ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Shorebird's beak inspires research on water collection
• Reduce traffic congestion: Wirelessly route drivers around congested roadways
• Dogs respond to goal-directed behavior at similar level to infants
• Nemo can travel great distances to connect populations: Baby clownfish travel hundreds of kilometers across open ocean
• Smallest known galaxy with a supermassive black hole
• Nanoscience makes your wine better
• Sharks' skin has teeth in the fight against hospital superbugs
• 'Smart material' chin strap harvests energy from chewing
• Recruiting bacteria as technology innovation partners: New self-healing materials and bioprocessing technologies
• Flying robots will go where humans can't
• Healthy humans make nice homes for viruses

Shorebird's beak inspires research on water collection Posted: 17 Sep 2014 02:33 PM PDT An engineering professor and his doctoral student have designed a device based on a shorebird's beak that can accumulate water collected from fog and dew. The device could provide water in drought-stricken areas of the world or deserts around the globe.

Reduce traffic congestion: Wirelessly route drivers around congested roadways Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:54 PM PDT At the Intelligent Transportation Systems World Congress last week, MIT researchers received one of the best-paper awards for a new system, dubbed RoadRunner, that uses GPS-style turn-by-turn directions to route drivers around congested roadways. In simulations using data supplied by Singapore's Land Transit Authority, the researchers compared their system to one currently in use in Singapore, which charges drivers with dashboard-mounted transponders a toll for entering congested areas.

Dogs respond to goal-directed behavior at similar level to infants Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:46 PM PDT Dogs look at a person interacting with a new object longer than a person interacting with a familiar object moved to a different location, suggesting perception of goal-directed behavior, according to a new study.

Nemo can travel great distances to connect populations: Baby clownfish travel hundreds of kilometers across open ocean Posted: 17 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT Clownfish spend their entire lives nestling in the protective tentacles of host anemones, but new research shows that as babies they sometimes travel hundreds of kilometres across the open ocean. Although the process of long-distance dispersal by reef fish has been predicted, this is the first time that the high level exchange of offspring between distant populations has been observed.

Smallest known galaxy with a supermassive black hole Posted: 17 Sep 2014 10:16 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered that an ultracompact dwarf galaxy harbors a supermassive black hole – the smallest galaxy known to contain such a massive light-sucking object. The finding suggests huge black holes may be more common than previously believed.

Nanoscience makes your wine better Posted: 17 Sep 2014 06:29 AM PDT One sip of a perfectly poured glass of wine leads to an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Researchers have now developed a nanosensor that can mimic what happens in your mouth when you drink wine. The sensor measures how you experience the sensation of dryness in the wine.

Sharks' skin has teeth in the fight against hospital superbugs Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:32 AM PDT Transmission of bacterial infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus could be curbed by coating hospital surfaces with microscopic bumps that mimic the scaly surface of shark skin, according to research.

'Smart material' chin strap harvests energy from chewing Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:32 AM PDT A chin strap that can harvest energy from jaw movements has been created by a group of researchers in Canada. It is hoped that the device can generate electricity from eating, chewing and talking, and power a number of small-scale implantable or wearable electronic devices, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, electronic hearing protectors and communication devices.

Recruiting bacteria as technology innovation partners: New self-healing materials and bioprocessing technologies Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:32 AM PDT For most people biofilms conjure up images of slippery stones in a streambed and dirty drains. While there are plenty of 'bad' biofilms around, a team of scientists see biofilms as a robust new platform for designer nanomaterials that could clean up polluted rivers, manufacture pharmaceutical products, fabricate new textiles, and more.

Flying robots will go where humans can't Posted: 17 Sep 2014 04:31 AM PDT There are many situations where it's impossible, complicated or too time-consuming for humans to enter and carry out operations. Think of contaminated areas following a nuclear accident, or the need to erect structures such as antennae on mountain tops. These are examples of where flying robots could be used.

Healthy humans make nice homes for viruses Posted: 16 Sep 2014 01:24 PM PDT The same viruses that make us sick can take up residence in and on the human body without provoking a sneeze, cough or other troublesome symptom, according to new research. On average, healthy individuals carry about five types of viruses on their bodies, the researchers report. The study is the first comprehensive analysis to describe the diversity of viruses in healthy people.

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