ScienceDaily: Quirky - October 02, 2024
Top quirky research news
Physicists explore possibility of life beyond Earth
Are there planets beyond Earth where humans can live? The answer is maybe, according to physicists examining F-type star systems.
'Who's a good boy?' Humans use dog-specific voices for better canine comprehension
Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets' receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better understand their commands, according to a new study.
Image: Paty Tessmann/Shutterstock.com
Stronger together: miniature robots in convoy for endoscopic surgery
Miniature robots on the millimeter scale often lack the strength to transport instruments for endoscopic microsurgery through the body. Scientists are now combining several millimeter-sized TrainBots into one unit and equipping them with improved 'feet'. For the first time, the team was able to perform an electric surgical procedure on a bile duct obstruction experimentally with a robotic convoy.
Scientists discover planet orbiting closest single star to our Sun
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, the closest single star to our Sun. On this newly discovered exoplanet, which has at least half the mass of Venus, a year lasts just over three Earth days. The team's observations also hint at the existence of three more exoplanet candidates, in various orbits around the star.
Feet first: AI reveals how infants connect with their world
Researchers explored how infants act purposefully by attaching a colorful mobile to their foot and tracking movements with a Vicon 3D motion capture system. The study tested AI's ability to detect changes in infant movement patterns. Findings showed that AI techniques, especially the deep learning model 2D-CapsNet, effectively classified different stages of behavior. Notably, foot movements varied significantly. Looking at how AI classification accuracy changes for each baby gives researchers a new way to understand when and how they start to engage with the world.
Squid-inspired fabric for temperature-controlled clothing
Inspired by the dynamic color-changing properties of squid skin, researchers have developed a method to manufacture a heat-adjusting material that is breathable and washable and can be integrated into flexible fabric. The composite material operates in the infrared spectrum and consists of a polymer covered with copper islands. Stretching the material separates the islands and changes how it transmits and reflects infrared light; this innovation creates the possibility of controlling the temperature of a garment.
Carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto's moon Charon
Astronomers have detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the frozen surface of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. These discoveries add to Charon's known chemical inventory, previously identified by ground- and space-based observations, that includes water ice, ammonia-bearing species and the organic materials responsible for Charon's gray and red coloration.
Watch water form out of thin air
Palladium, a rare metallic element, can rapidly generate water from hydrogen and oxygen. Researchers witnessed this process at the nanoscale for the first time with an electron microscope. By viewing the process with extreme precision, researchers discovered how to optimize it to generate water at a faster rate. Process could be used to generate water on-demand in arid environments, including on other planets.
First data from XRISM space mission provides new perspective on supermassive black holes
Data from an international space mission is confirming decades worth of speculation about the galactic neighborhoods of supermassive black holes.
A river is pushing up Mount Everest's peak
Mount Everest is about 15 to 50 meters taller than it would otherwise be because of uplift caused by a nearby eroding river gorge, and continues to grow because of it.
Our cosmic neighborhood may be 10x larger
The Cosmicflows team has been studying the movements of 56,000 galaxies, revealing a potential shift in the scale of our galactic basin of attraction.
Although interactive online platforms, including esports platforms, aim to foster close connections between people, they often fall short of supporting the creation of bonds between the interaction partners. Researchers have discovered that sharing biological signals (biosignals), such as heart rate data, while playing online games can enhance the sense of cooperative play, even among complete strangers.
A new birthplace for asteroid Ryugu
Asteroid Ryugu possibly did not travel as far from its place of origin to its current near-Earth orbit as previously assumed. New research suggests that Ryugu was formed near Jupiter. Earlier studies had pointed to an origin beyond the orbit of Saturn.
Asteroid Ceres is a former ocean world that slowly formed into a giant, murky icy orb
A crater-rich dwarf planet named Ceres located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter was long thought to be composed of a materials mixture not dominated by water ice. Researchers at Purdue used data from NASA's Dawn mission to show that Ceres' crust could be over 90 percent ice.
Orbitronics: New material property advances energy-efficient tech
Orbital angular momentum monopoles have been the subject of great theoretical interest as they offer major practical advantages for the emerging field of orbitronics, a potential energy-efficient alternative to traditional electronics. Now, through a combination of robust theory and experiments, their existence has been demonstrated.
Discovery of 3,775-year-old preserved log supports 'wood vaulting' as a climate solution
A new study suggests that an ordinary old log could help refine strategies to tackle climate change. A team of researchers analyzed a 3,775-year-old log and the soil it was excavated from. Their analysis revealed that the log had lost less than 5% carbon dioxide from its original state.
These fish use legs to taste the seafloor
Sea robins are unusual animals with the body of a fish, wings of a bird, and walking legs of a crab. Now, researchers show that the legs of the sea robin aren't just used for walking. In fact, they are bona fide sensory organs used to find buried prey while digging.
This rocky planet around a white dwarf resembles Earth -- 8 billion years from now
A 2020 microlensing event was caused by a planetary system with an Earth-like planet and brown dwarf. The star type was uncertain. The team has determined that the star is a white dwarf, a system resembling what our sun-Earth system will look like in 8 billion years. The good news: the planet survived its star's red giant phase, so maybe Earth will too. The bad news: it's still uninhabitable.
Antioxidant content and activity are increased during the processing and digestion of Japanese apricots pickled with salted red perilla leaves, new research shows.
Recording the cats in the hats
Researchers have found a way to scan the brains of cats while they're awake, using electrodes concealed under specially knitted wool caps.
Scientists uncover a critical component that helps killifish regenerate their fins
Spontaneous injuries like the loss of a limb or damage to the spinal cord are impossible for humans to repair. Yet, some animals have an extraordinary capacity to regenerate after injury, a response that requires a precise sequence of cellular events. Now, new research has unveiled a critical timing factor -- specifically how long cells actively respond to injury -- involved in regulating regeneration. The approach not only sheds light on the evolutionary aspects of regeneration but also holds promise for developing novel therapeutic strategies in regenerative medicine.
NASA's Hubble finds that a black hole beam promotes stellar eruptions
In a surprise finding, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the blowtorch-like jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of a huge galaxy seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. The stars, called novae, are not caught inside the jet, but apparently in a dangerous neighborhood nearby.
How special is the Milky Way Galaxy?
The SAGA Survey just published three new research articles that provide us with new insights into the uniqueness of our own Milky Way Galaxy after completing the census of 101 satellite systems similar to the Milky Way's.
Drone footage provides new insight into gray whales' acrobatic feeding behavior
Drone footage is offering new insight into the acrobatics undertaken by gray whales foraging in the waters off the coast of Oregon.
Mars' missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight
New research suggests Mars' missing atmosphere -- which dramatically diminished 3.5 billion years ago -- could be locked in the planet's clay-covered crust. Water on Mars could have set off a chain reaction that drew CO2 out of the atmosphere and converted it into methane within clay minerals.
Bacterial 'flipping' allows genes to assume different forms
Imagine being one cartwheel away from changing your appearance. One flip, and your brunette locks are platinum blond. That's not too far from what happens in some prokaryotes, or single-cell organisms, such as bacteria, that undergo something called inversions. A study has now shown that inversions, which cause a physical flip of a segment of DNA and change an organism's genetic identity, can occur within a single gene, challenging a central dogma of biology -- that one gene can code for only one protein.
Humbug damselfish use 'motion dazzle' to evade predators
New research reveals how small coral-reef dwelling humbug damselfish use 'motion dazzle' and adaptive behaviors to confuse potential predators.
Mapping distant planets: 'Ridges', 'deserts' and 'savannahs'
Researchers examined Neptunian exoplanets -- these planets share similar characteristics to our own Neptune, but orbit outside of our solar system. Scientists discovered a new area called the 'Neptunian Ridge' -- in between the 'Neptunian desert' and the 'Neptunian Savannah'. A new 'map' of distant planets shows a ridge of planets in deep space, separating a desert of planets from a more populated savannah.
Twice as many women as men were buried in the megalithic necropolis of Panoria, study finds
A new study uncovers gender bias at the megalithic necropolis of Panoria where twice as many women were buried.
Managing stress could be the key to helping highly impulsive people act rashly when bored
Research has explored the relationship between high impulsivity and boredom, in an effort to find out what drives rash and sometimes unhealthy decisions.
Shrinking AR displays into eyeglasses to expand their use
Augmented reality (AR) takes digital images and superimposes them onto real-world views. But AR is more than a new way to play video games; it could transform surgery and self-driving cars. To make the technology easier to integrate into common personal devices, researchers report how to combine two optical technologies into a single, high-resolution AR display. In an eyeglasses prototype, the researchers enhanced image quality with a computer algorithm that removed distortions.
Webb discovers 'weird' galaxy with gas outshining its stars
The discovery of a 'weird' and unprecedented galaxy in the early Universe could 'help us understand how the cosmic story began', astronomers say. GS-NDG-9422 (9422) was found approximately one billion years after the Big Bang and stood out because it has an odd, never-before-seen light signature -- indicating that its gas is outshining its stars. The 'totally new phenomena' is significant, researchers say, because it could be the missing-link phase of galactic evolution between the Universe's first stars and familiar, well-established galaxies.
World's oldest cheese reveals origins of kefir
Scientists successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from ancient cheese samples found alongside the Tarim Basin mummies in China, dating back approximately 3,600 years. The research suggests a new origin for kefir cheese and sheds light on the evolution of probiotic bacteria.
First observation of ultra-rare process that could uncover new physics
Scientists have discovered an ultra-rare particle decay process, opening a new path to find physics beyond our understanding of how the building blocks of matter interact.
Multilingual gossip in Elizabethan London
Stranger churches in early modern London had 'eyes everywhere' to hear, spread and dispel gossip in multiple languages, according to new research.