ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Seven miles deep, ocean still a noisy place
• Mysterious cosmic radio bursts found to repeat
• New method reveals high similarity between gorilla and human Y chromosome
• Ruby red improves in the microwave oven
• Extinct otter-like 'marine bear' might have had a bite like a saber-toothed cat

Seven miles deep, ocean still a noisy place Posted: 02 Mar 2016 10:56 AM PST For what may be the first time, NOAA and partner scientists eavesdropped on the deepest part of the world's ocean and instead of finding a sea of silence, discovered a cacophony of sounds both natural and caused by humans.

Mysterious cosmic radio bursts found to repeat Posted: 02 Mar 2016 10:52 AM PST Astronomers for the first time have detected repeating short bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source that is likely located well beyond the edge of our Milky Way galaxy. The findings indicate that these 'fast radio bursts' come from an extremely powerful object which occasionally produces multiple bursts in under a minute. Prior to this discovery all previously detected fast radio bursts have appeared to be one-off events.

New method reveals high similarity between gorilla and human Y chromosome Posted: 02 Mar 2016 10:51 AM PST A faster, less expensive method has been developed and used to learn the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosome in the gorilla. The research reveals that a male gorilla's Y chromosome is more similar to a male human's Y chromosome than to a chimpanzee's. The technique works for any species, so it can be used to study male infertility disorders and male-specific mutations. It also can aid in conservation efforts.

Ruby red improves in the microwave oven Posted: 02 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PST A new way to improve the color, clarity and luster of rubies has been tested by scientists: put them in the microwave. Rubies are among the world's most popular precious gemstones, and are also used in high power switches and sensors. Most natural rubies are not uniform in colour, and sometimes blue patches can be seen in the red stone. This decreases the value of a stone.

Extinct otter-like 'marine bear' might have had a bite like a saber-toothed cat Posted: 01 Mar 2016 06:13 PM PST New research suggests that the feeding strategy of Kolponomos, an enigmatic shell-crushing marine predator that lived about 20 million years ago, was strangely similar to a very different kind of carnivore: the saber-toothed cat Smilodon. Scientists have shown that even though the two extinct predators likely contrasted greatly in food preference and environment, they shared similar engineering in jaw structure.

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