ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• 'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water
• Couch potatoes may be genetically predisposed to being lazy, rat study suggests
• Hot and cold senses interact: Cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated
• The ethics of resurrecting extinct species
• How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation
• Moving cells with light holds medical promise
• No map, no problems for monarchs
• Byrd came oh-so-close, but probably didn't reach North Pole
• Rare primate's vocal lip-smacks share features of human speech
• New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed
• Goodbye drafty backside, hello comfort, style in newly designed patient gown
• Egyptian wedding certificate key to authenticating controversial biblical text
• Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears
• Mind over matter? Core body temperature controlled by the brain

'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:58 PM PDT Another innovative feature has been added to the world's first practical "artificial leaf," making the device even more suitable for providing people in developing countries and remote areas with electricity. It gives the leaf the ability to self-heal damage.

Couch potatoes may be genetically predisposed to being lazy, rat study suggests Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:47 PM PDT Researchers were able to selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of either extreme activity or extreme laziness. They say these rats indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise motivation, even in humans.

Hot and cold senses interact: Cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated Posted: 08 Apr 2013 02:22 PM PDT A new study offers new insights into how the nervous system processes hot and cold temperatures. The research found an interaction between the neural circuits that detect hot and cold stimuli: cold perception is enhanced when nerve circuitry for heat is inactivated.

The ethics of resurrecting extinct species Posted: 08 Apr 2013 01:59 PM PDT At some point, scientists may be able to bring back extinct animals, and perhaps early humans, raising questions of ethics and environmental disruption.

How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT A new study suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet's atmosphere. Mars, which likely released much of its carbon as methane, might have been warm enough to support liquid water.

Moving cells with light holds medical promise Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT Scientists have shown they can coax cells to move toward a beam of light. The feat is a first step toward manipulating cells to control insulin secretion or heart rate using light.

No map, no problems for monarchs Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT Monarch butterflies have long been admired for their sense of direction, as they migrate from Canada and the United States to Mexico. According to new findings from a team of scientists, the winged insects fly without a map, and use basic orientation and landmarks to find their way to their wintering sites, thousands of miles away.

Byrd came oh-so-close, but probably didn't reach North Pole Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:26 AM PDT When renowned explorer Richard E. Byrd returned from the first-ever flight to the North Pole in 1926, he sparked a controversy that remains today. Studying supercomputer simulations of atmospheric conditions on the day of the flight and double-checking Byrd's navigation techniques, a researcher has determined that Byrd indeed neared the Pole, but likely only flew within 80 miles of it before turning back.

Rare primate's vocal lip-smacks share features of human speech Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:31 AM PDT The vocal lip-smacks that geladas use in friendly encounters have surprising similarities to human speech, according to a new study. The geladas, which live only in the mountains of Ethiopia, are the only nonhuman primate known to communicate with such a speech-like, undulating rhythm. Calls of other monkeys and apes are typically one or two syllables and lack those rapid fluctuations in pitch and volume.

New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:23 AM PDT Scientists have described key advances toward practical uses of a new genre of tiny, biocompatible electronic devices that could be implanted into the body to relieve pain or battle infection for a specific period of time, and then dissolve harmlessly.

Goodbye drafty backside, hello comfort, style in newly designed patient gown Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:23 AM PDT The drafty backside is finally gone, replaced with comfort, warmth and dignity in a newly designed hospital gown that blends style for the patient with clinical function for the health care team.

Egyptian wedding certificate key to authenticating controversial biblical text Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:23 AM PDT A scientist who helped verify authenticity of the fabled Gospel of Judas today revealed how an ancient Egyptian marriage certificate played a pivotal role in confirming the veracity of inks used in the controversial text. The disclosure sheds new light on the intensive scientific efforts to validate the gospel.

Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:51 AM PDT Imagine highly precise, self-adjusting contact lenses that also clean themselves. Scientists have just moved these enticing notions much closer to reality by designing a new kind of adaptive material with tunable transparency and wettability features.

Mind over matter? Core body temperature controlled by the brain Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:48 AM PDT Scientists have shown, for the first time, that it is possible for core body temperature to be controlled by the brain. The scientists found that core body temperature increases can be achieved using certain meditation techniques (g-tummo) which could help in boosting immunity to fight infectious diseases or immunodeficiency.

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