ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Fossil discovery deepens snakefly mystery
• Dark Energy Survey physicists open new window into dark energy
• Understanding fruit fly behavior may be next step toward autonomous vehicles
• Birds can change their traditions for the better, study shows
• Mapping North Carolina's ghost forests from 430 miles up
• Raindrops also keep fallin' on exoplanets
• A new, positive approach could be the key to next-generation, transparent electronics
• Humans were apex predators for two million years, study finds
• Making cleaner, greener plastics from waste fish parts
• Paleopharmaceuticals from Baltic amber might fight drug-resistant infections
• Research reveals why redheads may have different pain thresholds

Fossil discovery deepens snakefly mystery Posted: 06 Apr 2021 01:42 PM PDT The recent discovery of four new species of ancient insects are leading scientists to question the evolutionary history of the snakefly. The fossils, discovered in British Columbia and Washington State, are estimated to be 52 million years old and were unearthed in a region once thought uninhabitable.

Dark Energy Survey physicists open new window into dark energy Posted: 06 Apr 2021 10:59 AM PDT An analysis by Dark Energy Survey physicists yields more precise estimates of the average density of matter as well as its propensity to clump together - two key parameters that help physicists probe the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Understanding fruit fly behavior may be next step toward autonomous vehicles Posted: 06 Apr 2021 10:19 AM PDT With over 70% of respondents to a AAA annual survey on autonomous driving reporting they would fear being in a fully self-driving car, makers like Tesla may be back to the drawing board before rolling out fully autonomous self-driving systems. But new research shows us we may be better off putting fruit flies behind the wheel instead of robots.

Birds can change their traditions for the better, study shows Posted: 06 Apr 2021 10:19 AM PDT Researchers have found that birds are able to change their culture to become more efficient. The research reveals immigration as a powerful driver of cultural change in animal groups that could help them to adapt to rapidly changing environments.

Mapping North Carolina's ghost forests from 430 miles up Posted: 06 Apr 2021 09:06 AM PDT Throughout the U.S. East Coast, trees are dying off as rising seas and higher storm surges push saltwater farther inland. While these 'ghost forests' are becoming more common in North Carolina's coastal plain, scientists had only a rough idea of their extent. A new study mining 35 years of satellite images of a 245,000-acre area in the state's Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula shows that, between 1985 and 2019, 11% of the area's tree cover succumbed to saltwater.

Raindrops also keep fallin' on exoplanets Posted: 06 Apr 2021 05:40 AM PDT Researchers found that raindrops are remarkably similar across different planetary environments, even planets as drastically different as Earth and Jupiter. Understanding the behavior of raindrops on other planets is key to not only revealing the ancient climate on planets like Mars but identifying potentially habitable planets outside our solar system.

A new, positive approach could be the key to next-generation, transparent electronics Posted: 05 Apr 2021 08:36 AM PDT A new study could pave the way to revolutionary, transparent electronics for potential integration in glass, flexible displays and smart contact lenses -- bringing to life futuristic 'scifi-like' devices. A decades-long search for electronics based on semiconducting oxides could also find use in power electronics and communications, reducing the carbon footprint of our utility networks. The introduction of a new 2D semiconductor fills a crucial gap in the materials spectrum to enable fast, transparent circuits.

Humans were apex predators for two million years, study finds Posted: 05 Apr 2021 08:36 AM PDT In a new study, researchers were able to reconstruct the nutrition of stone-age humans. The study's authors collected about 25 lines of evidence from about 400 scientific papers from different scientific disciplines, dealing with the focal question: Were stone-age humans specialized carnivores or were they generalist omnivores?

Making cleaner, greener plastics from waste fish parts Posted: 05 Apr 2021 04:59 AM PDT Polyurethanes are nearly everywhere, but these highly versatile materials can have a major downside. Derived from crude oil, toxic to synthesize, and slow to break down, conventional polyurethanes are not environmentally friendly. Now, researchers discuss devising what they say should be a safer, biodegradable alternative derived from fish waste -- heads, bones, skin and guts -- that would otherwise likely be discarded.

Paleopharmaceuticals from Baltic amber might fight drug-resistant infections Posted: 05 Apr 2021 04:58 AM PDT For centuries, people in Baltic nations have used ancient amber for medicinal purposes. Even today, infants are given amber necklaces that they chew to relieve teething pain, and people put pulverized amber in elixirs and ointments for its purported beneficial properties. Now, scientists have pinpointed compounds that help explain Baltic amber's therapeutic effects and that could lead to new medicines to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.

Research reveals why redheads may have different pain thresholds Posted: 03 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT Humans and mice with red hair have a different tolerance for pain because their skin's pigment-producing cells lack the function of a certain receptor. Lack of this receptor function causes changes that tip the balance between pain sensitivity and pain tolerance. The findings may be helpful for designing new treatments for pain.

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