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. 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 Thirty-five years on—well, 12 million, technically—Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park continues to offer important glimpses of prehistoric life in Nebraska. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tracks-tooth-reveal-bone-dogs.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news707135102 With their charming waddles, heat-conserving huddles and tuxedo-like plumage, emperor penguins are among the world's most recognizable animals. Recent satellite surveys estimate that hundreds of thousands of the flightless birds live in 66 colonies spread around Antarctica's inaccessible, frozen coastlines. But those numbers could fall in the coming decades because emperor penguins rely on landfast (or fast) ice—a type of sea ice attached to the shoreline—to breed, raise chicks and molt. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-emperor-penguin-colonies-reveal-decades.html Plants & Animals Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news707048941 When an athlete swings upside down atop a 7-meter (23-foot) pendulum, it may seem like a feat of strength, courage or technique. A new study suggests it is something more fundamental: a striking demonstration of how intelligence emerges from the interaction of brain, body and environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-physics-kiiking-estonia-extreme-sport.html General Physics Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:09:22 EDT news707051333 For centuries, scientists have been fascinated by the remarkable coordinated movements of flocking birds, swarming insects and schooling fish. Researchers have studied these natural phenomena to understand the rules of interactions between individuals that can produce complex group-level behavior. A collaboration of physicists and neurobiologists at the University of California San Diego has been studying schools of micro glassfish (Danionella cerebrum) to understand how the interactive mental processes of individual fish produce group-level decisions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-virtual-reality-reveals-glassfish-synchronize.html Plants & Animals Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:40:02 EDT news706974061 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 During the Late Cretaceous period, parts of Egypt were covered in water. A new study, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, describes new evidence that this tropical sea was home to a diverse community of sharks. The study adds five new species to the region's history, found in what the authors refer to as a "shark graveyard." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-egypt-home-diverse-shark-community.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:30:02 EDT news706874558 New James Cook University research has used highly sensitive environmental DNA (e-DNA) techniques to find two species of threatened frogs in places they've never been seen before—and find another still struggling to recover from past disease outbreaks. The research is published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-threatened-frogs.html Ecology Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:40:08 EDT news706866902 Tide levels can vary by almost a meter across a single bay, according to a new study that uses decades of satellite images to measure tides at the scale of individual beaches. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tides-vary-meter-bay-decades.html Earth Sciences Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:00:04 EDT news706793263 A new study has reconciled a long-standing paradox in the South Asian summer monsoon cycle. Climate scientists have discovered why geological records from land and sea have told opposite stories about monsoons throughout history and found that rising temperatures over Southern Africa reduce upwelling in the Arabian Sea, which could damage marine productivity and fisheries. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-climate-scientists-monsoon-puzzle-fisheries.html Earth Sciences Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:20:05 EDT news706788601 The future of Maine's lobster industry may depend on a creature the size of a sesame seed. Researchers at the University of Maine have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. Their new study upholds a theory advanced by scientists in the past decade that may be relevant to recent declines in Maine's lobster harvest. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-ocean-plankton-clues-future.html Plants & Animals Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:02 EDT news706785241 Why do some lakes remain plagued by harmful algal blooms even after phosphorus pollution has been reduced? Part of the answer lies beneath the surface. A new Concordia study has uncovered a previously overlooked chemical process that can help trap phosphorus in lake sediments, preventing it from returning to the water, where it can fuel excessive plant and algal growth. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-chemical-pathway-phosphorus-fueling.html Earth Sciences Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news706534441 Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon are California's most endangered salmon, with a single surviving population and an average of a few thousand returning fish in recent decades. Shasta Dam blocks their original habitat in cold mountain rivers draining Mount Shasta, leaving them to spawn in the low-lying Sacramento River, heated by the summer sun. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-days-egg-survival-california-endangered.html Plants & Animals Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:00:07 EDT news706362242 New research from Virginia Tech scientists in the College of Natural Resources and Environment provides fresh insight into how environmental conditions influence black bear hibernation, with implications for wildlife management in today's environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-uncover-environmental-cues-black.html Plants & Animals Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news706529581 The effects of global warming depend on species: The losers are legion, but a lucky few are winners. Now, researchers have shown that baleen whales are taking advantage of a newly opened-up fish bonanza in the Greenland Sea, east of Greenland and reaching to the Arctic Circle and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-summer-frenzies-whales-greenland.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news706281241 For a blue mussel, a good meal does not come entirely without risk. Blue mussels feed by filtering microscopic algae from seawater. But some unwelcome guests can slip in along with their food. Tiny parasite larvae can hitch a ride as the mussel pumps water in and out. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ecology-behavior-blue-mussels.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:10:01 EDT news706379641 Scientists studying one of nature's greatest reproductive innovations have discovered how some lizards evolved from laying eggs to giving birth to live young. The new research is the first to reveal the evolutionary process behind this important biological change and offers a unique insight into how other species—including mammals—may have evolved to give birth to live young millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-evolutionary-birth-lizards-uncovered.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:00:04 EDT news706362782 Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are omega-3 fatty acids known to have beneficial effects and are popular as functional foods and dietary supplements. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); the primary source of these PUFAs for humans is fish oil. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-reusing-liquid-pickle-omega-fatty.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:52:25 EDT news706351922 From a fishing trawler in the Adriatic, Italian scientists gently release thousands of tiny octopuses in the hope of fighting an invasive crab species that has devastated local fisheries. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-italian-scientists-octopus-crab-invasion.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 04:30:02 EDT news706332058 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 According to a study by Brazilian scientists published in the journal npj Biodiversity, most new mammal species described over the past 35 years are housed in institutions in countries of the so-called Global North, even though the vast majority were discovered in poor or developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mammal-species-global-south-northern.html Plants & Animals Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news706271641 Understanding "who eats whom" is the key to keeping our oceans alive—and our dinner plates full. However, this invisible network that makes up the food chain can unravel with the pull of just one thread. Overfish one species, and its predators starve. Cut off a tiny prey species, and the entire food chain collapses—including us. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mathematical-tool-uncover-nature.html Ecology Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:50:01 EDT news706282261 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 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 Cells travel through the body both individually and in collective groups during development, wound healing and diseases such as cancer. New research from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis shows that cells can sense even the smallest defects, or micro-injuries, in the surface beneath which they travel and stall long enough to begin the healing process. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-feet-cells-defects-stall.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news706187761 Researchers have discovered a new genus and species of underground earthworm eel living beneath the Indo-Gangetic Plain in Bihar, northern India. The small, colorless creature, named Gangaichthys indonepalicus, is the first subterranean fish recorded from the Gangetic Basin. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiktok-video-discovery-rare-underground.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:00:01 EDT news706179925 Florida State University researchers studying male green sea turtles off the coast of Brazil have discovered two distinct migration strategies, with some turtles traveling up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) after breeding while others remain in the same area year-round. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-turtle-uncover-migration-strategies-male.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news706179121 In ant colonies, a single ant can be the catalyst for a wave of mob activity, launching brief bursts of coordinated movement involving hundreds or even thousands of swarming workers, according to new simulations from New Jersey Institute of Technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-simulating-ant-swarms-mover.html Ecology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 07:00:03 EDT news705724257 How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against which to measure what has been lost or what recovery would look like. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oceans-country-sharks-prehistoric-pacific.html Ecology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:40:01 EDT news705856143