discoveries

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The Moon Isn't Round— It Bulges Like a Lemon

The moon has a small bulge in its middle, but we can't see it

(Newser) - We may have walked on it 45 years ago, but scientists have only now discovered the true shape of Earth's moon. And while it appears to be a perfect sphere, it's actually "like a lemon with an equatorial bulge," one researcher tells the New York Times ...

Mystery of Giant Holes at 'End of the World' May Be Solved

Geologist thinks biggest is a sinkhole that 'erupted,' thanks to melting permafrost

(Newser) - Huge, mysterious gaping holes in Northern Siberia may not be such a mystery anymore. One scientist has pinned down a cause and, spoiler alert, it's not aliens or weapons testing, as had been theorized . The first hole discovered in the Yamal Peninsula, which is 260 feet wide , is likely...

Deep-Sea Octopus Guards Eggs for Years—Sans Food

4.5 years is the longest known brooding or gestation period of any animal

(Newser) - Talk about endurance. Elephants endure 20-month gestation periods, and some deep-sea sharks carry their embryos for even longer than that, but the deep-sea octopus takes the cake. Scientists say they've observed one in California guarding her eggs for 4.5 years, the longest known brooding or gestation period of...

Mammoths and Mastodons Stuck Close to Home

Study of ancient teeth reveal surprising clues about how and where they lived

(Newser) - Mr. Snuffleupagus and friends didn’t much like to leave home—at least not the ones that lived in what is now Ohio and Kentucky, a University of Cincinnati study reveals. Researchers had long believed mammoths and mastodons were nomadic, but their teeth tell a different story. Mammoths ate grasses...

Milky Way Is a 'Galactic Lightweight'

Same-sized neighbor Andromeda has twice the mass

(Newser) - If our galaxy were a boxer, it would have just slipped down a few weight classes—and would be no match for our neighbor Andromeda. New research has revealed that the Milky Way, while still mind-bogglingly vast, is only around half the weight of the Andromeda galaxy, which is about...

Moon May Hold Clues to Earth's Ancient Past

Study says fossils from Earth could survive the trip via meteor

(Newser) - Might the moon be able to shed some light on the origins of life on Earth? A new study out of the University of Kent opens the possibility that the moon could be littered with ancient fossils from our planet, reports New Scientist . No such fossil has been found to...

Tree Rings Solve Mystery of Old World Trade Center Ship

Study shows it got built in Philadelphia about 1773

(Newser) - A mystery ship unearthed during construction of the new World Trade Center site isn't so much of a mystery anymore. A new study based on analysis of tree rings in its wood reveals that the ship likely got built in 1773 in Philadelphia—and with the same white oak...

Running Just Minutes a Day Cuts Death Risk

Even if you're running slowly: study

(Newser) - Good news for those who keep meaning to exercise, but can never seem to find the time: If you can manage a few minutes of running a day—even going slowly—you may cut your risk of death from cardiovascular disease. So suggests a new, 15-year study of more than...

New Giant Holes Found at 'End of the World'

Experts puzzle over Siberian craters

(Newser) - One of the most remote areas in the world seems to be slowly turning into something resembling a slice of Swiss cheese. Two new huge holes have been discovered in a Siberian region nicknamed "the end of the world," reports the Siberian Times . A 260-foot-wide crater found in...

Why Fist Bumps Trump Handshakes
Why Fist Bumps
Trump Handshakes
Jul 29, 2014 1:39 AM CDT

Why Fist Bumps Trump Handshakes

Handshakes spread 20 times more germs, study says

(Newser) - A good, firm handshake is a great way to spread germs, according to researchers who say infections could be reduced if people adopted fist bumps instead. The researchers dipped gloved hands in bacteria and then shook hands with, high-fived, or fist-bumped sterile-gloved counterparts, the Los Angeles Times reports. They found...

Mediterranean Anchovies Thriving ... in Britain

British waters are getting a lot warmer

(Newser) - A man fishing off a pier on Britain's east coast was surprised to haul in something he hadn't caught before in 40 years of fishing—a Mediterranean anchovy. "The water has been unusually clear, and we noticed the fish in good numbers in the shade below the...

Why Some Ice Cream Bars Don't Melt

They've got too much gum and syrup

(Newser) - Don’t you hate it when you get distracted after opening an ice cream sandwich and it melts? On the flip side, don’t you hate it when it … doesn’t melt? An Ohio mom tells Cincinnati's WCPO that she got a little alarmed upon discovering that her...

'Fantastic' Find Suggests All Dinos Had Feathers

Siberian fossils 'completely changed our vision of dinosaurs': researcher

(Newser) - Dinosaurs were scaly old things, right? Not so much, apparently. A Science study of 150-million-year-old fossils uncovered in Siberia is playing a big role in flipping that perception on its head, suggesting that nearly all dinosaurs actually sprouted feathers. At least five species of feathered dinosaurs have turned up in...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a study that finds blacks seem to age faster than whites

(Newser) - Jealous dogs and elephants with prodigious senses of smell make the list:
  • Dogs Get Jealous Like Us : Dog owners can tell you Fido gets jealous, but is it the same thing that humans feel? New research on puppies, similar to previous research on babies, suggests it is. Humans, say the
...

Watching TV After Work Makes You Feel Like a Loser
Watching TV After Work Makes You Feel Like a Loser
STUDY SAYS
Jul 25, 2014 8:31 AM CDT

Watching TV After Work Makes You Feel Like a Loser

Winding down in front of the boob tube can cause high levels of guilt, scientists say

(Newser) - It seems natural to reach for the remote to take a breather after a taxing day of conference calls and TPS reports , but a new study warns that especially work-weary folks who flick on the TV or play video games may feel incredibly guilty and like failures afterward, reports the...

Dogs Get Jealous Like Us
 Dogs Get Jealous Like Us 
study says
Jul 24, 2014 1:22 PM CDT

Dogs Get Jealous Like Us

A study similar to one conducted with babies finds jealousy-like behaviors in pups

(Newser) - What will a puppy do if its owner both ignores it and showers affection on a lifelike stuffed dog? Push its way between its owner and the toy, raise its tail, push its owner, bite at the toy, and even whine and bark. Whether that amounts to jealousy in the...

Elephants Win Most Discerning Nose Award

They have twice as many olfactory genes as dogs and 5 times as many as humans

(Newser) - Dogs may hold the reputation as having the best noses among mammals, but when it comes to the number of genes associated with smell, the elephant stands alone. By a mile. New findings published in Genome Research suggest that African elephants have 2,000 active olfactory genes, the highest number...

Blacks Age Faster Than Whites Do

 Who Ages 
 Faster, Blacks 
 or Whites? 
study says
Jul 22, 2014 6:29 PM CDT

Who Ages Faster, Blacks or Whites?

Researchers find a 3-year gap in 'biological age'

(Newser) - A troubling new study says that black Americans age faster and die younger than their white counterparts, possibly because of the "everyday stressors" of being black, Medical Daily reports. Researchers at USC calculated this "biological age gap" by analyzing the physical exams and lifestyle surveys of 7,644...

Research Bolsters Genetic Link to Schizophrenia

Scientists discover 80 new genes connected to illness

(Newser) - A massive new study says it has identified more than 80 new genes linked to schizophrenia, a development that scientists hope can eventually lead to better treatment, reports the BBC . The research, led by Cardiff University and involving scientists from 35 different countries, studied 37,000 people with schizophrenia and...

Why the Appalachian Mountain Chain Bends

Blame a giant, underground rock in New York and Pennsylvania

(Newser) - If you took a bird's-eye view of the Appalachian mountain chain, you could pretty much trace a 1,500-mile straight line from Newfoundland to Alabama, notes Nature World News . Except, that is, for a little squiggle in New York and Pennsylvania. So what on earth could make a mountain...

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