A new species - and previously unknown genus - of soil bacterium was isolated from soil collected in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, a biodiversity hot spot in the Cape Floristic Region. This is the first genus from the phylum Acidobacteriota to be described from Southern Africa. The finding represents a significant advance in our knowledge of rare species that contribute to nutrient cycles in soil.

Traumatic brain injury disrupts complex glial cell networks that influence inflammation, white matter repair, and long-term neurological recovery. A new review highlights how microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes interact dynamically after injury and explains why future therapies may require carefully timed, multi-target strategies instead of single-drug approaches. The study also outlines emerging treatments that promote remyelination, reduce harmful inflammation, and support regenerative repair processes across different stages of traumatic brain injury progression.

RNA design is central to next-generation therapeutics, yet identifying sequences that reliably fold into desired structures remains a major computational challenge, often constrained by high cost and time. A new study from Keio University explores the use of factorization machine with quadratic-optimization annealing (FMQA) for RNA inverse folding, while also examining how different encoding strategies may influence artificial intelligence (AI)-driven design performance, revealing an underexplored dimension of biomolecular engineering.

Rosa Chiara Paolicelli’s team at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of Unil uncovered a new role for the TDP-43 protein in controlling the function of microglia, the immune cells of the brain. Their study shows how the loss of this protein in microglia may contribute to the development of neurological diseases. The findings have been published in Nature Neuroscience.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed an improved technique called “tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization” (t-SPESI), allowing the analysis of regions within individual cells with greater sensitivity and stability. Through device miniaturization and molecular modification of the probe surface, the team achieved higher sensitivity and long-term stability, successfully visualizing lipid distributions in mouse brain tissue at a pixel size of 5 µm.

Researchers have traced the journey of a plastic bottle cap recovered near the waters of southern Japan by combining data from the label, chemical clues in tiny shells, and ocean current simulations. They found 307 organisms, including a polychaetae worm not found in Japanese waters before. The findings, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, show that when species that significantly shape their environments (ecosystem engineers) colonize plastic debris, entire micro-communities can be transported over extended periods, with implications for invasive species risk and marine biodiversity conservation.