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. 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 "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" turns organic web production into a superpower. In the 2026 film, Tom Holland's character, Peter Parker, begins producing webbing inside his body and shooting it from his wrists, rather than firing synthetic web fluid from the wrist-mounted mechanical web-shooters he used in earlier films. The switch transforms a familiar superhero technology into a biological ability and highlights the spectacular properties of real spider silk. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-spider-silk-biological-feat.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:00:05 EDT news705060796 A naturally abundant plant material best known for giving trees and crops their strength may one day help repair broken bones, according to a new study led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Srinath Palakurthy and Professor Rivka Elbaum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-derived-lignin-bone-minerals.html Biochemistry Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news704463362 Maize (corn) is a major dietary staple in Maya communities past and present because of its reliability, potential for surplus, and suitability as both food and fodder. It became so important to ancient Mesoamerican communities that it even became central to many of their religious beliefs, and arguably, they built their societies on it. Yet maize has a major nutritional limitation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-maize-fed-animals-maya-farmers.html Ecology Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:10:01 EDT news702741654 With the release of "Disclosure Day," Steven Spielberg's new film about aliens, a question as old as science fiction itself resurfaces: If aliens were to arrive on Earth, would they come to conquer us, to study us ... or perhaps to eat? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-aliens-earth-tomorrow.html Astrobiology Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news700914658 Imagine a future where cancer treatment affects only the tumor, where eye injections are no longer required and brain surgeries don't result in large incisions or long recovery times. That's the future researchers at Michigan State University are working toward. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-hair-size-microrobots-combine-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699627985 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 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 New research by an interdisciplinary team in Lithuania has revealed a promising and unconventional approach to cartilage regeneration. Using extracellular vesicles derived from menstrual blood stromal cells, the researchers demonstrated their potential to stimulate cartilage repair—paving the way for a future cell-free therapy for osteoarthritis. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-menstrual-blood-derived-particles-osteoarthritis.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news695034481 Experiments conducted in Brazil using laboratory rats have shown that graphene-based structures can act as a powerful ally in bone regeneration. These structures are made of sheets of the chemical element carbon that are just one atom thick. They can help heal fractures or bone loss. In the tests, the biocompatible matrix containing graphene facilitated nearly 90% repair of the damage sustained by the test subjects one month after the fracture was induced in the laboratory—a superior performance to that of other materials used in the research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-graphene-scaffold-bone-cells-body.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:30:01 EDT news694271641 The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle with enhanced intrinsic luminescence. This paves the way for the use of biocompatible, low-cost nanomaterials in biomedical imaging techniques. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanoparticles-intrinsic-luminescence-biomedical-imaging.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:40:02 EDT news693147100 Bones broken in a skiing accident usually heal on their own. But if the break is too severe or a bone tumor needs to be removed, surgeons insert an implant that enables the bone to grow back together. Implants often consist of pieces of the patient's own bone, known as autografts, or metal or ceramic parts. A key drawback of many of today's implants is that they require a second surgery to harvest the tissue for the autografts. Additionally, metal implants tend to be too rigid and may loosen over time, compromising stability. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dissolvable-hydrogel-enable-personalized-bone.html Biochemistry Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:20:03 EST news691678648 Scores of sea lions continue to beach themselves along the Southern California coastline, stricken with sickness. Toxic algae blooms are to blame, though a mechanical engineering innovation could shift the tide in favor of the marine mammals. Now, UNLV-led research published in Scientific Reports has successfully developed a synthetic California sea lion pelvic region, mimicking its bone and soft tissue. This allows medical professionals to conduct blood collection training on anatomically authentic models, improving efforts to treat the live animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-3d-synthetic-sea-lion-pelvis.html Biotechnology Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:10:01 EST news691258501 Scientists in Melbourne have discovered how tiny electrical pulses can steer stem cells as they grow, opening the door to new improved ways of creating new tissues, organs, nerves and bones. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-zapping-stem-cells-boost-growth.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:08:23 EST news683914081 A Washington State University research team is working to create an artificial cartilage that is similar to natural cartilage with a recipe that can be corrected along the way. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-artificial-cartilage-mimics-natural-flexibility.html Biochemistry Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:53:04 EST news682951981 A research team in South Korea has successfully developed a novel technology that combines nanoparticles with stem cells to significantly improve 3D bone tissue regeneration. This advancement marks a step forward in the treatment of bone fractures and injuries, as well as in next-generation regenerative medicine. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-nanoparticlestem-cell-hybrids-horizon-bone.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:14:03 EST news682164841 Cells convert mechanical forces into signals that influence physiological processes, such as exercise strengthening bones. A research team at Washington University in St. Louis and Tsinghua University in Beijing have discovered that biological tissues can also undergo dramatic phase transitions, or collective shifts where wound healing cells can switch from disordered, healthy states to highly coordinated disease states, like when water suddenly freezes into ice. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tissue-cells-healthy-disease-states.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:33:04 EST news681413581 Sometimes, the best way to achieve a big outcome is to start small. That principle is at the center of new work from a University of Virginia researcher who specializes in nanotechnology and controlled delivery of medical treatments. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-polymer-scaffold-tissue-multiple-vaccine.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 07 Oct 2025 11:51:04 EDT news679056661 When German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in the late 1800s while experimenting with cathode ray tubes, it was a breakthrough that transformed science and medicine. So much so that the basic concept remains in use today. But a team of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories believes they've found a better way, harnessing different metals and the colors of light they emit. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ray-imaging-clearer-material-tissue.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:23:45 EDT news677420619 A new study from North Carolina State University identifies vertebrate hemoglobin in bone extracts from two dinosaurs and shows that this molecule is original to those animals. The work also shows how heme, a small molecule that gives hemoglobin the ability to transport oxygen in blood, degrades over time. The study both adds to the body of evidence that biological remains can and do persist across deep time in some fossils and provides further insight into the process of fossilization. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-precise-imaging-technique-hemoglobin-dinosaur.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:11:04 EDT news676725061 Organ donors can save lives, for example, those of patients with kidney failure. Unfortunately, there are too few donors, and the waiting lists are long. 3D bioprinting of (parts of) organs may offer a solution to this shortage in the future. But printing living tissues, bioprinting, is extremely complex and challenging. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ai-printer-partner-tissue.html Biotechnology Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:17:05 EDT news676293421 Similar to the way the caps on the ends of a shoelace prevent it from fraying, telomeres—regions of repetitive DNA sequences and a protein structure—protect the tips of chromosomes from damage. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-telomerase-rna-polygenic-scores-reveal.html Biotechnology Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:27:04 EDT news674411221 In a breakthrough for regenerative medicine, a new study from IMDEA Materials Institute researchers has demonstrated the potential of 3D-printed carbon microlattices as structurally tunable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-3d-carbon-scaffolds-potential-bone.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 22 Jul 2025 11:00:09 EDT news672399718 A team of biomedical researchers led by Michael Mak, Ph.D., in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, has developed a new method of bioprinting physiological materials. Called TRACE (Tunable Rapid Assembly of Collagenous Elements), the method solves previous problems of bioprinting natural materials of the body. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-collagen-based-method-previous-problems.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:04:04 EDT news668689442 Collagen, a prevalent and predominant part of the structure of bodies, still has some mystique surrounding the finer aspects of its existence. In a new study, researchers look into the mechanism of orientation within collagen to elucidate some of the lesser-known aspects of this protein and how it can be used in future applications. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-3d-method-enables-fabrication-collagen.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 May 2025 15:13:15 EDT news666454391 Bioengineers at Queen Mary University of London have taken a significant step forward in the development of laboratory-based models of human tissues that may be used as alternatives to animal testing. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-scientists-complexity-tissue-alternative-animals.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 13 May 2025 11:27:04 EDT news666354421 The sugar glucose, which is the main source of energy in almost every living cell, has been revealed in a Stanford Medicine study to also be a master regulator of tissue differentiation—the process by which stem cells give rise to specialized cells that make up all the body's tissues. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-glucose-life-reveals-role-master.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:02:00 EDT news662209316 Xolography is a novel light printing technique that has been explored for dental products and in-space manufacturing. At Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), this technique has now been adapted to 3D print living cells. This research can pave the way for 3D-printed kidneys and muscle tissue. The team pioneered the Xolography-based method to produce tiny structures with features as small as 20 µm—approximately the size of a human cell. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-xolography-based-method-enables-3d.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:55:28 EST news659894124 For many years, it was widely believed that fossils no longer contained any original organic molecules as the fossilization process was thought to destroy them. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-discovery-collagen-fossil-bone-insights.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 31 Jan 2025 11:38:04 EST news657545882 Hidden within our bones, marrow sustains life by producing billions of blood cells daily, from oxygen-carrying red cells to immune-boosting white cells. This vital function is often disrupted in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, which can damage the marrow and lead to dangerously low white cell counts, leaving patients vulnerable to infection. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-nature-blueprint-scientists-replicate-bone.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:57:07 EST news657449821