https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. South Africa endured its worst year of load shedding (scheduled power cuts by the country's utility, Eskom) in 2023. The power went off on 335 of the year's 365 days, often several times a day. Since then, the country has gone more than a year and a half without these planned power cuts. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-power-students-link-anxiety-disrupted.html Social Sciences Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:40:04 EDT news711972089 For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have passed down their traditions and culture through oral storytelling. Now, a Canadian Indigenous community is using a data center to help preserve its heritage. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nation-community-canada-center-heritage.html Social Sciences Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:49:58 EDT news711776966 Even before they are old enough to vote, some young people are finding ways to make a difference. Civic engagement among youth ages 15 to 25 can range from volunteering in the community and joining a protest march to signing a petition or expressing political views on social media, according to Portland State University researcher Yue Ni. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-civic-laboratories-online-spaces-reshaping.html Social Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:20:24 EDT news711709698 For scientists, breakthroughs often stem from unexpected turns. A research team led by Oscar Dahlsten, an associate professor in the Department of Physics at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), set out to prove a theoretical limitation, only to discover a quantum solution. The finding breaks traditional physical constraints and introduces a strategy for harvesting energy from fluctuating sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-pathway-entropy-free-energy.html General Physics Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:00:01 EDT news711706981 From social media feeds to sports broadcasts, gambling ads have become increasingly difficult to avoid. New CU Boulder research links gambling advertising to more gambling activity and more searches for help with problem gambling. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-links-gambling-ads.html Social Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:20:17 EDT news711706632 Better electronic health (e-health) literacy encourages young adult patients to visit doctors' offices rather than replace professional consultations with self-treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-screen-health-literacy-young-adults.html Education Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:40:18 EDT news711616454 Following Ukraine's recent drone strikes on Russian data centers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested there was "less hate, less division and fewer provocations" online because of fewer Kremlin-linked bot networks spreading misinformation and disinformation. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-social-media-algorithm-prioritizes-outrage.html Political science Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:20:14 EDT news711612130 Quality of life for Americans 65 and older increased over the past decade, according to new research from Shatakshee Dhongde in Georgia Tech's School of Economics. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quality-life-older-americans.html Social Sciences Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:40:03 EDT news711611830 Organizations are unprepared for the risks posed by quantum computing, IBM's Europe and Africa vice president Alessandro Curioni told AFP Wednesday, referring to the high-speed technology that could crack security encryptions and enable large-scale cyberattacks. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ibm-quantum-hacks.html Quantum Physics Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:50:01 EDT news711207380 A study by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has analyzed which factors are most associated with pornography use during adolescence. The results show that the most predictive variable is gender, followed by problematic internet use, cannabis and alcohol consumption, family conflict and engaging in certain risky sexual behaviors. The research, published in the journal Computation, was based on the 2023 ESTUDES survey and used a sample of 33,543 adolescents. The aim was to determine which personal, family, digital and behavioral variables are most useful for predicting whether an adolescent reports having viewed or used pornography in the previous 30 days. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-main-factors-pornography-adolescents.html Social Sciences Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:00:48 EDT news711191414 New University of Kent research has found promising signs that AI platforms have the potential to limit the illegal wildlife trade. The research paper titled "Assessing safeguards against the illegal wildlife trade on AI platforms" is published in Conservation Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-platforms-limiting-illegal-wildlife.html Ecology Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:09 EDT news710999762 As a teenager, Gillian Maegan Montalbo's pimples weren't too bad—just a few bumps on her forehead and nose. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-adult-acne-real-ways.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news710839442 Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technology-sector issue. It's transforming how public services are organized and delivered, including settlement services for immigrants and newcomers in Canada. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-canada-settlement-digital-ai-workers.html Economics & Business Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:00:11 EDT news710754602 Overworked teachers in southern India have a new tool for educating their students: Shiksha Copilot, an AI system that generates culturally relevant lesson plans for schools with few resources. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-tool-culturally-lessons-teachers.html Education Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:40:02 EDT news710679302 In 2025, two scholars of religion decided to make a multiday pilgrimage along the Kumano Kodō trail—an ancient route in Japan connecting Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples—guided by an artificial intelligence assistant. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-pilgrims-journeys-sacred-technology.html Archaeology Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:20:27 EDT news710676181 In today's digital world, everything from medical images and financial records to personal photos and secure communications depends on encryption systems that can protect sensitive information. But real-world technologies rarely operate under perfect conditions. Measurements can be imprecise, hardware introduces small errors, and communication channels are often affected by noise. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-mathematical-image-encryption-resilient-real.html Mathematics Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:40:07 EDT news710516341 Many outdoor enthusiasts have spent hours in front of a computer, racing to reserve a campsite, backpacking permit or national park entrance ticket. A recent study suggests that the way these reservation systems are designed can favor higher-income visitors. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-richer-people-edge-national.html Environment Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:10:01 EDT news710520661 Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to create convincing fake political content and harder to tell what's real. Now, a University of Missouri expert is helping voters navigate that changing information landscape ahead of this year's midterm elections. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-expert-voters-political-deepfakes.html Political science Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:40:02 EDT news710505601 As voters seeking information about political issues increasingly turn to LLMs to do research, will AI lead them astray with hallucinations and bias, distorting the democratic process? Maybe not, according to a study of AI use in the 2024 U.K. election, published in PNAS Nexus. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-chatbots-accurate-political-knowledge.html Political science Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:40:01 EDT news710493902 In China, young people are encountering a myriad of challenges, from societal pressures around success to life in a highly surveilled society, that have led them to turn to the internet in search of a balm to soothe their pain. What has emerged is a host of content called "digital ibuprofen"—viewed as a way to numb the anxieties of modern living. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-digital-ibuprofen-chinese-youth-comfort.html Social Sciences Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:40:01 EDT news710429102 The funniest post you saw this week may not have come from a friend; it may have come from a brand. Whether it is Kohl's, Wendy's, or Netflix, brands are behaving more like internet users than traditional advertisers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-attention-bought-brands-memes.html Social Sciences Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:20:01 EDT news710429041 If the goal was to silence rapper Macklemore by preventing him from touring with singer Ed Sheeran, it clearly backfired. Macklemore delivered a monolog in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and performed his pro-Palestinian protest song "Hind's Hall" during a Sept. 4, 2026, concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he was an opening act for Sheeran. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-artists-silencing-backfires.html Social Sciences Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:00:10 EDT news710414341 Japan has the lowest measured rate of homelessness of any wealthy nation. Finland is the only country in Europe that has driven homelessness down over decades rather than watched it climb. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-homelessness-wont-pay.html Social Sciences Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:40:01 EDT news710407202 As Americans prepared to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday on the morning of July 4, sobering images flashed across their phones and TV screens. Hundreds of masked men marched through the streets of Washington carrying flags and chanting "Reclaim America!" It soon became clear from the logos on their identical baseball caps that the marchers were members of Patriot Front, a white nationalist group. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-white-nationalism-appeal-deeper-partisan.html Political science Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:40:11 EDT news710158868 In the first year of her doctoral research, Abigail Grassick collected hours of underwater video as she studied fish communities living on bommies—individual clumps of coral—on the seafloor off the coast of Curaçao. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sea-wildfin-aims-fish-behavior.html Plants & Animals Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:40:01 EDT news710071022 Celebrity victim-survivors of deepfake sexual abuse face distinctive forms of victim-blaming, harassment and barriers to justice, according to new research led by Irish researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-celebrity-accounts-reveal-distinctive-victim.html Social Sciences Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:40:01 EDT news710068621 When ChatGPT arrived at the end of 2022, universities scrambled to determine whether generative AI was good enough to pass assessments and make it easy for students to cheat. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-exams-universities.html Education Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news709977361 SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, reached Earth orbit for the first time on Sept. 28, 2026. This mission, the rocket's 14th test flight, also marked the first time that Starship deployed Starlink internet satellites into the existing larger constellation: 26 new next-generation nodes in total. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-starship-orbital-flight-shield.html Space Exploration Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:17 EDT news709970701 People are increasingly turning to AI for advice. A 2026 Pew report found that 10% of Americans use chatbots for emotional support or companionship. Some even find a charismatic leader in AI. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chatbots-oracles-ai-life-ancient.html Archaeology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:40:09 EDT news709896842 Since its launch in 1998, Google, the world's leading search engine, has transformed how people find information online. For years, search results appeared as ranked lists of sources: Google decided what to show, but users decided what to read and whom to trust. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-extensive-reveals-gaps-google-ai.html Economics & Business Tue, 29 Sep 2026 13:20:07 EDT news709903022