ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Female fiddler crabs want protection not sex
• Amputees' brains remember missing hands even years later
• Cows in glass tanks help to reduce methane emissions
• Planet Nine could spell doom for solar system
• Swarm robots can learn by simply observing
• NASA team probes peculiar age-defying star
• Proxima b is in host star's habitable zone, but could it really be habitable?
• Poof! The weird case of the X-ray that came out blank
• Anti-friction solutions? Very thin layers of water can become ice-like at room temperature
• Special nerve cells cause goose bumps and nipple erection
• Electrons with no mass acquire a mass in the presence of a high magnetic field

Female fiddler crabs want protection not sex Posted: 30 Aug 2016 07:13 AM PDT New research has resolved a mystery over why female fiddler crabs visit and leave many males during mating season, and found the females aren't just being picky.

Amputees' brains remember missing hands even years later Posted: 30 Aug 2016 07:13 AM PDT Our brains have a detailed picture of our hands and fingers, and that persists even decades after an amputation, researchers have found. The finding could have implications for the control of next generation prosthetics.

Cows in glass tanks help to reduce methane emissions Posted: 30 Aug 2016 05:43 AM PDT In the future, the breeding of the climate-friendly cow can be sped up by using genetic information. A recent study identifies areas in the cow's genotype which are linked to the amount of methane it produces. Cows subjected to study did not unnecessarily chew their cuds when being placed in glass cases.

Planet Nine could spell doom for solar system Posted: 30 Aug 2016 05:43 AM PDT The solar system could be thrown into disaster when the sun dies if the mysterious 'Planet Nine' exists, according to new research.

Swarm robots can learn by simply observing Posted: 30 Aug 2016 05:36 AM PDT It is now possible for machines to learn how natural or artificial systems work by simply observing them, without being told what to look for, according to researchers.

NASA team probes peculiar age-defying star Posted: 29 Aug 2016 01:35 PM PDT For years, astronomers have puzzled over a massive star lodged deep in the Milky Way that shows conflicting signs of being extremely old and extremely young. Researchers initially classified the star as elderly, perhaps a red supergiant. But a new study by a NASA-led team of researchers suggests that the object, labeled IRAS 19312+1950, might be something quite different -- a protostar, a star still in the making.

Proxima b is in host star's habitable zone, but could it really be habitable? Posted: 29 Aug 2016 12:53 PM PDT The world's attention is now on Proxima Centauri b, a possibly Earth-like planet orbiting the closest star, 4.22 light-years away. The planet's orbit is just right to allow liquid water on its surface, needed for life. But could it in fact be habitable? If so, the planet evolved very differently than Earth, say researchers say astronomers, geophysicists, climatologists, evolutionary biologists and others who study how distant planets might host life.

Poof! The weird case of the X-ray that came out blank Posted: 29 Aug 2016 11:13 AM PDT Imagine getting a medical X-ray that comes out blank – as if your bones had vanished. That's what happened when scientists cranked up the intensity of the world's first X-ray laser to get a better look at a sample they were studying: The X-rays seemed to go right through it as if it were not there.

Anti-friction solutions? Very thin layers of water can become ice-like at room temperature Posted: 29 Aug 2016 11:04 AM PDT New research shows that a nanometer-thin layer of water between two charged surfaces exhibits ice-like tendencies that allow it to withstand pressures of hundreds of atmospheres. The discovery could lead to better ways to minimize friction in a variety of settings.

Special nerve cells cause goose bumps and nipple erection Posted: 29 Aug 2016 09:21 AM PDT The sympathetic nerve system has long been thought to respond the same regardless of the physical or emotional stimulus triggering it. However, in a new study, scientists show that the system comprises different neurons that regulate specific physiological functions, such as erectile muscle control.

Electrons with no mass acquire a mass in the presence of a high magnetic field Posted: 29 Aug 2016 08:11 AM PDT An international team of researchers has discovered that in a very high magnetic field an electron with no mass can acquire a mass. Understanding why elementary particles have a mass is a fundamental question in physics and an area of intense debate.

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