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 study published in the journal Ornithological Applications shows how conservation organizations are using data from birdwatchers to pinpoint opportunities to reverse population declines. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-bird-groups-birdwatchers-critical-gaps.html Plants & Animals Fri, 19 Dec 2025 05:34:30 EST news685344841 If you visit the Erie Canal today, you'll find a tranquil waterway and trail that pass through charming towns and forests, a place where hikers, cyclists, kayakers, bird-watchers and other visitors seek to enjoy nature and escape the pressures of modern life. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-erie-canal-200th-anniversary-technological.html Environment Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:19:05 EDT news679749542 A large region of unusually hot rock deep beneath the Appalachian Mountains in the United States could be linked to Greenland and North America splitting apart 80 million years ago, according to new research led by the University of Southampton. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-deep-beneath-ancient-rift-greenland.html Earth Sciences Tue, 29 Jul 2025 19:00:02 EDT news672987823 In a new study published in the journal Ecosystem Services, researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society examined how protecting areas valuable for human needs—like clean water, flood control, and carbon storage—could simultaneously benefit bird populations across the United States. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-sweet-nature-birds-humans.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 May 2025 16:07:36 EDT news667148852 A study published in the journal PLOS One reveals that combining bird observation data with land cover information provides more accurate predictions of numbers of wild bee species—a metric called richness—than using either dataset alone. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-birds-bees-bird-wild-bee.html Plants & Animals Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:06:04 EDT news664790762 Newly published research from UNC Greensboro biology professor Dr. Bryan McLean and colleagues shows that the masked shrew, a small, mole-like mammal found in the Appalachian Mountains, shrinks its body and braincase to conserve energy during winter months. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-shrews-winter-energy.html Plants & Animals Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:08:05 EDT news663926881 Carl Schreck spent his career studying tropical storms thousands of miles away from home. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-climate-scientist-hurricane-helene-devastation.html Environment Wed, 09 Oct 2024 04:23:30 EDT news647666605 Millions of Americans were still without power and many faced torrential flooding on Saturday, authorities said, as powerful storm Helene rumbled across eastern and midwestern US states, leaving at least 44 people dead. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-storm-helene-threatens-catastrophic-cleanup.html Environment Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:00:01 EDT news646757867 At least 44 people died across five US states battered by powerful storm Helene, authorities said Friday, after torrential flooding prompted emergency responders to launch massive rescue operations. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-hurricane-deaths-catastrophic.html Environment Sat, 28 Sep 2024 05:50:02 EDT news646720457 Astronomers learn about the universe by pointing their telescopes to the sky. But what happens when a satellite comes between them and the cosmological objects they hope to study? https://phys.org/news/2024-08-astronomers-satellite-internet-sky.html Astronomy Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:54:33 EDT news642675269 Annual snow cover days in all major skiing regions are projected to decrease dramatically as a result of climate change, with one in eight ski areas losing all natural snow cover this century under high emission scenarios. These results are published in a new study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Veronika Mitterwallner from the University of Bayreuth, Germany and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-future-skiable-climate.html Earth Sciences Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:00:01 EDT news629544990 A North Carolina town was hit June 16 by its eight earthquake in just over three weeks, which means there's an old fault line that's now active, the U.S. Geological Survey says. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-earthquakes-weeks-fault-nc-mountain.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Jun 2023 14:24:02 EDT news606403441 New research indicates the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) could be devastating to amphibian biodiversity if introduced to North America.Nature Communications has published the findings from a group of researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Washington State University. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-high-amphibians-fungal-pathogen-invades.html Plants & Animals Wed, 14 Jun 2023 15:18:04 EDT news605974681 If we could rewind the tape of species evolution around the world and play it forward over hundreds of millions of years to the present day, we would see biodiversity clustering around regions of tectonic turmoil. Tectonically active regions such as the Himalayan and Andean mountains are especially rich in flora and fauna due to their shifting landscapes, which act to divide and diversify species over time. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-river-erosion-fish-evolution.html Evolution Thu, 25 May 2023 14:00:03 EDT news604238725 The American chestnut tree, once a regal pillar of forests across the eastern United States, is on life support, struggling to survive. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-blight-ridden-american-chestnut-tree-rebirth.html Ecology Tue, 25 Oct 2022 03:14:23 EDT news585886460 The Southern Appalachian mountains are a global biodiversity hot spot for salamanders. Dr. Deb Miller and Dr. Matt Gray lead the Amphibian Disease Laboratory at the University of Tennessee and are looking at various strategies to prevent a fungus that is deadly to salamanders from entering the U.S. via the international pet trade. They are also conducting research to learn more about the disease, and looking at potential strategies to reduce the spread of the fungus in case it does enter the country._ https://phys.org/news/2020-11-skin-eating-fungus-europe-decimate-appalachia.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:40:03 EST news524135885 For iconic landscapes such as Grand Canyon or the Appalachian Mountains, geological features are an integral part of their appeal. Yet despite the seeming permanence of cliffs, caves, fossils, and other geological highlights, these features are surprisingly vulnerable to damage or destruction. Across the U.S., there is a growing awareness that America's geological resources represent a common heritage that needs to be preserved—and that doing so can yield considerable economic and societal benefits. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-earth-legacy-local-economic-benefits.html Earth Sciences Mon, 23 Sep 2019 10:34:05 EDT news488453637 The Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite takes us over eastern US. Spanning a huge area, including the states of Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware, a number of major cities can be seen in this true-colour image. The megacity of New York is visible in the top right. A megacity is defined by the United Nations as a city with a population of over ten million. According to the latest estimates there will be 43 megacities across the globe by 2030. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-image-eastern.html Earth Sciences Fri, 05 Oct 2018 08:00:02 EDT news457945003 The annual long-distance migration of rare, tiny songbirds that reproduce in the Great Lakes region and Appalachian Mountains is no longer a mystery. https://phys.org/news/2018-02-migration-reveals-key-declines-rare.html Ecology Mon, 26 Feb 2018 15:00:08 EST news438866437 NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite analyzed the temperatures in Post-tropical cyclone Nate's cloud tops as the storm moved over the Ohio Valley. Satellite imagery showed the storm was bringing rainfall from the northeastern U.S., to the Mid-Atlantic and south through the Appalachian Mountains. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-nasa-tropical-cyclone-nate-wide.html Earth Sciences Tue, 10 Oct 2017 09:54:04 EDT news426848037 What is the value of a sunset overlooking a wildflower field in the Appalachian Mountains? Or of ice skating on a frozen lake in central Wisconsin? https://phys.org/news/2017-05-cultural-natural-world-doesnt-species.html Ecology Thu, 25 May 2017 07:41:36 EDT news414916881 National Science Foundation, Environmental Research and Education Foundation, American Coal Ash Association https://phys.org/news/2016-05-appalachian-coal-ash-richest-rare.html Environment Fri, 27 May 2016 11:20:01 EDT news383566019 A few years ago I read the book "Following Atticus" by Tom Ryan. It's a true story about a man and his dog and the adventures they had climbing the Appalachian Mountain Range to qualify for membership in the Appalachian Mountain Club's prestigious "Four Thousand Footer Club." https://phys.org/news/2015-08-hiking-appalachian-mountains-contribute-science.html Ecology Thu, 06 Aug 2015 08:20:01 EDT news358066067 Some scientists suggest it could be another sign of climate change. A new study finds salamanders in the Appalachian Mountains are getting smaller. And the researchers think it's because in a drier, warmer climate, the little cold-blooded creatures use more energy to stay alive. https://phys.org/news/2014-06-salamanders-appalachians-smaller.html Plants & Animals Sun, 29 Jun 2014 12:28:02 EDT news323263673 Wild salamanders living in some of North America's best salamander habitat are getting smaller as their surroundings get warmer and drier, forcing them to burn more energy in a changing climate. https://phys.org/news/2014-03-salamanders-mountain-havens.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:55:41 EDT news314981726 A collaborative project involving a Kansas State University ecologist has shown that the Clean Air Act has helped forest systems recover from decades of sulfur pollution and acid rain. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-red-cedar-tree-air-pollution.html Environment Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:00:08 EDT news297340074 New Ohio University research suggests that the rise of an early phase of the Appalachian Mountains and cooling oceans allowed invasive species to upset the North American ecosystem 450 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2013-08-mountains-cooling-oceans-prompted-invasive.html Earth Sciences Wed, 21 Aug 2013 15:46:10 EDT news296318757 The remains of the earliest European fort in the interior of what is now the United States have been discovered by a team of archaeologists, providing new insight into the start of the U.S. colonial era and the all-too-human reasons spoiling Spanish dreams of gold and glory. https://phys.org/news/2013-07-oldest-european-fort-inland-appalachians.html Archaeology Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:50:07 EDT news293798403 It is likely some of the most widespread and oldest art in the United States. Pieces of rock art dot the Appalachian Mountains, and research by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, anthropology professor Jan Simek finds each engraving or drawing is strategically placed to reveal a cosmological puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2013-06-professor-prehistoric-art-cosmological-belief.html Archaeology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:12:12 EDT news290862630 The merging of two low pressure areas into a large Nor'easter on March 6 brought winter weather advisories and warnings to the Mid-Atlantic. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared and near infrared image of the storm's power, and NASA created an animation of the storm's movement using NOAA's GOES-13 satellite imagery. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-nasa-satellite-views-noreaster.html Earth Sciences Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:27:35 EST news281896049