Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have determined the genetic lineage of a now extinct plant population from Nishinoshima, a volcanic island whose frequent eruptions periodically “reset” the vegetation. While they traced the lineage to a nearby island, they discovered distinct genetic quirks due to the rarity of seeds making it there, including a “founder’s effect”. Their findings offer a rare glimpse into the very earliest stages of ecosystem development in an isolated environment.

Biologists discover mechanisms of evolutionary change in a cheese fungus. The discovery may point to more robust domestication of fungi for greater diversity in cheese products, avoiding industry threats like the "Camembert extinction"

Complex biological systems are more than the sum of their parts – their properties emerge from the dynamic interaction of their components, such as molecules or cells. PhD researchers now have the opportunity to develop their own theoretical perspective on these systems as part of an international Doctoral Network. A European consortium initiated by researchers from the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS), and the University of Edinburgh has been awarded €4.5M by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to coordinate the network. The network consists of twelve European universities and research centres along with a number of partners outside academia. It is coordinated by the University of Edinburgh.

A novel strategy developed at Rice University allows scientists to zoom in on tiny segments of proteins inside living cells, revealing localized environmental changes that could indicate the earliest stages of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer. The study, published in Nature Chemical Biology on Sept. 10, also shows promise for drug screening that targets protein aggregation diseases.

The Virginia Tech study, which seeks to understand the link between dog behavior and health, compiles four years of owner-reported data from over 47,000 dogs.