ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Study: Young women with sexy social media photos seen as less competent
• Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere
• Genome-wide analysis reveals genetic similarities among friends: Study finds truth to 'friends are the family you choose'
• Squishy robots: Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states
• 3D printed anatomy to mark a new era for medical training
• Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing
• Internet browsing can improve millennial attention to workplace tasks
• Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits
• Li-fi protocol allows use of the Internet at the speed of light

Study: Young women with sexy social media photos seen as less competent Posted: 14 Jul 2014 03:24 PM PDT Girls and young women who post sexy or revealing photos on social media sites are viewed by their female peers as less attractive and less competent to perform tasks, a new study indicates. One researcher's advice for girls and young women is to select social media photos that showcase their identity rather than her appearance, such as one from a trip or one that highlights participation in a sport or hobby.

Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT An ancient ancestor of the elephant, once believed to have disappeared from North America before humans ever arrived there, might actually have roamed the continent longer than previously thought. Archaeologists have uncovered the first evidence that gomphotheres were once hunted in North America.

Genome-wide analysis reveals genetic similarities among friends: Study finds truth to 'friends are the family you choose' Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT If you consider your friends family, you may be on to something. A new study finds that friends who are not biologically related still resemble each other genetically.

Squishy robots: Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT In the movie 'Terminator 2,' the shape-shifting T-1000 robot morphs into a liquid state to squeeze through tight spaces or to repair itself when harmed. Now a phase-changing material built from wax and foam, and capable of switching between hard and soft states, could allow even low-cost robots to perform the same feat.

3D printed anatomy to mark a new era for medical training Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT The creators of a unique kit containing anatomical body parts produced by 3D printing say it will revolutionize medical education and training, especially in countries where cadaver use is problematic. The '3D Printed Anatomy Series' is thought to be the first commercially available resource of its kind. The kit contains no human tissue, yet it provides all the major parts of the body required to teach anatomy of the limbs, chest, abdomen, head and neck.

Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:04 AM PDT An archaeological dig in southeast Turkey has uncovered a large number of clay tokens that were used as records of trade until the advent of writing, or so it had been believed. But the new find of tokens dates from a time when writing was commonplace -- thousands of years after it was previously assumed this technology had become obsolete. Researchers compare it to the continued use of pens in the age of the word processor.

Internet browsing can improve millennial attention to workplace tasks Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT A recent research article has empirically test the theory of Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing, its effectiveness in restoring overall attention to workplace tasks, and attitudes toward workplace Internet browsing among differing age groups.  The implication of this dual study is that short breaks that include non-work related Internet browsing can potentially improve younger workers' (under the age of 30) attention to work tasks.

Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT More than 140 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed something peculiar about domesticated mammals. Compared to their wild ancestors, domestic species are more tame, and they also tend to display a suite of other characteristic features, including floppier ears, patches of white fur, and more juvenile faces with smaller jaws. Since Darwin's observations, the explanation for this pattern has proved elusive, but now, a new hypothesis has been proposed that could explain why breeding for tameness causes changes in such diverse traits.

Li-fi protocol allows use of the Internet at the speed of light Posted: 13 Jul 2014 12:54 PM PDT Sisoft Company in Mexico has developed a technology that can illuminate a large work space, an auditorium or an office, while providing full mobile Internet to every device that comes into the range of the light spectrum.

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Does this trunk make me look fat? Overweight zoo elephants no laughing matter Posted: 13 Jul 2014 12:53 PM PDT The birthrate for African elephants in zoos is declining, and researchers look for a link between inflammation and obesity that may be connected to the increase in infertility. "Obesity affects about 40 percent of African elephants in captivity," said one researcher. "Much as we see in humans, excess fat in elephants contributes to the development of heart disease, arthritis, a shorter lifespan and infertility."

Getting a charge out of water droplets: Water jumping from a superhydrophobic surface can be harnessed to produce electricity Posted: 11 Jul 2014 10:28 AM PDT Last year, researchers discovered that when water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic surfaces during condensation, they can gain electric charge in the process. Now, the same team has demonstrated that this process can generate small amounts of electricity that might be used to power electronic devices.

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• Out of an hours-long explosion, a stand-in for the first stars
• Drone lighting: Autonomous vehicles could automatically assume the right positions for photographic lighting
• Baboons groom early in day to get benefits later
• Do women perceive other women in red as more sexually receptive?
• Potent spider toxin 'electrocutes' German, not American, cockroaches
• Ocean's most abundant organisms have clear daily cycles
• Injectable foam could prevent fatal blood loss in wounded soldiers

Out of an hours-long explosion, a stand-in for the first stars Posted: 11 Jul 2014 12:33 PM PDT Astronomers analyzing a long-lasting blast of high-energy light observed in 2013 report finding features strikingly similar to those expected from an explosion from the universe's earliest stars. If this interpretation is correct, the outburst validates ideas about a recently identified class of gamma-ray burst and serves as a stand-in for what future observatories may see as the last acts of the first stars.

Drone lighting: Autonomous vehicles could automatically assume the right positions for photographic lighting Posted: 11 Jul 2014 10:28 AM PDT Lighting is crucial to the art of photography. But lights are cumbersome and time-consuming to set up, and outside the studio, it can be prohibitively difficult to position them where, ideally, they ought to go.

Baboons groom early in day to get benefits later Posted: 11 Jul 2014 07:13 AM PDT Social animals often develop relationships with other group members to reduce aggression and gain access to scarce resources. In wild chacma baboons the strategy for grooming activities shows a certain pattern across the day. new insights highlight the importance of understanding the full range of time periods over which social strategies may be optimized. Such knowledge is crucial when studying the social behavior and strategies of group-living animals.

Do women perceive other women in red as more sexually receptive? Posted: 11 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT Women are more likely to wear a red shirt when they are expecting to meet an attractive man, relative to an unattractive man or a woman. But do women view other women in red as being more sexually receptive? And would that result in a woman guarding her mate against a woman in red? A study has sought to answer these questions.

Potent spider toxin 'electrocutes' German, not American, cockroaches Posted: 11 Jul 2014 06:18 AM PDT Using spider toxins to study the proteins that let nerve cells send out electrical signals, researchers say they have stumbled upon a biological tactic that may offer a new way to protect crops from insect plagues in a safe and environmentally responsible way.

Ocean's most abundant organisms have clear daily cycles Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:15 AM PDT In every drop of ocean water, hundreds of types of bacteria can be found. Now scientists have discovered that communities of these ocean microbes have their own daily cycles -- not unlike the residents of a bustling city who tend to wake up, commute, work, and eat at the same times. What's more, it's not all about the sun. These bacteria have been observed turning on diel cycling genes at slightly different times -— suggesting a wave of transcriptional activity that passes through the microbial community each day.

Injectable foam could prevent fatal blood loss in wounded soldiers Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:15 AM PDT A student-invented battlefield medical device has potential to save soldiers with deep wounds, especially at the neck, shoulder or groin. Without prompt care, a badly wounded soldier can easily bleed to death while being transported to a distant medical station. Tourniquets and medicated gauze pads often cannot stop the blood loss from a deep wound at the neck, shoulder or groin. To give these soldiers a fighting chance at survival, an injectable foam system designed to stop profuse bleeding from a wound has been developed.

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• Extinct giant sea scorpion gets an eye exam, with surprising results
• Hi-ho! Astronomers discover seven dwarf galaxies with new telescope
• Hunger for vegetable oil means trouble for Africa's great apes
• Radio-burst discovery deepens astrophysics mystery
• Decreasing font size enhances reading comprehension among children who have already developed proficient reading skills
• Food imagery ideal for teaching doctors -- but they must have strong stomachs
• Climate change may bring more kidney stones
• Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation therapy may ease the discomfort that guys don't talk about

Extinct giant sea scorpion gets an eye exam, with surprising results Posted: 10 Jul 2014 03:36 PM PDT Poor peepers are a problem, even if you are a big, bad sea scorpion. One minute, you're an imperious predator, scouring the shallow waters for any prey in sight. The next, thanks to a post-extinction eye exam, you're reduced to trolling for weaker, soft-bodied animals you stumble upon at night.

Hi-ho! Astronomers discover seven dwarf galaxies with new telescope Posted: 10 Jul 2014 03:36 PM PDT Meet the seven new dwarf galaxies. Astronomers, using a new type of telescope made by stitching together telephoto lenses, recently discovered seven celestial surprises while probing a nearby spiral galaxy. The previously unseen galaxies may yield important insights into dark matter and galaxy evolution, while possibly signaling the discovery of a new class of objects in space.

Hunger for vegetable oil means trouble for Africa's great apes Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:08 AM PDT The vegetable oil found in your popcorn or soap might not be ape friendly, and the situation appears likely to get even worse, according to an analysis. The growing demand for vegetable oil has already led to the conversion of Southeast Asian forest into oil palm plantations, bringing trouble for orangutans in particular. If guidelines are not put in place very soon, researchers say the spread of those large-scale industrial plantations from Asia into Africa will be bad news for great apes there as well.

Radio-burst discovery deepens astrophysics mystery Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:15 AM PDT The discovery of a split-second burst of radio waves by scientists using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico provides important new evidence of mysterious pulses that appear to come from deep in outer space. Exactly what may be causing such radio bursts represents a major new enigma for astrophysicists.

Decreasing font size enhances reading comprehension among children who have already developed proficient reading skills Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:43 AM PDT Decreasing the font size helps to improve reading comprehension among fifth graders who have mastered the technical skills of reading, a new study has demonstrated. "This study demonstrates the difference between children at different stages of reading proficiency, and it is important to understand that difficulty impairs comprehension at one stage, while at another it actually facilitates comprehension. After mastering reading skills, an effective way to improve comprehension could be to decrease the text's font size," said an author.

Food imagery ideal for teaching doctors -- but they must have strong stomachs Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:14 AM PDT From 'beer belly' to 'port wine stain,' food imagery has a long history of being used in medicine to identify the diagnostic features of a wide range of conditions and ailments, says a pathologist. In a gastronomic tour of some of the many food descriptors used in medicine, the author highlights imagery such as 'anchovy sauce' to describe the pus from a liver abscess, through 'sago spleen' to indicate protein (amyloid) deposits, to 'oat cell carcinoma,' which describes the appearance of a highly aggressive form of lung cancer.

Climate change may bring more kidney stones Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:10 AM PDT As daily temperatures increase, so does the number of patients seeking treatment for kidney stones. In a study that may both reflect and foretell a warming planet's impact on human health, a research team found a link between hot days and kidney stones in 60,000 patients in several U.S. cities with varying climates.

Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation therapy may ease the discomfort that guys don't talk about Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:10 AM PDT Men who experience hot flashes are unlikely to talk much about it, but they may find relief from their silent suffering if they are willing to try an unusual treatment, according to new research. After seven weeks of hypnotic relaxation therapy, a 69-year-old man who had uncontrolled hot flashes following prostate cancer surgery showed a drastic decrease not only in hot flashes but also an impressive improvement in sleep quality, according to the study.

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• Polar bears from space: Satellite imagery a promising tool to monitor arctic polar bears
• Odor communication in wild gorillas: Wild gorillas signal using odor
• Making quantum connections: The speed of information in a spin network
• Biologists link sexual selection, placenta formation
• 'Nano-pixels' promise thin, flexible, high resolution displays
• New paths into the world of quasiparticles
• Tiny DNA pyramids enter bacteria easily -- and deliver a deadly payload
• Shark teeth analysis provides detailed new look at Arctic climate change
• Rotten egg gas holds key to healthcare therapies
• NameExoWorlds: A contest to name exoplanets and their host stars
• Night-time brilliance lights up political patronage
• Fast building inspection from the air: Quiet flying robots do the work
• Think fun when exercising and you'll eat less later
• Ancient arachnid brought 'back to life': Video recreates 410-million-year-old animal walking
• Frog larvae have developed rapid defenses against red swamp crayfish
• Even geckos can lose their grip

Polar bears from space: Satellite imagery a promising tool to monitor arctic polar bears Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT The potentially severe impacts of climate change in the Arctic may threaten regional wildlife. Scientists trying to develop efficient and effective wildlife monitoring techniques to track Arctic populations face great challenges, including the remoteness and associated logistical constraints of accessing wildlife. Polar bear population estimates based on satellite images are similar to aerial estimates, according to new research.

Odor communication in wild gorillas: Wild gorillas signal using odor Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT Silverback gorillas appear to use odor as a form of communication to other gorillas. Mammals communicate socially through visual, auditory, and chemical signals. The chemical sense is in fact the oldest sense, shared by all organisms including bacteria, and mounting evidence suggests that humans also participate in social chemical signaling. However, not much is known about this type of signaling in closely related hominoids, like wild apes.

Making quantum connections: The speed of information in a spin network Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:15 PM PDT Physicists are pretty adept at controlling quantum systems and even making certain entangled states. Researchers are putting these skills to work to explore the dynamics of correlated quantum systems. Recent results investigated how information flows through a quantum many-body system.

Biologists link sexual selection, placenta formation Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:04 AM PDT Sexual selection enhances opportunities to mate, the tail of male peacocks being an iconic example. Biologists have found that sexual selection and 'placentation' -- the formation of a placenta -- are linked. Describing the life histories of more than 150 species of fish in the family Poeciliidae, the researchers found that species with placentas tend to have males that do not have bright coloration, ornamentation or courtship displays.

'Nano-pixels' promise thin, flexible, high resolution displays Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:01 AM PDT A new discovery will make it possible to create pixels just a few hundred nanometers across that could pave the way for extremely high-resolution and low-energy thin, flexible displays for applications such as 'smart' glasses, synthetic retinas, and foldable screens.

New paths into the world of quasiparticles Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:59 AM PDT Quasiparticles can be used to explain physical phenomena in solid bodies even though they are not actual physical particles. Physicists have now realized quasiparticles in a quantum system and observed quantum mechanical entanglement propagation in a many-body system.

Tiny DNA pyramids enter bacteria easily -- and deliver a deadly payload Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:55 AM PDT Bacterial infections usually announce themselves with pain and fever but often can be defeated with antibiotics -- and then there are those that are sneaky and hard to beat. Now, scientists have built a new weapon against such pathogens in the form of tiny DNA pyramids.

Shark teeth analysis provides detailed new look at Arctic climate change Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:55 AM PDT A new study shows that some shark species may be able to cope with the rising salinity of Arctic waters that may come with rising temperatures. The Arctic is of special interest today because it is increasing in temperature at twice the global rate. According to researchers, past climate change in the Arctic can serve as a proxy to better understand our current climate change and aid future predictions. The Eocene epoch is like a "deep-time analogue for what's going to happen if we don't curb CO2 emissions today, and potentially what a runaway greenhouse effect looks like."

Rotten egg gas holds key to healthcare therapies Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:54 AM PDT It may smell of flatulence and have a reputation for being highly toxic, but when used in the right tiny dosage, hydrogen sulfide is now being being found to offer potential health benefits in a range of issues, from diabetes to stroke, heart attacks and dementia. A new compound (AP39) could hold the key to future therapies, by targeting delivery of very small amounts of the substance to the right (or key) places inside cells.

NameExoWorlds: A contest to name exoplanets and their host stars Posted: 09 Jul 2014 08:54 AM PDT For the first time, in response to the public's increased interest in being part of discoveries in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union is organizing a worldwide contest to give popular names to selected exoplanets along with their host stars. The proposed names will be submitted by astronomy clubs and non-profit organzsations interested in astronomy, and votes will be cast by the public from across the world through the web platform NameExoWorlds.

Night-time brilliance lights up political patronage Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:50 AM PDT In some countries, a region that can lay claim to being the birthplace of a country's political leader is likely to get preferential treatment -- bias that shines out when the intensity of night lights is compared with that in other regions. Using information on the birthplaces of political leaders in 126 countries, and satellite data on night-time light intensity from 38,427 subnational regions from 1992-2009, researchers established a strong relationship between light intensity and regional GDP.

Fast building inspection from the air: Quiet flying robots do the work Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:48 AM PDT Many buildings in Germany are in need of renovation. The reasons for this are often aging building structures and environmental influences. In the future, flying inspection robots will be able to accelerate and simplify inspections, thus reducing the safety risk. Compared to many conventional methods, the inspection is more convenient, thanks to the assistance of an aerial robot, and can occur at shorter intervals. In addition, inspection time can be significantly shortened, usually without impeding use of the buildings.

Think fun when exercising and you'll eat less later Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:59 AM PDT If you think of your next workout as a 'fun run' or as a well-deserved break, you'll eat less afterward, research has shown. However, if you think of it as exercise or as a workout you'll later eat more dessert and snacks, to reward yourself. For beginning or veteran exercisers, the bottom line is this: "Do whatever you can to make your workout fun. Play music, watch a video, or simply be grateful that you're working out instead of working in the office," said one author.

Ancient arachnid brought 'back to life': Video recreates 410-million-year-old animal walking Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:56 AM PDT Scientists have recreated the walking gait of a 410-million-year-old arachnid, one of the first predators on land, based on fossil evidence. The scientists used the fossils -- thin slices of rock showing the animal's cross-section -- to work out the range of motion in the limbs of this ancient, extinct early relative of the spiders.

Frog larvae have developed rapid defenses against red swamp crayfish Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT The common frog is one of the amphibians with the highest distribution in the Iberian Peninsula. It reproduces preferably in permanent areas of water where it comes into contact with the red swamp crayfish, which preys on its larvae. Research confirms that the larvae of these frogs have developed a defensive response to the invasive species.

Even geckos can lose their grip Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT Not even geckos and spiders can sit upside down forever. Nanophysics makes sure of that. Mechanics researchers have demonstrated this in an article that can be of great industrial benefit.

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• Carbon monoxide predicts 'red and dead' future of gas guzzler galaxy
• Planet Mercury a result of early hit-and-run collisions
• Something is amiss in the Universe: Cosmic accounting reveals missing light crisis
• Transparent two-sided touchable display wall developed
• When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters
• Olfactory receptors in the skin: Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing, skin regeneration
• Collisions with robots, without risk of injury
• Contradictory findings about effect of full moon on sleep

Carbon monoxide predicts 'red and dead' future of gas guzzler galaxy Posted: 08 Jul 2014 02:32 PM PDT Astronomers have studied the carbon monoxide in a galaxy over 12 billion light years from Earth and discovered that it's running out of gas, quite literally, and headed for a 'red and dead' future. The galaxy, known as ALESS65, was observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in 2011 and is one of fewer than 20 known distant galaxies to contain carbon monoxide.

Planet Mercury a result of early hit-and-run collisions Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:39 PM PDT New simulations show that Mercury and other unusually metal-rich objects in the solar system may be relics left behind by hit-and-run collisions in the early solar system. The origin of planet Mercury has been a difficult question in planetary science because its composition is very different from that of the other terrestrial planets and the moon.

Something is amiss in the Universe: Cosmic accounting reveals missing light crisis Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:17 AM PDT Something is amiss in the Universe. There appears to be an enormous deficit of ultraviolet light in the cosmic budget. The vast reaches of empty space between galaxies are bridged by tendrils of hydrogen and helium, which can be used as a precise 'light meter.' In a recent study a team of scientists finds that the light from known populations of galaxies and quasars is not nearly enough to explain observations of intergalactic hydrogen. The difference is a stunning 400 percent.

Transparent two-sided touchable display wall developed Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Scientists have recently developed TransWall, a two-sided, touchable, and transparent display wall that greatly enhances users' interpersonal experiences. With an incorporated surface transducer, TransWall offers audio and vibrotactile feedback to the users. As a result, people can collaborate via a shared see-through display and communicate with one another by talking or even touching one another through the wall.

When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Researchers have found for the first time that genetically identical strains of bacteria can respond very differently to the presence of sugars and other organic molecules in the environment, with some individual bacteria devouring the sugars and others ignoring it. "While this is the first time we've seen such divergent behavior from bacteria regarding sugars, it's consistent with 'bet-hedging' behaviors that have been reported for bacteria in other contexts," said one researcher. "Bet hedging means that at least some of the bacteria will survive when faced with new environments."

Olfactory receptors in the skin: Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing, skin regeneration Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:25 AM PDT Skin cells possess an olfactory receptor for sandalwood scent, researchers have discovered. This data indicate that the cell proliferation increases and wound healing improves if those receptors are activated. This mechanism constitutes a possible starting point for new drugs and cosmetics.

Collisions with robots, without risk of injury Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:25 AM PDT Teamwork between humans and robots will be the motto of the future. But robots may not injure humans at all. When does contact cause an injury, though? Researchers are exploring this for the first time in a study.

Contradictory findings about effect of full moon on sleep Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT According to folklore, the full moon affects human sleep. International researchers are trying to determine whether there is any truth to the belief. Studies have found that people actually sleep 20 minutes less when the moon is full, take five minutes longer to fall asleep and experience 30 minutes more of REM sleep, during which most dreaming is believed to occur.

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