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. Archaeologists in El Salvador exhumed human remains believed to be nearly 3,000 years old Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture said. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-year-human-unearthed-el-salvador.html Archaeology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:40:02 EDT news703913541 Two Danish coastal cliffs where paleontologists have uncovered 55-million-year-old fossils of prehistoric wildlife are likely to gain World Heritage status as UNESCO's committee meets in South Korea. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-danish-fish-fossil-cliffs-gain.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:20:04 EDT news703912352 Some 400 years ago, a member of the Indigenous Potano-Timucua tribe scooped up some clay and carefully molded it into a modest vessel, small enough to rest in the palm of their hand. You can imagine their fingers pressing a tight crease around the pot's simple rim and smoothing its dull gray surface, leaving it free of any adornment. We may never know exactly what the pot held or how many hands it passed through before it was excavated, still fully intact, by students at the University of Florida earlier this year. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-students-unearth-rare-centuries-pot.html Archaeology Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:10:01 EDT news703868282 The DNA in a single cup of water can track wildlife, monitor pollution and survey pathogens in waterways and their surroundings, all at the same time. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fishing-dna-cup-river-reveal.html Ecology Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:00:05 EDT news702650101 Every summer, communities across northern Australia brace for the tropical cyclone season. Tropical cyclones draw their power from the warm seas, extracting heat and moisture from ocean water. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sea-turtles-eye-storm-cyclone.html Earth Sciences Fri, 03 Jul 2026 09:00:02 EDT news702281162 A study into the foraging habits of green turtles in the Northern Territory has used an innovative surveying technique that could become a critical tool in monitoring marine habitats in remote and challenging environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-phd-critical-insights-vulnerable-green.html Plants & Animals Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:20:06 EDT news702277502 Newcastle University researchers have demonstrated that plastic bottles attached to fishing nets can help dolphins detect and avoid being caught and killed in the deadly gear. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-discarded-plastic-bottles-dolphins-fishing.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news702217487 How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic pollution on crustaceans. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-crab-plastic-bottle-survives-months.html Plants & Animals Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news702199921 New research indicates that sea turtles seem to navigate across hundreds of miles of open ocean using Earth's magnetic field. Previous experimental studies suggested that sea turtles use geomagnetism to navigate, but this study, published in Science Advances, was purely observational: Researchers attached devices measuring location and compass direction (the way a turtle was facing at a given moment) to six female green sea turtles that took about a month to navigate more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) westward across the Indian Ocean. The satellite tags, developed over the course of five years specifically for this purpose, measure compass headings to within 10° and location to within 100 meters. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-turtles-migrate-earth-magnetic-field.html Plants & Animals Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:20:04 EDT news701598181 Until recently, researchers were unable to conduct satellite-tracking studies on juvenile turtles because of their small body sizes and immediate dispersal into the ocean, leaving this period of their lives enigmatic and often referred to as the "lost years." A study titled "Pioneering insights into the diving behavior of early-stage sea turtles revealed by novel marine miniaturized satellite tags," published in Scientific Reports in April 2026, provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of vertical diving behavior in early life stages of leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-miniature-satellite-tags-reveal-behavior.html Plants & Animals Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:20:01 EDT news701535993 An international study co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher has found that drifting devices used by the global tuna fishing industry are entering marine protected areas around the world, creating potential risks for wildlife and sensitive ocean habitats. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-drifting-tuna-gear-wildlife-marine.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news701533201 More than 100 million years ago, a flying reptile called a pterosaur flew over the oceans hunting squid and fish. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-microbes-destroyed-ancient-pterosaur-wingbone.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:20:06 EDT news701075582 Fifteen countries signed a global declaration Wednesday aimed at combating illegal and destructive fishing with better data. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-global-declaration-illegal-fishing.html Ecology Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:20:05 EDT news700915239 A newly established alliance, comprising leading researchers and conservation experts, has mobilized to safeguard the Atlantic Ocean's leatherback turtle populations. The Wilkes Atlantic Leatherback Turtle Alliance is led by the University of Exeter, with more than 50 partner organizations in 25 countries around the Atlantic. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-alliance-atlantic-leatherback-turtles-world.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:00:01 EDT news700805821 In the crystalline waters off Kenya's coast, coral reefs are thriving—evidence of a rare good-news story in the battle to protect oceans from the ravages of climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-global-reveals-coral-reefs-resist.html Ecology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:09:35 EDT news700801709 A young mother remains in hospital after being bitten by a shark at Coogee Beach in Sydney on Saturday morning. Leah Stewart, 35, was swimming about 30 meters (33 yards) offshore when the shark—believed to be a 3- to 4-meter (10- to 13-foot) great white shark—struck. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-shark-culls-people-safe-ocean.html Ecology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:20:02 EDT news700740001 The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), an elusive porpoise found only in the shallow waters of Mexico's northern Gulf of California, is one of the rarest and most endangered marine mammals on Earth. Measuring about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length, it is the world's smallest cetacean—a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Known for the distinctive dark rings around its eyes and mouth, the vaquita remained unknown to science until the latter half of the 20th century. Today, it has become a global symbol of the growing biodiversity crisis unfolding in the world's oceans. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pixels-world-rarest-porpoise-3d.html Biotechnology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news700736341 Around the world, ocean warming is causing fish to move poleward in search of cooler water. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-fish-cooler-route-blocked.html Plants & Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:40:05 EDT news700477980 To the scientists and ecologists working to save them, Australia's Euastacus crayfish species are fascinating, living relics from a time long ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-australia-spiny-crayfish-species-threatened.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:40:07 EDT news700316583 Sometime between 5.5 and 5.6 million years ago, two shell crushers squared off in the languid currents of an ancient Florida river. The fossils they left behind, discovered by paleontologists at the Florida Museum of Natural History, reveal the identity of the combatants and the outcome of their encounter. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-altercations-musk-turtles-alligator.html Ecology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:40:03 EDT news699617204 Climate change and sea level rise are altering the chemistry of Biscayne Bay in ways that could threaten South Florida's coastal ecosystems, water resources, fisheries, and recreation, according to a study led by scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and Miami-Dade County's Department of Environmental Resources Management. Researchers found that over the past 20 years, Biscayne Bay has become warmer, saltier, and more acidic. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-decades-climate-biscayne-bay-warmer.html Environment Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:20:04 EDT news699550561 A new raptor-like dinosaur from some 70 million years ago that ate fish and behaved like modern herons has been unearthed from southern Patagonia. The new species, which has been named Kank australis, was identified based on the discovery of fossil remains including teeth, vertebrae, and toe bones. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-heron-fish-dinosaur-million-years.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 28 May 2026 19:10:06 EDT news699176102 The origin of turtles has always been a bit of a puzzle for scientists who study the evolution of animals. To this day, where they fit in the tree of life remains a highly debated topic. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-turtles-tree-life-xray-south.html Evolution Thu, 28 May 2026 16:40:02 EDT news699193621 It may sound too bizarre to be true, but the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), a fish that inhabits rivers, lakes, and swamps in Mexico and Texas, exists over much of its range in populations that are 100% female. In 1932, the Amazon molly became the first known vertebrate to reproduce by cloning itself, producing all-female populations. A new genetic study published in Nature has given scientists insights into the longstanding mystery about how and why this happens. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-asexual-lizards-virgin-births-clones.html Plants & Animals Fri, 22 May 2026 09:40:02 EDT news698661362 In many underwater ecosystems, seagrass meadows act as a food source, a safe haven, and an ecological lynchpin. But until now, very little was known about how these plants reproduce—critical information for conserving the meadows. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-seagrass-genetic-individuals-clone-underwater.html Plants & Animals Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:01 EDT news698574842 I'm a proud Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa man, an Indigenous astronomer and a trainee ecologist. When I look at the night sky, I don't just see stars. Instead, I see an ancient knowledge system that has guided people, culture and Country for tens of thousands of years. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-indigenous-australians-world-astronomers-knowledge.html Astronomy Tue, 19 May 2026 08:40:01 EDT news698394001 A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air. She picks up the scent from the carcass of a dead horned dinosaur, Triceratops, that she was feeding on yesterday. She walks over and strips off some more shreds of meat, but the smell is foul even for her. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dinosaurkilling-asteroid-armageddon-blowbyblow-account.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 11 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT news697724041 Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in nervous system complexity. New research points to a potential link between the expanding diversity of RNA-binding proteins, which shape how genetic instructions are processed, and greater brain sophistication. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-paradox-similar-genes-brains.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 11:37:23 EDT news697717929 On the strictly protected island of Golem Grad in North Macedonia, the tortoises are destroying their own population. During prolonged courtship, aggressive males are exhausting the females and frequently pushing them off the cliffs. Consequently, there are now one hundred males for every female capable of laying eggs. This is the only known example of demographic suicide in the wild to date. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-selfdestructive-behavior-hermann-tortoises-macedonian.html Plants & Animals Sun, 10 May 2026 14:30:01 EDT news697298090 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