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

Stories 4541 - 4560 | << Prev   Next >>

2nd 'Sea Serpent' Washes Ashore

Rare 14-foot oarfish found in Southern California

(Newser) - When it rains mysterious "sea serpents" in Southern California, it apparently pours: Days after a snorkeler happened upon an 18-foot oarfish —a snake-like fish usually found in waters 3,000 feet deep—a second specimen washed up on the beach in Oceanside, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune . The...

After Dream, Archaeologists Hunt for Gold in India

Guru believes there's more than 1K tons under palace

(Newser) - That archaeologists are exploring what was buried in the ground where a palace once stood in northern India is fairly mundane news—except that they're on the hunt for more than 1,100 tons of gold ... that a guru dreamed is located there. The dig began yesterday at the...

Deadliest Known Toxin Found&mdash;but No Antidote
 Deadliest Known Toxin 
 Found—but No Antidote 
in case you missed it
Oct 19, 2013 7:28 AM CDT

Deadliest Known Toxin Found—but No Antidote

Scientists withholding DNA sequence for now

(Newser) - It sounds like a sci-fi thriller plot, except this is very much fact instead of fiction: Scientists in California have found a new strain of botulinum toxin—the deadliest toxin known to man—but they still haven't come up with an antidote, reports New Scientist . As a result, they'...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

A really long fish and a really old building make this week's list

(Newser) - From a sea creature that looks deadly, to a toxin that is deadly, this week saw some wild discoveries:
  1. Crazy Ocean Discovery: 18-Foot Serpent-Like Fish : A marine science instructor snorkeling off the Southern California coast spotted something out of a fantasy novel: the silvery carcass of an 18-foot-long, serpent-like oarfish.
...

Small Chance Big Asteroid Could Hit Earth in 2032

Chance of impact a low 1 in 63,000

(Newser) - As far as chances go, it's a lot more likely that an asteroid named 2013 TV135 will smash into our planet in 2032 than it is that you'll win Powerball . But before you panic, know that the chances are still quite slim: one in 63,000; NASA says...

1.8M-Year-Old Skull Alters Tale of Human History

'Jaw-dropping' find points to single species spreading from Africa

(Newser) - Many scientists have argued that several different species of human ancestors spread from Africa—but a 1.8 million-year-old skull and the fossilized remains of four other creatures seem to tell a different story. The scientists who found the bones at Dmanisi, in the country of Georgia, in 2005 say...

Scientists Reconstruct 520M-Year-Old Nervous System

Mega-claw's brain fossilized, looks like a spider's

(Newser) - Scientists digging through old fossils have identified a 520-million-year-old mega-claw with an almost completely preserved nervous system—the oldest such find ever, the LA Times reports. The specimen belongs to the Alalcomenaeus family, which is part of a larger group of "megacheirans," meaning roughly "mega-claw" or "...

Early Stonehenge Menu: Roasted Toad
Early Stonehenge Menu:
Roasted Toad
Oct 16, 2013 3:39 PM CDT

Early Stonehenge Menu: Roasted Toad

Archeologists find clues about diet in earlier site about a mile away

(Newser) - Frog legs may be a delicacy in France, but early Brits apparently came up with the idea first: An archeological dig about a mile from Stonehenge has turned up a cooked leg bone from a toad, reports the AP . "We ate frogs legs before the French," trumpets the...

Search for Earhart's Plane to Resume

Group plans new Pacific expedition

(Newser) - The search is back on: The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery is returning to the Pacific island of Nikumaroro next year to hunt for wreckage from Amelia Earhart's plane, reports NBC News . TIGHAR has already undertaken several expeditions at the site, where it believes Earhart and navigator Fred...

Crazy Ocean Discovery: 18-Foot Serpent-Like Fish

Snorkeler spots oarfish carcass near California's Catalina Island

(Newser) - A marine science instructor snorkeling off the Southern California coast spotted something out of a fantasy novel: the silvery carcass of an 18-foot-long, serpent-like oarfish. Jasmine Santana of the Catalina Island Marine Institute needed more than 15 helpers to drag the giant sea creature to shore over the weekend. Staffers...

Jurassic Park-esque Find: Blood-Filled Mosquito Fossil

But don't expect dinosaurs anytime soon

(Newser) - OK, so the mosquito is only 46 million years old—too recent to have sucked dinosaur blood. But for the first time in history, scientists have found a fossilized skeeter that's still got a belly full of blood, harkening back to the plot of Jurassic Park, the Smithsonian points...

Arch-Enemy of Movie Ads: Popcorn
 Arch-Enemy 
 of Movie Ads: 
 Popcorn 
study says
Oct 14, 2013 5:05 AM CDT

Arch-Enemy of Movie Ads: Popcorn

Chewing it prevents us from mouthing brand names: study

(Newser) - Want armor against an onslaught of advertising? Just chew some popcorn, a study suggests. Eating the stuff during movie ads leaves viewers "immune" to the cravings those ads might otherwise inspire, researchers say. That's because, as the Guardian reports, we typically subtly mouth brand names each time we...

How We Recognize: By Body Shape
 How We Recognize: 
 By Body Shape 
study says
Oct 13, 2013 2:10 PM CDT

How We Recognize: By Body Shape

Study: We don't rely on faces to pick out far-off friends

(Newser) - We hear plenty about facial recognition technology, whether on Facebook or at the FBI—but it turns out we humans are pretty good at spotting individuals based on their bodies, too. That may be why we can pick out a friend in a distant crowd, Popular Science reports. In a...

Surprise: Strange Iceland Pillars Formed by Lava
Surprise: Iceland's Strange Pillars Formed by Lava
STUDY SAYS
Oct 13, 2013 6:10 AM CDT

Surprise: Iceland's Strange Pillars Formed by Lava

They're common in ocean, but these are first seen on land: Study

(Newser) - A new study has finally spelled out how some weird-looking land forms in Iceland came to be. Sadly, the local legend that they were tossed there by warring trolls turns out to be wrong—but the real reason is pretty interesting in its own right. They're lava pillars,...

A New Hangover Cure?
 A New Hangover Cure? 
in case you missed it
Oct 12, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

A New Hangover Cure?

Sprite helps get rid of headache-causing chemical: study

(Newser) - Next time you're fumbling for a hangover cure, you might want to reach for a bottle of soda. Researchers in China have found that Sprite beats a pain-relieving Chinese hemp tea at giving you a post-alcohol lift. Why? Popular Science begins the explanation with a primer: Your body processes...

Jupiter Forecast: Rain, With Chance of Diamonds

Two scientists float the possibility of liquid gems in space

(Newser) - It's just a theory, but a pretty dazzling one. Two scientists this week laid out the tantalizing possibility that Jupiter sees raindrops of liquid diamond and Saturn gets diamond hail, reports Nature . If true, both planets would be teeming with the gems. "If you had a robot there,...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including smart elephants and a simple diagnostic test for Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Elephants smart enough to understand what humans mean when they point, and an Alzheimer's test that's probably in your kitchen highlight this week's discoveries:
  • Elephants Understand When We Point : Researchers have found that when humans point a finger, elephants understand exactly what they're doing and what
...

This Migrating Bird Flies 6 Months' Straight

Scientists get a surprise when collecting data from Alpine swifts

(Newser) - When Alpine swifts head south for the winter, they don't mess around: Researchers have discovered that the small birds fly nonstop for six months, reports the Los Angeles Times . The Swiss scientists attached ultra-light sensors to the birds before they took off from Switzerland to Africa, then did a...

Elephants Understand Us When We Point
 Elephants 
 Understand Us 
 When We Point 
study says
Oct 11, 2013 5:08 AM CDT

Elephants Understand Us When We Point

And they don't even have to be taught

(Newser) - Researchers have found that when a human points, elephants understand her—without requiring any training. "It seems that understanding pointing is an ability elephants just possess naturally, and they are cognitively much more like us than has been realized," says a researcher. She tested their ability by putting...

New Climate Change Turning Point: 2047
Odd, New Climate Change
Turning Point: 2047
study says
Oct 9, 2013 6:10 PM CDT

Odd, New Climate Change Turning Point: 2047

That's when the coldest year will be the hottest on record: study

(Newser) - Feeling the effects of climate change, but not worrying too much yet? Mark this year: 2047. That's when, for most of the world, the coldest year in the future will be hotter than any in recorded history, according to a new study published in Nature . It's sort of...

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