ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Intense magnetic field close to supermassive black hole
• Dwarf planet Ceres color map reveals surface diversity
• Fish type, body size can help predict nutrient recycling rates
• Morphing octopuses have unique way to control their 'odd' forms
• For men, online generosity is a competition
• Watch where you're going: New study reveals how people avoid bumping into each other
• Victorian baby teeth could help predict future health of children today
• Palaeolithic remains show cannibalistic habits of human ancestors
• A 'pin ball machine' for atoms and photons
• Scientists use brain stimulation to boost creativity, set stage to potentially treat depression
• A sniff of happiness: Chemicals in sweat may convey positive emotion
• Proto-suns teeming with prebiotic molecules

Intense magnetic field close to supermassive black hole Posted: 16 Apr 2015 11:10 AM PDT Astronomers have revealed an extremely powerful magnetic field, beyond anything previously detected in the core of a galaxy, very close to the event horizon of a supermassive black hole.

Dwarf planet Ceres color map reveals surface diversity Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:56 AM PDT A new color map of dwarf planet Ceres, which NASA's Dawn spacecraft has been orbiting since March, reveals the diversity of the surface of this planetary body. Differences in morphology and color across the surface suggest Ceres was once an active body.

Fish type, body size can help predict nutrient recycling rates Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:26 AM PDT The nutrients excreted by fish in their 'pee' may be critical to the health of coastal ecosystems. But knowing whether generalizations can be made about how to predict these nutrient levels in various ecosystems has vexed researchers -- until now.

Morphing octopuses have unique way to control their 'odd' forms Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:22 AM PDT The body plan of octopuses is nothing if not unique, with a sophisticated brain in a soft, bilaterally symmetrical body, encircled by eight radially symmetrical and incredibly flexible arms. Now, researchers reporting the first detailed kinematic analysis of octopus arm coordination in crawling show that the animals have a unique motor control strategy to match their 'odd' form.

For men, online generosity is a competition Posted: 16 Apr 2015 10:21 AM PDT If you are looking to raise money online for your favorite cause, listen up. A real-world analysis of human behavior shows that men treat online giving as a competitive enterprise. Men will donate four times more money to an attractive female fundraiser in response to the contribution of another male.

Watch where you're going: New study reveals how people avoid bumping into each other Posted: 16 Apr 2015 08:32 AM PDT A new study is a rare look into the delicate dynamics of social movement, and shows how people avoid bumping into each other while doing complementary, coordinated tasks such as dancing. The research reveals that people fall into a specific pattern to avoid a collision. The study holds applications for areas including autism, schizophrenia, robotic research and sport rehabilitation.

Victorian baby teeth could help predict future health of children today Posted: 16 Apr 2015 06:40 AM PDT Baby teeth from children who died during the 1845-52 Irish famine could help us predict the future health of children born today, according to new research. Investigators found that the biochemical composition of teeth that were forming in the womb and during a child's early years not only provided insight into the health of the baby's mother, it even showed major differences between those infants who died and those who survived beyond early childhood.

Palaeolithic remains show cannibalistic habits of human ancestors Posted: 16 Apr 2015 06:39 AM PDT Analysis of ancient cadavers recovered at a famous archaeological site confirm the existence of a sophisticated culture of butchering and carving human remains, according to a team of scientists.

A 'pin ball machine' for atoms and photons Posted: 16 Apr 2015 06:39 AM PDT A team of physicists proposes the combination of nano-photonics with ultracold atoms for simulating quantum many-body systems and creating new states of matter.

Scientists use brain stimulation to boost creativity, set stage to potentially treat depression Posted: 16 Apr 2015 06:38 AM PDT The first direct evidence has been found demonstrating that a low dose of electric current can enhance the brain's natural alpha oscillations to boost creativity by an average of 7.4 percent. Next up: using the method to treat depression, scientists say.

A sniff of happiness: Chemicals in sweat may convey positive emotion Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:43 AM PDT Humans may be able to communicate positive emotions like happiness through the smell of our sweat, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research indicates that we produce chemical compounds, or chemosignals, when we experience happiness that are detectable by others who smell our sweat.

Proto-suns teeming with prebiotic molecules Posted: 16 Apr 2015 05:42 AM PDT Complex organic molecules such as formamide, from which sugars, amino acids and even nucleic acids essential for life can be made, already appear in the regions where stars similar to our Sun are born. Astrophysicists have detected this biomolecule in five protostellar clouds and propose that it forms on tiny dust grains.

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