discoveries

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

Stories 341 - 360 | << Prev   Next >>

Woodworker Finds UK's Oldest Piece of Carved Wood

Derek Fawcett's discovery was found to be at least 6K years old

(Newser) - In 2019, retired British surgeon Derek Fawcett was having a workshop built, planning to indulge in his new retirement hobby of wood-turning. As the Guardian reports, an unexpected discovery catapulted him into the world of archaeology. Workers found a blackened chunk of wood that, upon closer inspection, was revealed to...

Long COVID Patients May Fare Worse Than Some With Cancer

Fatigue is No. 1 symptom among this group, which sees 'shockingly' low quality-of-life scores

(Newser) - Medical experts and researchers are still wrangling with the intricacies of long COVID , the label given to health issues that persist or emerge after one's initial bout with the coronavirus is believed to have "ended." Now, a study out of the UK sheds more light on how...

Croc&#39;s Virgin Birth Suggests Dinos Were Also Capable
Virgin Birth Is a First
for This Species
NEW STUDY
Jun 7, 2023 12:30 PM CDT

Virgin Birth Is a First for This Species

Parthenogenesis found in crocodile suggests that dinosaurs may have been capable as well

(Newser) - A crocodile has for the first time been found capable of a virgin birth—a finding that suggests the species' dinosaur cousins were capable of the same feat. An 18-year-old female crocodile who'd been isolated from other crocodiles since the age of 2 laid 14 eggs at a Costa...

They Buried Their Dead 100K Years Before Homo Sapiens

Researchers describe cognitive complexity of Homo naledi, though skeptics remain

(Newser) - Just two hominin species are thought to have intentionally buried their dead: Neanderthals and modern humans. That idea has been floundering over the last decade, however, with the discovery of Homo naledi , an archaic human species that appears to have buried its dead deep inside South Africa's Rising Star...

Unit 731 Did Horrible Things in WWII. Its Bunker Was Found

Archaeologists find a U-shaped bunker used by Japan's Unit 731

(Newser) - Archaeologists in northeast China have unearthed a World War II "horror bunker," reports LiveScience . Researchers at the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology say the underground location was part of the largest research site used by the Japanese army's notorious Unit 731. This particular cluster...

We Like Hearing Nice Sounds in Our Left Ears
Want to Whisper Something
Nice? Use the Left Ear
New Study
May 28, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Want to Whisper Something Nice? Use the Left Ear

Researchers find a pronounced preference through brain scans

(Newser) - If you've ever noticed a subtle bias toward your left ear when enjoying some pleasant singing or the mellifluous voice of your favorite podcaster, it's not just you. IFL cites a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience that details how a team of Swiss researchers discovered that our...

5K New Deep-Sea Species Discovered in Pacific

They include the 'gummy squirrel'

(Newser) - It's a bittersweet moment for science—thousands of new species have been discovered in a largely untouched and unexplored region of the Pacific Ocean, but large-scale deep-sea mining in the area could begin soon. In the journal Current Biology , researchers who reviewed environmental surveys say 5,148 species new...

Brain Researchers See a Path to Treating Chronic Pain
Scientists Find Chronic Pain
Signal Pathways in Brain
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 27, 2023 12:15 PM CDT

Scientists Find Chronic Pain Signal Pathways in Brain

This may be a huge step in finding new treatments

(Newser) - Researchers have for the first time discovered brain signals that can indicate the amount of pain a person is experiencing, which scientists believe can lead to breakthrough treatments for chronic pain, reports the Guardian . The discovery raises the possibility of treating chronic pain with brain stimulation therapy, which is already...

Toilets in Ancient Jerusalem Reveal Nasty Parasites
Ancient Residents of
Jerusalem Carried
a Nasty Bug
new study
May 26, 2023 11:47 AM CDT

Ancient Residents of Jerusalem Carried a Nasty Bug

Researchers analyze poop from 2.5K-year-old toilets and find evidence of dysentery

(Newser) - Today in fascinating poop news: Even wealthy Iron Age residents of Jerusalem—then a booming city in the Assyrian empire—couldn't escape the distressing grip of intestinal parasites. CNN reports that researchers have unearthed 2,500-year-old latrines that once belonged to the elite, and they've found traces of...

Man&#39;s Brain Mutation Suggests a Way to Treat Alzheimer&#39;s
Alzheimer's Study 'Made
the Hair on My Arms Stand Up'
in case you missed it
May 20, 2023 12:15 PM CDT

Alzheimer's Study 'Made the Hair on My Arms Stand Up'

Man's genetic mutation staved off onset for decades, suggesting a future treatment

(Newser) - In one sense, the study subject's case is grim: He began showing signs of cognitive impairment at 67, developed full-blown dementia at 72, and died two years later, per STAT News . In another sense, his case is remarkable: He should have developed Alzheimer's in his early 40s because...

This Is the First Known Fish to Hold Its Breath
Sharks Holding Their Breath
Came as 'Complete Surprise'
in case you missed it
May 20, 2023 7:30 AM CDT

Sharks Holding Their Breath Came as 'Complete Surprise'

Behavior allows hammerheads to maintain body temperature during dives

(Newser) - Hammerhead sharks dive more than half a mile below the ocean's surface to find and catch prey. And they hold their breath while they do it, according to researchers, who say the discovery—the first time the behavior has been witnessed in fish—came as " a complete surprise...

Vesuvius' Eruption Didn't Kill Newly Found Bodies in Pompeii

Archeologists speculate the men were killed during quakes accompanying the eruption

(Newser) - A pair of newly discovered skeletons dating from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius 2,000 years ago are adding to the tragic story of the destruction of Pompeii, which wasn't inflicted solely by the eruption, reports USA Today. In a statement , Pompeii archaeological park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel writes that...

Killer Poisonous Mushrooms May Have New Antidote

The death cap may have met its match

(Newser) - Eating even a tiny slice of the death cap mushroom—AKA Amanita phalloides —can be fatal. It contains a group of toxins called amatoxins, which are extremely poisonous to humans. Amatoxins damage the liver and kidneys, and can lead to death even if treated, but that may soon...

Patch Holds Promise for Kids Allergic to Peanuts
For Kids Allergic to Peanuts,
a Patch Holds Promise
new study
May 15, 2023 11:20 AM CDT

For Kids Allergic to Peanuts, a Patch Holds Promise

Study suggests it offers a measure of protection against exposure

(Newser) - A study in the New England Journal of Medicine offers some hopeful news for the parents of toddlers with peanut allergies. Researchers found that if children wear a patch that dispenses a tiny amount of a peanut protein for a year, they're likely to build up protection against being...

NHL Players Who Throw Down on the Ice Die Younger
Lethal News
for NHL's
'Enforcers'
NEW STUDY
May 14, 2023 5:05 PM CDT

Lethal News for NHL's 'Enforcers'

On average, former players known for getting into numerous brawls died a decade earlier than peers

(Newser) - Recent research shows that fighting at NHL games, "once considered an integral part of professional hockey," has plummeted over the past two decades. Seems like that might be a good thing down the line, at least according to a new study, which finds that ex-players who were...

Lowly Moss Is Far More Important Than You Think
Scientists 'Gobsmacked'
About Findings on Moss
in case you missed it
May 14, 2023 4:10 PM CDT

Scientists 'Gobsmacked' About Findings on Moss

Lowly plant is 'potentially as significant' as vascular plants, yet often ignored: study

(Newser) - We've underestimated the power of the lowly moss beneath our feet, which fuels the cycling of nutrients in soil, sucks up carbon, and may even prevent the proliferation of pathogens and "antibiotic resistant genes," according to a new, worldwide study. Considered globally, mosses—under threat from climate...

Here&#39;s How You Can Get a Cat to Pay Attention to You
Want a Cat to
Come to You?
Do These
2 Things
NEW STUDY
May 13, 2023 6:00 AM CDT

Want a Cat to Come to You? Do These 2 Things

Researchers find cats come up to strangers more quickly when both visual, verbal cues are used

(Newser) - A group of researchers out of France took a deep dive into "the nuances of cat-human conversation," with some expected findings and some a little more surprising. For their study published last week in the journal Animals , a research team out of Paris Nanterre University led by Charlotte...

Largest Explosion Ever Seen Is an 8B-Year-Old Mystery

Outrageously bright light from distant space suggests black hole ate a big, gassy meal

(Newser) - In 2020, a bright light appeared in the night sky. That light, still visible with advanced telescopes today, represents the largest explosion ever seen. You're forgiven for not noticing as this is all happening some 8 billion light years away, though that wasn't clear initially. The light was...

It&#39;s a &#39;Milestone&#39; for Cancer Vaccines
Cancer Just Got
a Little Less Scary
NEW STUDY
May 11, 2023 11:00 AM CDT

Cancer Just Got a Little Less Scary

BioNTech's mRNA vaccine appears to prevent pancreatic cancer's return in phase one trial

(Newser) - BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine overshadowed its development of an mRNA vaccine to target cancer , but that vaccine takes center stage in a phase one trial, offering new hope for the treatment of notoriously deadly and stubborn pancreatic cancers. Some 90% of pancreatic cancer patients who have tumors surgically removed see...

Finding Could Shrink Mounds of Plastic

Discovery could be a recycling breakthrough

(Newser) - Scientists have been aware of microorganisms that can digest plastic, but they're of limited help. They mostly need temperatures over 86 degrees Fahrenheit to function; heating the environment for them is impractical and not carbon neutral. But now microbes have been isolated that can do the work at a...

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