Weird Science Weekly: Seeing your heartbeat can trigger an out-of-body experience

Weird science happens all around us, every day. In this installment of Weird Science Weekly, I gather four of the strangest examples from the past week, such as out of body experiences just from seeing your heartbeat, and bacteria powered light bulbs.

Seeing your heartbeat displayed can trigger an out of body experience

Researchers in Europe have elevated the virtual reality experience to a new level, making test subjects briefly feel disconnected from their bodies. Volunteers wore VR goggles to watch a live feed of themselves, shot from behind. The image they saw was then synched to flash in time with their own heartbeat.

After watching the flashing image for a few minutes, the test subjects reported that the 'virtual body' felt more real; as though they were in it instead. Weird as it sounds, the result fits into the existing theory that our sense of 'self' is built up of information from multiple sources, including information from our internal organs.

Because even though we're more than the sum of our parts, our parts are still important.

[ Related: Weird Science Weekly: Drinking coffee lowers risk of suicide ]

Different vowels change our impression of words

Does this 'u' make my ice cream sound fat? According to a study from NYU, it might.

Working off the centuries-old notion of 'sound symbolism' — the idea that some sounds just carry an inherent meaning to us — linguists working at the university invented two product names for ice cream; 'Frish' and 'Frosh'. 'Frosh' was rated as smoother, creamier and richer than its equally-fake counterpart.

What the researchers feel is at work here is the difference in how we perceive front vowels and back vowels. Front vowels are more prevalent in words we use for lighter things, like those in teeny, and crispy. Back vowels turn up in names and adjectives for larger things - like humongous, and gargantuan. According to the study, the same seems to go for product names; which sounds richer, Triscuit or Häagen-Dazs?

[ Related: Weird Science Weekly: Bacteria colours your poop to match your illness ]

Singing makes it easier to learn new languages

Do you find it easier to remember the words to Frère Jacques than you do the rest of your high school French? A study from the University of Edinburgh might shed some light on why.

Linguist Karen Ludke played Hungarian phrases for English-speakers; some hearing spoken phrases and their translations, some hearing the Hungarian in song, and some hearing the foreign phrase chanted. Those who heard the singing found it much easier to recall and repeat the correct Hungarian phrase when given the English.

Whether or not they could understand the phrase or just memorize it better is still up for debate. But it does confirm that music is a powerful mnemonic device. It might also explain why I can't forget the words to Bananaphone (you're welcome).

[ Related: Weird Science Weekly: Fake poop helps cure nasty infections ]

Bacteria-powered bulb a new source for light

Step aside LED — students at the University of Wisconsin are proposing to light up our lives with glowing microbes that don't need any electricity at all to make them glow. Who knew E. coli was so versatile?

[ More Geekquinox: Extreme weather found to be fueling climate change ]

Keep your eyes on the wonders of science, and if you spot anything particularly strange you'd like me to check out for next week, comment below or drop me a line on Twitter!

Geek out with the latest in science and weather.
Follow @ygeekquinox on Twitter!