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. The Indonesian seas are a biodiversity hotspot, harboring the highest coral diversity in the tropics and home to an extraordinary variety of marine life. Yet these unique ecosystems have been under growing pressure for years, particularly from increasing heat waves in the ocean. However, heat stress is not the only stressor affecting these sensitive marine creatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cold-events-rival-indonesia-corals.html Ecology Tue, 12 May 2026 13:40:07 EDT news697803301 For better or worse, a huge number of people will be affected by efforts to achieve "30x30"—the internationally-agreed conservation goal to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world's land and seas by 2030. How many people, and who they are, will depend on which aspects of nature are prioritized for protection—but in all scenarios, this human context must be a key consideration if plans are to succeed for both people and nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-local-people-world-nature-urges.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:01 EDT news697720501 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 For more than a decade, conservation biologist Steve Boyes searched for "ghost elephants"—nocturnal giants rumored to roam a remote, high-altitude wetland in eastern Angola. When a motion-sensor camera finally captured their image in 2024, Boyes turned to Stanford scientists for help answering a deeper question: Who are these elephants, and where did they come from? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-genetics-link-angola-ghost-elephants.html Plants & Animals Sat, 09 May 2026 09:00:03 EDT news697281772 Metamorphosis, that profound transformation enabling certain animals to shift between habitats such as from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment, is generally viewed in terms of its benefits. A team of researchers from the University of Liège has now demonstrated that it also entails a direct and immediate cost for the individuals undergoing it, a cost that varies by sex and could influence long-term evolutionary trade-offs. The study is published in the journal BMC Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-metamorphosis-newts-sex-paying-heavier.html Plants & Animals Fri, 08 May 2026 13:40:07 EDT news697464901 The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined to isolated islands that make them hard to study. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-gentoo-penguins-species-totally.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news697461182 Meeting future nickel demand for stainless steel and clean energy technologies will require tough decisions with potential environmental trade-offs, a new study has found. Dr. Jayden Hyman from The University of Queensland's School of the Environment led an international analysis of known nickel deposits, current mining and demand forecasts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-energy-nickel-straight-earth-richest.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 18:40:03 EDT news697296061 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 Scientists led by the University of Southampton have revealed that an imbalance of nutrients in seawater can cause coral disease—possibly to a greater extent than that from heat stress of warming oceans. New research conducted at Southampton's Coral Reef Laboratory, and with colleagues at the University of Derby, shows disruption of the delicate nutrient balance of the sea can destabilize microbial communities that live in harmony with corals, triggering disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nutrient-imbalance-coral-disease-stress.html Ecology Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:02 EDT news697105682 Researchers at Aarhus University have demonstrated that a simple adjustment to water filtration methods can dramatically improve the detection of marine animal DNA when using advanced, PCR-free sequencing. This methodological optimization could help clear a major bottleneck in aquatic biomonitoring and marine conservation efforts. The study is published in Metabarcoding and Metagenomics. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-simple-filter-swap-advance-marine.html Ecology Mon, 04 May 2026 07:20:01 EDT news697097461 Larry Dallas's farm in Central Illinois's Douglas County is as flat as it gets. That's a good thing for planting straight rows and maneuvering farm equipment in the field, but there's a major downside, too. "Heavier rain is hard for us to deal with because of the poorly drained soils and the lack of any roll to the ground. It's hard for the water to get away when the rain starts," Dallas said. "We have installed a lot of drainage tile trying to mitigate that." https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fields-midwest-spur-farm-solutions.html Agriculture Sat, 02 May 2026 10:00:01 EDT news696520715 The ability to detect viruses and other harmful pathogens is highly advantageous for animals, as it can guide their behavior and prevent them from illness, and—in severe cases—death. When it comes to species that live in organized groups, such as bees, ants and some other insects, it can be even more crucial, as it can prevent the spread of pathogens across entire colonies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bees-viruses-food-sources-dont.html Plants & Animals Sat, 02 May 2026 08:00:08 EDT news696781511 New research, focused on the feeding behavior of long-finned pilot whales, has shed light on one of Scotland's largest mass stranding events. The study, led by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) based at the University of Glasgow, used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the feeding history of 55 long-finned pilot whales that mass stranded in 2023. The findings have shed light on the animals' movements and foraging behavior in the weeks prior to the event, and on the broader factors that may contribute to mass strandings. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-shift-whales-scotland-mass-stranding.html Plants & Animals Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:00:08 EDT news696770762 The enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out transcription, copying DNA into RNA. It's the first step in gene expression, and a process fundamental to all life. But the inner workings of this essential enzyme have long baffled scientists. Trying to work out how it performs its core chemical reaction, which stacks new RNA building blocks one nucleotide at a time, has proven especially difficult. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-captured-mid-reaction-rna-polymerase.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:17 EDT news696763261 Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden layer of complexity in how genes are activated, showing that water molecules play a direct and essential role in one of the most fundamental processes in biology: DNA transcription. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecules-gene-transcription.html Biotechnology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:14 EDT news696671043 Palmyra Atoll, a remote, uninhabited speck of land, coral and sea halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on the planet—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze their clothes at night to kill invasive species. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-earth-remote-atoll-soil-fungi.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:17 EDT news696500581 Atmospheric dust plays a dual role in Earth's climate: it reflects some sunlight back into space while also absorbing and retaining the planet's heat like an insulating blanket. But while dust likely cools the planet overall, that's not the whole story. New UCLA research shows that the heat-trapping effect of airborne desert dust in the atmosphere is about twice as big as previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-airborne-climate-analysis.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news696502441 A new study reveals how a remarkable group of plants on the Galápagos Islands developed their diverse leaf shapes—offering unique insight into evolution at the genetic level. A large international team of researchers has studied evolution in the plant group Scalesia, also known as the Galápagos giant daisies. The research was recently published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-botany-darwin-finches-evolution-real.html Evolution Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:20:03 EDT news696493021 Even after fires, severe droughts, and windstorms, the vegetation in degraded Amazonian forests demonstrates a high capacity for regeneration, including tree species. However, recovery occurs under new ecological conditions, resulting in a loss of diversity and increased vulnerability to new disturbances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-amazon-recovery-masks-diversity-loss.html Plants & Animals Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news696242221 Chalk-stream salmon should be officially classified as a sub-species, new research suggests. Scientists from the University of Exeter and INRAe (France) carried out detailed genetic testing of salmon from 42 rivers in England, Ireland and France—including fish from chalk streams in southern England and northern France.They found that salmon from chalk streams are closely related to each other—and genetically distinct from salmon in nearby non-chalk rivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chalk-stream-salmon-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:20:08 EDT news696079261 Scientists are homing in on a mysterious wasting disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America since 2013. Sea star wasting disease can rapidly wipe out entire populations, leaving gooey puddles of tissue in its wake. A new study by University of Vermont researchers may unlock the pathways for infection by identifying early biomarkers of illness in wild sea stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sea-stars-hidden-immune-collapse.html Ecology Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news695977763 Penguins may look charmingly awkward on land, but new research shows their bodies are finely tuned for powerful, efficient movement both on land and underwater. A team of anatomists from Midwestern University, in collaboration with SeaWorld San Diego and Scarlet Imaging, has published a detailed study of the limb musculature of the macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus), uncovering previously unknown features that help explain how these birds swim, dive, and even stand upright. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-penguin-muscle-reveals-waddles-underwater.html Plants & Animals Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:50:01 EDT news696010382 As coral reefs struggle to survive in warming oceans, scientists across the world are scrambling to find ways to help these vital ocean ecosystems. An interdisciplinary team at the University of Miami has discovered a new way to help lab-grown baby corals survive through the often-difficult early life stage. By growing these tiny baby corals on cement tiles formulated with sodium carbonate, which raises the alkalinity of the water, the team was able to show that young mountainous star corals are able to survive much better than the average lab-grown corals. Because survivorship among these young corals is often challenging, the technique could prove useful for coral restoration efforts across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-alkaline-cement-tiles-boost-baby.html Plants & Animals Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:50:01 EDT news695922542 Scientists have discovered that deep-water corals in the Galapagos region vanished for more than 1,000 years before eventually recovering. The findings reveal that deep-water coral ecosystems may be more susceptible to climate change than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lost-millennium-galapagos-deep-sea.html Earth Sciences Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695633581 Madagascar is home to seven species of baobab trees, of which six are found nowhere else on the planet. Many of the trees have been alive for well over 1,000 years. The ancient trees have become symbols of Madagascar itself. They're also gifts to climate science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-madagascar-ancient-baobabs-years-climate.html Environment Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:40:05 EDT news695902142 Earth responded to its most severe past warming event by evolving a new and bizarre type of photosynthesis that allowed a group of primitive plants to survive. Research led by the University of Leeds has revealed how lycophytes—a type of ancient plant—not only survived a mass extinction 250 million years ago but then came to dominate the recovering landscapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-primitive-evolved-survive-earth-catastrophic.html Plants & Animals Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:00:02 EDT news695651161 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 A new study reveals that some of the ocean's most powerful predators are running hotter, and that they are likely paying an increasingly steep price for it. The significance of this headline finding is the "double jeopardy" in which it places these iconic animals, which have high fuel demands due to their lifestyle and physiology, as they now face a future of warming oceans and declining food resources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bodied-sharks-tunas-jeopardy-seas.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news695547961 Afforestation—establishing forests on previously non-forested land, or where forests have not existed for a long time—is one of the nature-based and cost-effective solutions for climate change mitigation because it offsets carbon emissions through carbon storage and can help reduce the effects of flooding. The European Union's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 targets converting at least 10% of agricultural land into forest. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-machine-tool-optimal-tree-powerful.html Environment Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:03 EDT news695489582 Drought significantly reduces the reproductive success of bumblebee colonies, according to a new study conducted by a research team at the University of Würzburg and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. This also has consequences for plant pollination. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drought-heavy-toll-bumblebees.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news695461261