https://phys.org/science-news/ en-us The latest science news on archaeology, fossils, mathematics, and science technology from Phys.org In recent years, many observers have noted parallels between the current international environment and the 1930s, including rising geopolitical tensions, political polarization, trade conflicts, and regional wars. This raised a broader question: How do changes in the international environment reshape domestic political landscapes? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-impact-sanctioned-elites-authoritarian.html Political science Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news695646629 Whether social media connects us or leaves us feeling isolated depends on how we use it, according to new research from The University of Manchester. A major review of global evidence has found that online interactions can either reduce or increase loneliness, which challenges simple assumptions about screen time and well-being. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-doomscrolling-reveals-social-media-complex.html Social Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:20:01 EDT news695630882 Orofacial clefts (OC; cleft lips and/or palates) require intense care immediately after birth and can lead to lifelong difficulties with eating and speaking, leading to social marginalization, stigmatization, and exclusion. In a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Dr. Xiaofan Sun and her colleagues identified and analyzed the first archaeological case of OC in China. The study found that the young man not only survived infancy, suggesting intensive care was given to him, but his burial suggests that he was fully integrated into his community, receiving full burial rights, indicating his deformity did not lead to him being shamed in life. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-archaeological-case-cleft-lip-china.html Archaeology Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:20:02 EDT news695642603 For the first time, a study has shown a direct link between political violence and violence against children, adolescents and young adults perpetrated by family members, acquaintances and peer groups. The findings are based on surveys of over 35,000 young people in nine African countries. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-guns-fall-silent-violence-children.html Social Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news695645821 A randomized trial in a large economics course found that AI-mediated feedback improved students' revisions when teaching assistants stayed in control. Artificial intelligence can help instructors write better feedback on student essays and improve learning outcomes when AI is used as a behind-the-scenes assistant rather than a replacement for human graders, a new University of Michigan Engineering study suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-instructors-feedback-trial.html Education Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695628062 How do some wealthy families remain in the upper class for many generations, while other rich families do not? That is the question author Shay O'Brien (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) tackles in the sociological study "Kinship Interlocks: How the Intimate Exchange of Wealth, Status, and Power Generates Upper-Class Persistence," published in the April 2026 issue of the American Sociological Review. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-kinship-interlocks-rich-stay.html Social Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:20:03 EDT news695627402 Asian immigrants are both the fastest-growing and highest-earning immigrant ethnic group in the United States, facts that have caught the attention of many economists interested in how these groups—whether investors or residents—impact housing prices, K-12 education, and other important aspects of community life. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-community-effects-asian-immigrants-housing.html Economics & Business Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:00:03 EDT news695625961 New research led by the University of Houston suggests that formerly incarcerated people are more likely to receive job search assistance if they voluntarily disclose their past while highlighting accomplishments earned during their sentence. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-voluntarily-disclosing-incarceration-job-prospects.html Social Sciences Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news695619421 When a bank wrongly charges fees, a debt collector harasses someone over a disputed bill, or a mortgage servicer fails to apply payments correctly, Americans have a formal recourse: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Filing a complaint with the CFPB is not like venting on Yelp. Companies are legally required to respond within a defined window, typically 15 days. That legal muscle makes the CFPB fundamentally different from most consumer redress channels. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-financial-complaint-delays-seniors-veterans.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:00:06 EDT news695572827 Popular AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini are not neutral and tend to favor certain political parties when asked who users should vote for. This makes them unsuitable for providing advice in connection with elections, according to researchers from the University of Copenhagen behind a new analysis of political bias in chatbots. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chatbots-political-bias-voters-parties.html Political science Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:40:06 EDT news695572769 Improved methods for social and behavioral sciences research could help enhance public trust in science, says a new study that investigated the robustness of data analysis to understand whether it reliably stood the test of time. It did. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-science.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695570281 Monumental ship burials in Scandinavia may have started around a century earlier than previously thought, according to a paper published in the journal Antiquity. It reports the discovery of the remains of a 1,300-year-old ship buried on the Norwegian island of Leka, predating the Vikings. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-monumental-ship-burial-beneath-ancient.html Archaeology Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:00:08 EDT news695564232 New research from the University of Bath shows that graduates of elite MBA programs, particularly the so-called M7 super elite US schools, are significantly more likely to become top management team members and CEOs than those with non elite MBAs or no MBA at all. However, the study of more than 106,000 executives in S&P 500 companies between 2000 and 2018 showed the benefits of holding an elite MBA were not evenly spread between men, women and minorities, and altered according to the prevailing economic winds. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-elite-mbas-corporate-america.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:40:06 EDT news695559602 There has been no shortage of bold claims recently about artificial intelligence (AI) and jobs—from mass unemployment to over-hyped distraction. Much of this debate is speculative. Often, coming from the tech giants promoting their own products, it is self-serving. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-employment-early-ai-job-disruption.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news695558042 A major new U.K. study of 12- to 17-year-olds finds that, while most adolescents say they would vote and are interested in politics, their willingness to engage is linked to their anxiety about the future, low trust in political parties, and limited confidence that political institutions will listen to them. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-year-olds-engage-democracy-anxious.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news695557861 Individuals with high intellectual ability frequently occupy leadership roles across business, science, and politics. To date, it has not been definitively established whether a high intelligence quotient correlates with specific political orientations. However, recent research reveals a significant gender-specific distinction: Intellectually gifted men tend to be less conservative than men of average intellectual ability. The study, authored by Maximilian Krolo and Jörn Sparfeldt, is published in the journal Intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gifted-men-conservatism-average-intelligence.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:02 EDT news695557382 Next week, Sara Perlstein will defend her Ph.D. on risk talk: the everyday conversations we have about risks with people close to us. From eating sushi to climbing or smoking, these informal talks shape how we deal with danger in other ways than official health advice does. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sushi-climbing-common.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:20:05 EDT news695557141 Taking part in activities can make you less lonely, because you meet people, and because social gatherings are a positive thing. But can the mere fact of being active, especially in natural surroundings, help prevent loneliness? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lonely-great-outdoors.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:40:06 EDT news695556601 For many couples, few conversations feel more uncomfortable than talking about money. But new research suggests financial discussions tend to go better than partners anticipate. In a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, researchers found that people consistently underestimate how enjoyable, productive and relationship-building financial conversations with their romantic partners will be. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-couples-wrong-dread-money.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:20:05 EDT news695556541 Welsh local authorities will have new guidance to help make walking, wheeling and cycling safer and more accessible for women and girls, thanks to work led by an Aberystwyth University academic. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-everyday-journeys-women-girls.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news695554502 A major new international study led by The University of Manchester has revealed how policymakers around the world are becoming far more active in constructing affordable housing. Drawing on evidence from cities including Salford, Shanghai, Nairobi and Paris, the research shows how governments are stepping in where private markets have failed—reshaping housing systems, markets and state institutions in the process. The findings are published in the journal Urban Studies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-salford-shanghai-cities-housing.html Economics & Business Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:40:05 EDT news695552461 As extreme heat intensifies across the United States, it's widely assumed that rising temperatures will push people to pack up and leave. But new research from Florida Atlantic University challenges that narrative, showing that heat alone isn't driving Americans away—at least not yet. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hot-reshaping-population-shifts.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news695552083 Dr. Ruben Ruiz Rufino found that communities with clusters of workers in labor-intensive sectors consistently showed higher levels of support for radical-right movements than areas dominated by knowledge-based industries. The study, published in the journal Political Studies, sought to examine how local economic environments shape political attitudes across Europe. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-industry-geography-play-role-radical.html Political science Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news695551622 Economic instability—including job loss, food insecurity, eviction and homelessness—is strongly associated with higher rates of violence among California adults, according to a new statewide survey led by the University of California San Diego. The findings come from the 2025 California Violence Experiences Survey (CalVEX). The new report provides a comprehensive picture of how violence is experienced across the state, including forms of violence that often go unreported in official data. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-economic-hardship-violence-california.html Social Sciences Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:40:04 EDT news695488681 How can public spaces remain safe when large crowds move through them? Engineers and researchers who study these environments often rely on physical models borrowed from fluid dynamics—a branch of physics that describes the collective motion of fluids, whose behavior emerges from the interactions of many particles. But a new study published in the Journal of Statistical Physics: Theory and Experiment highlights a crucial issue: The way data are collected and measured within these models lacks standardization and may overlook important features of human collective behavior. Unlike particles, people are living agents with individual decisions and complex interactions, making their movement harder to capture with traditional approaches. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-crowd-reveal-hidden-slowdowns-standstills.html Mathematics Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:40:01 EDT news695488142 Egyptian mummy remains were examined at Semmelweis University's Medical Imaging Center (OKK). The archaeological finds arriving from the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Center (MNMKK) were analyzed using the institution's newest CT scanner equipped with a photon-counting detector. Thanks to state-of-the-art imaging technology, highly detailed images have been captured that were previously unavailable, and the initial results promise significant scientific advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-generation-ct-scanner-reveal-year.html Archaeology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:30:02 EDT news695490901 The exact location of William Shakespeare's only London property can now be pinpointed to a quiet Blackfriars street, thanks to the discovery of a previously unknown floorplan. The discovery, made by Shakespeare expert Professor Lucy Munro from King's College London, not only identifies the exact place of the property Shakespeare bought in 1613 but also the layout and size. It also paints a different picture of where Shakespeare may have spent some of his time in his later years. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-shakespeare-london-house-discovery.html Archaeology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:10:07 EDT news695462461 Why do some gay men feel more attractive or noticed when they travel, especially on apps like Grindr? New research suggests it is not just confidence or a change of scenery; it is about how being in a new place changes how others see you. A study led by Dr. Oliver Qiu of the University of East London finds that desirability can shift from place to place and across digital platforms, with men who feel overlooked at home sometimes receiving more attention abroad simply because they are new, unfamiliar, or read differently in that setting. The paper is published in the journal Annals of Tourism Research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gay-men.html Social Sciences Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:40:07 EDT news695481122 Researchers have identified the genetic material of scarlet fever while examining a tooth from a naturally mummified skull housed at MUNARQ, the National Museum of Archaeology in La Paz. Using a method that reassembled previously unknown genomes from numerous short DNA fragments, they reconstructed a nearly complete, ancient genome of Streptococcus pyogenes. The reconstructed genome shows clear similarities to modern strains of the globally widespread bacterium, which can cause a variety of illnesses ranging from harmless throat infections to scarlet fever and life-threatening toxic shock syndrome. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bolivian-mummy-rewrites-scarlet-fever.html Archaeology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:30:05 EDT news695492282 Nearly 800,000 years ago, early humans gathered along the shores of a lush lake in what is now northern Israel. Here, they returned again and again, hunting large animals, cooking fish over controlled fires, and organizing their daily lives around hearths. Now, a new study shows that even the wood fueling those fires, which is preserved as rare fragments of charcoal, can reveal how carefully these ancient communities understood and used their environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-charcoal-early-humans-fueled.html Archaeology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:06 EDT news695476707