https://phys.org/science-news/ en-us The latest science news on archaeology, fossils, mathematics, and science technology from Phys.org Climate change is widely understood as an environmental and economic threat, but new research from the University of Sydney shows it is also a growing social crisis, weakening the relationships people rely on to survive. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-climate-social.html Social Sciences Fri, 15 May 2026 11:20:01 EDT news698061421 As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, researchers from 23andMe Research Institute, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution have teamed up to study one of the country's founding settlements: St. Mary's City, Maryland. Established in 1634, St. Mary's City was the first English settlement in the colony of Maryland. Despite existing written records and the ability of many present-day Americans to trace their ancestry to the historic city, many gaps remain in our knowledge of this early founder population. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-historical-dna-million-17th-century.html Archaeology Thu, 14 May 2026 17:03:19 EDT news697996981 A mathematical method borrowed from topology can reveal structural properties of visual art that correspond to how people perceive and respond to them, according to a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Jacek Rogala of the University of Warsaw, Poland, Shabnam Kadir of the University of Hertfordshire, UK, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mathematical-analysis-reveals-hidden-golden.html Mathematics Thu, 14 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news697884781 Kaleidocycles are flexible polyhedral structures composed of rigid tetrahedra connected along their edges to form rotating rings. Each tetrahedron is a solid 3D polygon with four triangular faces (like a triangular pyramid), and the hinges connect neighboring units, enabling a smooth rotational motion of the ring without deforming the individual pieces. These mechanisms are often compared with the bubble rings blown by dolphins. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mathematicians-kaleidocycles-exact-motion.html Mathematics Thu, 14 May 2026 12:36:18 EDT news697980961 For decades, researchers have documented an achievement gap between children from higher- and lower-income families. On average, children with more resources perform better in school and on cognitive tests. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-child-environment-brain-problems.html Social Sciences Thu, 14 May 2026 12:14:38 EDT news697979641 Whether it's artificial intelligence programs or the Amazon rainforest, people often experience gratitude or protectiveness toward non-human entities because they perceive these entities as having good intentions, according to research published in the journal Emotion. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-machines-forests-strange-reshaping-human.html Social Sciences Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:05 EDT news697875990 We are surrounded by computer-generated voices these days, from navigation systems and voice assistants to automated announcements. But how human do these voices actually sound? A recent study by the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, published in the journal Speech Communication, shows that our perception is affected by three things: how something is said, what is being said, and whether we understand the language. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-voices-human-layer-speech-illusion.html Social Sciences Wed, 13 May 2026 21:40:01 EDT news697882937 Artificial intelligence (AI) systems affect many parts of daily life, including health care, education, and public policy, but the public has had few meaningful opportunities to participate in the development, governance, or modifications of AI systems, according to Tanusree Sharma, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. As a result, AI systems may not align with the needs of diverse communities. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-inclusiveai-voting-ai-decisions-broader.html Social Sciences Wed, 13 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news697904579 Horses were being ridden, worked, and traded long before anyone thought it possible. New research pushes back the accepted timeline of human use of horses by centuries, showing that humans used horses in organized ways as early as the 4th millennium BCE, if not earlier. The research is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-domesticated-horses-years-complex-story.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 15:26:02 EDT news697904274 We hardly give them a second thought, but everyday objects like bags and backpacks belong to a long technological tradition that may stretch back hundreds of thousands of years. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-history-ancient-technology-hundreds-thousands.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:40:02 EDT news697899984 Neanderthals had the know-how to identify a tooth infection and the motor skills to drill out the damage, according to a study published May 13, 2026, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Alisa Zubova of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences (Kunstkamera), St. Petersburg, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news697822120 Agriculture reached the coast of southern Denmark around 4000 BCE, but these prehistoric Scandinavians continued to fish and hunt too, according to a study published in PLOS One by Daniel Groß from the Museum Lolland-Falster, Denmark, Sofie Folsach Hellerøe from Aarhus University, Denmark, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-prehistoric-danish-people-fish-agriculture.html Archaeology Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news697886399 Our personal identity is composed of many dimensions, such as age, gender, ethnic background, or socioeconomic status. A research team led by Fariba Karimi from the Institute of Human-Centered Computing at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and Samuel Martin-Gutierrez from the Complexity Science Hub developed the statistical computational model "MAPS" to calculate the influence of these factors on our social relationships. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-identity-traits-sharply-narrow-friends.html Mathematics Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:24 EDT news697888801 The sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, currently in theaters, is capturing the attention of both audiences and the scientific community for its science-based content. It manages to engage viewers with complex, cutting-edge topics—from astrophysics to language—without sacrificing entertainment. Yet not all films strike this balance. Many have promoted inaccurate or even misleading scientific ideas, and, thanks to their wide reach, have contributed to shaping distorted public perceptions of science. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cinema-effect-gateway-science.html Education Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:01 EDT news697727761 Researchers have found our emotions toward politics not only play on our minds, but shape how our bodies respond to political experiences, even driving political participation higher. The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that political emotions are not simply experienced as everyday feelings directed at political topics, but are felt differently in the body, becoming a key driver of how we participate in democracy. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-political-emotions-bodies-democracy.html Social Sciences Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:10 EDT news697800121 Work songs, musical pieces designed to be performed or sung while working, have been widely documented across various cultures and in different historical periods. For instance, people in different nations have been known to sometimes sing together while rowing, sailing, harvesting crops or building structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-songs-team.html Social Sciences Tue, 12 May 2026 08:00:04 EDT news697708741 A recent study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology documented skeletal changes linked to scurvy in Late Holocene archaeological sites in California (500 BCE–1834 CE). The change observed shows the cascading impacts of dietary practices on skeletal development, including in infants, which may have been affected during pregnancy or breastfeeding, highlighting the largely invisible impacts of pregnancy in the archaeological record. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scurvy-skeletal-fingerprint-california-late.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 21:20:01 EDT news697717776 Recent satellite remote sensing surveys have identified 280 stone structures spread across the Atbai desert in Sudan. Twenty of these structures were previously identified by fieldwork or informal surveys, but were not systematically studied as a regional tradition. Now, new research, published in the African Archaeological Review, takes a closer look at the purpose of these monuments and the unique, cattle-centered pastoralist culture behind them. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sudan-vast-stone-circles-reveal.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 13:20:05 EDT news697722033 Having weathered nearly 1,500 years of time and exposure, the remains of Roman-Byzantine villages in Syria have been the subject of recent architectural investigations, which reveal remarkable design features, local construction techniques, and spatial layouts that could inform and be adapted for future restoration projects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-advanced-techniques-domestic-layouts-roman.html Archaeology Mon, 11 May 2026 12:00:10 EDT news697716062 There is an old adage that goes, "you are what you eat," meaning that the food you consume helps build your body and fuel your mind. The same is true now as it ever was. When it comes to early humans, studying what they ate and how they obtained high-quality food, such as meat, can help us understand how their brains evolved and their social behaviors began to take shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-million-year-bones-reveal-early.html Archaeology Sun, 10 May 2026 11:20:01 EDT news697292329 This week, researchers reported that the human brain is capable of sophisticated language processing while in an unconscious state during general anesthesia. An informatics and computing professor found that the Climate TRACE consortium has underestimated vehicle carbon emissions in cities by a staggering 70%. And archaeologists excavated and photoscanned a prehistoric man-made island located in a Scottish loch. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-saturday-citations-psychedelic-therapeutics-interoception.html Other Sat, 09 May 2026 08:30:02 EDT news697453274 A study published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology has identified the earliest evidence of prehistoric occupation by island dwellers of northern Sri Lanka. Long thought to be unsuitable for human occupation due to its scarce stone resources and semi-arid landscape, the findings at Velanai Island challenge this long-held belief and offer insights into early raw-material exploitation, seafaring capabilities, and subsistence behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-northern-sri-lanka-oldest-settlement.html Archaeology Fri, 08 May 2026 18:20:02 EDT news697453205 The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects—some dating back to the 1940s—fanning speculation over whether alien life exists. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-flying-discs-orbs-newly-pentagon.html Other Fri, 08 May 2026 13:36:47 EDT news697466184 TikTok's algorithm did not treat Democrats and Republicans equally during the 2024 US presidential election. According to a paper published in Nature, its recommendation system showed a Republican-leaning skew in three states. The journal's editors have also published a Research Briefing in the same issue covering the study. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tiktok-algorithm-pro-republican-bias.html Political science Fri, 08 May 2026 10:50:01 EDT news697453295 A new Columbia University School of Nursing AI-assisted audit reveals nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers have fake citations that do not exist in scientific databases. The results highlight an alarming trend in academic publishing as the use of AI grows. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-peer-medical-papers-fake-citations.html Education Fri, 08 May 2026 09:00:03 EDT news697447922 For decades, the common explanation for why children struggle to read has stayed remarkably consistent. Smart kids read well. Kids who don't simply aren't smart enough. And when children strain over a page, the assumption has often been that something about how they see the text is getting in the way. By this logic, reading comes down to intelligence and visual processing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-years-struggles-obvious-massive-analysis.html Education Thu, 07 May 2026 19:00:08 EDT news697377932 Forming social connections online and via social media reduces how much people engage with and learn from the content posted but significantly boosts their networking performance, according to new research. The study, published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, led by the University of Bristol in the UK in partnership with the University at Buffalo, State University of New York in the US, found this shift of focus from learning about the actual content to concentrating on the related social connections is more marked among people with a better memory. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sharper-brains-mindset-online-social.html Social Sciences Thu, 07 May 2026 18:40:01 EDT news697378842 You probably know that Einstein changed the face of physics with his theory of relativity in his twenties. What you may not know is that he spent his later career on a crusade against quantum mechanics, the model that would go on to drive the next century of advances in the field. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nostalgia-effect-scientists-disruptive-age.html Education Thu, 07 May 2026 17:50:02 EDT news697391521 Millet has been an important crop in East Asia for much of the Holocene, a period beginning about 11,700 years ago. To better understand how environmental conditions may have shaped the development of millet agriculture, researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and their collaborators investigated loess deposits from the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ancient-soil-temperatures-millet-farming.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 17:10:07 EDT news697390681 Neanderthals may not only have feasted on rhinoceroses, they may also have used their exceptionally hard teeth as specialized tools for a range of tasks, such as retouching the edges of stone tools. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-modern-rhino-teeth-neanderthal-toolkits.html Archaeology Thu, 07 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news697376945