discoveries

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

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10-Minute In-Person Chat May Reduce Prejudice

'If you ask the right questions ...'

(Newser) - A new study published in the journal Science suggests that a quick, face-to-face conversation can put a dent in LGBT prejudice. Volunteers who went door to door—aka "deep canvassing," per the Atlantic —"substantially reduced transphobia," say the researchers. "We found that a single,...

Scientists Answer Weird Question About Moby Dick

Yes, sperm whales could batter a ship with their heads

(Newser) - A multinational team of researchers set out to settle what has oddly been a longstanding dispute in scientific circles: whether, in Moby Dick-esque fashion, sperm whales could use their heads to bash seagoing vessels. And it seems that Herman Melville got it right. Writing in the journal PeerJ , researchers concluded...

A Wrong Made Wright: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including an alien-fooling cloaking shield for Earth and the skinny on 'bad' carbs

(Newser) - A burial site crammed with curses and the "holy grail" of missing documents make the list:
  • Missing Patent for Wright Brothers' 'Flying Machine' Found : Missing for decades, the Wright brothers' patent for their "Flying Machine" was found last month in a manila envelope among 15-foot-high stacks of
...

Diabetes, Obesity Dramatically Increase Risk of Big Babies

Fetuses can be abnormally large by the sixth month of pregnancy

(Newser) - Diabetic or obese pregnant women may already be carrying abnormally large fetuses by the sixth month of pregnancy, US News & World Report reports. And that matters because, according to the BBC , abnormally large babies are at risk of injury during delivery and can have a higher chance of obesity...

Shrinking Gender Gap Could Give Economy Huge Boost

Increasing equality could add $2.1T to GDP

(Newser) - Shrinking the gender gap in American workplaces could give the US economy a boost almost as big as the GDP of California, according to the latest McKinsey Global Institute study. The institute found that while the economy could grow by $4.3 trillion if the gender gap was completely eliminated,...

Study Discovers What Creeps Us Out and Why

Clowns, long fingers, lip licking, inappropriate laughing…

(Newser) - As Slate puts it: "Creepy is a state of being that’s easy to identify but hard to pin down." That is, until two social psychologists at Knox College conducted the first-ever empirical study of "creepiness," publishing their findings in New Ideas in Psychology . The researchers...

Top 7 Cities for College Grads
 Top 7 Cities for College Grads 
Apr 7, 2016 11:19 AM CDT

Top 7 Cities for College Grads

Phoenix is No. 1

(Newser) - Which cities are best for new college grads? In terms of jobs alone, San Francisco and New York City might be the top two logical choices, but factor in other things such as rent and the overall cost of living, and the picture changes. Credit.com ranked a slew of...

&#39;Bad&#39; Carbs Nearly Double Cancer Risk
 'Bad' Carbs 
 Nearly Double 
 Cancer Risk 
NEW STUDY
Apr 7, 2016 7:03 AM CDT

'Bad' Carbs Nearly Double Cancer Risk

The link is especially strong to prostate cancer

(Newser) - Meat is often the bad guy linked to higher cancer rates: The World Health Organization says bacon is carcinogenic and red meats in general "probably" are, while grilling meats is linked to higher kidney cancer rates . But researchers out of New York University report in ScienceDaily that their latest...

Horse Manure Helps Crack Ancient Military Mystery

Researchers think they know where Hannibal crossed the Alps

(Newser) - Ace history students might remember that Hannibal led his Carthagian army across the Alps around 200BC and soundly defeated the Roman army in one of the most epic military maneuvers of all time. But not even actual historians can tell you with any degree of certainty where Hannibal crossed those...

Heartbreak Doesn't Just Hurt the Heart Emotionally

Loss of a partner boosts risk of atrial fibrillation by 41%

(Newser) - Yes, it is possible to die from a broken heart. Scientists from Aarhus University in Denmark say the loss of a partner boosts a person's risk of an irregular heartbeat—itself a risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and death—by 41%. The researchers, who reviewed medical data from...

Touching Robot Privates Gives Us the Heebie-Jeebies

Humans turn out to be very good at thinking robots are more than mere circuitry

(Newser) - "Please touch my buttocks." Most people feel uncomfortable obeying this command, and scientists have just discovered that this discomfort extends to, well, boxes of circuitry. Researchers at Stanford University are presenting their findings from a study on touching robots at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association...

A 'New' Rembrandt Work Is Unveiled

He paints again, thanks to a computer program

(Newser) - Computers can master ancient games , drive cars , and have social-media meltdowns . But can they continue the work of a master painter who died more than 300 years ago? "That's an appealing question," professor Joris Dik tells International Business Times . Dik, along with assorted developers, art historians, and...

Vitamin D Helps Damaged Hearts
Vitamin D Helps
Damaged Hearts
study says
Apr 5, 2016 5:05 PM CDT

Vitamin D Helps Damaged Hearts

Patients who took supplements showed marked improvement

(Newser) - A new study makes the case that patients suffering from heart failure should consider taking vitamin D supplements daily. UK researchers who followed the progress of about 160 such patients found that the vitamin made a big difference in improving damaged hearts, reports the Telegraph . The researchers gave some patients...

Lone Bullet Backs Up Lawrence of Arabia's Story

Scientists have unearthed evidence that aligns with tales from Great Arab Revolt

(Newser) - Ten years into a broader hunt throughout the Arabian desert, archaeologists have unearthed a bullet they are "almost 100% certain" is the one Lawrence of Arabia claimed to have fired in 1917 in a guerrilla attack on the Hallat Ammar train. Many, including his own biographers, have suspected that...

UN Armies Use Troops Prone to Corruption

Alleged crimes described as 'sickening and odious'

(Newser) - Thirty countries that provide the most troops to UN peacekeeping armies are particularly prone to corruption, according to a new study . Transparency International, an organization that monitors corruption, says six of the most troop-contributing nations scored an F in an A-to-F grading system—Togo, Morocco, Chad, Egypt, Burkina Faso, and...

Tablets in Ancient Grave Placed an Odd Curse

Greek curse-writer targeted owners of taverns

(Newser) - Talk about holding a grudge. Five lead tablets buried in the grave of a young Greek woman about 2,400 years ago bear curses against four tavern-keepers in Athens, LiveScience reports. Apparently, burying the tablets was thought to put the curses closer to gods who could fulfill them. "Cast...

Parents' Depression Hurts Kids' Grades

That's especially true for daughters of depressed moms

(Newser) - Having a depressed parent can take a toll on a child in any number of ways, and a comprehensive new study suggests a tangible one: lower school grades. The study led by researchers at Philadelphia's Drexel University found that kids whose mothers were diagnosed with depression had GPAs about...

Scientists Have Way to Hide Earth From Evil Aliens

Astronomers pitch idea for cloaking device

(Newser) - Human history shows that when two civilizations meet for the first time, it doesn't always turn out that well for one of them. And plenty of scientists—Stephen Hawking included—fear that humankind may end up on the losing side of a meeting with extraterrestrials. Now a couple of...

Say Hello to the $700 Juicer
 Say Hello to the $700 Juicer 
Apr 4, 2016 7:42 AM CDT

Say Hello to the $700 Juicer

An 8-ounce glass can cost up to $10

(Newser) - If you like juice—as in really like juice—there's a gadget just for you. The Juicero, which made its debut this month, is "competing to be the most technologically advanced thing in the kitchen," the Christian Science Monitor reports. It's also among the priciest: The...

Americans Name Drug They Fear Most&mdash;and It&#39;s Legal
 Americans Name Drug They 
 Fear Most—and It's Legal 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 3, 2016 2:35 PM CDT

Americans Name Drug They Fear Most—and It's Legal

Alcohol causes 88K deaths a year

(Newser) - The second deadliest drug in the US after tobacco is similarly legal, and claims more lives than all illicit drugs combined with 88,000 deaths a year. Alcohol is also the drug that has Americans most concerned, reports the AP and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the...

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