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. Aleksey Maro knows far more than he cares to know about the urination habits of chimpanzees. But if you want to measure the alcohol intake of chimps in a Ugandan rain forest, where a breathalyzer is impractical, collecting urine for analysis is your only choice. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-urine-alcohol-consumption-wild-african.html Plants & Animals Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:10:01 EST news691071121 The application of modulated UV-C light to guavas—emitted in pulses or cycles rather than continuously—combated anthracnose. This fungal disease is caused by microorganisms belonging to the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex and triggers dark lesions on the fruit after harvest, reducing its shelf life. An article on the technique was published in the journal Horticulturae. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-modulated-uv-shelf-life-guavas.html Biotechnology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:50:01 EST news689853896 Brazil has declared the acai berry a national fruit, a move to stamp its ownership on the popular "superfood" as concerns grow about foreign companies staking claims to the Amazon's biological riches. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-brazil-declares-acai-national-fruit.html Plants & Animals Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:20:01 EST news688797970 A few thousand years ago, sugar was unknown in the western world. Sugarcane, a tall grass first domesticated in New Guinea around 6000BC, was initially chewed for its sweet juice rather than crystallized. By around 500BC, methods to boil sugarcane juice into crystals were first developed in India. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-history-sugar.html Social Sciences Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:40:01 EST news688656762 Scientists specializing in soil geochemistry, environmental engineering, and health affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) in Brazil and the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain assessed the risks of consuming bananas, cassava, and the pulp of cocoa grown in soils impacted by iron mining waste in the Doce River estuary in Linhares in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. The region has received the material since the Fundão tailings dam collapsed in the neighboring state of Minas Gerais in November 2015. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-potentially-toxic-elements-bananas-grown.html Environment Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:42:19 EST news685374121 In a perfect world, people would have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. They would not live in food deserts and 30% to 40% of food produced in the U.S. would not be lost annually through overproduction, surplus and waste. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-3d-future-food.html Biotechnology Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:59:06 EST news683182742 "There's nothing quite like the pawpaw," said Rob Brannan, a food science professor at Ohio University's Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences. "It's the only temperate member of a tropical fruit family. Everything else in its family grows in the Caribbean or South America. The pawpaw? It's growing right here in Ohio." https://phys.org/news/2025-09-pumpkins-apples-fall-pawpaw-ohio.html Plants & Animals Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:15:06 EDT news677841301 Every year, as the presses churn and the sweet smell of cider fills the autumn air, more than 4 million tons of apple byproducts are hauled off as animal feed, compost or landfill waste. But a new Cornell study offers apple skins, seeds, cores and pulp a different ending. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-apple-profit-protein.html Biotechnology Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:47:04 EDT news677429221 The first-ever measurements of the ethanol content of fruits available to chimpanzees in their native African habitat show that the animals could easily consume the equivalent of more than two standard alcoholic drinks each day, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-wild-chimpanzees-ingest-equivalent-alcoholic.html Plants & Animals Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:00:05 EDT news677258578 The forest elephants of the Congo Basin are critically endangered and face extinction. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ebony-ivory-elephants-forests-fall.html Ecology Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:35:04 EDT news676726501 Faced with climate change diminishing farmers' yields, Nestlé announced Wednesday that it was working on a technique to produce chocolate by using up to 30% more of the cocoa fruit. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-nestle-unveils-method-boost-cocoa.html Agriculture Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:50:01 EDT news674910344 In Ayigbe, a rural community in Ghana's Bono Region, 35-year-old Michael Kyereme paid off a university debt of GHS 3,500 (US$335) in just three months. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-cashew-lucrative-business-ghana-youth.html Other Thu, 31 Jul 2025 10:30:02 EDT news673176416 Africa is home to a rich variety of incredible indigenous crops and foods—from nutrient-dense grains and legumes to unique fruits and leafy greens. Despite their value, many of these foods are often overlooked, under-celebrated, and under-consumed in favor of imported or commercial alternatives. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-africa-superfood-heroes-teff-insects.html Agriculture Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:29:05 EDT news664025342 While it may be an unfamiliar sensation to humans, electroreception is relatively commonplace in the animal kingdom. Sharks, bees and even the platypus all share this ability to detect electric fields in their environment. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-scientists-fruit-fly-larvae-electric.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:35:06 EDT news663413702 Coconut trees are iconic plants found across the world's tropical regions. They're called "nature's supermarket" or the "tree of life" in several cultures because every part of the coconut tree is used. Its leaves can be used to thatch homes, its heart can be eaten and its roots have medicinal uses. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-coconuts.html Plants & Animals Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:10:01 EDT news662731682 Fruits and plant extracts contain bioactive compounds that can help treat or prevent diseases. To characterize and understand their mechanism of action, researchers from universities and research institutions in Brazil and Germany have conducted independent but complementary studies. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-health-effects-bioactive-compounds.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Mar 2025 14:35:04 EDT news662650501 Baobab trees grow in arid and semi-arid parts of Africa, and have deep cultural and ecological significance. Some of these trees are thousands of years old. Global demand for baobab products has surged in recent years, driven by the fruit's nutritional and health benefits. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-baobab-superfood-global-demand-bad.html Plants & Animals Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:00:01 EST news653057922 Fresh hope is on the horizon for ecologically safer pesticide ingredients, thanks to the ingenuity of a research team at the University of Delaware. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-bio-based-insecticidal-ingredients-potential.html Biochemistry Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:21:05 EDT news646399261 Chef-turned-chemist Vayu Hill-Maini has a passion: to turn food waste into culinary treats using fungi. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-fungi-food-culinary-sensation.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Aug 2024 05:00:01 EDT news644069161 What good are wasps? It's a question we hear all the time. And, let's face it, wasps are routinely demonized. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-wasps-pests-nz-potential-pest.html Ecology Tue, 27 Aug 2024 11:07:03 EDT news643975621 Pesticides and herbicides are critical to ensuring food security worldwide, but these substances can present a safety risk to people who unwittingly ingest them. Protecting human health, therefore, demands sensitive analytical methods to identify even trace levels of potentially harmful substances. Now, researchers reporting in Nano Letters have developed a high-tech imaging method to detect pesticide contamination at low levels, and its application on fruits reveals that current food safety practices may be insufficient. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-pesticide-contamination-apple-skin-deep.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:00:01 EDT news642178553 Researchers at ETH Zurich have teamed up with the food industry to produce a whole-fruit variety of chocolate. This helps increase the value creation of cocoa farming—and is healthier. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-chocolate-harnesses-full-potential-cocoa.html Agriculture Tue, 21 May 2024 11:50:04 EDT news635511002 The three staple crops dominating modern diets—corn, rice and wheat—are familiar to Americans. However, fourth place is held by a dark horse: cassava. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-cassava-perilous-future-toxic-nourishing.html Agriculture Thu, 02 May 2024 11:57:04 EDT news633869821 Attention supermarket shoppers in Belgium, France and Luxembourg: a test to cut waste from plastic packaging of foods is coming to nearby stores. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-cellulose-fibers-emerging-sustainable-option.html Environment Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:07:04 EDT news630068821 Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is the botanical source of miraculin, a natural, noncaloric sweetener. Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is native to West Africa, where it has been used for more than 100 years to increase the palatability of local foods. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-genetic-variants-miracle-fruit-pulp.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:06:11 EST news627145569 Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil have developed a sustainable sensor that can be placed directly on the surface of a vegetable or fruit to detect the presence of pesticides. Known for this reason as "plant-wearable," it is made of cellulose acetate, a material derived from wood pulp. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-biodegradable-sensor-pesticides-contact-surface.html Biotechnology Fri, 02 Feb 2024 14:29:05 EST news626106542 We tend to think of debt as purely financial, but we can also reap what we sow in the natural world through what is known as extinction debt. This concept refers to changes in the past that affect a species' survival in the future. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-declining-primate-threatening-brazil-atlantic.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Jan 2024 14:10:01 EST news624201037 Mycelial fibers, the fibrous cells found in fruiting mushroom bodies, have gained momentum as a sustainable material for making leather and packaging owing to their excellent formability. Recently, a team of researchers from Shinshu University, Japan, has found a simple way of obtaining mycelial fibers, called "mycelial pulp," from fruiting mushroom bodies and bleaching them using sunlight while keeping their mycelial structures intact. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-strategy-mycelial-fibers-mushroom-based.html Biochemistry Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:19:03 EST news623935141 At dawn in this small Amazonian village in Brazil's Para state, flocks of noisy green parrots soar overhead as children run and play between wooden homes, kicking up sandy soil—in places white and bare as a beach. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-poverty-amazon-rainforest-soil-farmers.html Environment Thu, 16 Nov 2023 11:50:01 EST news619356080 Using a new analytical method, ETH Zurich doctoral student Julie Lestang aims to determine the chemical profile of cacao beans reliably and quickly. This forms the basis for controlled fermentation—and high-quality chocolate. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-cacao-fingerprints-production-chocolate.html Biotechnology Thu, 07 Sep 2023 12:20:07 EDT news613308001