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. Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in nervous system complexity. New research points to a potential link between the expanding diversity of RNA-binding proteins, which shape how genetic instructions are processed, and greater brain sophistication. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-paradox-similar-genes-brains.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 11:37:23 EDT news697717929 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 Heat stress from marine heat waves can create a toxic relationship between seagrasses and a hidden ecosystem of bacteria, transforming a previously beneficial co-existence between marine plants and microbes into a harmful one, a University of Sydney and UNSW study has found. The research is published in New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hot-marine-toxic-relationship-seagrasses.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:09 EDT news697284961 Increases in global trade and travel are causing animal and plant species to be more frequently introduced to regions of the world where they do not naturally occur. In these new regions, these species are often referred to as "alien species." The process through which they are introduced is known as a "biological invasion." Much research has been carried out to identify the biodiversity impacts of biological invasions—these are impacts that affect the survival of native species. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-negative-impacts-biological-invasions-animal.html Ecology Tue, 05 May 2026 10:40:03 EDT news697193401 The rise in infertility is not limited to humans, as environmental stressors are quietly undermining the reproductive potential of different forms of life. A recent review published in npj Emerging Contaminants investigated how today's environmental challenges are shaping the reproductive capacity of both humans and animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-invisible-fertility-crisis-chemicals-climate.html Environment Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:00:02 EDT news696602190 An invasive algae already well-established in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is raising concern among researchers as it threatens to spread into the main Hawaiian Islands. Scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have identified a potential ally in slowing its advance: sea turtles. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hawaiian-green-sea-turtles-emerge.html Plants & Animals Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news695897463 Neanderthals hunted European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) in Central Europe, though probably not for food. The careful cleaning of carapace elements at Neumark-Nord indicates that shells were reused, perhaps as small containers or scoop-like implements, according to an international research team. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-neanderthals-central-europe-pond-turtles.html Archaeology Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:20:03 EDT news694860183 In 1948, a group of amateurs led by a local headmaster in Lehringen, Germany, uncovered the skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant—the largest land mammal known to have roamed Europe—in 125,000-year-old sediments from the last interglacial period. There was an important surprise in this find: between the ribs, the team discovered a complete wooden spear belonging to Neanderthal hunters. Over the years, this was interpreted as either direct evidence of hunting or simply coincidental positioning of the bones and spear. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-neanderthals-lakeshore-germany-butcher-survive.html Archaeology Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:50:01 EDT news693753318 The mass extinction at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods was catastrophic, wiping out much of life on Earth. Vertebrate groups that dominated at the time, such as dinosaurs and many large marine reptiles, fell victim to the effects of the asteroid impact about 66 million years ago. However, the catastrophe did not affect all organisms to the same extent: turtles, for example, survived with only minimal losses. Their chance of survival was apparently linked to their diet: species with a preference for hard-shelled organisms survived the catastrophic event. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-shell-turtles-defied-mass-extinction.html Evolution Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:20:01 EDT news693661142 Techniques developed to study the distant past—from dating ancient artifacts to reconstructing climate records in ice cores—are now being repurposed to help us better understand the lives of modern sea turtles. Using radiocarbon methods from archaeology, researchers show that sea turtle shell plates are biological time capsules that record signs of major environmental disturbances in the ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sea-turtle-shells-reveal-hidden.html Plants & Animals Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:00:02 EDT news693154125 What do we really know about how oviraptors—bird-like but flightless dinosaurs—hatched their eggs? Did they use environmental heat, like crocodiles, or body heat from an adult, like birds? In a new Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution study, researchers in Taiwan examined the brooding behavior and hatching patterns of oviraptors. They also modeled heat transfer simulations of oviraptor clutches and compared hatching efficiency to modern birds. To do so, they experimented with a life-sized oviraptor incubator and eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dinos-hatched-eggs-efficiently-modern.html Evolution Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:00:02 EDT news692871601 Sandy beaches account for approximately a third of the world's ice-free coastlines. These sandy shorelines are responsible for sediment and water retention, provide a buffer against rising water levels, and offer habitats for shorebirds and sea turtles. The research is published in the journal Earth's Future. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sea-turtles-beaches-seas-sites.html Plants & Animals Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:00:03 EDT news692882401 In reptiles, a simple temperature change can determine whether an egg develops into a male or female. This process is formally known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), in which the sex of an embryo is determined by the temperature it experiences during a specific window of development known as the temperature-sensitive period. For example, in American alligators, incubation at around 30 °C typically produces females, while temperatures near 33 °C produce males, although extremely high temperatures can again result in females. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-leopard-gecko-temperature-sex.html Plants & Animals Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:20:04 EDT news692619661 More than 40% of extant large freshwater animals (megafauna), including carp, salmonids, crocodilians, turtles, beavers, and hippopotamuses, have been deliberately introduced outside their natural range, often for economic gain. While these alien species can provide substantial benefits to certain groups in the introduced regions, they also pose profound and often underestimated risks to native biodiversity and local people, according to a new study published in One Earth, led by researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-carp-crocodilians-deliberately-freshwater-giants.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:02 EDT news692274249 In a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, researchers Dr. Giovanna M. X. Paixão and her colleagues analyzed the fossilized remains of three Upper Cretaceous egg clutches. One of these clutches, totaling 47 eggs, is the largest known Mesozoic crocodyliform egg clutch ever found. The discovery indicates new evolutionary implications for one of the most diverse fossil crocodylomorph faunas, providing insight into their complex and successful reproductive habits and adaptations. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-largest-mesozoic-crocodyliform-egg-clutch.html Evolution Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:40:03 EST news692012533 When a new species is discovered, it's tempting to imagine an adventure novel, said Chan Kin Onn of Michigan State University. "Most people have this image of an intrepid explorer braving an isolated mountain or some other remote place, and stumbling across a creature that no one has ever seen before," Chan said. Sure, that still happens occasionally. "But most of the time it's far less glamorous," he added. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-fanged-frog-thought-species-revealing.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:00:01 EST news691771621 New minuscule fossils of Purgatorius, the earliest-known relative of all primates—including humans—have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before, and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists with fresh clues about evolution. The work appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tiny-purgatorius-fossils-denver-basin.html Evolution Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:10:01 EST news691404181 Even the most remote regions of the globe are not free from plastic pollution. In a study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers from São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil have detected plastic rocks on Trindade Island, the easternmost point of South America. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-green-turtle-plastic-endanger-species.html Plants & Animals Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:10:01 EST news691349341 A new study provides a comprehensive global synthesis of how vessel traffic affects large marine wildlife, including whales, dolphins, seals, manatees, sea turtles, sharks and rays. The study, "Charting the Course for Management: A Global Analysis of Effects of Vessels on Marine Megafauna," was published in npj Ocean Sustainability. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-boat-traffic-marine-megafauna-behavior.html Plants & Animals Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:40:01 EST news691248181 In a study published in Historical Biology, Dr. Mohammed Naimi and his colleagues report the discovery of the first plesiosaurian remains from Algeria. Additionally, the fossil, dated to the Late Coniacian, is one of only a limited number of plesiosaurids from this time period worldwide, thereby providing valuable insights into the stratigraphic and paleobiogeographic record of these ancient marine reptiles. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-plesiosaurian-fossil-algeria-cretaceous-gap.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:00:03 EST news691238535 A new study from the School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics reveals a surprising insight into the operation of the ancestral brain: the visual cortex of turtles is capable of detecting unexpected visual stimuli in a way that is independent of their position on the retina, a property that, until now, was thought to exist only in the highly developed cortices of mammals, including humans. In light of these findings, the research team assesses that advanced brain mechanisms previously thought to be unique to mammals were already present hundreds of millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-turtles-brains-evolutionary-dating-hundreds.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:48:35 EST news690648482 Climate change is reshaping life on Earth at an unprecedented pace. Across the globe, species are shifting their ranges, altering migration routes and breeding earlier in the year in response to rising temperatures. But while some of these changes appear adaptive, scientists are increasingly finding that hidden costs may undermine long-term survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-sea-turtles-earlier-eggs-year.html Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:03:25 EST news690130981 Before leaving on a fossil-hunting trip for a summer 2021 field paleontology class, a Montana State University junior made an apparently fate-tempting plea. "I kept joking through that whole class, 'Oh, please, just anything but a turtle,'" said Jack Prall, now a doctoral student in MSU's Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Letters and Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-turtle-fossil-narrows-timeline-cretaceous.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:26:25 EST news689876762 Kemp's ridley sea turtles are among the most endangered species of sea turtles in the world. They reside along the east and Gulf coasts of North America, alongside some of the world's most active shipping lanes. While the threats from fishing, pollution, and vessel collisions are well understood, it is less clear how disruptive human-caused noise is to their survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-rarest-sea-turtle-vulnerability.html Plants & Animals Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:00:04 EST news689243521 Rocks have been found to hold many traces of Earth's ancient history, but usually geologists have to seek them out. Every once in a while, however, these imprints of times past are found by unsuspecting visitors. This occurred in 2019, when a group of free climbers exploring the slopes of Monte Conero in Italy came across a large slab of rock covered in imprints reminiscent of a herd of running animals. One of the climbers ended up showing photos of the imprints to a geologist, which resulted in a study of the area. That study is now published in the journal Cretaceous Research. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-free-climbers-remnants-ancient-sea.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:33:48 EST news683980405 In 1882, the French Naturalist Camille Viguier was among the first to propose the existence of a magnetic sense. His speculation proved correct. Many animals—from bats, to migratory birds and sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-electric-discovery-pigeons-magnetic-fields.html Plants & Animals Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:31:03 EST news682936262 Loggerhead turtles are able to sense Earth's magnetic field in two ways, but it wasn't clear which sense the animals use to detect the magnetic field when navigating using the magnetic map they are born with. Now researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveal in the Journal of Experimental Biology that hatchling loggerhead turtles feel Earth's magnetic map to tell them where they are on their epic migration routes. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-mystery-turtles-magnetic-magnetism.html Plants & Animals Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:00:01 EST news682792201 By studying more than 10,000 necropsies, researchers now know how much plastic it takes to kill seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals, and the lethal dose is much smaller than you might think. Their new study titled "A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles" is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lethal-dose-plastics-ocean-wildlife.html Environment Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:00:12 EST news682602541 Florida's beaches—particularly those in Palm Beach County—are among the world's most vital nesting grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), accounting for 90% of all loggerhead nests in the Southeastern United States. Where a sea turtle chooses to nest is a delicate balance between the energy spent searching for the right spot and the benefits that location provides for successful egg incubation. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-drones-loggerhead-sea-turtle-site.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:05:25 EST news682250718 Migratory birds, sea turtles and salmon have something in common: every year, they return to their birthplaces to reproduce. A study now published in the journal Science Advances shows that Atlantic herring in the Baltic Sea also exhibit this spawning site fidelity. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-herring-birthplaces-spawning-genetic.html Ecology Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:24:03 EST news681395042