ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Shape-changing metamaterial developed using Kirigami technique
• Viewing video in slow motion makes action appear more intentional, new study finds
• Toe-tapping to better health: Fidgeting helps prevent arterial dysfunction from sitting
• Researchers discover what makes mice freeze or flee
• Quick-destructing battery to power 'transient' devices

Shape-changing metamaterial developed using Kirigami technique Posted: 05 Aug 2016 05:54 AM PDT Engineers have developed a new shape-changing metamaterial using Kirigami, which is the ancient Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to obtain 3-D shapes.

Viewing video in slow motion makes action appear more intentional, new study finds Posted: 04 Aug 2016 02:23 PM PDT Watching a video of a harmful or violent act being committed can provide useful evidence of the circumstances surrounding the action. But new research shows that watching that same video in slow motion can often cause viewers to see something that may not be there: intentionality.

Toe-tapping to better health: Fidgeting helps prevent arterial dysfunction from sitting Posted: 04 Aug 2016 11:12 AM PDT Previous research has shown that sitting for an extended period of time at a computer or during a long airline flight reduces blood flow to the legs, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers have found that fidgeting while sitting can protect the arteries in legs and potentially help prevent arterial disease.

Researchers discover what makes mice freeze or flee Posted: 04 Aug 2016 11:05 AM PDT Mice are likely to freeze at the sight of small slow-moving shapes and flee from fast approaching ones, finds new research.This provides the first evidence that mice make instinctive choices based on vision alone, and could help inform future studies of behavior and brain function in mice. Knowing how mice respond to visual cues will enable researchers to conduct reproducible studies to see if this behavior is disrupted in mental and physical conditions.

Quick-destructing battery to power 'transient' devices Posted: 04 Aug 2016 10:58 AM PDT Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many challenges, including a complex structure and difficulties in fabrication.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Scientists discover light could exist in a previously unknown form
• Newly discovered 'blue whirl' fire tornado burns cleaner for reduced emissions
• Veins on Mars were formed by evaporating ancient lakes
• Do black holes have a back door?

Scientists discover light could exist in a previously unknown form Posted: 05 Aug 2016 06:22 AM PDT New research suggests that it is possible to create a new form of light by binding light to a single electron, combining the properties of both.

Newly discovered 'blue whirl' fire tornado burns cleaner for reduced emissions Posted: 05 Aug 2016 06:21 AM PDT Researchers say their discovery of a type of fire tornado they call a 'blue whirl' could lead to beneficial new approaches for reduced carbon emissions and improved oil spill cleanup.

Veins on Mars were formed by evaporating ancient lakes Posted: 05 Aug 2016 05:57 AM PDT Mineral veins found in Mars's Gale Crater were formed by the evaporation of ancient Martian lakes, a new study has shown.

Do black holes have a back door? Posted: 05 Aug 2016 05:57 AM PDT One of the biggest problems when studying black holes is that the laws of physics as we know them cease to apply in their deepest regions. Large quantities of matter and energy concentrate in an infinitely small space, the gravitational singularity, where space-time curves towards infinity and all matter is destroyed. Or is it? A recent study suggests that matter might in fact survive its foray into these space objects and come out the other side.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Sharks get bad rap when viewed with ominous background music
• Radar tracking reveals the 'life stories' of bumblebees as they forage for food
• Dot-drawing with drones
• Mystery of Sable Island’s Growing Wild Horse Population
• Smiling baby monkeys and the roots of laughter
• Lab-reared maggots may save Darwin's famous finches
• Phase-change device imitates the functionality of neurons
• Towards the T-1000: Liquid metals propel future electronics

Sharks get bad rap when viewed with ominous background music Posted: 04 Aug 2016 02:16 PM PDT In a new study, researchers found that the background music in shark documentaries affects viewers' perceptions of sharks. The researchers suggest that ominous background music could hinder shark conservation efforts.

Radar tracking reveals the 'life stories' of bumblebees as they forage for food Posted: 04 Aug 2016 12:27 PM PDT Scientists have tracked the flight paths of a group of bumblebees throughout their entire lives to find out how they explore their environment and search for food.

Dot-drawing with drones Posted: 04 Aug 2016 11:14 AM PDT You may have heard of plans to use drones for delivering packages, monitoring wildlife, or tracking storms. But painting murals? Researchers have enlisted tiny drones to create dot drawings -- an artistic technique known as stippling.

Mystery of Sable Island’s Growing Wild Horse Population Posted: 04 Aug 2016 07:19 AM PDT Biologists have made a significant advance in understanding the ecology of Sable Island and its iconic wild horses -- one that underscores how intimately connected living systems are.

Smiling baby monkeys and the roots of laughter Posted: 04 Aug 2016 07:16 AM PDT When human and chimp infants are dozing, they sometimes show facial movements that resemble smiles. These facial expressions, called spontaneous smiles, are considered the evolutionary origin of real smiles and laughter. Researchers show that this not only happens to higher-order primates like humans and chimpanzees, but also in newborn Japanese macaques, which are more distant relatives in the evolutionary tree.

Lab-reared maggots may save Darwin's famous finches Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:51 AM PDT Researchers reveal how they used chicken blood to rear larvae of the fly Philornis downsi, an invasive species that parasitizes birds in the Galapagos Islands. The new method may be the first to effectively rear an avian blood-feeding fly from egg to adult in the absence of its host.

Phase-change device imitates the functionality of neurons Posted: 04 Aug 2016 06:33 AM PDT Scientists have created randomly spiking neurons using phase-change materials to store and process data. This demonstration marks a significant step forward in the development of energy-efficient, ultra-dense integrated neuromorphic technologies for applications in cognitive computing.

Towards the T-1000: Liquid metals propel future electronics Posted: 04 Aug 2016 04:12 AM PDT How can we move beyond solid state electronics towards flexible soft circuit systems? New self-propelling liquid metals could be the answer. The advance opens the potential for creating makeshift and floating electronics, bringing science fiction - like the shape-shifting liquid metal T-1000 Terminator - one step closer to real life.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• New microfluidic chip replicates muscle-nerve connection
• Waste not: Edible wax coating slicks liquids with ease
• Asian giant honeybees may move in synchrony to ventilate nests
• Recycling carbon dioxide
• Programmable ions set the stage for general-purpose quantum computers
• Demonstrating strong electric fields in liquid helium for tests of matter-antimatter symmetry
• Perpetual 'ice water': Stable solid-liquid state revealed in nanoparticles
• Birds engage in all types of sleep in flight, but in remarkably small amounts
• Reach in and touch objects in videos
• Rich bugs revealed: Homes in wealthier neighborhoods host a greater diversity of insects
• Most likely Earth-like exoplanets cataloged
• Chemists create vitamin-driven battery

New microfluidic chip replicates muscle-nerve connection Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:49 PM PDT Engineers have developed a microfluidic device that replicates the neuromuscular junction -- the vital connection where nerve meets muscle. The device, about the size of a US quarter, contains a single muscle strip and a small set of motor neurons. Researchers can influence and observe the interactions between the two, within a realistic, three-dimensional matrix.

Waste not: Edible wax coating slicks liquids with ease Posted: 03 Aug 2016 12:11 PM PDT Materials scientists have created a 'superhydrophobic' coating that easily slicks away viscous liquids like syrup, honey and ketchup. They detail the engineering feat in a new paper that describes synthesizing and testing coatings made from beeswax and carnauba wax, which are edible and nontoxic.

Asian giant honeybees may move in synchrony to ventilate nests Posted: 03 Aug 2016 12:11 PM PDT The Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata, builds its large single-comb nests out in the open, making them potentially vulnerable to extremes of temperature that may threaten survival. New research shows that these giant honeybees may use synchronized movements to ventilate and cool their nests.

Recycling carbon dioxide Posted: 03 Aug 2016 11:01 AM PDT Turning carbon dioxide into stored energy sounds like science fiction: researchers have long tried to find simple ways to convert this greenhouse gas into fuels and other useful chemicals. Now, engineers has developed a technique powered by renewable energies such as solar or wind.

Programmable ions set the stage for general-purpose quantum computers Posted: 03 Aug 2016 11:01 AM PDT Scientists have introduced the first fully programmable and reconfigurable quantum computer module.

Demonstrating strong electric fields in liquid helium for tests of matter-antimatter symmetry Posted: 03 Aug 2016 09:49 AM PDT Physicists and engineers demonstrated that it is possible to use liquid helium to apply an electric field several times larger than that used in previous neutron electric dipole moment experiments, which provides insights into the nature of the universe.

Perpetual 'ice water': Stable solid-liquid state revealed in nanoparticles Posted: 03 Aug 2016 09:44 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that gallium nanoparticles can form a solid core surrounded by a liquid outer layer over a temperature span of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery marks the first time that this stable phase coexistence phenomenon at the nanoscale has ever been directly observed.

Birds engage in all types of sleep in flight, but in remarkably small amounts Posted: 03 Aug 2016 08:17 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have discovered that birds can sleep in flight. They measured the brain activity of frigatebirds and found that they sleep in flight with either one cerebral hemisphere at a time or both hemispheres simultaneously. Despite being able to engage in all types of sleep in flight, the birds slept less than an hour a day, a mere fraction of the time spent sleeping on land. How frigatebirds are able to perform adaptively on such little sleep remains a mystery.

Reach in and touch objects in videos Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:52 AM PDT A new technique called Interactive Dynamic Video (IDV) lets you reach in and 'touch' objects in videos. IDV has many possible uses, from filmmakers producing new kinds of visual effects to architects determining if buildings are structurally sound.

Rich bugs revealed: Homes in wealthier neighborhoods host a greater diversity of insects Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:52 AM PDT Researchers are looking beyond homes' nooks and crannies to consider the socioeconomic context of insect-packed households. A team of researchers surveyed the number of different insects in 50 urban homes and determined that wealthier neighborhoods host a greater number of arthropod species types than their lower socioeconomic counterparts.

Most likely Earth-like exoplanets cataloged Posted: 03 Aug 2016 06:52 AM PDT An international team of researchers has pinpointed which of the more than 4,000 exoplanets discovered by NASA's Kepler mission are most likely to be similar to Earth. The research outlines 216 Kepler planets located within the 'habitable zone' -- the area around a star in which a planet's surface could hold liquid water. Of those they list 20 that are the best candidates to be habitable rocky planets like Earth.

Chemists create vitamin-driven battery Posted: 03 Aug 2016 04:28 AM PDT A team chemists has created a battery that stores energy in a biologically derived unit, paving the way for cheaper consumer electronics that are easier on the environment.The battery is similar to many commercially-available high-energy lithium-ion batteries with one important difference. It uses flavin from vitamin B2 as the cathode: the part that stores the electricity that is released when connected to a device.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Study uses GPS technology to predict football injuries
• Flexible wearable electronic skin patch offers new way to monitor alcohol levels
• Space scientists observe Io's atmospheric collapse during eclipse
• What can a sea-lion teach us about musicality?
• Computers will be able to assess humans' state of mind
• Ultrasonic vibrations cause fingers to bounce on touchscreens, reducing the friction
• People not technology will drive success of autonomous vehicles
• Mapping the exotic matter inside neutron stars
• Bridging the gap between the quantum and classical worlds

Study uses GPS technology to predict football injuries Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:22 PM PDT Soccer players' injuries may be predicted by looking at players' workloads during training and competition, according to new research. Researchers discovered that the greatest injury risk occurred when players accumulated a very high number of short bursts of speed during training over a three-week period.

Flexible wearable electronic skin patch offers new way to monitor alcohol levels Posted: 02 Aug 2016 12:13 PM PDT Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a flexible wearable sensor that can accurately measure a person's blood alcohol level from sweat and transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop, smartphone or other mobile device. The device can be worn on the skin and could be used by doctors and police officers for continuous, non-invasive and real-time monitoring of blood alcohol content.

Space scientists observe Io's atmospheric collapse during eclipse Posted: 02 Aug 2016 10:37 AM PDT Astronomers have documented atmospheric changes on Io, Jupiter's volcanically active satellite, as the giant planet casts its shadow over the moon's surface during daily eclipses.

What can a sea-lion teach us about musicality? Posted: 02 Aug 2016 09:56 AM PDT Ronan the sea lion can keep the beat better than any other animal; a new study found out more.

Computers will be able to assess humans' state of mind Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:42 AM PDT Machines are taking over more and more tasks. Ideally, they should also be capable to support the human in case of poor performance. To intervene appropriately, the machine should understand what is going on with the human. Scientists have developed a diagnostic tool that recognizes user states in real time and communicates them to the machine.

Ultrasonic vibrations cause fingers to bounce on touchscreens, reducing the friction Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:37 AM PDT Researchers discover that ultrasonic vibrations reduce friction on flat screens by causing the fingertip to bounce on pockets of trapped air.

People not technology will drive success of autonomous vehicles Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:37 AM PDT As the world moves closer to autonomous and self-driving vehicles, road safety experts are turning from technology to psychology to better understand the road to safer mobility.

Mapping the exotic matter inside neutron stars Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:35 AM PDT Scientists performed the first accurate determination of the thermodynamic properties of dense quark matter under violent conditions that occur during neutron star mergers, and suggest a step towards distinguishing between neutron and quark matter cores in neutron stars.

Bridging the gap between the quantum and classical worlds Posted: 02 Aug 2016 07:35 AM PDT Strong coupling in specific light-matter interactions, previously believed to be a quantum phenomenon, is explained with classical models and experiments.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• A giant stellar void in the Milky Way
• Restoring prairie and fighting wildfire with (drone launched) fire(balls)
• Is Earthly life premature from a cosmic perspective?
• First wave-propelled robot swims, crawls and climbs using a single, small motor
• Origins of the female orgasm explained

A giant stellar void in the Milky Way Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:03 PM PDT A major revision is required in our understanding of our Milky Way Galaxy according to an international team. Astronomers have found that there is a huge region around the center of our own galaxy, which is devoid of young stars.

Restoring prairie and fighting wildfire with (drone launched) fire(balls) Posted: 01 Aug 2016 01:50 PM PDT One ecologist wants to change the way we think about prescribed burns. The professor says he can harness extreme fire to restore grasslands on the Great Plains -- and he has created a small drone that launches ping-pong balls of fire to help him do it safely and cheaply.

Is Earthly life premature from a cosmic perspective? Posted: 01 Aug 2016 08:39 AM PDT The universe is 13.8 billion years old, while our planet formed just 4.5 billion years ago. Some scientists think this time gap means that life on other planets could be billions of years older than ours. However, new theoretical work suggests that present-day life is actually premature from a cosmic perspective.

First wave-propelled robot swims, crawls and climbs using a single, small motor Posted: 01 Aug 2016 08:04 AM PDT The first single actuator wave-like robot (SAW) has been developed. The 3D-printed robot can move forward or backward in a wave-like motion, moving much like a worm would in a perpendicular wave.

Origins of the female orgasm explained Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:29 AM PDT Female orgasm seems to be a happy afterthought of our evolutionary past when it helped stimulate ovulation, a new study of mammals shows.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

Quick meal? 3-D printed dinner Posted: 29 Jul 2016 12:24 PM PDT A professor and his students have invented a 3D food printer that could revolutionize the way we think about food and prepare it -- it can fabricate edible items through computer-guided software and the actual cooking of edible pastes, gels, powders, and liquid ingredients -- all in a prototype that looks like an elegant coffee machine.

You are subscribed to email updates from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States