ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Carbon monoxide predicts 'red and dead' future of gas guzzler galaxy
• Planet Mercury a result of early hit-and-run collisions
• Something is amiss in the Universe: Cosmic accounting reveals missing light crisis
• Transparent two-sided touchable display wall developed
• When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters
• Olfactory receptors in the skin: Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing, skin regeneration
• Collisions with robots, without risk of injury
• Contradictory findings about effect of full moon on sleep

Carbon monoxide predicts 'red and dead' future of gas guzzler galaxy Posted: 08 Jul 2014 02:32 PM PDT Astronomers have studied the carbon monoxide in a galaxy over 12 billion light years from Earth and discovered that it's running out of gas, quite literally, and headed for a 'red and dead' future. The galaxy, known as ALESS65, was observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in 2011 and is one of fewer than 20 known distant galaxies to contain carbon monoxide.

Planet Mercury a result of early hit-and-run collisions Posted: 08 Jul 2014 12:39 PM PDT New simulations show that Mercury and other unusually metal-rich objects in the solar system may be relics left behind by hit-and-run collisions in the early solar system. The origin of planet Mercury has been a difficult question in planetary science because its composition is very different from that of the other terrestrial planets and the moon.

Something is amiss in the Universe: Cosmic accounting reveals missing light crisis Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:17 AM PDT Something is amiss in the Universe. There appears to be an enormous deficit of ultraviolet light in the cosmic budget. The vast reaches of empty space between galaxies are bridged by tendrils of hydrogen and helium, which can be used as a precise 'light meter.' In a recent study a team of scientists finds that the light from known populations of galaxies and quasars is not nearly enough to explain observations of intergalactic hydrogen. The difference is a stunning 400 percent.

Transparent two-sided touchable display wall developed Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Scientists have recently developed TransWall, a two-sided, touchable, and transparent display wall that greatly enhances users' interpersonal experiences. With an incorporated surface transducer, TransWall offers audio and vibrotactile feedback to the users. As a result, people can collaborate via a shared see-through display and communicate with one another by talking or even touching one another through the wall.

When faced with some sugars, bacteria can be picky eaters Posted: 08 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Researchers have found for the first time that genetically identical strains of bacteria can respond very differently to the presence of sugars and other organic molecules in the environment, with some individual bacteria devouring the sugars and others ignoring it. "While this is the first time we've seen such divergent behavior from bacteria regarding sugars, it's consistent with 'bet-hedging' behaviors that have been reported for bacteria in other contexts," said one researcher. "Bet hedging means that at least some of the bacteria will survive when faced with new environments."

Olfactory receptors in the skin: Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing, skin regeneration Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:25 AM PDT Skin cells possess an olfactory receptor for sandalwood scent, researchers have discovered. This data indicate that the cell proliferation increases and wound healing improves if those receptors are activated. This mechanism constitutes a possible starting point for new drugs and cosmetics.

Collisions with robots, without risk of injury Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:25 AM PDT Teamwork between humans and robots will be the motto of the future. But robots may not injure humans at all. When does contact cause an injury, though? Researchers are exploring this for the first time in a study.

Contradictory findings about effect of full moon on sleep Posted: 08 Jul 2014 06:21 AM PDT According to folklore, the full moon affects human sleep. International researchers are trying to determine whether there is any truth to the belief. Studies have found that people actually sleep 20 minutes less when the moon is full, take five minutes longer to fall asleep and experience 30 minutes more of REM sleep, during which most dreaming is believed to occur.

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