ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Mars has right ingredients for present-day microbial life beneath its surface, study finds
• The science of spin: Asteroseismologists confirm older stars rotate faster than expected
• Using exoplanets as dark matter detectors
• Mars' changing habitability recorded by ancient dune fields in Gale crater
• ALMA discovers rotating infant galaxy with help of natural cosmic telescope
• The intricate dance between waves, wind, and gliding pelicans explored
• A growing problem of 'deepfake geography': How AI falsifies satellite images
• Pepper the robot talks to itself to improve its interactions with people
• Jane Austen quote encoded in a polymer
• Laser paintbrush used to create miniature masterpieces

Mars has right ingredients for present-day microbial life beneath its surface, study finds Posted: 22 Apr 2021 12:04 PM PDT New research suggests that rocks in the Martian crust could produce the same kind of chemical energy that supports microbial life deep beneath Earth's surface.

The science of spin: Asteroseismologists confirm older stars rotate faster than expected Posted: 22 Apr 2021 09:36 AM PDT Stars spin faster than expected as they age according to a new study which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory.

Using exoplanets as dark matter detectors Posted: 22 Apr 2021 09:36 AM PDT In the continuing search for dark matter in our universe, scientists believe they have found a unique and powerful detector: exoplanets. Astrophysicists suggest dark matter could be detected by measuring the effect it has on the temperature of exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.

Mars' changing habitability recorded by ancient dune fields in Gale crater Posted: 22 Apr 2021 07:29 AM PDT An international team has found evidence of ancient dunes on Mars that could help explain ancient surface conditions.

ALMA discovers rotating infant galaxy with help of natural cosmic telescope Posted: 22 Apr 2021 06:38 AM PDT Using ALMA, astronomers found a rotating baby galaxy 1/100th the size of the Milky Way at a time when the Universe was only seven percent of its present age. Thanks to assistance by the gravitational lens effect, the team was able to explore for the first time the nature of small and dark 'normal galaxies' in the early Universe, which greatly advances our understanding of the initial phase of galaxy evolution.

The intricate dance between waves, wind, and gliding pelicans explored Posted: 21 Apr 2021 01:00 PM PDT It's a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not simple. Researchers have recently developed a theoretical model that describes how the ocean, the wind and the birds in flight interact.

A growing problem of 'deepfake geography': How AI falsifies satellite images Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:46 AM PDT Using satellite photos of three cities and drawing upon methods used to manipulate video and audio files, a team of researchers set out to identify new ways of detecting fake satellite photos and warn of the dangers of falsified geospatial data.

Pepper the robot talks to itself to improve its interactions with people Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:46 AM PDT Ever wondered why your virtual home assistant doesn't understand your questions? Or why your navigation app took you on the side street instead of the highway? Researchers have now designed a robot that 'thinks out loud' so that users can hear its thought process and better understand the robot's motivations and decisions.

Jane Austen quote encoded in a polymer Posted: 21 Apr 2021 09:46 AM PDT Using a novel molecular-data-storage technique, researchers have encoded a quote from Jane Austen's classic novel Mansfield Park in a series of oligomers, which a third party could read back without prior knowledge of the structures that encoded the passage.

Laser paintbrush used to create miniature masterpieces Posted: 19 Apr 2021 08:01 AM PDT Researchers are blurring the lines between science and art by showing how a laser can be used to create artistic masterpieces in a way that mirrors classical paints and brushes. The new technique not only creates paint-like strokes of color on metal but also offers a way to change or erase colors.

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