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. Some historical events are so catastrophic they resist comprehension. And yet they compel us to try to understand them, again and again. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chernobyl-loss.html Environment Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:40:10 EDT news696161642 If you gathered every American with a prison record into one contiguous territory and admitted it to the union, you would create the 12th-largest state. It would be home to at least 7 million to 8 million people and hold a dozen votes in the Electoral College. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nation-millions-voters-due-lack.html Political science Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:10:01 EST news691675502 A ziggurat (also spelled ziqqurat) was a raised platform with four sloping sides that looked like a tiered pyramid. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-mesopotamia-ziggurat.html Archaeology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:28:30 EST news688738741 In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistants worldwide surpassed 8 billion, more than one per person on the planet. These assistants are helpful, polite—and almost always default to female. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-feminine-fueling-dangerous-stereotypes.html Social Sciences Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:23:18 EST news688738441 The world's top wildlife trade body voted Thursday to effectively ban all international trade in the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark but rejected a proposal to protect more species of eel. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-wildlife-body-eel.html Plants & Animals Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:18:17 EST news683439470 US president Donald Trump's efforts to derail a successful wrap-up of the G20 summit in Johannesburg failed. Trump boycotted the meeting and the US told other countries through diplomatic channels not to sign a communiqué. Nevertheless, the 19 remaining countries and regional organizations signed a 30-page declaration. This called for, among other things, increased funding for renewable energy projects, more equitable critical mineral supply chains and debt relief for poorer countries. Senior research fellow Danny Bradlow explains what was, and wasn't, achieved. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-south-africa-g20-diplomatic-victory.html Environment Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:57:05 EST news683218622 An international vote to approve cutting maritime emissions was delayed by a year Friday in a victory for the United States, which opposes the carbon-cutting plan. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-international-decarbonizing-ships.html Environment Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:40:04 EDT news679923118 Plant-based "steaks" and "veggie burgers" may be on the way out in the European Union after the bloc's parliament voted Wednesday to restrict such labels to meat only, in a win for disgruntled farmers. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-veggie-burgers-eu-lawmakers.html Agriculture Wed, 08 Oct 2025 09:55:05 EDT news679136100 The recent labor dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants pulled back the curtain on one of the airline industry's longest-standing injustices: flight attendants are paid only when planes are in motion, a practice that has persisted for more than 60 years across the global aviation industry. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-flight-years-ground-pay.html Economics & Business Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:16:04 EDT news676631762 At the end of the 1960s, there was every expectation the Great Barrier Reef would be drilled for oil. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-century-great-barrier-reef-drilled.html Environment Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:20:01 EDT news676120739 On June 24, the date of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary and one of the hottest days of 2025, I squeezed voting into my morning before cramming into a busy and poorly ventilated train car. I cast my ballot for frontrunner Zohran Mamdani who, throughout his campaign, advocated for accessible transportation and free public buses. (His victory will be announced later that evening.) https://phys.org/news/2025-08-hellish-york-city-subway.html Environment Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:25:04 EDT news674922302 France's top constitutional authority on Thursday blocked a law that would allow the reintroduction of a pesticide virulently opposed by environmental groups. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-france-controversial-bee-pesticide-bill.html Ecology Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:20:02 EDT news673790269 One by one, the four California sea lions slid out of their crates and into the ocean. As the SeaWorld San Diego rescue boat bobbed nearby, one of the pinnipeds dove deep and then popped his head out of the water, his mouth full of what may have been a squid. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-toxic-algae-bloom-toll-southern.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 May 2025 08:20:03 EDT news665650681 A South African court order issued Tuesday barred for at least 10 years commercial fishing at key breeding colonies for African penguins that are facing extinction in part because of threats to their food supply. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-africa-court-bars-fishing-endangered.html Ecology Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:01:06 EDT news661518063 Landing a spacecraft on the moon has long been a series of hits and misses. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-moon-1.html Space Exploration Sat, 08 Mar 2025 13:10:01 EST news660575388 Landing a spacecraft on the moon has long been a series of hits and misses. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-moon.html Space Exploration Sun, 02 Mar 2025 07:22:26 EST news660122542 In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned "an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy." https://phys.org/news/2025-01-oligarchy-states-poised.html Political science Sun, 19 Jan 2025 10:10:01 EST news656330516 Minnesota utility regulators on Dec 12 unanimously approved what would be the state's first carbon dioxide pipeline, stretching 28 rural miles from an ethanol plant near Fergus Falls to the North Dakota border. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-commission-minnesota-carbon-capture-pipeline.html Environment Fri, 13 Dec 2024 07:50:02 EST news653297767 BlueTriton—North America's biggest bottled water firm—recently announced it will close Canada's largest water bottling plant and its entire operations in Ontario. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-bluetriton-exit-ontario-effectiveness-bottled.html Economics & Business Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:58:44 EST news653137118 The world approved a bitterly negotiated climate deal Sunday but poorer nations most at the mercy of worsening disasters dismissed a $300 billion a year pledge from wealthy historic polluters as insultingly low. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-cop29-braces-poorer-nations-climate.html Environment Sat, 23 Nov 2024 04:15:09 EST news651557703 Governments at the COP29 talks approved Monday new UN standards for international carbon markets in a key step toward allowing countries to trade credits to meet their climate targets. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-nations-carbon-cop29.html Environment Mon, 11 Nov 2024 13:29:25 EST news650554160 Ontario school board lawsuits against social media giants including Meta, Snapchat and TikTok are seeking damages— money paid as a remedy—for the disruption of the educational system. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-youth-social-media-legislation-wont.html Education Sun, 10 Nov 2024 09:40:01 EST news650280843 Abortion is on the agenda not just in the United States but worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-abortion-access-democracy-broader-repression.html Political science Sun, 27 Oct 2024 18:40:01 EDT news649064391 Recently, the US ambassador to the United Nations announced America's support for the creation of two new permanent UN security council seats for African states. Gary Wilson, a scholar of international law and relations—specifically issues related to the United Nations—argues that although Africa's time may have come, there are still hurdles to overcome. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-qa-council-major-permanent-seats.html Political science Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:12:04 EDT news647010721 EU member states on Wednesday voted in favor of lowering the protection status of wolves, a move decried by conservationists that paves the way for a relaxation of tight hunting restrictions. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-eu-downgrade-wolf-status.html Ecology Wed, 25 Sep 2024 08:41:35 EDT news646472489 When French historian and educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the modern Olympics in 1894, he did so with a vision of promoting peace through sport. In reality, the Olympics have often reflected the geopolitics of the period. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-paris-olympics-geopolitics.html Political science Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:40:03 EDT news641216401 Methane is well known for coming from ruminants digestive system. What is less known is its important role in current climate change and what we could do to drastically reduce our emissions. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-methane-emissions-fruit-climate-transition.html Environment Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:40:48 EDT news640514442 EU member countries on Monday gave final approval to a key biodiversity measure, a bloc-wide nature restoration law, after Austria's climate minister defied her chancellor to back it. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-austria-eu-biodiversity-law-line.html Environment Mon, 17 Jun 2024 08:36:48 EDT news637832204 In Europe, the slogan "never again fascism" is one that still resonates. The death and destruction wrought by hyper-nationalist, authoritarian states in the first half of the 20th century still haunts the nightmares of successive generations. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-europeans-young.html Political science Fri, 14 Jun 2024 12:40:04 EDT news637587601 Europe's top rights court on Tuesday said Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change in a historic decision that could force governments to adopt more ambitious climate policies. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-europe-court-chides-switzerland-landmark.html Environment Tue, 09 Apr 2024 16:50:01 EDT news631899554