ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

---

• Native ants use chemical weapons to turn back invading Argentine ants
• Engineers look to the birds for the future of unmanned aerial vehicles
• Bacteria on old-growth trees may help forests grow
• Glaciations may have larger influence on biodiversity than current climate, dung beetle study finds
• Dolphins use double sonar: Researchers discover that dolphins can generate two sound beam projections simultaneously
• Breast cancer research: Mammary gland development of blueberry-fed lab animals studied
• People judge therapists by their offices, study shows
• Black, white and stinky: Explaining bold coloration in skunks
• Squeeze an arm, protect the heart: New technique for heart protection analyzed
• Bacteria that clean art: Restorers and microbiologists use bacteria to make works of art shine like new

Native ants use chemical weapons to turn back invading Argentine ants Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:17 AM PDT University sophomores studying ants in a summer course discovered that the local ants were using poison to kill invading Argentine ants. The discovery provides new insight into the war between the local "winter ants" and the South American invaders who have shown up everywhere from California to South Africa.

Engineers look to the birds for the future of unmanned aerial vehicles Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:11 AM PDT Engineers are mimicking the movement of bird wings to help improve the maneuverability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are often used for surveillance of a fixed target in military and civilian applications. A fixed wing aircraft capable of spot landing on a perch (top of a pole, building, fence, etc.) would be an ideal solution capable of efficient cruising and versatile landing for longer surveillance missions.

Bacteria on old-growth trees may help forests grow Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:11 AM PDT The growth and development of many forests is thought to be limited by the availability of nitrogen. By collecting mosses on the forest floor and then at 15 and 30 meters up into the forest canopy, researchers were able to show both that the cyanobacteria are more abundant in mosses high above the ground, and that they "fix" twice as much nitrogen as those associated with mosses on the forest floor.

Glaciations may have larger influence on biodiversity than current climate, dung beetle study finds Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:10 AM PDT An investigation by Spanish researchers reveals that the large impacts occurred during the last ice age maintain their effects on the current distribution of dung beetles of the scarab family (Scarabaeidae). The presence of these beetles in Europe seems to be more influenced by the climate of that glaciation than by the present one.

Dolphins use double sonar: Researchers discover that dolphins can generate two sound beam projections simultaneously Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:23 AM PDT Dolphins and porpoises use echolocation for hunting and orientation. By sending out high-frequency sound, known as ultrasound, dolphins can use the echoes to determine what type of object the sound beam has hit. Researchers from Sweden and the U.S. have now discovered that dolphins can generate two sound beam projections simultaneously.

Breast cancer research: Mammary gland development of blueberry-fed lab animals studied Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:52 AM PDT Recent studies of mammary gland development in laboratory rats fed blueberries or other foods of interest may aid breast cancer research.

People judge therapists by their offices, study shows Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:52 AM PDT People may judge the quality and qualifications of psychotherapists simply by what their offices look like, a new study suggests. After only viewing photos of offices, study participants gave higher marks to psychotherapists whose offices were neat and orderly, decorated with soft touches like pillows and throw rugs, and which featured personal touches like diplomas and framed photos.

Black, white and stinky: Explaining bold coloration in skunks Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:30 AM PDT Biologists can now explain why some species such as skunks use bold coloration to warn predators either that they risk being sprayed with stinky gas or getting into a vicious fight, while other species don't.

Squeeze an arm, protect the heart: New technique for heart protection analyzed Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:34 AM PDT Scientists in the UK are investigating a novel technique that promises to protect heart muscle from life-threatening damage following a heart attack -- simply by squeezing an arm. Heart attacks are the major cause of premature death in England, with massive implications for survival and costs of long-term health care.

Bacteria that clean art: Restorers and microbiologists use bacteria to make works of art shine like new Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:34 AM PDT Researchers in Spain are beginning to experiment with this new technique on the frescoes of Antonio Palomino from the 17th century in the Church of Santos Juanes in Valencia. They have shown that a certain type of micro-organism is capable of cleaning works of art in a fast, specific and respectful way as well as being non-toxic for the restorer and the environment.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Strange Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610