstrate the way "global stilling" may alter predator-prey relationships.

Genetically driven 'gut feelings' help female flies choose a mate Posted: 19 Sep 2014 09:49 AM PDT Even among flies, mating is a complicated ritual. Their elaborate, and entirely innate, courtship dance combines multiple motor skills with advanced sensory cues. Now, researchers have determined that the Abdominal-B (Abd-B) gene, previously known as the gene that sculpts the posterior parts of the developing fly, is also important for this complex behavior, at least in the case of female flies.

Monitoring Ebola in wild great apes -- using feces Posted: 18 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT A group of international scientists has developed a new method to study Ebola virus in wildlife. The new methodology exploits the fact that, like humans, apes surviving viral infections develop antibodies against them. Typically, those antibodies are measured in the blood. The scientists, however, developed a laboratory technique that can isolate antibodies from ape feces.

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