Economists solve a mystery involving international trade and competition from China

Economists have identified—and resolved—a seeming paradox regarding how competition from China affects the price and volume of products that are exported from other countries into the United States. The findings shed new light on the complex dynamics of international trade and how the effects of trade competition vary drastically for poor nations compared to their wealthy counterparts.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-economists-mystery-involving-international-competition.html

Smarter spending, not bigger budgets, drives premier league success, study finds

Higher spending does not automatically lead to greater overall efficiency or consistent on-pitch success, according to new research that examined Premier League clubs over a 10-season period. The study, led by the University of Bristol, is published in Socio-Economic Planning Sciences.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-smarter-bigger-premier-league-success.html

'We're Living In Horror': Family Of Noida Woman Found Dead In Bhopal To NDTV

Twisha Sharma's father Navnidhi Sharma and cousin brother Ashish Sharma told NDTV that they have been struggling for justice and running from pillar to post in Bhopal

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/were-living-in-horror-family-of-noida-woman-twisha-sharma-found-dead-in-bhopal-to-ndtv-11509228

Surrounded by stardust: Antarctic ice cores confirm Earth is accumulating iron-60 from local interstellar cloud

Our solar system is currently passing through the Local Interstellar Cloud, a region of highly diluted gas and dust between the stars. On its path, Earth continuously accumulates iron-60, a rare radioactive isotope of iron produced in stellar explosions. This has now been confirmed by an international research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) through the analysis of Antarctic ice tens of thousands of years old. From the steady but time-varying influx, the researchers conclude that the radioactive isotope has been stored within the cloud since a long-past stellar explosion. The results have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-stardust-antarctic-ice-cores-earth.html

How short-form videos may aid the teaching of small-engine maintenance

The 1974 novel "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" offered a simple but enduring idea: Working on machines should not be about just fixing them, but slowing down, paying attention, and reflecting on both the work and oneself in the pursuit of quality.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-short-videos-aid-small-maintenance.html

'Joyous Moment': In PM Modi's Presence, Netherlands Returns Chola-Era Copper Plates

The Prime Minister extended his gratitude to the Dutch government and specifically to Leiden University, where the copper plates had been housed since the mid-19th century, for facilitating their...

source https://www.ndtvprofit.com/india/039-joyous-moment-for-every-indian-039-pm-modi-as-netherlands-returns-chola-era-copper-plates-11505625

Plasma treatment keeps cut flowers fresher for two weeks without chemicals

From long‑distance transport to chemical preservatives, most cut flowers come with a hidden environmental cost—something a new Griffith University experiment aims to rethink.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-plasma-treatment-fresher-weeks-chemicals.html

Exploiting interfacial ionic mobility to make heat-moldable nanoparticle aggregates

If you have ever warped a cheap plastic cup by pouring coffee into it, then you have witnessed thermoplasticity in action. Thermoplasticity is the ability of a material to become pliable under heating. In industry, thermoplasticity is exploited to form materials into complex shapes using heat. However, some materials, such as aggregates of nanoparticles, are not thermoplastic and cannot be easily processed without affecting their particle morphology and properties.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-exploiting-interfacial-ionic-mobility-moldable.html

Fair matching systems can still produce unequal outcomes, new research finds

A computerized matching system can be designed to be fair and still produce unequal outcomes if the people using it do not understand how it works, according to new research published in Organization Science that shows that disparities can emerge even when a matching system is designed to reduce bias, discourage gaming and reward honest decision-making.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fair-unequal-outcomes.html

Tropical rivers emerge as biggest oxygen-loss hotspots in a warming world

According to a study published in Science Advances on May 15, global rivers are undergoing widespread and sustained deoxygenation driven by climate warming, among which tropical rivers are the most vulnerable ecosystems, with an urgent need to combat oxygen loss.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tropical-rivers-emerge-biggest-oxygen.html

Maintain Law And Order: High Court To Bengal On Post-Poll Violence Claims

The court also directed the police to ensure the safety of those who fled their homes, apprehending post-poll retribution violence, and arrange for their safe return to their properties.

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/maintain-law-and-order-high-court-to-bengal-on-post-poll-violence-claims-11497108

Mathematical analysis reveals a hidden 'golden rule' in abstract art

A mathematical method borrowed from topology can reveal structural properties of visual art that correspond to how people perceive and respond to them, according to a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Jacek Rogala of the University of Warsaw, Poland, Shabnam Kadir of the University of Hertfordshire, UK, and colleagues.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mathematical-analysis-reveals-hidden-golden.html

Prehistoric Danish people continued to eat fish and hunt even after the rise of agriculture, study indicates

Agriculture reached the coast of southern Denmark around 4000 BCE, but these prehistoric Scandinavians continued to fish and hunt too, according to a study published in PLOS One by Daniel Groß from the Museum Lolland-Falster, Denmark, Sofie Folsach Hellerøe from Aarhus University, Denmark, and colleagues.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-prehistoric-danish-people-fish-agriculture.html

How invading cancer cells grip and rip their way into new tissues

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that cancer cells do not simply push through surrounding tissues to spread, but instead actively grip onto protective tissue barriers and pull them apart, revealing a fundamentally new mechanism of cancer invasion that could open fresh avenues for therapeutic intervention.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-invading-cancer-cells-rip-tissues.html

No more 'just say no'—Canadian schools will soon have a roadmap to address student substance use

The message to students used to be simple: "Just say no." But in today's schools, that message is not only outdated, it may be part of the problem.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-canadian-schools-roadmap-student-substance.html

Trisha Shares Joy Over Vijay Becoming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister: "Very Happy"

Trisha Krishnan attended Vijay's oath ceremony on Sunday

source https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/trisha-krishnan-speaks-to-ndtv-shares-joy-over-vijay-becoming-tamil-nadu-chief-minister-very-happy-11475784

Radio telescopes confirm 3.3-million-light-year halo in unusually quiet galaxy cluster

Astronomers have employed the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) and the MeerKAT radio telescope to observe a galaxy cluster known as RXCJ0232–4420. Results of the new observations, published April 29 on the arXiv pre-print server, deliver important insights into the nature of this cluster.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-radio-telescopes-million-year-halo.html

GHV Infra Projects Bags Rs 7,000 Crore Deal For Tyre Manufacturing Unit Construction

GHV Infra Projects secured a Rs 7,000 crore EPC contract for a greenfield tyre manufacturing plant in Cameroon with a 7.6 million annual capacity.

source https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/ghv-infra-projects-bags-rs-7-000-crore-deal-for-epc-works-regarding-tyre-manufacturing-unit-11472779

Heavy Atlantic rain can block African aerosols from fertilizing Amazon, study finds

How are cold air masses advancing in the United States connected to fertilizers carried by "flying rivers" from Africa that nourish the soils of the Brazilian Amazon? An article published in Geophysical Research Letters reveals an atmospheric connection between these distant regions.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-heavy-atlantic-block-african-aerosols.html

Scientists trace latest interstellar comet's home to a cold, isolated corner of the Milky Way

The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-latest-interstellar-comet-home.html

The moon's largest impact crater scattered something priceless—and Artemis may be heading straight into it

A new study, published in Science Advances, has refined some important details about the moon's largest and oldest impact crater, which stretches more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) on the far side of the moon. The new details can help guide some of the planning for NASA's upcoming Artemis mission to the moon, which is planned for 2028.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-moon-largest-impact-crater-priceless.html

Why plant extinctions may rise by 2100 even if species keep shifting ranges

No matter how fast a species under threat can move, escape can only be successful if the new destination can meet its needs. An ecological modeling study from the University of California, Davis, found that 7% to 16% of global plant species studied are expected to lose more than 90% of their range, facing high risk of extinction by 2100 under current climate change projections.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-extinctions-species-shifting-ranges.html

Introducing ecotech, nature's innovation accelerator

An international research team has developed a roadmap for an emerging field of technology called ecotech, which aims to create scalable solutions to urgent environmental, social and economic challenges. The team describes this field, providing a comprehensive framework for its adoption and expansion, in the journal Science Advances.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ecotech-nature.html

It's complicated: New research reveals more about the social networks of baboons and African monkeys

Like people, nonhuman primates live in groups that vary in size and shape depending on the species. Some primate groups are small and simple; others are large and more layered. Over the decades, primatologists have observed that baboons and other closely related monkeys, the African papionins, typically live in two types of social groups: single-level and multi-level societies.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-complicated-reveals-social-networks-baboons.html

The COVID‑19 pandemic exposed the load mothers carry—a burden that's still being ignored today

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and brought into focus the ongoing disproportionate burden on mothers when it comes to household logistics, child care and financial inequity. It also revealed just how deeply embedded and structurally reinforced that burden is.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-covid19-pandemic-exposed-mothers-burden.html

SRH Coach Vettori Dissects Problem After KKR Loss, Namedrops Kishan, Klaasen

Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori on Sunday said losing wickets at crucial times hampered their strategies against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2026 match on Sunday.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/srh-coach-daniel-vettori-dissects-problem-after-kkr-loss-namedrops-ishan-kishan-heinrich-klaasen-11443630

Study warns cost-cutting use of generative AI could increase cyber-attack risks

Newly published research from a leading computer scientist warns that the use of generative AI to design, train, or perform steps within a machine learning system could increase serious risks. Michael Lones, professor at Heriot-Watt University's School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, has argued in a new paper that generative AI could expose organizations and the public to unintended harm.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-generative-ai-cyber.html

Assam Opposition Dismisses Exit Poll Predictions Ahead Of Counting Of Votes

With the counting of votes for the Assam Assembly elections just days away, the Congress-led opposition alliance on Saturday projected confidence in securing power in the state, brushing aside exit...

source https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-opposition-dismisses-exit-poll-predictions-says-alliance-set-to-form-government-11440724

Gold digging is not exclusive to women: New study uncovers common attributes

Gold digging is often seen as a female behavior focused on exploiting wealthier partners for material gain, but science suggests this stereotype may be too narrow. Past studies have shown both men and women value resources in partners, but not much research has delved into the specifics regarding gold digging versus general resource preference in partners.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gold-exclusive-women-uncovers-common.html

Green alley effectiveness depends on design and purpose, study finds

Green alleys—residential laneways redesigned to enhance residents' quality of life, boost social cohesion and improve biodiversity—are gaining traction in cities across North America. But as the concept spreads, it remains loosely defined: what exactly counts as a green alley, and what benefits can it provide?

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-green-alley-effectiveness-purpose.html

How photosynthetic bacteria pass light along: Two major energy pathways identified

RIKEN researchers have found out how light energy harvested by pigments besides chlorophyll is transferred to the molecular site where photosynthesis occurs in cyanobacteria. The work is published in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-05-photosynthetic-bacteria-major-energy-pathways.html

Hidden 3D atomic structure of relaxor ferroelectrics revealed for first time

Materials called relaxor ferroelectrics have been used for decades in technologies like ultrasounds, microphones, and sonar systems. Their unique properties come from their atomic structure, but that structure has stubbornly eluded direct measurement.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-3d-atomic-relaxor-ferroelectrics.html

Environmental DNA in NYC's East River reveals clues about nearby human and animal residents

Sequencing environmental DNA—or eDNA—from the East River in New York City can effectively monitor human diets and local wildlife, as well as the river's fish populations, report Mark Stoeckle and Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller University, U.S., in a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-environmental-dna-nyc-east-river.html

Invisible fertility crisis: Chemicals and climate change threaten reproduction across species

The rise in infertility is not limited to humans, as environmental stressors are quietly undermining the reproductive potential of different forms of life. A recent review published in npj Emerging Contaminants investigated how today's environmental challenges are shaping the reproductive capacity of both humans and animals.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-invisible-fertility-crisis-chemicals-climate.html

"There Is A Telephone": Trump Again Asks Iran To Call US For Negotiations

Trump cancelled a trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday

source https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-talks-donald-trump-abbas-araghchi-jared-kushner-steve-witkoff-there-is-a-telephone-trump-again-asks-iran-to-call-us-for-negotiations-11412537

When the rain comes, some NYC subway riders stay home. Scientists are now mapping exactly who, and where

On a sweltering August afternoon or in the teeth of a winter storm, New York City subway riders make a quiet calculation: Is the trip worth it? A new study published in npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport takes a detailed look at how those decisions show up in ridership patterns across the system, and how they vary from station to station.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nyc-subway-riders-stay-home.html

Before dinosaurs vanished, a hamster-sized mammal was already shaping what survived next on the Pacific Coast

Mammals and dinosaurs coexisted on Earth until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago killed 75% of life on the planet. Despite the devastation, some animals survived, including rodent-like mammals in the Cimolodon genus. These creatures are part of the multituberculates, a group that arose during the Jurassic Period and survived over 100 million years before going extinct. Studying these animals helps researchers better understand how mammals survived the mass extinction event and then diversified into the variety of mammals around today.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dinosaurs-hamster-sized-mammal-survived.html

Inside the competition for capital at some of the world's biggest banks

As the U.S. economy becomes more consolidated, the strategic decisions of senior leaders at leading companies carry ever-greater weight. A lot is riding on how these companies are run, yet in most cases, their day-to-day decision-making remains obscure. But the banking industry is an exception. As Barbara Su, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at George Mason University, notes, "Because the banking industry is heavily regulated, it allows us to have access to subsidiary banks' financial information. We can observe how much money parent companies take from each subsidiary, as well as the internal capital allocation between subsidiaries by headquarters."

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-competition-capital-world-biggest-banks.html

Archaeological digs in Amazon provide clues about Indigenous inhabitants before colonization

Paving roads in the Amazon rainforest has long brought deforestation that threatens the people who live there. The same roadwork, however, has also allowed archaeologists to get glimpses of the region's past long before Europeans arrived to reshape it.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-archaeological-amazon-clues-indigenous-inhabitants.html

Astronomers reveal spectacular birthplace of cosmic buckyballs

Fifteen years after Western astronomers first discovered "buckyballs" in space (soccer ball-shaped molecules that resemble a hollow sphere), they're back with stunning images and rich data generated using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)—the most powerful space telescope ever built. The team led by Jan Cami, a physics and astronomy professor, first detected buckyballs using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in 2010. The fantastic find came from the planetary nebula Tc 1, formed from a dying star more than 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Ara.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-astronomers-reveal-spectacular-birthplace-cosmic.html

Better-fed calves are more motivated to play, pioneering study shows

New research has revealed dairy calves that are fed less complete tasks faster and remember more in pursuit of milk, but miss out on play. Calves that were given more food were more inclined to play. The study, led by the University of Bristol and published in Scientific Reports, sheds new light on how hungry animals sacrifice play and put finding food first.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fed-calves-play.html

Rediscovered tracksite reveals large dinosaurs ranged as far as northern Mongolia 120 million years ago

An international research team has rediscovered a dinosaur tracksite in the Saijrakh area of northern Mongolia. The site was originally reported about 70 years ago but had since been lost due to a lack of detailed documentation and follow-up investigation. The team conducted the first comprehensive study of the site.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rediscovered-tracksite-reveals-large-dinosaurs.html

Years On The Run, How Europe's Most Wanted Gang Leader Was Finally Tracked

Kinahan, 48, is expected to face charges in Ireland connected to a long-running feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch gang.

source https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/years-on-the-run-how-europes-most-wanted-gang-leader-was-finally-tracked-11380512

How tiny voids could make fusion targets more stable under powerful shockwaves

Picture two materials sandwiched together. The boundary between them may appear flat, but, in reality, it is full of tiny bumps and dents. Suddenly, the materials are hit with a shockwave. If that wave hits a bump in the material interface, it slows down. If it hits a dent, it accelerates forward. This imbalance creates fast, narrow jets of material—called the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-voids-fusion-stable-powerful.html

Raven personalities shape survival as human pressure grows at the Dead Sea

Along the stark and shimmering coastline of the Dead Sea, where desert cliffs meet one of the world's most extreme environments, a quiet drama is unfolding in the skies above. Fan-tailed ravens, intelligent, adaptable, and ever-watchful, are making life-or-death decisions every day. And according to new research, those decisions may come down to personality.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-raven-personalities-survival-human-pressure.html

Mental math's shortcut—pupil dilation suggests people start solving before all numbers are in

People often solve simple arithmetic problems, such as basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, in their minds. The precise mental processes they rely on to solve these problems, however, are not entirely clear. Researchers at Université de Bordeaux and UCLouvain recently tried to better understand how humans tackle simple math mentally by tracking the size of their pupils.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mental-math-shortcut-pupil-dilation.html

One of the world's rarest mouses is adapting to climate change

A new study on climate adaptation in the Pacific pocket mouse—North America's most endangered mouse has been published in Science Advances. The research highlights a major challenge for endangered species, as many lack the genetic diversity needed to survive changing climates.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-world-rarest-mouses-climate.html

Gifted men exhibit lower levels of conservatism compared to their average-intelligence counterparts, finds study

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gifted-men-conservatism-average-intelligence.html

The beloved emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal are now officially endangered. Here's what can be done

In 1902, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott spotted a large group of large black and white birds at Ross Island, Antarctica. This was among the many milestones of Scott's famous Discovery expedition: the first breeding colony of emperor penguins.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-beloved-emperor-penguin-antarctic-fur.html

How debate about gender identity could undermine global efforts to protect victims of violence

Aided by the Trump administration, debate over gender identity has gone from being a touchstone of domestic culture wars to infiltrating the work of international groups—including those designed to protect vulnerable communities.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-04-debate-gender-identity-undermine-global.html