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 long-standing mystery about how wild bats navigate complex environments in complete darkness with remarkable precision, has been solved in a new University of Bristol-led study. The findings are published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-acoustic-velocity-complex-environments-darkness.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:10:05 EST news688151042 The Pahon Cave in Gabon offers archaeologists a well-preserved look into the Late Stone Age time period in central Africa, thanks to the stratified layers of guano-based sediment. This is in contrast with much of the surrounding areas, which are rich in acidic soils that make preservation difficult. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-pahon-cave-years-stable-stone.html Archaeology Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:00:04 EST news685108314 After avoiding it for nearly two decades, wildlife officials say that the illness wiping out millions of bats may have reached Nevada. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-illness-affecting-las-vegas.html Plants & Animals Tue, 09 Dec 2025 07:10:01 EST news684485415 Ever suddenly realize you had picked up certain words or ways of speaking from a close friend? It turns out that humans are far from the only animals who copy the sounds of their closest companions—a new study shows that vampire bats do, too. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-besties-alike.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:04:45 EST news683892241 Bats such as the common noctule consume pest insects over intensively managed arable land and thereby support sustainable agriculture. A new study led by scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and the University of Potsdam shows that 23% of the insect species consumed by common noctules in northeastern Germany are pests. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-crop-pests-natural-habitats-farmland.html Ecology Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:46:30 EST news683221585 Baobabs are sometimes called "upside-down trees," because their branches look like roots reaching skyward. Of the eight species of baobab in the world, six are confined to Madagascar, one to northern Australia and one species, Adansonia digitata, is found across the savanna regions of continental Africa. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-secret-life-baobabs-moths-africa.html Ecology Thu, 06 Nov 2025 22:40:01 EST news681655017 A study published in Communications Biology sheds new light on the relationship between bats and dangerous viruses. Led by researchers at the University of Oklahoma, the study shows that, contrary to widespread assumptions, not all bats carry viruses with high epidemic potential, only specific groups of species. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-equal-viral-reveals.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:52:52 EST news681468760 For the first time, brown rats have been filmed actively hunting bats, snatching some from the air and capturing others on the ground. The rodents were caught on camera at bat hibernation sites in northern Germany. According to a paper published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, researchers believe this predation could be significant enough to threaten local bat populations. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-caught-camera-rats-sky-city.html Plants & Animals Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:16:06 EDT news680865361 October is bats' time in the spotlight, although they are mostly portrayed as spooky and creepy. The truth is, bats are more likely to help you than harm you. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-halloween-hollywood-wrong.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:10:06 EDT news680789401 A new study from the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University reveals that fruit bats employ a variety of strategies in their competition with other animals for food. The research team examined bat behavior in the presence of black rats, which vie for the same food sources. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-rats-seasonal-struggle-survival.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Oct 2025 10:29:03 EDT news680779741 Just in time for Halloween, six new bat species have been discovered by researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Field Museum in Chicago, and Lawrence University in Wisconsin. This nocturnal—and slightly spooky—group of mammals is incredibly diverse, and the discovery adds to the thousands of known bat species. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-species-forests-philippines.html Plants & Animals Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:48:04 EDT news680777281 A recent study shows that bats require diverse rock habitats for overwintering. New insights into inter-species differences in overwintering, and the importance of overwintering sites at various stages of hibernation, support bat conservation. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-wide-variety-overwinter-finnish-habitats.html Plants & Animals Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:51:03 EDT news680449861 It may sound batty, but University of Georgia researchers have confirmed that North American bats glow under ultraviolet light. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ultraviolet.html Plants & Animals Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:00:01 EDT news680178442 Staying cool during heat waves is challenging for small creatures, but the problem could be even more extreme for nocturnal creatures that are unable to move to cooler locations while slumbering. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-overheating-mortal-danger.html Plants & Animals Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:00:01 EDT news679678442 From the bloodcurdling powers of Count Dracula to the identity behind one of America's most famous superheroes, bats have long evoked fear and fascination. But Bryce Donaghue M.S. '26 encourages people to approach bats in a new way—with curiosity and appreciation. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-exploring-solar-farms-potential-habitats.html Plants & Animals Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:00:11 EDT news679742699 Let's face it—bats get a bad rap. Their links to disease outbreaks and their spooky association with vampires influence their notoriety. In reality, bats are truly remarkable. Bats support our agricultural industries as vital members of food webs. And, contrary to their portrayal in popular Halloween blockbusters, they are gentle and tidy creatures that groom themselves like cats. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-batty-pathogens-diseases.html Ecology Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:50:05 EDT news679564202 The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping. Numerous animals are migrating south, others are seeking their hibernacula—including bats. However, while hibernation is becoming shorter and shorter for many animals due to climate change, researchers at the University of Greifswald have now published findings in Global Change Biology that reveal that Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) are now entering hibernation a whole month earlier than they did 13 years ago. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-unexpected-reaction-climate-daubenton-hibernating.html Plants & Animals Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:12:04 EDT news679147921 A new study sheds light on why North America's bats are dying in large numbers at wind energy facilities. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-reveals-migration-patterns-turbine-fatalities.html Plants & Animals Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:00:01 EDT news676716622 Bats are nocturnal hunters and use echolocation to orient themselves by emitting high-frequency ultrasonic sounds in rapid succession and evaluating the calls' reflections. Yet, they have retained a functional vision for light in the spectrum visible to humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-sight-efficiently-miniature-sensors.html Plants & Animals Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:07:04 EDT news676631222 Every year, hundreds of thousands of bats are killed by flying into the giant blades of wind turbines. It is one of the leading causes of bat mortality in North America and Europe, according to Bat Conservation International. However, the reasons for these fatal collisions are largely unknown. One possibility examined by a new study published in Biology Letters is that they may be attracted by light reflected off the blades, much like when moths make a beeline for a flame. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-fatal-turbine-blades-luring-deaths.html Plants & Animals Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:30:01 EDT news675516041 The world's largest carnivorous bat has a surprisingly rich social life, displaying affectionate greetings and providing food to family group members, according to a study by Marisa Tietge at Museum für Naturkunde—Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science in Germany, and colleagues, published in the open-access journal PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-spectral-food-video-reveals.html Plants & Animals Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:00:01 EDT news674898481 A cross-institutional team of researchers from Macquarie University, UNSW and the University of Nebraska has unpicked the reasons why hundreds of bat and bird species across Central and South America live in close proximity. The answer lies in their family trees. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-neighborhood-tropical-animals.html Plants & Animals Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:50:03 EDT news673105661 Across North America, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and other pesticides had a significant impact on bats from the 1940s through the '60s. Since the ban on DDT in 1972, bat populations had been slowly recovering, until a fungal disease appeared three-plus decades later. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-populations-setback-deadly-fungus.html Plants & Animals Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:30:01 EDT news672492413 New research by the University of Sydney offers important insights into how and when new coronavirus variants arise in bats. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-young-multiple-infections-coronavirus-strains.html Ecology Mon, 21 Jul 2025 09:06:33 EDT news672307540 In the shadows of Python Cave, Uganda, a leopard leaps from a guano mound—formed by bat excrement—and sinks its teeth into a bat. But this is no ordinary bat colony. The thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) found in this cave are known carriers of one of the world's deadliest viruses: Marburg, a close cousin of Ebola. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-marburg-virus-species-young-ugandan.html Ecology Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:37:05 EDT news670505822 Bats are often cast as the unseen night-time stewards of nature, flitting through the dark to control pest insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. But behind their silent contributions lies a remarkable and underappreciated survival strategy: seasonal fattening. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-fat-survive-hard-climate-threatening.html Plants & Animals Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:07:41 EDT news670068456 Researchers have discovered two new viruses in bats that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses—pathogens that can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-viruses-kidneys-yunnan-province.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:00:04 EDT news669972541 Land use change and the increased agrochemical use associated with agricultural intensification significantly alter farmland biodiversity and associated ecosystem services worldwide. Vineyards as ecologically, culturally, and economically important agroecosystems, are particularly vulnerable, facing numerous pests and diseases, while only a small proportion adopt sustainable management practices. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-birds-economic-benefits-vineyard-farmers.html Ecology Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:48:03 EDT news669484081 Bats in the tropics of the Americas are a reservoir for morbilliviruses—a genus of RNA viruses that includes the human measles virus. However, their role in spreading morbilliviruses to other mammalian species is unclear. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-key-players-species-morbilliviruses.html Ecology Fri, 30 May 2025 11:30:01 EDT news667823043 Many bat species native to Germany, such as the Leisler's bat, are forest specialists. However, as it is becoming increasingly hard for them to find tree hollows in forest plantations, they are moving to settlements instead. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-forest-longer-home-refuge-settlements.html Plants & Animals Wed, 28 May 2025 15:40:01 EDT news667665152