ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Interactive dark matter could explain Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies
• In one of nature's innovations, a single cell smashes and rebuilds its own genome
• Paleontologists discover new species of titanosaurian dinosaur in Tanzania
• Faces are more likely to seem alive when we want to feel connected
• Coral trout pick their collaborators carefully
• Bird-pollinated flower with a rather ingenious twist
• Planet forming around star about 335 light years from Earth
• Researchers part water: 'electric prism' separates water's nuclear spin states
• Scientists take a look at the feel-good benefits of belly dance
• There could be increased numbers of psychopaths in senior managerial positions, high levels of business, research shows
• Bacteria from bees possible alternative to antibiotics
• Sleeping on animal fur in infancy found to reduce risk of asthma
• Breath temperature test could identify lung cancer
• Research explains how you bite off the chocolate from nuts
• Ships without skippers
• Brain mechanism underlying recognition of hand gestures develops even when blind

Interactive dark matter could explain Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:46 PM PDT Scientists believe they have found a way to explain why there are not as many galaxies orbiting the Milky Way as expected. Computer simulations of the formation of our galaxy suggest that there should be many more small galaxies around the Milky Way than are observed through telescopes. This has thrown doubt on the generally accepted theory of cold dark matter, an invisible and mysterious substance that scientists predict should allow for more galaxy formation around the Milky Way than is seen. Now cosmologists think they have found a potential solution to the problem.

In one of nature's innovations, a single cell smashes and rebuilds its own genome Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT A pond-dwelling, single-celled organism has the remarkable ability to break its own DNA into nearly a quarter-million pieces and rapidly reassemble those pieces when it's time to mate. This elaborate process could provide a template for understanding how chromosomes in more complex animals such as humans break apart and reassemble, as can happen during the onset of cancer.

Paleontologists discover new species of titanosaurian dinosaur in Tanzania Posted: 08 Sep 2014 11:35 AM PDT Paleontologists have identified a new species of titanosaurian, a member of the large-bodied sauropods that thrived during the final period of the dinosaur age, in Tanzania. Although many fossils of titanosaurians have been discovered around the globe, especially in South America, few have been recovered from the continent of Africa.

Faces are more likely to seem alive when we want to feel connected Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:54 AM PDT Feeling socially disconnected may lead us to lower our threshold for determining that another being is animate or alive, according to new research. "This increased sensitivity to animacy suggests that people are casting a wide net when looking for people they can possibly relate to -- which may ultimately help them maximize opportunities to renew social connections," explains psychological scientist and lead researcher of the study.

Coral trout pick their collaborators carefully Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:53 AM PDT Coral trout not only work with moray eels to improve their chances of a meal, but they can also be choosy when it comes to picking the best moray partner. The findings show that such sophisticated collaborative abilities are not limited to apes and humans. The fish's behavior is remarkable in other ways too, the researchers say.

Bird-pollinated flower with a rather ingenious twist Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:53 AM PDT When researchers studying several bird-pollinated species of Impatiens flowers in the mountains of western Cameroon noticed one with an odd, upwardly curving nectar spur, they couldn't imagine how any sunbird could ever sip from it. After recording visitors to the flower continuously for a period of days, they had their answer.

Planet forming around star about 335 light years from Earth Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:15 AM PDT Scientists have discovered what they believe is evidence of a planet forming around a star about 335 light years from Earth. Astronomers set out to study the protoplanetary disk around a star known as HD 100546, and as sometimes happens in scientific inquiry, it was by "chance" that they stumbled upon the formation of the planet orbiting this star.

Researchers part water: 'electric prism' separates water's nuclear spin states Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:10 AM PDT Using an 'electric prism,' scientists have found a new way of separating water molecules that differ only in their nuclear spin states and, under normal conditions, do not part ways. Since water is such a fundamental molecule in the universe, the recent study may impact a multitude of research areas ranging from biology to astrophysics.

Scientists take a look at the feel-good benefits of belly dance Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:07 AM PDT A new study contributes to the scant literature available on belly dancing. Belly dancers have fewer hang-ups about their bodies. Most women who participate in this torso-driven dance do so because it is fun and they get to perform interesting moves -- not because they necessarily feel sexier while doing so.

There could be increased numbers of psychopaths in senior managerial positions, high levels of business, research shows Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:07 AM PDT For the first time, it has been demonstrated that people with psychopathic tendencies who have high IQs can mask their symptoms by manipulating tests designed to reveal their personalities. It raises the possibility that large numbers of ruthless risk-takers are able to conceal their level of psychopathy as they rise to key managerial posts.

Bacteria from bees possible alternative to antibiotics Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:37 AM PDT Thirteen lactic acid bacteria found in the honey stomach of bees have shown promising results in a series of studies. The group of bacteria counteracted antibiotic-resistant MRSA in lab experiments. The bacteria, mixed into honey, has healed horses with persistent wounds. The formula has previously been shown to protect against bee colony collapse.

Sleeping on animal fur in infancy found to reduce risk of asthma Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Sleeping on animal fur in the first three months of life might reduce the risk of asthma in later childhood a new study has found. The chance of having asthma at the age of 6 years was 79% lower in children who had slept on animal skin after birth compared with those who were not exposed to animal skin. The risk decreased to 41% by the age of 10.

Breath temperature test could identify lung cancer Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT The temperature of exhaled breath could be used to diagnose lung cancer, according to a new study. Results of a study demonstrated that the patients with lung cancer had a higher breath temperature than those without. The temperature also increased with the number of years a person had smoked and the stage at which their lung cancer had developed.

Research explains how you bite off the chocolate from nuts Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:35 AM PDT Simply biting off the chocolate from a nut dipped in chocolate, instead of biting through both the chocolate and nut requires sophisticated control of the biting power. This is possible owing to an advanced coordination of muscle activation and brake reflexes in different parts of the jaw muscles.

Ships without skippers Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:35 AM PDT A 200 meter long vessel moves slowly across the dark sea surface. There is no one at the wheel. It is quiet on the bridge. There are no signs of life in the engine room or on deck. A scene from a horror film or science fiction, perhaps? No. This is the bold aim of a new project.

Brain mechanism underlying recognition of hand gestures develops even when blind Posted: 05 Sep 2014 08:39 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that activated brain regions of congenitally blind individuals and activated brain regions of sighted individuals share common regions when recognizing human hand gestures. They indicated that a region of the neural network that recognizes others' hand gestures is formed in the same way even without visual information.

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