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. In the drylands of Benin, West Africa, livestock farming is under growing pressure. These vast, hot landscapes cover roughly 70% of the country's land area. Their sparse pastures and scattered trees sustain around six million grazing animals, including 2.5 million cattle, one million sheep and 2.4 million goats which walk with herders over long distances in search of food and water. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-indigenous-trees-secret-climate-resilient.html Ecology Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:30:03 EST news688827289 Finding one tick on your body is scary enough—tick-borne diseases are serious—but what if you found more than 10 on yourself in just one month? That's the plight of some farmers as the threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases grows, according to new research featuring experts at Binghamton University, State University of New York. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-northeastern-farmers-encounters-month-period.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:30:22 EST news686932202 As climate change profoundly alters ecosystems in North America, a small parasite is wreaking havoc: the winter tick. This tick, now more prevalent due to milder environmental conditions, is severely affecting the winter survival of young moose in eastern Canada. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-milder-winters-parasites-moose-winter.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:36:28 EST news685107362 Texas A&M AgriLife scientists have uncovered new insights into how cattle fever ticks survive and spread across South Texas, revealing hidden refuges that could explain why the pest remains one of the U.S. cattle industry's greatest threats. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-war-cattle.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:45:19 EST news683988301 Researchers from North Carolina State University have confirmed that a species of Rickettsia first seen in dogs in 2018 is a new species of bacteria. The new species, dubbed Rickettsia finnyi, is associated with symptoms similar to those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in dogs, but has not yet been found in humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rickettsia-species-dogs.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:38:19 EST news683915881 University of Queensland research has shown the head and neck should be searched first if a dog or cat is suspected of suffering from paralysis tick toxin. The research is published in the Australian Veterinary Journal. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-paralysis-necks-pets.html Plants & Animals Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:39:03 EDT news680344742 Cities and towns surrounded by large areas of woodland are more likely to have ticks in their urban greenspaces, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-rural-woodland-presence-urban-greenspaces.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Sep 2025 05:00:01 EDT news677760896 When I tell people I study parasites that live inside ticks, I usually get one of two reactions: a shudder of disgust or a puzzled look that says, "Don't ticks already carry enough diseases?" https://phys.org/news/2025-08-uncovering-hidden-world-parasites.html Ecology Thu, 07 Aug 2025 09:00:02 EDT news673775649 Researchers with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M AgriLife Research collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, SCINet project and Ag100Pest Initiative to assemble the first genome for a soft tick, Ornithodoros turicata. Their findings were published in G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-genome-soft.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 22 Jul 2025 13:50:01 EDT news672408576 As summer kicks into full gear and people are spending more time outside, there's one thing on many people's minds—ticks. Tick season is starting earlier and lasting longer, and ticks are popping up in areas they haven't been found before, expanding the risk of tick-borne viruses. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-borne-virus-revealed-atomic-resolution.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 09 Jul 2025 14:00:07 EDT news671272621 Washington State University researchers have discovered how the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and Lyme disease hijack cellular processes in ticks to ensure their survival and spread to new hosts, including humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-bacteria-hijack-cell-defenses-disease.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 30 Jun 2025 11:50:03 EDT news670502826 Ticks pose a grave risk to public health, with nearly half a million cases of the tick-borne Lyme disease treated every year in the United States. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-borne-disease-molecular-method-differentiates.html Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Jun 2025 11:08:04 EDT news668945281 University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have made a promising discovery that could lead to the development of a natural and effective tick repellent. They have shown that a naturally occurring compound secreted by the skin of donkeys effectively repels adult Ixodes scapularis ticks—the most frequent human-biting tick in the U.S. Commonly known as the deer tick, this species of arthropods is responsible for spreading Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis—bacterial infections that can sometimes cause serious and long-lasting illness. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-donkey-skin-secretion-repels-deer.html Ecology Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:33:03 EDT news668190781 In a study led by the University of Agder (UiA), published in Microorganisms, researchers examined 331 horses from four counties. The results show that a full 66% of the horses have been exposed to one or more tick-borne viruses or bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-borne-diseases-widespread-horses-infections.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:09:02 EDT news665248141 Just in time for tick season, new research is shining a light on how animals develop resistance to tick bites, which points toward the possibility of developing more effective vaccines against the tiny, disease-carrying bloodsuckers. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-bitten-animals-resistance-population.html Ecology Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:36:04 EDT news665224562 In a residential backyard in Maine, Project ITCH researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst stumbled upon a surprise finding: rabbit ticks harboring a new type of bacteria related to a group of pathogens that can cause sometimes life-threatening spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR) infections in humans. The most common and deadly SFR is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which has a death rate of 20%–30% if not treated promptly with the antibiotic doxycycline. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-strain-rickettsia-bacteria-fever-infections.html Ecology Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:16:04 EDT news664712162 Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released, new research shows. The paper, published in the journal Ecology Letters, is titled "The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk." https://phys.org/news/2025-04-lyme-disease-bacteria-pheasant-areas.html Ecology Mon, 21 Apr 2025 02:00:01 EDT news664184701 Researchers have discovered that an enzyme can serve as an ideal target for developing new therapeutics against Lyme disease, and most likely other tick-borne diseases as well. The finding was reported in mBio. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-enzyme-discovery-lyme-disease-treatment.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:28:15 EDT news661685285 To curb the spread of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States, scientists and public health experts for decades have targeted white-footed mice as the prime hosts for the immature ticks that ultimately drive transmission to humans. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-shrews-big-driver-lyme-disease.html Ecology Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:48:19 EDT news660998888 A team of physical chemists at Wageningen University and Research, Maastricht University and EnzyTag BV, all in the Netherlands, has uncovered the physical chemistry behind the ticks' ability to adhere to the skin of its host. In their study, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the group observed the evaporation of a drop of artificially synthesized amino acid similar to the kind produced in tick saliva to see if it would show phase separation. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-uncover-physical-chemistry-adhesion-skin.html Biochemistry Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:10:02 EST news652985808 Research collaboration by the Texas A&M Department of Entomology and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, creates potential for genetic tools to control disease-spreading ticks. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-future-genetic-tools-cattle-fever.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 27 Nov 2024 15:42:43 EST news651944558 Ticks are a nuisance across many areas of the U.S., capable of spreading harmful pathogens to both animals and humans. A new study led by researchers at Penn State has analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks that homeowners can use in their backyards. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-tubes-parasites-mice-frequency.html Plants & Animals Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:28:24 EST news651767300 Ticks travel light, but they carry pathogens with them. When they parasitize migrating birds, these journeys can take them thousands of miles away from their usual geographic range. Historically, they haven't been able to establish themselves due to unsuitable climate conditions at the other end of their long journeys. But now, thanks to the climate crisis, it's getting easier for ticks to survive and spread, potentially bringing novel tick-borne pathogens with them. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-migrating-birds-stowaways-invasive-diseases.html Ecology Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:06:03 EST news651164761 University of Missouri researchers are working to develop the first-ever vaccine proven to protect cattle from a devastating tick-borne cattle disease known as bovine anaplasmosis. The research is vital to the state's economy as it aims to protect Missouri's $1.6 billion cattle industry. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-vaccine-cattle-deadly-borne-disease.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:49:03 EDT news644071727 A new study led by Prof. Yuval Gottlieb from the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has unveiled important information about the relationship between the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and its Coxiella-like symbiotic bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-bacteria-hidden-survival.html Ecology Mon, 12 Aug 2024 12:35:09 EDT news642684907 Nilgai, a non-native antelope species that freely ranges Southern Texas and Northeastern Mexico, do not appear to be susceptible to infection following experimental exposure to Babesia bovis, according to recent findings by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-nilgai-antelope-carriers-bovine-babesiosis.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:10:01 EDT news642326421 The prevalence of ticks in Scotland will increase by a quarter under the most optimistic climate change scenario, according to new modeling by mathematicians at the University of Stirling. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-huge-scotland.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Aug 2024 07:20:01 EDT news642233503 The morning alarm goes off, and it's time to get ready for work. Ph.D. student Samuel Gilvarg has already pretreated his clothes with permethrin insecticide. All that's left is to pull his socks up and over his pant legs. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-using-fire-management-to-see.html Plants & Animals Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:41:36 EDT news641216483 As Lyme disease cases rise in the U.S., humans are not the only ones at risk. Veterinarians with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine say dogs are increasingly vulnerable to this tick-borne illness. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-lyme-disease-dogs-dog-owners.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:42:03 EDT news633271321 If you're outside enjoying the spring sunshine, then chances are, ticks are too. However, new research from Simon Fraser University (SFU) suggests the use of ant pheromones as a topical repellent, or as an environmental barrier, may help protect hikers and campers from the harmful bites of black-legged ticks, which could carry Lyme disease. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ant-pheromones-hikers-campers.html Ecology Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:08:03 EDT news632066881