Pages

Monday 1 July 2013

COOLEST SCIENCE STORIES OF THE WEEK XXXI


New Picture 311
Coolest Science Stories of the Week
By
Live Science, 29 June 2013.

Bugs as a meal, a cyborg cockroach and a statue that moves on its own are just a few of the cool stories we found this week.

11. Foot orgasms?

New Picture 312
Credit: Foot photo via Shutterstock

A 55-year-old woman in the Netherlands visited the doctor with an unusual complaint: She experienced unwanted orgasms that started in her foot, according to a new report of her case.

The orgasmic sensations - which occurred in her left foot - were sudden, not brought on by sexual desire or thoughts, and occurred about five to six times a day, the report said. The sensation travelled up her left leg to her vagina, and she said the experience felt exactly like an orgasm achieved during sex.


10. Eat bugs to ease world hunger

New Picture 313

The problem is familiar: How to feed a growing world population. Now, a few people have offered a solution that may sound strange, at least to Western ears: Eat insects.


9. Flea feasted on flying reptiles

New Picture 314

A 125-million-year-old fossil flea has been unearthed in China.

The ancient parasite, described today (June 27) in the journal Current Biology, had a mouth and body smaller than older fleas, but larger than modern-day pests. The new species, Saurophthyrus exquisitus, may be a transitional species that could shed light on why modern-day bloodsucking parasites evolved to become smaller and take dainty, unobtrusive bites.


8. Are warp drives in our future?

New Picture 315

Astrophysicist Eric Davis is one of the leaders in the field of faster-than-light (FTL) space travel. But for Davis, humanity's potential to explore the vastness of space at warp speed is not science fiction.


7. Ancient coins spark treasure hunt

New Picture 316

Can a handful of ancient African coins, discovered almost 70 years ago by a lone soldier on a remote island, rewrite history?

A weathered, hand-drawn map, with an "X" marking the spot on the Australian island where the African coins were discovered, might help an international team of researchers, who will travel to the island this summer, answer that question.


6. 3 Super Earths found

New Picture 317

The habitable zone of a nearby star is filled to the brim with planets that could support alien life, scientists announced today (June 25).

An international team of scientists found a record-breaking three potentially habitable planets around the star Gliese 667C, a star 22 light-years from Earth that is orbited by at least six planets, and possibly as many as seven, researchers said.


5. Plants use quantum physics to survive

New Picture 318
Credit: Quantum mechanics image via agsandrew | Shutterstock

Humans can't teleport or reside in multiple places at once - but the tiniest particles of matter can.

These eerie quantum effects have traditionally been studied and observed only under the strictly controlled conditions of a physics lab. That is, until some scientists suggested that such weirdness also exists in wet and soggy biological systems.


4. Game tech steers cyborg cockroach

New Picture 319

Scientists are harnessing the power of motion-based gaming technology to drive cyborg cockroaches on autopilot, envisioning a future where the intrepid insects could be wired to survey a disaster zone.


3. Woman drinks soda for 16 years!

New Picture 320
Credit: Soda image via Shutterstock

A 31-year old woman's heart problems and fainting might have had something to do with the fact that she drank only soda for about half her life, according to a report of her case.


2. Narcissists outed in brain scans

New Picture 321

People who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder, which is characterized by extreme arrogance and self-absorption, have structural abnormalities in a region of the brain that has been linked to empathy, a new study finds.


1. Egyptian statue moves on its own

New Picture 322

An ancient Egyptian statue appears to have started moving on its own, much to the amazement of scientists and museum curators. The statue of Neb-Senu, believed to date to 1800 B.C., is housed in the Manchester Museum in England - at least for now. But if the statue keeps moving, there's no telling where it will end up.


[Source: Live Science. Edited.]


No comments:

Post a Comment

Please adhere to proper blog etiquette when posting your comments. This blog owner will exercise his absolution discretion in allowing or rejecting any comments that are deemed seditious, defamatory, libelous, racist, vulgar, insulting, and other remarks that exhibit similar characteristics. If you insist on using anonymous comments, please write your name or other IDs at the end of your message.