discoveries

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Petra's Secret Found 'Hiding in Plain Sight'

Archaeologists find unusual structure buried in sand

(Newser) - The sandstone Monastery and Treasury Building of Petra, carved by the Nabataeans nearly 2,000 years ago, astonish hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit southern Jordan each year. Unbeknownst to them, another enormous monument has been "hiding in plain sight" half a mile away. Satellite and drone imagery...

Most Antidepressants for Kids, Teens Don't Work

And some may even be dangerous—though unreliable data is mucking things up

(Newser) - A new study suggests that giving most antidepressants to kids and teens with depression is useless—and may even be harmful. Scientists took a look at 34 trials involving 14 antidepressants and 5,260 subjects with an average age of 9 to 18, a release notes. Drugs studied included sertraline,...

Palace Marco Polo Called 'Greatest Ever' May Have Been Found

Yuan-era foundation found beneath the Forbidden City

(Newser) - In the 13th century, Kublai Khan—grandson of Genghis Khan—conquered China, effectively ruling over all of it from Beijing. The Mongolian bestowed upon his dynasty a Chinese name, Yuan, and built a palace that Marco Polo described as "the greatest ... that ever was," with a vermilion, yellow,...

More Real-Life Hobbits Found on Indonesian Island

And they were even older and smaller than we thought

(Newser) - We know hobbits existed . And we know humans may have killed them off . But new fossils discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2014—and announced Wednesday via two papers in Nature—show they were older and smaller than previously believed. Gizmodo reports the remains of the first hobbits—...

16K Items That Vanished From Auschwitz Are Found

They were sitting in boxes at the Polish Academy of Sciences

(Newser) - Jewelry, tobacco pipes, buttons, keys. Archaeologists uncovered more than 16,000 such items in the remains of Auschwitz's Crematorium III and gas chamber in 1967—"the last personal belongings of the Jews" led to their deaths. But while watching an old documentary about the excavation, Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum officials...

Your Fish Might Recognize You

Archerfish shown to distinguish between human faces

(Newser) - Be careful who you call "fishbrain." The insult might actually be a compliment, based on a new study in Scientific Reports . For the first time, scientists have discovered that a species of fish can distinguish between human faces—something once thought possible only among primates with large, complex...

Mediterranean Diet Could Halt Breast Cancer's Return

Per a small study of 307 women in Italy

(Newser) - Women who've survived breast cancer and are looking to prevent a recurrence may be encouraged by news out of a major cancer conference: that adhering to a Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits, veggies, fish, and olive oil) may help fend off the disease's return, the Guardian reports. For...

Rare 'Dragon' Babies Hatch in Slovenian Cave

It's a' rare opportunity for science'

(Newser) - After keeping a constant eye on a clutch of eggs from a rare, subterranean salamander, biologists at Postojna Cave in Slovenia have their reward. Two baby olms have hatched—something that has never been seen outside of a lab, the Christian Science Monitor reports. It's a "rare opportunity...

&#39;Truly Miraculous&#39; Find: the Original Alamo?
 'Truly Miraculous' Find: 
 the Original Alamo? 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 5, 2016 7:33 AM CDT

'Truly Miraculous' Find: the Original Alamo?

Artifacts suggest site of San Antonio's first mission

(Newser) - Bet you don't remember the original Alamo. When the World Heritage site we know as the Alamo opened in San Antonio as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, it wasn't the first iteration of the mission. Archeologists now think it was initially founded at a different site in...

Tut's Dagger: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a surprise about the Alamo

(Newser) - An ancient, cosmic dagger and a new way of looking at T. rex make the list of the week's intriguing discoveries:
  • King Tut's Dagger Just Got More Interesting : King Tut’s dagger is out of this world—or at least it was at some point. Researchers who analyzed
...

Eating Plastic Is Making Young Fish Stupid

Microplastics linked to smaller, slower perch

(Newser) - Fish are getting hooked on plastic that's making them "smaller, slower, and more stupid," say researchers behind a new study at Science . Scientists have long suspected that microplastics are dangerous , but "that has been very hard to determine until now, and that's why this is...

Universe Expanding Faster Than Thought
 Universe Expanding 
 Faster Than Thought 
study says
Jun 3, 2016 11:09 AM CDT

Universe Expanding Faster Than Thought

Surprise finding suggests Einstein was a little off

(Newser) - New calculations in the cosmos have revealed a surprise: The universe appears to be expanding faster than anyone thought. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists measured the distance to stars in 19 galaxies and concluded that the universe is growing 5% to 9% quicker than expected, the researchers say in...

Underwater 'Lost City' Is Something Else Entirely

Looks like mystery off of Greek island comes down to methane

(Newser) - A "lost city" discovered by snorkelers off the Greek island of Zakynthos isn't an underwater metropolis after all. "We investigated the site, which is between [6.5 to 16 feet] underwater, and found that it is actually a natural geologically occurring phenomenon," Julian Andrews, lead author...

Meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Insect Doppelganger

Praying mantis species named after SC justice

(Newser) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg: booze-swilling Supreme Court justice, part-time actress , and … new namesake of a praying mantis. Scientists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were examining 30 praying mantis specimens when they discovered that species—typically classified using a male specimen—could be differentiated simply by looking at female...

Smog Is Bad for Your Blood Pressure, Too


 Smog Is Bad for Your 
 Blood Pressure, Too 
NEW STUDY
Jun 1, 2016 9:47 AM CDT

Smog Is Bad for Your Blood Pressure, Too

Stay inside on smoggy days, scientist suggests

(Newser) - You probably don't need another reason to dislike smog, but here goes anyway: It can raise your blood pressure. "We discovered a significant risk of developing high blood pressure due to exposure to air pollution," such as coal burning, vehicle exhaust, and dirt and dust in the...

Finally, an Alarm Clock That's Good for Something (Coffee)

Barisieur is designed to 'stimulate the senses'

(Newser) - How soon after waking up do you like your morning coffee? If your answer is "before I wake up," then the Barisieur may be for you. The "designer coffee and tea alarm clock" will gently rouse you from your slumber with the sounds and aroma of coffee...

King Tut's Dagger Has Out-of-This-World Origins

It's from a meteor, researchers say

(Newser) - King Tut’s dagger is out of this world—or at least it was at some point. Italian and Egyptian researchers teamed up to analyze the blade found in the boy king’s sarcophagus (placed on his right thigh) using portable fluorescence spectrometry. They found that the iron used to...

T. Rex May Have Had Lips to Hide Its Ferocious Teeth

That goes against the popular image of the dinosaur in 'Jurassic Park' and elsewhere

(Newser) - The image of a "ferocious-looking" Tyrannosaurus rex with a "permanent smile" of huge protruding teeth is taking a hit thanks to one Canadian paleontologist, Live Science reports. Robert Reisz says the T. rex, along with other theropods, actually had scaly lips covering its teeth. “When we see...

Monsanto's New Goal: Wilt-Free Flowers

MIT says it's working on way to make plants 'bloom on command'

(Newser) - Monsanto may be out to conquer a new area of the plant world: commercial flowers. A post at MIT Technology Review explains that the company has applied for a patent on a technique that could make it dramatically easier to sell and ship flowers—by preventing them from wilting. The...

What It Means When Moms Go Baby Crazy on Facebook

They might be trying to live up to societal expectations

(Newser) - Baby pictures clogging up your Facebook feed could signal a new mom on a risky search for approval, according to a study of 127 working moms from Ohio. The fact that 98% uploaded photos of their baby to Facebook wasn't surprising. What interested researchers, however, was that those who...

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