discoveries

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

Stories 841 - 860 | << Prev   Next >>

Pastor Finds 500-Year-Old Church Bell Taken by Nazis

BBC reports it will be returned to its former home in Poland

(Newser) - A 500-year-old church bell will be returned to its former home in Poland some 77 years after it was stolen by the Nazis. Nazis made off with an estimated 80,000 bells, most of which were melted down for their metal and used to make weapons and ammunition during World...

Octopuses Seem to Enjoy Randomly Punching Fish
On the Ocean Floor,
Surprising Sucker Punches
new study

On the Ocean Floor, Surprising Sucker Punches

'I laughed out loud,' says researcher who documented behavior of octopuses toward fish

(Newser) - "This was probably the most fun I had writing a paper," writes Eduardo Sampaio of the University of Lisbon. And the study in the journal Ecology is indeed a weird one: Sampaio and his team observed that octopuses appear to sucker punch fishes, reports Gizmodo . You can see...

Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Pompeii Street Food

Snacks included pork, fish, snails, beef

(Newser) - Archaeologists continue to unearth new findings in the long-buried city of Pompeii and their latest discovery reveals how the doomed ancients liked to snack. Per CNN , an extraordinarily well-preserved hot food and drinks counter called a termopolium has been unearthed in the city, which was buried by an infamous volcanic...

Unique Song Reveals New Population of Blue Whales
Never-Before-Heard Song
Leads to Ocean Discovery
in case you missed it

Never-Before-Heard Song Leads to Ocean Discovery

Researchers find new population of blue whales in Indian Ocean

(Newser) - Researchers studying whales in the western Indian Ocean were stumped. They recorded a whale song never heard before, one described as a "slow, bellowing ballad" by the New York Times . After some underwater sleuthing, they report a happy discovery in the journal Endangered Species Research: The song belongs to...

Organic Meat Production Is No Better for the Planet
Study: Meat Prices
Should Jump 146%
new research

Study: Meat Prices Should Jump 146%

If they're to cover their associated climate costs, that is

(Newser) - You're doing the planet no favors by eating meat that was produced organically, at least when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions—and whatever meat you're eating, it should cost much, much more than it currently does. That's the determination of a new analysis based on German...

'Incredible' Finds on Wolf Pup That Died 57K Years Ago

How this mummified Ice Age pup died, her last meal, and more

(Newser) - We now know a lot more about the 57,000-year-old wolf pup who still looks cute enough to pet . The mummified gray wolf discovered in Canada's Yukon territory in 2016 is the subject of a new study, revealing the female pup's internal organs are as well-preserved as her...

Early Humans May Have Acted Like Bears During Winter
Our Ancestors May Have
Slept Through Winter
new study

Our Ancestors May Have Slept Through Winter

Study suggests early humans hibernated

(Newser) - It's a provocative theory, one that the researchers themselves admit sounds farfetched. But their analysis of ancient bones from a cave in Spain suggests that early humans hibernated—or something close to it—through the winter, reports the Guardian . Scientists poring over skeletal remains dating back 430,000 years...

Kangaroos Can Communicate With People
Kangaroos Are Like Dogs
in One Important Way
NEW STUDY

Kangaroos Are Like Dogs in One Important Way

Study shows they can communicate with people, possibly a first in undomesticated animals

(Newser) - It's not just domesticated animals that can communicate with people. A first-of-its-kind study shows kangaroos can do the same thing. Researchers from the University of Roehampton in England and the University of Sydney in Australia presented 11 kangaroos from a variety of Australian zoos with an "unsolvable problem...

Dinosaur Had Features &#39;Like Nothing Seen in Nature&#39;
Dinosaur Had Features
'Like Nothing Seen in Nature'
NEW STUDY

Dinosaur Had Features 'Like Nothing Seen in Nature'

Flashy birds like the peacock descended from dinosaurs like this one

(Newser) - How bizarre were the features of a dinosaur that roamed modern-day Brazil some 110 million years ago? They're "like nothing I have seen in nature before," David Martill, lead author of a study of the creature , tells the Guardian . "There are plenty of other strange dinosaurs,...

One of 3 Items Taken From Great Pyramid Is Found

The wood, lost for 70 years, was one of 3 items to emerge from the ancient wonder

(Newser) - Just three known objects have been recovered from Egypt's Great Pyramid, and one of those has been missing for 70 years. That is until an Egyptian archaeologist stumbled upon it in Scotland. Curatorial assistant Abeer Eladany was digging through the University of Aberdeen's museum collections late last year...

Parks Workers Find Monster Goldfish in Lake
They Were Checking Up
on the Fish. Then, a Shocker
in case you missed it

They Were Checking Up on the Fish. Then, a Shocker

Ever seen a 9-pound goldfish?

(Newser) - Parks and recreation officials were checking the water quality of a small lake in South Carolina when a surprise guest proved just how healthy the environment was. From the depths of Oak Grove Lake in Greenville County came a massive goldfish stretching some 15 inches long. That's just a...

Scientist Who Spotted Whales: 'Chills Up and Down My Spine'

3 specimens spotted in Mexico thought to be unknown species of beaked whale

(Newser) - When three beaked whales surfaced next to Jay Barlow's boat, he was excited. He and his colleagues had traveled north of Mexico's remote San Benito Islands to search for the elusive whales, which spend most of their time at depths of 3,000 feet. "It's very...

Where Did Oregon's Otters Go? Teeth Suggest an Answer

Oregon repopulation may have failed because the otters were 'northerners' from Alaska

(Newser) - Centuries ago, sea otters were plentiful along the Oregon coast, but the fur trade came along and wiped them out. Wildlife authorities tried to restart the population in the 1970s by transplanting otters from Alaska to southern Oregon, but the population again fizzled out for reasons that have puzzled scientists,...

Pilot Whales Have Tricky Way to Fool Enemies
Clever
Pilot Whales
Fool Their
Rivals
new study

Clever Pilot Whales Fool Their Rivals

Study suggests they mimic killer whales

(Newser) - Pilot whales in southern Australia appear to have developed a nifty technique for fooling rival killer whales—they pretend they're killer whales themselves. Researchers studied the calls of long-finned pilot whales in the region and found that the creatures mimic their larger rivals, reports ScienceDaily . In their study at...

You Might Be Killing Salmon With Your Car Tires
What's Killing Salmon?
Maybe Your Car Tires
new study

What's Killing Salmon? Maybe Your Car Tires

Scientists say a chemical preservative ends up in streams after it rains

(Newser) - Scientists think they've figured out why so many coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest are dying—it's because of car tires. More precisely, researchers say that a lethal substance moves from tire particles on the road into storm drains and then ends up in streams, reports Popular Science ...

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics
An Ancient Light Could
Undermine Physics
new study

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics

'If it were real, it's big'

(Newser) - There's an ancient light drifting across the universe that might just undermine particle physics as we know it, Science Alert reports. Scientists analyzing the cosmic microwave background—a faint remnant of the Big Bang—say they've spotted a twist in its light that could force a rethink beyond...

Neanderthal Thumbs Weren&#39;t Quite the Same as Ours
We Don't Use Our Thumbs
the Way Neanderthals Did
NEW STUDY

We Don't Use Our Thumbs the Way Neanderthals Did

Fossils suggest they regularly gripped handled tools

(Newser) - If you happen to travel back in time and encounter an angry Neanderthal, be sure to request a thumb war, rather than a full-blown one. According to new research, Neanderthals' hands were different than our own, with a thumb that stuck out at a wider angle than what you see...

Online Sleuth Finds Mystery Monolith

And theories are popping up that might explain it

(Newser) - Artists? Aliens? Prop masters? A monolith discovered in the middle of the Utah desert has spawned all kinds of theories—including the notion that a film crew left it behind, the Smithsonian reports. So let's start with that one:

Vegans May Be More Likely to Break Bones
Vegans May Be More 
Likely to Break Bones
new study

Vegans May Be More Likely to Break Bones

Largest study of its kind sees increased risk for those who don't eat animal products

(Newser) - The largest study of its kind suggests that those who don't eat meat are more likely to suffer bone fractures. Vegans, who shun both meat and dairy, appear to have the greatest risk relative to vegetarians and pescatarians, particularly when it comes to hip fractures, reports CNN . To keep...

We Assumed the Universe Was Getting Colder. It Isn't

So much for the 'Big Chill'

(Newser) - The Universe just had its temperature taken, and the results may surprise. Since the 1990s, researchers have put forth the theory that the mean temperature of the universe will drop as it expands and galaxies, stars, and planets move farther apart. But a team of international scientists has found that...

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