discoveries

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

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Malaria Nets Can't Stop New 'Super Mosquito'

Insects created by interbreeding 2 Mali species survive exposure

(Newser) - For years, campaigns such as Nothing But Nets have been trying to control the scourge of malaria —a blood disease spread by mosquito bites—by sending insecticide-laced nets to hard-hit regions (mostly in Africa). But a University of California-Davis study has some bad news: Researchers have discovered a hybrid...

Fossils Reveal Scottish Sea Monster

Scotland's first known ichthyosaur discovered

(Newser) - It was the size of a motorboat and looked like a "sinister dolphin," reports Discovery News in describing Scotland's first known—and newly discovered—ichthyosaur. In 1959, Brian Shawcross came upon prehistoric bones on the Isle of Skye; the amateur fossil hunter donated them to Glasgow's...

New Bot Plays Perfect Poker: Researchers

Its strategy involves the ability to 'regret' past moves

(Newser) - The world's greatest poker players have a formidable new foe. Scientists have developed a computer program they say plays an effectively perfect game of Fixed-limit Heads-up Texas Hold 'em, the BBC reports. The Cepheus system "can't be beaten with statistical significance within a lifetime of human...

What Makes Black Widows So Deadly


 What Makes 
 Black Widows 
 So Deadly 
study says
Jan 10, 2015 4:30 PM CST

What Makes Black Widows So Deadly

They evolved quickly with same venom compounds as house spiders

(Newser) - Black widow spiders are known for their lethal venom, but just how did they get so deadly? Apparently by evolving quickly over the years during their pursuit of "ever-bigger prey," Discovery reports. According to a new study, black widows and house spiders have comparable toxic compounds in their...

Long Lashes Are Bad for Your Eyes
Why Long Lashes
Are Bad for Your Eyes
study says
Jan 10, 2015 3:00 PM CST

Why Long Lashes Are Bad for Your Eyes

They funnel in air and dust, study says

(Newser) - Long lashes may be alluring, but watch out: A new study says they funnel air into the eye rather than protect it, Today reports. Researchers started off by measuring animals' eyelashes, which were always one-third the width of the eye. Such natural lashes apparently protect against dirt and drying by...

This Exists: Plant That Grows &#39;Ketchup&#39; and &#39;Fries&#39;
 This Exists: 
 Plant That Grows 
 'Ketchup' and 'Fries' 
in case you missed it
Jan 10, 2015 10:30 AM CST

This Exists: Plant That Grows 'Ketchup' and 'Fries'

'TomTato' now available in US

(Newser) - Tomatoes and potatoes go together like, well, ketchup and fries—so why not grow them together? A hybrid plant known as the "TomTato" or, yes, "Ketchup 'n' Fries," allows you to do just that, and it's now available in the US after first being released...

Guys Who Post Too Many Selfies Might Be Bad News: Study

It points to narcissistic traits—not to mention psychopathic ones

(Newser) - The results of a selfie study may not come as a surprise to you: Guys who post loads of them, researchers at Ohio State University find, also show signs of narcissism and even score higher on tests for psychopathy. The findings were based on an online survey of 800 men...

Possible Jesus Trial Site Opens to Public
Museum: We've Found Possible Site of Jesus' Trial
in case you missed it
Jan 10, 2015 7:00 AM CST

Museum: We've Found Possible Site of Jesus' Trial

The Tower of David in Jerusalem offers tours, too

(Newser) - Curious to see the possible site of Jesus' trial? The Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem has begun offering tours to the suspected remains of Herod's palace, where some say Jesus was tried and sentenced to death, the Washington Post reports. "There is, of course, no inscription stating...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including a never-before-seen frog birth

(Newser) - A potential breakthrough in antibiotics and an ancient metal make the list:
  • Shipwreck Yields 'Atlantis' Metal : Orichalcum was considered one of the most precious metals in ancient times—Plato claimed it lined the temple of Poseidon on Atlantis—and now, for apparently the first time, modern-day researchers have recovered
...

Ancient Shipwreck Yields 'Atlantis' Metal

Orichalcum mystery solved, researchers say

(Newser) - It was considered one of the most precious metals in ancient times—and Plato claimed it lined the temple of Poseidon on the legendary island of Atlantis—but this appears to be the first time anybody in modern times has actually found some orichalcum. Researchers in Sicily say a shipwreck...

What 10K People Looking for Genghis Khan's Tomb Found

In 6 months, they spent 3.4 years poring over maps

(Newser) - If we ultimately uncover Genghis Khan's tomb, we may have outer space and about 10,000 volunteers to thank. As Smithsonian recounts, legend has it that the location of the Mongolian warrior's tomb was safeguarded by soldiers who murdered the tomb builders and were then killed themselves. University...

Powerful New Antibiotic Could Crush Superbugs

Soil find may be biggest breakthrough in 25 years

(Newser) - Are superbugs about to meet their match? There hasn't been a major new antibiotic discovered in 25 years, but researchers say a drug called teixobactin that has been extracted from dirt in Maine could be the biggest breakthrough in a generation, Fast Company reports. The experimental drug has so...

Sleep Drug Helps Car-Crash Victim Start Speaking Again

Docs say man regained speech after being given drug normally used as sedative

(Newser) - A 43-year-old car-crash victim in Italy who fell into a "minimally conscious state" to the point where he could no longer speak suddenly started chatting again after receiving a sedative, LiveScience reports. A study published in November in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience said it's the first case showing...

Sugar Is Making Us Really Sick
 
 Sugar Is Making 
 Us Really Sick 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 5, 2015 2:24 PM CST

Sugar Is Making Us Really Sick

UCSF researchers start 'science initiative' to show sugar's links to chronic diseases

(Newser) - Dr. Robert Lustig has studied childhood obesity for 16 years and cross-analyzed numerous studies to come to a not-so-sweet conclusion: Sugar should be thought of along the same lines as tobacco, cocaine, or alcohol, he told the Guardian in August. Now Lustig is a member of a 12-scientist team working...

Amulet Offers Up 1.5K-Year-Old Palindrome

But ancient artifact discovered in Cyprus has a few mistakes

(Newser) - It seems that palindromes—phrases that read the same forward and backward—have been popular for a very long time. Researchers have discovered an amulet in Cyprus dating back some 1,500 years, and the words inscribed form such a phrase, LiveScience reports. Translated from Greek, the words say, "...

No Eggs Needed: 'Fanged' Frogs Give Birth

Newly discovered species is only one with the ability: researchers

(Newser) - Your typical frogs lay eggs, while a few species give birth to froglets. But frogs giving birth to tadpoles is new to science—and researchers have managed to witness it, the BBC reports. A scientist at Berkeley was holding what he thought was a male frog when it gave birth...

Experts Solve 70-Year-Old Driving Mystery

Research into steering behavior may lead to safer systems

(Newser) - "Think before you jerk.” “Jerking isn’t a joke." Such slogans, as reported in the Washington Post and elsewhere, garnered national attention when used to remind drivers in South Dakota not to over-correct their steering on slick roads. Indeed, the standard theory behind the way we...

5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including left-leaning ants, Byzantine booty haul

(Newser) - A surprising animal sighting and the sinister sexcapades of female praying mantises have brought us into 2015 with a bang:
  • Binge Drinking Does a Number on Your Immune System : The New Year's Eve damage is done, but for future reference: Binge drinking could hurt your immune system. Researchers gave
...

Deep-Voiced Attorneys Less Likely to Win in Court

A male lawyer's voice can actually predict whether he wins his case

(Newser) - When it comes to leaders, men and women both prefer women who have more masculine voices, research shows. And men are more likely to vote for men who use deeper, more masculine tones, while CEOs with deeper voices tend to make more money and run larger companies. But when it...

World's 2nd-Biggest Insect Is Nearly 2 Feet Long

Phryganistria heusii yentuenis is 21 inches long with its legs outstretched

(Newser) - Stick insects, which live in remote regions predominantly in southeastern Asia and tend to be most (which isn't to say very) active at night, not to mention well-camouflaged, are for obvious reasons difficult to discover. In fact, in just the past few years, the number of known species has...

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