Biological Science

A large genetic study shows that many people carry DNA sequences that slowly expand as they get older. Common genetic variants can dramatically alter how fast this expansion happens, sometimes multiplying the pace by four. Researchers also identified specific DNA expansions linked to severe kidney and liver disease. The findings suggest that age-related DNA instability is far more common than previously realized.

Coral reefs appear to run a daily timetable for microscopic life in nearby waters. Scientists found that microbial populations above reefs rise and fall over the course of a single day, shaped by feeding, predation, and coral-driven processes. Some microbes peak during daylight, while others surge at night. These rhythms offer new clues about how reefs influence their surrounding environment.

New research suggests ancient islanders may have migrated across the Pacific in response to shifting rainfall. As the west grew drier and the east wetter, people may have followed water to survive. New research from the University of Southampton and the University of East Anglia (UEA) points to a major change in South Pacific climate [...]

Human brains still react to chimp voices, hinting at a deep evolutionary link in how we recognize sound. The human brain is not limited to recognizing speech from other people. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have found that specific parts of the auditory cortex react strongly to the vocalizations of chimpanzees. These primates [...]

A seven-million-year-old fossil may mark the moment our ancestors first stood up and walked. For years, scientists have argued over whether a fossil dating back about seven million years was capable of walking upright. That question matters because bipedal movement would place the fossil among the very earliest human ancestors. A new study by a [...]

A new drug combination shows unexpected synergy against liver fibrosis. A new study reveals that using two drugs together produces a much stronger effect than using either one alone, suggesting a realistic and potentially fast route toward a new treatment for liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is a common but often unnoticed condition that affects hundreds [...]

Researchers have identified a brain protein whose absence leads to memory loss and Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that findings from a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health are helping to identify a promising new biological target for Alzheimer’s disease. The focus is a protein that produces [...]

Scientists uncovered how the protein Piezo1 translates physical activity into stronger bones, offering a path to exercise-mimicking therapies. Scientists from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) have identified a biological process that explains how exercise helps keep bones strong. The discovery could [...]

Shaped quantum light is turning ordinary photons into powerful tools for the future of technology. A global group of scientists, including researchers from the UAB, has published a new review in Nature Photonics exploring a rapidly developing area of research called quantum structured light. This field is changing how information can be sent, measured, and [...]

Personalized algorithms can quietly limit what people explore while making them feel more certain they understand a topic. Personalized recommendation systems are designed to show people online content based on their past behavior, but new research suggests these same systems may interfere with learning. According to the study, when algorithms determined which information people saw, [...]

Scientists have built microscopic, light-powered robots that can think, swim, and operate independently at the scale of living cells. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have developed the smallest fully programmable autonomous robots ever made. These tiny machines can swim through liquid, sense and respond to their surroundings on their [...]

A new single-cell “bacteria surveillance” method reveals whether antibiotics truly kill infections—or just leave them waiting to strike back. Antibiotics are usually evaluated by how well they stop bacteria from growing in laboratory tests. What matters just as much, though, is whether those drugs actually kill the bacteria inside the human body. Scientists at the [...]

After years of type 2 diabetes, red blood cells may quietly turn against the heart—offering a new clue for spotting danger early. People who live with type 2 diabetes for many years face a steadily increasing risk of cardiovascular disease. New research from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Diabetes, suggests that changes inside red [...]

In 2025, Earth’s oceans quietly broke another heat record—fueling a hotter, more extreme future. A global team of scientists reports that Earth’s oceans absorbed more heat in 2025 than in any year since modern observations began. The findings, published today (January 9) in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, show that ocean heat content reached an unprecedented [...]

Reconstructed ancient enzymes reveal how cannabis evolved specialized cannabinoid production while offering new tools for biotechnology and medicine. Where do familiar cannabis compounds such as THC, CBD, and CBC come from? Scientists at Wageningen University & Research have shown for the first time, through direct experiments, how cannabis evolved the ability to make these cannabinoids. [...]

Research-backed adoption of high-oleic soybeans is improving milk quality and lowering costs for Michigan dairy farms. At first look, the 400 acres of soybeans on the Preston family’s dairy farm in southern Michigan appear no different from any other field. In reality, the crop reflects a research partnership with Michigan State University that is cutting [...]

New research broadens our understanding of how gray wolves interact with and influence aquatic habitats. On Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, gray wolves have been observed engaging in an unusual behavior: preying on sea otters. This unexpected shift toward marine prey could have important consequences for both coastal ecosystems and the health of the wolves [...]

Summary: Economic shocks can influence human biology in ways that only become visible years later. A new long-term analysis links sudden changes in food affordability during early childhood to altered growth and health patterns in adulthood. Rising food prices during economic crises may shape children’s health long after the turmoil ends. When an economic crisis [...]

A nano-sized medicine boosts the anti-cancer immune response and eradicates tumors in mice. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, working with colleagues at Northwestern University, have created a noninvasive strategy to target one of the most severe and life-threatening brain cancers. Their method relies on carefully designed nanoscale structures that carry [...]

DNA doesn’t just sit still inside our cells — it folds, loops, and rearranges in ways that shape how genes behave. Researchers have now mapped this hidden architecture in unprecedented detail, showing how genome structure changes from cell to cell and over time. These insights reveal why many disease-linked mutations outside genes can still cause harm. The findings could speed up the discovery of genetic risks and inspire new ways to target diseases.

Proton collisions at the LHC appear wildly chaotic, but new data reveal a surprising underlying order. The findings confirm that a basic rule of quantum mechanics holds true even in extreme particle collisions. High energy proton collisions can be imagined as a boiling sea of quarks and gluons, including short lived virtual ones. In this [...]

Liquids and solutions may look simple, but on the molecular scale they are constantly shifting and reorganizing. When sugar dissolves in water, each sugar molecule quickly becomes surrounded by fast moving water molecules. Inside living cells, the situation is even more intricate. Tiny liquid droplets transport proteins or RNA and help coordinate many of the [...]

Scientists say Earth’s magnetic field may have funneled atmospheric particles to the moon for billions of years. Lunar soil could preserve a record of Earth’s past while providing resources for future explorers. Scientists have discovered that Earth’s magnetic field has likely played a key role in moving particles from our atmosphere to the moon over [...]

A wobbling jet from a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy is blasting gas out at a rate high enough to suppress star formation. The discovery reveals that even low-power black hole jets can dramatically reshape entire galaxies. Some galaxies contain active galactic nuclei, extremely bright and energetic regions fueled by matter falling into [...]

Researchers have unlocked a way to grow the immune system’s “conductors” from stem cells, bringing ready-made cancer-fighting therapies a big step closer. For the first time, scientists at the University of British Columbia have shown they can consistently create a critical type of human immune cell, known as helper T cells, starting from stem cells [...]

New research points to an unexpected way plastic pollution may be influencing Earth’s climate system. A recent study suggests that microscopic plastic pollution is reducing the ocean’s capacity to take in carbon dioxide, a natural function that plays a central role in keeping the planet’s climate stable. Microplastics are small plastic particles measuring less than [...]

Deep inside a fossil-filled cave in the Dominican Republic, researchers uncovered evidence of an unexpected interaction between ancient owls and solitary bees. About 20,000 years ago, a family of owls occupied a cave and repeatedly regurgitated pellets packed with the bones of the animals they hunted. Those remains collected on the cave floor. Researchers have [...]

A chance observation of an unusual spider led scientists to identify a new parasitic mite species in Brazil. While sorting through spiders and scorpions in the Zoological Collections Laboratory at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, researchers noticed something unusual. A spider only a few millimeters long appeared to be wearing a strand that [...]

A hidden army of gut microbes can brew alcohol inside the body—and scientists may finally know how to stop it. Scientists have identified specific gut bacteria and biological pathways that cause alcohol to be produced inside the body in people with auto-brewery syndrome (ABS). This rare and frequently misunderstood condition causes individuals to become intoxicated [...]

Running fights junk food’s mental toll—healing the gut, balancing hormones, and protecting the brain. Scientists led by Professor Yvonne Nolan at University College Cork and APC Microbiome Ireland, a world leading Research Ireland Centre, have identified key metabolic pathways that explain how exercise helps counter the harmful behavioral effects of a Western-style cafeteria diet. Published [...]