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 key step in the origin of many pandemics occurs when an animal-borne virus infects humans and then evolves to spread more efficiently from person to person. That is why scientists and physicians keep a close watch on viruses that could jump from animals to humans, such as emerging strains of avian flu and bat coronaviruses, as well as viruses that have already crossed into humans but, for now, spread poorly among people, such as hantavirus and Ebola. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lab-evolution-recreates-covid-path.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699619681 Falcons are lauded for their speed and agility. The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), skilled at snagging birds and insects out of the air, is no exception. However, during twilight on one day in October, researcher Apostolos Christopoulos observed several hobbies feeding on something else in a protected wetland in Greece—bats from the genus Pipistrellus. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-twilight-reveals-falcon-feasting-unusual.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:40:05 EDT news699616621 A team of scientists have discovered and named three new "leaf-planking" praying mantis species and recorded another mantis species turning up far from its assumed habitat. JCU Ph.D. candidate Matthew Connors recently discovered and named three new Snake Mantis species from the Kongobatha genus (K.serpens, K.spinosistyla and K.rufilinea), publishing his detailed observations of each species in the journal Zootaxa. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mantises-planking-urban-dominance.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:20:01 EDT news699601681 New research has unearthed new insights into the disruptive and detrimental effects that human-produced electromagnetic noise can have on the ability of bats to migrate effectively. The study, published in the journal Science, and led by researchers at Bangor University, the University of Latvia and the University of Oldenburg, in Germany, has revealed unexpected effects of exposure to electromagnetic noise that is an ever-present feature of urban environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electromagnetic-noise-migrating-effects-hours.html Plants & Animals Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:08 EDT news699182761 Bats are the only mammals that can actively fly, enabling many species to perform seasonal migrations. In migratory birds, remaining airborne for many hours is supported by burning fatty acids, something most mammals are incapable of. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-distance-migration-fatty-acids-limits.html Plants & Animals Wed, 27 May 2026 16:00:06 EDT news699112022 In tropical forests, much of the biodiversity can be heard before it is seen. Birds call, insects buzz and frogs croak, creating complex soundscapes that reflect the presence of different species. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-rainforest-ai-biodiversity.html Plants & Animals Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:03 EDT news698648161 From butterflies to blue whales, corals and worms, Earth is home to an incredible diversity of animals. How all of these animals evolved from earlier, simpler ancestors is one of the most exciting stories in the history book of life on our 4.5 billion-year-old planet. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-rare-567millionyearold-fossils-refine-early.html Evolution Thu, 21 May 2026 11:20:03 EDT news698578801 As part-night lighting (i.e., turning off streetlights in the middle of the night) becomes more widespread among local authorities, three studies focusing, respectively, on robins, toads and bats show that, often, turning off the lights for a few hours is not enough to restore natural night. In terms of biodiversity, the challenge is not just about switching off the lights, but knowing when and where to do so. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-street-impact-wildlife.html Ecology Wed, 20 May 2026 11:20:03 EDT news698494201 Sound plays an important role for many animals, helping them navigate and hunt. Echolocation is the ability of animals like bats and dolphins to locate objects by emitting sound waves and interpreting the returning echoes. But detecting meaningful information in a noisy environment poses a major challenge for them. Bats operate by identifying weak prey echoes among complex background sounds generated by surrounding objects and their own movement during flight. To overcome this issue, these bats have evolved a highly sophisticated echo detection system that uses ultrasonic voices to perceive their surroundings with remarkable precision. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-silent-frequency-zones-prey-noisy.html Plants & Animals Tue, 19 May 2026 05:00:04 EDT news698344021 Most Americans tend to think about bats only around Halloween, but the U.S. economy benefits from these furry flying mammals every day. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-worth-deaths-taxpayers-wider-economy.html Ecology Thu, 14 May 2026 12:25:13 EDT news697980242 Alaska's Cook Inlet was home to nearly 1,300 beluga whales in the late 1970s, but today the population hovers around 300. Despite almost two decades of recovery work, the whales aren't bouncing back. The Cook Inlet belugas are likely struggling under multiple pressures, including increasing human noise. Researchers are working on deciphering whale-whale communication to better account for the impact of noise on this vulnerable population. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-beluga-deciphered-bolster-efforts.html Plants & Animals Wed, 13 May 2026 11:55:41 EDT news697892101 In the spring of 2025, baseball fans were treated to a surprise when the New York Yankees began the season with a unique style of bat. Termed "torpedo bats," these new designs tapered slightly toward the end, so the widest points of the bats were closer to the "sweet spot"—the optimal place to hit to send the ball flying. In theory, this shape was more ergonomic, giving the Yankees an advantage at the plate. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-torpedo-shift-baseball-sweet-acoustic.html General Physics Wed, 13 May 2026 11:30:02 EDT news697794026 Firework shows are controversial in this day and age. While beautiful, fireworks are loud, bright, and smoky, and they can be dangerous to the surrounding environment, releasing contaminants into the air and frightening both pets and wildlife alike. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-brown-fireworks.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 10:20:09 EDT news697707301 We are all born completely helpless, with little of the knowledge and skills we will need to survive as adults. Even our ability to communicate is almost entirely learned from our parents or caregivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-birds-babies-humans-zebra-finches.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 13:00:05 EDT news697718342 Moonlight determines when the red-necked nightjar feeds, migrates and raises its young. A groundbreaking long-term study from Lund University shows how the migratory bird's entire annual cycle follows the moon's rhythm. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nocturnal-migratory-birds-rhythm-moon.html Plants & Animals Mon, 04 May 2026 07:40:01 EDT news697098182 Each animal species has an optimal temperature at which it can metabolize food and its immune system can best fight off pathogens. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cold-animals-disease-climate-knowledge.html Plants & Animals Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news696774187 Humans are not the only species negatively affected by increasingly hot and humid conditions. Intense heat waves sometimes kill large numbers of wild animals. Eastern Australia's giant fruit bats, known as flying-foxes, provide possibly the most dramatic illustration. In late 2018, two days of extreme heat in the far north of Queensland wiped out one third of Australia's population of spectacled flying-foxes. The species is now red-listed as endangered. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-humidity-killers-tropical-birds-waxbill.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:40:07 EDT news696600122 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 When Rachel Carson wrote the environmental classic "Silent Spring" in 1962, she warned that unchecked human impacts might create a silent future. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-paris-successfully-noise-pollution-urban.html Plants & Animals Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:00:03 EDT news695992427 When humans are moving as a crowd, their movements tend to be highly coordinated, similarly to the collective motions of bird flocks or other groups of animals. These group behaviors can limit collisions in dynamic environments, allowing individuals to reach their destinations safely. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-emergence-leaders-crowds-pedestrians.html Other Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:00:02 EDT news695898442 Tropical rainforests are known for their unique biodiversity, with species found nowhere else on Earth. But nearly 30% of tropical rainforest has been destroyed or has become seriously degraded since 1990. Many of these forests have not been fully explored for their biodiversity. This means that the world may be losing species before they are even discovered by modern science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mozambique-sky-island-species-chameleon.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:20:06 EDT news696164282 Ocean temperatures are rising around the world—and marine wildlife are feeling the heat. New research reveals that almost two-thirds of a million seabirds were killed by a marine heat wave off the coast of Australia in 2023 and 2024, putting their populations under unprecedented pressure. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-seabirds-marine.html Ecology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:01 EDT news696163142 Community help is no longer just nice to have in the world of bat conservation, it is essential to large-scale bat monitoring and the protection of threatened and understudied species, according to new research from Murdoch University's School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences. The study reveals that collaboration between universities, not-for-profits, government agencies and community members is the key to ensuring data collection is accurate, and that it flows into policy and practice. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-community-essential-native.html Ecology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:20:10 EDT news696159782 Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic disease in humans caused by the Marburg virus. It is carried by Egyptian fruit bats and can spread to people after exposure in caves or mines where they live. So imagine the surprise of researchers when they monitored Python Cave in Uganda, a known Marburg virus reservoir, and found that, despite the danger, dozens of people were entering the site. Most of these visitors were unprotected and ignored safety rules, creating a golden opportunity for the virus to jump from bats to the local community. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-uganda-python-cave-reveals-marburg.html Plants & Animals Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:20:15 EDT news695985560 Sequencing the DNA of all complex life in the UK and Ireland could generate up to almost £3 billion for the economy across agriculture, conservation, and research over the next 30 years, according to a new report. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-biodiversity-uk-ireland.html Ecology Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:00:03 EDT news695456323 What do bats do at night when they're not hunting? Using tiny GPS trackers, Leiden researchers discovered that pond bats spend a substantial portion of the night resting—often outdoors. This surprising insight could change the way we protect them. "To rest or to roam: Functional habitat use of an insectivorous bat species during active and resting behavior" is published in Biological Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tracking-secret-life-pond.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:20:04 EDT news695374561 Ecologists have long seen a strong connection between biodiversity and pollinators—the butterflies, birds, bats, bees, and other insects that help the flowers they snack on fertilize by transferring pollen from male anthers to female stigma. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-link-pollinators-diverse-landscapes-street.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:04 EDT news695301842 Tropical rainforests are home to almost two-thirds of all vertebrate species and three-quarters of all tree species: they are the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. However, over half of these diverse rainforests have already been cleared, and their area continues to decline drastically, primarily for agricultural purposes. Is there a chance of regeneration, and can not only trees but also the unique diversity of thousands of animal species return to cleared areas? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ecuador-tropical-rainforest-biodiversity-rebounds.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news694880641 The urban monkeys in New Delhi are so bold they'll steal the lunch right off your plate. If you've spent time in New York, you've probably seen squirrels try to do the same. Sydney's white ibises got the nickname "bin chickens" for stealing trash and sandwiches. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-city-animals-brazen-ways-world.html Ecology Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:20:06 EDT news694867441 They're sipping smoothies, snapping phone pics, dealing with crashed email and fixing broken toilets: astronauts, they're just like us. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tortillas-hot-sauces-toilet-life.html Space Exploration Sat, 04 Apr 2026 08:30:01 EDT news694505207