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. Like schools of fish and flocks of birds, our cells can also migrate collectively in coordination with their neighbors. This harmonious movement of cells occurs during embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. However, since individual cells can only sense limited local information, how they are able to coordinate as a larger collective has remained poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mechanisms-cell-movement.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 22 May 2026 18:20:03 EDT news698677743 It may sound too bizarre to be true, but the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), a fish that inhabits rivers, lakes, and swamps in Mexico and Texas, exists over much of its range in populations that are 100% female. In 1932, the Amazon molly became the first known vertebrate to reproduce by cloning itself, producing all-female populations. A new genetic study published in Nature has given scientists insights into the longstanding mystery about how and why this happens. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-asexual-lizards-virgin-births-clones.html Plants & Animals Fri, 22 May 2026 09:40:02 EDT news698661362 Hurricanes can be a devastating force—leveling trees, erasing beaches and damaging homes. But what do they do to wildlife? The answer ranges from the good to the bad to the ugly. Hurricanes sometimes help native species, but other times, they introduce and spread invasive species. Sometimes, they cause animals to evolve to survive these storms more easily, and sometimes they lead to mass migration or extinction. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-midwest-flamingos-hurricane-toads-wildlife.html Evolution Fri, 22 May 2026 09:00:01 EDT news698658241 A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and sometimes in surprising ways. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wildlife-behavior-response.html Plants & Animals Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:14 EDT news698571662 Examination of pigeon bones from Late Bronze Age Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus indicates they were already semi-domesticated as early as c. 1400 BCE, pushing back direct evidence for pigeon domestication almost 1,000 years and challenging perceptions of the birds as opportunistic urban pests. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-friend-foul-exploring-ancient-bond.html Archaeology Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:03 EDT news697969741 Urbanization is rapidly transforming natural habitats and poses growing challenges for wildlife. One lesser-known consequence is its potential impact on bird song, which plays a crucial role in communication, reproduction, and survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-city-life-bird-song-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 20 May 2026 12:40:05 EDT news698495281 Some birds sing to attract a mate. Others dance or display colorful feathers. But in the moonlit forests and shrublands of northern Argentina, one bird courts romance by snapping its wrists together, producing a sharp clapping sound scientists have puzzled over for decades. Now, researchers have captured the behavior in detail for the first time, revealing how scissor-tailed nightjars create one of the most curious sounds in the avian world. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-birds-dark-flirt-nightjars-reveal.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 19:40:03 EDT news698426881 The evolution of tiny arms in several groups of meat-eating dinosaurs was likely driven by the development of strong, powerful heads, which were used to attack prey, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Cambridge University. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-meat-dinosaurs-rex-evolved-tiny.html Evolution Tue, 19 May 2026 19:00:05 EDT news698403984 A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures said Tuesday it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment—a development that was met with mixed reviews from scientists and critics of its de-extinction mission. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-de-extinction-company-hatched-chicks.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 09:25:18 EDT news698401446 Seabirds such as albatrosses and petrels are retreating into smaller areas of ocean and traveling further to find new places to live as the climate warms. Scientists from the University of Reading studied more than 120 species of Procellariiformes (the group that includes albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and storm petrels) using evolutionary family trees, ancient climate records and ocean temperature data to track how their ranges and movements have changed throughout history. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-seabird-world-oceans-longer-flights.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 05:00:12 EDT news698320982 A global analysis has found that urban animals are bolder and more aggressive, exploratory and active than their rural counterparts. The findings are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-urban-life-animals-bolder-aggressive.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:07 EDT news698315153 You're cooking dinner, distracted, and your hand brushes a hot pan. Nerve signals race to your spinal cord and back to yank your arm away in a fraction of a second, with no thought required. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-billion-crickets-farmed-food-year.html Plants & Animals Mon, 18 May 2026 15:20:05 EDT news698324411 Tropical forests, often described as the lungs of the planet, may be edging closer to a dangerous threshold as droughts become more frequent and widespread across the world's humid tropics. New research suggests these ecosystems are increasingly struggling to recover from prolonged dry conditions, raising concerns that some forests could eventually shift from absorbing carbon dioxide to releasing it back into the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-droughts-tropical-forests-dangerous-threshold.html Earth Sciences Mon, 18 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT news698071491 This week in science news: Are you a mosquito magnet? Here's why. Researchers using topological mathematics have uncovered a hidden rule in abstract art that corresponds to people's perceptions. And scientists developed a technology to create new electrical connections between specific neurons that could improve resilience to stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-saturday-citations-prehistoric-dentistry-aging.html Other Sat, 16 May 2026 09:00:02 EDT news698063559 Why can eagles soar through the skies while emus are bound to the earth? One secret lies in a skeletal structure called the keel, a blade-like ridge on the breastbone that anchors the flight muscles needed for powered flight. Flying birds have a prominent one, whereas in flightless birds, the keel never fully forms. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-emus-fly-bird-embryos.html Evolution Thu, 14 May 2026 11:40:04 EDT news697975478 A new type of long-necked plant-eating dinosaur—the largest ever found in Southeast Asia—has been revealed in a study led by researchers at University College London (UCL), Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of Technology and Sirindhorn Museum in Thailand. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-titan-southeast-asia-biggest-dinosaur.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 14 May 2026 05:00:01 EDT news697882826 Storm petrels are among the smallest and most mysterious seabirds. Until recently, the use of biologgers to track their movements was impossible. A new study published in Biology Letters reveals that they routinely travel hundreds of kilometers while deliberately seeking crosswinds, an unexpected strategy that slows their flight but may help them survive above the open ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-small-seabirds-crosswinds-ocean.html Plants & Animals Wed, 13 May 2026 14:46:44 EDT news697902362 Beneath the tropical trees of southern Mexico, enormous shoals of sulfur mollies blanket the water surface of toxic sulfur springs, where survival depends on collective defense against relentless attacks from predatory birds. The tiny fish survive attacks of birds through creating spectacular collective waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-shoal-memory-predator-prey-arms.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 19:10:07 EDT news697796582 The kingfisher's brilliant blue feathers were once used like paint to create works of art. The technique, known as tian-tsui, was popular during China's Qing Dynasty. And because tian-tsui uses delicate feathers, previous scientists struggled to study them using traditional analytical techniques. So, researchers reporting in ACS Omega developed new methods of investigating these featherworks without harming them. The team found that multiple bird species and layered pigments provided a one-of-a-kind palette. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-qing-featherwork-scans-reveal-multiple.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 16:10:02 EDT news697819621 Every year, millions of gallons of wine are pressed, leaving behind a mountain of pulpy residue—grape skins, seeds, stems and peels—that wineries struggle to dispose of. Now, researchers say this overlooked byproduct could find a new life on the farm, as a replacement for the antibiotics routinely added to chicken feed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wine-leftovers-wean-chicken-farms.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 12 May 2026 16:00:01 EDT news697809968 Experiences in the first days and weeks of life can have a profound impact on humans—and birds. A new study led by Sage Madden, a graduate student in evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, shows how weather conditions and family dynamics affect the growth of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) chicks. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-baby-bird-mild-weather-attentive.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 12:20:07 EDT news697797325 Extreme weather poses a big threat to birds. Yet there is a lack of both knowledge and methods for measuring its negative effects. In a new study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, researchers from Lund University in Sweden have identified knowledge gaps and propose practical tools for analyzing the risks to birds. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-birds.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 11:40:09 EDT news697799103 When the Atlantic herring colonized the Baltic Sea thousands of years ago, it needed to adapt to the low salinity. Genes with a vital role in the functioning of sperm, eggs and embryos were crucial to this adaptation. A new study by researchers from Uppsala University and other institutions, published in the journal PNAS, shows that mutations in four specific genes were particularly important. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atlantic-herring-brackish-baltic-sea.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 15:00:04 EDT news697719117 We are all born completely helpless, with little of the knowledge and skills we will need to survive as adults. Even our ability to communicate is almost entirely learned from our parents or caregivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-birds-babies-humans-zebra-finches.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 13:00:05 EDT news697718342 A single-atom platinum catalyst lights ammonia at 200 °C and keeps it burning steadily at 1,100 °C with low NOx, generating high-grade, carbon-free heat for steel, cement and chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-catalyst-carbon-free-ammonia-steel.html Materials Science Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:04 EDT news697378120 The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined to isolated islands that make them hard to study. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-gentoo-penguins-species-totally.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news697461182 Baby dinosaurs were likely fed more nutritious food than their adult counterparts, a finding that could offer insights into their social evolution, suggests a new study. Paleontologists uncovered this finding by studying wear on the fossilized teeth of Maiasaura peeblesorum, a duck-billed dinosaur species that lived about 75 to 80 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. First discovered in Montana, these large, herbivorous dinosaurs lived in herds and were thought to have been highly social creatures, especially in contrast to those that may have had different reproductive strategies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dinosaur-dental-fossils-reveal-bird.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 08 May 2026 11:40:03 EDT news697458061 When most people think about biodiversity in lakes and rivers, they imagine fish, plants, or perhaps birds and amphibians. But beneath the surface exists another world that often goes unnoticed: microscopic parasites that quietly shape aquatic ecosystems in ways scientists are only beginning to understand. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-uncover-hidden-parasite-diversity.html Ecology Thu, 07 May 2026 18:00:08 EDT news697365840 Shapes of beaks and snouts come in an extraordinary range of forms, reflecting adaptations to different lifestyles and environments. Yet beneath this diversity lies a paradox: across birds and mammals, faces are built using deeply conserved developmental programs. So how does evolution generate such striking differences without reinventing the underlying machinery? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evolution-sculpts-facial-birds-mammals.html Evolution Thu, 07 May 2026 12:20:04 EDT news697367342 A new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals the surprising neurological landscape of fish brains. Harvard researchers map the internal structures of ray-finned fishes' brains in 3D detail, discovering brain size and shape, as well as the endocasts, vary far more than expected. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-skull-full-evolutionary-secrets-fish.html Evolution Tue, 05 May 2026 19:10:08 EDT news697096082