Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reports that a phenol-rich, low-molecular lignin fraction (F3) obtained by simple ethanol fractionation of kraft black liquor cuts diabetic fasting blood glucose 66 %, surpasses rosiglitazone in intraperitoneal glucose tolerance, boosts hepatic GLUT4 expression 189 %, reactivates IRS1/PI3K/AKT and AMPK signaling, restores mitochondrial ATP, reduces inflammatory cytokines and triglycerides, reshapes gut microbiota toward short-chain-fatty-acid producers, and exhibits no organ toxicity in rats, thereby positioning woody biomass as a scalable, renewable and safe source for oral or injectable antidiabetic therapeutics.

How lipids in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum of plant cells interact with proteins to organize the first step of protein transport has long been an unsolved mystery. A research team at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, led by Professor Christopher Grefen, has uncovered how a lipid switch in plant cells directs proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – the gateway to the cell’s secretory pathway. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on October 8, 2025. 

Researchers explore the human immune system by looking at the active components, namely the various genes and cells involved. But there is a broad range of these, and observations necessarily produce vast amounts of data. For the first time, researchers including those from the University of Tokyo built a software tool which leverages artificial intelligence to not only offer a more consistent analysis of these cells at speed but also categorizes them and aims to spot novel patterns people have not yet seen.

A new study examines nickel and urea in early microbial habitats, showing how ancient cyanobacteria adapted to their chemical surroundings. By recreating Archean conditions in the lab, researchers uncovered clues about the delicate balances that shaped early cyanobacterial life. These findings hint at the unseen factors that may have set the stage for Earth’s first oxygen surge, providing a fresh perspective on the environmental and chemical conditions that allowed oxygen to accumulate in the atmosphere.