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. A new Australian study has found that feeding zoo-housed lions whole-animal carcasses on a feast-and-fast schedule encourages behaviors more closely aligned with those seen in the wild. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-zoo-housed-lions-wild-style.html Plants & Animals Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:40:20 EDT news705229921 Living among large predatory carnivores could actually make you safer. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that pumas—wild cats also known as mountain lions, cougars or panthers—change deer behavior, leading to fewer collisions with cars on roadways. In areas where puma occupancy is high, the authors report a significant reduction in the total expected number of collisions over a 5-year period. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pumas-roads-safer-drivers-prey.html Plants & Animals Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:11 EDT news705059578 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 Three lions at a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke, and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, with the big cats struggling with high humidity. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-heatstroke-lions-japan-zoo.html Environment Tue, 04 Aug 2026 02:46:22 EDT news705030345 A microscopic predator may offer a new way to protect some of the Caribbean's most endangered corals. Georgia Tech researchers found that tiny predatory bacteria can halt the spread of a destructive coral disease by hunting and consuming pathogens responsible for the infection. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-predatory-bacteria-endangered-caribbean.html Ecology Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news704980562 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 Excavations at Hohle Fels Cave in the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Swabian Jura in southwestern Germany have again yielded two spectacular 40,000-year-old depictions of birds carved from mammoth ivory. The two figurines are the smallest discovered so far and are the size of a thumbnail, while still including many details. These remarkable finds come from the rich Aurignacian layers at Hohle Fels, which have produced some of the oldest figurative art known and date to the initial arrival of modern humans in the Upper Danube region. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ice-age-artists-thumbnail-size.html Archaeology Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:40:01 EDT news704550903 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 Dozens of archaeological sites were destroyed by looting during Syria's civil war, which began in 2011 and lasted until 2024. Because the last comprehensive analysis was published in 2017, the extent of more recent damage to cultural heritage sites since 2016—including at UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Palmyra, long-running archaeological excavations like Mari, and the ancient Roman city of Apamea, known for its Great Colonnade—has been largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-syria-ancient-sites-widespread-looting.html Archaeology Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news704032741 Postdoctoral researcher Renato Borras-Chavez's area of study—pinnipeds in the Southern Ocean—often takes him far from the University of Rhode Island campus. Now, the researcher in Sarah Kienle's CEAL Lab is sharing more about declining populations of certain seals and will present on the topic at the SCAR Open Science Conference in Oslo, Norway, this August. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-vulnerable-southern-ocean-species.html Ecology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:40:09 EDT news703772761 Archaeologists have uncovered a rare and intricate polychrome mosaic within the remains of a Roman villa beneath Devon farmland. Made up of thousands of red, white and dark blue-gray cubes, the 12 m2 (129 square feet) mosaic would have been a striking decorative floor feature in the villa when it was likely installed sometime in the 4th century A.D. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-archaeological-reveals-full-extent-roman.html Archaeology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:20:01 EDT news703759561 Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that tiny photosynthetic bacteria band together into protective "herds" when attacked by predators—a survival strategy that could also influence how carbon is stored in the world's waters. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bacteria-herds-survive-predators-fresh.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:20:04 EDT news703340944 Space and rockets have been big news of late, from the successful Artemis 2 mission in April to the recent listing of SpaceX on the Nasdaq stock exchange. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rocket-threaten-australia-coastal-wildlife.html Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:00:01 EDT news702639260 When trying to attract and recognize potential mates, animals are known to rely on various signals, traits and behaviors. In the case of birds, these signals can typically include a wide range of sounds—such as trills, whistles, chirps or melodious notes defined as "songs"—as well as the color and movement of their feathers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-songs-play-greater-role-plumage.html Evolution Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:20:04 EDT news702042111 Vision shapes how many animals find food, avoid danger and navigate their world. In animals with two eyes, eye placement is often linked to lifestyle: predators such as lions tend to have forward-facing eyes that help them judge distance, while prey animals such as deer typically have eyes positioned on the sides of the head, providing a wider view of their surroundings. Eye placement can reveal much about ecology, yet most of what we know comes from animals with only two eyes. Spiders present a fascinating challenge to this picture. Most species possess eight eyes, arranged in remarkably diverse configurations, raising the question of how these patterns relate to hunting strategy. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-behavior-evolution-spider-eye.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news702216541 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 A new generation of lion collars in Tanzania's Serengeti shows that human-wildlife encounters are becoming increasingly common. Researchers from Leiden University are working with local wildlife organizations and technology partner Smart Parks for wildlife monitoring to better map these interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-smart-lion-collar-tanzania.html Ecology Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news701603310 Data spanning nearly half a century shows that endangered southern resident killer whales are spending less time in inland waters, whereas their larger cousins, Bigg's killer whales, are increasingly present in Puget Sound. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-decades-dataset-orcas-home-puget.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news701422585 On a remote beach near Esperance, Western Australia, two sick seabirds have brought the bird flu crisis to Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-australia-h5n1-cases-wild-birds.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 22 Jun 2026 07:40:02 EDT news701330882 As humans, we live out our lives on a planet that is constantly sweeping through a cosmic ocean littered with ancient debris from the formation of the solar system. For the most part, our world glides silently through space, shielded by Earth's thin atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sonic-booms-meteors-energy-hundreds.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:30:01 EDT news700747537 Scientists have detected the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia for the first time, the country's agriculture minister said Saturday, meaning the highly contagious variant has now spread to every continent. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-australia-case-contagious-h5-bird.html Veterinary medicine Sat, 20 Jun 2026 02:55:27 EDT news701142893 If you've noticed more whales visiting local waters, you're not imagining it: Vancouver's gargantuan guests are here thanks to the season, great grub and conservation successes, researchers say. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-whales-vancouver-legally.html Plants & Animals Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news700931574 There is a more than 60% chance that a "super" El Niño will develop by the end of this year. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-super-el-nio-power-devastate.html Plants & Animals Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:40:08 EDT news700920662 Big cats have a big impact. A long-term study showed that when mountain lions began regular visits to a small suburban preserve about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of San Francisco, they changed the behavior of many other animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mountain-lions-major-ecological-impact.html Plants & Animals Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:40:04 EDT news700907762 California's iconic Santa Cruz Mountains are an outdoor recreation wonderland. With a world-class network of hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails, they draw millions of visitors each year from neighboring Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-santa-cruz-trail-reveals-mountain.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:10:03 EDT news700846801 A new fluorescent reporter capable of visualizing biologically active iron and oxygen inside living cells at single-cell resolution has been developed, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Using this new tool, they revealed striking differences in the distribution of iron and oxygen across organs and even between neighboring cells of the same type. This innovation could serve as a platform for studying cancer, liver diseases, neurodegeneration and aging. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lion-fluorescent-molecule-tracks-iron.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:30:01 EDT news700841341 It's the time of year when parents are thinking of registering their children for kindergarten in September—a much-anticipated moment in the lives of many parents and their young ones. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ways-kindergarten-lays-foundation-lifelong.html Social Sciences Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:01 EDT news700812001 Most people have experienced a heat wave on land. But heat waves can strike in the ocean too. And as the planet continues to warm, marine heat waves are growing longer and deadlier, hurting the seafood supply that billions of people worldwide rely on for their food and livelihoods. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-solar-geoengineering-shield-oceans.html Earth Sciences Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news700413636 Our relationships with wildlife are dynamic. They can change rapidly and unexpectedly. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sharks-hunters-tourists-wildlifehuman-interactions.html Ecology Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT news700398601 When kids watch cartoons, they're absorbing much more than a plot. Thanks to the use of foreign accents in shows, they're also learning a shorthand for moral character, new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cartoon-villains-accent-reveals-impact.html Social Sciences Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news700308722