ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3-D structure of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria
• Frequent childhood nightmares may indicate an increased risk of psychotic traits
• Worm-like mite species discovered: A species from this 'extremophile' family hasn't been described for 40 years
• Shaky hand, stable spoon: Device helps essential tremor patients
• Color of passion: Orange underbellies of female lizards signal fertility
• Livestock beating pandas to the bamboo buffet
• Physicians' stethoscopes more contaminated than palms of their hands
• Circadian clock in the ear: Time of day of hearing damage affects healing
• Male goat essence really turns the females on
• Sterile flies save food crops, millions of dollars in eradication efforts
• Caffeine-based gold compounds are potential tools in fight against cancer
• Don't throw out old, sprouting garlic -- it has heart-healthy antioxidants
• Why almost winning is just as good for some gamblers
• You can die of a broken heart, research shows
• Tumors 'Light Up' With New, Unique Imaging System Using Scorpion Venom Protein and a Laser

It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3-D structure of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:06 PM PST An essential weapon in the body's fight against infection has come into sharper view. Researchers have discovered the 3-D structure of an enzyme that cuts to ribbons the genetic material of viruses and helps defend against bacteria. The discovery of the structure of this enzyme, a first-responder in the body's "innate immune system," could enable new strategies for fighting infectious agents and possibly prostate cancer and obesity. "This work illustrates the wonderful usefulness of doing both crystallography and careful kinetic and enzymatic studies at the same time," said one scientist.

Frequent childhood nightmares may indicate an increased risk of psychotic traits Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST Children who suffer from frequent nightmares or bouts of night terrors may be at an increased risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence, according to new research that shows that children reporting frequent nightmares before the age of 12 were three and a half times more likely to suffer from psychotic experiences in early adolescence. Similarly, experiencing night terrors doubled the risk of such problems, including hallucinations, interrupted thoughts or delusions. Younger children, between two and nine years old, who had persistent nightmares reported by parents had up to one and a half times increased risk of developing psychotic experiences.

Worm-like mite species discovered: A species from this 'extremophile' family hasn't been described for 40 years Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:58 PM PST It looks like a worm and moves like a worm -- sort of. But it is a previously unidentified microscopic species of mite that was discovered by a graduate student on The Ohio State University campus. Affectionately dubbed the "Buckeye Dragon Mite," the mite is officially named Osperalycus tenerphagus, Latin for "mouth purse" and "tender feeding," in a nod to its complex and highly unusual oral structure.

Shaky hand, stable spoon: Device helps essential tremor patients Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST For people whose hands shake uncontrollably due to a medical condition, just eating can be a frustrating and embarrassing ordeal -- enough to keep them from sharing a meal with others. But a small new study suggests that a new handheld electronic device can help such patients overcome the hand shakes caused by essential tremor.

Color of passion: Orange underbellies of female lizards signal fertility Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST Australian lizards are attracted to females with the brightest orange patches -- but preferably not too large -- on their underbelly, according to research. Lake Eyre dragon lizards are found exclusively in salt deserts in southern Australia, where they feed on dead insects. When females become fertile they develop bright orange patches on their normally pale underbelly and change their behavior towards males: instead of "waving them away" with their forelegs or fleeing, they let the males court them with showy behavior like push-ups and head bobs. Males were most attracted to females with small, bright orange patches and tended to avoid those with larger, paler ones. It is thought that bright color is attractive as it indicates peak female fertility. Pregnant females retain their coloration until laying and very large orange spots suggest the female is swollen with eggs and no longer interested in mating.

Livestock beating pandas to the bamboo buffet Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:48 AM PST Pandas, it turns out, aren't celebrating the Year of the Horse. Livestock, particularly horses, have been identified as a significant threat to panda survival. The reason: they're beating the pandas to the bamboo buffet. A paper by panda habitat experts explores an oft-hidden yet significant conflict in conservation. "Livestock affect most of the world's biodiversity hotspots," an author said. "They make up 20 percent of all of the earth's land mammals and therefore monopolize key resources needed to maintain the earth's fragile ecosystems."

Physicians' stethoscopes more contaminated than palms of their hands Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:48 AM PST Although healthcare workers' hands are the main source of bacterial transmission in hospitals, physicians' stethoscopes appear to play a role. To explore this question, investigators assessed the level of bacterial contamination on physicians' hands and stethoscopes following a single physical examination. Two parts of the stethoscope (the tube and diaphragm) and four regions of the physician's hands (back, fingertips, and thenar and hypothenar eminences) were measured for the total number of bacteria present in a new study. The stethoscope's diaphragm was more contaminated than all regions of the physician's hand except the fingertips. Further, the tube of the stethoscope was more heavily contaminated than the back of the physician's hand.

Circadian clock in the ear: Time of day of hearing damage affects healing Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:52 AM PST Researchers have identified a biological circadian clock in the hearing organ, the cochlea. This circadian clock controls how well hearing damage may heal and opens up a new way of treating people with hearing disabilities. By measuring the activity of the auditory nerve, the researchers found that mice exposed to moderate noise levels during the night suffered from permanent hearing damages while mice exposed to similar noise levels during the day did not. The ability to heal after hearing damage was therefore linked to the time of day during which the noise damage occurred, and here the ear's circadian clock played an important role.

Male goat essence really turns the females on Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:52 AM PST Anyone who has ever spent time around goats knows they have a certain smell. By carefully analyzing eau de male goat, researchers have now identified a novel, citrus-scented ingredient that speaks directly to the females. It acts on female goats' brains to turn their reproductive systems on. Although the work was done in goats, the researchers say there is reason to think the findings will apply to other livestock, and perhaps even to humans, too. After all, the researchers note, the action and structure of the brain's reproductive center is highly conserved among mammals.

Sterile flies save food crops, millions of dollars in eradication efforts Posted: 26 Feb 2014 09:52 AM PST Irradiated, sterile flies dropped over seaports and agricultural areas to mate with unsuspecting females save food crops and millions of dollars in prevented infestations and the ensuing eradication efforts. But blasting these secret-suitor insects with radiation via electron beams, X-rays or gamma-rays, tends to make them weaker than typical males -- and not so appealing to females as possible mates. What sterile-insect operations need is the insect world's version of George Clooney: 52 years old, gray-haired and still dazzling the ladies.

Caffeine-based gold compounds are potential tools in fight against cancer Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:18 AM PST The side effects of ingesting too much caffeine -- restlessness, increased heart rate, having trouble sleeping -- are well-known, but recent research has shown that the stimulant also has a good side. It can kill cancer cells. Now, researchers report that combining a caffeine-based compound with a small amount of gold could someday be used as an anti-cancer agent.

Don't throw out old, sprouting garlic -- it has heart-healthy antioxidants Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:18 AM PST 'Sprouted' garlic -- old garlic bulbs with bright green shoots emerging from the cloves -- is considered to be past its prime and usually ends up in the garbage can. But scientists report that this type of garlic has even more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than its fresher counterparts. They found that garlic sprouted for five days had higher antioxidant activity than fresher, younger bulbs, and it had different metabolites, suggesting that it also makes different substances. Extracts from this garlic even protected cells in a laboratory dish from certain types of damage. "Therefore, sprouting may be a useful way to improve the antioxidant potential of garlic," they conclude.

Why almost winning is just as good for some gamblers Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:29 AM PST A new study has pinpointed the changes in the brain that lead gamblers to react in the same way to near-misses as they do to winning. The research shows that near-misses are underpinned by increases in the brain's electrical activity, particularly in the theta frequency range -- known to be involved in processing win and loss outcomes. They found that these increases in theta are linked to both how severe someone's gambling history is and how susceptible they might be to developing a future gambling problem.

You can die of a broken heart, research shows Posted: 25 Feb 2014 07:12 AM PST Experts studying the impact of bereavement on people's health have found that the chances of a heart or stroke attack doubles after a partner's death. Bereavement has long been known as a risk factor for death and this study increases our understanding of its effects on cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes. The study showed the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke doubled in the crucial 30 day period after a partner's death for those experiencing loss of a loved one. Grief leads to extra physical stress and also may make people forget or lose interest in taking their medication, according to experts.

Tumors 'Light Up' With New, Unique Imaging System Using Scorpion Venom Protein and a Laser Posted: 24 Feb 2014 02:11 PM PST Researchers have developed a unique, compact, relatively inexpensive imaging device to "light up" malignant brain tumors and other cancers. The experimental system consists of a special camera and a new, targeted imaging agent based on a synthetic version of a small protein -- a peptide -- found in the venom of the deathstalker scorpion. The imaging agent homes to brain tumor cells. When stimulated by a laser in the near-infrared part of the spectrum, it emits a glow that is invisible to the eye but can be captured by the camera.

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