Biology
Probiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals in field experiment
Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aqua…
Completing the connectome: How pursuing a map of the fly brain rewired neuroscience
When researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus set out to create a map of all the neurons in the fruit fly brain in 2008, many in the scientific community thought they were ou…
Tiny crustacean helps scientists understand genes regulating circatidal rhythms
Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms …
First DDT, now the flu: Peregrine falcons in San Francisco Bay Area hit hard by H5N1 variant
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behin…
Farewell black spruce? How climate change and pests are reshaping North America's forests
More than 80% of North American forests could face greater threats from pests and diseases by midcentury, a University of British Columbia-led study finds. If global emissions con…
Invasive tropical mosquito found breeding in east London
Climate crisis could increase incursions of Aedes aegypti, which can transmit Zika virus and dengue, experts sayAn invasive mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases has …
Australian science prize awarded to researcher studying memory accuracy of domestic violence survivors
Helen Paterson’s work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMem…
Looking back to forecast the future of lobster
For generations, the lobster fishery has been central to the cultural and economic identity of Maine and Atlantic Canada. Predicting what the future holds for the species—and the …
Farming experts tout 'conscious' food systems to fix agriculture woes
Farmers around the world are struggling with the impact of climate change, financial pressures and depleted soil—and industry experts say bringing consumers closer to the people w…
In Chile, injured penguins sport copper vests to help them heal
Researchers in Chile have designed an unlikely new garment for injured penguins—snug red vests threaded with copper and zinc that they hope will help the aquatic birds heal faster.
There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it? – podcast
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t…
Crash in dugong population estimates, a warning sign governments can't ignore
A 50% decline in the Gulf of Carpentaria dugong population estimate is a wake-up call for urgent action to protect dugongs in the Gulf, based on surveys undertaken by researchers …
Cellular maintenance crew may miss as much as half of certain misfolded proteins
As proteins are made in a cell, they are folded into the 3D structure that allows them to work, but sometimes this process can go wrong. When it does, the misfolded proteins lose …
Caterpillar twitches in an ultraquiet chamber help biologists understand how these insects hear without ears
In a quiet summer garden, a caterpillar perches on a branch, munching serenely on leaves. A moment later, it freezes. It senses danger—and just in time. From behind, a wasp approa…
Trees use a 'muscle' to correct their posture—a newly discovered role for tension wood
A research team from INRAE and the University Clermont Auvergne has shown that trees are capable of correcting a curvature they detect in their stems through a specific biological…
Fish dads offer new insight into behavioral effects of receiving paternal care
The plot of "Finding Nemo," a film that features an overprotective single father fish taking on dangers at sea to care for his son, may be more reflective of actual fish dad behav…
Ancient fossil from China reveals animal‑microbe partnerships dating back 550 million years
We often think of microbes as organisms that live around us, like the Salmonella bacteria and flu viruses that cause illness. But some of our most intimate relationships are with …
New model explains how bacterial promoter elements set gene activity and regulation
Bacterial promoters are DNA sequences that recruit RNA polymerase to initiate transcription, primarily through two elements called −10 and −35. However, the contributions of these…
'Pac-Man' enzyme breaks down bioplastics and penicillin in laboratory tests
In the ocean, plastic waste collects to form large garbage patches that endanger marine life. This is partly because the synthetic plastic polymers used today can only be broken d…
Researchers identify the world's first cell line with the KMT2A::SEPTIN6 fusion gene
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures have, for the first time, identified a model cell line for a rare form of acute mye…
A new layer of the human genome: Embedded RNA marks may reshape DNA twisting
A new study led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has u…
Animal-bone records reveal how cattle and sheep fueled medieval England's changing economy
As populations expanded in medieval England, key changes occurred in the uses of cattle and sheep to produce food and materials, according to a study published Sept. 2, 2026, in t…
Dolphin-feeding tourism contributes to predicted dolphin decline
A study published in the journal Oikos, titled "Forecasting the impact of food-provisioning and other stressors on a marine top-predator population," found that without protective…
When biology inspires mathematics: Hidden symmetries explain why widely used evolutionary methods can give false answers
Why do some groups of organisms contain thousands of species while others have only a handful? Evolutionary biologists have spent decades trying to answer this question using math…