ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• 'Seeing' black holes with the naked eye
• Generous mothers are nagged less
• Leaf-mimicking device harnesses light to purify water
• Fish-flavored cat food could contribute to feline hyperthyroidism, study suggests
• Globular clusters could host interstellar civilizations
• Spooky interference at a distance
• Thor's hammer to crush materials at 1 million atmospheres
• Some consumers use ‘servant’ brands to gain sense of power, study finds

'Seeing' black holes with the naked eye Posted: 06 Jan 2016 11:30 AM PST All you need is a 20 cm telescope to observe a nearby, active black hole. An international research team reports that the activity of black holes can be observed as visible light during outbursts, and that flickering light emerging from gases surrounding black holes is a direct indicator of this. New results indicate that optical rays and not just X-rays provide reliable observational data for black hole activity.

Generous mothers are nagged less Posted: 06 Jan 2016 09:50 AM PST For the first time, scientists have identified specific genetic variations in offspring that lead to preferential maternal treatment, which in turn improves offspring fitness.

Leaf-mimicking device harnesses light to purify water Posted: 06 Jan 2016 08:07 AM PST For years, scientists have been pursuing ways to imitate a leaf's photosynthetic power to make hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight. In a new twist, a team has come up with another kind of device that mimics two of a leaf's processes -- photosynthesis and transpiration -- to harness solar energy to purify water. Their development could help address issues of water scarcity.

Fish-flavored cat food could contribute to feline hyperthyroidism, study suggests Posted: 06 Jan 2016 08:07 AM PST Over the past three decades, the number of cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism has increased. According to research reports, many factors such as exposure to flame retardants could be responsible, and now a new study points in another direction. It suggests that fish-flavored cat food could be among the culprits.

Globular clusters could host interstellar civilizations Posted: 06 Jan 2016 08:06 AM PST Globular star clusters are extraordinary in almost every way. They're densely packed, holding a million stars in a ball only about 100 light-years across on average. They're old, dating back almost to the birth of the Milky Way. And according to new research, they also could be extraordinarily good places to look for space-faring civilizations.

Spooky interference at a distance Posted: 06 Jan 2016 06:15 AM PST Nanotechnologists have discovered a new fundamental property of electrical currents in very small metal circuits. They show how electrons can spread out over the circuit like waves and cause interference effects at places where no electrical current is driven.

Thor's hammer to crush materials at 1 million atmospheres Posted: 05 Jan 2016 12:09 PM PST Thor, expected to be 40 times more efficient than Sandia's Z machine, the world's largest and most powerful pulsed-power accelerator, is expected to dramatically improve the design of similar machines aiming for high-yield fusion.

Some consumers use ‘servant’ brands to gain sense of power, study finds Posted: 05 Jan 2016 07:22 AM PST A recent study states that some consumers -- materialists who strongly link possessions to happiness and who tend to have poor personal relationships -- regard anthropomorphized popular products as servants over which they can assert power and gain control that they otherwise lack in their lives.

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