New Discoveries: Reports on the Latest Scientific Discoveries - Page 197

Sep 3, 2014 3:46 PM CDT

Mystery Crater Surfaces on Utah Farm

Theories include collapsed soil, earthquakes, or 'Martian art'

(Newser) - Gary Dalton was draining the irrigation pond on his farmland in Circleville, Utah, when he made a startling discovery: a giant crater staring back up at him from the bottom of the basin. "The sun was just right, so I saw this blasted thing that no one had ever...

By 6 or 7, Kids Learn How
to Lie and Distrust

study says

Sep 3, 2014 10:26 AM CDT

By 6 or 7, Kids Learn How to Lie and Distrust

Lying comes before distrust, researchers find

(Newser) - Kids are capable of thinking strategically, including using competitiveness and lies to their own benefit, by the time they're 7. So report researchers out of the University of Minnesota who studied 69 kids ages 3 to 9 playing two games. Kids typically figure out how to infer what others...

This Carving
May Prove
Neanderthals
Were Artists

Sep 2, 2014 11:57 AM CDT

This Carving May Prove Neanderthals Were Artists

Carving dates to 39K years ago; Neanderthals disappeared around that time

(Newser) - An ancient etching inside a cave in Gibraltar may mean that Neanderthals' knuckles weren't dragging quite as much as we believed, reports the BBC . The design suggests Neanderthals were capable of symbolic thinking, a trait once believed to be unique to modern humans, anthropologist Clive Finlayson of the Gibraltar...

Want to Lose Weight?
Keep Eating Fats

Sep 2, 2014 7:50 AM CDT

Want to Lose Weight? Keep Eating Fats

Carbs, not fats, mess with our metabolism

(Newser) - If you're trying to lose weight on a low-fat diet and it's not working, here's why. Refined carbohydrates—found in processed foods like white breads, white rice, and pastas—tend to be loaded with sugar, which messes with our metabolisms, making it harder to burn calories. Eating...

Freshwater Fueling
Antarctic Sea Rise

Sep 2, 2014 3:32 AM CDT

Freshwater Fueling Antarctic Sea Rise

Coastal waters rising faster than rest of ocean

(Newser) - Around 61% of the world's freshwater is locked up in Antarctic ice—but a new study warns that accelerating melting on the continent is helping push up the sea levels around it. Researchers found that between 1992 and 2011, sea levels rose more around Antarctica than in the Southern...

Patchy Grass
Offers a Big
Stonehenge Clue

Sep 1, 2014 5:59 AM CDT

Patchy Grass Offers a Big Stonehenge Clue

Areas of poor growth suggest stones once made a full circle

(Newser) - A layperson's simple observation may help solve a Stonehenge mystery that scientific expertise couldn't. A historic preservation worker noticed that the grass didn't grow so well in certain areas near the ancient monument, the BBC reports. It's possible that giant stones were once placed there, suggesting...

Couples Who
Smoke Pot
Together
Stay ... Chill

in case you missed it

Aug 31, 2014 3:18 PM CDT

Couples Who Smoke Pot Together Stay ... Chill

Researchers say it's especially true when both spouses partake

(Newser) - It isn't called a peace pipe for nothing. New research backs up what most people would have probably guessed—that married couples who smoke pot tend to be less violent than those who don't, and that this is especially true when both partners toke up. In a study...

We Understand
Probability as
Toddlers

study says

Aug 31, 2014 10:27 AM CDT

We Understand Probability as Toddlers

Experiment shows their quick learning skills

(Newser) - Don't understand probability? Try asking a 2-year-old. A study suggests they have an instinctive understanding of the ideas involved, and that a little observation goes a long way. Researchers at the University of Washington showed 32 toddlers a machine featuring a pair of blocks and a platform, Quartz reports....

Got a Hangover?
Blame Your Genes

study says

Aug 31, 2014 8:21 AM CDT

Got a Hangover? Blame Your Genes

Researchers base finding on study of twins

(Newser) - When it comes to a bad reaction to alcohol, it seems not everyone is created equal. Genetics, researchers suggest, could be to blame for almost half the difference among people in whether we suffer the day after drinking. In a survey, study authors asked some 4,000 people on the...

Why You
Should Nap
After Coffee

in case you missed it

Aug 31, 2014 6:35 AM CDT

Why You Should Nap After Coffee

'Coffee naps' produce maximum alertness, scientists say

(Newser) - Debating between a cup of joe or a short nap to make it through the day? Perhaps you should try both. Scientists say a "coffee nap"—having a cup of coffee and then a 20-minute nap—will allow for maximum alertness when you wake, Vox reports. Yes, caffeine...

This Tiny Copper Awl
Is Rewriting History

in case you missed it

Aug 30, 2014 7:00 PM CDT

This Tiny Copper Awl Is Rewriting History

Awl is oldest metal object ever found in Middle East

(Newser) - A small copper awl found in a woman's ancient grave in Israel is rewriting history. It's the oldest metal object ever found in the Middle East, and was probably owned by the apparently important 40-year-old woman buried with it in an extravagant Tel Tsaf grave, LiveScience reports. The...

1 in 7 'Sleep Drunk'
After Waking

in case you missed it

Aug 30, 2014 7:00 AM CDT

1 in 7 'Sleep Drunk' After Waking

And you know you who are

(Newser) - Have you ever woken up so confused you've mistaken a water bottle for a telephone, or the closet for a toilet? If so, you might be among the one in seven people estimated to suffer from a sleep disorder called "confusional arousal," reports MedPage Today . Or to...

5 Most
Incredible
Discoveries
of the Week

Aug 30, 2014 5:30 AM CDT

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including the mother of all wasps' nests found in a UK bedroom

(Newser) - A Death Valley mystery potentially solved and a strange revelation about Hello Kitty make the list:

Death Valley's Moving Rock Puzzle Finally Cracked : For at least a century, the "slithering stones" of Death Valley—rocks, some of them boulders weighing more than 600 pounds, that move across the

...

Man Finds Giant
Wasps' Nest in Bed

Aug 29, 2014 2:05 AM CDT

Man Finds Giant Wasps' Nest in Bed

Swarm took over spare bedroom in British home

(Newser) - A British man visiting his mother discovered her spare bedroom was already in use—by thousands of wasps that had chewed up the mattress and pillows to make a 3-foot-wide nest on the bed. Pest controller John Birkett says a small window in the bedroom had been left open and...

Science Explains Why Mozzarella Is Best for Pizza

Aug 28, 2014 2:20 PM CDT

Science Explains Why Mozzarella Is Best for Pizza

It both bubbles and browns better than other cheese

(Newser) - In what sounds like the best middle school science project ever, mozzarella has been put to the test against several other cheeses on pizza and declared the best. But scientists in New Zealand got to work with more than just poster board; they used fancy cameras and software to study...

Hello Kitty
Isn't Exactly
a Cat

UPDATED

Aug 28, 2014 11:25 AM CDT

Hello Kitty Isn't Exactly a Cat

Her name is Kitty White and she's a 3rd-grader from outside London

(Newser) - She may sport what appear to be whisker lines across her expressionless face, but the iconic Hello Kitty may not be a cat. In fact, the cartoon character created 40 years ago has a whole backstory that will soon be on display at an exhibit at the Japanese American National...

Scientists Turn
Bad Memories
to Happy Ones

Aug 28, 2014 10:40 AM CDT

Scientists Turn Bad Memories to Happy Ones

Research could mean more effective treatment for human disorders

(Newser) - Scared to death of spiders after you found one crawling in your bed? Scientists may have discovered a way for you to find them positively cuddly. After identifying the neurons powered by positive and negative memories in mice, MIT neuroscientists found a way to use light to essentially rewrite a...

Death Valley's
Moving Rock Puzzle
Finally Cracked

Aug 28, 2014 5:15 AM CDT

Death Valley's Moving Rock Puzzle Finally Cracked

It's not UFOs moving those boulders

(Newser) - For at least a century, the "slithering stones" of Death Valley—rocks, some of them boulders weighing more than 600 pounds, that move across the desert floor and leave long trails behind them—have presented a puzzle, and researchers have been trying to solve it since 1948. Explanations including...

Fluoride Levels
in Our Water
Could Be Making
Us Dumber

Aug 24, 2014 2:10 PM CDT

Fluoride Levels in Our Water Could Be Making Us Dumber

Private wells in Maine may have far too much

(Newser) - The CDC applauds the adding of fluoride to our water supply as one of the biggest public health triumphs of the 20th century. But it seems too much fluoride can do a lot of damage. Not only can it actually damage our teeth and weaken our bones—studies in China...

Earth's 'Missing Heat'
Found in Atlantic

STUDY SAYS

Aug 24, 2014 12:48 PM CDT

Earth's 'Missing Heat' Found in Atlantic

Researchers say it's behind global warming pause, which is only temporary

(Newser) - One odd thing not in dispute about global warming is that it's actually been paused for about 15 years now. Though a number of theories have been batted around, a new study thinks it's found the true culprit—the Atlantic Ocean has been absorbing heat that would normally...

discoveries

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

Theories include collapsed soil, earthquakes, or 'Martian art'

Lying comes before distrust, researchers find

Carving dates to 39K years ago; Neanderthals disappeared around that time

Carbs, not fats, mess with our metabolism

Coastal waters rising faster than rest of ocean

Areas of poor growth suggest stones once made a full circle

Researchers say it's especially true when both spouses partake

Experiment shows their quick learning skills

Researchers base finding on study of twins

'Coffee naps' produce maximum alertness, scientists say

Awl is oldest metal object ever found in Middle East

And you know you who are

Including the mother of all wasps' nests found in a UK bedroom

Swarm took over spare bedroom in British home

It both bubbles and browns better than other cheese

Her name is Kitty White and she's a 3rd-grader from outside London

Research could mean more effective treatment for human disorders

It's not UFOs moving those boulders

Private wells in Maine may have far too much

Researchers say it's behind global warming pause, which is only temporary