discoveries

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

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>

A Plausible Explanation for the Dyatlov Pass Incident
They Fled the Tent
to Their Deaths.
This May Be Why
the rundown
Feb 7, 2021 5:02 PM CST

They Fled the Tent to Their Deaths. This May Be Why

New research suggests a small avalanche occurred

(Newser) - On Feb. 1, 1959, nine students died while on a ski trip in Russia's Ural Mountains. Though their bodies were recovered, the mystery of how they met their end has persisted for 62 years. Now, researchers say they may have determined the cause of what's known as the...

Scientists Get Plants to Trigger Email Alerts

'Plants are very good analytical chemists'

(Newser) - A 2016 study about scientists receiving alerts from spinach went viral this week, bringing fresh attention to the emerging field of plant nanobionics—and sparking plenty of jokes about getting email from your leafy greens. In the study published in the journal Nature Materials , MIT researchers explained that they had...

Reptile That Fits on Fingertip May Be World's Smallest

It could take years to confirm that Madagascar's 'Brookesia nana' chameleon is the tiniest

(Newser) - It fits on a human fingertip, but this chameleon could make a big splash. Scientists from Madagascar and Germany say a newly discovered species of chameleon is a contender for the title of world's smallest reptile, the AP reports. Frank Glaw, who was part of the international team of...

Expert's 'Toughest Day' at Nazi Death Camp Involved This Find

Children's identity tags, some burned with their bodies, found at Sobibor

(Newser) - Four children from Amsterdam stepped off a train in Nazi-occupied eastern Poland and into the death camp of Sobibor, the last place they'd ever know. Killed in 1943, 6-year-old Lea Judith De La Penha, 8-year-old Deddie Zak, 11-year-old David Juda Van der Velde, and 12-year-old Annie Kapper left behind...

True Location of Famed Fort Attacked by Russians Is Found

Tlingits used wood structure to repel Russians on Alaska's Baranof Island

(Newser) - Archaeologists have found the site of a 200-year-old wooden fort where native Alaskans battled colonization and cannonballs. The fort helped the Tlingit people hold back Russian invaders for six days in 1804 before they were forced to leave the land their ancestors had occupied for 11,000 years, per NBC...

For These Gray Whales, a Troubling Trend Continues
3 Unwanted Letters for
Gray Whales: U-M-E
new study
Jan 31, 2021 11:30 AM CST

3 Unwanted Letters for Gray Whales: U-M-E

'Unexplained mortality event': Scientists worry about prolonged spike in deaths

(Newser) - Back in 2019, scientists reported an alarming spike in the number of deaths of gray whales along the Pacific Coast. Now, a new study in the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal confirms the trend continued through 2020. In what they term an "unusual mortality event," researchers have counted...

Catnip Is Fun for Cats, but Also &#39;Functional&#39;
Catnip Does More Than
Make Cats Loopy
NEW STUDY
Jan 24, 2021 12:00 PM CST

Catnip Does More Than Make Cats Loopy

Study suggests it also offers protection from mosquitoes

(Newser) - You may soon come to love catnip as much as your cat. New research suggests the chemicals derived from catnip and silver vine, an even more potent plant that grows in the mountains of Japan and China, can ward off pesky mosquitoes. Masao Miyazaki, a biologist at Japan's Iwate...

Paleontologists Gain Insight Into a Dinosaur&#39;s Butt
Paleontologists Gain Insight
Into a Dinosaur's Butt
new study
Jan 21, 2021 10:05 AM CST

Paleontologists Gain Insight Into a Dinosaur's Butt

They're able to re-create in 3D a cloacal opening

(Newser) - It's a first for paleontology, and one that might produce a giggle. For the first time, scientists have been able to describe in fine detail a dinosaur's cloaca. If you're not familiar with that body part, CNET translates: It's essentially "a jack-of-all-trades butthole." The...

Coffins Found in Egypt Likely Belong to Thousand-Year Cult

King Teti's rule began in 2323 BC; the remains date to a much later period

(Newser) - A decade of archaeological work at a site near Egypt's Pyramid of Teti has paid off. Leading Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass on Sunday announced that the temple of Queen Neit—wife of King Teti, whose rule began in 2323 BC—has been uncovered. The AP reports burial shafts measuring...

You Can Finally Buy the World's Newest Blue

Pigment YInMn Blue, discovered in 2009, makes it to the commercial market

(Newser) - The world's first new blue pigment in 200 years is at last on the market, more than a decade after it was accidently discovered in a lab. Just don't expect to slather YlnMn Blue on your house. As the Smithsonian reports, it's available only at a select...

Anthropologists Recount Grisly Tale of Conquistador Era

One mass atrocity was answered with another in Tecoaque

(Newser) - It's a particularly gruesome page of history. New research suggests Spanish conquistadores butchered at least a dozen women and their children in an Aztec-allied town in an act of revenge, per the AP . It seems the inhabitants had sacrificed and eaten a detachment of Spaniards they'd captured months...

Goo Beetles Put on Carcasses Does More Than Thought

It slows the decay of the bird or mouse, but that's not all, study finds

(Newser) - Some beetles go to great—and disgusting—lengths for their children. They scout for a dead mouse or bird, dig a hole and bury it, pluck its fur or feathers, roll its flesh into a ball and cover it in goop, all to feed their future offspring. Now scientists think...

Researchers Make Surprise Discovery About Electric Eels

Volta's electric eels join the relatively small number of fish that hunt in packs

(Newser) - A new study has revealed a big surprise about electric eels—they hunt in packs. Prior to the study published in Ecology and Evolution , scientists thought the creatures hunted on their own, zapping and then eating fish solo, reports the BBC . But in a Brazilian river in the Amazon, researchers...

Experiment Reveals Possible Telltale Sign of Lying
Experiment Reveals Possible
Telltale Sign of Lying
new study
Jan 14, 2021 1:41 PM CST

Experiment Reveals Possible Telltale Sign of Lying

But it's not one that's visible to the naked eye

(Newser) - How can you spot a liar? After conducting experiments with college students, researchers suggest you look at body movements. Their study published in Royal Society Open Science explains: Nearly 50 male students (females were excluded to "avoid the impact that sex may have on coordination") were paired with...

This Might Be the Oldest Drawing of an Animal, Ever
This Drawing of a Pig
Might Be Historic
new study
Jan 14, 2021 10:55 AM CST

This Drawing of a Pig Might Be Historic

Study suggests image in Indonesian cave is oldest known depiction of an animal

(Newser) - An ancient artist ventured into an Indonesian cave 45,000 years ago and used primitive paint to sketch pigs on the ceiling. In a study at Science Advances , archaeologists have now declared the painting to be the oldest depiction of animals known in history, reports Smithsonian Magazine . The scene depicts...

Different Vaccine Is Making Headlines, This One for MS

BioNTech vaccine reduces severity of symptoms and delays progression, study suggests

(Newser) - BioNTech has a second vaccine making headlines, but this one has nothing to do with COVID. Instead, it shows promise against multiple sclerosis. In a study at Science , researchers say the vaccine reduced the severity of symptoms in lab mice, delayed the disease's progression in mice with early signs...

These Baby Sharks Were Anything but Cute
These Baby Sharks Were
Anything but Cute
new study
Jan 11, 2021 9:55 AM CST

These Baby Sharks Were Anything but Cute

Megalodons were born more than 6 feet long, and they were cannibals

(Newser) - You'd need a whole new song to describe these baby sharks, and it wouldn't be cute. Scientists studying long-extinct megalodons estimate they were born 6.5 feet long, reports the Guardian . And one reason they emerged so large was that they likely snacked on their unhatched siblings while...

One Symptom More Common in Those With Mild COVID


One Symptom
More Common
in Those With
Mild COVID
in case you missed it
Jan 10, 2021 7:30 AM CST

One Symptom More Common in Those With Mild COVID

Patients reported smell loss in 86% of mild cases

(Newser) - A lost sense of smell is one of the odder symptoms of COVID-19. How often does it really happen? A new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine puts some numbers to it. The study is based on a review of 2,581 patients seen at 18 hospitals in...

America&#39;s Rivers Are Changing Colors
America's Rivers
Are Changing Colors
in case you missed it
Jan 9, 2021 11:20 AM CST

America's Rivers Are Changing Colors

About a third have gone from blue to yellow or green over last 3 decades

(Newser) - A bird's-eye view of American rivers shows that roughly 1 in 3 have changed colors over the last three decades, reports Live Science . Specifically, they've gone from blue to shades of yellow or green since 1984, according to a comprehensive analysis of satellite images laid out in a...

She Used It as a Step to Mount Horses, Then Took Closer Look

Ancient Greek inscription results in rock going up for auction

(Newser) - For years, a UK woman used the same rock in her stable as a stepping stone while mounting her horses. Then she happened to notice laurel wreaths and some kind of inscription carved into it, reports CNET . Turns out, that humble rock is a Roman marble slab dating back to...

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>