discoveries

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

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That's No Elephant. That's a Mammoth.

50K-year-old juvenile mammoth carcass discovered in Russia's thawing permafrost

(Newser) - Russian scientists have unveiled what they say is the best-preserved mammoth carcass ever discovered—that of a juvenile dubbed "Yana." The female mammoth, believed to have been about a year old when she died an estimated 50,000 years ago, was discovered this summer in thawing permafrost in...

She Sang on One of the Most Famous Disco Songs Ever

Alfa Anderson of Chic has died at age 78

(Newser) - The name Alfa Anderson may not be of the household variety, but it's a safe bet most people have heard her sing. Anderson—who has died at age 78—can be heard on "Le Freak," a song by the group Chic that is one of the most...

A Graveyard Find Alters a Narrative of Christianity

Silver amulet suggests it spread in Europe north of the Alps earlier than thought

(Newser) - A man who died in what is now Germany about 1,800 years ago went to his grave wearing a religious amulet around his neck that may change what we know about the spread of Christianity, reports Live Science . Details:
  • Archaeologists found the 1.4-inch-long amulet on a skeleton in
...

Squirrels Turn Out to Be Murderous Carnivores
Squirrels Turn Out to Be
Murderous Carnivores
in case you missed it
Dec 22, 2024 11:00 AM CST

Squirrels Turn Out to Be Murderous Carnivores

For first time, the rodents have been caught hunting, killing, and eating meat in California

(Newser) - Squirrels noshing on nuts is a common sight, but don't be fooled—they're apparently no vegans. Scientists looking into the habits of the California ground squirrel have discovered that the species is actually a bona fide meat eater, "killing and decapitating en masse," as SFGate puts...

Microplastics Could Become 'One of the Great Human Crises'

Review of human, animal studies suggests link to certain cancers, infertility

(Newser) - Microplastics thrown into the air from degrading tires, clothing, and other items may be contributing to cases of lung and colon cancer, as well as male and female reproductive issues, new research suggests. Researchers at UC San Francisco reviewed some 3,000 studies of humans and animals, largely mice, to...

Mastodon Jaw Found After Homeowner Spots Teeth

Researchers unearthed complete jaw, bone fragments from NY resident's backyard

(Newser) - A complete mastodon jaw was found in a backyard in New York's Orange County after a homeowner spotted a couple of teeth protruding from the ground, concealed by the fronds of a plant. The homeowner in Scotchtown, around 70 miles north of New York City, contacted experts after finding...

Panel: Calcium, Vitamin D Won't Stop Grandma From Falling

Independent task force recommends against such supplements for older adults

(Newser) - Don't start pushing calcium and vitamin D pills on your older family members for bone strength just yet—at least not if you're trying to prevent falls and fractures. That's because an independent panel of health experts on Tuesday said there's not enough evidence that such...

Bones Reveal a Brutal Bronze Age Anomaly
Bones Reveal a Brutal
Bronze Age Anomaly
new study
Dec 16, 2024 9:57 AM CST

Bones Reveal a Brutal Bronze Age Anomaly

Study suggests entire community in what is now Britain were murdered and cannibalized 4K years ago

(Newser) - The ancient bones were found decades ago in a cave in what is now Somerset, England, but scientists have only now pieced together the "exceptionally violent" story behind them, reports the BBC . In their study published in the journal Antiquity , researchers say at least 37 men, women, and children...

For Modern Humans, Neanderthals Were a Lifeline
For Modern Humans,
Neanderthals Were a Lifeline
NEW STUDY
Dec 13, 2024 12:13 PM CST

For Modern Humans, Neanderthals Were a Lifeline

We might not have survived without them, genomes reveal

(Newser) - Modern humans didn't physically overcome Neanderthals to emerge as the dominant human species. Instead, Homo sapiens mated with Neanderthals, and new research suggests it was only due to interbreeding between the two species that Homo sapiens—now with inherited genes that helped them adapt to life in Eurasia—found...

Google Claims 'Mind-Boggling' Advance in Computing

Company says its 'Willow' chip is major breakthrough in quantum computing

(Newser) - Google is staking claim to breakthrough in the experimental field of quantum computing that might challenge mere laymen. The New York Times (which uses the phrase "mind-bending" twice in its coverage), lays out the most tangible comparison to the real world:
  • "Google said its quantum computer, based on
...

Handwriting Expert Solves a Medieval Art Mystery

Manuel Panselinos was likely a nickname for Byzantine painter Ioannis Astrapas, experts say

(Newser) - Crime-solving techniques applied to a medieval illuminated manuscript in Paris may have solved a centuries-old puzzle—the true identity of a leading Byzantine painter who injected humanity into the rigid sanctity of Orthodox religious art. A contemporary of Giotto, considered the father of Western painting, the artist conventionally known as...

Early Americans Essentially Ignored Small Game
Early Americans Essentially
Ignored Small Game
NEW STUDY
Dec 5, 2024 12:05 PM CST

Early Americans Essentially Ignored Small Game

For the Clovis people, it was all about megafauna, particularly mammoths

(Newser) - Prehistoric inhabitants of North America were expert mammoth hunters and based their diet on the massive beast, new research suggests, upending assumptions that they mainly hunted small game. The findings emerged from the bones of an 18-month-old boy who lived nearly 13,000 years ago in what is now Montana....

Dark Chocolate May Keep Type 2 Diabetes at Bay
A Bright Spot for Those
Who Eat Dark Chocolate
NEW STUDY
Dec 5, 2024 9:21 AM CST

A Bright Spot for Those Who Eat Dark Chocolate

Study finds lower risk of getting Type 2 diabetes than those who eat milk chocolate, no chocolate

(Newser) - Love confections but fear your health doesn't? Researchers now say that dark chocolate could be the key to sating that sweet tooth, as eating just a few pieces most days of the week looks to be tied to a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, reports the Guardian...

Scientists Rejoice Over an 'Extraordinary' Whale

Near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed whale, the world's rarest, is being dissected in New Zealand

(Newser) - It's the world's rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. Almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species. But on Monday, a small group of scientists and cultural experts in New Zealand clustered around a near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed whale hoping to decode decades of mystery....

Previously Unknown Chemical Found in US Tap Water
Previously Unknown Chemical
Found in US Tap Water
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2024 11:10 AM CST

Previously Unknown Chemical Found in US Tap Water

It took decades for scientists to ID chloronitramide anion; now they need to see how toxic it is

(Newser) - Some ice for your chloronitramide anion? No, that's not a libation you'd find at the Tatooine cantina in Star Wars, but a new chemical by-product in our tap water that's finally been IDed, reports the Washington Post . Research published Thursday in the journal Science notes that US...

Ancient Inscription Finally Deciphered at Monument
Ancient Inscription Finally
Deciphered at Monument
new study
Nov 18, 2024 2:55 PM CST

Ancient Inscription Finally Deciphered at Monument

Words carved 2.6K years ago in Turkey were a tribute to the goddess 'Materan'

(Newser) - Roughly 2,600 years after somebody carved an inscription on a monument in what is now Turkey, an American researcher appears to have cracked the code. The engraving on the Arslan Kaya monument spells out the name of the goddess Materan, reports Live Science . Those who looked upon the engraving...

ChatGPT Defeated Doctors at Diagnosing Illness
ChatGPT Defeated
Doctors at Diagnosing Illness
NEW STUDY
Nov 18, 2024 12:12 PM CST

ChatGPT Defeated Doctors at Diagnosing Illness

Docs who used ChatGPT to diagnose didn't fare better than those without—but the bots alone won

(Newser) - Over the summer, researchers gave a failing grade to artificial intelligence when it comes to diagnosing illnesses, finding that a chatbot that read 150 case studies diagnosed the correct condition less than 50% of the time. "ChatGPT in its current form is not accurate as a diagnostic tool,"...

Aged Destroyer Fought Enemy Alone, Then Flipped the Bird
WWII Destroyer Fought Enemy
Alone, Then Flipped the Bird
in case you missed it
Nov 16, 2024 12:00 PM CST

WWII Destroyer Fought Enemy Alone, Then Flipped the Bird

Wreck of USS Edsall, sunk by Japanese in 1942, discovered east of Christmas Island

(Newser) - The Japanese called the USS Edsall "the dancing mouse." Stumbling upon a Japanese naval force in the Indian Ocean three months after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the aged and damaged destroyer loaded with 185 US Navy personnel and 31 US Army Air Force pilots fought alone...

Hiker's Find Leads to Trove of Fossils Predating Dinosaurs

Hundreds of imprints of plants, animals, even raindrops discovered in northern Italian Alps

(Newser) - Claudia Steffensen was hiking in the Italian Alps last summer when she stepped on a rock that caught her eye. "It seemed more like a slab of cement" with "these strange circular designs with wavy lines," Steffensen tells the Guardian. "I took a closer look and...

Diabetes Cases Have Quadrupled Over Last 30 Years
Diabetes 'Has Reached
Pandemic Proportions'
NEW STUDY
Nov 14, 2024 8:42 AM CST

Diabetes 'Has Reached Pandemic Proportions'

Globally, more than 800M people had either Type 1 or Type 2 in 2022; in 1990, there were just 198M

(Newser) - Thursday is World Diabetes Day, but it's not exactly a celebration—at least not according to new research published Wednesday in the Lancet . According to findings from a new global analysis carried out by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization, 828 million adults around the...

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