ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Sleepwalking more prevalent among U.S. adults than previously suspected, researcher says
• Why women chose bad boys: Ovulating women perceive sexy cads as good dads
• Color of robins' eggs determines parental care
• 'Thermal tasters' can experience taste from heating or cooling tongue without any food
• Real smart: Protective clothing with built-in A/C
• Wasted milk is a real drain on our resources, study shows
• Scientists generate electricity from viruses
• Tiny solar-panel-like cells help restore sight to the blind

Sleepwalking more prevalent among U.S. adults than previously suspected, researcher says Posted: 14 May 2012 01:16 PM PDT What goes bump in the night? In many U.S. households: people. About 3.6 percent of US adults -- or upward of 8.4 million -- are prone to sleepwalking, new research shows. The work also showed an association between nocturnal wanderings and certain psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. A large number of people reported sleepwalking in childhood or adolescence making the lifetime prevalence of sleepwalking 29.2 percent.

Why women chose bad boys: Ovulating women perceive sexy cads as good dads Posted: 14 May 2012 10:43 AM PDT Nice guys do finish last at least when it comes to procreation, according to a new study that answers the question of why women choose bad boys. New research has demonstrated that hormones associated with ovulation influence women's perceptions of men as potential fathers.

Color of robins' eggs determines parental care Posted: 14 May 2012 09:28 AM PDT A male robin will be more diligent in caring for its young if the eggs its mate lays are a brighter shade of blue.

'Thermal tasters' can experience taste from heating or cooling tongue without any food Posted: 14 May 2012 07:44 AM PDT Can the temperature of the food we eat affect the intensity of its taste? It depends on the taste, according to a new study. New research shows that changes in the temperature of foods and drinks have an effect on the intensity of sour, bitter and astringent (e.g. cranberry juice) tastes but not sweetness. In addition, research suggests that in 20-30 percent of the population, heating or cooling small areas of the tongue draws out a taste sensation without the presence of food or drink. These individuals are known as 'thermal' tasters. They seem to taste foods more intensely than others people do.

Real smart: Protective clothing with built-in A/C Posted: 14 May 2012 07:44 AM PDT In order to test a new 'smart' protective vest, an experimenter wearing one jogged several kilometers on a treadmill in a climate-controlled chamber. During the jog he lost 544 grams in weight through sweating –  but thanks to the vest's integrated cooling system this was still 191 grams less than if he had been wearing a conventional garment.

Wasted milk is a real drain on our resources, study shows Posted: 13 May 2012 11:46 AM PDT Milk poured down Britain's kitchen sinks each year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to thousands of car exhaust emissions, research shows.

Scientists generate electricity from viruses Posted: 13 May 2012 11:46 AM PDT Scientists have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The scientists tested their approach by creating a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid-crystal display. Their generator is the first to produce electricity by harnessing the piezoelectric properties of a biological material.

Tiny solar-panel-like cells help restore sight to the blind Posted: 13 May 2012 11:46 AM PDT Using tiny solar-panel-like cells surgically placed underneath the retina, scientists have devised a system that may someday restore sight to people who have lost vision because of certain types of degenerative eye diseases.

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