ScienceDaily: Quirky - October 16, 2024
Top quirky research news
Researchers develop system cat's eye-inspired vision for autonomous robotics
Researchers have unveiled a vision system inspired by feline eyes to enhance object detection in various lighting conditions. Featuring a unique shape and reflective surface, the system reduces glare in bright environments and boosts sensitivity in low-light scenarios. By filtering unnecessary details, this technology significantly improves the performance of single-lens cameras, representing a notable advancement in robotic vision capabilities.
Image: StevenTan/Shutterstock.com
Seven new frog species discovered in Madagascar: Sounds like something from Star Trek
Researchers have discovered seven new species of tree frogs that make otherworldly calls in the rainforests of Madagascar. Their strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound more like sound effects from the sci-fi series Star Trek. As a result, the researchers have named the new species after seven of the series' most iconic captains.
Tube sock-like skunk covers more ground than deer, impacted by winter weather, study finds
A study in the Cascade Range in Oregon of a tiny, elusive skunk found the animal can cover more ground than deer and is sensitive to climate change, particularly severe winter weather.
New 3D printing technique creates unique objects quickly and with less waste
A new technique enables makers to finely tune the color, shade, and texture of 3D-printed objects using only one material. The method is faster and uses less material than other approaches.
Simulated mission to Mars: Survey of lichen species
A collection-based survey of lichen species at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada was conducted as part of the Mars-160 mission, a simulation of Martian surface exploration. The survey identified 48 lichen taxa, with 35 species from the Utah site and 13 species from the Canadian site.
'Inside-out' galaxy growth observed in the early universe
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the 'inside-out' growth of a galaxy in the early universe, only 700 million years after the Big Bang.
Researchers find clues to the mysterious heating of the sun's atmosphere
Researchers have made a significant advancement in understanding the underlying heating mechanism of the sun's atmosphere, finding that reflected plasma waves could drive the heating of coronal holes.
Genomic study identifies human, animal hair in 'man-eater' lions' teeth
Scientists analyzed hairs extracted from the broken teeth of two 19th century 'man-eater' lions. Their analysis revealed DNA from giraffe, human, oryx, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra as prey, along with hairs that originated from the lions.
'Islands' of regularity discovered in the famously chaotic three-body problem
When three massive objects meet in space, they influence each other through gravity in ways that evolve unpredictably. In a word: Chaos. That is the conventional understanding. Now, a researcher has discovered that such encounters often avoid chaos and instead follow regular patterns, where one of the objects is quickly expelled from the system. This new insight may prove vital for our understanding of gravitational waves and many other aspects of the universe.
Fossils and fires: Insights into early modern human activity in the jungles of Southeast Asia
Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pa Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of archaeologists further insights into some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia but now a new study has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.
The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures
A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.
Snowflake dance analysis could improve rain forecasts
Research observing the physical motion of falling ice crystals could help scientists better estimate where and when these crystals will melt into raindrops.
Inspired by Spider-Man, a lab recreates web-slinging technology
Researchers took the imaginary scenes from Spider-Man seriously and created the first web-slinging technology in which a fluid material can shoot from a needle, immediately solidify as a string, and adhere to and lift objects.
Can advanced AI can solve visual puzzles and perform abstract reasoning?
Artificial Intelligence has learned to master language, generate art, and even beat grandmasters at chess. But can it crack the code of abstract reasoning --t hose tricky visual puzzles that leave humans scratching their heads? Researchers are putting AI's cognitive abilities to the test, pushing the multi-modal large language models (MLLMs) to solve visual problems once reserved for human IQ tests. The result? A glimpse into how far AI has come -- and where it still stumbles.
NASA's Hubble watches Jupiter's Great Red Spot behave like a stress ball
Astronomers have observed Jupiter's legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150 years. But there are always new surprises -- especially when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope takes a close-up look at it. Hubble's new observations of the famous red storm, collected 90 days between December 2023 to March 2024, reveal that the GRS is not as stable as it might look. The recent data show the GRS jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The combined Hubble images allowed astronomers to assemble a time-lapse movie of the squiggly behavior of the GRS.
Newly discovered Late Cretaceous birds may have carried heavy prey like extant raptors
Newly discovered birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a new study.
Fungi don't have eyes or a brain, but their intelligent behaviors may surprise you. New research suggests that fungi may be able to recognize shapes.
Viruses are teeming on your toothbrush, showerhead
Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen before.
A new study concludes that the Iberian culture (8th to 1st centuries BCE) newborns buried within domestic spaces died of natural causes, such as complications during labor or premature births, and not due to ritual practices. Researchers applied an innovative methodology, based on the study of the neonatal line of baby teeth using optic microscopy and microflourescence with synchrotron light, to analyse the teeth from 45 infant skeletal remains and precisely identified the moments of both birth and death.
Toddlers show increased physical activity with a robot playmate moving around the room
Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their kids, a new study suggests.
Nature and plastics inspire breakthrough in soft sustainable materials
Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, materials scientists have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information.
Ultra-sensitive robotic 'finger' can take patient pulses, check for lumps
Researchers have developed a soft robotic 'finger' with a sophisticated sense of touch that can perform routine doctor office examinations, including taking a patient's pulse and checking for abnormal lumps.
Over 160,000 new viruses discovered by AI
161,979 new RNA viruses have been discovered using a machine learning tool that researchers believe will vastly improve the mapping of life on Earth and could aid in the identification of many millions more viruses yet to be characterized.
A matter of taste: Electronic tongue reveals AI 'inner thoughts'
Researchers recently developed electronic tongue capable of identifying differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content; diverse products, including soda types and coffee blends; signs of spoilage in fruit juices; and instances of food safety concerns. They found that results were even more accurate when artificial intelligence used its own assessment parameters to interpret the data generated by the electronic tongue.
New breakthrough helps free up space for robots to 'think', say scientists
Engineers have worked out how to give robots complex instructions without electricity, which could free up more space in the robotic 'brain' for them to 'think'. Mimicking how some parts of the human body work, researchers have transmitted a series of commands to devices with a new kind of compact circuit, using variations in pressure from a fluid inside it.