ScienceDaily: Quirky - January 15, 2025
Top quirky research news
Engineers have demonstrated a well-known quantum thought experiment in the real world. Their findings deliver a new and more robust way to perform quantum computations and they have important implications for error correction, one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and a working quantum computer.
World's oldest 3D map discovered
Researchers have discovered what may be the world's oldest three-dimensional map, located within a quartzitic sandstone megaclast in the Paris Basin.
Hubble reveals surprising spiral shape of galaxy hosting young jet
The night sky has always played a crucial role in navigation, from early ocean crossings to modern GPS. Besides stars, the United States Navy uses quasars as beacons. Quasars are distant galaxies with supermassive black holes, surrounded by brilliantly hot disks of swirling gas that can blast off jets of material. Following up on the groundbreaking 2020 discovery of newborn jets in a number of quasars, aspiring naval officer Olivia Achenbach of the United States Naval Academy has used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to reveal surprising properties of one of them, quasar J0742+2704.
NASA's Hubble tracks down a 'blue lurker' among stars
The name 'blue lurker' might sound like a villainous character from a superhero movie. But it is a rare class of star that NASA's Hubble Space Telescope explored by looking deeply into the open star cluster M67, roughly 2,800 light-years away.
Atop the Oregon Cascades, team finds a huge buried aquifer
Scientists have mapped the amount of water stored beneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades and found an aquifer many times larger than previously estimated -- at least 81 cubic kilometers. The finding has implications for the way scientists and policymakers think about water in the region -- an increasingly urgent issue across the Western United States as climate change reduces snowpack, intensifies drought and strains limited resources.
DNA nanorobots can alter artificial cells
Scientists have succeeded in controlling the structure and function of biological membranes with the help of 'DNA origami'. The system they developed may facilitate the transportation of large therapeutic loads into cells. This opens up a new way for the targeted administration of medication and other therapeutic interventions. Thus, a very valuable instrument can be added to the toolbox of synthetic biology.
New study unveils breakthrough in understanding cosmic particle accelerators
Scientists have come a step closer to understanding how collisionless shock waves -- found throughout the universe -- are able to accelerate particles to extreme speeds.
Chornobyl dogs' genetic differences not due to mutation
Radiation-induced mutation is unlikely to have induced genetic differences between dog populations in Chornobyl City and the nearby Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
X-ray flashes from a nearby supermassive black hole accelerate mysteriously
Astronomers observed flashes of X-rays coming from a supermassive black hole at a steadily increasing clip. The source could be the core of a dead star that's teetering at the black hole's edge.
A fast-moving belly flop: Researchers unveil the unique skills of cricket frogs
The way cricket frogs move across the surface of water has long been thought to resemble walking on water, but researchers have now discovered a different reality.
New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems
An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period.
'What is that?' Scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights
A whitish, grey patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights has now been explained.
Cleopatra's sister remains missing
anthropologists have analyzed a skull that was found in the ruins of Ephesos (Turkey) in 1929. It was long speculated that it could be the remains of Arsino IV, the sister of the famous Cleopatra. However, the latest anthropological analyses show that the remains are those of a boy between the ages of 11 and 14 who suffered from pathological developmental disorders. His genes point to an origin in Italy or Sardinia.
Revealing the 'true colors' of a single-atom layer of metal alloys
Researchers have demonstrated that the direction of the spin-polarized current can be restricted to only one direction in a single-atom layer of a thallium-lead alloys when irradiated at room temperature. The discovery defies conventions: single-atom layers have been thought to be almost completely transparent, in other words, negligibly absorbing or interacting with light. The one-directional flow of the current observed in this study makes possible functionality beyond ordinary diodes, paving the way for more environmentally friendly data storage, ultra-fine two-dimensional spintronic devices, in the future.
A smart ring with a tiny camera lets users point and click to control home devices
Researchers have developed IRIS, a smart ring that allows users to point and click to control smart devices. The prototype Bluetooth ring contains a small camera which sends an image of the selected device to the user's phone. The user can control the device clicking a small button or -- for devices with gradient controls, such as a speaker's volume -- rotating the ring.
Electric fungi: The biobattery that needs to be fed
A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors for agriculture or research in remote regions. Once the work is done, it digests itself from the inside.
An earful of gill: Evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear
A recent study has uncovered the surprising evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear, linking it to the gills of ancient fish and marine invertebrates. The research reveals that both structures are composed of elastic cartilage and shares gene control elements that hint at their connection. This finding sheds new light on the evolution of the mammalian ear, highlighting how structures can transform over time to serve new functions.
The extreme teeth of sabre-toothed predators were 'optimal' for biting into prey
Sabre-toothed predators -- best know from the infamous Smilodon -- evolved multiple times across different mammal groups. A new study reveals why: these teeth were 'functionally optimal' and highly effective at puncturing prey.
Using robots in nursing homes linked to higher employee retention, better patient care
Facing high employee turnover and an aging population, nursing homes have increasingly turned to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few researchers have explored how these technologies impact workers and the quality of care. A new study on the future of work finds that robot use is associated with increased employment and employee retention, improved productivity and a higher quality of care.
Rethinking population management in zoos
Until now, contraception has been the method of choice for zoos to avoid surplus animals. Researchers are now calling for a paradigm shift: zoos could preserve their breeding populations, raise awareness of conservation challenges and improve animal welfare and their carbon footprint by allowing animals to reproduce naturally and culling surplus animals.
Electrohydraulic wearable devices create unprecedented haptic sensations
Scientists have invented compact wearable devices that deliver rich, expressive, and pleasant tactile sensations that go far beyond the buzzing vibrations of today's consumer devices.
An academic has used drone mapping to investigate a 3000-year-old 'mega fortress' in the Caucasus mountains, revealing details that re-shape understanding of the site and contribute to a global reassessment of ancient settlement growth and urbanism.
Evolutionary biology: Ants can hold a grudge
Evolutionary biologists are investigating the extent to which ants learn from past experiences. After being attacked by ants from a particular nest, ants behave more aggressively towards others from that same nest.
Herbivore or carnivore? A toolbox for the study of extinct reptiles
Evolution has resulted in the development of both herbivores and carnivores -- but how? What type of food did extinct vertebrates eat? And how can we gain insight into the diets of these creatures? In living animals, we can simply observe what they feed on today. In the case of extinct species, however, researchers rely on morphological or chemical information supplied by fossils. A team has now compiled a reference framework of isotope compositions indicating the type of diet for extant reptiles that represents a useful reference dataset to reconstruct the diet of fossil reptiles.