discoveries

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

Stories 4241 - 4260 | << Prev   Next >>

Gold Miners Discover 'Unique' Mineral

Putnisite has a unique composition and structure, study says

(Newser) - Miners prospecting for nickel and gold in Western Australia have stumbled on a rare find: a mineral that's unique among the world's 4,000 discovered mineral species, LiveScience reports. Called putnisite, it ranges from dark to light purple, has a pink streak, and is found on volcanic rock,...

Tsetse Fly&#39;s Strange New Vulnerability&mdash;Its Breast Milk
Deadly Fly's Strange Vulnerability: Its Breast Milk
in case you missed it
Apr 27, 2014 7:00 PM CDT

Deadly Fly's Strange Vulnerability: Its Breast Milk

Scientists decode insect's genome, may try to stifle mom's production

(Newser) - Scientists have unraveled the genome of the tsetse fly after a 10-year effort, and the development could save Africa from the devastating effects of the fatal infection it carries known as sleeping sickness, reports LiveScience . While the disease—one that drives its victims crazy in rabies-like fashion and is fatal...

Scientists Pry Open Coffin of King Murdered in 1160
Scientists Pry Open Coffin
of King Murdered in 1160
in case you missed it
Apr 27, 2014 9:51 AM CDT

Scientists Pry Open Coffin of King Murdered in 1160

Swedish scientists test DNA of King Erik the Holy

(Newser) - A cathedral chaplain calls it "a very special occasion," though it sounds rather grisly: Swedish researchers yesterday opened an 850-year-old coffin containing the remains of the country's King Erik IX, who was murdered in 1160 and later made a saint, the AP reports. Scientists plan to study...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including the decoding of the tsetse fly's genome

(Newser) - A perk of higher education you probably never knew existed and some talkative whales are on the list:
  • Education Helps You Recover From Brain Injury : College degrees may have an unexpected benefit: helping people recover from serious traumatic brain injury. A study of 769 adults found that a year after
...

Sorry, Blood in Gourd Isn&#39;t from Louis XVI
 Sorry, Blood in Gourd 
 Isn't from Louis XVI 
study says
Apr 25, 2014 10:06 AM CDT

Sorry, Blood in Gourd Isn't from Louis XVI

Researchers map out genome

(Newser) - A famous gourd was believed to contain the blood of Louis XVI after he was beheaded: It said as much in an inscription, and some research has appeared to confirm it. Now, however, experts have sequenced the blood's genome, and they're saying the opposite, the BBC reports. Their...

Education Helps You Recover From Brain Injury

People with college degrees recover at higher rate in study

(Newser) - College degrees may have an unexpected benefit: helping people recover from serious traumatic brain injury, NPR reports. A study of 769 adults found that a year after injury, 10% without a high school education had fully recovered, compared to 39% with a college degree. Those with advanced degrees fared even...

Iron Curtain Still Exists&mdash; for Deer
 Iron Curtain 
 Still Exists— 
 for Deer 
study says
Apr 24, 2014 10:36 AM CDT

Iron Curtain Still Exists— for Deer

Czech, German animals stay on their own sides of the border

(Newser) - Czech and German deer are way behind when it comes to international politics. The creatures won't cross the Czech border with what used to be West Germany, despite the fall of the Iron Curtain, a study of 300 red deer finds. Researchers used GPS collars to track the deer...

After 50 Years, Mysterious Ocean Quack Identified

'Bio-duck' is actually minke whale

(Newser) - A mysterious quacking noise in the ocean that has baffled scientists for decades has finally been identified, researchers say. Acoustic recorders placed on Antarctic minke whales have produced what NOAA experts say is "conclusive evidence" that the sound is their chatter, the BBC reports. The sound was dubbed the...

'Paradox' of MIA Atmospheric Gas Solved

Xenon likely packed in the Earth's core: researchers

(Newser) - Levels of the gas xenon in the Earth's atmosphere are way lower—to the tune of 90%—than scientists believe they should be, prompting a mystery one calls "the missing xenon paradox." While some believe the gas escaped into space, many have argued it's in the...

The Key to Killing Lyme Disease: Mice?

Biologist develops vaccine-packed, edible pellets

(Newser) - A Tennessee scientist has developed a novel way to fight Lyme disease—and it starts with your local mice. Mice can carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme, so molecular biologist Maria Gomes-Solecki decided to target the furry creatures rather than taking direct aim at the ticks that suck...

Meet Peggy, New Saturn Moon
 Meet Peggy, New Saturn Moon 
in case you missed it
Apr 19, 2014 7:00 PM CDT

Meet Peggy, New Saturn Moon

Scientists think they've spotted a tiny one being formed

(Newser) - Astronomers think they're seeing a first—the birth of a Saturn moon. NASA's Cassini spacecraft spotted what the LA Times describes as a "fuzzy blob" near one of the planet's rings, though astronomers may not know for sure whether the maybe-moon they've nicknamed "Peggy"...

Discovered: Sperm's Docking Station

Protein allows sperm to link with egg

(Newser) - Scientists are announcing a breakthrough in the study of fertility. They've learned more about how a sperm cell links to an egg cell, offering hope for future treatments—for both fertility and contraception, Nature reports. Scientists already knew of a protein on the surface of a sperm cell that...

Artists&#39; Brains Are Different
 Artists' Brains 
 Are Different 
study says
Apr 19, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

Artists' Brains Are Different

Researchers find structural differences in art students

(Newser) - The mind of an artist, it seems, is no figure of speech: The brains of skilled visual artists are actually physically different from others, a study based on brain scans suggests. "The people who are better at drawing really seem to have more developed structures in regions of the...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a study suggesting that we peak at age 24

(Newser) - The most Earth-like planet discovered yet, and a bizarre finding in the insect world make the list:
  • Astronomers Find Earth's 'Cousin' : Other "Earth-like" planets have been discovered before, but a new one is generating excitement in astronomy circles because of how very Earth-like it actually is. Introducing
...

Effects of Bullying Last Into Middle Age

Researchers say bullied kids more likely to be depressed adults

(Newser) - It's not a revelation that bullying takes a toll—mental, physical, or both—on kids who are victims. But a major new British study suggests that the ill effects are still evident right through age 50, reports Reuters . Middle-aged adults who were bullied as kids tend to be in...

Under Greenland's Ice: Soil Older Than Mankind

Land mass once home to forests

(Newser) - The soil under the highest point of the Greenland Ice Sheet, scientists have learned, is 2.7 million years old, LiveScience reports. In other words, the silt buried under thousands of feet of ice "has been preserved from beyond the dawn of humankind," says Paul Bierman, who determined...

Team Clones Stem Cells From 75-Year-Old's Skin

Technique could be used to produce tissue perfectly suited to patients

(Newser) - A team of researchers has made a sure-to-be controversial breakthrough in both stem cell and cloning research, creating stem cells from two adults using cloning techniques. The researchers took DNA from skin cells from two men, aged 35 and 75, and injected it into unfertilized eggs whose DNA had been...

Wild Discovery: Insects With Female Penises

Tiny creatures have sex for 40 to 70 hours

(Newser) - For the first time, scientists have discovered animals whose genitalia seem to be swapped: The female has a penis-like structure while the male has an organ akin to a vagina, LiveScience reports. The animals in question are four species of flea-sized insects from the genus Neotrogla, found in Brazilian caves....

Astronomers Find Earth's 'Cousin'

Kepler-186f is called the best bet yet to hold alien life

(Newser) - Other "Earth-like" planets have been discovered before, but a new one is generating a lot of excitement in astronomy circles because of how very Earth-like it actually is. Introducing Kepler-186f, which is maybe 10% bigger than our planet and thought to be in the not-too-hot and not-too-cold range that...

Study: Cherokee's Struggles Visible in Their Skulls

Researchers review changes in skulls' measurements during stressful times

(Newser) - It turns out the Trail of Tears didn't just affect the Cherokee people's spirits. A new study by North Carolina State University and University of Tennessee researchers has found that their struggles actually reshaped their skulls. The research was reliant on research done long before the present day,...

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