https://phys.org/science-news/ en-us The latest science news on archaeology, fossils, mathematics, and science technology from Phys.org Deep inequalities in taxation played a key role in fueling the French Revolution, according to a new study published by the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin). For the first time, economists have substantiated this with figures. In areas where salt taxes and internal customs duties were particularly high, there were twice as many revolts as in low-tax districts between 1750 and 1789. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-unequal-taxation-fuel-french-revolution.html Economics & Business Mon, 13 Jul 2026 23:20:01 EDT news703155056 Supportive supervisors can improve the performance of employees with disabilities, according to research in the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research. However, the broader workplace environment determines how much that support translates into results. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-supervisors-employees-disabilities.html Economics & Business Mon, 13 Jul 2026 23:00:01 EDT news703166945 Researchers have reconstructed and transcribed a mathematical formula from the site of Xultun, Guatemala, revealing the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time. During the Classic period (250–900 CE), mathematics and astronomy were a key part of Maya society, with complex calculations based on calendar dates and astronomical observations influencing everything from the erection of monuments to the inauguration of kings and queens. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-maya-wall-astronomer-emerges.html Archaeology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news702638642 Canadian companies that disclose their climate-related risks and impacts have a considerable advantage over those that don't when it comes to attracting financing from European institutional investors, according to our recent report for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen's University. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-disclosure-canadian-companies-edge.html Economics & Business Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:20:02 EDT news703166973 The risk of students using AI to cheat tends to get a lot of attention—with good reason. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-teachers-students-ai-survey-deeper.html Education Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:00:02 EDT news703156155 Hundreds of economists say in an open letter that institutions "must act now" to address how artificial intelligence could transform the economy and could put many people out of work. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hundreds-economists-ai-economic-impact.html Economics & Business Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:40:06 EDT news703167360 In environmental, health and technology crises, Americans are more persuaded to take action by scientists and public consensus than by leaders in government and industry, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Boston College and Princeton University. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-citizens-persuasive-industry-mobilizing.html Social Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:00:07 EDT news703140968 Over the past decade, the AI-focused, for-profit Alpha School has grown from one campus in Austin, Texas, to more than 15 schools across the country, including in major cities like New York and San Francisco. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-growth-ai-schools-alpha-doesnt.html Education Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:20:05 EDT news703164361 One of the many marvels of the Roman world is that some of its buildings are still with us. But why have they lasted for so long when some relatively modern structures are in a state of decay after a few decades? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-emperor-hadrian-latrines-durability-roman.html Archaeology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:30:01 EDT news703166448 Some of the most meaningful changes during puberty may not happen in the body alone. They may also happen in conversation. A new University of Michigan study suggests that as Black girls move through puberty, conversations with their mothers become an important space for making sense of changing bodies, race, gender, ethnicity and identity. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-black-girls-puberty-physical-conversations.html Social Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:20:02 EDT news703164061 Shizhi Zhang, Linda Westman and Vanesa Castán Broto have published a paper in Political Geography that explores how classical Chinese political philosophy can contribute to contemporary debates on environmental justice (EJ) theory. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-theorization-environmental-justice-chinese-political.html Political science Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:40:15 EDT news703161901 Headers have accounted for a shrinking percentage of World Cup goals, dropping from 23.7% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2022 to 17.9% in 2026 through the round of 16, according to Northeastern's NetSI Sport research group, which is analyzing this year's tournament data. However, headers are becoming more accurate—converting at a higher rate (11.4%) and producing more shots on target (33.5%) than in the two previous World Cups. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-cup-header-trends-higher.html Social Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news703156139 A team of researchers from the University of Aberdeen has developed a new framework for identifying the often-subtle signs of child abuse and neglect in antiquity. Previous osteoarchaeological studies have tended to focus on skeletal signs of severe physical injury, but this new research focuses on more subtle injuries and child neglect. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uncovering-evidence-child-abuse-neglect.html Archaeology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:01 EDT news703156090 Buried in the rubble outside an ancient city, archaeologists have discovered golden diadems and mouthpieces stamped with sun-crowned bulls and running ibexes. Their designs borrow from nearly every corner of the ancient Mediterranean, providing a snapshot of ancient trade in one of history's first great ages of globalization. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-year-gold-diadems-mouth-pieces.html Archaeology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:20:07 EDT news703150118 A new study from Virginia Tech found that scientists' credibility often hinges on their perceived motivations. "Our study finds that perceptions of scientists' motivation to serve the public good are the strongest predictor of whether Americans trust them, accept their information as credible, and support science-based policies," said Dara Wald, associate professor in environmental policy and planning. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-credibility-audience.html Social Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:00:03 EDT news703154874 Memories of pandemics are often contentious. They can be disputed, uncomfortable and politically charged. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to feel more distant, governments, communities and families have started asking how it should be remembered. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-medieval-plague-survivors-left-graffiti.html Archaeology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:20:09 EDT news703152182 A Netflix adaptation helped transform "Heartstopper" from a popular graphic novel into a global mainstream publishing success, according to new research from The University of Manchester and Princeton University. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-netflix-heartstopper-global-buying-boom.html Social Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:40:09 EDT news703147862 Large language models (LLMs) are gradually transforming research in the life sciences in ways that extend far beyond improving productivity, and they are becoming a new normal before scientists have agreed on the limits of their use. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-large-language-quietly-reshaping-life.html Education Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:20:07 EDT news703147834 It can be easy to get sucked into social media for hours on end. Funny, cartoony science videos may be especially interesting, but not to everyone, according to a recent study from the University of Georgia. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-jellyfish-videos-reveal-science-content.html Social Sciences Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:00:03 EDT news702738084 For years, we've been told a familiar story: Social scientists such as economists, management scholars and sociologists talk, and the public shrugs. The claim goes that people don't find our work interesting, that our expertise is fuzzy compared with "hard" sciences, and that journalists and readers will always prefer the crisp authority of practitioners such as CEOs, consultants or politicians. Is that really true? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-isnt-economists-scholars-sociologists-engaging.html Social Sciences Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:30:04 EDT news702563547 Microsoft PowerPoint has become the default tool for presenting learning materials in classrooms, universities, corporate training programs, webinars and remote learning environments. But is it being used effectively? This question arises because learners face a major challenge. They try to listen to the speaker's explanations while simultaneously connecting them to the relevant visual elements on the slide, which can interfere with learning. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simple-powerpoint-big-difference-learners.html Education Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:00:04 EDT news702809304 Domestic and family violence is an epidemic. In 2024, the prime minister declared it a national crisis. Official statistics show time and again that this violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men. This is unlikely to be news to most of us—we see it play out in our communities, online and on our screens. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-dozens-men-violence.html Social Sciences Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:30:01 EDT news702553802 Rideshare and delivery platforms operate in an unusually fluid labor market. Drivers can log off, switch apps or stop working at any moment, making engagement unpredictable. Companies often respond with bonuses, surge pricing and promotions, yet inconsistent commitment remains a challenge. Research suggests the problem is not only financial; platform design strongly influences drivers' decisions about when and where to work. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-economy-drivers-disengaging-platform.html Economics & Business Sun, 12 Jul 2026 03:58:02 EDT news703047465 The average life span for Americans hovered around 40 years for the first 100 years of the nation's existence. But after 1880, breakthroughs in modern medicine and public health resulted in a dramatic rise in life expectancy. By 1930, the average American could expect to enjoy an additional 20 years of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-qa-unforeseen-consequences-great-aging.html Economics & Business Sat, 11 Jul 2026 20:00:01 EDT news702832156 If you visit Scandinavia, you are likely to find yourself at an exhibition about Vikings. There are many to choose from. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-vikings-bearded-marauders-scandinavia-national.html Archaeology Sat, 11 Jul 2026 17:00:04 EDT news702562833 They have been our meat and our messengers, a source of fertilizer and a religious symbol: while pigeons are now mostly reviled as dirty city pests, they long played an important role in human society. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-story-pigeons-humans-years.html Archaeology Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:20:01 EDT news698555993 In her recently completed research, Dr. Gaia Romeo exposes the reality behind the EU's 'safe third country' policy. She focuses on the only case in which that policy has already been applied on a large scale: Greece. There, the concept was used to reject asylum applications and return asylum seekers under the return policy resulting from the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-safe-country-concept-shell.html Political science Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:06 EDT news702738189 This week, researchers reported finding nanoplastics in Antarctic soils for the first time, suggesting they were delivered via long-range atmospheric transport. A study associates the use of hormonal birth control with the risk of brain tumors. And researchers developed a new drug against metastatic prostate cancer using human proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-saturday-citations-blue-zone-longevity.html Other Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:04 EDT news702889645 Workers earning the lowest wages are the least likely to be covered by collective agreements in Germany, despite being the group for whom these protections are arguably most important. In 2021, only 34% of workers in the lowest wage decile were covered by collective agreements, compared with more than 60% of workers in the middle of the wage distribution, according to findings of a new report by the ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin) and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-agreements-common-workers.html Economics & Business Fri, 10 Jul 2026 22:20:02 EDT news702897249 At Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), conversations about diversity often center on supporting Hispanic/Latine students. New research from scholars at University of New Mexico highlights an important and sometimes overlooked issue--the experiences of Black students at these universities, specifically those classified as R1, or highly research-intensive institutions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-anti-blackness-hispanic-universities.html Social Sciences Fri, 10 Jul 2026 21:20:01 EDT news702903718