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Saturday, June 8, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Magpies make decisions faster when humans look at them

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

Researchers have found that wild birds appear to "think faster" when humans, and possibly predators in general, are directly looking at them.

Making sense of patterns in the Twitterverse

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

If you think keeping up with what's happening via Twitter, Facebook and other social media is like drinking from a fire hose, multiply that by seven billion -- and you'll have a sense of what Court Corley wakes up to every morning. Corley has created a powerful digital system, dubbed SALSA, capable of analyzing billions of tweets and other messages in just seconds, in an effort to discover patterns and make sense of all the information.

Whispering light hears liquids talk

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:53 AM PDT

Researchers have developed optomechanical sensors in which extremely minute forces exerted by light are used to generate and control high-frequency mechanical vibrations of microscale and nanoscale devices that will help unlock vibrational secrets of chemical and biological samples at the nanoscale.

Better screens made of organic light diodes: OLED brings out the shine

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:52 AM PDT

Screens made of organic light diodes promise unfathomable possibilities. Yet high production costs often prevent their widespread use. A new kind of production saves not only costs, but also improves the radiance of the OLED.

The face of success: Top UK male business leaders show dominant traits in their faces

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:32 PM PDT

Top UK male business leaders show dominant traits in their faces, according to new research. The study focused on the link between the facial width-to-height ratio (FWH) and dominance in men. Participants were asked to rate different aspects of the personalities of 100 men using a single photograph.

2011 Draconid meteor shower deposited a ton of meteoritic material on Earth

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:10 AM PDT

About a ton of material coming from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner was deposited in the Earth's atmosphere on October 8th and 9th, 2011 during one of the most intense showers of shooting starts in the last decade, which registered an activity of more than 400 meteors per hour.

Nuclear testing from the 1960s helps scientist determine whether adult brains generate new neurons

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:06 AM PDT

The birth of new neurons in the adult brain sharpens memory in rodents, but whether the same holds true for humans has long been debated. A new study reveals that a significant number of new neurons in the hippocampus -- a brain region crucial for memory and learning -- are generated in adult humans. The researchers used a unique strategy based on the amount of carbon-14 found in humans as a result of above-ground nuclear testing more than half a century ago.

Superb lyrebirds move to the music

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:06 AM PDT

When male superb lyrebirds sing, they often move their bodies to the music in a choreographed way, say researchers. The findings add to evidence from human cultures around the world that music and dance are deeply intertwined activities.

How birds lost their penises

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:06 AM PDT

In animals that reproduce by internal fertilization, as humans do, you'd think a penis would be an organ you couldn't really do without, evolutionarily speaking. Surprisingly, though, most birds do exactly that, and now researchers have figured out where, developmentally speaking, birds' penises have gone.

Unusual antibodies in cows suggest new ways to make medicines for people

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:05 AM PDT

Humans have been raising cows for their meat, hides and milk for millennia. Now it appears that the cow immune system also has something to offer. A new study focusing on an extraordinary family of cow antibodies points to new ways to make human medicines.

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