discoveries

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Scientists Find Proof of Pharaohs' Incest

They did so by measuring the height of 259 Egyptian mummies

(Newser) - A new study has found that "pharaohs varied less in height than men of the common population," as a researcher explains—a rather plain statement with some pretty gossipy implications. Swiss researcher Frank Rühli and his colleagues examined the height of 259 mummies—a group that included...

To Keep Memory Greased, Go Mediterranean


 To Keep Memory 
 Greased, Go 
 Mediterranean 
STUDY SAYS
May 12, 2015 9:35 AM CDT

To Keep Memory Greased, Go Mediterranean

Diet with olive oil, nuts, may slow cognitive decline: study

(Newser) - A Mediterranean diet doesn't just add years to your life , it may also help you remember those years more clearly. A small study suggests a diet high in vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, plus olive oil or nuts, can improve memory and brain power, Reuters reports. Researchers in Barcelona...

Many of Egypt's Animal Mummies Are Really ... Nothing

Study finds as many as a third are empty, but that doesn't mean it was a big con

(Newser) - Crocodiles, falcons, shrews: The ancient Egyptians are thought to have mummified as many as 70 million animals—and a scan of more than 800 of them reveals that in many cases, what's inside is ... nothing. The work done by radiographers and Egyptologists with the Manchester Museum and the University...

X-Ray Solves Mystery of Chalky Chocolate

Reducing pores could eliminate harmless but unappealing fat bloom

(Newser) - Have you ever thrown out old chocolate that had taken on a chalky, white hue, unsure if it was still edible? You're not the only one. Food scientists say the harmless change, known as fat blooming, is a major source of complaints and rejections from chocolate lovers and actually...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a dreadful-sounding roach and a slam on facial hair

(Newser) - A "bleak" study on Earth's giant herbivores and a prodding by scientists to reserve that table for one make the list:
  • Cockroach With Swiveling Head Sounds Absolutely Terrifying : Scientists found an insect embedded in amber in Burma that they say looks like some a roach/crane fly/praying mantis hybrid.
...

China's Terracotta Army Could Grow Larger

Excavation should reveal hundreds more soldiers in No. 2 pit

(Newser) - A new excavation of something branded the "No. 2 pit" is a potentially much more remarkable undertaking than it sounds: It could swell the ranks of China's famed terracotta army. Work began March 30 on the pit, which sits adjacent to the tomb mound of Qin Shi Huang,...

Rare Mark Twain Writings Capture a Dark Period

Dispatches reveal author's reporting days at SF newspaper, despondent thoughts

(Newser) - Before he was penning the adventures of Tom and Huck, Mark Twain worked for a San Francisco newspaper and wasn't so different from a lot of 21st-century journalists struggling in an evolving industry: He was drinking, in debt, and not sure where his career would take him. So indicate...

What Your Sleepwalking Means for Your Kids

Sleep terrors appear to increase the chance of sleepwalking, too

(Newser) - Kids whose parents sleepwalked are more likely to do it themselves—and sleep terrors may be a precursor to sleepwalking as well, according to a new study out of Montreal published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics . Not that sleepwalking, also called somnambulism, is necessarily a big deal. "...

Dinosaur-Age Cockroach Was Fearsome Predator

100M-year-old insect also had swiveling head, took flight

(Newser) - A mean-looking cockroach that lived alongside the dinosaurs had a long neck, swiveling head, and elongated legs that enabled it to surprise prey, New Scientist reports via Gizmodo . Found embedded in amber in Myanmar, the 100-million-year-old insect resembles a cross between a roach, a crane fly, and a praying mantis:...

60% of Our Giant Herbivores Are in Trouble

Study finds they face risk of extinction

(Newser) - A new study published in Science Advances is being described as "horribly bleak," at least as far as rhinos, camels, and elephants are concerned: It finds that the majority of the planet's giant herbivores face the risk of extinction. The wildlife ecologists write that while about 4,...

Beard Swabs Yield 'Disturbing' Results

Some were as dirty as toilets, microbiologist says

(Newser) - Beard hygiene is important unless you want to have the equivalent of a dirty toilet seat growing out of your face, according to a microbiologist who swabbed a bunch of beards and was shocked by the results. "I'm usually not surprised and I was surprised by this,"...

Going Out Alone Is Actually a Good Thing

Drop that fear of looking like a loser, researchers say

(Newser) - Sitting in restaurants or movie theaters all alone isn't nearly as depressing as you might think—in fact, researchers say, you'll actually like it. They decided this after surveying people about whether they preferred to engage in certain activities alone or with others, and then studying subjects' reactions...

Ancient Global Cooling Could Explain Tibet Mystery

Temperatures may have led to a civilization's downfall

(Newser) - Civilization at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau fell apart—or at least changed very suddenly—4,000 years ago, and now, researchers believe they can explain why. In fact, it has to do with climate change, though not the way we currently think of it, Science 2.0 notes....

Study: Optimism Is Overrated

It may help more with persistence than actual performance

(Newser) - A new study delivers a somewhat depressing message: Positive thinking may not be all it's cracked up to be. "I kept hearing about how optimistic mindset was so great, but then you think about all the times that striving for accuracy might be better for the individual,"...

Bats Are Like Humans in One Remarkable Way

Both species listen with both hemispheres of their brains

(Newser) - Humans were thought to be unique as a species in that we use both halves of our brains to "distinguish different aspects of sound," as Georgetown neuroscientist Stuart Washington puts it. Turns out we're not as special as we thought. A type of bat also displays this...

No Sweat: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a 'strange-winged' dinosaur and a bird polluted with flame retardant

(Newser) - Are archaeologists close to uncovering a royal tomb in an ancient Mexican city? Could you beat the blues by smelling someone's armpits? Those questions are both on the list this week:
  • Tiny Dinosaur Was Named 'Strange Wing' for a Reason : A pint-sized two-legged dinosaur that lived in China
...

Scientists Find Planet's Most Polluted Bird

Cooper's hawk found with higher levels of flame retardants than any other

(Newser) - The Vancouver area is home to what is thus far known to be our planet's most polluted wild bird. Researchers studying the livers of local birds of prey found that the Cooper's hawk was tainted with polybrominated diphenyl ethers, chemicals that function as flame retardants. Of the 13...

Tiny Dinosaur Had Wings Like a Bat

They were made of skin, not feathers

(Newser) - A pint-sized dinosaur has a big surprise: It apparently sported a pair of bizarre wings. Dinosaurs normally used wings mostly made of feathers for flight. But the newly discovered creature evidently had wings made of skin instead, like those of a bat or some ancient flying reptiles. It's not...

Invention May Make Air Travel Much Quieter

Membrane could block 1K times more sound energy than plane alone

(Newser) - Does the buzzing of a plane's engines drive you bonkers? Researchers have come up with a product that could save you some grief. They've developed a thin membrane capable of blocking low-frequency noise that tends to bounce around the cabin. The honeycomb-like material typically used on a plane'...

Archaeologists Resurrect Key Pocahontas Site

The church where she wed John Rolfe is coming back to life

(Newser) - A group of archaeologists in Jamestown, Virginia, is busy doing the opposite of what one would normally expect: building something new, rather than searching for what once was. Popular Archaeology reports that an effort is underway to rebuild a potion of the church where Pocahontas wed John Rolfe in 1614...

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