ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers
• Evolution of snake courtship and combat behavior
• Eyeless Mexican cavefish eliminate circadian rhythm to save energy
• Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae
• Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor
• Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows
• Buffet pricing affects satisfaction of food
• False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules
• Surgeon employs novel technique using cadaver meniscus to reconstruct finger joints
• 'Univofutah': Asteroid named for University of Utah
• Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows
• Facial masculinity not always a telling factor in mate selection

Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains, according to new research. People who frequently use several media devices at the same time have lower grey-matter density in one particular region of the brain compared to those who use just one device occasionally.

Evolution of snake courtship and combat behavior Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT A small study suggests snakes may have developed courtship and male-to-male combat behavior, such as moving undulations, neck biting, and spur-poking, over time.

Eyeless Mexican cavefish eliminate circadian rhythm to save energy Posted: 24 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT The Mexican tetra fish has two variants, a fully-eyed fish living close to the surface and a blind, deep water, cave-dwelling fish. Scientists in this study used these two fish to study evolutionary adaptation in fish residing in near or total darkness.

Most metal-poor star hints at universe's first supernovae Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT In a new study, researchers point out that the elemental abundance of the most iron-poor star can be explained by elements ejected from supernova explosions of the universe's first stars. This reveals that massive stars, which are several tens of times more immense than the Sun, were present among the first stars.

Clear skies on exo-Neptune: Smallest exoplanet ever found to have water vapor Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered clear skies and steamy water vapor on a planet outside our Solar System. The planet, known as HAT-P-11b, is about the size of Neptune, making it the smallest exoplanet ever on which water vapor has been detected.

Skin coloring of rhesus macaque monkeys linked to breeding success, new study shows Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT Skin color displayed amongst one species of monkey provides a key indicator of how successfully they will breed, a new study has shown. The collaborative international research also shows that skin coloration in male and female rhesus macaques is an inherited quality -- the first example of heritability for a sexually-selected trait to be described in any mammal.

Buffet pricing affects satisfaction of food Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:36 AM PDT Does the price you pay at a buffet influence how much you like the food? Surprisingly, yes, say researchers. A new study found that when charged more for an all-you-can-eat buffet diners rated the food higher than when charged less for the same food.

False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Our tendency to create false memories could be related to our ability to learn rules according to new research. New research suggests that individuals who are particularly good at learning rules and classifying objects by common properties are also particularly prone to false memory illusions.

Surgeon employs novel technique using cadaver meniscus to reconstruct finger joints Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Artist Joost van Oss was chopping wood a few years ago when he injured the middle knuckle on his right hand. The intense pain and swelling that followed nearly ended his career as a painter and a sculptor. But thanks to a novel surgery using knee meniscus from a cadaver to reconstruct his finger joint, he's back to cooking, sailing, painting and sculpting – all pain free.

'Univofutah': Asteroid named for University of Utah Posted: 23 Sep 2014 01:11 PM PDT What's rocky, about a mile wide, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and poses no threat to Earth? An asteroid named "Univofutah" after the University of Utah. Discovered on Sept. 8, 2008, by a longtime Utah astronomy educator, the asteroid also known as 391795 (2008 RV77) this month was renamed Univofutah by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Insects' fear limits boost from climate change, study shows Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Scientists often measure the effects of temperature on insects to predict how climate change will affect their distribution and abundance, but a new study shows, for the first time, that insects' fear of their predators, in addition to temperature, ultimately limits how fast they grow.

Facial masculinity not always a telling factor in mate selection Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:27 AM PDT Women living where rates of infectious disease are high, according to theory, prefer men with faces that shout testosterone when choosing a mate. However, an international study says that may not be true.

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