ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Search for extraterrestrial life more difficult than thought
• Don't like the food? Try paying more
• 'Feel good' factor higher when you own, not just use, luxury items
• People rely on what they hear themselves say to know what they're saying
• Fridges cooled by magnetism? Newly identified 'universal' property of metamagnets may lead to everyday uses
• Submarine: 'Virtual periscope' sees above-surface/airborne objects from underwater view
• Snobby staff can boost luxury retail sales
• Using a foreign language changes moral decisions
• Who are the aggressive stars of closed circuit television?

Search for extraterrestrial life more difficult than thought Posted: 29 Apr 2014 03:50 PM PDT A new study suggests the search for life on planets outside our solar system may be more difficult than previously thought. The study finds the method used to detect biosignatures on such planets, known as exoplanets, can produce a false positive result.

Don't like the food? Try paying more Posted: 29 Apr 2014 01:16 PM PDT Customers paying more at a restaurant buffet perceive the food as tastier than the same food offered at a lower price, suggesting taste perception can be manipulated by price alone. Researchers in nutrition, economics and consumer behavior often assume that taste is a given -- a person naturally either likes or dislikes a food. But a new study suggests taste perception, as well as feelings of overeating and guilt, can be manipulated by price alone.

'Feel good' factor higher when you own, not just use, luxury items Posted: 29 Apr 2014 10:38 AM PDT It means more to people to own a luxury product or brand than to have the privilege of simply using one. Just using an affordable luxury item you don't own can, in fact, dampen the feel good factor that normally surrounds such products, suggests new research.

People rely on what they hear themselves say to know what they're saying Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:57 AM PDT You know what you're going to say before you say it, right? Not necessarily, research suggests. A new study shows that auditory feedback plays an important role in helping us determine what we're saying as we speak. Theories about how we produce speech often assume that we start with a clear, preverbal idea of what to say that goes through different levels of encoding to finally become an utterance. But the findings from this study support an alternative model.

Fridges cooled by magnetism? Newly identified 'universal' property of metamagnets may lead to everyday uses Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT A new physics discovery may lead to more efficient refrigerators, heat pumps and airport scanners, among many possible uses –- perhaps within a decade.The refrigerator of 2024 may be cooled not by chemical refrigerants, but by magnetism, thanks to the work of a team of physicists and materials scientists.

Submarine: 'Virtual periscope' sees above-surface/airborne objects from underwater view Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:25 AM PDT Researchers have developed an underwater imaging system that allows submariners to view objects above the water's surface - without a periscope. The unique technology gets around the inevitable distortion caused by the water-surface waves when using a submerged camera because of the sharp refractive differences between water and air, random waves at the interface present distortions that are worse than the distortion atmospheric turbulence creates for astronomers peering into space.

Snobby staff can boost luxury retail sales Posted: 29 Apr 2014 05:56 AM PDT When it comes to luxury brands, the ruder the sales staff the better the sales, according to new research. The study reveals that consumers who get the brush-off at a high-end retailer can become more willing to purchase and wear pricey togs. "It appears that snobbiness might actually be a qualification worth considering for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci," says one marketing professor. "Our research indicates they can end up having a similar effect to an 'in-group' in high school that others aspire to join."

Using a foreign language changes moral decisions Posted: 28 Apr 2014 09:06 AM PDT Would you sacrifice one person to save five? Such moral choices could depend on whether you are using a foreign language or your native tongue. A new study from psychologists finds that people using a foreign language take a relatively utilitarian approach to moral dilemmas, making decisions based on assessments of what's best for the common good.

Who are the aggressive stars of closed circuit television? Posted: 28 Apr 2014 04:46 AM PDT A computer program can analyze closed circuit television (CCTV) images and spot aggressive human behavior nine times out of ten, according to new research. The research is an important step forward in intelligent security systems that could raise an alarm without requiring constant human vigilance.

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