discoveries

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

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New Hope for Chronic Back Pain Lies in Cannabis
New Hope for Chronic
Back Pain Lies in Cannabis
new study
Sep 29, 2025 2:26 PM CDT

New Hope for Chronic Back Pain Lies in Cannabis

Study sees promise for a certain extract

(Newser) - An experimental medication made from marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new study, offering further support for the drug's potential in treating one of the most common forms of chronic pain, per the AP . Crucially, the extract did so without side effects or addiction risk, notes AFP . The...

Scientists Found Marine Life Where They Didn't Expect It

Thriving on World War II explosives in the Baltic Sea, specifically

(Newser) - An undersea submersible has spotted crabs, worms, and fish thriving on the surfaces of World War II explosives thought to be toxic to marine life. At a former weapons dump site in the Baltic Sea, scientists found more creatures living on top of warheads than in the surrounding seabed. "...

Ancient Skull May Rewrite Human Origins
Ancient Skull May
Rewrite Human Origins
new study
Sep 26, 2025 8:26 AM CDT

Ancient Skull May Rewrite Human Origins

New analysis points to early coexistence with Neanderthals and others

(Newser) - An ancient skull unearthed in China may push back the origins of our species by half a million years, challenging long-held beliefs about when—and with whom—early humans roamed the Earth, reports the BBC . The research published in Science suggests Homo sapiens coexisted with Neanderthals and other relatives...

Routine Vaccines May Help Cut Dementia Risk: Studies

Researchers highlight flu, shingles, and RSV for potential brain benefits

(Newser) - A growing body of research suggests that several common vaccines may do more than just prevent infectious diseases—they're also linked to a lower risk of developing dementia. Physicians and researchers point to this as an added incentive for adults, especially older ones, to keep up with routine...

Trees in the Amazon Are Getting Bigger
Trees in the Amazon
Are Getting Bigger
new study
Sep 25, 2025 12:37 PM CDT

Trees in the Amazon Are Getting Bigger

Average size increases, a somewhat surprising result of climate change

(Newser) - A study out of the UK adds a new wrinkle to how climate change will affect the Amazon rainforest: It turns out that trees there are getting bigger. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the RAINFOR Amazon Forest Inventory Network found that the average tree size has increased...

AI Models Now Ace Toughest CFA Exam in Minutes
Tough CFA Exam?
No Biggie for AI
NEW STUDY
Sep 24, 2025 12:25 PM CDT

Tough CFA Exam? No Biggie for AI

Study shows AI models conquering even essay challenges on notoriously difficult Level III test

(Newser) - Artificial intelligence has hit a new milestone in the world of finance: Top models can now breeze through the notoriously tough Level III CFA exam in minutes, a task that typically demands years of preparation and roughly 1,000 hours of study from human candidates. New research by New...

New Dino Species Found Munching on a Crocodile
A New Dino Species Was
Found Munching on a Croc
NEW STUDY
Sep 24, 2025 11:30 AM CDT

A New Dino Species Was Found Munching on a Croc

Previously unknown megaraptor emerges in Argentina

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a new dinosaur from Argentina with powerful claws, feasting on an ancient crocodile bone. The new find was possibly 23 feet long and hailed from a mysterious group of dinosaurs called megaraptorans, per the AP . They prowled across what's now South America, Australia, and parts of...

ER Deaths Climb After Private Equity Takes Over
ER Deaths Climb After
Private Equity Takes Over
new study
Sep 24, 2025 11:10 AM CDT

ER Deaths Climb After Private Equity Takes Over

Staffing cuts linked to higher mortality in emergency departments, researchers say

(Newser) - When private equity (PE) firms take over hospitals, emergency room patients suffer, or so suggests a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine . Researchers found that emergency room death rates increased 13% at hospitals acquired by PE firms compared to similar hospitals without such ownership; that translates...

New Therapy Puts the Brakes on Huntington's Disease

Experimental gene therapy slows brain decline by 75% in patients with the inherited fatal disease

(Newser) - Doctors say Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time, offering hope for those affected by the inherited fatal condition. The condition, which typically strikes in a person's 30s or 40s and progresses over about 20 years, causes severe neurological decline, per the BBC . In...

'Unexpected' Find in Rembrandt's Most Famous Piece

Dog from The Night Watch was modeled after drawing from lesser-known Dutch artist

(Newser) - It didn't exactly take dogged detective work for an art sleuth in Amsterdam to solve a canine conundrum dating back to the Dutch Golden Age. Anne Lenders, a curator at the city's landmark Rijksmuseum, said Tuesday that it was more or less by accident that she discovered that...

Earth Has a Small 'Quasi-Moon'
Earth Has a Small
'Quasi-Moon'
new study
Sep 22, 2025 12:07 PM CDT

Earth Has a Small 'Quasi-Moon'

Asteroid 2025 PN7 has been shadowing Earth for decades

(Newser) - A small asteroid has been quietly following the Earth around the sun for decades, and this "quasi-moon" is expected to stick around for a while longer before shooting off into space. The asteroid dubbed 2025 PN7 was first detected in August by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii, but...

College Students Who Eat Keto May See an Added Perk

Small study shows major drop in depression symptoms among those who follow ketogenic diet

(Newser) - A pilot study out of Ohio State University suggests that a ketogenic diet may help reduce depression symptoms in college students already receiving standard treatment. Sixteen students diagnosed with major depressive disorder followed a strict keto regimen—less than 50 grams of carbs daily, with higher fat and moderate...

'Clever Little Molecule' Could Be Quick Carbon Monoxide Antidote

Engineered protein clears toxin from blood in minutes

(Newser) - Researchers are testing a new protein-based treatment that could dramatically speed up care for carbon monoxide poisoning, a condition responsible for up to 100,000 emergency room visits and 1,500 deaths annually in the US. Carbon monoxide, an invisible and scentless gas, deprives organs of oxygen by binding...

Wildfire Smoke Poised to Be Top Climate Health Threat

Study notes tens of thousands of annual deaths from smoke exposure, with more harm expected

(Newser) - A new study forecasts that wildfire smoke will become the leading climate-related health hazard in the United States, eclipsing risks like extreme heat by midcentury. The analysis estimates that smoke is already responsible for upward of 41,000 excess deaths annually—a figure more than double previous estimates. Researchers...

Wild Chimps Consume the Equivalent of 2 Drinks a Day
Wild Chimps Consume the
Equivalent of 2 Drinks a Day
NEW STUDY
Sep 18, 2025 10:05 AM CDT

Wild Chimps Consume the Equivalent of 2 Drinks a Day

Their drink of choice: naturally fermented fruit juices

(Newser) - In the forests of Africa, wild chimpanzees are buzzing —unwittingly sipping the equivalent of two cocktails a day, according to new research. Scientists from UC Berkeley and other institutions spent three field seasons in Uganda and Cote d'Ivoire gathering and testing fruit regularly consumed by wild chimps...

Aspirin Slashes Risk of Colorectal Cancer Comeback
'Wonder Drug' Has
Another Apparent Perk
NEW STUDY
Sep 18, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

'Wonder Drug' Has Another Apparent Perk

Aspirin slashed risk of colorectal cancer coming back after surgery in new research

(Newser) - A daily low dose of aspirin could sharply cut the risk of colorectal cancer returning after surgery, according to a large Scandinavian trial. Researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute tracked more than 3,500 patients who had surgery to remove colorectal tumors. Genetic screening revealed that roughly 40% of...

A Big First, Found Underground in Albania

Archaeologists unearth a Roman-era tomb, pointing to a wealthy family's burial

(Newser) - Beneath the hills of rural Albania, archaeologists have uncovered the country's first Roman-era tomb, possibly belonging to a wealthy family, shedding new light on ancient life in the Balkans. The mausoleum, dating back to the third or fourth century CE, was unearthed near Strikcan, close to the North...

Scientists Explain the 'Halos' Around LA's Ocean Barrels

Tests suggest barrels hold caustic alkaline waste, which reacts with seawater

(Newser) - Beneath the waves off Los Angeles, thousands of corroded metal barrels surrounded by ghostly white halos have puzzled scientists for years. Now, new research suggests these underwater mysteries hold a toxic secret—but not the one once assumed. The barrels, first noticed in 2011 and later found to number...

Venice's Winged Lion May Not Be a Lion
Venice's
Winged Lion
May Not
Be a Lion
new study
Sep 14, 2025 8:59 AM CDT

Venice's Winged Lion May Not Be a Lion

Researchers trace origins to ancient China, suggest it was a 'zhenmushou' tomb guardian

(Newser) - Venice's famed winged lion statue—often snapped by tourists in St. Mark's Square—may have begun its journey not in Italy but thousands of miles away in ancient China, a new study suggests. What's more, the statue may not depict a lion exactly, per PhysOrg . Archaeologists...

Octopus Study Left One Biologist 'in Awe'
Octopus Study Left
One Biologist 'in Awe'
new study
Sep 13, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

Octopus Study Left One Biologist 'in Awe'

Researchers managed to analyze their limb use in the wild

(Newser) - Humans may be right-handed or left-handed. It turns out octopuses don't have a dominant arm, but they do tend to perform some tasks more often with their front arms, new research shows. Scientists studied a series of short videos of wild octopuses crawling, swimming, standing, fetching, and groping—among...

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