ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• How much gravity is enough?
• Newly identified galactic supercluster is home to the Milky Way
• Tree frogs speed up their life cycle when becoming lunch
• 'Clear' choice for clearing 3-D cell cultures
• Direct brain-to-brain communication demonstrated in human subjects
• How much may German beers be contaminated by microplastics?
• Allergic reaction to antibiotic residues in foods? You may have to watch what your fruits and veggies eat
• Cockatoos go to carpentry school
• Oceans apart: Study reveals insights into evolution of languages
• Carbon emissions of downloaded PlayStation 3 games revealed
• Nano-forests to reveal secrets of cells
• Scientists call for investigation of mysterious cloud-like collections in cells
• Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations
• Real tremors, or drug-seeking patient? New app can tell

How much gravity is enough? Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:35 PM PDT Keeping upright in a low-gravity environment is not easy, and NASA documents abound with examples of astronauts falling on the lunar surface. Now, a new study suggests that the reason for all these moon mishaps might be because its gravity isn't sufficient to provide astronauts with unambiguous information on which way is 'up'.

Newly identified galactic supercluster is home to the Milky Way Posted: 03 Sep 2014 10:33 AM PDT Astronomers using the Green Bank Telescope -- among other telescopes -- have determined that our own Milky Way galaxy is part of a newly identified ginormous supercluster of galaxies, which they have dubbed 'Laniakea,' which means 'immense heaven' in Hawaiian.

Tree frogs speed up their life cycle when becoming lunch Posted: 03 Sep 2014 09:19 AM PDT Think again if you've always believed that events in the life cycle of animals happen consistently, almost rigidly, as part of the natural rhythm of nature. Studies show that Mother Nature is much more flexible than you might think.

'Clear' choice for clearing 3-D cell cultures Posted: 03 Sep 2014 09:18 AM PDT Scientists have hailed recent demonstrations of chemical technologies for making animal tissues see-through, but a new study is the first to evaluate three such technologies side-by-side for use with engineered 3-D tissue cultures.

Direct brain-to-brain communication demonstrated in human subjects Posted: 03 Sep 2014 07:56 AM PDT In a first-of-its-kind study, an international team of neuroscientists and robotics engineers has demonstrated the viability of direct brain-to-brain communication in humans.

How much may German beers be contaminated by microplastics? Posted: 03 Sep 2014 06:19 AM PDT If you're going to Oktoberfest next month to enjoy the delights of German beer, you might get more than you bargained for. New research has revealed the extent to which German beers may be contaminated by foreign substances, most notably, microplastics.

Allergic reaction to antibiotic residues in foods? You may have to watch what your fruits and veggies eat Posted: 03 Sep 2014 06:14 AM PDT People with food allergies always have to watch what they eat. Now, they may have to watch what their fruits and vegetables eat, as it seems it's possible to have an allergic reaction to antibiotic residues in food.

Cockatoos go to carpentry school Posted: 02 Sep 2014 05:53 PM PDT Goffin's cockatoos can learn how to make and use wooden tools from each other, a new study has found. The discovery is thought to be the first controlled experimental evidence for the social transmission of tool use in any bird species.

Oceans apart: Study reveals insights into evolution of languages Posted: 02 Sep 2014 11:42 AM PDT A new study provides evidence that physical barriers formed by oceans can influence language diversification. "Charles Darwin would have been amused by a study like this, because it confirms his hypothesis that languages, like species, are the product of evolution," said the study's lead author.

Carbon emissions of downloaded PlayStation 3 games revealed Posted: 02 Sep 2014 11:42 AM PDT It's not always true that digital distribution of media will have lower carbon emissions than distribution by physical means, at least when file sizes are large.

Nano-forests to reveal secrets of cells Posted: 02 Sep 2014 06:42 AM PDT Vertical nanowires could be used for detailed studies of what happens on the surface of cells. The findings are important for pharmaceuticals research, among other applications. A group of researchers have now managed to make artificial cell membranes form across a large number of vertical nanowires, known as a 'nano-forest'.

Scientists call for investigation of mysterious cloud-like collections in cells Posted: 01 Sep 2014 07:23 AM PDT About 50 years ago, electron microscopy revealed the presence of tiny blob-like structures that form inside cells, move around and disappear. But scientists still don't know what they do -- even though these shifting cloud-like collections of proteins are believed to be crucial to the cell, and therefore could offer a new approach to disease treatment. Now, researchers are issuing a call to investigators to focus their attention on the role of these formations.

Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations Posted: 01 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations, previously believed that only the brain could perform. A characteristic of neurons that extend into the skin and record touch, is that they branch in the skin so that each neuron reports touch from many highly-sensitive zones on the skin. According to researchers, this branching allows first-order tactile neurons not only to send signals to the brain that something has touched the skin, but also process geometric data about the object touching the skin.

Real tremors, or drug-seeking patient? New app can tell Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:42 AM PDT A new smartphone uses data from built-in accelerometer to measure the frequency of alcohol withdrawal tremors. Withdrawal is a potentially fatal condition that is easily treated with benzodiazepine drugs, a class of sedatives used to treat alcohol withdrawal, anxiety, seizures, insomnia and more. But physicians are often reluctant to prescribe them because they're frequently abused and can be dangerous when mixed with other drugs, especially alcohol and opiates.

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