ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• NASA missions harvest a passel of 'pumpkin' stars
• Physicists make it possible to 3D print your own baby universe
• Bioluminescent sensor causes brain cells to glow in the dark
• For 10 months out of the year, common swifts live in mid-air
• Deep down fracking wells, microbial communities thrive

NASA missions harvest a passel of 'pumpkin' stars Posted: 28 Oct 2016 08:50 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a batch of rapidly spinning stars that produce X-rays at more than 100 times the peak levels ever seen from the sun. The stars, which spin so fast they've been squashed into pumpkin-like shapes, are thought to be the result of close binary systems where two sun-like stars merge.

Physicists make it possible to 3D print your own baby universe Posted: 28 Oct 2016 05:58 AM PDT Researchers have created a 3D printed cosmic microwave background - a map of the oldest light in the universe - and provided the files for download.

Bioluminescent sensor causes brain cells to glow in the dark Posted: 27 Oct 2016 01:43 PM PDT A new kind of bioluminescent sensor causes individual brain cells to imitate fireflies and glow in the dark. The probe is a genetically modified form of luciferase, the enzyme that a number of other species including fireflies use to produce light.

For 10 months out of the year, common swifts live in mid-air Posted: 27 Oct 2016 09:32 AM PDT Common swifts are known for their impressive aerial abilities, capturing food and nest material while in flight. Now, by attaching data loggers to the birds, researchers have confirmed what some had suspected: common swifts can go for most of the year (10 months!) without ever coming down.

Deep down fracking wells, microbial communities thrive Posted: 25 Oct 2016 05:48 AM PDT Microbes have a remarkable ability to adapt to the extreme conditions in fracking wells. A new finding helps scientists understand what is happening inside fracking wells and could offer insight into processes such as corrosion and methane production.

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• Cause of phantom limb pain in amputees, and potential treatment, identified
• Metamaterial device allows chameleon-like behavior in the infrared
• Next-generation smartphone battery inspired by the gut

Cause of phantom limb pain in amputees, and potential treatment, identified Posted: 27 Oct 2016 09:33 AM PDT Researchers have identified the cause of chronic, and currently untreatable, pain in those with amputations and severe nerve damage, as well as a potential treatment which relies on engineering instead of drugs.

Metamaterial device allows chameleon-like behavior in the infrared Posted: 27 Oct 2016 09:18 AM PDT An electric current will not only heat a hybrid metamaterial, but will also trigger it to change state and fade into the background like a chameleon in what may be the proof-of-concept of the first controllable metamaterial device, or metadevice, according to a team of engineers.

Next-generation smartphone battery inspired by the gut Posted: 26 Oct 2016 07:27 AM PDT A new prototype of a lithium-sulphur battery -- which could have five times the energy density of a typical lithium-ion battery -- overcomes one of the key hurdles preventing their commercial development by mimicking the structure of the cells which allow us to absorb nutrients.

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• Precise quantum cloning: Possible pathway to secure communication
• Will pedestrians walk freely in a world of self-driving cars?
• The buzz about edible bugs: Can they replace beef?

Precise quantum cloning: Possible pathway to secure communication Posted: 26 Oct 2016 08:00 AM PDT Physicists have produced near-perfect clones of quantum information using a new method to surpass previous cloning limits.

Will pedestrians walk freely in a world of self-driving cars? Posted: 26 Oct 2016 07:55 AM PDT Imagine an urban neighborhood where most of the cars are self-driving. What would it be like to be a pedestrian? Self-driving cars are programmed to obey the rules of the road, including waiting for pedestrians to cross. Secure in the knowledge that a car will yield, pedestrians merely need to act unpredictably or step into the street to force the risk-averse car to stop.

The buzz about edible bugs: Can they replace beef? Posted: 26 Oct 2016 07:48 AM PDT The idea of eating bugs has created a buzz lately in both foodie and international development circles as a more sustainable alternative to consuming meat and fish. Now a report examines how the nutrients -- particularly iron -- provided by grasshoppers, crickets and other insects really measures up to beef. It finds that insects could indeed fill that dietary need.

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• Can a brain-computer interface convert your thoughts to text?
• Parasitic plants may form weapons out of genes stolen from hosts
• Zebrafish want to hang out with moving 3-D robotic models of themselves
• Ice shelf vibrations cause unusual waves in Antarctic atmosphere
• New species of extremely leggy millipede discovered in a cave in California

Can a brain-computer interface convert your thoughts to text? Posted: 25 Oct 2016 08:40 AM PDT Ever wonder what it would be like if a device could decode your thoughts into actual speech or written words? While this might enhance the capabilities of already existing speech interfaces with devices, it could be a potential game-changer for those with speech pathologies, and even more so for "locked-in" patients who lack any speech or motor function.

Parasitic plants may form weapons out of genes stolen from hosts Posted: 24 Oct 2016 02:07 PM PDT Sneaky parasitic weeds may be able to steal genes from the plants they are attacking and then use those genes against the host plant, according to a team of scientists.

Zebrafish want to hang out with moving 3-D robotic models of themselves Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:32 AM PDT Authenticity is an important trait, and zebrafish take it especially seriously. An interdisciplinary team of researchers has discovered that zebrafish engage more with 3D-moving robotic models of themselves than with other stimuli.

Ice shelf vibrations cause unusual waves in Antarctic atmosphere Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:28 AM PDT Low-frequency vibrations of the Ross Ice Shelf are likely causing ripples and undulations in the air above Antarctica, a new study finds. Using mathematical models of the ice shelf, the study's authors show how vibrations in the ice match those seen in the atmosphere, and are likely causing these mysterious atmospheric waves.

New species of extremely leggy millipede discovered in a cave in California Posted: 24 Oct 2016 06:56 AM PDT Along with many spiders, pseudoscorpions, and flies discovered and catalogued by the cave explorers, a tiny threadlike millipede was found in the unexplored dark marble caves in Sequoia National Park.

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• The universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, or is it?
• 'Mean girl' meerkats can make twice as much testosterone as males
• Move over, solar: The next big renewable energy source could be at our feet

The universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, or is it? Posted: 21 Oct 2016 09:32 AM PDT Five years ago, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three astronomers for their discovery that the universe is expanding at an accelerating pace. This led to the widespread acceptance of the idea that the universe is dominated by a mysterious substance named 'dark energy' that drives this accelerating expansion. Now, a team of scientists has cast doubt on this standard cosmological concept. The evidence for acceleration may be flimsier than previously thought, they say, with the data being consistent with a constant rate of expansion.

'Mean girl' meerkats can make twice as much testosterone as males Posted: 20 Oct 2016 01:49 PM PDT Testosterone. It's often lauded as the hormone that makes males bigger, bolder, stronger. Now a pair of studies has identified one group of animals, the meerkats of the southern tip of Africa, in which females can produce even more testosterone than males.

Move over, solar: The next big renewable energy source could be at our feet Posted: 20 Oct 2016 10:19 AM PDT Flooring can be made from any number of sustainable materials, making it, generally, an eco-friendly feature in homes and businesses alike. Now, flooring could be even more "green," thanks to an inexpensive, simple method that allows them to convert footsteps into usable electricity.

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Cheese: A matter of love or hate Posted: 19 Oct 2016 05:25 AM PDT Until now, the reason why some people hate cheese has been a mystery, but researchers have just solved this question. To find out what happens in the brain, fifteen people who like cheese and fifteen who do not were selected and participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.

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• Lonely 'lefty' snail seeks mate for love, and genetic study
• Windsurfing swans: An overlooked phenomenon
• Exploring vast 'submerged America,' marine scientists discover 500 bubbling methane vents
• Space-based droplet dynamics lessons?

Lonely 'lefty' snail seeks mate for love, and genetic study Posted: 21 Oct 2016 09:04 AM PDT Scientists are hoping to study the genetics of an ultra-rare garden snail are asking the public for its help in finding the lonely mollusc a mate. The snail's unique qualities make it a one in a million find - but also impossible for it to mate with its more common counterparts. At first glance, the brown garden snail may look like any other but closer inspection of the snail's shell reveals exactly why this creature is so special. While the shells of this common species spiral in a right-handed, clockwise direction – known as dextral – this snail is a sinistral, with a left-handed anti-clockwise spiralling shell. In essence, the 'lefty' snail is a mirror image of its other shell-dwelling friends.

Windsurfing swans: An overlooked phenomenon Posted: 21 Oct 2016 05:43 AM PDT It is well-known that birds can fly, swim and walk, but now there is scientific evidence that birds also can windsurf. Researchers report that the Mute swan occasionally uses the wings as sails when moving quickly on water surfaces.

Exploring vast 'submerged America,' marine scientists discover 500 bubbling methane vents Posted: 20 Oct 2016 07:38 AM PDT Five hundred vents newly discovered off the US West Coast, each bubbling methane from Earth's belly, top a long list of revelations about "submerged America" being celebrated by leading marine explorers. The discoveries double to about 1,000 the number of such vents now known to exist along the continental margins of the USA. This fizzing methane is a powerful greenhouse gas if it escapes into the atmosphere; a clean burning fuel if safely captured.

Space-based droplet dynamics lessons? Posted: 18 Oct 2016 08:25 AM PDT Droplets in space can grow freakishly large and bounce off nonwetting surfaces in truly unearthly ways. Astronauts frequently encounter huge droplets, and Scott Kelly recently demonstrated their unusual behavior aboard the International Space Station (ISS) via water balls and a hydrophobic (water repellant) ping pong paddle.

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• Long-awaited Hyperloop pod demonstrates magnetic levitation
• Scientists can listen to proteins by turning data into music
• Unexplainable activity in distant stars: New class of explosive events?
• Light speckles having a conversation
• Early humans used innovative heating techniques to make stone blades
• First Pluto, now this: Discovery of first binary-binary calls solar system formation into question
• African clawed frog genome contains two full sets of chromosomes from 2 two extinct ancestors

Long-awaited Hyperloop pod demonstrates magnetic levitation Posted: 20 Oct 2016 07:12 AM PDT The whirring sound of Hyperloop UC's hover engines filled the conference room as an anxious crowd shuffled closer for a better view. Would this student-designed prototype actually levitate? The answer came in a matter of moments as the eight miniature engines gained revolutions per minute -- emitting noises reminiscent of Star Wars sound effects -- and the 14-foot-long Hyperloop UC pod achieved roughly a quarter-inch of magnetic levitation.

Scientists can listen to proteins by turning data into music Posted: 20 Oct 2016 07:10 AM PDT Transforming data about the structure of proteins into melodies gives scientists a completely new way of analyzing the molecules that could reveal new insights into how they work -- by listening to them. A new study shows how musical sounds can help scientists analyze data using their ears instead of their eyes.

Unexplainable activity in distant stars: New class of explosive events? Posted: 20 Oct 2016 06:25 AM PDT Researcher pored through more than 10 years of existing Chandra X-ray Observatory data and found stars that repeatedly survive quick, massive surges in space energy. There are no such instances in our galaxy, as stars are destroyed by similar conditions.

Light speckles having a conversation Posted: 20 Oct 2016 06:21 AM PDT The amount of light passing through an opaque layer, can be enhanced using smart techniques. At the same time, the amount of reflected light diminishes, researchers show. It's as if light speckles have a conversation of their own.

Early humans used innovative heating techniques to make stone blades Posted: 20 Oct 2016 06:21 AM PDT Humans living in South Africa in the Middle Stone Age used advanced heating techniques that vastly improved living conditions during the era.

First Pluto, now this: Discovery of first binary-binary calls solar system formation into question Posted: 19 Oct 2016 01:25 PM PDT Everything we know about the formation of solar systems might be wrong, says two astronomers. They've discovered the first "binary--binary" -- two massive companions around one star in a close binary system, one so-called giant planet and one brown dwarf, or "failed star" The first, called MARVELS-7a, is 12 times the mass of Jupiter, while the second, MARVELS-7b, has 57 times the mass of Jupiter.

African clawed frog genome contains two full sets of chromosomes from 2 two extinct ancestors Posted: 19 Oct 2016 12:55 PM PDT Millions of years ago, one species of frog diverged into two species. Millions of years later, the two frogs became one again, but with a few extra chromosomes due to whole genome duplication. Such is the curious case of the African clawed frog, a frog whose genome contains nearly double the number of chromosomes as the related Western clawed frog.

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• Doubling down on DNA
• Possible clouds on Pluto, next target is reddish
• Azure-winged magpies show human-like generosity

Doubling down on DNA Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:21 AM PDT Millions of years ago, one species of frog diverged into two species. Millions of years later, the two frogs became one again, but with a few extra chromosomes due to whole genome duplication. Such is the curious case of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, a frog whose genome contains nearly double the number of chromosomes as the related Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis.

Possible clouds on Pluto, next target is reddish Posted: 19 Oct 2016 07:17 AM PDT Stern said that Pluto's complex, layered atmosphere is hazy and appears to be mostly free of clouds, but the team has spied a handful of potential clouds in images taken with New Horizons' cameras. "If there are clouds, it would mean the weather on Pluto is even more complex than we imagined," Stern said.

Azure-winged magpies show human-like generosity Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:31 PM PDT Azure-winged magpies, an Asian bird species, take any opportunity to provide food to their group members, even without receiving any reward themselves. A team of cognitive biologists showed this type of prosocial behavior experimentally in a bird species for the first time. There are very few other animals that show such human-like generosity.

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• Mystery species hidden in cave art appears to be unknown bison-cattle hybrid
• Other people are less attention-grabbing to the wealthy
• Microbial life on Mars: The possibility must be considered
• Disguised as a tuna, bioswimmer is changing the game for underwater inspections
• Dreading your next trip to the dentist?

Mystery species hidden in cave art appears to be unknown bison-cattle hybrid Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT Ancient DNA research has revealed that Ice Age cave artists recorded a previously unknown hybrid species of bison and cattle in great detail on cave walls more than 15,000 years ago.

Other people are less attention-grabbing to the wealthy Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT The degree to which other people divert your attention may depend on your social class, according to new findings. The research shows that people who categorize themselves as being in a relatively high social class spend less time looking at passersby compared with those who aren't as well off, a difference that seems to stem from spontaneous processes related to perception and attention.

Microbial life on Mars: The possibility must be considered Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:24 AM PDT The existence of microbial life on Mars remains highly controversial, but recent evidence of water, complex organic molecules, and methane in the Martian environment, combined with findings from the 1976 Viking mission, have led to the conclusion that existing life on Mars is a possibility that must be considered.

Disguised as a tuna, bioswimmer is changing the game for underwater inspections Posted: 18 Oct 2016 07:17 AM PDT BioSwimmer is a semi-autonomous underwater vehicle equipped to inspect a vessel's exterior for illicit cargo and contraband, as well as harbor facilities for unwanted activity.

Dreading your next trip to the dentist? Posted: 13 Oct 2016 08:17 AM PDT Psychology researchers have discovered evidence of a genetic basis for fearing dental treatment. The authors found that some of the genes that influence fear of pain likely also influence dental fear. This finding provides new information that clarifies how fear of pain may contribute to the development of dental fear.

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• 'DarkLight' enables visible light communication in the dark
• Wheel lets researchers measure fruit-fly exercise
• Computers should be named on patents as inventors, for creativity to flourish
• Knowingly taking placebo pills eases pain, study finds

'DarkLight' enables visible light communication in the dark Posted: 17 Oct 2016 07:48 AM PDT With the rise in wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers that rely on smart sensors, and the continued popularity of smartphones, smart devices are taking our country by storm. Wireless data for such devices is typically beamed through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, yet, the new wireless communication technology of "visible light communication (VLC)," has emerged as a new option albeit with limitations due to the challenges it faces in practice, such as being easily blocked or not being able to sustain transmission when light is off. Through a new project called "DarkLight," researchers have developed and demonstrated for the first-time, how visible light can be used to transmit data even when the light appears dark or off.

Wheel lets researchers measure fruit-fly exercise Posted: 17 Oct 2016 07:28 AM PDT A device called the TreadWheel can be used to study the benefits of exercise on fruit flies, new research suggests. The researchers observed that across all genotypes the gentle TreadWheel exerciser helped to reduce the fruit flies' weight and increased metabolism, and improved climbing ability.

Computers should be named on patents as inventors, for creativity to flourish Posted: 17 Oct 2016 05:39 AM PDT New research is calling for inventions by computers to be legally granted patents. The research states that the rapid increase in computer power is posing new challenges when it comes to patenting an invention. Artificial intelligence is playing an ever larger role in innovation -- with major players such as IBM, Pfizer and Google investing heavily in creative computing -- but current patent law does not recognize computers as inventors.

Knowingly taking placebo pills eases pain, study finds Posted: 14 Oct 2016 06:49 PM PDT A new study is the first to demonstrate beneficial placebo effect for lower back pain sufferers who knew they were taking 'fake pills.' Patients who knowingly took placebos reported 30 percent less pain and 29 percent reduction in disability compared to control group. 'Open-labeling' addresses longtime ethical dilemma, allowing patients to choose placebo treatments with informed consent.

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• Plant discovered that neither photosynthesizes nor blooms
• What's that? New study finds jumping spiders can hear more than you think
• Virus carrying DNA of black widow spider toxin

Plant discovered that neither photosynthesizes nor blooms Posted: 14 Oct 2016 06:21 AM PDT A new species of plant has been discovered on the subtropical Japanese island of Kuroshima (located off the southern coast of Kyushu in Kagoshima prefecture) and named it Gastrodia kuroshimensis. The new flowering plant species is a very rare event as the flora of this region have been thoroughly investigated. However, G. kuroshimensis was a particularly special discovery because it is both completely mycoheterophic, deriving its nutrition not from photosynthesis but from host fungi, and completely cleistogamous, producing flowers that never bloom.

What's that? New study finds jumping spiders can hear more than you think Posted: 13 Oct 2016 11:12 AM PDT While jumping spiders are known to have great vision, a new study proves for the first time that spiders can hear at a distance. A study describes how researchers used metal microelectrodes in a jumping spider's poppy-seed-sized brain to show that auditory neurons can sense far-field sounds, at distances up to 3 meters, or about 600 spider body lengths.

Virus carrying DNA of black widow spider toxin Posted: 11 Oct 2016 10:13 AM PDT Biologists sequencing the genome of the WO virus, which infects the bacterial parasite Wolbachia, have discovered that the phage carries DNA that produces black widow spider toxin: the first time an animal-like DNA has been found in such a virus.

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• Observable universe contains two trillion galaxies, 10 times more than previously thought
• New kind of local food grows in your own kitchen
• Unconventional cell division in the Caribbean Sea
• This little amoeba committed grand theft

Observable universe contains two trillion galaxies, 10 times more than previously thought Posted: 13 Oct 2016 08:17 AM PDT Using data from deep-space surveys taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories, astronomers have performed a census of the number of galaxies in the universe. The team came to the surprising conclusion that there are at least 10 times as many galaxies in the observable universe than previously thought. The results have clear implications for our understanding of galaxy formation, and also helps shed light on an ancient astronomical paradox -- why is the sky dark at night?

New kind of local food grows in your own kitchen Posted: 13 Oct 2016 06:53 AM PDT A home appliance that grows the ingredients for a healthy meal within a week from plant cells is no longer science fiction. The first 3D-printed CellPod prototype is already producing harvests.

Unconventional cell division in the Caribbean Sea Posted: 11 Oct 2016 10:59 AM PDT Bacteria are immortal as long as they keep dividing. For decades it has been assumed that a continuous, proteinaceous ring is necessary to drive the division of most microorganisms. An international team of researchers has revealed that the symbiont of the marine roundworm breaks the ring dogma and divides without.

This little amoeba committed grand theft Posted: 10 Oct 2016 03:58 PM PDT About 100 million years ago, a lowly amoeba pulled off a stunning heist, grabbing genes from an unsuspecting bacterium to replace those it had lost. Now scientists have solved the mystery of how the little amoeba, Paulinella, committed the theft. It engulfed the bacterium, kept that cell alive and harnessed its genes for photosynthesis, the process plants and algae use to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar via solar energy.

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• Oldest known squawk box suggests dinosaurs likely did not sing
• Soft robots that mimic human muscles
• Tatooine worlds orbiting two suns often survive violent escapades of aging stars
• From unknown to beardog: Findings rescue fossils from 'trashbin' genus
• How this Martian moon became the 'Death Star'
• Cosmological mystery solved by largest ever map of voids and superclusters

Oldest known squawk box suggests dinosaurs likely did not sing Posted: 12 Oct 2016 10:42 AM PDT The oldest known vocal organ of a bird has been found in an Antarctic fossil of a relative of ducks and geese that lived more than 66 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs.

Soft robots that mimic human muscles Posted: 12 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT Robots are usually expected to be rigid, fast and efficient. But researchers have turned that notion on its head with their soft robots.

Tatooine worlds orbiting two suns often survive violent escapades of aging stars Posted: 12 Oct 2016 09:12 AM PDT Planets that revolve around two suns may surprisingly survive the violent late stages of the stars' lives, according to new research. The finding is surprising because planets orbiting close to a single sun, like Mercury and Venus in our solar system, would be destroyed when the aging star swells into a red giant.

From unknown to beardog: Findings rescue fossils from 'trashbin' genus Posted: 12 Oct 2016 07:26 AM PDT A new study identifies two fossils previously thought to be generic carnivorans (a large, diverse order of mammals) as some of the earliest known members of the beardog family. These fossils are from animals estimated to be no larger than about five pounds, roughly the size of a Chihuahua and much smaller than formidable descendants that would later evolve.

How this Martian moon became the 'Death Star' Posted: 12 Oct 2016 06:59 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time how an asteroid or comet could have caused a mega crater on Mars' largest moon Phobos -- which resembles the Death Star from the film "Star Wars" -- without completely destroying the satellite.

Cosmological mystery solved by largest ever map of voids and superclusters Posted: 12 Oct 2016 06:58 AM PDT Astrophysicists have created the largest ever map of voids and superclusters in the Universe, which helps solve a long-standing cosmological mystery.

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