Science news from around the web:
- Global warming might not only make cities feel hotter; it could also rob them of the cooling effect of night and cause more heat-related deaths. According to a report in Scientific American, the urban heat island effect combined with global warming will raise city temperatures by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050. Researchers with the United Kingdom's weather service say that increase could make summer nights as hot as the daytime and increase deaths from heat waves.
- MIT and Harvard researchers have created a robot that can fold itself into origami shapes, according to Discover Magazine. The 1½ inch-wide mix of fiber, silicone and metal can turn itself into a bird or a plane. Scientists say the robot points the way toward material that can turn itself into any needed tool.
- "Altitude doping" -- in which endurance athletes spend time in thin air to teach their muscles to better process oxygen -- could be harmful in large doses. Science reports a study of people with a rare genetic disorder that makes their blood act as if it's always in the mountains tired more quickly at simple exercises than control groups. The research could point to ways to fine-tune high-altitude training routines.
- A science historian says he's discovered that the Greek philosopher Plato used a series of symbols to give his books a musical structure. ScienceDaily reports that Dr. Jay Kennedy, a professor at the University of Manchester in England, found that Plato grouped his writings about music at one-twelfth increments, corresponding to the twelve-note Greek music scale. At places where harmonic notes would be found, Plato wrote about sounds of love and laughter; on the place of dissonant notes, the philosopher wrote of war and death.
- Win or lose, cheaters feel insecure and are more prone to lying afterward, according to a report in The Economist. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill gave volunteers pairs of expensive sunglasses. Some were told the glasses were a designer's brands; others that they were counterfeit. Those told they were wearing fakes were twice as likely to misstate their performance on susbsequent tests and have lower feelings of self-worth.