discoveries

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

Stories 81 - 100 | << Prev   Next >>

Your Brain May Be 0.5% Plastic
Brain May Contain Way More
Plastic Than Other Organs
NEW STUDY
Aug 21, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Brain May Contain Way More Plastic Than Other Organs

Amounts seen in pre-print study are more 'than I ever would have imagined,' author says

(Newser) - Tiny plastic fragments have been found in human brains, lungs, livers, kidneys, placentas, testicles , knee and elbow joints, and even blood vessels and bone marrow, highlighting the huge problem of plastic pollution . Now, a new study has some microplastics researchers demanding "a global emergency" be declared in response. The...

Student Stumbles Across Some Stunning Viking Silver

Archaeology student in Denmark finds 7 'spectacular' arm rings

(Newser) - An archaeology student unearthed seven "spectacular" Viking-era curled silver arm rings earlier this year north of Denmark's second-largest city, a Danish museum said on Monday, adding that the finding has ties to Russia, Ukraine, and the British Isles. The Moesgaard Museum , located south of Aarhus where the relics...

Mastodon Unearthed in Iowa Possibly Eaten by Humans
Mastodon Bones
Unearthed in Iowa
Aug 19, 2024 7:06 AM CDT

Mastodon Bones Unearthed in Iowa

Scientists hope to find 'identifiable cut marks' made by humans on the 13,600-year-old bones

(Newser) - The well-preserved skull of an extinct mastodon has been discovered in Iowa. Officials from the University of Iowa's Office of the State Archaeologist said a 12-day excavation yielded "several mastodon bones," largely from the skull of the massive animal, belonging to the same order as elephants and...

Stonehenge&#39;s Altar Stone Came From Scotland
Stonehenge's Altar Stone
Came From Very Far Away
NEW STUDY
Aug 14, 2024 12:40 PM CDT

Stonehenge's Altar Stone Came From Very Far Away

Neolithic people somehow transported it hundreds of miles from Scotland, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers aren't sure what the purpose of the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge was, but they now know where it came from—and it traveled a lot farther than they expected. According to a study published in the journal Nature , the six-ton sandstone slab came from Orcadian...

Horses May Be Smarter Than We Think
Horses
May Be
Smarter
Than We Think
new study
Aug 12, 2024 8:21 AM CDT

Horses May Be Smarter Than We Think

Study suggests they have the ability to strategize

(Newser) - A new study suggests that horses are more intelligent than thought, with the ability to strategize rather than just react in the moment. Researchers at the UK's Nottingham Trent University sussed this out with a three-stage experiment involving 20 horses, reports the BBC . In the first stage, the horses...

Wildfire Smoke Signals Some Trees to Hold Their Breath

Researchers document a unique reaction from pines when smoke fills the air

(Newser) - During wildfires, people are urged to stay inside with shut windows to avoid inhaling smoke. Surrounding trees don't have that option, of course, but a new study suggests that some species can protect themselves from dangerous air quality, too. Yale Environment 360 reports that a team of researchers out...

We Have More Evidence of Human &#39;Hobbits&#39;
We Have More
Evidence of
Human 'Hobbits'
NEW STUDY
Aug 7, 2024 4:48 PM CDT

We Have More Evidence of Human 'Hobbits'

Flores island discoveries include smallest known hominin humerus

(Newser) - More remains of "hobbits" discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores lend strength to the theory that these unusual humans descended from an isolated group who experienced dwarfism , researchers say. The 700,000-year-old teeth and upper arm bone, described in a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications , are among...

When Other Pets Die, Cats Go Into Mourning
When Pets in the House
Die, Cats Go Into Mourning
NEW STUDY
Aug 7, 2024 2:35 PM CDT

When Pets in the House Die, Cats Go Into Mourning

New research suggests kitties grieve the loss of other pets they live with, both cats and dogs

(Newser) - Past studies have suggested that cats aren't as aloof and uncaring about what's going on around them as they might seem, and now a new one lends some weight to that. Researchers out of Michigan's Oakland University say that when other pets in the household die, cats...

Dark Chocolate Has an Even Darker Secret
Dark Chocolate Has
an Even Darker Secret
in case you missed it
Aug 4, 2024 3:35 PM CDT

Dark Chocolate Has an Even Darker Secret

Scientists looking for toxic heavy metals find lead, cadmium in dozens of samples of the sweet treat

(Newser) - Every so often, a study emerges touting the benefits of eating chocolate, with dark chocolate earning special praise . New research, however, has unearthed toxic heavy metals in dozens of dark-chocolate products sold by Amazon, Whole Foods, and GNC, among other retailers. For the peer-reviewed research published Tuesday in the journal...

Researchers Unravel a Beech Tree Mystery
Researchers Unravel
a Beech Tree Mystery
NEW STUDY
Aug 4, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Researchers Unravel a Beech Tree Mystery

Trees across Europe drop their seeds at the same time, and the solstice appears to be key

(Newser) - European beech trees pull off a remarkable feat that has fascinated scientists for some time, and according to Quanta Magazine , researchers have just made a big advance in understanding it. The study, published in Nature Plants , shines light into how trees across the entire continent synchronize so they are all...

Scrolling Online, He Saw Portrait With Unusual Rounded Top

Turns out art historian spotted a lost 16th-century portrait of King Henry VIII

(Newser) - A lost portrait of King Henry VIII has been rediscovered in the UK just 14 miles from where it originally hung after its commission in the 1590s. But that's not exactly where art historian Adam Busiakiewicz found it. The Sotheby's consultant was perusing X last month when he...

Young People's Cancer Rates Are Jumping Over Boomers'

Millennials and Gen Xers have a higher risk for 17 cancers over their older counterparts

(Newser) - New research shows that Gen Xers and millennials face a higher risk of certain types of cancer than their older counterparts, the baby boomers. The study published Thursday in the Lancet journal by scientists from the American Cancer Society gathered incidence data from nearly 24 million patients between the ages...

FDA Approves Blood Test That Detects Colon Cancer

Guardant Health's Shield test picked up 83% of colorectal cancer cases

(Newser) - The FDA has given the green light to a blood test expected to improve screening for colon cancer. Guardant Health's Shield test, which looks for tumor DNA in blood samples, was found to detect 83% of colorectal cancers in patients with the disease. The test, to be administered at...

New-Car Smell Is More Dangerous on Hot Days
New-Car Smell Is More
Dangerous on Hot Days
NEW STUDY
Jul 28, 2024 4:35 PM CDT

New-Car Smell Is More Dangerous on Hot Days

Chinese researchers raise health concerns as our days keep getting warmer

(Newser) - It's no secret that what people call the "new car smell" is the result of a chemical soup of volatile organic compounds within the vehicle's interior, notes ZME Science . Now, a new study raises a related concern in a warming world: The VOCs appear to intensify when...

Cat Researchers Suggest Ways to Stop Furniture-Scratching

Maybe don't use those laser dots, because they end up as frustrated hunters

(Newser) - It might be fun to watch a cat try to catch a laser dot, but your couch might end up paying a price. That's one of the takeaways of new research published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science , reports NPR . Researchers assessed the behavior of more than 1,200 cats...

Man&#39;s Find on Goodwill Site: a Piece of Washington&#39;s Tent
Man Hides Historic $1.7K
Goodwill Buy From Wife
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 27, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

Man Hides Historic $1.7K Goodwill Buy From Wife

Richard Moore scooped up fragment of George Washington's tent from nonprofit's online store

(Newser) - If you prefer online shopping to in-person browsing, Goodwill's online store offers that option for not only its typical gently used clothing, books, and housewares, but also rarer items with heftier price tags. The nonprofit is now boasting of a "historic sale" via its site—a tattered piece...

Think Pop Song Melodies Seem Simpler? They Are
Pop Songs Have
Changed in a Big Way
Since the '50s
NEW STUDY
Jul 27, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

Pop Songs Have Changed in a Big Way Since the '50s

Researchers find melody complexity has dropped big time, with simpler rhythms and pitch

(Newser) - If you've ever seen the viral clip of popular radio tunes that all use the same four chords , this latest study will, well ... strike a chord. The research published earlier this month in the journal Scientific Reports isn't about chords per se, but about rhythm and pitch—both...

In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging
In Prehistoric Fossils,
a Surprising Find on Aging
NEW STUDY
Jul 26, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging

Mouselike mammals lived a lot longer than modern-day counterparts, say scientists

(Newser) - Two sets of fossils found 40-something years apart suggest that small mammals who lived during the mid-Jurassic period had a longer "childhood" and a more stretched-out life span than their contemporary counterparts. The new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature examined the fossilized remains of Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, a...

Komodo Dragon&#39;s Orange Teeth Hide a Deadly Power
Komodo Dragon's Orange
Teeth Serve Practical Purpose
NEW STUDY
Jul 25, 2024 12:28 PM CDT

Komodo Dragon's Orange Teeth Serve Practical Purpose

Unprecedented iron coating keeps serrated teeth razor sharp

(Newser) - The Komodo dragon might be the closest thing to a living dinosaur, with its muscular tail, scaly skin, sturdy claws, and, it turns out, razor-sharp teeth unlike any seen before. The largest living lizard has curved, serrated teeth, similar to those of carnivorous dinosaurs, which help to rip apart the...

This Drug 'Could Change the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

(Newser) - A twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in young women and teen girls, according to the results of what some are calling a "breakthrough" phase 3 trial. The randomized, double-blind trial by drugmaker Gilead Sciences involved more than 5,000 young women and girls in South...

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