ScienceDaily: Quirky - October 30, 2024
Top quirky research news
AI-generated news is harder to understand, study finds
Readers find automated news articles poorer than manually-written texts in relation to word choice and use of numbers.
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Have we found all the major Maya cities? Not even close, new research suggests
Researchers used laser-guided imaging to uncover vast unexplored Maya settlements in Campeche, Mexico, revealing more than 6,500 pre-Hispanic structures, including a previously unknown large city with stone pyramids. Their study enhances our understanding of the ancient civilization's extent and complexity in an area largely overlooked by archaeologists.
Oceanographers record the largest predation event ever observed in the ocean
In the largest predation event ever recorded, researchers observed capelin shoaling off the coast of Norway, where a swarm of cod overtook them, consuming over 10 million fish in a few hours. The team hopes to deploy their technique to monitor the large-scale dynamics among other species of fish and track vulnerable keystone species.
Weddell seals in the Antarctic strategically time their most extreme dives to maximize foraging
Weddell seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, may look like couch potatoes when they are resting on ice. However, these seals, which are the southernmost population of the southernmost living mammals, are exceptional divers that can reach depths of more than 900 meters and recorded dives lasting 96 minutes, which is well beyond their aerobic threshold. Scientists have identified an optimal and novel dive foraging strategy the seals employ to capture prey in the highly seasonal Antarctic environment with its rapidly changing light regimes. In this optimal foraging strategy, the seals typically strategically conduct their deepest, longest, most extreme dives earlier than solar noon, rather than during peak foraging times at midday. Extreme dives require seals to have longer recuperation times once they return to the surface, and so cuts into their foraging time. By conducting these dives early in the day, the seals can better take advantage of peak midday foraging times, according to the researchers.
Fossil hunters strike gold with new species
Paleontologists have identified fossils of an ancient species of bug that spent the past 450 million years covered in fool's gold in central New York. The new species, Lomankus edgecombei, is a distant relative of modern-day horseshoe crabs, scorpions, and spiders. It had no eyes, and its small front appendages were best suited for rooting around in dark ocean sediment, back when what is now New York state was covered by water.
Dinosaurs thrived after ice, not fire, says a new study of ancient volcanism
The Triassic-Jurassic Extinction, 201.6 million years ago, has been considered by some to have been a fairly slow-burn event, driven by rising temperatures and ocean acidification. A new study says it was kicked off for the most part by volcanic winter.
Keeping fewer friends protects aging monkeys from diseases
Becoming less sociable protects older monkeys from getting ill, new research shows.
Co-culture system for sustainable cultured meat production
Cultured meat is grown from animal muscle cells, and animal serum is required to promote the growth of these cells. However, the use of serum poses significant challenges because of its high cost and associated ethical concerns. Now, researchers have developed a system where growth factor-secreting liver cells and photosynthetic microorganisms can be grown together to create a low cost, environmentally friendly medium to grow muscle cells without the use of animal serum.
Lab-grown pork gets support from sorghum grain
Meat grown in a lab isn't science fiction anymore. Cultured meats have existed for over a decade, and as of 2023, you might even find lab-grown chicken in restaurants (in the U.S., at least). Now, with the literal support of plant-based scaffolds, 'clean meat' options are expanding. Researchers have created a prototype cultured pork using a new material: kafirin proteins isolated from red sorghum grain.
A new study shows the remarkable adaptability of the critically endangered Cat Ba langurs. Despite low genetic diversity, the langurs have retained key genetic traits that help them survive in their isolated environment on Cat Ba Island in Vietnam. One of these remarkable adaptations is the ability to drink salt water.
Seeing a black hole's jet in a new light
Researchers have pored over more than two decades' worth of data from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory to show there's new knotty science to discover around black holes.
Pythons can swallow even bigger prey than scientists realized
Burmese pythons can consume prey even larger than scientists realized, according to a new study. That means more animals are on the menu across southern Florida, where the nonnative, invasive snakes have decimated populations of foxes, bobcats, raccoons and other animals.
Move along, moose: Study reveals the 'most Canadian' animals
What is the 'most Canadian' animal? Spoiler: it's not the beaver, or the moose. A new study ranks species of terrestrial vertebrates in Canada by their level of Canadian evolutionary distinctness: the amount of time animals have evolved independently from other Canadian species. The study found that, overall, amphibians and reptiles are Canada's most evolutionarily distinct species, with Apalone spinifera -- better known as the spiny softshell turtle -- being the most evolutionary distinct terrestrial animal in the land.
Saturn's moon Titan has insulating methane-rich crust up to six miles thick
A new study has revealed that methane gas may be trapped within the icy surface of Saturn's moon Titan, forming a distinct crust up to six miles thick, which warms the underlying ice shell and may also explain Titan's methane-rich atmosphere.
Batteries for miniature bio-integrated devices and robotics
Researchers have developed a miniature soft lithium-ion battery that could be used as a defibrillator to control heart rhythm during surgery. The flexible lithium-ion battery is constructed by assembling biocompatible hydrogel droplets. The state-of-the-art device is the smallest soft lithium-ion battery with the highest energy density. The research opens the way to developing tiny bio-integrated devices, with a range of applications in robotics, biology, and medicine.
'Well-man' thrown from castle identified from 800-year-old Norse saga
A passage in the Norse Sverris Saga, the 800-year-old story of King Sverre Sigurdsson, describes a military raid that occurred in AD 1197, during which a body was thrown into a well at Sverresborg Castle, outside Trondheim in central Norway, likely as an attempt to poison the main water source for the local inhabitants. A new study describes how researchers used ancient DNA to corroborate the events of the saga and discover details about the 'Well-man,' blending history and archaeology with science and setting a precedent for future research on historical figures.
Human actions likely cause insect color change
New Zealand's native stoneflies have changed colour in response to human-driven environmental changes, new research shows. The study provides arguably the world's most clear-cut case of animal evolution in response to change made by humans.
Gut bacteria transfer genes to disable weapons of their competitors
New research shows that a large, ubiquitous mobile genetic element changes the antagonistic weaponry of Bacteroides fragilis, a common bacterium of the human gut.
Researchers created MobiPrint, a mobile 3D printer that can automatically measure a room and print objects onto the floor. The team's graphic interface lets users design objects in a space that the robot has mapped out. The prototype, which the team built on a modified consumer vacuum robot, can add a range of objects to rooms.
Common drug shows promise in extending lifespan
Scientists say mifepristone, used in cancer and reproductive care, could pave the way for anti-aging treatments.
Scientists develop grain-sized soft robots controlled by magnetic fields for targeted drug delivery
A team of scientists has developed grain-sized soft robots that can be controlled using magnetic fields for targeted drug delivery, paving the way to possible improved therapies in future.
Successful experiment paves the way for new element
Scientists have found an alternative way to produce atoms of the superheavy element livermorium. The new method opens up the possibility of creating another element that could be the heaviest in the world so far: number 120.
Study of chick peeps could improve understanding of animal emotions
Understanding animal emotions has been a long-running question at the forefront of welfare studies, but a new study may hold the key to decoding the chatter. The answer involves two baby chickens and a mirror.
Unnoticeable electric currents could reduce skin infections
Using a few zaps of electricity to the skin, researchers can stop bacterial infections without using any drugs. For the first time, researchers designed a skin patch that uses imperceptible electric currents to control microbes.
Dandelion-shaped supernova and zombie star
A historical supernova documented by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in 1181 has been lost for centuries, until very recently. Yet, the newly found remnant shows some stunning characteristics that are puzzling astronomers. Now, it surrenders its secrets. A team provides the first detailed study of the supernova's structure and speed of expansion in 3D.
A new study has demonstrated a new way to treat narcolepsy-related nightmares. The scientists combined cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and lucid dreaming to help patients in a small clinical trial.
'Paleo-robots' to help scientists understand how fish started to walk on land
The transition from water to land is one of the most significant events in the history of life on Earth. Now, a team of roboticists, palaeontologists and biologists is using robots to study how the ancestors of modern land animals transitioned from swimming to walking, about 390 million years ago.
Paleontologists discover Colorado 'swamp dweller' that lived alongside dinosaurs
The new mammal lived in Colorado 70 to 75 million years ago -- a time when a vast inland sea covered large portions of the state, and animals like sharks, turtles and giant crocodiles abounded.
Listening skills bring human-like touch to robots
Researchers give robots a sense of touch by 'listening' to vibrations, allowing them to identify materials, understand shapes and recognize objects just like human hands. The ability to interpret the world through acoustic vibrations emanating from an object -- like shaking a cup to see how much soda is left or tapping on a desk to see if it's made out of real wood -- is something humans do without thinking. And it's an ability that researchers are on the cusp of bringing to robots to augment their rapidly growing set of sensing abilities.
Photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables almost all life on Earth, is extremely inefficient at capturing energy -- only around 1% of light energy that a plant absorbs is converted into chemical energy within the plant. Bioengineers propose a radical new method of food production that they call 'electro-agriculture.' The method essentially replaces photosynthesis with a solar-powered chemical reaction that more efficiently converts CO2 into an organic molecule that plants would be genetically engineered to 'eat.' The researchers estimate that if all food in the US were produced using electro-agriculture, it would reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture by 94%. The method could also be used to grow food in space.
Healthy coral reefs echo with a chorus of grunts and purrs from fish feeding, looking for mates, or defending their territories, underscored by the persistent crackling of snapping shrimp. Larval corals use these sounds as cues to decide where to choose a home. The researchers found that now a second species of coral larvae responded to the sounds of a healthy reef played through a speaker, indicating 'acoustic enrichment' encourages coral to settle has the potential to be a widely applicable method among coral species for reef restoration. Golfball coral larvae settled at significantly higher rates when exposed to the sounds of a healthy reef during their first 36 hours in the water. After that window, sound had little effect. Coral reefs support more than a quarter of all marine animals, protect coastlines from strong waves and storms, and provide food and tourism opportunities for millions of people around the world. Researchers estimate that 25% of all coral reefs have been lost in the last 30 years.
Physicists discover first 'black hole triple'
A surprising discovery about the black hole V404 Cygnus is expanding our understanding of black holes, the objects they can host, and the way they form.
From Catwoman to Han Solo, newly discovered wasps named after famous thieves
Twenty-two new species of gall wasps have been identified and named, thanks to new research. The study nearly doubles the number of known species in this genus of wasps.
Evolution in action: How ethnic Tibetan women thrive in thin oxygen at high altitudes
New study reveals link between oxygen delivery and reproductive success among women living on the high Tibetan Plateau.
People hate stories they think were written by AI: Even if they were written by people
AI-written stories are getting better, but people still distrust AI-generated art.