https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals It's an insect everybody loves to hate. Pesky mosquitoes will be out in swarms as the weather warms up across the U.S.—and their bites aren't just itchy. They can transmit pathogens that can cause diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus and malaria, to name a few. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-harmonic-radar-tags-reveal-mosquitoes.html Plants & Animals Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:00:02 EDT news700403639 Headlines were made this week when scuba divers removing abandoned ghost nets from a shipwreck between Tunisia and Sicily filmed an adult great white shark. The footage quickly made global news, yet the real story is not that a great white was seen in the Mediterranean, but that many people were surprised by its presence at all. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ghosts-mediterranean-rare-great-white.html Plants & Animals Sat, 13 Jun 2026 08:30:01 EDT news700403131 Pets form an important part of many people's lives, providing meaningful companionship. However, our pets can sometimes also be a source of unwelcome pathogens and diseases, particularly if they frequently roam outdoors. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cat-home-unwelcome-pathogens.html Plants & Animals Sat, 13 Jun 2026 08:00:05 EDT news700145650 It's intuitive to think that if a tree is photosynthesizing, it's also growing. But that's not necessarily so—and a new study of oak trees, published in the journal Science Advances, found that even as they photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by midsummer. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-trees-carbon-future.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news700385401 Around the world, ocean warming is causing fish to move poleward in search of cooler water. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-fish-cooler-route-blocked.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:40:05 EDT news700477980 The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a marvel of nature, a highly effective killer that doesn't have to move an inch to capture and kill its prey. It releases a fruity nectar scent to attract flies and other insects. After they land in the trap, tiny hairs are triggered and the leaves shut with impressive speed. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-venus-flytrap-snap-rapid-cell.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:11:47 EDT news700477872 From snow white and jet black to golden brown, domestic chickens display a wider range of plumage colors than almost any other livestock species. A new international study, with researchers from Leipzig University playing a key role, explains why: A single gene is capable of producing this full spectrum. The study provides an example of how genetic diversity and visible traits can emerge within a short evolutionary period. The findings have now been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chickens-gene-reveals-evolution.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news700472581 In the split second after you hear a noise, your brain is already making a potentially life-or-death deduction: Did I do that, or did something else? Our nervous systems answer this question using something called corollary discharge, a copy of a motor command that tells sensory areas what to expect from our own actions. This mechanism is at the center of a new study by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis, published in Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-brains-sensory-hub-electric-fish.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:20:04 EDT news700413239 This new international study is calling for a major rethink of how rivers are managed, arguing that fish are not just passive victims of environmental change but active participants in a feedback loop that can reshape entire river systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rivers-isnt-fish-evolving-response.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:00:07 EDT news700402735 A recent study by Ruibao Li and Jennah Dharamshi published in Nature may help us understand the beginnings of animal evolution billions of years ago. These findings are the result of a collaboration among researchers at Indiana University Bloomington, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain and Uppsala University in Sweden, and were led by J. P. Gerdt and Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cells-animals-evolved.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news700412993 Sealed within an eggshell, how can chicks prepare for the world into which they are about to hatch, with no obvious direct communication channel across the shell? Adult zebra finches produce distinctive high-pitched warning songs—known as "heat calls"—when panting during a heat wave, and experiencing the calls can leave developing chicks better prepared to cope with heat after hatching. But no one knew whether the rapidly repeating warning songs could directly change the chicks' brains. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-parents-songs-prime-zebra-finch.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news700398062 Biologists have long thought that seed traits, such as the presence of wings, are the key to predicting in what way, and how far, weeds can disperse. Now, a trio of researchers has revealed that unexpected modes of seed dispersal are more important than mechanisms predicted by seed traits. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-seeds-weeds-succeed-uncover-ways.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:40:02 EDT news700403397 Disorder brings more life to the forest: Birds and bats react to this in different ways. This is shown by a new study from the University of Würzburg's Biocenter. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-forest-gaps-deadwood-boost-bird.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:20:03 EDT news700399621 Washington State University is diving into its extensive history of cherry breeding to better understand the genetics underlying new, tasty fruits that benefit consumers and growers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-history-cherries.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:40:07 EDT news700395542 The first published live observations of the rare goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) in its natural deep-ocean habitat were reported in a new paper by a University of Hawai'i at Mānoa-led team of oceanographers. In the past, goblin sharks were filmed and reported alive only after being hooked on a fishing line and hauled to the surface, where divers could observe them and where they soon died. The new study, published in Journal of Fish Biology, documents two live observations of one of the most elusive yet iconic sharks on the planet—one at a seamount near Jarvis Island and another on the slope of the Tonga Trench. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-deep-sea-goblin-sharks.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:20:08 EDT news700396981 From insects to great apes, by way of birds and fish, animals communicate through an extraordinary variety of sounds. While the pitch or timbre of their vocalizations matters, rhythm may play a more fundamental role. Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the NCCR Evolving Language, the reConnect Institute and the Institut Pasteur analyzed more than 2,000 sound recordings produced by 98 animal species. All of them vocalize at a strikingly similar rate—roughly two to three acoustic events per second—regardless of their size, habitat, species or social complexity. This constraint is likely linked to the brain's capacity to process auditory stimuli, and human language is no exception. The findings are published in PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-animal-alike-species-common-communication.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:00:06 EDT news700396621 A new study led by researchers from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Deakin University has uncovered that alpine species may be more vulnerable to climate change because their seeds rely on specific temperature cues and seasonal signals to germinate. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-seeds-pressure-reveals-climate-threatens.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:20:01 EDT news700374961 Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the University of Alicante have developed a new anti-jellyfish floating buoy that helps prevent these creatures from reaching the coast, thereby reducing the risk of stings among bathers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-anti-jellyfish-buoy.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 22:20:02 EDT news700296745 Humpback whales are one of the most popular species for whale watching. Since they are active close to the water's surface, groups of whale watchers can often see them breaching and diving during breeding periods. One popular whale watching destination is the Ogasawara Islands—also known as the Bonin Islands—a remote archipelago about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-humpbacks-tokyo-remote-islands-reshape.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:20:03 EDT news700323182 Researchers at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, University of Massachusetts and University of Illinois have developed breakthrough methods to track the migration of individual bird species by combining participatory science data with weather radar technology. This advancement addresses a long-standing limitation in migration monitoring: While radar can detect birds in flight, it cannot identify which species are migrating. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-methods-tracking-individual-bird-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news700329181 A collaborative study has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the endangered Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti). Weighing only around one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the Bornean ferret badger is a small, nocturnal carnivore that is rarely seen by people. The paper is published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-borneo-ferret-badger-earth.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:20:05 EDT news700321021 To the scientists and ecologists working to save them, Australia's Euastacus crayfish species are fascinating, living relics from a time long ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-australia-spiny-crayfish-species-threatened.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:40:07 EDT news700316583 A new study led by Concordia researchers suggests that carefully habituating wild gorillas to nonthreatening humans can help the animals overcome long-term aversions to people in areas with a history of human-led disturbances such as poaching. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-gorillas-humans-years-poaching-pressure.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:20:02 EDT news700315199 Trees, grasses, corals, and oysters are foundational to the structure of an ecosystem while they are alive. But new research led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder shows that when they die—due to extreme events like storms, wildfires, or marine heat waves—the physical remains of these species continue shaping the ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dead-ecological-legacy.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news700235834 Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr. Ben Crichton has studied kōkopu—whitebait species that can live for 10 years or more. Whitebait is the collective term for the juveniles of six species of freshwater fish. Nocturnal, territorial and competitive, the three kōkopu species have received less research attention than īnanga, which make up most of the whitebait catch. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-secret-life-adult-whitebait-revealed.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:40:06 EDT news700309802 Climate change-fueled landslides wiped out nearly one in 10 remaining members of the world's rarest great ape species on Indonesia's Sumatra island, scientists said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-fueled-storm-decimated-world.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:51:18 EDT news700314604 From melodic morning choruses to territorial songs that echo through forests and grasslands, birds rely on vocalizations to communicate, attract mates and defend valuable habitat. For songbirds, these vocal displays are not simply inherited instincts. Like human language, many bird songs are learned through a complex process of listening, imitation and practice. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-acoustic-environment-bird-songs-outlast.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news700306065 Just like left- or right-handed humans, domestic dogs have a preference for their left or right paw, a trait known as laterality. This can vary depending on the tasks they perform, which has made it difficult to create a standardized test that captures a dog's natural paw bias. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dog-lefty-doginburgh-captures-paw.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:30:01 EDT news700303821 For many Florida homeowners, lawn mowing can feel like a never-ending chore, especially in the heat of summer. New guidance from experts suggests autonomous or robotic lawn mowers can ease that burden while effectively managing Florida's hardy lawns, including St. Augustine grass. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-robotic-mowers-florida-lawn-health.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:20:05 EDT news700304042 Primates, including humans, are among the social animals living on Earth. Their survival relies heavily on cooperation with others, alliances, the sharing of resources and other social interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chimpanzees-react-negatively-unfairness-partners.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:50:28 EDT news700303774