discoveries

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Newfound Mozart Works Written in Sister's Book

(Newser) - Two pieces by a 7- or 8-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart went undiscovered for more than a century because they were written in his father Leopold’s hand, the New York Times reports. Austrian researchers have disclosed new details about the works after announcing the finding in July: The music consists...

47M-Year-Old Fossil Evolutionary 'Aunt' to Humans

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the oldest intact primate fossil on record, ABC News reports. Nicknamed “Ida,” the 47-million-year-old lemur-like creature had opposable thumbs, fingernails instead of claws, and legs that could have evolved to walk upright. Scientists don’t think Ida is a direct ancestor of humans, though. “...

Scientists Track Meteor to Earth for First Time

Discovery is like first clue to asteroid 'Rosetta Stone'

(Newser) - Scientists have accomplished a first by tracking an asteroid from space into Earth's atmosphere and down to a Sudanese desert, Wired reports. A team of searchers found about 280 small chunks of the meteor, all of a type never before collected. "This is like the first step toward a...

Single Nerve Cell Can Hold a Memory: Study

New findings may shed light on addiction, memory disorders

(Newser) - Individual neurons in the brain can hang on to memories for a minute or longer, a new study finds. Something like a computer’s temporary random access memory (RAM), this working memory is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head for a few seconds, then forget...

Scientists Sniff Out Ancient Stash of Pot

2 lbs. of green plant material found in 2700 year-old grave

(Newser) - Scientists excavating a grave in China’s Gobi desert have found what they believe is the world’s oldest marijuana stash, reports Discovery News. Two pounds of still-green plant material were found in a 2,700-year-old grave belonging to a Caucasian man researchers believe may have been a shaman.

Tobacco Could Treat Cancer
 Tobacco Could Treat Cancer 
Sep 4, 2008 12:00 PM CDT

Tobacco Could Treat Cancer

Plant's virus can carry therapeutic genes into damaged cells

(Newser) - Tobacco may be able to redeem itself. A modified virus from the plant can inject gene therapy into diseased cells to treat cancer, viruses, and genetic disorders, Wired reports. The virus’ tubular shape can be hollowed out and used like a tiny syringe to inject RNA molecules inside a cell....

'One in a Million' Conjoined Birds Found in Arkansas

Pair dies after landowner rescues them fallen from tree

(Newser) - A pair of barn swallows born joined at the hip are being sent to the Smithsonian Institute for study, the AP reports. An Arkansas landowner found them fallen out of a tree this week and kept them for a day, but they refused to eat and died. Conjoined birds are...

New Clues May Help Predict Earthquakes

Team detects seismic waves up to 10 hours before Calif. tremor

(Newser) - Researchers could be closer to predicting earthquakes hours before they happen, with an article in the journal Nature detailing how scientists detected seismic changes in rocks as much as 10 hours before two small California temblors. “Hurricane [warnings] give you an idea of what could be done,” one...

Study Rewrites Birds' Family Tree

DNA research reveals new information about bird relations

(Newser) - A five-year study of bird DNA is turning the world of ornithology on its head. The study revealed such drastic new information about the evolution of birds that dozens will need new scientific names, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Notable finds: Falcons are not related to hawks or eagles; hummingbirds—colorful...

Scientists Find Fossil of Most Primitive 4-Legged Creature

Fish-eater likely a product of extinct branch of 4-legged family

(Newser) - Scientists have found a partial skeleton of the world's most primitive four-legged creature— a water-dwelling tetrapod—in Latvia, AP reports. The four-foot-long fish eater resembles a small alligator and likely belongs to an extinct offshoot of the four-legged family tree. The fossil is 365 million years old—predating dinosaurs by...

Scientists Hail Ice Find on Mars
Scientists
Hail Ice Find
on Mars
Jun 20, 2008 4:49 AM CDT

Scientists Hail Ice Find on Mars

Now the trick is for Phoenix Lander to collect it

(Newser) - White material on Mars that was puzzling NASA scientists has turned out to be ice, Wired reports. "Are you ready to celebrate? We have ICE! Best day ever!" gushed a team scientist. The discovery of evidence of water—essential for terrestrial life—is exactly what scientists were hoping...

Scientific Journals Battle Doctored Images

Publications see fraud in submissions; screening on the rise

(Newser) - Scientific journals' status as bastions of objectivity and truth has come under fire in the past 10 years because of "image fraud," the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Researchers alter representations of scientific data for inclusion in journal articles for various reasons, and not all have evil intentions....

Morning Sickness May Help Protect Embryos

Ailment has evolutionary benefit, researchers say

(Newser) - Far from being a mere nuisance, morning sickness may actively protect embryos, LiveScience reports. Doctors have long recognized the association of morning sickness and a healthy pregnancy, but new research suggests the condition evolved to protect embryos from dangerous environmental factors.

'Father of Chaos Theory' Dead at 90
'Father of Chaos Theory'
Dead at 90
obituary
Apr 17, 2008 10:13 AM CDT

'Father of Chaos Theory' Dead at 90

Edward Lorenz came up with concept of 'butterfly effect'

(Newser) - The MIT scientist whose pioneering of chaos theory revolutionized science, has died at the age of 90, MIT News reports. Meteorologist Edward Lorenz came up with the concept of chaos theory after meticulously analyzing weather data and discovering microscopic differences could have huge effects, leading to his paper "Predictability:...

New Keller Photo Surfaces
New Keller Photo Surfaces
Mar 5, 2008 8:20 PM CST

New Keller Photo Surfaces

It may be the first image of her with teacher Anne Sullivan

(Newser) - A rare photo of a young Helen Keller accompanied by teacher Anne Sullivan in 1888 has surfaced among a family collection donated to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The photo, which was tucked away in an album, may be the first taken of the two and the only to...

'Frog From Hell' Fossil Turns up in Madagascar

'Beelzebufo' munched on baby dinosaurs

(Newser) - Fossil hunters digging in Madagascar have discovered a 70 million-year-old, 10 pound ancestor of the horned frog. Over twice as large as its modern-day descendants, the  "slightly squashed beach-ball" shaped creature probably lunched on small lizards and baby dinosaurs, and has earned the charming nicknames "frog from hell"...

Scientists Near Invisibility Cloak for Sound

Special material makes acoustic waves take a detour

(Newser) - Researchers are making progress on something that sounds right out of the pages of Harry Potter—a sort of invisibility cloak for sound. A team of scientists in Spain is trying to turn theory into reality by creating a cloak that causes sound waves to slip around an object, the ...

2007's Top 10 Scientific Findings
2007's Top 10 Scientific Findings
Dec 30, 2007 2:45 PM CST

2007's Top 10 Scientific Findings

(Newser) - What were the most important scientific findings of 2007? LiveScience gives you the top 10:
  1. Climate change: The IPCC issued its strongest warning yet that humans are causing global warming.
  2. Arctic melting: Two studies found retreating arctic ice.
  3. Extreme weather: Global warming is contributing—specifically hurricanes and heat waves.
  4. Alternative
...

Roaches Fooled by Robots, Follow Their Lead

Cockroaches follow 'pied piper' impostors

(Newser) - Scientists have created robot cockroaches that genuine roaches accept into their communities—and even follow. The robots were covered in roach scent and programmed to like the same things roaches do—darkness and the company of other cockroaches. A Belgian theoretical biologist Jose Halloy and his colleagues found that the...

Chicago's Top 10 Contributions to Science

Forget the ferris wheel: first controlled nuclear reaction tops list

(Newser) - It's not all about heavy winds and deep-dish pizza.  A bevy of scientists picked Chicago's 10 most important scientific achievements as a part of a week promoting science:
  1. World's first controlled nuclear reaction
  2. Invention of the cell phone
  3. Development of hormone treatments for prostate and breast cancer

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