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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Mobs rule for great tit neighbors

Posted: 01 May 2012 06:20 PM PDT

Great tits are more likely to join defensive mobs with birds in nearby nests that are 'familiar neighbours' rather than new arrivals, new research has found.

Jurassic pain: Giant 'flea-like' insects plagued dinosaurs 165 million years ago

Posted: 01 May 2012 01:27 PM PDT

It takes a gutsy insect to sneak up on a huge dinosaur while it sleeps, crawl onto its soft underbelly and give it a bite that might have felt like a needle going in -- but giant "flea-like" animals, possibly the oldest of their type ever discovered, probably did just that.

Bigger gorillas better at attracting mates and raising young

Posted: 01 May 2012 10:44 AM PDT

Conservationists have found that larger male gorillas living in the rainforests of Congo seem to be more successful than smaller ones at attracting mates and even raising young.

When cells hit the wall: Engineers put the squeeze on cells to diagnose disease

Posted: 01 May 2012 07:01 AM PDT

Bioengineering researchers have taken advantage of cell physical properties for the development of a new instrument that slams cells against a wall of fluid and quickly analyzes the physical response, allowing identification of cancer and other cell states without chemical tags. The deformability cytometer consists of a miniaturized microfluidic chip that sequentially aligns cells so that they hit a wall of fluid at rates of thousands per second.

How illusions trick the brain: 'Rotating Snakes' appear to dance

Posted: 01 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

New research sheds light on why illusions trick our brains. The study explores the neural bases of illusory motion in Akiyoshi Kitaoka's striking visual illusion known as the "Rotating Snakes." The study shows that tiny eye movements and blinking can make a geometric drawing of "snakes" appear to dance. The results help explain the mystery of how the Rotating Snakes illusion tricks the brain.

Dynamic view of city created based on Foursquare check-in data

Posted: 01 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

The millions of "check-ins" generated by Foursquare, the location-based social networking site, can be used to create a dynamic view of a city's workings and character, researchers say. In contrast to static neighborhood boundaries and dated census figures, these "Livehoods" reflect the ever-changing patterns of city life.

Inexpensive, abundant starch fibers could lead to ouchless bandages

Posted: 01 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

A process that spins starch into fine strands could take the sting out of removing bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally friendly toilet paper, napkins and other products, according to food scientists.

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