ScienceDaily: Quirky - December 04, 2024
Top quirky research news
Deep-sea marvels: How anglerfish defy evolutionary expectations
A groundbreaking study sheds light on the extraordinary evolution of anglerfish, a group of deep-sea dwellers whose bizarre adaptations have captivated scientists and the public alike. The research uncovers how these enigmatic creatures defied the odds to diversify in the harsh, resource-poor environment of the bathypelagic zone -- part of the open ocean that extends from 3,300 to 13,000 feet below the ocean's surface.
Image: Kan Sukarakan/Shutterstock.com
Training AI through human interactions instead of datasets
Researchers have developed a platform to help AI learn to perform complex tasks more like humans. Called 'GUIDE,' it works by allowing humans to observe AI's actions in real-time and provide ongoing, nuanced feedback. Rather than relying on huge datasets, human trainers offer detailed guidance that fosters incremental improvements and deeper understanding. In its debut study, GUIDE helps AI learn how best to play hide-and-seek.
Tiny dancers: Scientists synchronize bacterial motion
Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronize their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered circular cavities and coupling these cavities through narrow channels, the team observed coordinated bacterial motion. These findings have potential applications in engineering controllable biological oscillator networks.
Scientists identify brain cell type as master controller of urination
Researchers have identified a subset of brain cells in mice that act as the master regulators of urination.
Controlling matter at the atomic level
Physicists are getting closer to controlling single-molecule chemical reactions -- could this shape the future of pharmaceutical research?
New planet in Kepler-51 system discovered using James Webb Space Telescope
An unusual planetary system with three known ultra-low density 'super-puff' planets has at least one more planet, according to new observations.
Insect fossil find 'extremely rare'
Newly discovered insect fossils are so small they can barely be seen by the human eye but have been preserved in an 'extraordinary' way.
Feeding grazing cattle seaweed cuts methane emissions by almost 40%
Scientists find making a seaweed additive more accessible to grazing cattle reduces methane emissions 40% and could make cattle farming more sustainable.
Innovative robot navigation inspired by brain function boosts efficiency and accuracy
A research team has taken inspiration from the brains of insects and animals for more energy-efficient robotic navigation.
Researchers demonstrate self-assembling electronics
Researchers have demonstrated a new technique for self-assembling electronic devices. The proof-of-concept work was used to create diodes and transistors, and paves the way for self-assembling more complex electronic devices without relying on existing computer chip manufacturing techniques.
Evidence of primordial black holes may be hiding in planets, or even everyday objects here on Earth
A theoretical study suggests that small black holes born in the early universe may have left behind hollow planetoids and microscopic tunnels, and that we should start looking within rocks and old buildings for them. The research proposes thinking both big and small to confirm the existence of primordial black holes, suggesting that their signatures could range from very large -- hollow planetoids in space -- to minute -- microscopic tunnels in everyday materials found on Earth, like rocks, metal and glass.
'Spooky action' at a very short distance: Scientists map out quantum entanglement in protons
Scientists have a new way to use data from high-energy particle smashups to peer inside protons. Their approach uses quantum information science to map out how particle tracks streaming from electron-proton collisions are influenced by quantum entanglement inside the proton. The results reveal that quarks and gluons, the fundamental building blocks that make up a proton's structure, are subject to so-called quantum entanglement.
Scientists have invented a liquid ink that doctors can print onto a patient's scalp to measure brain activity. The technology offers a promising alternative to the cumbersome process currently used for monitoring brainwaves and diagnosing neurological conditions. It also has the potential to enhance non-invasive brain-computer interface applications.
Physics experiment proves patterns in chaos in peculiar quantum realm
Where do you see patterns in chaos? It has now been demonstrated in the incredibly tiny quantum realm. Researchers detail an experiment that confirms a theory first put forth 40 years ago stating that electrons confined in quantum space would move along common paths rather than producing a chaotic jumble of trajectories.
Smallest walking robot makes microscale measurements
Researchers have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move independently, so that it can maneuver to specific locations -- in a tissue sample, for instance -- to take images and measure forces at the scale of some of the body's smallest structures.
Early North Americans made needles from fur-bearers
Paleoindians at Wyoming's LaPrele mammoth site made needles from the bones of fur-bearers, likely to creat garments from the animals' furs to keep warm in a cool climate.
Innovative nanostructures pave the way for advanced robotics -- and mini dinosaurs
Using 'DNA origami' scientists have built innovative nanostructures that pave the way for advanced robotics that can deliver targeted drugs -- plus they made a tiny map of Australia and mini dinosaurs.
'Genetic time machine' reveals complex chimpanzee cultures
Chimpanzees are known for their remarkable intelligence and use of tools, but could their cultures also evolve over time like human cultures? A new, multidisciplinary study suggests that some of their most advanced behaviors may have been passed down and refined through generations.
Fossil dung reveals clues to dinosaur success story
Researchers have been able to identify undigested food remains, plants and prey in the fossilized feces of dinosaurs. These analyses of hundreds of samples provide clues about the role dinosaurs played in the ecosystem around 200 million years ago.