ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Earth-size 'diamond' in space: Remarkable white dwarf star possibly coldest, dimmest ever detected
• Wearable computing gloves can teach Braille, even if you're not paying attention
• Great walls could eliminate major tornado threat in Tornado Alley, expert says
• Puffing sun gives birth to reluctant eruption
• Archaeo-astronomy steps out from shadows of the past
• 'Solar moss' shakes at 16,000 kilometers an hour
• Mysterious 'magic island' appears on Saturn's moon Titan
• Evolution of equine influenza led to canine offshoot which could mix with human influenza
• Who's your daddy? Team programs computer to find out
• Criminal profiling technique targets killer diseases
• Fireworks lead to millions in health costs for amputations

Earth-size 'diamond' in space: Remarkable white dwarf star possibly coldest, dimmest ever detected Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:13 AM PDT Astronomers have identified possibly the coldest, faintest white dwarf star ever detected. This ancient stellar remnant is so cool that its carbon has crystallized, forming -- in effect -- an Earth-size diamond in space. The object in this new study is likely the same age as the Milky Way, approximately 11 billion years old.

Wearable computing gloves can teach Braille, even if you're not paying attention Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:13 AM PDT Researchers are using a wearable computing technology to help people learn how to read and write Braille. Those learning the skills are able to do so while concentrating on something else.

Great walls could eliminate major tornado threat in Tornado Alley, expert says Posted: 23 Jun 2014 09:03 AM PDT Can we eliminate major tornadoes in Tornado Alley? Devastating tornadoes over there start from violent clashes between northbound warm wind and southbound cold wind. If engineers built three east-west great walls, 300 meters high and 50 meters wide, one in North Dakota, one passing Oklahoma and one in Texas, such barriers would weaken such air mass clashes and diminish major tornado threat, according to one expert.

Puffing sun gives birth to reluctant eruption Posted: 23 Jun 2014 06:23 AM PDT A suite of Sun-gazing spacecraft, SOHO, STEREO and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), have spotted an unusual series of eruptions in which a series of fast 'puffs' force the slow ejection of a massive burst of plasma from the Sun's corona.  The eruptions took place over a period of three days, starting on 17 January 2013.

Archaeo-astronomy steps out from shadows of the past Posted: 23 Jun 2014 06:23 AM PDT From the 'Crystal Pathway' that links stone circles on Cornwall's Bodmin Moor to star-aligned megaliths in central Portugal, archaeo-astronomers are finding evidence that Neolithic and Bronze Age people were acute observers of the Sun, as well as the Moon and stars, and that they embedded astronomical references within their local landscapes.

'Solar moss' shakes at 16,000 kilometers an hour Posted: 23 Jun 2014 06:23 AM PDT Using a state-of-the-art ultraviolet camera, astronomers have obtained exceptionally sharp images of 'Solar Moss', bright features on the Sun that may hold the key to a longstanding mystery.

Mysterious 'magic island' appears on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 22 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a bright, mysterious geologic object – where one never existed – on Cassini mission radar images of Ligeia Mare, the second-largest sea on Saturn's moon Titan. Scientifically speaking, this spot is considered a "transient feature," but the astronomers have playfully dubbed it "Magic Island."

Evolution of equine influenza led to canine offshoot which could mix with human influenza Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:55 AM PDT Equine influenza viruses from the early 2000s can easily infect the respiratory tracts of dogs, while those from the 1960s are only barely able to, according to research. The research also suggests that canine and human influenza viruses can mix, and generate new influenza viruses.

Who's your daddy? Team programs computer to find out Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:54 AM PDT A facial recognition tool has been programed by researchers that promises to be useful in rapidly matching pictures of children with their biological parents and in potentially identifying photos of missing children as they age. The researchers said: "We wanted to see whether a machine could answer questions, such as 'Do children resemble their parents?' 'Do children resemble one parent more than another?' and 'What parts of the face are more genetically inspired?'"

Criminal profiling technique targets killer diseases Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:54 AM PDT A mathematical tool used by the Metropolitan Police and FBI has been adapted by researchers to help control outbreaks of malaria, and has the potential to target other infectious diseases. "The model has potential to identify the source of other infectious diseases as well, and we're now working with public health bodies to develop it further for use with TB, cholera and Legionnaires' disease," one researcher noted.

Fireworks lead to millions in health costs for amputations Posted: 19 Jun 2014 08:14 AM PDT One report of seven states revealed that the cost of stay for those hospitalized due to a fireworks-related amputation of a finger, thumb or lower arm, was $15,600. Total costs for all fireworks-related injuries in this study was estimated at $1.4 million. Also prevalent are head and eye injuries, which account for 19 and 18 percent of total reported injuries respectively.

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Thieving chimps changing the way African farmers feed their families Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:08 PM PDT Rwandan farmers have been forced to grow different crops to reduce losses as they pursue non-violent solutions to the 'natural tax' imposed by hungry primates. Through crop raiding, a form of human-wildlife conflict, hundreds of thousands of marginalized farmers are losing edible crops to damage from these troublesome animals each year.

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• In hairless man, arthritis drug spurs hair growth -- lots
• Feel-good hormones could cause UV addiction
• Sweetest calculator in the world: Sugar molecules used as part of a chemical sequence for information processing

In hairless man, arthritis drug spurs hair growth -- lots Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:53 AM PDT A man with almost no hair on his body has grown a full head of it after a novel treatment. There is currently no cure or long-term treatment for alopecia universalis, the disease that left the 25-year-old patient bare of hair. This is the first reported case of a successful targeted treatment for the rare, highly visible disease.

Feel-good hormones could cause UV addiction Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:52 AM PDT Sun lovers eagerly flock to the beach every summer, despite widespread awareness of the risk of skin cancer. A new study reveals that chronic exposure to UV radiation causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins, which act through the same pathway as heroin, leading to physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction-like behavior in rodents. The findings could explain why people have an instinctive desire to be in the sun, despite its known health risks.

Sweetest calculator in the world: Sugar molecules used as part of a chemical sequence for information processing Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:56 AM PDT A rectangular plastic board with 384 small wells is the setting for a chemist-researcher. The chemist carefully pipets some drops of sugar solution into a row of the tiny reaction vessels. As soon as the fluid has mixed with the contents of the vessels, fluorescence starts in some of the wells. What the chemist does here – with his own hands – could also be called in a very simplified way, the 'sweetest computer in the world'. The reason: the sugar molecules used are part of a chemical sequence for information processing.

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• Saving Africa's wild dogs -- with urine
• Princess and the Pea? Invisibility cloak prevents an object from being felt
• Can we see the arrow of time? Algorithm can determine, with 80 percent accuracy, whether video is running forward or backward

Saving Africa's wild dogs -- with urine Posted: 20 Jun 2014 07:31 AM PDT The endangered African wild dog is increasingly coming into conflict with humans, partly because it is difficult to fence them out. But research shows that an unusual approach to keeping them away from people and livestock may offer hope. Promising experiments show that scent marking is more effective as a barrier than fences.

Princess and the Pea? Invisibility cloak prevents an object from being felt Posted: 20 Jun 2014 07:23 AM PDT In the past years, invisibility cloaks were developed for various senses. Objects can be hidden from light, heat or sound. However, hiding of an object from being touched still remained to be accomplished. Scientists have now succeeded in creating a volume in which an object can be hidden from touching similar to a pea under the mattress of a princess.

Can we see the arrow of time? Algorithm can determine, with 80 percent accuracy, whether video is running forward or backward Posted: 19 Jun 2014 02:26 PM PDT Einstein's theory of relativity envisions time as a spatial dimension, like height, width, and depth. But unlike those other dimensions, time seems to permit motion in only one direction: forward. This directional asymmetry -- the "arrow of time" -- is something of a conundrum for theoretical physics.

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• How does a soccer ball swerve? Smoothness of a ball's surface, in addition to playing technique, is a critical factor
• Unexpected findings: Small asteroids can be flying rock clusters or even clouds of dust surrouding solid rocks
• Neurons get their neighbors to take out their trash
• Haters spend more time ... hating?
• Astronomers use Hubble to study bursts of star formation in the dwarf galaxies of the early Universe

How does a soccer ball swerve? Smoothness of a ball's surface, in addition to playing technique, is a critical factor Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:06 PM PDT It happens every four years: The World Cup begins and some of the world's most skilled players carefully line up free kicks, take aim -- and shoot way over the goal. The players are all trying to bend the ball into a top corner of the goal, often over a wall of defensive players and away from the reach of a lunging goalkeeper.

Unexpected findings: Small asteroids can be flying rock clusters or even clouds of dust surrouding solid rocks Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:46 AM PDT What seemed to be rock-solid assumptions about the nature of small asteroids may end in rubble or even a cloud of dust. New findings suggest small asteroids can be a flying cluster of rocks or a cloud of dust with a solid rock at its nucleus.

Neurons get their neighbors to take out their trash Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:55 AM PDT Biologists have long considered cells to function like self-cleaning ovens, chewing up and recycling their own worn out parts as needed. But a new study shows that some nerve cells found in the eye pass off their old energy-producing factories to neighboring support cells to be 'eaten.' The find, which may bear on the roots of glaucoma, also has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other diseases that involve a buildup of 'garbage' in brain cells.

Haters spend more time ... hating? Posted: 19 Jun 2014 09:54 AM PDT We already know haters are predisposed to be that way. Now we see they also spend a lot of time at fewer activities than their non-hater counterparts. But in a twist of irony, that grumpy person at work may actually be pretty good at their job since they spend so much time on fewer activities, thereby giving them the opportunity to hone their skills in specific tasks.

Astronomers use Hubble to study bursts of star formation in the dwarf galaxies of the early Universe Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:59 AM PDT They may only be little, but they pack a star-forming punch: new observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show that starbursts in dwarf galaxies played a bigger role than expected in the early history of the universe.

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• Evolution depends on rare chance events, 'molecular time travel' experiments show
• New manufacturing methods for 'soft' machines, robots
• Fish-eating spiders discovered in all parts of the world
• Making smartphones smarter with see-through sensors: Pack more apps into new real estate, the display glass itself
• Maybe birds can have it all: Dazzling colors and pretty songs
• Familiar yet strange: Water's 'split personality' revealed by computer model
• Scientists take first dip into water's mysterious 'no-man's land'
• Blocking brain's 'internal marijuana' may trigger early Alzheimer's deficits, study shows
• Evolutionary biology: Why cattle, pigs only have two toes
• Collecting light with artificial moth eyes: Producing hydrogen with sunlight
• Horizontal levitation: The ultimate solution to particle separation
• Animals conceal sickness symptoms in certain social situations
• Spanish slug: Busting an invasion myth

Evolution depends on rare chance events, 'molecular time travel' experiments show Posted: 18 Jun 2014 07:05 PM PDT Historians can only speculate on what might have been, but a team of evolutionary biologists studying ancient proteins has turned speculation into experiment. They resurrected an ancient ancestor of an important human protein as it existed hundreds of millions of years ago and then used biochemical methods to generate and characterize a huge number of alternative histories that could have ensued from that ancient starting point.

New manufacturing methods for 'soft' machines, robots Posted: 18 Jun 2014 03:46 PM PDT Researchers have developed a technique that might be used to produce 'soft machines' made of elastic materials and liquid metals for potential applications in robotics, medical devices and consumer electronics. Such an elastic technology could make possible robots that have sensory skin and stretchable garments that people might wear to interact with computers or for therapeutic purposes.

Fish-eating spiders discovered in all parts of the world Posted: 18 Jun 2014 03:46 PM PDT Spiders are traditionally viewed as predators of insects. Zoologists from Switzerland and Australia have now published a study that shows: spiders all over the world also prey on fish.

Making smartphones smarter with see-through sensors: Pack more apps into new real estate, the display glass itself Posted: 18 Jun 2014 01:51 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new laser-writing technique that embeds smartphone display glass with layer-upon-layer of see-through sensors -- enabling applications like temperature sensors and biomedical monitors to be manufactured directly into the display. The work is the first laser-based light-guided system that is efficient enough for commercial use.

Maybe birds can have it all: Dazzling colors and pretty songs Posted: 18 Jun 2014 11:26 AM PDT A study of one of the world's largest and most colorful bird families has dispelled a long-held notion, first proposed by Charles Darwin, that animals are limited in their options to evolve showiness. "Animals have limited resources, and they have to spend those in order to develop showy plumage or precision singing that help them attract mates and defend territories," said the paper's lead author. "So it seems to make sense that you can't have both. But our study took a more detailed look and suggests that actually, some species can."

Familiar yet strange: Water's 'split personality' revealed by computer model Posted: 18 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Using computer models, researchers found that as water freezes it takes on a sort of split personality wherein, at very cold temperatures and above a certain pressure, it may spontaneously split into two liquid forms. Finding this dual nature could lead to a better understanding of how water behaves in high-altitude clouds, which could improve the predictive ability of current weather and climate models.

Scientists take first dip into water's mysterious 'no-man's land' Posted: 18 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have made the first structural observations of liquid water at temperatures down to minus 51 degrees Fahrenheit, within an elusive 'no-man's land' where water's strange properties are super-amplified.

Blocking brain's 'internal marijuana' may trigger early Alzheimer's deficits, study shows Posted: 18 Jun 2014 10:19 AM PDT A new study has implicated the blocking of endocannabinoids -- signaling substances that are the brain's internal versions of the psychoactive chemicals in marijuana and hashish -- in the early pathology of Alzheimer's disease.

Evolutionary biology: Why cattle, pigs only have two toes Posted: 18 Jun 2014 10:19 AM PDT During evolutionary diversification of vertebrate limbs, the number of toes in even-toed ungulates such as cattle and pigs was reduced and transformed into paired hooves. Scientists have identified a gene regulatory switch that was key to evolutionary adaption of limbs in ungulates. The study provides insights into the molecular history of evolution.

Collecting light with artificial moth eyes: Producing hydrogen with sunlight Posted: 18 Jun 2014 09:21 AM PDT All over the world researchers are investigating solar cells which imitate plant photosynthesis, using sunlight and water to create synthetic fuels such as hydrogen. Researchers have developed such a photoelectrochemical cell, recreating a moth's eye to drastically increase its light collecting efficiency. The cell is made of cheap raw materials – iron and tungsten oxide.

Horizontal levitation: The ultimate solution to particle separation Posted: 18 Jun 2014 07:05 AM PDT Separating particles from the liquid they are in can now be done with a new concept. Magnetic separators exploit the difference in magnetic properties between minerals, for example when separating magnetite from quartz. But this exercise becomes considerably more complex when the particles are not magnetic. In the wake of previous particle levitation experiments under high-power magnetic fields, a new study reveals that particles are deflected away from the magnet's round-shaped bore center in a horizontal direction.

Animals conceal sickness symptoms in certain social situations Posted: 18 Jun 2014 04:19 AM PDT Animals have the ability to conceal their sickness in certain social situations. According to a new review, when given the opportunity to mate or in the presence of their young, sick animals will behave as though they were healthy. The research has implications for our understanding of the spread of infectious diseases.

Spanish slug: Busting an invasion myth Posted: 18 Jun 2014 04:19 AM PDT Spanish slugs (Arion lusitanicus) are one of the most common slug species in Central Europe. The animals sometimes nicknamed "killer slugs" are known to do their fair share of damage in fields and gardens. The slug was thought to have originated in Southern Europe. However researchers have now found out that the prime example of an invasive species is originally from Central Europe and thus no "immigrant" after all.

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• 'Trophy wife' stereotype is largely a myth, new study shows
• Livestock gut microbes contributing to greenhouse gas emissions
• Bats make social alliances that affect roosting behavior
• Scientists predict fermionic matter in a previously unknown state
• Strange physics turns off laser
• Could 'fragile Y hypothesis' explain chromosome loss?
• Fecal transplants restore healthy bacteria and gut functions
• With light echoes, the invisible becomes visible
• Three parents and a baby: Scientists advise caution with regard to artificial insemination method
• How do bats use swimming pools? Researchers want public help
• Quantum biology: Algae evolved to switch quantum coherence on and off
• The games genes play: Algorithm helps explain sex in evolution
• Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost

'Trophy wife' stereotype is largely a myth, new study shows Posted: 17 Jun 2014 01:43 PM PDT The trophy wife stereotype is largely a myth fueled by selective observation that reinforces sexist stereotypes and trivializes women's careers, researchers conclude. Research also indicates that, contrary to the trophy wife stereotype, social class barriers in the marriage market are relatively impermeable. Beautiful women are unlikely to leverage their looks to secure upward mobility by marriage.

Livestock gut microbes contributing to greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 17 Jun 2014 09:19 AM PDT One-fifth of methane emissions has been attributed by researchers to livestock such as cattle, sheep and other ruminants, but the amount of methane produced varies substantially among animals in the same species. Researchers aimed to explore role the microbes living in the rumen play in this process.

Bats make social alliances that affect roosting behavior Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:22 AM PDT Depending on habitat availability, the endangered Indiana bat may be able to use its social connections to survive a certain amount of roost destruction, according to research. Indiana bats form maternity colonies in summer beneath the bark of live trees or standing dead trees known as snags. "Social dynamics are important to bat roosting behavior," said one investigator. "And now, looking at results of a study of roosting and foraging activity in a new light, we have evidence that Indiana bats make social contacts during foraging."

Scientists predict fermionic matter in a previously unknown state Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:20 AM PDT Scientists have presented theoretical calculations which indicate the possible existence of fermionic matter in a previously unknown state -- in the form of a one-dimensional liquid, which cannot be described within the framework of existing models.

Strange physics turns off laser Posted: 17 Jun 2014 07:29 AM PDT Inspired by anomalies that arise in certain mathematical equations, researchers have demonstrated a laser system that paradoxically turns off when more power is added rather than becoming continuously brighter. The findings could lead to new ways to manipulate the interaction of electronics and light, an important tool in modern communications networks and high-speed information processing.

Could 'fragile Y hypothesis' explain chromosome loss? Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:40 AM PDT A new study suggests a 'fragile Y hypothesis' to explain why some species lose their Y chromosome and others, such as humans, keep it. They believe the size of an area where X and Y genetic information mingle or recombine can serve as a strong clue that a species is at risk of losing the Y chromosome during sperm production.

Fecal transplants restore healthy bacteria and gut functions Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:38 AM PDT Fecal microbiota transplantation -- the process of delivering stool bacteria from a healthy donor to a patient suffering from intestinal infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile -- works by restoring healthy bacteria and functioning to the recipient's gut, according to a new study.

With light echoes, the invisible becomes visible Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:32 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel camera system which can see around the corner without using a mirror. Using diffusely reflected light, it reconstructs the shape of objects outside of the field of view. A laser shines on the wall; a camera watches the scene. Nothing more than white ingrain wallpaper with a bright spot of light can be seen through the lens. A computer records these initially unremarkable images and as the data is processed further, little by little, the outlines of an object appear on a screen.

Three parents and a baby: Scientists advise caution with regard to artificial insemination method Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT The approval of a new treatment method by which three parents will be able to beget a child is being discussed since a few years in Great Britain and will possibly become a reality in two years. The method is supposed to help in eliminating the mother's genetic defects already in the test tube. The defect lies in so-called mitochondria, the "power houses" of cells. To get rid of defective mitochondria the nucleus of one egg cell has to be transferred to another egg cell bearing intact mitochondria. Scientists now show for the first time that even a few defective mitochondria dragged along in the transfer could cause diseases.

How do bats use swimming pools? Researchers want public help Posted: 16 Jun 2014 05:39 PM PDT As spring turns to summer, many of us enjoy the longer days by lingering on our back porches or sitting by the pool. It's the latter on which researchers are focusing. They would like the public's help in understanding how bats use swimming pools. A nationwide survey is now available online, so if you own, use or manage a swimming pool, you can provide valuable information. Even if you have never seen a bat near your pool, that's important, researchers say.

Quantum biology: Algae evolved to switch quantum coherence on and off Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how algae that survive in very low levels of light are able to switch on and off a weird quantum phenomenon that occurs during photosynthesis. The function in the algae of this quantum effect, known as coherence, remains a mystery, but it is thought it could help them harvest energy from the sun much more efficiently. Working out its role in a living organism could lead to advances such as better organic solar cells.

The games genes play: Algorithm helps explain sex in evolution Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT Computer theorists have identified an algorithm to describe the strategy used by genes during sexual recombination. In doing so, they address the dueling evolutionary forces of survival of the fittest and of diversity. "The key to this work is the making of a connection between three theoretical fields: algorithms, game theory and evolutionary theory," said one researcher. "This new bridge is an uncommon advance that opens up possibilities for cross-fertilization between the fields in the future."

Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost Posted: 16 Jun 2014 12:15 PM PDT A powerful new model to detect life on planets outside of our solar system more accurately than ever before has been developed by researchers. The new model focuses on methane, the simplest organic molecule, widely acknowledged to be a sign of potential life. The new model has been tested and verified by successfully reproducing in detail the way in which the methane in failed stars, called brown dwarfs, absorbs light.

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