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. A key step in the origin of many pandemics occurs when an animal-borne virus infects humans and then evolves to spread more efficiently from person to person. That is why scientists and physicians keep a close watch on viruses that could jump from animals to humans, such as emerging strains of avian flu and bat coronaviruses, as well as viruses that have already crossed into humans but, for now, spread poorly among people, such as hantavirus and Ebola. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lab-evolution-recreates-covid-path.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699619681 In 2018, Caitlin Caspi started a five-year research project looking at how raising the minimum wage could impact nutrition-related health outcomes. Caspi is an associate professor of allied health sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), associate director of InCHIP, and the director of food security initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-covid-era-policies-food-insecurity.html Economics & Business Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:00:04 EDT news699540241 The latest data on Australian schooling shows about 81.5% of Year 10 students go on to Year 12. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-australian-students-dont-finish-school.html Education Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:20:01 EDT news699527522 Playing a card game can support empathy development in college classrooms, according to a new study led by researchers in Penn State University Libraries' Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT). https://phys.org/news/2026-06-students-empathy-play.html Social Sciences Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:06 EDT news699525302 For Americans dreaming of owning a home, this decade has been brutal. From the end of 2019 to the end of 2022, the median sales price for homes sold in the U.S. soared 35%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. It's dipped only slightly since then. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-pandemic-loan-fraud-housing-prices.html Economics & Business Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:02 EDT news699250021 When regional airlines leave a market, travelers are likely to see fewer flights and higher fares. The harder question is how much service disappears, how quickly prices rise and whether other airlines step in to fill the gap. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-impact-regional-airline-exits.html Economics & Business Thu, 28 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news699192721 A tiny sea creature might hold the secret to reversing the aging process. When treated with a brief series of electrical pulses, sea squirts experience dramatic and long-lasting health improvements that can significantly extend their lifespans, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford and other institutions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-pulses-reverse-aging-sea.html Biotechnology Thu, 28 May 2026 14:20:06 EDT news699190473 Mutual credit relations between banks can destabilize the financial system, as the 2007-08 crisis laid bare. Researchers at the Complexity Science Hub have developed a new model showing that supply chain disruptions sharply exacerbate this systemic risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chain-crises-banks-credit.html Economics & Business Tue, 26 May 2026 17:40:03 EDT news699020941 A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dog-daycare-leptospirosis-outbreak-los.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 26 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news699018621 Tourism affects local populations differently in counties across the U.S., but measuring these effects may now be easier thanks to a new tool developed as part of a study by researchers at Penn State. For the study, published in the journal Tourism Economics, the researchers developed a sustainability index to assess how tourism affects counties according to a number of factors that measure the areas' economic, social and environmental well-being. They found that counties relying heavily on tourism varied widely in their ability to keep it from overwhelming local resources, with no destination performing well on every dimension. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ways-local-sustainability-rural-tourism.html Economics & Business Tue, 26 May 2026 13:00:08 EDT news699015841 Just a few years ago, America's public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: "The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child's hands." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-america-schools-backlash-digital-devices.html Education Tue, 26 May 2026 05:19:31 EDT news698991535 Researchers at the University of Plymouth recently confirmed what board game fans and role-playing game (RPG) enthusiasts have known for decades: that tabletop games "enhance well-being, foster inclusion, and support learning, with strong evidence that games improve engagement." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fun-hobby-board-games-stress.html Social Sciences Sun, 24 May 2026 14:00:04 EDT news698331384 In times of financial crisis, some people will roll the dice on starting a new venture to cope with the uncertainty of unemployment, say business researchers. In a new study in the Journal of Business Venturing, University of Alberta researchers Angelique Slade Shantz, Madeline Toubiana of the University of Ottawa and their team found that when people lost jobs and experienced "occupational disorientation" during the COVID-19 pandemic, some chose to "play" with entrepreneurship, simply to see where it might lead or to explore a new identity. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-playing-entrepreneurial-game-job-loss.html Economics & Business Thu, 21 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news698585582 A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and sometimes in surprising ways. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wildlife-behavior-response.html Plants & Animals Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:14 EDT news698571662 Misleading information online is often treated as a technical glitch, something that better algorithms or stricter moderation can fix. But research points to a more complex reality. That is, the rise of "misfluencers," individuals who shape how information is interpreted, shared and trusted across digital platforms. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-misfluencers-false-online.html Political science Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:07 EDT news698584862 In a 1930 essay, British economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that in 100 years time, technological advances would have displaced so much human labor that people would be working 15-hour weeks—if they worked at all. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-australian-companies-fourday-week.html Social Sciences Wed, 20 May 2026 16:00:03 EDT news698500427 Argentine scientists on Tuesday began collecting rodents in the woods around Ushuaia to search for carriers of hantavirus in the area from which the virus-stricken MV Hondius set sail. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-argentine-rodents-hantavirus.html Ecology Wed, 20 May 2026 07:20:01 EDT news698473030 A study published in Economic Inquiry provides new evidence that universal free school meals can meaningfully reduce out-of-school suspensions in both elementary and secondary schools. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-universal-free-school-meals-student.html Economics & Business Wed, 20 May 2026 03:00:01 EDT news698339756 New research shows that Americans' use of home delivery continues to be split sharply along geographic lines, with shoppers in urban areas remaining more reliant on home delivery than rural households. In a new study published in the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Iowa State University researcher Micah Marzolf and co-authors have analyzed more than a decade of shopping data to better understand how demand for last‑mile fulfillment services in the U.S. has evolved over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-america-mile-delivery-geography-nation.html Economics & Business Tue, 19 May 2026 18:40:02 EDT news698426162 Anti-Asian discrimination and violence increased during COVID, and new research from Murdoch University has revealed one key psychological driver. Rather than being driven by a fear of infection, aggressive forms of discrimination appeared to be more strongly associated with anger. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-covid-racism-driven-infection.html Social Sciences Tue, 19 May 2026 11:20:09 EDT news698404022 Human development is driving numerous global species to the brink of extinction, threatening essential resources like water and soil, and contributing to climate change. Conservationists have shown that putting critically threatened areas under protection is vital if nations are to slow or reverse these trends, and global frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity have identified the creation and maintenance of protected areas as the cornerstone of such efforts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-brazil-reserves-funding-amazon.html Environment Mon, 18 May 2026 19:00:05 EDT news698332160 James Cook University researchers say a group of cycling enthusiasts who used a collaborative playlist to stay connected during pandemic lockdowns provide a low-cost model for organizations seeking to support mental health and social resilience. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-daily-song-cyclists.html Social Sciences Fri, 15 May 2026 05:47:26 EDT news698042821 A new analysis of student test scores reveals that American schools were in a "learning recession" for seven years before the COVID-19 pandemic, with student test scores in math and reading on a steady decline since 2013. This reversal ended two decades of progress, according to Sean Reardon, the Professor of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford Graduate School of Education, whose data forms the backbone of the new research. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-recession-schools-predates-pandemic.html Education Thu, 14 May 2026 09:33:09 EDT news697969923 British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian joined French biophysicist Pascal Mayer in winning Spain's top science award on Wednesday for DNA sequencing research that helped combat coronavirus. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-british-scientists-winners-spanish-award.html Other Wed, 13 May 2026 16:40:01 EDT news697905190 As digital nomads rethink where to live, researchers are exploring whether their choices can help close Europe's urban-rural divide. New research suggests the shift to remote working could support rural regions, but only where infrastructure and policy align. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bali-brussels-remote-reshaping-europe.html Economics & Business Wed, 13 May 2026 15:41:00 EDT news697905242 In recent years, voting by mail has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and attacks that often claim the process gives Democratic nominees and legislative bills an edge. But a recent Caltech study shows that sending ballots to all registered voters boosts turnout for both major parties. Co-authors R. Michael Alvarez, Caltech's Flintridge Foundation Professor of Political and Computational Social Science and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, and Yimeng Li (Ph.D. '22), a former graduate student in Alvarez's group, outlined their findings in a paper published in the Journal of Politics. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-universal-voting-mail-voter-turnout.html Political science Tue, 12 May 2026 09:40:02 EDT news697796102 Researchers from,the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment have found that air sampling at major equestrian events could offer a new way to monitor for equine herpesviruses. Published in Equine Veterinary Journal, the study examined temporary stabling facilities at eight international equestrian events in Spain and the United States. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-airborne-equine-herpesvirus-major-events.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 11 May 2026 16:40:09 EDT news697719061 The Swedish government recently announced it was moving from the classroom use of digital devices back to physical books. It cited concerns over declining test scores and increasing screen time. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-absorb-paper-screens-screen.html Education Sun, 10 May 2026 09:00:01 EDT news697377992 "When people think of extremists, they tend to think of neo-Nazis," said Francesco Campisi, a lecturer at Université de Montréal's School of Criminology. "But there are many other fringe groups that may not be violent yet can give rise to extremism." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-conspiracy-theories-real-news-qanon.html Political science Sat, 09 May 2026 19:00:01 EDT news697280991 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves similar to those used in medical exams can eliminate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 without damaging human cells. In an article published in Scientific Reports, they describe how the phenomenon, known as acoustic resonance, causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ultrasound-rupture-covid-flu-viruses.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 07 May 2026 17:20:08 EDT news697378206