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 wayward shark has become an unlikely celebrity in South Korea, drawing massive crowds, earning plaudits from the local mayor and even moving the stock market. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-lost-shark-viral-star-south.html Ecology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:35:03 EDT news709983257 A pair of exceptionally rare Cretaceous bird bones found at separate sites near Richmond, Queensland, reveal a previously unknown species—the second formally named Cretaceous bird from Australia. Cretaceous bird fossils are extremely scarce in Australia, with fewer than a dozen isolated bones reported, making these finds especially significant. The research is published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ancient-bird-australian-species-cretaceous.html Plants & Animals Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:40:10 EDT news709891864 Biscayne Bay has been designated an Important Shark and Ray Area, recognizing the heavily urbanized estuary as essential habitat for nine shark and two ray species, including threatened and endangered species. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biscayne-bay-essential-habitat-sharks.html Ecology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:40:06 EDT news709794121 Sound travels through the ocean carrying clues about potential prey, predators and other animals, giving sharks an important way to detect what they cannot yet see. But exactly how far a free-swimming shark can hear a sound—and whether it can determine where that sound is coming from—has remained largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sharks-feet-source.html Plants & Animals Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:40:01 EDT news709463461 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 Tiny plantlike organisms called phytoplankton that form the base of marine food webs topped by orcas, whales and sharks usually get eaten or slowly sink to the seafloor, carrying carbon as they go. Across most of the ocean, the descent from sunlit surface layers takes weeks. But in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea, scientists have found that a convergence of currents pushes phytoplankton from under the ice to the seafloor at four times the usual speed. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-currents-arctic-sea-carbon-phytoplankton.html Earth Sciences Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:07 EDT news709202328 Plesiosaurs swam into river deltas to vomit up shells and other indigestible elements of their marine meals, suggests new research published by Cambridge University Press. The behavior resembles that of today's fur seals and marine crocodiles. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-queasy-plesiosaurs-swam-shore-vomit.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:00:01 EDT news709201289 While the Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week event has given the public greater familiarity with sharks, much about them—from their mysterious love lives to how their eating habits bring them into conflict with recreational anglers—remains a mystery to scientists. Now, two new studies led by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst peer into these important aspects of shark biology to help guide real-world conservation strategies. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-prey-nurse-shark-northeast-angler.html Plants & Animals Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:00:01 EDT news709220523 Understanding the migration pathways of sharks and rays is key to conserving some of the world's most endangered marine species, according to new University of Queensland research. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sharks-expose-international-efforts.html Ecology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 20:40:01 EDT news708771451 A rare Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) on Kangaroo Island has been confirmed to have died from highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu. The sea lion had recently been attacked by a shark, weakening it. Testing revealed that the virus caused its death. Another dead sea lion is being tested. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bird-flu-australian-sea-lion.html Ecology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news708788881 Ichthyosaurs ruled the oceans for 150 million years during the Mesozoic Era. Their fish-shaped bodies were built for high speeds. In that context, it is normally an advantage to be as light as possible. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fossil-ribs-reveal-secrets-ichthyosaur.html Evolution Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news708177575 Not so long ago, we thought the ocean was an inexhaustible resource. There would always be plenty more fish in the sea. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-oceans.html Ecology Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:00:04 EDT news708067741 I spent six days on a small fishing boat in the middle of the English Channel in July trying to catch a thresher shark. The weather was fickle, even at the height of summer. My colleague, ecologist Lucy Hawkes, and I were with two anglers who probably hold more experience of Channel thresher sharks than anyone alive. Between us, we caught nothing. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-anglers-england-sharks.html Plants & Animals Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:40:03 EDT news708067622 Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that warmth is from a recent marine heat wave that predates the current El Niño. Much of the Pacific Coast is experiencing relatively normal conditions while still awaiting the impacts of what could be a very strong El Niño. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ocean-indicators-noaa-scientists-tracking.html Earth Sciences Sat, 05 Sep 2026 07:40:01 EDT news707807952 Shark products sold at Western Australian fish-and-chips shops are often labeled too ambiguously or, in some cases, mislabeled, leaving consumers unsure which species they are buying, new Murdoch University research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dna-western-australian-fish-chip.html Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news707400528 Just off one of New York's famed Hamptons beaches, shark researcher Greg Metzger reels in one of the day's prize catches: a young but powerful sand tiger shark. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sharks-ny-hamptons-trackers-toothy.html Plants & Animals Tue, 01 Sep 2026 04:50:03 EDT news707455304 What did dinosaurs eat? Teeth provide important clues to understanding the ecology of dinosaurs, which became extinct approximately 66 million years ago. Their shape, structure and patterns of wear can help scientists reconstruct how these animals obtained and processed their food. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-dinosaur-teeth-reveal-diet.html Evolution Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:00:09 EDT news707412242 A new way to imprint complex surfaces on low-cost, sustainable polymers could be used in a wide range of industries, including water-repellent coatings, optical devices and data storage disks. The complex nano- and microscale patterns on sulfur-derived polymers, unveiled this week in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal, build on a wide range of green chemistry solutions led by Flinders University. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-power-lasers-durable-nano-patterns.html Nanophysics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news707393341 During the Late Cretaceous period, parts of Egypt were covered in water. A new study, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, describes new evidence that this tropical sea was home to a diverse community of sharks. The study adds five new species to the region's history, found in what the authors refer to as a "shark graveyard." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-egypt-home-diverse-shark-community.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:30:02 EDT news706874558 Life hacks are everywhere on social media—people reuse everyday materials and objects to create ingenious solutions to common problems and needs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-brazilians-macgyver-ing-traditional.html Social Sciences Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news706868042 When physicists at the ARC Centre for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) needed a key component for their terahertz experiments, they ran into a frustrating problem—they needed tiny optical devices, known as wire-grid polarizers, but these cost thousands of dollars each. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-laser-aluminum-foil-terahertz-polarizers.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:40:02 EDT news706536542 Age isn't just a number for one of the ocean's top apex predators. It's a mystery University of Georgia researchers are solving. A new UGA study has determined how to estimate the age of sharks by analyzing changes to individual animals' DNA. Known as epigenetic clocks, these scientific age estimators focus on chemical alterations known as DNA methylation to measure wear and tear on an animal's cells, providing a noninvasive, fast and accurate assessment of an animal's age. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-shark-dna-age.html Ecology Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news706527066 Understanding "who eats whom" is the key to keeping our oceans alive—and our dinner plates full. However, this invisible network that makes up the food chain can unravel with the pull of just one thread. Overfish one species, and its predators starve. Cut off a tiny prey species, and the entire food chain collapses—including us. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mathematical-tool-uncover-nature.html Ecology Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:50:01 EDT news706282261 How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against which to measure what has been lost or what recovery would look like. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oceans-country-sharks-prehistoric-pacific.html Ecology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:40:01 EDT news705856143 You may have heard reports of fish die-offs or seen photos of hauntingly bleached coral. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-marine-cooking-ocean-ecosystems-common.html Environment Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:05 EDT news705821548 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 What shape is an asteroid? For (44) Nysa, the honest answer until now has been that nobody knew. It is one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt, a class with a surface rich in enstatite, and its oddness has made it a favorite target for well over a hundred years. Successive observations hinted that it was elongated, perhaps even two lumps stuck together, but the picture stayed frustratingly blurred. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-worlds.html Space Exploration Sun, 09 Aug 2026 06:40:01 EDT news704978242 Bull sharks have a slight preference for spending time with their relatives, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-family-social-bull-sharks.html Evolution Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news704963804 Named for the mythical valley where the god Dionysus was raised in secret by nymphs, the asteroid 44 Nysa inhabits the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Through observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have determined it to be the largest and brightest known member of a rare category of asteroids called "E-types," made of unusually bright, enstatite-rich material similar to some rare meteorites found on Earth. Separately, models built from how its brightness flickers as it spins hinted it might have an elongated, lopsided shape, often seen in large asteroid pairs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-nysa-rare-lobed-formation.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news704977595 A new study of bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) in Florida dispelled a previous hypothesis about how the distinctive head shapes of males and females develop, offering new insight into one of the species' most unusual biological traits. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-clues-mystery-bonnethead-sharks.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:40:03 EDT news705040621