https://phys.org/biology-news/biology-other/ en-us The latest news on biology, natural sciences, environment Listening to one-minute-long audio recordings of forests had positive effects on people's short-term well-being, especially when the recordings were from local temperate forests. Study participants residing in Germany perceived soundscapes as more awe-inspiring and restorative when recorded in nearby forests than soundscapes that came from the tropics; higher or lower levels of animal diversity only had small effects on short-term well-being. The study is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-soundscapes-nearby-forests-uplifting-faraway.html Ecology Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:01 EDT news694885081 Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Eva Landová from Charles University, the Czech Republic, and colleagues. However, ancestral threats such as heights and venomous snakes trigger greater skin resistance responses, a measure of sweating, compared to modern threats and harmless stimuli. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-heights-snakes-harder-tracks-people.html Evolution Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:03 EDT news693051207 Humans are fundamentally "musical animals"—and our capacity for music is rooted in biology, not just culture. This is the conclusion of new work by University of Amsterdam professor of Music Cognition Henkjan Honing. In "The Biology of Musicality," published in the journal Current Biology, Honing describes how two decades of work across psychology, neuroscience, biology, genetics and animal cognition have reshaped scientists' understanding of music's origins. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-musicality-rooted-human-biology-culture.html Evolution Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:03 EDT news692527662 It is not uncommon for a body to be moved after a murder, usually to hide or eliminate evidence. And while the Arizona desert may seem like the perfect place to commit such a crime, a new study shows that a cadaver can still leave critical clues behind in that harsh environment. The study is published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-corpses-clues-soil-theyre.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:40:02 EDT news692454182 Men assess potential rivals that have a larger penis as more of a threat, both physically and sexually, according to a study by Upama Aich at the University of Western Australia and colleagues, published in PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-human-penis-size-female-male.html Evolution Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:03 EST news688294129 Right now, the debate about consciousness often feels frozen between two entrenched positions. On one side sits computational functionalism, which treats cognition as something you can fully explain in terms of abstract information processing: get the right functional organization (regardless of the material it runs on) and you get consciousness. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-path-consciousness-biological.html Other Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:20:04 EST news685631750 A new paper by evolutionary anthropologists Colin Shaw (University of Zurich) and Daniel Longman (Loughborough University) argues that modern life has outpaced human evolution. The study suggests that chronic stress and many modern health issues are the result of an evolutionary mismatch between our primarily nature-adapted biology and the industrialized environments we now inhabit. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-humans-evolved-nature-cities-anthropologists.html Evolution Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:05:03 EST news682689901 Speaking more than one language can slow down the brain's aging and lower risks linked to accelerated aging. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-language-brain-stay-younger.html Other Sat, 15 Nov 2025 08:40:01 EST news682248819 Adolf Hitler most likely suffered from the genetic condition Kallmann Syndrome that can manifest itself in undescended testicles and a micropenis, researchers and documentary makers said Thursday, following DNA testing of the Nazi dictator's blood. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-hitler-dna-reveals-genetic-disorder.html Other Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:20:16 EST news682251602 James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died. He was 97. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-james-watson-discoverer-helix-dna.html Other Sat, 08 Nov 2025 05:52:09 EST news681803497 Research led by Vladimír Sládek sheds new light on how bones age, questioning long-standing assumptions that sedentary lifestyles are the primary cause of weakening bone strength in modern humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-holocene-skeletal-samples-link-sedentary.html Other Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:43:22 EDT news679322596 Beyond spirited dinner party debate, establishing which creatures have consciousness matters in terms of animal welfare and conservation policy. A Michigan State University philosophy scholar has added clarity to a messy philosophical debate. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-consciousness-debate-trees-hermit-crabs.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:16:04 EDT news679223762 Hearing a baby cry can trigger a range of responses in adults, such as sympathy, anxiety and a strong urge to help. However, new research suggests that a deeper physical reaction is also occurring. A baby's cry, particularly if it is in pain or distress, makes our faces physically warmer. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-crying-babies-hotter.html Plants & Animals Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:43:12 EDT news677148186 If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then cereal grains are America's morning MVPs. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-america-cereal-bowl-full-optimizing.html Other Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:10:09 EDT news676634703 An international team of coral scientists is calling for urgent regulatory reform to support assisted gene flow (AGF)—a powerful tool to boost coral resilience—before climate change causes further reef decline and irreversible damage to coral ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scientists-urgent-policy-reform-border.html Ecology Thu, 24 Jul 2025 14:00:07 EDT news672501270 Do your wrinkles always form in the same pattern every time you're in the water for too long? According to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, the answer is yes. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-fingers-wrinkle-pattern-youre.html Other Fri, 09 May 2025 15:58:27 EDT news666025104 Climate change and flagging investment in research and development has U.S. agriculture facing its first productivity slowdown in decades. A new study estimates the public sector investment needed to reverse course. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-funding-sustain-agriculture.html Other Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:11:06 EDT news661011061 A team of researchers has outlined a new approach for better understanding the depths of animal consciousness, a method that may yield new insights into the similarities and differences among living organisms. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-approach-animal-consciousness.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:00:10 EST news659265181 An international team of geneticists, public health specialists and environmental scientists from Greenland, Denmark and several other countries in Europe has conducted a genetic analysis of Greenlanders to learn more about gene-specific health issues. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-genetic-greenlanders-reveals-variants-specific.html Other Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:15:53 EST news658682146 CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tool for assisting in the estimation of biological sex from human skulls. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ai-tool-rapid-identification-forensic.html Other Tue, 11 Feb 2025 17:06:03 EST news658515961 A gender specialist at the University of Genoa, in Italy, a psychologist at the University of Missouri, in the U.S., and a behavioralist at the University of Roehampton, in the U.K, have found that men are growing taller and heavier at twice the rate of women. In their study published in Biology Letters, the researchers analyzed a century's worth of data in the World Health Organization's database and found evidence of a growing sexual dimorphism in humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-years-men-taller-heavier-women.html Evolution Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:20:02 EST news656779506 In a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology, an international research team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Cardiff University, and Google has reexamined Robert Axelrod's groundbreaking work. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-reexamining-prisoner-dilemma-diversity-context.html Other Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:44:57 EST news655487095 Ecologists have devised a new framework to classify how biodiversity credit operators define what a unit of nature is. The new analysis demonstrates the challenges involved with devising a biodiversity credit market to fund nature recovery, and the risks of relying too heavily on 'offsetting.' https://phys.org/news/2024-12-nature-framework-highlights-biodiversity-credit.html Ecology Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:00:01 EST news653041877 Mysterious, repeating sounds from the depths of the ocean can be terrifying to some, but in the 1980s, they presented a unique look at an underwater soundscape. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-quack-underwater-coast-zealand-80s.html Ecology Thu, 21 Nov 2024 13:08:28 EST news651416901 There are an estimated 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, each offering unique ways to express human emotion. But do certain emotions show regularities in their vocal expression across languages? https://phys.org/news/2024-11-ouch-pain-vocalizations-interjections-languages.html Evolution Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:00:02 EST news650624791 A multi-institutional team of environmental scientists and physical limnologists has found that there may be a scientific explanation for Jesus' "miraculous catch of fish"—one that does not involve miracles. In their paper published in the journal Water Resources Research, the group describes their study of natural fish die-offs in Lake Kinneret, which is believed to be the Biblical Sea of Galilee mentioned in the Bible. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-jesus-miraculous-fish-explanation.html Ecology Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:39:55 EST news649939191 Scientists don't just want their results to be published; they want them to be published in the most influential journal they can find. This focus on a high impact factor is driven by their concerns about promotion and tenure, but it may be overlooking the important role that smaller publications can play in the advancement of their science. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-smaller-specific-academic-journals-sway.html Ecology Thu, 17 Oct 2024 16:10:06 EDT news648400201 A team of pathophysiologists at the University of Milan has found that climbing stairs or walking for short bursts allows people to consume 20% to 60% more energy than if they do the same activity nonstop for the same distance. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group asked volunteers to walk on a treadmill or climb stairs while also monitoring their oxygen intake. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-short-consume-energy-distance.html Other Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:20:01 EDT news648292671 Maybe you've seen the meme. Classic film characters up to their necks in muck, with text reading, "As a kid, I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem in my life." Quicksand was an uncannily common plot point in the 70s and 80s, but murky wetland depictions in film haven't gone away. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-swamps-silver-screen-mirror-wetlands.html Ecology Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:36:17 EDT news648135371 Fish taxies—refrigerated cargo vessels or reefers that function as mobile ports for fishing boats—are frequently described as weak links in the traceability of the seafood value chain. For the first time, research has identified the owners of all globally used reefers, the flags they use, and the fishing vessels they meet. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-reveals-key-players-global-transshipment.html Other Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:00:01 EDT news647858232