ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• That giant tarantula is terrifying, but I'll touch it: Expressing your emotions can reduce fear
• 'Benign' malaria key driver of human evolution in Asia-Pacific
• Experts propose 'cyber war' on cancer: Universities aim to break cancer's codes for social networking
• Spinach power gets a big boost: Reseachers combine spinach protein with silicon to make biohybrid solar cell
• Deadly witch hunts targeted by grassroots women's groups
• Swallowed magnets in children need quick evaluation and treatment
• Does gallows humor among physicians encourage accusations of murder and euthanasia?
• Finicky young wrasse want shrimp
• Scanning for drunks with a thermal camera
• For the rooster, size matters: How size of hen's comb is linked to ability to lay more eggs
• The eyes have it: Men and women do see things differently, study of brain's visual centers finds
• Less ferocious Tasmanian devils could help save species from extinction
• Tracking fish through a coral reef seascape: Ear-bone 'tree rings' provide evidence of connectivity

That giant tarantula is terrifying, but I'll touch it: Expressing your emotions can reduce fear Posted: 04 Sep 2012 04:20 PM PDT Can simply describing your feelings at stressful times make you less afraid and less anxious? A new psychology study suggests that labeling your emotions at the precise moment you are confronting what you fear can indeed have that effect.

'Benign' malaria key driver of human evolution in Asia-Pacific Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:09 PM PDT The malaria species rampant in the Asia-Pacific region has been a significant driver of evolution of the human genome, a new study has shown. An international team of researchers has shown that Plasmodium vivax malaria, the most prevalent malaria species in the Asia-Pacific, is a significant cause of genetic evolution that provides protection against malaria.

Experts propose 'cyber war' on cancer: Universities aim to break cancer's codes for social networking Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:17 AM PDT Mounting evidence of intricate social cooperation among cancer cells has led researchers to suggest a new strategy for outsmarting cancer through its own social intelligence. The researchers call for a "cyber war" to co-opt the communications systems that allow cancer cells to work together to sense danger and avoid attacks by the immune system and chemotherapy drugs.

Spinach power gets a big boost: Reseachers combine spinach protein with silicon to make biohybrid solar cell Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:11 AM PDT Spinach power has just gotten a big boost. Researchers have combined the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous "biohybrid" solar cells.

Deadly witch hunts targeted by grassroots women's groups Posted: 04 Sep 2012 08:18 AM PDT Witch hunts are common and sometimes deadly in the tea plantations of Jalpaiguri, India. But a surprising source -- small groups of women who meet through a government loan program -- has achieved some success in preventing the longstanding practice, a sociologist found.

Swallowed magnets in children need quick evaluation and treatment Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:08 AM PDT Children who swallow powerful neodymium magnets are at risk of serious complications, requiring emergency evaluation and possible treatment. That's the message of a new clinical algorithm published in the September issue of The Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Does gallows humor among physicians encourage accusations of murder and euthanasia? Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:04 AM PDT In a recent survey of palliative care medicine practitioners, nearly three quarters of the sample reported having been "humorously" accused of promoting death; For example, being called "Dr. Death." The survey found that a third of investigations into accusations of murder or euthanasia against physicians are instigated by fellow members of the health care team.

Finicky young wrasse want shrimp Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:01 AM PDT Ballan wrasse are picky eaters when young. As adults, they eat sea lice off the skin of salmon – which makes them valuable to fish farmers. But as juveniles, wrasse want to be served shrimp.

Scanning for drunks with a thermal camera Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:01 AM PDT Thermal imaging technology might one day be to identify drunks before they become a nuisance in bars, airports or other public spaces. Researchers in Greece are developing software that can objectively determine whether a person has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol based solely on the relative temperature of different parts of the person's face.

For the rooster, size matters: How size of hen's comb is linked to ability to lay more eggs Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT A lone rooster sees a lot of all the hens in the flock, but the hen with the largest comb gets a bigger dose of sperm -- and thus more chicks. Researchers in Sweden have now shown how the size of a hen's comb is bound up with the ability to lay more eggs.

The eyes have it: Men and women do see things differently, study of brain's visual centers finds Posted: 03 Sep 2012 07:10 PM PDT The way that the visual centers of men and women's brains works is different, finds new research. Men have greater sensitivity to fine detail and rapidly moving stimuli, but women are better at discriminating between colors.

Less ferocious Tasmanian devils could help save species from extinction Posted: 03 Sep 2012 07:10 PM PDT Evolving to become less aggressive could be key to saving the Tasmanian devil -- famed for its ferocity -- from extinction, research suggests. The species is being wiped out by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a fatal infectious cancer spread by biting. The new study found the less often a devil gets bitten, the more likely it is to become infected with the cancer.

Tracking fish through a coral reef seascape: Ear-bone 'tree rings' provide evidence of connectivity Posted: 03 Sep 2012 12:40 PM PDT Ocean scientists have long known that juvenile coral reef fishes use coastal seagrass and mangrove habitats as nurseries, later moving as adults onto coral reefs. But the fishes' movements, and the connections between different tropical habitats, are much more complex than previously realized, according to a new study. The findings have important implications for management and protection of coral reefs and other marine environments.

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