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. Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hedgehog-coronaviruses-threaten-cats-humans.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news708779101 Deep within an ancient sinkhole lie the remains of dozens of mammoths, prehistoric wanderers who waded into the warm springs to their deaths. These deaths had long been accepted as having occurred roughly 26,000 years ago, but new dates published in the journal Quaternary Research suggest these ice-age giants were more than 160,000 years old. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-luminescence-dating-age-south-dakota.html Plants & Animals Sun, 13 Sep 2026 12:40:02 EDT news708253643 Thirty-five years on—well, 12 million, technically—Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park continues to offer important glimpses of prehistoric life in Nebraska. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tracks-tooth-reveal-bone-dogs.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news707135102 Meteorites provided a rare but ready source of iron for ancient Bronze Age cultures before smelting became common. A new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, sheds light on how the ancient Minoan and Mycenaean elite used this extraordinary metal and when its popularity declined. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-forged-meteorites-fashionable-ancient-greek.html Archaeology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:40:01 EDT news705839156 Far from their origins in the Arabian desert, hundreds of thousands of camels roam outback Australia, where they are used for wild races, an alternative milk source and even to make beer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-camels-home-outback-australia.html Agriculture Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:33:05 EDT news705288753 The bison carried on grazing peacefully as the flames approached, imperturbable despite the fires ravaging the land around their wildlife park west of Madrid. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spain-safari-animals-grazed-calmly.html Environment Fri, 31 Jul 2026 03:50:01 EDT news704685869 Until the Panamanian isthmus formed about 2.8 million years ago, North and South America were isolated continents with unique groups of animals. A riot of marsupials—mammals with brood pouches—and sloths in the south contrasted with camels, horses, pronghorn antelopes and saber-toothed cats in the north. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-north-south-america-mammals-intermingle.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:00:01 EDT news704548501 For decades, a 30 million-year-old fossil sat entombed in rock in an Oregon museum collection. When it was first found, paleontologists thought it might be an early relative of sheep, camels and pigs, whose fossilized skeletons are, in the researchers' view, abundant. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-skeleton-million-year-dog.html Evolution Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:20:01 EDT news704552101 For half a century, millions of workers have repeated a task across the deserts in northern China: inserting forearm-length sticks into shifting sand, first in a row, then in an intersecting line, gradually forming a grid. Then saplings are planted at the center of each small square. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-china-green-great-wall-growth.html Environment Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:01:53 EDT news703134091 Wormlike parasites cause crickets to jump into streams, where the fatty insects nourish endangered fish. Ayano Medo and Takuya Sato sought to characterize the flow of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—a nutritious long-chain omega-3 fatty acid—through aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their work is published in PNAS Nexus. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-parasites-chain-omega-fatty-acids.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:40:07 EDT news702639064 In addition to humans, some species of primates and birds have demonstrated under experimental conditions their ability to manipulate quantities in tasks that require combining or separating them, in a manner similar to addition or subtraction. Now, a study by the University of Barcelona, published in the journal Scientific Reports, reveals that some giraffes are also capable of deciding which of two options contains more food after mentally combining two quantities, a process comparable to simple addition. These results suggest that giraffes possess a cognitive foundation that could support more complex arithmetic skills. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-giraffes-combine-quantities-similarly-addition.html Plants & Animals Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news701951221 Fossils tucked away in a museum drawer and identified merely as "feline" are actually from a very ancient and enigmatic saber-toothed cat that inhabited North America more than 5 million years ago. Newly identified by a UC Berkeley paleontologist, the nearly complete skull helps clarify how these large-fanged felines evolved over millennia before going extinct about 10,000 years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-newly-fossil-evolutionary-history-saber.html Evolution Sat, 27 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news701360015 The gleaming skyscrapers and bright lights of the United Arab Emirates draw the eyes of all who travel there, a sign of the Arabian Peninsula nation's rapid, oil-fueled development over the last decades into a major hub for commerce and tourism. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-arab-emirates-darkest-reveals-rare.html Astronomy Sat, 30 May 2026 05:45:14 EDT news699338687 Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Somehow, it feels like it's getting hotter and drier every day. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-western-australia-edging-desertification.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697817881 From smartphone charging to hydrogen production, the fundamental principles of energy technology have been revealed. Korean researchers have, for the first time, identified how molecular structures change within the ultra-small space called the "electric double layer." The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, opens a new path to simultaneously improve efficiency and performance in battery, hydrogen, and carbon-neutral technologies by reducing energy loss and selectively inducing desired reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electric-layer-molecular-battery-hydrogen.html Nanophysics Mon, 04 May 2026 14:20:05 EDT news697117502 Around the world, millions of camels are farmed for milk and meat while others are used in leisure activities like racing and riding. Yet the treatment of these animals as livestock can be harsh, especially during transport. New international research, led by Southern Cross University animal welfare expert Associate Professor Barbara Padalino and published in the journal Animals, shows that more humane camel transportation is possible by using food as an incentive in place of physical punishment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-camel-food-incentive-physical.html Plants & Animals Mon, 04 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT news697101555 A recent study by Dr. John Moretti of the University of Texas and local caver John Young uncovered the remains of Ice Age megafauna, revealing an entirely new ecosystem that once thrived on the Edwards Plateau. Among the finds were a genus of giant tortoise (Hesperotestudo) and a large armadillo-like pampathere (Holmesina septentrionalis). The work is published in the journal Quaternary Research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-extinct-ice-age-giants-bender.html Paleontology & Fossils Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news694775469 Hedgehogs, elephants, pangolins, bears or fennec foxes: many wild species are sold as pets, hunting trophies, for traditional medicine, biomedical research, or for their meat or fur. These practices, whether legal or illegal, concern one-quarter of all mammal species. Now a study conducted at the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Lausanne (Unil) quantifies the impact of wildlife trade on the exchange of germs and parasites between animals and humans. The work, titled "Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years," appears in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-wildlife-pathogen-transmission-years-spillover.html Ecology Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:08 EDT news694945081 A paleontologist from The University of Texas at Austin has discovered the fossilized remains of Ice Age animals that have never been found in Central Texas before—and he came across the bones while snorkeling for fossils in an underground stream. The new fossils are from a giant tortoise and an armadillo relative called a pampathere that was about the size of a lion. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ice-age-animals-slice-earth.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:20:03 EDT news693672121 Nanobodies—miniature proteins—derived from camel antibodies demonstrated powerful potential to accurately and safely deliver radioisotopes as specialized cancer treatments in a project at ORNL. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-tools-sharp-aim-nanobodies.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:40:07 EDT news692873685 When winter sets in and food becomes scarce, some mammals hibernate, entering a state of deep rest that slashes their energy needs and allows them to fast for months. However, fasting deprives them of essential nutrients, including carbon. Carbon, the building block of all life, normally comes from food. But hibernating animals take in no carbon, while their bodies keep releasing it through respiration, mostly as carbon dioxide. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-gut-microbes-secret-squirrel-hibernation.html Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:40:04 EDT news692524606 There is a long and storied history of nonhuman actors, from Luke, the dog of silent star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to the collies cast in the role of Lassie in film and on television. Bart the Bear racked up over 20 film and TV credits in the 1980s and 1990s, while countless horses have supported period dramas that now saturate streaming services. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-animals-future-hollywood.html Economics & Business Sat, 21 Feb 2026 13:30:03 EST news690808711 The fastest land animal in North America is the American pronghorn, and previously, researchers thought it evolved its speed because of pressure from the now-extinct American cheetah. But recently, that theory has come under fire. Now, a University of Michigan study examining fossilized ankle bones of ancient relatives of the American pronghorn has shown that the pronghorn was evolving to be faster more than 5 million years before the American cheetah appeared on the continent. The study is published in the Journal of Mammalogy. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ancient-american-pronghorns-built.html Evolution Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:48:38 EST news689341681 In a study published in the Journal of Historical Geography, researchers Dr. Chris McCarthy and his colleagues have documented, for the first time, the Great Mongolian Road, a major yet understudied east-west caravan route across Inner Asia. The study utilized maps, called gaihōzu, produced by the Japanese Imperial Army between 1873 and 1945, combined with field verification across 1,200 km of southern Mongolia, to determine their accuracy and document the various support systems available to camel caravans and merchants, which are vital for successful navigation and survival in these harsh arid landscapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-great-mongolian-road-japanese-imperial.html Archaeology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:30:01 EST news688647706 One llama is sprawled on the grass with its neck craned, basking in a patch of sunshine. Another stands on a dirt hill, ears flattened defiantly. A third rushes to greet visitors with a friendly nuzzle. This isn't a petting zoo. The furry beasts are in Belgium for work. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-llamas-big-pharma-secret-weapon.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:24:31 EST news688641841 A new study combines drone data, satellite observations, and ground-based flux measurements to examine methane emissions from ruminants in Kenya. The research represents a pioneering effort to quantify methane (CH₄) emissions from livestock using drones in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also among the first field studies to measure methane emissions from camels, a largely understudied source. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-drones-satellites-methane-emissions-ruminants.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:20:01 EST news688319329 You might think of Australia's arid center as a dry desert landscape devoid of aquatic life. But it's actually dotted with thousands of rock holes—natural rainwater reservoirs that act as little oases for tiny freshwater animals and plants when they hold water. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-weird-creatures-australia-holes-longer.html Plants & Animals Fri, 05 Dec 2025 07:06:32 EST news684140762 Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the East African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ethiopia-invasive-prosopis-tree-livelihoods.html Ecology Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:12:35 EST news682143148 Nanobodies—tiny proteins derived from animals in the camelid family including camels, llamas, and alpacas—could be useful in treating brain disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-nanobodies-camels-llamas-schizophrenia-alzheimer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:12 EST news681554941 "God, God, God, protect them," chanted two herders, their eyes following a dozen camels rushing toward acacia trees, oblivious to the dry riverbed in northern Kenya where it hasn't rained since April. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-camels-cows-kenya-drought.html Agriculture Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:41:37 EDT news681108092