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. Governments around the world conserve plants and animals in part by setting aside land. Whether as wilderness reserves or as resource management zones that allow industrial activities such as logging, 17.4% of the planet's land offers some measure of protection. These protected areas overlap with one-fifth, on average, of the range of Earth's terrestrial mammals. But beneath these parched deserts, dark forests, and rolling grasslands is an invisible world that keeps these aboveground places healthy. And we're not protecting that world much at all. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-areas-wildlife-soil-fungi.html Ecology Tue, 19 May 2026 17:40:03 EDT news698424721 Intensive agriculture poses a significant threat to global biodiversity. However, one aspect of biodiversity in farmland is little studied: algae. Most people have seen algae growing in streams, lakes or the sea. However, algae have also adapted to survive in drier, harsher conditions on land. In fact, soil algae are thought to be responsible for about 6% of the vegetation production on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-algae-diversity-emerges-wheat.html Ecology Mon, 18 May 2026 21:40:04 EDT news698339868 Playing a virtual reality game in which the player takes on the role of the zombie fungus Ophiocordyceps increases the players' understanding of how evolution works. Last summer, Utrecht University zombie ant researchers William Beckerson, Maite Goebbels and Charissa de Bekker invited visitors to the University Museum Utrecht to play the virtual reality game Zombie Ants VR: Definitive Edition. Comparisons between questionnaires completed before and after the game suggest that playing the game made the players more aware of how natural selection operates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-virtual-reality-game-zombie-ants.html Education Mon, 18 May 2026 20:40:01 EDT news698315471 In western Colorado, home to the treasured Palisade peach, cytospora canker is one of the most economically consequential fungal diseases faced by growers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fungal-disease-climate-threaten-colorado.html Agriculture Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:03 EDT news698321881 Long-term climate warming is causing a bleaching effect in a key Arctic lichen species, according to new research led by researchers in the School of GeoSciences and British Antarctic Survey. Their study shows how rising temperatures are disrupting one of the Arctic's most important and widespread organisms, with potential consequences for fragile tundra ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-climate-key-arctic-lichen.html Ecology Fri, 15 May 2026 13:20:03 EDT news698068502 Can we have higher yields and better taste? Using a natural extract from the fungus Pseudozyma aphidis, this method improves the firmness and natural sugar content of crops like tomatoes and melons while significantly boosting production. This discovery offers a practical path to meeting global food demands without compromising the health of the planet or produce quality. Furthermore, because the approach uses stable microbial secretions instead of live cultures, it ensures consistent and reliable performance across various agricultural environments and climates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fungus-powered-farming-higher-yields.html Biotechnology Wed, 13 May 2026 16:04:41 EDT news697907041 As married research professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dustin Gilbert and Anne Murray often discuss their work once they get home each night. Their fields of study rarely crossover. That changed six years ago, however, and it was insects that sparked the intersection. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bee-magnetism-widespread-species.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 12:27:47 EDT news697894022 It's a tough world for microbes. When resources grow limited and environments worsen, microbes have figured out ways to hunker down and go dormant until conditions improve. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-snor-protein-dormant-cells-resume.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:15 EDT news697824121 Describing new species can take decades. But scientists are working to identify new ways to speed up our understanding of this hidden biodiversity. By looking at the genetic data of thousands of beetle species, our researchers are able to reveal the true breadth of tropical ground beetles in a move that could help save their rainforest homes. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-world-beetles-rainforest.html Ecology Wed, 13 May 2026 08:36:50 EDT news697880162 Innovators who are working on ways to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to fight climate change are having a tough time lately. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-deepocean-climate-rare-epa-sea.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 14:20:05 EDT news697809121 On the western side of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, sits Myuna Bay, a quiet bay with meadows of seagrass waving beneath the water. The most common marine plant species you find there is Zostera muelleri. It has long ribbon-like leaves that grow from stems (called rhizomes) buried beneath the sediment and provides important shelter for small fish, shrimp and crabs. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-beneath-seagrass-meadows-shift-seas.html Environment Sun, 10 May 2026 18:30:01 EDT news697284763 A single scoop of water from an Irish river has revealed evidence not only of Ireland's only frog species—as expected—but also signs of the dreaded B. dendrobatidis fungus, marking the first time this devastating amphibian disease has been spotted in the country and exposing a previously unknown risk to Ireland's frog population. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-river-dna-track-fish-frogs.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 09 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news697300018 Pesky pests can wreak havoc on plants by chewing leaves, boring into stems, and sucking sap from trees. Beyond the direct damage, they also spread harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can infect and ultimately kill the crops. Every year, these destructive invaders are responsible for the loss of nearly 40% of global agricultural production. A friendly group of fungi, the Hypocreales, form symbiotic relations with plants and naturally protect them by antagonizing pests, acting as their personal biocontrol. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-fungi-secret-chemistry-greener.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 May 2026 13:20:04 EDT news697363290 The bacterium Segatella copri is one of the most common inhabitants of the human gut. In their latest study, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have discovered that some strains of this bacterial species possess genetic bonus material that makes them more oxygen-tolerant. The presence of the molecular regulator OxyR is crucial for this. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-genetic-bonus-material-boosts-gut.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 06 May 2026 17:40:08 EDT news697291861 La Trobe scientists have made a pivotal discovery in the fight against dangerous drug-resistant bacteria, as the University launches a major research initiative focused on new ways to target antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The findings have been published in Communications Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bacterial-protein-path-drug-resistant.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 06 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news697287722 New research into plant-based food and drinks has found a prevalence of mycotoxins—naturally occurring poisonous compounds produced by fungi—in hundreds of vegetarian and vegan products. A total of 212 plant-based meat alternatives (PMBAs) and plant-based beverages (PBBs) from UK shelves were tested—and all of them contained at least one of 19 mycotoxins, with multiple products containing more than one. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-based-meat-alternatives-mycotoxins.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 05 May 2026 17:40:03 EDT news697203121 The mountains of Mexico and Central America harbor some of the greatest biodiversity of oak trees worldwide, and a landmark study conducted by The Morton Arboretum with U.S. and Mexican collaborators provides the most definitive answer to date as to why. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mountain-forests-mexico-central-america.html Evolution Tue, 05 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news697190882 Every year, millions suffer, and thousands lose their lives to infections that were once easily treatable with the right dose of medication. The drugs are the same; human physiology is the same; the only difference is that microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, have now developed resistance to drugs designed to kill them. This phenomenon, known as antimicrobial resistance, is rapidly rising, ringing sirens for emergency action across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-temperatures-antibiotic-resistance-soil-year.html Ecology Sun, 03 May 2026 13:10:01 EDT news696502532 An international research team led by Cologne-based plant scientist Professor Dr. Bart Thomma from the Institute for Plant Sciences, the Collaborative Research Center MiBiNet and the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences has discovered the surprising evolutionary origin of fungal effector proteins: molecules that pathogens use today to infect their hosts appear to have evolved from ancient antimicrobial proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fungi-ancient-antimicrobial-proteins-hosts.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:40:07 EDT news696770581 A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of the pink trumpet tree (Handroanthus avellanedae) by up to 55% and 88%, respectively. This tree also occurs in the Atlantic Forest. The research is published in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-soil-fertilization-amazonian-dark-earth.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:40:06 EDT news696612241 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 Researchers have developed a powerful new tool that can track how microbes spread between people with unprecedented precision, offering new ways to prevent infections and improve treatments in the future. The research, published April 24 in Nature Microbiology, describes how the new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), uses genomics to distinguish between closely related strains of microbes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-genomic-tool-untangles-microbes-identical.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news696249361 New research shows that lower-intensity management of coconut palm plantations can sustain, or even increase, crop yields while improving soil health. The new approach, published in Plants, People, Planet, reduces harmful pathogens and promotes beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, providing a practical model for more sustainable tropical agriculture. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-intensity-coconut-farming-boosts-yields.html Agriculture Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:07 EDT news696242522 Serious fungal infections are on the rise, and many hospital-acquired cases are becoming harder to treat as fungi become resistant to available medications. One of the most widely used therapies, caspofungin, combats Candida infections that can turn deadly in people with weakened immune systems. Despite the drug's importance, scientists have never fully understood how it works at the molecular level—or why it sometimes stops working. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-widely-antifungal-drug-enzyme.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:40:09 EDT news696170521 Reed, an invasive alien plant that is abundant on the banks of many rivers, ponds and canals, can encourage the growth of common mosquito populations in the absence of natural predators. When the plant's litter accumulates, the chemical properties of the water and the composition of the biological communities in the environment change radically, and this facilitates the development of mosquito larvae in freshwater ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-reeds-boost-mosquito-rivers-ponds.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:40:01 EDT news696179101 Trichoderma species—a common fungus found in soils—have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-common-soil-fungus-pesticide-tomatoes.html Ecology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:00:03 EDT news696166261 Scientists in Sweden have taken an important step toward fighting potato late blight, a plant disease that once triggered a historic famine in Ireland and now threatens to spread globally due to climate change. A new study reports the synthesis of a peptide that specifically attacks Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans) to protect potato and tomato crops—without harm to other plants. The work was carried out by researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in collaboration with research partners in Italy, India and Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-peptide-synthesis-global-potato-pathogen.html Agriculture Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:20:01 EDT news696086337 Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global burden in human health and food production, so affordable new materials are needed to overcome this growing problem. To answer the call, a multidisciplinary research team led by Flinders University with U.K. experts has discovered a novel solution for safe and effective use in antimicrobial and antifungal applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-breakthrough-sulfur-polymer-dangerous-fungi.html Polymers Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:13 EDT news695986546 A prototype shoe made entirely from pure mycelium, the root-like network of fungi, will debut at Milan Design Week. The project is a collaboration between researcher and designer Lars Dittrich of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and head shoemaker Marie De Ryck at La Monnaie/De Munt. It reframes how living materials enter application, moving beyond substitution toward a model in which design mediates between advanced biomaterials research and the demands of traditional craft. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pure-mycelium-debuts-milan-fungal.html Biochemistry Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:20:07 EDT news695906161 Imagine ordering a truffle dish in a fancy restaurant, and you might picture pricey gourmet mushrooms from France or Italy. But recent decades have seen an upstart on the truffle scene. Today, one of the world's largest producers of some of the most prized truffles, known as French black or Périgord truffles (Tuber melanosporum), isn't in the Northern Hemisphere at all—it's Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-australia-truffle-industry-owe-success.html Ecology Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:40:05 EDT news695903931