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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Jun-2026 08:15 ET (19-Jun-2026 12:15 GMT/UTC)

The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The vulnerable Amazonian manatee is most often found where human activity is low, with a new eDNA-based method most commonly detecting the freshwater mammal in the remote western Amazon

Journal: PLOS One

Dog behavioral traits are linked with salivary hormone cortisol and neurotransmitter serotonin

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dogs who scored well on the Wesen test, which is used to analyze a dog’s temperament, tended to have lower levels of cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” and higher levels of serotonin, often called the “happiness hormone”, according to a study published February 4, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Minjung Yoon from Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

Breakthrough in human norovirus research: Researchers overcome major obstacle to grow and study the virus

Baylor College of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Baylor College of Medicine team has overcome a major obstacle that limited their ability to continuously grow human norovirus virus, which they require to conduct experiments needed to develop strategies to prevent and treat these serious infections and better understand norovirus biology. The researchers identified factors that restrict viral replication and developed a way to overcome them to optimize long-term viral cultivation.

Journal: Science Advances

New acoustic study reveals deep-diving behavior of elusive beaked whales

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have captured a rare view of one of the ocean’s least understood whales—without ever seeing it. By listening to the sounds beaked whales naturally produce, researchers have reconstructed a three-dimensional picture of their deep-diving behavior in the Gulf of Mexico.

Journal: PLOS One
Funder: NOAA’s RESTORE Science Program, Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group’s Reduce Impacts of Anthropogenic Noise on Cetaceans

More isn’t always better: Texas A&M research links high-dose antioxidants to offspring birth defects

Texas A&M University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a study, published in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Golding found that offspring of male mice exposed to antioxidants for six weeks exhibited skull and facial shape differences, even while the father’s health didn’t change. These findings suggest that men should exercise caution when consuming high doses of antioxidants, especially if they’re planning to have children in the near future.

Journal: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
Funder: W. M. Keck Foundation

Sounding out animal reactions to the 2024 eclipse

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

No natural phenomenon provides a rarer chance to study the secrets of the animal world than a total solar eclipse.

Journal: Ethology Ecology & Evolution

A double-edged sword: Chronic cellular stress promotes liver cancer—but also makes tumors vulnerable to immunotherapy

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A key molecular mechanism drives the growth of liver cell cancer while simultaneously suppressing the body's immune response to the tumor. This has now been published in the journal Nature by a team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University Hospital of Tübingen, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, California. However, the results also show that this very mechanism could help identify patients who respond particularly well to immunotherapy in the future, thus opening up new therapeutic approaches.

Journal: Nature

New transgenic zebrafish models decades of muscle atrophy in weeks

MDI Biological Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Published in PLOS Genetics, new research from MDI Biological Laboratory introduces a transgenic zebrafish that rapidly reproduces the molecular and cellular hallmarks of age-related muscle decline (sarcopenia). By conditionally activating a single atrophy-linked gene, the model—dubbed “atrofish”—compresses years of muscle aging into days or weeks. The platform reveals early protein loss in muscle fibers, uncovers a surprising link between muscle degeneration and nerve loss, and offers a fast, cost-effective way to test interventions aimed at preserving muscle and neuromuscular health during aging.

Journal: PLOS Genetics
Funder: Morris Discovery Fund, MDI Biological Laboratory, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Inspire Foundation

Scientists discover oral compound that helps “reset” the body clock forward

Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Japanese research team has discovered a new compound that can advance the body’s internal clock—offering hope for faster recovery from jet lag and better adaptation to night-shift work. The compound, called Mic-628, specifically activates the transcription of a clock gene named Period1 (Per1). When given orally to mice, it advanced their body clocks and activity rhythms, regardless of dosing time. The findings suggest a new approach to controlling circadian rhythms through drug action rather than light exposure.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences