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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 11:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)

Tooth fossil analysis suggests ‘brawn before bite’ in early Asian mammals

eLife
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An analysis of fossil teeth from mammals that lived in China following the most recent major mass extinction suggests size came before both shape and function as diets diversified.

Journal: eLife
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology

Woodcock charge deer to defend nests, UMaine researchers find

University of Maine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Maine researchers have recently documented evidence of the American woodcock charging at deer in order to protect their nests. Typically, woodcock rely on camoflouge or luring predators away from nests, but in newly published research five woodcock in West Virginia were recorded charging approaching deer. This opens new questions for researchers as they seek to understand these unexpected interactions.

Journal: Ecology

Jellyfish can heal wounds in minutes. Scientists want their secrets.

Marine Biological Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Unlike other organisms, Clytia hemisphaerica medusae can repair damage so rapidly you can actually watch small wounds close within minutes. Larger wounds heal in less than an hour, a rate of recovery humans can only dream of. And unlike in humans, no scar tissue is formed. Instead, Malamy says “healing in the jellyfish looks more like embryonic healing, which is scar-free.”

Journal: Molecular Biology of the Cell

Mice actively seek better views to make visual decisions

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by EPFL shows that when objects are difficult to see, mice don't simply look harder. They move to find better viewpoints, adjusting their behavior according to how much visual information is available.

Journal: Current Biology
Funder: NIH Brain Initiative

From stage 0 to invasive: Study uncovers how obesity influences molecular pathways in breast cancer progression

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A novel study has found that obesity is associated with a distinct molecular program driving the transition from early-stage, premalignant breast lesions to invasive breast cancer. Rather than simply showing increased activation of classical invasive pathways, tumors from obese patients exhibited a distinct stress-adaptive phenotype. The findings from the study in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, suggest that metabolic health could be an important factor in future risk stratification and treatment decision-making.

Journal: American Journal Of Pathology
Funder: Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus

Could ferroptosis become a therapeutic breakthrough for Friedreich’s Ataxia?

Science Exploration Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new review article highlights ferroptosis as a promising therapeutic target in Friedreich's Ataxia and outlines emerging strategies to translate ferroptosis biology into treatment opportunities.

Funder: Associazione “OGNI GIORNO” - per Emma ONLUS and Associazione Per Il Sorriso di Ilaria di Montebruno - ONLUS

Breast milk gives certain gut bacteria a head start

Technical University of Denmark
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research from DTU and Rigshospitalet shows that sugars in breast milk play an important role in the development of the gut microbiota, during weaning or transition from breast milk to solid food.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Research Fund Denmark, Natural Sciences, Novo Nordic Foundation Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme

Prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) membership awarded to Hebrew University professor

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Grant and Award Announcement

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is proud to announce that Professor Yehu Moran from the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences at the Faculty of Science has been elected as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), joining a distinguished community of over 2,100 leading researchers who guide the direction of life sciences globally.

AI deciphers long-range DNA signals behind RNA splicing

The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have developed a hierarchical Transformer-based artificial intelligence model that predicts RNA splice sites across DNA sequences up to 100,000 base pairs long while preserving single-nucleotide resolution. The system captures long-range regulatory interactions that conventional approaches often miss and visualizes the sequence regions influencing its predictions. The approach achieved state-of-the-art performance on multiple benchmark datasets and may support future studies in genetic diseases, cancer, precision medicine, genomic medicine, and therapeutic development.

Journal: Nucleic Acids Research