discoveries

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

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In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging
In Prehistoric Fossils,
a Surprising Find on Aging
NEW STUDY
Jul 26, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging

Mouselike mammals lived a lot longer than modern-day counterparts, say scientists

(Newser) - Two sets of fossils found 40-something years apart suggest that small mammals who lived during the mid-Jurassic period had a longer "childhood" and a more stretched-out life span than their contemporary counterparts. The new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature examined the fossilized remains of Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, a...

Komodo Dragon's Orange Teeth Hide a Deadly Power
Komodo Dragon's Orange
Teeth Serve Practical Purpose
NEW STUDY
Jul 25, 2024 12:28 PM CDT

Komodo Dragon's Orange Teeth Serve Practical Purpose

Unprecedented iron coating keeps serrated teeth razor sharp

(Newser) - The Komodo dragon might be the closest thing to a living dinosaur, with its muscular tail, scaly skin, sturdy claws, and, it turns out, razor-sharp teeth unlike any seen before. The largest living lizard has curved, serrated teeth, similar to those of carnivorous dinosaurs, which help to rip apart the...

This Drug 'Could Change the Trajectory' of HIV Epidemic

Gilead's Sunlenca prevents infections in girls and young women who get a twice-yearly shot

(Newser) - A twice-yearly shot was 100% effective in preventing HIV infections in young women and teen girls, according to the results of what some are calling a "breakthrough" phase 3 trial. The randomized, double-blind trial by drugmaker Gilead Sciences involved more than 5,000 young women and girls in South...

2M Dung Beetles Can Survive Off One Elephant
Elephant Study Had Her
Count 13,699 Dung Beetles
new study
Jul 24, 2024 2:55 PM CDT

Elephant Study Had Her Count 13,699 Dung Beetles

Painstaking work led to estimate of how many dung beetles one elephant sustains

(Newser) - If you're forced to empty your bowels somewhere in the African grasslands, you don't have to worry about befouling the landscape. As a press release explains, dung beetles would make quick work of your deposit, with the waste gone in as little as 30 minutes. Elephants leave a...

As It Turns Out, Cocaine Sharks Are Real
Brazil Sharks Test
Positive for Cocaine
NEW STUDY
Jul 23, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Brazil Sharks Test Positive for Cocaine

Presence of the drug in wild sharks is verified for the first time

(Newser) - Cocaine sharks really do exist, researchers have confirmed, a year after scientists probed the possibility in the "Shark Week" documentary Cocaine Sharks and filmmakers terrified audiences with a horror film of almost the same name . A group of Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the ocean near Rio de Janeiro...

When It Comes to Wealth, There's No 'Happiness Plateau'

Money does indeed buy happiness, and the more, the better, per new research

(Newser) - "Does money buy happiness?" is one of our most-asked existential questions, and not only does Matt Killingsworth believe the answer is a resounding "yes"—he says the more you have, the happier you may be. According to new research by the senior fellow at UPenn's Wharton...

Mercury Might Be the Diamond Planet
Mercury Might Be
the Diamond Planet
new study
Jul 22, 2024 9:14 AM CDT

Mercury Might Be the Diamond Planet

Study suggests it has a miles-thick layer of the gems beneath the surface

(Newser) - Mars gets all the buzz , but Mercury just gained some bragging rights among the planets—a new study suggests it may have a layer of diamonds 9 miles thick, located deep below its surface, reports Live Science . These diamonds exist only in theory at the moment, but the study in...

Man Hides Historic $1.7K Goodwill Buy From Wife

Richard Moore scooped up fragment of George Washington's tent from nonprofit's online store

(Newser) - If you prefer online shopping to in-person browsing, Goodwill's online store offers that option for not only its typical gently used clothing, books, and housewares, but also rarer items with heftier price tags. The nonprofit is now boasting of a "historic sale" via its site—a tattered piece...

Scientists Just Found a Cave on the Moon

Radar data confirms existence of one, and lots more are likely up there

(Newser) - Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon—not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago—and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known...

Whale That Washed Up on Beach Could Be World's Rarest

Precious little is known about the spade-toothed whale

(Newser) - Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break, reports the...

Odd Tip for Better Sleep: Save a Little Money
Odd Tip
for Better
Sleep: Save
a Little Money
new study
Jul 13, 2024 11:30 AM CDT

Odd Tip for Better Sleep: Save a Little Money

British researchers say it's more about the habit than the amount

(Newser) - Suggestions on how to get better sleep usually focus on the physical. This one from a study out of Bristol University's Personal Finance Research Centre in the UK takes a different approach: It suggests people save money regularly, reports the BBC . The researchers found that people who developed a...

Surprise Find at Famed Shipwreck: Another Shipwreck
Surprise Find at Famed
Shipwreck: Second Shipwreck
in case you missed it
Jul 13, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

Surprise Find at Famed Shipwreck: Second Shipwreck

Ancient remnants found at Antikythera site off Greece

(Newser) - The legendary Antikythera shipwreck off the coast of Greece has yielded all kinds of fascinating finds over the years, from statues to a mysterious mechanism described as an "ancient computer." Now, a new analysis has yielded another surprise at the site—a second shipwreck, reports Ancient Origins . Researchers...

Once a Narcissist, Always a Narcissist
Once a
Narcissist,
Always a
Narcissist
new study
Jul 12, 2024 9:07 AM CDT

Once a Narcissist, Always a Narcissist

But a new study suggests that the self-involved may mellow a bit with age

(Newser) - Narcissists tend to remain narcissists all through life, though they mellow a bit with age, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed years of data involving more than 37,000 participants around the world and found that the trait of narcissism remains relatively stable from childhood into old age, reports the...

Musket Balls From 'Shot Heard Round the World' Are Found

Archaeologists discover five from famed battle of 1775 in Massachusetts

(Newser) - Archaeologists working at a historical site in Massachusetts have made a remarkable find—five musket balls fired by members of a Colonial militia in a battle memorialized by the line "the shot heard round the world." The 250-year-old musket balls were discovered at Minute Man National Historical Park...

Scientists Identify Potential Lupus Breakthrough
Scientists Identify Potential
Lupus Breakthrough
new study
Jul 10, 2024 1:12 PM CDT

Scientists Identify Potential Lupus Breakthrough

Researchers say findings could lead to 'potential cure'

(Newser) - US researchers say they have uncovered what NBC News describes as a "root cause" of the autoimmune disease lupus. If the findings out of Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital are borne out in future research, they hold promise for a "potential cure," says Jaehyuk...

Better Way to Diagnose Autism May Lie in the Gut
Better Way to Diagnose
Autism May Lie in the Gut
new study
Jul 9, 2024 12:27 PM CDT

Better Way to Diagnose Autism May Lie in the Gut

Study suggests children on the spectrum have unique microbial markers

(Newser) - Diagnosing autism remains a tricky, subjective task, one that relies largely on observation and analysis. A new study suggests that might change in a big way—with future patients diagnosed through a stool sample, reports the Guardian . A study of more than 1,600 children ages 1 to 13 found...

We Aren't the Only Species to Save Lives With Amputations
It Turns Out
That Ants Can
Amputate, Too
NEW STUDY
Jul 5, 2024 8:56 AM CDT

It Turns Out That Ants Can Amputate, Too

Medic Carpenter ants do the same thing as humans, researchers say

(Newser) - Just like humans, ants benefit from living in a group. Studies have shown some ants carry wounded colony members back from battle and lick their wounds, for a 90% survival rate . Now, new research indicates carpenter ants go a step further, carrying out life-saving amputations on their wounded brethren. It'...

Termite 'Apartment Complex' Has Been Busy for 34K Years

'We knew they were old, but not that old,' South African researcher says

(Newser) - Scientists in South Africa have been stunned to discover that termite mounds that are still inhabited in an arid region of the country are more than 30,000 years old, meaning they're the oldest known active termite hills. Some of the mounds near the Buffels River in Namaqualand were...

It's the Oldest Figurative Cave Art Known to Exist
It's the Oldest Figurative
Cave Art Known to Exist
NEW STUDY
Jul 4, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

It's the Oldest Figurative Cave Art Known to Exist

Painting dated to 51.2K years ago is also the earliest evidence of modern humans in Wallacea

(Newser) - The oldest figurative cave art in the world has been discovered in Indonesia. Dated to 51,200 years ago, almost 6,000 years older than the previous oldest cave art just 6 miles away, the poor-condition art shows at least three humanlike figures, or human-animal hybrids, with a wild pig,...

Salamander-Like Giant Predated Dinosaurs
This Beast
Lived Before
the Dinosaurs
new study
Jul 3, 2024 3:55 PM CDT

This Beast Lived Before the Dinosaurs

Discovery in Namibia has scientists rethinking what we know about tetrapods

(Newser) - Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamander-like beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived, per the AP . The predator, which was larger than a person, likely used its wide, flat head and front teeth to suck in and chomp unsuspecting prey, researchers said. Its...

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