https://phys.org/biology-news/microbiology/ en-us The latest science news on microbiology and cell biology. A genetically engineered bacterium can rapidly break down one of Earth's most abundant minerals, opening a promising new pathway for simultaneously removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and recovering critical elements used in electric vehicle batteries, according to new Cornell research. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-microbe-capture-recovers-critical-metals.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705934681 Epithelial cells are the tiny shields that line and protect our bodies. In a developing embryo, epithelial cells grow, divide and move into positions to form the outer layers of our skin and the surfaces of our organs and blood vessels. When we scrape our skin, suffer an internal tear or undergo surgery, epithelial cells migrate to the site of injury to heal a wound. And when epithelial cells go haywire, they can turn malignant and spread through the body as cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cells-pulse-malignant-longest.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:40:01 EDT news705932882 Adjusting to a new time zone or work schedule can leave the body's internal clock out of sync for days, contributing to sleep disruption, metabolic changes and other health consequences. Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have developed an implantable cell therapy that may help the body adapt more quickly to these disruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-jet-lag-cells-circadian-adjustment.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:02 EDT news705932281 The human body is teeming with more than 35 trillion bacteria, coexisting in microbiomes inside the gut, mouth, lungs, skin and urogenital tract. While it's now clear these microbes are associated with health and disease, scientists have only begun to uncover the full scale of their biology and functions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-overturn-year-assumption-common-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:04 EDT news705931441 Iron is essential. Our cells need it to produce energy, carry oxygen throughout the body and power countless chemical reactions that sustain life. But this metal has a dark side. When too much of it is left free inside cells, it can trigger destructive reactions that break down DNA, proteins and even cell membranes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cells-molecule-iron-overload.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news705749897 Every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a drug-resistant superbug. A few decades from now, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the leading cause of death worldwide, outpacing cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mutation-hotspots-friendly-viruses-outmaneuver.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:50:01 EDT news705860402 Like a delivery driver navigating crowded city streets, a gene-therapy-toting lipid nanoparticle faces a gauntlet of potential detours on its journey toward a cell's nucleus. First, there's entering the cell's plasma membrane; then navigating around organelles like the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum—all destinations that can errantly absorb the particle's payload, rendering it ineffective at best or harmful at worst. And that's all before the particle even enters the nucleus and successfully makes a genetic change. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-crispr-roadblocks-scientists-genes-blocking.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:03 EDT news705841141 Some of Earth's oldest living organisms may be right beneath our feet: not ancient trees or coral reefs but fungi. Yet despite their ubiquity and importance, scientists still don't know how long most fungi can live—or even how to define their age. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fungal-age-elusive-underground-networks.html Ecology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:09 EDT news705656522 Most antibiotics used clinically are based on natural compounds produced by bacteria and other microorganisms. At the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), researchers are using soil-dwelling myxobacteria as a source of new active ingredients. They are able to discover new active compounds primarily in bacteria that have not yet been extensively studied. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soil-myxobacteria-reveal-classes-bioactive.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:10:01 EDT news705771001 Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses of the cell. But their ancient origins may also make them drivers of inflammation. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that proteins released from mitochondria can activate the immune system in a similar way to invading bacteria. The findings suggest that remnants of mitochondria's evolutionary past may contribute to inflammation in infections and autoimmune disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mitochondrial-proteins-trigger-inflammation-mimicking.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:50:01 EDT news705680101 Toxoplasma gondii, or Toxoplasma, is a parasite that infects hundreds of millions of people around the world. Although cases are often mild, it can cause severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems and developing fetuses. It can also persist for years by forming long-lived cysts in tissues, allowing infection to become chronic. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-toxoplasma-parasite-reveals-unusual-strategy.html Evolution Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705586262 Baker's yeast is one of biotechnology's most important microorganisms. It has long been used to leaven bread and ferment beer. More recently, advances in synthetic biology have enabled engineered yeast to convert sugar into a wide range of products, including medicines, fuels and industrial chemicals. Yet even well-engineered yeast cells can be difficult to control in a precise and timely way. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-yeast-biofactories-programmable-precise.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news705657302 A single leaf may look like a simple patch of green, but to the microscopic life that inhabits it, it is a vast landscape divided into different worlds. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oak-harbor-distinct-microbial-worlds.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news705596461 Photosynthetic microorganisms can use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds under mild, environmentally compatible conditions. However, many current photosynthetic production systems rely on cells growing freely in large volumes of liquid. This creates a substantial demand for water and requires extensive mixing to keep the cells evenly distributed and exposed to light, increasing the resource and energy requirements of the process. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-photosynthetic-microorganisms-renewable-chemical-production.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705593461 For most healthy people, Cryptococcus is an unnoticed infection. The immune system walls it off in the lungs and keeps it dormant for life. But in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, recovering from an organ transplant, living with HIV or taking newer immunosuppressing drugs for autoimmune disease, the fungus can reactivate, spread to the brain and cause meningitis. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-uncovering-cryptococcus-shifts-silent-infection.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:30:01 EDT news705600902 Verheij syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by the impairment of splicing, a critical process in RNA processing. Using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging have demonstrated that this disruption affects metabolic pathways that rely on vitamin B12. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-vitamin-b12-developmental-defects-verheij.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:20:04 EDT news705581641 In a world first, scientists led by a team from Stanford University have created 16 viable viruses that do not exist in nature and were designed by AI. Their experiment, which is published in Science, could help in the fight against superbugs by allowing researchers to design customized viruses to kill drug-resistant bacteria. Thomas Inglesby and Moritz S. Hanke have published a Perspective piece on the work and its implications in the same edition of the journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sixteen-ai-viruses-route-drug.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:00:01 EDT news705314814 Researchers led by Sa Kan Yoo at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan have discovered that the natural turnover of gut cells in fruit flies depends on how much food the flies get, rather than on any specific nutrient. They found that gut cells were replaced more frequently when nutrient levels were low and the insides of gut cells were fluid and watery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gut-cells-hunger-watery-insides.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705328524 When most baby turtles hatch, their sex depends on the temperature of the sand or soil where their mother laid her eggs. Warm incubation produces females, while cool nests produce males. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-antenna-cell-appendage-turtle-embryos.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news705323701 Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a platform that pinpoints genetic triggers that turn microbes into efficient factories for new chemicals and materials. The method enables rapid, precise reprogramming of bacteria as biotechnology tools, supporting domestic production of valuable products and recovery of critical minerals and materials to enhance the nation's supply chains and global competitiveness. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-platform-bacterial-gene-biotech.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705323281 All living organisms need vitamin B12 to form red blood cells and DNA, as well as to build and support brain and nerve cells. But it's hard to come by: Humans don't make it. Animals don't make it. Plants don't make it. In fact, this essential nutrient is made exclusively by certain bacteria and archaea. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-phages-essential-vitamin-b12-gut.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news705320644 A research team has identified the transcription factor C/EBPγ as a novel regulator that simultaneously promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and DNA double-strand break repair in lung adenocarcinoma cells. The findings, published in Cell Death Discovery, provide new insights into how cancer cells acquire aggressive features and resistance to anticancer treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-newly-cebp-protein-links-cancer.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news705315010 If you ask Vijay Parashar, associate professor of medical and molecular sciences (MMSC) at the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, human bodies are bags of bacteria. "It sounds gross, but not all bacteria are bad; most of them are good. The trouble starts when the bad bacteria learn how to outsmart antibiotics." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bacterial-enzyme-weaken-antibiotic-defenses.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:20:01 EDT news705254041 Heme, a bioactive form of iron, has numerous essential functions in the cell. As a key component of hemoglobin, it enables oxygen transport in the blood. In addition, it performs important functions in other proteins in processes ranging from energy conversion to signal transduction. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mitochondria-sensors-essential-iron-molecule.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705247981 Fluorescent dyes have long been used in biological research to identify and visualize structures within living cells. Although effective, they have several drawbacks, including altering the cells under study, limiting the number of structures that can be examined at once and reducing measurement accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-ramanomics-major-obstacle-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news705240841 Investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a platform for systematically discovering molecular glues that could become protein degradation drug candidates. The platform could help drug developers dramatically expand the range of disease-related proteins that can be therapeutically targeted for elimination via protein degradation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-metabolically-molecular-degrader-cancer-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news705237301 Cells are enclosed by a cell membrane, a sophisticated structure mainly made of lipids that is vital for fundamental biological processes. Artificial lipid membranes have many practical applications, such as drug delivery, but engineering their properties is a huge challenge. Now, a team in Japan has found a new way to control membrane structure. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-interlocking-molecular-propellers-stable-islands.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:20:07 EDT news705230522 A protein known as interleukin 10 (IL-10) is the lynchpin of a new method to protect transplanted cells from host immune system attacks. Rice University researchers engineered a living factory to produce a localized biochemical halo of IL-10 to suppress immune rejection of pancreatic beta cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bioengineers-biochemical-halo-cloak-insulin.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:31:17 EDT news705231049 U.K. and U.S. scientists have uncovered an important piece of the puzzle in the signaling pathway that causes damaging scar tissue to build up in the body, raising hopes for future treatments. A team from the University of Manchester and University of Connecticut have revealed how a little-known protein helps keep one of the body's most powerful biological signals under tight control. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could eventually help researchers develop new ways to tackle conditions linked to fibrosis, a process in which excessive scar tissue forms in organs and prevents them from working properly. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-protein-body-restrain-scar.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:05 EDT news705158941 Using simple artificial cells, a research group led by Makito Miyazaki of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan has uncovered fundamental physical principles that govern how living cells change their shape. By combining experiments with computer simulations and theoretical analysis conducted in collaboration with Purdue University, the researchers showed how a cell's actin cytoskeleton—the network of protein fibers that gives it its shape—can generate cell-scale shape changes and front-rear polarity without relying on complex biochemical signaling. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-artificial-cells-reveal.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:40:07 EDT news705154695