https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology/ en-us The latest science news on biotechnology Conservationists analyze overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions of insects. Up until now, these scientists and decision makers have had to manually find and sort information, then use statistical tools which often oversimplify the source information. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-nature-powerful-tool-dangerous.html Ecology Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:00:04 EDT news700229101 A drug once dismissed as ineffective suddenly worked—when scientists tested it under more realistic conditions that mimic the human body. In this surprising new discovery, Northwestern University scientists uncovered a hidden rule of drug behavior. A medicine's effectiveness can change dramatically depending on the conditions inside our cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-drugs-unrealistic-conditions-scientists.html Biotechnology Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:40:03 EDT news700213922 A team led by Raju Tomer, professor of biological sciences at Columbia University, has created a new design for microscopes and microscope lenses that could push 3D tissue imaging beyond state-of-the-art systems while drastically cutting costs and complexity. Details of the design were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-3d-microscope-technology-captures-high.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:00:08 EDT news700151821 Water pollution caused by pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other organic contaminants is an increasing global issue, especially in regions with limited wastewater treatment infrastructure. A new doctoral thesis from Umea University in Sweden offers an innovative and sustainable solution by demonstrating how agricultural waste can be converted into effective materials for water purification. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-agricultural-wastewater.html Biotechnology Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news700134908 Scientists in Japan have developed a rat-mouse hybrid embryo from a single frozen rat chromosome transplanted into a mouse egg cell. The achievement is proof that genetic material can sometimes remain functional after cryopreservation and be expressed inside the cells of a completely different species. This is giving renewed hope to the idea that we may one day be able to partially resurrect extinct species and study lost traits. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-frozen-rat-chromosome-life-mouse.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:12:12 EDT news700143085 Researchers in Germany have found that solar panels on rewetted peatland provide a unique habitat for bird species along with generating green energy and potentially locking up carbon. Installing solar panels on rewetted peatlands is a new type of land use, providing a way to generate green energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now, research from the University of Greifswald has found that this novel land use may also benefit nature. The findings are published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-solar-panels-rewetted-peatland-climate.html Ecology Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:10:01 EDT news699811142 When we think of wildlife trafficking, we might think of rhino horns or baby orangutans sold as pets—but the smuggling of sea creatures, a less well-known crime, is just as damaging to marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, many commonly smuggled marine wildlife items, like shark fins, can be hidden in baggage or parcels and carried across borders with relative ease, without being detected. To get around this, scientists used AI to develop an algorithm that can detect samples of commonly trafficked sea creatures—shark fins, seahorses, and sea cucumber—with 92% accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-smuggled-seahorses-shark-fins.html Ecology Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:00:02 EDT news699811861 A major goal of modern crop breeding is to efficiently combine multiple desirable traits by "stacking" the favorable gene variants (alleles) that contribute to those traits in a single crop variety. However, current strategies are often time-consuming and inefficient. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-platform-multiple-trait-stacking-crops.html Biotechnology Sun, 07 Jun 2026 18:00:02 EDT news699875763 Biophotonics is a multidisciplinary field that involves the development and application of light-based technologies to study, monitor and treat biological systems. The ability to directly image cells and molecules has led to many fundamental discoveries in the past century. More recently, the terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum has attracted growing interest as a promising frontier for advancing biological research. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-terahertz-biophotonics-path-applications-biological.html Biotechnology Sun, 07 Jun 2026 09:40:01 EDT news699874978 What if a common herb found in the kitchen could help farmers grow healthier crops? As the global population grows and agriculture faces increasing environmental challenges, scientists are searching for innovative ways to improve crop productivity while reducing reliance on chemical inputs. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sweet-basil-carbon-dots-potential.html Biotechnology Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:40:02 EDT news699871272 This is not science fiction or some perverse prank. A Silicon Valley tech giant is seeking federal approval to release up to 64 million sterilized male mosquitoes in California and Florida over the next two years. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dengue-longer-google-mosquito-summer.html Ecology Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:40:02 EDT news699885963 Wildlife research projects worldwide could benefit from a new AI system which can automatically find, name, and follow individual animals in footage. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-visual-ai-tracks-wildlife-species.html Ecology Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:04 EDT news699881221 Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a novel synthetic biomolecular condensate that can degrade intracellular disease-causing proteins, providing a framework for new therapeutic approaches for a wide range of diseases, as detailed in a recent study published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-synthetic-biomolecule-degrades-disease-proteins.html Biotechnology Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:40:05 EDT news699804361 Globally, agriculture faces mounting pressures. These are driven by climate change, land degradation, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and the demand for food from a growing population. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-agriculture-smallholder-farmers-left.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news699722821 Computational chemists at the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences have developed a comprehensive software suite to create accurate models of DNA in biomolecular assemblies. Called MDNA, the user-friendly molecular modeling toolkit helps biochemists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and biophysicists to visualize and analyze DNA structures and perform accurate simulations. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-source-software-rapid-dna-generation.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:03 EDT news699715022 Interactions between hard-shelled marine mollusks such as clams and snails and their predators play a critical but largely unseen role in shaping coastal ecosystems. These organisms help stabilize shorelines, filter water and support biodiversity, making them foundational to coastal health. Yet they are increasingly threatened by ocean acidification and expanding populations of mobile shell-crushing predators. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-armed-ai-prey-predator-crunching.html Ecology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:20:05 EDT news699709381 Food waste is a nagging problem that weighs heavily on global food production, distribution and sales industries—but an emerging generation of AI sensors is providing a raft of fresh solutions. The embrace of AI in food industries has been swift, which is why Flinders University researchers have worked with an international research team to build the first comprehensive overview of AI technologies involved in the food industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-food-industries-embrace-ai-sensors.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news699699989 Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable coexistence with their hosts. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have harnessed that biological mechanism for potential human benefit, engineering a hookworm to produce and deliver a drug within a living host. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-genetically-hookworms-therapeutics.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:00:03 EDT news699611130 Networks of protein fibers play important roles in living cells. To understand the dynamical behavior of these networks, model networks are needed to perform in vitro studies. However, fabrication of protein networks similar to those in cells has proved difficult, as current methods could affect the biological function of these proteins—ultimately impacting our understanding of any findings. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-laser-cell-protein-networks-chemical.html Biotechnology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:40:02 EDT news699629221 In a significant advance in biological quantum sensing, a research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered and tested a new mechanism of action in which proteins can be controlled with radio waves. In doing so, they influence a sensitive quantum state known as spin and make it visible via light. In the future, such findings could help detect and even direct biochemical processes in cells simply from the outside using radio waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-proteins-radio.html Biotechnology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:00:02 EDT news699622347 Industrial oxidation chemistry is a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, accounting for nearly one-third of all chemical industrial processes. While essential for making pharmaceuticals, dyes, and many specialty chemicals, industrial oxidation typically relies on high-temperature, high-pressure processes involving toxic oxidizing agents. This has motivated scientists to look into cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) as a compelling alternative. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-redesigning-elusive-bacterial-enzyme-efficient.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:40:06 EDT news699620082 A team of Israeli scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a novel method to significantly lower the production costs of cultivated meat. The new study demonstrates that preloading plant-derived cellulose scaffolds with growth factors supports the cost-efficient proliferation and differentiation of bovine stem cells. By binding these vital proteins directly to an anisotropic, directionally frozen framework instead of dispersing them in liquid media, this method achieves high-quality tissue development using up to 10 times fewer expensive factors. Upon multi-week cultivation and subsequent pan-frying, the cell-bound constructs show partially similar mechanical and visual responses to traditional sirloin cuts. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-friendly-lab-grown-steak-realistic.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:20:12 EDT news699613224 Researchers have developed a fish-like robot that shows how some species of modern fish are able to walk on land, and could help unravel how early vertebrates evolved similar abilities hundreds of millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-robot-fish-unravel-ancient-ancestors.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:04 EDT news699525481 Changing market conditions are increasing the need for cost-effective ways to produce biorenewable chemicals, biofuels and materials that can serve as alternatives to oil-based products. According to Costas Maranas, Robert V. and Gloria H. Waltemeyer Chair and Donald B. Broughton Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State, solutions to these problems could come from applying tools used in synthetic biology to plants and their microbial partners across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-key-energy-food-crises.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT news699612298 It's a mild early spring morning at the historic Cottonwood Field Station in western South Dakota, and a herd of 150 Angus steers are scheduled to move to a new pasture rotation. Moving cattle can be tricky and often requires some extra help, electrical fencing and quite a bit of time. But today, there are no extra ranchers, no gates swinging open and no temporary fences in place. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-future-agriculture.html Biotechnology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:20:02 EDT news699610682 Plastics, medicines, cosmetics—there are very few everyday products that do not rely on using fossil resources. A European research team led by Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin is now aiming to revolutionize this cornerstone of the chemical industry: as part of the CarboNcare project, scientists are developing bacteria that can produce important chemical base materials from sustainable methanol—thereby replacing fossil resources. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-neutral-plastics-cosmetics-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:40:01 EDT news699540350 A research team from the School of Biomedical Sciences at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has achieved a significant advance in biotechnology that could revolutionize treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. The team has developed a novel tool called RNA Segment Editing (RSE), which functions like a "cut-and-patch" tool for RNA. This innovative approach allows scientists to precisely remove or replace faulty segments of genetic messages within living cells without permanently changing a person's DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rna-patch-tool-faulty-messages.html Biotechnology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:00:04 EDT news699549721 Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps—transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes; and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-brain-gene-revealed-noninvasively-programmable.html Biotechnology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:50:03 EDT news699551881 Scientists from six Asian countries have launched an ambitious 10-year effort to build synthetic cells from non-living molecules, marking the region's first coordinated push to create an artificial single-celled biological system. The roadmap, published on May 26 in Nature Biotechnology and led by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was developed through the SynCell Asia Initiative, which comprises more than 100 scientists from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scientists-unveil-ten-year-roadmap.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:40:06 EDT news699552122 Cells are typically studied outside the body under controlled laboratory conditions. However, conventional flat cell culture methods do not fully reproduce the complex three-dimensional environments that cells experience in living tissues. Tiny hydrogel capsules offer one way to culture cells in a confined three-dimensional space, allowing researchers to study how cells grow, organize and interact under more tissue-like conditions. Current methods to do this come with a high cost and a set of requirements that put such research out of reach to many. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-workflow-uniform-cell-capsules-standard.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:20:07 EDT news699544861