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. Growing inside each of us is a cellular family tree. Every one of the 37 trillion cells in our body is generated from another cell, going all the way back to a single fertilized egg. Much like we can draw a family tree tracking generations of our ancestors, scientists can also create family trees of cells, showing how they're related to each other. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cell-entire-mouse.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:16 EDT news710587681 A new engineered gene-editing system, proven in bacteria and showing promise for use in plants, animals and humans, addresses some limitations of current gene-editing tools, with the goal of improving their use in research, crop development and disease treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-compact-crispr-alternative-bacterial-proteins.html Biotechnology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:40:01 EDT news710594041 How do bacteria adapt when resources run low? ISTA researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions. The findings were published in Molecular Biology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sex-dna-exchange-starving-bacteria.html Evolution Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:24 EDT news710066761 A bad apple doesn't always ruin the bunch. In fact, it might make the bunch a little stronger. A new study published in Horticulture Research by Ben Mansfeld, an assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, provides apple breeders with a genomic resource to help harness the power of humble crabapples. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-wild-crabapples-genetic-potential-domestic.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:00:10 EDT news709963021 Evolution is driven by changes in DNA that sometimes promote adaptation, altering traits like disease resistance or reproduction. Often, these changes are minuscule, modifying a single letter in the DNA code—somewhat like altering a single letter on one page of a long book. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-genome-duplication-evolution-salmon-family.html Evolution Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:00:01 EDT news709464205 Sejong University researchers have developed a high-quality soybean with improved oxidative stability, reduced saturated fat and increased seed fatty acid content. The research team led by Hyun Uk Kim, a professor in the Department of Bio-Industrial Resources Engineering at Sejong University, created the soybean line containing up to 90.2% oleic acid using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The study is published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-gene-soybean-oleic-acid.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:20:05 EDT news709396372 Two new studies from Johns Hopkins University are providing scientists with an unprecedented view of how human cells repair one of the most dangerous forms of genetic damage: a break that severs both strands of the DNA double helix. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-reveal-cells-emergency-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:00:02 EDT news709215241 The ability of cells to move and change position is essential for various processes in our bodies. Immune cells move to sites of action, epithelial cells migrate during wound closure, and neurons extend their axons for signal transmission over long distances. In metastasis, cancer cells employ their motile machinery to spread throughout the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-migrating-cells-edge-master-debate.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:20:08 EDT news709214761 Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant's roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-deeper-rooted-soybeans-climate.html Agriculture Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:20:02 EDT news708943980 CRISPR may be a powerful technology for gene editing, but the system existed in bacteria long before scientists began using it. For billions of years, CRISPR has acted as a natural immune system in bacteria and other microbes, helping defend them against invading viruses. But now, two new studies, published in Science, describe a similar RNA-guided system that originated in the viruses themselves and appears to be a precursor to CRISPR. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-discovery-crispr-lost-ancestor-gene.html Evolution Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:20:12 EDT news708950672 A new open-access study introduces RiSpy, a data-driven fingerprinting framework that makes the identification of genome-edited (GE) rice lines more robust, scalable and broadly applicable. Researchers from Sciensano, together with CIRAD and DARWIN project partners, in collaboration with colleagues from Ghent University, have presented the new methodological framework for the reliable identification of genome-edited (GE) rice lines in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scaling-genome-rice-lines.html Biotechnology Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:00:04 EDT news708876961 In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Forest Research and collaborating organizations present the first-ever European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) pangenome, using high-quality DNA to aid research into natural ash dieback resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-european-ash-pangenome-generation-trees.html Ecology Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:55:08 EDT news708864782 Genomic editing holds great potential yet continues to have limitations. Current methods either rely on untargeted gene delivery or short DNA edits that need to be individualized for each patient. A new paper published today in Nature describes a novel genome engineering method called prime assembly that allows long DNA fragments to be stitched into precise, programmable target positions within living cells. This approach may allow for the development of universal gene therapies that can be used for many patients. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-prime-multiple-mutations-universal-gene.html Biotechnology Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:20:04 EDT news708776401 A study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found that new cutting-edge techniques can accurately edit genes in human embryos—giving scientists indispensable tools for understanding normal human development—but has also uncovered important risks that currently preclude the use of the techniques in the clinic. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-human-embryo-base-cells-unpredictable.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news708186452 Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compost-microbe-yields-enzyme-tackles.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708348662 Editing a plant's genes is only half the battle. Before a new, improved trait can ever reach a farmer's field, scientists must be able to grow a whole plant from just a few edited cells—a process that can be slow, unreliable and, for some plant species, impossible. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crispr-combo-regeneration-hard-perennial.html Biotechnology Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:20:05 EDT news708263041 War destroys laboratories and instruments. It also severs the human networks through which science reproduces itself. It disrupts mentorship, collaborations and informal ties that turn students into researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-infrastructure-wartime-ukraine.html Education Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:00:02 EDT news707655122 Targeted drug delivery directly to the liver has unlocked major breakthroughs across medicine, but constructing the chemical key to enter liver cells remains complex and costly. Today, researchers at Kumamoto University, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, have unveiled a nature-inspired solution that bypasses synthetic bottlenecks by giving single sugar molecules room to move. Their findings are published in the journal Advanced Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sugars-simpler-smarter-route-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:20:02 EDT news707400419 The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body—ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones—holds enormous potential for treating and preventing disease. But the standard molecular tools used to tune genes, such as the CRISPR system, are too bulky to package and deliver into the body's cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-tool-crispr-body.html Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707386154 A research team has uncovered fundamental molecular mechanisms governing the formation of tendons and ligaments, which are essential for musculoskeletal integration. Understanding these mechanisms could pave the way for the regeneration of tendons, ligaments and their attachment sites, known as entheses, which have limited capacity for functional repair after injury because of their poor vascularization. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-team-evolutionarily-tendon-ligament.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:40:01 EDT news706955922 Scientists at the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have shown that more than 93% of possible E. coli CRISPR-Cas9 guide RNAs—molecules that direct the gene-editing CRISPR tool to the right spot in DNA—work as intended, a far higher percentage than researchers expected. They also discovered why a small number of guides fail and developed a simple way to repair them. The work is published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sharpening-essential-tool-biotechnology.html Biotechnology Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:00:06 EDT news706952041 Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and Tianjin Medical University General Hospital have developed a bioinspired lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that can deliver gene-editing machinery to the liver and reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "bad" cholesterol. The nanoparticles reduced LDL and total cholesterol by more than 20% after two doses, while showing fewer signs of inflammation and toxicity than comparator formulations. The findings were published in the Journal of Controlled Release. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bioinspired-nanoparticles-gene-bad-cholesterol.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:00:12 EDT news706878661 Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan in collaboration with FUJIFILM have developed a novel way of delivering circular RNA (cirRNA) into cells, paving the way for longer-lasting mRNA-based therapeutics including cancer vaccines and GLP-1 obesity treatments. The research is published in Cell Biomaterials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-lipid-nanoparticle-capped-circular-rna.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:21 EDT news706201501 The recent announcement of novel, viable viruses created by artificial intelligence (AI) was celebrated as a major advance in the fight against antibiotic resistance. But it also raised urgent concerns about regulation. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-biotechnology-faster-technology.html Biotechnology Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news706266902 Histone variants help establish DNA methylation at transposons (jumping genes) while preventing this epigenetic modification from spreading to essential genes in plants, a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo reveals. By revealing how these chromosome-associated proteins guide the formation of precise epigenomic patterns, the findings provide new insights into the selective silencing of transposons, laying the groundwork for future epigenome-editing technologies for crop improvement and disease research. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-silence-genes-essential.html Plants & Animals Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news706189934 Humans love dogs, but petting them can leave some people sneezing and wheezing. About 15% of the world's population lives with a dog allergy, which can increase the risk of hay fever and asthma. The main culprit is Can f 1, a protein found mainly in dog saliva. Right now, staying away from furry friends or getting regular immunotherapy shots or tablets is the only way to deal with the symptoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-gene-beagles-major-dog-allergen.html Biotechnology Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705919142 Like a delivery driver navigating crowded city streets, a gene-therapy-toting lipid nanoparticle faces a gauntlet of potential detours on its journey toward a cell's nucleus. First, there's entering the cell's plasma membrane; then navigating around organelles like the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum—all destinations that can errantly absorb the particle's payload, rendering it ineffective at best or harmful at worst. And that's all before the particle even enters the nucleus and successfully makes a genetic change. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-crispr-roadblocks-scientists-genes-blocking.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:03 EDT news705841141 They may look like any ordinary species of flies buzzing around on any given day, but the New World screwworm is quite extraordinary. Screwworm flies are highly destructive parasitic flies that feed on the tissue of warm-blooded animals, including humans (though the risk to humans is low). They burrow in a spiral (screw) pattern into wounds and bodily openings such as the ears, nose and mouth, laying hundreds of eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-qa-flesh-screwworms-technologies.html Ecology Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:30:01 EDT news705729938 From genome editing to quantum computing, scientific progress is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, yet public faith in science is collapsing. Our species has mapped the human genome, created powerful computers that sit in the palms of our hands and extended human life spans beyond what our ancestors could have imagined—meanwhile, anti-intellectual movements are gaining momentum. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientific-advancement-prolific-science-plummeted.html Education Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:40:03 EDT news705597841 When a wound does not heal properly, it leaves a scar. Similarly, mutations—which are permanent changes to genetic code—are often the result of damaged DNA that has not been properly repaired. Mutations can impede the function of genes and lead to disease and aging, but they are also the source of genetic variation, which allows new traits to emerge and facilitates the evolutionary process. Scientists still do not fully understand why some damaged DNA segments are successfully repaired while others are not. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dna-enzymes-favor-specific-sequences.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news705595382