https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Viewed under a microscope, the air above the Amazon rainforest teems with activity. It is full of pollen, fungal spores, tiny plant particles and bacteria. Normally, the composition of this bioaerosol community is quite stable. A team that included researchers from the University of Graz, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and Brazilian partner institutions has now shown that microorganisms are transported across the Atlantic along with desert dust from the Sahara. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-saharan-bacteria-atlantic-amazon-rainforest.html Environment Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:20:01 EDT news712482062 Worldwide, antibiotic resistance is associated with millions of deaths every year, and the World Health Organization warns that the number of resistant infections is rising. Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used when other treatments fail, but rates of colistin-resistant infections are rising as well, putting people at even greater risk and increasing the urgency for new therapeutic approaches. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-amino-acid-boosts-resort-antibiotic.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:01 EDT news712404121 Beneath the forest floor extends a vast ecosystem where a diverse array of microorganisms inhabit soil and root systems. Here, fungi and bacteria play pivotal roles in processes such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Within these microbial communities may exist a keystone species, which exerts a disproportionately large influence on the entire structure and function of such an ecosystem. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-dna-analysis-root-fungi-potential.html Ecology Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news712242302 Scientists hunting for a new malaria treatment may have found a solution within a historical natural compound collection housed at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-potential-antimalarial-compound-microbe.html Biochemistry Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:30:01 EDT news712334882 Vultures are one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world. Currently, at least 16 of the 23 species of vulture are of conservation concern, largely as a result of poisoning and other threats due to human activity. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-avian-influenza-threatens-vulture-populations.html Plants & Animals Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:01 EDT news712315690 A nano-wrinkled surface combined with a tiny soft actuator can break up infection-causing bacterial sheets, called biofilms, that form on medical implants, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Advanced Functional Materials. When implanted in mice, the platform—called DARTS (dynamically actuated reconfigurable topographical surface)—reduced bacterial burden and improved the surrounding tissue response. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nano-wrinkles-actuation-infectious-biofilms.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:20:01 EDT news712310161 Advanced nanoscale imaging technology has revealed the diversity of living cells in human milk and uncovered new insights into how these cells are structured, what they contain and how they use nutrients. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-reveal-hidden-world-cells.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:00:06 EDT news712309321 Natural products produced by microorganisms are a promising source of new drugs. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) and its Saarbrücken-based site, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), have now discovered a new family of such compounds, elucidated their unusual biosynthesis and developed a way to produce them synthetically. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-silent-bacterial-genes-yield-potential.html Biochemistry Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:00:12 EDT news712252441 Many of the most potent antibiotics originate from bacteria. A large proportion belong to a class of compounds known as nonribosomal peptides (NRP). They are produced by large bacterial enzyme machineries—the nonribosomal peptide synthetases, or NRPS for short. These function like molecular assembly lines: Similar to the stations in a car factory, where new parts are added to the car at each step, several specialized modules string together amino acid by amino acid to build a peptide. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-reinvent-weapons-chance-gene.html Evolution Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:00:01 EDT news711980821 What if we could predict early in drug development which antibiotics bacteria are most likely to become resistant to? In a review published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, researchers from the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged (HUN-REN BRC Szeged) and the Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM) in Szeged propose a five-step decision-making framework that could help identify resistance risks early, refine promising drug candidates and prevent costly failures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-antibiotic-resistance-drugs-patients.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:40:01 EDT news711979741 Rising temperatures and increasing drought are shortening crop-growing seasons in many parts of the world. Now scientists in Sweden report new advances toward engineering more efficient photosynthesis, work that could eventually contribute to efforts to adapt crops for climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climate-resilient-crops-mind-tackles.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:20:01 EDT news711904861 Biological clocks are often associated with light. Historically, most people started their days when the sun was up and ended their days when the sun set. But new research from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that some of the body's most important timekeepers live in the gut. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gut-bacteria-food-cues-nutrient.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:00:34 EDT news711801722 Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce a potent neurotoxin called botulinum toxin, which causes the serious illness botulism. The toxin attacks the nervous system, leaving the body unable to control its muscles and making every breath a struggle. Without immediate treatment, botulism can be fatal. Humans, however, have managed to domesticate this dangerous bacterium to do their bidding. Over more than 90 years, biologists have been able to turn a wild microbe into an efficient factory for medical, military and cosmetic products like Botox. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-humans-domesticated-bacterium-botox-treatments.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:50:01 EDT news711814360 Bacteria and the viruses that infect them—known as phages—coexist in soils, oceans and living organisms. Scientists have long thought this coexistence reflects a microscopic version of an evolutionary arms race: As parasites and hosts continually adapt to one another, both evolve ways to survive. But a joint study by researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Exeter shows different pathways to coexistence. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-migration-mechanism-enabling-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:52 EDT news711792422 The site of a former U.S. military base in Greenland was ice-free at a time when summers were a few degrees warmer than today, according to a new University at Buffalo–led study of ancient sediment recovered from beneath the site in the 1960s. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-forgotten-samples-greenland-cold-war.html Earth Sciences Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:40:01 EDT news711727681 Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as "living immune systems" that help protect the bee colony, its offspring and food supplies from disease. The finding underlines the need to protect bee habitat to ensure their health. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-beehives-immune-layered-antimicrobial-defenses.html Plants & Animals Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:00:11 EDT news711643621 They can turn up in a nonstick frying pan, a waterproof jacket, a takeout food wrapper or the foam used to fight fires. Known as "forever chemicals," these substances are ubiquitous in modern society, prized for their extreme durability and versatility. However, their charm comes with a curse: They are so durable they resist degradation, posing threats to human health and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hunter-killer-chemistry-captures-destroys.html Polymers Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:00:06 EDT news711620341 A joint research group led by Ryo Tanifuji and Hiroki Oguri from the University of Tokyo and Yoshikazu Tanaka from Tohoku University has visualized SacC, an enzyme that plays a key role in building the complex five-ring core of safracin B. This core structure is shared with trabectedin, a drug used to treat soft tissue sarcoma. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-frozen-action-visualizing-cancer-drug.html Biochemistry Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:00:12 EDT news711618661 A research team led by senior researcher Minyoung Lee and principal researcher Sunggyu Park of the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), has developed a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis technology that rapidly detects extremely low concentrations of viable bacteria by directly growing plasmonic metal nanostructures on and around bacterial cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-plasmonic-coating-bacterial-surfaces-paves.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:40:01 EDT news711619741 Humans throughout history have invented a variety of ways to fight back against troublesome bacteria. But bacteria live in a dangerous world too. The human body and other bacteria-rich environments abound with bacteriophages, or viruses that prey upon bacteria. Phages can sometimes outnumber bacteria a hundredfold, yet the bacteria endure and even thrive. What gives? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-survive-world-full-killer.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:20:08 EDT news711618962 For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven weeks, the fastest documented recovery to date, according to a study published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-reverse-coral.html Ecology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news711300075 Scientists know a great deal about how lions hunt, breed and survive, but the microscopic communities living inside them have remained largely unexplored. Now, a study of wild lions in Namibia is beginning to change that, while revealing how much biology is still missing from the world's genomic databases. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-lion-yield-previously-unknown-microbial.html Ecology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news711199822 Cortisol is a hormone that helps humans and many other animals regulate their energy use and respond to changing conditions. For a long time, sharks and rays were believed to rely on a different steroid hormone for these functions, without producing cortisol themselves. Now, a new study of North Pacific spiny dogfish, a species of small shark, challenges this view. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spiny-dogfish-blood-hormone-thought.html Plants & Animals Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:00:01 EDT news711365171 Proteases are naturally occurring enzymes that break down proteins into peptides and even single amino acids. They are useful in medicine and industrial processes, where they clean tissue, digest waste and help in the manufacture of everyday products. Now scientists have used artificial intelligence to design new versions from scratch. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-molecular-scissors-protein.html Biotechnology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:40:06 EDT news711294937 Penicillin has cured syphilis cases since 1943, but symptoms of the sexually transmitted infection, known as "the great imitator," mimic many other diseases and can come and go without treatment while the infection keeps causing harm. If it remains undetected, it can spread to partners and to babies during pregnancy, causing lifelong effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rapid-syphilis-layered-nanoparticles-infection.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:05 EDT news711364981 Researchers at the University of Miami have identified a group of previously unknown viruses that bridge an evolutionary gap between viruses and cellular protein compartments, a discovery with implications for both biotechnology and scientists' understanding of the origins of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-newly-viruses-reveal-evolutionary-link.html Evolution Thu, 15 Oct 2026 19:40:10 EDT news711297722 To produce pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and flavors and fragrances, it is often necessary to oxidize alcohols. In conventional chemistry, this transformation typically relies on harsh oxidants and elevated temperatures and generates toxic waste. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacterial-galactose-oxidase-toolkit-greener.html Biochemistry Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:20:04 EDT news711295622 Humanity's ongoing disruption of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations, temperatures, and global nutrient cycles is starving the oceans of oxygen. Although we can measure ongoing changes to ocean circulation and marine life, we still don't know how far the oxygen loss and the damage to ocean ecosystems could go. One way to foresee the oceans' future is to look back at how our seas and their inhabitants responded to higher CO₂ levels and warmer climates in the past. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-deep-ocean-oxygen-microscopic-magnetic.html Earth Sciences Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:40:06 EDT news711294001 Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery to reproduce. In doing so, they may have evolved some of the most efficient gene-editing tools ever seen in nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-molecular-snapshots-reveal-viral-enzymes.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:00:01 EDT news711293581 Limbs evolved as a means of locomotion. From the primitive rotating flagella of bacteria to the wings of flies and even our own legs, animals use these appendages to travel to find food or mates or escape predators. But in countless species across the animal kingdom, limbs are repurposed to create elaborate social displays: Birds of paradise fan out their wings and hop around in courtship dances, while crabs wave their claws to communicate to potential mating partners. As humans, we use our limbs to dance, gesture while talking, wield tools and conduct a remarkable diversity of behaviors. How does the brain control and coordinate its body parts for such distinct purposes? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brain-circuits-fruit-flies-wing.html Plants & Animals Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:40:18 EDT news711292582