ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Black holes are not ruthless killers, but instead benign hologram generators
• Tracking the viral parasites cruising our waterways
• Scientists find methane in Mars meteorites
• In cricket sex songs, males feel the caloric burn, study finds
• Renewable energy from evaporating water
• Vagrant bachelors could save rare bird
• Starfish have a surprising talent for squeezing foreign bodies out through the skin
• Quantum theory: Einstein saves the quantum cat
• Newly discovered self-repair mechanism
• Not-so-guilty pleasure: Viewing cat videos boosts energy, positive emotions

Black holes are not ruthless killers, but instead benign hologram generators Posted: 16 Jun 2015 12:50 PM PDT New research in theoretical physics shows that black holes aren't the ruthless killers we've made them out to be, but instead benign--if imperfect--hologram generators. The world could have been captured by a black hole, and we wouldn't even notice, according to a new theoretical perspective.

Tracking the viral parasites cruising our waterways Posted: 16 Jun 2015 09:39 AM PDT Humans aren't the only ones who like to cruise along the waterways -- viruses do too. For the first time, a map of fecal viruses traveling our global waterways has been created using modeling methods to aid in assessing water quality worldwide.

Scientists find methane in Mars meteorites Posted: 16 Jun 2015 09:37 AM PDT Scientists have discovered traces of methane in Martian meteorites, a possible clue in the search for life on the Red Planet.

In cricket sex songs, males feel the caloric burn, study finds Posted: 16 Jun 2015 09:37 AM PDT Male tree crickets may be a hunk of burning love when they're belting out their different mating songs, but they're all burning the same amount of calories no matter how they do it, a study finds.

Renewable energy from evaporating water Posted: 16 Jun 2015 09:36 AM PDT Scientists report the development of two novel devices that derive power directly from evaporation -- a floating, piston-driven engine that generates electricity causing a light to flash, and a rotary engine that drives a miniature car.

Vagrant bachelors could save rare bird Posted: 16 Jun 2015 08:45 AM PDT A study has revealed the importance of single males in small, threatened populations. Results from a study of endangered New Zealand hihi birds shows that bachelor males who don't hold breeding territories, known as 'floaters,' could help maintain genetic diversity and decrease the likelihood of inbreeding by sneakily fathering chicks.

Starfish have a surprising talent for squeezing foreign bodies out through the skin Posted: 16 Jun 2015 07:23 AM PDT Starfish have strange talents. Two biology students have revealed that starfish are able to squeeze foreign bodies along the length of their body cavities and out through their arm tips. This newly discovered talent gives insight into how certain animals are able to quickly heal themselves.

Quantum theory: Einstein saves the quantum cat Posted: 16 Jun 2015 07:23 AM PDT Einstein's theory of time and space will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. Even today it captures the imagination of scientists. Scientists have now discovered that this world-famous theory can explain yet another puzzling phenomenon: the transition from quantum behavior to our classical, everyday world.

Newly discovered self-repair mechanism Posted: 16 Jun 2015 06:36 AM PDT Self-repair is extremely important for living things. Get a cut on your finger and your skin can make new cells to heal the wound; lose your tail -- if you are a particular kind of lizard -- and tissue regeneration may produce a new one. Now, researchers have discovered a previously unknown self-repair mechanism -- the reorganization of existing anatomy to regain symmetry -- in a certain species of jellyfish.

Not-so-guilty pleasure: Viewing cat videos boosts energy, positive emotions Posted: 16 Jun 2015 06:33 AM PDT If you get a warm, fuzzy feeling after watching cute cat videos online, the effect may be more profound than you think, according to research. The Internet phenomenon of watching cat videos, from Lil Bub to Grumpy Cat, does more than simply entertain; it boosts viewers' energy and positive emotions and decreases negative feelings, investigators say.

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