/ en-us Â鶹ŇůÔş internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ŇůÔşics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Imagine tugging on a Chinese finger trap. The harder you pull, the tighter it grips. This counterintuitive behavior also exists in biology. Certain protein complexes can form catch-bonds, tightening their grip when force is applied. These interactions are essential in processes ranging from how bacteria attach to our cells to how tissues in our body hold together under stress. /news/2025-09-ai-uncovers-hidden-nature-toughest.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:48:04 EDT news676828081 Taking medications on time, in the right dose and for the prescribed duration can be challenging for patients, and failure to do so comes with steep costs, causing 10% of hospitalizations and billions in avoidable spending in the United States alone, according to some estimates. A team of Rice University scientists has developed a new drug delivery platform that could make it easier to complete a therapeutic regimen and even boost drug efficacy. /news/2025-09-scientists-hydrogel-platform-precision-drug.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:04:05 EDT news676735441 If you pull an ice core from the outer edges of the Arctic polar cap, you might spot what looks like a faint line of dirt. Those are diatoms—single-celled algae with outer walls made of glass. Their presence in ice isn't new, but because they seemed trapped and dormant, few bothered to study them. /news/2025-09-scientists-uncover-extreme-life-arctic.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:20:05 EDT news676716325 A project led by University of Queensland Ph.D. student Javeria Bashir has produced specially crafted gold nanoparticles that can highlight cancer markers in samples like urine, saliva, or blood. Bashir said she hoped to use her gold nanoparticles to help improve survival rates for a cancer that is considered particularly deadly. /news/2025-09-sponge-gold-nanoparticles-ovarian-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:30:12 EDT news676635607 The textile and meat-processing industries produce billions of tons of waste annually in the form of feathers, wool and hair, all of which are rich in keratin—the strong, fibrous protein found in hair, skin and nails. /news/2025-09-sustainable-keratin-leftover-wool-feathers.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:44:21 EDT news676219451 The PET (polyethylene terephthalate)-alternative PDCA (pyridinedicarboxylic acid) is biodegradable and has superior physical properties, according to a recent study. A Kobe University team of bioengineers engineered E. coli bacteria to produce the compound from glucose at unprecedented levels and without byproducts—and opened up a realm of possibilities for the future of bioengineering. The findings are published in the journal Metabolic Engineering. /news/2025-09-coli-biodegradable-plastic-outperforms-widely.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:41:03 EDT news676215661 If biomolecules were people, heparin would be a celebrity. Best known as a powerful blood thinner with a global market of more than $7 billion, heparin is used during and after surgery and is essential to kidney dialysis. Most of today's heparin comes from pigs, but the Food and Drug Administration is encouraging the use of alternative sources, including cows and synthetic forms of heparin, to diversify the supply chain. /news/2025-09-insight-blood-thinners-bone-builders.html Biochemistry Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:28:57 EDT news676214932 LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, has been called the most precise ruler in the world for its ability to measure motions more than 10,000 times smaller than the width of a proton. By making these extremely precise measurements, LIGO, which consists of two facilities—one in Washington and one in Louisiana—can detect undulations in space-time called gravitational waves that roll outward from colliding cosmic bodies such as black holes. /news/2025-09-algorithm-hushes-unwanted-noise-ligo.html Astronomy Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:00:23 EDT news676195681 Neural networks are computing systems designed to mimic both the structure and function of the human brain. Caltech researchers have been developing a neural network made out of strands of DNA instead of electronic parts that carries out computation through chemical reactions rather than digital signals. /news/2025-09-dna-based-neural-network-examples.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:58:04 EDT news676137481 Artificial intelligence relies on machine learning algorithms trained on massive datasets to make predictions—think of how ChatGPT learned language by gorging on the internet. In biology, however, scientists face a frustrating challenge—the high-quality datasets needed to train powerful artificial intelligence models are rare. Without these datasets, we can't harness machine learning to tackle our most pressing health challenges. /news/2025-09-scale-biology-massive-datasets-aiding.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:00:04 EDT news676133411 Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a novel framework for understanding and controlling the flow behavior of granular hydrogels—a class of material made up of densely packed, microscopic gel particles with promising applications in medicine, 3D bioprinting, and tissue repair. /news/2025-09-advanced-granular-hydrogel-mechanics-biomedical.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:18:04 EDT news676052281 What if generative AI could design life-saving antibiotics, not just art and text? In a new Cell Biomaterials paper, Penn researchers introduce AMP-Diffusion, a generative AI tool used to create tens of thousands of new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)—short strings of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins—with bacteria-killing potential. In animal models, the most potent AMPs performed as well as FDA-approved drugs, without detectable adverse effects. /news/2025-09-antibiotics-images-generative-ai-molecules.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:00:03 EDT news675941461 A Cornell-led collaboration has devised a potentially low-cost method for producing antibodies for therapeutic treatments. They've bioengineered bacteria with an overlooked enzyme that can attach complex sugars, known as glycans, to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to boost their immune defenses. /news/2025-08-bioengineered-bacteria-therapeutic-antibody-drugs.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:27:17 EDT news675430032 One of the most fundamental processes in all of biology is the spontaneous organization of cells into clusters that divide and eventually turn into shapes—be they organs, wings or limbs. /news/2025-08-optimizing-cells-framework-genetic.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:36:23 EDT news674991377 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. /news/2025-08-human-embryo-implantation-real.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:00:06 EDT news674380725 Collecting and analyzing the amount of toxic micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in water is comparatively easy: Fill a bucket from your source, evaporate the water, and count and characterize the plastics that are left behind. But what if you want to know how many MNPs are in that apple you're about to eat, the tree in your backyard, or even in your brain? /news/2025-08-bad-micro-nanoplastics-health.html Environment Tue, 12 Aug 2025 14:49:00 EDT news674228928 They've survived for billions of years in boiling acid, deep-sea vents and salt flats. Now, some of Earth's oldest life forms—microbes called Archaea—are offering a new weapon in the fight against one of today's most urgent health threats: antibiotic resistance. /news/2025-08-ai-uncovers-archaeasins-unique-antibiotics.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:47:05 EDT news674207221 A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis), a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin Kâ‚‚ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support their growth while preventing toxic buildup. /news/2025-08-common-food-bacteria-vitamins-cheaper.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:52:04 EDT news674135521 Researchers at UBC Okanagan have made two major discoveries that are set to revolutionize how scientists observe and measure molecular forces within living cells. /news/2025-08-molecular-imaging-tech-cells-nanometer.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:46:04 EDT news673785961 Newly developed DNA nanostructures can form flexible, fluid, and stimuli-responsive condensates without relying on chemical cross-linking, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and Chuo University, in the journal JACS Au. /news/2025-08-dna-nanostructures-mimic-molecular-chemical.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:10:06 EDT news673690201 Half a billion years ago, nature evolved a remarkable trick: generating vibrant, shimmering colors via intricate, microscopic structures in feathers, wings and shells that reflect light in precise ways. Now, researchers from Trinity have taken a major step forward in harnessing it for advanced materials science. /news/2025-07-programmable-nanospheres-nature-million-year.html Nanomaterials Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:00:03 EDT news673095601 Researchers at Rice University have engineered E. coli to act as living multiplexed sensors, allowing these genetically modified cells to detect and respond to multiple environmental toxins simultaneously by converting their biological responses into readable electrical signals. This innovation opens the door to real-time, remote monitoring of water systems, pipelines and industrial sites with potential future applications in biocomputing. /news/2025-07-bacteria-based-sensors-real-arsenite.html Biotechnology Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:06:04 EDT news673023959 A team of UC Merced researchers has shown that tiny artificial cells can accurately keep time, mimicking the daily rhythms found in living organisms. Their findings shed light on how biological clocks stay on schedule despite the inherent molecular noise inside cells. /news/2025-07-tiny-artificial-cells-hour.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:07:51 EDT news672988055 A large international team has genetically mapped glasswing butterflies found across Central and South America, rewriting the evolutionary tree and highlighting six new species. /news/2025-07-glasswing-butterflies-remaps-evolutionary-tree.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:59:15 EDT news672937149 Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) have created the world's simplest artificial cell capable of chemical navigation, migrating toward specific substances like living cells do. /news/2025-07-scientists-artificial-cell-capable-environment.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 25 Jul 2025 14:00:01 EDT news672556854 A new tool allows researchers to probe the metabolic processes occurring within the leaves, stems, and roots of a key citrus crop, the clementine. The big picture goal of this research is to improve the yields, flavor and nutritional value of citrus and non-citrus crops, even in the face of increasingly harsh growing conditions and growing pest challenges. /news/2025-07-genome-scale-tracks-citrus-stress.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Mon, 14 Jul 2025 15:00:05 EDT news671698749 Snake, scorpion, and spider venom are most frequently associated with poisonous bites, but with the help of artificial intelligence, they might be able to help fight antibiotic resistance, which contributes to more than one million deaths worldwide each year. /news/2025-07-ai-hundreds-potential-antibiotics-snake.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:27:24 EDT news671714840 Every living cell must interpret its genetic code—a sequence of chemical letters that governs countless cellular functions. A new study by researchers from the Center for Theoretical Biological Â鶹ŇůÔşics at Rice University has uncovered the mechanism by which the identity of the letters following a given nucleotide in DNA affects the likelihood of mistakes during transcription, the process by which DNA is copied into RNA. The discovery offers new insight into hidden factors that influence transcription accuracy. /news/2025-07-genes-error-prone-scientists-uncover.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 09 Jul 2025 15:08:05 EDT news671292481 Proteins are the infinitely varied chemicals that make cells work, and science has a pretty good idea how they are made. But a critical aspect underlying the machinery of protein manufacture has long been hidden inside the nucleolus. /news/2025-07-artificial-nucleolus-reveals-ribosome.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:00:27 EDT news670656302 In an elegant fusion of art and science, researchers at Rice University have achieved a major milestone in nanomaterials engineering by uncovering how boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs)—touted for their strength, thermal stability and insulating properties—can be coaxed into forming ordered liquid crystalline phases in water. Their work, published in Langmuir, was so visually striking it graced the journal's cover. /news/2025-06-versatility-boron-nitride-nanotubes-displayed.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:34:03 EDT news669994441