discoveries

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

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First Photos of Reef at Amazon's Mouth Stun

But environmentalists worry oil drilling could soon put 600-mile-long reef at risk

(Newser) - Last year, scientists made an amazing discovery under the mud and muck at the mouth of the Amazon River: a long-rumored 600-mile-long coral reef. Now the first images of the natural phenomenon are emerging, captured from a sub sent 720 feet down into the murky waters off a Greenpeace boat,...

A Mighty Otter: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Also, a surprise insight about running's effect on the knees

(Newser) - An ancient otter of surprising size and an intriguing find about "dead" bodies were among the discoveries making headlines this week:
  • Giant Preshistoric Otter Found—but Why So Big? Picture an otter, then envision it ballooning to twice—or triple, or quadruple—its size until it's a 110-pound
...

We Can Finally Bring Back That Classic Tomato Flavor

Scientists ID the missing chemicals that make tomatoes taste good

(Newser) - It's high time for tomatoes to taste like tomatoes again, and a group of researchers believes it knows how to make that happen, according to a study published Thursday in Science . The Smithsonian reports tomatoes found in today's grocery stores are "nearly unrecognizable" from what tomatoes used...

By 6, Girls Think Boys Are Smarter
Gender Stereotypes
Set In Surprisingly Early
study says
Jan 27, 2017 10:27 AM CST

Gender Stereotypes Set In Surprisingly Early

Girls at age 6 think boys are smarter

(Newser) - A new study suggests that girls start to view boys as smarter as early as age 6. And that's even though, just a year earlier, boys and girls both associate brilliance with their own gender. "It's really heartbreaking," lead author Lin Bian of the University of...

Stink Bugs Can Change the Taste of Your Wine

Especially if you drink pinot noir

(Newser) - Bugs wind up in most things we consume, organic and otherwise. It's so common and hard to avoid that the FDA sets allowable levels, notes the American Council on Science and Health . It's no surprise, then, that stink bugs , which have a fondness for grapes, can end up...

1 in 10 Women Suffer Painful Sex: Study

Causes include physical problems but also psychological ones

(Newser) - A new study out of Britain reveals that pain during sex afflicts a surprising number of women. The survey of nearly 7,000 sexually active women found that one in 10 reported some type of pain during intercourse, the BBC reports. Writing in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and ...

Days After Death, a Body Remains Alive
2 Days After Death,
Some Life
Continues
in Body
NEW STUDY
Jan 25, 2017 6:45 PM CST

2 Days After Death, Some Life Continues in Body

Active genes may be attempting to repair damage: study

(Newser) - Death is more like the slow shutdown of a computer than the flipping off of a light switch, says a scientist, explaining a new study that shows genes in the body remain alive for about two days after the heart stops. In the study of mice and zebrafish, University of...

Giant Prehistoric Otter Found&mdash;but Why So Big?
Giant Prehistoric Otter
Found—but Why So Big?
new study
Jan 24, 2017 2:40 PM CST

Giant Prehistoric Otter Found—but Why So Big?

The size of a wolf, the bite of a badger

(Newser) - Picture an otter, then envision it ballooning to twice—or triple, or quadruple—its size until it's a 110-pound creature: It's not a journey into the imagination, but to yesteryear. An international team of scientists has announced news of the largest otter ever found, one that lived some...

Cervical Cancer Deaths Show a Huge Racial Gap
Cervical Cancer Deaths
Show a Huge Racial Gap
NEW STUDY
Jan 23, 2017 8:03 AM CST

Cervical Cancer Deaths Show a Huge Racial Gap

Black women dying at a rate 77% higher than thought, and twice the rate of white women

(Newser) - Many more American women are dying from cervical cancer than previously thought, with black women in particular dying at rates akin to those in sub-Saharan Africa, the New York Times reports. Although cervical cancer is highly preventable, African-American women are dying at a rate 77% higher that previously estimated, CNN...

Hate it When People Get Your Name Wrong? You Shouldn't

Scientists say almost everyone does it, even with dogs

(Newser) - Almost everyone has done it one time or another: mix up the names of family members or friends. And so a cognitive scientist whose mother would often call her by her siblings' and even the family dog's name set out to learn why. Reporting in the journal Memory &...

Surprise: Running May Actually Make Knees Healthier

Study finds running lessens risk factors associated with knee inflammation

(Newser) - "It flies in the face of intuition," Matt Seeley tells UPI . Seeley is the co-author of a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology that may upend what we thought we knew about running's effect on knees. Conventional wisdom says running is hard on the...

Answer in the Desert: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a surprise move by a female shark

(Newser) - A new theory about an old desert mystery and an unprecedented feat by a female shark were among the big discoveries of the week:
  • Theory May Finally Explain 'Fairy Circles' : Two theories have long been floated to explain so-called "fairy circles" that pockmark the desert in Namibia: either
...

Theory May Finally Explain Fabled 'Fairy Circles'

It's a combo of plants and termites

(Newser) - Scientists are always crashing the party when they bring the likeliest but often mundane reasons for mysterious phenomena. Such is the case in Namibia, where so-called "fairy circles" that pockmark the desert are now being explained in the journal Nature as not the footprints of gods or poisoned patches...

After Years Without Mate, Shark Makes Her Own Babies

It's the first time a shark has switched from sexual to asexual reproduction

(Newser) - Australia's Reef HQ aquarium had hoped to scale back its shark breeding program. Its female sharks had other ideas. Over the course of six years, Leonie the zebra or leopard shark had produced more than two dozen offspring before she was separated from her mate in 2012. But in...

Being Rude to Your Kid's Doctor May Be a Health Hazard

It can jeopardize the care children receive, a study found

(Newser) - If you think being tough with your child's doctor is the right way to ensure better care, think again. A new study out of the University of Florida suggests that rude parents can cause serious, even deadly, consequences. Researchers who staged emergency situations in a neonatal intensive care unit...

Vampire Bats Now Feasting on Human Blood

Scientists in Brazil say they're evolving because of a decline in birds

(Newser) - Human encroachment typically means bad news for a given species (recent examples include giraffes and cheetahs ), but one mammal appears to be fighting back. Researchers say the hairy-legged vampire bat has adapted surprisingly fast from drinking the blood of birds to that of humans to survive, reports the Telegraph ...

&#39;Goldilocks Zone&#39; Exists for Teens&#39; Screen Time
'Goldilocks Zone' Exists
for Teens' Screen Time
NEW STUDY
Jan 16, 2017 8:11 AM CST

'Goldilocks Zone' Exists for Teens' Screen Time

New study finds there's a window of time spent on gadgets that can be beneficial

(Newser) - Tapping away on computers, smartphones, and other devices a few hours a day can have beneficial effects on children, a new study found. Despite hand-wringing among experts that kids are spending too much time in a virtual world, the latest research out of Oxford concludes that "moderate engagement …...

Filling Cavities: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a surprising move by a monkey

(Newser) - A potential new way of filling cavities and a study sure to cheer those too busy to work out during the week were among the discoveries making headlines:
  • Alzheimer's Drug May Help Your Teeth : A novel therapy holds promise for changing the way dentists treat your cavities—they'd
...

Study: Kids Copy Superheroes' Aggression, Not Altruism

They may find it tricky to disentangle aggressive vs. helpful behaviors

(Newser) - A new study finds that children who are "highly engaged" with superheroes were more likely to be aggressive a year later. Researchers twice evaluated 240 preschoolers and kindergartners at four sites across the western US, analyzing their levels of three types of aggression at both points: physical (hitting, kicking),...

How Stress Turns Into a Physical Heart Attack
How Stress Turns
Into a Physical
Heart Attack
NEW STUDY
Jan 12, 2017 11:55 AM CST

How Stress Turns Into a Physical Heart Attack

It involves a signal from your brain to your bone marrow

(Newser) - Scientists have long cautioned that stress is bad for the heart, and a new study provides insight into precisely why. In the Lancet , researchers lay out a chain of events: When people feel stress, the amygdala area of the brain—it processes emotions such as fear and danger—fires up...

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