discoveries

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

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

Rembrandt Discovered in Maine Attic Sells for $1.4M

A European collector now owns 17th-century 'Portrait of a Girl,' found at Camden estate

(Newser) - You never know what you'll find hidden in a Maine attic: lobster traps, weathered Stephen King novels, perhaps a long-lost Rembrandt. The latter is what turned up in an estate in Camden, and it's now in the hands of a European collector, who scooped it up at auction...

Three Glass Beads Change Thinking on Moon's Volcanoes

Scientists say they were still erupting far more recently than thought

(Newser) - Volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth, new research suggests. The evidence: three tiny glass beads plucked from the surface of the moon and brought to Earth in 2020 by a Chinese spacecraft, per the AP . Their chemical makeup indicates that there were active lunar volcanoes...

Ozempic May &#39;Slow Down the Aging Process&#39;
Ozempic May 'Slow Down
the Aging Process'
NEW STUDY
Sep 3, 2024 12:39 PM CDT

Ozempic May 'Slow Down the Aging Process'

Studies suggest drug reduces risk of death from all causes, as well as inflammation

(Newser) - Semaglutide, the active ingredient of Ozempic and Wegovy, has been painted as a miracle weight-loss drug, with evidence suggesting it also reduces risk of death and serious illness in people with diabetes and kidney disease. Now, a series of studies indicate semaglutide might do more than that. The drug "...

Your Heart May Thank You for Paying Back Your 'Sleep Debt'

Research finds catching up on lost sleep on weekends may lower risk of heart disease

(Newser) - Past research has suggested that sleeping late over the weekend can't make up for the sleep you may have lost during the week (i.e., your "sleep debt"), but a new study out of China puts forth at least one possible benefit of that extra shut-eye, which...

Identical Dinosaur Tracks Found a World Apart
Identical Dinosaur Tracks
Found a World Apart
new study
Aug 30, 2024 5:10 PM CDT

Identical Dinosaur Tracks Found a World Apart

Scientists say discovery shows they walked what is now Africa and South America before continents split

(Newser) - Researchers studying hundreds of dinosaur tracks in Africa and South America noticed an odd thing—the tracks are virtually identical despite being roughly 3,700 miles apart and separated by an ocean, reports NPR . But this isn't a case of cousin dinosaurs roaming different parts of the world 120...

We&#39;re Not the Only Primates to Use Names
These Monkeys Have
Names for Each Other
NEW STUDY
Aug 30, 2024 12:04 PM CDT

These Monkeys Have Names for Each Other

Marmosets are the only other non-human primates found to use names, researchers say

(Newser) - Humans aren't the only primates who call each other by name, according to a new study. Researchers say marmosets—a chatty, highly social monkey species that lives in South American rainforests—use specific calls to address specific individuals, behavior only previously observed in humans, bottlenose dolphins, and African elephants...

It&#39;s OK, You Can Safely Donate a Kidney
It's OK, You Can
Safely Donate a Kidney
NEW STUDY
Aug 28, 2024 12:05 PM CDT

It's OK, You Can Safely Donate a Kidney

'The last decade has become a lot more safe in the operating room for living donors,' says study co-author

(Newser) - People who volunteer to donate a kidney face an even lower risk of death than doctors have long thought, researchers reported Wednesday. The study tracked 30 years of living kidney donation and found that by 2022, fewer than 1 in every 10,000 donors died within three months of the...

Couples May Want to Deploy a 5-Second Rule
Time for Couples to
Deploy a 5-Second Rule
new study
Aug 24, 2024 5:15 PM CDT

Time for Couples to Deploy a 5-Second Rule

Study suggests taking a break that short can prevent arguments from escalating

(Newser) - Couples who find themselves in an argument might want to consider a simple tool to keep things from escalating out of control: a five-second pause. A new study by psychology researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found that a break of even that short duration helped people...

Jamestown DNA Reveals a Family Secret
Jamestown DNA Reveals
a Family Secret
new study
Aug 24, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Jamestown DNA Reveals a Family Secret

Researchers discover what would have been a scandalous birth at the time

(Newser) - Researchers studying the DNA of a man buried at the colony of Jamestown 400 years ago have uncovered a secret in his prominent family—he was born "illegitimate," which would have been scandalous in his day, per a release at Phys.org . What's more, his family appears...

Rover Finds Evidence That Magma Covered Moon

Indian mission's findings support Lunar Magma Ocean theory

(Newser) - A rover investigating a previously unexplored area on the moon has found more evidence to support the theory that the lunar surface was once covered with an ocean of magma. After India's Chandrayaan-3 mission brought the Vikram lander to the moon's south pole a year ago, the Pragyaan...

Your Brain May Be 0.5% Plastic
Brain May Contain Way More
Plastic Than Other Organs
NEW STUDY
Aug 21, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Brain May Contain Way More Plastic Than Other Organs

Amounts seen in pre-print study are more 'than I ever would have imagined,' author says

(Newser) - Tiny plastic fragments have been found in human brains, lungs, livers, kidneys, placentas, testicles , knee and elbow joints, and even blood vessels and bone marrow, highlighting the huge problem of plastic pollution . Now, a new study has some microplastics researchers demanding "a global emergency" be declared in response. The...

Student Stumbles Across Some Stunning Viking Silver

Archaeology student in Denmark finds 7 'spectacular' arm rings

(Newser) - An archaeology student unearthed seven "spectacular" Viking-era curled silver arm rings earlier this year north of Denmark's second-largest city, a Danish museum said on Monday, adding that the finding has ties to Russia, Ukraine, and the British Isles. The Moesgaard Museum , located south of Aarhus where the relics...

Mastodon Unearthed in Iowa Possibly Eaten by Humans
Mastodon Bones
Unearthed in Iowa
Aug 19, 2024 7:06 AM CDT

Mastodon Bones Unearthed in Iowa

Scientists hope to find 'identifiable cut marks' made by humans on the 13,600-year-old bones

(Newser) - The well-preserved skull of an extinct mastodon has been discovered in Iowa. Officials from the University of Iowa's Office of the State Archaeologist said a 12-day excavation yielded "several mastodon bones," largely from the skull of the massive animal, belonging to the same order as elephants and...

Stonehenge&#39;s Altar Stone Came From Scotland
Stonehenge's Altar Stone
Came From Very Far Away
NEW STUDY
Aug 14, 2024 12:40 PM CDT

Stonehenge's Altar Stone Came From Very Far Away

Neolithic people somehow transported it hundreds of miles from Scotland, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers aren't sure what the purpose of the Altar Stone at the center of Stonehenge was, but they now know where it came from—and it traveled a lot farther than they expected. According to a study published in the journal Nature , the six-ton sandstone slab came from Orcadian...

Horses May Be Smarter Than We Think
Horses
May Be
Smarter
Than We Think
new study
Aug 12, 2024 8:21 AM CDT

Horses May Be Smarter Than We Think

Study suggests they have the ability to strategize

(Newser) - A new study suggests that horses are more intelligent than thought, with the ability to strategize rather than just react in the moment. Researchers at the UK's Nottingham Trent University sussed this out with a three-stage experiment involving 20 horses, reports the BBC . In the first stage, the horses...

Wildfire Smoke Signals Some Trees to Hold Their Breath

Researchers document a unique reaction from pines when smoke fills the air

(Newser) - During wildfires, people are urged to stay inside with shut windows to avoid inhaling smoke. Surrounding trees don't have that option, of course, but a new study suggests that some species can protect themselves from dangerous air quality, too. Yale Environment 360 reports that a team of researchers out...

We Have More Evidence of Human &#39;Hobbits&#39;
We Have More
Evidence of
Human 'Hobbits'
NEW STUDY
Aug 7, 2024 4:48 PM CDT

We Have More Evidence of Human 'Hobbits'

Flores island discoveries include smallest known hominin humerus

(Newser) - More remains of "hobbits" discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores lend strength to the theory that these unusual humans descended from an isolated group who experienced dwarfism , researchers say. The 700,000-year-old teeth and upper arm bone, described in a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications , are among...

When Other Pets Die, Cats Go Into Mourning
When Pets in the House
Die, Cats Go Into Mourning
NEW STUDY
Aug 7, 2024 2:35 PM CDT

When Pets in the House Die, Cats Go Into Mourning

New research suggests kitties grieve the loss of other pets they live with, both cats and dogs

(Newser) - Past studies have suggested that cats aren't as aloof and uncaring about what's going on around them as they might seem, and now a new one lends some weight to that. Researchers out of Michigan's Oakland University say that when other pets in the household die, cats...

Dark Chocolate Has an Even Darker Secret
Dark Chocolate Has
an Even Darker Secret
in case you missed it
Aug 4, 2024 3:35 PM CDT

Dark Chocolate Has an Even Darker Secret

Scientists looking for toxic heavy metals find lead, cadmium in dozens of samples of the sweet treat

(Newser) - Every so often, a study emerges touting the benefits of eating chocolate, with dark chocolate earning special praise . New research, however, has unearthed toxic heavy metals in dozens of dark-chocolate products sold by Amazon, Whole Foods, and GNC, among other retailers. For the peer-reviewed research published Tuesday in the journal...

Researchers Unravel a Beech Tree Mystery
Researchers Unravel
a Beech Tree Mystery
NEW STUDY
Aug 4, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Researchers Unravel a Beech Tree Mystery

Trees across Europe drop their seeds at the same time, and the solstice appears to be key

(Newser) - European beech trees pull off a remarkable feat that has fascinated scientists for some time, and according to Quanta Magazine , researchers have just made a big advance in understanding it. The study, published in Nature Plants , shines light into how trees across the entire continent synchronize so they are all...

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