discoveries

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

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This Herb May Rival DEET in Repelling Mosquitoes

 This Herb May Rival DEET 
 in Repelling Mosquitoes 
in case you missed it
Aug 22, 2015 7:10 PM CDT

This Herb May Rival DEET in Repelling Mosquitoes

Native Americans used to turn to this sweet-smelling herb

(Newser) - Native North Americans have long used the fragrant herb sweetgrass to ward off biting insects like mosquitoes, and new research shows how the traditional repellent works chemically. About to share their findings with the American Chemical Society, researchers at the US Department of Agriculture, the University of Guelph, and the...

For Some, Being Single Brings Most Happiness
For Some, Being Single Brings Most Happiness
study says
Aug 22, 2015 8:14 AM CDT

For Some, Being Single Brings Most Happiness

It depends how they view conflict in relationships, say researchers

(Newser) - Generally speaking, sociologists find that people in relationships tend to be happier and more satisfied than single people. But a new study makes clear that for some, being single is the way to be. It all depends on how individuals deal with conflict in relationships—those who hate it and...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a century-old message and scary news for workaholics

(Newser) - A riches-stuffed Nazi train and a "switch" that could turn off an obesity gene make the list:
  • Has a Legendary Nazi Train Been Found? Two treasure hunters say they've found a Nazi train thought to have gone missing in Poland while laden with gold, jewels, and weapons. They
...

Holocaust Survivors' Trauma Lives On in Kids' Genes

Study may explain why offspring are more at risk for stress disorders

(Newser) - Holocaust survivors pass on trauma through their genes, making their children and possibly even grandchildren more susceptible to PTSD and other stress disorders, according to new research . The Guardian reports researchers looked at 32 Jewish men and women who survived traumatic experiences at the hands of Nazis during World War...

Which Animal Is the 'Superpredator'? We Are

The rate at which humans kill animals is not sustainable, study finds

(Newser) - For tens of thousands of years, where humans go, animals are driven to extinction. We are the superpredator, killing animals—and adults ones at that—at a much higher rate than other predators. And it's not sustainable. So say researchers at the University of Victoria in the journal Science...

World's Oldest Message in a Bottle Turns Up

It was launched in the North Sea around 1906

(Newser) - What is likely the oldest message in a bottle in history has turned up on a beach in Germany nearly 110 years after it was launched by a British scientist, the Telegraph reports. The bottle's story starts in 1906 at the end of a two-year span during which George...

Hottest Month Recorded in 135 Years: Last Month

It beat out the previous hottest month, July 2011

(Newser) - If you lost some water weight in July, you can probably credit the blazing temperatures: Last month was the hottest month the planet has seen since record keeping began in 1880, according to the NOAA. The combined average temperature over land and sea reached 61.86 degrees, 1.46 degrees...

Has a Legendary Nazi Train Filled With Gold Been Found?

2 men say they've uncovered it near Ksiaz castle

(Newser) - A Nazi train thought to have gone missing in southwest Poland in 1945 while laden with gold, jewels, and weapons may have been found, if two unnamed men are to be believed. There are few details and plenty of blanks in the story: The treasure hunters aren't revealing the...

'Obesity Gene' May Have an Off Switch

Scientists discover how faulty gene makes people fat

(Newser) - Fighting obesity is a lot more complicated than simply eating less and exercising more, according to researchers who have made a major breakthrough in studying the FTO "obesity gene." The gene was linked to obesity years ago , and scientists say they've now figured out how it works,...

Long Work Hours Massively Raise Stroke Risk
Bad News for Those Who Work 55+ Hours a Week
NEW STUDY
Aug 20, 2015 3:37 AM CDT

Bad News for Those Who Work 55+ Hours a Week

Stroke risk goes up the more you work, researchers say

(Newser) - If you're putting in more than 55 hours a week at work, the chances are good that you're working toward having a stroke, researchers say. A study involving more than 600,000 people found that people who work that many hours have a 33% higher stroke risk and...

Drought Is Causing California to Sink Fast

Some areas of Central Valley dropping 2 inches a month

(Newser) - Vast areas of California's Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as massive amounts of groundwater are pumped during the historic drought, state officials say, citing new research by NASA scientists. The data shows the ground is sinking nearly 2 inches each month in some places, putting...

Study Overturns Long-Held Belief on Hummingbirds

They don't drink the way researchers have thought for 200 years

(Newser) - Hummingbirds beat their wings approximately 50 times per second, but that's nothing compared to how fast they can drink. A study out of the University of Connecticut debunks nearly 200 years of scientific thinking on how hummingbirds accomplish that task, with results showing the tiny birds can sip up...

Treasure Hunters Find $4.5M in Gold Coins Off Beach

Some people have the best jobs

(Newser) - Three-hundred years to the day after a hurricane sank 11 treasure-laden ships off the Florida coast, treasure hunters found 350 gold coins worth an estimated $4.5 million, Florida Today reports. Brent Brisben , captain of the salvage ship that found the sunken treasure, tells CBS News the timing was "...

Shorter Women Tend to Have Shorter Pregnancies
Shorter Women Tend to Have Shorter Pregnancies
NEW STUDY
Aug 19, 2015 12:35 PM CDT

Shorter Women Tend to Have Shorter Pregnancies

Maternal height appears to influence gestational age

(Newser) - The height and weight of a newborn baby is largely governed by his or her own genes, but it's the height of the mother that's giving researchers a telltale sign, reports the Telegraph . Specifically, shorter women have shorter pregnancies and thus more premature babies, report investigators at the...

Women Recall Rapes Accurately Even While Intoxicated

They may not remember as much, but what they do is trustworthy

(Newser) - Undergoing questioning as a rape victim is difficult, but even more so if the victim is made to feel her recollections are untrustworthy—a reaction that's more probable if she was intoxicated during the assault. "Out of these concerns, the police might forgo interviewing victims," University of...

This Tiny Bone Reveals a Big Find in Human Evolution

Oldest humanlike hand bone dates back 2M years: study

(Newser) - Scientists have stumbled upon the oldest known fossil of a hand bone that looks a lot like one found in your own hand, though this one is at least 1.84 million years old. Found in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the hominin bone—likely from the pinky of a left...

Whistled Language Brings Surprising Brain Discovery

People must use both sides of their brain to understand it, a first

(Newser) - The rapidly disappearing "bird language" that is spoken—or whistled, actually—by about 10,000 residents in the mountains of Turkey is changing the way scientists think about language and the brain. The left hemisphere has always been dominant when interpreting language, be it spoken, written, signed, or even...

World's '1st Flower' Dates Back 130M Years

The oldest known flowering plant, found in Spain, was aquatic

(Newser) - The world's oldest known flower dating back 130 million years is an aquatic species called Montsechia found fossilized in limestone deposits in Spain. But it wouldn't necessarily be recognized as a flower today, given it didn't boast petals or nectar-producing structures. "The fruit contains a single...

If You Get Lice, Hope That It&#39;s In This State
If You Get Lice, Hope
That It's In This State
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

If You Get Lice, Hope That It's In This State

Michigan is the only one of 30 where lice don't show drug resistance

(Newser) - Head lice might be a bit harder to nit, er, nip in the bud this year: A study out of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsvillle finds the pests have developed resistance to popular over-the-counter medications in at least 25 states. Kyong Yoon, who helped discover ultra-resistant strains, collected 109 samples of lice...

In Cats vs. Dogs, History Answers
 In Cats vs. Dogs, 
 History Answers 
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2015 7:18 AM CDT

In Cats vs. Dogs, History Answers

Cats are responsible for the extinction of 40 early canine species

(Newser) - It's official: Cats are better than dogs. Better predators, that is. So say researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences after looking at more than 2,000 fossils of prehistoric cats and dogs in North America. It turns out that when cats arrived on the continent...

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