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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


How petals get their shape: Hidden map located within plant's growing buds

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 04:43 PM PDT

Why do rose petals have rounded ends while their leaves are more pointed? Scientists have revealed that the shape of petals is controlled by a hidden map located within the plant's growing buds.

New zooming technique for entering text into smartwatches

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:15 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a solution to the problem of entering text into the next generation of ultra-small computers. Called ZoomBoard, this text entry technique is based on the familiar QWERTY keyboard layout. Though the full keyboard is impossibly small on a watch-size display, simply tapping the screen once or twice will enlarge an individual key until it can be comfortably and accurately pressed.

Musical memory deficits start in auditory cortex

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT

Congenital amusia is a disorder characterized by impaired musical skills, which can extend to an inability to recognize very familiar tunes. The neural bases of this deficit are now being deciphered. According to a new study amusics exhibit altered processing of musical information in two regions of the brain: the auditory cortex and the frontal cortex, particularly in the right cerebral hemisphere. These alterations seem to be linked to anatomical anomalies in these same cortices.

How tetraplegic subject utilizes brain-machine interfaces to manipulate prosthetic arm, and regain and restore significant limb functionality

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:11 AM PDT

Researchers have presented impressive findings detailing how the use of brain-machine interfaces and robotic prosthetic arms may help those suffering from upper-limb paralysis or amputation regain the ability to grasp and manipulate objects.

Does antimatter fall up or down? First direct evidence of how atoms of antimatter interact with gravity

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:34 AM PDT

The atoms that make up ordinary matter fall down, so do antimatter atoms fall up? Do they experience gravity the same way as ordinary atoms, or is there such a thing as antigravity? Recent results, which measured the ratio of antihydrogen's unknown gravitational mass to its known inertial mass, did not settle the matter. Far from it. If an antihydrogen atom falls downward, its gravitational mass is no more than 110 times greater than its inertial mass. If it falls upward, its gravitational mass is at most 65 times greater. What the results do show is that measuring antimatter gravity is possible, using an experimental method that points toward much greater precision in future.

How to spot liars in official interviews

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:23 AM PDT

A way to improve detection rates in police interviews has been discovered by researchers following a mock terrorism scenario where suspects plotted to blow up a building.  

Sushi for peccaries?

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:59 PM PDT

It turns out the white-lipped peccary —- a piglike animal from Central and South America —- will settle for fish when fruits (its main food) are no longer on the menu, according to researchers revealing the first-ever photos of fish-eating peccaries.

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