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. Tiny single-celled organisms help keep lakes clear, but some can also contaminate the water. An international research team has analyzed DNA data from 362 lakes to create the first global genome atlas of these organisms. With the findings now published in Nature Communications, the new atlas lays the foundation for faster and more precise monitoring of lakes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-genome-atlas-reveals-overlooked.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:00:05 EDT news710602924 Coral reefs in Indonesia's Spermonde Archipelago are under pressure from both natural and anthropogenic activities. Researchers from Hasanuddin University assessed reef conditions across three islands using underwater photography and drone surveys, while also gathering local perspectives on reef conditions and restoration. They found greater live coral cover in clearer waters but limited community readiness to participate in conservation efforts, suggesting that training and institutional support could strengthen local communities' role in protecting these natural treasures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-combining-science-community-knowledge-coral.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:20:13 EDT news710582671 Penguin poop is fertilizing snow algae blooms along the Antarctic Peninsula, feeding dense green algae patches along the coastline, a new study shows. These expanding stretches of green snow melt faster than clean, white snow, potentially speeding up the spread of snow- and ice-free areas of Antarctica. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-penguin-poop-antarctic-algae-green.html Earth Sciences Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:15 EDT news710409722 Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-food-fuel-ai-microalgae-scale.html Biotechnology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:15 EDT news710511242 The world is changing. As humans, we tend to focus on what happens on land, but the planet's food systems depend on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-oceans-reshape-plankton-potentially-fish.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:20:11 EDT news710498761 In optogenetics, scientists control neurons by stimulating them with light—potentially unlocking breakthroughs for conditions such as dementia, depression and blindness. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brain-cells-nobel-science-optogenetics.html Other Tue, 06 Oct 2026 02:20:04 EDT news710469904 Disease and heat pose a deadly combination for coral reefs, according to a new University of Georgia study published in the journal Coral Reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-florida-keys-reveals-fourfold-death.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:20:17 EDT news710424301 The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to U.S. psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their pioneering work in the neuroscience field of optogenetics. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-german-trio-medicine-nobel-optogenetics.html Other Mon, 05 Oct 2026 06:32:02 EDT news710400687 From a drone flying above the waves to a camera just inches from the seafloor, University of Miami researchers are transforming how scientists observe coral reefs and measure changes that were once difficult, costly or time-consuming to document. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-imaging-technologies-clearer-view-coral.html Ecology Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news709898082 High sea temperatures driven by the climate crisis damage corals, bleaching them ghostly white and killing them. While restoration of dead reefs is possible, it's difficult and expensive, and restored corals are vulnerable to future heat waves. Finding ways to stop or slow the damage to existing reefs is crucial. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-underwater-umbrellas-coral-reefs.html Plants & Animals Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:07 EDT news710063041 A new research paper published in Zootaxa describes five new species of freshwater mussels in the southern U.S., providing the scientific foundation for protecting the most imperiled group of animals in North America. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-species-freshwater-mussels-southern-uncovered.html Plants & Animals Thu, 01 Oct 2026 18:30:01 EDT news710092442 New medicines, crop protection products and treatments for fish diseases could have their origins on the seabed. That is where project coordinator Gilles van Wezel and project manager Mariana Avalos Garcia, both biologists in Leiden, together with their colleagues, searched for microorganisms that produce useful compounds. Their search took them to sponges, algae, fish and salt-tolerant plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ocean-medicine-cabinet-microbes.html Ecology Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:40:02 EDT news710085901 A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis research. Chlorella ohadii helps researchers better understand plants' adaptability to extreme environmental conditions. These findings could help make crops more resilient to heat, drought, and other consequences of climate change in the future. Haim Treves, a professor of plant metabolism at RPTU, has been studying the desert alga since its discovery. His findings have now been published in the journal New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-alga-reveals-fast-growth-resistance.html Plants & Animals Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:20:12 EDT news710072896 A team of marine scientists led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has developed a new approach to predicting harmful algal blooms (HABs), changing how oceanographers track these hazardous marine events. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ocean-predator-chemical-cues-early.html Ecology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:10:07 EDT news710006402 While insects provide an essential food source for many vertebrate species, they're more than just a protein-laden snack. Chimpanzees use them to sterilize wounds, and herons use them as fishing bait. Sloths rely on moths to maintain the algae in their fur, which they then eat. Birds and reptiles lay their eggs inside the temperature-controlled sanctuary of termite mounds, while some desert frogs reside in ant nests because of the humidity. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-insects-essential-vertebrate-life-food.html Plants & Animals Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:10:01 EDT news709901461 The transition from tadpole to juvenile frog is never easy—legs sprout, tails shrink and lungs develop for a life on land, all while being hunted by fish and other predators. Talk about growing pains. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-endangered-frog-nursery-la-hundreds.html Ecology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:40:31 EDT news709897172 To boost corals' resilience amid rising sea temperatures and the spread of disease, KAUST researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-corals-vaccine-responses-pathogen-exposure.html Ecology Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:20:06 EDT news709314541 Gloeotrichia echinulata is a type of cyanobacterium that draws scrutiny because it tends to bloom in clear lakes, forming thick mats of visible green or white puffballs in otherwise clean water. Because of the slew of toxic compounds cyanobacteria can produce, blooms (historically called "blue-green algae") are of growing global concern. Yet, a new study by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Oregon State University suggests this particular species might not deserve its maligned reputation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cyanobacterium-lakes-toxic-potential.html Ecology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:20:04 EDT news709220942 Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant's roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-deeper-rooted-soybeans-climate.html Agriculture Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:20:02 EDT news708943980 As a kid growing up in North Carolina, Prakash Mishra was interested in planets. "My parents got me a telescope when I turned 6 or 7, and that was my personality for probably 10 years," he says, noting that he thought he would eventually study physics or astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-qa-economist-explores-environmental-economic.html Environment Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news708955562 Diving into cool water can be a quick way to escape the summer heat, but during certain times of year, freshwater can pose hidden dangers to people and pets. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-toxic-algae-pose-hidden-danger.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:00:03 EDT news708878521 Antarctic krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures that were previously thought to mostly inhabit the upper layer of the Southern Ocean. Although they had occasionally been observed at deeper levels, they were never seen near deep-sea hydrothermal vents until 2024, when a group of oceanographers observed them there for the first time. The team's new study, published in Communications Biology, describes the discovery and why the team thinks pregnant krill may actually be spending a lot of time near hydrothermal vents. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents-hot.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:17 EDT news708863182 Physicists at Leipzig University and Charles University in Prague have developed a method for changing the swimming style of tiny artificial microswimmers in real time. They can make a single microscopic particle switch at will between modes of swimming inspired by bacteria and algae. The researchers have thus turned a property that was previously fixed during production into a programmable parameter. They believe their findings pave the way for an evolutionary approach to the development of synthetic active matter. Their study has now been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microswimmers-bacteria-algae-propulsion.html Nanophysics Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:20:02 EDT news708781981 Lichens colonize trees and rocks all over the world. They are symbiotic communities between fungi and photosynthetically active green algae or cyanobacteria, in which both partners benefit from each other: The fungal partner relies on the algae for a supply of carbohydrates and, in return, it protects the algae from UV radiation and other environmental influences. The contact zone where the fungal cells and algal cells touch is crucial for transferring nutrients between the two symbiotic partners. Detailed investigations, particularly a three-dimensional understanding of this area between the cells, have been lacking until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-3d-scans-reveal-lichen-fungi.html Ecology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:40:06 EDT news708767821 Two-thirds of a century after Jane Goodall observed "David Greybeard" break off a twig to fashion a fishing rod for termites, researchers following in her footsteps have found that adult chimpanzees in Senegal literally hand youngsters the tools for learning. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chimpanzees-youngsters-tools-tricky-techniques.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:02 EDT news708597361 Deep in the ocean, brown algae and diatoms produce a complex carbohydrate molecule called fucoidan, which helps form their protective outer layers. The fucoidan molecule is very difficult for microbes to break down because its chemical structure may include dozens of different linkages and branching patterns that vary from one algal species to another. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-marine-bacteria-team-ocean-toughest.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:04 EDT news708689641 Like all other snakes, sea snakes shed their skin as they grow. But because they live near the surface of the open ocean, they don't have the benefit of removing their old skin by slithering against a hard surface. Instead, they wriggle into a pretzel and use the friction generated by their scales to get the job done. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-planes-snake-scientists-crab-species.html Plants & Animals Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:40:02 EDT news708335546 Our oceans are in trouble, and new research from Flinders University shows how changes in diatoms (microalgae) could further undermine the foundation of aquatic food webs—as well as vital deep-sea carbon capture or sequestration. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ocean-acidification-disrupt-diatoms-carbon.html Environment Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:05:45 EDT news708336308 Off Florida's coast, a team of scientists and trained volunteers in scuba gear descends to the ocean floor, planting young coral onto a reef and examining how others are faring in increasingly warm waters. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-oceans-florida-scientists-resistant-coral.html Ecology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:40:02 EDT news708231959 The prediction that this season's El Niño phenomenon will be stronger than normal has alarmed the Ecuadorian scientific community, which has warned of its impact on the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands, home to the highest concentration of species not found elsewhere on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-stronger-el-nino-alarms-scientists.html Environment Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:34:55 EDT news708230058