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In the largest study of its kind to date, a team of international researchers has investigated how pharmaceutical pollution affects the behavior and migration of Atlantic salmon. The study, "Pharmaceutical pollution influences river-to-sea migration in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)," has been published in Science.

A study published in Frontiers in Bee Science has shown that physical distance plays a leading role in protecting bumblebees against a flying insect parasite, the bumblebee wax moth Aphomia sociella. The researchers discovered that the source of a potentially lethal infection came from the nearby hives of domestic honeybees.

Researchers from the Physics and Biology Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have discovered two species of tapeworms, or cestodes, in the guts and stomachs of wild-caught oval squid (Sepiotheutis lessoniana).

Marine food webs are highly complex. Until now, researchers have been unable to understand exactly how they are affected by climate change, overfishing and other threats. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht have now achieved a breakthrough. They have developed a new computer model that can be used to simulate food webs more accurately than ever before. The work, which has been published...

Bacteria play key roles in degrading organic matter, both in the soil and in aquatic ecosystems. While most bacteria digest large molecules externally, allowing other community members to share and scavenge, some bacteria selfishly take up entire molecules before digesting them internally.

A team of oceanographers and marine biologists at the Hakai Institute, working with a colleague from the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, and another from the Institute of Ocean Sciences, all in Canada, has found that the highly endangered sunflower star, a type of sea star, has found some degree of refuge in Canadian fjords (spelled fiord in Canada).

From dire wolves to woolly mammoths, the idea of resurrecting extinct species has captured the public imagination. Colossal Biosciences, the Dallas-based biotech company leading the charge, has made headlines for ambitious efforts to bring back long-lost animals using cutting edge genetic engineering.

Water levels in the Caspian Sea—the world's largest landlocked water body—are getting lower, as hotter temperatures cause more water to evaporate than is flowing in. Even if global warming is limited to below 2°C, it is likely that the level of the Caspian Sea will decline by 5 to 10 m, but if temperatures rise further, water levels could drop by as much as...

For the first time, a study led by University of Oxford researchers has listened in to the fascinating courtship displays of fiddler crabs using geophones. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, provide new insights into how the animals communicate effectively on the noisy seashore.

New research reveals the remarkable chemical diversity of substances exuded by coral reefs and demonstrates that thousands of different chemicals derived from tropical corals and seaweeds are available for microbes to decompose and utilize.

Insecticides can help protect crops against troublesome pests, but they also pose a risk for beneficial insects such as pollinators. A study led by researchers at Penn State provides insight into how even sublethal doses of insecticides can negatively affect pollinators by disrupting the mating process.

Infections with parasites often entail no recognizable signs in many wildlife species, but can still have negative effects across generations. Infected animals often have a slightly reduced body size and their offspring have a harder start in life.

Everyone is familiar with the light dome that shows from afar where cities are brightly lit at night. Artificial light that is scattered in the atmosphere and brightens the night sky can have an effect far from where it is emitted. This phenomenon is known as artificial skyglow. Skyglow can affect biodiversity over long distances.

On our planet, at any one moment, billions of animals are on the move. From migratory birds, insects, marine mammals and sharks connecting distant continents and seas, to bees and other insects pollinating our crops, to grazing animals roaming across the plains, and the foxes and hedgehogs visiting urban gardens.

Rhinos that flourished across much of North America 12 million years ago gathered in huge herds, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati.

Ancient DNA extracted from a sediment core from a high-altitude Pyrenean lake in Spain reveals that fish may have been added to the lake by humans as early as the 7th century CE. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that fish were present in Lake Redon much earlier than previously suggested by historical evidence and provide further insight into the impact of human...

An international team of agronomists is calling for a new approach to estimate crop yield potential and gaps—information that is critical in planning how to meet growing food demand.

As coral bleaching and deaths become more widespread globally, experts are re-evaluating the benefits of restoration missions to reverse damage and protect some of the world's most species-rich ecosystems.

A study published in Scientific Reports reveals how birds responded to the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America. The study finds bird vocalizations significantly declined only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred. The study is titled "Continental-scale behavioral response of birds to a total solar eclipse."

Researchers at the University of Granada and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence have demonstrated a link between urbanization and the plumage color of birds. Species that thrive in cities are less brown and sport more elaborate colors. These color differences are probably due to differences in habitat structure and predation pressure—cities are less forested, have different background colors and a lower number...

A team of international researchers has identified a new sex hormone that plays a crucial role in stimulating ovulation. Researchers have identified secretoneurin, a neuropeptide derived from the secretogranin-2 protein, as a critical hormone that stimulates ovulation in zebrafish.

Invasive species cause environmental mayhem when they establish themselves in a new ecosystem. But these interlopers can also impact human health directly. Deadly diseases can jump from animals to humans, as the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated.

A new study from Tel Aviv University reveals that the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) uses its long tail as a natural tactile sensor to navigate backward in dark caves. The researchers discovered that the bat's long tail functions as a dynamic sensing tool, enabling it to avoid obstacles and orient itself in complex environments while climbing backward—especially when other sensory abilities like vision...

Climate change is creating new pathways for the spread of infectious diseases like brucellosis, tularemia, or E. coli in the Arctic, according to a broad international consortium of scientists with a wide range of expertise in human, animal, and environmental health in the North Pole.