ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Running robots of future may learn from world's best two-legged runners: Birds
• Plump turtles swim better: First models of swimming animals
• Scientists generate first human stomach tissue in lab with stem cells
• Planet-forming lifeline discovered in a binary star system
• Scientists make enzyme that could help explain origins of life
• Contamination likely explains 'food genes in blood' claim
• Parasite-schizophrenia connection: One-fifth of schizophrenia cases may involve the parasite T. gondii
• Supersonic laser-propelled rockets: Hybrid approach may help power rockets, launch satellites, push future aircraft past Mach 10
• Projecting a robot's intentions: New spin on virtual reality helps engineers read robots' minds
• Why plants don't get sunburn
• Microrockets fueled by water neutralize chemical and biological warfare agents
• Liberal or conservative? Reactions to disgust are a dead giveaway
• Cinema-like environment helps audiences become immersed in movies even when shown on cell phones
• Gentle caffeine boost for premature babies
• 5g networks: Futuristic communications for today's users
• Why some butterflies sound like ants
• A battle for ant sperm

Running robots of future may learn from world's best two-legged runners: Birds Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:41 PM PDT With an eye toward making better running robots, researchers have made surprising new findings about some of nature's most energy efficient bipeds -- running birds. Their skills may have evolved from the time of the dinosaurs and they may now be superior to any other bipedal runners -- including humans.

Plump turtles swim better: First models of swimming animals Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:37 PM PDT Bigger is better, if you're a leatherback sea turtle. For the first time, researchers have measured the forces that act on a swimming animal and the energy the animal must expend to move through the water.

Scientists generate first human stomach tissue in lab with stem cells Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:56 AM PDT Scientists used pluripotent stem cells to generate functional, three-dimensional human stomach tissue in a laboratory -- creating an unprecedented tool for researching the development and diseases of an organ central to several public health crises, ranging from cancer to diabetes. Scientists used human pluripotent stem cells -- which can become any cell type in the body -- to grow a miniature version of the stomach.

Planet-forming lifeline discovered in a binary star system Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:12 AM PDT Scientists have detected a streamer of dust and gas flowing from a massive outer disk toward the inner reaches of a binary star system. This never-before-seen feature may be responsible for sustaining a second, smaller disk of planet-forming material that otherwise would have disappeared long ago.

Scientists make enzyme that could help explain origins of life Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:12 AM PDT Mimicking natural evolution in a test tube, scientists have devised an enzyme with a unique property that might have been crucial to the origin of life on Earth.

Contamination likely explains 'food genes in blood' claim Posted: 29 Oct 2014 11:12 AM PDT Laboratory contaminants likely explain the results of a recent study claiming that complete genes can pass from foods we eat into our blood, according to a molecular biologist who re-examined data from the controversial research paper.

Parasite-schizophrenia connection: One-fifth of schizophrenia cases may involve the parasite T. gondii Posted: 29 Oct 2014 10:34 AM PDT Many factors, both genetic and environmental, have been blamed for increasing the risk of a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Some, such as a family history of schizophrenia, are widely accepted. Others, such as infection with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite transmitted by soil, undercooked meat and cat feces, are still viewed with skepticism. A new study used epidemiological modeling methods to determine the proportion of schizophrenia cases that may be attributable to T. gondii infection. The work suggests that about one-fifth of cases may involve the parasite.

Supersonic laser-propelled rockets: Hybrid approach may help power rockets, launch satellites, push future aircraft past Mach 10 Posted: 29 Oct 2014 10:34 AM PDT Researchers have described a new system that integrates a laser-ablation propulsion system with the gas blasting nozzles of a spacecraft which can increase the speed of the gas flow out of the system to supersonic speeds while reducing the amount of burned fuel.

Projecting a robot's intentions: New spin on virtual reality helps engineers read robots' minds Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:45 AM PDT In a darkened, hangar-like space inside MIT's Building 41, a small, Roomba-like robot is trying to make up its mind. Standing in its path is an obstacle — a human pedestrian who's pacing back and forth. To get to the other side of the room, the robot has to first determine where the pedestrian is, then choose the optimal route to avoid a close encounter. As the robot considers its options, its "thoughts" are projected on the ground: A large pink dot appears to follow the pedestrian — a symbol of the robot's perception of the pedestrian's position in space.

Why plants don't get sunburn Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:45 AM PDT Plants rely on sunlight to make their food, but they also need protection from its harmful rays, just like humans do. Recently, scientists discovered a group of molecules in plants that shields them from sun damage. Now scientists report on the mechanics of how these natural plant sunscreens work.

Microrockets fueled by water neutralize chemical and biological warfare agents Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:45 AM PDT With fears growing over chemical and biological weapons falling into the wrong hands, scientists are developing microrockets to fight back against these dangerous agents, should the need arise. They have developed new spherical micromotors that rapidly neutralize chemical and biological agents and use water as fuel.

Liberal or conservative? Reactions to disgust are a dead giveaway Posted: 29 Oct 2014 09:45 AM PDT The way a person's brain responds to a single disgusting image is enough to reliably predict whether he or she identifies politically as liberal or conservative. As we approach Election Day, the researchers say that the findings come as a reminder of something we all know but probably don't always do: 'Think, don't just react.'

Cinema-like environment helps audiences become immersed in movies even when shown on cell phones Posted: 29 Oct 2014 07:26 AM PDT If the surroundings are designed to be sufficiently stimulating, even a simple computer screen is enough to generate an intense cinematic experience. After observing some 300 study subjects, researchers concluded that the angle of viewing does not play a vital role in the cinematic experience, thus disproving various hypotheses. According to the results of their study, the presence of so-called contextual visual cues plays a greater role in actually drawing viewers into a movie.

Gentle caffeine boost for premature babies Posted: 29 Oct 2014 06:54 AM PDT Researchers have developed a UV-activated membrane which releases a gentle dose of medication to the skin of a patient. In future those who fear injections will be able to sleep soundly, as will premature babies too, since the new dosing technique will spare them additional stress.

5g networks: Futuristic communications for today's users Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:36 AM PDT Devices that learn from our habits and help us to "think better", connect us to a friend just by thinking about them, or ensure continuing medical monitoring, will be a reality in 2020, thanks to the 5G technology.

Why some butterflies sound like ants Posted: 29 Oct 2014 05:33 AM PDT Ant nests can offer a lot to organisms other than just ants. They are well-protected, environmentally-stable and resource-rich spaces -- in many ways everything a tiny creature could ask for in a home. For the insects that squat inside ant nests, though, survival means finding ways to live with the ants -- by foiling the chemical cues ants use to distinguish friend from foe, for instance.

A battle for ant sperm Posted: 28 Oct 2014 06:38 PM PDT New research shows that sexual conflict between two ant species can drive an evolutionary battle, leading to competing adaptations in which female ants of one species manhandle sperm away from the unwitting males of a different species.

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• Can the wave function of an electron be divided and trapped?
• Glacier song: Studying how water moves through glaciers
• Laser experiments mimic cosmic explosions and planetary cores
• Ancient auditory illusions reflected in prehistoric art?
• Chimps plan ahead for a good breakfast
• Rare bush frog breeds in bamboo, researchers discover
• Fish 'personality' linked to vulnerability to angling
• Prostate cancer risk reduced by sleeping with many women, but increased with many men, study finds

Can the wave function of an electron be divided and trapped? Posted: 28 Oct 2014 06:41 PM PDT Electrons are elementary particles -- indivisible, unbreakable. But new research suggests the electron's quantum state -- the electron wave function -- can be separated into many parts. That has some strange implications for the theory of quantum mechanics.

Glacier song: Studying how water moves through glaciers Posted: 28 Oct 2014 11:55 AM PDT Mountain glaciers represent one of the largest repositories of fresh water in alpine regions. However, little is known about the processes by which water moves through these systems. Scientists used seismic recordings collected near Lake Gornersee in the Swiss Alps to look for signs of water moving through fractures near the glacier bed. Analysis of these recordings reveals, for the first time, that harmonic tremor occurs within mountain glaciers and that individual icequakes at the glacier base can exhibit harmonic properties. These observations suggest that there is a complex network of fluid-induced fracture processes at the glacier base. Because glacial lake drainage events can occur with little or no warning, there is the potential for damaging floods in valleys below the glacier. Unfortunately, because the water moves under and through the glacier, surface observations alone cannot predict lake drainage events.

Laser experiments mimic cosmic explosions and planetary cores Posted: 28 Oct 2014 09:26 AM PDT Researchers are finding ways to understand some of the mysteries of space without leaving earth. Using high-intensity lasers focused on targets smaller than a pencil's eraser, they conducted experiments to create colliding jets of plasma knotted by plasma filaments and self-generated magnetic fields, reaching pressures a billion times higher than seen on earth.

Ancient auditory illusions reflected in prehistoric art? Posted: 28 Oct 2014 08:47 AM PDT Some of humankind's earliest and most mysterious artistic achievements -- including prehistoric cave paintings, canyon petroglyphs and megalithic structures such as Stonehenge -- may have been inspired by the behaviors of sound waves being misinterpreted as "supernatural."

Chimps plan ahead for a good breakfast Posted: 28 Oct 2014 07:16 AM PDT New research shows that chimpanzees plan ahead, and sometimes take dangerous risks, to get to the best breakfast buffet early.

Rare bush frog breeds in bamboo, researchers discover Posted: 28 Oct 2014 07:12 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new reproductive mode in frogs and toads -- breeding and laying direct developing eggs in live bamboo with narrow openings -- which was observed in the white spotted bush frog (Raorchestes chalazodes). This critically endangered frog is currently only one of two species known to adopt this novel reproductive strategy.

Fish 'personality' linked to vulnerability to angling Posted: 28 Oct 2014 05:23 AM PDT Individual differences in moving activity in a novel environment are linked to individual differences in vulnerability to angling, according to an experimental study. The study used novel, long-term observations of individual behavior in groups and authentic angling trials to analyze if behaviors predict the vulnerability to fishing in brown trout reared in traditional and enriched hatchery rearing environments. Based on the results, it can be predicted that fishing modifies the heritable behavioral traits of fish by favoring cautious fish.

Prostate cancer risk reduced by sleeping with many women, but increased with many men, study finds Posted: 28 Oct 2014 05:21 AM PDT Compared to men who have had only one partner during their lifetime, having sex with more than 20 women is associated with a 28% lower risk of one day being diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, having more than 20 male partners in one's lifetime is associated with a twofold higher risk of getting prostate cancer compared to those who have never slept with a man.

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• Ultrafast electron diffraction experiments open a new window on the microscopic world
• Whites of their eyes: Infants respond to social cues from sclera, study finds
• Physicists closer to understanding balance of matter, antimatter in universe
• Menopausal symptoms may be lessened with young children in the house
• Ultrasound guides tongue to pronounce 'R' sounds
• Emergent behavior lets bubbles 'sense' environment
• A GPS from the chemistry set
• Scientist spends nine months in max-security prison to learn how prisons manage mental illness in inmates
• Feathers in flight inspire anti-turbulence technology
• Turning loss to gain: Cutting power could dramatically boost laser output
• New evidence for an exotic, predicted superconducting state
• Breakthrough in molecular electronics paves way for new generation of DNA-based computer circuits
• Receiving gossip about others promotes self-reflection, growth

Ultrafast electron diffraction experiments open a new window on the microscopic world Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:22 PM PDT Researchers have succeeded in simultaneously observing the reorganizations of atomic positions and electron distribution during the transformation of the "smart material" vanadium dioxide from a semiconductor into a metal – in a timeframe a trillion times faster than the blink of an eye.

Whites of their eyes: Infants respond to social cues from sclera, study finds Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:22 PM PDT Infants at 7 months old are able to unconsciously pick up on eye cues, based on the size of the whites of a person's eyes – a vital foundation for the development of social interactive skills, a new psychology study shows.

Physicists closer to understanding balance of matter, antimatter in universe Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:50 AM PDT Physicists have made important discoveries regarding Bs meson particles -- something that may explain why the Universe contains more matter than antimatter.

Menopausal symptoms may be lessened with young children in the house Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT The timeless, multicultural tradition of grandmothering might have an unexpected benefit: helping some women temper their hot flashes and night sweats during menopause, researchers say. Their study focused on the relationship between mid-life women and young children, and found that women who underwent rapid menopause, caused by the surgical removal of ovaries, had fewer hot flashes and night sweats when young children lived in their homes.

Ultrasound guides tongue to pronounce 'R' sounds Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:57 AM PDT Using ultrasound technology to visualize the tongue's shape and movement can help children with difficulty pronouncing "r" sounds, according to a small study. The ultrasound intervention was effective when individuals were allowed to make different shapes with their tongue in order to produce the "r" sound, rather than being instructed to make a specific shape.

Emergent behavior lets bubbles 'sense' environment Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:05 AM PDT Tiny, soapy bubbles can reorganize their membranes to let material flow in and out in response to the surrounding environment, according to researchers. This behavior could be exploited in creating microbubbles that deliver drugs or other payloads inside the body -- and could help us understand how the very first living cells on Earth might have survived billions of years ago.

A GPS from the chemistry set Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:03 AM PDT You don't always need GPS, a map or a compass to find the right way. What demands a tremendous amount of computational power from today's navigation computers can also be achieved by taking advantage of the laws of physical chemistry and practicing so-called "chemical computing". The trick works as follows: A gel mixed with acid is applied at the exit of a labyrinth – i.e. the destination – filled with alkaline liquid. Within a shorttime, the acid spreads through the alkaline maze, although the majority of it remains together with the gel at the exit. When an alkaline solution mixed with dyes is now added to the other end of the maze, i.e. the entrance, it automatically seeks the way to the exit – the point with the highest acidity.

Scientist spends nine months in max-security prison to learn how prisons manage mental illness in inmates Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT A mental health researcher spent a cumulative nine months in an Oregon maximum-security prison to learn first-hand how the prison manages inmates with mental illness.

Feathers in flight inspire anti-turbulence technology Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:52 AM PDT Inspired by nature's own anti-turbulence devices – feathers – researchers have developed an innovative system that could spell the end of turbulence on flights.

Turning loss to gain: Cutting power could dramatically boost laser output Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:53 PM PDT Re-examining longstanding beliefs about the physics of lasers, engineers have shown that carefully restricting the delivery of power to certain areas within a laser could boost its output by many orders of magnitude.

New evidence for an exotic, predicted superconducting state Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:53 PM PDT Physicist have produced new evidence for an exotic superconducting state, first predicted a half-century ago, that can arise when a superconductor is exposed to a strong magnetic field.

Breakthrough in molecular electronics paves way for new generation of DNA-based computer circuits Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:52 PM PDT Scientists have announced a significant breakthrough toward developing DNA-based electrical circuits. Molecular electronics, which uses molecules as building blocks for the fabrication of electronic components, has been seen as the ultimate solution to the miniaturization challenge. However, to date, no one has actually been able to make complex electrical circuits using molecules. Now scientists report reproducible and quantitative measurements of electricity flow through long molecules made of four DNA strands, signaling a significant breakthrough towards the development of DNA-based electrical circuits.

Receiving gossip about others promotes self-reflection, growth Posted: 24 Oct 2014 05:26 AM PDT Why are individuals interested in hearing gossip about others' achievements and failures? Researchers studied the effect positive and negative gossip has on how the recipient evaluates him or herself.

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• Icelandic volcano sits on massive magma hot spot
• Relationships benefit when parents, adult children use multiple communication channels
• Jetpacks and flamethrowers: Team infuses science into 'Minecraft' modification
• Cat dentals fill you with dread?
• Roman-Britons had less gum disease than modern Britons
• Males of great bustard self-medicate to appear more attractive to females

Icelandic volcano sits on massive magma hot spot Posted: 24 Oct 2014 11:20 AM PDT New research shows that high mantle temperatures miles beneath the Earth's surface are essential for generating large amounts of magma. In fact, the scientists found that Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano lies directly above the hottest portion of the North Atlantic mantle plume.

Relationships benefit when parents, adult children use multiple communication channels Posted: 24 Oct 2014 11:20 AM PDT Adult children's relationship satisfaction with their parents is modestly influenced by the number of communication tools, such as cell phones, email, social networking sites, they use to communicate, research has found.

Jetpacks and flamethrowers: Team infuses science into 'Minecraft' modification Posted: 24 Oct 2014 09:07 AM PDT The 3-D world of the popular "Minecraft" video game just became more entertaining, perilous and educational, thanks to a comprehensive code modification kit, "Polycraft World."

Cat dentals fill you with dread? Posted: 24 Oct 2014 08:19 AM PDT Over 50 percent of final year veterinary students in the UK do not feel confident either in discussing orodental problems with clients or in performing a detailed examination of the oral cavity of their small animal patients, a survey published has found. Once in practice, things don't always improve and, anecdotally, it seems many vets dread feline dental procedures.

Roman-Britons had less gum disease than modern Britons Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:35 PM PDT The Roman-British population from c. 200-400 AD appears to have had far less gum disease than we have today, according to a study of skulls by a periodontist. The surprise findings provide further evidence that modern habits like smoking can be damaging to oral health.

Males of great bustard self-medicate to appear more attractive to females Posted: 22 Oct 2014 11:36 AM PDT Males of great bustard consume small doses of poison with a dual purpose: to eliminate internal parasites and, especially, to look healthier and stronger before females, allowing them to achieve a greater reproductive success. A team of researchers has now suggested for the first time that this function of self-medication could be a mechanism of sexual selection.

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• Nation's 'personality' influences its environmental stewardship, shows new study
• In orbit or on Earth, implantable device will be commanded to release therapeutic drugs remotely
• Bodies at sea: Ocean oxygen levels may impact scavenger response
• Electronics industry offered two ways to snoop on self-organizing molecules

Nation's 'personality' influences its environmental stewardship, shows new study Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:36 PM PDT Countries with higher levels of compassion and openness score better when it comes to environmental sustainability, says research. "We used to think that personality only mattered for individual outcomes," says the author, "but we're finding that population differences in personality characteristics have many large-scale consequences."

In orbit or on Earth, implantable device will be commanded to release therapeutic drugs remotely Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:33 PM PDT Scientists are developing an implantable device that delivers therapeutic drugs at a rate guided by remote control. The device's effectiveness will be tested aboard the International Space Station and on Earth's surface.

Bodies at sea: Ocean oxygen levels may impact scavenger response Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:50 PM PDT An ocean's oxygen levels may play a role in the impact of marine predators on bodies when they are immersed in the sea, according to researchers, who deployed a trio of pig carcasses into Saanich Inlet off Vancouver Island and studied them using an underwater camera via the internet.

Electronics industry offered two ways to snoop on self-organizing molecules Posted: 22 Oct 2014 01:40 PM PDT The idea of a practical manufacturing process based on getting molecules to organize themselves in useful nanoscale shapes once seemed a little fantastic. Now the day isn't far off when your cell phone may depend on it. Two recent articles demonstrate complementary approaches to 3-D imaging of nanoscale polymer patterns for use in semiconductor lithography.

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• 3-D map of the adolescent universe
• Highest altitude archaeological sites in the world explored in the Peruvian Andes: Survival in extreme environments
• Genomic data support early contact between Easter Island and Americas
• Birds roosting in large groups less likely to contract west nile virus
• Lucky star escapes black hole with minor damage: Closest near-miss event to be spotted near the Milky Way
• A new tune: There is intonation in sign language too
• If you're over 60, drink up: Alcohol associated with better memory
• Moving in the quantum world
• Sex-loving, meat-eating reptiles have shorter lives
• The perfume of the comet
• Two-color barcodes: Dynamic duo to fight crime, cancer

3-D map of the adolescent universe Posted: 23 Oct 2014 12:41 PM PDT Using extremely faint light from galaxies 10.8-billion light years away, scientists have created one of the most complete, three-dimensional maps of a slice of the adolescent universe. The map shows a web of hydrogen gas that varies from low to high density at a time when the universe was made of a fraction of the dark matter we see.

Highest altitude archaeological sites in the world explored in the Peruvian Andes: Survival in extreme environments Posted: 23 Oct 2014 11:23 AM PDT Research conducted at the highest-altitude Pleistocene archaeological sites yet identified in the world sheds new light on the capacity of humans to survive in extreme environments. The findings were taken from sites in the Pucuncho Basin, located in the Southern Peruvian Andes.

Genomic data support early contact between Easter Island and Americas Posted: 23 Oct 2014 10:16 AM PDT People may have been making their way from Easter Island to the Americas well before Dutch commander Jakob Roggeveen arrived in 1722, according to new genomic evidence showing that the Rapanui people living on that most isolated of islands had significant contact with Native American populations hundreds of years earlier. The findings lend the first genetic support for such an early trans-Pacific route between Polynesia and the Americas, a trek of more than 4,000 kilometers.

Birds roosting in large groups less likely to contract west nile virus Posted: 23 Oct 2014 08:09 AM PDT Although it would seem logical that large numbers of roosting birds would attract more mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus and contract the disease when bitten, recent research has found the opposite to be true. That is, when large groups of birds roost together the chances that an individual bird will get bitten by mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus and subsequently contract the disease actually go down.

Lucky star escapes black hole with minor damage: Closest near-miss event to be spotted near the Milky Way Posted: 23 Oct 2014 08:08 AM PDT Astronomers have gotten the closest look yet at what happens when a black hole takes a bite out of a star—and the star lives to tell the tale.

A new tune: There is intonation in sign language too Posted: 23 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT Intonation is an integral part of communication for all speakers. But can sign languages have intonation? A new study shows that signers use their faces to create intonational 'melodies' just as speakers use their voices, and that the melodies of the face can differ from one sign language to another.

If you're over 60, drink up: Alcohol associated with better memory Posted: 23 Oct 2014 06:20 AM PDT For people 60 and older who do not have dementia, light alcohol consumption during late life is associated with higher episodic memory -- the ability to recall memories of events -- researchers report.

Moving in the quantum world Posted: 23 Oct 2014 06:18 AM PDT Simulating the behavior of a single particle can be quite a challenging task in physics; after all, it is microscopic and we usually cannot watch in real time. It becomes even more complicated when you realize that the particle has to follow the laws of quantum physics, which allow it be in two or more places at the same time through a phenomenon called superposition. Understanding how a quantum particle behaves is necessary to enhance our fundamental understanding of the laws of physics.

Sex-loving, meat-eating reptiles have shorter lives Posted: 23 Oct 2014 06:18 AM PDT The health risks and benefits of vegetarianism have long been discussed in relation to the human diet, but newly published research reveals that it's definitely of benefit to the reptile population. That, and being less sexually active. The research team investigated how longevity of 1,014 species of scaled reptiles is influenced by key environmental characteristics and by their feeding and sexual habits.

The perfume of the comet Posted: 23 Oct 2014 06:18 AM PDT How does a comet smell? Since early August the Rosetta Orbiter Sensor for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) is sniffing the fumes of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko with its two mass spectrometers. The detected chemistry in the coma of the comet is surprisingly rich already at more than 400 million kilometers from the Sun.

Two-color barcodes: Dynamic duo to fight crime, cancer Posted: 23 Oct 2014 06:07 AM PDT Miniature two-color barcodes have the potential to combat forgery and track cancerous cells, investigators say. Tiny rod-like single crystals that act as miniature dual-color barcodes have been synthesized by researchers. The researchers have demonstrated the potential of these barcodes for two very different applications: anti-counterfeiting measures and cell tracking.

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