ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Ants communicate by mouth-to-mouth fluid exchange
• Ancient rocks hold evidence for life before oxygen
• Platypus venom could hold key to diabetes treatment
• Inside tiny tubes, water turns solid when it should be boiling

Ants communicate by mouth-to-mouth fluid exchange Posted: 29 Nov 2016 12:12 PM PST Liquids shared mouth-to-mouth by social insects contain proteins and small molecules that can influence the development and organization of their colonies, according to new research.

Ancient rocks hold evidence for life before oxygen Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:48 AM PST Somewhere between Earth's creation and where we are today, scientists have demonstrated that some early life forms existed just fine without any oxygen. The 2.52 billion-year-old sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are exceptionally large, spherical-shaped, smooth-walled microscopic structures much larger than most modern bacteria, but similar to some modern single-celled organisms that live in deepwater sulfur-rich ocean settings today, where even now there are almost no traces of oxygen.

Platypus venom could hold key to diabetes treatment Posted: 29 Nov 2016 08:44 AM PST Australian researchers have discovered remarkable evolutionary changes to insulin regulation in two of the nation's most iconic native animal species -- the platypus and the echidna -- which could pave the way for new treatments for type 2 diabetes in humans. The findings reveal that the same hormone produced in the gut of the platypus to regulate blood glucose is also surprisingly produced in their venom.

Inside tiny tubes, water turns solid when it should be boiling Posted: 28 Nov 2016 12:21 PM PST It's a well-known fact that water, at sea level, starts to boil at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. And scientists have long observed that when water is confined in very small spaces, its boiling and freezing points can change a bit, usually dropping by around 10 C or so. But now, a team has found a completely unexpected set of changes: Inside the tiniest of spaces -- in carbon nanotubes whose inner dimensions are not much bigger than a few water molecules -- water can freeze solid even at high temperatures that would normally set it boiling.

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