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 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 Stem cells play a vital role in repairing damaged tissue, whether it's a scraped knee or a scarred uterus following pregnancy. New stem cell research has identified the molecules that the cells produce to promote the healing process. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-stem-cell-reveals-clues-tissue.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 May 2024 10:09:45 EDT news636282582 A pair of biologists from Mount Holyoke College, working with a colleague from North American Camelid Studies Program, the Nunoa Project, has found that the male alpaca thrusts his penis all the way into the uterus of the female during mating, making the camelid the only mammal known to do so. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-alpacas-mammal-inseminate-uterus.html Plants & Animals Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:08:01 EDT news633690465 Lysine is an essential amino acid for dairy cows, helping boost milk production when added to the diet at adequate levels. But could lysine benefit cows in other ways? A new University of Illinois study shows rumen-protected lysine can improve uterine health if fed during the transition period. The study, "Effect of feeding rumen-protected lysine through the transition period on postpartum uterine health of dairy cows," is published in the Journal of Dairy Science. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-amino-acid-supplement-key-reproductive.html Plants & Animals Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:12:03 EDT news582822721 One often thinks that the early embryo is fragile and needs support. However, at the earliest stages of development, it has the power to feed the future placenta and instructs the uterus so that it can nest. Using blastoids, in vitro embryo models formed with stem cells, the lab of Nicolas Rivron at IMBA showed that the earliest molecular signals that induce placental development and prepare the uterus come from the embryo itself. The findings, now published in Cell Stem Cell, could contribute to a better understanding of human fertility. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-life-early-embryo-driver-seat.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 07 Jul 2022 11:00:03 EDT news576410401 Scientists at the University of Cambridge have succeeded in growing miniature functional models of the lining of the womb (uterus) in culture. These organoids, as they are known, could provide new insights into the early stages of pregnancy and conditions such as endometriosis, a painful condition that affects as many as two million women in the UK. https://phys.org/news/2017-04-womb-lining-grown-lab-reveal.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:00:05 EDT news411027955 In the female dog, cells of the uterus can accumulate lipid droplets to form so-called foamy epithelial cells during late metoestrus. These cells produce a hormone that is involved in the implantation of the embryo in the uterus. A team of researchers from the Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology at Vetmeduni Vienna has now shown for the first time that the factor assisting the cells in lipid accumulation also facilitates the binding of bacteria to the epithelial cells, resulting in serious infections of the uterus in female dogs. Two studies on this subject were published in the journals Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia and Theriogenology. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-lipid-receptor-fosters-infection-uterus.html Plants & Animals Fri, 23 Sep 2016 08:30:01 EDT news393836294 Sperm that don't swim well rank high among the main causes of infertility. To give these cells a boost, women trying to conceive can turn to artificial insemination or other assisted reproduction techniques, but success can be elusive. In an attempt to improve these odds, scientists have developed motorized "spermbots" that can deliver poor swimmers—that are otherwise healthy—to an egg. Their report appears in ACS' journal Nano Letters. https://phys.org/news/2016-01-spermbots-women-video.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 13 Jan 2016 11:37:12 EST news371907419 An international team of scientists has identified large-scale genetic changes that marked the evolution of pregnancy in mammals. https://phys.org/news/2015-01-ancient-genomic-parasites-spurred-evolution.html Biotechnology Thu, 29 Jan 2015 12:28:31 EST news341756902 Ten percent of mares have difficulties conceiving. But now two researchers from University of Copenhagen have discovered what the trouble is and have developed a product to help such horses become pregnant. Veterinarians from the world's largest horse hospital in the US state of Kentucky have successfully tested the discovery on 64 breeding mares. https://phys.org/news/2013-02-racehorses-fertile.html Plants & Animals Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:47:57 EST news280057635 Sperm swim, lung cells sweep mucus away, and the cells in the female Fallopian tube move eggs from the ovary to the uterus. Underlying these phenomena are flagella – slender, hair-like structures extending from the surface of the cells, that bend, beat or wave rhythmically. In the latest issue of the journal Developmental Cell, scientists from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), in Portugal, have dissected how sperm cells of the fruit fly build their flagella. These findings pave the way to further understand the molecules and processes that may trigger a variety of human diseases and disorders, including infertility, respiratory problems and hydrocephaly, known to be associated with defects in flagellar movements. https://phys.org/news/2012-08-ins-outs-sperm-tail.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:55:11 EDT news264081273 Shortly after a mouse embryo starts to form, some of its stem cells undergo a dramatic metabolic shift to enter the next stage of development, Seattle researchers report today. These stem cells start using and producing energy like cancer cells. https://phys.org/news/2012-03-embryonic-stem-cells-shift-metabolism.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:02:43 EDT news251737352 Fish with a placenta struggle to adapt to rapid changes in the food supply. They probably evolved in a stable, food-rich environment. As ecosystems change under the influence of humans, they are experiencing greater difficulty in surviving than fish which lay eggs. Dutch researcher Bart Pollux has published his findings about this in the journal Functional Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2011-07-fish-placenta-unfavourable-survival-strategy.html Ecology Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:45:20 EDT news229610700 Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that a protein, zyxin, is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the cell's cytoskeleton, or internal framework, which serves as the muscle and bone of the cell. The research has implications for cancer, as well as other diseases, since alterations in the cytoskeleton are often associated with disease. The research was published in the Sep. 14, 2010, issue of the journal Developmental Cell. https://phys.org/news/2010-09-explanation-cells-rapidly.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:43:35 EDT news204309794 Indonesian conservationists Thursday hailed a breakthrough in efforts to save the critically endangered Sumatran rhino after a female called Ratu became pregnant in captivity. https://phys.org/news/2010-02-pregnant-rhino-indonesian-species.html Plants & Animals Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:30:01 EST news185691141 A team of researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) have developed a mathematical classification which makes it possible to select human embryos for use in assisted reproduction treatments. Scientists have used the morphology of embryos to select the best candidates for implantation in the woman's uterus. https://phys.org/news/2009-02-mathematical-method-human-embryos.html Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:58:16 EST news154706235