//www.koonmotors.com/news/strange_offbeat/bizarre_things/ Quirky stories from ScienceDaily's Space & Time, Matter & Energy, and Computers & Math sections. en-us Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:56:27 EDT Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:56:27 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/strange_offbeat/bizarre_things/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/09/230905202510.htm The immense bubble is 820 million light years from Earth and believed to be a fossil-like remnant of the birth of the universe. Tue, 05 Sep 2023 20:25:10 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/09/230905202510.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831142845.htm NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has begun the study of one of the most renowned supernovae, SN 1987A (Supernova 1987A). Located 168,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, SN 1987A has been a target of intense observations at wavelengths ranging from gamma rays to radio for nearly 40 years, since its discovery in February of 1987. New observations by Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) provide a crucial clue to our understanding of how a supernova develops over time to shape its remnant. Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:28:45 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831142845.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121751.htm Scientists have detected and validated two of the longest-period exoplanets found by TESS to date. These long period large exoplanets orbit a K dwarf star and belong to a class of planets known as warm Jupiters, which have orbital periods of 10-200 days and are at least six times Earth's radius. This recent discovery offers exciting research opportunities for the future of finding long-period planets that resemble those in our own solar system. Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:17:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121751.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121723.htm A Neptune-sized planet denser than steel has been discovered by an international team of astronomers, who believe its composition could be the result of a giant planetary clash. Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:17:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121723.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121707.htm A soft ball designed to support mental health by 'personifying' breath has been invented by a computer science student. Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:17:07 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230831121707.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830151805.htm Researchers have overcome a fundamental obstacles for writing and drawing lines, letters, and complex patterns within the bulk of a liquid. Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:18:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830151805.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830131742.htm Imagine a robot that can wedge itself through the cracks in rubble to search for survivors trapped in the wreckage of a collapsed building. Engineers are working toward to that goal with CLARI, short for Compliant Legged Articulated Robotic Insect. Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:17:42 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830131742.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830131732.htm With a remarkable observational campaign that involved 12 telescopes both on the ground and in space, including three European Southern Observatory (ESO) facilities, astronomers have uncovered the strange behavior of a pulsar, a super-fast-spinning dead star. This mysterious object is known to switch between two brightness modes almost constantly, something that until now has been an enigma. But astronomers have now found that sudden ejections of matter from the pulsar over very short periods are responsible for the peculiar switches. Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:17:32 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830131732.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830130950.htm Quantum physics has allowed for the creation of sensors far surpassing the precision of classical devices. Now, several new studies show that the precision of these quantum sensors can be significantly improved using entanglement produced by finite-range interactions. Researchers were able to demonstrate this enhancement using entangled ion-chains with up to 51 particles. Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:09:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230830130950.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230829130037.htm Scientists have developed a fabric-based wearable device that 'taps' a user's wrist with pressurized air, silently helping them navigate to their destination. The study demonstrated that users correctly interpreted which direction the device was telling them to go an average of 87% of the time. Since the wearable embeds most of its control system within the fabric itself, using air instead of electronics, it can be built lighter and more compact than existing designs. Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:00:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230829130037.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230829125922.htm Experiments promote a curious flipside of decaying monopoles: A reality where particle physics is quite literally turned on its head Tue, 29 Aug 2023 12:59:22 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230829125922.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824150744.htm A new AI technique enables a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand, not just fingertips. This model can generate effective plans in about a minute using a standard laptop. Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:07:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824150744.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824111928.htm Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. These occasional features in the blue background of Neptune's atmosphere are a mystery to astronomers, and the new results provide further clues as to their nature and origin. Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:19:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824111928.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824111900.htm Scientists have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which stores electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and which could one day power smart contact lenses. Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:19:00 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824111900.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824003859.htm An innovative bimanual robot displays tactile sensitivity close to human-level dexterity using AI to inform its actions. Thu, 24 Aug 2023 00:38:59 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824003859.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824003857.htm The measurement values determined in sufficiently precise measurements of physical systems will vary based on the relation between the past and the future of a system determined by its interactions with the meter. This finding may explain why quantum experiments often produce paradoxical results that can contradict our common-sense idea of physical reality. Thu, 24 Aug 2023 00:38:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230824003857.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823165417.htm Researchers used advanced technology to study a massive aggregation of deep-sea octopus gathered at thermal springs near an extinct underwater volcano off the coast of Central California. Warm water from hydrothermal springs accelerates development of octopus embryos, giving young octopus a better chance of survival. The Octopus Garden is the largest known aggregation of octopus on the planet -- the size of this nursery, and the abundance of other marine life that thrives in this rich community, highlight the need to understand and protect the hotspots of life on the deep seafloor from threats like climate change and seabed mining. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:54:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823165417.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823165413.htm A researcher made a discovery that could change our understanding of the universe. He reveals that there is a range in which fundamental constants can vary, allowing for the viscosity needed for life processes to occur within and between living cells. This is an important piece of the puzzle in determining where these constants come from and how they impact life as we know it. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:54:13 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823165413.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122608.htm Geoscientists have created a new method that can reconstruct the drift path and origin of debris from flight MH370, an aircraft that went missing over the Indian Ocean in 2014 with 239 passengers and crew. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:26:08 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122608.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122530.htm Researchers have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has enabled a woman with severe paralysis from a brainstem stroke to speak through a digital avatar. Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:25:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230823122530.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230822111622.htm Engineers in Australia have found a way of making stronger concrete with roasted used-coffee grounds, to give the drink-additive a 'double shot' at life and reduce waste going to landfills. The team developed a technique to make concrete 30% stronger by turning waste coffee grounds into biochar, using a low-energy process without oxygen at 350 degrees Celsius. Tue, 22 Aug 2023 11:16:22 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230822111622.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230818004752.htm In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid can do something strange. While they normally have a mass and an electric charge, Pines asserted that they can combine to form a composite particle that is massless, neutral, and does not interact with light. He called this particle a 'demon.' Now, researchers have finally found Pines' demon 67 years after it was predicted. Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:47:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230818004752.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230817163841.htm Magnetars are the strongest magnets in the Universe. These super-dense dead stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields can be found all over our galaxy but astronomers don't know exactly how they form. Now, using multiple telescopes around the world, researchers have uncovered a living star that is likely to become a magnetar. This finding marks the discovery of a new type of astronomical object -- massive magnetic helium stars -- and sheds light on the origin of magnetars. Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:38:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230817163841.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230816114205.htm Indoor air pollution may have met its match. Scientists have designed catalyst-coated lampshades that transform indoor air pollutants into harmless compounds. The lampshades work with halogen and incandescent light bulbs, and the team is extending the technology so it will also be compatible with LEDs. Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:42:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230816114205.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230816114201.htm Pouring flecks of rust into water usually makes it dirtier. But researchers have developed special iron oxide nanoparticles called 'smart rust' that actually makes it cleaner. The magnetic nanoparticles attract different pollutants by changing the particles' coating and are removed from water with a magnet. Now, the team is reporting a smart rust that traps estrogen hormones, which are potentially harmful to aquatic life. Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:42:01 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230816114201.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151134.htm In a new study, researchers have taken an important step toward understanding how exploding stars can help reveal how neutrinos, mysterious subatomic particles, secretly interact with themselves. Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:11:34 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151134.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151112.htm For those with neurological or developmental disorders compromising speech, brain machine interfaces could help them communicate. But today's interfaces are slow and, from electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect letters only. The speech generated is robotic and affectless. Neuroscientists have now shown that they can reconstruct the song a person is hearing from brain recordings alone, holding out the possibility of reconstructing not only words but the musicality of speech, which also conveys meaning. Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:11:12 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230815151112.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230814122405.htm Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later -- with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Researchers will describe their progress to date, including the isolation and purification of the insect-derived chemicals and their conversion into their bioplastics. Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:24:05 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230814122405.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230814122318.htm A new study finds that 'connected' vehicles, which share data with each other wirelessly, significantly improve travel time through intersections -- but automated vehicles can actually slow down travel time through intersections if they are not connected to each other. The culprit? Safety. Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:23:18 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230814122318.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230811172145.htm 超级风暴经常出现在土星、破坏relatively bland surface before disappearing. But radio observations show that the storms have long-lasting effects deeper in the atmosphere, in particular in the distribution of ammonia. Using NRAO's Very Large Array, astronomers see such impacts from storms that happened hundreds of years ago. The findings will help explain the differences between storms on the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter. Fri, 11 Aug 2023 17:21:45 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230811172145.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230810141027.htm Scientists working on Fermilab's Muon g-2 experiment released the world's most precise measurement yet of the magnetic moment of the muon, bringing particle physics closer to the ultimate showdown between theory and experiment that may uncover new particles or forces. Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:10:27 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230810141027.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230810141018.htm 目前,电子人只存在于小说,但有限ncept is becoming more plausible as science progresses. And now, researchers are reporting that they have developed a proof-of-concept technique to 'tattoo' living cells and tissues with flexible arrays of gold nanodots and nanowires. With further refinement, this method could eventually be used to integrate smart devices with living tissue for biomedical applications, such as bionics and biosensing. Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:10:18 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230810141018.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809164721.htm New observations of mud cracks made by the Curiosity Rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet may have once seen seasonal weather patterns or even flash floods. Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:47:21 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809164721.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809130709.htm A classic movie was once promoted with the punchline: 'In space, no one can hear you scream'. Physicists have now demonstrated, to the contrary, that in certain situations sound can be transmitted strongly across a vacuum region! Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:07:09 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230809130709.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808202017.htm Concentrations of potentially harmful chemical compounds in dust collected from air filtration systems on the International Space Station (ISS) exceed those found in floor dust from many American homes, a new study reveals. Tue, 08 Aug 2023 20:20:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808202017.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808151054.htm Researchers hope that a new, publicly available database they have created will shrink, not grow, over time. That's because it is a compendium of the thousands of understudied proteins encoded by genes in the human genome, whose existence is known but whose functions are mostly not. Tue, 08 Aug 2023 15:10:54 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808151054.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808110939.htm New research shows that electrical stimuli passed between neighboring electrodes can also affect non-neighboring electrodes. Known as non-locality, this discovery is a crucial milestone toward creating brain-like computers with minimal energy requirements. Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:09:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230808110939.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230807122001.htm Researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence-based model for computational imaging and microscopy without training with experimental objects or real data. The team introduced a self-supervised AI model nicknamed GedankenNet that learns from physics laws and thought experiments. Informed only by the laws of physics that universally govern the propagation of electromagnetic waves in space, the researchers taught their AI model to reconstruct microscopic images using only random artificial holograms -- synthesized solely from 'imagination' without relying on any real-world experiments, actual sample resemblances or real data. Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:20:01 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230807122001.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230807121907.htm A new study suggests that Cytochromes P450 (CYP450s) enzymes can sense and respond to stimuli, acting like soft robots in living systems. Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:19:07 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230807121907.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230802132033.htm A new image of the galaxy cluster known as 'El Gordo' is revealing distant and dusty objects never seen before, and providing a bounty of fresh science. The infrared image displays a variety of unusual, distorted background galaxies that were only hinted at in previous Hubble Space Telescope images. Wed, 02 Aug 2023 13:20:33 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230802132033.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230801131652.htm Engineers have developed HADAR, or heat-assisted detection and ranging. Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:16:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230801131652.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731151603.htm Engineers have created a 'supercapacitor' made of ancient, abundant materials, that can store large amounts of energy. Made of just cement, water, and carbon black (which resembles powdered charcoal), the device could form the basis for inexpensive systems that store intermittently renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:16:03 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731151603.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731151552.htm Earth is rapidly warming and scientists are developing a variety of approaches to reduce the effects of climate change. An astronomer has proposed a novel approach -- a solar shield to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth, combined with a tethered, captured asteroid as a counterweight. Engineering studies using this approach could start now to create a workable design that could mitigate climate change within decades. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:15:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731151552.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731144135.htm Everyday life involves the three dimensions or 3D -- along an X, Y and Z axis, or up and down, left and right, and forward and back. But, in recent years scientists have explored a 'fourth dimension' (4D), or synthetic dimension, as an extension of our current physical reality. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:41:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731144135.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731144129.htm Chemists describe a powerful new way to create new-to-nature, 'unnatural' amino acids, which could find use in protein-based therapies and open up novel branches of organic chemistry. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:41:29 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731144129.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731122233.htm Using hundreds of entries from the New Yorker magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest as a testbed, researchers challenged AI models and humans with three tasks: matching a joke to a cartoon; identifying a winning caption; and explaining why a winning caption is funny. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:22:33 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731122233.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm The artificial intelligence language model GPT-3 performed as well as college students in solving certain logic problems like those that appear on standardized tests. The researchers who conducted the experiment write that the results prompt the question of whether the technology is mimicking human reasoning or using a new type of cognitive process. Solving that question would require access to the software that underpins GPT-3 and other AI software. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:07:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110750.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110740.htm Engineers have designed a new, shape-shifting display that can fit on a card table and allows users to draw 3D designs and more. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:07:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110740.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110708.htm An unusual discovery is now being developed as an on-demand cooling solution for high-flying military electronics. Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:07:08 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230731110708.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728170641.htm Scientists have trained a machine learning model in outer space, on board a satellite. This achievement could revolutionize the capabilities of remote-sensing satellites by enabling real-time monitoring and decision making for a range of applications. Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:06:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728170641.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728170617.htm International team reports on a radio pulsar phase of a Galactic magnetar that emitted a fast radio burst in 2020; observations suggest unique origins for 'bursts' and 'pulses,' which adds to FRB formation theory. Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:06:17 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230728170617.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727144148.htm Researchers have developed an L3 F-TOUCH sensor to enhance tactile capabilities in robots, allowing it to 'feel' objects and adjust its grip accordingly. Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:41:48 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727144148.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727144014.htm Many people know that stars appear to twinkle because our atmosphere bends starlight as it travels to Earth. But stars also have an innate 'twinkle' -- caused by rippling waves of gas on their surfaces -- that is imperceptible to current Earth-bound telescopes. In a new study, researchers developed the first 3D simulations of energy rippling from a massive star's core to its outer surface. Using these new models, the researchers determined, for the first time, how much stars should innately twinkle. Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:40:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727144014.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727143148.htm As the next generation of giant, high-powered observatories begin to come online, a new study suggests that their instruments may offer scientists an unparalleled opportunity to discern what weather may be like on far-away exoplanets. Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:31:48 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230727143148.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171337.htm Young stars are rambunctious! NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the 'antics' of a pair of actively forming young stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, in high-resolution near-infrared light. To find them, trace the bright pink and red diffraction spikes until you hit the center: The stars are within the orange-white splotch. They are buried deeply in a disk of gas and dust that feeds their growth as they continue to gain mass. The disk is not visible, but its shadow can be seen in the two dark, conical regions surrounding the central stars. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:13:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171337.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171330.htm A new machine-learning technique can efficiently learn to control a robot, leading to better performance with fewer data. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:13:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171330.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171309.htm 食虫植物金星Fl内会发生什么ytrap when it catches an insect? New technology has led to discoveries about the electrical signalling that causes the trap to snap shut. Bioelectronic technology enables advanced research into how plants react to their surroundings, and to stress. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:13:09 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726171309.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113102.htm Physicists have succeeded in making a new imaging technique ready for use on humans. Radioactive markers and radiation are not necessary for this. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:31:02 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113102.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113044.htm Inspired by the effortless way humans handle objects without seeing them, engineers have developed a new approach that enables a robotic hand to rotate objects solely through touch, without relying on vision. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:30:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113044.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113043.htm The spiral galaxy NGC 1532, also known as Haley's Coronet, is caught in a lopsided tug of war with its smaller neighbor, the dwarf galaxy NGC 1531. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:30:43 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230726113043.htm