ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

New observations reveal that Mars could still be volcanically active, raising the possibility for habitable conditions in the near surface of Mars in recent history. Ongoing research investigates the possibility that the most recent volcanic activity on Mars, which occurred about 50,000 years ago, might have been triggered by a nearby asteroid impact that happened around the same time.

How a planet comes together has implications for whether it captures and retains the volatile elements, including nitrogen, carbon and water, that eventually give rise to life, according to scientists.

NASA's Voyager I spacecraft has long since zipped past the edge of the solar system through the heliopause - the solar system's border with interstellar space - into the interstellar medium. Now, its instruments have detected the constant drone of interstellar gas (plasma waves).

Researchers have wirelessly programmed -- and then deprogrammed -- mice to socially interact with one another in real time. The advancement is thanks to an ultraminiature, wireless, battery-free and fully implantable device that uses light to activate neurons.

The process of combining maternal and paternal genetic information is surprisingly error-prone.

A new study indicates São Tomé island has two species of caecilians found nowhere else on Earth. The research adds evidence to a century-long scientific debate and reveals how volcanic activity may have driven the divergence of the limbless amphibians.

How is it possible to move in the desired direction without a brain or nervous system? Single-celled organisms apparently manage this feat without any problems: for example, they can swim towards food with the help of small flagellar tails. A research team has now been able to simulate this process on the computer.

Physics researchers discover that assembling 2D materials into a 3D arrangement does not just result in 'thicker' 2D materials but instead produces entirely new materials. The nanomesh technologically is simple to produce and offers tunable material properties to meet the demands of future applications. The team's next goal is to use the nanomesh on Silicon (Si) waveguides to develop quantum optical communications.

A new experiment shows that the more energy consumed by a clock, the more accurate its timekeeping. This is the first time that a measurement has been made of the entropy -- or heat loss -- generated by a minimal clock tens of nanometers thick and 1.5 millimeters long. Understanding the thermodynamic cost involved in timekeeping is a central step along the way in the development of future technologies, as systems approach the quantum realm.

Scientists have devised a biologically inspired strategy to produce artificial muscle that self-assembles from motor proteins. Their approach, compatible with modern 3D printing, paves the way for printable robots that further resemble living creatures.