ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star
• ‘Eco-towers’ will fight climate change
• After 85-year search, massless particle with promise for next-generation electronics found
• Futuristic brain probe allows for wireless control of neurons
• No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures
• How birds learn foreign languages
• The emerging science of human screams
• Despite new information, Pluto will remain a dwarf planet, cosmologist says
• Feathered cousin of famous movie star dino unearthed in China
• Does salt cause thirst? It's really not all that certain
• Agriculture's next frontier? Growing plants in space
• Model for robots with bacteria-controlled brains

Amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star Posted: 16 Jul 2015 05:54 PM PDT The Gaia satellite has discovered a unique binary system where one star is 'eating' the other, but neither star has any hydrogen, the most common element in the Universe. The system could be an important tool for understanding how binary stars might explode at the end of their lives.

‘Eco-towers’ will fight climate change Posted: 16 Jul 2015 01:08 PM PDT A new generation of green skyscrapers could help alleviate worldwide climate change, writes an urban planner.

After 85-year search, massless particle with promise for next-generation electronics found Posted: 16 Jul 2015 01:03 PM PDT Scientists have discovered Weyl fermions, elusive massless particles theorized 85 years ago that could give rise to faster and more efficient electronics because of their unusual ability to behave as matter and antimatter inside a crystal.

Futuristic brain probe allows for wireless control of neurons Posted: 16 Jul 2015 10:50 AM PDT A study showed that scientists can wirelessly determine the path a mouse walks with a press of a button. Researchers created a remote controlled, next-generation tissue implant that allows neuroscientists to inject drugs and shine lights on neurons deep inside the brains of mice.

No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:43 AM PDT A new study explores another promising new medical application for marijuana. According to the research, the administration of the non-psychotropic component significantly helps heal bone fractures.

How birds learn foreign languages Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:41 AM PDT Biologists have succeeded in teaching wild birds to understand a new language. After only two days of training, fairy wrens learned to flee when they heard an alarm call that was foreign to them, showing that birds can learn to eavesdrop on the calls of other species.

The emerging science of human screams Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:38 AM PDT Our noisy world is no match for a screaming infant. An airplane could be flying by as a house party rages on downstairs while a literal cat fight takes place outside, and still a wailing baby will win your attention. One possible explanation is that human screams possess a unique acoustic property found to activate not just the auditory brain but also the brain's fear circuitry.

Despite new information, Pluto will remain a dwarf planet, cosmologist says Posted: 16 Jul 2015 08:22 AM PDT Back in 1930, it was an easy answer -- Pluto was a planet because we couldn't see anything else brighter at a similar distance away from us, says a cosmologist. Then, in the 1990s, astronomers began detecting more and more planet-like objects around Pluto and the questions started -- was Pluto a planet or not?

Feathered cousin of famous movie star dino unearthed in China Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:15 AM PDT A newly identified species of feathered dinosaur is the largest ever discovered to have a well-preserved set of bird-like wings, research suggests. Palaeontologists working in China unearthed the fossil remains of the winged dinosaur -- a close cousin of Velociraptor, which was made famous by the Jurassic Park films.

Does salt cause thirst? It's really not all that certain Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:20 AM PDT Conventional wisdom contends that the consumption of salt makes us thirsty and therefore leads to increased drinking to restore the balance of minerals in the body. However, no correlation was found between salt intake and an increased sense of thirst or more drinking of water, researchers report at the conclusion of their study.

Agriculture's next frontier? Growing plants in space Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:20 AM PDT Space may not be the final frontier for researchers who want to grow plants there. Because, who knows, we may one day try to live on Mars, and to survive, we'll have to grow our own food. Thus far, experiments by the two pioneering scientists have proven so successful that, earlier this month, NASA recognized their research with one of its three awards in the category of the Most Compelling Results.

Model for robots with bacteria-controlled brains Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:15 AM PDT A scientist used a mathematical model to demonstrate that bacteria can control the behavior of an inanimate device like a robot.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States