discoveries

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

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Blue Fibers on Teeth May Be Clues on Mayan Deaths
Blue Fibers on Teeth May
Be Clues on Mayan Deaths
new study
Oct 10, 2022 3:51 PM CDT

Blue Fibers on Teeth May Be Clues on Mayan Deaths

Study suggests sacrifice victims might have been gagged in advance

(Newser) - Researchers studying the teeth of ancient victims of Mayan human sacrifice in Belize found something unexpected: blue fibers. And a new study offers an intriguing, if grim, theory about their presence—the sacrifice victims might have been gagged before death, reports Live Science . A story about this at Heritage Daily...

1.8K-Year-Old Hercules Statue Unearthed From 'Small Rome'

Statue of the demigod unearthed in ancient Greek metropolis of Philippi

(Newser) - A larger-than-life statue of the mythical hero Hercules has been discovered hiding in the ancient Greek metropolis of Philippi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Researchers with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki uncovered the classical statue, dating back 1,800 years to the Roman period, during excavations on a main street...

Caterpillar Saliva Could Be Potent Weapon in Plastic Fight

Researchers envision at-home degradation kits using enzymes found in wax worm drool

(Newser) - Five years after wax worms were found to consume the world's most commonly produced plastic, scientists have lost none of their optimism in touting the caterpillar larvae of wax moths as a potential solution to our growing problem of plastic waste. Indeed, new research finds the larvae's saliva...

Researchers Explore Mystery of Holes in Famed T. Rex&#39;s Jaw
Sue the T. Rex's Jawbone
Contains 8 Baffling Holes
new study
Oct 4, 2022 11:25 AM CDT

Sue the T. Rex's Jawbone Contains 8 Baffling Holes

Researchers rule out one possible cause

(Newser) - Sue is thought to be one of the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever unearthed—and that stellar preservation extends to the eight holes in her jawbone. Those holes have long been a mystery, and the upshot of a new study published in Cretaceous Research is that they remain a...

New Clue Found in Search for Nefertiti
New Clue
Lends Weight
to Nefertiti
Theory
in case you missed it
Oct 2, 2022 7:15 AM CDT

New Clue Lends Weight to Nefertiti Theory

British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves shares news of hidden hieroglyphs

(Newser) - Archaeologists haven't given up on their quest to find the long-lost Queen Nefertiti, and many theories have focused on the same location: the tomb of her stepson, King Tut. The possibility that Nefertiti was buried in a hidden chamber was raised in 2015 , only to be seemingly disproved by...

Wreck of Ship That Tried to Warn the Titanic Is Found

SS Mesaba was hit by a German torpedo in the Irish Sea years later

(Newser) - The Titanic has long slumbered on the seabed—as has the ship that sent the Titanic an iceberg warning hours before the Titanic fatefully hit that very thing in 1912. Now, researchers have identified the resting spot of the SS Mesaba, which was hit by a German torpedo in the...

Man&#39;s Best Friend May Be Able to Sniff Out Your Stress
Stressed Out?
Your Pooch
May Be Able
to Smell It
NEW STUDY
Sep 29, 2022 8:59 AM CDT

Stressed Out? Your Pooch May Be Able to Smell It

New research shows canines can use their noses to detect changes in human breath, sweat samples

(Newser) - Dogs are known for their olfactory superpowers , leading to jobs as drug sniffers and as helpers in search and rescue efforts. Now, those sensitive noses are being credited with something closer to home: being able to detect when their owners are stressed. New research published Wednesday in PLOS One notes...

Half of World&#39;s Palm Trees Face Extinction
Half of World's
Palm Trees
Go On the
'Red List'
new study
Sep 27, 2022 11:10 AM CDT

Half of World's Palm Trees Go On the 'Red List'

Which means they're at risk of extinction

(Newser) - A new study presents an alarming stat about what researchers call a "keystone" family of trees—more than half of the world's species of palm trees face extinction. The study in Nature Ecology and Evolution finds that more than 1,000 of the 1,900 different species are...

In Your Job Hunt, &#39;Weak Ties&#39; May Be Key
On the Hunt for a Job?
'Weak Ties' May Help
NEW STUDY
Sep 26, 2022 11:51 AM CDT

On the Hunt for a Job? 'Weak Ties' May Help

New LinkedIn research shows you're most likely to get a new gig through casual acquaintances

(Newser) - Job seekers try to take advantage of every possible "in" they might have at a company, and, in line with the maxim of "it's who you know," it might seem like having a family member or best buddy embedded at a potential employer could be the...

There&#39;s an Optimal Way to Take a Pill
There's an
Optimal Way
to Take a Pill
in case you missed it
Sep 25, 2022 7:55 AM CDT

There's an Optimal Way to Take a Pill

Do it lying down, on your right side

(Newser) - If your answer to "how do you take a pill?" is "with water," it may be time to make your process a little more sophisticated. Johns Hopkins University researchers explored how your posture when taking a pill impacts the body's absorption of the medication. It turns...

Think Your Fetus Liked That Salad You Ate? Check the Scan

Ultrasound facial expressions differed depending on if moms-to-be were given kale or carrot capsules

(Newser) - New moms often insist that their infants respond positively to the same music they used to hear in the womb—could the same go for food that their mothers ate while they were still in utero? Scientists out of the UK's Durham University are now wondering the same, after...

1962 Recordings Catch Rising Star Streisand, Then 20

Nightclub shows by the future star will be released

(Newser) - A series of 1962 performances by Barbra Streisand at a Manhattan nightclub before she became a superstar have been remastered and will be released this fall, per the AP . Barbra Streisand—Live at the Bon Soir features songs from a three-night stint at the Bon Soir nightclub in Greenwich Village....

The Number of Ants on Earth Is Basically 'Unimaginable'

Try 20 quadrillion

(Newser) - If you've ever dealt with an ant invasion in your kitchen and bemoaned the number of ants that seem to exist, a new study can bring some specificity to your complaints. As Science reports, there had been no reliable estimate of the number of ants currently on the planet....

Don't Pat Yourself on the Back Just Yet for That Half-Hour Run

Researchers warn 30-minute daily exercise may not make up for sitting around the rest of the day

(Newser) - If you refuse to identify as a "couch potato" because of that half-hour workout you diligently slip in each day, despite the fact that you're sedentary for much of the rest of it, you might actually still be a couch potato—just an "active" one. And what...

Researchers Say This Is How to Get a Crying Baby to Sleep

Researchers recommend a process that takes 10 to 13 minutes

(Newser) - For any parent who has wished there was a magic solution to get their crying newborn back to sleep, good news: Japanese researchers say they've found it. In a study published Tuesday in Current Biology , researchers sum up the crux of the issue: "Approximately 20%–30% of infants...

This Is a &#39;Wake-Up Call&#39; on Danger of Air Pollution
This Is a 'Wake-Up Call'
on Danger of Air Pollution
NEW STUDY
Sep 13, 2022 11:50 AM CDT

This Is a 'Wake-Up Call' on Danger of Air Pollution

Researchers discover how fine particulate matter triggers gene mutations to form lung cancer

(Newser) - For some of us, cells in our lungs mutate with age. These mutations seem perfectly healthy—until they come up against air pollution. The result is rapid changes in the cells that turn them cancerous, which could explain why people who've never smoked still develop lung cancer, according to...

In This Tiny Excavated Tooth Lie 'Enormous' Implications

1.8M-year-old tooth found in Caucasus region may be sign of oldest human settlement outside of Africa

(Newser) - Two decades ago, two fossilized, almost complete 1.8-million-year-old skulls belonging to prehistoric humans Zezva and Mzia were discovered in Dmanisi, a couple of hours from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Now, a new find that "cements the region as the home of one of the earliest prehistoric human...

This Is Why Your Brain Logs a Memory as Happy or Sad
Brain Discovery May Be
a Breakthrough on Memories
new study
Sep 12, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

Brain Discovery May Be a Breakthrough on Memories

Molecule called neurotensin appears to decide whether a memory is logged as good or bad

(Newser) - Brain researchers appear to have figured out precisely how our brains store a particular memory as either good or bad—and the discovery could have implications for the treatment of everything from depression to PTSD. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California say it all comes down...

Centuries Ago, They Buried Her With a Sickle and Padlock

17th-century locals in Poland apparently thought the woman was a vampire

(Newser) - Archaeologists who discovered a 17th-century grave in Poland found three telltale clues about the buried woman: She had protruding front teeth, a padlock around her big toe, and a sickle placed strategically over her throat. Conclusion: People thought she was a vampire and buried her with the lock and sickle...

Wife's Sharp Nose Leads to New Test for Parkinson's

Joy Milne noticed her husband smelled different before his official diagnosis

(Newser) - A relatively simple way to detect Parkinson's might be possible thanks to a Scottish woman's unusually sharp sense of smell. As the BBC reports, researchers at the UK's University of Manchester say their newly developed skin-swab test proved to be 95% accurate in a new study published...

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