Scientists have found the source of a strange form of communication in the ocean that they say could help them locate extraterrestrial life in space. Researchers from the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) revealed that large'smoke ring-like' bubbles coming from underwater were created by humpback whales, which researchers believe is their way of greeting nearby humans. It's the first time scientists have seen whales sending out these unique rings while interacting with people in the wild, and the SETI team said they show an intentional attempt to get the attention of humans - just like saying hello. Until now, the bubble rings have only been seen while humpbacks were gathering prey and when males were making a trail of bubble rings to attract a mate. Researchers said it's quite possible whales have been trying to communicate with people for years but the phenomenon hasn't been studied until now.

Hula hooping has remained a staple of modern US culture since the 1950s, but people around the world have participated in similar activities for thousands of years. The physics behind maintaining a perfect spin, however, has remained a mystery. Is it something that can be achieved by anyone with enough time and effort, or are there natural hula hoopers among us? Researchers recently investigated these dynamics using a specially designed, gyrating robot--and their findings provide the first-of-its-kind insight into the perfect spin. "Seemingly simple toys and games often involve surprisingly subtle physics and mathematics," a team from NYU's Applied Mathematics Laboratory wrote in their study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.