https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals New research involving Queen Mary University of London reveals that amphibians can change what they eat to cope with rising temperatures, but that this natural survival strategy has limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-amphibians-diet.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:50:01 EDT news703255297 When grizzly bears clamber onto the talus slopes high in Glacier National Park, they're searching for an abundant, fatty meal: army cutworm moths. The inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) moths hatch on the Great Plains and fly en masse to escape the heat in the stony upper reaches of the Rocky Mountains. Grizzlies hoover them up by the thousands—at about a half-calorie each—as they fatten up for winter. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-amazing-moths-insect-habitat-grizzlies.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:20:07 EDT news703246082 Honey bee larvae lack the sophisticated olfactory capabilities of adult honey bees, a new study finds. Scientists point to this temporary loss of function as a side effect of the nurse bees' heroic level of brood care, calling it a consequence of social evolution. The new findings are detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-honey-bees-larval-adult-life.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:10:01 EDT news703255278 A new tool that allows researchers to create realistic full-body animations of monkeys has provided the first evidence that nonhuman primates experience the "uncanny valley" phenomenon for body avatars, according to a study by Lucas Maximilian Martini at the University Clinic Tübingen in Germany and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium, published in PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-uncanny-valley-effect-macaques-3d.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:00:07 EDT news703229447 On Caribbean coral reefs, an unlikely partnership has gone largely unnoticed: Tiny fish regularly nestle within the feathery structures of tube worms. While these sensitive worms typically snap shut at the slightest disturbance, they show a remarkable tolerance for their tiny guests. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-plain-sight-caribbean-reef.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:00:06 EDT news703160725 An invasive species found across West Texas may pose a greater threat to native bighorn sheep than previously understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-invasive-aoudad-pose-deadly-native.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:40:26 EDT news703154381 Tree swallows in the northern U.S. and Canada face the greatest risk from climate change despite responding to temperature the same way as tree swallows in the southern U.S., according to a new study led by Cornell researchers that analyzed nearly 95,000 nests across five decades. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal a critical timing squeeze for tree swallows in the northern half of the United States and Canada, putting them at risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-northern-tree-swallows-vulnerable.html Plants & Animals Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702737564 Climate change threatens many plant and animal species not only when their habitats disappear as climatic conditions change, but also when those habitats shift. In a new study, a team of University of Potsdam researchers found that whether a species' habitat disappears or shifts has a significant impact on how accurately different models can predict its risk of extinction. However, this distinction is not reflected in the current standard methods used to assess extinction risk. Because identifying vulnerable species early is essential for timely conservation action, the researchers argue that these methods urgently need to be revised. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-species-underestimate-climate-extinction.html Plants & Animals Sat, 11 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702908011 If we want to dismiss something as irrelevant, we'd say that it's "as boring as watching the grass grow." And yet grasses—including corn, wheat and rice—make up most of the plant-based calories humans eat, as well as most of the calories fed to livestock. Perhaps we should have been paying attention to such an important plant, because we now know, thanks to new research led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in Current Biology, that grasses grow according to temperature—not light, like other plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-grasses-world-calories.html Plants & Animals Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news702737612 When a record-breaking drought and heat wave swept across China's Yangtze River Basin in 2022, forests across the region faced an extreme test. The event provided a rare opportunity for researchers to test how different forests respond when rising temperatures and water shortages strike at the same time. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-natural-forests-survive.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:40:01 EDT news702896047 Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alters the activity of about one-third of its protein-coding genes in response even to moderate temperature changes. The study, published in the journal The Plant Cell, points to far-reaching consequences of climate change for aquatic ecosystems and soil. The research team is from the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI). https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moderate-rewires-microalga-genes.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702908052 Steep hillsides and mountainsides in many regions worldwide are often covered in characteristic step-like patterns, also known as terracettes. These repeating landforms have fascinated scientists for more than a century, yet the factors contributing to their formation had not been clearly confirmed until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-darwin-150yearold-hillside-mystery-virtual.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:30:01 EDT news702823350 Usually there's safety in numbers, but it doesn't always work that way. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) filter-feed on immense shoals of krill, engulfing colossal mouthfuls of water containing up to 144 kg of the crustaceans. But then the mighty creatures expel the water by squeezing it out through the racks of baleen lining their mouths. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-krill-buildup-fin-whale-filter.html Plants & Animals Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:00:01 EDT news702794203 A new scientific review outlines how satellites and other remote sensing technologies are increasingly shaping how biodiversity and ecosystem health can be monitored at scale—offering new opportunities for countries reporting under international nature targets, while also underscoring important limitations. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-satellites-biodiversity-global-nature-major.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:40:01 EDT news702721820 Scientists observed spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) playing in the wild and found that their precise, sophisticated communication is on par with that of many primate species. Hyenas play and romp with one another at all stages of life. Although juveniles play more frequently than adults, the joy of play can also be observed in adults. Interestingly, adult hyenas appear to particularly enjoy playing in water. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-language-play-hyenas-facial-vocalizations.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:20:03 EDT news702729459 A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon in which internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females. Surprisingly, this reproductive disruption skips the directly heated spiders and hits their children and grandchildren instead, leading to a sudden comeback of male offspring. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-temperatures-disrupt-spider-sex-bacteria.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:20:06 EDT news702724473 Two new studies examining gray wolves in California paint a complex picture of life on the state's ranching landscapes: Wolves eat cattle more than anything else, and the presence of the predators causes significant stress among livestock. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-california-wolves-heavily-cattle-presence.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:23 EDT news702700961 Beavers are widespread in estuaries and tidal wetlands in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, demonstrating that they are not restricted to rivers and streams, Gregory Hood at the Skagit River System Cooperative, U.S., reports July 8, 2026, in the journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-beavers-river-estuaries-north-america.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:20 EDT news702728106 Nature has invented countless types of pointy appendages, and scientists have long sought to explain what makes these structures so effective at puncturing other things. A new study models the key physical characteristics of puncturing tools to reflect their diversity in nature, finding that the shape of a biological tool is driven in part by trade-offs between its puncture efficiency and its ability to resist bending or buckling. The findings are described in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nature-tools-reveal-offs-piercing.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:13 EDT news702700982 Coral reefs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate as climate change, marine heat waves, pollution and coastal development threaten one of Earth's richest ecosystems. While scientific research has greatly advanced understanding of the crisis and ways to restore damaged reefs, a new international paper argues that science alone will not be enough to protect them. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-international-team-science-wont-coral.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:01 EDT news702704480 An ongoing research project exploring the effects of rising levels of oceanic CO2 on squid neurology reveals that exposure to future levels of ocean acidification could shrink their brain volume by around 50%. This severe brain shrinkage appears to be most pronounced in the areas that interpret visual information, correlating with significant reductions in normal feeding behaviors and suggesting serious consequences for the future of squid and other cephalopods. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ocean-acidification-brains-world-intelligent.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:05 EDT news702630449 A new study published in the Journal of Helminthology by researchers from the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, together with collaborators from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, has revealed surprisingly limited dispersal of Diplostomum parasites across North Atlantic islands. The findings challenge the common assumption that migratory birds readily transport parasites over large geographic distances. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-migratory-birds-parasites-islands-dna.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:40:07 EDT news702646962 University of Newcastle researchers have documented one of the clearest examples of iridescence ever recorded in an amphibian, revealing that the endangered green and golden bell frog (Ranoidea aurea) possesses intricate color-shifting skin previously unseen in the species. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rare-shifting-iconic-australian-frog.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:40:10 EDT news702637262 A new international study led by researchers at the University of Oulu, Finland, shows that wolves living in different parts of the world are not anatomically identical. Their skulls differ in shape and size according to climate, prey availability, evolutionary history and, increasingly, the influence of humans. The paper is published in the journal Diversity and Distributions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wolves-world-evolved-skull-humans.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:00:07 EDT news702638805 Hummingbirds make bromeliad plants split into new species twice as fast as other pollinators do, scientists at the University of Reading have found. The research team gathered records of which animals pollinate 403 types of bromeliad, which include pineapples and more than 3,700 species, and found three in four of these plants are visited by hummingbirds. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hummingbirds-pineapple-family-evolution.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:00:03 EDT news702539370 In the dense forests of the Ecuadorian Andes, the survival of a spider relies not only on its ability to prey on insects but also on its capacity to resist a threat coming from the skies. A new study revealed that the heavy rainfall that hits the region acts as an "ecological filter," bombarding spider webs and, in the process, determining which species and silk architectures are able to master each environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-storms-impact-architecture-webs-survival.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:40:01 EDT news702571236 Every year, thousands of parrots confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade arrive at rehabilitation centers across Latin America. For many of these birds, rescue centers can provide safety but not necessarily a path back to the wild. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-birds-life-wild-technique-boosts.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:33 EDT news702560522 A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general's famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveals that the Col de la Traversette would have been the least energy-intensive route. The findings have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-elephant-energetics-hannibal-alpine-route.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:00:16 EDT news702537909 New research proving bumblebees exhibit emotion-like behaviors—previously thought to exist only in mammalian species—has implications for how scientists understand the consciousness of insects. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bees-reveal-emotion-reactions-lip.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:00:11 EDT news702537952 A new study published in the journal Alpine Entomology has found that alpine butterflies in the Swiss National Park are closely matching the pace of local warming in their range shift to higher elevations. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-alpine-butterflies-track-uphill-habitat.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702552888