discoveries

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

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Study: China's Forests Have Been Underestimated

New forests are a major 'carbon sink'

(Newser) - China is the world's biggest polluter—but a massive tree-planting program has helped absorb more of its carbon dioxide emissions than researchers expected. In a new study in the journal Nature , researchers say that according to ground and satellite observations, the rapid afforestation of areas of northeast and southwest...

COVID Antibodies Are &#39;Rapidly&#39; Waning
COVID Antibodies
Are 'Rapidly' Waning
NEW STUDY
Oct 27, 2020 9:25 AM CDT

COVID Antibodies Are 'Rapidly' Waning

Study finds 26.5% decline in antibodies in English participants over 3 months

(Newser) - Widespread, long-term herd immunity to COVID-19 will be difficult to achieve if the results of a new study are confirmed. The survey of 365,000 people in England showed the proportion of those testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies fell 26.5% between June 20 and Sept. 28, suggesting "immunity...

NASA Confirms Major Moon Find
NASA Confirms
Major Moon Find
Oct 26, 2020 1:12 PM CDT

NASA Confirms Major Moon Find

Water exists outside incredibly cold craters

(Newser) - Good news for thirsty lunar explorers: NASA says it has detected water on the sunlit surface of the moon for the first time. Researchers using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy—a Boeing 747 that makes observations from 45,000 feet—confirmed that the chemical signature of H20 was spotted...

Doctors May Have Found New Organ Hidden in Head

These could be first major salivary glands found in 300 years

(Newser) - For the past three centuries, doctors have been under the impression that humans have three major types of salivary glands, found near the ears, below the jaw, and under the tongue. "Now, we think there is a fourth," Dr. Matthijs Valstar of the Netherlands Cancer Institute tells the...

This Type of Athlete Wows at Conquering Pain
This Type of Athlete
Wows at Conquering Pain
NEW STUDY
Oct 22, 2020 1:57 PM CDT

This Type of Athlete Wows at Conquering Pain

High-level endurance athletes beat soccer players in pain tolerance, thresholds

(Newser) - Want to fell less pain? You may want to try long-distance running. Research published in July comparing pain perception in endurance athletes, soccer players, and nonathletes suggests elite athletes overall have increased pain tolerance, higher pain thresholds, and lower pain intensity—but also that endurance athletes manage the best. In...

Engineers Have a New Inspiration: This Beetle
'Super Tough' Beetle Could
Inspire Us to Do Better
new study
Oct 21, 2020 5:13 PM CDT

'Super Tough' Beetle Could Inspire Us to Do Better

Researchers say the bug's crush-resistant shell can be a model for planes and buildings

(Newser) - It's a beetle that can withstand bird pecks, animal stomps and even being rolled over by a Toyota Camry. Now scientists are studying what the bug's crush-resistant shell could teach them about designing stronger planes and buildings, the AP reports. "This beetle is super tough," said...

Factors That May Put You at Risk for &#39;Long COVID&#39;
Factors That May
Put You at Risk
for 'Long COVID'
new study
Oct 21, 2020 8:34 AM CDT

Factors That May Put You at Risk for 'Long COVID'

Being female is one of them

(Newser) - There's COVID and there's "long COVID"—the kind whose symptoms don't go away within four weeks, as they do for most people. The BBC reports researchers with King's College London estimate that 1 in 45 people end up being sick for at least 12...

White Noise May Actually Make Sleep Worse
Researchers Skeptical 
About White-Noise Sleep Apps
new study
Oct 19, 2020 10:40 AM CDT

Researchers Skeptical About White-Noise Sleep Apps

They might actually make things worse, concludes a new study

(Newser) - Apps or devices that simulate white noise to help people sleep are popular these days, but a new study raises doubts about their effectiveness. In fact, they might even degrade the quality of sleep, warns one of the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania. "I would just be careful,...

You Might Have an Extra Artery in Your Arm
Fast-Evolving Human Trait:
An Extra Artery in Our Arms
in case you missed it
Oct 17, 2020 1:30 PM CDT

Fast-Evolving Human Trait: An Extra Artery in Our Arms

Researchers say having 3 is becoming more common

(Newser) - A study out of Australia suggests that textbooks on human anatomy will have to reflect a fundamental change by the end of this century: Most of us will have three blood vessels running down our arm, instead of two. Researchers studying adult cadavers report a sharp increase in this third...

Your Blood Type Could Signal Your COVID Risk
People With This Blood Type
May Have Lower COVID Risk
NEW STUDIES
Oct 15, 2020 9:55 AM CDT

People With This Blood Type May Have Lower COVID Risk

Scientists say those with Type O blood also may suffer less if they do get the virus

(Newser) - What makes some people more vulnerable to the coronavirus? Scientists are still wrangling with that, but new research sheds light on the role a person's blood may play. CNN cites two new studies published in the journal Blood Advances—one out of Denmark , the other Canada —that suggest...

Study Busts a Myth About Couples&#39; Appearances
Study Busts a Myth About
Couples' Appearances
new study
Oct 13, 2020 2:24 PM CDT

Study Busts a Myth About Couples' Appearances

No, two people don't start to look alike over time, say researchers

(Newser) - The idea that two people in a long relationship begin to look alike is an enduring one, but new research suggests it's simply not true. A team at Stanford used photos of 517 couples in their study at Scientific Reports , comparing images from when they first got together with...

Think Fish Don&#39;t Stink? You May Have This Mutation
Why Some People Think
Rotten Fish Smells Great
NEW STUDY
Oct 9, 2020 12:30 PM CDT

Why Some People Think Rotten Fish Smells Great

They aren't crazy but may have a rare gene mutation

(Newser) - If you don't mind the smell of rotting fish, you might be one of the rare people to possess a just-discovered gene mutation that hints at just how different people's smell and taste senses can be. Researchers in Iceland set out to learn more about the variants that...

It'll Feel Like Eating Pop Rocks, but Your Tinnitus May Improve

Researchers say bimodal neuromodulation device shocks tongue to reduce ringing in ears

(Newser) - Scientists say they've come up with a noninvasive device that can help alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus , a perception of noise or ringing in the ears. In the study in the Science Translational Medicine journal cited by Scientific American , the researchers say the bimodal neuromodulation contraption achieves this by...

Opening More Bottles Than Usual? You&#39;re Not Alone
Opening More Bottles Than
Usual? You're Not Alone
NEW STUDY
Oct 6, 2020 9:04 AM CDT

Opening More Bottles Than Usual? You're Not Alone

Study finds Americans 30 and older are drinking booze 14% more during pandemic than last year

(Newser) - If you've been throwing back more vino than you used to, join the stuck-at-home crowd. A new study conducted by the Rand Corporation has found that Americans are drinking alcohol 14% more often during the pandemic than they used to, with NPR citing everything from Zoom happy hours to...

Beirut Explosion One of Biggest Non-Nuclear Blasts Ever
Beirut Blast Was
a Mini-Hiroshima
NEW STUDY
Oct 5, 2020 1:10 PM CDT

Beirut Blast Was a Mini-Hiroshima

Scientists say August explosion was one of biggest non-nuclear blasts ever

(Newser) - It was obvious to everyone who witnessed it that the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut was a devastating one, killing at least 200 people and injuring thousands. Now, a team from the UK's Sheffield University is detailing just how powerful the blast was, per the BBC : They say it...

&#39;Pac-Men&#39; Enzymes May Help Solve a Major Problem
Lab Breakthrough May Help
Fight on Plastic Waste
new study
Sep 29, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Lab Breakthrough May Help Fight on Plastic Waste

'Pac-Men' enzymes engineered to feast on plastic

(Newser) - Plastic waste is a large and ever-growing problem around the world. Now, researchers say they're closing in on a potentially game-changing solution that could be commercially available in a year or two, reports the Guardian . Scientists have engineered a "super-enzyme" that breaks down plastic six times faster than...

Weird Pandemic Result: &#39;Sexier&#39; Bird Songs
Songbirds Change
Their Tune
During
Lockdown
NEW STUDY
Sep 25, 2020 11:53 AM CDT

Songbirds Change Their Tune During Lockdown

Sparrows sing 'sexier' songs as road traffic decreases

(Newser) - With fewer cars on the road because of the pandemic, birds no longer have to shout to be heard. The result? Softer, sweeter songs, say researchers in a new study at Science . More to the point, "sexier" songs, lead researcher Elizabeth Derryberry of the University of Tennessee tells AFP...

Whale's Deep Dive Stuns: 'Not Supposed to Be Able to Do This'

Cuvier's beaked whale goes under for a record 3 hours, 42 minutes without coming up for air

(Newser) - It's a mystery how Cuvier's beaked whales go so long without a gulp of air. Based on its body size and metabolism, scientists originally thought the whale would need to resurface every 33 minutes. But one beaked whale just went seven times as long underwater—3 hours, 42...

They Found 13 Ancient Coffins in One Well. Then, 14 More

Archaeologists unearth 2,500-year-old sarcophagi near Egypt's Step Pyramid of Djoser

(Newser) - Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed more than two dozen ancient coffins in a vast necropolis south of Cairo, an official said Monday. The sarcophagi have remained unopened since they were buried more than 2,500 years ago near the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, says Neveine el-Arif, a spokeswoman...

In Clouds of Venus, a Tantalizing Find
Something
Weird Is
Happening
on Venus
new study
Sep 14, 2020 11:23 AM CDT

Something Weird Is Happening on Venus

Chemical associated with biological life is detected in the clouds

(Newser) - Astronomers have found something unexpected in the clouds of Venus—a chemical usually associated with biological life. Does this mean there's life on Venus? Nope, far from it, explains the MIT Technology Review . But the gist from coverage is that the discovery is extremely intriguing. In their paper in...

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