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Thursday, February 2, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Powering pacemakers with heartbeat vibrations

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 03:14 PM PST

Aerospace engineers have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to heartbeats.

Global experts question claims about jellyfish populations

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 03:12 PM PST

Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. Now, a new study questions claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide and suggests claims are not supported with any hard evidence or scientific analyses to date.

Road runoff spurring spotted salamander evolution

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 09:07 AM PST

Spotted salamanders exposed to contaminated roadside ponds are adapting to their toxic environments, according to new research. The study provides the first documented evidence that a vertebrate has adapted to the negative effects of roads apparently by evolving rapidly.

First plants caused ice ages, new research reveals

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 06:49 AM PST

New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago. During this period the climate gradually cooled, leading to a series of 'ice ages.' This global cooling was caused by a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon, which this research now suggests was triggered by the arrival of plants.

Sporting event ads viewed favorably, especially if the game is close

Posted: 31 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST

The average price for a 30-second advertising spot in the 2012 Super Bowl on Feb. 5 is a staggering $3.5 million and a new study suggests that, for advertisers, it may not really matter if the New England Patriots or the New York Giants win. But for the sake of companies forking out big bucks on the ads, it had better be a close and exciting game.

Self-guided bullet prototype can hit target a mile away

Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:02 PM PST

A new design for a self-guided bullet could help war fighters, scientists report. Researchers have invented a dart-like, self-guided bullet for small-caliber, smooth-bore firearms that could hit laser-designated targets at distances of more than a mile (about 2,000 meters).

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