discoveries

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

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>

Where Did Oregon's Otters Go? Teeth Suggest an Answer

Oregon repopulation may have failed because the otters were 'northerners' from Alaska

(Newser) - Centuries ago, sea otters were plentiful along the Oregon coast, but the fur trade came along and wiped them out. Wildlife authorities tried to restart the population in the 1970s by transplanting otters from Alaska to southern Oregon, but the population again fizzled out for reasons that have puzzled scientists,...

Pilot Whales Have Tricky Way to Fool Enemies
Clever
Pilot Whales
Fool Their
Rivals
new study
Dec 7, 2020 10:50 AM CST

Clever Pilot Whales Fool Their Rivals

Study suggests they mimic killer whales

(Newser) - Pilot whales in southern Australia appear to have developed a nifty technique for fooling rival killer whales—they pretend they're killer whales themselves. Researchers studied the calls of long-finned pilot whales in the region and found that the creatures mimic their larger rivals, reports ScienceDaily . In their study at...

You Might Be Killing Salmon With Your Car Tires
What's Killing Salmon?
Maybe Your Car Tires
new study
Dec 4, 2020 9:30 AM CST

What's Killing Salmon? Maybe Your Car Tires

Scientists say a chemical preservative ends up in streams after it rains

(Newser) - Scientists think they've figured out why so many coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest are dying—it's because of car tires. More precisely, researchers say that a lethal substance moves from tire particles on the road into storm drains and then ends up in streams, reports Popular Science ...

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics
An Ancient Light Could
Undermine Physics
new study
Nov 29, 2020 3:25 PM CST

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics

'If it were real, it's big'

(Newser) - There's an ancient light drifting across the universe that might just undermine particle physics as we know it, Science Alert reports. Scientists analyzing the cosmic microwave background—a faint remnant of the Big Bang—say they've spotted a twist in its light that could force a rethink beyond...

Neanderthal Thumbs Weren&#39;t Quite the Same as Ours
We Don't Use Our Thumbs
the Way Neanderthals Did
NEW STUDY
Nov 27, 2020 9:51 AM CST

We Don't Use Our Thumbs the Way Neanderthals Did

Fossils suggest they regularly gripped handled tools

(Newser) - If you happen to travel back in time and encounter an angry Neanderthal, be sure to request a thumb war, rather than a full-blown one. According to new research, Neanderthals' hands were different than our own, with a thumb that stuck out at a wider angle than what you see...

Online Sleuth Finds Mystery Monolith

And theories are popping up that might explain it

(Newser) - Artists? Aliens? Prop masters? A monolith discovered in the middle of the Utah desert has spawned all kinds of theories—including the notion that a film crew left it behind, the Smithsonian reports. So let's start with that one:

Vegans May Be More Likely to Break Bones
Vegans May Be More 
Likely to Break Bones
new study
Nov 23, 2020 8:47 AM CST

Vegans May Be More Likely to Break Bones

Largest study of its kind sees increased risk for those who don't eat animal products

(Newser) - The largest study of its kind suggests that those who don't eat meat are more likely to suffer bone fractures. Vegans, who shun both meat and dairy, appear to have the greatest risk relative to vegetarians and pescatarians, particularly when it comes to hip fractures, reports CNN . To keep...

We Assumed the Universe Was Getting Colder. It Isn't

So much for the 'Big Chill'

(Newser) - The Universe just had its temperature taken, and the results may surprise. Since the 1990s, researchers have put forth the theory that the mean temperature of the universe will drop as it expands and galaxies, stars, and planets move farther apart. But a team of international scientists has found that...

Video Games May Make You Happier
New Video Games
Research Offers a Twist
new study
Nov 16, 2020 12:01 PM CST

New Video Games Research Offers a Twist

Oxford study links playing to increased happiness

(Newser) - How's this for a conversation starter: "If you play Animal Crossing for four hours a day, every single day, you're likely to say you feel significantly happier than someone who doesn't." The assertion to the BBC comes from Oxford researcher Andrew Przybylski, who is quick...

You Never Know What May Surface in Greece Construction

Like the head of an ancient Greek god, for example

(Newser) - A bust of the ancient god Hermes, in good condition, was discovered in central Athens during sewage work, per the AP . The Greek Culture Ministry said the head, one of many that served as street markers in ancient Athens, appears to be from around 300BC. It depicts Hermes at "...

This May Be a Surprisingly Easy Way to Rid Body of Alcohol
This May Be a Surprisingly Easy
Way to Rid Body of Alcohol
in case you missed it
Nov 15, 2020 6:53 AM CST

This May Be a Surprisingly Easy Way to Rid Body of Alcohol

Breathing hard speeds up process, and device helps people do so without passing out

(Newser) - When a patient turns up in the ER with alcohol poisoning, doctors don't have many options when it comes to getting the booze out of their system. Dialysis works but isn't always practical, meaning it's up to the painstakingly slow liver to get the job done, explains...

18% of COVID Survivors Diagnosed With Mental Illness

And that's just within 3 months of positive test, per a new study

(Newser) - New research suggests the coronavirus takes a toll on a person's mental health as well as their physical health, with 18% of people diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days of testing positive for COVID-19. That compares to about 13% of those who suffered from the flu or...

Scientists Discover Surprise About Jupiter&#39;s Icy Moon
Moon of Jupiter
Reveals a Surprise
new study
Nov 9, 2020 2:32 PM CST

Moon of Jupiter Reveals a Surprise

Researchers say Europa glows in the dark

(Newser) - Scientists have just figured something out about the Jupiter moon Europa—it glows in the dark. Which, as a post at NASA points out, might not seem that weird to a layman. After all, we look up and see our own moon glowing in the night sky. But something entirely...

Van Gogh&#39;s Deliriums Tied to Alcohol Withdrawal
Van Gogh's Deliriums
Tied to Alcohol Withdrawal
NEW STUDY
Nov 8, 2020 1:00 PM CST

Van Gogh's Deliriums Tied to Alcohol Withdrawal

Forced withdrawal in hospital may have triggered 'unbearable hallucinations'

(Newser) - More than a century after his death, people remain fascinated with Vincent Van Gogh's life, particularly the last few years , which were marked by mental illness. Indeed, a new study focusing on that most-productive period suggests he didn't have schizophrenia but may have been suffering from delirium linked...

Source of Cosmic Radio Bursts Is Finally Discovered

They come from 'magnestars'

(Newser) - A flash of luck helped astronomers solve a cosmic mystery: What causes powerful but fleeting radio bursts that zip and zigzag through the universe? Scientists have known about these energetic pulses—called fast radio bursts—for about 13 years and have seen them coming from outside our galaxy, which makes...

Young Woman Made Mark as Early Big-Game Hunter
New Find Upends Thinking
on Early Big-Game Hunters
NEW STUDY
Nov 5, 2020 11:43 AM CST

New Find Upends Thinking on Early Big-Game Hunters

Researchers think up to 50% of such hunters in the Americas were female

(Newser) - Think the women of the ancient Americas were stuck crushing grain into flour while the men went hunting for big game? Researchers say you're wrong. "Early big-game hunting was likely gender neutral," reads a new study in Science Advances . The conclusion stems from a 9,000-year-old burial...

Researchers Say This Is How to Cook Rice for Your Kids

New method removes the majority of the naturally occurring arsenic

(Newser) - There's naturally occurring arsenic in rice, and researchers have identified a method of cooking it that will get rid of the majority of it. In a paper published in Science of the Total Environment , researchers with the University of Sheffield's Institute for Sustainable Food tested a number of...

There Hasn&#39;t Been an Ocean Find Like This in 120 Years
There Hasn't Been an Ocean
Find Like This in 120 Years
in case you missed it
Nov 1, 2020 1:30 PM CST

There Hasn't Been an Ocean Find Like This in 120 Years

Huge section of coral reef found at Great Barrier Reef is taller than Empire State Building

(Newser) - During the past year, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor ship has been trolling the waters off the coast of Australia, where it's found dozens of new species, including what may be the longest animal on Earth . Its latest surprise discovery is no less impressive: a section of coral...

Lizard Finally Turns Up, 100 Years Later

Living specimens of Voeltzkow's chameleon are found in Madagascar

(Newser) - Talk about good camouflage! Scientists say they have found an elusive chameleon species that was last spotted in Madagascar 100 years ago. Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said Friday that they discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow's chameleon during an expedition to the northwest of the African island nation....

Asteroid Thought to Be Worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000

16 Psyche thought to be massive chunk of iron and nickel

(Newser) - Somewhere between Mars and Jupiter is a potato-shaped space rock possibly worth way more than the entire economy of Earth. Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis discovered the Massachusetts-sized asteroid known as 16 Psyche lurking in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in 1852, per Fox News . New observations...

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>