ScienceDaily: Quirky - April 16, 2025
Top quirky research news
AI finds new ways to observe the most extreme events in the universe
Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise detectors are required. Designing them remains a major scientific challenge for humans. Researchers have been working on how an artificial intelligence system could explore an unimaginably vast space of possible designs to find entirely new solutions.
On Jupiter, it's mushballs all the way down
Observations of Jupiter show that ammonia is unevenly distributed in the upper atmosphere, against expectations of uniform mixing. Scientists found evidence for a complicated but apparently real process associated with fierce lightning storms: strong updrafts generate slushy, ice-coated hailstones of ammonia and water that eventually plunge into the planet and deplete areas of ammonia. This is part of the first 3D picture of the planet's atmosphere, which shows storms are primarily shallow.
An elegant method for the detection of single spins using photovoltage
Diamonds with certain optically active defects can be used as highly sensitive sensors or qubits for quantum computers, where the quantum information is stored in the electron spin state of these colour centeres. However, the spin states have to be read out optically, which is often experimentally complex. Now, a team has developed an elegant method using a photo voltage to detect the individual and local spin states of these defects. This could lead to a much more compact design of quantum sensors.
Molten Martian core could explain red planet's magnetic quirks
First ever supercomputer simulations of Mars with a fully molten core could explain the Red Planet's unusual magnetic field. Billions of years ago, Mars had an active magnetic field. Mysteriously, its imprint is strongest in the southern hemisphere. Researchers found that Mars could have produced a one-sided magnetic field with a fully molten core, rather than the traditional, Earth-like solid inner core setup.
Studying how seals adapt to extreme environments could lead to benefits in human reproductive health
Wild animals that have acquired adaptions to maximize their reproductive output in some of the world's most extreme conditions may provide answers to some of the most pressing problems in the field of human reproductive health. A new journal article examines how the study of seals in particular can benefit human health, and synthesizes various research on the topic. Several aspects in the life history of seals that could provide significant insight into their reproductive physiology -- as well as that of humans -- include female seals' ability to undergo lengthy fasting and lose about 30% of their body weight while nursing a pup. Seals also have an exceptional ability to hold their breath for up to two hours in some species for long dives. Additionally, seals have the ability to 'pause' pregnancy, through a process known as embryonic diapause, so they can give birth during benign environmental conditions. In seeking ways to improve human health, we should be looking to the extraordinary feats of wild animals. They have often found the most innovative solutions.
Mysterious atmosphere of 'Rosetta Stone' exoplanet
A new study modeled the chemistry of TOI-270 d, an exoplanet between Earth and Neptune in size, finding evidence that it could be a giant rocky planet shrouded in a thick, hot atmosphere. TOI-270 d is only 73 light years from Earth and could serve as a 'Rosetta Stone' for understanding an entire class of new planets.
A bowling revolution: Modeling the perfect conditions for a strike
Researchers share a model that identifies the optimal location for bowling ball placement. Employing a system of six differential equations derived from Euler's equations for a rotating rigid body, their model creates a plot that shows the best conditions for a strike. The model accounts for a variety factors, including the thin layer of oil applied to bowling lanes, the motion of the subtly asymmetric bowling ball, and a 'miss-room' to allow for human inaccuracies.
Simulate sound in 3D at a finer scale than humans can perceive
Ambisonic rendering is a way to simulate the precise locations of sounds in 3D, and an ambisonics algorithm has allowed researchers to create rich virtual 'soundscapes.'Researchers decided to test the limits of ambisonic sound reproduction through their 'AudioDome' loudspeaker array. Humans' spatial acuity is high in front of our faces but decreases around the sides of our head, and the researchers' experiments obtained very similar results from listeners in the AudioDome, proving that the loudspeaker array can reproduce sound locations at a spatial scale beyond the human limits of perception.
Photonic computing needs more nonlinearity: Acoustics can help
Neural networks are one typical structure on which artificial intelligence can be based. The term neural describes their learning ability, which to some extent mimics the functioning of neurons in our brains. To be able to work, several key ingredients are required: one of them is an activation function which introduces nonlinearity into the structure. A photonic activation function has important advantages for the implementation of optical neural networks based on light propagation. Researchers have now experimentally shown an all-optically controlled activation function based on traveling sound waves. It is suitable for a wide range of optical neural network approaches and allows operation in the so-called synthetic frequency dimension.
Scientists may have solved a puzzling space rock mystery
Researchers may have answered one of space science's long-running questions -- and it could change our understanding of how life began. Carbon-rich asteroids are abundant in space yet make up less than 5 per cent of meteorites found on Earth.
Footprints of tail-clubbed armored dinosaurs found for the first time
Footprints of armored dinosaurs with tail clubs have been identified, following discoveries made in the Canadian Rockies. The 100-million-year-old fossilized footprints were found at sites at both Tumbler Ridge, BC, and northwestern Alberta.
Maximal entanglement sheds new light on particle creation
Physicists have shown that particles produced in collimated sprays called jets retain information about their origins in subatomic particle smashups.
Scientists observe exotic quantum phase once thought impossible
A team of researchers reported the first direct observation of a surprising quantum phenomenon predicted over half a century ago known as a superradiant phase transition, which occurs when two groups of quantum particles begin to fluctuate in a coordinated, collective way without any external trigger, forming a new state of matter.
A fluid battery that can take any shape
Using electrodes in a fluid form, researchers have developed a battery that can take any shape. This soft and conformable battery can be integrated into future technology in a completely new way.
Light that spirals like a nautilus shell
Pushing the limits of structured light, applied physicists report a new type of optical vortex beam that not only twists as it travels but also changes in different parts at different rates to create unique patterns. The way the light behaves resembles spiral shapes common in nature.
From boring to bursting: Giant black hole awakens
Astronomers are investigating the longest and most energetic bursts of X-rays seen from a newly awakened black hole. Watching this strange behavior unfold in real time offers a unique opportunity to learn more about these powerful events and the mysterious behavior of massive black holes.
Our closest neighboring galaxy may be being torn apart
A team has revealed new insights into the motion of massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a small galaxy neighboring the Milky Way. Their findings suggest that the gravitational pull of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the SMC's larger companion, may be tearing the smaller one apart. This discovery reveals a new pattern in the motion of these stars that could transform our understanding of galaxy evolution and interactions.
AI models of the brain could serve as 'digital twins' in research
In a new study, researchers created an AI model of the mouse visual cortex that predicts neuronal responses to visual images.
Sink or Swim: The fate of sinking tectonic plates depends on their ancient tectonic histories
New findings provide a greater understanding of plate subduction, or how tectonic plates slide beneath one another. This recycling of surface materials and volatile elements deep into the Earth's interior, can impact long-term climate stability, atmospheric balance, and the habitability of our planet over billions of years.
Prehistoric rhinos lived in super-herds
Rhinos that flourished across much of North America 12 million years ago gathered in huge herds, according to a new study.
Do 'optimistic' versus 'pessimistic' medical detection dogs perform differently?
A new, exploratory study has revealed statistical links between the performance of medical detection dogs and their scores on behavioral and affective tests, finding that more 'optimistic' dogs tended to perform better overall on detection tasks, but 'pessimistic' dogs had higher scent detection specificity.
Hopping gives this tiny robot a leg up
A hopping, insect-sized robot can jump over gaps or obstacles, traverse rough, slippery, or slanted surfaces, and perform aerial acrobatic maneuvers, while using a fraction of the energy required for flying microbots.
Scientists discover that fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields
While it may be an unfamiliar sensation to humans, electroreception is relatively commonplace in the animal kingdom. Sharks, bees and even the platypus all share this ability to detect electric fields in their environment.
3D-printed open-source robot offers accessible solution for materials synthesis
FLUID, an open-source, 3D-printed robot, offers an affordable and customizable solution for automated material synthesis, making advanced research accessible to more scientists.
With new database researchers may be able to predict rare milky seas bioluminescent, glowing event
Milky seas are a rare bioluminescent phenomenon where vast areas of the ocean glow at night, sometimes for months. This glow, likely caused by Vibrio harveyi bacteria, has been reported by sailors for centuries but remains poorly understood due to its rarity and remote locations, mainly in the Indian Ocean. Researchers have compiled a 400-year database of sightings, using historical records and satellite data, revealing that milky seas are linked to climatic patterns like the Indian Ocean Dipole and El Nino.
Man's best friend may be nature's worst enemy, study on pet dogs suggests
New research into the overlooked environmental impact of pet dogs has found far-reaching negative effects on wildlife, ecosystems and climate.
Scientists complete largest wiring diagram and functional map of the brain to date
From a tiny sample of tissue no larger than a grain of sand, scientists have come within reach of a goal once thought unattainable: building a complete functional wiring diagram of a portion of the brain.
Mediterranean hunter gatherers navigated long-distance sea journeys well before the first farmers
Evidence shows that hunter-gatherers were crossing at least 100 kilometers (km) of open water to reach the Mediterranean island of Malta 8,500 years ago, a thousand years before the arrival of the first farmers.
Mammoth genetic diversity throughout the last million years
A new genomic study has uncovered long-lost genetic diversity in mammoth lineages spanning over a million years, providing new insights into the evolutionary history of these animals.
8 million years of 'Green Arabia'
A new study reveals the modern arid desert between Africa and Saudi Arabia was once regularly lush and green with rivers and lakes over a period of 8 million years, allowing for the occupation and movements of both animals and hominins.