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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Physicist bends light waves on surfboards

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:28 PM PDT

A scientist is bringing together his passions for physics and surfing with research that could inspire a host of new technologies. He is using foam from inside surfboards to make materials that can manipulate light.

Amazing deep diving by imperial cormorant bird

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:07 PM PDT

Researchers recently fitted a South American sea bird called an imperial cormorant with a small camera, then watched stunned as it became 'superbird' -- diving 150 feet underwater in 40 seconds, feeding on the ocean floor for 80 seconds where it eventually caught a snakelike fish, before returning to the surface 40 seconds later.

From microns to centimeters: Researchers invent new tissue engineering tool

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:50 AM PDT

Imagine a machine that makes layered, substantial patches of engineered tissue -- tissue that could be used as grafts for burn victims or vascular patches. Sounds like science fiction? According to engineers, it's a growing possibility. Scientists have invented a new device that may allow for the uniform, large-scale engineering of tissue.

Camouflage of moths: Moths actively seek out best hiding places

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:35 AM PDT

Moths are iconic examples of camouflage. Their wing coloration and patterns are shaped by natural selection to match the patterns of natural substrates, such as a tree bark or leaves, on which the moths rest. But, according to recent findings, moths actively seek out the best hiding places.

Critically endangered whales sing like birds; New recordings hint at rebound

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:32 AM PDT

The critically endangered bowhead whales sing like birds in the Fram Strait, off the east coast of Greenland, indicating that the whales might be more populous than previously thought or that they sing a wide repertoire of songs, unlike other whales, biologists have found.

Allergies? Your sneeze is a biological response to the nose's 'blue screen of death'

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:30 AM PDT

Who would have thought that our noses and Microsoft Windows' infamous blue screen of death could have something in common? New research suggests that sneezing is the body's natural reboot and that patients with disorders of the nose such as sinusitis can't reboot, explaining why they sneeze more often than others.

Adding a '3D print' button to animation software

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:29 AM PDT

Watch out, Barbie: omnivorous beasts are assembling in a 3D printer near you. A new tool turns animated characters into fully articulated action figures. Computer scientists have created an add-on software tool that translates video game characters —- or any other three-dimensional animations —- into fully articulated action figures, with the help of a 3D printer.

Is it a rock, or is it Jello? Defining the architecture of rhomboid enzymes

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:41 AM PDT

Scientists have decoded for the first time the "stability blueprint" of an enzyme that resides in a cell's membrane, mapping which parts of the enzyme are important for its shape and function. These studies could eventually lead to the development of drugs to treat malaria and other parasitic diseases.

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