discoveries

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

Stories 1301 - 1320 | << Prev   Next >>

Google Earth Reveals Ancient Mystery in Saudi Arabia
Google Earth Reveals Ancient
Mystery in Saudi Arabia
in case you missed it
Oct 28, 2017 11:24 AM CDT

Google Earth Reveals Ancient Mystery in Saudi Arabia

Hundreds of unexplained stone 'gates' are spotted from above

(Newser) - Google Earth has revealed an archaeological mystery from on high. Satellite images show the existence of ancient stone structures built thousands of years ago in what is now an inhospitable part of Saudi Arabia, reports LiveScience . Archaeologists led by David Kennedy of the University of Western Australia call them "...

500-Year-Old Navigational Tool Discovered in Shipwreck

Mariners used astrolabes to determine position of sun, stars

(Newser) - The world's earliest known navigational tool used by Vasco da Gama's fleet was discovered in a shipwreck off the Oman coast, NPR reports. Called a marine astrolabe, it's believed to date from 1495 to 1500. Unlike the Game of Thrones intro astrolabe, sailors used this one to...

One Whiff of Blood Molecule Separates Hunters, Hunted

Scent of E2D triggers widely different reactions in animals, including humans

(Newser) - Scientists have zeroed in on a molecule in blood whose very scent triggers alarm in humans but also beckons predators. In fact, one whiff of the E2D molecule causes animals of all kinds to act in "diametrically opposite" ways, suggesting that it's been around for eons and responses...

Woman Can't Stop Sweating Blood From Face, Hands

Doctors say 'most unusual' condition is hematohidrosis, but they aren't sure what causes it

(Newser) - You know there's a problem if you start coughing up blood—but how to react when you start sweating blood? Per the CBC , a 21-year-old Italian woman got to a hospital ASAP, and now doctors are puzzling over her "most unusual" case of bleeding from her face and...

Researchers See 'Horrific Decline' in Insect Numbers

Scientist warns of 'ecological Armageddon'

(Newser) - If it seems like there are fewer squished bugs on your windshield after long journeys than in years past, you're not imagining things: Researchers say there appears to have been a steep and extremely worrying decline in insect populations in recent decades. In a study published in the journal...

Battle of the Jaws: Study Finds Alligators Eat Sharks

Alligator experts thought James Nifong was kidding when he asked if it was possible

(Newser) - As far as research goes, it sounds pretty intense: pumping the stomachs of 500-plus alligators—"live and alert" ones at that. It was part of James Nifong's study on whether American alligators on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts eat sharks, and the answer might surprise you: yes. The...

Eating Placenta About as Beneficial as Snake Oil
No Proven Benefits,
Several Risks to
Eating Placenta
NEW STUDY
Oct 17, 2017 10:30 AM CDT

No Proven Benefits, Several Risks to Eating Placenta

Placenta capsules may carry bacteria, heavy metals: study

(Newser) - The trend of eating placenta after childbirth "borders on cannibalism" and is only lining providers' pockets, rather than offering any benefit to women or their newborns. That's according to researchers of a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, which finds "no known scientifically...

Behold, a 'New Era in Astronomy' Is Born

Researchers witness collision of 2 neutron stars, and the result is monumental

(Newser) - It was a faint signal, but it told of one of the most violent acts in the universe, and it would soon reveal secrets of the cosmos, including how gold was created, per the AP . What astronomers witnessed in August and revealed Monday was the long-ago collision of two neutron...

His Quest to Create 'Gaydar' Had Unintended Consequences

Michal Kosinski says he just wanted to expose a privacy threat

(Newser) - "Our findings expose a threat to the privacy and safety of gay men and women," wrote Michal Kosinski in a paper set to be published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology—only he's the one now finding himself in danger. The New York Times takes...

He Buried a Letter at Auschwitz. Now We Know What It Says

Discovered in 1980, it was mostly illegible, but has now been restored

(Newser) - Auschwitz was liberated in January 1945; a couple of months before that, a Jewish prisoner secretly wrote a letter outlining the horrors he had witnessed, placed it in a thermos then a leather pouch, and buried it. Now, for the first time, Marcel Nadjari's words have been published in...

From Viking Clothing Fragments, a 'Staggering' Find

The word 'Allah' opens the possibility that some Vikings were Muslim

(Newser) - Is it possible some Vikings were Muslim? That's a question the National Post is asking following the discovery of Viking funeral garb embroidered with ancient Arabic characters spelling "Allah." Annika Larsson of Uppsala University tells the BBC she was examining fragments of clothing discovered in 1,000-year-old...

Yellowstone's Supervolcano Could Erupt in a 'Geologic Snap'

Eruption process could take just decades, rather than centuries

(Newser) - Should it ever erupt, a supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park could blanket North America in an ash cloud, wipe out communications, and alter the climate. Given that eruptions of supervolcanoes buried on our planet—and there are several—are thought to occur every 100,000 years or so, however, the...

Doctors Find Way to Halt Deadly Child Brain Disease

Gene therapy is 'curative' for ALD, says doctor

(Newser) - Without a risky bone-marrow transplant before symptoms appear, children with brain disease ALD can expect to live no longer than five years as nerve cells in the brain die off and erase one's ability to walk, talk, and think. Even a successful transplant can result in permanent disabilities, reports...

Thirst for Ivory Threatens Hippos, Too
Hippos in Danger Because
of Desire for Their Teeth
NEW STUDY
Oct 5, 2017 11:02 AM CDT

Hippos in Danger Because of Desire for Their Teeth

Mismanagement in trade of hippo teeth a bad sign: researchers

(Newser) - It isn't only elephants that are suffering from humans' insatiable thirst for ivory. A new study notes hippopotamuses, already predicted by some to disappear within 100 years, may be dying at unexpected rates to fuel the trade of ivory ornaments made from hippo teeth. Since 1975, 1.7 million...

Famous Shipwreck May Still Hold Priceless Treasures

Explorers recently found a bronze arm at the Antikythera shipwreck

(Newser) - The ship bound for Rome sunk in 1BC and was first discovered off the coast of Greece in 1900. And yet the Antikythera shipwreck is still providing new discoveries. The Guardian reports an expedition to the site last month turned up a silver tankard, a human bone, and much more....

Moms Can Lower Kid's Peanut Allergy Risk From First Meal

2-step process involves mom eating peanuts while breastfeeding

(Newser) - New moms can lower their child's risk of developing a peanut allergy in the kids' very first meals, according to Canadian researchers. A study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests that children breastfed by peanut-eating moms are less likely to develop a nut allergy later, reports...

Fukushima&#39;s Cesium Hiding Somewhere Unexpected
Fukushima's Cesium Hiding
Somewhere Unexpected
new study
Oct 3, 2017 9:01 AM CDT

Fukushima's Cesium Hiding Somewhere Unexpected

In the brackish water beneath beaches some 60 miles away

(Newser) - The earthquake, then the tsunami, then the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster. The implications of the devastating series of events from 2011 are still being discovered, as with September's report that the tsunami sent an armada of debris across the ocean, carrying with it at least 289 species to US...

Man Was in Vegetative State for 15 Years. Then They Tried Something New

Frenchman shows signs of awareness after nerve stimulation

(Newser) - A 35-year-old Frenchman who had been in a vegetative state since he was 20 showed signs of consciousness after a treatment that researchers say upends the idea that there is no chance of a patient recovering after being in a persistent vegetative state for more than a year. Researchers say...

Researchers May Have Found Earliest Evidence of Life
Researchers May Have Found
Earliest Evidence of Life
study says
Sep 28, 2017 10:40 AM CDT

Researchers May Have Found Earliest Evidence of Life

Scientists say rocks in Canada have traces going back 4B years

(Newser) - Japanese researchers think they may have found the earliest evidence of life on Earth on rocks in Canada. In their study in Nature , the scientists from the University of Tokyo say they detected telltale traces of material left behind by decomposing organisms 3.95 billion years ago, reports the CBC...

Think Common Rats Are Bad? This One Is 4 Times as Big
Scientist's 'Spectacular'
Discovery: a Giant Rat
NEW STUDY
Sep 27, 2017 10:50 AM CDT

Scientist's 'Spectacular' Discovery: a Giant Rat

New species is at risk in Solomon Islands, scientists say

(Newser) - Encountering a foot-and-a-half-long rat might be nightmarish for some, but for Tyrone Lavery, it heralded a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Back in 2010, the mammalogist was exploring the Solomon Islands when he heard locals describe "vika," a giant tree-dwelling rat with teeth powerful enough to break open coconuts. Reports of...

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