ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

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• Largest comet ever observed was active at near-record distance
• Team builds first living robots that can reproduce
• New discovery opens the way for brain-like computers
• Nibbling prehistoric herbivore sheds new light on Triassic diversity
• Programmable interaction between quantum magnets
• Spicy breast milk?
• In the quantum realm, not even time flows as you might expect
• 'Magic wand' reveals a colorful nano-world
• Scientists discover gut bacteria that improve memory in bees
• ‘Super jelly’ can survive being run over by a car
• Orbital harmony limits late arrival of water on TRAPPIST-1 planets
• Over the top: Car jump study turns over old physics problem
• Shifting colors for on-chip photonics

Largest comet ever observed was active at near-record distance Posted: 29 Nov 2021 02:28 PM PST Astronomers show that comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB), the largest comet ever discovered, was active long before previously thought, meaning the ice within it is vaporizing and forming an envelope of dust and vapor known as a coma. Only one active comet has been observed farther from the sun, and it was much smaller than comet BB.

Team builds first living robots that can reproduce Posted: 29 Nov 2021 12:50 PM PST Scientists have discovered a new form of biological reproduction -- and created self-replicating living robots. Made from frog cells, these computer-designed organisms gather single cells inside a Pac-Man-shaped 'mouth' -- and release Xenobot 'babies' that look and move like themselves. Then the offspring go and do the same -- over and over.

New discovery opens the way for brain-like computers Posted: 29 Nov 2021 09:27 AM PST Research has long strived to develop computers to work as energy efficiently as our brains. A study has now succeeded in combining a memory function with a calculation function in the same component. The discovery opens the way for more efficient technologies, everything from mobile phones to self-driving cars.

Nibbling prehistoric herbivore sheds new light on Triassic diversity Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:56 AM PST A Triassic herbivore, known for its supposed similarities to a modern-day ostrich, has been revealed to have entirely different approach to feeding from previously thought.

Programmable interaction between quantum magnets Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:56 AM PST Researchers have succeeded in their aim of not only changing the strength but also the nature of the interaction between microscopic quantum magnets, known as spins. Instead of falling into a state of complete disorder, the especially prepared magnets can maintain their original orientation for a long period. With these findings, the physicists have successfully demonstrated a programmable control of spin interactions in isolated quantum systems.

Spicy breast milk? Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:55 AM PST In part of a recent human study led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), it was found that after eating a curry dish containing pepper, piperine - an alkaloid responsible for the pungency of pepper - was present in the milk of breastfeeding women. The findings help decipher mechanisms that shape our food preferences from infancy.

In the quantum realm, not even time flows as you might expect Posted: 26 Nov 2021 10:08 AM PST A team of physicists has shown how quantum systems can simultaneously evolve along two opposite time arrows - both forward and backward in time. The study necessitates a rethink of how the flow of time is understood and represented in contexts where quantum laws play a crucial role.

'Magic wand' reveals a colorful nano-world Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST Researchers describe a revolutionary imaging technology that compresses lamp light into a nanometer-sized spot. It holds that light at the end of a silver nanowire like a Hogwarts student practicing the 'Lumos' spell, and uses it to reveal previously invisible details, including colors, in nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes.

Scientists discover gut bacteria that improve memory in bees Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST An international research team have discovered a specific type of gut bacteria in bees that can improve memory.

‘Super jelly’ can survive being run over by a car Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST Researchers have developed a jelly-like material that can withstand the equivalent of an elephant standing on it, and completely recover to its original shape, even though it's 80% water.

Orbital harmony limits late arrival of water on TRAPPIST-1 planets Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and researchers have now used that harmony to determine how much physical abuse the planets could have withstood in their infancy.

Over the top: Car jump study turns over old physics problem Posted: 24 Nov 2021 12:40 PM PST If an automobile is moving at a steady speed over a hill in the shape of a vertical circular arc, what is the maximum speed it can attain without losing contact with the road at the crest of the hill? New research demonstrates that, despite numerous textbook references stating otherwise, a car will leave the ground on the downside of a peak. The study presents three cases to illustrate the nuances of the different physics principles at play and a researcher ultimately presents a compelling argument, dispelling the long-held notion a car can leave the road at the top of a smooth hill.

Shifting colors for on-chip photonics Posted: 24 Nov 2021 12:39 PM PST Researchers have developed highly efficient, on-chip frequency shifters that can convert light in the gigahertz frequency range. The frequency shifters are easily controlled, using continuous and single-tone microwaves.

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