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. Epithelial cells form the body's frontline barriers, helping keep microbes, toxins and other harmful substances out. Yet these protective cells are constantly exposed to threats, including microbial infections. Some bacteria produce pore-forming toxins that can oligomerize and act like microscopic drills, perforating the cell's plasma membrane. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-lipid-cells-bacterial.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:00:08 EDT news710419921 When scientists assess how dangerous a bacterium is, the first question often seems simple: Can it be stopped or killed? In microbiology and antibiotic research, one of the classic readouts has been whether a bacterium can grow in the presence of a given treatment. The bacterium either grows or it does not. The drug either stops it or it does not. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-machine-bacterial-invasion-dna-human.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:30:01 EDT news710088841 Researchers from the University of Bath have developed fluorescent molecular probes that can detect changes in glucose levels inside living animals, giving scientists new ways of visualizing sugar uptake and studying diabetes, cancer and other metabolic diseases in whole organisms in real time. The findings are published in the journal Advanced Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fluorescent-sensors-diabetes-action.html Biochemistry Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news709992734 The assembly pathway behind refractile-body proteins may have finally been resolved, researchers from Science Tokyo report. Using genetic engineering and several techniques for analyzing protein structure, they investigated how four proteins work together to produce the correct architecture of these complex, pH-responsive protein machines, from the nanoscale to the microscale. The findings could help establish new frameworks for engineering dynamic protein systems as biotechnological tools. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pathway-reveals-bacteria-protein-acid.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news709825610 An international collaboration led by the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany, has developed a labeling method that distinguishes fluorescent labels not by color but by how long it takes a dye to emit fluorescence. This makes it possible to visualize eight different proteins in a cell simultaneously in a single step using standard microscopes. The results have been published in the journal ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fluorescence-proteins-cell.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:00:10 EDT news709393321 RhoBAST is a tiny RNA molecule that activates fluorescent dyes, enabling researchers to track RNA molecules in living cells with super-resolution. An international collaboration, which includes Ronald Micura and his team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry, has now shown that a small, local "nucleotide flip" within the RNA controls this fluorescence activation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rna-nucleotide-fluorescent-dyes.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 20:00:04 EDT news708352516 A new fluorescence microscopy technique that generates super-resolution images from a single camera exposure could help researchers study rapid movements within cells that are difficult to capture with existing methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-super-resolution-imaging-reveals-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:40:08 EDT news708075481 Most people assume plants reproduce through whatever pollen happens to land on them. This is not true. A collaborative research initiative involving the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has mapped and functionally tested the genes that control a natural "self-rejection" system in two widely grown Indian oilseed crops, Brassica rapa (mustard) varieties toria and yellow sarson. This system governs the molecular "lock-and-key" mechanism in certain mustard plants that allows them to reject their own pollen. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pollinate-india-cooking-oil.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:50:01 EDT news707670301 Researchers have developed fluorescent molecules that permit imaging of how DNA is packaged inside living cells at unprecedented resolution and, in preserved cells, at a resolution close to the width of the double helix itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fairy-dna-imaged-helix-width.html Biotechnology Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:00:09 EDT news707044861 Many cars and not enough lanes is a recipe for traffic jams. Now, researchers from Japan show that even proteins can get backed up and start behaving poorly when too many try to squeeze too quickly through a small space. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-narrow-channels-amyloid-formation-reveal.html Biochemistry Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:00:03 EDT news707064721 Self-assembling, anthracene-based supramolecular nanofibers can enable excitons to migrate hundreds of nanometers, according to a new experimental finding by researchers at Science Tokyo. Coupling these nanofibers with a plasmonic gold nanohole substrate further doubles exciton diffusivity. By mitigating the limited diffusivity of singlet excitons in organic semiconductors, this approach offers a new strategy for improving optoelectronic technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-supramolecular-nanofibers-paired-nanohole-substrate.html Nanophysics Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:40:01 EDT news706378622 We reach for brighter, better lighting for sharper pictures, whether we're photographing a puppy or a microscopic cell. In most cases, the light comes from outside the object being photographed. A recent study explored a different approach, using the cells' own chemical glow to illuminate their internal structures. This new experimental framework, called REID, lets microscopes capture super-sharp, high-resolution details of cell structures by bypassing the need for harsh external lasers that can sometimes damage the cells being imaged. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gentle-chemical-scientists-capture-sharper.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:20:04 EDT news706354077 Scientists often describe life as a series of chemical reactions. Pallav Kosuri, Ph.D., describes life as movement. Chemical reactions are how you drive the movement of atoms, proteins, cells and bodies—without movement, there is no life. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-dna-rotor-microscopes-track.html Biotechnology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news705921781 Fluorescent protein imaging is an indispensable tool in life science research, enabling visualization of protein movement and localization, gene expression, signaling pathways, protein-protein interactions and more. For simultaneous analysis of multiple proteins (i.e., multiplex imaging), a variety of fluorescent proteins that emit different colors (blue, green, yellow and red) have been developed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fluorescence-lifetime-imaging-distinguishes-multiple.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:40:05 EDT news705679441 Researchers in the lab of Sam Peng, the Pfizer Inc.–Gerald Laubach Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemistry at MIT and a core institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, have developed a super-resolution imaging technology. It allows scientists to visualize molecular structures with angstrom-level localization precision—three orders of magnitude beyond the nanometer-scale limits of standard fluorescent dyes—while simplifying the imaging process. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-microscopy-method-angstrom-scale-localization.html Nanophysics Sun, 02 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news704556380 Every time a cell divides, it must accurately copy and distribute its DNA between two new cells. However, in some cases, chromosomes do not fully separate, leaving behind thin strands of DNA known as DNA bridges that connect the two newly formed cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-newly-mechanism-dna-cell-division.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:40:03 EDT news704723282 In a study published in Nature Communications biophysicists unravel the mystery of how muscles form at the molecular level and maintain their function. The findings may help design treatments for muscle diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the leading causes of heart failure. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-mystery-muscle-cells-stay.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:40:07 EDT news704643001 Researchers at EMBL Hamburg and collaborators at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) have mapped how the influenza A virus rewires infected human cells in unprecedented detail. To do this, the researchers used a customized experimental workflow to directly observe how proteins interact inside intact infected cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-flu-virus-rewires-human.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news703500120 Cells are like metropolises, home to millions of molecular residents. If one were to stand atop a high-rise, trying to identify most of its inhabitants would seem an impossible task. Even with the sophisticated imaging tools currently available to scientists, it is challenging to zoom in on specific molecules and view them with a high degree of detail. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-proteins-scientists-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:20:06 EDT news703498960 In a new study, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have resolved a longstanding mystery by showing how epithelial tissues exhibit slow-moving, glass-like behavior despite their fast-paced biological activity. Their study is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-unraveling-glass-nature-epithelial-tissues.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news702808893 There is a constant war going on in your body. Working against you are viruses and cancer cells growing uncontrollably, threatening your tissues and organs. Fighting on your side are immune cells such as lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that includes T cells and B cells. B cells produce antibodies that target viruses, while T cells coordinate immune responses and can kill infected or abnormal cells. Together, these defenses help limit infection and the spread of cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-natural-born-killers-tracking-immune.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:00:03 EDT news702042144 Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can help scientists determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins in unprecedented detail. Jacques Dubochet, former group leader at EMBL, shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for the development of this technique, which led to the "resolution revolution" in structural biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-unique-instruments-automate-sample-quality.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:50:04 EDT news701449321 A new single-protein analysis technique gives researchers an unprecedented ability to study proteins called scramblases, which have critical roles in biology. The development of the new technique, in a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, expands the toolkit available to cell biologists and biophysicists and could someday be useful in devising new strategies against multiple diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-imaging-technique-scramblase-proteins-revealing.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:40:06 EDT news700759861 Modern fluorescence microscopy can generate images of living cells as stunning to look at as they are informative to study. For techniques like fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), those images provide a window into cell metabolism, helping scientists study cancer treatment, autoimmune disease and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-source-flim-playground-analysis-complex.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:30:02 EDT news700325582 Recent years have witnessed great advances in applying deep learning to improve fluorescence microscopy imaging. However, enhancing the fidelity of image restoration networks and improving their robustness under fluorescence noise remain significant challenges. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-tunnel-vision-imaging-ai-fluorescence.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:40:03 EDT news700239961 In a study published in ACS Nano, researchers from National Taiwan University report a new expansion microscopy strategy termed high-fold homogeneous expansion microscopy (hiHomoExM), capable of achieving approximately 8–9× isotropic expansion in a single expansion step while preserving delicate ultrastructural organization. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-9x-expansion-reveals-nanoscale-centrioles.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 26 May 2026 14:40:01 EDT news699016621 Biomolecules, also known as organic molecules, include sugars, proteins and lipids and are the building blocks of all life. They play a role in the structure and metabolism of all living organisms. To make them visible under a microscope, researchers use special dyes to make them glow. A research team at the University of Göttingen has now developed a new method to do this better. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-biomolecules-dye-imaging-problem.html Biochemistry Fri, 22 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news698676002 In a cramped, windowless room on the University of California, Berkeley, campus, two bespoke microscopes—each a Swiss Army knife for high-resolution imaging—operate around the clock gathering data that will help train a game-changing technology for the field of biology: AI. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-res-microscopes-biologists-petabytes-scientists.html Biotechnology Fri, 22 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news698664421 Researchers from Brown University and their collaborators have developed a new way to measure the properties of cells—an important development, they say, because accurate measurements of changes in cell elasticity can be used to better understand diseases, diagnose patient symptoms and provide more accurate prognoses. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microfluidic-device-tracks-cell-squishiness.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news696307587 Scientists at EPFL have developed CenSpark, a fluorescent probe that makes centrioles and cilia visible inside living cells, helping researchers study cell division, development, and immunity like never before. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fluorescent-probe-centrioles-cilia-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 25 Apr 2026 17:00:01 EDT news695918664