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. An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rna-barcoding-approach-reveals-previously.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news700845781 Just 10 viral particles of the H5N1 bird flu that caused hundreds of influenza outbreaks in U.S. dairy cattle can cause infection in cows, a new study shows. The research also hints at why the outbreaks have confounded scientists, farmers and livestock handlers hoping to contain and prevent the disease—an effort likely complicated by the fact that the virus has an affinity for cow mammary glands rather than airways. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-viral-particles-h5n1-avian-flu.html Ecology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news700758451 Can a snake in Thailand influence the evolution of a snake in the Philippines even if the two species never cross paths? According to a new study, the answer may be yes. The research suggests that migratory predators can act as evolutionary "messengers," carrying their avoidance behavior across continents and linking the fates of species separated by thousands of kilometers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-predators-link-evolution-species-thousands.html Evolution Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:00:03 EDT news700730761 It's an insect everybody loves to hate. Pesky mosquitoes will be out in swarms as the weather warms up across the U.S.—and their bites aren't just itchy. They can transmit pathogens that can cause diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus and malaria, to name a few. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-harmonic-radar-tags-reveal-mosquitoes.html Plants & Animals Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:00:02 EDT news700403639 Researchers at Princeton University have harnessed AI to understand how drugs affect the dynamics of vital structures within the cell, introducing a tool that can map the shape of these structures to functional outcomes and shed light on important markers of health. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-cell-droplets-uncovering-drug.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:20:01 EDT news700547546 Pomacea canaliculata, commonly known as the apple snail, is a pest commonly found in Hong Kong's wetlands and farmlands. It feeds on aquatic plants and produces toxic pink egg masses resembling miniature grapes that adhere to plants or stone bunds. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) among 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-jurassic-viral-gene-apple-snails.html Evolution Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:40:01 EDT news700484088 Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria and are not considered human pathogens. Yet researchers at the Translational Microbiology Laboratory of the Institute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, have shown that some gut phages can also physically interact with human cells. Their study identifies phage surface proteins that act as molecular anchors, promoting attachment to human cells, cellular uptake, and prolonged retention in the gastrointestinal tract. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, open new perspectives on how phages behave in the body and may create new opportunities for therapeutic development. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecular-anchors-gut-phages-therapeutic.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news700487638 A new Yale-led study provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses to date of genetic variation in human populations in Oceania, filling a major gap in representation in genomics research. Despite harboring remarkable diversity, populations in this vast region in the South Pacific historically have been overlooked in global human genetic studies, which have often focused largely on people of European descent, researchers say. The study is published in the journal Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-genomes-oceania-clues-human-evolution.html Evolution Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:40:05 EDT news700413274 Bacteria also produce molecules that have an antiviral effect. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Jülich Research Center (FZJ) have examined the antiviral molecule daunorubicin and decoded its mode of operation against viruses in collaboration with colleagues from Marburg and Zurich. They now describe this mechanism, which primarily targets a specific group of viruses—namely bacteriophages—in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-antiviral-soil-compound-disrupts-phage.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:50:01 EDT news700326841 While scientists have studied how bacteria move toward food using a chemical radar known as chemotaxis, they have only watched single species swim in isolated environments over distances of only a few centimeters. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bacteria-hitchhike-large-distances.html Ecology Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT news700313941 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 Researchers in Spain and Japan tested a broad range of pedestrians in varying group sizes to see whether there were any patterns in their turning behaviors, and what factors influenced them, if any. It turns out that the vast majority of people prefer counterclockwise turning. Most factors, such as culture or gender, made little difference. Only age showed a noticeable but small change, in that younger people followed this pattern more strongly. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-people-inherent-counterclockwise-motion-reveals.html Other Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:00:07 EDT news700215182 Aeron Tynes Hammack, a physicist by training and currently interim facility director of the Nanofabrication Facility at the Molecular Foundry, likes to work with nanoscale objects to better understand the world and solve problems—but he doesn't restrict himself to one category of tiny stuff. He helps develop qubits for quantum computers and viral therapies to combat infectious diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-combating-antibiotic-resistance-nanotechnology.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:20:06 EDT news700241042 Astronauts on long space missions may one day use plants to produce fresh stocks of medicines on demand, thanks to new research by engineers at the University of California San Diego. The team developed a simple method to grow and repeatedly harvest pharmaceuticals from plants under space-like conditions, without destroying the plants or generating large amounts of waste. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medicines-space.html Space Exploration Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:20:01 EDT news700143676 When a person coughs or sneezes, they expel a cloud of microscopic particles capable of carrying viruses and bacteria that act as vectors for respiratory diseases such as flu, COVID-19 or tuberculosis. Understanding how these aerosols disperse in the air is crucial for minimizing the transmission of pathogens in indoor spaces, but their dynamics are complex and depend on many factors: the force of the exhalation, the morphology of the respiratory system, the characteristics of the space, etc. Now, a new study led by researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has shown that temperature also plays an important role. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-temperature-gaps-clouds-stay-denser.html Soft Matter Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:30:02 EDT news699722042 Quantum computing, once only a theoretical possibility, promises to deliver faster, more energy-efficient computers—but only if scientists can build and scale the hardware needed to run the machines. New research from Virginia Commonwealth University brings scientists one small step closer to quantum computing at a practical scale, which could help dramatically reduce energy usage and computing times in some industries. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanomagnets-diamond-qubits-scalable-quantum.html Condensed Matter Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:20:04 EDT news699717662 A key step in the origin of many pandemics occurs when an animal-borne virus infects humans and then evolves to spread more efficiently from person to person. That is why scientists and physicians keep a close watch on viruses that could jump from animals to humans, such as emerging strains of avian flu and bat coronaviruses, as well as viruses that have already crossed into humans but, for now, spread poorly among people, such as hantavirus and Ebola. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lab-evolution-recreates-covid-path.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699619681 Stanford scientists have discovered a new type of immune cell that kills surrounding cells via explosion—a cellular detonation so fast and complete that the cell vanishes within minutes, leaving no trace behind. This discovery comes from an unlikely source: planarian flatworms. These aquatic, slithering pancake versions of worms are famous for their ability to survive dismemberment and grow whole new organisms from the sliced-up segments of their formerly unified body. Understanding how these flatworms' immune systems have managed to endure for hundreds of millions of years could hold important insights for modern medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-flatworms-reveal-immune-cells-tissue.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:07 EDT news699543121 Few creatures inspire as much universal dislike as ticks. Though small, these parasites have an enormous impact on human and animal health. Each year, ticks spread viruses and bacteria that infect people, livestock, wildlife, and pets around the world. Scientists at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine are working to better understand how ticks transmit these diseases—and how to stop them. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-saliva-protein-disease-source.html Molecular & Computational biology Sun, 31 May 2026 08:00:03 EDT news699432354 Mosquito repellents are key to protecting ourselves from mosquito bites and the pathogens they might carry. The most widely used active ingredient in insect repellents is N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, commonly known as DEET. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mosquitoes-link-deet-blood-meal.html Ecology Sun, 31 May 2026 07:20:01 EDT news699268465 When viruses invade a plant, you might expect an all-out immune war. But new research published in Science shows that, much like in humans, too strong an immune response can actually do more harm than good. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-immunity-survive-viral-infections.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 29 May 2026 14:40:02 EDT news699274682 Researchers have found surprising links that show that Neanderthal ancestry influences our immune system today in ways more nuanced than previously recognized. Their work is published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-ancestry-defenses-common-dna.html Evolution Thu, 28 May 2026 09:40:05 EDT news699177781 In some parts of the world, autumn brings welcome relief from mosquitoes, such as the Northern house mosquito (Culex pipiens). As the days grow shorter, the waning light is a signal for them to enter a winter state of dormancy called diapause. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-outdoor-mosquitoes-deeper-autumn.html Plants & Animals Wed, 27 May 2026 12:50:01 EDT news699102091 In evolutionary biology, all life on Earth is theoretically part of a single phylogenetic tree, indicating common ancestry. This model suggests that every living organism can be traced back to a distant common ancestor. However, viruses—which are not made of cells, but consist only of genetic material—are not part of this traditional cellular tree of life, raising important questions about their origin and evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-discovery-furtivovirus-advances-giant-virus.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 26 May 2026 18:00:05 EDT news699029287 In a silent war that has raged for millions of years, plants have evolved a sophisticated chemical arsenal to fight back against invading pathogens. Now, a team of researchers from Peking University and Tsinghua University has finally mapped out the blueprints for one of nature's most effective deterrents, solving a biological puzzle that has baffled scientists for nearly half a century. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-year-mystery-immunity-debneyol.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 20 May 2026 15:40:07 EDT news698500987 Sticking needles into arms—or rather, haunches—is often the hardest part of distributing an effective agricultural vaccine. Now, University of Connecticut researchers show in the April 15 issue of Advanced Healthcare Materials that a patch can deliver a safe, temperature-stabilized vaccine against foot and mouth disease, no needles required. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-microneedle-patch-vaccine-farming-stubborn.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 18 May 2026 17:10:01 EDT news698342101 Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen have shown that giant viruses long thought to exist only as fleeting, free-living particles that can embed themselves permanently in the genome of a multicellular host, lie dormant for generations and then wake up on demand. Their study, published in Nature Microbiology, challenges fundamental assumptions about how giant viruses operate and establishes a powerful new model for studying viral latency in complex organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-viruses-seaweed-future-generations.html Evolution Mon, 18 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news698323741 A new nanoscopy technique developed at The Australian National University (ANU) has uncovered hidden networks used for communication between cells, opening new ways to understand human diseases. Described in an article published in Nature Communications, the method allows researchers to observe how living cells interact with their environment over several days, revealing three-dimensional behaviors that were previously invisible to conventional microscopes. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-cell-networks-emerge-3d.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 17 May 2026 10:00:04 EDT news697991652 Researchers at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB), led by Prof. Gracjan Michlewski, have shown that a subtle difference at the very beginning of an RNA molecule can influence how strongly a cell activates innate immune antiviral responses. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-rna-letter-antiviral-alarms-outpacing.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 15 May 2026 18:20:01 EDT news698071986 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