/ 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. No matter whether it's crushed or cubed, ice eventually melts into a puddle—but an alternative called jelly ice doesn't. Researchers Jiahan Zou and Gang Sun developed a one-step process to create the reusable, compostable material from gelatin, the same ingredient in jiggly desserts. Because frozen jelly ice doesn't leak as it thaws, it's ideal for food supply chains and medication transport. /news/2025-08-reusable-jelly-ice-cold-meltwater.html Polymers Materials Science Mon, 18 Aug 2025 09:09:14 EDT news674726949 The distribution of a deep-sea jellyfish species with two different traits hints at the existence of an unknown biogeographic barrier in the North Atlantic Ocean, according to new research by marine scientists at The University of Western Australia. /news/2025-07-deep-sea-jellyfish-oceanic-barrier.html Ecology Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:43:03 EDT news672990182 A fundamental discovery by University of Missouri scientists could help solve one of the most frustrating challenges in treating lung cancer: Why do some patients initially respond to drug treatment, only for it to stop working 18 months later? /news/2025-07-gelatin-based-nanoparticle-molecular-seesaw.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 09 Jul 2025 04:50:01 EDT news671254154 Christian Schubert and Scott Lafontaine are fighting an old prejudice: that rice doesn't belong in beer. Now they've got the research to upend that ancient bit of brewing snobbery. /news/2025-06-rice-rebels-reveals-grain-brewing.html Cell & Microbiology Agriculture Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:04:06 EDT news670248241 The deep ocean can often look like a real-life snow globe. As organic particles from plant and animal matter on the surface sink downward, they combine with dust and other material to create "marine snow," a beautiful display of ocean weather that plays a crucial role in cycling carbon and other nutrients through the world's oceans. /news/2025-06-uncovers-physics-marine.html General Â鶹ŇůÔşics Sat, 21 Jun 2025 06:30:03 EDT news669705813 Recent advances in electronics and optics have opened new possibilities for terahertz (THz) waves—an invisible type of light that falls between infrared light and microwaves on the spectrum. The use of THz scattering for medical diagnosis is a promising frontier in this field, as THz waves can probe tissue structures in ways that traditional imaging methods cannot. Emerging THz measurement methods have the potential to detect subtle changes in tissue architecture that occur in diseases like cancer and burn injuries, serving as a powerful diagnostic tool. /news/2025-06-terahertz-polarimetry-microscopic-tissue-linked.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:24:04 EDT news668701441 A QUT researcher has observed a rare ocean phenomenon off the coast of Timor-Leste revealing a surprising ally in the fight for coral reef survival: giant, gelatinous plankton known as pyrosomes. /news/2025-06-giant-plankton-coral-climate.html Ecology Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:55:03 EDT news668678101 A chatty animated amphibian starring in videos for Bad Bunny's recent album has launched the Puerto Rican crested toad—an endangered species native to the island—into newfound fame, following years of quiet, collaborative conservation efforts involving Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. /news/2025-06-puerto-rican-rapper-champions-endangered.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:45:35 EDT news668331930 Pounding on the bottom of a glass bottle of ketchup is one of life's small annoyances. Getting that sweet, red concoction from its solid phase to a liquid takes too long when you're hungry and could even require messy strategies with a butter knife. /news/2025-06-ketchup-solid-phase-properties-reveal.html General Â鶹ŇůÔşics Soft Matter Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:39:48 EDT news668079579 Organic particles that settle on the seabed ensure CO2 stays locked. However, natural gel-like substances slow down this process. Such microscale mechanisms play a crucial role in enhancing climate predictions. /news/2025-05-slower-microorganisms-bad-news-climate.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 28 May 2025 10:16:04 EDT news667646161 A new species of flapjack octopus, with massive eyes and blood-red tentacles, has been discovered from a deep-sea canyon off the coast of Australia. /news/2025-05-species-octopus-deep-sea-canyon.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 May 2025 06:59:04 EDT news666943141 A team from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya—BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia has developed polymeric resins derived from plant-based materials aimed at reducing 3D printing's reliance on fossil fuel-based resins. The research findings have been published in RSC Applied Polymers. /news/2025-05-sustainable-3d-resins-based-materials.html Polymers Mon, 05 May 2025 16:30:02 EDT news665681401 Hundreds of millions of people live in areas that could be affected by volcanic eruptions. Fortunately, clues at the surface, such as earthquakes and ground deformation, can indicate movement within underground magma dikes—sheets of magma that cut across layers of rock. Scientists can use these clues to make potentially lifesaving predictions of eruptions. /news/2025-04-magma-dikes-patterns.html Earth Sciences Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:10:06 EDT news665237402 A joint team from National Taiwan University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has developed a novel hydrogel actuator whose movement can be programmed using UV light, enabling precise spatial control of thermoresponsive deformation for presenting a potential application in soft robotics and in vitro muscle models. /news/2025-04-uv-programmable-hydrogel-actuator-bioinspired.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:28:03 EDT news664698481 Sit down, relax and get your nails done at the sustainability salon. In a new study, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder's ATLAS Institute has designed a new kind of press-on nails that are biodegradable, colorful and endlessly customizable. /news/2025-04-biodegradable-manicures-sustainable.html Environment Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:05:04 EDT news662814301 An edible biofilm, obtained from agricultural and fishing waste and developed by researchers at the SĂŁo Carlos Institute of Chemistry of the University of SĂŁo Paulo (IQSC-USP) in Brazil, allows the shelf life of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) to be extended. /news/2025-04-edible-biofilm-based-pomegranate-shelf.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 01 Apr 2025 17:22:03 EDT news662746921 With increased awareness about food sources and their environmental impacts, replacing animal-derived products in food and drugs is a significant research area. One common—but often overlooked—animal protein is gelatin, found everywhere from candy to plastic-free packaging. /news/2025-03-based-gelatin-gum-tragacanth-animal.html Soft Matter Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:00:01 EDT news662646018 Foie gras—the fattened liver of ducks or geese—is a French delicacy prized for its rich, buttery flavor. But its production, which involves force-feeding the animals, has led to bans in several countries. /news/2025-03-faux-gras-scientists-craft-ethical.html General Â鶹ŇůÔşics Sun, 30 Mar 2025 10:10:01 EDT news662126926 In a new paper, researchers at North Carolina State University show proof of concept for a system that—in a single cycle—actively removes microplastics from water. /news/2025-03-microcleaners-disperse-capture-microplastics.html Polymers Materials Science Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:10:06 EDT news662220601 Picture an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet—where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure. /news/2025-03-deep-sea-threatens-life-dumping.html Ecology Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:19:04 EDT news662123941 Foie gras is a unique delicacy made from the liver of a duck or goose. While it can be an acquired taste, the buttery, fatty dish is an indulgent cuisine prized in many parts of the world. /news/2025-03-foie-gras.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:00:05 EDT news662026327 Chinese scientists have uncovered two major genes responsible for sorghum's double-grain spikelet that dramatically enhance grain number and crop yield. A substantial 35.7-kilobase intrachromosomal inversion at the DG1 (Double-Grain 1) promoter drives the upregulation of DG1 expression, leading to the development of double-grain spikelets that remarkably increase sorghum grain number while illustrating the critical role of genomic structural variation in plant evolution. /news/2025-03-scientists-variation-boosts-grain-sorghum.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:32:04 EDT news660990722 Scientists have created a new way to quickly and minimally invasively detect glucose using microneedles. These swellable hydrogel microneedles extract substantial amounts of skin fluid in just five minutes, a less invasive alternative to the finger-prick blood tests. /news/2025-02-micro-vibration-microneedles-paving-rapid.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 20 Feb 2025 02:51:47 EST news659242298 A nut used in herbal tea has become a hydrogel perfect for a variety of biomedical uses in new research from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Engineering (UChicago PME) and UChicago Chemistry Department. /news/2025-02-material-tree-nuts-broad-medical.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:00:07 EST news659003222 Hydrogels are polymeric materials with three-dimensional network structures containing large amounts of water. They serve as sustained-release drug delivery systems as they can encapsulate various bioactive substances, including drugs, antigens, and even cells. /news/2025-02-dna-hydrogels-sustained-drug.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 13 Feb 2025 09:43:05 EST news658662181 Scientists at UC Santa Cruz have completed the first end-to-end genome of the iconic Pacific banana slug, a species synonymous with California's coastal redwood forests and the university's beloved mascot. /news/2025-02-scientists-genome-banana-slug.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:54:10 EST news658151640 Commercial fishing fleets have been playing a key role in trafficking parts of tigers poached in Malaysia, according to research released Wednesday that could help enforcement efforts to save the critically endangered cat. /news/2025-01-tiger-poachers-fishing-boats-smuggle.html Ecology Wed, 29 Jan 2025 04:19:51 EST news657346784 If you've ever made kombucha, you will be familiar with the term SCOBY—a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It's impossible to miss—it's the floating biofilm on top of your delicious drink. /news/2025-01-fermented-biofilm-kombucha-green-textiles.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:32:03 EST news657279119 DNA profiling technologies are rapidly advancing, creating the potential to identify individuals involved in making, packing and transporting illegal capsules by analyzing the exterior of the illicit drugs and the plastic bag in which they are carried. /news/2025-01-dna-fingerprints-drug-makers-linked.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:05:02 EST news657277499 A team of research scientists led by US Food and Drug Administration chemist Timothy Duncan has found evidence of silver nanoparticles embedded in packaging used as an antimicrobial agent seeping into the dry food it is meant to protect. In their paper published in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology, the group describes how they created their own packaging with embedded silver nanoparticles and tested it with various foods, and what they learned by doing so. /news/2025-01-silver-nanoparticles-packaging-contaminate-dry.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:45:00 EST news656779493