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Thursday, May 16, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Frog once imported for pregnancy testing brought deadly amphibian disease to US

Posted: 15 May 2013 02:43 PM PDT

African frogs, originally imported for early 20th century pregnancy tests, carried a deadly amphibian disease to the US, according to new findings. African Clawed Frogs have long been suspected of spreading a harmful fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The earliest known case of the fungus was found in these frogs in their native South Africa. Now scientists have found the first evidence of the disease among introduced feral populations in the US.

First direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly fractal observed in moiré superlattices

Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT

Scientists have directly observed a rare quantum effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum, confirming the longstanding prediction of this quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.

Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars

Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life. This water could be some of the oldest on the planet and may even contain life. Not just that, but the similarity between the rocks that trapped it and those on Mars raises the hope that comparable life-sustaining water could lie buried beneath the Red Planet's surface.

Catching graphene butterflies: Dramatically changing electronic properties of world's thinnest material

Posted: 15 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT

A large international team of researchers has shown that when graphene placed on top of insulating boron nitride, or 'white graphene', the electronic properties of graphene change dramatically revealing a pattern resembling a butterfly. The pattern is referred to as the elusive Hofstadter butterfly that has been known in theory for many decades but never before observed in experiments.

No idle chatter: Malaria parasites 'talk' to each other

Posted: 15 May 2013 09:50 AM PDT

Scientists have made the surprise discovery that malaria parasites can 'talk' to each other -- a social behavior to ensure the parasite's survival and improve its chances of being transmitted to other humans. The finding could provide a niche for developing antimalarial drugs and vaccines that prevent or treat the disease by cutting these communication networks.

Novel brain training device to reconnect brain and paralyzed limb after stroke

Posted: 15 May 2013 09:48 AM PDT

The world's first Brain Training Device has given a ray of new hope to the recovery of survivors after stroke. This novel device can detect brainwave and control the movement of paralyzed limbs.

Tiny water creepy crawlies from South Korea and the Russian Far East

Posted: 15 May 2013 08:38 AM PDT

Tiny and hard to notice for the human eye water mites are present almost every stream and in in every continent apart from Antarctica. A new study explores the water mites of the family Torrenticolidae from a variety of habitats in South Korea and the Russian species, providing the description of two new species.

Intestinal bacterium Akkermansia curbs obesity

Posted: 15 May 2013 08:37 AM PDT

A dominant and useful bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila is present in the intestinal system of all humans, from babies to the elderly. This microorganism is found in the intestinal mucus layer that protects against intruders. Even more remarkable is that this bacterium has a favorable effect on the disrupted metabolism associated with obesity.

Political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength

Posted: 15 May 2013 05:55 AM PDT

Men's upper-body strength predicts their political opinions on economic redistribution, according to new research. The researchers collected data on bicep size, socioeconomic status, and support for economic redistribution from hundreds of people in the United States, Argentina, and Denmark. In line with their hypotheses, the data revealed that wealthy men with high upper-body strength were less likely to support redistribution of wealth, while less wealthy men of the same strength were more likely to support it.

Storage power plant on the seabed

Posted: 15 May 2013 05:53 AM PDT

A group of scientists aims to store electricity at the bottom of the sea. The energy will be stored with the help of high water pressure.

Electronics comes to paper: Paper, being light and foldable, works well for electrically conducting structures

Posted: 15 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT

Paper, being a light and foldable raw material, is a cost-efficient and simple means of generating electrically conducting structures.

Marijuana users have better blood sugar control

Posted: 15 May 2013 05:52 AM PDT

Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

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