ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Kissing cousins, arranged marriages and genetic diversity
• A metal composite that will (literally) float your boat
• Male hormones help lemur females rule
• Weather forecasts made for planets beyond our solar system
• Bacteria the newest tool in detecting environmental damage
• Rats will try to save other rats from drowning
• Ants' movements hide mathematical patterns
• E-skin and pocket-sized diagnostic devices give patients the power back
• Fish and other animals produce their own sunscreen: Copied for potential use in humans
• Controlling swarms of cooperative robots with light and a single finger
• Tweaking the beak: Retracing the bird's beak to its dinosaur origins, in the laboratory
• Walking dead gone viral: Crisis communication and humorous messages in the social media age
• Nano memory cell can mimic the brain’s long-term memory

Kissing cousins, arranged marriages and genetic diversity Posted: 12 May 2015 03:50 PM PDT In the first study of its kind, a research team has examined the effects of arranged marriages on genetic diversity. From hemophilia and color blindness amongst British and Russian monarchies, people have long known the potential damaging genetic consequences of inbreeding. But until recently, no one could measure or understand the impact of marriage rules on genetic diversity.

A metal composite that will (literally) float your boat Posted: 12 May 2015 01:45 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a new metal matrix composite that is so light that it can float on water. A boat made of such composites will not sink despite damage to its structure. This first lightweight syntactic foam also holds promise for automotive fuel economy because of its heat resistance. The magnesium alloy matrix composite is reinforced with silicon carbide hollow particles and is strong enough to withstand rigorous conditions faced in the marine environment.

Male hormones help lemur females rule Posted: 12 May 2015 01:45 PM PDT Lemur girls behave more like the guys, thanks to a little testosterone, finds a new study. When it comes to conventional gender roles, lemurs -- distant primate cousins of ours -- buck the trend. Researchers say females have significantly lower testosterone levels than the males across the board. But when they compared six lemur species, they found that females of species where females dominate have higher testosterone than females of more egalitarian species.

Weather forecasts made for planets beyond our solar system Posted: 12 May 2015 11:08 AM PDT Using sensitive observations from the Kepler space telescope, astronomers have uncovered evidence of daily weather cycles on six extra-solar planets seen to exhibit different phases. Such phase variations occur as different portions of these planets reflect light from their stars, similar to the way our own moon cycles though different phases. Among the findings are indications of cloudy mornings on four of them and hot, clear afternoons on two others.

Bacteria the newest tool in detecting environmental damage Posted: 12 May 2015 08:24 AM PDT A method of using bacteria to help test for the presence of a wide array of pollutants has been developed by researchers. The scientists say that their method may potentially be used for everything from well water testing to seaside construction purposes.

Rats will try to save other rats from drowning Posted: 12 May 2015 07:40 AM PDT Rats have more heart than you might think. When one is drowning, another will put out a helping paw to rescue its mate. This is especially true for rats that previously had a watery near-death experience, say researchers.

Ants' movements hide mathematical patterns Posted: 12 May 2015 07:35 AM PDT When ants go exploring in search of food they end up choosing collective routes that fit statistical distributions of probability. This has been demonstrated by a team of mathematicians after analyzing the trails of a species of Argentine ant. Studies like this could be applied to coordinate the movement of micro-robots in cleaning contaminated areas for example.

E-skin and pocket-sized diagnostic devices give patients the power back Posted: 12 May 2015 06:07 AM PDT Wearable E-skin that can measure heart rate and blood pressure, and paper diagnostic machines the size of a credit card that can give instant readings on blood and saliva samples are two new bio-sensing technologies. Bio-sensors can detect and analyze data to give patients information on their heart rate and blood pressure, blood sugar and hormone levels, and even test whether they are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This detection technology is a step forward in personal medicine, giving patients real-time information about how their bodies are functioning and suggesting suitable treatments.

Fish and other animals produce their own sunscreen: Copied for potential use in humans Posted: 12 May 2015 04:54 AM PDT Fish can produce their own sunscreen, scientists have discovered. Following suit, the researchers have copied the method used by fish for potential use in humans.

Controlling swarms of cooperative robots with light and a single finger Posted: 12 May 2015 04:54 AM PDT Using a smart tablet and a red beam of light, researchers have created a system that allows people to control a fleet of robots with the swipe of a finger.

Tweaking the beak: Retracing the bird's beak to its dinosaur origins, in the laboratory Posted: 12 May 2015 04:54 AM PDT Scientists have successfully replicated the molecular processes that led from dinosaur snouts to the first bird beaks.

Walking dead gone viral: Crisis communication and humorous messages in the social media age Posted: 12 May 2015 04:51 AM PDT As far as pop culture goes, it is hard to beat the current zombie upsurge; from TV drama like "The Walking Dead" to movies such as "Resident Evil", the devilish figures have invaded public consciousness. They are apparently popular in public relations, too, judging by the number of campaigns using zombie-related humor to generate buzz on social media platforms. But how successful are these PR strategies in the context of risk communication? A new study looks deep into this matter, and reveals the match between social media and humor may not be made in heaven, after all.

Nano memory cell can mimic the brain’s long-term memory Posted: 12 May 2015 04:51 AM PDT Researchers have mimicked the way the human brain processes information with the development of an electronic long-term memory cell.

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