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. When humans need more Vitamin B12—a nutrient that makes healthy red blood cells and turns food into energy—we can get it by taking a supplement or eating fish. But what about ocean life, including the seafood we eat? Are they getting their vitamins and how do they access essential nutrients? https://phys.org/news/2025-12-vitamin-sea-tiny-ocean-lifeforms.html Ecology Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:11:23 EST news685289461 A new international study led by McGill University in collaboration with Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality. The use of the feed additive cut global warming potential, an internationally standardized measure of climate impact, by up to 18% across seven countries. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-microencapsulated-vitamins-dairy-cows-emissions.html Ecology Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:30:11 EST news684678601 Throughout evolution, pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, have developed sophisticated defense strategies to survive and multiply in the hostile environment of their hosts. These mechanisms increase their virulence and make infections more difficult to fight. One of the most effective strategies is the neutralization of oxidants released by defense cells to eliminate invaders. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-bacterial-enzyme-vitamin-neutralize-immune.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:46:04 EST news682350361 Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) acts as an important coenzyme that helps convert food into energy within the body. Korean researchers have successfully created a new artificial enzyme for the first time in the world by combining this riboflavin (flavin) with metal, adding the metal's reaction-controlling ability to riboflavin's electron-transfer function. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-artificial-enzyme-combines-vitamin-b2.html Biochemistry Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:22:03 EST news682082522 Consumers could soon be using their phones to scan fruit and vegetables for freshness and nutrition with the aid of nanotechnology that measures vitamin C concentration. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-nanotech-fruit-veg-scanned-vitamin.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Oct 2025 06:04:04 EDT news679035842 There's a molecule that our body makes from vitamin B5 that is critical for all of the metabolic processes essential for human life. And when something goes wrong in that molecule's production, it affects nearly every organ system in our body and causes a number of diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-essential-vitamin-derived-nutrient-mitochondria.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:40:05 EDT news677331201 A team of food scientists from Australia and Pakistan has discovered a natural way to significantly extend the shelf life of sugarcane juice, one of the world's most popular, but highly perishable, beverages. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-herbs-sweet-shelf-life-popular.html Agriculture Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:00:04 EDT news677145601 Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease are characterized by the progressive loss of neurons. The resulting debilitating symptoms, such as loss of memory and cognition, and motor impairment, can significantly degrade patients' quality of life, confining them to round-the-clock care. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-vitamin-analogs-treatment-neurodegenerative-diseases.html Biochemistry Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:10:01 EDT news676897234 New research from Michigan State University reveals that photorespiration—long considered a wasteful process—is essential for producing a crucial nutrient for preventing birth defects. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-key-prenatal-vitamin-climate.html Plants & Animals Wed, 03 Sep 2025 05:00:01 EDT news675954541 Microgreens, which are young, edible plants that only take one to three weeks to harvest, are more than garnish at trendy restaurants—they could be the answer to global hunger, according to plant scientists at Penn State. Already densely packed with nutrients, microgreens can be made even more nutritious with a couple of minor growing adjustments. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-fine-tuning-zinc-supplementation-exposure.html Plants & Animals Tue, 26 Aug 2025 14:29:04 EDT news675437342 Sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus) have been slowly disappearing from ocean floors over the last few decades, mostly due to overfishing for food and medicinal purposes. Despite their name, sea cucumbers are aquatic animals that have been shown to have a positive impact on coral in the ocean, as they reduce detrimental sediment while feeding on nearby bacteria and microalgae. To combat their decreasing natural populations, sea cucumbers are now often cultivated and farmed in a controlled commercial setting. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-vitamin-significantly-immune-function-sea.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:20:01 EDT news674133295 A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis), a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support their growth while preventing toxic buildup. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-common-food-bacteria-vitamins-cheaper.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:52:04 EDT news674135521 A pair of Idaho State University researchers are part of a group of more than 30 scientists who've found the culprit responsible for the death of newly hatched fish in an endangered salmon run. The perp: anchovy. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-anchovy-rich-diet-linked-fatal.html Plants & Animals Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:30:03 EDT news673611844 Camels have long been the backbone of Somalia 's pastoralist culture, feeding families, transporting goods and standing tall in local folklore. But on the dusty outskirts of the capital, the camel now finds itself at the center of an agricultural revolution that could redefine Somali farming. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-somalia-camel-revolution-nutrition-jobs.html Agriculture Mon, 04 Aug 2025 04:25:32 EDT news673500323 A breakthrough in our understanding of mRNA delivery systems in the body may allow for more direct treatments for pancreas-related diseases, including cancer and diabetes. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-nanoparticles-mrna-pancreas.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:30:02 EDT news673161932 A low-cost material made from clay—common in British soil—and vitamin B2 could one day help clean up pollution using only sunlight. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-clay-based-material-tackle-pollution.html Materials Science Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:45:36 EDT news672925531 Scientists from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered a promising new use for a key intermediate in vitamin C production, demonstrating its potential to enhance plant growth and increase the accumulation of valuable bioactive compounds. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-reveal-role-vitamin-precursor-growth.html Biochemistry Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:35:04 EDT news669638101 Blood clotting is a complex, tightly regulated process involving numerous molecular steps and myriad biomolecules to carry them out, including vitamin K. While the medical field has capitalized on this knowledge to produce medications that toggle up or down vitamin K—to boost or reduce clotting, respectively—scientists had not understood how the integral membrane enzyme utilizing vitamin K, vitamin K-dependent gamma carboxylase (VKGC), manages these activities. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-molecular-blood-clotting-revealed.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:11:02 EDT news668873461 Washington State University scientists are using microwave technology to extend the shelf life of hummus while eliminating the need for chemical preservatives, as demonstrated in a Journal of Food Process Engineering paper. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-microwave-technologies-hummus-longer-shelf.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 May 2025 12:04:03 EDT news667134241 An electrochemical sensor designed to address a global health issue that particularly impacts people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been created by a multidisciplinary team at KAUST. The sensor detects low vitamin D levels in blood samples, providing early warning of an essential vitamin deficiency that can have severe health consequences if left untreated. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-mxene-antibody-sensor-enables-accurate.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 14 May 2025 14:25:04 EDT news666451501 Western diets make up most of South Africa's food systems. This displaces indigenous crops and edible forest plants. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-south-africans-indigenous-crops-farmers.html Agriculture Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:31:04 EDT news665148661 Chemists have confirmed a 67-year-old theory about vitamin B1 by stabilizing a reactive molecule in water—a feat long thought impossible. The discovery not only solves a biochemical mystery, but also opens the door to greener, more efficient ways of making pharmaceuticals. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-scientists-vitamin-b1-hypothesis.html Biochemistry Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:04:04 EDT news664470242 People living in Scotland 400 hundred years apart have been shown to suffer similar seasonal declines over winter in their vitamin D levels despite the enormous changes in lifestyle and diet over the intervening period. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-centuries-vitamin-d-decline-scotland.html Archaeology Wed, 05 Feb 2025 11:33:07 EST news657977581 The future of medicine may very well lie in the personalization of health care—knowing exactly what an individual needs and then delivering just the right mix of nutrients, metabolites, and medications, if necessary, to stabilize and improve their condition. To make this possible, physicians first need a way to continuously measure and monitor certain biomarkers of health. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-printable-molecule-nanoparticles-enable-mass.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:02:06 EST news657799322 The world is searching for sustainable solutions for future food production, and microalgae appear to have the potential to play a crucial role. The microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica is particularly interesting because it can produce large amounts of protein, the essential omega-3 fatty acid EPA, and vitamin K2. But which conditions are needed to ensure efficient production? https://phys.org/news/2025-01-temperature-key-cultivation-special-microalga.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:27:03 EST news657473221 Pollination by animals contributes to a third of global food production, but little research has been done into the extent to which the identity of pollinators, pollen and crop varieties influence fruit quality when it comes to the nutritional, sensory and commercial value of crops. Pollinators influence the quality of crops through their movement patterns on the plantations and through the plant variety they visit. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-peculiarities-crop-pollinator-interactions-boost.html Ecology Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:15:03 EST news655121701 Researchers at the University of Kentucky are exploring new ways to use nanoparticles in combination with other materials as an innovative approach to cancer therapy. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-magnetic-nanoparticles-enzymatic-cancer-therapy.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:38:59 EST news652966736 Research conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo state, Brazil, shows that heat treatment of pea protein and addition of guarana extract result in a compound with significant potential to be used as an ingredient of plant-based beverages, offering a healthy and nutritious option for the food industry. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-method-solubility-pea-protein-food.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 05 Dec 2024 16:32:58 EST news652638772 Though there are no firm plans for a crewed mission to Mars, we all know one's coming. Astronauts routinely spend months at a time on the ISS, and we've learned a lot about the hazards astronauts face on long missions. However, Mars missions can take years, which presents a whole host of problems, including astronaut nutrition. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-astronaut-nutrition-barriers-duration-spaceflight.html Space Exploration Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:56:04 EDT news649418161 Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is essential for the survival of our cells. The human body can't produce it, but we can maintain healthy levels of this vitamin by eating foods like salmon, legumes, and brown rice. Doing this is crucial, because B1 deficiency can cause serious dysfunctions of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, disability, and even death. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-vitamin-journey-body.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:25:26 EDT news648210321