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. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have identified a bacterial genus that promotes root growth and nitrogen uptake in plants. The findings open new possibilities for developing customized "plant probiotics" that could contribute to more resource-efficient agriculture by reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-probiotics-microorganisms-boost-growth-nitrogen.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:15:31 EST news689332501 Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists in the Department of Food Science and Technology have found a way to make fresh produce safer by using what most would throw away. They discovered that leftover liquid from probiotic fermentation, known as culture waste broth, can be upcycled to fight foodborne pathogens. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-upcycle-fermentation-vegetable-sanitizer.html Biochemistry Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:21:04 EST news682158062 Fearless bacteria have colonized extreme environments, adapted to vast temperatures and pH fluctuations, and acclimated to diverse hosts. Among these multitudes of species is the exclusive club of good bacteria that have enormous benefits to humans and can be exploited for therapeutic interventions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-good-bacteria-free-hydrogel-homes.html Biochemistry Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:31:03 EDT news677244661 Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is a stealthy threat. It infects more than 500,000 people in the United States each year, and kills up to 30,000. It is a leading cause of health-care-associated infections, particularly in hospitals and long-term care facilities. But not everyone who harbors C. diff gets sick—as many as 30–40% of the population carries this bug in their guts. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-hidden-killer-diff.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:15 EDT news673602961 Researchers have shown that probiotics can protect hatching chicks from bacterial diseases without destroying beneficial microorganisms. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-probiotics-alternative-formaldehyde-poultry-hatcheries.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 30 Jul 2025 06:02:58 EDT news673074174 Probiotics are emerging tools used by neonatal intensive care units to promote healthy outcomes and prevent intestinal diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis. Approximately one in ten of the youngest preterm infants in the U.S. are treated with probiotics, and studies show that this therapy can reduce all causes of mortality. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-bifidobacterium-genes-personalized-probiotic.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:19:06 EDT news671901541 In the "Mission: Impossible" films, superspy Ethan Hunt—played by Tom Cruise—gets orders from his superiors on various devices that self-destruct in five seconds. Could electronics disintegrate into nothing in real life? Binghamton University Professor Seokheun "Sean" Choi has researched disposable "papertronics" over the past 20 years, but the hardest part about making so-called transient electronics is the battery. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-probiotic-powered-dissolvable-battery-acidic.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:46:03 EDT news668429161 Scientists with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History have discovered that a bacterial probiotic helps slow the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in already infected wild corals in Florida. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-probiotics-deadly-disease-decimating-caribbean.html Ecology Thu, 05 Jun 2025 02:00:01 EDT news668246281 New research from the University of Cincinnati demonstrates how specially engineered bacteria taken orally can operate as a delivery system for antiviral therapies and vaccines. The research, led by Nalinikanth Kotagiri, Ph.D., is published in the journal Gut Microbes. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-bacteria-antiviral-therapies-vaccines.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 21 May 2025 11:26:04 EDT news667045561 Many people will soon load up Easter baskets with chocolate candy for children and adults to enjoy. On its own, dark chocolate has health benefits, such as antioxidants that neutralize damaging free radicals. And a report in ACS Food Science & Technology suggests that packing the sweet treat with pre- and probiotics could make it more healthful. Flavoring agents, however, can affect many properties, including moisture level and protein content of the chocolate product. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-synbiotic-chocolate-infused-pre-probiotics.html Biochemistry Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:47:46 EDT news661092462 The human gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem of bacteria, plays a vital role in overall health. Imbalances in this ecosystem, known as dysbiosis, have been linked to various inflammatory conditions. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-highlights-power-metabolic-generate-personalized.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Jan 2025 09:51:19 EST news657366673 Food engineers have harnessed the power of lupins (legumes) to create a yogurt that rivals dairy in taste and texture while delivering more nutrition than typical plant-based yogurts. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-lab-cultured-yogurt-rivals-dairy.html Biotechnology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:09:55 EST news650110189 A research team has developed an RNA-based sensor platform that can regulate gene expression in bacteria. Their findings were recently featured in the journal Advanced Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-lego-rna-sensors-enable-customizable.html Biotechnology Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:37:05 EDT news647091419 Research conducted at the Center for Dairy Technology (Tecnolat) in Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil, has identified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that have probiotic properties and are beneficial to human health in samples of traditional Brazilian cheeses. Tecnolat is part of the Food Technology Institute (ITAL), an arm of the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-probiotics-traditional-brazilian-cheeses.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Aug 2024 16:37:04 EDT news644168222 Mary Anne Amalaradjou, associate professor of animal science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, has found that using a probiotic spray on eggs improves the number and quality of chicks that successfully hatch. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-patented-probiotic-spray-method-hatchability.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 25 Jun 2024 09:21:17 EDT news638526075 If your dog is looking like he needs to drop some weight, a new study shows probiotics might do the trick. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-probiotics-portly-pooches-pounds.html Plants & Animals Fri, 26 Jan 2024 12:25:43 EST news625494338 In the area of microbiome-related interventions for gut, skin and other areas of health, postbiotics are one of the most misunderstood substances. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-scientists-debates-postbiotic-definition-paper.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:57:18 EST news624815836 Humans have been fermenting food and drinks—everything from kimchi and yogurt to beer and kombucha—for more than 13,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-microorganisms-yogurt-chemists-tool-probiotic.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 Dec 2023 11:46:03 EST news622208761 Chicken and eggs are among the most popular sources of high-quality protein in the world. With a growing population, making the production of this key food source sustainable is vital. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-probiotic-application-method-growth-chickens.html Biotechnology Wed, 06 Dec 2023 12:57:06 EST news621089824 Millimeter by millimeter, new tissue makes its way through a wound until it has closed a skin lesion. Soon, in the best case, there is nothing left to see of a knee scrape, a finger cut or a burn blister. Not so with chronic wounds, though: If the injury has not healed after four weeks, there is a wound healing disorder. Sometimes, seemingly harmless tissue damage can develop into a permanent health problem or even blood poisoning. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bandage-wound-probiotic-bacteria-combat.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:56:28 EDT news618137783 Widespread pesticide-use and diminished floral diversity in the environment have contributed to the worsening susceptibility of honeybees to infectious disease, threatening their support of adequate pollination of food crops. With the aim of tackling honeybee decline, a collaborative team including researchers at Western University have shown certain probiotic bacteria can be used to help ward off disease and promote overall hive health. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-probiotics-positively-honeybee-health.html Ecology Wed, 28 Jun 2023 12:51:04 EDT news607175462 Until recently, fish that eat coral—corallivores—were thought to weaken reef structures, while fish that consume algae and detritus—grazers—were thought to keep reefs healthy. But scientists have discovered that feces from grazers leave large lesions on coral, possibly because they contain coral pathogens. By contrast, feces from corallivores may provide a source of beneficial microbes that help coral thrive. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-feces-coral-eating-fish-probiotics-reefs.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:04 EDT news600562802 Excessive alcohol consumption leads to painful hangovers and accompanying headaches, fatigue and nausea. Drinking alcohol has also been linked to a raft of health problems in the human body, including heart disease, cirrhosis and immune deficiency. One way to avoid those consequences would be to drink less, but researchers in China have introduced another way to mitigate hangovers and other adverse outcomes—a genetically-engineered probiotic. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-probiotic-blunts-ill-effects-alcohol.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:15:03 EDT news600434101 Researchers with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History have discovered the first effective bacterial probiotic for treating and preventing stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a mysterious ailment that has devastated Florida's coral reefs since 2014 and is rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-newly-probiotic-caribbean-corals-threatened.html Ecology Thu, 06 Apr 2023 05:00:02 EDT news599974074 A probiotic developed at the University of Alberta is the first of its kind to have widespread benefits for dairy cows, and is starting to make its way into the marketplace. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-probiotic-dairy-cattle-marketplace.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:41:04 EDT news599319661 One factor that shapes the establishment of early neonatal intestinal microbiota is environmental microbial exposure, and probiotic application has been shown to promote health and growth of piglets, but inferences drawn from different studies are largely inconsistent with rather low reproducibility. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-spraying-compound-probiotics-growth-modulates.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 17 Feb 2023 12:53:26 EST news595860804 Oyster larvae survival rates were significantly boosted by treating them with specific combinations of probiotics, Oregon State University researchers found in a recent study published in Aquaculture. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-probiotic-combination-drastically-oyster-larvae.html Plants & Animals Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:59:04 EDT news583491541 Time is running out, say researchers who are proposing a framework to guide the safe use of microbes to restore global biodiversity loss. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-safe-probiotics-revive-biodiversity.html Ecology Mon, 01 Aug 2022 09:34:37 EDT news578565270 A probiotic developed at the University of Alberta shows promise in improving the health of dairy calves in the essential first weeks of life. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-newborn-dairy-calves-fed-probiotic.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 May 2022 13:02:24 EDT news571320141 Scientists studying probiotics, beneficial bacteria that show promise for their ability to treat inflammatory bowel disease and other intestinal disorders, continue to face a problem: How to keep probiotics from getting obliterated in the gut before they can be helpful. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-technique-effective-mice-advance-probiotics.html Biotechnology Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:52:54 EDT news553445570