ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Cockroach inspires robot that squeezes through cracks
• Cotton candy machines may hold key for making artificial organs
• Oregano may reduce methane in cow burps
• Artistic space odyssey to broadcast people's messages to the stars
• Wolf species have ‘howling dialects’

Cockroach inspires robot that squeezes through cracks Posted: 08 Feb 2016 03:29 PM PST Ever wonder how roaches are able to get into anything, no matter how tight the seams? Biologists have now shown that the American cockroach can flatten its body to one-fifth normal running height to squeeze through cracks as small as two stacked pennies, and can run at high speed when flattened by half. These features were reproduced in a squishy robot that can run even when flattened: ideal for search and rescue.

Cotton candy machines may hold key for making artificial organs Posted: 08 Feb 2016 11:07 AM PST Engineers have modified the cotton candy machine to create complex microfluidic networks that mimic the capillary system in living tissue and have demonstrated that these networks can keep cells alive and functioning in an artificial three-dimensional matrix.

Oregano may reduce methane in cow burps Posted: 08 Feb 2016 08:25 AM PST A new research project aims to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows by up to 25 per cent. This benefits not only the environment, but also arable farmers and milk producers, and it uses one key ingredient: oregano.

Artistic space odyssey to broadcast people's messages to the stars Posted: 08 Feb 2016 08:25 AM PST Messages from around the world are to be beamed into space at the speed of light as part of a cultural project to create a celestial time capsule.

Wolf species have ‘howling dialects’ Posted: 08 Feb 2016 05:35 AM PST Largest quantitative study of howling, and first to use machine learning, defines different howl types and finds that wolves use these types more or less depending on their species, resembling a howling dialect. Researchers say findings could help conservation efforts and shed light on the earliest evolution of our own use of language.

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