ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

Fire ants survive floods by forming rafts made up of thousands of wriggling insects. New research reveals how these creepy-crawly lifeboats change shape over time.

FishSounds.net is the first online, interactive library for the sounds fish make when communicating or interacting with their environment. Fish sounds provide scientists valuable data for studying and conserving underwater ecosystems. An accompanying review study found that just under a 1,000 fish make sounds for communication, though this is likely an underestimate.

Promising technologies for converting wastewater into drinkable water produce a chemical compound that can be toxic, corrosive and malodorous. An analysis of one possible solution reveals ways to optimize it for maximum energy efficiency, pollutant removal and resource recovery.

Researchers already knew that insects are an excellent source of protein for humans, but they didn't expect to learn that they have such a positive impact on plants. Researchers discuss the benefits of using the waste from insect-as-food-and-feed production to promote sustainable crops.

Black holes and neutron stars are some of the most extreme objects in the Universe, ripping up neighboring stars. But they are messy eaters and much of they take in gets flung back into space. Scientists have now observed a neutron star blasting out warm and cold wind as it devoured another star. The findings shed new light on the behavior of these stellar cannibals and how they influence the evolution of galaxies.

Many coronal loops -- ropey strands of plasma that scientists have long thought existed in the sun's atmosphere -- may actually be optical illusions, according to a new paper that challenges prevailing assumptions of what we know, and don't know, about the sun.

Researchers have shown for the first time how to design the basic elements needed for logic operations using a kind of material called a liquid crystal -- paving the way for a completely novel way of performing computations.

In 2020, astronomers reported the closest black hole to Earth, located just 1000 light-years away in the HR 6819 system. But the results of their study were contested by other researchers. In a new paper, these two teams have united to report that there is in fact no black hole in HR 6819, which is instead a 'vampire' two-star system in a rare and short-lived stage of its evolution.

New analysis has identified how the design of Stonehenge may have represented a calendar, helping people track a solar year of 365.25 days calibrated by the alignment of the solstices. Although it had long been thought to be a calendar, pinpointing how it functioned was only possible thanks to modern discoveries. The large sarsens that dominate the site appear to reflect a calendar with 12 months of 30 days, divided into 10 day 'weeks'. An intercalary month and leap days aligned it with the solar year. Such calendars had been developed in ancient Egypt, raising the possibility Stonehenge's calendar system had its roots elsewhere.

A study has confirmed what is believed to be the first published account of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a house cat. The viral sequence was a close match to strains circulating in the Philadelphia area at the same time, underscoring the virus's ability to jump from one species to another without acquiring significant mutations.

Researchers have developed a new technique by studying the age of ancient grains of sand from beaches, rivers and rocks from around the world to reveal previously hidden details of the Earth's distant geological past.

A series of experiments using paper airplanes reveals new aerodynamic effects, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings enhance our understanding of flight stability and could inspire new types of flying robots and small drones.

The development of highly secure but simple and inexpensive encryption technology for the prevention of data leaks and forgeries is decidedly challenging. A research team has now introduced a 'double lock' based on thermoresponsive polymer hydrogels that encrypts information so that it can only be read at a specific window in temperature and time.

Scientists have published the first record of a Noble False Widow spider feeding on a protected species of Pipistrelle bats in the UK. The new study demonstrates that False Widow spiders continue to impact native species.

A new analysis of Tyrannosaurus skeletal remains reveals physical differences in the femur, other bones and dental structures across specimens that could suggest Tyrannosaurus rex specimens need to be re-categorized into three distinct groups or species, reports a new study.

Researchers report that lab tests of a new metasurface-based antenna that can harvest 100 microwatts of power, enough to power simple devices, from low power radio waves. This represents an important step toward making it practical to harvest energy from radio waves, such as the ones used in cell phone networks or Bluetooth connections.