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. Tiny underwater algae sway gently in the current. All of a sudden, a light shines on them and they form robotlike arms that start to pick up small rocks and put them in floating baskets. Sounds like science fiction, but researchers from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) have created a small soft robot arm covered with minuscule algae that can grasp and lift objects. And it's powered by light. This next step in biotechnology has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-algae-powered-soft-robot-arm.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:39:19 EDT news711866320 Sustainable packaging is only the beginning. What a medicine is made from—and how its ingredients are produced—matters just as much. Yet the synthesis of compounds for pharmaceutical research can still depend on fossil feedstocks, high temperatures, strong oxidants and metals that raise costs and complicate purification. Two recently published studies from Colmenares' group at IPC PAS demonstrate that cleaner chemistry can begin at the level of a single chemical bond. The studies are published in the journal Ultrasonics Sonochemistry and Chemistry—A European Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ultrasound-reveal-renewable-routes-compounds.html Biochemistry Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news711378121 When the COVID-19 pandemic brought human activity to a standstill around the world in the first half of 2020, wildfire incidents also declined by more than 12%. A new study published in Cell Reports Sustainability reveals the complex role humans play in shaping global fire patterns, both as a source of fire and in helping keep fires in check. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-global-wildfires-decreased-covid-lockdown.html Earth Sciences Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:00:40 EDT news710677201 A new technique developed at Imperial College London measures oxygen production in real time, revealing hidden losses in solar water splitting. The researchers found that electrical current did not always correspond to oxygen generation in hematite, one of the most widely studied materials in the field, revealing a previously unknown limitation in the reaction. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-real-oxygen-expose-hidden-losses.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:30:01 EDT news710697721 Nitrogen is essential for life. It's needed to build proteins, DNA and many other components of cells. Although nitrogen gas makes up almost 80% of Earth's atmosphere, most organisms cannot use it directly. Certain microbes solve this problem through a process called nitrogen fixation, which converts nitrogen gas into ammonia. This process is carried out by an enzyme called nitrogenase. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nitrogen-fixation-discovery-day-crops.html Biotechnology Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:20:21 EDT news710680802 A new approach to producing ammonia using renewable electricity has overcome a fundamental energy limitation of the technology, opening new possibilities for cleaner and potentially more cost-effective production of one of the world's most important chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-electrode-key-barrier-greener-ammonia.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:00:11 EDT news710605261 Penguin poop is fertilizing snow algae blooms along the Antarctic Peninsula, feeding dense green algae patches along the coastline, a new study shows. These expanding stretches of green snow melt faster than clean, white snow, potentially speeding up the spread of snow- and ice-free areas of Antarctica. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-penguin-poop-antarctic-algae-green.html Earth Sciences Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:15 EDT news710409722 Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-food-fuel-ai-microalgae-scale.html Biotechnology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:15 EDT news710511242 Mention cholesterol, and most people will think of clogged arteries or health warnings. But inside the microscopic universe of the human cell, cholesterol has a drastically different job description as an indispensable cellular lifesaver. A study led by the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), shows how cells rapidly dispatch cholesterol to reinforce their "recycling centers" called lysosomes, preventing them from bursting while breaking down worn-out cellular machinery. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-cell-chain-cholesterol-cellular-recycling.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:17:03 EDT news709978511 Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a new family of materials that use light to produce hydrogen from water, opening the door to new ways of converting the sun's rays into clean energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-family-materials-efficiently-sunlight-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:40:01 EDT news709912773 A spore is a bacterium's survival capsule: dried almost solid and wrapped in protein armor, with its chemical processes shut down. Bacteria enter this state of hibernation when environmental conditions are unfavorable. What's left is close to indestructible: It can survive boiling, desiccation, radiation and the vacuum of space. NASA once bolted Bacillus spores to the outside of a satellite and left them in orbit for nearly six years; the ones shielded from sunlight were able to come back to life upon returning to Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hibernating-bacteria-invade-hospitals-survive.html Evolution Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:10:01 EDT news709832761 Electrolysis can reduce CO2 to CO, a raw material for chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQUEST project, an international team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both particle size and density. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sparse-layers-nanometer-silver-particles.html Nanomaterials Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:01 EDT news709473348 A South Korean research team has developed an environmentally friendly ammonia synthesis process that reduces carbon emissions using a membrane that selectively transports hydrogen. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hydrogen-stays-palladium-membrane-enables.html Materials Science Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news709462368 When landfills and wastewater treatment plants create methane as a byproduct, much of it is simply burned and its value is lost. But the gas is an energy-rich resource that could be recycled as a fuel, chemical feedstock or bioproduct. Capturing and converting waste methane offers an opportunity to recover energy and create useful products from an otherwise wasted gas stream. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-3d-scaffolds-methane-chemical-power.html Biochemistry Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news709468381 Switching to modern silicon solar cells could cut the cost of powering satellites by as much as 90% based on beginning-of-life (BOL) performance, according to a review led by the University of Surrey. The switch to silicon cells could also halve the weight of the solar cells needed on a spacecraft, freeing mass for fuel or instruments or cutting launch costs. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-silicon-solar-cells-satellite-power.html Space Exploration Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news709372404 A new study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that living matter violates previously known physical principles of symmetry when cellular flows form and break down collective patterns. The research, published in Nature Physics, challenges conventional liquid-crystal physics by showing that moving single-celled bacteria and human respiratory cells spontaneously break mirror symmetry, moving in curved, irreversible spiral paths. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-swarming-bacteria-tissue-cells-defies.html General Physics Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:40:05 EDT news709313101 The ocean's aphotic zone—the dark, high-pressure region below the surface, where sunlight cannot reach—is home to a vast wealth of microbial life. Yet scientists know relatively little about the genetic makeup, growth and function of many of these enigmatic organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-global-database-reveals-hidden-diversity.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:50:01 EDT news708793021 New research shows how artificial intelligence, combined with advanced experimental science, can help find "hidden" and unexplored proteins in the human body and reveal what they actually do, according to a new study published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-hidden-human-proteins-reveals.html Biotechnology Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:40:05 EDT news708351781 Chemists in a new study led by the University of Iowa report they have isolated and described in detail an atypical state of the rare-earth metal terbium, an advance that could expand its use in quantum technologies, including computing and advanced sensors. The study, "Structural and spectroscopic characterization of a Tb(IV) polyoxometalate," is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-terbium-elusive-emerges-ordinary-lab.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:10:04 EDT news708191101 The human body fights staph infections by starving it of essential nutrients. Staph, it turns out, is remarkably good at changing what's on the menu. Staphylococcus aureus—the infamous agent behind MRSA and most staph infections—needs sulfur to build proteins and other materials essential for survival. In a new Michigan State University study, published in the Journal of Bacteriology, researchers found the bacterium can adjust its diet depending on what sources remain available. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacteria-diet-survive-body.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:50:01 EDT news708190502 As a liquid that is easily stored and transported, ammonia (NH3) is an attractive carrier for hydrogen, which is used in fuel cells, semiconductor manufacturing, chemical processing and other applications. However, breaking ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen typically requires high temperatures, and the resulting gas mixture must undergo additional purification before the hydrogen can be used in many applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-electrochemical-pure-hydrogen-ammonia-substantially.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:00:12 EDT news708174962 Hydrogen-powered cars, power stations and portable chargers all rely on fuel cells. At the heart of each fuel cell is a catalyst that speeds up the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. These catalysts are typically made of platinum—which costs nearly as much as gold. Researchers from Southern Federal University, together with colleagues from Skoltech (part of the VEB.RF Group), the Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Bauman Moscow State Technical University, have found a way to make this key component both cheaper and better. They developed a catalyst from a five-metal alloy that retains its activity even after 10,000 operating cycles. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fivemetal-alloy-scientists-ultrastable-catalyst.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:00:06 EDT news708170137 Nearly a century ago, a single colony of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) helped launch the antibiotic age. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned to his London lab to find that a stray mold had wiped out the Staphylococcus growing on one of his plates. The accident gave the world penicillin, ushering in the age of biomedicine and ensuring that an infected cut or scrape would not be fatal. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-antibiotic-playbook-eskape-artist.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 07 Sep 2026 21:40:01 EDT news707988868 Researchers from Kanazawa University, the University of Tokyo and HORIBA, Ltd. have shown that the initial state of platinum-on-carbon (Pt/C) catalyst particles before they are mixed with an ionomer strongly influences how a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) catalyst ink subsequently develops. The paper is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-catalyst-fuel-cell-ink-dispersion.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:20:04 EDT news707747882 When researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus set out to create a map of all the neurons in the fruit fly brain in 2008, many in the scientific community thought they were out of their minds. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-connectome-pursuing-fly-brain-rewired.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:01 EDT news707563056 Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is usually discussed as something the world needs to get rid of. Activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for daily use, including electricity and transportation, and industrial applications release significant amounts of CO₂, and the gas enters the atmosphere. Researchers are now asking whether this road could have a roundabout. What if CO₂, which is at the center of the climate crisis, could be turned into something useful and put back into the industrial cycle? https://phys.org/news/2026-09-metal-2d-catalysts-extra-electrical.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:40:01 EDT news707583901 An international team of more than 100 scientists has taken a major step toward unlocking the secrets of some of Earth's tiniest but most important organisms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-diatom-sequencing-genetic-differences-microscopic.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:09 EDT news707405161 Algae have a habit of turning up where they're not wanted. They coat your swimming pool in green gunk, cling to rocks at the beach and even make headlines when they take over prominent reservoirs, such as the White House Reflection Pool. But put them to work in the right setting, and algae can be surprisingly useful. In fact, these plant-like organisms may hold the key to sustainable fuels of the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-algae-fuel-ai-reveals.html Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news707400467 Some of nature's most important chemical reactions rely on the coupled movement of negatively and positively charged particles. These processes play central roles in photosynthesis, catalysis and biological energy conversion yet remain difficult to observe. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-capture-molecular-images-reaction.html Biochemistry Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:00:08 EDT news707141522 University of Oregon biologists have resurrected prehistoric proteins up to 160 million years old that carry natural antimicrobial properties. The revived molecules could inspire the design of new treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections, a pressing global health issue. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-resurrect-ancient-proteins-antibiotic.html Biotechnology Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:07 EDT news706801801