ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Best way to rid a garden of pesky snails? Use your strong throwing arm
• Understanding biomechanics behind amazing ant strength opens door to advanced robotics
• Pregnant women respond to music with stronger physiological changes in blood pressure
• Professors' super waterproof surfaces cause water to bounce like a ball
• Engineers build world's smallest, fastest nanomotor: Can fit inside a single cell
• Stem cells as future source for eco-friendly meat
• Mars mineral could be linked to microbes
• Fairy circles apparently not created by termites after all
• Border collies chase away beach contamination by chasing away gulls

Best way to rid a garden of pesky snails? Use your strong throwing arm Posted: 20 May 2014 11:12 AM PDT The new study has used statistical models to show that simply killing the snails you find in your garden offers little advantage if you want to remove them completely. According to the researchers gardeners should revert to damage limitation, as their results proved that snails are part of larger colonies that live in the garden and come and go as they please using a homing instinct. A total of 416 snails were marked and thrown over the wall 1385 times during the study.

Understanding biomechanics behind amazing ant strength opens door to advanced robotics Posted: 20 May 2014 10:32 AM PDT A recent study into the biomechanics of the necks of ants -- a common insect that can amazingly lift objects many times heavier than its own body -- might unlock one of nature's little mysteries and, quite possibly, open the door to advancements in robotic engineering.

Pregnant women respond to music with stronger physiological changes in blood pressure Posted: 20 May 2014 09:35 AM PDT Pregnant women, compared to their non-pregnant counterparts, rate music as more intensely pleasant and unpleasant, associated with greater changes in blood pressure, a study has demonstrated. Music appears to have an especially strong influence on pregnant women, a fact that may relate to a prenatal conditioning of the fetus to music.

Professors' super waterproof surfaces cause water to bounce like a ball Posted: 20 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT Engineers have spent decades studying super-hydrophobic surfaces because of the plethora of real-life applications. And while some of this research has resulted in commercial products that keep shoes dry or prevent oil from building up on bolts, scientists are also aiming to uncovering characteristics that might lead to large-scale solutions for society.

Engineers build world's smallest, fastest nanomotor: Can fit inside a single cell Posted: 20 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT Engineers have built the fastest, smallest and longest-running nanomotor to date. The nanomotor is capable of drug delivery on a nanoscale. One day, nanomotors could lead to the development of tiny devices that seek out and treat cancer cells.

Stem cells as future source for eco-friendly meat Posted: 20 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT The scientific progress that has made it possible to dream of a future in which faulty organs could be regrown from stem cells also holds potential as an ethical and greener source for meat. So say scientists who suggest that every town or village could one day have its very own small-scale, cultured meat factory.

Mars mineral could be linked to microbes Posted: 20 May 2014 07:05 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that living organisms on Earth were capable of making a mineral that may also be found on Mars. Scientists had believed deposits of the clay-mineral stevensite could only be formed in harsh conditions like volcanic lava and hot alkali lakes. However researchers have now found living microbes create an environment that allows stevensite to form, raising new questions about the stevensite found on Mars.

Fairy circles apparently not created by termites after all Posted: 20 May 2014 06:35 AM PDT For several decades scientists have been trying to come up with an explanation for the formation of the enigmatic, vegetation-free circles frequently found in certain African grassland regions. Now researchers have tested different prevailing hypotheses as to their respective plausibility. For the first time they have carried out a detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of these fairy circles – and discovered a remarkably regular and spatially comprehensive homogenous distribution pattern. This may best be explained by way of reference to local resource-competition for water among plants and vegetation, the team now reports.

Border collies chase away beach contamination by chasing away gulls Posted: 19 May 2014 10:48 AM PDT Border collies are effective at reducing gull congregation on recreational beaches, resulting in lower E. coli abundance in the sand. Gull droppings may be one source of the indicator bacterium Escherichia coli to beach water, which can lead to swim advisories and beach closings. In addition, gull droppings may contain bacteria with the potential to cause human disease, according to a researcher.

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., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610