https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. How has offspring dependence on parents evolved over the course of evolution? Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, in collaboration with Kyoto University, Japan, have investigated one possible mechanism by studying the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Their new study shows that parents do more than simply provide care for their offspring: They also improve the entire developmental environment in which their young grow up, a factor that may itself have influenced evolutionary change. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-parental-evolution-beetle.html Evolution Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:00:05 EDT news707061962 With the invasive emerald ash borer beetle decimating black ash across North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service, a team led by researchers at Penn State conducted an expansive study of genetic diversity in black ash seeds collected across the tree's geographic range and stored in seed banks. The research was done with an eye toward someday reintroducing the ecologically and culturally important tree to U.S. and Canadian forests. As part of the research, the team established three large common gardens—experimental plantings—of black ash that someday may play a role in producing seeds needed to bring the species back. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-noah-ark-trees-endangered-black.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news706888501 Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical reactions that take place in specialized light-producing organs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-amber-fossil-reveals-firefly-unprecedented.html Evolution Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:20:05 EDT news705920747 In an effort to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic insecticides, researchers from Kyushu University have developed and tested a new insecticide made from compounds derived from garlic and spearmint. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-natural-insecticide-compound-garlic-spearmint.html Biotechnology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:07 EDT news705317461 Zooming from her office, Michigan State University researcher Kelly Kapsar showed satellite images from across the United States. In some, different colors revealed the precise heights of the forested ridges in the Sierra Nevada or the craggy peaks of the Rockies and the valleys between them. Others showed the pine flatwoods of southern Florida or the smooth, rolling grasslands of the Kansas prairie. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mountain-peaks-microclimates-satellite-big.html Earth Sciences Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news705315421 For more than 60 years, evolutionary biologists have debated whether a unique genetic system found in ants, bees and wasps helps explain one of nature's most remarkable innovations: eusociality, a form of social organization in which colonies divide reproductive labor between queens and workers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-decades-theory-insect-societies-evolve.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705071641 A review led by the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that tiny ground-dwelling invertebrates are overlooked but important seed dispersers, challenging the traditional focus on birds and mammals and offering new insights into forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-forest-floors-reveal-overlooked-seed.html Plants & Animals Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news704991723 Approximately 40% of insect species worldwide are thought to be in decline and under threat of extinction. Among the key causes are habitat loss, pollution and climate change. Another threat is artificial light from sources like streetlights and security lamps. In new research published in the journal Biological Conservation, scientists say a simple change in artificial lighting could help reduce this particular threat. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simple-amber-nights-safer-insects.html Plants & Animals Sun, 02 Aug 2026 15:20:01 EDT news704718953 Scientists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved 100-million-year-old beetle fossil that provides a rare glimpse into the evolution of the intricate sensory and communication systems used by fireflies and their relatives today. Fireflies belong to the order Coleoptera, which includes all beetles. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cretaceous-beetle-fossil-reveals-early.html Evolution Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:40:04 EDT news704718424 For the first time, a research team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany, has demonstrated that insects can mimic floral scents to manipulate pollinators. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-oil-beetle-larvae-bees.html Plants & Animals Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:20:06 EDT news704533321 New research from Costa Rica's Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) suggests that tropical insects may be vulnerable to rising temperatures. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined the heat and cold tolerance of more than 100 species of rove beetles living between the lowland dry forest and the cloud forest of Volcán Cacao. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tropical-insects-room-temperatures.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:00:06 EDT news704461141 A moth caterpillar identified by the agribusiness sector as one of the most destructive pests of soybean, cotton and corn crops may harbor fungi and bacteria in its gut that can degrade expanded polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam. In an article published in the journal BMC Microbiology, researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil presented the results of a study investigating the gut microbiota of Helicoverpa armigera and its role in degrading this petroleum-derived plastic. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-destructive-crop-caterpillar-harbors-fungi.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:30:01 EDT news704039282 Earth remains full of undiscovered species and unexplored interactions that continue to fascinate us, including, in the most ordinary places, the fields where our food is grown. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wasp-species-ernest-hemingway-efforts.html Ecology Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:40:06 EDT news703844882 Dung beetles are quietly performing a vital climate change mitigation service for Australia's livestock sector, slashing methane emissions from cattle manure by 85%, a new Southern Cross University study has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-small-mighty-dung-beetles-big.html Environment Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:50:01 EDT news703417783 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 In Europe, trees are increasingly dying prematurely. A new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) on French forests now shows that it is not only drought but also unusually warm or wet springs that increase the risk—even ideal growing conditions can prove fatal later on. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-europe-trees-dying.html Ecology Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news702638796 Superworms, a mealworm-like form of beetle larva commonly used as pet food, are efficient cleaners of skeletons, according to a study published in PLOS One by Fatemeh Rastekar of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and colleagues. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-superworms-future-skeleton.html Plants & Animals Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:00:03 EDT news702136201 Boreal forests are being clear-cut faster than some of their wildlife and plant species can recover, with a few failing to return even 100 years after harvesting, according to University of Alberta-led research. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-boreal-forest-species-recover-years.html Plants & Animals Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:40:06 EDT news701956682 In ecology, the principle holds that the more diverse and heterogeneous a habitat is, the more different species it supports. To promote species diversity in forests, clearings are therefore created for nature conservation purposes, or deadwood is deliberately left in place. For many species, such as birds, bats and beetles, this structural diversity is indeed beneficial. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-spiders-benefit-seemingly-monotonous-forests.html Plants & Animals Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news701953868 Traces or perforations caused by living organisms after an animal's death can be found on various dinosaur bone remains. These perforations, known as bioerosion structures, provide information that helps us understand relationships between living organisms in the past, reconstruct palaeoecosystems and improve our understanding of the fossilization process. Now, a study published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews has identified this type of perforation in bones and, for the first time, also in pieces of dermal armor (osteoderms) from titanosaurs at the Lo Hueco site (Cuenca), dating to the Late Cretaceous. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-beetle-million-year-titanosaur-fossils.html Ecology Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:20:04 EDT news701698625 Some insects and microbes develop symbiotic partnerships that become so interdependent they can no longer survive without each other. But how specific are these heritable symbioses? Is it possible for the same species of bacteria to flourish across different species of insect hosts, or are these partnerships more fixed, honed over millions of years of evolution? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-symbiotic-partner-swapping-term-fidelity.html Ecology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:40:05 EDT news701446562 When colleagues and I found microplastics in hedgehog droppings, we wanted to know where they were coming from. One answer was surprisingly close to home: pet food. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-microplastics-hedgehogs-pet-food.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:09 EDT news701436541 Researchers have identified "DNA switches" that become active as honeybee larvae grow into worker bees, offering new insight into the development of these important pollinators and the ecosystems they support. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-honeybee-metamorphosis-uncovers-dna-worker.html Ecology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:20:07 EDT news701425717 In a novel experiment at the University of Cincinnati, researchers recently isolated kissing bugs, fruit flies, mosquitoes and spider beetles in a climate- and light-controlled environment and found that they responded predictably to cycles of humidity in the same way they do to temperature and daylight. After the humidity cue was removed, the insects continued to respond to the cyclical fluctuations of humidity and dryness established in the experiment. The study is published in the journal npj Biological Timing and Sleep. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-insects-evidence-daily-body-clock.html Plants & Animals Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news701366701 When Jasmin Imran Alsous peered down her microscope lens, she expected to see chaos—a mishmash of tangled cells. She was viewing the inside of a male fruit fly's sperm storage organ, using a powerful microscope at the CCBScope Observatory, the experimental biology lab at the Center for Computational Biology (CCB) at the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute in New York City. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-thousands-nature-longest-sperm-tiny.html Evolution Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:20:15 EDT news701353213 A James Cook University Ph.D. student's late-night solo survey has led to the first recorded sighting of a microwhip scorpion in the Daintree Rainforest. JCU entomologist and taxonomist Matthew Connors works at the university's Daintree Rainforest Observatory as a demonstrator and rainforest tour guide for visiting groups. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-student-sighting-microwhip-scorpion-daintree.html Plants & Animals Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:03 EDT news701078041 Imagine returning to a favorite hiking trail 15 years after your first visit and discovering that many of the plants and animals that once lived there are gone. While these species may still exist elsewhere, these disappearances—known as local extinctions—are among the clearest signs that climate change is already transforming ecosystems and threatening species across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-local-extinction-temperate-regions.html Plants & Animals Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:06 EDT news701013034 There is evidence that nonhuman animals perceive the world, and how it unfolds in time, differently from humans and from each other. For example, certain beetles can see flickering in lights up to around 500 Hz, while in humans that flickering appears as a steady light after 60 Hz. Humans see flashed objects as lagging behind moving objects when they actually aren't. While other animals also seem to experience this illusion, the flash appears in a different location. Apparent motion—where stationary objects appear to be moving—also has been shown to differ in humans and mice. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-timescapes-animal-species-events-differently.html Plants & Animals Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:00:05 EDT news701009982 A new study published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society describes, for the first time in detail, the soft tissues preserved in Montsecosuchus depereti, a Lower Cretaceous crocodylomorph from the Pedrera de Meià site in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). The analysis, based on ultraviolet light, provides new clues to the coloration of these animals, as well as the evolution of the respiratory system. The research was led by the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-skin-pattern-million-year-crocodile.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:20:06 EDT news700909742 Many insects will eat almost anything in their sight, such as certain beetles, grasshoppers and locusts, while others are remarkably picky eaters. For example, numerous insect herbivores will feed only on a single plant family or a specific type of tree. But why is this so? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diversity-caterpillars-fussy-food.html Plants & Animals Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:30:01 EDT news700484036