ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Cell phones used to measure happiness
• Fecal microbiota transplantation as effective treatment for C. difficile and other diseases
• Art preserves skills despite onset of vascular dementia in 'remarkable' case of a Canadian sculptor
• Wolves howl because they care: Social relationship can explain variation in vocal production
• Space slinky: Jet of superheated gas -- 5,000 light-years long -- ejected from supermassive black hole
• Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings
• Beetles modify emissions of greenhouse gases from cow pats
• Pop! Bursting the bubble on carbonation
• Bacteria make us feel pain ... and suppress our immune response

Cell phones used to measure happiness Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT Researchers are developing ways to use mobile phones to explore how one's environment influences one's sense of well-being.

Fecal microbiota transplantation as effective treatment for C. difficile and other diseases Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT Fecal microbiota transplantation has emerged as a highly effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, with very early experience suggesting that it may also play a role in treating other gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI diseases.

Art preserves skills despite onset of vascular dementia in 'remarkable' case of a Canadian sculptor Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:44 PM PDT The ability to draw spontaneously as well as from memory may be preserved in the brains of artists long after the deleterious effects of vascular dementia have diminished their capacity to complete simple, everyday tasks, according to a new study by physicians.

Wolves howl because they care: Social relationship can explain variation in vocal production Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:28 AM PDT When a member of the wolf pack leaves the group, the howling by those left behind isn't a reflection of stress but of the quality of their relationships. So say researchers based on a study of nine wolves from two packs living at Austria's Wolf Science Center.

Space slinky: Jet of superheated gas -- 5,000 light-years long -- ejected from supermassive black hole Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:25 AM PDT Astronomers have assembled, from more than 13 years of observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a series of time-lapse movies showing a jet of superheated gas — 5,000 light-years long — as it is ejected from a supermassive black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87.

Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings Posted: 22 Aug 2013 08:21 AM PDT Researchers have exploited the powerful and healthful polyphenols found in green tea, red wine and dark chocolate in a new way. Polyphenols are also sticky, and the researchers have used this property to make new multifunctional coatings based on inexpensive compounds that can stick to virtually anything, including Teflon. Simply dissolving polyphenol powders in water with the proper dash of salt quickly produces colorless coatings that have antioxidant properties, are non-toxic and can kill bacteria on contact.

Beetles modify emissions of greenhouse gases from cow pats Posted: 22 Aug 2013 07:50 AM PDT Cattle contribute to global warming by burping and farting large amounts of greenhouse gases. Some of the same gases are also emitted from cow pats on pastures. But now researchers have found that beetles living in cow pats may reduce emissions of the key greenhouse gas -- methane.

Pop! Bursting the bubble on carbonation Posted: 22 Aug 2013 05:58 AM PDT New research reveals that bubbles are not necessary to experience the unique 'bite' of carbonated beverages, which actually comes from carbonic acid. Bubbles do, however, enhance carbonation's bite through the light physical feel of the bubbles picked up by our sense of touch.

Bacteria make us feel pain ... and suppress our immune response Posted: 21 Aug 2013 10:27 AM PDT Researchers found pain from invasive skin infections from Staph, and possibly other serious, painful infections, appear to be induced by the invading bacteria themselves, and not by the body's immune response as previously thought. The research demonstrates that once the pain neurons "sense" the bacteria, they suppress the immune system, potentially helping the bacteria become more virulent.

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