discoveries

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

Stories 341 - 360 | << Prev   Next >>

Birds Found Under Power Lines Didn't Die the Way You'd Expect

A surprising number of them had been shot, study finds

(Newser) - You might understandably think that most of the birds found dead under power lines had been electrocuted. But you'd be wrong, at least according to a recent study flagged by the New York Times . Wildlife biologist Eve Thomason of Boise State University and her colleagues repeatedly walked or drove...

Octopuses Are Typically Solitary, Yet Thousands Gather Here
Octopus Researchers Crack
Mystery of Meeting Place
NEW STUDY
Aug 24, 2023 11:52 AM CDT

Octopus Researchers Crack Mystery of Meeting Place

Spot off the California coast is a mating and nesting ground

(Newser) - Two miles below the surface of the ocean some 80 miles off central California sits the world's largest known assembly of octopuses. This "octopus garden," featuring thousands of the typically solitary mollusks, stunned researchers who discovered it on the foothills of an inactive underwater volcano in 2018....

Europe&#39;s Oldest Lake Village Had a Defensive Mystery
Researchers Find Ancient
Stilt Village Beneath Lake
new study
Aug 21, 2023 10:24 AM CDT

Researchers Find Ancient Stilt Village Beneath Lake

8,500-year-old site at Lake Ohrid in Albania was encircled by spiked planks

(Newser) - Archeologists poking around under the waves of Lake Ohrid in the Balkans have discovered a stilt village now believed to be the oldest known lake village in all of Europe, reports the AFP . The village in Lin, Albania, dates back 8,500 years, roughly a 1,000 years older than...

MSU Wanted to Put Up Hammocks, Got Something Better
MSU Makes Archaeological
Find on Its Own Campus
in case you missed it
Aug 19, 2023 9:26 AM CDT

MSU Makes Archaeological Find on Its Own Campus

Foundation of 142-year-old observatory is discovered

(Newser) - Michigan State University was trying to install hammock poles near a dorm this summer. But instead of lounging there, one group of students will end up enjoying a very different perk. The Washington Post reports the construction crew alerted the university that they struck a hard surface while trying to...

More Young Women Are Getting Cancer
More Younger People
Are Getting Cancer
new study
Aug 17, 2023 12:17 PM CDT

More Younger People Are Getting Cancer

Uptick is particularly striking among women

(Newser) - The good news in a new assessment of cancer cases in the US is that numbers are decreasing for those ages 50 and older. The more troubling news is that cases ticked up among people younger than 50—particularly among women and those in their 30s, reports the Washington Post ...

Scientists Uncover What's Left of the Battle of the Bulge

Groundbreaking survey reveals dugouts, bomb craters left from WWII's Battle of the Bulge

(Newser) - It was, as National Geographic describes it, "one of history's greatest battles." The last major German offensive of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge, fought from December 1944 to January 1945, saw more than 1 million Allied troops repel attacking Germans on a 500-square-mile battlefield...

Oetzi the Iceman Gets a New Look
Oetzi the Iceman
Gets a New Look
Aug 16, 2023 12:34 PM CDT

Oetzi the Iceman Gets a New Look

Scientists update Oetzi's genome, find some differences from 2012 version

(Newser) - Oetzi the Iceman has a new look. Decades after the famous glacier mummy was discovered in the Italian Alps, the AP reports that scientists have dug back into his DNA to paint a better picture of the ancient hunter. An earlier draft of Oetzi's genome was published in...

Ancient Mosaic Found on Prison Grounds Sparks Debate

Should the Megiddo Mosaic be loaned or not?

(Newser) - An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what's believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a US museum...

Not Quite a Star, Not Quite a Planet, but Hotter Than the Sun

Scientists discover brown dwarf that's up to 90 times the size of Jupiter, nearly 14K degrees

(Newser) - Israeli researchers have stumbled on a celestial object that "is seriously confronting our notions of what's possible in the universe." That's per Science Alert , which reports on the discovery of a sweltering brown dwarf —an object that falls somewhere between planet and star, but which...

Crocodiles Perk Up When They Hear a Human Baby Cry
Crocodiles Perk Up When
They Hear a Human Baby Cry
new study
Aug 14, 2023 10:50 AM CDT

Crocodiles Perk Up When They Hear a Human Baby Cry

It could mean lunch is near, but the responses also were sometimes protective

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered that crocodiles become very interested when they hear a human baby wailing. The grim reality is that in most cases, the crocs quickly investigate the source of the cries because they think a meal is at hand, reports the New York Times . That is, the cries are...

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky
NASA Spots Grape Disease
Early, From the Sky
New Study
Aug 13, 2023 2:20 PM CDT

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky

Innovation could be a huge benefit to vineyards

(Newser) - Up to 30% of global grape harvests fall prey to pathogens including bacteria, mold, and viruses each year. Now, the Sacramento Bee reports that there's hope on the horizon: Researchers using tech from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab detected early signs of a grape disease before it could...

The Real Count Dracula May Have Cried Bloody Tears
The Real Count Dracula
May Have Cried Bloody Tears
new study
Aug 11, 2023 11:54 AM CDT

The Real Count Dracula May Have Cried Bloody Tears

Scientists have the peptides to prove it

(Newser) - The brutal 15th-century ruler Count Vlad Draculea may or may not be the inspiration for the fictional Dracula, but he had a blood-themed quirk of his own: Scientists say he likely cried tears tinged with blood. In the journal ACS Analytical Chemistry , researchers say they analyzed three letters written by...

Get Your 10K Steps? Don&#39;t Sweat It if Not
When It Comes to Steps,
10K Is Not a Magic Number
new study
Aug 9, 2023 12:31 PM CDT

When It Comes to Steps, 10K Is Not a Magic Number

Study suggests that 4K is enough to convey health benefits

(Newser) - Ten thousand has become something of a magic number among people who count their daily steps for health reasons. A new study adds to the evidence that the figure is arbitrary, suggesting that 4,000 steps are enough to convey benefits, reports the BBC . That's not to say people...

Weight-Loss Drug May Cut Heart Risks, Too
Study May Change Coverage
for Weight-Loss Drugs
new study
Aug 8, 2023 11:12 AM CDT

Study May Change Coverage for Weight-Loss Drugs

Maker of Wegovy cites heart benefits, which could pressure insurers to start covering

(Newser) - A new study suggests the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy might cut the risk of heart disease as well. If the study is confirmed—and it hasn't yet been peer-reviewed—the results could pressure insurers to start covering the pricey drug, reports the New York Times . Maker Novo Nordisk charges...

This Guy Might've Been the Heaviest Animal Earth's Seen

Meet the long-extinct Perucetus colossus

(Newser) - There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. While today's blue whale has long held the title, the AP reports that scientists have dug up fossils from an ancient giant that could tip the scales. Researchers described the new species—named Perucetus colossus, or "...

What&#39;s Blind, Glassy, and Has 486 Legs?
LA's Newest Discovery
Is Blind, Has 486 Legs
NEW STUDY
Jul 31, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

LA's Newest Discovery Is Blind, Has 486 Legs

Meet the Los Angeles thread millipede, found near a Starbucks and a freeway

(Newser) - The City of Angels, a metropolis of freeways and traffic, has a newly discovered species named in its honor: the Los Angeles thread millipede. The tiny arthropod was found just underground by naturalists at a Southern California hiking area—near a freeway, a Starbucks, and an Oakley sunglasses store. About...

It's Blinked in Space Every 22 Minutes for 30 Years

Astronomers never spotted unusual magnetar because they didn't expect it to be there

(Newser) - Writer Aldous Huxley said "consistency is contrary to nature." He'd maybe never heard of neutron stars or fast radio bursts. A study noted by Gizmodo and published in Nature found that a rotating neutron star with a powerful magnetic field, or a magnetar, has puzzled astronomers since...

Depressed Adults See Higher Risk of Dementia as Seniors

Large study sees a link, though not an explanation as to why

(Newser) - Young adults and those in middle age who are dealing with depression appear to have a higher risk of another serious issue later in life: dementia. A new study in JAMA Neurology found that those diagnosed with depression between the ages of 18 and 59 were 2.4 times more...

Orca Moms Fight for Sons Even Into Old Age
Older Orca Moms
Defend Sons in Fights
New Study
Jul 30, 2023 12:00 PM CDT

Older Orca Moms Defend Sons in Fights

Males have less injuries in the presence of mothers, even after moms' menopause

(Newser) - Orca moms look after their sons for a surprisingly long time, a new study suggests. Researchers from the UK's University of Exeter found that killer whales who have passed through menopause will defend their adult male offspring in fights, though they don't appear to provide the same protection...

Researchers Cast Doubt on a Popular Loch Ness Theory

Study rejects the idea that the 'monster' is a giant eel

(Newser) - Score one for the mystery of the Loch Ness monster. A popular theory emerged in recent years suggesting Nessie is merely a giant eel, not some elusive creature of the deep. But a new study all but rejects the possibility, per Science Alert . In the journal JMIRx Bio , data scientist...

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