https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals More than 40 years after the end of commercial whaling, new research reveals a recent increase in sightings of the world's two largest whale species in the southeastern Atlantic. The findings, published in the African Journal of Marine Science, compiled more than 60 years of confirmed sightings and strandings from Namibia and South Africa's west coast. Although overall numbers remain low, sightings of both species have increased markedly in recent years—with 95% of observations recorded since 2012. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-commercial-whaling-erased-blue-fin.html Plants & Animals Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news695381581 Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for more than a century. To solve the mystery, researchers reviewed historical specimens collected in Ecuador during the 19th century and preserved at the Natural History Museum in London. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mystery-london-discovery-ecuadorian-frog.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:04 EDT news705846001 Made entirely of muscle, with no rigid skeleton, muscular hydrostats like octopus arms, elephant trunks and human tongues can move in ways traditional mechanical systems cannot. Between crawling across the seafloor, picking up a peanut and enabling speech, scientists have long wondered how soft structures can perform so many different functions without becoming impossible to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soft-bodied-sea-slug-reconfigures.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news705841253 The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian redback has also been observed facilitating the process with strange moves. Despite the complexity of these behaviors, a new study, published in Biology Letters, indicates that one of these behaviors arises from simple genetics, while another may be more complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-suicidal-somersault-behavior-male.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705752783 Ancient trees—those that are remarkably old for their species—are declining worldwide, raising concerns about the loss of the ecological and evolutionary history they represent. Their exceptional longevity has long encouraged the idea that they act as genetic reservoirs, preserving variation that may have been lost from younger populations. But does great age itself make an ancient tree genetically unique? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-history-age-genomic-importance-ancient.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:20:07 EDT news705754082 Scientists from Brazil and other countries have discovered a new species of frog in the flooded forests of the western Amazon. They named it Adenomera varcena. This finding significantly advances our understanding of Amazonian biodiversity and cryptic diversity, or cases in which two or more animals appear identical but are actually different species. To distinguish this species, the researchers analyzed details such as the frog's call and DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-frog-species-amazon-forests.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:10:04 EDT news705765001 For thousands of years, the Anindilyakwa people have lived in deep connection with the waters surrounding Groote Eylandt, a remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rangers-scientists-vulnerable-reefs-remote.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705671161 Tropical forests store enormous amounts of carbon and harbor most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, but scientists fear that increasingly severe droughts threaten their ability to survive and continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. A new study published in Nature offers unexpected hope, however, and shows that tropical trees may be more adaptable to drought than scientists had previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tropical-trees-unexpected-drought-puerto.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:10 EDT news705656761 Much like an indecisive single person on a dating app, female treefrogs struggle to pick the most desirable mates when they have too many options to choose from. According to a new study published Aug. 12 in the journal iScience, when female Cope's gray treefrogs gather around ponds during mating season to listen to large groups of males chirping in noisy "choruses," they struggle to pick the most desirable male. The researchers call this phenomenon "choice overload," and it may affect the way species evolve over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-suitors-abound-female-treefrogs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705588684 In a rare study of snakes as nest predators, scientists found nesting birds were loath to strike rattlesnakes even though they likely had no previous experience with vipers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-unfamiliar-rattlesnakes-blackbirds-defending.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news705745921 According to new research, viewers often dismiss, trivialize or even romanticize signs of cat distress during "play" interactions, raising concerns for cat welfare. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-internet-cats.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:20:06 EDT news705745323 Fluorescent protein imaging is an indispensable tool in life science research, enabling visualization of protein movement and localization, gene expression, signaling pathways, protein-protein interactions and more. For simultaneous analysis of multiple proteins (i.e., multiplex imaging), a variety of fluorescent proteins that emit different colors (blue, green, yellow and red) have been developed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fluorescence-lifetime-imaging-distinguishes-multiple.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:40:05 EDT news705679441 Scientists from the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) at Murdoch University have participated in a landmark proof-of-concept research project demonstrating how pangenome-guided breeding strategies can reunite two traits that usually involve trade-offs: stress tolerance and yield. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-himalayan-grain-potential-pangenome-higher.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:30:01 EDT news705683822 Nearly 30 years ago, a simple question sent University of Washington researchers into the Puget Sound lowlands to look for birds. With Seattle's population swelling and housing developments pushing into once-forested suburbs, researchers wanted to know how land conversion was affecting birds and whether the type of development mattered. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-decade-seattle-suburbs-sensitive-bird.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news705680222 Every morning, groups of birds start singing and chirping around the same time, typically when the sun starts rising. While zoologists have been studying this collective bird behavior, called the dawn chorus, for decades, the factors driving it remain poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mathematical-birds-synchronized-dawn-chorus.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news705658583 Platypuses rescued during a severe drought quickly returned to their old routines after being released back into the wild, suggesting emergency rescues can help protect vulnerable populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-platypuses-quickly-months-captivity.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:20:03 EDT news705663603 In the coastal forests of a tropical Japanese island near Okinawa grows an inconspicuous plant that is easy to mistake for a mushroom. It is a non-green parasite that feeds on the roots of other plants and produces up to 1 million tiny seeds, each covered in a minuscule, dry fruit. The seeds, in particular, present a mystery to scientists: How do they get dispersed? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-secret-gardeners-parasitic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:00:01 EDT news705585324 A single leaf may look like a simple patch of green, but to the microscopic life that inhabits it, it is a vast landscape divided into different worlds. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oak-harbor-distinct-microbial-worlds.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news705596461 Reproduction is central to the survival of all living organisms. Over millions of years, animal species on Earth have evolved a remarkable variety of mating strategies, ranging from physical fights with competitors to mesmerizing color changes, songs that attract mates and rhythmic movements that resemble dancing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-anglerfish-parasitically-fuse-females.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705585515 Fever is one of the best-known mechanisms by which animals combat infectious diseases. Sick animals can increase their body temperature in two ways: through physiological regulation, by altering internal metabolic processes, or through behavioral changes, such as seeking warmer environments. Ectothermic animals, including amphibians, fish and reptiles, generally rely only on the latter strategy. However, fever is not always the most effective response against every pathogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fever-isnt-infected-tadpoles-cool.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news705587942 Scientists—and dog lovers—have long known that dogs are remarkably good at interpreting our laughs, frowns and tears. But the biology behind this ability has remained largely unexplored until now. In a study published in the journal iScience on Aug. 7, researchers peered inside the brains of dogs as they viewed images of various human expressions. The brain scans revealed that dogs process smiles in a unique brain region and, for the first time, provided evidence that dogs can distinguish between negative facial expressions, including anger, sadness and fear. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mri-dogs-distinguish-human-sadness.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:07 EDT news705246541 Scientists have described a new species of lizard from the high mountain forests of western Thailand and have given it a name straight out of an American fantasy drama television series: Acanthosaura syrax, named after Syrax, the dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in "House of the Dragon." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-mountain-horned-dragon-thailand.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:40:04 EDT news705575461 A global analysis of range-shift records for 1,758 butterfly species—10% of known butterfly species—found that 80% had expanded their range and that 79% of all recorded range shifts were linked to climate change and extreme weather events. The new study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, also reports range contractions for 27% of species, and 22% of species showed a change in elevation. Because many species exhibited multiple types of range shifts, the percentages for expansions, contractions and elevation changes are above 100%. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-butterfly-ranges-shift-worldwide-climate.html Plants & Animals Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news705152045 Every year, millions of migratory birds travel between different geographical regions on Earth to find food, escape cold weather or reach safe environments to raise chicks. To determine which direction to fly, these birds rely on various types of sensory cues and information, including the magnetic field surrounding our planet, known as the geomagnetic field. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pulsed-radiofrequency-magnetic-fields-disorient.html Plants & Animals Sat, 08 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news705314676 Scientists have made a surprising finding about how an asexually reproducing stick insect has evolved. Research led by Dr. Darren Parker, lecturer in evolutionary biology at Bangor University, studied the genes of several species of Timema (a type of stick insect), which have not engaged in sexual reproduction for 1 million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-million-years-sex-erase-insects.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:00:02 EDT news705330364 When most baby turtles hatch, their sex depends on the temperature of the sand or soil where their mother laid her eggs. Warm incubation produces females, while cool nests produce males. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-antenna-cell-appendage-turtle-embryos.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news705323701 In the animal kingdom, only those that adapt to their environment survive. This adaptation takes a wide range of forms, from invisible internal shifts in gene expression to dramatic anatomical changes, such as tadpoles growing legs and transitioning to life on land as frogs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-hormonehabitat-relationship-revealed-reef.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:09 EDT news705236641 An international team of researchers has uncovered a previously undetected structure in the birdsong of Bengalese finches that has the same statistical patterns found in human languages. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-birdsong-whale-song-patterns-similar.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705227461 Snails are particularly active after a rain shower. Even on the Max Planck Campus in Potsdam-Golm, common brown-lipped snails (Cepaea nemoralis) leave behind shiny trails of mucus. Researchers from the "Biomaterials" department saw the slime as a promising natural material. The snail does not produce just one type of slime but can vary it as needed, making it liquid, solid, sticky or slippery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-snail-slimes-collagen-calcium-reshape.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705315541 An eight-year international research effort has produced the most comprehensive review of Honduras' mammals since 1998, verifying 227 native species across 146 genera and 42 families, along with three introduced rodent species. The study, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, also forecasts that as many as 28 further species could eventually be confirmed in the country, bringing the potential total to 258. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-honduras-native-mammal-species-year.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:00:03 EDT news705236402