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. Researchers from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine Center for Nanomedicine—which designs nanotechnology-based platforms for clinical translation across specialties—developed a strategy for delivering therapeutic messenger RNA (mRNA) to the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium) in mice via modified lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which are small capsules made of fatty molecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-endometrial-mrna-therapy-infertility-early.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:32:22 EST news688059121 Cell division is an essential process for all life on Earth, yet the exact mechanisms by which cells divide during early embryonic development have remained elusive—particularly for egg-laying species. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mechanical-ratchet-mechanism-cell-division.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:30:15 EST news687025794 Some scientific breakthroughs may be lost to time due to scandal and redaction, while others are simply a case of waiting for more evidence. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientific-breakthroughs-survive-hype.html Other Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:28:55 EST news686305710 From the moment an embryo starts to take shape, two-way communication is critical for making sure tissues and organs develop correctly. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-uncovering-early-embryonic-communications-stem.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:50:29 EST news685111801 As nearly one in six couples experience fertility issues, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is an increasingly common form of reproductive technology. However, there are still many unanswered scientific questions about the basic biology of embryos, including the factors determining their viability, that, if resolved, could ultimately improve IVF's success rate. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-embryos-specialized-asymmetry-earliest-stage.html Evolution Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:31:27 EST news683994661 A leading bioethicist at Hiroshima University is calling for an anticipatory, rather than reactive, approach to ethics after a Japanese government panel in August backed a report that brings the country a step closer to becoming the first in the world to allow research on human embryos created from stem cell–derived sperm and eggs. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ethics-play-expert-emphasizes-japan.html Biotechnology Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:40:08 EST news682349632 Every human face is unique, allowing us to distinguish between individuals. We know little about how facial features are encoded in our DNA, but we may be able to learn more about how our faces develop by looking at our ancient relatives, the Neanderthals. Neanderthal faces were quite distinctive from our own, with large noses, pronounced brows and a robust lower jaw. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-neanderthal-dna.html Evolution Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:40:06 EST news681989105 University of Cambridge scientists have used human stem cells to create three-dimensional embryo-like structures that replicate certain aspects of very early human development—including the production of blood stem cells. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-lab-grown-human-embryo-blood.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:00:04 EDT news679310369 CISPA researcher Sarath Sivaprasad, together with Hui-Po Wang and Mario Fritz from CISPA and other colleagues from HIPS, has developed an AI system that can automatically detect abnormalities in zebrafish embryo development. The approach combines a large-scale, high-resolution image dataset with a transformer-based machine learning model to identify toxicity effects and fertility outcomes with high accuracy and efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-ai-automates-developmental-abnormalities-zebrafish.html Biotechnology Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:50:01 EDT news677774001 Zebrafish midline tissues coordinate their growth during embryonic development using a leader-follower strategy described by formation control, as reported by researchers from Japan and the U.S. The notochord leads elongation, while adjacent tissues grow and migrate with it in response to fibroblast growth factor gradients, cadherin-2-mediated cell adhesion, and mechanosensory Yap signaling. The researchers could replicate this behavior using a mathematical model, revealing a control theory-based principle for harmonized tissue development in embryos. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-theory-reveals-zebrafish-tissues-align.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:58:03 EDT news675442678 The international BioRescue consortium has entered new grounds in its mission to save the northern white rhinoceros (NWR, Ceratotherium simum cottoni) from extinction. Since the beginning of the year, it has produced three additional northern white rhino embryos. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-scientists-northern-white-rhino-embryos.html Plants & Animals Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:33:04 EDT news675441179 Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in collaboration with the Dexeus University Hospital have captured unparalleled images of a human embryo implanting. This is the first time that the process has been recorded in real time and in 3D. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-human-embryo-implantation-real.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:00:06 EDT news674380725 Approximately 350,000 chemicals are predicted to be commercially available worldwide. Little is known about which chemicals are potentially neurotoxic, meaning harmful to the (developing) brain. To date, efficient testing methods are lacking. A research team at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has now developed a screening approach based on the zebrafish embryo model that enables high-throughput neurotoxicity testing without the need for conventional animal experiments. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-neurotoxic-efficient-chemical-screening-approach.html Biochemistry Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:58:05 EDT news674222281 Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have produced fertile adult mice from embryos constructed entirely with male genetic material. Mice carrying only paternal DNA developed into fertile adults following precision editing of seven imprinting control regions, revealing genomic imprinting as a core barrier to uniparental mammalian development. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-mice-born-dads-reveal-hidden.html Biotechnology Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:20:03 EDT news670065510 A study by WEHI scientists has shed new light on one of the most fundamental mysteries of biology: how cells divide and grow into the complex structures that make up our bodies. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-barcodes-uncover-early-blueprints-cellular.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:32:04 EDT news669976322 Research led by scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB) of the CSIC and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has managed to film how a few days-old embryos defend themselves from a potential infection by bacteria. The work is published this week in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-embryos-bacterial-infections-immune.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:40:03 EDT news669641832 Human development is a beautiful, complex process. Beginning from just two germ cells, the cells divide and double until an entire organism is developed in just under a year. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-claw-machine-approach-large-embryo.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:00:01 EDT news668681590 Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilization. This is the first model of amniotic sac development after two weeks. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-stem-cell-replicates-human-amniotic.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 15 May 2025 11:00:03 EDT news666509178 Polystyrene nanoparticles are widely used in packaging, but their effects on organisms are unclear. Very little was known about how they affect blood cell development until now. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-zebrafish-reveals-nanoplastics-impact-red.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 11 Mar 2025 15:55:13 EDT news660927309 Sister cells are a pair of cells that share the same mother cell. In a new study published in Developmental Cell, researchers led by Université de Montréal (UdeM) professor Greg FitzHarris show how the early mouse embryo gets rid of the defective or unneeded cells in pairs. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-sister-cells-fate-cytoplasmic-bridge.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:31:02 EST news659709061 Up until the 1950s, scientists were scratching their heads trying to figure out why their experiments using perfectly healthy eggs and sperm to develop in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were unsuccessful. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-treatment-bovine-ivf.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:04:05 EST news659091842 New research has resulted in the first high-resolution molecular picture of the equine endometrium—the inner lining of the uterus—before and after embryo implantation. This picture, or cell atlas, highlights key similarities in immune cells between early human and horse pregnancy, a surprise given the vastly different placentas. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-cell-atlas-reveals-parallels-horse.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:47:04 EST news659015222 A University of Queensland-led team has successfully produced the first kangaroo embryos via in vitro fertilization (IVF), a crucial jump towards saving other marsupial species from extinction. The details are published in the journal Reproduction, Fertility and Development. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ivf-kangaroo-embryo-major-marsupial.html Plants & Animals Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:23:41 EST news658059815 Scientists have uncovered a key mechanism in jellyfish embryos that provides new insights into how the body plan of these animals develops along a central axis from their "head" to "tail." https://phys.org/news/2025-02-cell-polarity-jellyfish-larval-central.html Plants & Animals Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:09:26 EST news657896963 The term "omics" refers to the study of the entirety of molecular mechanisms that happen inside an organism. With the advent of omics technologies like transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics, our understanding of molecular pathways of toxic environmental pollutants has deepened. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-method-pfos-neurotoxicity.html Biochemistry Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:38:03 EST news656181481 During the oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET), the length of the mRNA poly(A) tail is closely linked to its translational efficiency. Regulation of the poly(A) tail is essential for selective protein translation in early embryos. However, the mechanisms that determine and maintain the length of maternal mRNA poly(A) tails remain unclear. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-reveals-mechanism-mrna-polya-tail.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:06:03 EST news656075161 Dr. Matan Golan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Agricultural Research Organization—Volcani Institute led a team of researchers who uncovered how fish embryos determine the ideal moment to hatch. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-code-fish-embryos-hatch.html Plants & Animals Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:00:02 EST news652612982 Can a single protein-encoding gene determine whether a vertebrate embryo develops normally? Yes, according to Osaka Metropolitan University researchers, who found that suppression of Pcdh8 is essential for the notochord to elongate properly in zebrafish. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-gene-embryo-notochord-deformity-zebrafish.html Plants & Animals Thu, 21 Nov 2024 08:52:34 EST news651401547 Antibacterial drugs are important for treating infections. But increasingly, bacterial resistance to current drugs—so they don't work well, or even at all—means new ones are urgently needed. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-antibiotic-d22-drug-resistant-bacteria.html Biochemistry Wed, 20 Nov 2024 08:00:02 EST news651237489 When early cartographers undertook perilous expeditions to map unknown corners of the world with sextants, compasses, and hand-drawn diagrams, it's unlikely they imagined that someday anyone with an internet connection would have access to a seamless view of the entire planet from the comfort of their own home. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-zebrahub-atlas-tracks-zebrafish.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:00:01 EDT news648980042