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. As antimicrobial resistance grows around the world, novel therapies to counter it become increasingly important. Phages—viruses that infect bacteria—are an exciting avenue of research in this regard, providing a means to selectively kill pathogenic bacteria, even those resistant to traditional antibiotics. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-viral-loose-cannon-enzyme-phages.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:20:04 EDT news706360571 Although increased cell proliferation is a hallmark of cancerous tissues, in some cases it may actually protect against tumor growth, according to a new study by Caltech researchers. Using mathematical models, the work suggests a new paradigm for the earliest stages of cancer development. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-jellyfish-reveal-rapid-cell-turnover.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:20:03 EDT news706351503 Scientists have long believed that tissue-resident memory T cells—which remain in tissues after an infection has cleared and respond rapidly if the threat returns—are shaped primarily by biochemical signals. A McGill University–led study has now uncovered a previously unknown ability of T cells that could change our understanding of how long-term immunity develops. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-immune-cells-scientists.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news706188943 Adjusting to a new time zone or work schedule can leave the body's internal clock out of sync for days, contributing to sleep disruption, metabolic changes and other health consequences. Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have developed an implantable cell therapy that may help the body adapt more quickly to these disruptions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-jet-lag-cells-circadian-adjustment.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:02 EDT news705932281 Designing an effective antibody drug is like searching for the right key in a warehouse of locks. Scientists may begin with millions—or even billions—of antibody candidates, but only a tiny fraction will recognize and bind tightly to the disease target. Identifying those rare candidates has long been one of the biggest challenges in developing antibody medicines. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-biology-antibodies-drug-discovery.html Biotechnology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:03 EDT news705763776 More than 100,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant in the United States, with a new candidate added to the list every 10 minutes. Even if the transplant is carried out successfully, recipients must take immunosuppressive medications, elevating their risk of broader infections, and adhere to a strict lifestyle for the rest of their lives—all while facing the possibility that their body could reject the donated organ at any time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hybrid-bioprinter-capillary-networks-narrower.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news705752101 The decades-old scientific quest to create brand-new proteins has been turbocharged in the era of artificial intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-deploying-ai-proteins-nature.html Biotechnology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news705756123 In 1968, the American biochemist and geneticist Marshall Nirenberg and his colleagues won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their work deciphering how an organism's proteins are directly linked to its genetic code. That discovery is considered a "fundamental pillar of molecular biology," explained Nikolai Slavov, a distinguished professor of bioengineering. "It's in every textbook from high school to college." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-humans-highly-abundant-stable-proteins.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:20:02 EDT news705663918 Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks. While the new multiple-sugar-consuming strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida is interesting in its own right, a new paper published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026, outlines the broader implications of this project for the future of biomanufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-corn-stalk-sugars-bacterial-strain.html Biotechnology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:20:04 EDT news705573361 Rice University engineers have developed a new strategy for controlling how therapeutic peptides are released from gelatin-based materials, a step that could make the small but powerful molecules more useful in tissue engineering and drug delivery. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-based-strategy-delivery-therapeutic-peptides.html Biotechnology Sun, 09 Aug 2026 07:20:01 EDT news705327575 A protein known as interleukin 10 (IL-10) is the lynchpin of a new method to protect transplanted cells from host immune system attacks. Rice University researchers engineered a living factory to produce a localized biochemical halo of IL-10 to suppress immune rejection of pancreatic beta cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bioengineers-biochemical-halo-cloak-insulin.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:31:17 EDT news705231049 For decades, scientists have accepted that the immune system naturally weakens with age. Georgia Tech biomedical engineer and Carl Ring Family Professor Ankur Singh wasn't convinced. Then the COVID-19 pandemic made the stakes impossible to ignore. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nanowires-key-functions-aging-cells.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:30:02 EDT news705168721 How do tissues cope with being stretched for hours or even days? A study led by researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has uncovered an unexpected answer: Cells radically reorganize their internal scaffolding and, in the process, release their nuclei from a protective keratin network. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-prolonged-tissue-scaffolds-uncages-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:30:03 EDT news704390222 Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common form of head and neck cancer, and the number of new cases is predicted to rise by 30% in the next decade. Despite decades of cancer research, treating OSCC remains a challenge. The five-year survival rate is approximately 50%, and standard treatments such as ablative surgery and radiation often leave patients with permanent disfigurement or profound, lifelong impairment of essential oral functions such as speaking and swallowing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lipid-nanoparticles-resistant-oral-tumors.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:00:02 EDT news704019430 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 Penn Engineers have developed PeptiVerse, an AI-powered platform that predicts key chemical and biological properties of peptides, strings of amino acids whose medical potential has been demonstrated by the success of GLP-1 drugs, widely used weight-loss treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-source-ai-key-peptide-traits.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:30:01 EDT news703867621 Advances in medical technology have improved health in part by bringing key aspects of care, once difficult to access, into the home. Tracking symptoms and even screening for certain types of illness outside of a laboratory or clinical setting puts more control into the hands of patients. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-airpods-sized-fluorescence-analytical-device.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 19 Jul 2026 14:00:03 EDT news703496954 The Guadalquivir is the most important river in Andalusia. Stretching 657 kilometers (408 miles), it forms the backbone of Andalusia, from its source in the Sierra de Cazorla mountains to its mouth in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. These facts, along with its name of Arabic origin (Wadi al-Kabir) and its strategic role in the economy, agriculture and tourism, are widely known. Few studies, however, have comprehensively assessed the quality of the "Great River" along its entire course. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bacteria-reveal-hidden-pollution-river.html Environment Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news703427459 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 In most modern cells, DNA stores the genetic blueprint, and proteins replicate, repair and build from those blueprints. At the same time, proteins require instructions from DNA to be made in the first place. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rna-enzyme-reveals-primordial-life.html Evolution Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:05 EDT news702907471 Newly developed microparticles can infiltrate stubborn bacterial matrices and release tiny oxygen bubbles to clean surfaces and wounds more efficiently than hydrogen peroxide or other cleaning agents alone, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report. In two papers, they have demonstrated the bubble-generating particles' ability to clean tenacious biofilms from surgical instruments, and—when embedded within bandages—to clean infected wounds and speed healing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-propelled-microparticles-stubborn-biofilms-wound.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:10:04 EDT news702832035 In a new study, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have resolved a longstanding mystery by showing how epithelial tissues exhibit slow-moving, glass-like behavior despite their fast-paced biological activity. Their study is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-unraveling-glass-nature-epithelial-tissues.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:06 EDT news702808893 Over 70 million people in the U.S. are impacted by hearing loss, and age-related hearing loss is the second most common health problem in older adults, according to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. However, scientists still do not fully understand how the cochlea—a delicate, spiral-shaped cavity in the inner ear lined with thousands of specialized sensory cells—performs the signal processing needed to separate meaningful sounds from background noise. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cochlea-network-reveals-ear-noise.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news701969401 The AI-based program AlphaFold predicts a protein's 3D structure with remarkable accuracy. However, it tends to reduce heterogeneous structures to a single dominant conformation, or shape, and overlooks experimental conditions that can alter local structure. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and international collaborators have now developed a way to guide AlphaFold with experimental data. Their approach, published in Nature Biotechnology, paves the way for improved future predictive models. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-alphafold-ai-tool-conformation-limitation.html Biotechnology Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:00:01 EDT news701700061 A new method for recognizing and targeting DNA that dramatically expands the range of genetic sequences scientists can identify has been developed by experts at the University of Portsmouth. Published this week in Nature Communications, the research opens new possibilities for gene-targeting technologies, molecular diagnostics and DNA nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-synthetic-dna-toolkit-scientists-ability.html Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news701529781 Multicellular life depends on remarkable acts of cooperation. Every cell in the human body must sense what is happening around it, interpret signals from its neighbors and respond in ways that support the larger tissue. These chemical, physical and electrical messages help determine when cells grow, repair damage, fight infection or quiet down after a threat has passed—and tissue health depends on how well those parts come together. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scientists-cells-language-aim-decode.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT news701434081 An international team of researchers has discovered a remarkable new spider species in the rainforest of North Queensland that spins an ingenious and powerful spring-actuated snare to catch a single species of ant—one ant at a time—in what they describe as "the ultimate specialization." https://phys.org/news/2026-06-newly-australian-ballista-spider-snare.html Plants & Animals Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:00:09 EDT news701094716 A remarkable quality of bioengineering is that scientists can take biological processes honed by millions of years of evolution and use them to efficiently create drugs, chemicals and other products to improve our lives. Now Tufts researchers have found new ways to expand the potential for using bacterial spores as catalysts for chemical reactions, biofuel production or breaking down pollutants. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bacterial-spores-reveal-protein-enzymes.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 21 Jun 2026 17:00:03 EDT news700740116 A new study from Caltech demonstrates that soil bacteria can adapt under stress, particularly when a key nutrient, phosphorus, is running low in their environment. The work is important for understanding the complex relationships between microorganisms and the roots of plants, which has implications for soil health and food sustainability as the climate changes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stressed-soil-bacteria-environmental-conditions.html Ecology Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:20:04 EDT news701092261 Researchers at Princeton University have harnessed AI to understand how drugs affect the dynamics of vital structures within the cell, introducing a tool that can map the shape of these structures to functional outcomes and shed light on important markers of health. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-cell-droplets-uncovering-drug.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:20:01 EDT news700547546