ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• 'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring
• Scientists build a low-cost, open-source 3-D metal printer
• Secrets to 'extreme adaptation' found in Burmese python genome
• Functional importance of dinosaur beaks illuminated
• Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women
• Process holds promise for production of synthetic gasoline from carbon dioxide
• Division of labor in the test tube
• Driver's eye movements key to controlled curve driving
• Koalas' low-pitched voice explained by unique organ
• Birds with bigger 'badges' rule the roost
• New research shows obesity is inflammatory disease
• Evolution, Civil War history entwine in plant fossil with a tragic past
• How legless, leaping fish living on land avoids predators
• Athletes and the words for actions

'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST The "new genetics" promises to change faulty genes of future generations by introducing new, functioning genes using "designer sperm." Research shows that introducing genetic material via a viral vector into mouse sperm leads to the presence and activity of the genetic material in the embryos. These genes are inherited and functioning through three generations of the mice tested, and the discovery could break new ground in genetic medicine.

Scientists build a low-cost, open-source 3-D metal printer Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST Using under $1,500 worth of materials, scientists have built a 3-D metal printer than can lay down thin layers of steel to form complex geometric objects.

Secrets to 'extreme adaptation' found in Burmese python genome Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:21 PM PST The Burmese python's ability to ramp up its metabolism and enlarge its organs to swallow and digest prey whole can be traced to unusually rapid evolution and specialized adaptations of its genes and the way they work, an international team of biologists says.

Functional importance of dinosaur beaks illuminated Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:21 PM PST Why beaks evolved in some theropod dinosaurs and what their function might have been is the subject of new research by an international team of palaeontologists.

Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:19 PM PST A new brain connectivity study has found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that's lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior.

Process holds promise for production of synthetic gasoline from carbon dioxide Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:48 AM PST A chemical system can efficiently perform the first step in the process of creating syngas, gasoline and other energy-rich products out of carbon dioxide.

Division of labor in the test tube Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:46 AM PST The division of labor is more efficient than a struggle through life without help from others -- this also applies to microorganisms. Researchers came to this conclusion when they performed experiments with bacteria that were deficient in the production of certain amino acids and depended on a partner to provide the missing nutrient. Bacterial strains that complemented each other's need showed a fitness increase of 20 percent relative to a non-deficient strain without partner.

Driver's eye movements key to controlled curve driving Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:14 AM PST All drivers know from personal experience that they must keep their eyes on the road when driving through curves. But how exactly does looking at the road guide the car through the curve? Research reveals new crucial aspects of eye movements in curve driving.

Koalas' low-pitched voice explained by unique organ Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:14 AM PST The pitch of male koalas' mating calls is about 20 times lower than it should be, given the Australian marsupial's relatively small size. Now, researchers have discovered their secret: koalas have a specialized sound-producing organ that has never before been seen in any other land-dwelling mammal. The key feature of this newly described organ is its location outside the voice box, what scientists call the larynx.

Birds with bigger 'badges' rule the roost Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:10 AM PST A New Zealand bird that conspicuously displays its status on the top of its head can provide valuable insight into the social conventions of all creatures, including humans, scientists have found.

New research shows obesity is inflammatory disease Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:21 AM PST A new "obesity drug" may block the effects of high sugar and fat diets. Scientists reports on how an abnormal amount of the inflammatory protein, PAR2, appears in abdominal fat tissue of overweight humans and rats, and is increased on human immune cell surfaces. When obese rats on this diet were given a drug that binds to PAR2, its inflammation-causing properties were blocked, as were other effects -- including obesity itself.

Evolution, Civil War history entwine in plant fossil with a tragic past Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:21 AM PST A fossil leaf collected on a Virginia canal bank is one of North America's oldest flowering plants, a 120-million-year-old species new to science. The find raises questions about whether pollen evolved along with flowering plants or came later. It also unearths a forgotten Civil War episode reminiscent of "Twelve Years a Slave": Union troops forced a group of freedmen to dig the canal that exposed the fossil.

How legless, leaping fish living on land avoids predators Posted: 02 Dec 2013 07:53 AM PST One of the world's strangest animals -- a legless, leaping fish that lives on land -- uses camouflage to avoid attacks by predators such as birds, lizards and crabs, new research shows. Researchers studied the unique fish -- Pacific leaping blennies -- in their natural habitat on the tropical island of Guam. These terrestrial fish spend all of their adult lives living on the rocks in the splash zone.

Athletes and the words for actions Posted: 02 Dec 2013 05:24 AM PST Is it true, as some scientists believe, that to understand words like "spike" (in the volleyball sense) the brain has to "mentally" retrace the sequence of motor commands that accomplish the action? According to a study just published, the high-level motor expertise of subjects modulates the involvement of the brain motor areas in understanding the actions. The effect of experience is a novelty that challenges some recent hypotheses, making the theoretical picture more complex.

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