5 most incredible discoveries of the week

Editors | Newser

(NEWSER) – A surprise finding about cancers of all types and a study of the Putin stroll make the list:

• Cancer is all our fault?: A Stony Brook University study shows that up to 90% of cancers are caused by external factors such as smoking, drinking, sun exposure, and air pollution, and are thus more preventable than previously thought. The findings turn a recent "bad luck" hypothesis on its head.

• Magic mushroom ingredient did months of good: Those with a cancer diagnosis or battling depression or anxiety might consider munching on magic mushrooms. Johns Hopkins scientists say a single dose of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in mushrooms, appears to have a protective effect that lasts for an astonishing six months. Most of those who got the highest dosage found it remarkable in another way.

• Physicists may have spotted another new particle: First, scientists experimenting with CERN's Large Hadron Collider discovered the Higgs boson. Next came the possible discovery of pentaquarks. Now scientists may have detected a new, unknown particle. if confirmed, it's a "total game changer."

• To spot a liar, look for these 6 clues: Most of us reveal ourselves through the tiniest physical and verbal clues, and new lie-detecting software developed at the University of Michigan analyzes words and gestures to determine with 75% accuracy whether someone is lying. One piece of advice: Practice keeping your hands at your sides while fibbing.

• Why Putin walks that weird walk: The peculiar gait of the Russian leader (left arm swinging naturally, right arm stiff at his side) used to be attributed to some kind of childhood illness or stroke. But a group of Dutch neuroscientists recently studied a slew of YouTube videos and found a) he's not the only high-ranking Russian who walks like that, and b) it might trace back to the KGB.