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 most Australians say 'spring is in the air,' they're speaking metaphorically, as the days become longer and warmer. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-melbourne.html Ecology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:20:01 EDT news708771419 Forty-four years ago, Nadrian Seeman published his groundbreaking ideas on using DNA as a structural material, expanding DNA's significance far beyond its role as a carrier of genetic information. Since then, the steadily growing field of DNA nanotechnology has seen numerous innovations. One was the DNA origami technique, which enables researchers to fold a single long strand of DNA into a desired 2D or 3D shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-big-dna-software.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:30:01 EDT news708795841 The ocean's aphotic zone—the dark, high-pressure region below the surface, where sunlight cannot reach—is home to a vast wealth of microbial life. Yet scientists know relatively little about the genetic makeup, growth and function of many of these enigmatic organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-global-database-reveals-hidden-diversity.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:50:01 EDT news708793021 Sexual reproduction usually reshuffles genetic information, creating offspring that differ from their parents. But one small plant takes an unexpected route. In a new study published in Nature, an international team led by André Marques at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne has shown that the Brazilian beak-sedge Rhynchospora tenuis reproduces sexually—producing pollen, fertilizing its egg cells and setting seeds—but has completely lost the reshuffling of DNA between chromosomes from each parent. The offspring retained the same genetic makeup as their mothers, effectively mimicking clonal reproduction. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-brazilian-sedge-sexually-dna-reshuffling.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:40:04 EDT news708787381 The Black Death is often remembered as a single catastrophic event that swept across Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing millions. Yet the disease did not disappear after that first devastating outbreak. For more than four centuries, plague continued to return in recurring waves, reshaping communities, economies and societies across Europe and beyond. A new study led by researchers at the University of Tartu sheds fresh light on this long and complex history by analyzing the DNA of the plague bacterium preserved in archaeological human remains. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sharper-picture-pandemic-uncovering-complex.html Archaeology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:00:06 EDT news708786505 Oxford University researchers have captured the step-by-step assembly of individual virus-like particles, revealing how simple molecular interactions can reliably build these complex biological structures. The results were published today (September 16) in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-method-reveals-virus-particles-molecule.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:50:01 EDT news708790561 Spain and Portugal are two of the world's most popular wine-growing countries, with regions such as Rioja and the Douro Valley producing millions of bottles every year. This winemaking tradition dates back thousands of years, but its exact origins remain a mystery. To understand how it all started, scientists led by Carolina Royo of the Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino in Spain took a step back into the past and studied ancient grape seeds. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-iron-age-seeds-reveal-iberian.html Archaeology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:50:02 EDT news708784803 Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hedgehog-coronaviruses-threaten-cats-humans.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news708779101 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 Every product or service has a "carbon footprint," a measure of the environmental impact of creating or delivering it. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-carbon-footprint.html Agriculture Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:00:04 EDT news708765182 A new species of snake that feeds exclusively on birds' eggs has been discovered in the Harenna Forest in Ethiopia, one of the last substantial tracts of natural forest left in the Horn of Africa. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-species-egg-snake-ethiopia-harenna.html Plants & Animals Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:20:12 EDT news708766981 When you think of viruses, you probably think of flu-like symptoms and quarantines. Humankind has suffered from viral diseases ranging from smallpox to COVID-19, hantavirus and Ebola since the dawn of recorded history. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacteria-hijack-viruses-shuffle-dna.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news708759721 Breeding crops for farming systems rather than yield alone could exploit untapped genetic potential and help farmers cut fertilizer bills. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-approach-crop-rotations-yield.html Agriculture Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:40:07 EDT news708761493 The mammalian gut microbiome teems with a delicate balance of bacteria and the viruses that keep them in check, called bacteriophages, or phages. Each bacterial species usually has its own set of phage partners. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-kind-phage-therapy-results-salmonella.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:00:13 EDT news708701041 Neurons in humans and other mammals express many exceptionally long genes, ranging from more than 100 kbp to more than 2 Mbp, that are important for forming synapses and neural circuits. In general, genetic information is read from DNA into RNA. This process is called transcription. The longer a gene is, the more time it takes to read from beginning to end. In addition, gene expression must be regulated at several steps. Neurons are therefore thought to require special mechanisms to read long genes accurately and stably, but the details of these mechanisms have remained unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mechanism-extra-genes-neurons.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 22:20:01 EDT news708707266 An international team that includes researchers from Murdoch University's Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) has built the most comprehensive genetic map of the peanut yet and used this new genomic resource to breed a higher-yielding dwarf peanut line. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-peanut-genome-uncovers-hidden-gene.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news708698440 Inside each human cell, about 2 meters (6.6 feet) of genomic DNA must be accurately copied and equally transmitted to two daughter cells during cell division. To achieve this, the copied DNA is condensed into thick, short structures called mitotic chromosomes. However, how chromatin is organized and condensed to form mitotic chromosomes has long remained a major question in genetics and cell biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mitotic-chromosomes-pre-chromatin-blocks.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:40:05 EDT news708692521 Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is best known for carrying genetic instructions from DNA to the cellular machinery that makes proteins. But all RNA molecules have another, less appreciated property: They are naturally sticky. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sticky-situation-cells-messenger-rnas.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news708691081 Deep in the ocean, brown algae and diatoms produce a complex carbohydrate molecule called fucoidan, which helps form their protective outer layers. The fucoidan molecule is very difficult for microbes to break down because its chemical structure may include dozens of different linkages and branching patterns that vary from one algal species to another. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-marine-bacteria-team-ocean-toughest.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:04 EDT news708689641 A new study led by the University of Turku provides new insights into the population history of Finland during the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages. The researchers analyzed the genomes of people who lived in southwestern Finland and Häme between the 11th and 13th centuries to investigate how the population changed over the course of the Middle Ages and how people were connected to other regions around the Baltic Sea. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ancient-dna-medieval-migration-sweden.html Archaeology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:20:03 EDT news708688684 Should I stay or should I go? What determines whether birds migrate for the winter? This is one of the questions explored in a new doctoral thesis by Cassandra Ugland from NTNU's Department of Biology. The work is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-young-european-shags-reveal-winter.html Plants & Animals Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:40:04 EDT news708680177 HyperBird, a cutting-edge imaging platform for observing microscopic traits in plants, can detect grape diseases—such as powdery and downy mildews, which cost vineyard owners billions in annual losses globally—days before physical symptoms become visible. The advancement could allow plant breeders to speed the development of disease-resistant grape varieties, cue growers to target fungicide use early in a disease's progression and provide vineyard workers with better, earlier information for crop management. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hyperbird-imaging-platform-grape-diseases.html Biotechnology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:20:03 EDT news708679082 Australia had a much larger Indigenous population before the arrival of Europeans than previously thought, according to new research. The research also demonstrates much larger population losses resulting from colonization than previously believed, with an estimated 93% of the pre-European population lost in less than 80 years following the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-indigenous-australian-population-larger-previously.html Archaeology Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:00:02 EDT news708611522 Monitoring marine life helps scientists track ecosystem health, improve conservation and manage fisheries. A promising approach is environmental DNA (eDNA), which refers to trace genetic material naturally released into the water by organisms, such as skin cells, mucus and excreta. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-edna-membrane-advance-inshore-fish.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:00:06 EDT news708611878 Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified how certain dangerous bacteria spread. They studied chain-like adherence pattern (CLAP) varieties of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), finding that single bacteria attach to a surface and elongate before dividing, producing chains without ever separating. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-dispersal-mechanism-gene-family.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:00:10 EDT news708617041 After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act as bridges, bringing together sequences that are far apart in the genome's linear sequence. Now, a study has identified—in an animal model—the formation of these loops as an essential step in tissue regeneration after an injury. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dna-loops-essential-efficient-wing.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:20:01 EDT news708614881 A University of Newcastle-led global study has produced the most complete genetic picture yet of a salt-loving plant with the potential to help grow food in some of the world's harshest environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-salicornia-genomes-reveal-genetic-secrets.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:40:11 EDT news708606601 When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mosquito-toilet-west-nile-hedwig.html Ecology Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:20:01 EDT news708605701 Woolly rhinoceroses (Coelodonta antiquitatis) were fascinating creatures: giant, lumbering Ice Age beasts with thick fur and massive horns that died out about 11,000 years ago. Previous genetic studies had left open the question of whether their genetic diversity emerged in high-latitude areas, like that of woolly mammoths, but a new analysis of ancient DNA and habitat models covering the past 500,000 years has revealed a different story. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-history-woolly-rhinos-werent-creatures.html Evolution Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:30:01 EDT news708600903 Using cryopreserved sperm alongside larger breeding populations in zoos and aquaria could dramatically improve the long-term survival prospects of endangered pupfish, according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cryopreserved-sperm-safeguard-future-endangered.html Plants & Animals Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:20:12 EDT news708602582