New Discoveries: Reports on the Latest Scientific Discoveries - Page 5

New-Car Smell Is More
Dangerous on Hot Days

NEW STUDY

Jul 28, 2024 4:35 PM CDT

New-Car Smell Is More Dangerous on Hot Days

Chinese researchers raise health concerns as our days keep getting warmer

(Newser) - It's no secret that what people call the "new car smell" is the result of a chemical soup of volatile organic compounds within the vehicle's interior, notes ZME Science . Now, a new study raises a related concern in a warming world: The VOCs appear to intensify when...

Chasing Laser Dots May Push Cats to Scratch Furniture

Cat Researchers Suggest Ways
to Stop Furniture-Scratching

new study

Jul 28, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

Cat Researchers Suggest Ways to Stop Furniture-Scratching

Maybe don't use those laser dots, because they end up as frustrated hunters

(Newser) - It might be fun to watch a cat try to catch a laser dot, but your couch might end up paying a price. That's one of the takeaways of new research published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science , reports NPR . Researchers assessed the behavior of more than 1,200 cats...

Man's Find on Goodwill Site: a Piece of Washington's Tent

Man Hides Historic $1.7K
Goodwill Buy From Wife

Man Hides Historic $1.7K Goodwill Buy From Wife

Richard Moore scooped up fragment of George Washington's tent from nonprofit's online store

(Newser) - If you prefer online shopping to in-person browsing, Goodwill's online store offers that option for not only its typical gently used clothing, books, and housewares, but also rarer items with heftier price tags. The nonprofit is now boasting of a "historic sale" via its site—a tattered piece...

Think Pop Song Melodies Seem Simpler? They Are

Pop Songs Have
Changed in a Big Way
Since the '50s

NEW STUDY

Jul 27, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

Pop Songs Have Changed in a Big Way Since the '50s

Researchers find melody complexity has dropped big time, with simpler rhythms and pitch

(Newser) - If you've ever seen the viral clip of popular radio tunes that all use the same four chords , this latest study will, well ... strike a chord. The research published earlier this month in the journal Scientific Reports isn't about chords per se, but about rhythm and pitch—both...

In Prehistoric Fossils,
a Surprising Find on Aging

NEW STUDY

Jul 26, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging

Mouselike mammals lived a lot longer than modern-day counterparts, say scientists

(Newser) - Two sets of fossils found 40-something years apart suggest that small mammals who lived during the mid-Jurassic period had a longer "childhood" and a more stretched-out life span than their contemporary counterparts. The new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature examined the fossilized remains of Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, a...

Komodo Dragon's Orange Teeth Hide a Deadly Power

Komodo Dragon's Orange
Teeth Serve Practical Purpose

NEW STUDY

Jul 25, 2024 12:28 PM CDT

Komodo Dragon's Orange Teeth Serve Practical Purpose

Unprecedented iron coating keeps serrated teeth razor sharp

(Newser) - The Komodo dragon might be the closest thing to a living dinosaur, with its muscular tail, scaly skin, sturdy claws, and, it turns out, razor-sharp teeth unlike any seen before. The largest living lizard has curved, serrated teeth, similar to those of carnivorous dinosaurs, which help to rip apart the...

'This Is About as Close as You Can Get to an HIV Vaccine'

This Drug 'Could Change
the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

NEW STUDY

Jul 25, 2024 11:37 AM CDT

This Drug 'Could Change the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

(Newser) - A twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in young women and teen girls, according to the results of what some are calling a "breakthrough" phase 3 trial. The randomized, double-blind trial by drugmaker Gilead Sciences involved more than 5,000 young women and girls in South...

Elephant Study Had Her
Count 13,699 Dung Beetles

new study

Jul 24, 2024 2:55 PM CDT

Elephant Study Had Her Count 13,699 Dung Beetles

Painstaking work led to estimate of how many dung beetles one elephant sustains

(Newser) - If you're forced to empty your bowels somewhere in the African grasslands, you don't have to worry about befouling the landscape. As a press release explains, dung beetles would make quick work of your deposit, with the waste gone in as little as 30 minutes. Elephants leave a...

Brazil Sharks Test
Positive for Cocaine

NEW STUDY

Jul 23, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Brazil Sharks Test Positive for Cocaine

Presence of the drug in wild sharks is verified for the first time

(Newser) - Cocaine sharks really do exist, researchers have confirmed, a year after scientists probed the possibility in the "Shark Week" documentary Cocaine Sharks and filmmakers terrified audiences with a horror film of almost the same name . A group of Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the ocean near Rio de Janeiro...

When It Comes to Wealth,
There's No 'Happiness Plateau'

NEW STUDY

Jul 22, 2024 11:42 AM CDT

When It Comes to Wealth, There's No 'Happiness Plateau'

Money does indeed buy happiness, and the more, the better, per new research

(Newser) - "Does money buy happiness?" is one of our most-asked existential questions, and not only does Matt Killingsworth believe the answer is a resounding "yes"—he says the more you have, the happier you may be. According to new research by the senior fellow at UPenn's Wharton...

Mercury Might Be
the Diamond Planet

new study

Jul 22, 2024 9:14 AM CDT

Mercury Might Be the Diamond Planet

Study suggests it has a miles-thick layer of the gems beneath the surface

(Newser) - Mars gets all the buzz , but Mercury just gained some bragging rights among the planets—a new study suggests it may have a layer of diamonds 9 miles thick, located deep below its surface, reports Live Science . These diamonds exist only in theory at the moment, but the study in...

Scientists Just Found
a Cave on the Moon

Jul 15, 2024 2:37 PM CDT

Scientists Just Found a Cave on the Moon

Radar data confirms existence of one, and lots more are likely up there

(Newser) - Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon—not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago—and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known...

Whale That Washed Up on
Beach Could Be World's Rarest

Jul 15, 2024 12:27 PM CDT

Whale That Washed Up on Beach Could Be World's Rarest

Precious little is known about the spade-toothed whale

(Newser) - Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break, reports the...

Odd Tip
for Better
Sleep: Save
a Little Money

new study

Jul 13, 2024 11:30 AM CDT

Odd Tip for Better Sleep: Save a Little Money

British researchers say it's more about the habit than the amount

(Newser) - Suggestions on how to get better sleep usually focus on the physical. This one from a study out of Bristol University's Personal Finance Research Centre in the UK takes a different approach: It suggests people save money regularly, reports the BBC . The researchers found that people who developed a...

Surprise Find at Famed
Shipwreck: Second Shipwreck

Surprise Find at Famed Shipwreck: Second Shipwreck

Ancient remnants found at Antikythera site off Greece

(Newser) - The legendary Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece has yielded all kinds of fascinating finds over the years, from statues to a mysterious mechanism described as an "ancient computer." Now, a new analysis has yielded another surprise at the site—a second shipwreck, reports Ancient Origins . Researchers...

Once a
Narcissist,
Always a
Narcissist

new study

Jul 12, 2024 9:07 AM CDT

Once a Narcissist, Always a Narcissist

But a new study suggests that the self-involved may mellow a bit with age

(Newser) - Narcissists tend to remain narcissists all through life, though they mellow a bit with age, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed years of data involving more than 37,000 participants around the world and found that the trait of narcissism remains relatively stable from childhood into old age, reports the...

Musket Balls From 'Shot Heard
Round the World' Are Found

Jul 11, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Musket Balls From 'Shot Heard Round the World' Are Found

Archaeologists discover five from famed battle of 1775 in Massachusetts

(Newser) - Archaeologists working at a historical site in Massachusetts have made a remarkable find—five musket balls fired by members of a Colonial militia in a battle memorialized by the line "the shot heard round the world." The 250-year-old musket balls were discovered at Minute Man National Historical Park...

Scientists Identify Potential
Lupus Breakthrough

new study

Jul 10, 2024 1:12 PM CDT

Scientists Identify Potential Lupus Breakthrough

Researchers say findings could lead to 'potential cure'

(Newser) - US researchers say they have uncovered what NBC News describes as a "root cause" of the autoimmune disease lupus. If the findings out of Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital are borne out in future research, they hold promise for a "potential cure," says Jaehyuk...

Better Way to Diagnose
Autism May Lie in the Gut

new study

Jul 9, 2024 12:27 PM CDT

Better Way to Diagnose Autism May Lie in the Gut

Study suggests children on the spectrum have unique microbial markers

(Newser) - Diagnosing autism remains a tricky, subjective task, one that relies largely on observation and analysis. A new study suggests that might change in a big way—with future patients diagnosed through a stool sample, reports the Guardian . A study of more than 1,600 children ages 1 to 13 found...

It Turns Out
That Ants Can
Amputate, Too

NEW STUDY

Jul 5, 2024 8:56 AM CDT

It Turns Out That Ants Can Amputate, Too

Medic Carpenter ants do the same thing as humans, researchers say

(Newser) - Just like humans, ants benefit from living in a group. Studies have shown some ants carry wounded colony members back from battle and lick their wounds, for a 90% survival rate . Now, new research indicates carpenter ants go a step further, carrying out life-saving amputations on their wounded brethren. It'...

discoveries

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

Chinese researchers raise health concerns as our days keep getting warmer

Maybe don't use those laser dots, because they end up as frustrated hunters

Richard Moore scooped up fragment of George Washington's tent from nonprofit's online store

Researchers find melody complexity has dropped big time, with simpler rhythms and pitch

Mouselike mammals lived a lot longer than modern-day counterparts, say scientists

Unprecedented iron coating keeps serrated teeth razor sharp

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

Painstaking work led to estimate of how many dung beetles one elephant sustains

Presence of the drug in wild sharks is verified for the first time

Money does indeed buy happiness, and the more, the better, per new research

Study suggests it has a miles-thick layer of the gems beneath the surface

Radar data confirms existence of one, and lots more are likely up there

Precious little is known about the spade-toothed whale

British researchers say it's more about the habit than the amount

Ancient remnants found at Antikythera site off Greece

But a new study suggests that the self-involved may mellow a bit with age

Archaeologists discover five from famed battle of 1775 in Massachusetts

Researchers say findings could lead to 'potential cure'

Study suggests children on the spectrum have unique microbial markers

Medic Carpenter ants do the same thing as humans, researchers say