https://phys.org/biology-news/ en-us Read the latest science news from Phys.org on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology An international study co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher has found that drifting devices used by the global tuna fishing industry are entering marine protected areas around the world, creating potential risks for wildlife and sensitive ocean habitats. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-drifting-tuna-gear-wildlife-marine.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news701533201 When viruses travel through the air in tiny droplets, they can quickly start to dry out. Yet many viruses remain infectious after rehydration—something that is still not fully understood. Now, an international team of researchers has directly observed at the European XFEL how the protein shells of viruses can change shape during dehydration, offering new clues to viral resilience and opening new possibilities for virology research. The results, published in Light: Science & Applications, lay the groundwork for potential applications in virology and public health and can, for instance, help develop antiviral strategies. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ray-snapshots-reveal-viral-shells.html Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:50:01 EDT news701538782 When an animal's environment changes faster than the animal can adapt, its chances of survival can flatline. The same is true for populations and even entire species. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Leicester have found that this connection between evolutionary adaptation and the pace of environmental change holds up at the global scale as well—and can determine life's susceptibility to mass extinction. The researchers have developed a theoretical model of this phenomenon, which they present in a paper published today in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-environmental-outpaces-life-ability.html Evolution Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:40:03 EDT news701532659 Deep within the dark caves of northeastern Mexico lives a fish that has spent hundreds of thousands of years adapting to a world without light. The blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) has evolved in perpetual darkness, losing its eyes and pigmentation while developing remarkable adaptations that help it survive in nutrient-poor environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-darkness-mexican-cavefish-illuminate-brain.html Evolution Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:20:03 EDT news701531806 A new method for recognizing and targeting DNA that dramatically expands the range of genetic sequences scientists can identify has been developed by experts at the University of Portsmouth. Published this week in Nature Communications, the research opens new possibilities for gene-targeting technologies, molecular diagnostics and DNA nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-synthetic-dna-toolkit-scientists-ability.html Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news701529781 Researchers at the University of East Anglia have helped uncover a hidden ally in the fight against one of agriculture's greatest threats—salty soil. Led by Chinese collaborator Dr. Yanfen Zheng, the team's new study shows how naturally occurring soil bacteria can dramatically boost plants' ability to survive in salty conditions. The work is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pseudomonads-boost-crop-growth-salty.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:50:04 EDT news701539861 Genome editing lets scientists rewrite DNA, the instruction manual inside every living cell, with a precision that was unthinkable a generation ago. Technologies such as CRISPR have made this almost routine, and its uses now reach far beyond medicine, from engineering hardier crops and more productive microbes to creating sustainable biomaterials. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cleanfinder-browser-based-genome-analysis.html Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:20:09 EDT news701528761 How the proteins in our bodies bind together to form protein complexes plays a critical role in numerous cell functions—staving off diseases, for instance, or transporting ions across cell membranes. A better understanding of how they bind could lead to new medicines and possibly the design of new protein complexes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-piecing-puzzle-proteins-simpler-outperforms.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:10:01 EDT news701537102 Researchers have identified a severe outbreak of a rare contagious cancer in soft-shell clams in Washington state's Puget Sound and found evidence that the disease was recently introduced to the Pacific Northwest from Atlantic Coast populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-contagious-cancer-ocean-triggering-severe.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:50:01 EDT news701535841 In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped key steps in the assembly of the mitochondrial ribosome, offering new clues to how defects in this process can lead to disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mitochondria-protein-factories-energylinked-disease.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:40:08 EDT news701526100 Oysters filter seawater for food. In the process, they concentrate a wide variety of microorganisms from their environment—including bacteria and viruses—into a tiny space. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-oysters-labs-reveal-unexpected-stability.html Ecology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:20:12 EDT news701526005 A 100-year-old equation and a fiber-optic cable off the coast of Svalbard led researchers to discover they could detect swimming whales—even if they were completely silent. The discovery broadens the tools biologists could someday use to detect and monitor these marine giants. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fiber-optic-cables-silent-whales.html Ecology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:00:03 EDT news701523194 Data spanning nearly half a century shows that endangered southern resident killer whales are spending less time in inland waters, whereas their larger cousins, Bigg's killer whales, are increasingly present in Puget Sound. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-decades-dataset-orcas-home-puget.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT news701422585 Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all-female burial site. The study, published in the journal Cell, raises the possibility that South Africa's famous Rising Star Cave system could represent the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-proteins-hint-female-homo.html Evolution Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:06 EDT news701518295 The Netherlands is a major agricultural exporter. But look beyond euros to land, animal feed, calories and protein, and a different picture emerges. In a study published in Nature Food, researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) conclude that the Dutch contribution to the global food supply through net food exports is far more limited than is often assumed. The study shifts the focus from gross exports to the Netherlands' net contribution to food supply. It looks not only at the products the Netherlands exports, but also at the food, animal feed and agricultural land the country uses through imports from abroad. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-netherlands-world-familiar-view-dutch.html Agriculture Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:20:04 EDT news701517841 An enigmatic new species of wormlion fly, whose larvae construct clever pitfall traps to capture prey, has been revealed in a study led by researchers at Dali University in China. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-giant-wormlion-fly-species-southern.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:40:06 EDT news701516789 When it comes to choosing a partner, some species prefer males that stand out from the crowd. Evolutionary biologists call the resulting process negative frequency-dependent selection. It means that a male has a huge mating advantage when his appearance is rare but loses that advantage if his look becomes too common. This constant balancing act may be one important reason for the variety in nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-female-guppies-rare-males-evolution.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:20:05 EDT news701516435 To function normally, nearly every cell in the human body relies on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to receive and send signals. That's why GPCRs are targeted by roughly one-third of all FDA-approved drugs. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-key-molecules-arrestins-druggable-scientists.html Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:16 EDT news701443203 Researchers in Taiwan have developed a cell-free extracellular matrix material from axolotl skin that helped mouse burn wounds close faster and show signs of reduced fibrotic scarring. The findings suggest that one of nature's most remarkable regenerators may inspire future strategies for burns, chronic wounds and surgical injuries, but the approach is not yet a treatment for human wounds. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-axolotl-skin-matrix-wounds-scarring.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:20:05 EDT news701512940 For conservation and the management of human–wildlife conflicts, it is of great interest to know which species are eaten by carnivores. Scientists from the Ngorongoro Hyena Project at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) analyzed this dynamic for spotted hyenas in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania using DNA analysis of hundreds of fecal samples collected over 24 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-hyenas-livestock-rhinos-behavioral-biologists.html Plants & Animals Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:20:03 EDT news701510943 Echinoderms, such as starfish, sea urchins and sea lilies, use small, flexible, tubular projections called "tube feet" for locomotion, feeding, respiration and sensory perception. Crinoids, a subgroup of echinoderms, are known to have a long fossil record, but these fossils usually preserve only hard skeletal parts, since soft tissues like tube feet are far more difficult to preserve. But researchers recently made a surprising and rare discovery of preserved crinoid tube feet. Their new study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reports that these tube feet are the oldest known specimens, preserved for around 452 million years. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-oldest-tube-feet-reveals-clues.html Evolution Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:40:01 EDT news701439354 New research from the University of St. Andrews shows how sperm whale vocal dialects evolve as they adopt new calls while still remembering the old. An international team of researchers studying vocal dialects in the endangered population of sperm whales that live in the Mediterranean Sea has captured the cultural evolution of new dialects in process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sperm-whale-vocal-dialects-evolve.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:00:03 EDT news701427003 After nearly four decades of research, Mayo Clinic scientists have revealed the molecular structure of protein kinase C beta (PKCβ), a key protein linked to cancer and neurological diseases. The findings, published in Nature Communications, provide the first detailed view of how the protein works and how the breast cancer drug endoxifen can target it. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-decade-mystery-pkc-reveals-drug.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:50:01 EDT news701452561 Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause acute and chronic infections. Responsible for many hospital-acquired infections, it is also a major concern for people with cystic fibrosis, whose lungs are clogged with thick mucus that promotes its growth. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-physical-pressure-pathogenic-p-aeruginosa.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:40:05 EDT news701446922 A new study reveals the dynamics of photosynthesis at the cellular level. Led by co-authors Professor Barry Bruce and Associate Professor Rajan Lamichhane, both of the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the team published its findings—"Single-molecule fluorescence and cross-linking reveal ligand-gated Toc34 oligomerization dynamics"—in the Biophysical Journal. The team included graduate student Sree Kavya Penneru, whom Bruce and Lamichhane co-mentor, and postdoctoral researcher Sriram Tiruvadi-Krishnan. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chloroplast-reveals-molecular-power-life.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:20:06 EDT news701446861 In many fish species, water temperature determines the sex of the fry. This biological mechanism threatens to wipe out entire populations because of a shortage of females in the face of global warming. However, an international study conducted in Spain, France and Brazil has found that this well-known masculinization effect can be offset over generations. In a 10-year experiment involving more than 3,000 European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), scientists observed that the initial high proportion of male births under intense heat was reversed by the third generation, with more females being born. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-warmer-seas-female-fish-species.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:10:04 EDT news701450761 A new study has uncovered a fundamental link between brain size and offspring size, helping to solve a long-standing evolutionary puzzle: Why do birds lay such disproportionately large eggs? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-brain-growth-birds-lay-outsized.html Evolution Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news701432162 Pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to fly, would have had more diverse wing shapes than current scientific reconstructions suggest, according to new University of Bristol-led research. The study is published in the journal Paleobiology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pterosaur-wing-modern-reconstructions-major.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:30:05 EDT news701449741 A new algorithm could drive breakthroughs in understanding cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other potentially fatal conditions. Researchers from the University of Waterloo developed the machine-learning algorithm, called RNovA, to detect changes in the proteins in human cells. Their research is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-algorithm-disease-linked-cells-prior.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:10:01 EDT news701449441 Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can help scientists determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins in unprecedented detail. Jacques Dubochet, former group leader at EMBL, shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for the development of this technique, which led to the "resolution revolution" in structural biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-unique-instruments-automate-sample-quality.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:50:04 EDT news701449321