ScienceDaily: Quirky - March 26, 2025
Top quirky research news
Why don't we remember being a baby? New study provides clues
Though we learn so much during our first years of life, we can't, as adults, remember specific events from that time. Researchers have long believed we don't hold onto these experiences because the part of the brain responsible for saving memories -- the hippocampus -- is still developing well into adolescence and just can't encode memories in our earliest years. But new research finds evidence that's not the case. In a study, researchers showed infants new images and later tested whether they remembered them. When an infant's hippocampus was more active upon seeing an image the first time, they were more likely to appear to recognize that image later. The findings indicate that memories can indeed be encoded in our brains in our first years of life. And the researchers are now looking into what happens to those memories over time.
Postpartum female preference for cooler temperatures linked to brain changes
Mothers experience major metabolic adaptations during pregnancy and lactation to support the development and growth of the new life. Although many metabolic changes have been studied, body temperature regulation and environmental temperature preference during and after pregnancy remain poorly understood. Researchers show that postpartum female mice develop new environmental temperature preferences and reveal brain changes mediating these changes.
Researchers presented advances shaping the world of forensics, from research that could improve how forensic scientists estimate a person's age at death, to technology demos of CSIxR -- a virtual reality (VR) application that simulates crime scenes scenarios to train crime scene investigators (CSIs).
Fluorescent caves could explain how life persists in extraterrestrial environments
Deep below the Earth's surface, rock and mineral formations lay hidden with a secret brilliance. Under a black light, the chemicals fossilized within shine in brilliant hues of pink, blue and green. Scientists are using these fluorescent features to understand how the caves formed and the conditions for supporting life in extreme, and even extraterrestrial, environments.
Were large soda lakes the cradle of life?
Life needs sufficient phosphorus. However, the element is scarce, not only today but also at the time of the origin of life. So where was there sufficient phosphorus four billion years ago for life to emerge? A team of origin-of-life researchers has an answer.
New type of quantum computer studies the dance of elementary particles
The study of elementary particles and forces is of central importance to our understanding of the universe. Now a team of physicists shows how an unconventional type of quantum computer opens a new door to the world of elementary particles.
These electronics-free robots can walk right off the 3D-printer
This a robot can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material.
Organic molecules of unprecedented size discovered on Mars
The longest organic molecules identified to date on Mars have recently been detected. These long carbon chains, containing up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms, could exhibit features similar to the fatty acids produced on Earth by biological activity. The lack of geological activity and the cold, arid climate on Mars have helped preserve this invaluable organic matter in a clay-rich sample for the past 3.7 billion years. It therefore dates from the period during which life first emerged on Earth.
Researchers have discovered that chimpanzees living in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania employ a degree of engineering when making their tools, deliberately choosing plants that provide materials that produce more flexible tools for termite fishing.
To mitigate global climate change, emissions of the primary culprit, carbon dioxide, must be drastically reduced. A newly developed process helps solve this problem: CO2 is directly split electrochemically into carbon and oxygen. Oxygen could also be produced in this way under water or in space -- without requiring stringent conditions such as pressure and temperature.
Scientists engineer starfish cells to shape-shift in response to light
Scientists used light to control how a starfish egg cell jiggles and moves during its earliest stage of development. Their optical system could guide the design of synthetic, light-activated cells for wound healing or drug delivery.
New research reveals secrets about locust swarm movement
New research is reshaping our understanding of one of nature's most stunning yet destructive phenomena -- massive locust swarms moving together.
VR study reveals how pain and fear weaken sense of body ownership
A study found that when people were told to imagine their virtual bodies in pain, their brains resisted the illusion of ownership. Their findings could provide insights into why some people may struggle with feeling connected to their own bodies, particularly in contexts involving depersonalization or negative physical states.
New DESI results strengthen hints that dark energy may evolve
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument used millions of galaxies and quasars to build the largest 3D map of our universe to date. Combining their data with other experiments shows signs that the impact of dark energy may be weakening over time -- and the standard model of how the universe works may need an update.
Galapagos birds exhibit 'road rage' due to noise
A new study has discovered that birds in the Galapagos Islands are changing their behavior due to traffic noise, with those frequently exposed to vehicles showing heightened levels of aggression. During trials involving traffic noise, Galapagos yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia aureola) increased the duration of their songs, increased the minimum frequencies of their songs (to reduce overlap with the traffic noise), and birds living close to roads displayed increased physical aggression.
Researchers capture first laser-driven, high-resolution CT scans of dense objects
A research team has achieved a new milestone in 3D X-ray imaging technology. The scientists have captured high-resolution CT scans of the interior of a large, dense object -- a gas turbine blade -- using a compact, laser-driven X-ray source. The work is part of a larger vision to leverage high-intensity lasers for a wide range of uses, from studying inertial fusion energy to generating bright beams of GeV electrons and MeV x-rays.
New AI tool generates high-quality images faster than state-of-the-art approaches
Researchers developed a hybrid AI approach that can generate realistic images with the same or better quality than state-of-the-art diffusion models, but that runs about nine times faster and uses fewer computational resources. The tool uses an autoregressive model to quickly capture the big picture and then a small diffusion model to refine the details of the image.
Novel memristors to overcome AI's 'catastrophic forgetting'
Memristors consume extremely little power and behave similarly to brain cells. Researchers have now introduced novel memristive that offer significant advantages: they are more robust, function across a wider voltage range, and can operate in both analog and digital modes. Their unique properties could help address the problem of 'catastrophic forgetting,' where artificial neural networks abruptly forget previously learned information.
Scientists recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind authentication protocol for wireless, battery-free, ultraminiaturized implants that ensures these devices remain protected while still allowing emergency access.
Oxygen discovered in most distant known galaxy
Astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. This record-breaking detection is making astronomers rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early Universe.
Insomniac fruit fly mutants show enhanced memory despite severe sleep loss
Fruit fly mutants that have severe sleep deficits perform better at olfactory learning and memory tasks, according to a new study. The paradox of enhanced memory despite sleep loss could be explained by protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in the mushroom body of the fly brain.
From dinosaurs to birds: the origins of feather formation
Feathers, essential for thermoregulation, flight, and communication in birds, originate from simple appendages known as proto-feathers, which were present in certain dinosaurs.By studying embryonic development of the chicken, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have uncovered a key role of a molecular signalling pathway (the Shh pathway) in their formation. This research provides new insights into the morphogenetic mechanisms that led to feather diversification throughout evolution.
Tiny musky rat-kangaroos hold the key to explain why 'roos hop
To understand why kangaroos hop -- a rarity among animals -- researchers have studied the musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), a diminutive marsupial that weighs only 500 grams but is the last living representative of its family and part of a lineage that extends back to before kangaroos evolved their distinctive hopping gait.
Treasure trove of galaxies, glimpses of deep fields
On 19 March 2025, the European Space Agency's Euclid mission releases its first batch of survey data, including a preview of its deep fields. Here, hundreds of thousands of galaxies in different shapes and sizes take center stage and show a glimpse of their large-scale organization in the cosmic web.
Marine animals help solve ocean issues
Sensors attached to animals gather valuable data to track and mitigate the human influence on marine life. The review paper emphasizes the importance of integrating data from various sources and advocates for an 'Internet of Animals' based on open access and shared standards.
Unknown microorganisms used marble and limestone as a habitat
In the desert areas of Namibia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, research work has revealed unusual structures that are probably due to the activity of an unknown microbiological life form. Unusually small burrows, i.e., tiny tubes that run through the rock in a parallel arrangement from top to bottom, were discovered in marble and limestone of these desert regions.
Science behind 'Polly want a cracker' could guide future treatment design for speech disorders
A new study explains how a parakeet's brain helps it to mimic human words.
Squirrel-inspired leaping robot can stick a landing on a branch
A leaping robot could have application in search and rescue, construction, even forest monitoring. But how do you design a robot to stick a landing on a branch or pipe? Biologists worked with robot designers to discover how squirrels do it, and used what they learned to design a one-legged robot with the balancing ability and leg biomechanics to correct for over- and undershooting and land successfully on a narrow perch.
Record-breaking 12,900 km ultra-secure quantum satellite link
Scientists have successfully established the world's longest intercontinental ultra-secure quantum satellite link, spanning 12,900 km. Using the Chinese quantum microsatellite Jinan-1, launched into low Earth orbit, this milestone marks the first-ever quantum satellite communication link established in the Southern Hemisphere.
Coffee-making robot breaks new ground for AI machines
An AI-powered robot that can prepare cups of coffee in a busy kitchen could usher in the next generation of intelligent machines, a study suggests.
The smart MAIJU jumpsuit offers a novel approach to at-home monitoring of infants' early motor development. The wearable device combines expertise in medicine, measuring technology and AI, enabling objective and accurate assessment of children's motor skills without the presence of researchers.