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. 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 Every few years, the elders of Muluk, a tiny coastal community in Papua New Guinea, close a stretch of their reef to fishing. They do this to give these underwater gardens room to breathe, grow and replenish. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-conservationists-bright-globe.html Ecology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:20:01 EDT news710575802 For Dr. Jamaluddin Jompa, the ocean has never been simply a subject of scientific study. He was born in Takalar, a coastal region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and his connection with the sea was forged early. Witnessing the degradation of Indonesia's coastal waters made him wonder: What happens when the ecological relationships that sustain marine ecosystems begin to break down and, more importantly, can they be restored? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coral-reef-climate-resilience-indonesia.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news710518325 Thousands of meters below the waves off Australia's east coast, far beyond where sunlight can reach, a stunning light show takes place in the dark. The cause? Two species of long-legged creatures emitting a blue glow. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-legged-giants-deep-ocean.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:21 EDT news710495756 The idea that ecosystems carry plenty of backup, so if a small number of species become extinct there is little harm, has been greatly overestimated, according to the largest global study of its kind. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nature-capacity-species-lost-vastly.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news710437081 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 Researchers at the University of Galway in Ireland have found that venomous snakes are significantly more likely than nonvenomous species to have colors that stand out against their natural surroundings. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-danger-venomous-snakes.html Evolution Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:30:01 EDT news710409782 Extreme heat is putting pregnant mothers and their newborns at increasing risk, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell will warn on Monday. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-extreme-pregnant-women-newborns-climate.html Environment Mon, 05 Oct 2026 03:30:01 EDT news710386759 When you swim through the azure waters of the Great Barrier Reef, there is one creature on the seafloor that's almost impossible to miss: the giant clam. Its huge, fluted shell frames a soft mantle shimmering with electric blue, green and gold. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-giant-clam-monthbymonth-diary-great.html Ecology Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:00:01 EDT news709899071 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 In the first year of her doctoral research, Abigail Grassick collected hours of underwater video as she studied fish communities living on bommies—individual clumps of coral—on the seafloor off the coast of Curaçao. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sea-wildfin-aims-fish-behavior.html Plants & Animals Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:40:01 EDT news710071022 Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanity's great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life began here on Earth. Our research explores the conditions in which a mixture of molecules somehow transformed from chemistry into biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sugar-meteorites-survival-early-earth.html Astrobiology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:20:06 EDT news709980361 Spiny lobster larvae spend six to nine months drifting in the open ocean, feeding within the plankton community, before eventually settling into shallow-water habitats such as mangroves, seagrass beds or coral reefs. This means the number of young lobsters reaching Bermuda is strongly influenced by ocean conditions across the wider North Atlantic and Caribbean region. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-index-links-ocean-food-webs.html Ecology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:10:02 EDT news709917721 We have long known every tonne of carbon dioxide matters to the climate. But governments keep approving new fossil fuel projects—even as climate change worsens. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-coal-gas-oil-people-nature.html Environment Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:40:09 EDT news709897682 A team of African researchers has published the first comprehensive review of seagrass restoration activities across Africa's coastline. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-africa-seagrass-meadows.html Ecology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news709904809 Under a blazing sun, workers crouch on a shrinking island off India's southern coast, threading bright green seagrass shoots onto wooden frames before anchoring them to the ocean floor. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-india-corals-seagrass-shield-seas.html Ecology Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:20:02 EDT news709897658 Chemosynthetic bacteria have been documented in various marine environments and in association with invertebrate hosts such as annelid worms and mollusks, but their presence in fish appears to be a new discovery. The findings show that fish gills host a complex and specialized microbiome that is not yet well understood but could play an important role in fish metabolism, immunity and health. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dna-reveals-chemosynthesis-genes-bacteria.html Ecology Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:00:05 EDT news709473358 Curtin University scientists have uncovered an important missing piece in the puzzle of how some coral reefs can recover from climate events, providing information that could help guide future conservation and restoration efforts. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ningaloo-reef-corals-reveal-early.html Plants & Animals Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:00:21 EDT news709469161 Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are infamous in the marine world. Their toxin-loaded thorns give them a menacing appearance, and they have a reputation as destroyers of coral reefs. New research from the University of Sydney challenges the perception of COTS as purely destructive. The findings suggest controlled populations can have a positive impact on coral prevalence and diversity. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crown-thorns-starfish-reefs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:00:04 EDT news709302302 Scientists have conducted an unprecedented assessment of the seabed around the Isles of Scilly, revealing complex mosaics of sediment that support a wide range of habitat-building species. The research, led by the University of Plymouth, used a range of techniques to monitor sediments around the archipelago and explore the diversity of species living within them. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-seabed-surveys-isles-scilly-species.html Ecology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:00:10 EDT news709370581 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 The strengthening El Niño weather pattern has tied for the most intense on record on a widely used metric, a senior scientist told AFP on Monday, even as its influence is already being felt from Central America to Indonesia. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-el-nio-weather-pattern-territory.html Environment Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:40:01 EDT news709272943 Marine scientists have been amazed to discover an endangered sea cucumber can live for decades, with some animals living more than 100 years, in a first-of-its-kind genetic mark-recapture study. Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Senior Principal Research Scientist Dr. Sven Uthicke said the findings suggested black teatfish sea cucumber populations recover much more slowly than previously thought and that this had implications for commercial fishery catch limits. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-centenarian-sea-cucumbers-overfishing.html Ecology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:40:02 EDT news709216509 Seven breached Planetary Boundaries continue to worsen as record ocean heat, droughts, floods, wildfires and extreme heat reveal an Earth system under strain, according to the latest Planetary Health Check. The annual update is authored by more than 60 scientists and produced by the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). https://phys.org/news/2026-09-planetary-health-mounting-pressures-earth.html Earth Sciences Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:00:08 EDT news708957961 During routine beach litter surveys on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, researchers came across small, brightly colored specks in the pale coral rubble. Back at the lab, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed that these specks are, in fact, melted polymers from common household plastics that have seeped inseparably into the skeletal pores of the dead coral pieces. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plasticorals-coral-rubble-fused-plastic.html Ecology Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:02 EDT news708944281 President Donald Trump's administration will no longer treat the unintentional killing of protected wildlife as unlawful, officials confirmed Thursday, in a shift conservationists say could gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA). https://phys.org/news/2026-09-trump-administration-overhauls-key-endangered.html Ecology Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:40:04 EDT news708869005 It must be tough being a judge for the world's most prestigious environmental prize: Imagine having to choose between an ingenious machine that removes microplastics from a river in Europe or a company in East Africa that sells clean cookstoves through affordable weekly installments. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-earthshot-science-positive-environmental-unstoppable.html Environment Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:40:01 EDT news708771283 It's no secret that plastic and other human trash are a problem for marine life, but our understanding has long focused on the ocean's surface. As described in a study published in PLOS One, a more complete picture is coming into focus, revealing that even some of our planet's greatest depths have become home to our debris. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-deep-ocean-familiar-trash-plastic.html Environment Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:11 EDT news708680581 Within the next five years, global warming is set to breach the 1.5°C threshold at the heart of the 2015 Paris Agreement. This will have dire consequences, from rapidly melting ice sheets to ghostly white coral reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-australia-climate.html Environment Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:20:01 EDT news708611496