discoveries

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

Stories 961 - 980 | << Prev   Next >>

Tiny 'Lost Species' Is Alive and Well

Elephant shrew spotted for first time since 1968

(Newser) - A tiny "lost species" has been rediscovered, thriving far from human activity in the Horn of Africa. Researchers say they set out to find the Somali sengi, one of 20 species of elephant shrew, in Djibouti and lucked out with the first of 1,000 traps they set in...

Penguins&#39; First Home: Not Antarctica
Penguins' First Home
Isn't What We Thought
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2020 10:55 AM CDT

Penguins' First Home Isn't What We Thought

Researchers trace origin to Australia, New Zealand, not Antarctica, some 22M years ago

(Newser) - Penguins have had quite the journey, from Australia some 22 million years ago to modern-day Antarctica, according to a new study. With help from institutions around the world, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed blood and tissue samples from 18 species of penguins, finding that the animals originated...

Amateur Treasure Hunter Hits It Big in Scotland

'I've just discovered a big part of Scottish history'

(Newser) - A man and his metal detector have uncovered a 3,000-year-old hoard of Bronze Age goods, including a complete sword and horse harness, its leather and wood still preserved. "[I] felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I've just discovered a big part...

How Monkeys Act After Fires May Be Clue to Our Own Past

Study suggests they recognize its benefits, are drawn to burnt grasslands

(Newser) - The ability to control fire changed the game for early humans, and scientists suggest they may have just gained insight into how the process came about. In a new study in the Journal of Evolution , researchers watched how monkeys behaved after grass fires—and how the primates seemed to realize...

Cats, Dogs Frolicked Near $9M Emperor&#39;s Vase
'Next to Miraculous' $9M Vase
Found in Old Woman's Cupboard
in case you missed it
Aug 8, 2020 11:31 AM CDT

'Next to Miraculous' $9M Vase Found in Old Woman's Cupboard

Rediscovered Chinese porcelain dating back 275 years kept in open cupboard near cats, dogs

(Newser) - A delicate Chinese porcelain vase believed to have been crafted for an emperor 275 years ago has sold for more than $9 million after turning up in a cupboard in a country home in central Europe. The rare find—actually two vases in one, with a pierced outer layer of...

Dingo Poisoning Has Unintended Effect
Dingo Poisoning Has
Unintended Effect
new study
Aug 6, 2020 2:25 PM CDT

Dingo Poisoning Has Unintended Effect

The animals are getting bigger, say Australian researchers

(Newser) - Australian researchers have made an odd discovery: Dingoes are getting bigger—but only in areas where long-term poison campaigns against them have been in place. It seems the bait traps have the unintended consequence of making the surviving animals larger, reports Science Daily . "The most likely theory is that...

Beetle Has Brilliant, Gross Method of Escape
Beetle Has an Amazing
Way of Escaping Death
new study
Aug 4, 2020 1:59 PM CDT

Beetle Has an Amazing Way of Escaping Death

After being swallowed, insect tricks frog into pooping and, voila, freedom

(Newser) - Once upon a time, a water beetle was swallowed by a frog. The intrepid insect survived the journey through the frog's mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, then found itself at what scientists call the frog's "vent"—in other words, its anus. So close to freedom. The...

Scientists: 'Smallest Dinosaur' Wasn't Really a Dinosaur

They now believe Oculudentavis was a lizard

(Newser) - Oculudentavis khaungraawas was a strange and fascinating creature, scientists say—but it probably wasn't a dinosaur. Researchers who identified the hummingbird-sized animal as the smallest known dinosaur in a study published earlier this year have retracted their claim following new research and the discovery of another Oculudentavis fossil, NBC...

Fool&#39;s Gold May Not Be Worthless After All
Fool's Gold May Not
Be Worthless After All
in case you missed it
Aug 2, 2020 6:44 AM CDT

Fool's Gold May Not Be Worthless After All

Researchers find novel way to make it magnetic

(Newser) - Pyrite has the look of gold but, historically, none of the value—hence the nickname fool's gold. But researchers have now come up with a way to make the commonly found mineral much more appealing—and in the process, they induced magnetism electrically in a non-magnetic material for the...

He Was Clamming With His Grandpa. Then: 'Holy Moly'

The mollusk that Cooper Monaco, 11, found in RI weighs almost 2.5 pounds

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Rhode Island boy clamming with his grandfather found a giant quahog that's thought to be one of the largest ever harvested in state waters. Cooper Monaco, of Wakefield, found the massive mollusk Monday in the Weekapaug section of Westerly and donated it to the University of Rhode...

'MYSTERY SOLVED!' on Origin of Stonehenge's Megaliths

Scientists say most of the giant sandstone slabs came from West Woods in Marlborough Downs

(Newser) - In the 1500s, a British antiquities expert examined Stonehenge's biggest slabs and said he knew where they came from. Now, more than four centuries later, scientists are saying that William Lambarde was right on the money, solving one of the world's great archaeological and geological mysteries. The New ...

Clue to Van Gogh's Final Hours Was Hiding in Plain Sight

Postcard pinpoints the exact place where he painted 'Tree Roots'

(Newser) - The exact location where Vincent van Gogh painted his last work has been pinpointed after being hidden in plain view for years among a tangle of roots next to a rural lane near Paris. Experts say the discovery sheds new light on the anguished painter's mental state on the...

This Shell May Inspire Your Next Bike Lock
Scientists: We Made the First
Material That Can't Be Cut
in case you missed it
Jul 25, 2020 11:30 AM CDT

Scientists: We Made the First Material That Can't Be Cut

Inspired by abalone shells, its first application might be bike locks

(Newser) - Scientists in the UK have bad news for bike thieves: They say they've created the first artificial material that cannot be cut. In fact, the more someone tries to cut it, the more damage they will do to their blade, per a post at Phys.org . The material, dubbed...

DNA Slavery Study Yields Suprises
DNA Slavery Study
Yields Surprises
NEW STUDY
Jul 24, 2020 12:20 PM CDT

DNA Slavery Study Yields Surprises

More enslaved people came to the US from Nigeria than previously thought, researchers say

(Newser) - Using historical records has been the most traditional way to shed light on the dark stain of slavery in the United States. Now, per new research that the Scientist calls "the largest DNA study to examine African ancestry in the Americas," gene analysis is helping put more pieces...

'Dark Fishing Fleets' Blamed for Rise in Ghost Ships

Chinese vessels are forcing North Koreans to fish elsewhere, researchers say

(Newser) - "Ghost ships" carrying the bodies—or skeletons—of North Korean fishermen have been washing up in Japan for years, but there was a massive increase after 2017. A new study links the rise to "dark fishing fleets" of Chinese vessels in North Korean waters in violation of United...

This Is Actually a Map &mdash;the Biggest One Ever
This Is Actually a Map
—the Biggest One Ever
new study
Jul 22, 2020 3:14 PM CDT

This Is Actually a Map —the Biggest One Ever

This view of the universe also looks incredible

(Newser) - Want to get away? Now you can see how far "away" really is. Drawing on 20 years of research, scientists have created a 3D map of the universe that spans 11 billion years and covers more than 2 million quasars and galaxies—while shedding light on a couple of...

This Image Is Unlike Any Taken Before
This Image
Is Unlike Any
Ever Taken
Jul 22, 2020 11:10 AM CDT

This Image Is Unlike Any Ever Taken

Telescope captures family portrait of 2 planets orbiting young sun

(Newser) - For the first time, a telescope has captured a family portrait of another solar system with not just one, but two planets posing directly for the cameras while orbiting a star like our sun. This baby sun and its two giant gas planets are fairly close by galactic standards at...

Archaeologists Bust Myth About Ancient Egypt
Study Suggests an Ancient
Invasion Never Happened
in case you missed it
Jul 19, 2020 2:10 PM CDT

Study Suggests an Ancient Invasion Never Happened

Hyksos weren't foreign invaders of Egypt; they were already living there before rising to power

(Newser) - Archaeologists believe they've uncovered an ancient Egyptian propaganda campaign and in the process busted a millennia-old myth. It centers around the Hyksos , the first known people of foreign origin to rule ancient Egypt. They seized power from the pharaohs around 1638 BCE and ruled for a century. More than...

If We Can't Solve This Problem, Our Species 'Disappears'

Experts predict crash in births will force societal overhaul

(Newser) - Experts say we'll need to "reorganize societies" to respond to a "jaw-dropping" decrease in the number of Earthlings being born. To keep a steady population, a woman needs to have 2.1 children on average so as to account for infant mortality and childless women. Women were...

You Can Open This Window and Still Block the Noise
Bothered by Street Noise?
Open Up This Window
NEW STUDY
Jul 15, 2020 10:30 AM CDT

Bothered by Street Noise? Open Up This Window

But it could be years before the Anti-Noise Control Window is available for sale

(Newser) - City dwellers know just how irritating a jackhammer can be. Now there's a way to drone out the racket without closing your window. Scientists have developed a window system that's a gift for your ears, even if it is a bit of an eyesore. Described in Scientific Reports...

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