https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology/ en-us The latest science news on biotechnology Researchers at Texas A&M University have cracked a problem that has limited biological imaging for years: seeing fine cellular detail while looking deep inside living tissue. The new microscopy technique resolves structures smaller than 100 nanometers, roughly a thousand times thinner than a human hair, without giving up the ability to image deep into intact samples. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-microscopy-sharpens-images-fivefold-sacrificing.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:20:06 EST news713548297 Scientists are always on the lookout for more efficient ways to make useful products and ingredients. Now, researchers from the University of Valladolid in Spain have successfully used a type of purple bacteria to make CoQ10 and carotenoid pigments from CO₂ and other ingredients found in industrial waste streams. The new study is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-purple-bacteria-industrial-products-valuable.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:50:06 EST news713539390 In a study published in Agriculture, researchers from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) propose a policy roadmap for an AI-driven precision farming approach to further improve indigenous and other livestock breeds' abilities to withstand extreme conditions in farming operations of all sizes and types. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-local-ai-gut-microbe-african.html Biotechnology Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:00:11 EST news713531341 Certain microorganisms (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, or ANME) consume methane and convert it into electricity, as research conducted four years ago by microbiologist Cornelia Welte of Radboud University revealed. New research by Welte and her colleagues published in Nature Communications now shows that these methane-consuming organisms do this by producing nanowires through which they can transmit the electricity they generate. The researchers have also succeeded in cultivating these specific microorganisms in almost pure form in the lab. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-methane-microbes-grown-electrodes-electrically.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:10:14 EST news713467261 Growing two crops in succession on the same land requires a tight schedule. In parts of central and eastern China, farmers sow barley in autumn and harvest it in late spring. It is then followed by a summer crop, such as rice. For this cropping sequence to succeed, the barley must mature in time. An early harvest also helps the crop avoid heat and rain toward the end of the growing season. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-genes-harvests-barley-cropping.html Biotechnology Mon, 09 Nov 2026 09:40:01 EST news713438332 The brilliant magenta feathers on the head and throat of a male Anna's hummingbird present an optical puzzle. Magenta cannot be produced by a single wavelength of light. Instead, the feathers reflect a mixture of red and blue. Scientists understood the strong red reflection, but the weaker blue component was harder to explain. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-hummingbird-brilliant-magenta-feathers-hidden.html Plants & Animals Mon, 09 Nov 2026 08:00:06 EST news713181845 Artificial intelligence is helping Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists fast-track answers to a long-standing question in human biology: What do hundreds of mystery proteins in the mitochondria actually do? https://phys.org/news/2026-11-ai-disease-hidden-mitochondria.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:20:01 EST news713192401 Human cells turn genetic instructions into proteins with great precision. Critical for the translation of this information are transfer RNAs, or tRNAs, small molecules that read the genetic code three letters at a time and bring the matching building blocks of proteins, the amino acids, to the cell's protein-making machinery, the ribosome. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-technique-trnas-action-drug-inherited.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:40:07 EST news713186926 An international team of researchers led by UT Southwestern Medical Center has developed a versatile light-sheet microscope that captures 3D views of biological samples, from activity inside living cells to larger tissues. Designed to make detailed imaging much simpler and faster, the approach could help laboratories stretch equipment budgets and expand research that may ultimately inform patient care. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-3d-microscope-imaging-tools.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:00:25 EST news713184241 Skin is remarkably good at keeping things out of the body. Typically, that's a positive. It becomes an issue when medicine needs to get in. Swallow a pill to treat a skin condition, and the medicine enters your stomach, moves into your bloodstream and travels throughout your body—all to reach a problem in your skin. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-tiny-biodegradable-particles-skin-boost.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:40:19 EST news713183641 Exposure to toxic metals like cadmium has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, preterm birth and low birth weight. Because these effects are difficult and ethically challenging to study directly in pregnant women, how such exposures affect pregnancy has remained poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-placenta-chip-effects-environmental-toxins.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 05 Nov 2026 18:30:01 EST news713123581 Octopuses are extraordinarily versatile. From walking across the seabed on their eight arms to jetting through the water, manipulating tools and squeezing through unimaginably tight spaces, the flexibility of octopuses almost defies belief. "Octopuses can change their body shape to squeeze through tiny holes, almost like water flowing through a gap, so their size doesn't always limit where they can go," says Wenci Xin from the National University of Singapore. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-octopuses-small-gaps.html Plants & Animals Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:00:04 EST news713020081 How do cells respond to drugs? A new microscopy technique could provide more precise answers to this question in the future. Researchers from Bielefeld University and the University of Vienna have developed a method as part of the European CHEM-SCAN project that makes the smallest cellular structures visible while also showing how their molecular environment changes. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-microscopy-method-reveals-tiny-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:00:06 EST news713108641 Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, have developed a new approach using the artificial intelligence platform AlphaFold 3 to predict whether a T cell receptor will recognize a specific antigen based solely on its genetic sequence. The advancement could help scientists more rapidly decode immune responses to infectious diseases, tumors and other health threats. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-alphafold-complex-immune-interactions-protein.html Biotechnology Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:20:01 EST news713015941 Researchers at Kanazawa University and the National Institute of Genetics in Japan have used high-speed atomic force microscopy to observe how a group of proteins known as Smc5/6 interacts with DNA. The images reveal how this structure opens and closes, captures DNA and brings separate sections together. The researchers also observed Smc5/6 holding twisted sections of DNA in place, producing more tightly packed arrangements. The findings, published in Nature Communications, provide new insights into the molecular processes that contribute to the maintenance and repair of genetic material. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-molecular-imaging-reveals-shifting-protein.html Biotechnology Wed, 04 Nov 2026 13:40:05 EST news713015761 For six decades, wildlife researchers have faced a persistent challenge: to attach a tracking device to study a wild animal, they first have to catch it. Now, a new approach developed at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) allows GPS collars to be deployed autonomously on free-roaming terrestrial wildlife. Published in BioScience, the proof-of-concept study demonstrates Capture-Free Telemetry (CFT), a technique that places tracking devices on wild animals as they interact with baited deployment units in their natural habitat. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-wild-animals-gps-collar.html Ecology Wed, 04 Nov 2026 10:00:02 EST news712931521 Fish that are cultivated in pools or ponds are an increasingly important source of food around the world. Unfortunately, disease outbreaks can cause substantial losses in aquaculture. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-silk-microneedles-vaccines-farmed-fish.html Biotechnology Tue, 03 Nov 2026 14:30:01 EST news712935193 Researchers have developed a new approach that uses synthetic DNA molecules to target cancer-linked genes directly, opening new possibilities for future treatments, diagnostics and biological research. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-scientists-revive-decades-approach-cancer.html Biotechnology Tue, 03 Nov 2026 13:20:14 EST news712926181 In a short space of time, artificial intelligence has become a whiz at designing proteins, molecular machines that perform various functions such as speeding up reactions, producing fluorescent signals and breaking down plastic. But getting AI to design the specific protein you want usually requires the user to have a strong understanding of molecular structures and geometric constraints to guide the models correctly. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-ai-protein.html Biotechnology Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:40:17 EST news712925308 Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have discovered a group of particularly long-lived blood stem cells in mice. These cells remain in a dormant state for an exceptionally long time while retaining their ability to generate new blood cells. This newly discovered cell population may be responsible for sustaining blood regeneration and immune defense throughout a mouse's entire life. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-stem-cells-deep-secret-reserve.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Nov 2026 18:40:01 EST news712860903 A study co-led by a University of California, Riverside, biomedical scientist has identified new targets for coronavirus antiviral drugs, including treatments that may be less vulnerable to the rapid evolution of these viruses. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-rna-protein-interactions-coronavirus-drug.html Biotechnology Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:20:03 EST news712841899 Some genetic diseases leave cells without a crucial protein. One possible treatment is to persuade genes already inside those cells to work harder, but the necessary machinery can be difficult to deliver, especially when researchers want to target several genes at once. A new compact CRISPR system devised by Hainan Zhang of the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues fits those instructions into a single viral delivery package. https://phys.org/news/2026-11-crispr-gene-boost-seizures-muscles.html Biotechnology Mon, 02 Nov 2026 13:20:01 EST news712840869 Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a high-speed microscopy technique that captures images so quickly they can be used to make "videos" of the dynamic processes that occur inside living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-high-microscopy-captures-3d-images.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 30 Oct 2026 06:00:11 EDT news712488781 Proteins perform essential functions in living organisms, from catalyzing biochemical reactions to supporting cellular energy metabolism. Their functions depend on their amino acid composition and three-dimensional structures. However, early proteins may have evolved when fewer amino acid types were available than those used by most modern proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ancestral-enzyme-atp-amino-acid.html Biotechnology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:00:06 EDT news712501801 Researchers at Aarhus University have discovered that bacteria can continue producing DNA after they die. And they have found a way to control what gets produced. The discovery could eventually contribute to the development of new biological materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-zombie-bacteria-dna-death.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:50:01 EDT news712503301 Soft, flexible hydrogels have enabled significant advancements in engineering biological tissue by mimicking the natural scaffolding that provides structure and support to cells. Existing engineered hydrogels, however, fall short in a significant way. Unlike in nature, they do not have the dynamic ability to change their structure or support depending on what the biological tissue needs. The answer may rest in shining a light on the problem—literally, according to a team led by researchers at Yokohama National University. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reshapes-gelatin-scaffolds-cell-growth.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:10:07 EDT news712503061 In a collaboration, researchers from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have discovered two previously unknown natural products. Lavasamycin A and B are produced by the bacterium Streptomyces barkulensis subsp. lavasanensis, which was isolated from a soil sample collected in Lavasan, Iran, and characterized as a new subspecies at the DSMZ. The findings have been published in the Journal of Natural Products. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-newly-characterized-streptomyces-strain-yields.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:40:06 EDT news712494001 Macromolecular crowding can serve as a design tool for controlling the formation and organization of synthetic DNA droplets, a study from Science Tokyo reveals. Researchers investigated this strategy using DNA nanostars and polymeric crowding agents to mimic the crowded cellular environment. They found that crowding promoted droplet formation and enabled control over droplet size, interactions and organization. The findings could support the development of programmable artificial cell systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-macromolecular-crowding-artificial-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:40:01 EDT news712420261 University of Missouri researchers have created rice plants that resist bacterial blight, a devastating disease that threatens one of the world's most important food crops. The advance could help farmers in parts of Asia and Africa, where the disease can destroy harvests and threaten livelihoods. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rice-devastating-disease-gene-ai.html Biotechnology Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:20:15 EDT news712320002 Our bodies are composed of many different types of cells that work together to build and maintain normal physiological functions. In the central nervous system, for example, neurons transmit information, while glial cells such as astrocytes regulate the environment surrounding neurons and support their function. Understanding how these cell types influence one another is essential for uncovering how our bodies develop and function. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-binary-gene-enables-independent-multiple.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Oct 2026 20:00:01 EDT news712232401