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. Unexpectedly, a kind of protein that is usually linked with diseases in the brain may play a vital role in semen, helping shepherd genetic material into sperm cells, scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute report in the journal Molecular Cell. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-protein-fibers-hallmark-alzheimer-genetic.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:00:04 EDT news712223761 Nearly all metabolic processes require protons—positively charged hydrogen atoms. Although these are abundant in the cellular fluid, the biocatalysts involved depend on mechanisms for efficiently capturing protons and transporting them to the site where catalysis occurs. Enzymes from microorganisms can produce hydrogen (H₂) by combining electrons with protons. These so-called hydrogenases are so efficient that one biocatalyst can capture nearly 10,000 protons per second. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-molecular-pendulum-shuttles-protons-enable.html Biochemistry Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:40:02 EDT news711642301 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 The space shuttle Endeavour, which took astronauts into orbit 25 times, went on display at the California Science Center on its final mission Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-space-shuttle-ready-mission-california.html Space Exploration Thu, 25 Jun 2026 04:50:01 EDT news701580098 NASA's "rapid-response" space telescope is slowly falling out of orbit, but a daring mission this summer could allow the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to continue scanning the sky for many more years to come. In the first mission of its kind, a spacecraft will launch from Earth and rendezvous with Swift to boost it to a higher altitude and extend its life. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-boosting-nasa-swift-observatory.html Astronomy Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news700818481 For decades, scientists assumed that order drives efficiency. Yet in the bustling machinery of mitochondria—the organelles that crank out adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the universal "energy currency" of cells—one of the most enigmatic components is a protein that appears anything but orderly. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-power-tiny-disordered-protein-mitochondrial.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:29:24 EST news689606941 As America approaches its 250th anniversary of declaring independence, NASA's Artemis II mission will carry a host of mementos that reflect the nation's long tradition of exploration, innovation, and leadership in its official flight kit. The items will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, as it carries four astronauts around the moon on the first crewed test flight of the agency's Artemis campaign. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nasa-artemis-ii-mission-fly.html Space Exploration Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:56:51 EST news688301762 Tucked inside President Donald Trump's flagship tax and spending bill last month was a little-noticed provision to relocate the iconic space shuttle Discovery from a museum outside Washington to Houston. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-relocate-space-shuttle-discovery-museum.html Space Exploration Sat, 02 Aug 2025 05:50:02 EDT news673330952 Four-time spaceflight veteran Peggy Whitson had a good excuse for not showing up Saturday for her own induction ceremony to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-quarantined-5th-space-whitson-inducted.html Space Exploration Mon, 02 Jun 2025 07:50:16 EDT news668069405 In celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's 35 years in Earth orbit, NASA is releasing an assortment of compelling images recently taken by Hubble, stretching from the planet Mars to star-forming regions, and a neighboring galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-eye-infinity-nasa-celebrates-hubble.html Astronomy Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:34:04 EDT news664634042 A day at Uranus just got a little longer. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-day-uranus-seconds-longer.html Astronomy Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:50:03 EDT news663250631 Every time a shuttle docks with the International Space Station (ISS), a delicate dance unfolds between the shuttle's docking system and its counterpart on the station. Thanks to international standards, these mechanisms are universally compatible, ensuring astronauts and cargo can safely and seamlessly enter the station. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-endosome-lipids-lnp-mrna-delivery.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 28 Jan 2025 10:58:05 EST news657284281 The Hubble Space Telescope was carried to space inside the space shuttle Discovery and then released into low-Earth orbit. The James Webb Space Telescope was squeezed inside the nose cone of an Ariane 5 rocket and then launched. It deployed its mirror and shade on its way to its home at the sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-space-robot-giant-telescope.html Astronomy Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:37:04 EST news650212621 A SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral on Saturday evening marked the 73rd launch from the Space Coast in 2024, the most ever in one year. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-spacex-space-coast-year.html Space Exploration Mon, 28 Oct 2024 10:05:59 EDT news649328756 Cells are highly controlled spaces that rely on every protein being in the right place. Many diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders, are associated with misplaced proteins. In some cancers, for instance, a protein that normally stands watch over DNA replicating in the nucleus is sent far from the DNA it is meant to monitor, allowing cancers to grow. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-method-relocate-misplaced-proteins-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 21 Sep 2024 11:20:01 EDT news646135971 The two NASA astronauts left behind at the International Space Station following the return of Boeing's troubled capsule are Navy test pilots who have ridden out long missions before. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-nasa-astronauts-stuck-space-flown.html Space Exploration Sat, 07 Sep 2024 05:21:29 EDT news644905285 NASA and Boeing are targeting a June 26 return to Earth of the Boeing Starliner from the International Space Station, officials said Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-boeing-starliner-earth-june.html Space Exploration Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:17:40 EDT news637942656 A Boeing Starliner capsule carrying its first ever astronauts docked with the International Space Station on Thursday after overcoming unexpected challenges arising from thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-boeing-starliner-crew-aboard-iss.html Space Exploration Fri, 07 Jun 2024 03:54:24 EDT news636951256 Hubble has run into more trouble. The space telescope slipped into a hibernating state more than a week ago when one of its three remaining gyroscopes—part of the pointing system—malfunctioned. The same device had been acting up for months and disrupting scientific operations. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nasa-hubble-space-telescope-temporarily.html Astronomy Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:12:00 EDT news636718314 After a nearly two-year hiatus, Blue Origin flew adventurers to space on Sunday, including a former Air Force pilot who was denied the chance to be the United States' first Black astronaut decades ago. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-blue-flies-thrill-seekers-space-1.html Space Exploration Sun, 19 May 2024 15:46:22 EDT news635352375 The stage is set for some space history to be made tonight as two veteran NASA astronauts aim to launch in a spacecraft that has never flown with humans before. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-boeing-starliner-mission-humans-historic.html Space Exploration Mon, 06 May 2024 15:10:46 EDT news634227041 Throughout the annals of American space exploration, a select few spacecraft have had the distinction of carrying human beings beyond Earth. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-boeing-starliner-club-crewed-spaceships.html Space Exploration Sat, 04 May 2024 04:17:34 EDT news634015048 It's not just another ride for a pair of veteran NASA astronauts who arrived to the Space Coast ahead of their flight onboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-astronauts-kennedy-space-center-crew.html Space Exploration Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:40:01 EDT news633343089 The rise of RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for new ways to fight them. RNA-targeting tools like CRISPR/Cas13 are powerful but inefficient in the cytoplasm of cells, where many RNA viruses replicate. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-crispr-tool-orchestrates-antiviral-defense.html Biotechnology Fri, 12 Apr 2024 09:26:04 EDT news632132762 After nearly four years of playing catchup, Boeing is finally set to join SpaceX as one of two commercial partners capable of flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-boeing-month-years-catchup-spacex.html Space Exploration Thu, 04 Apr 2024 11:20:01 EDT news631447568 Messenger RNA became a household term when it was used as the backbone of the first COVID-19 vaccines, especially after the Nobel Prize was awarded to two mRNA pioneers at the University of Pennsylvania. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-qa-mrna-human-cells.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:30:02 EDT news631365554 In the dark, early morning sky of March 21 over NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility on the Virginia coast, a Rocket Lab Electron rocket carried a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) manifest featuring three collaborative research missions into low-Earth orbit—including the latest piece of home-grown space hardware from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). https://phys.org/news/2024-03-small-satellite-advances-comms-experimentation.html Space Exploration Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:43:04 EDT news630852181 NASA's retired space shuttle Endeavour was carefully hoisted late Monday and attached to a huge external fuel tank and its two solid rocket boosters at a Los Angeles museum where it will be uniquely displayed as if it is about to blast off. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-space-shuttle-endeavour-hoisted-vertical.html Space Exploration Tue, 30 Jan 2024 04:35:33 EST news625811725 The generation and manipulation of high-repetition pulses hold great promise across various applications, including high-speed photography, laser processing, and acoustic wave generation. Gigahertz (GHz) burst pulses, with intervals ranging from ~0.01 to ~10 nanoseconds, are particularly valued for visualizing ultrafast phenomena and improving laser processing efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-team-optical-technique-simultaneously-gigahertz.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 Dec 2023 13:14:02 EST news622214041 When targeting problem proteins involved in causing or spreading disease, a drug will often clog up a protein's active site so it can't function and wreak havoc. New strategies for dealing with these proteins can send these proteins to different types of cellular protein degradation machinery such as a cell's lysosomes, which act like a protein wood chipper. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pathways-problem-proteins-treatment-opportunities.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:29:05 EDT news617473742