ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• New technique controls autonomous vehicles on a dirt track
• In changing oceans, cephalopods are booming
• How brick-makers can help butt out litter
• Engineers take first step toward flexible, wearable biosensor device
• Sexual conflict can cause genitals to change shape, beetle study shows
• An app knows if a beer has gone stale
• Genital size doesn't matter -- for fish

New technique controls autonomous vehicles on a dirt track Posted: 23 May 2016 11:12 AM PDT Researchers have a created racing, sliding, and jumping one-fifth-scale, fully autonomous auto-rally cars that runs at the equivalent of 90 mph. The technique uses advanced algorithms to keep the driverless vehicle under control at the edge of its handling limits.

In changing oceans, cephalopods are booming Posted: 23 May 2016 09:58 AM PDT Humans have changed the world's oceans in ways that have been devastating to many marine species. But, according to new evidence, it appears that the change has so far been good for cephalopods, the group including octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. The study shows that cephalopods' numbers have increased significantly over the last six decades.

How brick-makers can help butt out litter Posted: 23 May 2016 07:47 AM PDT If just 2.5 per cent of the world's annual brick production incorporated 1 per cent cigarette butts, we could completely offset annual worldwide cigarette production.

Engineers take first step toward flexible, wearable biosensor device Posted: 23 May 2016 05:36 AM PDT Engineers have developed the first flexible wearable device capable of monitoring both biochemical and electric signals in the human body. The Chem-Phys patch records electrocardiogram heart signals and tracks levels of lactate, a biochemical that is a marker of physical effort, in real time. The device can be worn on the chest and communicates wirelessly with a smartphone, smart watch or laptop.

Sexual conflict can cause genitals to change shape, beetle study shows Posted: 20 May 2016 08:04 AM PDT Sexual conflict between males and females can lead to changes in the shape of their genitals, according to research on burying beetles.

An app knows if a beer has gone stale Posted: 19 May 2016 05:24 AM PDT Chemists have developed a method that allows brewers to measure the freshness of beer, using a polymer sensor that changes color upon detecting furfural, a compound that appears when this beverage ages and gives it a stale flavor. The sensor can be controlled from a smartphone app also created by the team.

Genital size doesn't matter -- for fish Posted: 18 May 2016 06:47 AM PDT Big isn't always better when it comes to the size of male genitals, according to new research. Scientists found when it comes to fish, females don't find males with big genitals any more attractive than those with normal or smaller genitals.

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