/ 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. 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 A synthetic cell that can be activated by a magnetic field to release a medicine while deep in the body has been created by chemists at UCL (University College London) and the University of Oxford. /news/2025-09-magnetic-nanoparticles-synthetic-cells-enable.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:26:04 EDT news676211162 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 Using reprogrammed biocatalysts, researchers are pushing the boundaries of enzymatic synthesis with a method that opens the door to a diverse array of valuable compounds. Reporting in the journal Science, UC Santa Barbara chemistry professor Yang Yang and collaborators detail an enzymatic multicomponent reaction, resulting in six distinct molecular scaffolds, many of which were not previously accessible by other chemical or biological methods. /news/2025-09-biocatalytic-method-generate-library-molecules.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:29:03 EDT news676132141 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 The microscopic alliance between algae and bacteria offers rare, step-by-step snapshots of how bacteria lose genes and adapt to increasing host dependence. This is shown by a new study led by researchers from Stockholm University, in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnaeus University, published in Current Biology. /news/2025-08-tiny-ocean-partnership-algae-bacteria.html Evolution Ecology Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:32:19 EDT news675689534 A new approach to an established reaction boosts the ability to synthesize vinylic ethers—key building blocks for many molecules important to human health. The journal Organic Letters published the breakthrough, made by chemists at Emory University. /news/2025-08-puzzle-chemist-boost-synthesis-key.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:30:07 EDT news675606044 For the last several months, Southern California has grappled with a bloom of harmful algae that produce domoic acid, killing or intoxicating thousands of marine animals. But this region isn't unique. Problematic outbreaks of DA, a naturally occurring amino acid that's also a potent neurotoxin, are becoming increasingly common along both the West and East coasts. /news/2025-08-sea-star-response-neurotoxin.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:39:05 EDT news675599942 Our remarkable ability to perform complex tasks—such as thinking, observing, and touch—stems from proteins, the tiny nanometer-sized molecules in the body. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the structure and function of such molecular machines within the cellular environment remains limited. /news/2025-08-ngstrm-scale-optical-microscopy-deciphers.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:43:03 EDT news674995382 How do living bacteria survive on the surface of dust particles carried by desert storms from the Sahara and Egypt to Israel? /news/2025-08-biofilm-flight-saharan-bacteria-shield.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:33:03 EDT news674919181 A new study led by the University of Oxford in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark could provide a cost-effective and sustainable solution to help tackle the devastating decline in honeybees. /news/2025-08-bees-superfoods-supplement-boosts-colony.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:00:05 EDT news674841241 When maize fields become too crowded, the plants signal each other to boost their defenses. A research team led by Dongsheng Guo of Zhejiang University found that in crowded conditions, maize plants release a volatile gas called linalool into the air. When it reaches neighboring plants, the gas triggers a defensive response in their roots. /news/2025-08-maize-volatile-gas-pests-densely.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:30:01 EDT news674816561 All life on Earth depends on enzymes—natural proteins—that act as catalysts to hasten chemical reactions and keep biological processes functioning. /news/2025-08-chemists-photobiocatalytic-approach-carbon-nitrogen.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:46:52 EDT news674736408 More than one-sixth of adults around the world experience infertility in their lifetime. There is a high unmet need not only for increased access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need but, importantly, also for new biomedical solutions that can address the root causes of infertility. /news/2025-08-lab-grown-stem-cells-key.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Sun, 17 Aug 2025 06:24:48 EDT news674630549 Researchers at San Diego State University and Michigan State University are shedding new light on how viruses meticulously pack their genetic material — a breakthrough that could help researchers engineer antivirals and gene therapies. /news/2025-08-viruses-diverse-rna-traits-genomes.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:16:21 EDT news674486171 Similar to the way the caps on the ends of a shoelace prevent it from fraying, telomeres—regions of repetitive DNA sequences and a protein structure—protect the tips of chromosomes from damage. /news/2025-08-telomerase-rna-polygenic-scores-reveal.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:27:04 EDT news674411221 Cornell chemists have developed a way to use electrochemistry, a sustainable technique, to make chiral molecules, which occur in mirrored pairs, like human hands. Common in pharmaceuticals, chiral molecules are important to get right to be effective and safe. /news/2025-08-safe-medicinal-molecules-sustainable-electrochemistry.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:38:04 EDT news674401081 Scrolling through social media, you may have dallied on reels of Leonardo DiCaprio dancing or Tom Cruise crooning, only to realize they're spoofs created with artificial intelligence. Hyper-realistic videos and images like these—also called deepfakes—are notorious for celebrity pranking. But the technology has serious scientific applications, too. In the field of ecology, for example, AI doppelgängers of rare species could improve efforts to understand, monitor and protect them. /news/2025-08-deepfake-whales-key-tool.html Ecology Biotechnology Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:49:49 EDT news674318977 Ancient events in plant evolution have left behind large, duplicated regions in their genomes. Salk Institute scientists found that deleting these large blocks of DNA can still lead to normal plants. The findings demonstrate that large chromosomal deletions are a viable strategy in plant genetic engineering, which could now accelerate the development of streamlined, minimal plant genomes—a major goal in industries looking to create new plant-based biotechnologies. /news/2025-08-basics-minimal-genomes-yield-viable.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:27:02 EDT news674310421 Researchers have spent years taking apart one of the world's simplest microbes, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, piece by piece, and created a detailed list of what molecular parts the living cell can and cannot do without, knowledge that could accelerate the development of "living medicines" built from this very microbe. /news/2025-08-essentiality-scan-reveals-mycoplasma-pneumoniae.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 13 Aug 2025 12:47:04 EDT news674308021 Carbs are a familiar term, but they're not just found in foods. Small yet structurally complex carbohydrates serve as elements of cell walls and are important in intercellular interactions. Scientists can quickly and reliably make many biomolecules, from DNA to proteins, using automated instruments. So it may come as a surprise that, for decades, scientists have had major difficulty with small carbohydrates. /news/2025-08-method-carbohydrates-pave-biomedical-advances.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 Aug 2025 11:27:05 EDT news674216821 Research from the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has revealed that lignin, a polyphenol important for plant structure, has antimicrobial activity against viruses and bacteria. The results highlight that lignin, which is also an important byproduct of the wood industry, has potential as a promising green alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents for coating agents, packaging material, or surface disinfectants. /news/2025-08-wood-industry-byproduct-lignin-effective.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:39:03 EDT news674213941 Research led by a Swansea University academic has revealed a synthetic glycosystem—a sugar-coated polymer nanoparticle—that can block COVID-19 from infecting human cells, reducing infection rates by nearly 99%. /news/2025-08-lab-sugar-coated-particle-covid.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:13:03 EDT news674136781 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 From lifelong farmers to backyard gardeners, most plant-lovers know that adding organic matter to a field, vegetable plot or flowerpot increases the soil's moisture. Now, for the first time, Northwestern University scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanisms that enable organic matter to boost soil's ability to retain water—even in desert-like conditions. The study is published in the journal PNAS Nexus. /news/2025-08-soil-driest-conditions.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:35:04 EDT news674134502 In an advance in legume genomics, researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have produced the first gap-free, telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genome assemblies for two model Medicago species. /news/2025-08-telomere-medicago-genomes-uncovers-evolutionary.html Evolution Agriculture Fri, 08 Aug 2025 09:41:44 EDT news673864899 In medicine and biotechnology, the ability to evolve proteins with new or improved functions is crucial, but current methods are often slow and laborious. Now, Scripps Research scientists have developed a synthetic biology platform that accelerates evolution itself—enabling researchers to evolve proteins with useful, new properties thousands of times faster than nature. /news/2025-08-scientists-evolution-rapidly-reprogram-proteins.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 08 Aug 2025 08:27:05 EDT news673860421 A team of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council has made a significant advance in plant biotechnology by developing a new method for silencing genes. The novel technique uses ultra-short ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequences carried by genetically modified viruses to achieve genetic silencing, allowing the customization of plant traits. The work, published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, opens up new avenues for crop improvement, functional genomics, and sustainable agriculture. /news/2025-08-ultra-short-rna-insertions-scalable.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 06 Aug 2025 13:12:34 EDT news673704748 Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is a stealthy threat. It infects more than 500,000 people in the United States each year, and kills up to 30,000. It is a leading cause of health-care-associated infections, particularly in hospitals and long-term care facilities. But not everyone who harbors C. diff gets sick—as many as 30–40% of the population carries this bug in their guts. /news/2025-08-hidden-killer-diff.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:15 EDT news673602961 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