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. When living cells grow, divide or respond to drugs, they give off tiny amounts of heat that offer information about what the cells are doing. But because these heat signals are so vanishingly small, they have traditionally been impossible to measure directly. Researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a calorimeter—a device that measures the heat transfer between a living system and its environment—that can detect metabolic heat signals on the order of 100 picowatts, or trillionths of a watt, in living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sensor-cells-views-cell-metabolism.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:40:05 EDT news700830721 Artificial cells created in the laboratory offer a wide range of potential applications. Until now, however, their membranes—unlike those of real cells—have been virtually impermeable. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, led by Director Katharina Landfester, have now developed a new method to make the membranes of artificial cells more permeable to chemical substances. This prepares them for both medical research and future applications such as drug delivery. The scientists published their findings in the journal ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-artificial-cells-gain-porous-membranes.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:00:08 EDT news700828741 A research team in Japan has developed an efficient, minimally invasive cancer detection device that uses high-performance zinc oxide nanowires to selectively capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from bodily fluids. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanowire-device-rapid-noninvasive-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:20:05 EDT news700394683 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 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have shown that bacteria can learn from past experiences, store memories across generations and adapt their behavior to changing environments, all without a brain or nervous system. The research could shape how scientists think about bacterial infections and antibiotic treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bacteria-memories-brain.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:40:04 EDT news700129742 A research collaboration has developed a novel fluorescent nanosensor capable of rapidly detecting indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), an emerging biomarker linked to gut health and disease. The breakthrough is described in the team's paper, "Fluorescent Nanosensor for Indole-3-Propionic Acid Detection in Gut Health Monitoring," published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fluorescent-nanosensor-key-gut-biomarker.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:04 EDT news699618901 Cells are typically studied outside the body under controlled laboratory conditions. However, conventional flat cell culture methods do not fully reproduce the complex three-dimensional environments that cells experience in living tissues. Tiny hydrogel capsules offer one way to culture cells in a confined three-dimensional space, allowing researchers to study how cells grow, organize and interact under more tissue-like conditions. Current methods to do this come with a high cost and a set of requirements that put such research out of reach to many. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-workflow-uniform-cell-capsules-standard.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:20:07 EDT news699544861 Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic "rod" shape—by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mysterious-acids-bacteria-rod-restraining.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 27 May 2026 10:20:05 EDT news699093602 NIMS discovered a phenomenon in which droplets on a single solid surface exhibit both a "sticky" and "repellent" state simultaneously. Namely, the wetting behavior branches into two states. This is a discovery that overturns interface chemistry scientists' belief held for over 200 years that, on a non-textured surface, the wetting state is uniquely determined by solid/liquid combinations. Furthermore, the research team also clarified a universal surface design principle that causes this phenomenon. This research result was published in Advanced Materials Interfaces on April 2, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-overturning-year-belief-surface-enables.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 20 May 2026 13:20:03 EDT news698496901 All cells, whether big or small, short or long, rely on proteins to function properly. In most cells, transporting these proteins is relatively simple. Neurons in the brain, however, face a significant logistical challenge because their axons, the thread-like structures that carry electrical impulses, can extend for meters. As a result, essential materials produced in the cell body must travel enormous distances to reach the ends of axon terminals. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neuron-imaging-captures-unconventional-receptor.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 15 May 2026 15:20:03 EDT news698059304 After the success of Artemis II, longer space journeys are expected, raising new health and nutritional challenges for astronauts. Current space foods rely on dried, shelf-stable items. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-customizable-essential-nutrients-space-missions.html Space Exploration Fri, 15 May 2026 08:58:50 EDT news698054281 The task of gently transporting a microscopic particle from one point to another along a winding path, and then bringing it back using nothing more than a single, compact chip is a challenge we set out to address in our new study, now published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-optical-metaconveyors-enable-programmable-nanomanipulation.html Nanophysics Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:02 EDT news697800686 Researchers have recently found a new way to summon useful structures in magnetic materials using light, heat, and electric fields. This new method, described in a new study published in Physical Review Letters, may lead to more energy-efficient and flexible technologies for data storage and optical devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-liquid-crystal-demand-skyrmions-room.html Condensed Matter Wed, 13 May 2026 12:40:02 EDT news697890165 When inorganic nanoparticles come together, their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties depend strongly on how they are arranged. Being able to reorganize these arrangements in a controlled way could therefore provide a powerful method for tuning material properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gold-nanoparticles-liquid-path-materials.html Nanophysics Wed, 13 May 2026 08:39:46 EDT news697880341 Using a new technique that can create vacancies at any site across a material and then shrink it to about 1/2,000 of its original volume, MIT researchers have designed nanotechnology devices that could be used for optical computing and other applications involving the manipulation of visible light. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-implosion-3d-photonic-devices-visible.html Nanophysics Tue, 12 May 2026 10:40:08 EDT news697796401 Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a solid polymer coated with harmless viruses to detect the bacteria Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), an advance that could lead to new ways of finding contamination in the food supply. The work is published in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-harmless-viruses-salmonella-flexible-polymer.html Biochemistry Thu, 07 May 2026 18:20:01 EDT news697389961 A new autonomous laboratory recently navigated through billions of potential material synthesis recipes to identify brighter, lead-free light-emitting nanomaterials in just 12 hours. The work could accelerate development of safer light-emitting nanoplatelets for use in applications ranging from photodetectors to the production of fuel from solar energy. A paper describing this work appears in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-powered-lab-brighter-free.html Nanomaterials Mon, 04 May 2026 18:20:02 EDT news697125962 Water droplets might seem simple at first. But when nearing evaporation, a desperate power struggle of competing physical forces can emerge, with explosive effects. In a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication, researchers have taken a closer look at the physics of charged water droplets on frictionless surfaces, observing spontaneous jets of microdroplet emissions. Their insights may open new opportunities in nanoscale fabrication and electrospray ionization. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-explosive-evaporation-possibilities-3d-chemical.html General Physics Fri, 01 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news696849556 Researchers at Tampere University have recently demonstrated that light can be used to precisely reshape soft materials without mechanical contact. They have developed light-responsive hydrogel thin films that enable programmable surfaces with high sensitivity, rapid response, precise spatial control and reversibility. The technology opens new possibilities for tunable devices in photonics, sensing and biomedicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-responsive-hydrogels-enable-fast-precise.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:10:06 EDT news696696481 Under a microscope, a bouquet of lollipop-like structures, each smaller than a grain of sand, waves gently in a Petri dish of liquid. Suddenly, they snap together, like the jaws of a Venus flytrap, as a scientist waves a small magnet over the dish. What was previously an assemblage of tiny passive structures has transformed instantly into an active robotic gripper. The lollipop gripper is one demonstration of a new type of soft magnetic hydrogel developed by engineers at MIT and their collaborators at EPFL and the University of Cincinnati. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-swipe-magnet-microscopic-magno-bots.html Nanophysics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:03 EDT news696587647 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 Researchers at DTU have developed a new method that can reduce the time needed to find new bacteria for fermentation. They have now identified a bacterium that can be used both for acidification and to increase the vitamin B2 content of soya drinks. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bacteria-bumblebees-vitamin-soya.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news695038142 A new tool makes it possible to screen millions of tiny protein fragments and select those that can be recognized by the immune system. The CIC biomaGUNE Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials has developed epiGPTope, a system that uses machine learning to generate and classify epitopes, in collaboration with the company Multiverse Computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-epitope-library-vaccines-immunotherapy.html Biotechnology Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:00:08 EDT news694786861 Materials that repel water are used in countless applications, including industrial separation processes, routine laboratory pipetting, and medical devices. When water touches these surfaces, the interface where they meet tends to acquire a small electrical charge—an effect that is ubiquitous, yet poorly understood. KAUST researchers have now studied this in detail and their findings could have broad implications. The findings are published in the journal Langmuir. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-repelling-surfaces-reveal-effects.html Soft Matter Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news694699416 AI has designed candidate drugs for antibiotic-resistant infections and genetic diseases. But efforts to incorporate AI into the design of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicles behind mRNA therapies like the COVID-19 vaccines, have been much more limited. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-robotic-microfluidic-platform-ai-lipid.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:00:01 EDT news692285017 Understanding how cells are organized and how their molecular components interact in a coordinated and cooperative manner is a central goal of modern life sciences. To answer these questions, researchers need to observe many structures inside the same cell at once and map how they are arranged and interact. This requires "multiplexed super-resolution microscopy"—an advanced imaging approach that reveals cellular details far beyond the limits of conventional light microscopes. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-big-insights-microfluidics-boosts.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:10:06 EST news691778461 As space agencies prepare for human missions to the moon and Mars, scientists need to understand how the absence of gravity affects living cells. Now, a team of researchers has built a rugged, affordable microscope that can image cells in real time during the chaotic conditions of zero-gravity flight—and they're making the design available to the broader scientific community. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microscope-cells-gravity.html Space Exploration Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:00:05 EST news690818565 Environmental pollutant analysis typically requires complex sample pretreatment steps such as filtration, separation, and preconcentration. When solid materials such as sand, soil, or food residues are present in water samples, analytical accuracy often decreases, and filtration can unintentionally remove trace-level target pollutants along with the solids. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microfluidic-chip-pfas-pollutants.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:40:03 EST news690210383 In nanoscale particle research, precise control and separation have long been a bottleneck in biotechnology. Researchers at the University of Oulu have now developed a new method that improves particle separation and purification. The promising technique could be applied, for example, in cancer research. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microfluidic-method-boosts-tiny-particles.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:00:01 EST news689875262 Watching proteins move as they drive the chemical reactions that sustain life is one of the grand challenges of modern biology. In recent years, X-ray free-electron lasers, or XFELs, have begun to meet that challenge, capturing ultrafast snapshots of molecules as they shift shape during a reaction—effectively creating molecular slow-motion movies. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-smarter-biology-microfluidic-droplet-injector.html Biotechnology Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:59:39 EST news689533141