discoveries

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

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5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Freshwater beneath seabeds and inherited fears make the cut

(Newser) - The discovery of freshwater in an unusual spot and an intriguing study about parental fears highlight this week's discoveries:
  • New Water Source: Under the Sea? Under trillions of tons of water might not be the most obvious place to look for ... more water, but that's where scientists have
...

Crocodiles, Alligators Trick Prey With Sticks

New study finds they use twigs to lure in birds

(Newser) - For the first time, scientists have documented examples of reptiles using tools. Specifically, researchers found that some species of the order Crocodylia (which includes crocs and alligators) use sticks to trick their prey, CNN reports. They collect sticks on their snouts and position themselves in the water so the sticks...

New Water Source: Under the Sea?

Vast reserves found beneath coastal shelves

(Newser) - Under trillions of tons of water might not be the most obvious place to look for ... more water, but that's where scientists have found vast reserves of freshwater that could sustain future generations as aquifers run dry. Water resources under seabeds were once thought to be rare, but researchers...

'Pit of Bones' Yields Oldest Human DNA —and a Mystery

Bones in Spain linked to distant Asian population

(Newser) - Technological breakthroughs have allowed scientists to sequence human DNA from an astonishing 400,000 years ago—but analysis of an ancient leg bone has raised more questions than answers, the BBC reports. Researchers were surprised to find that the early human whose remains were unearthed in Spain's "Pit...

Hubble Finds Water on 5 Distant Planets

Vapor detected in atmosphere, but none of the planets could support life

(Newser) - It's seen as more of a confirmation of theory than a startling discovery, but scientists have found water in the atmosphere of five huge planets outside our solar system. A potential sign of life? Not quite, explains the LA Times . These five gas giants (or "hot Jupiters")...

Surprise: Neanderthals Were Fine Housekeepers

Study finds they organized domestic space much like humans

(Newser) - Archeologists have unearthed more evidence that Neanderthals weren't the brutes their name suggests. Turns out, they kept well-organized caves, reports Phys.Org . Researchers working in Italy say the caves were separated into distinct areas—one at the rear used for butchering and preparing game, one near the middle with...

Mice Point Way to Male Birth Control Pill

Researcher: pill could arrive in 10 years

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered a way to block male mice from fatherhood—with minimal side effects. The technique, which could help lead to a male birth control pill, doesn't mess with hormones or with sperm itself, AFP reports. Instead, it affects sperm's ability to travel through the male body....

Energy Drinks Change Your Heartbeat
 Energy Drinks 
 Change Your 
 Heartbeat 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 3, 2013 7:33 AM CST

Energy Drinks Change Your Heartbeat

Not a problem, says energy drink maker

(Newser) - Downing energy drinks packed with caffeine actually causes your heart to pump more forcefully, according to researchers who are pretty sure that isn't a good thing. The heart researchers, who were trying to determine why the drinks are linked to tens of thousands of emergency room visits annually, gave...

Romans Map 'Secret' Tunnels to Fend Off Collapse

Underground maze swallows more streets, buildings every year

(Newser) - Welcome to Rome, where every year more streets and parts of buildings are collapsing into ancient passages that lurk half-forgotten underground. The city's proposed fix: map the labyrinth, detect the weakest spots with 3D scanning, and seal off the worst offenders, LiveScience reports. Successful or not, it may improve...

Parents May Pass Memories to Their Kids

Learned fears can continue through generations: mouse study

(Newser) - It may be possible to learn your parents' fears—without ever experiencing the relevant threat. Researchers taught mice to fear a cherry blossom smell, then looked at the creatures' sperm. A portion of DNA tied to the scent was particularly active, and two generations of descendants were found to be...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

From Buddha to space blasts

(Newser) - "It's a pretty scary statue," says an archaeologist of one of the week's big finds: the three-headed watchdog of hell.
  1. Guardians of 'Hell's Gate' Unearthed in Turkey : What's a "Gate to Hell" without a couple of scary guardians lurking outside? Appropriately, archaeologists
...

Sneaky Seahorse Creates Own No-Wake Zone

Ingenious snout makes it one of the deep's most lethal hunters, relatively speaking

(Newser) - The seahorse is one of the lousiest, slowest swimmers in the ocean, and yet it manages to catch one of the fastest-swimming creatures of the deep with an astonishing success rate of 90%, reports the BBC . What gives? Thank that ingenious snout. Researchers discovered that it's shaped in such...

New Zealand Quakes Made Earth's Crust Weaker

Geologists find weakening for 3 miles around crust

(Newser) - How nasty were the deadly quakes that hit New Zealand one after another in 2010 and 2011? So bad that they appear to have seriously weakened the Earth's crust, scientists reveal in a new study. Geologists had previously believed that the strength of the Earth's crust was more...

Frog Named for Darwin Goes Extinct

And more dour animal news

(Newser) - Charles Darwin discovered them in 1834, during a stop in Chile by way of the HMS Beagle, a species unique in that "the males care for their young by incubating them in their vocal sacs for at least part of their development." Now, one of the two species...

Brightest Space-Blast Ever Shocks Scientists

Gamma-ray burst defies current theories

(Newser) - Notice a little white spot in the sky earlier this year? That may have been the brightest gamma-ray explosion on record mixed with a powerful supernova, a combination scientists had never seen before, LiveScience reports. Because the blast was fairly close by—a mere 3.5 billion light-years—scientists were...

Buddha's Birthday Wrong by 200 Years: Experts

Archaeologists date timber shrine to the 6th century BC

(Newser) - Buddha may have achieved enlightenment two centuries earlier than experts believe—if an ancient timber shrine can be taken at face value, AFP reports. A team of archaeologists, digging under the temple considered to be Buddha's birthplace, discovered a wooden shrine that dates to the 6th century BC. Problem...

Guardians of 'Hell's Gate' Unearthed in Turkey

Pluto's Gate once had snake, 3-headed dog standing guard

(Newser) - What's a "Gate to Hell" without a couple of scary guardians lurking outside? Appropriately, archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed two marble statues that once guarded the fabled portal to the underworld known as Pluto's Gate, LiveScience reports. "The statues represent two mythological creatures," says archaeologist...

Egyptian Mummies Got Meat Dishes for Eternity
 Egyptian Mummies Got 
 Meat Dishes for Eternity 
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2013 2:40 PM CST

Egyptian Mummies Got Meat Dishes for Eternity

Scientists look at 'meat mummies' for the first time

(Newser) - Those ancient Egyptian mummifiers thought of everything, it seems. Even eternal snacks. Scientists have for the first time analyzed what they call "meat mummies," reports LiveScience . Those would be the cuts of meat that have been found alongside mummies of yore, preserved for the ages. The trick? In...

Ancient Ocean Found Under Chesapeake Bay

 Ancient Ocean Found 
 Under Chesapeake Bay 
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2013 9:04 AM CST

Ancient Ocean Found Under Chesapeake Bay

Huge crater helped preserve salty sea

(Newser) - The remains of a salty ocean ancient enough for dinosaurs to have drowned in it have been found deep in the sediment under the Chesapeake Bay. The seawater—believed to be 100 to 150 million years old—was isolated, trapped a half-mile underground, and preserved with the help of an...

Behold: World's Oldest Wine Cellar

Archeologists find jars that predate the Bible in what is now Israel

(Newser) - Archeologists have found what they think is the oldest wine cellar on record—a 3,700-year-old collection of jars in the ruins of ancient Canaanite place in modern Israel, reports Bloomberg . They found about 40 ceramic jars, broken and empty but with the unmistakable residue of wine. Chemical analysis revealed...

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