ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Diabetes drug found in freshwater is a potential cause of intersex fish
• World's first genetic modification of human embryos reported: Experts consider ethics
• Picture this: Graphene brings 3-D holograms clearer and closer
• Psychology of the appeal of being anti-GMO
• Beyond genes: Are centrioles carriers of biological information?
• Giant cosmic tsunami wakes up comatose galaxies
• Gene-editing technique offers hope for hereditary diseases
• Examining Einstein: Precise experiments using lasers and clocks in space
• DNA of bacteria crucial to ecosystem defies explanation

Diabetes drug found in freshwater is a potential cause of intersex fish Posted: 24 Apr 2015 11:17 AM PDT A medication commonly taken for Type II diabetes, which is being found in freshwater systems worldwide, has been shown to cause intersex in fish – male fish that produce eggs. The medication is found to be widespread in freshwater.

World's first genetic modification of human embryos reported: Experts consider ethics Posted: 24 Apr 2015 09:23 AM PDT Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. The team attempted to modify the gene responsible for beta-thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder, using a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR/Cas9. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed. Here, experts weigh-in with ethical questions and considerations.

Picture this: Graphene brings 3-D holograms clearer and closer Posted: 24 Apr 2015 07:54 AM PDT From mobile phones and computers to television, cinema and wearable devices, the display of full-color, wide-angle, 3-D holographic images is moving ever closer to fruition.

Psychology of the appeal of being anti-GMO Posted: 24 Apr 2015 07:53 AM PDT A team of philosophers and plant biotechnologists have turned to cognitive science to explain why opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has become so widespread, despite positive contributions GM crops have made to sustainable agriculture. They argue that the human mind is highly susceptible to the negative and often emotional representations put out by certain environmental groups and other opponents of GMOs.

Beyond genes: Are centrioles carriers of biological information? Posted: 24 Apr 2015 05:56 AM PDT Scientists have discover that certain cell structures, the centrioles, could act as information carriers throughout cell generations. The discovery raises the possibility that transmission of biological information could involve more than just genes. Centrioles may actually be carriers of information, which holds profound implications for biology and disease treatment.

Giant cosmic tsunami wakes up comatose galaxies Posted: 24 Apr 2015 05:50 AM PDT Galaxies are often found in clusters, which contain many 'red and dead' members that stopped forming stars in the distant past. Now an international team of astronomers have discovered that these comatose galaxies can sometimes come back to life. If clusters of galaxies merge, a huge shock wave can drive the birth of a new generation of stars -- the sleeping galaxies get a new lease of life.

Gene-editing technique offers hope for hereditary diseases Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:48 AM PDT Scientists have used molecular "scissors" to eliminate mitochondrial mutations in eggs and embryos. They are now investigating the possibility of translating this technology to the clinic in human eggs and embryos.

Examining Einstein: Precise experiments using lasers and clocks in space Posted: 23 Apr 2015 05:52 AM PDT Albert Einstein tells us that clocks run slower the deeper they are in the gravitational potential well of a mass – the closer they are to a heavenly body, for example. This effect is described by General Relativity Theory as the gravitational red shift – it is detectable in spectral lines that shift toward the red end of the spectrum. General Relativity Theory also predicts that the rates of all clocks are equally influenced by gravitation independent of how these clocks are physically or technically constructed. However, more recent theories of gravitation allow for the possibility that the type of clock indeed influences the degree of gravitational red shift. To test this theory-about-a-theory, scientists have launched a high-altitude research rocket to send various types of clocks into space and back again.

DNA of bacteria crucial to ecosystem defies explanation Posted: 22 Apr 2015 11:25 AM PDT The genome of an important bacteria contains far more 'junk DNA' than scientists expected -- making its genome more closely resemble that of a higher lifeform.

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