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. For decades, scientists have been able to look at individual moments in the development of an embryo: a snapshot of a developing brain, a picture of how the heart takes shape or a glimpse of cells beginning to form the nervous system. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-dna-flight-embryonic-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:00:06 EDT news711121141 Researchers at National Taiwan University (NTU), working across the College of Engineering, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), have developed a new method for producing aerogels, introducing what they describe as the world's first purely gaseous-born aerogel fabrication platform. The study is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-vapor-based-method-ultralight-aerogels.html Polymers Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:10 EDT news711037681 Scientists have succeeded in reconstructing the family tree of cells in a developing mouse embryo. They recorded cells' relationships, starting when the fertilized egg first split in two and ending after the body and its organs took shape. That period lasted 13.5 days. (Full gestation in mice is 19 to 21 days.) https://phys.org/news/2026-10-dna-typewriter-cells-history-mouse.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:20:01 EDT news710603400 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 Human stem cells from Adelaide University's Center for Cancer Biology have successfully traveled to the edge of space and back as part of a landmark mission for Australian cancer research. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-mission-success-australian-cancer-space.html Space Exploration Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:20:23 EDT news710655542 A tumor suppressor gene known as p53 is mutated in more than half of all cancers, but how it acts to prevent cancer formation is largely unknown. A study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers sheds light on this phenomenon by showing what happens when p53 becomes disabled, revealing the gene's diverse roles in maintaining healthy metabolic activity, repressing mobile genes called retrotransposons and preventing cells from adopting features of sperm and eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chain-reaction-tumor-suppression-gene.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:40:04 EDT news710595602 Polystyrene is used in protective packaging for televisions and electronic devices, in decorative boards and baseboards for interior construction, and in petri dishes. It is one of the world's most important plastics, with nearly 20 million tons produced each year. The material is predominantly derived from crude oil and is rarely recycled. Virgin polystyrene is often cheaper than recycled material, meaning that used products are typically incinerated or sent to landfills. Like many other plastics, polystyrene is highly resistant to degradation in the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-polystyrene-based-material-fragments-potential.html Biochemistry Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:10:06 EDT news710606761 As waves of humans left Africa tens of thousands of years ago, eventually populating the entire planet, they were joined on their world-conquering ride by the trillions of microorganisms that compose the gut microbiome. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gut-bacteria-reveal-ancient-human.html Evolution Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:01:10 EDT news710523661 In early 2024, laboratory-grown neurospheres (i.e. clusters of neural stem cells) were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to be exposed to microgravity. The return trip was delayed several times due to bad weather in the landing zone. As a result, the cells were outside controlled culture conditions for longer than anticipated—beyond the limit of what they were expected to survive. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-stem-cells-survive-unexpectedly-rough.html Space Exploration Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:40:10 EDT news710500141 When mothers do not have the necessary resources to raise their children, this adversity causes substantial stress that can hinder caregiving and lead to postpartum depression. In a new study in JNeurosci, Millie Rincón-Cortés and colleagues from the University of Texas at Dallas used rats to explore how a lack of resources while raising pups alters neural activity. The researchers focused on a neuron population that is activated by interactions with pups and is linked to motivated behavior as well as maternal care. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-resource-scarcity-maternal-brain-caregiving.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:00:05 EDT news710161561 Research into hormones that regulate appetite is on everybody's lips for the Nobel medicine prize, to be announced on Monday when the 2026 Nobel season kicks off. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-weight-loss-drugs-nobel-award.html Other Mon, 05 Oct 2026 02:50:01 EDT news710386725 University of Sydney researchers have developed a new way to test how closely lab-grown biological models resemble real human embryos, finding that while some models perform well, none yet fully capture the complexity of early human development. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reality-lab-grown-human-embryo.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:00:29 EDT news710066461 Extreme dry mouth, caused by radiation used to treat cancer and by autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's disease, radically affects quality of life for sufferers. It can hamper speaking, swallowing and eating, and for years has seemed an intractable problem. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-salivary-gland-mini-grown-pluripotent.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:00:16 EDT news710077441 Before most women know they're pregnant, an embryo has already begun organizing itself into the structures that will shape a developing body. Scientists have few opportunities to study those earliest stages of human development, making many of life's first steps difficult to observe directly. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chameleon-embryos-reveal-early-developmental.html Evolution Thu, 01 Oct 2026 10:00:02 EDT news710064182 To survive periods of drought, trees halt photosynthesis, a highly water-intensive process. For every molecule of CO₂ absorbed by a tree leaf, an average of around 400 water molecules are released. Entire forests may then end up emitting more CO₂ than they capture. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-forests-ability-absorb.html Ecology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 15:20:05 EDT news709816321 Across every cell in the body, molecules are constantly pulling, gripping and releasing under mechanical strain. That force often decides whether a drug sticks to its target, whether a cell holds its shape or whether a disease takes hold. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microscopic-dna-molecules.html Biotechnology Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:04 EDT news709448822 A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus. Researchers at the John Innes Centre explored a recently discovered class of plant defense receptors, showing at the molecular level how they limit blast pathogen attacks and how they might be bioengineered to provide broader, more durable immunity in wheat, barley and rice. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biotech-halt-destructive-cereal-killer.html Biotechnology Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:00:04 EDT news709400581 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 Which genes need to be controlled to guide a stem cell toward a desired cell type or modulate an immune cell's inflammatory response? A Korean research team has developed a general-purpose computational framework that identifies the key targets needed to steer a cell toward a desired state with a single temporary intervention, without permanently altering its genes. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-temporary-stimulus-redirect-cell-fate.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:40:02 EDT news709304282 Researchers have developed an organoid-on-a-chip technology that verifies the efficacy of Parkinson's disease treatments in real time. The technology combines a stem cell–derived "mini-brain" with a nanoplasmonic sensor engineered to maximize light–matter interaction. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-gold-nanoplasmonic-chip-tracks-dopa.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:04 EDT news709290021 The human brain is terrible at healing itself from injury or disease. But some animals can harness their own cellular abilities not only to repair injuries but also to regrow their brains entirely. Researchers from the University of Georgia have pinpointed several of the genes that make brain regeneration possible in one type of flatworm. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-genes-flatworms-regenerate-brains-revealed.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:00:09 EDT news708946681 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 College students are facing one of the most precarious labor markets in years. A recent New York Federal Reserve study pointed to a sharp increase in unemployment among recent college graduates compared with other workers, with explanations ranging from artificial intelligence job displacement to a broader slowdown in hiring. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-job-internships-key-young-people.html Economics & Business Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news708683942 UK gardens took a battering this summer as a heat dome settled over western Europe, and much of the green and pleasant land turned a dusty beige. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-garden-recover.html Plants & Animals Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:00:06 EDT news708273781 Astronauts who undergo long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station often return with health problems that resemble some age-related conditions in people on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-astronauts-tackle-aging-earth.html Space Exploration Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:20:08 EDT news708075182 As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures such as tissues and organs. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-decodes-cell-fingerprints-diverse.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 08 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news707993406 In recent years, scientists have developed methods to measure a cell's transcriptome, or all the RNA produced by a cell, to study the cell's identity and genetic activity. However, these methods rely on killing the cell to access the bits of RNA within and offer only a one-time snapshot. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-virus-particles-enable-gene-tracking.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:02 EDT news707739962 Potassium (K) is one of the three essential nutrients for plants. It plays a critical role in a wide range of processes, including cell growth, photosynthesis and regulation of water balance. Plants take up K from the soil and circulate it throughout their bodies via molecules called K+ channels. The function of one such K+ channel (called AKT5) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has remained a mystery, despite more than 30 years of study. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-green-thumb-molecule-leaf-stalks.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:00:06 EDT news707660821 The pigments that give beets their red color may have helped a major group of flowering plants repeatedly adapt to dry environments, setting the stage for the evolution of traits that allowed plants to adapt to some of the harshest environments on Earth, according to a University of Michigan study. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pigment-beets-linked-harsh-environments.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:00:12 EDT news707656081 A research team led by Professor Yong Taik Lim at the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, have developed an engineered nanoplatform named t-SMC (trained immunity-mediated splenic myelopoiesis converter), which precisely targets the spleen to reverse splenic myelopoiesis toward an antitumoral immune phenotype. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacterial-nanoplatform-reprograms-spleen-immune.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:06 EDT news707649213