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. A research consortium has generated the broadest look yet at the proteins that make up mitochondria, capturing the organelle's diversity across multiple branches on the tree of complex life. With major contributions from Broad Institute scientists and its Proteomics Platform, the consortium generated and analyzed the mitochondrial proteomes of one plant and five single-celled pathogens that affect millions of people globally every year. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mitochondria-life-family-tree-unearths.html Evolution Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:00:10 EDT news709989111 Asgard archaea, our closest known microbial relatives, play a key role in current models of the origin of more complex organisms, known as eukaryotes (all animals, plants, protists and fungi). However, their biology has so far been poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-asgard-archaea-motility-older-previously.html Evolution Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:00:20 EDT news709920782 In acute, life-threatening infections, rapidly characterizing the microorganisms in a patient sample can help guide diagnosis and treatment. Computational methods known as taxonomic profilers can analyze metagenome sequencing data generated from the microorganisms' genomic information and compare it with reference genomes of individual microorganisms. However, taxonomic profilers are still under development and are not yet in common use. Current methods can produce false-positive results or inaccurate abundance estimates. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbial-dna-scarce-profiling-method.html Biotechnology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 20:00:01 EDT news709827486 Every time a cell divides, its chromosomes must be distributed correctly between the two daughter cells. Central to this process is the centromere, a specialized region of the chromosome. The centromere serves as the attachment site for the cellular machinery that pulls the chromosomes apart. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ancient-genome-function-persists-frequent.html Evolution Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:40:01 EDT news709393982 A study conducted by the University of Liège and Rockefeller University reveals, with near-atomic precision, the three-dimensional structure and function of a gigantic molecular machine essential to the survival of trypanosomatid parasites, which cause serious diseases in humans, animals and plants. The work has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-snapshots-reveal-key-molecular-machine.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:00:05 EDT news709292041 A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life. In a study published in Cell, scientists describe a new species of amoeba that can eat and reproduce in hot spring water as warm as 63°C (145°F) in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park. The amoeba can protect itself at temperatures up to 70°C (158°F) by changing shape and forming a protective outer layer. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hot-amoeba-tolerance-complex-life.html Ecology Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:00:09 EDT news709205701 A synthetic biology technology has been developed that converts easily degraded messenger RNA (mRNA) into a ring-shaped form inside microbial cells, increasing protein production. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-circular-mrna-cell-factories-protein.html Biotechnology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:40:06 EDT news709221963 Cells rely on complex signaling networks in which different molecular pathways communicate with one another. Small GTPases act as molecular switches in these networks, controlling diverse cellular processes such as intracellular transport and cell morphogenesis. Although crosstalk between different families of small GTPases is established in animal cells, whether and how such crosstalk occurs in plants has remained largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-bridge-pathways-critical-pollen.html Plants & Animals Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:00:04 EDT news708868868 After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act as bridges, bringing together sequences that are far apart in the genome's linear sequence. Now, a study has identified—in an animal model—the formation of these loops as an essential step in tissue regeneration after an injury. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dna-loops-essential-efficient-wing.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:20:01 EDT news708614881 There are millions of species of bacteria and archaea on Earth, remarkably little is known about most of them. Now, researchers have mined the genomes of thousands of microorganisms preserved at the RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC) to find organisms that may be capable of capturing CO2. BRC, located in Tsukuba—one of Japan's largest centers of scientific research—is a unique, world-class research facility. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbial-dark-yields-potential-carbon.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:40:09 EDT news707649132 Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialized connecting structures. An international team led by biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and involving the University of Tübingen has now discovered that the regulation of very similar structures was already present in multicellular bacteria, implying that it must have originated much earlier in the course of evolution. In their paper published in The EMBO Journal, the researchers describe how the exchange of calcium plays a central role in bacteria, just as it does in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-bacteria-intercellular-communication-humans.html Evolution Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:00:05 EDT news707406962 All living things have a fleet of tiny copy machines that turn instructions from DNA into RNA molecules responsible for helping build proteins that keep organisms alive. One of those nanoscale machines, called eukaryotic RNA polymerase II, performs a crucial early step required by nearly every biological process. It makes messages, copying and carrying instructions from the cell nucleus to make proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-messy-life-cellular-caught-action.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news706450202 Salty water flowing through Antarctica's Blood Falls contains a distinct community of marine-specific microorganisms, providing evidence that the brine system beneath the glacier has a marine origin, according to a paper published in Nature Geoscience. The findings offer new insights into how microbial communities can persist through major environmental transitions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-marine-microbes-ancient-seawater-source.html Earth Sciences Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:00:05 EDT news704986322 The signals that cells use to switch genes on have remained almost unchanged across 2 billion years of evolution, but the ones used to switch genes off vary dramatically from one branch of life to another, according to a new study from the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-life-universal-language-genes-silence.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:00:01 EDT news704706301 Hundreds of feet below Earth's surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study that finds fungi are far more abundant deep underground than researchers previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-entire-world-fungi-mile-underground.html Ecology Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:00:06 EDT news704446801 Spliceosomal introns are noncoding DNA sequences located between exons in many eukaryotic protein-coding genes. Most are removed post-transcriptionally by RNA splicing and do not encode proteins, but they have been implicated in various regulatory processes, including gene transcription, mRNA nuclear export and the generation of protein diversity. Whether spliceosomal introns are essential for fundamental cellular life has long been unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-yeast-survives-spliceosomal-introns.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:20:05 EDT news704031421 How do microorganisms orient themselves to find the optimal habitat? Scientists have thoroughly investigated so-called magnetotactic bacteria, which use the Earth's magnetic field as a biological compass. Some eukaryotic single-celled organisms—that is, more complex organisms like ciliates, which, unlike bacteria, have a cell nucleus—also possess this capability. But how they acquire it has largely remained a puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-unusual-bestows-magnetic-celled.html Evolution Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news703784221 They are the cell's "gatekeepers": specialized proteins, known as transporters, selectively control which substances enter a cell and which do not. Researchers at the University of Münster and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have investigated these transporters in a specific case: the UapA transporter of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The findings are not only relevant to cell biology but could also offer new approaches to treating fungal infections. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cellular-protein-essential-nutrient-absorption.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:40:04 EDT news703410519 Inside the cell nucleus, genes must be turned on and off with precision to regulate biological processes. The first models of gene regulation were developed in the 1960s, yet modern science continues to uncover new layers of control. A new study involving researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Institut Pasteur and Princeton University, published in PNAS, suggests that genes obey an optimal switching principle—random at any given moment, yet precise on average. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-random-flickering-genes-energy-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:00:10 EDT news703149643 A decade ago this summer, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Jocelyn Malamy watched jellyfish cells "walk" toward each other to close a wound for the first time. An associate professor of molecular genetics and cell biology at the University of Chicago, Malamy had received transparent, dime-sized medusae of the species Clytia hemisphaerica from Evelyn Houliston's lab at the Marine Observatoire in Villefranche. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-jellyfish-reveal-rapid-scar-free.html Plants & Animals Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT news702055861 Biomaterials with extraordinary properties, such as spider silk, have so far been known primarily from animals. Researchers at the University of Salzburg in Austria have now deciphered a surprising counterpart from the world of single-celled organisms: The shells of tintinnids, microscopic planktonic organisms, consist of self-assembling structural proteins that form a particularly resilient material and are capable of absorbing UV light. This is the first description of a biomaterial produced by a eukaryotic single-celled organism (protist), establishing tintinnids as a new model system for the future development of advanced biomaterials. More than 200 years after the discovery of tintinnids, the composition of their shells has finally been deciphered. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-centuries-planktonic-shell-mystery-discovery.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news701618339 A new study provides the first insights into how thylakoid membranes—the internal compartments where oxygen-producing photosynthesis takes place—emerged during evolution. By comparing the genomes of cyanobacteria with and without thylakoids, the researchers identified proteins that may have contributed to their formation. The work is published in the journal New Phytologist. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cyanobacteria-photosynthetic-membranes-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT news701364481 A publication led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, shows that microscopic partnerships between ciliates and bacteria play a role in the nitrogen cycle of lakes. The study, published in The ISME Journal, investigates what determines the ecological niche of the remarkable symbiosis, and how strongly the host depends on its microbial partners. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-swiss-lake-symbiosis-reveals-unexpected.html Ecology Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:40:08 EDT news700910283 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered 45 new toxins produced by Salmonella bacteria, some of which are associated with foodborne infections. The study was conducted at the Center for Research in Bacterial and Bacteriophage Biology (B3 RIDC) and was published in the journal PLOS Biology. It shows that these substances primarily act in competition among microorganisms for space and resources. The study also suggests that these substances may inspire the development of new antibiotics, in-depth studies in humans and biotechnological applications in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-salmonella-genomes-reveal-previously-unknown.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:40:06 EDT news700401841 All cells in animals, plants, fungi, and protists share a fundamental characteristic: they are eukaryotic cells—complex cells with specialized internal compartments. The cells that make up our bodies are no exception. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-microbial-alliances-mitochondria-built-eukaryotic.html Evolution Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:00:02 EDT news700234236 Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step "detour" pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved detour and evidence of a possible backup route, to produce a molecule essential to life. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-yeast-reveal-evolutionarily-backup-route.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:55:17 EDT news700138501 Decomposers are crucial for keeping Earth habitable, breaking down dead biomass and returning key nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, to the ecosystem. Most decomposers, including fungi, survive through osmotrophy—a means of feeding by absorbing dissolved nutrients rather than engulfing prey. But how this method of feeding repeatedly arose across the eukaryotic tree of life remains unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-gene-swapping-planet-decomposers.html Ecology Sun, 07 Jun 2026 16:20:01 EDT news699875427 A University of Texas at Austin-led team has reconstructed the most detailed map to date of the molecular machines that carried out the functions of life in an ancient ancestor that gave rise to all complex life on Earth, including us, shedding new light on genetic causes of human diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-reconstructed-15billionyearold-protein-network-reveals.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news699029585 From the highest mountains to the deepest ocean, the driest desert to the lushest jungle, Earth displays a dazzling array of life-forms. And eukaryotes account for many of these life-forms, including nearly all of the multicellular life we can see in the landscape. But scientists are still piecing together exactly how this domain of life evolved from simpler predecessors. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-early-complex-life-clung-oxygenated.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 20 May 2026 11:00:10 EDT news698493481 Researchers from A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) have developed a new method to study individual RNA molecules and reveal how their structures influence gene regulation, a fundamental process that affects how cells function in health and disease. Their work was published in Nature Methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecule-rna-reveal-shifts-health.html Biotechnology Fri, 15 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news698071081