https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals New research involving Queen Mary University of London reveals that amphibians can change what they eat to cope with rising temperatures, but that this natural survival strategy has limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-amphibians-diet.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:50:01 EDT news703255297 When grizzly bears clamber onto the talus slopes high in Glacier National Park, they're searching for an abundant, fatty meal: army cutworm moths. The inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) moths hatch on the Great Plains and fly en masse to escape the heat in the stony upper reaches of the Rocky Mountains. Grizzlies hoover them up by the thousands—at about a half-calorie each—as they fatten up for winter. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-amazing-moths-insect-habitat-grizzlies.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:20:07 EDT news703246082 Honey bee larvae lack the sophisticated olfactory capabilities of adult honey bees, a new study finds. Scientists point to this temporary loss of function as a side effect of the nurse bees' heroic level of brood care, calling it a consequence of social evolution. The new findings are detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-honey-bees-larval-adult-life.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:10:01 EDT news703255278 A new tool that allows researchers to create realistic full-body animations of monkeys has provided the first evidence that nonhuman primates experience the "uncanny valley" phenomenon for body avatars, according to a study by Lucas Maximilian Martini at the University Clinic Tübingen in Germany and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium, published in PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uncanny-valley-effect-macaques-3d.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:00:07 EDT news703229447 Climate change is transforming livestock farming—and at a faster rate than many anticipate. More frequent and intense heat waves place a heavy physiological strain on dairy cows. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moderate-trigger-inflammation-coagulation-dairy.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:00:05 EDT news703246734 An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of a new species of harvester ant, officially named Messor odrysarum. The discovery was made by researchers Albena Lapeva-Gjonova of Sofia University in Bulgaria and Lech Borowiec of the University of Wrocław in Poland. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-harvester-ant-species-bulgaria-eastern.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news703245985 In what's been hailed as a "massive breakthrough," a chlamydia vaccine implant has been administered to a wild koala for the first time. This is the only koala chlamydia vaccine that uses two doses. Now, thanks to the implant, it can be applied in one examination. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-koala-chlamydia-vaccine-implant-inserted.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news703245908 Who hasn't dreamed of flying like a bird? But do birds actually enjoy flying as much as we imagine? A new study by researchers at Utrecht University shows that galahs, Australian cockatoos, almost always choose to fly when given the opportunity. And after several days of flying, the birds make more optimistic choices. These findings suggest that flying leads to positive emotions in the cockatoos. The study was conducted at Vogelpark Avifauna and was recently published in the journal Behaviour. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-birds-enjoy-flying.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news703245783 The Space Aquaculture Project at Okayama University of Science is an ambitious research initiative aimed at cultivating fish and crustaceans on the moon and Mars, which are expected to serve as food production bases for future space exploration. The project ultimately seeks to improve astronauts' quality of life through better food options in space. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-shrimp-behavior-simulated-microgravity.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:54:20 EDT news703169626 On Caribbean coral reefs, an unlikely partnership has gone largely unnoticed: Tiny fish regularly nestle within the feathery structures of tube worms. While these sensitive worms typically snap shut at the slightest disturbance, they show a remarkable tolerance for their tiny guests. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-plain-sight-caribbean-reef.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:00:06 EDT news703160725 An invasive species found across West Texas may pose a greater threat to native bighorn sheep than previously understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-invasive-aoudad-pose-deadly-native.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:40:26 EDT news703154381 Tree swallows in the northern U.S. and Canada face the greatest risk from climate change despite responding to temperature the same way as tree swallows in the southern U.S., according to a new study led by Cornell researchers that analyzed nearly 95,000 nests across five decades. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal a critical timing squeeze for tree swallows in the northern half of the United States and Canada, putting them at risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-northern-tree-swallows-vulnerable.html Plants & Animals Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702737564 I am one of Hobart's many residents who traveled to a nearby beach to witness Neil the seal—an animal that has been receiving global attention for his wild personality and humorous antics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neil-viral-animal-global-folk.html Plants & Animals Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:00:06 EDT news702809210 Climate change threatens many plant and animal species not only when their habitats disappear as climatic conditions change, but also when those habitats shift. In a new study, a team of University of Potsdam researchers found that whether a species' habitat disappears or shifts has a significant impact on how accurately different models can predict its risk of extinction. However, this distinction is not reflected in the current standard methods used to assess extinction risk. Because identifying vulnerable species early is essential for timely conservation action, the researchers argue that these methods urgently need to be revised. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-species-underestimate-climate-extinction.html Plants & Animals Sat, 11 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702908011 The world's largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and ancient carcasses supports huge communities of deep-sea life. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-world-largest-whale-graveyard-chinese.html Plants & Animals Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:50:01 EDT news700314309 If we want to dismiss something as irrelevant, we'd say that it's "as boring as watching the grass grow." And yet grasses—including corn, wheat and rice—make up most of the plant-based calories humans eat, as well as most of the calories fed to livestock. Perhaps we should have been paying attention to such an important plant, because we now know, thanks to new research led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in Current Biology, that grasses grow according to temperature—not light, like other plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-grasses-world-calories.html Plants & Animals Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news702737612 When a record-breaking drought and heat wave swept across China's Yangtze River Basin in 2022, forests across the region faced an extreme test. The event provided a rare opportunity for researchers to test how different forests respond when rising temperatures and water shortages strike at the same time. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-natural-forests-survive.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:40:01 EDT news702896047 Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alters the activity of about one-third of its protein-coding genes in response even to moderate temperature changes. The study, published in the journal The Plant Cell, points to far-reaching consequences of climate change for aquatic ecosystems and soil. The research team is from the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI). https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moderate-rewires-microalga-genes.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702908052 You may be spotting dead bumblebees lying on pavements near you during the summer months. There are several reasons for this, some related to the weather and some very much due to humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bees-struggling-survive-summer.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:00:03 EDT news702893702 Steep hillsides and mountainsides in many regions worldwide are often covered in characteristic step-like patterns, also known as terracettes. These repeating landforms have fascinated scientists for more than a century, yet the factors contributing to their formation had not been clearly confirmed until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-darwin-150yearold-hillside-mystery-virtual.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:30:01 EDT news702823350 Usually there's safety in numbers, but it doesn't always work that way. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) filter-feed on immense shoals of krill, engulfing colossal mouthfuls of water containing up to 144 kg of the crustaceans. But then the mighty creatures expel the water by squeezing it out through the racks of baleen lining their mouths. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-krill-buildup-fin-whale-filter.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:00:01 EDT news702794203 A single monitoring network developed by McGill, Natural Resources Canada, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Dalhousie University researchers can simultaneously track earthquakes, water behavior, human activity and whales, providing a comprehensive picture of what's happening in, under and far from the water. The research is published in the journal Seismica. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-marine-network-environmental-shipping.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:00:08 EDT news702823697 In a new study led by University of Delaware researchers Aaron Carlisle and Ed Hale, researchers point to concerns in the international trade of sand tiger sharks, a critically endangered shark species globally, for display in aquariums. The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-international-critically-endangered-sand-tiger.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:00:09 EDT news702819301 An international research team has for the first time investigated how an unfolding armed conflict influenced the behavior of wild animals. Using camera traps, the scientists documented how the Russian occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone during the 2022 war in Ukraine affected the activity of the animals living in the area. Data analysis shows that red deer, roe deer, foxes and wild boar adjusted their day and night activity to the hostilities during this period. The team, led by Dr. Svitlana Kudrenko, who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Freiburg, and Prof. Dr. Marco Heurich of the University of Freiburg, has published its findings in the journal Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-camera-reveal-chornobyl-wildlife-routines.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:06 EDT news702808873 New research reveals the unusual shape, size and pattern of the dermal denticles that cover basking sharks—thought to be unique to this species. Researchers propose that the shape and arrangement of the skin's scales protect the skin while also allowing for the stretchiness required to open and close their colossal mouths during ram filter feeding. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uncovering-secrets-basking-shark-bizarre.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news702794042 Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the first case of New World screwworm (NWS) in the United States on June 3, pet owners and shelters alike have expressed concern about what this might mean for their animals. Because the larvae of the parasitic fly infest wounds and can create significant tissue damage if left untreated, veterinarians are encouraging shelters and pet owners, including those who work with colonies of stray or other unowned animals, to remain vigilant and stay informed, especially because NWS infestations can be easily prevented and treated. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pets-world-screwworm.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:40:03 EDT news702747009 A new scientific review outlines how satellites and other remote sensing technologies are increasingly shaping how biodiversity and ecosystem health can be monitored at scale—offering new opportunities for countries reporting under international nature targets, while also underscoring important limitations. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-satellites-biodiversity-global-nature-major.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:40:01 EDT news702721820 The daily movements of brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba) in the forest are determined by an interplay of environmental, behavioral and social factors. This is one of the conclusions of a study conducted in Brazil and published in the International Journal of Primatology. The study may guide conservation efforts for the species. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-brown-howler-monkeys-rest-hot.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:00:05 EDT news702746032 Europe risks a severe crisis if the decline of wild pollinators continues. This is the key message of a new white paper prepared by 135 researchers from eight research consortia, including the projects BUTTERFLY, RestPoll, ProPollSoil and PolinERA, all involving researchers from Aarhus University. Among the authors are Claus Rasmussen, Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe, James Williams, Johan Axelman and Chris Topping from the Department of Agroecology. The work is published in Zenodo. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-europe-pollinator-crisis.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:20:05 EDT news702741487 Originally from southeastern Africa, the turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) lives in seasonal bodies of water that form during the rainy season and disappear again during the dry season. The fish is highly adapted to this seasonal cycle: It completes its entire life cycle—from hatching through reproduction to natural death—within a few months. Its short lifespan makes it a valuable model organism for aging research, as processes that often take years in other vertebrates can be studied in killifish within a few weeks. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-dynamic-population-turquoise-killifish-husbandry.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:00:05 EDT news702738232