discoveries

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

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How to Reach World's Biggest Cave Chamber: Swim

Miao Room chamber can only be accessed via an underground stream

(Newser) - Cave-measurement contests may not get the average Joe's adrenaline pumping. But for an international team of scientists who toiled deep underneath the mountains in Guanxi, China, in 2013, new figures obtained via laser mapping have confirmed that the Miao Room chamber—a gigantic cavern that's part of the...

Scientists Are Decoding the Genetics of Height

They've now identified nearly 700 genetic variants related to height

(Newser) - Scientists are knee-deep in a freakishly large study (part of the aptly named GIANT Consortium) to better understand the genetics at play in human height. They tell Reuters that height can tell us a lot about various aspects of human health—including diseases like "obesity, diabetes, asthma that are...

Canada: Arctic Shipwreck Is Explorer&#39;s Flagship

 Shipwreck Canada 
 Most Wanted to 
 Find Is Found 
in case you missed it
Oct 5, 2014 10:40 AM CDT

Shipwreck Canada Most Wanted to Find Is Found

Sir John Franklin's body may still be on HMS Erebus

(Newser) - One of two ships from Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 Arctic expedition was discovered last month —and Canadian authorities have now confirmed that it was the one they most wanted to find. The well-preserved ship is the HMS Erebus, which was the explorer's flagship and may contain...

Scientist Unlocks a da Vinci Secret

 Scientist Unlocks 
 a da Vinci Secret 
in case you missed it
Oct 4, 2014 2:37 PM CDT

Scientist Unlocks a da Vinci Secret

'The Lady with an Ermine' has 2 previous versions hidden beneath it

(Newser) - Among Leonardo da Vinci's most famous paintings is a portrait of a woman holding an ermine, but a new analysis shows there's a lot more to it than that. The portrait features Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of the "white ermine," as da Vinci patron the Duke...

Curiosity Changes Brain, Helps You Learn Better

Once the brain gets in gear, it absorbs information of all kinds better, says study

(Newser) - Curiosity isn't just the sign of a healthy mind—a new study suggests it actually helps the mind get stronger. Researchers in Australia found that people were better able to remember something if they were naturally curious about the subject, reports LiveScience . That wasn't too surprising. The more...

In Early Image of Jesus, He's Got No Beard

Archaeologists in Spain find 4th-century engraving

(Newser) - Jesus shaved. Archaeologists in Spain have unearthed what they say is one of the earliest images of him, but you wouldn't know it from a quick glance. The engraving on a glass plate from the 4th century depicts a short-haired Jesus without a beard; he's joined by two...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a Da Vinci secret and the possible excavation of Dracula's dungeon

(Newser) - Insights into a famous face and a famous painting are among the most intriguing discoveries of the week:
  • 'Man on the Moon' Didn't Get There Way We Thought : Scientists know it as Oceanus Procellarum, but the rest of us generally refer to it as the "Man on
...

Monarch Origin Shocks Scientists

Study finds Monarch butterflies started out in North America

(Newser) - Monarch butterflies are famous for migrating from the US and Canada to Mexico for the winter. Now a surprising study in Nature suggests the species itself also started out in North America some 2 million years ago. A researcher from the University of Chicago says monarchs were widely thought to...

'Man on the Moon' Didn't Get There Way We Thought

Scientists say it wasn't an asteroid impact, but a volcanic plume

(Newser) - Scientists know it as Oceanus Procellarum, but the rest of us generally refer to it as the "Man on the Moon"—the huge dark splotch on the moon visible from Earth. Either way, how did it get there? One commonly held view is that a massive asteroid slammed...

Kids Could Look Like Mom's Ex, Not Like Dad

At least in the fruit fly population, telegony study claims

(Newser) - Guys may unknowingly be leaving their mark on the world: Scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia have taken on what was widely considered to be the discredited theory of telegony—the idea that a woman's children might resemble not just her current sexual partner, but...

Smoking Pot Linked Once More to Heart Problems

New study builds the case against marijuana's cardiovascular risks

(Newser) - Where there's smoke, there's usually fire—and when it comes to marijuana smoke, scientists are once again fanning the embers of a long-suspected theory that the drug is linked to cardiovascular issues. According to a case study published last month in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, a 21-year-old...

6-Year Quest Leads to Biggest Lake Ontario Wreck

Nisbet Grammer found off Niagara in August

(Newser) - The story of the Nisbet Grammer is not an overly tragic one: The 253-foot steel steamer was on a Buffalo-to-Montreal route in Lake Ontario on a heavily fogged morning when a steamer struck it. The ensuing hole caused the ship to sink, but it took 15 minutes to do so,...

Here's the Total Number of Lakes on Our Planet

117M, according to new count

(Newser) - Eight years ago, a much-discussed study estimated that there were 304 million lakes on Earth—but a careful count reveals that the number is closer to a third of that. The planet holds 117 million lakes, researchers find in what LiveScience calls the "best count yet." And while...

Archaeologist Thinks He's Found 'Dracula's Dungeon'

In Turkey's Tokat Castle

(Newser) - An archaeologist who has been part of the restoration and excavation effort at Turkey's Tokat Castle believes he has uncovered the dungeons where Vlad the Impaler was once held. Ibrahim Cetin tells the Hurriyet Daily News that the two dungeons that were found were "built like a prison....

Female Skeleton Casts Light on Ancient Earthquake

Archaeologists say temblor flattened Hippos in 363AD

(Newser) - Archaeologists investigating the remains of an ancient city overlooking the Sea of Galilee say they've found the best evidence yet of a devastating earthquake—one of two that leveled the Greco-Roman municipality, the Jerusalem Post reports. The University of Haifa researchers, who have been excavating Hippos for 15 years,...

Archaeologists Find Swastika in Kazakhstan Landscape

Google Earth spots more than 50 geoglyphs, including the enormous ancient symbol

(Newser) - Google Earth can be used for more than peeking into your neighbor's backyard: Archaeologists have discovered more than 50 geoglyphs in Kazakhstan, thanks to images from the virtual geographical and map service, reports the International Business Times . Geoglyphs are large designs on the ground, usually created out of mounds...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including an ancient Viking fortress and 3 new mushroom species

(Newser) - A 1901 time capsule found inside a head and the thing that keeps Antarctic fish from kicking the ice bucket make the list:
  • Scientists Dig Up Viking Stronghold : Archaeologists have excavated a rare find in Denmark: a Viking fortress. It's the first such discovery in more than 60 years,
...

Amazon Jungle's Nutrient Source: Dead African Fish

Researchers: Powdered bones, scales are feeding Amazon—for now

(Newser) - Researchers have made one of the strangest-sounding discoveries in a while: Long-dead African fish are helping feed the Amazon. How, you ask? Well, millions of tons of dust blow west from the Sahara Desert across the Atlantic Ocean each year. The dust, which acts as a natural fertilizer where it...

Water on Earth Older Than Sun, Earth Itself

Water molecules more than 4.5 billion years old are in our drinking water, oceans

(Newser) - If you live and die by food and beverage expiration dates, you might not want to know how old some of our drinking water is. A study finds that 30% to 50% of the water found in our taps and oceans contains molecules created more than 4.5 billion years...

Century-Old Time Capsule Found Inside Boston Statue

Now the tricky part: getting it out

(Newser) - A lion statue perched atop the Old State House in Boston has been hiding a secret for 113 years: He's got a time capsule inside his head, reports WBZ-TV . When the lion came down for restoration, authorities with the Bostonian Society used a tiny camera to peer inside and...

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