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. Growing inside each of us is a cellular family tree. Every one of the 37 trillion cells in our body is generated from another cell, going all the way back to a single fertilized egg. Much like we can draw a family tree tracking generations of our ancestors, scientists can also create family trees of cells, showing how they're related to each other. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cell-entire-mouse.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:16 EDT news710587681 A new engineered gene-editing system, proven in bacteria and showing promise for use in plants, animals and humans, addresses some limitations of current gene-editing tools, with the goal of improving their use in research, crop development and disease treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-compact-crispr-alternative-bacterial-proteins.html Biotechnology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:40:01 EDT news710594041 How do bacteria adapt when resources run low? ISTA researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions. The findings were published in Molecular Biology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sex-dna-exchange-starving-bacteria.html Evolution Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:24 EDT news710066761 Two new studies from Johns Hopkins University are providing scientists with an unprecedented view of how human cells repair one of the most dangerous forms of genetic damage: a break that severs both strands of the DNA double helix. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-reveal-cells-emergency-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:00:02 EDT news709215241 The ability of cells to move and change position is essential for various processes in our bodies. Immune cells move to sites of action, epithelial cells migrate during wound closure, and neurons extend their axons for signal transmission over long distances. In metastasis, cancer cells employ their motile machinery to spread throughout the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-migrating-cells-edge-master-debate.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:20:08 EDT news709214761 CRISPR may be a powerful technology for gene editing, but the system existed in bacteria long before scientists began using it. For billions of years, CRISPR has acted as a natural immune system in bacteria and other microbes, helping defend them against invading viruses. But now, two new studies, published in Science, describe a similar RNA-guided system that originated in the viruses themselves and appears to be a precursor to CRISPR. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-discovery-crispr-lost-ancestor-gene.html Evolution Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:20:12 EDT news708950672 In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Forest Research and collaborating organizations present the first-ever European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) pangenome, using high-quality DNA to aid research into natural ash dieback resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-european-ash-pangenome-generation-trees.html Ecology Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:55:08 EDT news708864782 Genomic editing holds great potential yet continues to have limitations. Current methods either rely on untargeted gene delivery or short DNA edits that need to be individualized for each patient. A new paper published today in Nature describes a novel genome engineering method called prime assembly that allows long DNA fragments to be stitched into precise, programmable target positions within living cells. This approach may allow for the development of universal gene therapies that can be used for many patients. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-prime-multiple-mutations-universal-gene.html Biotechnology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:20:04 EDT news708776401 A study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found that new cutting-edge techniques can accurately edit genes in human embryos—giving scientists indispensable tools for understanding normal human development—but has also uncovered important risks that currently preclude the use of the techniques in the clinic. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-human-embryo-base-cells-unpredictable.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news708186452 Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compost-microbe-yields-enzyme-tackles.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708348662 Editing a plant's genes is only half the battle. Before a new, improved trait can ever reach a farmer's field, scientists must be able to grow a whole plant from just a few edited cells—a process that can be slow, unreliable and, for some plant species, impossible. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crispr-combo-regeneration-hard-perennial.html Biotechnology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:20:05 EDT news708263041 The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body—ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones—holds enormous potential for treating and preventing disease. But the standard molecular tools used to tune genes, such as the CRISPR system, are too bulky to package and deliver into the body's cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-tool-crispr-body.html Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707386154 Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan in collaboration with FUJIFILM have developed a novel way of delivering circular RNA (cirRNA) into cells, paving the way for longer-lasting mRNA-based therapeutics including cancer vaccines and GLP-1 obesity treatments. The research is published in Cell Biomaterials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-lipid-nanoparticle-capped-circular-rna.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:21 EDT news706201501 Histone variants help establish DNA methylation at transposons (jumping genes) while preventing this epigenetic modification from spreading to essential genes in plants, a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo reveals. By revealing how these chromosome-associated proteins guide the formation of precise epigenomic patterns, the findings provide new insights into the selective silencing of transposons, laying the groundwork for future epigenome-editing technologies for crop improvement and disease research. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-silence-genes-essential.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news706189934 Humans love dogs, but petting them can leave some people sneezing and wheezing. About 15% of the world's population lives with a dog allergy, which can increase the risk of hay fever and asthma. The main culprit is Can f 1, a protein found mainly in dog saliva. Right now, staying away from furry friends or getting regular immunotherapy shots or tablets is the only way to deal with the symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-beagles-major-dog-allergen.html Biotechnology Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705919142 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 When a wound does not heal properly, it leaves a scar. Similarly, mutations—which are permanent changes to genetic code—are often the result of damaged DNA that has not been properly repaired. Mutations can impede the function of genes and lead to disease and aging, but they are also the source of genetic variation, which allows new traits to emerge and facilitates the evolutionary process. Scientists still do not fully understand why some damaged DNA segments are successfully repaired while others are not. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dna-enzymes-favor-specific-sequences.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news705595382 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 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 When a virus enters a cell, its top priority is to replicate its genome rapidly, creating new viruses to infect elsewhere. The host has the opposite priority: to destroy the virus, ideally before it can do any harm. Biology has evolved diverse tactics for viral recognition and destruction, but they share a common theme—sensing that an invading viral genome is present in a cell. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bacteria-virus-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:20:02 EDT news704620612 Scientists have found a genetic switch that could shave years off avocado breeding by allowing researchers to identify one of a young tree's most important traits long before it flowers. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-gene-discovery-years-avocado.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:40:04 EDT news704532781 Gene editing is a highly precise and powerful technology that allows scientists to insert, delete, modify or replace DNA bases in living organisms. It has a variety of uses, including correcting disease-causing mutations and improving crops. Tools like CRISPR act as molecular scissors that target specific places in a genome to make these changes. But the technology is not perfect and can accidentally edit the wrong pieces of DNA or RNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-tiny-gene-editor-unintended.html Biotechnology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:38:56 EDT news704378300 The way to make a plant grow more may be to take something away. Trimming a section off a plant gene raised rice harvests by up to 25% in new tests by University of Chicago scientists. The plants also showed a better tolerance for drought and heat. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-trimming-rice-genes-boosts-yields.html Biotechnology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:00:08 EDT news704361541 When scientists want to create a protein that can potentially treat disease, one approach is to begin with a different protein and evolve it in the lab, selecting over many generations for versions with a new, desired function. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-combining-ai-protein-laboratory-evolution.html Biotechnology Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:40:01 EDT news704105143 Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new way to add large pieces of genetic information to plants, overcoming a challenge that has limited plant biotechnology for decades. The advance could help scientists build more complex traits into plants in the future, supporting research into areas such as crop resilience, sustainable agriculture, biotechnology and the use of plants as scalable platforms for producing therapeutics and biologics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-genome-tool-large-genetic-sequences.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:40:01 EDT news703949461 Scientists have successfully edited the genome of biting midges, opening the door to new research on how these insects transmit disease. Culicoides biting midges are small blood-feeding insects responsible for spreading important vector-borne viruses such as bluetongue virus (BTV), Schmallenberg virus (SBV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), which cause major losses to livestock production worldwide. Despite their importance as disease vectors, Culicoides are among the smallest blood-feeding insects, just 1–4 mm (0.04–0.16 inches) long, making them difficult to study in the laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-gene-culicoides-midges-door.html Biotechnology Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:40:12 EDT news703771621 Blood transfusions are crucial in human and veterinary medicine, yet human blood reserves are in constant need of donors, while blood bank systems in veterinary care are nearly nonexistent. This leaves canine transfusions largely reliant on donations from healthy dogs, but securing compatible blood remains a major challenge because dogs also have different blood types. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-generating-red-blood-cell-cells.html Biotechnology Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:00:05 EDT news703496702 Scientists have made many advances using traditional CRISPR technology, especially in medicine, but they are now seeking ways to create genuinely new gene-editing enzymes with properties that have not already evolved naturally. A new study, published in Science, describes a new AI-designed synthetic TnpB enzyme, called SynTnpBs, that has outperformed the natural reference enzyme. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-aidesigned-geneediting-enzymes-crispr-toolbox.html Biotechnology Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:59:19 EDT news703511930 Cadmium (Cd) contamination poses a serious threat to global food safety. As a toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal, cadmium can accumulate in agricultural soils through industrialization and urbanization before entering the human food chain. Rice is especially vulnerable because it absorbs more cadmium than other major cereal crops, making it one of the largest dietary sources of cadmium exposure for nearly half the world's population. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-gene-cadmium-rice-yields.html Biotechnology Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:20:03 EDT news703405327 A team led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a genome-scale reference map that details how individual genes control the functions and identities of human stem cells. This open-access resource could help researchers build virtual cell models for complex diseases, as well as design patient-specific treatments for these diseases. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-million-stem-cells-reveal-genome.html Biotechnology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:30:01 EDT news703155590