discover

discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint"

get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted"

make a discovery, make a new finding; "Roentgen discovered X-rays"; "Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle"

make a discovery; "She found that he had lied to her"; "The story is false, so far as I can discover"

find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake"

make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case"

see for the first time; make a discovery; "Who discovered the North Pole?"

identify as in botany or biology, for example