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. Physical forces from gravity, muscle contraction, and more have strong impacts on how the cells in our bodies behave. For instance, weight-bearing exercise helps stave off osteoporosis because cells in our bones sense that force and build more bone to support it. Cells of our arteries sense the force from high blood pressure, which triggers biological responses to bring blood pressure down. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanodevice-proteins-reveal-cells.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:20:26 EST news689865601 Rivals or allies—how do bacteria and fungi interact in our bodies? Until now, bacteria on our mucous membranes were primarily considered to be antagonists of fungi, as they can inhibit their growth. However, an international research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) in Jena has now been able to show that the yeast Candida albicans and the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis form a dangerous alliance under certain conditions: Instead of fighting each other, they can amplify their impact and cause significantly more severe cell damage together than alone. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-interaction-fungi-bacteria-dangerous-alliance.html Ecology Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:09:38 EST news689591341 In a study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology on January 29, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified a rare natural compound derived from the Teak tree (Tectona grandis) which works in two distinct ways to combat diabetes and lipid disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rare-natural-compound-teak-tree.html Plants & Animals Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:40:01 EST news689589175 All life on Earth shares a common ancestor that lived roughly four billion years ago. This so-called "last universal common ancestor" (LUCA) represents the most ancient organism that researchers can study. Previous research on the last universal common ancestor has found that all the characteristics we see in organisms today, like having a cell membrane and a DNA genome, were already present by the time of this ancestor. So, if we want to understand how these foundational characteristics of life first emerged, then we need to be able to study evolutionary history prior to the last universal common ancestor. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rare-universal-paralog-genes-reveal.html Evolution Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:03 EST news689426266 University of Toronto researchers have expanded our understanding of bacterial immunity with the discovery of a new protein that can both sense and counteract viral infections. In the study, published in Nature, researchers from U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine describe how a single protein named Rip1 recognizes bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, and cause infected bacteria to die prematurely, thereby ending the chain of transmission. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-minimalist-bacterial-defense-strategy-scientists.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:00:08 EST news689415661 In a study published in Nature on January 28, a research team led by Eric H. Xu (Xu Huaqiang) from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with Ma Xiong from Renji Hospital, determined how Ostα/β transports bile acids and why it differs fundamentally from previously characterized carriers through cryo-EM structure determination, molecular dynamics simulations, and electrophysiological analyses. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-northwest-passage-mechanism-bile-acid.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:10:01 EST news689252691 Biological processes that govern our lives are many, intertwined, and often difficult to understand. They involve countless interactions happening at once—molecules recognizing each other, signals being transmitted, and matter being transported with precise timing—making the underlying physical rules complex and hard to disentangle. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-glassy-dynamics-lipid-exchange-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:12:24 EST news688396322 Scientists have collaborated to develop a new class of highly precise filtration membranes. The research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could significantly reduce energy consumption and enable large-scale water reuse in industry. The team includes researchers from the CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nature-pombranes-recycling-textile-pharma.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:57:18 EST news688237021 Light is a universal stimulus that influences all living things. Cycles of light and dark help set the biological clocks for organisms ranging from single-celled bacteria to human beings. Some bacteria use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into energy just like plants, but other bacteria sense light for less well-known functions. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-suppresses-virulence-antibiotic-resistant-pathogen.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:06 EST news688146707 Precise methods for shredding or repairing and replacing specific cancer-causing proteins in a malignant cell, developed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, could have applications beyond cancer to a wide range of immunological diseases, members of the interdisciplinary research team say. The work was published recently as an article and a Communication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cancer-scientists-customize-cellular-protein.html Biochemistry Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:14:26 EST news688140841 A collaborative team of four professors and several graduate students from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemical Science and Technology at National Taiwan University, together with the Department of Applied Chemistry at National Chi Nan University, has achieved a long-sought breakthrough. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanoscopic-raft-dynamics-cell-membranes.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:28:31 EST news688062481 Scientists have long known that cellular membranes vary in thickness, but measuring those differences inside actual cells has been out of reach. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scientists-cellular-membrane-thickness-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:19:24 EST news687611942 When the cell's recycling stations, the lysosomes, start leaking, it can become dangerous. Toxic waste risks spreading and damaging the cell. Now, researchers at Umeå University have revealed the molecular sensors that detect tiny holes in lysosomal membranes so they can be quickly repaired—a process crucial for preventing inflammation, cell death, and diseases such as Alzheimer's. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-lysosomes-focus-reveals-cells-intact.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:27:28 EST news687176821 UBC Okanagan researchers have created a new two-layer membrane filtration system that can significantly reduce the amount of micro and nanoplastics that leak from landfills into local water basins. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dual-layer-filtration-blocks-nanoplastics.html Environment Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:34:22 EST news687094441 For the first time, researchers have been able to show how a cell closes the door to free radicals—small oxygen molecules that are sometimes needed, but that can also damage our cells. The study is published in Nature Communications and was led by Lund University. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-capturing-moment-cell-door-free.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:30:01 EST news685624804 Many biological processes are regulated by electricity—from nerve impulses to heartbeats to the movement of molecules in and out of cells. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-jolt-biophysicists-uncover-electrical-transmission.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:59:15 EST news685357141 At this year's IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025), imec, a research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies, presents the first successful wafer-scale fabrication of solid-state nanopores using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Solid-state nanopores are emerging as powerful tools for molecular sensing but haven't been commercialized yet. This proof of concept is a crucial step toward their cost-effective (mass) production. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-wafer-scale-solid-state-nanopores.html Nanophysics Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:50:04 EST news685198781 Researchers have developed a theoretical framework that shows how living cell membranes can generate electricity from molecular fluctuations. The work is published in the journal PNAS Nexus. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-cell-membrane-fluctuations-electricity.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:32:20 EST news685110721 Researchers have developed a highly selective membrane that efficiently separates carbon dioxide from other gases, supporting cleaner energy and industrial processes. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-optimized-membranes-boost-carbon-dioxide.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:19:35 EST news685016341 Scientists have discovered that beneficial root-dwelling fungi boost plant resilience to disease by remodeling the plant cell membrane at pathogen infection sites—offering critical new insights into how plants coordinate defenses in complex natural environments. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-fungal-allies-arm-roots-disease.html Plants & Animals Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news684690647 Carbon capture is becoming essential for industries that still depend on fossil fuels, including the cement and steel industries. Natural-gas power plants, coal plants, and cement factories all release large amounts of CO₂, and reducing those emissions is difficult without dedicated capture systems. Today, most plants rely on solvent-based systems that absorb CO₂, but these setups use a lot of heat, require major infrastructure, and can be costly to run. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-graphene-membranes-efficient-option-industrial.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:10:01 EST news684679953 A new Dartmouth study opens new avenues for understanding—and potentially manipulating—how cells decide to live or die. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hidden-gatekeeper-cell-death-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:34:20 EST news684592441 An international research team led by Professor Philip C.Y. Chow at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has unveiled a new catalyst that overcomes a major challenge in producing green hydrogen at scale. This innovation makes the process of producing oxygen efficiently and reliably in the harsh acidic environment used by today's most promising industrial electrolyzers. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-durable-catalyst-shields-green-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:40:41 EST news684513601 Microtubules perform an active role in communication within the cell by transmitting received signals to the cell's functional units. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel have now, for the first time, structurally elucidated how these protein strands of the cytoskeleton accomplish this. Their findings could help make it possible to intervene in this communication and, for example, prevent tumor growth. The study was published in Cell. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microtubules-cellular.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:20:10 EST news684421889 When a cell receives a message from outside, it generates a molecule called cyclic AMP (cAMP) to relay this message. To ensure the signal reaches the correct effector without triggering pathways accidentally, cAMP levels must be maintained around their point of origin and at the right level. ABCC4, a protein that transports cAMP out of cells and also contributes to drug resistance, helps with this local control. Yet, how ABCC4 is held in place at the right spot to perform these functions was not clear. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-membrane-neighborhood-protein-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 07 Dec 2025 11:19:35 EST news684328752 Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for the healthy growth of plants, including many staple crops like rice. Its deficiency remains a common agricultural problem that slashes crop yields, as it leads to impaired photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen metabolism. Thus, establishing mechanisms to ensure crops can efficiently take up and utilize Fe, especially in alkaline soils, is a high-stakes challenge for global food security. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-protein-rice-iron-young.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:55:24 EST news683985301 Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report the successful creation of artificial synaptic vesicles that can be remotely controlled by near-infrared (NIR) light. By embedding a phthalocyanine dye into lipid bilayers, the team achieved local heating that modulates membrane permeability, enabling precise release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-triggered-nanoscale-communication-nerve-cells.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:10:01 EST news683894317 When three bright minds from different disciplines come together, something exceptional can happen. This is exactly what Prof. Patricia Hidalgo, Dr. Beatrix Santiago-Schübel, and Dr. Mercedes Alfonso-Prieto achieved at Forschungszentrum Jülich. In an interdisciplinary project, they investigated how cells recognize and remove defective calcium channels—work that could prove significant not only for basic science, but also for future therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-qa-calcium-channel-mechanism-insights.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:40:02 EST news683555862 Using catalytic chemistry, researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo have achieved dynamic control of artificial membranes, enabling life-like membrane behavior. The work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-artificial-membranes-mimic-life-dynamics.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:49:19 EST news683545741 Protein kinases are the molecular switches of the cell. They control growth, division, communication, and survival by attaching phosphate groups to other proteins. When these switches are stuck in the "on" position, they can drive cancer and other diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-inhibition-destruction-kinase-drugs-trigger.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:00:20 EST news683288822