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. Brigid Lynch was working along a wooded creek in a mountainous part of the San Francisco Bay Area when something that didn't look like the rocks she'd been studying caught her eye. It turned out to be the fossilized tooth of a Pacific mastodon. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tooth-pacific-mastodon-creek-san.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:07:13 EDT news708750407 Researchers at Stanford Medicine have developed two new artificial intelligence models of the biological cell. The first, called universal cell embedding, paved the way for a second-generation model called TranscriptFormer, which has been trained on data from 112 million cells representing 12 species, ranging from single-celled yeast to humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-enable-species-cell-biology.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:30:02 EDT news708624361 A team of Griffith University archaeologists has uncovered evidence that humans were using mind-altering substances much earlier than previously supposed. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ice-age-humanity-oldest-drug.html Archaeology Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news708089994 Look closely at Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of Japan's most iconic masterpieces. The brilliant white of the waves, snow on Mount Fuji and clouds above contain no white pigment. Instead, their whiteness comes from the way light scatters off the unprinted fibers of the washi paper itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-white-nature-sustainable-repellent-materials.html Polymers Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:00:31 EDT news708168421 Surinam toads (Pipa pipa) are strange, flat frogs with minuscule eyes that live in the murky waters of the Amazon basin and carry their eggs on their backs. The way they catch prey is even weirder. They lie in wait with outstretched forelimbs until a small fish approaches, then snap open their jaws to create enough suction to draw the fish into their tongueless mouths and swallow it whole, all in a few hundredths of a second. But how do these frogs hunt in low visibility with poor vision? https://phys.org/news/2026-09-star-fingered-toads-fingertip-lobules.html Plants & Animals Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:00:09 EDT news708091981 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 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 Researchers monitoring online activity for six weeks in mid-2025 found primates, birds, snakes, frogs, orchids and many other wildlife groups advertised for sale across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Wildlife is increasingly being trafficked through online platforms. Online illegal wildlife trade poses significant risks to species, ecosystems, and animal and public health. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wildlife-trafficking-social-media-thousands.html Plants & Animals Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:00:04 EDT news706802461 Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for more than a century. To solve the mystery, researchers reviewed historical specimens collected in Ecuador during the 19th century and preserved at the Natural History Museum in London. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mystery-london-discovery-ecuadorian-frog.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:04 EDT news705846001 Scientists from Brazil and other countries have discovered a new species of frog in the flooded forests of the western Amazon. They named it Adenomera varcena. This finding significantly advances our understanding of Amazonian biodiversity and cryptic diversity, or cases in which two or more animals appear identical but are actually different species. To distinguish this species, the researchers analyzed details such as the frog's call and DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-frog-species-amazon-forests.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:10:04 EDT news705765001 From the American West to Europe, droughts are drying up rivers, fueling destructive fires and reshaping ecosystems. They are also changing the spread of infectious diseases, leading to surges in illnesses like cholera and West Nile virus around the world. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-drought-reshaping-infectious-diseases.html Ecology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:11 EDT news705749461 Much like an indecisive single person on a dating app, female treefrogs struggle to pick the most desirable mates when they have too many options to choose from. According to a new study published Aug. 12 in the journal iScience, when female Cope's gray treefrogs gather around ponds during mating season to listen to large groups of males chirping in noisy "choruses," they struggle to pick the most desirable male. The researchers call this phenomenon "choice overload," and it may affect the way species evolve over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-suitors-abound-female-treefrogs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705588684 Fever is one of the best-known mechanisms by which animals combat infectious diseases. Sick animals can increase their body temperature in two ways: through physiological regulation, by altering internal metabolic processes, or through behavioral changes, such as seeking warmer environments. Ectothermic animals, including amphibians, fish and reptiles, generally rely only on the latter strategy. However, fever is not always the most effective response against every pathogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fever-isnt-infected-tadpoles-cool.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news705587942 A tiny greenish, nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nocturnal-coffee-frog-costa-rica.html Ecology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:00:03 EDT news705380574 In the animal kingdom, only those that adapt to their environment survive. This adaptation takes a wide range of forms, from invisible internal shifts in gene expression to dramatic anatomical changes, such as tadpoles growing legs and transitioning to life on land as frogs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-hormonehabitat-relationship-revealed-reef.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:09 EDT news705236641 A rare fossil discovered near South America's largest known meteorite crater has been named a new species. Initially mistaken for a frog by locals, Leolepis matogrossensis is actually a species of ancient ray-finned fish—the group that includes 96% of all bony fishes living today, including tuna, salmon and cod. It's a fairly primitive member of the group and lived around 254 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-armored-fish-narrowly-meteorite.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news705141902 For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian from North America has ever been found (a tree frog from Florida). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-ice-age-toad-la.html Ecology Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:00:01 EDT news705052441 An international team of scientists has described seven new species of Madagascar's elusive diamond frogs (Rhombophryne), revealing that one of the island's most mysterious groups of amphibians is even more diverse than previously thought. The research is published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-diamond-frog-species-reveal-madagascar.html Plants & Animals Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:20:21 EDT news704971501 Five minutes. That was the amount of time that Oso Grande strawberries remained in contact with the Ctx(Ile21)-Ha peptide—a molecule isolated from a frog native to the Brazilian Cerrado—in experiments conducted in Brazil by scientists at the Tupã campus of São Paulo State University (UNESP). It was enough to demonstrate the molecule's potential to extend the shelf life of the fruit, which is highly perishable. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-peptide-isolated-cerrado-frog-strawberry.html Biotechnology Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:20:07 EDT news704018941 The "red tide" algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX. The toxin accumulates in shellfish and causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) when consumed. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-frog-protein-antidote-deadly-red.html Ecology Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:00:01 EDT news703314889 The mystery of why some amphibian populations recover following outbreaks of a deadly fungus has been solved in a new study led by University College London (UCL), ZSL and Imperial College London. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mystery-toads-survive-deadly-fungus.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:00:06 EDT news703173454 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 Hummingbirds make bromeliad plants split into new species twice as fast as other pollinators do, scientists at the University of Reading have found. The research team gathered records of which animals pollinate 403 types of bromeliad, which include pineapples and more than 3,700 species, and found three in four of these plants are visited by hummingbirds. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hummingbirds-pineapple-family-evolution.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:00:03 EDT news702539370 Over generations, a small North American frog has learned how to survive in a world that's getting increasingly saltier. But new research from the University of Missouri suggests that adaptation comes with an unexpected trade-off. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-survival-price-frog-links-salt.html Ecology Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702562792 Sunburn is a serious problem in the Southern Hemisphere, where depleted ozone provides less protection from UVB. Tadpoles are at particular risk because they are growing rapidly, making them vulnerable to UVB DNA damage. Niclas Lundsgaard of The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, says the seriousness of sunburn was thought to be directly linked to the degree of exposure, so that a long, weak dose of UVB would yield the same DNA damage as a short, intense dose that resulted in the same overall exposure. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-harsh-uvb-tadpoles-dna-longer.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:00:06 EDT news702142621 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 For a frog no bigger than a fingernail, survival depends on how it spends every bit of energy. New research from the University of Florida shows that young frogs prioritize growing quickly even when infected with a deadly pathogen, shifting energy toward immune defense only when infections become severe. The findings, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, reveal how early life decisions about energy use shape survival, development and population health. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-young-coqui-frogs-play-safe.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:01 EDT news700818367 The question of why females mate with multiple males has long puzzled evolutionary biologists. A new study of African foam-nest tree frogs, led by University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers, reveals polyandry could be the key to reproductive success and a safer home for offspring. The findings shed light on how amphibians have evolved to protect their young in challenging environments, presenting a new hypothesis for the evolution of polyandry that ties mating behavior to the quality of nest construction. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-perks-polyandry-multiple-males-home.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:20:02 EDT news699693122 A single scoop of water from an Irish river has revealed evidence not only of Ireland's only frog species—as expected—but also signs of the dreaded B. dendrobatidis fungus, marking the first time this devastating amphibian disease has been spotted in the country and exposing a previously unknown risk to Ireland's frog population. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-river-dna-track-fish-frogs.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 09 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news697300018 Each animal species has an optimal temperature at which it can metabolize food and its immune system can best fight off pathogens. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cold-animals-disease-climate-knowledge.html Plants & Animals Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news696774187