discoveries

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Shrooms: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

A surprise under a Mexican supermarket made the list

(Newser) - A study suggesting that magic mushrooms have a place in the cancer ward and a surprise find under a Mexican supermarket were among the discoveries of the week:
  • Magic Mushrooms Had Big Effect on Cancer Patients : Two studies of cancer patients with symptoms of depression and anxiety suggest that a
...

Surprise Find: Florida Python Ate 3 Deer

This is not good news for the Everglades ecosystem

(Newser) - Wildlife officials in Florida have known for a while that Burmese pythons have been eating their way through the Everglades, but the study of one particular snake has surprised them with the extent of that appetite: The 15-foot female had eaten three white-tailed deer in the 90 days before her...

Star of Bethlehem May Have Been Something Much Rarer

We might not be able to expect Jesus back for another 500K years at least

(Newser) - Christmas cards and carols have been lying to us for years. The Bible says the Star of Bethlehem—or "Christmas Star"—was followed by Magi bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the birthplace of Jesus. But one Notre Dame professor says the famous star wasn't...

These Mummy Legs Likely Belong to a Great Queen
These Mummy Legs Likely
Belong to a Great Queen
STUDY SAYS
Dec 2, 2016 5:00 AM CST

These Mummy Legs Likely Belong to a Great Queen

Researchers think they are the remains of Egypt's Nefertari

(Newser) - Archaeologists say they've likely identified the mummified remains of "one of the truly great and important queens of Egypt," in the same league as Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Three portions of mummified legs found more than a century ago in the looted tomb of Queen Nefertari—wife of...

Insomniacs Can Go Online to Get Shut-Eye


Need Sleep?
Go Online
STUDY SAYS
Dec 1, 2016 5:21 PM CST

Need Sleep? Go Online

Study says new online therapy program is helping sleepless subjects

(Newser) - A 70-year-old Californian who'd suffered from longtime insomnia had tapped into almost every remedy to no avail—until she tried out a new online therapy that has her "sleeping much better now," she tells the New York Times . The automated program, called SHUTi , is an online adaptation...

650-Year-Old Temple Found Under Mexican Supermarket

It's believed to have been built to worship the god of wind

(Newser) - Working at the site of a demolished supermarket in Mexico City, archaeologists only had to dig 10 feet down to find a temple built more than 650 years ago, researchers said Wednesday. The circular platform, about 36 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall, now sits in the shadow of...

Researchers Figure Out What's Hurting Astronauts' Vision

A buildup of spinal fluid around the eyes, say researchers

(Newser) - One serious drawback for astronauts who spend long periods in space is that they often return to Earth with degraded vision, and a new study may have pinpointed the problem. It's a buildup of spinal fluid around the eyes, say researchers from the University of Miami. This cerebrospinal fluid...

Scientists Explain Deadly Wave of Molasses in Boston

A 'tsunami' of sticky syrup claimed the lives of 21 people and several horses, too

(Newser) - Nearly a century after what researchers call a "tsunami of molasses" descended on Boston, Harvard physicists say that fluid dynamics equations that hadn't yet been written now explain why the disaster proved so deadly—and that the cold weather is partly to blame. In January of 1919, 2....

3M Years Before Humans, Ants Were Farmers

Fijian ants have long built farming cities to plant and harvest fruit crops

(Newser) - If the emergence of agrarian practices is seen as a mark of intelligence in humans, then ants can boast some serious smarts. Not only have researchers discovered a highly organized type of farming in Fiji ants—who plant the seeds of fruit trees, fertilize and protect them, harvest the resulting...

Female Fish Fight Bigger Penises With Bigger Brains
Female Fish Fight
Bigger Penises
With Bigger Brains
NEW STUDY
Nov 27, 2016 10:33 AM CST

Female Fish Fight Bigger Penises With Bigger Brains

At least when it comes to mosquitofish, where males attack instead of court females

(Newser) - The tiny eastern mosquitofish, indigenous to the southern and eastern US, is unlike much of the rest of the animal kingdom when it comes to reproduction, starting with the differing objectives of the females and males of the species. Because they have to bear the burden of actually carrying the...

Minds of Dogs: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Also, an intriguing find about the Pilgrims

(Newser) - An insight about dogs and a particularly well-timed find about the Pilgrims were among the discoveries making headlines this week:
  • Study Finds Dogs Remember Their Owners' Actions : As researcher Claudia Fugazza puts it, "most dog owners at least suspected" their furry friends remember the times they've shared together.
...

New Twist on Why Dinosaurs Got So Big So Fast

Those with funky-looking skulls grew most quickly

(Newser) - For years, paleontologists have theorized that many of the world's largest dinosaurs sported head ornaments (think horns, knobs, and crests) as a means of intimidation and defense, and that these giants evolved to be so big because size helped them be more effective killers. But now new research published...

We May Finally Know Exactly Where the 1st Pilgrims Lived

And it only took 396 years

(Newser) - We likely now know the exact location of the first Pilgrim settlement in the New World—thanks, in part, to a cow named Constance. The Boston Globe reports it's long been known that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, but it was never clear exactly where they built...

Study Finds Dogs Remember Their Owners' Actions

Evidence of 'episodic-like memory' in man's best friend

(Newser) - As researcher Claudia Fugazza tells NPR , "most dog owners at least suspected" their furry friends remember the times they've shared together. Now a study published Tuesday in Current Biology offers some scientific evidence to back that feeling up. Fugazza and her team used a training method she developed...

Dementia Stats Defy Predictions
Dementia Stats
Defy Predictions
NEW STUDY
Nov 22, 2016 2:58 PM CST

Dementia Stats Defy Predictions

US rate is dropping as Americans get older

(Newser) - Good news for older Americans: A new study suggests that their odds of getting dementia are shrinking despite predictions to the contrary. While standardized tests showed 11.6% of Americans 65 and older had dementia in 2000, only 8.8% did in 2012, reports NBC News . What's more, people...

Study Links Manliness to Depression in Men

Conforming to certain masculine norms plays out negatively in many men

(Newser) - Being sexist results in a double whammy on men's mental health, new research suggests. When men strongly conform to social masculine norms, they're more likely to suffer from ailments such as depression—and the more they cling to these norms, the less likely they are to seek help...

Big Oil: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Also: A triple-pyramid of sorts

(Newser) - A milestone among oil deposits and a pyramid with secrets were among the most intriguing discoveries of the week:
  • Biggest-Ever US Oil Find Made: Things are bigger in Texas, especially oil deposits: The USGS announced this week that its assessment of the Wolfcamp formation in West Texas has identified the
...

Math Moves Scientists Closer to Perfect Coffee
Math Moves Scientists
Closer to Perfect Coffee
NEW STUDY
Nov 18, 2016 4:15 PM CST

Math Moves Scientists Closer to Perfect Coffee

Coffee-maker companies will likely be paying attention

(Newser) - One plus one equals … brew? Scientists out of Ireland's University of Limerick tapped into math and a computer model in their quest to come up with a cup of coffee that would satisfy even Twin Peaks' Special Agent Dale Cooper , the CBC reports. And while it was impossible...

Inside the Pyramid Is a Pyramid. Inside That Is Something More

Inside the Kukulkan pyramid are 2 smaller, older ones

(Newser) - On the surface, the Kukulkan temple that sits among the ruins of Chichen Itza looks nothing like a Russian nesting doll, but it's essentially the pyramid equivalent, scientists say. They'd known for decades that the 100-foot-tall structure in Mexico's Yucatan state sits on top of a smaller,...

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It
You Could Have Ebola
and Not Even Know It
NEW STUDY
Nov 16, 2016 8:41 AM CST

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It

Up to 25% of infections may be 'minimally symptomatic'

(Newser) - Ebola doesn't always show itself through fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. A new PLOS study finds that some people with the virus show mild or no symptoms at all—a potential concern for preventing its spread. Researchers who visited the village of Sukudu in Sierra Leone, a hot spot in...

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