discoveries

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

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'Godzilla of Earths' Could Harbor Life

Kepler-10c is massive, old, and rocky—a shocking combination

(Newser) - Kepler-10c is a big, rocky planet that may harbor life—but what's most interesting is how big and rocky it is, Space.com reports. An exoplanet about 560 light-years away in the constellation Draco, Kepler-10c was spotted in 2011 and assumed to be gaseous because of its size. But...

To Slow Brain Aging, Learn a New Language

Even if you're already an adult, researchers suggest

(Newser) - We've already heard that being bilingual can help you fight dementia . Now, some follow-up good news: Even if you're an adult, it may not be too late to reap the cognitive benefits of learning a new language, the BBC reports. Researchers performed intelligence tests on 262 bilingual people...

Sick Veterans 'Inhaled Metal': Researchers

Experts describe 'Iraq-Afghanistan war lung injury'

(Newser) - Pulmonary and respiratory diseases have been on the rise in US troops, and researchers are pointing to a possible culprit: metal in their lungs. Experts at Stony Brook University performed lung tests on six ill soldiers "and found titanium in every single one of them," says researcher Anthony...

Archaeologists Find Graves of Confederate Soldiers
Archaeologists Find Graves
of Confederate Soldiers
in case you missed it
May 31, 2014 11:27 AM CDT

Archaeologists Find Graves of Confederate Soldiers

Buried in a Virginia cemetery section created for Union soldiers

(Newser) - Archaeologists have in the last two months uncovered the unmarked graves of as many as 40 Confederate soldiers in Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va. That adds to the tally of about 50 unmarked Confederate graves found in the same part of the cemetery last year—a section known as...

Woolly Mammoths&#39; Undoing: Dogs?
Woolly Mammoths'
Undoing: Dogs?
May 31, 2014 8:54 AM CDT

Woolly Mammoths' Undoing: Dogs?

They may have helped humans round up the huge creatures

(Newser) - Scientists are floating an intriguing new theory about the demise of woolly mammoths: Dogs may have driven them to their graves. Specifically, dogs that learned to hunt with humans, reports Science . The idea stems from research of sites around the world known as mammoth cemeteries because of the huge number...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including something for cynics to beware

(Newser) - A revelation that porn may be a brain-changer, and insight into how Bruce Lee put his brain to use for more productive purposes:
  • Watching Porn Linked to Brain Differences : Men who watch porn tend to be a little different in the head—literally. A study of men between the ages
...

New Claim: Einstein's Brain Not So Special

Psychologist says no secret in Einstein's brain

(Newser) - Maybe he just knew how to use it right. A new paper by Pace University psychologist Terence Hines picks apart previous studies that claim to have identified that special something in the makeup of Einstein's brain. Hines reviewed—and chipped away at—several prominent studies that looked at Einstein'...

New Drinking Water Source: Cow Poop?

Technology turns manure into water that's fit for livestock

(Newser) - A new technology could make a world of difference to struggling farmers low on water but rich in cow poop, scientists say. A Michigan State University team has created a system that extracts drinkable water—at least fit for livestock to drink—from manure, creating roughly 50 gallons of water...

Cynical? You May Be Prone to Dementia

Study from Finland sees a link

(Newser) - Hard-core cynics won't believe a word of it, but Finnish researchers think they're more likely to suffer from dementia late in life. Three times more likely, in fact, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . The researchers surveyed senior citizens to gauge their level of cynicism, asking them, for example,...

Watching Porn Linked to Brain Differences

Study: But it's not clear whether it's a cause or effect

(Newser) - Men who watch porn tend to be a little different in the head—literally. A German study of 64 men between the ages of 21 and 45 that made use of MRIs found that the more porn they reported watching, the smaller the volume of the brain area associated with...

Secret to Bruce Lee Punch? His Brain

His famous one-inch jab is all about synchronization

(Newser) - Bruce Lee could famously pack a wallop from a short distance—as in one inch. But how on earth did he punch with such power in so short a span? Popular Mechanics breaks things down and discovers that while the physical components of the punch are indeed impressive, the real...

Dinosaurs Survived by Shrinking
 Dinosaurs 
 Survived by 
 Shrinking 
study says
May 27, 2014 2:10 PM CDT

Dinosaurs Survived by Shrinking

10K dinosaur species live on 'in form of birds,' says study author

(Newser) - How many dinosaur species roam the Earth today? "About 10,000 ... in the form of birds," says Oxford paleontologist Robert Benson, one of the authors of a study published in Plos Biology that clarifies dinosaurs' evolutionary path. As Astrobiology explains (and as you may be thinking), the belief...

Peat Bog the Size of England Discovered

Congolese find is some 23 feet deep

(Newser) - The Republic of the Congo is home to a peat bog the size of England—but experts have only just discovered it. "There are parts of the planet that are still uncharted territory," says a scientist involved in the exploration of the site. "Few people venture into...

California Undergrad Makes Astronomy Breakthrough

No term exists for Michael Sandoval's stellar discovery

(Newser) - At just 21 years old, a California college student has made an incredible discovery: Michael Sandoval and his astrophysics professor at San Jose State have spotted what they believe is one galaxy that was swallowed up by another. The result is a dense system of stars—apparently the densest ever...

Physicists: We Know How to Turn Light Into Matter
Physicists: We Know How
to Turn Light Into Matter
in case you missed it
May 24, 2014 7:15 AM CDT

Physicists: We Know How to Turn Light Into Matter

And it could happen within a year, they say

(Newser) - Scientists are on the brink of turning light into matter—a process first theorized in 1934 but then described by the very men behind the idea as "hopeless to try." The subatomic particles the Imperial College London physicists say they've figured out how to produce will not...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including the rediscovery of a long-lost snake

(Newser) - A theory that Spanish conquerers left their mark on Peru in a way they never imagined and an intriguing discovery about married couples are on the list:
  • Spanish Conquest Literally Changed Peru's Shape : The coming of the Spanish conquistadors changed Peru's shape forever—literally, according to researchers who
...

Not Getting Pregnant? Check Your Cholesterol
Not Getting Pregnant?
Check Your Cholesterol
new study
May 23, 2014 2:10 PM CDT

Not Getting Pregnant? Check Your Cholesterol

Study finds link between high cholesterol, trouble conceiving

(Newser) - High cholesterol is bad for more than just your arteries. A study released this week found that high cholesterol may make it tougher for couples to get pregnant, the Washington Post reports. Researchers came to their conclusion after following 501 couples who were trying to conceive (and controlling for other...

Toddlers' Blood Could Hold Key to Beating Malaria

New vaccine traps disease inside blood cells

(Newser) - Researchers think they've found a promising new potential weapon in the fight against malaria in a fairly unlikely place: the blood of toddlers. In a paper published in Science today, researchers detail how they examined the blood of more than 750 children in Tanzania. They found that about 6%...

Fruit Flies Pause to Think About Decisions

Tiny flies share decision-making gene with humans

(Newser) - The fruit fly's tiny speck of a brain has astonished researchers once again. The flies, given the choice of flying into different chambers with varying levels of a scent they associated with danger, lingered longer over the decision as the differences became smaller, showing signs of the same decision-making...

Mysterious Illness Blows In From China
 Mysterious Illness 
 Blows In From China 
new study
May 22, 2014 10:31 AM CDT

Mysterious Illness Blows In From China

Kawasaki disease is on the rise

(Newser) - A potential big step forward in discovering the cause of a childhood heart disease so mysterious that it was referred to as GOK—short for "God only knows"—for the decade after its 1961 identification: Scientists now believe that the agent that causes Kawasaki disease, eventually named for...

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