discoveries

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

Stories 581 - 600 | << Prev   Next >>

Queen About to Rock Us With 'Little Gem' From Freddie Mercury

Band to share previously unreleased song 'Face It Alone' in September

(Newser) - We're still allowed to have nice things. At least if you're a Queen fan, based on news from founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor. Variety reports that the two recently sat down with BBC Radio 2 and made a revelation sure to please devotees of the band:...

This Plant Is as Big as 20K Football Fields
This May Be Earth's
Largest Organism
in case you missed it
Jun 5, 2022 1:30 PM CDT

This May Be Earth's Largest Organism

A single Posidonia australis seagrass covers 77 square miles off western Australia

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered what is arguably the world's largest living organism, which is roughly the size of 20,000 football fields and about 4,500 years old. It's a seagrass known as Poseidon's ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, which started as a seed spawned from two different...

Researchers: Dogs Can Detect COVID Better Than Some Tests
Scientists Find Much Cuter
Way to Sniff Out COVID
NEW STUDY
Jun 3, 2022 5:25 PM CDT

Scientists Find Much Cuter Way to Sniff Out COVID

Canines trained to smell for virus correctly IDed 97% of positive cases, 100% of asymptomatic ones

(Newser) - Suspect you have COVID but don't feel up to dragging yourself out to an urgent care for testing? Sometime in the future, you may be able to simply call your dog over. At least, that's what researchers are hoping after they found that dogs trained to sniff out...

Some Elephants Are Pooping Out Plastic Forks
Some Elephants Are
Turning Into Plastic Polluters
new study
May 31, 2022 4:22 PM CDT

Some Elephants Are Turning Into Plastic Polluters

Some consume plastic in dumps then excrete it in forests, study finds

(Newser) - Much has been written about humans' consumption of microplastics . Ditto on the impacts of plastic waste on our oceans . Now comes a report on the plastics—items a heck of a lot bigger than microplastics—that elephants eat and how deep into otherwise unspoiled forests they end up depositing it....

Want to Scare a Male Mouse? Try a Banana


Want to Scare
a Male Mouse?
Try a Banana
new study
May 31, 2022 11:22 AM CDT

Want to Scare a Male Mouse? Try a Banana

Scientists make an odd, and accidental, discovery

(Newser) - It's one of the weirder scientific discoveries in a while: Scientists accidentally found that mice are afraid of bananas—but only male mice, and particularly virgins. It seems that bananas give off the same scent that female mice emit when they're warning males to steer clear of their...

His Grandfather Found a Tree That Could Be Planet&#39;s Oldest
His Grandfather Found a Tree
That Could Be Planet's Oldest
in case you missed it
May 29, 2022 12:40 PM CDT

His Grandfather Found a Tree That Could Be Planet's Oldest

Dr. Jonathan Barichivich's modeling indicates it could be 5,484 years old

(Newser) - Great-Grandfather is a pretty appropriate name for this tree, though Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-etc. might be more accurate. A Chilean scientist based in Paris says an Alerce tree (also known as Alerce Milenario) located in Chile might actually be the world's oldest tree—by a longshot. Dr. Jonathan Barichivich suspects it is...

One Creature Is Thriving in a Hotter California
Rattlesnakes Are Thriving
in California
new study
May 27, 2022 12:03 PM CDT

Rattlesnakes Are Thriving in California

Study suggests that will continue as temperatures warm

(Newser) - Residents of California and the Southwest may want to brush up on the do's and dont's of rattlesnake encounters. A new study suggests the snakes' population there is thriving and will continue to do so, reports the Guardian . The reason is the very one causing grief for humans...

Hugs May Help Women More Than Men
Hugs May Help Women
More Than Men
new study
May 23, 2022 9:45 AM CDT

Hugs May Help Women More Than Men

Study finds that partners' embrace reduces stress for women, not so much for guys

(Newser) - A quick embrace between romantic partners may do wonders for a woman, a new study in PLOS One suggests, but the same apparently can't be said for men. The study suggests that a hug reduces stress levels in women before a stressful task, though no such benefits were found...

Skull Found by Kayakers Isn't What Sheriff Expected

It belonged to a young man who lived 8K years ago in what is now Minnesota

(Newser) - Forensic testing on a skull found in the Minnesota River has brought a surprise—instead of solving a modern missing-person's case, the skull belonged to a young man who lived about 8,000 years ago. As Minnesota Public Radio reports, kayakers spotted the remains last summer in the drought-depleted...

&#39;Smart&#39; Pacifier May Improve Babies&#39; Health Care
New Tool for Babies' Health:
a 'Smart' Pacifier
new study
May 21, 2022 11:30 AM CDT

New Tool for Babies' Health: a 'Smart' Pacifier

Device monitors electrolytes without the need to draw blood

(Newser) - Add pacifiers to the list of "smart" devices. Researchers at Washington State University have created one designed to improve health care for babies in the ICU, reports CBS News . As they explain in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics , the devices helped nurses and doctors monitor electrolytes in hospitalized infants...

Young Spinal Fluid Improves Memory in Older Mice
Fight Against Aging
Enters a 'Whole New Era'
NEW STUDY
May 17, 2022 12:09 PM CDT

Fight Against Aging Enters a 'Whole New Era'

Young spinal fluid is seen to improve memory in older mice, per new research

(Newser) - Researchers are heralding "a whole new era" in the search for Alzheimer's treatments, with a new study suggesting those treatments don't necessarily need to address damage in the brain. Tony Wyss-Coray of Stanford University previously showed infusions of blood from younger animals could reverse the effects of...

&#39;Holy Cow. Plants Actually Grow in Lunar Stuff&#39;
'Holy Cow. Plants Actually
Grow in Lunar Stuff'
new study
May 15, 2022 10:03 AM CDT

'Holy Cow. Plants Actually Grow in Lunar Stuff'

Researchers grow plants in dirt brought back from the moon

(Newser) - For the first time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts. Researchers had no idea if anything would sprout in the harsh moon dirt and wanted to see if it could be used to grow food by the next generation of lunar...

In the Utah Desert, Rising Temps May 'Bust the Crust'

Biocrusts are vital to desert life, but they can only take so much heat

(Newser) - At first glance, most desert landscapes appear uniformly parched and bland. It’s easy to overlook cryptobiotic soil, or biocrust: the blackened “skin” that forms the vital top layer of desert soil. A closer look reveals a vibrant community of microbial cyanobacteria, algae, mosses, fungi, and lichens. And without...

Researchers Make &#39;Breakthrough&#39; SIDS Finding
Researchers Make
'Breakthrough' SIDS Finding
new study
May 12, 2022 4:47 PM CDT

Researchers Make 'Breakthrough' SIDS Finding

Babies who die of the syndrome have lower levels of a particular enzyme, says new study

(Newser) - A researcher who lost her own child to SIDS has made a discovery that could help other parents avoid the same fate. A team led by Australian scientist Carmel Harrington has found that babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome have low levels of a particular enzyme, reports Australia'...

Rarely Seen Fish Captured on Video


Video Catches
Rare Glimpse
of Elusive
Fish
video
May 9, 2022 11:17 AM CDT

Video Catches Rare Glimpse of Elusive Fish

Highfin dragonfish is spotted in California

(Newser) - Meet Bathophilus flemingi, better known by its more accessible name of highfin dragonfish. Scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California captured video of the rarely seen creature at a depth of about 1,000 feet, thanks to a remotely operated vehicle, reports NPR . "In more than...

She Had a Hunch on Her $34.99 Goodwill Find. She Was Right
She Had a Hunch
on Her $34.99
Goodwill Find.
She Was Right
in case you missed it
May 8, 2022 4:00 PM CDT

She Had a Hunch on Her $34.99 Goodwill Find. She Was Right

Art collector confirms she bought a stone bust straight out of ancient Rome

(Newser) - Four years ago, an art collector picked up an old stone bust at a Texas thrift shop for less than $40. It was money well spent: The sculpture has been confirmed to be an artifact straight out of ancient Rome. KHOU reports that Laura Young stumbled upon the bust, nestled...

Hope on Horizon for Painful, Incurable Hand Disease

Known drug appears to reverse progress of early-stage Dupuytren's disease

(Newser) - You probably take for granted the ability to stick your hand in your pocket, use a keyboard, and grip a steering wheel. But all this can be challenging for sufferers of a painful and incurable disease that causes fibrotic scar tissue to develop at the base of the fingers. In...

Kmart Clothes a Clue to Body Found in Barrel at Lake Mead

Police say victim was shot

(Newser) - Update: Police have shared details about the body found inside a barrel that was discovered on the newly exposed bottom of Nevada's Lake Mead, saying the remains belong to a person who'd been shot. Investigators are dating the crime to the late 1970s or early '80s, with...

'Sorely Needed' Study Weighs In on Early Transgender Identity

Those who begin IDing as transgender at young age tend to keep that identity, research finds

(Newser) - Children who begin identifying as transgender at a young age tend to retain that identity at least for several years, a study published Wednesday suggests. The research involved 317 youngsters who were 3 to 12 years old when they were recruited to the study. Five years later, at the study'...

Stress-Loving Plants May Hold Benefits for Us
Hardy Plant's Lesson: 
It Thrives Under Stress
new study
May 3, 2022 1:55 PM CDT

Hardy Plant's Lesson: It Thrives Under Stress

Researchers tap into its secrets, which could hold value amid climate change

(Newser) - No matter where they grow, most plants have a built-in mechanism that shuts down growth during periods of drought or other harsh conditions. Likewise, most plants will wither and die if those harsh conditions persist. This survival mechanism is controlled by abscisic acid, or ABA, a stress hormone. All land...

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