ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Researchers control surface tension to manipulate liquid metals
• 'Femme fatale' emerald ash borer decoy lures, kills males
• Early Earth less 'Hellish' than previously thought
• Strategic self-sabotage? MRSA inhibits its own growth
• Like my body odor, like my politics: People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs
• If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?
• Largest ever study of awareness during general anesthesia identifies risk factors and consequences
• Run, cheetah, run: New algorithm enables cheetah robot to run and jump, untethered, across grass
• Scientists come closer to the industrial synthesis of a material harder than diamond
• The science behind swimming: From whales to larvae, common principles at work in swimming
• Martian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars
• How an ancient vertebrate uses familiar tools to build a strange-looking head
• Healing power of 'rib-tickling' found by researchers
• Extreme insect: Genetic analysis of a species of African midge that can survive harsh conditions
• Boosting armor for nuclear-waste eating microbes
• Networking can make some feel 'dirty,' says new study

Researchers control surface tension to manipulate liquid metals Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:39 PM PDT Researchers have developed a technique for controlling the surface tension of liquid metals by applying very low voltages, opening the door to a new generation of reconfigurable electronic circuits, antennas and other technologies.

'Femme fatale' emerald ash borer decoy lures, kills males Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:38 PM PDT An international team of researchers has designed decoys that mimic female emerald ash borer beetles and successfully entice male emerald ash borers to land on them in an attempt to mate, only to be electrocuted and killed by high-voltage current. "Our new decoy and electrocution process may be useful in managing what the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service claims to be the most destructive forest pest ever seen in North America," said one expert.

Early Earth less 'Hellish' than previously thought Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT Conditions on Earth during its first 500 million years may have been cool enough to form oceans of water instead of being too hot for life to form. This alternate view of Earth's first geologic eon, called the Hadean, has gained substantial new support from the first detailed comparison of zircon crystals that formed more than 4 billion years ago with those formed contemporaneously in Iceland, which has been proposed as a possible geological analog for early Earth.

Strategic self-sabotage? MRSA inhibits its own growth Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT A bacterial mystery has finally been uncovered. Against all logic, the most predominant strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in North American produces an enzyme that degrades skin secretions into compounds that are toxic to itself.

Like my body odor, like my politics: People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs Posted: 15 Sep 2014 09:08 AM PDT A new study reveals that people find the smell of others with similar political opinions to be attractive, suggesting that one of the reasons why so many spouses share similar political views is because they were initially and subconsciously attracted to each other's body odor.

If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands? Posted: 15 Sep 2014 09:07 AM PDT There is no published account where hippopotamuses are demonstrably shown swimming or floating at the surface of any body of water. But if they can't swim, how did they reach and colonize islands?

Largest ever study of awareness during general anesthesia identifies risk factors and consequences Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:45 AM PDT Accidental awareness is one of the most feared complications of general anesthesia for both patients and anesthetists. Patients report this failure of general anesthesia in approximately 1 in every 19,000 cases, according to a new report. Known as accidental awareness during general anesthesia, it occurs when general anesthesia is intended but the patient remains conscious. This incidence of patient reports of awareness is much lower than previous estimates of awareness, which were as high as 1 in 600.

Run, cheetah, run: New algorithm enables cheetah robot to run and jump, untethered, across grass Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:45 AM PDT Speed and agility are hallmarks of the cheetah: The big predator is the fastest land animal on Earth, able to accelerate to 60 mph in just a few seconds. As it ramps up to top speed, a cheetah pumps its legs in tandem, bounding until it reaches a full gallop.

Scientists come closer to the industrial synthesis of a material harder than diamond Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method for the synthesis of an ultrahard material that exceeds diamond in hardness. The material is an ultrahard fullerite, a polymer composed of fullerenes, or spherical molecules made of carbon atoms.

The science behind swimming: From whales to larvae, common principles at work in swimming Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Using simple hydrodynamics, a team of researchers was able to show that a handful of principles govern how virtually every animal -- from the tiniest fish to birds to gigantic whales propel themselves though the water.

Martian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old is helping to make the case for the possibility of life on Mars, say scientists. The finding are of a 'cell-like' structure, which investigators now know once held water.

How an ancient vertebrate uses familiar tools to build a strange-looking head Posted: 14 Sep 2014 01:02 PM PDT New research reveals that the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, a survivor of ancient jawless vertebrates, exhibits a pattern of gene expression that is reminiscent of its jawed cousins, which evolved much, much later.

Healing power of 'rib-tickling' found by researchers Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT Unlike salamanders, mammals can't regenerate lost limbs, but they can repair large sections of their ribs. In a new study, a team of researchers takes a closer look at rib regeneration in both humans and mice.

Extreme insect: Genetic analysis of a species of African midge that can survive harsh conditions Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:13 AM PDT Scientists have completed the genetic analysis on a species of African midge, which can survive a wide array of extreme conditions including large variations in temperature, extreme drought and even airless vacuums such as space. The team successfully deciphered the genetic mechanism that makes the midge invulnerable to these harsh conditions.

Boosting armor for nuclear-waste eating microbes Posted: 12 Sep 2014 06:51 PM PDT A microbe developed to clean up nuclear waste has just been improved. In earlier research, Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist identified that Geobacter bacteria's tiny conductive hair-like appendages, or pili, did the yeoman's share of remediation. By increasing the strength of the pili nanowires, she improved their ability to clean up uranium and other toxic wastes.

Networking can make some feel 'dirty,' says new study Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:05 AM PDT If schmoozing for work leaves you with a certain 'ick' factor, that's not just awkwardness you're feeling. Professional networking can create feelings of moral impurity and physical dirtiness, shows a new study.

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