Weekly News Bites: Spicy expectations, stars and stock markets, and a breathing battery

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how our brain makes us love or hate spicy food, using maths to predict stock market trends, and a battery that can make electricity from the atmosphere on Mars.

At any table in a restaurant you’ll see a mix of people who love spicy food and others who can’t “handle” it. So why do some love spicy food while others hate it? A study from East China Normal University and researchers from the US shows that our expectations shape how we perceive spice. Positive expectations reduce pain, while negative ones amplify our brain’s pain response.

Cracking stock market trends is a dream for many who want to earn money, but it is easier said than done. However, mathematicians from UP Diliman College of Science Institute of Mathematics were able to use Topological Data Analysis (TDA) to predict stock market crashes by identifying hidden patterns in stock data. The team compared this method to observing stars and making patterns out of the randomness.

Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a soft robotic finger capable of performing medical exams such as detecting lumps and measuring your pulse. This bioinspired “finger” could make exams easier for people who are uncomfortable with doctors while also detecting abnormalities that could lead to a diagnosis.

From volcanoes to ice, microbes are being found in the most inhospitable places on the planet. Now scientists have discovered 2-billion-year-old living microbes inside a rock, the oldest found yet. The University of Tokyo says that these microbes evolved very slowly to live in such an isolated environment and could give us a clue to whether life can exist on other rocky planets such as Mars.

While exploring these other planets, tools need energy to function so far from home. Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China have created a battery that can “inhale” the atmosphere on Mars and “exhale” energy. This battery operates like a fuel cell which converts chemical reactions into electricity. This could help make up for factors such as dust on solar panels for rovers on the red planet.