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. Giant manta rays can grow up to nine meters (30 feet) long with a disk size of seven meters (23 feet) across and weigh up to 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds). This size leaves them with very few natural enemies once they reach adulthood at around eight to 10 years old. But giant manta ray babies, called pups, cannot rely on their size to protect them from predators that live in the open ocean, including several species of shark and orcas. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-baby-manta-rays-hunker-coasts.html Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:01 EDT news711799141 A patrol boat off the coast of Gabon intercepted three trawlers in July 2026, inside the Grand Sud Reserve. This is one of West and Central Africa's largest marine reserves, where industrial trawling is banned. None of the trawlers held a valid license. The patrol found them because analysts at the nonprofit Global Fishing Watch had studied satellite data and worked out where to look. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-illegal-fishing-african-satellite.html Ecology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:40:07 EDT news711797621 Small fish such as sardinella are an affordable source of protein and essential nutrients for millions of people across West Africa. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wild-fish-precious-resource-aquaculture.html Agriculture Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:20:26 EDT news711797534 The glacial Arctic Ocean was not a barren ice desert but a breeding ground for the evolution of cold adaptation in marine fish. This is the main conclusion of a new scientific publication from Stockholm University that examines small fish bones found in deep-sea sediments during an expedition aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ancient-fish-bones-reveal-arctic.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news711803702 New research suggests the same personality traits associated with toxic corporate leaders today may have been present at the very birth of global capitalism 400 years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-world-corporate-psychopath.html Economics & Business Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:40:06 EDT news711796285 Less favorable ocean conditions mean marbled murrelet chicks take longer to leave the nest, making them more vulnerable to predation, according to a new study of the Pacific Northwest seabird by Oregon State University scientists. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-poor-ocean-conditions-murrelet-chicks.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:10:01 EDT news711805021 A shark that has become a viral sensation in South Korea was coaxed out of a canal in which it was stuck, authorities said on Wednesday, as falling temperatures raised concerns for its survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-south-korea-crowd-shark-canal.html Ecology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:06 EDT news711794245 Sitting in his narrow dugout canoe, Jean-Romeo Senguemboli frowned at the meager catch in his nets on the Central African Republic's Mbali River, where experts say deforestation is devastating the fish population. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fishing-terrible-deforestation-devastates-central.html Ecology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:40:06 EDT news711794221 South Korean authorities began a new attempt Wednesday to coax a shark-turned-viral sensation back to sea, with falling temperatures in the Busan canal where it is stranded raising concerns for its survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-south-korea-crowd-shark-sea.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:40:01 EDT news711777471 Volunteer researcher Chris Hopper, JCU's adjunct professor Eric Wolanski and independent researcher Natalie K. Dowling examined the impact of saltwater and erosion on Horseshoe Bay Lagoon, a freshwater lagoon and one of the few swamps with bulkuru sedge—also known as water chestnut—on the Magnetic Island (Yunbenun). The study is published in the journal Applied Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-major-horseshoe-bay-lagoon.html Ecology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 21:20:01 EDT news711719671 Late last year, scientists in Germany published findings on a World War II munitions dump in the Baltic Sea. Some may dismiss the dump as hazardous waste, but to marine biologists it was something far more exciting: a thriving ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-shipwrecks-reefs-hidden-toxic.html Ecology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:40:12 EDT news711718819 Green sawfish, distinguished by their long, sharklike bodies and tooth-lined "saw" on the front of their heads, are on the verge of extinction, largely due to overfishing and habitat loss. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-northern-australia-lifeboat-critically-endangered.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news711718261 Male seahorses, fishes that belong to the Syngnathidae family, show a distinctive reproductive strategy in which males carry developing embryos in a brood pouch. Their most distinctive feature is the brood pouch on the ventral side of the male fish, into which the female fish transfers her eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-male-seahorse-pouch-proteins-toxic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:40:02 EDT news711726601 For scientists studying the ocean, finding the right data can sometimes be as challenging as figuring out what to do with it. Want to know seafloor depth, the location of underwater mountains or sea surface temperatures? The information exists, but it can take considerable time and computer coding to pull it together from different sources and get it into the proper format. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-seafloor-depths-fishing-free-software.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:40:12 EDT news711719279 Fishers in the Northeast began noticing an unusual shift in the summer of 2023. Some familiar catches, including shortfin and longfin squid, declined, while cold-water species such as mackerel bounced back from years of decline. A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans finds that a pulse of cold, fresh water brought unusually cold conditions to the region, disrupting fisheries from New England to the Mid-Atlantic. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cold-pulse-northwest-atlantic-reshaped.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:40:15 EDT news711718141 Plastics are accumulating in ecosystems around the world, and their tiny fragments can collect and carry chemical pollutants and pathogens into plants, animals and people. When fishermen in Cambodia's Mekong River became alarmed about the amounts of plastic they were hauling up with each catch, they reached out to scientists for help. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-limited-rural-communities-linked-high.html Environment Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:10:11 EDT news711726301 It is a dietary staple found in sushi, rice wraps and ramen toppings. Commonly known as nori in Japan and gim in Korea, red seaweed is especially popular across Asia. Yet, despite its widespread consumption, many of its nutritional benefits remain poorly understood. Now, research led by Hokkaido University scientists has discovered that digestion of a particular red alga releases a peptide, or a small fragment of protein, with potential benefits for blood glucose control and diabetes prevention. The study was published in Food Bioscience. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-blood-sugarregulating-compound-red.html Biotechnology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:40:14 EDT news711708140 In a new Nature Physics study, researchers found that fin regrowth in zebrafish is driven by a brief burst of growth signal at the fin tip, sized to the amount lost, which sets up gradients of Erk activity that guide the regrowth. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-regrowth-erk-gradients-zebrafish-fins.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:40:15 EDT news711626822 As concerns about farmer mental health continue to grow, agricultural researchers are compiling more data on the complex nature of suicide awareness among those who may be able to offer help. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-suicide-awareness-agricultural.html Social Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:20:06 EDT news711692472 In a deep, dark part of the Gulf of Mexico, the number of marine animals plummeted by about 60% in the years following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, a new study found. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-marine-life-declined-gulf-mexico.html Ecology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 05:39:07 EDT news711693484 Much is being made of a record-strength El Niño event that could well spell a drier, windier summer for the north and east of New Zealand. But, as a major new assessment shows, it is forming against a backdrop of warming that's pushed the country's climate into "uncharted territory." https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nz-climate-uncharted-territory-extreme.html Environment Mon, 19 Oct 2026 23:00:01 EDT news711621363 Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest that an average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in the Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2026. Striped bass are an important top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers. The 2026 year class, representing fish hatched this spring, will reach fishable sizes in three to four years. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-juvenile-striped-bass-average-abundance.html Ecology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 22:20:01 EDT news711639921 Birds play an outsized, underappreciated role in shaping Earth's chemistry, distributing nutrients across oceans, forests and coral reefs and sustaining life far beyond the nest. Researchers from Cornell and five other institutions reviewed nearly 400 scientific papers to show how birds transport nutrients from land, lake and sea through their waste and bodies. This influences everything from soil and water chemistry to plant and animal growth. The work was published Oct. 19 in Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-birds-earth-important-nutrient-movers.html Ecology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:00:01 EDT news711633552 They can turn up in a nonstick frying pan, a waterproof jacket, a takeout food wrapper or the foam used to fight fires. Known as "forever chemicals," these substances are ubiquitous in modern society, prized for their extreme durability and versatility. However, their charm comes with a curse: They are so durable they resist degradation, posing threats to human health and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hunter-killer-chemistry-captures-destroys.html Polymers Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:00:06 EDT news711620341 During the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel declined dramatically. Many view the disruption as a potential tipping point for reducing emissions from the aviation sector. However, once travel restrictions were lifted, passenger traffic quickly rebounded to prepandemic levels and, in many regions, even surpassed them. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-social-norms-infrastructure-climate-transitions.html Environment Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:20:01 EDT news711628141 Paired appendages—the pectoral and pelvic fins of fishes and the forelimbs and hindlimbs of tetrapods—were a major innovation in vertebrate evolution. Their emergence greatly expanded the ways vertebrates could move through their environments and ultimately provided the developmental foundation for the evolution of limbs. Yet how the genetic system responsible for building paired appendages was assembled during evolution remains an unresolved question. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ancient-hox-code-reveals-developmental.html Evolution Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:00:22 EDT news711619981 Juan Mayorga smiled as a stingray glided across his computer screen, moving gracefully over the seabed near Portugal's Desertas Islands, part of the Madeira archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-front-line-ocean-portugal-madeira.html Ecology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:40:01 EDT news711601036 The European rabbit is a common sight in the British countryside today. Yet it was not always so. They are not native to the British Isles and are one of the most devastating invasive species. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rabbits-medieval-royal-luxury-england.html Archaeology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:40:06 EDT news711371644 In Philadelphia and many urban areas across the U.S. with sewer systems dating back to the 1800s, more frequent flooding is posing a threat not only to people and property but also to surrounding ecosystems. In these areas, stormwater and sewage drain into the same pipes, which are designed to spill into nearby waterways when flooding occurs rather than inundating streets. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-combined-sewer-affect-quality-philadelphia.html Environment Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:00:09 EDT news711356157 For more than 20 years, Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA) has protected wildlife that are at risk of being lost from Canadian lands and waters. Once a species is listed as extirpated, endangered or threatened under the act, it becomes illegal to kill, harm or capture it or damage its residences. Its critical habitat must also be protected, at least on federal land. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-endangered-species-canada-extensive-delays.html Ecology Thu, 15 Oct 2026 23:00:02 EDT news711297911