ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Not much force: Researchers detect smallest force ever measured
• The shocking truth about electric fish: Genomic basis for the convergent evolution of electric organs
• Foul exhaust fumes derail dinner for hungry moths
• Ask the crowd: Robots learn faster, better with online helpers
• Controlling body movement with light: Neuroscientists inhibit muscle contractions by shining light on spinal cord neurons
• Cheap and enviromentally friendly: Tofu ingredient could revolutionize solar panel manufacture
• LEGO bricks turned into scientific tool to study plant growth
• Chimps like listening to music with a different beat
• We speak as we feel, we feel as we speak
• To avoid interbreeding, monkeys have undergone evolution in facial appearance
• Increased nearsightedness linked to higher education levels and more years spent in school
• 'Nanosubmarine' designed that delivers complementary molecules inside cells
• People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report
• Automatic cutting of boring parts from long videos
• Music can help neuroscience: Detecting patterns in neuronal dendrite spines by translating them into music
• Some dogs could see a kennel stay as exciting
• Skyscraper Tetris game sets new world record
• New technology: The goose bump sensor
• A new spider species from Mexico uses soil particles for camouflage

Not much force: Researchers detect smallest force ever measured Posted: 26 Jun 2014 12:09 PM PDT Researchers have detected the smallest force ever measured -- approximately 42 yoctonewtons -- using a unique optical trapping system that provides ultracold atoms. A yoctonewton is one septillionth of a newton.

The shocking truth about electric fish: Genomic basis for the convergent evolution of electric organs Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have found how the electric fish's jolt evolved. Biologists identified the regulatory molecules involved in the genetic and developmental pathways that electric fish have used to convert a simple muscle into an organ capable of generating a potent electrical field.

Foul exhaust fumes derail dinner for hungry moths Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:10 AM PDT In new research on how pollinators find flowers when background odors are strong, researchers have found that both natural plant odors and human sources of pollution can conceal the scent of sought-after flowers. Car and truck exhaust fumes that foul the air for humans also cause problems for pollinators.

Ask the crowd: Robots learn faster, better with online helpers Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:20 AM PDT Sometimes it takes a village to teach a robot. Computer scientists have shown that crowdsourcing can be a quick and effective way to teach a robot how to complete tasks. Instead of learning from just one human, robots could one day query the larger online community, asking for instructions or input on the best way to set the table or water the garden.

Controlling body movement with light: Neuroscientists inhibit muscle contractions by shining light on spinal cord neurons Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:20 AM PDT Neuroscientists report that they can inhibit muscle contractions by shining light on spinal cord neurons. The researchers studied mice in which a light-sensitive protein that promotes neural activity was inserted into a subset of spinal neurons. When the researchers shone blue light on the animals' spinal cords, their hind legs were completely but reversibly immobilized. The findings offer a new approach to studying the complex spinal circuits that coordinate movement and sensory processing, the researchers say.

Cheap and enviromentally friendly: Tofu ingredient could revolutionize solar panel manufacture Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:18 AM PDT The chemical used to make tofu and bath salts could also replace a highly toxic and expensive substance used to make solar cells, a new study has revealed. Cadmium chloride is currently a key ingredient in solar cell technology used in millions of solar panels around the world. This soluble compound is highly toxic and expensive to produce, requiring elaborate safety measures to protect workers during manufacture and then specialist disposal when panels are no longer needed.

LEGO bricks turned into scientific tool to study plant growth Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:17 AM PDT Engineers are using LEGO bricks to build controlled environments to study how variations in climate and soil affect plant growth. They say LEGO bricks "are highly convenient and versatile building blocks" for the studies. While looking for a way to study plant and root growth that was simple, inexpensive and flexible -- something that allowed experiments to be reproduced all over the world, even in labs without the latest technologies or the infrastructure required for plant science or agronomy research -- researchers thought of LEGO bricks. And it worked.

Chimps like listening to music with a different beat Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:16 AM PDT While preferring silence to music from the West, chimpanzees apparently like to listen to the different rhythms of music from Africa and India, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

We speak as we feel, we feel as we speak Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:57 AM PDT Ground-breaking experiments have been conduced to uncover the links between language and emotions. Researchers were able to demonstrate that the articulation of vowels systematically influences our feelings and vice versa. The authors concluded that it would seem that language users learn that the articulation of 'i' sounds is associated with positive feelings and thus make use of corresponding words to describe positive circumstances. The opposite applies to the use of 'o' sounds.

To avoid interbreeding, monkeys have undergone evolution in facial appearance Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT Old World monkeys have undergone a remarkable evolution in facial appearance as a way of avoiding interbreeding with closely related and geographically proximate species, researchers have found. Their research provides the best evidence to date for the role of visual cues as a barrier to breeding across species.

Increased nearsightedness linked to higher education levels and more years spent in school Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT Researchers have found strong evidence that attaining a higher level of education and spending more years in school are two factors associated with a greater prevalence and severity of nearsightedness, or myopia. The research is the first population-based study to demonstrate that environmental factors may outweigh genetics in the development of myopia.

'Nanosubmarine' designed that delivers complementary molecules inside cells Posted: 25 Jun 2014 05:19 PM PDT Nanoparticles that under the right conditions, self-assemble -- trapping complementary guest molecules within their structure -- have been recently created by scientists. Like tiny submarines, these versatile nanocarriers can navigate in the watery environment surrounding cells and transport their guest molecules through the membrane of living cells to sequentially deliver their cargo.

People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:49 PM PDT Patients with persistent ringing in the ears -- a condition known as tinnitus -- process emotions differently in the brain from those with normal hearing, researchers report. Tinnitus afflicts 50 million people in the United States, and causes those with the condition to hear noises that aren't really there. These phantom sounds are not speech, but rather whooshing noises, train whistles, cricket noises or whines. Their severity often varies day to day.

Automatic cutting of boring parts from long videos Posted: 25 Jun 2014 10:24 AM PDT Smartphones, GoPro cameras and Google Glass are making it easy for anyone to shoot video anywhere. But, they do not make it any easier to watch the tedious videos that can result. Computer scientists, however, have invented a video highlighting technique that can automatically pick out the good parts.

Music can help neuroscience: Detecting patterns in neuronal dendrite spines by translating them into music Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:14 AM PDT Scientists have analyzed morphological features extracted from dendritic spines of brain neurons to detect patterns in their distribution. Then a software tool was developed in order to convert these features into musical notes. This new technique will be able to explore new hypothesis to understand how human brain works and also search for new solutions to fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy and Parkinson's.

Some dogs could see a kennel stay as exciting Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:13 AM PDT New research suggests that dogs who spend a short time in boarding kennels may not find it unduly stressful and could in fact find the change of scenery exciting.

Skyscraper Tetris game sets new world record Posted: 24 Jun 2014 10:57 AM PDT Frank Lee has officially outdone himself. The man behind this spring's giant game of Tetris® --played on the north and south sides of Brandywine Realty Trust's Cira Centre skyscraper-- replaced his own name in the Guinness World Records ledger as the creator of the world's "largest architectural videogame display."

New technology: The goose bump sensor Posted: 24 Jun 2014 10:56 AM PDT Imagine a world in which a consumer's real-time physical and emotional response helped to determine his/her experience of music, online ads or the temperature in the room. That may not be so far away -- a team of researchers has developed a flexible, wearable 20mm x 20mm polymer sensor that can directly measure the degree and occurrence of goose bumps, caused by sudden changes in body temperature or emotional states.

A new spider species from Mexico uses soil particles for camouflage Posted: 23 Jun 2014 09:04 AM PDT Scientists discover and describe a new species of spider from Mexico. The new species belongs to the enigmatic family Paratropididae that is distinguished by representatives who possess unique camouflaging abilities.

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