discoveries

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Spiders Can Hear You &#39;Walking and Talking&#39;
Spiders Can
Hear You
'Walking and
Talking'
New Study
Oct 13, 2016 5:30 PM CDT

Spiders Can Hear You 'Walking and Talking'

Researchers find spiders can sense sound from up to 16 feet away

(Newser) - If you're already scared of spiders, you're not going to like this next part. A new study published Thursday in Current Biology found that spiders—specifically a species of jumping spider—can hear sounds from further than 10 feet away. Previously, scientists believed spiders, which lack eardrums, could...

China's Ancient Terracotta Army May Rewrite History

Researchers say they prove that contact with West occurred far earlier than thought

(Newser) - Marco Polo's travels to China in the 13th century are the first well documented record of a European reaching the empire. But archaeologists studying a famous trove of terracotta figures dug up in China now suggest that the first contact with the West occurred much earlier than thought—some...

Pokemon Go Could Help You Live Longer
Pokemon Go
Could Help You
Live Longer
STUDY SAYS
Oct 12, 2016 10:11 AM CDT

Pokemon Go Could Help You Live Longer

All those additional steps could boost longevity, scientists say

(Newser) - More people than ever are squeezing in some light cardio on the streets of America thanks to Pokemon Go, and that game play may also have a side benefit that could increase users' life spans—to the tune of 2.83 million combined years for the estimated 25 million US...

Why Mice Are Nature&#39;s Jet Engines
Why Mice
Are Nature's
Jet Engines
Oct 11, 2016 1:48 PM CDT

Why Mice Are Nature's Jet Engines

The tiny animals use a very rare method to sing high-pitched songs

(Newser) - Wondering what animal might have the most in common with a jet engine? Prepare to be surprised. Elena Mahrt, author of a study published Monday in Current Biology , says mice sing ultrasonic songs using a method "never found before in any animal," according to a press release . It...

Hey, Athletes: Don't Feel Guilty About Sex Before the Game

Italian researchers say sexual activity may even enhance sports performance

(Newser) - It's a line of thought that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome and has been handed down to the athletes of today: For peak performance, abstain from sex before the big event. Or maybe not. Italian researchers have done some digging, and they report in the journal Frontiers ...

Einstein's Fond Letter to Son Up for Auction

He discusses life's work in 1929 missive

(Newser) - Albert Einstein thought he had made the breakthrough of his career and wrote a letter to his son sharing the news. It turned out not to be so. But in his letter, the physicist took a rare moment to reflect on his life's work and offered a glimpse into...

Bumble Bees Learn Trick, Surprise Researchers

Most figured out how to pull string for reward after seeing how it's done

(Newser) - Ever wondered how tiny a bumble bee's brain is? Imagine a sesame seed clinging to a burger bun, reports the Washington Post —in other words, it's about 0.0002% the volume of a human brain, as calculated by Science . But that doesn't mean you can't...

This Is What an Iceman Sounded Like
This Is What an
Iceman Sounded Like
in case you missed it
Oct 8, 2016 2:34 PM CDT

This Is What an Iceman Sounded Like

Scientists recreate voice of Otzi

(Newser) - He is arguably the world's most famous Iceman, and now we have a general idea of what he sounded like. Italian researchers used a CT scan to measure the vocal tract and vocal chords of a 5,300-year-old mummy known as Otzi the Iceman, and produced this video to...

College Student Finds Forgotten 1599 Bible

Geneva Bible sat in a box in college library

(Newser) - A curious college student has rediscovered a copy of what the Oregonian calls "one of the most historically significant Bibles ever published." Junior Sam Bussan had only been working as an archival assistant at Lewis & Clark College's Watzek Library in Portland for less than a month...

Limit on Longevity: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Also: a potential game-changer on HIV

(Newser) - Some sobering news about human mortality and happier news about a not-so-extinct tree were among the discoveries that made headlines this week:
  • Human Lifespan Has Likely Maxed Out : Bad news if you're hoping to live to be older than Dumbledore . Even with advances in health care, no human is
...

In Ancient Grave, 13 Well-Kept Pot Plants

Man was buried with them about 2.5K years ago

(Newser) - You probably wouldn't want to smoke the stuff, but archaeologists have discovered the most well-preserved cannabis plants one could hope for in an ancient Chinese burial. The first discovery of its kind comes from the grave of a man aged about 35—possibly a shaman, reports Discover —buried...

Early Hitler Biography Likely Had Surprise Author: Hitler

Historian says he wrote 1923 book praising himself as a savior

(Newser) - Adolf Hitler's manipulation of the German people may have begun long before he came to power. Back in 1923, when he was the leader of a fledgling Nazi party, a biography surfaced calling him Germany's savior and comparing him to Jesus. Adolf Hitler: His Life and His Speeches...

Eating Cinnamon May Cool Off Your Stomach
Eating Cinnamon May
Cool Off Your Stomach
new study
Oct 7, 2016 7:33 AM CDT

Eating Cinnamon May Cool Off Your Stomach

And that's good news for your health, says study

(Newser) - A possible unexpected benefit of cinnamon: A study in Scientific Reports suggests it can lower stomach temperature by up to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, Live Science reports. While the study used pigs, researchers say the same should hold true for humans. Eating cinnamon with meals seemed to lowered carbon dioxide...

Boys Conceived via Fertility Treatment May Inherit Dad's Poor Sperm

The findings are no reason for prospective parents to avoid ICSI, scientists say

(Newser) - Men conceived using a common fertility treatment appear to pass lower-than-average fertility onto their sons, reports New Scientist . Researchers found that the first generation of male babies conceived via a technique called intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection had lower sperm counts when they reached adulthood. ICSI injects sperm directly into an egg...

Human Lifespan Has Likely Maxed Out


Human Lifespan
Has Likely
Maxed Out
STUDY SAYS
Oct 6, 2016 7:13 AM CDT

Human Lifespan Has Likely Maxed Out

Study: Humans have hit a ceiling of about 115 years

(Newser) - Bad news if you're hoping to live to be older than Dumbledore . Even with advances in health care, no human is likely to make it past 125 years, researchers say. In fact, we seem to have maxed out around 115. After analyzing demographic data from the countries with the...

Old Fire Station Discovered Behind Factory Door

Hoses, uniforms, a pump, and more are all still intact

(Newser) - A surprisingly intact fire station has been found hiding behind a basement door underneath a factory in Britain, Fox News reports. According to the BBC , staff with the Alan Nuttall Partnership, which has been operating out of the factory in Dudley for 30 years, found a set of old keys...

Ancient Bullets Shed Light on Roman Raid in Scotland

Battlefield archaeologists map out 800 lead bullets using special metal detectors

(Newser) - Reading ancient battlefields is no easy task given they so often leave no trace behind—wood disintegrates, iron rusts, and stones aren't detectable. But lead is different, and a cache of hundreds of ancient sling bullets was readily detected thanks to specialized metal detectors in Burnswark Hill in southern...

Parents Warned to Avoid This Type of Baby Teething Product

FDA says homeopathic tablets, gels may cause medical issues in babies

(Newser) - New parents will do almost anything to relieve their little ones' teething pain—but one thing the FDA says they shouldn't do is give their babies homeopathic teething products, Live Science reports. In a Sept. 30 statement , the FDA warns these "natural" tablets and gels found in some...

A Giant Secret in Queen's Garden: 2 'Extinct' Trees

Few knew how to identify rare Wentworth elms

(Newser) - Botanists were sure that the Wentworth elm had gone extinct as part of a mass die-off of elm trees in the UK in the 1970s. Soaring 100 feet in the air in the garden of none other than Queen Elizabeth was proof to the contrary. Two botanists say they've...

Scientists ID New Prehistoric Shark Species
'Remarkable'
New Find in
Shark World
NEW STUDY
Oct 4, 2016 11:16 AM CDT

'Remarkable' New Find in Shark World

Scientists awed that prehistoric Megalolamna paradoxodon escaped detection until now

(Newser) - It was all in the teeth. Scientists have identified an entirely new extinct shark based on the ancient species' chompers gathered in the US, Japan, and Peru, UPI reports. A study of the "elusive" sea swimmer published Monday in the Historical Biology journal describes the great white-like Megalolamna paradoxodon ...

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