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. Whatever challenges life throws, mothers often know best as they guide offspring through the risky stages of early development. This scenario, familiar when applied to humans, turns out to be true for plants too, according to intriguing research from the John Innes Center and Earlham Institute. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-seeds-mom-mother-aba-hormone.html Plants & Animals Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:50:01 EST news689519389 More than 50 skuas in Antarctica died from the high pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 in the summers of 2023 and 2024, marking the first documented die-off of wildlife from the virus on the continent. That is confirmed for the first time in a study led by Erasmus MC in The Netherlands and the University of California, Davis. It was published this week in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-skua-deaths-wildlife-die-due.html Ecology Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:50:41 EST news689514601 Australian researchers have developed a high‑performance coating made from peppermint essential oil that can be applied to the surfaces of many commonly used medical devices, offering a safer way to protect patients from infection and inflammation. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-peppermint-oil-plasma-coating-catheter.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:33:37 EST news689488395 Flying is really hard work. Compared to walking, swimming, or running, flying is the form of movement that takes the most energy and requires the most calories. That means that birds have had to evolve specialized ways to be really efficient at finding and digesting their food. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-complex-tongue-bones-fleshy-teeth.html Evolution Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:11:34 EST news689267461 Prior to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, Americans lived in communities awash with lead from industrial sources, paint, water supply pipes and, most significantly, tailpipe emissions. A dangerous neurotoxin that accumulates in human tissues and is linked to developmental deficits in children, environmental lead levels have come way down in the years since, and so have human exposures. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-gas-proof-hair.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:15 EST news689244481 A debilitating hoof disease affecting elk herds across the Pacific Northwest appears to be driven not by a single pathogen but by multiple bacterial species working together, according to a study led by researchers in Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-multiple-bacteria-elk-hoof-disease.html Plants & Animals Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:25:31 EST news689246702 The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can't just neatly glide past each other. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-negative-viscosity-propel-groups-migrating.html Molecular & Computational biology Sat, 31 Jan 2026 04:50:53 EST news689057418 Small RNAs are short RNA molecules that help determine which genes in a cell are switched on or off. Until now, it was assumed that the small RNAs necessary for pollen development originate in the pollen itself and in the directly surrounding maternal tissue. However, a new study conducted by the MPI-MP reveals a surprisingly different picture: The crucial signals do not originate in the pollen, but in maternal tissue and can be transported over long distances, for example from the roots. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mothers-molecular-text-messages-pollen.html Plants & Animals Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:00:06 EST news688838180 The architecture of the body is not encoded as a formal blueprint; rather, it's the tightly orchestrated activation and deactivation of genes that coordinate body development. Many of these processes are not fully understood, but RIKEN researchers have made important headway toward reconstructing how critical building blocks within a vertebrate embryo take shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-peek-clockwork-embryonic-body-patterning.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:00:01 EST news688726707 How many tiny pieces of plastic are currently inside your body? A series of headline-grabbing studies in the last few years have claimed to have found microplastics throughout human bodies—inside blood, organs and even brains. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microplastics-bodies-scientists.html Environment Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:50:03 EST news688751226 Over the past few years, studies have suggested that plastic particles from bottles, food packaging and waste have been detected in human blood, lungs, placentas, arteries and even the brain. But a recent investigation by The Guardian suggests that some of these claims may be less robust than they first appeared. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microplastics-solid-science-isnt.html Education Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:16:31 EST news688385761 Neural tissue normally dies quickly without oxygen. Yet bird retinas—among the most energy-demanding tissues in the animal kingdom—function permanently without it. This may be relevant in future treatment of stroke patients. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-bird-retinas-function-oxygen-centuries.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:00:12 EST news688056181 Dog attacks are on the rise in Australia. The most recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show dog-related hospital admissions more than doubled in the eight years to 2021. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-australia-canine-brain-bank-dog.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:37:22 EST news687782221 Researchers from the Center for Paleogenetics have managed to analyze the genome from a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros, recovered from a tissue sample found preserved inside the stomach of an ancient wolf. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-woolly-rhino-genome-recovered-ice.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:10:01 EST news687516901 Researchers examined the diet and plastic ingestion of green sea turtles inhabiting waters around the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, and detected plastics in 7 of the 10 individuals studied. By integrating genetic, isotopic, and plastic analyses, they estimated that the ingested plastics originated from areas beyond the turtles' migratory range, indicating the influence of transboundary marine pollution. The paper is published in the journal PeerJ. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-evidence-regional-marine-plastic-pollution.html Plants & Animals Sun, 11 Jan 2026 09:20:01 EST news687111266 Organs often have fluid-filled spaces called lumens, which are crucial for organ function and serve as transport and delivery networks. Lumens in the pancreas form a complex ductal system, and its channels transport digestive enzymes to the small intestine. Understanding how this system forms in embryonic development is essential, both for normal organ formation and for diagnosing and treating pancreatic disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scientists-pancreas-channels-digestive-enzymes.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 09 Jan 2026 13:08:26 EST news687186481 To ensure that the tissue structures of biological samples are easily recognizable under the electron microscope, they are treated with a staining agent. The standard staining agent for this is uranyl acetate. However, some laboratories are not allowed to use this highly toxic and radioactive substance for safety reasons. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-coffee-agent-substitute-electron-microscopy.html Biotechnology Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:00:03 EST news687085062 Plants have an extraordinary ability to sense tissue damage and quickly rebuild their protective outer layers, a process vital for survival amid environmental stresses. The periderm—a specialized protective tissue found in many woody plants—serves as a crucial barrier against water loss, pathogens, and mechanical injury. However, understanding how gaseous molecules enable plants to rapidly detect surface disruptions has long remained elusive. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ethylene-oxygen-periderm-regeneration-injury.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:30:01 EST news686305422 Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, our skin tissue—and in fact many types of epithelial tissue that lines and covers the body's organs—can respond to death and destruction with a burst of regeneration. This phenomenon, known as compensatory proliferation, was first described in the 1970s in fly larvae, which regrew fully functional wings after their epithelial tissue had been severely damaged by high-dose radiation. Since then, this surprising ability has been documented in many species, including humans, yet its molecular basis has remained unclear. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-resurrected-tissue-mechanism-enables-regeneration.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:30:02 EST news685804829 Studying one of the simplest animals, Stanford's Prakash Lab uncovered how it folds itself into complex shapes—revealing new insights into a fundamental cellular feature and the origins of tissue folding. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-simple-animal-origami-precision.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:03 EST news685363506 Researchers have unveiled a breakthrough technology that could transform the way scientists build and study lab-grown brain tissue models. The innovation, called Cellular RedOx Spreading Shield (CROSS), delivers long-lasting antioxidant protection to stem cells, enabling the reliable production of high-quality extracellular vesicles (EVs) that strengthen neuron-glia networks. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microgel-based-antioxidant-advances-biohybrid.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:50:01 EST news685192960 The mystery surrounding dozens of small dinosaur fossils has finally been solved. Remains previously thought to belong to miniature armored dinosaurs are actually baby ankylosaurs, offering scientists new insight into how these remarkable dinosaurs developed. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-armored-dinosaur-hatchling-china.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:22:13 EST news685023721 During early development, tissues and organs begin to bloom through the shifting, splitting, and growing of many thousands of cells. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-deep-fruit-flies-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 15 Dec 2025 05:00:08 EST news684767822 A collaborative team of researchers has identified two previously unknown circoviruses in short-finned pilot whales and orcas from the Caribbean region of the North Atlantic Ocean. The findings represent the first detection of cetacean circoviruses in this region and expand the known diversity of circoviruses in marine vertebrates. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-circoviruses-whales-orcas-north-atlantic.html Ecology Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:30:01 EST news684602526 Researchers have developed a new class of ultra-thin, flexible bioelectronic material that can seamlessly interface with living tissues. They introduced a novel device called THIN (transformable and imperceptible hydrogel-elastomer ionic-electronic nanomembrane). THIN is a membrane just 350 nanometers thick that transforms from a dry, rigid film into an ultra-soft, tissue-like interface upon hydration. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ultra-thin-nanomembrane-device-soft.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 10 Dec 2025 05:00:03 EST news684522781 Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed dissolving microneedle patches that deliver living "biofertilizer" straight into plant tissue. In greenhouse tests, Choy Sum and Kale grew faster—by shoot biomass, leaf area and height—while using more than 15% less biofertilizer than standard soil inoculation. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microneedle-biofertilizer-boosting-growth.html Biotechnology Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:00:01 EST news684492812 A collaborative effort by the Formosa-Jordan lab from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, the Fox lab from Duke University, U.S., and the Roeder lab from Cornell University, U.S., developed a new computational pipeline that enables the high-throughput quantification of ploidy, i.e., the copy number of chromosomes, across tissues from microscopy images. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-spotlight-polyploid-cells-tool-uncovers.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:28:16 EST news684415681 A new tool developed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Bonn makes spatial proteomics and lipidomics easier to use—no coding required. C-COMPASS allows scientists to profile where proteins and lipids are located within cells and to track how these patterns change in response to disease or other factors. By removing the need for programming skills, the software makes spatial omics accessible to a wider group of researchers. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-compass-ai-based-software-proteins.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:12:30 EST news684058321 Pets just don't live long enough. We spend time, emotion, energy and lots of money caring for them, all while knowing we'll invariably outlive them. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-celebrities-cloning-pets-procedure-animals.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:30:04 EST news683900942 Purdue University researchers found that a subset of epidermal cells in plant leaves serves as early responders to chemical cues from bacterial pathogens and communicate this information to neighbors through a local traveling wave of calcium ions. The properties of this local wave differ from those generated when epidermal cells are wounded, suggesting that distinct mechanisms are used by plants to communicate specific types of pathogen attack, the team reported Dec. 2 in Science Signaling. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-cells-neighbors-bacterial-pathogens.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:17:28 EST news683918222