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 University of Florida research team has developed a more accurate way to count wildlife using drones—an innovation that helped confirm the world's largest known nesting site for a threatened turtle species. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-reveals-world-largest-turtle-site.html Ecology Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:29:50 EDT news671783375 A list of the top 10 global regions where natural or anthropogenic sources emit methane on a continuous, "persistent" basis was recently published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-satellite-analysis-uncovers-persistent-methane.html Environment Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:05:05 EST news657821101 Sheep have been intertwined with human livelihoods for over 11,000 years. As well as meat, their domestication led to humans being nourished by their protein-rich milk and clothed by warm, water-resistant fabrics made from their wool. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ancient-dna-analyses-life-year.html Archaeology Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:00:03 EST news657449341 Today, entrepreneurship is everywhere, including science. Engineers and scientists often apply their research to a product or service and use it to launch a startup. The world of bioproduction—using living cells and organisms to manufacture products—is fertile ground for entrepreneurship. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-spider-silk-bioproduction-opportunities.html Biochemistry Tue, 01 Oct 2024 10:19:35 EDT news646996766 This week, biologists tracked down a mysterious group of orcas near Chile; Hubble spotted a black hole jet that causes stars along its trajectory to erupt; and researchers explained mysterious craters that began appearing in Siberian permafrost in the 2010s. But you're probably here for cheese, cosmology and octopuses, so here you go: https://phys.org/news/2024-09-saturday-citations-octopuses-shift-supervisors.html Other Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:10:01 EDT news646654936 For the first time, scientists successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from ancient cheese samples found alongside the Tarim Basin mummies in China, dating back approximately 3,600 years. The research, published September 25 in the journal Cell, suggests a new origin for kefir cheese and sheds light on the evolution of probiotic bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-bronze-age-lactobacillus-genomes-reveal.html Evolution Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:00:01 EDT news646472251 A multi-institutional team of animal behaviorists, snow impact specialists and biologists from Alaska, Montana, Switzerland and Canada has found that large numbers of wild mountain goats die every year in Alaska due to avalanches. For their study, the group tagged hundreds of wild mountain goats over 17 years across Alaska. Their findings are published in the journal Communications Biology. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-large-wild-mountain-goats-year.html Plants & Animals Fri, 03 May 2024 10:00:02 EDT news633948331 Whether by way of Attenborough, Disney or National Geographic, the iconic scene is familiar to many. The ground trembles and clouds of dust swirl as enormous hordes of large animals thunder across the African savanna, cross rivers en masse and are picked off by lions, hyena and crocodiles. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-iconic-savanna-mammals-genetic-problems.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Apr 2024 05:00:02 EDT news632058721 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in Australia, have identified a novel bacterial protein that can keep human cells healthy even when the cells have a heavy bacterial burden. The discovery could lead to new treatments for a wide array of diseases relating to mitochondrial dysfunction, such as cancer and auto-immune disorders. Mitochondria are organelles that supply most of the chemical energy needed to power cells' biochemical reactions. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveals-bacterial-protein-capable-human.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:04:04 EST news618768241 The world's scientists rely on an elaborate network of satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, balloons, and other technologies to help predict the weather and assess the global effects of climate change on terrestrial landscapes, oceans, and the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-gauging-key-role-animals-play.html Environment Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:27:47 EDT news614269663 Researchers have recovered DNA from the sediments surrounding ancient artificial islands, known as crannogs, in Britain and Ireland. These results, along with environmental and biochemical data in these sediments, show the structures were once used by elites. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-dna-sediment-reveals-ancient-artificial.html Archaeology Mon, 10 Oct 2022 12:20:01 EDT news584622758 Hyenas are frequently vilified and often feared. Hemingway once described the hyena as a stinking, foul devourer of the dead, with jaws that crack the bones the lion leaves. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-hyena-scavenging-health-economic-benefits.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:01:55 EDT news551959312 If you've ever wondered how your beloved pet pooch came to look so different from its wild relatives, biologists now have another piece of the puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-dogs-dont-wolves-uncovers-genetic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:13:11 EDT news543568338 Scientists at UC Santa Cruz led a team of researchers from 30 institutions across North America in analyzing data from 3,212 camera traps to show how human disturbance could be shifting the makeup of mammal communities. https://phys.org/news/2021-05-north-american-mammals-successfully-people.html Plants & Animals Fri, 21 May 2021 09:07:45 EDT news540806858 It's not a coincidence that dogs are cuter than wolves, or that goats at a petting zoo have shorter horns and friendlier demeanors than their wild ancestors. Scientists call this "domestication syndrome"—the idea that breeding out aggression inadvertently leads to physical changes, including floppier ears, shorter muzzles and snouts, curlier tails, paler fur, smaller brains, and more. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-monkey-humans-self-domesticated.html Plants & Animals Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:05:13 EDT news521993108 A flamingo lives 40 years and a human being lives 90 years; a mouse lives two years and an elephant lives 60. Why? What determines the lifespan of a species? After analyzing nine species of mammals and birds, researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) found a very clear relationship between the lifespan of these species and the shortening rate of their telomeres, the structures that protect the chromosomes and the genes they contain. The relationship is expressed as a mathematical equation, a formula that can accurately predict the longevity of the species. The study was done in collaboration with the Madrid Zoo Aquarium and the University of Barcelona. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-telomere-shortening-species-lifespan.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Jul 2019 15:00:01 EDT news481808730 Chickens that are genetically modified to produce human proteins in their eggs can offer a cost-effective method of producing certain types of drugs, research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-hens-human-proteins-eggs-future.html Biotechnology Mon, 28 Jan 2019 02:34:30 EST news467865258 A study of 3,588 square kilometers of privately owned land in central Kenya offers evidence that humans and their livestock can, in the right circumstances, share territory with zebras, giraffes, elephants and other wild mammals—to the benefit of all. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-potential-benefits-wildlife-livestock-coexistence-east.html Environment Mon, 15 Oct 2018 11:00:14 EDT news458806111 It's likely not the first thing you think of when you see elephant dung, but this material turns out to be an excellent source of cellulose for paper manufacturing in countries where trees are scarce, scientists report. And in regions with plenty of farm animals such as cows, upcycling manure into paper products could be a cheap and environmentally sound method to get rid of this pervasive agricultural waste. https://phys.org/news/2018-03-elephant-cow-manure-paper-sustainably.html Nanomaterials Wed, 21 Mar 2018 06:10:24 EDT news440831416 Airplanes zoom overhead, wispy-white contrails streaming behind them. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handled 43,684 flights, on average, every day last year, and U.S. military and commercial flights together used over 20 billion gallons of jet fuel. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-energy-team-ramp-bio-based-aviation.html Materials Science Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:28:01 EDT news428599672 High-definition CT scans of the fossilized skull of a 280 million-year-old fish reveal the origin of chimaeras, a group of cartilaginous fish related to sharks. Analysis of the brain case of Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni, a shark-like fossil from South Africa, shows telltale structures of the brain, major cranial nerves, nostrils and inner ear belonging to modern-day chimaeras. https://phys.org/news/2017-01-million-year-old-fossil-reveals-chimaeroid-fishes.html Archaeology Wed, 04 Jan 2017 13:00:03 EST news402728253 Scientists can improve protein-based drugs by reaching into the evolutionary past, a paper published in Nature Biotechnology proposes. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-evolution-biotech-products.html Biotechnology Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:25:36 EDT news394129522 The world's largest gorillas have been pushed to the brink of extinction by a surge of illegal hunting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and are now critically endangered, officials said Sunday. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-eastern-gorilla-added-critically-endangered.html Ecology Mon, 05 Sep 2016 02:38:48 EDT news392261914 University of Utah lab experiments found that when temperatures get warmer, woodrats suffer a reduced ability to live on their normal diet of toxic creosote - suggesting that global warming may hurt plant-eating animals. https://phys.org/news/2016-01-poison-climate-animals-ability-toxic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 Jan 2016 19:00:01 EST news371840850 As grasses grew more common in Africa, most major mammal groups tried grazing on them at times during the past 4 million years, but some of the animals went extinct or switched back to browsing on trees and shrubs, according to a study led by the University of Utah. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-million-years-africa-salad-bar.html Ecology Mon, 03 Aug 2015 15:00:05 EDT news357832465 65 years ago, the famed behavioral endocrinologist Frank Beach wrote an article in The American Psychologist entitled 'The Snark was a Boojum'. The title refers to Lewis Carroll's poem 'The Hunting of the Snark', in which several characters embark on a voyage to hunt species of the genus Snark. There are many different types of Snarks, some that have feathers and bite, and others that have whiskers and scratch. But, as we learn in Carroll's poem, some Snarks are Boojums! Beach paraphrases Carroll's writing outlining the problem with Boojums: https://phys.org/news/2015-07-rejuvenating-approach-modern-neuroscience.html Biotechnology Mon, 20 Jul 2015 08:02:49 EDT news356598141 Trying to divine the future of a precarious administration, "House of Cards" President Frank Underwood enters the inner sanctum with a trusted adviser. "It's really a crapshoot," the adviser says, and the president nods. The bourbon is drained, cigars are snuffed, and the political leader emerges with a more confident sense of what's to come. https://phys.org/news/2015-03-bronze-age-bones-evidence-political.html Archaeology Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:13:41 EDT news345449603 A team of American and Israeli researchers has unearthed what could be the largest and oldest wine cellar in the Near East. https://phys.org/news/2013-11-team-civilization-oldest-wine-cellars.html Archaeology Fri, 22 Nov 2013 09:04:18 EST news304333446 Researchers at Murdoch University have used new DNA sequencing technology to reveal the animal and plant composition of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Some of the TCM samples tested contained potentially toxic plant ingredients, allergens, and traces of endangered animals. https://phys.org/news/2012-04-deep-sequencing-reveals-undeclared-potentially.html Biotechnology Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:00:05 EDT news253445142 A giant experiment is under way at the Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis' 2,000-acre outdoor laboratory for ecosystem studies. https://phys.org/news/2012-01-trial-landscape-scale-ozark-glades.html Ecology Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:24:05 EST news246954191