ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

Researchers have developed new software that can be integrated with existing hardware to enable people using robotic prosthetics or exoskeletons to walk in a safer, more natural manner on different types of terrain. The new framework incorporates computer vision into prosthetic leg control, and includes robust artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that allow the software to better account for uncertainty.

A new study shows that some supermassive black holes actually thrive under pressure. It has been known for some time that when distant galaxies -- and the supermassive black holes within their cores -- aggregate into clusters, these clusters create a volatile, highly pressurized environment. Individual galaxies falling into clusters are often deformed during the process and begin to resemble cosmic jellyfish.

Fitness tracker bracelets and watches provide useful information, such as step count and heart rate, but they usually can't provide more detailed data about the wearer's health. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed smart electronic glasses (e-glasses) that not only monitor a person's brain waves and body movements, but also can function as sunglasses and allow users to control a video game with eye motions.

Resembling giant mealworms, superworms (Zophobas atratus) are beetle larvae that are often sold in pet stores as feed for reptiles, fish and birds. In addition to their relatively large size (about 2 inches long), these worms have another superpower: They can degrade polystyrene plastic. Now, researchers have linked this ability to a strain of bacteria that lives in the larvae's gut.

How could the tiny parts of the ear adapt independently to the diverse functional and environmental regimes encountered in mammals? A group of researchers proposed a new explanation for this puzzle. They suggest that the incorporation of the bones of the primary jaw joint into the ear has considerably increased the genetic, regulatory, and developmental complexity of the mammalian ear.

One of the most promising theories for the evolution of human speech has finally received support from chimpanzee communication.

With the help of Inuit hunters, geophysicists recently recorded the various calls, buzzes, clicks and whistles of narwhals as they summered in a Greenland fjord. The recordings help scientists better understand the soundscape of Arctic glacial fjords and provide valuable insight into the behavior of these shy and mysterious creatures, according to the researchers.

An international team of researchers have developed an innovative way of interpreting biological signals produced by the conductance of our skin. The system displays information in the form of colorful spiral graphics in real time, as well as a recording of data, for the wearer to interpret and reflect on.