https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Okayama University Recent advancements in nanophotonics are moving beyond isotropic noble metals to achieve dynamic and directional control over plasmons. Conventional localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) are limited by their isotropic permittivity and geometry-dependent resonance tuning. Introducing strong material anisotropy offers an effective alternative strategy, providing an additional degree of freedom for controlling plasmon propagation and confinement. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-anisotropic-2d-crystal-hyperbolic-localized.html Nanophysics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:00:06 EDT news694194841 As the miniaturization of silicon-based semiconductor devices approaches fundamental physical limits, the electronics industry faces an urgent need for alternative materials that can deliver higher integration and lower power consumption. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, which are only a single atom thick, have emerged as promising candidates due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, despite intense research interest, controlling the growth of high-quality 2D semiconductor crystals has remained a major scientific and technological challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-real-view-microreactor-reveals-2d.html Nanophysics Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:40:25 EST news689272801 Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, with survival rates remaining dismally low despite major advances in oncology. One of the key reasons lies in the disease's unique fibrotic microenvironment—a dense, collagen-rich tissue that acts as a physical and biochemical barrier, preventing drugs from reaching tumor cells effectively. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-blocking-collagen-boosts-drug-delivery.html Medical research Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:26:31 EST news684689161 Macrolactones—large ring lactones—are core components of many natural products and pharmaceutical agents. Traditional synthetic routes rely on seco acids activated with condensing reagents, often requiring harsh conditions or multi-step procedures. An alternative approach using hydroxyaldehydes has remained limited, and radical-based macrolactonization of these substrates had never been reported. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chemists-driven-macrolactone-synthesis-fast.html Biochemistry Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:52:32 EST news683988697 Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for the healthy growth of plants, including many staple crops like rice. Its deficiency remains a common agricultural problem that slashes crop yields, as it leads to impaired photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen metabolism. Thus, establishing mechanisms to ensure crops can efficiently take up and utilize Fe, especially in alkaline soils, is a high-stakes challenge for global food security. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-protein-rice-iron-young.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:55:24 EST news683985301 One of the hallmarks of cancer cells is their ability to evade apoptosis, or programmed cell death, through changes in protein expression. Inducing apoptosis in cancer cells has become a major focus of novel cancer therapies, as these approaches may be less toxic to healthy tissue than conventional chemotherapy or radiation. Many chemical agents are currently being tested for their ability to trigger apoptosis, and researchers are increasingly exploring light-activated molecules that can be precisely targeted to tumor sites using lasers, sparing surrounding healthy tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-protein-triggers-cancer-cell-death.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:08:28 EST news683903281 Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, affecting millions of people and placing an enormous burden on health care systems. The disease occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood efficiently, leaving patients short of breath, fatigued, and at risk of life-threatening complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-scientists-uncover-cells-thought-harmless.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:53:04 EDT news680961181 Superconductors (materials that conduct electricity without resistance) have fascinated physicists for more than a century. While conventional superconductors are well understood, a new class of materials known as topological superconductors has attracted intense interest in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-superconductivity-distorts-crystal-lattice-topological.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:32:03 EDT news679228321 The appearance of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was a turning point in the history of our planet, forever transforming the environment and setting the stage for complex life. This event, known as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), occurred roughly 2.1 to 2.4 billion years ago. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-earth-oxygen-boom-nickel-urea.html Astrobiology Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:33:08 EDT news679224781 For decades, scientists have been curious about how much water Mars once had and what led to its gradual transformation into the dry planet we see today. A new study published online on September 2, 2025, in the Geology journal, sheds light on this mystery by looking deep inside Martian craters, which act like "ice archives" that store a frozen record of the planet's past. These craters reveal that Mars went through repeated ice ages over hundreds of millions of years; however, with each cycle, the amount of remaining ice decreased steadily. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-frozen-clues-mars-crater-deposits.html Planetary Sciences Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:49:04 EDT news679222141 A new study has revealed the 3D structure of a barley root protein that protects plants from toxic aluminum in acidic soils. Unlike most transporters, this protein exports citrate—an anion that binds to harmful aluminum ions—thereby shielding the roots. The findings offer fresh insights into how plants adapt to hostile soils and could help guide the breeding of crop varieties capable of thriving on acidic farmland worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-barley-root-defense-protein-key.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:50:04 EDT news677407801 Cardiac arrest happens when the heart stops pumping blood properly, cutting off oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. In these emergencies, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help keep blood and oxygen moving until medical help arrives. For children, CPR usually needs both chest compressions and rescue breaths, because many cases are caused by breathing problems such as drowning, choking, or serious illness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-decline-cpr-linked-higher-death.html Cardiology Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:00:03 EDT news677253601 Understanding how fat molecules are distributed and function in living organisms is key to uncovering mechanisms of aging, disease, and metabolism. Caenorhabditis elegans, a transparent roundworm, is a widely used model for studying fat storage due to its genetic similarity to humans and well-defined anatomy. However, visualizing lipids at high resolution in such a small organism has posed a major technical challenge. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-fat-microfluidics-mass-spectrometry-reveal.html Medical research Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:19:55 EDT news675087585 The tongue contains numerous taste buds—tiny sensory organs responsible for detecting taste. Taste buds consist of specialized cells that translate chemical stimuli into neural signals. Among them, type II cells, which respond to sweet, umami, and bitter stimuli, utilize channel-based signal transmission. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-sour-snap25-powers-sensory-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:51:04 EDT news674833862 Cell division is an essential process by which living organisms grow, replenish lost cells, and regenerate dead and damaged tissues. When a parent cell divides into two daughter cells, chromosomes—the structures that organize and store genetic information—are duplicated to generate two copies. These copies are distributed equally so that the daughter cells are genetically identical. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-unraveling-variations-centromeres-onion-species.html Plants & Animals Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:21:04 EDT news673780862 Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment, it continues to impose a significant health burden globally. Researchers have now started exploring various innovative methods, such as engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that can enable targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. While promising, the in vivo behavior of pH-responsive ENMs, which continuously interact with body fluids once administered, remains poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ph-responsive-graphene-nanocarriers-precision.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:20:04 EDT news673780802 Pleasant tactile stimulation drives social bonding in many animal species, especially mammals. Tactile stimulation forms the basis of the infant-caregiver relationship and often leads to affinity-like behavior, indicating the formation of social bonds. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scientists-oxytocin-role-human-rat.html Plants & Animals Tue, 22 Jul 2025 10:00:03 EDT news672396555 Sexual behavior and sex preference in animals and humans are shaped by complex interactions between the brain and hormones during early development. One critical factor is exposure to androgens (male sex hormones) during fetal development, which influences the sexual differentiation of the brain. This early hormonal exposure is linked to a wide range of adult behaviors, like sexual behavior and cognitive traits, but finding a reliable, noninvasive biological marker for the same has remained a challenge. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-clues-claws-finger-length-reveal.html Plants & Animals Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:18:36 EDT news670670308 Photosynthesis, the natural process of converting sunlight energy into chemical energy and generating molecular oxygen, is a remarkable natural phenomenon that not only forms the basis for sustaining almost all living organisms on Earth but also provides a blueprint for artificial photosynthesis. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-unique-harvesting-marine-algae-future.html Plants & Animals Fri, 30 May 2025 11:33:03 EDT news667823581 Proteins form the structural and functional backbone of the cell, and any perturbation in their synthesis can disrupt normal cellular functions. The DNA blueprint is carefully read, transcribed, and translated into functional proteins through a tightly regulated process. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-mini-hairpin-peptide-stall-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 18 Apr 2025 12:41:45 EDT news664198901 The skin consists of two primary layers. The epidermis, the outermost layer, is predominantly made up of keratinocytes, while the deeper dermis contains blood vessels, nerves, and structural proteins such as collagen, which give the skin its strength and texture. Traditionally, fibroblasts—specialized supporting cells within the dermis—have been believed to play a key role in producing collagen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-axolotls-reveal-keratinocytes-fibroblasts-collagen.html Medical research Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:16:04 EDT news660993362 Silicon (Si) is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, found in large quantities in soil. While Si is not essential for land plants, many plants, such as rice and grasses, have used Si to develop powerful defense mechanisms against various environmental stresses. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-root-silicon-powers-resilience.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:13:03 EST news656860381 Quantum sensing is a rapidly developing field that utilizes the quantum states of particles, such as superposition, entanglement, and spin states, to detect changes in physical, chemical, or biological systems. A promising type of quantum nanosensor is nanodiamonds (NDs) equipped with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. These centers are created by replacing a carbon atom with nitrogen near a lattice vacancy in a diamond structure. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-high-quality-nanodiamonds-bioimaging-quantum.html Nanophysics Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:11:05 EST news654178261 IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an immune response disease affecting the filtering units of the kidneys. It is an intractable disease with a complex physiological process. Streptococcus mutans, a dental caries-causing bacterial pathogen, has been linked to IgAN disease progression. Now, researchers from the Okayama University, Japan, have uncovered a virulent role of Cnm—a surface collagen-binding protein expressed on S. mutans in IgAN development—highlighting a potential link between dental caries and renal lesions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-surface-protein-highlights-potential-link.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:49:42 EST news652380578 Antithrombin, a plasma protein, has been reported to control thrombin activity by directly binding to thrombin, as well as to have an anti-inflammatory effect. However, the actual molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of antithrombin was completely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-antithrombin-mechanism-action-plasma-protein.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:11:04 EDT news649433461 Cereals such as rice, wheat, maize, and barley are essential in the human diet and have various uses in the food industry. Their suitability for different industrial applications depends on the properties of their grains. The major component of these cereal grains is starch, which is a glucose polymer found exclusively in plants. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-specific-gene-mutations-starch-properties.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:02:03 EDT news648921721 Birds possess unique skin appendages called feathers that are derived from the outermost layer of skin cells. Feathers are important for several functions, such as flight, temperature regulation, protection from external stimuli, and mating behavior. The gender-specific development of feathers in birds and the vibrant feather patterns that distinguish males from females, also known as sexual dimorphism, have piqued the interests of the global research community. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-molecular-insights-sexual-dimorphism-chicken.html Plants & Animals Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:18:03 EDT news648476281 Hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC is the most commonly observed form of liver cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. For patients with an advanced form of HCC, there are different types of systemic treatments available, which travel through the bloodstream and target cancer cells across the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-invasive-method-survival-patients-liver.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 19 Sep 2024 10:28:03 EDT news645960481 Scientists use atomic clocks to measure the "second," the smallest standard unit of time, with great precision. These clocks use natural oscillations of electrons in atoms, similar to how pendulums work in old grandfather clocks. The quest for an even more precise timekeeper led to the discovery of nuclear clocks, which use the transitions of atomic nuclei instead of electrons to keep time. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-experimental-setup-potential-compact-portable.html General Physics Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:36:49 EDT news645449802 To address the global burden of cardiovascular diseases, there's an urgent need for early-stage screening technologies and effective therapeutics. However, the medical research community faces significant challenges, including the high failure rate of candidate drugs in clinical trials and the ethical concerns surrounding the use of laboratory animals. Static cell culture models also fall short in replicating the complex tissue-level microenvironment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-heart-chip-microreactor-advances-disease.html Cardiology Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:53:03 EDT news645180781