discoveries

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

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Tiny Frogs&#39; No. 1 Option: Hold in Pee All Winter
Tiny Frogs' No. 1 Option:
Hold in Pee All Winter
NEW STUDY
May 2, 2018 9:20 AM CDT

Tiny Frogs' No. 1 Option: Hold in Pee All Winter

Behold the wood frog, which literally freezes to 'death' and comes back to life

(Newser) - If you've ever been unable to find a bathroom in a moment of need, you know the gotta-go feeling. That's nothing compared to the wood frog, which doesn't urinate all winter; in Alaska, that's eight months without peeing, reports the AP . Scientists have figured out how...

Giant Antarctic Ice 'Cork' Is Deteriorating

Scientists prepping for $27.5M study of Thwaites Glacier, how sea level rise will be affected

(Newser) - An Antarctic glacier is losing so much ice that it contributed to about 4% of the planet's total sea level rise in recent years—and scientists are now concerned this rapid melting could remove one of the few "corks" keeping the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at bay. That'...

Archaeologists Uncover &#39;Last Child of Pompeii&#39;
'Extraordinary Find' Made
in Pompeii Bath House
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 29, 2018 7:07 AM CDT

'Extraordinary Find' Made in Pompeii Bath House

Child's body is the first uncovered in decades

(Newser) - Almost 2,000 years ago, a child sheltered in Pompeii's central bath house complex as nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted terrifyingly, spewing vast amount of hot ash and pumice. The child's body was undisturbed until this year, when archaeologists using ground-scanning tools were surprised to find it just inches...

'Fake' Coin Will Actually Make Owner 'Quite Rich'

Turns out it's one of a handful of rare $5 Liberty Head Half Eagles, minted in 1854

(Newser) - In what a currency expert tells the San Francisco Chronicle is the equivalent of "finding an original Picasso at a garage sale," a rare coin from the California gold rush has been unearthed—said to be one of only four still in existence. The Independent reports the unnamed...

This Might've Been the Largest Child Sacrifice Ever

Remains of 140 children, 200 young llamas found in Peru

(Newser) - Decades before it was felled by the larger Inca civilization around 1475 AD, the Chimu people in what is now northern Peru gathered more than 140 children on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and slaughtered them all. Archaeologists who've uncovered the remains of boys, girls, and 200 young...

Museum Shocked to Discover Giant Egg in Collection Is Real

It's one of fewer than 40 elephant bird eggs held by public institutions

(Newser) - The Buffalo Museum of Science has been sitting on a rare find. A collections manager with the museum discovered an elephant bird egg nestled away in a cabinet for more than half a century and erroneously labeled as a cast. The egg is 1 foot long, more than 2 feet...

After 5th-Century Massacre, Bodies Were Left to Rot
After 5th-Century
Massacre, Bodies
Were Left to Rot
new study
Apr 25, 2018 10:40 AM CDT

After 5th-Century Massacre, Bodies Were Left to Rot

Archaeologists find a grim end at Sandby borg

(Newser) - "In most cases where human remains have been found in connection with … scenes of brutal violence, the bodies have been buried in mass graves. This is not the case at Sandby borg," write the authors of a new study published in the journal Antiquity . The Swedish site,...

Uranus Discovery Fulfills Cosmic Punchline

Clouds smell like rotten eggs thanks to smelly gas hydrogen sulfide

(Newser) - Scientists using the huge telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano have discovered the world's most obvious space joke. "Uranus smells like farts" is an actual, and correct, headline making the rounds, as here and here . But as the BBC explains, it's no joke. It seems the...

Artificial Sweeteners May Not Be Sugar-Free Bliss We Hoped For

Scientists find they lead to biochemical changes in rats signaling diabetes, obesity down the road

(Newser) - Guzzling diet soft drinks may seem like an easy workaround if you can't kick soda but want to fend off health problems spurred by sugar. A new study presented at the Experimental Biology conference over the weekend suggests otherwise—specifically when it comes to diseases like Type 2 diabetes....

Treasure Tied to King Bluetooth Found on German Island
Teen Stumbles on
Treasure Tied to
King Bluetooth
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 22, 2018 6:04 PM CDT

Teen Stumbles on Treasure Tied to King Bluetooth

Pearls, jewelry, coins unearthed by archaeologists in weekend dig

(Newser) - "Bluetooth" may strike you as an entirely modern word, but it's one found in the pages of history by way of Danish king Harald Gormsson, or "Harry Bluetooth", as he was known—and treasure connected to him has reportedly just been found. The Guardian reports 13-year-old Luca...

Study of Famous Dodo Reveals Surprise Death

Oxford's specimen was shot in the back of the head, scan reveals

(Newser) - Scientists used the latest forensic scanning technology to look inside the world's most famous dodo specimen in the hope of learning more about the anatomy of the bird that went extinct on Mauritius 350 years ago. "In our wildest dreams we never expected to find what we did,...

Discovery of Nazi Sub Dispels a Hitler Myth

The U-boat was sunk and did not reach Argentina, as conspiracy theorists have argued

(Newser) - When one of Germany's most advanced U-boats vanished the day after Nazi forces surrendered in parts of Europe, some speculated that it had carried leaders, maybe even Adolf Hitler, to safety in Argentina, reports CBS News . The conspiracy theory, repeated after World War II, is now officially debunked, according...

Behind a People's Superhuman Ability to Dive: the Spleen

New study looks at the Bajau people

(Newser) - "They are simply a stranger to the land," an anthropologist says of Southeast Asia's Bajau people, and a new study shows their bodies have changed to account for that. The Bajau, who live in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, sustain themselves by diving for fish, and have...

Diamond From the Sky May Have Formed in 'Lost Planet'

Meteorite has traces of proto-planet, researchers say

(Newser) - Fragments of a meteorite that fell to Earth a decade ago provide compelling evidence of a lost planet that once roamed our solar system, researchers say. A team from Switzerland, France, and Germany examined diamonds found inside the Almahata Sitta meteorite and concluded they were most likely formed by a...

Mutant Enzyme Munches Plastic
Mutant Enzyme 
Munches Plastic
Apr 17, 2018 5:52 AM CDT

Mutant Enzyme Munches Plastic

This could massively reduce waste, scientists say

(Newser) - Some rare good news in the fight against plastic pollution: Scientists working with a plastic-eating microbe discovered in Japan two years ago accidentally created a mutant enzyme that sounds like an environmentalist's dream, the Guardian reports. The enzyme breaks down the PET—polyethylene terephthalate—used in plastic bottles even...

The Bacteria Eats Through Skin, Is Causing Mystery in Australia

Study quantifies the spread of Buruli ulcers in Victoria

(Newser) - "It is difficult to prevent a disease when it is not known how infection is acquired," reads a study published Monday that tracks the spread of a flesh-eating ulcer in Australia, and that's not the only mystery surrounding the rise in Buruli ulcers. The disease has historically...

Nazis&#39; Effort to Hide Ship Affected Norway&#39;s Trees
Nazis' Attempt to Cloak Its
Ship Affected Norway's Trees
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 15, 2018 8:21 AM CDT

Nazis' Attempt to Cloak Its Ship Affected Norway's Trees

The Tirptiz tried to create a 'chemical fog'

(Newser) - A German dendrochronologist stumbled on something puzzling while gathering wood cores on the Norwegian coast in 2016: some trees were missing rings. "We got back to the lab and measured the tree rings, and saw that they were very narrow—in some cases nearly absent—for 1945," Claudia...

FBI Solves the Mystery of an Ancient Severed Head
FBI Solves the Mystery
of an Ancient Severed Head
In Case You Missed It
Apr 7, 2018 2:09 PM CDT

FBI Solves the Mystery of an Ancient Severed Head

In an Egyptian tomb belonging to Djehutynakht and his wife, there was just one head

(Newser) - It has to rank among the less usual undertakings doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital had attempted: In 2009 they removed a molar from a severed Egyptian mummy's head via an endoscope with grasping forceps they inserted through the neck. The tooth was a hopeful clue in a nearly...

There's a Natural, Cheaper Alternative to Sports Drinks

Peel a banana

(Newser) - During an Australian Open match in January, tennis star CoCo Vandeweghe refused to continue play until someone gave her a banana. She was mocked, reports Deadspin , but the snack was probably worth the scorn. Like sports drinks, bananas are packed with sugars—14.43 grams in a medium-size one—proven...

Study: Those Who Saw Wealth Vanish More Likely to Die
A Midlife 'Wealth Shock'
May Lead to Your Death
new study
Apr 4, 2018 6:58 AM CDT

A Midlife 'Wealth Shock' May Lead to Your Death

Study finds Americans who suffered a financial blow were more likely to die

(Newser) - A big financial loss may shorten your life, a new study suggests. Middle-aged Americans who experienced a sudden, large economic blow were more likely to die during the following years than those who didn't. The heightened danger of death after a devastating loss, which researchers called a "wealth...

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