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. H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a dead dolphin in South Australia, state officials said Friday, the first case of its kind in the country. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bird-flu-dead-dolphin-south.html Ecology Fri, 28 Aug 2026 04:20:01 EDT news707108931 A new study by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers shows that nearly 23% of short-finned pilot whales that stranded over 13 years in the main Hawaiian Islands ingested several pounds of plastic ropes, netting, fishing gear and plastic bags discarded in the ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tangled-plastic-fishing-gear-whales.html Plants & Animals Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news706956718 Researchers at the University of St Andrews have gained unprecedented insight into marine mammal behavior when they become tangled in fishing nets. In a paper published Aug. 26 in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from the Sea Mammal Research Unit and Scottish Oceans Institute at St Andrews discovered that their passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems, deployed on a gill net, had unintentionally recorded a bycatch event. This is thought to be the first time this kind of recording has taken place in such detail. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-porpoise-entanglement-real-revealing.html Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news706808402 The reproductive life of sea cucumbers has come under the microscope as University of the Sunshine Coast researchers battle overfishing of the marine creatures. Sea cucumbers—which can spawn by wobbling their heads and ejecting reproductive cells—are of particular interest to Center for Bioinnovation Ph.D. student Paul Wright. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sea-cucumber-clues-rebuild-populations.html Plants & Animals Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news706339381 For dolphins, the ocean is a world of sound. Their whistles carry social information, helping them communicate and stay connected, while echolocation—rapid-fire clicks—functions like underwater sonar, helping them navigate their surroundings and detect potential prey. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-snooping-dolphins-acoustic-clues-hotspots.html Plants & Animals Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:40:07 EDT news706263421 "WHALE AT ONE O'CLOCK!" Eager cruise passengers zipping around New York's southern shores rush to the starboard bow: A humpback whale is up for air, a breathtaking sighting set against Manhattan's iconic skyline. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-whales-joy-york-threats-boat.html Ecology Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:50:03 EDT news706245197 Four more belugas have arrived at a Chicago aquarium as part of a plan to move Canada's last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park to aquariums in the United States and Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-belugas-chicago-aquarium-shuttered-canadian.html Ecology Sat, 15 Aug 2026 07:40:02 EDT news705983202 Fishing nets remain the most common cause of death among common dolphins that strand on Cornwall's coast, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fishing-nets-main-death-cornwall.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:02 EDT news705839408 From spears and the invention of the wheel to smartphones and robots, human societies have been building and using tools from the beginning. Human tool use has helped conquer new environments, increase communication and ultimately alter the course of human evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dolphins-tools-fish-mothers.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news705662221 Hong Kong's weather observatory posted a record high temperature of 36.9°C (98°F) on Sunday as Typhoon Dolphin swept warm air over the city, the meteorological service said. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hong-kong-weather-observatory-high.html Environment Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:53:13 EDT news705505970 Australia is now confronting an outbreak of a deadly bird flu strain. As of Monday, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus had been detected in 78 wild birds across mainland Australia. Until now, there had been no evidence of a large-scale outbreak. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bird-flu-decimated-south-america.html Ecology Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:20:02 EDT news705136142 Risso's dolphins around the British Isles are part of a single population—genetically distinct from those elsewhere in the Atlantic, new research shows. Scientists studied the DNA of dolphins that stranded in England, Scotland and Wales from 1992 to 2016. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-analysis-distinct-risso-dolphin.html Plants & Animals Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news704971621 Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests. For the first time, researchers discovered a way to recreate these powerful compounds in the lab, helping lead the way to improved, naturally sourced therapeutics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-deadly-blooms-genetic-blueprint-hard.html Agriculture Sat, 01 Aug 2026 07:00:06 EDT news704728495 Offshore Northwest reefs Rankin Bank and Glomar Shoal are remote and little known, but Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) researchers are using technology and people power to help us understand them better. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-australia-remote-northwest-reefs-indigenous.html Ecology Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:20:04 EDT news704609281 An ancient marine 'crime scene' discovered near Richmond captures the world first evidence of a flying reptile being eaten by a sea monster… before that predator became dinner itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bag-bones-rare-tier-prehistoric.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:40:06 EDT news704476081 On a boat off the coast of California, Sara Lesser gazes wistfully at dozens of dolphins playing in the vessel's wake. This summer, extreme heat is making such a scene increasingly rare. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-whales-hungry-pelicans-marine-california.html Ecology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 03:00:04 EDT news704339408 Humans are not the only animals that communicate. Birds sing to attract mates, dolphins use signature whistles that identify individuals, and many primates produce complex vocalizations that help them coordinate their social lives. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-differences-human-great-ape-laughter.html Evolution Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:20:03 EDT news704101621 Research on Southwest Florida cyanobacterial blooms shows that the toxins they produce are aerosolized and potentially inhaled by people far from contaminated water bodies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-florida-bloom-toxins-air-inhalation.html Environment Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news703499108 Ireland's waters continue to provide an important seasonal refuge for the endangered basking shark, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-century-sightings-reveals-ireland-haven.html Plants & Animals Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:04 EDT news703420137 When residents of two coastal communities along the Sea of Japan reported observing dolphins in nearby waters, it caught the attention of some scientists. The marine environment has been changing rapidly in the Sea of Japan, which is partially enclosed by the Japanese archipelago and the Eurasian continent and connected to the ocean through shallow straits. Though dolphin sightings and bycatch records have been reported along the coast, basic ecological information on small odontocetes, such as dolphins and porpoises, has remained limited. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-underwater-microphones-dolphins-sea-japan.html Ecology Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:00:03 EDT news703229749 Around 1,800 years ago, a fossilized spinal bone lay on the windswept beaches of Roman Britain until a curious passerby picked it up and carried it far away, only to drop it in a pit. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-oldest-deliberately-fossil-ichthyosaur-roman.html Archaeology Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:40:01 EDT news702628012 Unexpectedly low calf numbers within the spinner dolphin population off Hawaiʻi Island were revealed in a study led by scientists with the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, along with national and international collaborators. Their research, published in Endangered Species Research, determined that calves make up only about 9% of the population, a stark contrast to the 17% expected in a healthy, stable population, raising urgent concerns about the long-term survival of this isolated population. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hawaii-island-spinner-dolphins-calves.html Ecology Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:20:05 EDT news702625382 The evolutionary paths that created snatching forelimbs in insects multiple times moved in a similar direction but didn't end at a single solution. Kobe University research is pioneering a study of how organs with similar functions evolve, providing a new analytical approach to identify evolutionary dynamics quantitatively. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-raptorial-insect-forelegs-evolved-converged.html Evolution Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news702538089 If you stand on one of Australia's southern shorelines at this time of year, you might be lucky enough to spot a southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) swimming in the shallow waters. These ocean giants have migrated from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica to breed, give birth and rest. If you're really lucky, you may even see one of them resting upside down. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-upsidedown-whales-sick-theyre-resting.html Plants & Animals Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:20:03 EDT news702550681 Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are spending much of their time following trawlers to scavenge for food, scientists say. The Adriatic seabed has been plowed by bottom trawlers for decades, resulting in ecosystem damage. Many apex predators are no longer present there. Only bottlenose dolphins are left, and the frequency of their presence around fishing trawlers—up to 76% of the trawlers inspected by scientists off Marche, Italy, were followed by dolphins—suggests they may be struggling to hunt normally. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bottlenose-dolphins-adriatic-sea-heavily.html Plants & Animals Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:01 EDT news702201181 Newcastle University researchers have demonstrated that plastic bottles attached to fishing nets can help dolphins detect and avoid being caught and killed in the deadly gear. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-discarded-plastic-bottles-dolphins-fishing.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news702217487 An international team of researchers have published a new review in Animal Behavior revealing how communication enables cooperation between different animal species. The review, titled "The ecology and evolution of cues and signals in animal interspecies cooperation," highlights how movements, visual displays, calls, and other behavioral cues and signals help partners coordinate interactions and align interests across species boundaries. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-animals-communicate-species-boundaries.html Plants & Animals Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news701079434 Whales and dolphins inhabit some of the largest and seemingly most pristine environments on Earth, from tropical coastlines to Antarctic waters. Yet even they cannot escape PFAS—persistent "forever chemicals" that leak from our homes, factories and waterways into the sea. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chemicals-dolphins-whales-globally.html Ecology Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:40:01 EDT news700910102 When female bottlenose dolphins want to avoid males known for pushy mating behaviors, they listen out for their unique signature whistles. That's the suggestion of a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that tracked a population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dolphins-troublesome-males.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:20:02 EDT news700831986 In the crystalline waters off Kenya's coast, coral reefs are thriving—evidence of a rare good-news story in the battle to protect oceans from the ravages of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-global-reveals-coral-reefs-resist.html Ecology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:09:35 EDT news700801709