discoveries

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

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Nagging Dark Side of Moon Question Answered

Scientists figure out why 'maria' is largely absent from far side

(Newser) - A lunar mystery that has persisted since 1959 has been solved, according to Penn State astrophysicists. That was the year in which a Soviet spacecraft captured the first images of the dark side of the moon—the side that always faces away from Earth. While the side we see features...

Male Face &#39;Evolved to Take Punches&#39;
 Male Face Evolved 
 to Take Punches 
STUDY SAYS
Jun 9, 2014 4:03 AM CDT

Male Face Evolved to Take Punches

Facial bones grew stronger after first fists evolved

(Newser) - The faces of today's men would be different if our ancestors hadn't spent countless thousands of years slugging it out with their newly evolved fists, scientists say. Researchers studying australopiths, human predecessors who lived 4 million to 5 million years ago, found that male faces evolved to become...

Are Light Bedrooms Making Us Fat?

We've seen 100 years of lighter bedrooms: expert

(Newser) - Here's an odd theory: Researchers at Oxford say one explanation for obesity might be … excessive light in our bedrooms. They aren't yet certain enough to advise a darkness boost, but a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women had larger waistlines if their bedrooms...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including some really old pants

(Newser) - Confirmation of a moon-creating blast and an insight into why koalas do what they do make the list:
  • Finally, Evidence of Other World That Helped Form Moon : A new analysis of three lunar rocks bolsters an old theory some thought too simple: that the moon was created when another planet,
...

Your Brain Builds Memories As You Sleep

Which means you should actually go to bed

(Newser) - As you sleep, your brain is actually forming new neural connections, helping you retain the things you learned during the day, according to a new study. Researchers in China and the US used advanced microscopy to peer inside the brains of mice who were learning a new skill. They found...

Finally, Evidence of Other World That Helped Form Moon

Lunar rocks bolster a long-held theory about how the moon was created

(Newser) - A new analysis of three lunar rocks brought back by Apollo astronauts in the '60s breathes new life into an old theory some thought too simple: that the moon was created when another planet, Theia, crashed into Earth billions of years ago, leaving behind molten debris that eventually cooled...

'Just Being Awake at Night' May Be Suicide Risk Factor

Study finds suicide rate peaks at 2am hour

(Newser) - People are more likely to commit suicide after midnight, and the suicide rate peaks between 2am and 3am, according to a new study. Using data from the American Time Use Survey, which calculates the proportion of Americans who are awake at any given hour, as well as the National Violent...

Scientists Find Bat Feared Extinct

Female from species not seen in more than a century is found (and killed)

(Newser) - Researchers studying bats in Papua New Guinea came across a long-lost friend in their nets: a female identified as a New Guinea big-eared bat, reports Scientific American . It's noteworthy because no specimen has been seen in 124 years, and the species was feared to be extinct. Now that a...

Most Centenarians Avoid Cancer, Heart Disease
Here's What Eventually
Kills Centenarians
study says
Jun 4, 2014 4:10 PM CDT

Here's What Eventually Kills Centenarians

New study looks at causes of death for the 100-and-over crowd

(Newser) - Centenarians really are different than most of us. A study in the UK has revealed that the oldest of the old typically die not of the chronic illnesses that often fell the “younger” elderly, but of infections or frailty, LiveScience reports. Out of almost 36,000 centenarians who died...

Reason Mammoths Went Extinct? Blame Humans

Massive die-off correlates with us, not so much climate change

(Newser) - What caused the extinctions of the wooly mammoth, giant sloth, mastodon, and other beasts? A new study makes a strong case that the answer is us. Scientists have long argued over the cause of the "Quaternary extinction"—which took out vast numbers of large mammals about 12,000...

Scientists Discover Why Koalas Hug Trees

It helps them stay cool amid Australia's heat

(Newser) - Using thermal cameras, researchers in Australia uncovered the science behind a habit that seems, well, cute: Koala bears hug trees to cool themselves. It turns out that tree trunks can be up to 12 degrees cooler than the air, and with Australia's recent hot spells rising well above 100...

World&#39;s Oldest Pair of Pants Found
World's Oldest Pair
of Pants Found
Jun 3, 2014 2:19 PM CDT

World's Oldest Pair of Pants Found

They were probably worn by ancient horse riders in China

(Newser) - Archaeologists working at an ancient graveyard in western China have unearthed what they say is the oldest pair of pants ever found, reports Science News . In fact, they found two pairs, and the clothing items are not only functional but relatively stylish. The wool pants were found with the remains...

How Hungry Maggots Spurred Rapid Evolution

Male crickets new to Kauai, Oahu have altered their wings in just 20 generations

(Newser) - Two sets of male crickets on neighboring Hawaiian islands have been able to avoid attracting deadly parasitic flies by simply shutting up. The crickets likely arrived from Oceania in the late 1990s, and the flies came from North America around the same time. When the crickets tried to lure nearby...

'Godzilla of Earths' Could Harbor Life

Kepler-10c is massive, old, and rocky—a shocking combination

(Newser) - Kepler-10c is a big, rocky planet that may harbor life—but what's most interesting is how big and rocky it is, Space.com reports. An exoplanet about 560 light-years away in the constellation Draco, Kepler-10c was spotted in 2011 and assumed to be gaseous because of its size. But...

To Slow Brain Aging, Learn a New Language

Even if you're already an adult, researchers suggest

(Newser) - We've already heard that being bilingual can help you fight dementia . Now, some follow-up good news: Even if you're an adult, it may not be too late to reap the cognitive benefits of learning a new language, the BBC reports. Researchers performed intelligence tests on 262 bilingual people...

Sick Veterans 'Inhaled Metal': Researchers

Experts describe 'Iraq-Afghanistan war lung injury'

(Newser) - Pulmonary and respiratory diseases have been on the rise in US troops, and researchers are pointing to a possible culprit: metal in their lungs. Experts at Stony Brook University performed lung tests on six ill soldiers "and found titanium in every single one of them," says researcher Anthony...

Archaeologists Find Graves of Confederate Soldiers
Archaeologists Find Graves
of Confederate Soldiers
in case you missed it
May 31, 2014 11:27 AM CDT

Archaeologists Find Graves of Confederate Soldiers

Buried in a Virginia cemetery section created for Union soldiers

(Newser) - Archaeologists have in the last two months uncovered the unmarked graves of as many as 40 Confederate soldiers in Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va. That adds to the tally of about 50 unmarked Confederate graves found in the same part of the cemetery last year—a section known as...

Woolly Mammoths&#39; Undoing: Dogs?
Woolly Mammoths'
Undoing: Dogs?
May 31, 2014 8:54 AM CDT

Woolly Mammoths' Undoing: Dogs?

They may have helped humans round up the huge creatures

(Newser) - Scientists are floating an intriguing new theory about the demise of woolly mammoths: Dogs may have driven them to their graves. Specifically, dogs that learned to hunt with humans, reports Science . The idea stems from research of sites around the world known as mammoth cemeteries because of the huge number...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including something for cynics to beware

(Newser) - A revelation that porn may be a brain-changer, and insight into how Bruce Lee put his brain to use for more productive purposes:
  • Watching Porn Linked to Brain Differences : Men who watch porn tend to be a little different in the head—literally. A study of men between the ages
...

New Claim: Einstein's Brain Not So Special

Psychologist says no secret in Einstein's brain

(Newser) - Maybe he just knew how to use it right. A new paper by Pace University psychologist Terence Hines picks apart previous studies that claim to have identified that special something in the makeup of Einstein's brain. Hines reviewed—and chipped away at—several prominent studies that looked at Einstein'...

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