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. Micheline Nzonzi cradled a small and sleepy bonobo, an orphan whose life she will try to save over the next three years or so. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-rare-sanctuary-congo-baby-bonobos.html Ecology Wed, 13 May 2026 04:19:05 EDT news697864675 Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Somehow, it feels like it's getting hotter and drier every day. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-western-australia-edging-desertification.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 16:40:06 EDT news697817881 A research team led by Hainan University, together with, among others, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), investigated a total of 102 reef sites in the waters around Hainan Island over a period of 20 years (2000 to 2020). Their analysis shows an average decline in live coral cover of 40%. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-coral-reefs-hainan-collapsing-faster.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 16:00:07 EDT news697815002 Living by the sea in the tropics means being exposed to some of nature's most powerful forces. Hurricanes can bring storm surges, flooding and destructive waves that threaten homes, infrastructure and livelihoods. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-caribbean-important-reefs-unprotected.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 14:40:06 EDT news697809841 The Indonesian seas are a biodiversity hotspot, harboring the highest coral diversity in the tropics and home to an extraordinary variety of marine life. Yet these unique ecosystems have been under growing pressure for years, particularly from increasing heat waves in the ocean. However, heat stress is not the only stressor affecting these sensitive marine creatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cold-events-rival-indonesia-corals.html Ecology Tue, 12 May 2026 13:40:07 EDT news697803301 For better or worse, a huge number of people will be affected by efforts to achieve "30x30"—the internationally-agreed conservation goal to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world's land and seas by 2030. How many people, and who they are, will depend on which aspects of nature are prioritized for protection—but in all scenarios, this human context must be a key consideration if plans are to succeed for both people and nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-local-people-world-nature-urges.html Environment Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:01 EDT news697720501 Climate change will increasingly stress water supply and economic and environmental systems, creating a mounting need for more ideas to reduce reliance and conserve diminishing river and groundwater resources. MAR takes surface water, such as rainwater, stormwater or treated wastewater, and stores it underground to replenish groundwater, restore ecosystems, and provide a reliable climate-independent water supply. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-aquifer-recharge-buffer-scarcity-policy.html Environment Mon, 11 May 2026 19:20:06 EDT news697718184 Examining the movements of vessels between locations helped to predict where an invasive seaweed spread, researchers led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) have revealed. Invasive Caulerpa species (Caulerpa brachypus and Caulerpa parvifolia) are a major concern in New Zealand's coastal areas, spreading rapidly via boat gear or anchor entanglement, and causing long-lasting ecological and economic damage. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-vessel-tracking-reveals-invasive-seaweed.html Ecology Mon, 11 May 2026 16:20:04 EDT news697718104 Photosynthesis is the oldest carbon-capture technology on Earth. For eons, plants have pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locked carbon—the building block of life on our planet—into their bodies and roots. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-forest-uproot-people-atmosphere.html Environment Mon, 11 May 2026 11:00:10 EDT news697713781 Brush-tailed rock-wallaby populations have dwindled for more than a century due to historical hunting for the European fur trade and competition and predation from introduced species. New research shows terrain complexity is an important factor when brush-tailed rock-wallabies choose habitat, providing critical insight to help bring the critically endangered species back from the brink. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-complex-habitat-crucial-tailed-wallaby.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 07:20:02 EDT news697702142 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 The mountain bongo has become the "ghost of the forest," hard to spot amid the dense shrubs due to its ability to camouflage. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ghost-forest-kenya-conservationists-reintroduce.html Ecology Sat, 09 May 2026 16:00:03 EDT news697560181 For more than a decade, conservation biologist Steve Boyes searched for "ghost elephants"—nocturnal giants rumored to roam a remote, high-altitude wetland in eastern Angola. When a motion-sensor camera finally captured their image in 2024, Boyes turned to Stanford scientists for help answering a deeper question: Who are these elephants, and where did they come from? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-genetics-link-angola-ghost-elephants.html Plants & Animals Sat, 09 May 2026 09:00:03 EDT news697281772 Metamorphosis, that profound transformation enabling certain animals to shift between habitats such as from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment, is generally viewed in terms of its benefits. A team of researchers from the University of Liège has now demonstrated that it also entails a direct and immediate cost for the individuals undergoing it, a cost that varies by sex and could influence long-term evolutionary trade-offs. The study is published in the journal BMC Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-metamorphosis-newts-sex-paying-heavier.html Plants & Animals Fri, 08 May 2026 13:40:07 EDT news697464901 The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined to isolated islands that make them hard to study. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-gentoo-penguins-species-totally.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news697461182 One of the United States' largest fisheries is hiding in plain sight. Recreational freshwater anglers in the lower 48 states catch—and keep—far more fish than any official body has estimated, according to new research from our team of North American fishery scientists. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-recreational-fishing-fish-previously.html Ecology Thu, 07 May 2026 10:00:07 EDT news697364281 Meeting future nickel demand for stainless steel and clean energy technologies will require tough decisions with potential environmental trade-offs, a new study has found. Dr. Jayden Hyman from The University of Queensland's School of the Environment led an international analysis of known nickel deposits, current mining and demand forecasts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-energy-nickel-straight-earth-richest.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 18:40:03 EDT news697296061 A new study of the British Isles' coastal ecosystems has revealed that nitrogen enrichment is significantly reducing the abundance and variety of marine life. The research, published by scientists at Swansea University and the charity Project Seagrass, warns that increasing nutrient flows are overriding local habitat conditions to restructure and deplete coastal biodiversity. The work is published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nitrogen-pollution-major-driver-biodiversity.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news697302241 A new study led by UBC researchers has found that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples consistently protect forests, biodiversity and carbon stores at levels equal to or greater than government-designated protected areas—yet most of these lands remain inadequately recognized or resourced. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-indigenous-outperform-areas.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 16:40:08 EDT news697301281 Trees are countering nearly half the urban heating from pavement and buildings in the world's cities, but they're not doing enough cooling in hotter, poorer cities where it's needed the most as the world warms, a new study found. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-trees-counter-world-urban.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT news697293418 An international research team has developed a roadmap for an emerging field of technology called ecotech, which aims to create scalable solutions to urgent environmental, social and economic challenges. The team describes this field, providing a comprehensive framework for its adoption and expansion, in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ecotech-nature.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news697292462 Planting new forests may be a low-cost way to combat warming temperatures in urban areas, suggests a new study. In a large-scale field experiment, researchers planted 640 tree saplings across 20 parks in Dayton, Ohio, and implemented varying irrigation methods. After monitoring sapling survival, growth and health in response to their irrigation methods and nearby temperatures, the team found that the effects of both water treatment and surrounding heat varied among tree species. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-trees-urban-areas-key-cooling.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 13:40:03 EDT news697292986 Austin Bowden-Kerby, a pioneer in coral reef conservation, spends many of his days gardening corals for reefs around Fiji and the Pacific. He grows corals in ocean nurseries. Once they're healthy enough, he moves them to outer ocean areas with the hope they will replicate and grow. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-heatresistant-corals-reefs-climate.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 12:20:07 EDT news697280522 Heat stress from marine heat waves can create a toxic relationship between seagrasses and a hidden ecosystem of bacteria, transforming a previously beneficial co-existence between marine plants and microbes into a harmful one, a University of Sydney and UNSW study has found. The research is published in New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hot-marine-toxic-relationship-seagrasses.html Ecology Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:09 EDT news697284961 In central Seoul, South Korea, a motorway once covered a buried urban stream. Today, that same stretch has been uncovered—a process known as daylighting—and this river is home to plants, fish and insects. This flowing water cools the city in summer and attracts tens of thousands of people every day. What used to be concrete now boosts biodiversity, the local economy and community well-being. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cities-wildlife-people.html Environment Wed, 06 May 2026 11:00:07 EDT news697280162 A Curtin University-led study has revealed the extraordinary biodiversity hidden in deep underwater canyons off Western Australia's Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) coast, ranging from species previously undetected in the area, such as the elusive giant squid, to others thought to be new to science. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-giant-squid-rare-elusive-marine.html Ecology Tue, 05 May 2026 18:20:01 EDT news697209841 University of Missouri researchers are exploring ways to grow sweet corn more efficiently to help American farmers cut costs. In a recent study, scientists from Mizzou's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and College of Engineering found sweet corn can be grown using less water without sacrificing the flavor that consumers have come to expect. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-approach-growers-sweet-corn-efficiently.html Agriculture Tue, 05 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news697204202 Scientists led by the University of Southampton have revealed that an imbalance of nutrients in seawater can cause coral disease—possibly to a greater extent than that from heat stress of warming oceans. New research conducted at Southampton's Coral Reef Laboratory, and with colleagues at the University of Derby, shows disruption of the delicate nutrient balance of the sea can destabilize microbial communities that live in harmony with corals, triggering disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nutrient-imbalance-coral-disease-stress.html Ecology Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:02 EDT news697105682 During the summer of 2019–2020, half of Australia's third largest island was on fire. Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga or Karti in local mainland Aboriginal languages, was one of the worst-hit places during the Black Summer fires. Two people lost their lives and almost all the remnant vegetation on the island burned. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-lake-mud-reveals-years-kangaroo.html Earth Sciences Mon, 04 May 2026 11:20:03 EDT news697109342