ScienceDaily: Strange Science News |
- Scientists discover a new class of taste receptors
- When three species of human ancestor walked the Earth
- Turning cells into computers with protein logic gates
- The facial expressions of mice
- Scientists develop 'backpack' computers to track wild animals in hard-to-reach habitats
- Giant umbrellas shift from convenient canopy to sturdy storm shield
- Fourth new pterosaur discovery in matter of weeks
- Physicist develops new photon source for tap-proof communication
| Scientists discover a new class of taste receptors Posted: 03 Apr 2020 05:28 AM PDT Evolution is a tinkerer, not an engineer. 'Evolution does not produce novelties from scratch. It works with what already exists,' wrote Nobel laureate François Jacob in 1977, and biologists continue to find this to be true. Case in point: A team of scientists has discovered that multiple opsin proteins, known for decades to be required for vision, also function as taste receptors. The finding represents a light-independent function for opsins, and raises questions about the purpose these proteins served in ancient organisms. |
| When three species of human ancestor walked the Earth Posted: 02 Apr 2020 12:57 PM PDT Scientists share details of the most ancient fossil of Homo erectus known and discuss how these new findings are forcing us to rewrite a part of our species' evolutionary history. |
| Turning cells into computers with protein logic gates Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:44 AM PDT New artificial proteins have been created to function as molecular logic gates. Like their electronic counterparts in computers, these biochemical tools can be used to program the behavior of complex systems, such as gene regulation inside human T-cells. This new advance might improve the durability of future cell-based therapies. |
| The facial expressions of mice Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:44 AM PDT Researchers have described different emotional facial expressions for mice. Similar to humans, the face of a mouse looks completely different when it tastes something sweet or bitter, or when it becomes anxious. With this new possibility to render the emotions of mice measurable, neurobiologists can now investigate the basic mechanisms of how emotions are generated and processed in the brain. |
| Scientists develop 'backpack' computers to track wild animals in hard-to-reach habitats Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:44 AM PDT To truly understand an animal species is to observe its behavior and social networks in the wild. With new technology, researchers are able to track tiny animals that divide their time between flying around in the sky and huddling together in caves and hollow trees -- by attaching little backpacks to them with glue. |
| Giant umbrellas shift from convenient canopy to sturdy storm shield Posted: 02 Apr 2020 10:46 AM PDT In a new approach to storm surge protection, a team has created a preliminary design for dual-purpose kinetic umbrellas that would provide shade during fair weather and could be tilted in advance of a storm to form a flood barrier. The researchers used computational modeling to begin evaluating the umbrellas' ability to withstand an acute storm surge. |
| Fourth new pterosaur discovery in matter of weeks Posted: 02 Apr 2020 07:08 AM PDT You wait ages for a pterosaur and then four come along at once. Hot on the heels of a recent paper discovering three new species of pterosaur, palaeobiologists have identified another new species -- the first of its kind to be found on African soil. |
| Physicist develops new photon source for tap-proof communication Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:17 PM PDT An international team has developed a new method for generating quantum-entangled photons in a spectral range of light that was previously inaccessible. The discovery can make the encryption of satellite-based communications much more secure in the future. |
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