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 simple test developed at Washington State University could eventually allow astronauts and others in round-the-clock occupations to monitor their biological rhythms in just minutes using a drop of blood, a paper test strip, and a smartphone-based reader. An interdisciplinary team of WSU researchers created an inexpensive, 15-minute test using fluorescent nanoparticles to measure melatonin levels, which rise and fall along with a person's internal biological clock. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rapid-melatonin-astronauts-easily-biological.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:40:07 EDT news695467081 There is a tiny cyclops among your oldest ancestors, and humans share these remarkable ancestral roots with all other vertebrates. Researchers from Lund University and University of Sussex have found that all vertebrates evolved from a distant ancestor that had a single eye located at the top of its head. The study, published in Current Biology, also reveals that the remnants of this so-called median eye have today become the pineal gland in our brains. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-oneeyed-creature-gave-modern-eyes.html Evolution Wed, 25 Feb 2026 12:40:03 EST news691237142 Light helps us wake up, keeps us alert, and guides our sleep. But what happens when light becomes erratic? As a researcher studying molecular biology and animal stress responses, I've been fascinated by how environmental changes affect living organisms in subtle but powerful ways. In our latest study in the Journal of Pineal Research, we discovered that irregular light exposure disrupts the natural molecular differences between male and female birds—especially in the brain. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-unpredictable-exposure-disrupts-biological-sex.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 May 2025 09:19:25 EDT news665914756 We see color because photoreceptor cones in our eyes detect light waves corresponding to red, green, and blue, while dimness or brightness is detected by photoreceptor rods. Many non-mammalian vertebrates like fish, however, are known to detect color and brightness with the pineal gland, which is part of the brain. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mind-eye-fish-brightness-brain.html Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Jan 2025 03:29:42 EST news656306978 Using the lamprey, researchers from Japan analyzed the photosensory mechanism of the pineal organ, also called the pineal gland, in non-mammalian vertebrates and discovered a novel mechanism of pineal color discrimination (two-cell system) in which two types of photoreceptor cells, each containing two different opsins, are used to detect color. This discovery may provide insight into the evolution of color detection in other animals, including color vision in humans. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-newly-two-cell-lamprey-clue-evolution.html Evolution Thu, 16 Sep 2021 10:17:32 EDT news551006248 Researchers reporting in Current Biology on April 2 have evidence that an extinct species of monitor lizard had four eyes, a first among known jawed vertebrates. Today, only the jawless lampreys have four eyes. https://phys.org/news/2018-04-extinct-lizard-eyes-fossil-evidence.html Archaeology Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:00:02 EDT news441867363 Lizards have special superpowers. While birds can regrow feathers and mammals can regrow skin, lizards can regenerate entire structures such as their tails. Despite these differences, all have evolved from the same ancestor as lizards. https://phys.org/news/2018-02-biodiversity-anole-lizard-family-trees.html Plants & Animals Fri, 23 Feb 2018 15:53:25 EST news438623594 Animals need to measure the time of year so that they can anticipate and adapt to the arrival of a new season to align reproduction, as well as other vital functions critical for survival. A new study, conducted at the University of Bristol, has identified how animals measure annual time to control seasonal fertility. https://phys.org/news/2017-03-scientists-animals-year.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Mar 2017 15:00:05 EST news408024065 In the 1980s, people living on houseboats in the San Francisco Bay were puzzled by a droning hum of unknown origin that started abruptly in the late evening and stopped suddenly in the morning. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-melatonin-biological-clock-fish.html Plants & Animals Fri, 23 Sep 2016 06:39:58 EDT news393831583 (Phys.org) —An international team of scientists led by National Institutes of Health researchers has traced the likely origin of the enzyme needed to manufacture the hormone melatonin to roughly 500 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2013-12-enzyme-melatonin-million-years.html Biotechnology Fri, 27 Dec 2013 05:30:01 EST news307343167 (Phys.org) —People have long heard that carrots are good for their eyesight, and strong evidence exists that eating fish also provides health benefits. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-scientists-explore-mercury-vision.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:30:03 EDT news298109901 Researchers led by Vanderbilt's Roger Cone, Ph.D., have discovered a new member of a gene family that has powerful influences on pigmentation and the regulation of body weight. https://phys.org/news/2010-10-newly-gene-enables-fish.html Biotechnology Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:43:16 EDT news207574964 What do you do when a naturally occurring hormone in your body turns against you? What do you do when that same hormone – melatonin – is a popular supplement you take to help you sleep? A University of Houston professor and his team of researchers may have some answers. https://phys.org/news/2007-11-hormone-darkness-melatonin-memory-formation.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:17:42 EST news114358662 Scientists in Italy say they have discovered that the grapes used to make some of the most popular red wines contain high levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. https://phys.org/news/2006-06-grape-bottle.html Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:27:54 EDT news69690474