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. A new study by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers shows that nearly 23% of short-finned pilot whales that stranded over 13 years in the main Hawaiian Islands ingested several pounds of plastic ropes, netting, fishing gear and plastic bags discarded in the ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tangled-plastic-fishing-gear-whales.html Plants & Animals Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news706956718 Researchers at the University of St Andrews have gained unprecedented insight into marine mammal behavior when they become tangled in fishing nets. In a paper published Aug. 26 in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from the Sea Mammal Research Unit and Scottish Oceans Institute at St Andrews discovered that their passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems, deployed on a gill net, had unintentionally recorded a bycatch event. This is thought to be the first time this kind of recording has taken place in such detail. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-porpoise-entanglement-real-revealing.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news706808402 For dolphins, the ocean is a world of sound. Their whistles carry social information, helping them communicate and stay connected, while echolocation—rapid-fire clicks—functions like underwater sonar, helping them navigate their surroundings and detect potential prey. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-snooping-dolphins-acoustic-clues-hotspots.html Plants & Animals Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:40:07 EDT news706263421 Four more belugas have arrived at a Chicago aquarium as part of a plan to move Canada's last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park to aquariums in the United States and Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-belugas-chicago-aquarium-shuttered-canadian.html Ecology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 07:40:02 EDT news705983202 Risso's dolphins around the British Isles are part of a single population—genetically distinct from those elsewhere in the Atlantic, new research shows. Scientists studied the DNA of dolphins that stranded in England, Scotland and Wales from 1992 to 2016. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-analysis-distinct-risso-dolphin.html Plants & Animals Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news704971621 Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests. For the first time, researchers discovered a way to recreate these powerful compounds in the lab, helping lead the way to improved, naturally sourced therapeutics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-deadly-blooms-genetic-blueprint-hard.html Agriculture Sat, 01 Aug 2026 07:00:06 EDT news704728495 An ancient marine 'crime scene' discovered near Richmond captures the world first evidence of a flying reptile being eaten by a sea monster… before that predator became dinner itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bag-bones-rare-tier-prehistoric.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:40:06 EDT news704476081 Research on Southwest Florida cyanobacterial blooms shows that the toxins they produce are aerosolized and potentially inhaled by people far from contaminated water bodies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-florida-bloom-toxins-air-inhalation.html Environment Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703499108 Around 1,800 years ago, a fossilized spinal bone lay on the windswept beaches of Roman Britain until a curious passerby picked it up and carried it far away, only to drop it in a pit. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-oldest-deliberately-fossil-ichthyosaur-roman.html Archaeology Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:40:01 EDT news702628012 The evolutionary paths that created snatching forelimbs in insects multiple times moved in a similar direction but didn't end at a single solution. Kobe University research is pioneering a study of how organs with similar functions evolve, providing a new analytical approach to identify evolutionary dynamics quantitatively. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-raptorial-insect-forelegs-evolved-converged.html Evolution Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news702538089 Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are spending much of their time following trawlers to scavenge for food, scientists say. The Adriatic seabed has been plowed by bottom trawlers for decades, resulting in ecosystem damage. Many apex predators are no longer present there. Only bottlenose dolphins are left, and the frequency of their presence around fishing trawlers—up to 76% of the trawlers inspected by scientists off Marche, Italy, were followed by dolphins—suggests they may be struggling to hunt normally. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bottlenose-dolphins-adriatic-sea-heavily.html Plants & Animals Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:01 EDT news702201181 An international team of researchers have published a new review in Animal Behavior revealing how communication enables cooperation between different animal species. The review, titled "The ecology and evolution of cues and signals in animal interspecies cooperation," highlights how movements, visual displays, calls, and other behavioral cues and signals help partners coordinate interactions and align interests across species boundaries. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-animals-communicate-species-boundaries.html Plants & Animals Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news701079434 When female bottlenose dolphins want to avoid males known for pushy mating behaviors, they listen out for their unique signature whistles. That's the suggestion of a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that tracked a population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dolphins-troublesome-males.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:20:02 EDT news700831986 In the crystalline waters off Kenya's coast, coral reefs are thriving—evidence of a rare good-news story in the battle to protect oceans from the ravages of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-global-reveals-coral-reefs-resist.html Ecology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:09:35 EDT news700801709 The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), an elusive porpoise found only in the shallow waters of Mexico's northern Gulf of California, is one of the rarest and most endangered marine mammals on Earth. Measuring about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length, it is the world's smallest cetacean—a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Known for the distinctive dark rings around its eyes and mouth, the vaquita remained unknown to science until the latter half of the 20th century. Today, it has become a global symbol of the growing biodiversity crisis unfolding in the world's oceans. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pixels-world-rarest-porpoise-3d.html Biotechnology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news700736341 Around the world, ocean warming is causing fish to move poleward in search of cooler water. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-fish-cooler-route-blocked.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:40:05 EDT news700477980 Approximately 160 million years ago, during the Age of Dinosaurs, giant marine reptiles ruled the seas. One such creature, an ichthyosaur, swam in a sea near present-day Peterborough, England. This huge animal, shaped like a dolphin, was a quick swimmer that chased prey such as ammonites and squid for sustenance. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fossil-discovery-interaction-giant-marine.html Ecology Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:20:06 EDT news700305061 A seven-year collaborative study has revealed alarming fluctuations in the health of Hawaii's endangered insular false killer whales, with some individuals losing nearly a quarter of their body weight in just a few months. Published in Endangered Species Research, the findings provide the first quantitative evidence that nutritional stress and environmental shifts may be driving the decline of this iconic population, which now numbers fewer than 140 individuals. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-hawaii-false-killer-whales-threatened.html Plants & Animals Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:20:01 EDT news699875865 Wild dolphins are known for their complex social lives, but new research shows those social networks can be influenced by human activity. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-human-linked-foraging-reshapes-dolphin.html Plants & Animals Thu, 28 May 2026 18:10:01 EDT news699208201 Researchers at University of Tsukuba used advanced techniques to visualize the water flow generated by flutter kicking during front-crawl swimming. They analyzed how this kicking motion generates propulsive force and contributes to body stabilization, demonstrating that the vertical vortices resulting from the alternating left and right leg movements not only impart forward propulsion but also suppress body sway. These results provide a fluid-dynamical explanation of the functional value of the flutter kick. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-visualizing-flutter-vertical-vortices-generate.html Soft Matter Mon, 25 May 2026 13:40:02 EDT news698932622 DNA is everywhere in the world's oceans—not only packaged inside cells from skin, scales, mucus, feces, and blood, but also floating freely. Sequencing such "environmental DNA" (eDNA) from open water has long been used as a cost-effective way of gauging the number and identity of species in a region, especially when they are rare and elusive or living at great depths. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dna-seawater-scientists-health-america.html Ecology Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:04 EDT news698326022 Dolphins are famous for their speed and agility in the water, but what exactly allows them to swim so effectively? Scientists have been asking this question for years, hoping to learn how to optimize propulsion in fluids from these elegant creatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dolphins-fast-secrets-hidden-whirlpools.html Soft Matter Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:00:04 EDT news696495482 Cooperation is a pillar of human society, promoting an exchange of skills and knowledge between different individuals and social groups. Humans typically do not only cooperate with their own family, friends and members of their community, but also with others who are unrelated to them and are outside of their social circle. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bonobos-dolphins-unexpected-alliances-outsiders.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:20:07 EDT news696072028 Researchers have found that a group of chemicals known as PFAS can be transferred from mother dolphins to their nursing calves, adding to the evidence that these persistent contaminants can be transferred from mothers to offspring during early development. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pfas-dolphin-mothers-calves.html Ecology Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:04:50 EDT news695714541 In 2021 and 2023, hundreds of dolphins were stranded in shallow waters in San Antonio Bay in northern Patagonia. Some died, but many were returned safely to the sea. But what remained a mystery until now was how they ended up stuck on sandbanks in the first place. Now, a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science suggests that orcas may be to blame. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dolphin-mass-strandings-patagonia-linked.html Plants & Animals Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:50:04 EDT news692458283 A well-established fact of infancy in mammals is that the mother is the primary adult with whom an infant will interact. This holds true across species, from the tiniest shrew to the most massive blue whale. However, infants of many species also interact with adults who are not their parents. This is called "allomaternal behavior" and it is commonly seen in social mammals that move in groups or herds. One such allomaternal behavior is when young females without infants of their own handle and care for infants. Young females learn to raise infants, while the mother can forage for food more effectively. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-narrow-ridged-finless-porpoises-social.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:00:05 EDT news692269672 Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of laptop, television, and smartphone screens. Given their ubiquity in the environment, these compounds are considered persistent pollutants, posing threats to marine life that scientists want to understand. Research published in Environmental Science & Technology provides initial evidence that LCMs from household electronics or electronic waste (e-waste) can accumulate in dolphin and porpoise tissues, including blubber, muscle, and brain, demonstrating their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-chemicals-dolphins-porpoises.html Environment Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:00:05 EST news691087981 Bottlenose dolphins usually live in small to medium-sized groups in coastal and open-sea waters, but every once in a while, a dolphin might leave its pod behind, flock to coastal areas and approach human settlements. While this is a relatively rare occurrence, cases of dolphins entering coastal or urban areas are well documented. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-celebrity-dolphin-venice-doesnt-special.html Plants & Animals Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:02 EST news691058461 Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, but experimented with the mirror themselves, interacting with it using a scrap of food. The results, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that these social fish can perform a higher level of intelligence known as "contingency testing," typically seen in intelligent marine mammals like dolphins. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cleaner-fish-intelligence-typical-mammals.html Plants & Animals Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:20:01 EST news690800463 Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL), one of the state's most ecologically productive estuaries, is facing a growing but invisible threat that could reshape its marine ecosystems. Over the past decade, the lagoon has suffered severe degradation caused by nutrient pollution, excessive freshwater runoff, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and declining water quality. These changes have led to the loss of tens of thousands of acres of seagrass and have negatively impacted shellfish, fish, dolphins, manatees and other key species. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-shellfish-uncovers-acidic-indian-river.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:59:39 EST news689335141