5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a possibly huge find in King Tut's tomb and a presidential scandal
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 15, 2015 5:28 AM CDT
5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week
Big stuff could be going down in Egypt.   (Shutterstock)

A potential bombshell discovery related to King Tut is among the week's top disocveries:

  • Could This Be the World's Greatest Archaeological Find Ever? A University of Arizona archaeologist thinks so. Nicholas Reeves says he believes Queen Nefertiti's remains may be buried in the tomb of her stepson, King Tut. Even more amazing, he says he was able to come up with this theory simply by studying scans posted online by Spanish art-replication experts. "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong," he says. "But if I'm right ..."
  • DNA Proves Warren Harding Should've Had His Own Reality Show: It's been rumored since the 1920s that Nan Britton had an affair with the 29th president and bore his love child. But genealogists now say that rumor has finally morphed into reality thanks to DNA testing and relatives on both sides who sought the truth. Some are still conflicted about the results, but DNA experts say it's a "definitive answer."

  • Parenting Could Make You More Depressed Than Death: Why do so many people in the developed world stop having children after their first? Researchers who set out to answer that found having a child made the majority of participants more unhappy than divorce, unemployment, or the death of a partner. It seems like a rather extreme conclusion, but when you see the proposed reasons why, it makes sense (especially if you're already a parent).
  • Finding Your Religion May Help Your Mental Health: Attending a church, synagogue, or mosque may be better for one's mental health than engaging in sports, furthering one's education, or volunteering, researchers say. Religious activities were the only type of activity to contribute to sustained happiness in the study, and the scientists float a few theories why that may be.
  • You May Be Paying Down Your Debt All Wrong: Conventional wisdom says to pay down debt with the highest interest rates first, but a new study says to ignore those rates. Instead, chip away at the debt with the lowest balance until you get it to zero. That "small victory" could give you the steam you need to power through bigger balances. Scientists proved this in a novel way: with a typing test and an Excel spreadsheet.
Click to read about more discoveries. (More discoveries stories.)

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