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. Before plants evolved, vegetative life consisted of primitive green algae living in the sea. Like plants, these algae survived by performing photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. However, little light reaches the ocean where algae live; therefore, they evolved specialized organs to grab what little is available. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-sea-soil-molecular-algae-evolved.html Evolution Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:14:25 EST news689321641 Improvements in public health have allowed humankind to survive to older ages than ever before, but, for many people, these added golden years are not spent in good health. Aging is a natural part of life, but it is associated with a greatly increased incidence of most chronic diseases, including various cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cells-aging-remodeling-endoplasmic-reticulum.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:35:30 EST news689272501 Some brands of bottled water contain significantly higher levels of microplastics than tap water, according to new research by scientists who have developed a novel method for detecting these tiny particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bottled-worse-microplastics.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:36:12 EST news689250901 Bacteria that thrive on Earth may not make it in the alien lands of Mars. A potential deterrent is perchlorate, a toxic chlorine-containing chemical discovered in Martian soil during various space missions. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-brick-bacteria-react-toxic-chemical.html Astrobiology Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:39:28 EST news688984741 Scientists at IOCB Prague are uncovering new details of gene transcription. They have identified a previously unknown molecular mechanism by which the transcription of genetic information from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into ribonucleic acid (RNA) can be initiated. The researchers focused on a specific class of molecules known as alarmones, which are found in cells across a wide range of organisms and whose levels often increase under conditions of cellular stress. The results were published in Nature Chemical Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-unusual-rna-caps-reveal-previously.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 29 Jan 2026 06:00:01 EST news688815754 Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its code and build new strands. To prevent these machines from detaching mid-copy, a clamp-like protein tethers the polymerases to DNA, while another protein, Replication Factor C (RFC), snaps that ring into place. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-protein-thought-play-role-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:08:34 EST news688835281 Roughly 5,500–6,000 years ago, the area including present-day Finland was inhabited by hunter-fisher-gatherers living in small village-like clusters. Traveling via waterways, these people established permanent fishing systems, and at times, even cleared forests for small-scale farming. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ochre-ancient-graves-finland-identity.html Archaeology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:34:19 EST news688754042 Seeing chemistry unfold inside living cells is one of the biggest challenges of modern bioimaging. Raman microscopy offers a powerful way to meet this challenge by reading the unique vibrational signatures of molecules. However, cells are extraordinarily complex environments filled with thousands of biomolecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-raman-sensors-alkyne-tags-amplify.html Biochemistry Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:15:40 EST news688752901 Unraveling the mysteries of how biological organisms function begins with understanding the molecular interactions within and across large cell populations. A revolutionary new tool, developed at the University of Michigan, acts as a sort of tape recorder produced and maintained by the cell itself, enabling scientists to rewind back in time and view interactions on a large scale and over long periods of time. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-protein-tape-enables-scientists-decode.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:27:22 EST news688667221 Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Cancer Research Institute at Kanazawa University have uncovered how targeted lung cancer drugs alter the shape and behavior of a key cancer-driving protein—revealing a hidden mechanism that helps explain why some treatments stop working over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-visualizing-cancer-drugs-reshape-proteins.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:34:38 EST news688664042 Adaptor protein (AP) complexes play central roles in intracellular vesicular trafficking by coupling cargo selection to vesicle formation. AP-4, an important member of the AP family, plays a key role in this process. AP-4 dysfunction disrupts the transport of essential cargo proteins, such as ATG9A, leading to their abnormal retention within cells. However, the mechanistic details of how AP-4 is recruited to membranes and how its structural features support this process have remained unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cryo-em-reveal-conformational-dynamics.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:20:30 EST news688663202 New fossil evidence from China suggests that some of our vertebrate ancestors had four eyes. The study, published in Nature, takes a closer look at a structure found in multiple 518 million-year-old fossils, which appears to have the same features of other fossilized eyes, and may be linked to the pineal complex in modern vertebrates. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-eyed-cambrian-fish-fossils-hint.html Evolution Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:30:01 EST news688303592 Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new technique to identify the initiation sites of a destructive process called pitting corrosion, which occurs when aluminum (Al) alloys are exposed to sodium chloride solutions. This advancement is expected to accelerate the development of Al alloys with improved corrosion resistance. Since Al alloys are widely used in transportation equipment, improving corrosion resistance means we can develop more durable automotive engines, suspensions, and transmissions. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-corrosion-sites-aluminum-alloys.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:36:21 EST news688235762 Organoids are three-dimensional miniature models of organs, grown in a dish. They have become a valuable tool for studying human development, organ regeneration, function, and disease progression. Organoids derived from patient tissues or created through cell and genetic engineering allow researchers to investigate how specific proteins or their variants affect these processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-method-acinar-cells-involved-formation.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:09:40 EST news688226941 Researchers from the University of Konstanz have studied how insect brains take in complex light stimuli and process them in parallel. They are the first to have found evidence that information is processed in different layers of the lamina. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-deep-eyes-insects.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:58:27 EST news688208282 Nanomechanical systems developed at TU Wien have now reached a level of precision and miniaturization that will allow them to be used in ultra-high-resolution atomic force microscopes in the future. Their new findings are published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-world-smallest-capacitor-paves-generation.html Nanophysics Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:42:44 EST news688063321 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 In a study appearing in Nature Catalysis, researchers from the Inorganic Chemistry Department of the Fritz Haber Institute reveal how structural changes on the surface and in the bulk region of the cobalt oxide catalyst Co3O4 influence its selectivity in the production of industrially relevant chemicals like acetone. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-catalyst-coo-transition-peak.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:10:01 EST news688060948 A new study shows how one of the cell's most important energy-producing machines is built. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped late steps in the formation of the human respirasome, a large protein assembly that drives mitochondrial respiration. Their research is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-insights-reveal-human-respiratory-chain.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:30:04 EST news688058547 Thanks to a recent study by researchers at IOCB Prague, it is now possible to monitor processes in living cells more effectively than before, including responses to drugs and changes in cellular structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-fluorescent-clearer-high-contrast-imaging.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 18 Jan 2026 11:20:01 EST news687715916 Taking images of tiny structures within cells is tricky business. One technique, cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), shoots electrons through a frozen sample. The images formed by the electrons that emerge allow researchers to reconstruct the internal architecture of a cell in 3D with near-atomic resolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-tightening-focus-subcellular-snapshots-combined.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 17 Jan 2026 15:20:01 EST news687712695 Researchers from the Institute of Physics in Zagreb have shown that depositing a thin layer of organic molecules on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors can improve their optical properties and even repair defects. Their work, published in Surfaces and Interfaces, could help improve the performance of 2D materials in (opto)electronics and photonics. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-molecule-deposition-2d-materials-defect.html Nanomaterials Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:20:01 EST news687715883 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are pioneering the design and synthesis of quantum materials, which are central to discovery science involving synergies with quantum computation. These innovative materials, including magnetic compounds with honeycomb-patterned lattices, have the potential to host states of matter with exotic behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-honeycomb-lattice-sweetens-quantum-materials.html Condensed Matter Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:50:52 EST news687783017 Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) have developed an innovative microscopy technique capable of improving the observation of living cells. The study, published in Optics Letters, paves the way for a more in-depth analysis of numerous biological processes without the need for contrast agents. The next step will be to enhance this technique using artificial intelligence, opening the door to a new generation of optical microscopy methods capable of combining direct imaging with innovative molecular information. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microscopy-technique-cell-natural-conditions.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:26:38 EST news687716761 Cholera remains a major global public health challenge, with an estimated 1.3 to 4 million cases and tens of thousands of deaths reported worldwide each year. Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, the disease spreads primarily through contaminated water and food and continues to disproportionately affect regions with limited access to safe sanitation. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cholera-virulence-sought-explanation.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:25:25 EST news687702301 Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Osaka University and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism behind the activation of the Met receptor—a key player in tissue regeneration and cancer progression. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-uncovering-hidden-mechanism-met-receptor.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:10:01 EST news687540120 Graphene could transform everything from electric cars to smartphones, but only if we can guarantee its quality. The University of Manchester has led the world's largest study to set a new global benchmark for testing graphene's single-atom thickness. Working with the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and 15 leading research institutes worldwide, the team has developed a reliable method using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that will underpin future industrial standards. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-global-standard-graphene-atom-thickness.html Nanomaterials Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:51:17 EST news687538261 In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Dr. Ellery Frahm and his colleagues analyzed two unusual blue-green glazed ceramic sherds discovered in the Gobi Desert in 2016. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-glazed-sherds-remote-gobi-reveal.html Archaeology Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:30:03 EST news687437862 Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-high-afm-imaging-reveals-brain.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:06:50 EST news687449190 Enzymes are the molecular machines that power life; they build and break down molecules, copy DNA, digest food, and drive virtually every chemical reaction in our cells. For decades, scientists have designed drugs to slow down or block enzymes, stopping infections or the growth of cancer by jamming these tiny machines. But what if tackling some diseases requires the opposite approach? https://phys.org/news/2026-01-qa-scientists-blocking-enzymes-disease.html Biotechnology Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:20:01 EST news687165330