discoveries

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

Stories 641 - 660 | << Prev   Next >>

Study: China Manipulated the Weather for Centenary Event

Country used cloud seeding to lower air pollution, bring about clear skies, say researchers

(Newser) - As the 100th anniversary of China's Communist Party approached in July, the government wanted to make sure that the event was pulled off without a hitch—including ensuring there was good weather for the big day. Which is why researchers out of Tsinghua University are now saying that officials...

This Dino Species Has &#39;Something Never Seen Before&#39;
This Dino Species Has
'Something Never Seen Before'
in case you missed it
Dec 5, 2021 11:40 AM CST

This Dino Species Has 'Something Never Seen Before'

Fossil of dog-sized stegouros shows it had a tail that could slash, slice like an ancient Aztec weapon

(Newser) - A fossil found in Chile is from a strange-looking dog-sized dinosaur species that had a unique slashing tail weapon, scientists reported Wednesday. Some dinosaurs had spiked tails they could use as stabbing weapons, and others had tails with clubs. The new species, described in a study in the journal Nature...

This Vesuvius Victim 'Vaporized Instantly'

First skeleton found at Herculaneum in decades is stained red by blood

(Newser) - If you had to endure the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii might not have been the worst place to be. While Pompeii residents are believed to have suffocated in a cloud of ash and gases in just 15 minutes, before they were covered in volcanic debris, new excavations at...

Blame for World's Plastic 'Deluge' Lands Squarely on US

We're the biggest contributor to the waste problem, per new NAS analysis commissioned by Congress

(Newser) - There's a "deluge" of plastic mucking up the Earth's oceans, with the United States serving as the biggest contributor to it. That's according to a new National Academy of Sciences report ordered by Congress that's imploring the US to come up with a plan to...

Arctic Forecast: Rainy With a Chance of Chaos
Arctic Forecast: Rainy
With a Chance of Chaos
new study
Nov 30, 2021 12:25 PM CST

Arctic Forecast: Rainy With a Chance of Chaos

Shift to more rain than snow on track to happen decades earlier than expected

(Newser) - A weird thing happened at the summit of Greenland over the summer: It rained for the first time in recorded history. Now, a new study in Nature Communications delivers a clear message—get used to it. The study predicts that the Arctic is on a path to seeing more rain...

Prehistoric Women Were Bad Moms? Not So Fast
Our View of Prehistoric
Mothers May Be Wrong
in case you missed it
Nov 27, 2021 3:30 PM CST

Our View of Prehistoric Mothers May Be Wrong

Study disputes idea they were bad caregivers

(Newser) - A new study suggests that we've been unfairly giving a bad rap to prehistoric mothers. Researchers from the Australian National University say the idea that early women were bad caregivers is based on a faulty interpretation of ancient burial sites, reports the Australian Associated Press . Because lots of infants...

Couple Used Caligula's Lost Mosaic as Coffee Table

Italian stone expert Dario Del Bufalo speaks on his 2013 discovery

(Newser) - Dario Del Bufalo, an Italian expert on ancient stone, was signing copies of his book, Prophyry, about the reddish-purple rock favored by Roman emperors when a man flipped to a page showing a priceless Roman mosaic that had vanished during World War II. "'Oh, Helen, look, that's...

Small Space Traveler May Be a First
Small Space
Traveler
May Be
a First
in case you missed it
Nov 20, 2021 7:00 AM CST

Small Space Traveler May Be a First

Rock the size of a Ferris wheel appears to be a long-lost piece of the moon in orbit around sun

(Newser) - It's not the first asteroid near Earth to show up in astronomers' telescopes, but this one appears to have a rare distinction. The rock dubbed with the Hawaiian name Kamo`oalewa seems to have come not from deep space, but from our own moon, reports the Guardian . Assuming the theory...

Alzheimer's Vaccine Delivered via the Nose to Be Tested

The vaccine is intended to both prevent Alzheimer's and slow its progress

(Newser) - Dr. Howard Weiner has spent 20 years on research leading up to this moment: the "landmark first human trial" of an Alzheimer's disease nasal vaccine. Sixteen people ranging in age from 60 to 85 will get two doses over the course of two weeks at the Ann Romney...

She's Been Dubbed the 'Esperanza Patient,' Fittingly

Woman's own immune system may have cured her of HIV

(Newser) - She couldn't come from a more fitting place: A woman now dubbed the "Esperanza patient" after her hometown of Esperanza, Argentina, has become the second in the world to seemingly be cured of HIV by her own immune system; "esperanza" translates to hope. More on the discovery,...

Cats May Have a More &#39;Profound Mind&#39; Than We Thought
Cats May Have a
More 'Profound Mind'
Than We Thought
in case you missed it
Nov 14, 2021 1:45 PM CST

Cats May Have a More 'Profound Mind' Than We Thought

Research shows cats track their owners' movements around the house

(Newser) - If you've ever sensed that your aloof cat, who appears to ignore you, nevertheless seems to know just where you are at all times, you may be onto something. A new study out of Japan shows that cats may actually track their owners as they move around the house,...

An Unexpected New COVID Concern: Deer
An Unexpected
New COVID
Concern:
Deer
in case you missed it
Nov 14, 2021 12:55 PM CST

An Unexpected New COVID Concern: Deer

Lots of deer appear to be infected, and they could provide a 'reservoir' for virus to mutate

(Newser) - A new study is throwing a COVID curveball: It seems that a surprisingly high number of white-tailed deer have the infection. And while the deer don't seem to get sick, they could function as a "reservoir" in which the virus can lurk, mutate, and perhaps jump back to...

Astronomers Puzzled by 'Radically Different' Solar System

Planets around HD 3167 have perpendicular orbits

(Newser) - In some solar systems, including our own, planets orbit around the star's equator. In others, they orbit around the star's poles—and in one that has puzzled astronomers, both kinds of orbit have been observed. Researchers say that in the HD 3167 system around 150 light years away,...

Big Whales Eat a Whole Lot More Than We Thought
Big Whales Eat a Whole
Lot More Than We Thought
in case you missed it
Nov 7, 2021 5:10 PM CST

Big Whales Eat a Whole Lot More Than We Thought

We're talking up to 50M calories a day—the equivalent of about 80K Big Macs

(Newser) - It's no surprise that big whales are big eaters, but we may have underestimated just how much the largest varieties are actually consuming. According to new research, baleen whales—which include such species as humpbacks and blue whales—ingest three times more than we previously thought, with some able...

For This Cancer, a &#39;Historic Moment&#39;
For This Cancer,
a 'Historic Moment'
NEW STUDY
Nov 4, 2021 11:32 AM CDT

For This Cancer, a 'Historic Moment'

Cases of cervical cancer slashed by up to 87% thanks to HPV vaccine, new research shows

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of women around the world are killed annually by cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer. Now, a new study offers hope that those fatality numbers could one day be drastically slashed, thanks to what researchers are calling "historic" findings regarding the human papillomavirus, or HPV,...

Boys, Young Men Getting Short End of Mortality Stick
In Deaths of Young
People, a Stark
Gender Gap
NEW STUDY
Nov 2, 2021 1:50 PM CDT

In Deaths of Young People, a Stark Gender Gap

New research finds nearly 2/3 of deaths worldwide in 2019 in 10-24 age group were boys, young men

(Newser) - A group of researchers examined long-term mortality trends among young people, and one finding especially sticks out. Per the study published Saturday in the Lancet journal , males are more likely than their female counterparts to die young, and in many nations, that gender gulf is only getting bigger. The research—...

Study Delves Into Why Sharks Bite Humans
Study Delves Into Why
Sharks Bite Humans
in case you missed it
Oct 31, 2021 12:10 PM CDT

Study Delves Into Why Sharks Bite Humans

'We just happen to look like their food'

(Newser) - Australian researchers say a GoPro and an underwater scooter have helped deepen our understanding of why great white sharks bite humans—namely, that in some cases it really is a case of mistaken identity. Their study, published in the Journal of The Royal Society Interface , involved using that camera and...

Mummy May Rewrite the History of Mummies
Mummy May Rewrite
the History of Mummies
in case you missed it
Oct 30, 2021 7:00 AM CDT

Mummy May Rewrite the History of Mummies

Remains in Egypt may be oldest ever found by about 1,000 years

(Newser) - A dignitary named Khuwy who lived about 4,400 years ago just might end up being one of the more famous mummies in history. Provided his story checks out. Archaeologists in Egypt say the remains discovered in 2019 could prove that Egyptians were carrying out sophisticated mummifications about 1,000...

Researchers Document First Virgin Births by Condors
Genetic Testing
Confirms Condors'
Virgin Births
new study
Oct 29, 2021 4:35 PM CDT

Genetic Testing Confirms Condors' Virgin Births

Parthenogenesis has been documented in other species, but not this one

(Newser) - Endangered California condors can have "virgin births," according to a new study. Researchers with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said genetic testing confirmed that two male chicks hatched in 2001 and 2009 from unfertilized eggs were related to their mothers. Neither was related to a male. The...

For 54 Hours, a Pig's Kidney Worked Normally in a Human

It's a major breakthrough, says the surgeon who performed the transplant

(Newser) - More than 100,000 Americans are on an organ transplant list, and roughly 9 out of every 10 of them are waiting for a kidney—which makes this "breakthrough" such a huge one. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health say they successfully managed to transplant a kidney that was grown...

Stories 641 - 660 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser