https://phys.org/biology-news/ en-us Read the latest science news from Phys.org on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology A new study by plant biologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, challenges a longstanding idea that stems from the large number of flowers in the mountains of Central and South America that have evolved to be pollinated by hummingbirds instead of bees. According to the research team, flowers make this switch—not because bees avoid cool, wet cloud forest conditions at higher elevations—but because hummingbirds are simply more effective pollinators. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pollinators-evolutionary.html Evolution Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:00:04 EDT news699801783 New research shows Cheviot goats are one of the UK's most genetically distinct goat populations. Led by Newcastle University, this is the first genetic study to determine the ancestry and genetic health of a UK feral goat population. It provides a genetic assessment of the Cheviot goats in Northumberland's College Valley, identifying them as a historically significant and genetically distinct population unlike the other European goat breeds. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-wild-goats-northumberland-genetically.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:40:03 EDT news699801481 Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that little-studied DNA structures play a central role in organizing the human genome and controlling gene activity, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study revealed that G-quadruplexes (G4s)—four-stranded DNA structures—directly interact with a key genome-organizing protein called CTCF, helping shape how DNA folds inside the cell and how genes are turned on or off. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-overlooked-dna-genome.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news699795302 A fossil bed in northwestern China is littered with the remains of hundreds of prehistoric birds—including some whose broken bones were crushed into pellets, similar to those coughed up by modern owls. For years, scientists guessed that a larger predatory animal must have hunted these ancient birds, but they never found direct fossil evidence of this predator. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-newfound-velociraptor-cousin-glided-wings.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news699792422 In a new study, bumble bees solve a completely novel object-manipulation task. What makes this behavior especially remarkable is that the bees had never been trained. The findings challenge the long-standing assumption that spontaneous problem-solving is restricted to humans and other large-brained vertebrates. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bumble-bees-spontaneous-problem-big.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:07 EDT news699791281 Fish that split their lives between fresh and salt water often face obstacles getting back and forth. Dams and roads fracture river networks and interfere with traditional migratory routes, sparking concerns about fish health and abundance, as well as biodiversity on a broader scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-billions-fish-passage-methods-undercut.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:20:03 EDT news699790441 Forest restoration can help fight climate change and restore lost biodiversity, but the satellite-based techniques used to measure successful forest restoration have been less-than-helpful for measuring changes in biodiversity. Instead, a team of researchers listened to the sounds of life in the restored forests. Their new study, published in Global Change Biology, reveals that forest restoration efforts in Costa Rica seem to be working to both regrow forests and restore lost biodiversity. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-costa-rica-paid-landowners-forests.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news699795468 DNA is the blueprint of the human body. However, tens of thousands of DNA lesions occur in our bodies every day. In particular, if "apurinic/apyrimidinic sites" (AP sites, damaged sites where one letter of DNA information has been erased) are not properly repaired, they can lead to cancer and aging. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dna-enzyme-dimensional-key-sites.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:40:05 EDT news699789361 As climate change alters the temperatures of animal habitats, it seems natural that endotherms, warm-blooded animals, would prefer to hang out in the shade during hot weather. The use of microhabitats in the sun and shade is an important thermoregulatory behavior that has been reported across a wide range of animal species, and researchers are becoming increasingly interested in how animals—especially those with long lifespans—flexibly cope with thermal stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sunny-shady-japanese-macaques.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:20:01 EDT news699782822 A new technology allows scientists to map, in single cells, the DNA binding sites of transcription factors and other regulatory proteins that control gene activity, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center. With key advantages over methods currently in use, the technology is expected to be a powerful addition to biologists' toolkit for studying cells in health and disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dd-seq-dna-protein-interactions.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:00:01 EDT news699716101 Using box jellyfish as an example, researchers from Kiel University show how the physics of density, not behavior or physiology, can prevent animals from reaching the surface even as they actively swim upward. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-jellyfish-surface.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:03 EDT news699782281 Endangered basking sharks aren't fasting during long-distance migrations. A new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows that they may be foraging along the way, and in much deeper areas of the ocean than previously thought. As filter feeders, this species is most often observed close to the surface, especially in waters off of New England, but data show markedly different behavior during their winter migrations to the Sargasso Sea and the Caribbean. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-endangered-basking-sharks-ocean-twilight.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:20:05 EDT news699780901 New research led by the University of the Sunshine Coast has found that reef manta rays are diving deep in storm events to find food and stay alive. As World Environment Day is celebrated around the globe on June 5, the findings offer hope for the future of a species listed as vulnerable to extinction. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-majestic-manta-rays-deep-survive.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT news699780482 Conservationists often raise the young of endangered species in captivity before releasing them into suitable habitats as adults. The benefits are obvious: survival to adulthood is typically high, as captive animals are safe from predators and food scarcity. Unfortunately, a lack of exposure to enemies in early life may become a drawback later, if the released individuals have never learned to recognize and avoid their predators. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-moms-snakes-inherited-offspring-critically.html Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:03 EDT news699698521 A new study from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) helps explain how plants can lose track of their own disease warnings. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nitric-oxide-overload-immune.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news699718802 The arrival of winter marks not only a change in weather, temperature, and day length, but also a change in our activity and behavior. The social outdoor events and trips to the beach over summer soon become a distant memory, and we ready ourselves for more solitary evenings indoors with a hot drink and a good book. Things slow down. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pave-resilient-winter-cereals-warmer.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:20:01 EDT news699706850 Diminutive warty birch caterpillars (Falcaria bilineata), less than 1.5mm long, ardently defend their leaf tip homes from invading caterpillars by scraping and pounding the leaf to warn off potential invaders. But how might the day-old caterpillars defend themselves when voracious ladybeetles (known as ladybugs in the US) are on the prowl? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-thundering-footsteps-caterpillars-lethal-ladybeetle.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news699694622 In its native habitat, switchgrass flowered earlier when growing farther north. In experiments with diverse genetic samples, it flowered earlier in the south. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-citizen-science-experimental-uncovers-switchgrass.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:40:07 EDT news699717842 Humans can communicate various instructions to dogs without using actual words—simply by modulating the tone of their voice, a new study from ELTE University's Department of Ethology shows. By repeating the nonsense syllable 'bü' in different intonations, humans successfully signaled "Yes," "No," "Here," and "There" and, remarkably, dogs responded correctly, despite receiving no prior training. The findings reveal ancient acoustic codes, interpretable across species, that predate language itself. The study was published in Cognition. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dogs-human-tone-words-hinting.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:30:01 EDT news699720301 Computational chemists at the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences have developed a comprehensive software suite to create accurate models of DNA in biomolecular assemblies. Called MDNA, the user-friendly molecular modeling toolkit helps biochemists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and biophysicists to visualize and analyze DNA structures and perform accurate simulations. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-source-software-rapid-dna-generation.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:03 EDT news699715022 Young guppies who were able to see and interact with live fish developed larger brains than guppies who only saw other fish on a screen. This is shown in a new study from Stockholm University, published in Biology Letters. The findings suggest that live social interaction in real time may be important for brain development. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-real-fish-interaction-enlarges-young.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:40:04 EDT news699714542 The first comprehensive map of nearly the entire Greenland shark genome is beginning to reveal some of the genetic clues behind its incredibly long life. The work could one day help scientists develop new cures and treatments for cancer and other age-related diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-greenland-shark-genome-reveals-clues.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:40:06 EDT news699710028 Interactions between hard-shelled marine mollusks such as clams and snails and their predators play a critical but largely unseen role in shaping coastal ecosystems. These organisms help stabilize shorelines, filter water and support biodiversity, making them foundational to coastal health. Yet they are increasingly threatened by ocean acidification and expanding populations of mobile shell-crushing predators. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-armed-ai-prey-predator-crunching.html Ecology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:20:05 EDT news699709381 The first large-sized bovines grew to up to half a ton 4 million years ago in the European Early Pliocene, an early step toward our modern diversity of large-bodied buffalo and cattle, according to a study published June 3, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One by Leonardo Sorbelli of the Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Germany, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ton-early-bovines-roamed-million.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:05 EDT news699638342 The extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs is best known for clearing the way for the Age of Mammals on land. Scientists have long suspected that the same catastrophe also transformed life in the seas, opening ecological space for the rise of modern marine fish faunas. Yet the timing and geography of that transition have remained uncertain because of the sparse fossil record. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-egypt-fossils-modern-ocean-fish.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news699694441 Octopuses are remarkably intelligent creatures, as was demonstrated by Inky the Octopus's famous escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand through a drainpipe back to sea in 2016. A new Dartmouth study shows octopuses can use mirrors to find food out of sight, demonstrating spatial cognitive abilities. The results are published in Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-octopuses-mirror-prey.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:40:07 EDT news699709322 A new study published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal suggests that spider webs—particularly those incorporating environmental debris—can serve as natural, non-destructive collectors of fungal material in agricultural ecosystems. The findings show that viable fungi can be recovered from these structures, including lineages that may represent previously undocumented diversity. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-spider-webs-capture-hidden-fungal.html Ecology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:06 EDT news699703562 When cells experience sudden physical stress, like stretching or pressure, they can activate a fast, protective mechanism that shields their nuclei from destruction, according to a new study published in the Biophysical Journal. This mechanism could help scientists develop therapies to prevent DNA damage, a major driver of aging and cell death. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cells-built-seatbelt-sudden-stress.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:16 EDT news699635762 Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding colonial invertebrates that thrive in the world's oceans today, yet for decades their origins presented a puzzling gap in the fossil record. While nearly every other major animal group made its first appearance during the Cambrian explosion roughly 530 million years ago, the bryozoan fossil record remained stubbornly silent until the Ordovician period, some 50 million years later. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-extraordinary-fossils-million-year-mystery.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:09 EDT news699636181 For generations, scientists believed a queen honeybee was made almost entirely by diet: feed an ordinary larva enough royal jelly and a ruler emerges. But new research suggests queens are created through a more elaborate process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-honeybees-crown-queens.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:05 EDT news699695221