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. Human and chimpanzee genomes are more than 98% identical, and the genes themselves barely differ. The changes that make us human are thought to hide instead in the DNA that controls when and where genes switch on. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-evolution-human-skeleton-clues-cartilage.html Evolution Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:00:18 EDT news709377181 As we age, some of the cells in our body enter a state of senescence, in which they stop dividing but do not die. Those senescent cells can contribute to age-related disorders such as cancer, tissue degeneration and inflammatory diseases. In an advance that could lead to better ways to diagnose and treat those diseases, MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive way to detect biomarkers of senescence. Their method is based on Raman microscopy, which can reveal the biochemical composition of cells without harming them. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-powered-barcode-unmasks-zombie.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:00:07 EDT news708944642 Researchers at Queen Mary University of London are closer to understanding tendinopathy, a common condition that can cause persistent pain and impaired movement in people and many animals. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tendon-cells-rebound-stiffness-softer.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:50:01 EDT news708789361 The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii poses a substantial threat in health care settings, readily forming biofilms on wounds and medical surfaces and contributing to persistent infections and delayed healing. Its growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and status as a WHO critical-priority pathogen underscore the urgent need for new wound management strategies. However, many current treatments are ineffective against its biofilms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cow-gut-enzyme-bacterial-biofilms.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news706867141 Cells in our bodies squeeze through dense tissue channels, thread past neighboring cells and navigate every nook and cranny within the extracellular matrix—the mesh-like network that surrounds and supports cells. How well they do this can shape a wide range of physiological processes, from wound repair to the spread of cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mechanical-memory-cells-movement-environments.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:20:02 EDT news706792441 Researchers at Tampere University have developed a versatile hydrogel platform that makes it easier to create customized biomaterials for tissue engineering, disease modeling, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Their plug-and-play crosslinking technology enables the design of a wide range of hydrogels in which biological molecules, such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids, can be incorporated under gentle, cell-friendly conditions. The paper is published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hydrogel-platform-vitamin-b2-blue.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news706537981 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, have developed a nanoparticle that can address the various factors hindering the healing of chronic wounds, which include ulcers associated with diabetes and pressure ulcers common among bedridden individuals. These wounds, which may persist for months or even years, affect about 1% to 2% of the population and represent a significant public health concern because they increase the risk of infection and amputation and significantly impair patients' quality of life. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nanoparticle-combines-strategies-chronic-wounds.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:40:07 EDT news706439401 Cells travel through the body both individually and in collective groups during development, wound healing and diseases such as cancer. New research from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis shows that cells can sense even the smallest defects, or micro-injuries, in the surface beneath which they travel and stall long enough to begin the healing process. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-feet-cells-defects-stall.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news706187761 Every cell carefully builds and positions thousands of proteins that allow it to sense and respond to its surroundings. Even small changes to these proteins often determine whether they work properly or are destroyed before they ever reach the cell surface. One such protein is CMG2. By binding collagen VI, it helps maintain the extracellular matrix, the network of molecules that supports tissues throughout the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lipid-blocks-anthrax-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:00:03 EDT news704450641 For cells to function properly, they must produce the right amount of each protein. It is a delicate balance: Both too little and too much can compromise essential cellular functions. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has now shown that even a modest excess of tubulin—the protein that assembles into microtubules, the cell's internal scaffolding—is enough to disrupt tissue architecture and reduce cell viability. Published in Nature Communications, the study demonstrates that the quantity of a protein is just as important as its function. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-slight-overproduction-tubulin-cellular-health.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:40:04 EDT news703947121 A biotech company called Revel Pharmaceuticals is looking into ways to reverse aging, and the company's science team, along with researchers from the company Calico and the University of Colorado, may be a step closer to realizing the so-called fountain of youth. The team recently published their study in Nature Communications detailing how they engineered an enzyme capable of reversing a particular form of age-related damage and demonstrated its competence with test results. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-enzyme-erases-stubborn-aging-human.html Biotechnology Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:40:07 EDT news703934311 IMDEA Materials Institute has developed mechanically tunable hydrogel membranes that closely mimic the mechanical environment of human skin while remaining highly biocompatible, representing an improved platform for skin tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-chitosan-based-hydrogel-membranes-transparent.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:00:08 EDT news703147866 One of the most striking biological transitions in nature happens early in development, when an embryo transforms from a simple ball of cells into a highly ordered structure with distinct tissue layers that later develop into various organ systems. If one imagines the cells of an embryo as people, it is as if a disorderly crowd spontaneously resolves into neat rows and columns. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-embryonic-cells-boundaries.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:01 EDT news701949602 Living cells constantly exchange ions (i.e., charged particles) via the thin barrier that surrounds their interior, known as the outer membrane. Neuroscientists and medical researchers have long been trying to devise effective methods to measure this exchange of ions, which is known to be associated with communication between neurons and various other crucial physiological processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-artificial-dna-tiles-drugs-neurons.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news701516330 Researchers in Taiwan have developed a cell-free extracellular matrix material from axolotl skin that helped mouse burn wounds close faster and show signs of reduced fibrotic scarring. The findings suggest that one of nature's most remarkable regenerators may inspire future strategies for burns, chronic wounds and surgical injuries, but the approach is not yet a treatment for human wounds. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-axolotl-skin-matrix-wounds-scarring.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:20:05 EDT news701512940 Scientists from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Malaga, who are also members of the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture "La Mayora" (IHSM), have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which is responsible for food poisoning and human infections, to protect itself against antibiotics and adverse conditions. The study, published in Science Advances, reveals how these bacteria form biofilms, highly organized communities that act as a protective shield. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-biofilm-mechanism-bacillus-cereus-reveal.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 23 Jun 2026 22:00:01 EDT news701448781 Collagen, the protein that builds skin, bones, tendons and organs, exists inside cells as a liquidlike droplet rather than the long, rigid rod seen in textbooks over the last half-century, according to a new study from the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scientists-collagen-human-body-abundant.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:04 EDT news700302781 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 Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have built a molecular "leash" to pull directly on a force-sensing protein called Piezo1, and discovered it switches on at about 15 piconewtons, proving that it can be activated by physical tethers, not only by membrane deformation. The study is published in the journal Nature Sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecular-leash-protein-piconewtons.html Biotechnology Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news694791302 The human kidney filters about a cup of blood every minute, removing waste, excess fluid, and toxins from it, while also regulating blood pressure, balancing important electrolytes, activating Vitamin D, and helping the body produce red blood cells. This broad range of functions is achieved in part via the kidney's complex organization. In its outer region, more than a million microscopic units, known as nephrons, filter blood, reabsorb necessary nutrients, and secrete waste in the form of urine. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bioengineers-perfusable-kidney-ducts-3d.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:21:51 EST news689876461 As organisms develop from embryos, groups of cells migrate and reshape themselves to form all manner of complex tissues. There are no anatomical molds shaped like lungs, livers or other tissues for cells to grow into. Rather, these structures form through the coordinated activity of different types of cells as they move and multiply. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-spheroid-geometry-multicellular-orbiting-invasion.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:35:27 EST news688667701 Detecting cancer in the earliest stages could dramatically reduce cancer deaths because cancers are usually easier to treat when caught early. To help achieve that goal, MIT and Microsoft researchers are using artificial intelligence to design molecular sensors for early detection. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanoparticles-ai-crafted-sensors-paths.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:53:22 EST news686915581 Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) are a step closer to finding the fountain of youth. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-extracellular-vesicles-key-halting-aging.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:48:42 EST news683988482 Within tissues, cells are embedded in complex, three-dimensional structures known as the extracellular matrix. Their biomechanical interactions play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now developed a novel lab-on-a-chip system based on intelligent hydrogel structures, which enables precise pressure forces to be applied to cellular microenvironments. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-smart-hydrogels-micromachines-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:02:40 EST news683917322 Scientists at the University of Osaka have developed a novel hydrogel that enables the efficient, three-dimensional (3D) culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). https://phys.org/news/2025-11-matrigel-hydrogel-3d-stem-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:40:03 EST news682177201 Caltech researchers have reintroduced a classic technique to image the formation and growth of individual cells that make up biofilms, sticky masses of millions of cells that are often responsible for antibiotic-tolerant infections. The method will help answer longstanding questions about how biofilms behave, offering insights that have the potential to help combat them in the context of chronic infections. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-reintroducing-classic-technique-perspective-bacterial.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Oct 2025 15:20:03 EDT news681056047 Seaweed is found around the world. In fact, the name "seaweed" comprises a diverse range of species, from microscopic phytoplankton to the giant forests found in various bodies of water. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-seaweed-eco-friendly-tissue-scaffolds.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:00:01 EDT news680191838 To explore possible treatments for various diseases, either animal models or human cell cultures are usually used first; however, animal models do not always mimic human diseases well, and cultures are far removed from tissue complexity. Advances in 3D printing, together with knowledge of biomaterials, are making it possible to recreate complex 3D tissue models in the laboratory. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-3d-bioprinting-advances-enable-creation.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:20:01 EDT news678377594 The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of mattresses. When it comes to human biology, it also takes an abnormal individual to sense far beyond its surroundings, in this case, a cancer cell. Now, researchers also know that normal cells can pull a similar trick by working together. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-cells-environment.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:10:11 EDT news676901405 Researchers have captured the first clear view of the hidden architecture that helps shape a simple multicellular organism, showing how cells work together to build complex life forms. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-algae-reveal-geometry-life.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:09:03 EDT news674392141