discoveries

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

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Something Weird Is Happening With Placebos in America

They seem be growing more 'effective'

(Newser) - Figure this one out: The fake drugs we know as placebos seem to be getting more and more effective in the US. That strange finding comes out of a new analysis in the journal Pain, which looked at medical studies going back to 1990. It turns out that people who...

Missing King Cobra Found Under Neighbor's Dryer

10-foot snake is back with his owners

(Newser) - Elvis is back in the building. Elvis, in this case, being the missing king cobra snake that was returned to its owner's home near Orlando after being on the loose for more than a month. A woman who lives about a half-mile from owner (and Discovery Channel reality star...

We Could Be Seeing Biggest-Ever Coral Death

We may lose 5% of world's corals in latest bleaching event: scientists

(Newser) - A coral bleaching event is hitting the globe for just the third time on record, scientists say, and could lead to the biggest coral die-off in history, reports the Guardian . We could lose about 5% of the planet's corals (or 4,500 square miles) this year, while 38% may...

Runners and Potheads Have Similar Highs
 Runners and Potheads 
 Have Similar Highs 
NEW STUDY

Runners and Potheads Have Similar Highs

The euphoric feeling is linked to the brain’s cannabinoid receptors

(Newser) - It's known that a runner's high isn't actually the result of endorphins, which are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier, but scientists have long sought the elusive cause of the much-talked-about sense of euphoria and calm that can accompany the end of a workout. Now researchers...

Going to Bed Late Could Be Making You Fat

Researchers link later bedtimes to increased BMI

(Newser) - Want to lower your chances of gaining weight? Then maybe cut out before Jimmy Fallon's opening monologue, according to a new study published in the October issue of Sleep. The New York Times reports researchers looking at more than 3,300 adolescents between 1994 and 2009 found a two-point...

49% of Americans Have Nothing Saved

Only 14% have more than $10K in their savings account

(Newser) - Nearly half of all Americans—49%—have no money in their savings account or no savings account at all, CNBC reports. “It’s worrisome that such a large percentage of Americans have so little set aside,” a financial analyst for the site that conducted the survey tells Market...

Losing the Grammar Race: Trump Backers

Democrats' supporters make fewer grammatical errors: study

(Newser) - Can you guess which 2016 campaign supporters have the best grammar? Grammarly conducted a study on the comments left by supporters on the candidates’ official Facebook pages—seriously—analyzing them for grammatical mistakes. It turns out Donald Trump's supporters aren't making English great again: They made the most...

Scientists Uncover Clues About Giraffe&#39;s Long Neck
Scientists Uncover Clues About Giraffe's Long Neck
NEW STUDY

Scientists Uncover Clues About Giraffe's Long Neck

Evolutionary bursts occurred 7M and 1M years ago

(Newser) - In further proof that size matters, the giraffe likely developed a long neck so males could battle each other for mates. If you've ever seen a male giraffe whip its foes , you'll know the neck can be an nasty weapon, with the added benefit that giraffes can reach...

This Is the World's Top University

Yup, Harvard leads the pack yet again

(Newser) - Harvard University is the best university in the world, according to US News ' ranking of 750 universities around the globe. Harvard, which also topped the Best Global Universities rankings in 2014, kept the top spot despite an additional 250 schools that were evaluated this time around. Not only does...

Scientist Says This Frozen Vest Could Help You Lose Weight

Dr. Wayne Hayes claims the vest can help burn up to 500 calories a day

(Newser) - If you've ever wished you could burn a fair amount of calories just by sitting around, and you don't mind that just-jumped-into-a-swimming-pool feeling, a NASA scientist may have a solution: his Cold Shoulder Calorie Burning Vest. Dr. Wayne Hayes, who has studied both ice and the effects mild...

'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' Gets Even More Cryptic

Previous owner would've risked all to get it from East Germany

(Newser) - There are two camps when it comes to the so-called Gospel of Jesus' Wife : one that believes the Coptic fragment is the real deal, and one that's convinced it's a fake. There's evidence to back up either side: Radiocarbon dating indicates the papyrus dates to AD800, and...

Scientists Find New Rat With Curious Pubic Hair

Meet the hog-nosed rat

(Newser) - A newly found creature's name is the hog-nosed rat, and things don't get any more picturesque from there. Reporting on their find in the Journal of Mammalogy , scientists describe the animal, found in 2013 on Mount Dako, on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island: It's a long-faced carnivorous creature...

Wolves Have Taken Over Chernobyl

Elk, deer, wild boar also enjoying life free from human habitation

(Newser) - What happens when humans abandon 1,600 square miles because of radioactivity? Wildlife runs rampant, apparently. A new study on animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone shows what once looked something like a wasteland is now packed with elk, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and wolves. Researchers conducted aerial...

'Gift From God' Helps Wife Recover Lost Wedding Ring

Rosa Pineda believed she'd never see it again

(Newser) - When Rosa Pineda lost her wedding ring in the Pacific Ocean, she cried and figured it was long gone—until her husband stumbled onto what she calls "a gift from God," ABC News reports. Rosa and Rudy Pineda were with their family on Shell Beach at Pismo Beach,...

Ancient &#39;Mega-Tsunami&#39; Could Happen Again

 Ancient 'Mega-Tsunami' 
 Could Happen Again 
study says

Ancient 'Mega-Tsunami' Could Happen Again

Scientists marvel at what happened on island of Santiago

(Newser) - A huge tsunami apparently struck an island off the coast of Africa in prehistoric times—and if so, people living on islands and coastlines today should take care for their safety. According to a new study , a tsunami over 50 stories high swept through the Cape Verdean island of Santiago...

Mom Finds Poignant Note From Her Dead 6-Year-Old
Mom Finds Poignant Note From Her Dead 6-Year-Old
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Mom Finds Poignant Note From Her Dead 6-Year-Old

'We have no idea when he wrote it,' his mom says

(Newser) - Like many 6-year-olds, Leland Shoemake loved getting dirty. He also loved history, Steven Spielberg, and Adam Sandler. But "the one thing he loved most was playing in the dirt," his mother, Amber Shoemake, writes on Facebook . "I never imagined that would be the thing that would take...

Tiny Animal May Solve a Big Pollution Problem

The humble mealworm can live on styrofoam

(Newser) - A bunch of tiny worms may have just solved a problem that's plagued scientists and environmentalists for years: what to do with the 30 million tons of plastics that end up in US landfills annually. Researchers at Stanford University and China's Beihang University fed Styrofoam—long assumed to...

These Are the Best Fruits, Veggies for Weight Loss
 These Are the 
 Best Fruits, Veggies 
 for Weight Loss 
in case you missed it

These Are the Best Fruits, Veggies for Weight Loss

Cauliflower, berries, apples are good choices: study

(Newser) - It might be time to up your produce intake: A new study in PLOS Medicine finds certain fruits and veggies can help lower a person's weight. The US dietary guidelines note people should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to help "achieve and maintain a healthy weight,...

Beauty Really Is in the Eye of Beholder
Beauty Really Is in
the Eye of Beholder
study says

Beauty Really Is in the Eye of Beholder

Some preferences universal, but our personal experiences also play a big role

(Newser) - Research has already established that most of us prefer faces that are symmetrical, and probably because it is an indicator of good health. But universal standards of beauty don't go much further than that—in fact even identical twins (who have identical DNA) disagree about who is attractive, researchers...

It Was Easier to Be Thin 20 Years Ago
 It Was Easier to Be Thin 
 20 Years Ago 
study says

It Was Easier to Be Thin 20 Years Ago

Study says millennials have to work harder than their parents

(Newser) - It's hard out there for millennials: the economy tanked, the Earth is getting hotter, sometimes Facebook crashes. Oh, and they'll end up fatter than people 20 to 40 years ago even if they eat and exercise the same, according to a study in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice...

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