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. In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analyzing tens of thousands of metagenomes, the team found that while most microbes adapt to a specific ecosystem, a rarer subset known as "generalists" can thrive across very different habitats. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-microbiomes-interconnect-planetary-scale.html Ecology Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:51:49 EST news689871061 Bacteria in the human gut can directly deliver proteins into human cells, actively shaping immune responses. A consortium led by researchers at Helmholtz Munich, with participation from Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU), Aix Marseille University, Inserm, and international partners, has discovered this previously unknown mechanism of communication between gut bacteria and human cells. The findings reveal a new way in which the gut microbiome can influence the human body and may help explain how changes in gut bacteria contribute to inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-gut-bacteria-immune-responses.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:25:35 EST news688663501 Researchers at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute in the UK recently revealed a complete taxonomic and functional catalog of the canine gut microbiome after analyzing samples from 107 healthy dogs across the U.S. and Europe. The study, published in the journal Microbiome, unveiled an array of new bacterial strains and their role in gut health. The resulting catalog is now the most comprehensive resource for the gut microbiome in companion animal research. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-largest-canine-gut-microbiome-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:32:00 EST news688217485 Japanese macaques, colloquially referred to as snow monkeys, famously soak in steaming hot springs during winter. It's easy to see that this helps them stay warm in cold temperatures, but a team of researchers at Kyoto University recently discovered that this iconic behavior does more than keep the monkeys warm. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-hot-doesnt-monkeys-disrupt-lice.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:27:17 EST news688138021 Marsupials are a group of mammals that encompass many of Australia's most iconic animals, unique because of their geographically isolated evolution. Despite their household names, their microbiomes remain under-researched. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-extensive-marsupial-gut-microbiomes-reveals.html Ecology Wed, 14 Jan 2026 05:53:38 EST news687592382 A new study reveals that changes to the gut microbiome can change the way the brain works. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microbes-key-brain-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:06:34 EST news686851561 The gut microbiome is intimately linked to human health and weight. Differences in the gut microbiome—the bacteria and fungi in the gut—are associated with obesity and weight gain, raising the possibility that changing the microbiome could improve health. But any given person's gut contains hundreds of different microbial species, making it difficult to tell which species could help. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-gut-bacteria-weight-gain-mice.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 25 Dec 2025 13:20:01 EST news685189163 An international research team led by Aalborg University with contributions from the University of Vienna has systematically mapped the microbiome of an entire country for the first time. In the study "Microflora Danica," published in the journal Nature, over 10,000 environmental samples from across Denmark were analyzed—on average at intervals of only around 4 square kilometers. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microbiome-entire-country.html Ecology Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:59:32 EST news684064741 The microbes inside our bodies not only help break down food but also impact our health. Yet their precise influence is not always understood, especially in the presence of prescription drugs. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-antibiotics-trigger-immune-response-gut.html Biochemistry Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:00:06 EST news683902862 A team of researchers has found a way to turn the bacteria living in the digestive tracts of animals into factories that can produce compounds that promote longevity in their hosts—showing a potential new drug development strategy. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-gut-microbiome-longevity-factory.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:10:03 EST news682182181 New research has found that social interactions among meerkats may be crucial to their health and survival—thanks to the sharing of beneficial gut bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mob-membership-benefits-meerkats-beneficial.html Ecology Thu, 30 Oct 2025 19:00:01 EDT news681053281 Dust from California's drying Salton Sea doesn't just smell bad. Scientists from UC Riverside found that breathing the dust can quickly re-shape the microscopic world inside the lungs. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-toxic-salton-sea-triggers-lung.html Environment Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:23:26 EDT news680279002 Hundreds of new viruses living inside bacteria within our gut have been discovered in an international study led by Professor Jeremy J. Barr from Monash University's School of Biological Sciences and Associate Professor Sam Forster from Hudson Institute of Medical Research. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-discovery-hundreds-human-gut-phages.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:06:04 EDT news679759561 A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia's Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across plant-eating species. Because the gut microbiome plays a critical role in animal health, the work can be used to inform conservation efforts. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-african-wildlife-scat-gut-ecosystem.html Ecology Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:00:36 EDT news679752030 Whether we're talking about animals or humans, gut microbes are essential for health, metabolism and protecting against infection. While captivity is known to alter the gut microbiota of wildlife, the relative influence of diet, genetics and environment has been unclear, especially for endangered species. A new study published in the journal PLOS One compared the gut microbes of wild and captive giant pandas, red pandas and Asiatic black bears and found that captivity has the biggest impact on their gut microbiome. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-captivity-gut-bacteria-endangered-pandas.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:10:01 EDT news679572508 Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-sped-evolution-bacteria-gut-microbiome.html Evolution Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:32:05 EDT news679242721 Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization. Santiago Rosas-Plaza of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues present these findings in PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-year-gut-microbiome-revealed-young.html Archaeology Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:03 EDT news678988441 Urban trees are essential to the health of cities and their residents: they cool neighborhoods, filter pollution from the air, support biodiversity, and improve human well-being. But these benefits depend in part on the tree microbiome, which influences tree health, stress tolerance, and interactions with the environment. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-qa-essential-role-urban-tree.html Ecology Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:43:51 EDT news678973424 New laboratory experiments show that a bacterium that lives on grape plants can break down guaiacol—an unpleasant-tasting substance which ruins wines made from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke. Claudia Castro of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and colleagues present these findings in PLOS One. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-bacteria-smoky-wildfire-tainted-wine.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:00:03 EDT news678468122 Bacterial speck is a common disease that affects tomatoes and can result in lower yields for growers. A new study led by researchers at Penn State gives new clues about how a plant's microbiome can be used to combat the pathogen. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-clues-microbiomes-bacterial-speck-disease.html Plants & Animals Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:40:20 EDT news678379212 In my work as a veterinary pharmacologist, I never know exactly what I'm going to get when I open my email. It could be a request from a veterinarian asking my team to determine the concentration of a drug to treat the shell of a turtle infected with fungal disease. Or it could be an inquiry from a researcher wondering whether we can help them figure out the dose of antacid they should give goats and sheep with ulcers. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-animal-drug-vets-beluga-whales.html Veterinary medicine Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:59:05 EDT news678365942 Posidonia seagrass meadows, veritable underwater forests, play a major ecological role. Under constant pressure from human activity, scientists are looking for ways to ensure their survival, in particular by carrying out restoration campaigns. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-role-microbiome-successful-transplantation-seagrass.html Ecology Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:20:02 EDT news677431056 Fearless bacteria have colonized extreme environments, adapted to vast temperatures and pH fluctuations, and acclimated to diverse hosts. Among these multitudes of species is the exclusive club of good bacteria that have enormous benefits to humans and can be exploited for therapeutic interventions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-good-bacteria-free-hydrogel-homes.html Biochemistry Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:31:03 EDT news677244661 Malnutrition is responsible for more than half of all deaths in children under the age of five worldwide. Those who survive can still experience lifelong consequences like cognitive and developmental delays, impaired academic performance, economic instability, and negative maternal health outcomes. This enormous public health issue demands solutions. The latest studies point to the gut microbiome—the diverse bacteria, viruses, and other microbes living in our intestines—as a great place to start. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-healthy-gut-microbiome-childhood-stunting.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:00:01 EDT news676610176 The microbiome comprises a multitude of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism. The interactions of body cells and the microbiome form a structural and often functional unit, the so-called metaorganism. These interactions significantly influence the biology of both the host and the associated microbes. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-theory-hostmicrobiome-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:30:02 EDT news676554782 The gut microbiome, also known as the gut flora, is essential for health. This complex and dynamic community of microorganisms is governed by numerous chemical interactions between the microorganisms themselves and with their host. The perception of nutrients and signaling molecules by gut bacteria is thus crucial for these interactions, yet the wide repertoire of signals recognized by bacterial receptors remains largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-beneficial-gut-microbes-wide-range.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:40:02 EDT news675524117 Flinders University experts are exploring evidence that microbes in the soil and the environments around us can affect human microbiota and the "gut-brain axis," potentially shaping emotional states and relationship dynamics—including aspects of romantic love. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-dirty-emotions-microbes-soil-affect.html Ecology Tue, 26 Aug 2025 09:20:01 EDT news675418231 Researchers from the McCullagh Group in Oxford University's Department of Chemistry have published an innovative method in Nature Protocols that provides comprehensive analysis of metabolites found in cells, tissues and biofluids. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-method-enables-large-scale-analysis.html Biochemistry Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:00:01 EDT news675011761 Corn is one of the most valuable cash crops globally, with annual grain production in the United States alone valued at nearly $80 billion. Fungicides are widely used to protect crops and promote yield, but research published in the Phytobiomes Journal suggests we may be overlooking a hidden cost: the loss of beneficial fungi essential to plant health. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-hidden-impacts-spraying-exploring-effects.html Ecology Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:47:03 EDT news675013621 A research team from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) has published a study in Communications Biology showing how ocean acidification and warming—two of the main consequences of global climate change—can simultaneously affect the structure, mineral composition, and microbiome of bryozoans, colonial invertebrates crucial for forming marine habitats. The findings point to potentially serious ecological consequences under a scenario of accelerated climate change. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ocean-architects-combined-impact-acidification.html Ecology Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:51:04 EDT news674221861