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. Why do humans rely on XY chromosomes to determine sex, while birds use ZW—and many reptiles use neither, letting temperature decide instead? Sex determination is remarkably diverse across the animal kingdom. In genotypic sex determination (GSD), sex is encoded in the genome: XX individuals are female and XY males in humans and most mammals, while in the ZW system, found in birds and some reptiles, males are ZZ and females ZW. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-xy-zw-gecko-chromosomes-reveal.html Evolution Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news707044201 We share our planet with millions of plants and animals. This variety of life is known as biodiversity, a term encompassing everything from microscopic genes to entire ecosystems, such as deserts and vibrant coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-discoveries-reveal-emerging-biodiversity.html Ecology Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:20:04 EDT news707032202 Sea turtles are famous for being prodigious wanderers. Guided by Earth's magnetic field, ocean currents and the sun, they tend to crisscross the seas in search of food, returning to the region of their birth every few years to breed. So when scientists discovered a population of sea turtles that appear to be very much homebodies, they were taken aback. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-galpagos-yellow-sea-turtles-homebodies.html Plants & Animals Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news706880270 Where they could once hop and amble freely, urbanization is diminishing amphibians' habitats. Yet small-scale water bodies managed by people—such as those found in the gardens of Japan's temples, shrines and schools—remain within urban areas, providing oases for our moist neighbors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-kyoto-gardens-habitats-local-amphibians.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:20:03 EDT news706370762 Scientists studying one of nature's greatest reproductive innovations have discovered how some lizards evolved from laying eggs to giving birth to live young. The new research is the first to reveal the evolutionary process behind this important biological change and offers a unique insight into how other species—including mammals—may have evolved to give birth to live young millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-evolutionary-birth-lizards-uncovered.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:00:04 EDT news706362782 In British zoos and aquariums, fewer than 10% of vertebrate species are native to the UK, and just 2% are high conservation priorities, according to a study by Justin Lennon at the University of Brighton and colleagues, published Aug. 19, 2026, in the journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-uk-zoos-native-threatened.html Ecology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:00:17 EDT news706274761 A new study led by researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin shows that Berlin's dragonfly populations have declined by more than half since 1963, while populations of frogs, toads and newts have fallen by more than three-quarters since 1981. The study also involved Berlin-based experts Falk Petzold and Klaus-Detlef Kühnel, who coordinate the data series. The research, which was carried out as part of the project "Understanding Diversity—Exploring and Experiencing Nature," was published in the journal Global Change Biology Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hidden-losses-amphibians-dragonflies-berlin.html Ecology Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news706275583 Prolonged dry spells or droughts can sometimes reduce aquatic diseases, many of which affect people. Yet other times, water scarcity can counterintuitively lead to an uptick in diseases that depend on water. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bodies-drought-disease-hotspots-dead.html Plants & Animals Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news705752839 Feral cats and foxes now roam across almost all of Australia. These predators are a major reason why many species have been driven to extinction. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-safe-havens-australian-mammals-invasive.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:02 EDT news705853982 Scientists from Brazil and other countries have discovered a new species of frog in the flooded forests of the western Amazon. They named it Adenomera varcena. This finding significantly advances our understanding of Amazonian biodiversity and cryptic diversity, or cases in which two or more animals appear identical but are actually different species. To distinguish this species, the researchers analyzed details such as the frog's call and DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-frog-species-amazon-forests.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:10:04 EDT news705765001 From the American West to Europe, droughts are drying up rivers, fueling destructive fires and reshaping ecosystems. They are also changing the spread of infectious diseases, leading to surges in illnesses like cholera and West Nile virus around the world. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-drought-reshaping-infectious-diseases.html Ecology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:11 EDT news705749461 Much like an indecisive single person on a dating app, female treefrogs struggle to pick the most desirable mates when they have too many options to choose from. According to a new study published Aug. 12 in the journal iScience, when female Cope's gray treefrogs gather around ponds during mating season to listen to large groups of males chirping in noisy "choruses," they struggle to pick the most desirable male. The researchers call this phenomenon "choice overload," and it may affect the way species evolve over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-suitors-abound-female-treefrogs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705588684 Nearly 80 years ago, a British expedition discovered the battered remains of a giant fossil on the peak of an Arctic island. Unable to take it with them, they snapped some pictures, took some bones and left the fossil to be ravaged by the icy winds and rain. Little did they know it would be found again decades later and turn out to be the first of its kind and a giant among its peers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-arctic-fossil-abandoned-size-triassic.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:20:05 EDT news705585125 Fever is one of the best-known mechanisms by which animals combat infectious diseases. Sick animals can increase their body temperature in two ways: through physiological regulation, by altering internal metabolic processes, or through behavioral changes, such as seeking warmer environments. Ectothermic animals, including amphibians, fish and reptiles, generally rely only on the latter strategy. However, fever is not always the most effective response against every pathogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fever-isnt-infected-tadpoles-cool.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news705587942 A tiny greenish, nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nocturnal-coffee-frog-costa-rica.html Ecology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 06:00:03 EDT news705380574 Many people are blissfully unaware that the world's frogs and amphibians are fighting their own deadly pandemic. In fact, this fungal disease—chytridiomycosis, or chytrid for short—is the worst wildlife disease on record. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-frogs-deadly-disease.html Plants & Animals Wed, 05 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news705138706 Dinosaurs are famous for being big, from the towering Tyrannosaurus rex to the colossal Apatosaurus. But a new study published today in the journal Evolution by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University suggests that one of the greatest mysteries of dinosaur evolution isn't how some species became giants—it's why even the smallest dinosaurs never became truly tiny. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-dinosaurs-explores-evolution-biggest.html Evolution Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:05 EDT news705050822 For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian from North America has ever been found (a tree frog from Florida). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-species-ice-age-toad-la.html Ecology Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:00:01 EDT news705052441 An international team of scientists has described seven new species of Madagascar's elusive diamond frogs (Rhombophryne), revealing that one of the island's most mysterious groups of amphibians is even more diverse than previously thought. The research is published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-diamond-frog-species-reveal-madagascar.html Plants & Animals Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:20:21 EDT news704971501 Minor cuts and scrapes usually heal in time, but losing a finger or a whole limb? For most vertebrates, that's a done deal. Unless, of course, you've got the self-healing machinery of an axolotl. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-axolotl-code-regrow-limbs-stay.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:07 EDT news704443502 Previous apps for identifying animal calls regularly hit practical limits: Without a stable internet connection, real-time identification in forests or high mountains was impossible. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-birds-offline-ai-app-animal.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news704374433 Researchers have developed a DNA vacuum that can suck genetic traces from animals out of the air and reveal which animals live in an area. In two new studies, the researchers collected air samples in three natural areas in Denmark and showed that the method can be used to map local wildlife. This brings them a major step closer to better monitoring biodiversity using DNA from the air. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-dna-vacuum-captures-animal-air.html Ecology Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:30:03 EDT news704030586 Five minutes. That was the amount of time that Oso Grande strawberries remained in contact with the Ctx(Ile21)-Ha peptide—a molecule isolated from a frog native to the Brazilian Cerrado—in experiments conducted in Brazil by scientists at the Tupã campus of São Paulo State University (UNESP). It was enough to demonstrate the molecule's potential to extend the shelf life of the fruit, which is highly perishable. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-peptide-isolated-cerrado-frog-strawberry.html Biotechnology Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:20:07 EDT news704018941 Volunteers armed with chisels, brushes and protective goggles chip away at rock encasing the bones of a massive prehistoric amphibian in a glass-walled laboratory on the ground floor of Warsaw's Copernicus Science Centre. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-volunteers-painstaking-effort-massive-skeleton.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:55:08 EDT news703911286 The mystery of why some amphibian populations recover following outbreaks of a deadly fungus has been solved in a new study led by University College London (UCL), ZSL and Imperial College London. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mystery-toads-survive-deadly-fungus.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:00:06 EDT news703173454 Within every muscle of every living species with a backbone, a protein called myosin tugs on a partner protein to generate a muscle contraction. This function, discovered in mammals a century ago, has been presumed by scientists to operate the same way among birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-muscle-machinery-reveals-gene.html Evolution Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:00:03 EDT news703255180 New research involving Queen Mary University of London reveals that amphibians can change what they eat to cope with rising temperatures, but that this natural survival strategy has limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-amphibians-diet.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:50:01 EDT news703255297 In the late 1990s in the Ajimu region of Japan's Oita Prefecture, researchers discovered three fossilized vertebrae belonging to the Cryptobranchidae family of giant salamanders. These were embedded in the Tsubusugawa Formation, Pliocene-era strata of lake deposits dating back approximately 3.5 million years. The strata have also yielded fossils of animals that no longer roam Japan, such as elephants and crocodiles, revealing a glimpse of an era much warmer and more humid than Japan's current climate. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fossils-decades-reveal-extinct-million.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:34:27 EDT news702815638 New research is redefining the morphological and functional existence of anatomical "neck" regions to better include previously exempted vertebrates such as fishes and amphibians, changing the status quo of what it means to have a neck. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fishes-amphibians-dont-necks.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news702638666 University of Newcastle researchers have documented one of the clearest examples of iridescence ever recorded in an amphibian, revealing that the endangered green and golden bell frog (Ranoidea aurea) possesses intricate color-shifting skin previously unseen in the species. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rare-shifting-iconic-australian-frog.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:40:10 EDT news702637262