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. 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 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 With about 30 visual pigments, compared to just three in humans, mantis shrimp possess a visual system that remains a mystery. Researchers from ULiège and Humboldt University in Berlin have, for the first time, analyzed these pigments one by one and discovered that some detect red light that very few animals can perceive. This finding, published in Science Advances, has potential applications in optogenetics. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-red-sensitive-pigments-mantis-shrimp.html Plants & Animals Sat, 17 Oct 2026 09:00:01 EDT news711300101 A century of recipes published in the magazine Good Housekeeping reveals how the variety of seafood presented to U.K. readers has "narrowed," new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-year-magazine-reveals-narrowing-uk.html Economics & Business Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:07 EDT news711016726 A new species of ancient crocodile relative that lived around 170 million years ago has been discovered by scientists at the University of Portsmouth and Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-jurassic-crocodile-species-unusually-slender.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:00:06 EDT news711029785 A new study by Florida Tech assistant professor of marine sciences Austin Fox, Ph.D. '15, found that low oxygen levels are contributing to the rerelease of nutrients buried on the river floor that feed harmful algal blooms. The study was based on the most widespread testing ever of oxygen levels across the Banana River. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-effects-hypoxia-florida-banana-river.html Ecology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:00:07 EDT news710685928 Coral reefs are renowned for their visual beauty, but for the marine life they support, their sounds may be just as enticing. Two new studies led by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography reveal how underwater acoustic enrichment—the playback of sounds from healthy reefs—can help spur the recovery of degraded coral reefs and their fish communities. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-healthy-reef-boost-coral-fish.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:00:14 EDT news710587621 For Dr. Jamaluddin Jompa, the ocean has never been simply a subject of scientific study. He was born in Takalar, a coastal region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and his connection with the sea was forged early. Witnessing the degradation of Indonesia's coastal waters made him wonder: What happens when the ecological relationships that sustain marine ecosystems begin to break down and, more importantly, can they be restored? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coral-reef-climate-resilience-indonesia.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news710518325 Researchers at Sultan Qaboos University have developed engineered surfaces that combine microscopic patterns with zinc oxide nanorods to reduce the attachment of bacteria and microalgae—a process that contributes to biofouling on submerged marine and industrial equipment. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanostructured-surfaces-limit-marine-biofouling.html Nanomaterials Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:00:01 EDT news709951563 More than two-thirds of newly flooded coastlines worldwide could become suitable habitat for 122 non-native marine species—including Chinese mitten crabs, Pacific oysters and Asian tiger shrimp—by the middle and end of this century. The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, identifies coastal regions at heightened risk, including the eastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, coastlines bordering the North Sea, southeastern China and northern Australia. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-invasive-marine-species-advantage-seas.html Plants & Animals Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:40:01 EDT news709824362 Stand on the damp sand on a California beach and chances are you're standing on top of an active earthworks site. Sand hoppers (Megalorchestia spp.), the tiny, shrimp-like creatures commonly found eating away at kelp on the shore, have been found to move massive amounts of sand, excavating up to 50 kg (110 pounds) of sand per meter (3.3 feet) of shoreline per day. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-beach-crustaceans-big-sand.html Earth Sciences Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news708951869 Antarctic krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures that were previously thought to mostly inhabit the upper layer of the Southern Ocean. Although they had occasionally been observed at deeper levels, they were never seen near deep-sea hydrothermal vents until 2024, when a group of oceanographers observed them there for the first time. The team's new study, published in Communications Biology, describes the discovery and why the team thinks pregnant krill may actually be spending a lot of time near hydrothermal vents. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents-hot.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:17 EDT news708863182 Some types of marine life appear to have it easy. While exploring thousands of meters below the waves in the Chilean Margin in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, scientists observed tiny shrimp-like crustaceans known as amphipods (Mesopleustes abyssorum) clinging tightly to much larger giant sea spiders (Colossendeis colossea) that were scuttling on the ocean floor. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-deep-sea-crustaceans-caught-hitching.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:50:01 EDT news708859334 Cephalopods are a group of soft-bodied marine mollusks that include cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and nautiluses. Many of these mollusks have muscular suckers on their arms that allow them to seize prey or grip other surfaces in their surroundings. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cuttlefish-suckers-reveal-rough-prey.html Plants & Animals Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:40:04 EDT news708600523 While most people are aware of how plastic, arsenic and various industrial chemicals can pollute bodies of water, the effects of caffeine on freshwater environments remain largely unknown. Nonetheless, traces of caffeine, the stimulant contained in coffee and tea, often pass through wastewater treatment systems, entering rivers and streams. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-caffeine-pollution-disrupt-crustacean-defenses.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news708695725 At just an inch (2.5 centimeters) long, the sand hoppers skipping across California's Isla Vista Beach at dawn don't exactly look like a force of nature. But a new study reveals that these shrimp-like creatures might be doing more to shape the landscape in which they live than any other animal on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-beach-burrowing-beasties-shovel-sand.html Earth Sciences Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:10 EDT news708700861 Like all other snakes, sea snakes shed their skin as they grow. But because they live near the surface of the open ocean, they don't have the benefit of removing their old skin by slithering against a hard surface. Instead, they wriggle into a pretzel and use the friction generated by their scales to get the job done. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-planes-snake-scientists-crab-species.html Plants & Animals Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:40:02 EDT news708335546 Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms in animals—Per, Cry2, Bmal1 and Clk—also regulate circatidal behavior in the crustacean P. hawaiensis. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-crustacean-scientists-genes-circatidal.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news707646781 While a colleague traveled along the East Coast from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico collecting oysters, Northeastern University bioinformatics graduate student Megha Prasad worked away at her computer. She zeroed in on DNA, the molecule containing instructions for making proteins that shape the critters' traits. It also holds the key to their adaptation to the changing climate. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-uncover-oyster-dna-linked.html Ecology Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:07 EDT news707033222 In productive marine environments, a square meter (10.8 square feet) of seafloor can be perforated by hundreds to thousands of isolated and interconnected tunnels through which crawl and writhe a cornucopia of clams, shrimp, sea stars, sand dollars, snails, worms and other animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-twenty-years-fossils-reveal-blurs.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:00:07 EDT news706530721 Researchers have identified two new species in the genus Bogidiella, small shrimp-like amphipods that live in subterranean aquatic environments, from cave waters on the Ryukyu Islands, a subtropical island chain in southwestern Japan. These creatures are clear products of their underground aquatic environment, often lacking pigmentation and eyes, with elongated appendages and reduced swimming legs, called pleopods. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-eyeless-shrimp-species-japan-groundwater.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news706175761 What does it mean when brown patches show up in a perfectly healthy lawn? The truth is, it could be anything from drought to dog urine, fungal diseases, pests or too much fertilizer. But many homeowners automatically blame grubs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-lawn-grubs.html Ecology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news705664081 Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, have made an advance by using a natural substance from fungi called chitin to create hydrogels that are significantly stronger and tougher. This new material could lead to safer medical devices, longer-lasting coatings and other innovations that improve everyday technology and health care. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fungal-chitin-route-tougher-hydrogels.html Biotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:00:05 EDT news705670982 Shedd Aquarium has sent four zebra shark eggs to contribute to a conservation effort for the endangered species, marking the Chicago nonprofit's first delivery to Raja Ampat, Indonesia. As a founding partner of ReShark, Shedd Aquarium has long contributed expertise to the StAR Project (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery)—ReShark's pioneering zebra shark, or Indo-Pacific Leopard Shark, recovery initiative. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-aquarium-shark-eggs-bolster-wild.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:00:03 EDT news705036902 Imagine trying to swallow a sip of water while your face feels stuffed with congestion, your sense of taste is dulled and your body is floating 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-spaceflight-astronauts-swallow-subtle-ways.html Space Exploration Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:20:03 EDT news704979421 As the U.S. looks to expand domestic seafood production, a new University of Miami study argues that long-term competitiveness will depend on how well fisheries can withstand climate-driven disruptions. The study comes as NOAA advances new efforts to increase domestic seafood production and suggests that producing more seafood will require investments that reduce disruptions to the nation's fisheries and seafood supply chains. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-resilience-strategy-seafood-competitiveness.html Agriculture Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:20:03 EDT news704556062 Researchers have described a new species of shrimpgoby from the coastal waters off Banyuwangi, East Java, and given it a name that pays tribute to both its fiery coloration and its birthplace. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-shrimpgoby-species-sunrise-java.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:40:06 EDT news704473261 You've been planning your dream beach vacation for months, only to arrive and find the shoreline covered in large piles of smelly, brown seaweed, with even more floating offshore. It's disappointing, for sure—and increasingly common. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sargassum-smelly-nemesis-beach-vacations.html Ecology Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:00:02 EDT news704459401 Invasive rats on tropical islands are creating winners and losers among the tiny underwater animals near the bottom of the food chain that inhabit surrounding coral reefs. Scientists say the changes to these marine ecosystems can rewire food chains on the reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-invasive-rats-rewire-coral-reef.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:00:36 EDT news704381942 The pearly razorfish (Xyrichtys novacula) is a small marine animal that lives in sandy coastal waters and feeds on creatures like shrimp. Known locally in Spain's Balearic Islands as raors, it is a popular dish in many homes and restaurants across the region. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fishing-fish-species-molecular.html Plants & Animals Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:40:06 EDT news704113560