discoveries

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

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Study Debunks Fairy Circle Theories

Termites, underground gases don't deserve the credit

(Newser) - The upshot of the latest study on the enigmatic "fairy circles" that appear in Southwest Africa: "Their mystery remains as yet unresolved." But scientists have been able to rule out one of the leading hypotheses, which fingered termites as the likeliest creators . A 2013 study found evidence...

You and Your Spouse May Have Similar DNA

But new study finds your education level similarity is likely much stronger

(Newser) - You may have more in common with your spouse than you think—like DNA, a new study suggests. Scientists came to their conclusion, published yesterday in the journal PNAS , after reviewing data on 9,429 non-Hispanic whites, a group that included 825 wedded couples. The bigger number of the study:...

Entirely New Order of Animal Discovered

Genetic analysis reveals one of planet's biggest sea anemones isn't one

(Newser) - Researchers creating a catalog-like "tree of life" for sea anemones discovered an entirely new kind of animal among them. Based on genetic analysis, a creature that lives near deep sea thermal vents in the Pacific and had been considered a giant sea anemone really isn't actually a sea...

Animals Are Capable of Abstract Thought
Animals Are Capable of Abstract Thought
studies say
May 18, 2014 7:00 PM CDT

Animals Are Capable of Abstract Thought

And, in the case of apes, using touchscreens apparently

(Newser) - We humans have some pretty big britches when it comes to our intellectual prowess, thinking our high-falutin' language gives us the unique ability to grasp abstract concepts and make connections. But research increasingly shows that animals can do the same, Scientific American reports. In a remarkable experiment last fall, researchers...

Lab Mistake Results in Momentous Find
Lab Mistake Results in Momentous Find
in case you missed it
May 18, 2014 2:20 PM CDT

Lab Mistake Results in Momentous Find

New synthetic polymers are strong, light, and recyclable

(Newser) - It's a happy accident: A mistake at an IBM research lab has created "a super-strong, super-light, and super-recyclable new material," that could transform the old-school world of plastics and polymers and improve a slew of products, NBC News reports. Most of our polymers date back decades—think...

How Gamblers Manage to Get Lucky Streaks
 How Gamblers 
 Manage to Get 
 Lucky Streaks 
study says
May 18, 2014 9:17 AM CDT

How Gamblers Manage to Get Lucky Streaks

They're not really based on luck: study

(Newser) - Lucky streaks shouldn't really happen. After all, the chances of a successful bet this time aren't affected by a win last time. Yet the phenomenon of lucky streaks—as well as losing streaks—does occur, scientists found after reviewing 565,915 online bets on horse racing, soccer, and...

Scientists Solve Nagging Octopus Question

Here's why the creatures don't get tangled

(Newser) - If you had eight arms, how would you avoid tripping and tangling yourself up—especially if the arms were covered in suckers? Somehow, octopuses manage, but scientists didn't know how. New research indicates, however, that the suckers on the arms are able to identify other arms and avoid sticking...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a lab error that turned out for the best

(Newser) - Two ancient cave discoveries, one human and one from the sea, highlight the list this week:
  • Ancient Skeleton May Settle Debate on First Americans : A slight teenage girl who died in a Mexican cave 12,000 years ago may help settle a long-simmering debate in archaeological circles: Where did the
...

The Sun May Cause Lightning
 The Sun May Cause Lightning 
May 16, 2014 1:54 PM CDT

The Sun May Cause Lightning

Solar winds appear to trigger storms

(Newser) - The weather on the sun might just have an effect on the weather here on earth. Fast-moving solar winds tend to go hand-in-hand with an uptick in lightning storms, a new study reveals. The finding is somewhat puzzling as scientists have long believed that increased solar activity led to a...

Shorter Men Have Longer Lives
 Shorter Men Have Longer Lives 
new study
May 16, 2014 8:52 AM CDT

Shorter Men Have Longer Lives

But lifestyle still plays an important role, study authors note

(Newser) - FOXO3—what a gene: Men who get a "protective" version of it will experience a number of longevity-related upsides: It contributes to regulating insulin, suppressing tumors, and protecting cells from oxidative stress. But it's also likely to make them short. Such is the conclusion of a study of...

To Treat Diabetes, Skip Dinner
 To Treat Diabetes, Skip Dinner 
STUDY SAYS
May 16, 2014 7:27 AM CDT

To Treat Diabetes, Skip Dinner

2 big meals better than 6 small ones, researchers say

(Newser) - "We confirmed the ancient proverb 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper,'" says the leader of a team of researchers that found eating just two meals a day can be an effective way to manage type 2 diabetes. The...

Ancient Skeleton May Settle Debate on First Americans

Girl from 12K years ago has same DNA as modern Native Americans

(Newser) - A slight teenage girl who died in a Mexican cave 12,000 years ago may help settle a long-simmering debate in archaeological circles, reports USA Today : Where did the very first Americans come from? The answer doesn't seem to be Europe, Australia, or southeastern Asia, but rather a land...

Woman's Cancer Killed ... by Measles

Treatment had only been tested on mice before

(Newser) - In a breakthrough that could offer new hope to people with some kinds of cancer, Mayo Clinic researchers say they managed to wipe out a woman's cancer with a blast of measles vaccine strong enough to inoculate 10 million people. The 50-year-old woman's blood cancer, which had spread...

Archaeologist: Santa Maria Wreckage in Danger

Barry Clifford fears looters, but government skeptics remain

(Newser) - Underwater archaeologist Barry Clifford yesterday alerted the world to what he sees as the danger of looting at the site of what could be Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria . "There is nobody watching the ship right now," he said at the Explorers Club in New York, and "somebody...

Scientists Find World's Oldest Sperm

Shrimp-like creatures were preserved nearly in mid-act 17M years ago

(Newser) - About 17 million years ago, a shrimp-like creature had sex in a cave in Australia, but instead of an afterglow, she got hit almost immediately with what one scientist thinks was a "torrential rain of bat droppings," reports Australia's ABC News . Her misfortune then is scientists' delight...

Remarkable Find: an Underwater 'Graveyard'

Science gets its first view of giant sharks and rays being devoured

(Newser) - Marine biologists have gotten a grisly treat courtesy of remotely operated vehicles surveying the seafloor off Angola for the oil and gas industry: For the first time, the carcasses of large fish—a whale shark and three mobulid rays—and the feeding frenzy they create have been filmed. The researchers...

Sleeping Less Tied to Eating More
 Study: Sleep Less, Eat More 
May 13, 2014 2:36 PM CDT

Study: Sleep Less, Eat More

Yet another reason to take sleep seriously: researchers

(Newser) - The way you eat, it seems, is tied up with the way you sleep. Researchers recently found that women who slept fewer than six hours a night took in more daytime calories than did women who slept seven hours, LiveScience reports. And the food consumed by the six-hour sleepers wasn'...

Stunning New Jellyfish Named, but Still Mysterious

Pelagia benovici's native habitat remains unknown

(Newser) - A new species of jellyfish has been discovered in the Gulf of Venice—but where it hails from remains a mystery. In a phenomenon known as a bloom, the now-named Pelagia benovici showed up in such force in September that it interfered with fishing; citizen jellyfish trackers who were unable...

Expedition: We've Found Columbus' Santa Maria

Flagship may be just off the coast of Haiti

(Newser) - Has the wreck of a ship that changed the course of history been found after more than 500 years? The leader of an expedition off the coast of Haiti believes he has uncovered the wreck of Christopher Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria. "All the geographical, underwater topography, and archaeological...

Red Wine Health Benefits &#39;a Myth&#39;
Sipping Red Wine for
Your 'Health'? It's a Myth
STUDY SAYS
May 13, 2014 2:11 AM CDT

Sipping Red Wine for Your 'Health'? It's a Myth

Resveratrol's benefits overhyped, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers still don't know why the red wine-loving French have such low rates of heart disease despite their fatty diet—but they're now pretty sure it doesn't have much to do with an ingredient in the wine. Researchers tracked around 800 Italian villagers over nine years and...

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