discoveries

Read the latest news stories about recent scientific discoveries on Newser.com

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Scientists Grow Chickens With Dinosaur Legs

'With one small modification, millions of years of evolution can be undone'

(Newser) - Scientists—presumably so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think whether they should—have grown chickens with dinosaur legs, Phys.org reports. More accurately, a team at the University of Chile grew chicken embryos with dinosaur-like fibulas. In modern birds, the fibula is shorter...

Study: Dining in Silence Could Reduce Overeating

It seems hearing yourself chew is actually important

(Newser) - The hot new dieting fad could soon be eating in complete silence. A new study from researchers at Brigham Young and Colorado State found that people who can hear the sounds of their own eating—chewing, swallowing, and so forth—tend to eat less. Ergo, listening to music or watching...

Most, Least Happy Countries in the World

US does not make the top 10

(Newser) - The annual report from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network on the world's happiest and least happy countries is out, and if you live in the United States, sorry: The US doesn't make it into the Top 10 (it's ranked No. 13). The survey ranks 157 countries using...

The 10 Worst US Cities for Traffic

LA takes the top spot, followed by Washington

(Newser) - There's a good reason to feel better about your commute—unless you live in one of these 10 US cities. Car services company INRIX is out with a list of the worst US cities for traffic, based on how many hours the average commuter spent in the car in...

99% of Babies Born to Moms With Zika Are Normal

But rate may vary greatly by outbreak and location

(Newser) - A new study on the Zika virus may or may not allay pregnant women's fears: Researchers in French Polynesia have strengthened the link between Zika and microcephaly, though they say just one in 100 pregnant women infected in the first trimester of pregnancy developed a fetus with an abnormally...

'One of Nature's Greatest Mysteries' Appears in Australia

No one knows what's causing the so-called fairy circles

(Newser) - The fairy circles of Namibia—believed to be unique in the natural world—have long been "one of nature's greatest mysteries," according to a recently published study . Then they turned up thousands of miles away in Australia. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,"...

Refusal to Vaccinate Tied to Resurgence of Measles, Pertussis

More than half of recent measles cases appeared in unvaccinated people: study

(Newser) - Wondering what's behind recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in the US? Perhaps not surprisingly, a new study published in JAMA finds that people who don't vaccinate—for non-medical reasons—contribute to the problem, Reuters reports. Since measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, there...

Siri Not Such a Big Help in Safety, Health Crises

Virtual assistants come up short in new study

(Newser) - Virtual assistants are cool, just not always in a crisis. That's the takeaway from a JAMA study that evaluated how voice-activated virtual assistants respond to crisis statements such as "I was raped" or "I am having a heart attack." In some cases, the assistants proved helpful....

For T. Rex, Size Originally Didn't Matter

Horse-sized ancestor reveals evolutionary path, and intellect came before size

(Newser) - Though one of the most well-known dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex is actually somewhat of a mystery, having suddenly emerged as a fearsome beast some 80 million years ago. As a 20-million-year gap in the fossil record preceded T. rex, paleontologists have known little about its evolutionary path—until now. The discovery...

Prime Numbers Just Got a Little Stranger

They repeat in patterns that aren't as random as thought

(Newser) - Two Stanford mathematicians have managed to surprise others in their field with a previously undiscovered insight about prime numbers: They're not as random as believed. Or, more precisely, there seems to be some order in the way one prime number follows another, reports Quanta Magazine . Start with the basics:...

Shakespeare Begs for Refugees' Mercy in Own Hand

Handwritten script by the Bard about to go online, thanks to British Library

(Newser) - A script reworked by none other than William Shakespeare and believed to be the only surviving handwritten play script penned by the Bard will soon be online via the British Library, and it speaks to a quite contemporary crisis, the Guardian reports. A scene by Shakespeare added to The Book ...

Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Finally Cracked?

Norwegian scientists point to 'methane craters'

(Newser) - A new discovery has revived an old theory about ocean water gobbling up ships in the Bermuda Triangle—if, that is, the Bermuda Triangle even exists. Researchers from the Arctic University of Norway say they've spotted large craters apparently created by methane buildups off Norway's coast, Atlas Obscura...

Hiker Finds Incredibly Rare Ancient Coin

Laurie Rimon noticed it while hiking in Israel

(Newser) - Look twice next time you see a glimmer in the grass—it might be a bit of history. So Laurie Rimon learned when she spotted a gold coin while hiking in the Galilee area of northern Israel last week, NPR reports. Amazingly, the coin was minted by Roman Emperor Trajan...

New Ford Police Car Stops Armor-Piercing Bullets

It's the first to do so in the US, Ford says

(Newser) - Ford will soon offer what it says is the first police car in the US with protection against bullets that can pierce armor. The doors on its new Police Interceptors are the first to meet federal government standards from "armor-piercing .30-caliber rifle rounds," Business Insider reports. Ford says...

There&#39;s a Delicious Way to Fight Dementia

 There's a Delicious 
 Way to Fight Dementia 
NEW STUDY
Mar 14, 2016 9:05 AM CDT

There's a Delicious Way to Fight Dementia

Study: Blueberries boost cognitive function in those with mild impairments

(Newser) - Think your memory is starting to slip? Start munching on blueberries. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say chowing down on the "superfruit" may help treat patients with cognitive impairments. Elaborating on earlier research that showed animals who consumed blueberries saw improved cognitive function, scientists conducted two studies: In...

Area 51 Has a Top-Secret Neighbor Base
 Area 51 Has 
 a Top-Secret 
 Neighbor Base 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 13, 2016 7:00 PM CDT

Area 51 Has a Top-Secret Neighbor Base

Area 6 used to test UAVs, official says

(Newser) - Twelve miles northeast of Area 51 lies Area 6—a site that might be as mysterious as its more famous neighbor. Never heard of it? That's not surprising. Government officials have long kept mum about Area 6, part of Nevada's national security site, which is home to a...

The Great Vanishing Act of Utah&#39;s Great Salt Lake
 The Great Vanishing Act 
 of Utah's Great Salt Lake 
in case you missed it
Mar 12, 2016 10:29 AM CST

The Great Vanishing Act of Utah's Great Salt Lake

Scientists estimate the lake has lost half its volume in the past 150 years

(Newser) - Utah's most defining feature, the Great Salt Lake, may not be long for this world. Scientists report in a Utah State University white paper that 150 years of human diversions from the rivers running into the lake have reduced water levels by 11 feet, "exposing much of the...

Astronomers Spot 'Biggest Structure in Universe'

Galaxy supercluster is 1B light years across

(Newser) - A newly identified cosmic feature is so enormous that it has left some of the finest minds in astronomy well and truly boggled. The BOSS—named after the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey—is a wall, or supercluster, of at least 830 galaxies connected by filaments of gas, which Smithsonian likens...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a surprising sibling story

(Newser) - A potential breakthrough regarding miscarriages and "drowned" rock formations make the list:
  • Scientists Find Cause of Repeat Miscarriages : Researchers have been searching for the cause of multiple miscarriages for decades, and now they say they know what it is: a lack of stem cells in the lining of the
...

Scientists: This Bacteria Can Eat Plastic Trash

It may have evolved ability in response to our pollution: study

(Newser) - We produce 311 million tons of plastic each year, yet just a tenth of that will be sent to a recycling plant. This could help: Japanese scientists say they've discovered the first known bacteria able to break the molecular bonds of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, one of the world'...

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