discoveries

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

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Whale Songs Follow a Basic Rule of Language
Whales,
Humans
Follow the
Same 'Law'
new study
Feb 10, 2025 9:14 AM CST

Whales, Humans Follow the Same 'Law'

That would be Zipf's law, a fundamental pattern of language

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered that humpback whales and humans have something fundamental in common: Their songs, like our language, follow the same statistical pattern, reports the Smithsonian Magazine . Details:
  • The law: All human languages adhere to a principle known as Zipf's law. Meaning, "the most frequent word in a
...

Scientists Solve Perplexing Question About Sea Turtles

Where they went between hatching and returning to coastlines was unclear

(Newser) - Using satellite trackers, scientists have discovered the whereabouts of young sea turtles during a key part of their lives. For decades, scientists have wondered about what happens during the so-called lost years between when tiny hatchlings leave the beach and when they return to coastlines nearly grown—a span of...

A Toilet Helps Solve a Bayeux Tapestry Mystery

Archaeologists believe they have determined where Earl Harold's residence stood

(Newser) - Even if you can't recall the particulars of the story it tells, you're likely familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry, which recounts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. That's when William, Duke of Normandy, challenged Harold Godwinson, England's last Anglo-Saxon King, for the throne—and won....

A 'Historic Breakthrough' With Charred Vesuvius Scrolls

Scholars celebrate first image of the inside of a burnt papyrus scroll from Herculaneum, Italy

(Newser) - After two students correctly identified the ancient Greek word for "purple" in a papyrus scroll charred by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, they teamed up with a third student to identify about 5% of the philosophical text, earning the Vesuvius Challenge's $700,000 grand prize last year....

Are We All Aliens? Asteroid Samples Yield Ingredients of Life

Bennu samples also indicate it was part of an ancient water world

(Newser) - Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were...

Significant Find in Denmark: Fossilized Clump of Fish Vomit

It's 66M years old

(Newser) - Items that are determined to be "objects of exceptional natural history value" by the Danekræ committee of Denmark's Natural History Museum get bestowed with the "Danekræ" marker. As NBC News reports, that means the recently unearthed Danekræ DK-1295 is one such treasure. It's also a...

Chirping &#39;Chorus Waves&#39; Found Unexpectedly Deep in Space
It Sounds Like Birdsong, and
It's Bad News for Astronauts
in case you missed it
Jan 26, 2025 3:10 PM CST

It Sounds Like Birdsong, and It's Bad News for Astronauts

'Chorus waves' that supercharge particles found in an unexpected part of space

(Newser) - Scientists have detected a sound like birdsong in an unexpected part of space, which could be bad news for future space missions. In a study published in the journal Nature , researchers say they detected chorus waves—intense electromagnetic waves that sound like birds chirping—more than 100,000 miles from...

Ozempic, Wegovy Have &#39;Eye-Opening&#39; Effects on Health
Ozempic, Wegovy Have
'Eye-Opening' Effects on Health
in case you missed it
Jan 25, 2025 12:10 PM CST

Ozempic, Wegovy Have 'Eye-Opening' Effects on Health

Scientists find GLP-1 drugs lower risk for dozens of other conditions—but there are caveats

(Newser) - Once we crossed the Rubicon to use diabetes drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro for weight loss, it seemed inevitable that scientists would investigate what else these apparent wonder drugs might tackle. Now, the first study to look at how the medications affect overall health is done, and it's...

Men Are Growing Faster Than Women
Men Are Growing
Faster Than Women
new study
Jan 24, 2025 9:59 AM CST

Men Are Growing Faster Than Women

They've also outpaced women on weight gains over the last century

(Newser) - Men and women around the world have gotten taller and heavier over the last century, but men have done so faster in both categories, a new study suggests. Researchers from the US, the UK, and Italy crunched health data from the World Health Organization going back to 1900 on more...

With Mifepristone Under Attack, a New Possible Option

Study: Ulipristal acetate found in emergency contraception pill may be viable abortion alternative

(Newser) - A new study suggests that a pill used for emergency contraception could be repurposed at a higher dose as an abortion drug, providing a possible alternative to mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in the most common type of abortion in the United States. Mifepristone has been under attack...

Drink a Lot of Joe? You May Be Fending Off Cancer
Coffee May Keep
a Particular Cancer at Bay
NEW STUDY
Jan 23, 2025 9:45 AM CST

Coffee May Keep a Particular Cancer at Bay

And it may not be the caffeine that lowers risk of head and neck cancer, scientists say

(Newser) - We already know that coffee may be able to help mitigate couch-potato lifestyles , boost longevity , and reduce your risk for a slew of conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. Add two more to that latter list, according to research published in the journal Cancer : Scientists have found that drinking four-plus...

When One Chimpanzee Pees, Another Might Follow
Researchers Spent 600 Hours
Watching Chimpanzees Pee
new study
Jan 22, 2025 12:50 PM CST

Researchers Spent 600 Hours Watching Chimpanzees Pee

Study finds urination is a slightly contagious behavior

(Newser) - Watch someone yawn and there's a chance you'll yawn, too. Watch someone pee and ... well, if you're a chimpanzee, there's a chance you'll end up urinating as well. So finds a new paper published Monday in Current Biology that NPR reports spun out of a...

Canada Can No Longer Claim the Magnetic North Pole

World Magnetic Model gets its first update since 2020

(Newser) - GPS systems around the world are adjusting to a new model tracking Earth's magnetic north pole, the point that attracts the needle of a compass, which is now closer to Siberia than to Canada, reports the Washington Post . The point, which differs from the geographic North Pole at the...

Ants May Solve Our Traffic Jams
Ants May Solve Our
Traffic Jams
new study
Jan 20, 2025 10:36 AM CST

Ants May Solve Our Traffic Jams

They stay in their lanes, may provide a model for autonomous traffic systems

(Newser) - You know that guy who tries to pass everyone on the shoulder of a road during a traffic jam? Even ants would think he's a jerk. A new study suggests that the tiny creatures have a knack for avoiding jam-ups when they're marching along together—and one of...

Women Likely Inherited the Wealth in Pre-Roman Britain
Ancient Celtic Society
Revolved Around Women
NEW STUDY
Jan 16, 2025 11:39 AM CST

Ancient Celtic Society Revolved Around Women

Men had to depend on their wives (and wives' families) in pre-Roman Britain

(Newser) - For millennia leading up to 800BC, communities in Britain were centered around male bloodlines, meaning that upon marriage, women left their homes to join the communities of their husbands. But that appears to have changed with the dawning of the Iron Age. New research, based in part on a Celtic...

Cancer Hitting Women, Young People More Often
Cancer Hitting Women,
Young People More Often
NEW STUDY
Jan 16, 2025 11:17 AM CST

Cancer Hitting Women, Young People More Often

New stats document a 'really shocking' shift, says one doctor

(Newser) - Historically, men have had a higher overall rate of cancer than women. But times are changing. While 1.6 men were diagnosed with cancer for each woman in 1992, that number fell to 1.1 in 2021. And middle-aged women now have a higher risk of cancer than men of...

To See Mummies' Tats, They Turned Skin 'Into a Light Bulb'

Scientists used lasers to view ink akin to 'good electric tattooing of today' on preserved Peruvians

(Newser) - For more than 5,000 years, humans have adorned themselves with tattoos. In a new study, researchers used lasers to uncover highly intricate designs of ancient tattoos on mummies from Peru. The preserved skin of the mummies and the black tattoo ink used show a stark contrast—revealing fine details...

Archaeologists Hit a Funerary Mother Lode

Near Egypt's Luxor, ancient rock-cut tombs, burial shafts dating back 3.6K years are found

(Newser) - Egypt unveiled several discoveries near the famed city of Luxor on Wednesday, including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years. They were unearthed at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahari on the Nile's West Bank, the Zahi Hawass Foundation for...

1 in 4 Freshwater Species at Risk of Extinction
24% of Freshwater Species
at Risk of Extinction
new study
Jan 8, 2025 1:54 PM CST

24% of Freshwater Species at Risk of Extinction

Study sees a wide range of culprits, including pollution and invasive species

(Newser) - Nearly a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes, and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Wednesday. "Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time freshwater environments are very fragile," said study co-author Patricia Charvet, a biologist...

It&#39;s Better to Be Fit Than Thin
If You're Obese but
Fit, Some Good News
NEW STUDY
Jan 8, 2025 1:26 PM CST

If You're Obese but Fit, Some Good News

Being aerobically fit cancels early death risk from excess weight, researchers say

(Newser) - More than 40% of US adults are obese . If you're one of them and struggling to lose weight, this is your sign to step off the scale and get moving. Prior studies have found obesity boosts one's risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and premature death. However,...

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