discoveries

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

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Scientist Makes a Surprise Find About Giraffes
Scientist Makes a Surprise
Find About Giraffes
new study
Sep 2, 2025 5:25 PM CDT

Scientist Makes a Surprise Find About Giraffes

They belong to four distinct species, not a single one as long believed

(Newser) - Giraffes have been grouped as one species for centuries, but new research splits them into four distinct ones, reports Discover . The unusual development is accompanied by a sobering dose of reality: Three of the four face extinction. The new information comes from the International Union for Conservation of Nature,...

Allergy Nasal Spray May Help Ward Off COVID
Allergy Nasal Spray
May Help Ward Off COVID
new study
Sep 2, 2025 2:38 PM CDT

Allergy Nasal Spray May Help Ward Off COVID

Small study finds lower infection rates with azelastine

(Newser) - A widely available nasal spray used for allergies may offer unexpected protection against COVID, a new study suggests. Researchers at Saarland University Hospital in Germany tested the antihistamine azelastine, an over-the-counter product, on 450 adults, most in their early 30s. Half the group used the spray three times daily,...

Settlement Found Under the Sea Is 'Like a Time Capsule'

Archaeologists plumb Denmark's Bay of Aarhus to find Stone Age artifacts, submerged under rising seas

(Newser) - Below the dark blue waters of Denmark's Bay of Aarhus, archaeologists are searching for coastal settlements swallowed by rising sea levels more than 8,500 years ago. And this summer, divers descended about 26 feet below the waves close to Aarhus and collected evidence of a Stone Age settlement...

That's No Goldfish, but a One-of-a-Kind Shark
You've Never Seen
a Shark Like This
in case you missed it
Aug 30, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

You've Never Seen a Shark Like This

First known shark with xanthism and albinism observed in Costa Rica

(Newser) - It looks like a giant goldfish. But what anglers pulled in during a fishing trip near Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park last year was, as far as we know, one of a kind. The nurse shark, cut loose from a fishing line, is what Gizmodo calls a "rare...

Ultraprocessed Foods May Harm Male Hormones, Boost Body Fat
Ultraprocessed Food
Shows a 'Big Shocker' for Men
NEW STUDY
Aug 29, 2025 4:14 PM CDT

Ultraprocessed Food Shows a 'Big Shocker' for Men

Study links packaged foods to weight gain, hormone disruption for men

(Newser) - A new study suggests that diets high in ultraprocessed foods may negatively affect not just overall metabolic health, but also male reproductive health. In their research published Thursday in the journal Cell Metabolism , scientists from the University of Copenhagen enrolled 43 healthy men, ages 20 to 35, and assigned...

A Chicken-or-Egg Mystery on Early Life May Be Solved

Lab experiment shows how simple chemistry may have bridged gap between RNA, protein synthesis

(Newser) - A new study published this week in Nature offers potential answers to a long-standing question in biology: How did the first proteins form on Earth, setting the stage for life? Researchers at University College London, led by chemist Matthew Powner, have demonstrated in the lab that simple chemistry could...

The Toll of Deforestation: 500K Dead Humans
The Toll of Deforestation:
500K Dead Humans
NEW STUDY
Aug 27, 2025 1:10 PM CDT

The Toll of Deforestation: 500K Dead Humans

Tropical land clearance brings deadly heat to millions, per new research

(Newser) - Deforestation in the world's tropical rainforests has claimed over half a million human lives due to heat-related illnesses in the past 20 years, a new study reveals. Researchers found that as rainforests are cleared in areas like the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia, local temperatures rise. The loss...

Stonehenge's Stones May Have Been Moved by Cattle
Stonehenge's Stones May
Have Been Moved by Cows
NEW STUDY
Aug 27, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Stonehenge's Stones May Have Been Moved by Cows

Isotope analysis of a cow tooth suggests animal hailed from Wales, just like the 'bluestones'

(Newser) - A single ancient cow tooth uncovered at Stonehenge is offering fresh clues about the monument's mysterious Welsh origins—and suggesting cattle were used to transport the monument's massive stones across the UK. Researchers from University College London and other institutions analyzed a bovine jawbone discovered in 1924...

Billionaires Face Lower Tax Rates Than Most Americans

Researchers find that ultra-wealthy benefit most from recent tax changes in the US

(Newser) - America's wealthiest citizens are paying a lower share of their income in taxes than the rest of the country, according to a new study by economists at UC Berkeley. Researchers found that billionaires—specifically the top 400, as listed by Forbes —had an average effective tax rate...

They May Have Been First in South America, Disappeared

Remains in Colombia reveal isolated group with no known descendants

(Newser) - Colombian researchers have identified a previously unknown human lineage after sequencing ancient DNA from remains unearthed near Bogota. The group, dubbed the Checua after the excavation site in Nemocon, is estimated to have lived about 6,000 years ago. While most other remains from the region share ancestry with...

Where Aliens Might Actually Pick Up Our Deep Space Signals

Researchers map Earth's strongest space transmissions to guide SETI efforts

(Newser) - A new analysis by researchers at Penn State and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory takes a closer look at where and when alien civilizations might catch signals from Earth, reports IFL Science . The study, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters and discussed at the 2025 Penn State SETI Symposium, maps...

Scientists Create 'Superfood' to Boost Honeybee Survival Rates
Scientists Have a New Plan
to Save the Honeybees
NEW STUDY
Aug 22, 2025 10:24 AM CDT

Scientists Have a New Plan to Save the Honeybees

Lab-made 'superfood' helps colonies produce more surviving young bees

(Newser) - Researchers at the University of Oxford have created a new "superfood" designed to help honeybees survive amid environmental pressures like habitat loss and changing climate. The supplement, developed after 15 years of study, contains the six sterols—special lipids essential to bee development—that bees typically obtain from...

Most Distant Star in Universe May Not Be a Star After All

New JWST data hints that Earendel could be lots of stars banded together in a cluster

(Newser) - Astronomers have called into question the identity of the most distant star in the universe ever detected, Earendel, first spotted by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 2022. New research using the agency's James Webb Space Telescope suggests this far-flung light source, located 12.9 billion light-years away...

Scientists Discover 'Tiny, Weird, Feral' Whale

This prehistoric whale had razor teeth, bulging eyes, and a face only evolution could love

(Newser) - Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird, and feral. Researchers this week officially named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Unlike today's whales, the juvenile specimen...

Toothpaste May Soon Get a Boost From Your Hair
Toothpaste May Soon Get
a Boost From Your Hair
new study
Aug 15, 2025 7:40 AM CDT

Toothpaste May Soon Get a Boost From Your Hair

Study finds that the protein keratin, found in hair and wool, fights tooth decay

(Newser) - Toothpaste and mouthwash could soon get a surprising upgrade—from your own hair. A new study in Advanced Healthcare Materials suggests the protein keratin, which is found in human hair and sheep's wool, is more effective at repairing and protecting tooth enamel than current treatments, reports the BBC...

Blowing Into Conch Shell May Ease Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Have Sleep Apnea?
Blow on a Conch Shell
NEW STUDY
Aug 14, 2025 3:00 PM CDT

Have Sleep Apnea? Blow on a Conch Shell

Small study finds fewer apnea events, less daytime fatigue after subjects blew into a conch shell

(Newser) - A small study out of India suggests that blowing into a conch shell—a practice rooted in Indian tradition—may provide relief for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, the most common sleep-tied breathing disorder . OSA is a condition where throat muscles block the airway during sleep,...

ADHD Drugs May Lower Risks Beyond Symptoms
ADHD Drugs May Do
More Than Help ADHD
NEW STUDY
Aug 14, 2025 7:29 AM CDT

ADHD Drugs May Do More Than Help ADHD

Largest study yet links such medications to lower real-world risks, including suicidal behavior

(Newser) - A new study out of Sweden suggests that medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could help reduce more than just the core symptoms of the condition. For their research published in the BMJ journal , scientists looked at medical records for nearly 150,000 people diagnosed with ADHD and...

Watchdog Slams 'Ineffective' ChatGPT Guardrails for Teens

Center for Countering Digital Hate says AI chatbot offers kids detailed plans for self-harm, drug use

(Newser) - ChatGPT will instruct 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, tell them how to conceal eating disorders, and even compose a suicide letter to their parents if asked, per new research from a watchdog group. The AP reviewed three-plus hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens....

Cockatoos Have Dozens of Dance Moves at Their Disposal
Researchers
Count 30
Cockatoo
Dance Moves
NEW STUDY
Aug 8, 2025 8:54 AM CDT

Researchers Count 30 Cockatoo Dance Moves

Scientists also find in new research that parrots dance just for fun

(Newser) - Think you've got better moves than a parrot? New research suggests you may want to reassess that. A study published in PLOS One has catalogued 30 distinct dance moves performed by cockatoos, with 17 of them never previously documented. The findings come from analyses of 45 online videos...

'The Tomato Is the Mother of the Potato'
'The Tomato Is the
Mother of the Potato'
NEW STUDY
Aug 2, 2025 7:30 AM CDT

'The Tomato Is the Mother of the Potato'

'Next time you eat potatoes, thank a tomato,' genome researcher says

(Newser) - "Next time you eat potatoes, thank a tomato," says genome biologist Sanwen Huang. A new study published in Cell has upended what scientists thought they knew about the potato: It turns out potatoes evolved from tomatoes. Huang and his team says the modern potato likely appeared about...

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