Aquatic vegetation in Lake Gieret in Giby. PAP/Michał Zieliński

Aquatic plant extracts may prevent cancer development

Extracts from aquatic plants found in lakes in eastern Poland have shown promising biological activity against cancer cells in laboratory research conducted by scientists from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

  • Katarzyna Groborz, PhD, and Marcin Poręba, PhD. Photo from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology press release.
    Life

    Polish and US scientists find way to halt deadly cell breakdown without harming healthy cells

    Scientists from Wrocław University of Science and Technology and the US biotechnology company Genentech have developed compounds that can stop a form of inflammatory cell death without damaging healthy cells.

  • A hypothetical reconstruction of the life of an Anatolian iguana floating on tree trunks before reaching the isolated landmass of Balkanatolia. Credit: Olha Timofieieva. Image from Georgalis et al. 2026.
    Life

    Ancient iguana may have reached Europe by drifting on tree trunks after tsunami

    A 44-million-year-old iguana fossil discovered in Turkey suggests the reptiles may have reached Europe by sea, possibly drifting on tree trunks after a tsunami, an international team of palaeontologists has found.

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    Life

    Scientists discover vast hidden world of RNA viruses in cities worldwide

    Scientists have identified nearly 55,000 potential RNA virus groups in cities and their surroundings around the world, with about 77% not previously reported, in the largest atlas of urban RNA viruses to date.

  • The surface of the mycelium-regolith composite during growth. Credit: M. Brandić Lipińska
    Space

    Fungi could help build habitats on the Moon and Mars

    Living organisms, including fungi, could become part of space habitats built on Mars and the Moon in the future. They could help make use of local resources while also becoming part of life-support systems, according to architect Monika Brandić Lipińska, PhD, from the University of Innsbruck.

  • Józefów, 26.05.2026. The Solska Forest after the fire. PAP/Wojtek Jargiło
    Life

    Putting out every forest fire could make future wildfires worse, Polish scientist warns

    Putting out every forest fire could paradoxically increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires by allowing combustible vegetation to build up, a Polish researcher has warned, arguing that controlled burning should be considered as part of fire protection as the climate becomes hotter and drier.

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    Life

    Researchers investigate how brains of blind people develop

    A Polish-German research team has used advanced imaging techniques to study how the brain develops in people who are born blind, finding that structural differences in the visual cortex are linked to reduced myelination rather than clear changes in the process of neural pruning.

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    Life

    Europe's primeval landscape wasn't endless forest after all, surprising study finds

    Europe's primeval landscape was not an endless expanse of dense forest as long believed, but a patchwork of woodland, meadows and grasslands maintained by large grazing animals, according to a new study.

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    Life

    Heatwaves leave bees smaller and weaker for life, Polish study finds

    Heatwaves lasting just a few days can leave wild bees permanently smaller and weaker, reducing their ability to pollinate crops and wild plants, according to new research by Polish scientists.

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    Life

    Polish researcher's team first to build synthetic cell from scratch

    A team of scientists from the University of Minnesota, led by Polish researcher Katarzyna (Kate) Adamala, has created a synthetic cell capable of taking in nutrients, growing and dividing using only non-living components. The achievement, reported by Science, marks the most advanced step so far towards building a synthetic equivalent of a living cell from scratch.

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    Polish scientists supercharge probiotic to fight Salmonella

  • Gut bacteria produce proteins linked to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, study finds

  • The 18 volcano myths that could put lives at risk

  • ‘Vampire’ grave mystery deepens as 17th-century woman ‘may have been an outsider’

  • Watching people touch can trigger physical reactions in our own bodies, study finds

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Tauchira Gate in Ptolemais in 2006, view from the west. Credit: Miron Bogacki. Source: European Journal of Archaeology

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