Scientists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered the earliest fossil evidence of annelids (ringed worms) in Cambrian microfossils dating back approximately 535 million years ago. This discovery offers fresh insights into the origin and early evolution of the annelids, a group of animals that includes bristle worms, earthworms, leeches, and peanut worms.

This comprehensive study illuminates the extraordinary genetic richness of indigenous Ethiopian cattle and provides a roadmap for leveraging cutting-edge molecular tools to revolutionize sustainable livestock breeding in the region.  

A global collaborative study has clarified the phylogeny and generic boundaries of tribe Astragaleae, the most species-rich legume group containing the world’s largest angiosperm genus Astragalus. 

Integrative morphological and molecular evidence confirms the rediscovery of a long-lost Osmanthus species, revealing its declining population and urgent conservation needs.

Research finds soil inorganic carbon rise offsets organic carbon loss, masking ecosystem degradation beneath stable total carbon pools.

A landmark lipidomic study reveals that ceramides modulate salicylic and jasmonic acid pathways to govern resistance to Sporisorium scitamineum.

This study investigates the adaptive mechanisms of the rare orchid Paphiopedilum purpuratum under ex situ conservation, uncovering physiological trade-offs such as enhanced seed production accompanied by lowered photosynthetic capacity and elevated oxidative stress. It further demonstrates that host nitrogen metabolism shapes root fungal communities, driving two contrasting adaptive strategies—stable, reorganized mycorrhizal networks and dynamic, pathogen-suppressive non-mycorrhizal shifts—providing a multi-level microbial framework for improving long-term ex situ conservation of rare orchids.

Endowing and controlling topologically structured emission in microlasers is highly desired yet remains challenging. Toward this goal, researchers at Fudan University developed a compound topological microcavity design for vectorial lasing with designable topological charges. Leveraging quasi-BIC Möbius-like correspondence, they establish a direct, predictive link between cavity morphology and topological charge of emitted lasing profile. Experimentally, they demonstrate vectorial lasing with topological charges from −5 to +5, representing a substantial advance toward compact topological light sources.

Ancient African topography remotely modulated the South Asian summer monsoon millions of years ago