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Biotechnology news
A light-controlled 'muscle' could give synthetic cells a new way to move
Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change shape, or divide, it needs a way to generate force on command.
Biotechnology
17 hours ago
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Two bacteria join forces to turn chemical signals into electricity, opening up low-cost sensing options
Bacterial sensors usually rely on emitting light to transfer information about what they're sensing, but that method isn't practical in many settings. That's why most information transmission is done via electricity. And ...
Biotechnology
Apr 17, 2026
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Shrink, remove and modify: Team successfully 'trims' wheat chromosomes
For the first time, a research team at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has succeeded in reducing the size of, or even completely removing, chromosomes in plants with large genomes, such ...
Biotechnology
Apr 17, 2026
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Q&A: Will agentic AI replace human scientists?
An emerging type of artificial intelligence, known as "agentic" AI, seems to do everything that biomedical scientists do—and often, does it faster. This next-generation technology can interpret experimental data, report the ...
Biotechnology
Apr 17, 2026
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Agrovoltaic systems can save water, generating energy and making tomato cultivation more sustainable at the same time
Researchers from the University of Seville (US) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) have demonstrated that it is possible to grow tomatoes and generate solar energy simultaneously, a key strategy for tackling global ...
Biotechnology
Apr 16, 2026
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From lockdown to the lab: Researcher develops 'decoy molecule' to slow down coronavirus
While the Netherlands was in lockdown because of the coronavirus, Ph.D. candidate Koen Rijpkema began his research into the same virus. In the lab, he developed molecules that can inhibit an important viral enzyme.
Biotechnology
Apr 16, 2026
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Gene discovery opens new path for disease-resistant rice breeding
Bacterial blight (BB) is a serious plant disease that mainly affects rice plants, especially in warm, humid regions. Due to the severity of BB, discovering and applying BB-resistance genes is strategically important for ensuring ...
Biotechnology
Apr 16, 2026
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Common Asian plant in Brazil shows potential for removing microplastics from water
A study conducted at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP) in São José dos Campos, Brazil, shows that Moringa oleifera, also known as moringa or white acacia, has the potential ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 16, 2026
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For regrowing human limbs, this salamander gene could hold the key
Investigating a common gene in three very different species—salamanders, mice and zebrafish—scientists have discovered the potential for a novel gene therapy aimed at eventually regrowing limbs in humans, according to new ...
Biotechnology
Apr 16, 2026
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Monkeys navigate a virtual forest with thought alone, pushing brain-computer interfaces beyond the lab
As a part of a study testing out a new type of implanted brain-computer interface (BCI), three rhesus monkeys controlled movements in a virtual reality (VR) world using only brain signals. The study, published in Science ...
Cells have a secret 'courier system' that could open hard-to-reach targets for RNA and gene therapies
Researchers at University College Dublin have discovered a previously unknown "courier system" that cells use to deliver coherent biological messages between each other, opening new possibilities for medicine and biotechnology. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 16, 2026
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CRISPR variant selectively targets tumor DNA
Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit ...
Biotechnology
Apr 15, 2026
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Earth's microbes may hide a near-universal plastic-eating arsenal, with 600,000 proteins poised to attack waste
Researchers have identified more than 600,000 microbial proteins capable of breaking down natural and synthetic plastics, revealing a far broader biodegradation potential across microbes than previously known.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 15, 2026
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New technique maps cancer drug uptake inside living cells
A new analytical method could improve how cancer treatments are designed—by allowing scientists to track, for the first time, exactly where inside a living cell a drug accumulates. Researchers from the University of Surrey ...
Biotechnology
Apr 15, 2026
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America's sewage and manure hold a $5.7 billion key to breaking synthetic fertilizer dependence
Nutrients recovered from animal and human waste could drastically reduce synthetic fertilizer use in the U.S., according to a new Cornell University study that takes into account real-world implementation challenges like ...
Biotechnology
Apr 15, 2026
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Scientists turn AI-generated proteins into smart molecular sensors
An international team led by researchers at QUT has used artificial intelligence to create tiny "smart" proteins that switch on only when they detect a chosen target. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the research opens ...
Biotechnology
Apr 15, 2026
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Hidden damage in stony corals revealed using 3D imaging and AI
Florida's coral reefs are under siege. Since 2014, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has spread rapidly across the Florida Reef Tract and Caribbean, killing vast numbers of reef-building corals and leaving behind dead ...
Ecology
Apr 14, 2026
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Researchers unveil new AI-driven system set to transform coral reef restoration
UK researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind bespoke AI system designed to assess coral health and detect early stress, helping to prevent restoration projects from failing. Led by PhD research student at the University ...
Ecology
Apr 14, 2026
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Compact CRISPR system unlocks targeted in-body gene editing, with up to 90% efficiency
A research team has discovered an enhanced CRISPR gene-editing system that could enable targeted delivery inside the human body—a key step toward broader clinical use. Researchers identified a naturally occurring enzyme, ...
Biotechnology
Apr 13, 2026
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Designing better membrane proteins by embracing imperfection
Scientists at the VIB–VUB Center for Structural Biology have uncovered a counterintuitive principle that could reshape how membrane proteins are designed from scratch: Sometimes, making a protein less stable helps it fold ...
Biotechnology
Apr 13, 2026
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More news
Bacteria from bumblebees can produce vitamin B₂ in soya drinks
AI and drones can select the most resilient wheat
Examining embryo model ethics beyond box-checking
A 'stemness checkpoint' helps control stem cell identity
Tech can enable cross-species experiences, new research suggests
Other news
A hidden property of light could power future nanomachines
How maze-like magnetic patterns form and evolve in materials
How resilient fungus might survive Mars and space
Sulfur-rich Mercury magmas behave differently than Earth's do
Cell 'snowball' may be answer to large-scale tissue engineering
Stopping algae blooms with bacteria-busting buoys
