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. 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 Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria and are not considered human pathogens. Yet researchers at the Translational Microbiology Laboratory of the Institute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, have shown that some gut phages can also physically interact with human cells. Their study identifies phage surface proteins that act as molecular anchors, promoting attachment to human cells, cellular uptake, and prolonged retention in the gastrointestinal tract. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, open new perspectives on how phages behave in the body and may create new opportunities for therapeutic development. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecular-anchors-gut-phages-therapeutic.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news700487638 Users who participate in online communities linked to conspiracy theories show distinctive linguistic characteristics even when discussing apparently neutral topics, such as films, music, cooking or science, and even before they take part in conspiracy communities. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-distinctive-language-reveals-conspiracy-community.html Social Sciences Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:40:07 EDT news700232068 Embryonic development is one of the most dynamic biological processes in nature. Cells and tissues organize and reorganize themselves following incredibly precise patterns, while remaining flexible and robust. Scientists are increasingly probing the role the physical properties of embryonic tissues—such as rigidity or stiffness—play in this process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-embryonic-tissues-fluids-solids-reshape.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:40:02 EDT news699622081 Stanford scientists have discovered a new type of immune cell that kills surrounding cells via explosion—a cellular detonation so fast and complete that the cell vanishes within minutes, leaving no trace behind. This discovery comes from an unlikely source: planarian flatworms. These aquatic, slithering pancake versions of worms are famous for their ability to survive dismemberment and grow whole new organisms from the sliced-up segments of their formerly unified body. Understanding how these flatworms' immune systems have managed to endure for hundreds of millions of years could hold important insights for modern medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-flatworms-reveal-immune-cells-tissue.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:07 EDT news699543121 Water deficit resistance in plants has long been a topic of interest for cultivating reliable crops. Some plants can alter their above-ground structure to lock in moisture, while others develop deep, industrious roots that find hard-to-reach water sources. While such responses are obvious to the naked eye, we know little about how responses to environmental stress occur at the microscopic, cellular level. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-tiny-membrane-tethers-revealed-key.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:02 EDT news699608101 Changing market conditions are increasing the need for cost-effective ways to produce biorenewable chemicals, biofuels and materials that can serve as alternatives to oil-based products. According to Costas Maranas, Robert V. and Gloria H. Waltemeyer Chair and Donald B. Broughton Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State, solutions to these problems could come from applying tools used in synthetic biology to plants and their microbial partners across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-qa-key-energy-food-crises.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT news699612298 Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps—transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes; and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-brain-gene-revealed-noninvasively-programmable.html Biotechnology Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:50:03 EDT news699551881 When doctors and scientists want to see inside a body, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool. MRI can noninvasively capture detailed images of the body's muscles, organs, and bones. It can monitor blood flow to generate a map of brain activity. And with new sensors developed by bioengineers at MIT, MRI can track the kinds of molecules that make our brains and bodies work. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mri-sensors-molecules-brain-body.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 28 May 2026 16:20:08 EDT news699193442 When a singer belts out a tune while a guitar player strums along, sound waves travel through the air, driving collective oscillations of the molecules within. Meanwhile, at the quantum level, something similar is going on. Atoms inside materials, everything from our bodies to metals and more, naturally jiggle around, creating tiny vibrational waves that ripple across the material. These vibrations are known as phonons: the quantum version of sound waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tuning-quantum-acoustic-devices-sensors.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 25 May 2026 11:40:02 EDT news698925147 Like so much else in nature, the human visual system has both a complex structure and functional efficiency that is difficult for scientists to replicate. The system is both a sensor and a processor, with the eyes and the brain working together to resolve images with less energy use than anything people have invented. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-optoelectronic-synapse-exceptional-photoresponse-neuromorphic.html Condensed Matter Wed, 20 May 2026 17:20:03 EDT news698508661 Bacteria from the Middle East have caused precipitation all the way out in California. The same bacteria, which are known to attack plants, have also been found embedded within lumps of hail in West Africa. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-proteins-ice-cool-applications-cryomedicine.html Biotechnology Tue, 19 May 2026 11:00:09 EDT news698321282 Proteins are critical to life—and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Industrial applications are similarly promising, with proteins increasingly used as enzymes in food manufacturing and in consumer detergents. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bioengineers-condense-protein-day.html Biotechnology Mon, 18 May 2026 19:40:02 EDT news698341021 How do sea squirts stay attached to rocks amid crashing waves and strong currents? Recent research has revealed that sea squirts do not simply secrete adhesive substances. Instead, they possess a unique system where they package these materials into nano-sized (nm) condensates, deliver them to the destination, and then unpack them for use onsite. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sea-squirts-nano-packaging-delivery.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 09:07:46 EDT news698054822 Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed ApexGO, a novel, AI-powered method for turning promising but imperfect antibiotic candidates into more potent ones. Unlike many existing AI approaches to antibiotic discovery, which screen large databases for molecules that might work, ApexGO starts with a small number of imperfect candidates and improves them step by step, using a predictive algorithm to evaluate each modification and guide the next. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-tool-boosts-imperfect-antibiotic.html Biotechnology Wed, 13 May 2026 13:23:45 EDT news697897381 When scientist J. Craig Venter and his team announced in 2010 that they had created the first cell controlled by a fully synthetic genome, it marked a turning point in how scientists think about life. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-synthetic-biology-rewrite-life-death.html Biotechnology Sun, 03 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news696840098 Just as the human body relies on organs such as the heart or liver for essential functions, cells depend on their own tiny organs, or organelles, to carry out vital tasks, including transporting nutrients, removing waste, and regulating genetic activity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rna-built-droplets-customizable-organelles.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news696772322 Scientists at Durham University, working in partnership with Jagiellonian University in Poland, have developed a new nanoscale tool that can capture and precisely position some of the most important proteins in the human body, opening up new possibilities for medicine, imaging, and bioengineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dna-nano-viral-cell-proteins.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:00:10 EDT news696760442 Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan, and The University of Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Kyushu University, Japan, have developed a new class of biocompatible molecular quantum nanosensors (MoQNs) that operate inside living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecular-quantum-nanosensors-reveal-temperature.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news696682742 Scientists have discovered how cells decide when to respond to physical forces, potentially opening new avenues for tackling diseases such as cancer and fibrosis. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cells-react-future-treatments-cancer.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:33:25 EDT news696666744 Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into clear view. For scientists and clinicians, even if the motion is semi-automated, that time quickly adds up as they work with dozens or hundreds of samples. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-stripe-pattern-microscopes-auto.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:40:03 EDT news696610208 In tissue engineering, the tiniest bit of improper force can harm a living culture. Spheroids—3D clumps of cells—can be used to model complex human tissues, because they can re-create specific cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. But these spheroids are also fragile, and common techniques of moving them manually via suction can easily damage them. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mobile-microgrippers-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:08 EDT news696493741 For most of their lives, plants get their energy from photosynthesis. But during the seed to seedling stage, when they can't absorb light just yet, they rely on other sources, like fatty acids. To process the fatty acids, plant cells, like human cells, rely on a membrane-bound compartment called the peroxisome. For people interested in studying the peroxisome, plant cells are an excellent model to use. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-crispr-untangles-gene-protein-early.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news696504181 The ability to precisely edit the genomes of bacteria has long been a goal of microbiologists. Such technology would enable scientists to make new inroads into studying disease, developing sustainable materials, and fighting drug-resistant infections. But for years, the most powerful tools for bacterial genome editing have only been available in Escherichia coli (E. coli), the most common laboratory bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-coli-technique-universal-toolkit-rewriting.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:30:03 EDT news696177722 The molecules of a highly toxic plant, known for its bell-shaped purple and pink flowers and found in some home gardens, have long been used to regulate human heart muscles. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-toxic-traits-clues-safer-drugs.html Biochemistry Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:20:11 EDT news696160862 As far as research subjects go, it's not always easy to find common ground with a single-celled bacterium. Yet the more Paul Wiggins studies his model bacteria, Acinetobacter baylyi, the more he sees surprising commonalities between their behavior and our own as humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-qa-scientists-decode-logic-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:02 EDT news696091107 To ensure a robust domestic supply chain in the U.S., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are using bacterial proteins to separate the rare-earth elements that are ubiquitous in magnets, batteries, and electronics. These proteins, called lanmodulin, evolved in bacteria that use rare-earth elements to power their metabolism. But to scale up and advance biomining technology, researchers need a faster way to find and design better proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-faster-protein-screening-tool-rare.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news696094502