Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

When we feel things that are not there      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of the phantom touch illusion provides insights into human perception and opens up new perspectives for interaction with virtual reality technology.

Offbeat: General
Published

When we see what others do, our brain sees not what we see, but what we expect      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When we engage in social interactions, like shaking hands or having a conversation, our observation of other people's actions is crucial. But what exactly happens in our brain during this process: how do the different brain regions talk to each other? Researchers provide an intriguing answer: our perception of what others do depends more on what we expect to happen than previously believed. 

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: Quantum Computers Mathematics: Puzzles Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Keep it secret: Cloud data storage security approach taps quantum physics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Distributed cloud storage is a hot topic for security researchers, and a team is now merging quantum physics with mature cryptography and storage techniques to achieve a cost-effective cloud storage solution.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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Galactic 'lightsabers': Answering longstanding questions about jets from black holes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The one thing everyone knows about black holes is that absolutely everything nearby gets sucked into them. Almost everything, it turns out. Astrophysicists have now determined conclusively that energy close to the event horizon of black hole M87* is pushing outward, not inward. The researchers have also created a way to test the prediction that black holes lose rotational energy and to establish it's that energy that produces the incredibly powerful jets.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: The Solar System
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Scientists uncover aurora-like radio emission above a sunspot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have detailed radio observations of an extraordinary aurora-like display -- occurring 40,000 km above a relatively dark and cold patch on the Sun, known as a sunspot.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
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'Cooling glass' blasts building heat into space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers aiming to combat rising global temperatures have developed a new 'cooling glass' that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space. The new technology, a microporous glass coating, can lower the temperature of the material beneath it by 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon, and has the potential to reduce a mid-rise apartment building's yearly carbon emissions by 10 percent.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
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Some of today's earthquakes may be aftershocks from quakes in the 1800s      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the 1800s, some of the strongest earthquakes in recorded U.S. history struck North America's continental interior. Almost two centuries later, the central and eastern United States may still be experiencing aftershocks from those events, a new study finds.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
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No scientific evidence for cognitively advanced behaviors and symbolism by Homo naledi      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study casts doubt on claims that Homo naledi, a small-brained hominin dating to between 335-241,000 years ago, deliberately buried their dead and produced rock art in Rising Star Cave, South Africa. Recent articles suggested the recent excavations at the Rising Star Cave system provided evidence of at least three burial features, two in the Dinaledi Chamber and a third in the Hill Antechamber cavity. The group of experts have now called for a deeper dig into the science behind the findings.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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Tracking down quantum flickering of the vacuum      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Absolutely empty -- that is how most of us envision the vacuum. Yet, in reality, it is filled with an energetic flickering: the quantum fluctuations. Experts are currently preparing a laser experiment intended to verify these vacuum fluctuations in a novel way, which could potentially provide clues to new laws in physics. A research team has developed a series of proposals designed to help conduct the experiment more effectively -- thus increasing the chances of success.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Mysterious new moth species discovered in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

European Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), with a currently known inventory of approximately 11,000 species, are generally considered well-researched. However, a new genus and species from the Geometrid moth family tell a different story. The moth, named Mirlatia arcuata, is one of the most remarkable discoveries in Lepidoptera of recent decades.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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Second-most distant galaxy discovered using James Webb Space Telescope      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The second- and fourth-most distant galaxies ever observed have been discovered in a region of space known as Pandora's Cluster, or Abell 2744, using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Yucatán's underwater caves host diverse microbial communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With help from an experienced underwater cave-diving team, researchers have constructed the most complete map to date of the microbial communities living in the submerged labyrinths beneath Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Researchers found the cave system's microbiome is distinct from the nearby sea, and microbial communities vary between cave systems forming distinct 'neighborhoods.'  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Hummingbirds' unique sideways flutter gets them through small apertures      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hummingbirds are highly maneuverable fliers, flitting forward and backward as they home in on flowers. But in the dense foliage many inhabit, they often encounter gaps that are too narrow for their wingspan. Since they can't bend their wings in flight, how do they get through? Researchers used high-speed cameras to capture their movements, discovering two unique strategies: they sidle through while fluttering, or fold their wings in a tuck and glide.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Found at last: Bizarre, egg-laying mammal finally rediscovered after 60 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A long-beaked echidna named after Sir David Attenborough and last seen by scientists in 1961 has been photographed for the first time in an Indonesian tropical forest. An international team of researchers worked with local communities to deploy over 80 camera traps to film the elusive animal. Besides rediscovering the echidna, the team uncovered a wealth of species completely new to science, including beetles, spiders, and a remarkable tree-dwelling shrimp.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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How to use AI for discovery -- without leading science astray      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the same way that chatbots sometimes 'hallucinate,' or make things up, machine learning models designed for scientific applications can sometimes present misleading or downright false results. Researchers now present a new statistical technique for safely using AI predictions to test scientific hypotheses.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
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Milky Way-like galaxy found in the early universe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have discovered the most distant barred spiral galaxy, similar to the Milky Way, that has been observed to date.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
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New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
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Glow in the visible range detected for the first time in the Martian night      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have observed, for the first time in the visible range, a glow on the night side of the planet Mars. These new observations provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet and its variations throughout the year.