ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Neuroeconomists confirm Warren Buffett's wisdom: Brain research suggests an early warning signal tips off smart traders
• Mathematical model illustrates our online 'copycat' behavior
• World's biggest-ever flying bird discovered: Twice as big as the royal albatross
• Infant toenails reveal in utero exposure to low-level arsenic, study finds
• Rats use their whiskers in a similar way to how humans use their hands and fingers
• Solid-state physics: Consider the 'anticrystal'
• Why 'whispers' among bees sometimes evolve into 'shouts'
• Supermassive black hole blows molecular gas out of a galaxy at one million kilometers per hour
• College athletes with abusive coaches more willing to cheat
• Viruses use 'fake' proteins to hide in our cells
• Small, but plentiful: How the faintest galaxies illuminated the early universe
• 'Unloved' pseudogenes may provide clearer understanding of biomarkers
• 'Nanojuice' could improve how doctors examine the gut
• Headbanging: Doctors highlight potential dangers at hardcore rock 'n' roll acts

Neuroeconomists confirm Warren Buffett's wisdom: Brain research suggests an early warning signal tips off smart traders Posted: 07 Jul 2014 12:25 PM PDT Investment magnate Warren Buffett has famously suggested that investors should try to 'be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy only when others are fearful.' That turns out to be excellent advice, according to the results of a new study that looked at the brain activity and behavior of people trading in experimental markets where price bubbles formed.

Mathematical model illustrates our online 'copycat' behavior Posted: 07 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT Researchers examined how users are influenced in the choice of apps that they install on their Facebook pages by creating a mathematical model to capture the dynamics at play.

World's biggest-ever flying bird discovered: Twice as big as the royal albatross Posted: 07 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found. With an estimated 20- to 24-foot wingspan, the creature surpassed the previous record holder -- an extinct bird named Argentavis magnificens -- and was twice as big as the royal albatross, the largest flying bird today. Computer simulations show that the bird's long slender wings helped it stay aloft despite its enormous size.

Infant toenails reveal in utero exposure to low-level arsenic, study finds Posted: 07 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Infant toenails are a reliable way to estimate arsenic exposure before birth, a study shows. A growing body of evidence suggests that in utero and early-life exposure to arsenic may have detrimental effects on children, even at the low to moderate levels common in the United States and elsewhere. The fetus starts to develop toenails during the first trimester, making them an accurate measure of exposure to arsenic during the entire gestation.

Rats use their whiskers in a similar way to how humans use their hands and fingers Posted: 07 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT The way rats use their whiskers is more similar to how humans use their hands and fingers than previously thought, new research has found. Rats deliberately change how they sense their environment using their facial whiskers depending on whether the environment is novel, if there is a risk of collision and whether or not they can see where they are going.

Solid-state physics: Consider the 'anticrystal' Posted: 07 Jul 2014 10:43 AM PDT For the last century, the concept of crystals has been a mainstay of solid-state physics. Crystals are paragons of order; crystalline materials are defined by the repeating patterns their constituent atoms and molecules make. Physicists now have evidence that a new concept should undergird our understanding of most materials: the anticrystal, a theoretical solid that is completely disordered.

Why 'whispers' among bees sometimes evolve into 'shouts' Posted: 07 Jul 2014 10:43 AM PDT Let's say you're a bee and you've spotted a new and particularly lucrative source of nectar and pollen. What's the best way to communicate the location of this prize cache of food to the rest of your nestmates without revealing it to competitors, or 'eavesdropping' spies, outside of the colony? One risky way is to "shout" to warn would-be competitors that their prime source of food will be fiercely defended if they show up to the site.

Supermassive black hole blows molecular gas out of a galaxy at one million kilometers per hour Posted: 07 Jul 2014 09:14 AM PDT New research has solved a long-standing mystery surrounding the evolution of galaxies, deepening our understanding of the future of the Milky Way. The supermassive black holes in the cores of some galaxies drive massive outflows of molecular hydrogen gas. As a result, most of the cold gas is expelled from the galaxies. Since cold gas is required to form new stars, this directly affects the galaxies' evolution.

College athletes with abusive coaches more willing to cheat Posted: 07 Jul 2014 07:34 AM PDT College athletes who have abusive coaches are more willing to cheat in order to win than players with more ethical coaches, according to new research based on surveys from almost 20,000 student athletes at more than 600 colleges across the country. Men's teams were much more willing to cheat than women's teams, according to the study, and men's football, basketball and baseball teams reported the highest willingness to cheat at large universities where players are often under intense pressure to win.

Viruses use 'fake' proteins to hide in our cells Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:27 AM PDT Some viruses can hide in our bodies for decades and make 'fake' human proteins that trick our immune cells into believing nothing is wrong. Now researchers have determined the basic structure of one of the two known families of these deceptive proteins.

Small, but plentiful: How the faintest galaxies illuminated the early universe Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:24 AM PDT Astronomers investigating the behavior of the universe shortly after the Big Bang have made a surprising discovery: the properties of the early universe are determined by the smallest galaxies.

'Unloved' pseudogenes may provide clearer understanding of biomarkers Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:23 AM PDT Pseudogenes: dysfunctional, unloved and seemingly of little use, these poor-cousin relatives of genes have lost their protein-coding abilities. They contain material not essential for an organism's survival and are the "last stop" for removal of genomic waste. Now, however, the science of pseudogene expression analysis may very well play a key role in explaining how cancer occurs by helping medical experts in the discovery of new biomarkers, researchers report.

'Nanojuice' could improve how doctors examine the gut Posted: 06 Jul 2014 12:33 PM PDT A new imaging technique involving nanoparticles suspended in liquid to form 'nanojuice' that patients would drink holds promise for the examination of the gut. Upon reaching the small intestine, doctors would strike the nanoparticles with a harmless laser light, providing an unparalleled, non-invasive, real-time view of the organ.

Headbanging: Doctors highlight potential dangers at hardcore rock 'n' roll acts Posted: 04 Jul 2014 10:48 AM PDT German doctors highlight the potential dangers surrounding headbanging. Authors detail the case of a man who developed a chronic subdural haematoma after headbanging at a Motörhead concert. "This case serves as evidence in support of Motörhead's reputation as one of the most hardcore rock'n'roll acts on earth, if nothing else because of their music's contagious speed drive and the hazardous potential for headbanging fans to suffer brain injury," authors conclude.

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