discoveries

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

Stories 4621 - 4640 | << Prev   Next >>

Aging Men Can Curse Estrogen, Too

 Aging Men 
 Can Curse 
 Estrogen, Too 
new study
Sep 12, 2013 7:32 AM CDT

Aging Men Can Curse Estrogen, Too

Researchers find that sinking estrogen levels to blame for expanding waists

(Newser) - It turns out both sexes have a reason to curse estrogen. A new study has found that what the New York Times dubs one of men's "familiar physical complaints of midlife"—that ballooning waistline—is not, as long believed, due to dipping testosterone levels. While those levels...

Missing Nazi File Surfaces, Answers Questions

Sheds new light on Rudolf Hess' ill-fated UK peace mission

(Newser) - A dossier containing documents believed to have been drawn up by Nazi Germany's Deputy Fuehrer Rudolf Hess while in captivity in the UK has resurfaced at a Maryland auction house . The 300-page file, marked "Most Secret," helps settle some long-held mysteries about "the Third Reich's...

Scientists Record 800-Foot Undersea Wave

Skyscraper-size waves can take an hour to break: study

(Newser) - Amazing, terrifying, or some combination of both? Scientists have recorded an 800-foot wave breaking at the bottom of the ocean for the first time, Nature World News reports. That's the size of a skyscraper, and these waves can take as long as an hour to break. University of Washington...

Archaeologists Uncover Jerusalem Treasure Trove

Says one archaeologist: I have never found so much gold in my life!'

(Newser) - A dig near Jerusalem's Temple Mount has paid off big time for a team of archaeologists from Hebrew University: They announced yesterday that they've uncovered a 1,400-year-old Byzantine-era treasure trove. Chief among the various gold and silver items recovered is a 4-inch solid gold medallion depicting a...

'Missing Piece' Emerges in Stonehenge Mystery

Landmark's location tied to solstices, not sun-worship

(Newser) - New digging at Stonehenge sheds some light on the ancient site's mysterious ties with the summer and winter solstices. Contrary to what some have speculated, the landmark wasn't built for some sort of sun-worshipping ritual, says a researcher, nor was it "some kind of calendar or astronomical...

Scientists Finally Know What's In Your Pee

Some 3K compounds from 230 chemical classes

(Newser) - Ever wondered what makes up your pee? OK, well, 20 researchers at the University of Alberta did, and they've spent the last seven years developing a urinalysis or—put simply—an encyclopedia of pee. They've made an interesting discovery, too; Medical textbooks may now need to add an...

Volcano the Size of Arizona Discovered
 Volcano the Size of 
 Arizona Discovered 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 8, 2013 9:56 AM CDT

Volcano the Size of Arizona Discovered

Tamu Massif is Earth's biggest such structure

(Newser) - Scientists have made a surprising discovery in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles east of Japan: Earth's largest volcano. Tamu Massif is a monster at 280 miles by 400 miles, or roughly the size of Arizona, and ranks among the largest such structures in our solar system, Nature ...

Syria's History of Chemical Warfare Is 1.7K Years Old

Archaeological evidence indicates invading Persians used it in AD 256

(Newser) - Amid all the uproar over chemical weapons in Syria comes this surprising revelation: What could be the earliest archaeological evidence of chemical weapons was uncovered in the country—and it is some 1,700 years old. A mixture of sulfur and pitch combined with fire was the first way humans...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including one worth $300K

(Newser) - From fascinating discoveries related to the brain (both ours and that of a mouse) to watery reports that are alternately a little scary and very rewarding, it was a week filled with big finds:
  • Down Syndrome 'Reversed' in Mice : Scientists say they've identified a molecule that "reverses"
...

Industrial Revolution Soot Melted Alps' Glaciers

Scientists say it covered the mountains and heated them up

(Newser) - This much isn't in dispute: The glaciers of the European Alps retreated by an average of 0.6 miles between 1860 and 1930. But why, especially when the temperature of the continent itself actually cooled in the same period? Now a team of scientists thinks it has the answer,...

Right- or Left-Brained? There&#39;s No Such Thing
Right- or Left-Brained?
There's No Such Thing
new study
Sep 4, 2013 6:21 AM CDT

Right- or Left-Brained? There's No Such Thing

Study finds we have no preference for one side over the other

(Newser) - If you've long lauded your powerful right brain for providing you with your artistic prowess, some University of Utah researchers have bad news for you: The whole right-brain/left-brain thing isn't true. The neuroscientists analyzed 1,011 brain scans to come to their conclusion about whether people are indeed...

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals
 320K Unknown 
 Viruses Lurk 
 in Mammals 
study says
Sep 3, 2013 7:21 PM CDT

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals

Researchers say money spent to ID them would be well spent

(Newser) - An ambitious new study by some of the world's top virus experts estimates that at least 320,000 still-unidentified viruses are lurking out there among mammals—some presumably with the potential to jump from animals to humans, reports Smithsonian . That's the scary-sounding part. The better part is that...

'Cartels' Are Fueling Generic Drug Shortage

We must ensure a free market: experts

(Newser) - The US generic drugs business is effectively skirting the free market, prompting dangerous shortages that can make the difference between life and death, a group of pharmaceutical experts and activists argue in the New York Times . The US is currently facing shortages of 302 drugs, and a new law last...

Meet the Frog That Listens With Its Mouth

Gardiner's frog has no middle ear or eardrum

(Newser) - They've got no middle ears or eardrums, yet one of the world's smallest frog species still responds to sound—and now, scientists have figured out how. The Gardiner's frog, found in the Republic of Seychelles, picks up noises through its mouth; from there, the sounds head to...

Florida Family's $300K Find: Underwater Gold

300-year-old chains, coins among haul

(Newser) - A 65-year-old Florida man has spent his life searching for treasure off the coast—and Rick Schmitt and his family have just made their biggest-ever discovery. Some 150 yards off the coast of Fort Pierce, and about 15 feet underwater, the Schmitt family found 64 feet of gold chain, five...

Scientists Uncover Clue to Jet Lag
 Scientists Uncover 
 Clue to Jet Lag 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 1, 2013 7:22 AM CDT

Scientists Uncover Clue to Jet Lag

Blame a protein called SIK1

(Newser) - The next time you're battling jet lag, go ahead and curse SIK1. That's the protein that apparently prevents our body clocks from resetting, according to a new study . Researchers studied some 100 genes that start working when they're exposed to light to help recalibrate one's body...

To Avoid Sunburn, Whales Get a Tan

Scientists take first look at how they deal with sun damage

(Newser) - Researchers have found an unusual way in which whales and humans are similar: we both get suntans. Blue whales, especially, tend to tan to protect themselves from the sun's UV rays, reports the Canadian Press . Essentially, they tan during their summer migrations to ward off dangerous sunburns, as a...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Greenland has a canyon bigger than the Grand Canyon

(Newser) - This week's most incredible discoveries include a massive under-ice canyon and the world's biggest fish:
  • Scientists Accidentally Discover Even 'Grander' Canyon : Scientists have—totally by accident—come across a hidden canyon that dwarfs the Grand one. This one, though, has never been seen by humans. It's
...

Scientists Unearth World's Largest Fish

The Leedsichthys grew to up to 50 feet in length

(Newser) - As far as discoveries go, this one is pretty astounding on three counts: It came about by chance, expanded our knowledge of "gigantism," and revealed the world's largest fish. As the Observer reports, two geology students spotted pieces of bone amid the rocks in a quarry in...

Mystery People Beat Vikings to Islands by 500 Years
Mystery People Beat Vikings to Islands by 500 Years
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Aug 25, 2013 11:29 AM CDT

Mystery People Beat Vikings to Islands by 500 Years

Vikings apparently not the first to reach Faroe Islands: archaeologists

(Newser) - Vikings may have reached the Faroe Islands some 1,200 years ago, but it turns out that was no immortal achievement. New research indicates that mystery settlers beat them there by as many as 500 years. Smithsonian reports that in 2006, archaeologists found burnt barley grains—not indigenous to the...

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