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. When Joro spiders first arrived stateside more than a decade ago, scientists worried the massive black-and-yellow spiders would gorge themselves on the same bugs as native spiders (or even the native spiders themselves). If the invasive arachnids did make massive meals of Georgia's insects, the local orb weaver population—already facing dangers from insecticide and pesticide use—could suffer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-joro-spiders-wider-range-insects.html Plants & Animals Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news707135881 In the dense forests of the Ecuadorian Andes, the survival of a spider relies not only on its ability to prey on insects but also on its capacity to resist a threat coming from the skies. A new study revealed that the heavy rainfall that hits the region acts as an "ecological filter," bombarding spider webs and, in the process, determining which species and silk architectures are able to master each environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-storms-impact-architecture-webs-survival.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:40:01 EDT news702571236 Spider venoms contain ingredients that could lead to a new treatment to protect honeybees from the deadly Varroa destructor mite, according to a study led by the University of the Sunshine Coast. Researchers identified components in the venoms of the Tasmanian cave spider and the giant Japanese funnel-web spider that killed the parasitic mites without harming the bees. The study is published in the journal npj Drug Discovery. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spider-venoms-deadly-varroa-mites.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:20:03 EDT news702200161 The earliest evidence of spiders' fangs has been identified in a 518-million-year-old fossil by scientists at the University of Leicester and Yunnan University. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-urokodia-million-year-fossil-spider.html Evolution Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:00:10 EDT news702121023 In ecology, the principle holds that the more diverse and heterogeneous a habitat is, the more different species it supports. To promote species diversity in forests, clearings are therefore created for nature conservation purposes, or deadwood is deliberately left in place. For many species, such as birds, bats and beetles, this structural diversity is indeed beneficial. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-spiders-benefit-seemingly-monotonous-forests.html Plants & Animals Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news701953868 Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus in Borneo's jungles that preys on "zombie fungi" known to infect insects before subjecting them to a gruesome death. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scientists-hyperparasite-malaysia-borneo-jungle.html Ecology Fri, 19 Jun 2026 03:59:28 EDT news701060265 Citizen science data from the popular platform iNaturalist has helped uncover the evolution of parental guarding behavior in harvestmen spiders, as shown in research published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-devoted-dads-citizen-science-evolution.html Plants & Animals Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:10:01 EDT news700485361 Fossil fragments found in the U.K. have been identified as remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a meter in length, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to ever stalk the land. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-world-largest-scorpion-revealed-million.html Evolution Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:40:02 EDT news699695521 Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of tropical deforestation, but it is also a key livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers. A global study by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) shows that this tension can be eased by reintroducing trees into pastureland. Planting trees in cattle pastures nearly doubles biodiversity compared to conventional pastures. However, these plantings cannot replace the protection of native forests. The study is published in the journal Ecological Applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-trees-cattle-pastures-biodiversity-countries.html Ecology Tue, 26 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news699019921 Vibrant, tiny, and sporting a bright red grin on its back, the Happy-Face spider is one of the most famous and recognizable arachnids in the world. For over a century, this cheerful-looking creature was thought to be a unique resident of the Hawaiian Islands, a biological curiosity found nowhere else on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-happy-spider-species-indian-himalayas.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 09:20:06 EDT news698400543 The myriapoda group of arthropods includes the many-legged centipedes and millipedes that most people are familiar with. Although myriapods are all terrestrial creatures, researchers are unclear about when and how they evolved their many legs. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ancient-sea-fossils-millipede-centipede.html Evolution Thu, 07 May 2026 10:40:03 EDT news697292388 Scorpions wield some of the natural world's most formidable built-in weapons, from crushing pincers to venomous stingers. Scientists have long known that these structures contain trace metals that strengthen them, but only a small fraction of the roughly 3,000 scorpions have ever been examined for this trait. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scorpions-weapons-fortified-metal.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:10:01 EDT news696586562 A German-Bulgarian research team led by SNSB paleontologist Christian Bartel has discovered a new species of harvestman in 35-million-year-old Ukrainian and Baltic amber. The animal is related to harvestmen that are now extinct in Europe. The researchers published their findings in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-exotic-harvestmen-europe.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:20:01 EDT news693819902 Members of the arachnid class—think spiders, scorpions and harvestmen (daddy long legs)—are often the targets of revulsion, disgust and fear. Yet, they are crucial for ecosystems to thrive. Given the crash in worldwide biodiversity, including what some call the "insect apocalypse," a pair of ecologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst decided to check in on the general state of insects and arachnids in the U.S.—only to discover massive gaps in the data. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-spiders-real-horror-story-world.html Plants & Animals Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:00:01 EST news691340307 Whether it's a sudden dash across the garage or silhouette in a backyard web, spiders evoke fear in many people. But researchers don't have a clear picture of why, exactly, this phobia is so common. An interdisciplinary team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is using state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology to pinpoint the physical characteristics of spiders that may contribute to the unease. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-eye-tracking-explores-spiders.html Plants & Animals Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:20:01 EST news691675441 A newly published study co-authored by University of South Florida alum Louis Coticchio and USF integrative biologist Deby Cassill challenges long-standing assumptions about the brown recluse spider, finding the species is both far less common in Florida and far less aggressive than public perception suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-brown-recluse-spiders-rare-florida.html Plants & Animals Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:40:03 EST news691333141 An international team of scientists has identified how to pinpoint and predict hotspots for some of the most dangerous species of scorpion in the world. The researchers have established the key environmental conditions that determine where lethal, venomous arachnids thrive—findings that could help shine a light on flashpoints for scorpion stings in tropical regions across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-field-world-deadly-scorpion-hotspots.html Plants & Animals Sun, 15 Feb 2026 05:00:01 EST news690201313 A research team from Munich has identified a previously unknown communication mechanism in harvestmen. Five closely related species show species-specific, strongly fluorescent structures on their backs that become especially visible under ultraviolet light. The results suggest that these patterns serve for species recognition—particularly at dusk and in moonlight. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-harvestmen-arachnids-apparently-fluorescent-patterns.html Plants & Animals Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:37:23 EST news688649821 Environmentalists are suing the federal government over what they say is a failure to protect the horseshoe crab, a prehistoric-looking species that is important to the survival of shore birds in South Carolina and other coastal states. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-environmentalists-sue-feds-prehistoric-crabs.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Jan 2026 21:30:01 EST news686935579 Sulfur butterflies glide across Zorrillo Canyon, hundreds of them, moving back and forth against the cerulean sky. It's nothing short of a fairy wonderland for the scientists below. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-butterflies-snakes-rugged-baja-canyons.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:10:04 EST news686815750 About 300 years ago, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus set out on a bold quest: to identify and name every living organism on Earth. Now celebrated as the father of modern taxonomy, he developed the binomial naming system and described more than 10,000 species of plants and animals. Since his time, scientists have continued to describe new species in the quest to uncover Earth's biodiversity. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-species-faster.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:16:29 EST news685703761 From fruit flies that bite to a tiny mouse opossum and a feathered dinosaur preserved with the remains of its last meal, more than 70 new species were described this year by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-american-museum-natural-history.html Plants & Animals Thu, 18 Dec 2025 19:40:01 EST news685276630 A growing exotic pet trade has conservationists calling for stronger regulations to protect the reptiles, birds and other animals in the wild that are increasingly showing up for sale on internet marketplaces and becoming popular on social media. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-endangered-species-convention-exotic-pet.html Ecology Tue, 02 Dec 2025 04:21:24 EST news683871650 What is thought to be the world's largest-known spider's web, housing tens of thousands of arachnids, has been discovered in a cave on the Albanian-Greek border. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-arachnid-super-web-reveals-constant.html Plants & Animals Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:40:03 EST news682338842 Researchers may have discovered the world's biggest spider web, a massive subterranean structure spanning over 100 square meters in a sulfur cave on the Albania–Greece border. The multilayered web along a wall near the cave entrance is home to a colony of approximately 69,000 Tegenaria domestica (also known as the domestic house spider) and 42,000 Prinerigone vagans spiders. This is believed to be the first documented case of colonial web formation for both species. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sulfur-cave-spiders-arachnid-megacity.html Plants & Animals Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:30:03 EST news681571619 A tiny fossil of a sea creature that lived more than half a billion years ago sheds new light on the evolution of arthropods, the most species-rich and successful group of animals to inhabit Earth, according to a study published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ancient-signpost-minute-fossils-big.html Evolution Thu, 28 Aug 2025 05:00:05 EDT news675502081 A secret ingredient in snail trails is helping the pests save themselves from poisons spread to protect farms and gardens across Australia. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-super-snail-slime-pesticide.html Ecology Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:15:49 EDT news674900145 Have you ever walked face-first into a spiderweb while on a hike? Or swept away cobwebs in your garage? https://phys.org/news/2025-08-spiderweb-silks-architectures-reveal-millions.html Plants & Animals Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:04:44 EDT news674309081 When I tell people I study parasites that live inside ticks, I usually get one of two reactions: a shudder of disgust or a puzzled look that says, "Don't ticks already carry enough diseases?" https://phys.org/news/2025-08-uncovering-hidden-world-parasites.html Ecology Thu, 07 Aug 2025 09:00:02 EDT news673775649 A new analysis of an exquisitely preserved fossil that lived half a billion years ago suggests that arachnids—spiders and their close kin—evolved in the ocean, challenging the widely held belief that their diversification happened only after their common ancestor had conquered the land. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-fossilized-nervous-ocean-spiders.html Plants & Animals Tue, 22 Jul 2025 11:00:01 EDT news672299848