The Cambrian explosion was an extraordinary phenomenon in the evolution of life on the planet that led to the emergence of many animal phyla and the diversification of species. During this period, some 530 million years ago, most of the basic body plans of organisms that have survived to the present day emerged. However, this great explosion of life that changed the evolutionary landscape on Earth may have occurred millions of years earlier than previously thought, a hypothesis now reinforced in a study published in the journal Geology.

A research team led by Associate Professor Ayako Okado-Matsumoto from the Toho University’s Department of Biology, has made an important breakthrough in understanding Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), in collaboration with Professor Ryuji Sakakibara from the Department of Neurology, Sakura Medical Center, and Professors Hitoshi Nukada and Soroku Yagihashi from the Department of Exploratory Medicine on Nature, Life and Man, Toho University The teamdiscovered something remarkable about a specific protein in patient’s blood. The researchers found that people with DLB have significantly lower amount of a protein called α-synuclein (alpha synuclein) in their red blood cells compared to healthy people and those with other brain diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. α-synuclein is a protein that becomes problematic when it builds up abnormally in brain cells, contributing to various neurological conditions.

Researchers have been studying algae that eat kelp instead of making their own sugar. The findings open up new ways of making all kinds of useful things out of kelp.

Scientists recently found an example of evolution in real time, tucked away in the collection drawers of the Field Museum in Chicago. By comparing the skulls of chipmunks and voles from the Chicagoland area collected over the past 125 years, the researchers found evidence that these rodents have been adapting to life in an increasingly urban environment.

Ribosomes are miniature factories of life. A detailed understanding of their mechanical mastery lays the foundations for all manner of applications – from manufacturing vaccines to developing new antibiotics. This is why Prof. Christian Spahn, a biophysicist at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, wants to see these nanofactories in action. And that’s no mean feat: it requires ultra-cold temperatures and a four-meter-tall microscope that has to be handled as carefully as a raw egg. However, it will enable him to observe ribosomes at higher temporal resolution than ever before. Spahn’s project has now secured an ERC Advanced Grant – one of Europe’s most prestigious research funding awards.