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. "Love makes fools of all of us," wrote 19th-century novelist William Makepeace Thackeray. A moment spent watching the pigeons at your local park suggests he was right: males with puffed-up, shimmering necks hop, pirouette, coo, and bow to capture the attention of unimpressed females. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-waltz-evolutionary-timescales-hard-animals.html Evolution Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:20:05 EDT news700747161 We see glass objects every day and often don't think much about them. Mass-produced glass has become so cheap we barely think about the things it allows us to do. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-glassblowing-everyday-life-ancient-rome.html Archaeology Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news700232984 Does consciousness depend on flesh and blood? The answer is almost certainly no, according to Eric Schwitzgebel, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. In a new working paper, Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober, a former UCR graduate student who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon, assert that consciousness is likely possible in life forms made of very different stuff. Think of the five-limbed alien with a rocklike exterior in the recent blockbuster movie "Project Hail Mary." https://phys.org/news/2026-06-consciousness-unique-earthlings-paper.html Astrobiology Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:20:01 EDT news700381442 Humans are the only species known to use fully symbolic language: a system capable of expressing abstract ideas, imaginary worlds and endless combinations of meaning. But how did we get there? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-language-theories-fascinating.html Social Sciences Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news700223402 We often assume that how we respond to a rude comment says something stable about us: our personality, our culture, even the language we are speaking. If someone reacts calmly, we presume they are a patient person. If they snap back, we might assume they are short-tempered. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-emotional-intelligence-rude-science.html Social Sciences Tue, 19 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news698412062 Scientific discoveries rarely happen alone. Modern research often involves teams spanning institutions and even countries. Yet when research is published in academic journals, credit is reduced to a list of names—a list that can shape careers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-credit-hidden-academic-authorship-women.html Education Tue, 12 May 2026 13:40:01 EDT news697808581 When schools abruptly closed their doors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, millions of students unexpectedly started learning at home, with or without the help of Zoom lessons. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-appeal-homeschooling-families-schools-reopened.html Education Tue, 05 May 2026 15:40:03 EDT news697202521 After Sweden removed inheritance and gift taxes in 2005, private firms with potential family successors grew faster, invested more, and paid higher corporate taxes than firms without natural heirs, according to a new white paper from the Stockholm School of Economics. The study adds empirical evidence to a policy debate often dominated by ideology and comes as several European countries debate inheritance tax reforms. The research is published as a working paper in the SSRN Electronic Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scrapped-inheritance-tax-linked-stronger.html Economics & Business Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:00:05 EDT news696521461 During the development of marine organisms—from fertilization through to juvenile stages—it is often observed that the eggs released into the water column are initially supplied with only a small fraction of the energy they require. The remaining reserves needed for growth must be obtained from the environment through filtering food—like phytoplankton—from the water column. This strategy of providing many eggs with only a small amount of energy each often leads to the loss of almost all potential offspring. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mother-gift-plastid-derived-sea.html Ecology Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news696249601 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is arguably the most celebrated child prodigy in history, composing his first pieces of music aged five, his first symphony at eight and his first opera at 11. After a study in 1993 found that listening to Mozart could improve spatial IQ—prompting headlines such as "Mozart makes your brain hum"—he became a symbol for intelligence and brain training. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-truth-child-iq-fluctuates-unreliable.html Social Sciences Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:20:12 EDT news695904122 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 The fact that Samuel Pepys owned at least two enslaved people in 17th-century London is no secret. In some of his personal letters he was unashamedly open about this. In September 1688, he told a ship's captain that neither "whipping or fetters" had reformed a "mischievous" slave in his household. He asked the captain to feed the man on "hard meat, till you can dispose of him in some plantation as a rogue." https://phys.org/news/2026-03-samuel-pepys-censored-links-slavery.html Archaeology Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:00:01 EDT news693640941 Which children work harder at school, and what do their efforts have to do with their social background? Until now, educational research has been unable to provide empirically based answers to this question. However, a new international study led by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), with the participation of researchers from the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, reveals that socioeconomic background decisively influences the willingness to exert effort, but that this gap can be mitigated through the use of classroom incentives. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-social-background-hard-children-school.html Social Sciences Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:30:03 EDT news692970061 A recent study published in Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa explores new historical evidence of one of pre-colonial Dongola's earliest rulers. Previously considered semi-legendary, the discovery of a document in which orders were issued in the name of King Qashqash provides evidence of his existence and details his social interactions, rulership, and the Arabization of Dongola in the Funj period. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-arabic-document-17th-century-rubbish.html Archaeology Sat, 28 Feb 2026 11:00:01 EST news691238972 A newly published study co-authored by University of South Florida alum Louis Coticchio and USF integrative biologist Deby Cassill challenges long-standing assumptions about the brown recluse spider, finding the species is both far less common in Florida and far less aggressive than public perception suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-brown-recluse-spiders-rare-florida.html Plants & Animals Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:40:03 EST news691333141 We know Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many geographically and biologically special features. Yet few of us know it also has its very own measure of "deep time." Known as the New Zealand Geological Timescale, it has just undergone its most comprehensive revision in 20 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-delving-deep-nz-ancient-reveals.html Earth Sciences Tue, 24 Feb 2026 21:40:02 EST news691151031 A research team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Maner from Koç University's Department of Archaeology and History of Art has uncovered remarkable textile fragments at Beycesultan Höyük that rewrite our understanding of Bronze Age craftsmanship in Anatolia. Published in the journal Antiquity, the study presents the earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and a sophisticated single-needle knitting technique previously unknown in the region. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-earliest-evidence-indigo-dyed-textiles.html Archaeology Sat, 21 Feb 2026 09:00:02 EST news690697124 As Valentine's Day approaches, restaurant bookings fill up and couples exchange cards, flowers, and carefully chosen gifts. For some, it's a day of closeness and connection. For others, it can bring anxiety, disappointment, or emotional distance. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-valentine-day-wont-relationship-theory.html Social Sciences Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:00:01 EST news690117486 In 18th- and 19th-century Ireland, it was common for courting couples to exchange gifts to mark their developing relationships. Many of these items are familiar gifts today: books, cards, items of clothing, jewelry and sweet treats. Others, however, are less familiar. In fact, some of the gifts exchanged by couples in the past might give many today the dreaded ick—especially those items of the hairier variety. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lovers-18th-19th-century-ireland.html Social Sciences Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:40:02 EST news689950265 Do you know how you prefer to give and receive love? Do you need words of affirmation? Spending quality time? Acts of service? Gifts? Or physical touch? https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seductive-simplicity-danger-psychology-languages.html Social Sciences Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:46:15 EST news689949962 For people who have been quietly struggling with doubts about their relationship, the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day can feel fraught. As Feb. 14 approaches, questions that were once easy to sidestep often become harder to ignore. In a study that tracked romantic couples over a year, relationships were about 2.5 times more likely to end during the two weeks surrounding Valentine's Day than during the fall or spring. When researchers accounted for relationship length, prior relationship history, and gender, the odds of a breakup during this window were more than five times higher. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-valentine-day-relationship-reckoning.html Social Sciences Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:57:56 EST news689860562 Hawks are taking cinematic flight. In two recent literary adaptations, they are entwined with the lives and emotions of their respective protagonists – Agnes Shakespeare (née Hathaway) and Helen Macdonald. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-medieval-women-falconry-subvert-gender.html Archaeology Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:30:01 EST news689342233 Some dogs are seemingly more talented than others. So-called gifted word learners (GWL) are rare canines that can rapidly learn the names of toys, a skill that most dogs don't possess. To understand why this is so, researchers studied how these dogs played and discovered that the key to their talent may be a desire to initiate interactions with their owners. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-play-social-dogs-words.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:00:03 EST news689341960 A unique study exploring popular ways to "self‑gift" has found that ordering a takeout meal is a preferred treat regardless of whether people have had a good or a bad day at work. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-takeout-meals-reward-comfort.html Social Sciences Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:00:03 EST news688229962 Psychological safety—the belief that it is safe to speak up with concerns, questions or mistakes—is widely recognized as essential for organizational learning, innovation and workplace safety. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hidden-safety-hazards-unreported.html Economics & Business Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:53:18 EST news688229581 Imagine Max, a well-trained border collie, manages to ignore a squirrel in the park when his owner tells him to sit. His owner says, "Max, stop chasing that squirrel and sit down," and Max obeys. Can dogs learn and understand words the way humans do? https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dogs-hundreds-words-children.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:37:44 EST news688214222 In Tana Toraja, a mountainous region of Sulawesi, Indonesia, villagers pour massive resources into funeral rituals: lavish feasts, ornate effigies and prized water buffaloes for sacrifice. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hidden-power-grief-rituals.html Social Sciences Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:25:18 EST news687705902 While gifted and talented education programs can be found in most public schools in the country, there is no federal standard for how they are carried out—or how students are selected for them. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-gifted-lack-federal-standards-reveals.html Education Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:34:17 EST news687699242 In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Dr. Ellery Frahm and his colleagues analyzed two unusual blue-green glazed ceramic sherds discovered in the Gobi Desert in 2016. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-glazed-sherds-remote-gobi-reveal.html Archaeology Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:30:03 EST news687437862 "Honey, will you take Luna to the P-A-R-K?" Both parents and dog owners know that some words should not be spoken, but only spelled, to prevent small ears from eavesdropping on the conversation. At the age of 1.5 years, toddlers can already learn new words by overhearing other people. Now, a study published in Science reveals that a special group of dogs are also able to learn names for objects by overhearing their owners' interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dogs-words-eavesdropping-owners.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:02 EST news686941261