ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Is housework a health hazard? Sheet-fitting palsy described by physicians
• Medical devices powered by the ear itself
• Fighting bacteria with mucus: Key proteins in mucus prevent bacterial adhesion to surfaces
• Even yeast mothers sacrifice all for their babies
• Corals attacked by toxic seaweed use chemical 911 signals to summon help from fish
• Computational neuroscience: Memory-making is all about the connection
• Stretchy electronics moves closer: Wearable sensing technology
• Learning who's the top dog: Study reveals how the brain stores information about social rank
• Fairy-wren babies need password for food
• Brain of OCD sufferers is more active when faced with a moral dilemma, study finds
• Carbon dioxide: Our salvation from a future ice age?
• Despite their thick skins, alligators and crocodiles are surprisingly touchy

Is housework a health hazard? Sheet-fitting palsy described by physicians Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST What do a tight, fitted bed sheet and a blood clot in the wrist have in common? Both are associated with a condition called sheet-fitting palsy. True to its name, the palsy is reported in those who spend a long period of time repeatedly trying to pull a fitted bed sheet over the corner of a mattress. But it has also been reported in basketball players and in those who do push-ups as exercise.

Medical devices powered by the ear itself Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST For the first time, researchers power an implantable electronic device using an electrical potential -- a natural battery -- deep in the inner ear.

Fighting bacteria with mucus: Key proteins in mucus prevent bacterial adhesion to surfaces Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST Results from a recent study suggest a possible new source of protection against biofilm formation: polymers found in mucus.

Even yeast mothers sacrifice all for their babies Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST A mother's willingness to sacrifice her own health and safety for the sake of her children is a common narrative across cultures – and by no means unique to humans alone. Female polar bears starve, dolphin mothers stop sleeping and some spider moms give themselves as lunch for their crawly babies' first meal.

Corals attacked by toxic seaweed use chemical 911 signals to summon help from fish Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Corals under attack by toxic seaweed do what anyone might do when threatened -- they call for help. A new study shows that threatened corals send signals to fish "bodyguards" that quickly respond to trim back the noxious alga -- which can kill the coral if not promptly removed.

Computational neuroscience: Memory-making is all about the connection Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST A model that shows how connections in the brain must change to form memories could help to develop artificial cognitive computers

Stretchy electronics moves closer: Wearable sensing technology Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST Researchers in Hong Kong have developed a new technology that allows electronics to drape around our body comfortably. The researchers have engineered a new fabric that can conduct electricity, paving the way for stretchable electronics.

Learning who's the top dog: Study reveals how the brain stores information about social rank Posted: 08 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PST Researchers have discovered that we use a different part of our brain to learn about social hierarchies than we do to learn ordinary information. The study provides clues as to how this information is stored in memory and also reveals that you can tell a lot about how good somebody is likely to be at judging social rank by looking at the structure of their brain.

Fairy-wren babies need password for food Posted: 08 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PST It's always a good idea to listen to your mother, but that goes double for baby fairy-wrens even before they are hatched. If those fairy-wren babies want to be fed, they need to have a password -- a single unique note -- taught to them by their mothers from outside the egg. The nestlings incorporate that password right into their begging calls, according to researchers.

Brain of OCD sufferers is more active when faced with a moral dilemma, study finds Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:39 AM PST Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder are characterised by persistent thoughts and repetitive behaviours. A new study reveals that sufferers worry considerably more than the general population in the face of morality problems.

Carbon dioxide: Our salvation from a future ice age? Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:38 AM PST Humankind's emissions of fossil carbon and the resulting increase in temperature could prove to be our salvation from the next ice age. According to new research the current increase in the extent of peatland is having the opposite effect.

Despite their thick skins, alligators and crocodiles are surprisingly touchy Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:36 AM PST Crocodiles and alligators are notorious for their thick skin and well-armored bodies. So it comes as something of a surprise to learn that their sense of touch is one of the most acute in the animal kingdom. The crocodilian sense of touch is concentrated in a series of small, pigmented domes that dot their skin all over their body. In alligators, the spots are concentrated around their face and jaws. A new study has discovered that these spots contain a concentrated collection of touch sensors that make them even more sensitive to pressure and vibration than human fingertips.

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