ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Astronomers see black hole raging red
• Storks give up on winter migration in favor of junk food
• Whip spiders only look terrifying
• Outsourcing crystal growth...to space
• Unique beak evolved with tool use in New Caledonian crow
• Smartwatches can now track your finger in mid-air using sonar
• Sharkskin actually increases drag
• Photosynthesis more ancient than thought, and most living things could do it
• Female frogs identify own offspring using inner GPS
• Development of a wall-climbing drone
• 'Fairy circles' discovered in Australia
• Fundamentally accurate quantum thermometer
• Pigeon foot feather genes identified

Astronomers see black hole raging red Posted: 15 Mar 2016 07:04 PM PDT Violent red flashes, lasting just fractions of a second, have been observed during one of the brightest black hole outbursts in recent years. In June 2015, a black hole called V404 Cygni underwent dramatic brightening for about two weeks, as it devoured material that it had stripped off an orbiting companion star. V404 Cygni, which is about 7,800 light years from Earth, was the first definitive black hole to be identified in our Galaxy and can appear extremely bright when it is actively devouring material. Astronomers report that the black hole emitted dazzling red flashes lasting just fractions of a second, as it blasted out material that it could not swallow.

Storks give up on winter migration in favor of junk food Posted: 15 Mar 2016 07:02 PM PDT Storks are giving up on winter migration in favor of junk food, new research indicates. The research shows that the birds make round-trips of almost 100km to get their fix. Storks are among a growing number of migratory species that have changed their behavior due to human influences and global environmental change. The research is the first to confirm that white storks are now resident nesting and living near landfill sites all year round.

Whip spiders only look terrifying Posted: 15 Mar 2016 12:35 PM PDT A biologist spent several weeks in dark caves in Puerto Rico inhabited by an estimated 300,000 bats -- many of which whizzed right by him -- as well as snakes, cockroaches and spiders. He was studying poorly understood whip spiders, which are related to spiders and scorpions.

Outsourcing crystal growth...to space Posted: 15 Mar 2016 12:33 PM PDT Researchers have grown crystals and measured the growth rate on the ISS by interferometry to better examine the effects of microgravity.

Unique beak evolved with tool use in New Caledonian crow Posted: 15 Mar 2016 12:33 PM PDT Cornell researchers have quantified what makes the New Caledonian crow's beak different and how it got that way. Their findings were published March 9, 2016 in the journal Scientific Reports.

Smartwatches can now track your finger in mid-air using sonar Posted: 15 Mar 2016 10:21 AM PDT A new sonar technology developed by computer scientists and electrical engineers allows you to interact with mobile devices and smartwatch screens by writing or gesturing on any nearby surface -- a tabletop, a sheet of paper or even in mid-air.

Sharkskin actually increases drag Posted: 15 Mar 2016 09:05 AM PDT To clarify sharkskin's ability to reduce hydrodynamic drag (academically contested for the past 30 years), researchers recently conducted simulations on the ability of the small, tooth-like denticles that make up sharkskin to modify hydrodynamic flow with an unprecedented level of resolution. Far from easing the glide through the water, they found, the structures can actually increase drag by up to 50 percent.

Photosynthesis more ancient than thought, and most living things could do it Posted: 15 Mar 2016 07:41 AM PDT Most modern bacteria descended from ancestors who could convert the Sun's energy to fuel more than 3.5 billion years ago.

Female frogs identify own offspring using inner GPS Posted: 15 Mar 2016 07:35 AM PDT The ability to recognize own offspring and provide preferential care is difficult for the poison frog Allobates femoralis. According to a new study male and female frogs have different strategies for offspring discrimination. Females remember the exact location where they laid their eggs and exhibit preferential behavior toward their own clutches. Males assume that all offspring in their territory are their own.

Development of a wall-climbing drone Posted: 15 Mar 2016 06:06 AM PDT A new wall-climbing drone can approach any type of structure by flying and sticking to the target and utitlizing a pose change and perching mechanism.

'Fairy circles' discovered in Australia Posted: 15 Mar 2016 06:01 AM PDT The circular, barren patches of land, forming a highly regular pattern over the dry grassland of Namibia, were thought to be the only ones of their kind anywhere in the world. But a new study shows that they are not. Researchers have now discovered the baffling structures in the uninhabited Australian outback too. Investigations carried out there have also provided new evidence that these fairy circles result from the way plants organize themselves in response to water shortage.

Fundamentally accurate quantum thermometer Posted: 15 Mar 2016 05:59 AM PDT Better thermometers might be possible as a result of a discovery, where physicists have found a way to calibrate temperature measurements by monitoring the tiny motions of a nanomechanical system that are governed by the often counterintuitive rules of quantum mechanics.

Pigeon foot feather genes identified Posted: 15 Mar 2016 05:59 AM PDT Scientists identified two genes that make some pigeon breeds develop feathered feet known as muffs, while others have scaled feet. The same or similar genes might explain scaled feet in chickens and other birds, and provide insight into how some dinosaurs got feathers before they evolved into birds.

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