Unexplained sounds in the ocean, unidentified flying objects causing accidents and mysterious desert patterns, Science brought us some unique stories this week.<br><br> Pictured here, the sand dunes of the Western Chinese Taklamakan desert which were once filled with caravans traveling the Silk Road.
A mysterious grid of dots spanning several miles of Western China's sand dunes like a giant chessboard may be the result of geological surveys for nickel mines, according to new analysis of satellite images of the area.<br><br> "In the satellite maps, we can see a man-made texture on the soil, a huge band which seems created by relatively small holes or mounds," wrote the study author, Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, a physicist at Italy's Polytechnic University of Turin, on Oct. 25 on the website arXiv.org, ahead of publication to a scientific journal. "This curious texture on the desert soil was probably produced by the pinpointing of geophysical [research]."<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24497-chinese-sand-patterns.html> Mysterious Grid Patterns in China's Deserts Explained </a>]
A zoo elephant in South Korea, can speak Korean out loud, researchers say. The pachyderm is capable of saying "hello," "good," "no," "sit down" and "lie down" — all by using its trunk to do the work of lips in a process scientists don’t fully understand.<br><br> The elephant likely does not understand the actual meaning of what he says, researchers said.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24458-elephant-speaks-korean-out-loud.html> Elephant Speaks Korean Out Loud </a>]
People's bodies know a big event is coming just before it happens, at least according to a new study.<br><br> If true, the research, published Oct. 17 in the journal Frontiers of Perception, suggests something fundamental about the laws of nature has yet to be discovered.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24479-bodies-predict-the-future.html> Can Our Bodies Predict the Future?</a>]
Physicists have figured out why the bottom drops out of a filled glass bottle when it’s given just a slap on its top. The secret to the bizarre trick: bursting bubbles.<br><br> The explosive parlor trick involves pouring water into a glass bottle and then holding it while firmly hitting the top of the bottle with the other hand. Oddly, this will cause the bottom of the bottle to shatter.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24469-bottle-exploding-secret-revealed.html> Secret to Mysterious Bottle-Exploding Trick Revealed </a>]
Pilots have been seeing unexplained things outside their cockpit windows since the dawn of aviation.<br><br> One of the most legendary examples happened near the end of World War II when both Allied and German pilots reported seeing fiery glowing objects that followed their planes and then disappeared in wild maneuvers.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24462-can-ufos-cause-air-accidents.html> Can UFOs Cause Air Accidents? </a>]
Particles engineered to spontaneously self-assemble like atoms forming molecules could give rise to new high-tech materials, leading to better optical displays and faster computer chips, researchers say.<br><br> Scientists have crafted the new particles, which are 1/100th the diameter of a human hair, by altering the architecture of colloids, tiny particles suspended in liquids, and which can be found dispersed in everyday items like paint, milk, glass and porcelain. The work is detailed this week in the journal Nature.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24465-new-particles-self-assemble-to-look-like-molecules.html> Engineered Particles Self-Assemble Like Atoms </a>]
New Yorkers may see an unwanted group of refugees in the wake of Hurricane Sandy — the rats that live in the city's subway tunnels.<br><br> As of Noon on Tuesday (Oct. 30), seven subway tunnels under the East River had flooded due to Hurricane Sandy, and many of the other subterranean lairs the seemingly invincible creatures inhabit were also inundated. That may push the rodent survivors of the deluge onto the New York streets.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24415-hurricane-sandy-nyc-subway-rats.html> Sandy May Drive Subway Rats onto NYC Streets </a>]
To literally watch cancer spread, researchers have surgically implanted small glass windows into the bellies of living mice.<br><br> The insights such windows could yield on cancer might help better battle it, scientists added.<br><br> In the last decade, researchers have developed tiny glass windows they could implant on the skin and mammary glands of living mice. These have enabled scientists to use microscopes to watch how breast cancer and tumors under the skin develop in real-time. <br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24432-window-mice-cancer-spread.html> Tiny Window in Living Mice Shows Cancer Spread in Real-Time </a>]
Using the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons, scientists now find one way that people can treat monsters like people too, looking them in the eyes even when those eyes are not located in their heads.<br><br> These findings could help researchers better understand autism, where people often fail to meet the eyes of others.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24407-dungeons-dragons-monsters-eyes.html> People Stare Monsters in the Eye, Wherever It Is </a>]
With Halloween approaching, it's natural to wonder just a little bit more than usual about things that go "bump" in the night. But what about things that go "bloop" in the deep sea?<br><br> Poltergeists, witches and ghosts aren't the only source for spooky seasonal mystery. In fact, scientists monitoring the oceans have uncovered a handful of sounds that can't be explained — at least not with any certainty.<br><br> [Full Story: <a href=http://www.livescience.com/24303-spooky-science-unexplained-ocean-sounds.html> Spooky Science: Unexplained Sounds from the Deep </a>]
