discoveries

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

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>

Ancient DNA Provides 'Quantum Leap' in Understanding of MS

Herders who migrated to Europe 5K years ago brought increased risk of disease, researchers say

(Newser) - Around 5,000 years ago, a people called the Yamnaya swept into northwestern Europe on horseback, bringing their wagons, cattle, and sheep—along with genes that researchers believe are responsible for higher rates of multiple sclerosis in the region today. In a study published in the journal Nature , researchers say...

Scientists Say They Know What Killed Off Giganto
Scientists Say They Know
What Killed Off Giganto
new study
Jan 10, 2024 1:25 PM CST

Scientists Say They Know What Killed Off Giganto

Study says the largest great ape to ever live went extinct because of climate change

(Newser) - The largest primate to ever live roamed southeastern Asia for more than a million years—but left behind plenty of mystery. Despite 85 years of searching, the fossil record for Gigantopithecus blacki—or giganto—is made up of just four jawbones and 2,000 teeth, and scientists didn't know...

Medieval Cemetery Points to Mysterious, Wealthy Group

Excavation in Wales uncovers imported goods, evidence of feasting, dozens of burials

(Newser) - A medieval cemetery unearthed a stone's throw from airport runways in Cardiff, Wales, points to a mysterious, high-status community that may have obtained items from another continent an estimated 1,500 years ago. Artifacts including a tiny vessel of fine glass thought to have been imported from France's...

Scientists Find Way to Sneak Alzheimer's Drug Into Brain

Researchers able to slip meds through temporary gap in the blood-brain barrier

(Newser) - Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimer's drugs seep inside the brain faster—by temporarily breaching its protective shield. The novel experiment was a first attempt in just three patients. But in spots in the brain where the new technology took aim, researchers say it enhanced removal of...

North Dakota Coal Miners Unearth an Ice Age Surprise

They find a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk, part of one of the state's most complete specimens

(Newser) - Coal miners in North Dakota found something wholly unexpected among the rocks they scooped up and unloaded into a pile—a 7-foot-long tusk of an Ice Age mammoth dead for tens of thousands of years. The rare find over Memorial Day weekend occurred at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, and...

On Climate Studies, Meet the 'Worst-Worst-Case Scenario'

Renowned scientist's new study warns that a feared acceleration of warming is already underway

(Newser) - As the world puts to bed the hottest year on record, the Washington Post calls attention to a study suggesting we haven't seen anything yet. The paper by renowned climate scientist James Hansen—the New York Times notes that it was Hansen's testimony before Congress 35 years ago...

Hypochondriacs Actually Do Have Something to Worry About

Study finds they're at greater risk of dying from illness, perhaps because of chronic stress

(Newser) - Hypochondriacs worry constantly about their health, even when nothing is actually wrong. Now, a new study suggests they do, in fact, have reason to worry—and it might be because all that worrying is making them ill. The Swedish study in JAMA Psychiatry found that people diagnosed with hypochondriasis—more...

Dad, Daughter Discover Shipwreck While Fishing
Dad, Daughter Discover
Shipwreck While Fishing
in case you missed it
Dec 23, 2023 4:30 PM CST

Dad, Daughter Discover Shipwreck While Fishing

Vessel is believed to be one that was lost in 1871

(Newser) - A Wisconsin man and his 6-year-old daughter may have discovered an 1871 shipwreck while fishing off Green Island in Lake Michigan over the summer. Tim Wollak tells WLUK his daughter, Henley, first spotted something strange on the sonar and thought it was a Green Bay octopus. But to Wollak, it...

Your Snacking Habits Really Do Add Up
Your Snacking Habits
Really Do Add Up
in case you missed it
Dec 23, 2023 11:00 AM CST

Your Snacking Habits Really Do Add Up

Study finds Americans eat roughly a meal's worth of calories in snacks each day

(Newser) - Those snacks you're grabbing between meals add up, or so says a new study out of the Ohio State University. A survey of nearly 24,000 Americans over age 30 indicates our snacking clocks in at an average 400 to 500 calories a day—or between 19.5% and...

Most Dogs Have Brown Eyes for a Reason
Most Dogs Have Brown
Eyes for a Reason
new study
Dec 22, 2023 2:23 PM CST

Most Dogs Have Brown Eyes for a Reason

Humans think dark-eyed dogs are friendlier and influenced their evolution, study suggests

(Newser) - A new study claims to have answered the question of why most dogs have brown eyes, reports the Guardian . In a new paper at Royal Society Open Science , researchers in Japan make the case that humans view dark-eyed dogs as friendlier, even if subconsciously. In comparison, their wild wolf cousins...

10 of the Year&#39;s Most Fascinating Discoveries
12 of the Year's
Most Fascinating
Discoveries
best of 2023
Dec 22, 2023 12:00 PM CST

12 of the Year's Most Fascinating Discoveries

Yes, one involves a metal detector

(Newser) - If buried treasure is unearthed anywhere, or a shipwreck is discovered, rest assured: We're on it. We have yet to meet an incredible find that didn't wow us, and these 12 are among the year's most-read:

We Now Know What Causes Morning Sickness
We Now Know What
Causes Morning Sickness
in case you missed it
Dec 17, 2023 7:15 AM CST

We Now Know What Causes Morning Sickness

Scientists point to hormone GDF15, a discovery that raises hopes for a possible cure

(Newser) - Pregnant women may soon no longer have to dread that gestational malady known as morning sickness, a condition marked by nausea and throwing up, usually at its worst in the first trimester. In new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature , scientists say they're now focusing on one particular...

Prospects of Life on This Moon 'Are Getting Better and Better'

Scientists find evidence of hydrogen cyanide, needed to form amino acids, on Enceladus

(Newser) - Scientists previously discovered the six essential ingredients of life spewing from Enceladus , one of Saturn's 146 moons, which is considered to have one of the best chances of hosting life of any known planetary body in the solar system besides Earth. Now, they've discovered evidence of a poisonous...

&#39;Cats Eat a Lot More Than We Thought&#39;
'Cats Eat a Lot More
Than We Thought'
NEW STUDY
Dec 13, 2023 1:50 PM CST

'Cats Eat a Lot More Than We Thought'

Hundreds of endangered species are on the menu for free-roaming cats, researchers say

(Newser) - Cats are far from finicky eaters when it comes to wildlife, researchers say. According to a study published in Nature , cats are "indiscriminate predators and eat essentially any type of animal that they can capture at some life stage or can scavenge." Researchers say cats worldwide—feral cats...

In Dating and Hiring Decisions, Acne Factors In
People Avoid Others
Who Have Bad Acne
NEW STUDY
Dec 13, 2023 12:48 PM CST

People Avoid Others Who Have Bad Acne

Survey finds people with pimples face social, professional stigma

(Newser) - Research has shown acne takes a toll on emotional health , leading to low self-esteem and depression. Now, new research focusing on how society views people with acne, as opposed to how they view themselves, is highlighting further difficulties both in social and professional life. For instance, researchers found people are...

After Years of Research, Expert Advice: Burn California's Forests

Burning, thinning, or a combination of both found to make trees more resilient to wildfire, drought

(Newser) - The findings of a 20-year study on the health of California forests will come as no surprise to Native Americans, whose ancestors traditionally managed land through controlled fires . The study out of the University of California-Berkeley confirms that prescribed burning, the use of controlled fire to clear debris; restoration thinning,...

This Is Why Everyone Says Don't Hold In Sneezes

Man in his 30s tears hole in windpipe while trying to suppress the sneezing sensation

(Newser) - We've all likely heard cryptic warnings over the years about what will happen if you try to suppress a sneeze, and one case study now shows those warnings may not be unwarranted. In what it says is the first case of its kind, Live Science reports on a man...

2 Remarkable Fossils Shed New Light on Dinosaurs

Pliosaur skull in the UK and a young tyrannosaur's last meal in Canada

(Newser) - Two notable fossil discoveries are providing paleontologists with new information about dinosaurs:
  • Pliosaur: The giant skull of a beast described by one scientist as "an underwater T. Rex" was found on a cliff in Dorset in the UK, reports the BBC . The pliosaur skull is about 7 feet long
...

Buds Dormant for Centuries Save Redwoods After Fire
Redwoods Surprise Scientists
With a Survival Tactic
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 9, 2023 12:10 PM CST

Redwoods Surprise Scientists With a Survival Tactic

Decades-old reserves of carbon brought centuries-old buds to life

(Newser) - You don't survive up to 2,000 years without learning a trick or two, and ancient redwoods in California have revealed one of theirs to researchers. Some of the trees that were thought to have been damaged beyond repair during 2020 wildfires in Big Basin Redwoods State Park are...

After 3 Months of Wasabi, Subjects Saw 'Dramatic Change'

Those who ingested wasabi saw 'dramatic change' in participants' short- and long-term memory

(Newser) - Want to boost your memory? Smear some extra wasabi on your sushi. That's the findings out of Japan's Tohoku University, where a team of scientists have found that indulging in the spicy green condiment can improve both short-term and long-term memory. In the double-blind, randomized study published in...

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>