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. Thousands of meters below the waves off Australia's east coast, far beyond where sunlight can reach, a stunning light show takes place in the dark. The cause? Two species of long-legged creatures emitting a blue glow. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-legged-giants-deep-ocean.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:21 EDT news710495756 The idea that ecosystems carry plenty of backup, so if a small number of species become extinct there is little harm, has been greatly overestimated, according to the largest global study of its kind. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nature-capacity-species-lost-vastly.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news710437081 Disease and heat pose a deadly combination for coral reefs, according to a new University of Georgia study published in the journal Coral Reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-florida-keys-reveals-fourfold-death.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:20:17 EDT news710424301 Researchers at the University of Galway in Ireland have found that venomous snakes are significantly more likely than nonvenomous species to have colors that stand out against their natural surroundings. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-danger-venomous-snakes.html Evolution Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:30:01 EDT news710409782 From a drone flying above the waves to a camera just inches from the seafloor, University of Miami researchers are transforming how scientists observe coral reefs and measure changes that were once difficult, costly or time-consuming to document. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-imaging-technologies-clearer-view-coral.html Ecology Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news709898082 High sea temperatures driven by the climate crisis damage corals, bleaching them ghostly white and killing them. While restoration of dead reefs is possible, it's difficult and expensive, and restored corals are vulnerable to future heat waves. Finding ways to stop or slow the damage to existing reefs is crucial. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-underwater-umbrellas-coral-reefs.html Plants & Animals Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:07 EDT news710063041 Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanity's great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life began here on Earth. Our research explores the conditions in which a mixture of molecules somehow transformed from chemistry into biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sugar-meteorites-survival-early-earth.html Astrobiology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:20:06 EDT news709980361 Spiny lobster larvae spend six to nine months drifting in the open ocean, feeding within the plankton community, before eventually settling into shallow-water habitats such as mangroves, seagrass beds or coral reefs. This means the number of young lobsters reaching Bermuda is strongly influenced by ocean conditions across the wider North Atlantic and Caribbean region. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-index-links-ocean-food-webs.html Ecology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:10:02 EDT news709917721 Chemosynthetic bacteria have been documented in various marine environments and in association with invertebrate hosts such as annelid worms and mollusks, but their presence in fish appears to be a new discovery. The findings show that fish gills host a complex and specialized microbiome that is not yet well understood but could play an important role in fish metabolism, immunity and health. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dna-reveals-chemosynthesis-genes-bacteria.html Ecology Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:00:05 EDT news709473358 Curtin University scientists have uncovered an important missing piece in the puzzle of how some coral reefs can recover from climate events, providing information that could help guide future conservation and restoration efforts. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ningaloo-reef-corals-reveal-early.html Plants & Animals Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:00:21 EDT news709469161 Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are infamous in the marine world. Their toxin-loaded thorns give them a menacing appearance, and they have a reputation as destroyers of coral reefs. New research from the University of Sydney challenges the perception of COTS as purely destructive. The findings suggest controlled populations can have a positive impact on coral prevalence and diversity. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crown-thorns-starfish-reefs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:00:04 EDT news709302302 To boost corals' resilience amid rising sea temperatures and the spread of disease, KAUST researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-corals-vaccine-responses-pathogen-exposure.html Ecology Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:20:06 EDT news709314541 Seven breached Planetary Boundaries continue to worsen as record ocean heat, droughts, floods, wildfires and extreme heat reveal an Earth system under strain, according to the latest Planetary Health Check. The annual update is authored by more than 60 scientists and produced by the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). https://phys.org/news/2026-09-planetary-health-mounting-pressures-earth.html Earth Sciences Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:00:08 EDT news708957961 During routine beach litter surveys on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, researchers came across small, brightly colored specks in the pale coral rubble. Back at the lab, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed that these specks are, in fact, melted polymers from common household plastics that have seeped inseparably into the skeletal pores of the dead coral pieces. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plasticorals-coral-rubble-fused-plastic.html Ecology Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:02 EDT news708944281 It's no secret that plastic and other human trash are a problem for marine life, but our understanding has long focused on the ocean's surface. As described in a study published in PLOS One, a more complete picture is coming into focus, revealing that even some of our planet's greatest depths have become home to our debris. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-deep-ocean-familiar-trash-plastic.html Environment Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:11 EDT news708680581 Who isn't familiar with the colorful coral reefs from movies like "Finding Nemo" or "The Little Mermaid"? Unfortunately, the reality is often quite different, as these vital ecosystems are under pressure worldwide. Climate change and pollution are causing corals to bleach and die. Even the most resilient coral reefs of the United States are now threatened. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fertilizers-extreme-coral-reefs-gulf.html Ecology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:20:06 EDT news708343322 Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists but true "flexitarians." A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with partners from Australia, has shown that, unlike their free-living relatives studied thus far, these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids such as valine, leucine and isoleucine—and presumably do so to communicate with their animal host. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances , shed new light on one of the oldest animal-microbe symbiotic relationships on Earth and point to a previously underestimated role played by archaea. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-archaea-flexitarians-ammonia-oxidizing-microbes.html Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news707587201 Well before I start collecting coats, keys or shoes, my dog always knows when we're about to leave. By picking up on subtle cues, he anticipates our next movements, reminding me he's smarter than he often shows. But anticipation isn't always about brains. Our new research reveals that even an animal with no brain at all can anticipate what's coming next. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-brainless-sea-sponges-sunset-metamorphosis.html Plants & Animals Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707733181 Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aquarium experiments, demonstrating the efficacy of such microbial therapy in the ocean is difficult. In a study published in the journal Cell Reports on Sept. 3, researchers establish that both live probiotic and inactivated postbiotic treatments improve coral health—while the animals are under thermal stress during a natural marine heat wave. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-probiotic-postbiotic-treatments-revive-stressed.html Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:08 EDT news707490570 A study provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that seagrass meadows act as a critical safety net for millions of coastal people living in extreme poverty across the Indo-Pacific. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-underwater-meadows-sustain-millions-extreme.html Environment Thu, 03 Sep 2026 04:00:02 EDT news707484181 We often think of microbes as organisms that live around us, like the Salmonella bacteria and flu viruses that cause illness. But some of our most intimate relationships are with the microbes living inside us. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ancient-fossil-china-reveals-animalmicrobe.html Evolution Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:20:08 EDT news707579761 As one moves north, Maine's kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp and transition into this new state are altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study in PNAS from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-loss-kelp-forests-reverberates-microbial.html Ecology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:08 EDT news707389502 Coral reef fish that are exposed to motorboat noise grow up smaller and less able to dodge predators, new research shows. Scientists played either boat noise or natural reef sounds to a species from the Great Barrier Reef called the spiny chromis, both as embryos and soon after hatching. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-motorboat-noise-stunts-growth-impairs.html Plants & Animals Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:20:07 EDT news707136241 Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans—but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off, according to a new study from Boston University published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tolerant-corals-vulnerable-disease.html Plants & Animals Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news707069821 As an El Niño of historic proportions is taking shape in the tropical Pacific, a University of Michigan study has found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than they were in the preindustrial era. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-el-nios-intense-years-previous.html Earth Sciences Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:03 EDT news707045581 We share our planet with millions of plants and animals. This variety of life is known as biodiversity, a term encompassing everything from microscopic genes to entire ecosystems, such as deserts and vibrant coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-discoveries-reveal-emerging-biodiversity.html Ecology Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:20:04 EDT news707032202 A new study that combines paleoclimate data and climate models suggests that large volcanic eruptions can disrupt the relationship between atmospheric circulation patterns over the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans. In addition, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are now driving an unprecedented breakdown in interbasin coupling, according to researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-volcanic-eruptions-climate-disrupt-link.html Earth Sciences Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:00:02 EDT news706872181 A human, an octopus, and a coral could hardly look more different—yet deep inside their cells, their chromosomes still carry recognizable pieces of a genome inherited from an animal ancestor that lived more than 600 million years ago. Since then, their chromosomes have fused, split and rearranged countless times. Today, thousands of animal genomes have been sequenced. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-animal-genomes-irreversible-evolutionary-highways.html Evolution Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:04 EDT news706454425 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have found that most coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific may struggle to grow fast enough to keep pace with accelerating sea-level rise. Their study found that 76% of the reef sites surveyed do not have the capacity to keep pace with projected sea-level rise under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, threatening coastal protection and marine habitats. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-quarters-indo-pacific-coral-reefs.html Environment Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news706274341 New research into seafood consumption and production in Brazil highlights how one of the world's most populous countries could build healthier and more sustainable food systems by encouraging people to eat more seafood, developing sustainable and nutritionally diverse aquaculture, and better managing fisheries. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-brazil-vast-coastline-food-insecurity.html Ecology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:10:01 EDT news706204141