2018 was full of scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. For example, archaeologists have found the lost cities of the Maya, and in China, possibly the first genetically modified children in the history of mankind. However, scientists sometimes conduct strange and, at first glance, meaningless research. We will tell you about the most unusual and strange scientific works of the past year.
Octopus ecstasy
In September 2018, the journal Current Biology published the work of American scientists who gave octopuses a taste of ecstasy (MDMA). The experiment involved seven cephalopods of the species Octopus bimaculoides (Californian two-spotted octopus), which prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. Researchers have previously studied the biochemistry of the nervous system, which underlies the asocial behavior of animals.
It turned out that octopuses had genes that encoded serotonin, a neurotransmitter known as the "happiness hormone." It is known that in humans, serotonin binds to the MDMA entering the body, which ultimately affects behavior. Scientists have hypothesized that a similar effect would be observed in molluscs. This was a bold proposition, since octopuses have almost no cerebral cortex and complex reward systems.
The ecstasy-fed shellfish were moved to a bank with three rooms, one containing a male octopus and another containing a toy. Usually molluscs avoided meeting with congeners, but MDMA changed their behavior. Scientists concluded that since the common ancestor of humans and octopuses lived 500 million years ago, the structure of serotonin has existed in almost unchanged form all this time and played a large role in the evolution of both species, despite the fundamental differences in the nervous system. However, there were also critics of the study, who argue that too small a sample of animals was used in the experiment and additional evidence is needed.
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Zombie Squirrels
In October 2018, American doctors published a report about a strange case of infection with a prion infection. A resident of Rochester, New York, aged 61, was admitted to the hospital with severe cognitive impairment, symptoms of schizophrenia, psychosis and inability to walk. The man died five months after the onset of symptoms. The scan results showed that he had a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) caused by prions.
Incorrectly folded prions catalyze the conversion of normal prions into similarly defective proteins, and the brain literally turns into a sponge. Prion diseases can occur spontaneously, be hereditary, or through contaminated meats of mad cow disease.
While the UK and US governments have taken steps to reduce the risk of humans contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from ingestion of beef, a new case has shown that the infection can enter humans through the use of meat from other animals. The fact is that the deceased man was a lover of squirrel meat and an avid hunter for them. According to scientists, if it is indeed confirmed that he had CJD, then he will be the first victim of this disease in the United States. Until now in America there has not been a single proven case of mad cow disease in humans.
I am Kubovich
In November 2018, American scientists presented a report explaining why wombat excrement has a rare cubic shape. This unusual property makes the Australian marsupial mammals unique in nature, as, as a rule, cubic structures are obtained only artificially, for example, by injection molding of plastic.
Researchers studied the digestive system of wombats that died under the wheels of cars. They pumped air into the last few centimeters of the intestines of the euthanized mammals and found that cubes were formed by the changing elasticity of the intestinal wall. In some places, the intestine stretches well, which contributes to the formation of the sides of the cube. According to scientists, the anatomy of the wombat's rear will help humans develop new methods of industrial production of cubic structures.
Body Snatchers
In June 2018, American researchers from the Mayo Clinic calculated how many people suffer from the mysterious morgellonian disease, a disorder of unknown etiology in which people mistakenly believe that numerous parasites or non-living pathogens in the form of fibers inhabit their bodies. Patients are absolutely sure that they are infected with something, and do not accept test results that do not detect any foreign bodies, and do not believe doctors trying to convince them that fibers are actually pieces of clothing. Some experts believe that the disease is psychogenic, others believe that Morgellonian disease is a common dermatitis.
According to scientists, the total prevalence of the disease was 27.3 cases per hundred thousand people, which is much higher than previous estimates. This means that around the world about two million people suffer from invisible "parasites". The average age at diagnosis is 60 years, but there are both children and very old people among the patients. Most often, women 40-59 years old suffer from delusional invasion, however, no statistically significant differences were found between men and women. True, the studied sample was limited to white Caucasians, and in other populations the prevalence of false invasion may be completely different.
Space octopods
In August 2018, the peer-reviewed scientific journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology published an unusual article by an international team of scientists led by Australian immunologist and astrobiologist Edward Steele. They seriously put forward a hypothesis about the cosmic origin of octopuses. According to researchers, some species of cephalopods could not have arisen as a result of evolution.
They argued this version with the unusual genetic and behavioral diversity of squid, cuttlefish and octopus. Moreover, such complex anatomical features as the nervous system with a large brain, chambered eyes (different from the eyes of mammals), discoloration appear within a relatively short period of time.
The daring authors of the study are also interested in the DNA of octopuses, which is very different from the genes of more primitive cephalopods - the nautilus. Steele believed that such features could not have arisen by chance, which means that the octopuses came to Earth in the form of eggs frozen in comets falling on the planet. To soften the criticism of the journal from the scientific community, editor of Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology Denis Noble said that the article was published to support the debate about the beginning of life and evolution, as more evidence of organic matter on other celestial bodies emerges.
Night guests
In May 2018, neuroscientists from the United States and Canada identified an area of the brain that is responsible for the sensation of a supernatural being near a person. The researchers asked 27 volunteers to describe a situation in which they would feel a connection with a higher power or a divine presence. They then listened to an audio tape that reproduced the situation while their brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging.
It turned out that ghosts, demons, angels and other manifestations of the "otherworldly" are associated with the lower parietal lobe (lobulus parietalis inferior). This area of the brain is responsible for creating a sense of control over one's own will and perception of the correct position of the body in space. If it does not work as it should, a "ghost" may appear next to the person. Reducing the activity of the lobule promotes mystical or religious experience, while stimulation, on the contrary, reduces religiosity.
Sheep heart
In February 2018, scientists at the University of California (USA) reported that they crossed a sheep and a man. The researchers injected human stem cells into the animal's embryo, but in very small quantities. The proportion of alien cells was one in ten thousand. Therefore, there was no question of creating a full-fledged hybrid, for example, a sheep with a human face or brain.
But even such an embryo was allowed to develop for only 28 days, after which it was destroyed for ethical reasons and the laws in force in the country.
Despite the seeming senselessness of such an experiment, it had a fairly clear purpose. Scientists wanted to prove that the creation of such chimeras is in principle possible. In the future, such methods will help to grow human organs inside animals, suitable for subsequent transplantation to a patient. However, this requires that the embryo contains at least one percent of human cells.
Alexander Enikeev
