scientific study

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Pantyhose Help Reveal Why Mosquitoes Prefer Humans

Researchers use stockings to zero in on a human-only body odor

(Newser) - Thousands of years ago some mosquitoes made "a really good evolutionary move": They developed a taste for humans. A new study digs into the genes that led to this evolutionary shift, which had many mosquitoes give up on furry forest animals—and it relied on guinea pigs and pantyhose... More »

Scientists Find 6 Flame Retardants in Our Bodies

Small study analyzed urine of 16 Californians

(Newser) - Much of the furniture in your home is likely coated in flame retardants—and it turns out those same flame retardants may be making themselves at home in our bodies. The Silent Spring Institute, working in tandem with Belgian researchers, tested 16 Californians for biomarkers of six flame-retardant chemicals using... More »

Scientists Find Key Culprit in Antarctic Ice Melt

Underwater storms bringing warm water to polar ice: study

(Newser) - Storms aren't just a result of global warming, they may actually be causing the unstoppable Antarctic ice melt . Robots patrolling more than 3,250 feet below the Weddell Sea have discovered underwater storms are helping thaw Antarctic ice as they drive warm water toward polar ice shelves. Essentially, researchers... More »

Chewing on Ice Better Than Sex (for Some)

Ice may offer mental boost for pagophagia sufferers

(Newser) - If you need coffee as a morning pick-me-up, you're not alone. If you need to chomp through a cup of ice, you're also not alone—but there are fewer people like you. Such ice-eaters may suffer from pagophagia (a compulsive craving for ice) that could be caused by... More »

Insects Made History 400M Years Ago

They were first to grow wings, rule the skies

(Newser) - Want human beings to feel a massive ego-boost? Then look elsewhere, because a ground-breaking study published by Science finds that insects ruled the Earth about 400 million years ago and grew wings long before any other animal, reports Heritage Daily . They cropped up as plants began diversifying, in fact, and... More »

Your Weird Sex Fantasies Are Probably Really Vanilla

Research finds humans experience 'wide range of erotic fantasies'

(Newser) - Some might be shy about admitting weird sexual fantasies, but 1,516 participants did just that for a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine —and most of their fantasies aren't that weird at all. There's a wide spectrum of them, and most folks fall well within... More »

In Bat Battles, Rivals Jam Each Other's Sonar

Study identifies technique for first time in Mexican free-tailed bats

(Newser) - Bats don't mess around when it comes to food fights—they can prevent rivals from snagging prey by emitting a noise that essentially jams the other bat's sonar. One researcher discovered the tactic for the first time among the Mexican free-tailed bat, which, like all bats, uses "... More »

Here's How Penises Evolved

Scientists identify link between genitalia and growth of limbs

(Newser) - Most guys probably don't sit around the locker room pondering the finer points of how the male penis evolved, so leave this one to Harvard researchers: The mystery is solved thanks to … lizard limbs. Yup, Harvard scientists investigating the origin of external genitalia have found a link relating... More »

Why You Should Gamble Before You Chow Down

Hungry people might make better long-term decisions, researchers say

(Newser) - You know not to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. But making complex decisions while your stomach's rumbling? Go for it, Utrecht University researchers say, claiming that hungry people might delay gratification and make better long-term choices, Pacific Standard reports. A study published in PLoS One conducted three... More »

Birth Season Affects Your Temperament

Hungarian study says summer babies have more mood swings

(Newser) - Getting moodier as you grow older? That may be because you were born in summer—assuming, of course, that you were born in summer, according to a new study out of Hungary. Researchers in Budapest who analyzed 400 people say they found a direct connection between the subjects' temperament and... More »

Scientists Determine Your 'Optimal' Amount of Sleep

7.6 hours for women, 7.8 hours for men

(Newser) - Suspect you're not getting enough sleep? You can now verify whether that is indeed the case. In a study published last month in the journal Sleep , researchers claim to have determined exactly how much sleep we need: 7.6 hours for women and 7.8 hours for men. The... More »

Scientists Surprised by Central Park Dirt

It has as much biodiversity as soils 'from the Arctic to Antarctica'

(Newser) - Dirt probably isn't something you'd think of as having "so much going on," but scientist Kelly Ramirez begs to differ. She's sampled dirt from tropical forests to deserts around the world and found it "teeming with so many different types of organisms," she... More »

Your Dog Might Be a Pessimist

Research indicates 'pessimistic' pups give up more easily, seem to expect the worst

(Newser) - Certain dogs apparently feel like they're perpetually in the doghouse, according to a University of Sydney study that says some dogs are pessimists, getting demoralized more easily than other dogs and just giving up on tasks when they've had enough. The research, published this week in the Plos ... More »

Macho Men Have So-So Sperm

Tradeoff between looks and virility might be at play, says study

(Newser) - Macho guys may attract more women, but the quality of their sperm might not be of he-man standards, a new study suggests. Oddly, the sperm of good-looking guys—but not necessarily macho ones with square jaws and distinct cheekbones—is just fine, reports Medical Daily . The link was found when... More »

1 in 7 'Sleep Drunk' After Waking

And you know you who are

(Newser) - Have you ever woken up so confused you've mistaken a water bottle for a telephone, or the closet for a toilet? If so, you might be among the one in seven people estimated to suffer from a sleep disorder called "confusional arousal," reports MedPage Today . Or to... More »

Scientists Turn Bad Memories to Happy Ones

Research could mean more effective treatment for human disorders

(Newser) - Scared to death of spiders after you found one crawling in your bed? Scientists may have discovered a way for you to find them positively cuddly. After identifying the neurons powered by positive and negative memories in mice, MIT neuroscientists found a way to use light to essentially rewrite a... More »

Medical Marijuana May Cut Painkiller ODs

States with new laws see drop in opioid deaths

(Newser) - The solution to America's addiction to painkillers may be … more drugs? A new study found a drop in painkiller overdose deaths in 13 states that allowed medical marijuana, CNN reports. That's because a patient prescribed marijuana will either stop taking opioids or take less of them, researchers... More »

TB's Arrival in New World: Blame Seals

New study also suggests TB is only 6K years old

(Newser) - Tuberculosis may have reached the New World long before Christopher Columbus ever sailed the ocean blue, a new study suggests. Scientists have examined 1,000-year-old Peruvian bones mysteriously infected with TB—500 years before the arrival of Spaniards, who are historically blamed for bringing TB to the New World, Nature ... More »

New Heart Disease Culprit: Ramen?

Study examines South Korea's intake—the highest in the world

(Newser) - Think of this the next time you slurp a cheap cup of hot ramen noodles: It could be linked to heart disease, especially if you're a woman, the AP reports. A new American study of South Korea's ramen consumption examined the diets of 10,700 people aged 19... More »

Skull Shapes 'Feminized' About 50K Years Ago

Smaller brows, less testosterone helped us advance: study

(Newser) - Hope you're sitting down, gentlemen: A new study says that homo sapiens made a huge leap in abstract and symbolic thought 50,000 years ago because their skull-shape "feminized" and testosterone levels went down, Pacific Standard reports. Experts at Duke University analyzed over 1,400 modern and ancient... More »

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