https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals Restoring once abundant oyster reefs in temperate marginal seas such as the North Sea is a challenging task. New research by NIOZ marine ecologist Zhiyuan Zhao and colleagues shows that it is necessary to consider the short-term risk that introduced oysters will become buried by shifting sediment or will be dislodged by strong near-bed currents. For restoration success, these short-term physical disturbances can be more decisive than longer-term water-quality conditions. The results of pioneering experiments at 32 m depth, were published today in One Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oyster-reefs-site-dont-sand.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:20:01 EDT news695647106 Like many animals, parrots make sounds that suggest they are talking with each other, maybe even calling out to a specific parrot. But do they truly have names in the same way people do? To find out, Lauryn Benedict, a biology professor at the University of Northern Colorado, didn't set up shop in the tropics to record parrot chatter, as they've done in the past. She instead found birds who spoke her language—birds that live with humans and mimic what they hear, including people's names. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-parrots-mimicking-words-proper-humans.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news695636041 A sprinkle of nutmeg powder on baked goodies or mashed potatoes can immediately lift the flavor with its warm and sweet aroma. Even though it is used globally, not much is known about the true origins of the nutmeg spice tree, Myristica fragrans. In an attempt to retrace evolutionary history, researchers traveled to five different islands in the Moluccas archipelago, Indonesia, traditionally known as the Spice Islands and collected leaves from 393 nutmeg trees to analyze their DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dna-nutmeg-hidden-revealing-south.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:40:03 EDT news695636402 Does a male bird with a long and complex courtship dance have superior cognitive abilities? Simply put, is a talented dancer a smarter bird? To answer the question, researchers at Université de Montréal studied the zebra finch, a small bird known for the dramatic differences between the male and female of the species. The scientists wanted to determine whether females choose males who perform elaborate dances because those displays reflect above-average intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-birds-dancers-smarter.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:20:02 EDT news695635683 A study conducted at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP) in São José dos Campos, Brazil, shows that Moringa oleifera, also known as moringa or white acacia, has the potential to remove microplastics from water. The study, titled "Removal of Microplastics from Drinking Water by Moringa oleifera Seed: Comparative Performance with Alum in Direct and in-Line Filtration Systems," is published in the journal ACS Omega. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-common-asian-brazil-potential-microplastics.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:40:01 EDT news695569201 Parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma are among the smallest insects in the world—yet they play an important role in natural ecosystems and agricultural landscapes as natural antagonists of pest species. Research teams from the Universities of Regensburg, Wageningen and Groningen have now identified for the first time the sex pheromone of a Trichogramma wasp. The study shows that unimaginably small amounts of the female pheromone are sufficient to attract males and trigger their courtship behavior. The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sex-pheromone-sandgrain-sized-insect.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:40:04 EDT news695568181 A new study reveals that some of the ocean's most powerful predators are running hotter, and that they are likely paying an increasingly steep price for it. The significance of this headline finding is the "double jeopardy" in which it places these iconic animals, which have high fuel demands due to their lifestyle and physiology, as they now face a future of warming oceans and declining food resources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bodied-sharks-tunas-jeopardy-seas.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news695547961 As a part of a study testing out a new type of implanted brain-computer interface (BCI), three rhesus monkeys controlled movements in a virtual reality (VR) world using only brain signals. The study, published in Science Advances, demonstrates a major step toward practical BCIs that can work outside of lab conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-monkeys-virtual-forest-thought-brain.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT news695563610 In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants to date, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African continent. But as the elephants' living space is becoming increasingly patchy, the study documents the visible genetic consequences of isolation—and points to approaches that help to incorporate genomics into current and future elephant conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-african-elephant-genomes-reveal-continental.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:00:08 EDT news695477059 High in the forests of Hawai'i, songbirds are stealing twigs and moss from one another's nests. UC Riverside researchers found this quiet canopy crime is surprisingly common and could threaten species already struggling to survive. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hawaii-songbirds-raiding-neighbors-losses.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news695476410 Placing small stones in a bug cage is beneficial when raising pill bugs, a type of woodlouse. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that pill bugs do not directly incorporate ingested calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) minerals into their tergite cuticles. Instead, they undergo an energetically costly process to reconstruct these minerals within their bodies before forming their tergite cuticles. This finding helps explain how organisms biologically control mineral formation. The research is published in the Journal of Structural Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pill-bugs-dont-minerals-rebuild.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:20:07 EDT news695473622 Naked mole rats keep kingdoms underground. One queen bears all the children, while others maintain complex subterranean tunnels, forage for food, take care of newborns, and perform other necessary upkeep. This society hinges on the central pillar of a singular queen. What happens when her fertility declines or is impaired? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-naked-mole-rats-peacefully-power.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:10 EDT news695463721 In the summer, many people turn to mosquito repellents to reduce the insects' buzzing and bites. One solution that has become increasingly popular in recent years is the Thermacell device, which releases vaporized, pyrethroid-based insecticide prallethrin into the air. There has been much discussion in recent years about the effects of this substance on nature and pollinators in particular, but research data has been limited. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-backyard-bug-repellent-derailing-bumblebees.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news695464741 Sperm whales produce powerful clicks to communicate. To our ears, they sound nothing more than a series of repetitive, mechanical taps. But we could be a step closer to understanding some of their complex communication, as scientists have discovered that the large marine mammals organize their sounds in patterns similar to those of human speech. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sperm-whale-clicks-similar-human.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:50:01 EDT news695468227 Drought significantly reduces the reproductive success of bumblebee colonies, according to a new study conducted by a research team at the University of Würzburg and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. This also has consequences for plant pollination. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drought-heavy-toll-bumblebees.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news695461261 Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In humans, Addison's disease is thought to occur when the body's immune system attacks the adrenal glands, making it a type of autoimmune disease. Affected tollers typically develop Addison's disease at a young age and the condition appears to be inherited. Now scientists have identified a gene variant in tollers, RESF1, which is strongly associated with the disease in dogs. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-discovery-addison-disease-gene-dogs.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:40:01 EDT news695398562 In a new study, appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists selectively bred Japanese quails into two groups: laying either relatively large or small eggs. As the quails don't do much "parenting" after eggs hatch, mothers' main contribution is the resources they transfer to their eggs (chicks from larger eggs are more likely to survive). https://phys.org/news/2026-04-birds-energy-parenthood-age-faster.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:10:01 EDT news695294341 Whether it is the climate, beaches, or simply being away from the hustle and bustle, island cultures around the world often do things differently to the mainland. It turns out this phenomenon isn't unique to humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-island-songbirds-music-culture.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:40:02 EDT news695385543 A team of researchers from institutions across South America have expanded scholarly knowledge of the Pikelinia spider genus, with their recent discovery of a new crevice weaver species: Pikelinia floydmuraria. The new species name is a creative tribute to the legendary rock band Pink Floyd, while simultaneously referencing the spider's specific habitat. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-wall-spider-pink-floyd.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:20:03 EDT news695377322 Bonobos are often described as gentle apes, generally calm primates that are seen as peacemakers in the animal kingdom. But this reputation may be coming under attack as a new study published in Scientific Reports reveals that wild bonobos may engage in group aggression that is more dangerous than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bonobos-peaceful-reputation-rival-group.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:50:02 EDT news695381629 What do bats do at night when they're not hunting? Using tiny GPS trackers, Leiden researchers discovered that pond bats spend a substantial portion of the night resting—often outdoors. This surprising insight could change the way we protect them. "To rest or to roam: Functional habitat use of an insectivorous bat species during active and resting behavior" is published in Biological Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tracking-secret-life-pond.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:20:04 EDT news695374561 A new study has shown that whale calls are reduced by as much as 50% in response to seismic surveys, which are commonly used to find oil and gas reserves. Researchers are worried that such surveys could impact vulnerable marine species, which rely on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, reveals how fin whale calls dropped dramatically along a key migratory corridor off northwestern Spain during seismic surveying. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-whales-quiet-noisy-underwater-surveys.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695374441 Two unrelated groups of nectar eaters, hummingbirds and sunbirds, have evolved different techniques to slurp the sweet liquid from flowers. The tongue suctioning employed by sunbirds is unique among vertebrates, according to recent research appearing in Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-video-sunbirds-hummingbirds-dont.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news695317621 A specific cellular mechanism regulates the protein balance of plants, thereby influencing how they respond to environmental stress. An international research team led by Dr. Markus Wirtz at the Center for Organismal Studies of Heidelberg University has identified a particular protein complex that plays a key role in that process by dynamically controlling the degradation and recycling of proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-protein-tagging-complex-stress-survival.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news695316782 Ants are known for many things. They fight, bite and sometimes compete for every crumb. We can now possibly add cleaning services to that list, according to a study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-arizona-tiny-ants-hygienists-climbing.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news695296823 Common human painkillers also work on Norway lobsters, according to research from the University of Gothenburg. This is further evidence that crustaceans may feel pain and that more humane methods of killing them need to be developed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-painkillers-pain-responses-norway-lobsters.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:20:02 EDT news695289050 A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings bees and wasps out of hibernation earlier—leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. This is particularly true for species in cooler regions that emerge during spring. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-global-hatching-bees-wasps.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695288341 Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico—but as the climate crisis gathers pace, they have been sighted foraging in unexpected places. Recently, some have begun to explore the dangerously busy waters of San Francisco Bay. Scientists at the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences investigating an unexpectedly high death toll among gray whales have found that almost 20% of individuals seen entering the Bay died there, in large part due to boat strikes. The team's study appears in Frontiers in Marine Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gray-whales-san-francisco-bay.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:04 EDT news694964761 Nicotine, a potent insecticidal alkaloid unique to the nightshade family, has been employed in agriculture as a pesticide since 1690. It also has therapeutic potential for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression. Despite its profound influence on human history, agriculture, and plant evolution, however, the final steps of nicotine biosynthesis have remained unclear until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nicotine-biosynthesis-wild-tobacco-mystery.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news695047138 We associate nests with shelter, warmth, and a safe retreat—and usually picture a bird's nest made out of twigs, grass and feathers. Yet many other animals take advantage of such refuges, with nests being built by a diversity of species ranging from termites to great apes, which impress with their hugely varied forms and the wide array of materials used to construct them. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-underwater-architects-cichlids-reveals-hardwired.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news695048071