Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily

Strength in numbers: First-ever quantum device that detects and corrects its own errors Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST When scientists develop a full quantum computer, the world of computing will undergo a revolution of sophistication, speed and energy efficiency that will make even our beefiest conventional machines seem like Stone Age clunkers by comparison.

Galactic 'rain' explains why some galaxies are better at creating stars Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST Some of the galaxies in our universe are veritable star nurseries. For example, our own Milky Way produces, on average, at least one new star every year. Others went barren years ago, now producing few if any new stars. Why that happens is a question that has dogged astronomers for years. But now, more than 20 years of research has culminated in what might be the answer to that elusive question.

Why isn't the universe as bright as it should be? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:15 AM PST A handful of new stars are born each year in the Milky Way, while many more blink on across the universe. But astronomers have observed that galaxies should be churning out millions more stars, based on the amount of interstellar gas available. This study explains why galaxies don't churn out as many stars as they should.

Discovery of 2.8-million-year-old jaw sheds light on early humans Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:14 AM PST For decades, scientists have been searching for African fossils documenting the earliest phases of the Homo lineage, but specimens recovered from the critical time interval between 3 and 2.5 million years ago have been frustratingly few and often poorly preserved. However, a fossil lower jaw found in the Ledi-Geraru research area, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia, pushes back evidence for the human genus -- Homo -- to 2.8 million years ago.

Planet 'reared' by four parent stars Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PST Growing up as a planet with more than one parent star has its challenges. Though the planets in our solar system circle just one star -- our sun -- other more distant planets, called exoplanets, can be reared in families with two or more stars. Researchers wanting to know more about the complex influences of multiple stars on planets have come up with two new case studies: a planet found to have three parents, and another with four.

Taking madness out of March Madness Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:40 AM PST A business professor takes the madness out of the month with his "Dance Card" Method for determining NCAA March Madness brackets, also known as "bracketology."

Experiments support conductivity claims for microbial nanowires Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Scientific debate has been hot lately about whether microbial nanowires, the specialized electrical pili of the mud-dwelling anaerobic bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, truly possess metallic-like conductivity as its discoverers claim. But now scientists say they have settled the dispute between theoretical and experimental scientists by devising a combination of new experiments and better theoretical modeling.

Energy-generating cloth could replace batteries in wearable devices Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST From light-up shoes to smart watches, wearable electronics are gaining traction among consumers, but these gadgets' versatility is still held back by the stiff, short-lived batteries that are required. These limitations, however, could soon be overcome. Scientists report the first durable, flexible cloth that harnesses human motion to generate energy. It can also self-charge batteries or supercapacitors without an external power source and make new commercial and medical applications possible.

Determining recipes for some of the world's oldest preserved beers Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Some breweries have taken to resurrecting the flavors of ages past. Adventurous beer makers are extrapolating recipes from clues that archeologists have uncovered from old and even ancient brews found at historical sites. Now scientists have analyzed some of the oldest preserved beer samples from an 1840s' shipwreck to try to provide insight into how they were made.

Kids and robots learn to write together Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Who is the teacher: the student or the machine? By showing a robot how to write letters, children improve their writing skills and gain self-confidence.

Hurricanes helped accelerate spread of lionfish Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST Just when you thought hurricanes couldn't get any scarier, think again. Their names roll of the tongue like a rogues' gallery: Floyd, Frances, Irene, Wilma and Andrew. But these aren't the names of notorious criminals; rather, they are just a few of the hurricanes since 1992 that have helped spread invasive marine species throughout the Florida Straits. Researchers have discovered that storms don't only have a dramatic impact on land; they have an equally dramatic effect on ocean currents, which helps the spread of marine invasive species throughout a region.

Men tend to be more narcissistic than women, study finds Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST With three decades of data from more than 475,000 participants, a new study on narcissism reveals that men, on average, are more narcissistic than women.

Grand tree of life study shows a clock-like trend in new species emergence and diversity Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST Researchers have assembled the largest and most accurate tree of life calibrated to time, and surprisingly, it reveals that life has been expanding at a constant rate. The study also challenges the conventional view of adaptation being the principal force driving species diversification, but rather, underscores the importance of random genetic events and geographic isolation in speciation, taking about 2 million years on average for a new species to emerge onto the scene.

Analysis of spider venom reveals seven promising compounds with potential to relieve chronic pain Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain.

Vampire bats: Who bit whom? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:53 AM PST Scientists discovered a new retrovirus “fossil” found in the common vampire bat which is homologous to retroviruses in rodents and primates. The results suggest the recent circulation of an active infectious retrovirus and cross-species transmission. Vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) samples from Mexico and from the Berlin Zoological Garden revealed a new endogenous retrovirus (named DrERV after Desmodus rotundus endogenous retrovirus) that is also present in rodents and primates but is absent in other closely related bat species. The results suggest that this virus historically jumped more than once among different species.

Flexible sensors turn skin into a touch-sensitive interaction space for mobile devices Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:52 AM PST If a mobile phone rings during a meeting, its owner often has to dig it out before it can be muted. A more discreet method would be to decline the incoming call by pressing on one of your fingers. Computer scientists are studying the potential use of the human body as a touch sensitive surface for controlling mobile devices. They have developed flexible silicone rubber stickers with pressure-sensitive sensors that fit snugly to the skin. By operating these touch input stickers, users can use their own body to control mobile devices. Because of the flexible material used, the sensors can be manufactured in a variety of shapes, sizes and personalized designs.

Unlocking key to immunological memory in bacteria Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PST A powerful genome editing tool may soon become even more powerful. Researchers have unlocked the key to how bacteria are able to 'steal' genetic information from viruses and other foreign invaders for use in their own immunological memory system.

Alzheimer amyloid clumps found in young adult brains Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:13 AM PST Amyloid -- an abnormal protein that's a hallmark of Alzheimer's -- starts accumulating inside neurons of people as young as 20, reports a study. This is the first time amyloid accumulation has been shown in such young human brains. Small toxic amyloid clumps were found in neurons of deceased young adults. The clumps grew larger in the brains of normal older adults and those with Alzheimer's. The clumps likely damage and eventually kill memory-related neurons.