discoveries

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

Stories 161 - 180 | << Prev   Next >>

What Does a Dog See in Its Mind When You Say 'Ball'?

Scientists cite pups' 'referential understanding,' with mental images hinting at deeper grasp of language

(Newser) - Many dog owners believe their pets understand and respond not only to commands such as "sit" and "stay," but also to words referring to their favorite objects. "Bring me your ball" will often result in exactly that. But science has had trouble determining whether dogs and...

Tiny Bird Is First Non-Primate to Make Symbolic Gesture

Japanese tits seem to say 'after you' to partners

(Newser) - We humans think we know a lot. But when it comes to how animals communicate, we have a lot to learn, according to new research boasting the first known case of symbolic gesture in a non-primate. Many animals display body parts and some, including birds like magpies and ravens, make...

For the First Time, We May Need a 'Negative Leap Second'

Study says the Earth's rotation has been slightly faster

(Newser) - Earth's changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time in an unprecedented way—but only for a second. For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because the planet is rotating a...

Shakespeare's Sister Wrote Text Found Hidden in Home

The 'J. Shakespeare' it referenced had long been thought to be the playwright's father

(Newser) - The writings of another Shakespeare are entering the limelight, at least momentarily, thanks to a study by a University of Bristol academic. A document found between the rafters and roof tile of the Shakespeare House in Stratford-upon-Avon around 1760 has been attributed to the playwright's younger sister, Joan. As...

Warship&#39;s 1742 Sinking Left Crew on Deserted Island
Warship's
1742 Sinking
Left Crew on
Deserted Island
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 23, 2024 4:45 PM CDT

Warship's 1742 Sinking Left Crew on Deserted Island

HMS Tyger's survivors built Garden Key's first fortifications, a century before Fort Jefferson

(Newser) - A British warship that sank off Florida nearly 300 years ago, forcing its crew to embark on a remarkable survival journey, has been identified. HMS Tyger, first discovered within Dry Tortugas National Park in 1993, was identified after archaeologists visited the site in 2021 and discovered five cannons, believed to...

Think Your Lab Is Too Chunky? There&#39;s a Reason
For These Dogs, a 'Double
Whammy' on Chonking Out
NEW STUDY
Mar 23, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

For These Dogs, a 'Double Whammy' on Chonking Out

Labradors, other flat-coated retrievers have genetic mutation that predisposes them to obesity

(Newser) - Every pet owner has to take care to keep their furry friends happy, healthy, and at a safe weight. For those who have a Labrador or flat-coated retriever in their charge, however, that last task might prove a bit more difficult. That's due to a "double whammy" with...

Amid 'Grim Global Outlook,' This Shark Species Thrives

Juvenile bull shark population off Alabama grew fivefold in past 20 years as water temps warmed

(Newser) - The frog hasn't noticed it's slowly boiling to death, and neither do bull sharks off the coast of Alabama, apparently. Or, if they do, they're going out with a bang, multiplying at a rate that has brought the juvenile population's numbers up fivefold over the past...

The Globe&#39;s Leading Ailments Are in Our Heads
The Globe's Leading
Illnesses Are in Our Heads
NEW STUDY
Mar 18, 2024 9:13 AM CDT

The Globe's Leading Illnesses Are in Our Heads

Neurological conditions like stroke, dementia affect 43% of global population, per new research

(Newser) - The leading cause of all ill health and disability around the globe isn't cancer or heart disease—it's a wide umbrella of neurological conditions, ranging from migraines to strokes, dementia, or Parkinson's, among other maladies. Per a new study published Thursday in the Lancet , scientists found that...

Teen Pregnancy Linked to Greater Risk of Early Death

Study suggests greater chance of dying by age 31

(Newser) - A large new study out of Canada suggests that teens who become pregnant are more likely to die by their 31st birthday. The findings, published Thursday in JAMA Network Open , hold true whether or not the teens wind up giving birth.
  • Overall, teens who became pregnant were 50% more likely
...

Why Are Medium-Sized Animals the Fastest? A Theory
Why Are Cheetahs the
Fastest? A Study Explains
NEW STUDY
Mar 13, 2024 4:03 PM CDT

Why Are Cheetahs the Fastest? A Study Explains

They fall in a 'sweet spot' while larger, smaller animals hit muscle limits

(Newser) - Lifespan, strength, and brain size tend to increase with an animal's size, yet speed does not. The largest land animal, the elephant, wouldn't come close to catching the fastest land animal, the cheetah. It's no anomaly. The fastest animals on land, in water, and in air are...

Crime Scene Investigator Preps for Murder Probes in Space
Future Space Criminals
Will Face 'Astroforensics'
NEW STUDY
Mar 12, 2024 1:18 PM CDT

Future Space Criminals Will Face 'Astroforensics'

Crime scene investigator Zack Kowalske has been testing blood spatters in zero gravity

(Newser) - The emerging field of astroforensics will be called upon whenever humanity faces its first murder in space. Until that time, Zack Kowalske, a crime scene investigator in Atlanta, says "broadening the understanding of all forensic sciences in nonterrestrial environments is critical as we expand into a space-faring species."...

Discovery of &#39;Dream&#39; Amount of Helium Caused &#39;a Lot of Screaming&#39;
In Minnesota,
a 'Dream' Helium
Discovery
in case you missed it
Mar 10, 2024 7:50 AM CDT

In Minnesota, a 'Dream' Helium Discovery

Babbitt, Minnesota, could be home to highest concentration of the gas in North America

(Newser) - A reservoir of lucrative helium, potentially boasting the highest concentration of the gas in North America, has been confirmed in Minnesota. "There was a lot of screaming, a lot of hugging and high-fives," Pulsar Helium CEO Thomas Abraham-James tells CBS News . Helium was first discovered by accident in...

Got Milk? This Amphibian Does
Got Milk? This
Amphibian Does
NEW STUDY
Mar 8, 2024 9:18 AM CST

Got Milk? This Amphibian Does

Scientists say wormlike caecilians offer this surprising sustenance to their young, like mammals

(Newser) - Researchers already knew that baby ringed caecilians, a wormlike amphibian that lives burrowed underneath the earth, gain some of their nutrition by feeding on the skin of their own mother once or twice a week. But when a team out of Brazil studying the creature (also known as Siphonops annulatus)...

The World&#39;s Earliest Known Forest Has Been Found
'This Was a Pretty Weird Forest'
new study
Mar 7, 2024 5:45 PM CST

'This Was a Pretty Weird Forest'

Scientists say they've found the world's earliest forest

(Newser) - It's a "pretty weird forest"—but a record-setting one. Scientists say they've found the oldest known forest on Earth, taking the crown from a forest in New York's Catskills that had previously held the title. The BBC reports the fossilized forest, reported on in the...

Scientist Unravel Secrets of Enormous &#39;Star Dunes&#39;
Surprise: Enormous
'Star Dunes' Move
new study
Mar 4, 2024 4:03 PM CST

Surprise: Enormous 'Star Dunes' Move

Giant one in Morocco is traveling west more than a foot per year

(Newser) - The most detailed study to date of enormous sand formations known as "star dunes" may explain why they are largely absent from Earth's ancient geological record—they are apparently younger than we've long thought. Coverage:
  • What are they? Star dunes are huge deposits of sand formed by
...

Why Don&#39;t We Have Tails? Scientists Find a Clue
Why Don't
We Have Tails?
Scientists Have
an Answer
new study
Feb 28, 2024 3:02 PM CST

Why Don't We Have Tails? Scientists Have an Answer

They pinpoint a DNA insertion in a gene that may have been a big factor

(Newser) - Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don't we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. From Darwin's time, scientists have wondered why—and how—this happened. And as an...

These Tiny Fish Are Louder Than Elephants
These Tiny Fish Are
Loud as a Gunshot
NEW STUDY
Feb 27, 2024 10:57 AM CST

These Tiny Fish Are Loud as a Gunshot

And elephants, according to new research on Danionella cerebrum

(Newser) - Often in nature, the larger the animal, the louder the noise. The sperm whale, for instance, can make clicks as loud as 200 decibels , while the elephant can trumpet as loud as 117 decibels . But as we know, nature is full of surprises, and in one such surprise, researchers have...

As Far as Discoveries Go, It&#39;s Quite Literally Huge
The Rumors About
the Snake Were True
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 25, 2024 10:40 AM CST

The Rumors About the Snake Were True

A new species of giant anaconda is identified

(Newser) - Bryan Fry calls the discovery "the highlight of my career"—and it's quite literally a big one. The University of Queensland professor and his team managed to document a new species of giant anaconda in the Amazon, per a press release . As Fry explains, his team got...

Math Historian Saw Decimals in 1440s Treatise and Freaked Out

Glen Van Brummelen uncovers earliest known use of decimal to indicate base-10 number system

(Newser) - How old is the decimal? It's a question you've probably never pondered but one that has fascinated certain historians. Fascinated isn't overstating it. When Glen Van Brummelen, a historian of mathematics at Canada's Trinity Western University, spotted a decimal used to indicate tenths of a number...

How a Cushion of Fat Helps Whales Sing

Researchers may have figured out how baleen whales vocalize

(Newser) - Whales sing loud enough that their songs travel through the ocean, but knowing the mechanics behind that has been a mystery. Scientists now think they have an idea, and it's something not seen in other animals: a specialized voice box. Experts say the discovery, while based on a study...

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