discoveries

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

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Unusual Alzheimer's Predictor: a Falling Credit Score

Study suggests people start making bad financial decisions long before diagnosis

(Newser) - Warning signs of impending Alzheimer's usually focus on the physical—memory slips and the like. A new study out of Georgetown, however, suggests that a declining credit score might also be a sign of trouble:
  • People were 17% more likely to fall behind on their mortgage payments a year
...

When Humans First Treated Cancer Just Got a Big Update

Cut marks around brain lesions in 4K-year-old Egyptian skull suggest surgical intervention

(Newser) - A new study describes a potential awe-inspiring achievement of the ancient Egyptian civilization far apart from the pyramids. According to the research, ancient Egyptians may have been the first to explore and treat cancer. The finding is based on two skulls discovered in Giza and held at the University of...

Lead Author of Study on Girls and Periods: 'It Alarms Us'

Over the last 50 years, US girls are getting their periods earlier and not as regularly

(Newser) - If you've anecdotally heard American girls are getting their periods earlier than they did in decades past, you heard correctly. A study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open surveyed 71,000 women who were born between 1950 and 2005. The researchers from Harvard and the National Institute of Environmental...

Scientists Find Evidence of 'Age of Monotremes'
Scientists Find Evidence
of 'Age of Monotremes'
NEW STUDY
May 28, 2024 10:50 AM CDT

Scientists Find Evidence of 'Age of Monotremes'

A diversity of platypus-like creatures roamed Australia some 100M years ago

(Newser) - There are exactly five existing egg-laying mammals, or monotremes: the platypus and four echidna species, all native to Australia and New Guinea. According to new research, they're the last survivors of a diverse set of species that roamed the southern continents during the time of the dinosaurs. The Lightning...

Deep in the Caribbean, an 'Unprecedented' Mission Is Underway

Colombian government begins exploring Spain's San Jose galleon, the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'

(Newser) - In June of 1708, the Spanish galleon San Jose was attacked by the British Royal Navy and sank in the Caribbean off the coast of Cartagena, resting on the ocean floor with a reputed $20 billion in treasure on board. Only a handful of the 600 or so men on...

Crows Appear to Be Able to Count Out Loud
Crows Appear to Be Able
to Count Out Loud
new study
May 27, 2024 7:42 AM CDT

Crows Appear to Be Able to Count Out Loud

New study observes what would be a first among animals, besides us humans

(Newser) - Scientists have long known that crows are smart. But a new study suggests they possess the ability to count out loud—a first for an animal species other than humans, reports Live Science . In fact, the crows appear to be pretty good at it, on par with human toddlers, per...

This Ozempic Study Went So Well That It Was Stopped Early

Research finds semaglutide can cut risk of serious illness, death in those with diabetes, kidney disease

(Newser) - Semaglutide , the medication found in such brands as Ozempic and Wegovy, has become the drug of choice lately for weight loss. A new study, however, suggests it can also bring other significant benefits to users, including slashing the risk of serious kidney complications, heart problems, and even death in...

His Wine Cellar Was a Mammoth Graveyard

Austrian archaeologists call it the 'find of the century'

(Newser) - An Austrian man renovating his wine cellar found something a lot older than any riesling. Winemaker Andreas Pernerstorfer discovered enormous bones that came from at least three woolly mammoths, the BBC reports. He reported the find to authorities, and the cellar was excavated by the Austrian Archaeological Institute, which called...

Vulnerable Eagles' Latest Hardship: Ukraine War
Migrating Eagles
Give Side-Eye to
War-Torn Ukraine
NEW STUDY
May 21, 2024 3:09 PM CDT

Migrating Eagles Give Side-Eye to War-Torn Ukraine

Study finds greater spotted eagles altered flight paths, curtailed rest stops in Ukraine in 2022

(Newser) - Russia's war in Ukraine has had a ripple effect across Europe, including for vulnerable migrating birds that are reportedly flying far out of their usual route to avoid areas of fighting. Researchers have found evidence of greater spotted eagles altering routes across Ukraine to avoid key areas of violence...

US Hockey Players Can Sound Like 'Fake' Canadians
US Hockey
Players Can
Sound Like
'Fake' Canadians
new study
May 19, 2024 9:03 AM CDT

US Hockey Players Can Sound Like 'Fake' Canadians

Linguist explains the phenomenon

(Newser) - When linguist Andrew Bray was working on a study about slang used by hockey players, he got hung up on an odd question posed to him: "Are you trying to figure out why the Americans sound like fake Canadians?" That led him down a whole new avenue of study,...

How Were the Pyramids Built? A Lost Branch of the Nile

Researchers map extinct Nile branch that flowed past 31 known pyramids

(Newser) - Part of the mystery behind the construction of Egypt's ancient pyramids is that the vast majority were erected in places that now appear far from the aiding hand of the Nile river. According to new research, there's a simple explanation: We can't see what is now extinct....

Girl, 11, Helps Discover Largest Ever Reptile
Girl, 11, Helps Discover
Largest Ever Reptile
NEW STUDY
May 11, 2024 1:50 PM CDT

Girl, 11, Helps Discover Largest Ever Reptile

Ichthyotitan severnensis estimated at 82 feet long, with a 7-foot-long jawbone

(Newser) - It was the largest reptile to ever prowl Earth's oceans. At some 82 feet, this giant ichthyosaur would've been nearly as large as a blue whale, a marine mammal and the largest animal known to exist at any point in the planet's history. Yet the ichthyosaur, dubbed...

Site Highlights Early Humans' Mastery of Wood, Largely Lost

Spear Horizon site shows evidence of splitting, carving wood 300K years ago

(Newser) - The Stone Age, launched roughly 3 million years ago, marks the time when tools first appeared. Early humans used stones for hammering, stones for grinding, and sharp stone flakes as knives and projectile points. But the Stone Age might just as well be called the Wood Age, German archaeologist Thomas...

Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Early Death
Some Ultraprocessed Foods
Are Worse Than Others
NEW STUDY
May 9, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

Some Ultraprocessed Foods Are Worse Than Others

Ice cream, processed meat show strong association with mortality risk

(Newser) - A diet high in ultraprocessed foods has been linked to cancer , weight gain , and now early death. A new 30-year study of 115,000 people found those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods (UPFs)—including frozen meals, processed meat like hot dogs, potato chips, sugary breakfast cereals, and artificially sweetened...

Study: The Air Inside Our Cars Is a Problem

Researchers find flame retardants in car air samples

(Newser) - Thanks to seat belts and airbags we're supposed to be fairly safe from harm inside our vehicles. A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technologies suggests the very air inside the cars could be detrimental to our health, the Guardian reports. Researchers analyzed the air of...

Our Narrative About Leprosy Just Changed
Our Narrative
About Leprosy
Just Changed
new study
May 6, 2024 9:25 AM CDT

Our Narrative About Leprosy Just Changed

Medieval squirrels had it, suggesting a possible new origin

(Newser) - Scientists have long believed that leprosy originated with humans, but a medieval squirrel suggests a different possibility. Researchers examined the bones of red squirrels from an ancient furrier, along with the bones of leprosy victims who lived at about the same time in the UK roughly 900 years ago, reports...

Orangutan Seems to Treat Wound With Medicinal Plant

It's the first documentation of a wild animal applying a strong treatment directly to injury

(Newser) - An orangutan appeared to treat a wound with medicine from a tropical plant in what is being described as a scientific first. Scientists observed the animal pluck and chew up leaves of a medicinal plant used by people throughout Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation, the AP reports. The...

Bottom of World's Deepest Blue Hole Proves Elusive

Taam Ja' extends at least 1,380 feet below sea level, far deeper than previously known

(Newser) - The deepest known ocean sink hole is so deep, researchers using advanced equipment can't find the bottom, though they've found evidence of a whole network of underground tunnels somewhere in its depths. The Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay was formerly considered the second-deepest blue...

Skeletons Found at Hitler's Most 'Heavily Guarded Complex'

Find made in Hermann Göring's home at Wolf's Lair HQ

(Newser) - "There are many theories" but few answers regarding five skeletons—all without their hands and feet—that were recently unearthed on the grounds of Adolf Hitler's Wolf's Lair headquarters in Poland's northeastern forests. The bones were unearthed within the brick house that had been occupied by...

Starting the Menopause Journey? This Could Be a Risk

Fluctuating hormone levels may trigger depression symptoms or worsen existing ones

(Newser) - Women approaching the onset of menopause face a 40% higher risk of depression than in their earlier years, according to new research, showing the need for support and screening. Experts from University College London performed a meta-analysis of seven studies involving more than 9,000 women in the US, Australia,...

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