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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Why do we gesticulate?

Posted: 02 Jul 2013 05:29 PM PDT

If you rely on hand gestures to get your point across, you can thank fish for that! Scientists have found that the evolution of the control of speech and hand movements can be traced back to the same place in the brain, which could explain why we use hand gestures when we are speaking.

Listening to blood cells: Simple test could use sound waves for diagnosing blood-related diseases

Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:33 AM PDT

New research reveals that when red blood cells are hit with laser light, they produce high frequency sound waves that contain a great deal of information. Similar to the way one can hear the voices of different people and identify who they are, investigators could analyze the sound waves produced by red blood cells and recognize their shape and size. The information may aid in the development of simple tests for blood-related diseases.

Croc supersense: Multi-sensory organs in crocodylian skin sensitive to touch, heat, cold, environment

Posted: 02 Jul 2013 07:15 AM PDT

Previously misunderstood multi-sensory organs in the skin of crocodylians are sensitive to touch, heat, cold, and the chemicals in their environment, new research finds. These sensors have no equivalent in any other vertebrate.

Gamblers like noisy slot machines -- it reinforces the rewarding feeling after a win

Posted: 02 Jul 2013 07:03 AM PDT

Winning sounds on slot machines make gambling more exciting, according to a new study. Moreover, their work shows that sounds also cause players to overestimate the number of times they won while playing on slot machines.

People show more humorous creativity when primed with thoughts of death

Posted: 02 Jul 2013 07:03 AM PDT

Humor is an intrinsic part of human experience. It plays a role in every aspect of human existence, from day-to-day conversation to television shows. Yet little research has been conducted to date on the psychological function of humor. In human psychology, awareness of the impermanence of life is just as prevalent as humor. According to the Terror Management Theory, knowledge of one's own impermanence creates potentially disruptive existential anxiety, which the individual brings under control with two coping mechanisms, or anxiety buffers: rigid adherence to dominant cultural values, and self-esteem bolstering.

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