World’s largest scorpion revealed from 415-million-year-old fossils
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2026 07:16 ET (17-Jun-2026 11:16 GMT/UTC)
• Fossil fragments suggest Praearcturus gigas represents the largest scorpion ever discovered, perhaps one metre in length
• Specimens held in the Natural History Museum collection since the 1870s have been reinterpreted using modern techniques
• Giant scorpion lived tens of millions of years before other famous “giant” arthropods, reshaping ideas about how and why early arthropods grew so large
When compared to membrane affinity binding columns and ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid yields the lowest contaminating free protein, highest nucleic acid content, and has similar yield of EVs while maintaining EV structure and function for downstream applications.
Structures of the human M-channel reveal a remarkably flexible assembly and the molecular basis for its subthreshold activation, enabling the design of a highly selective activator for precise epilepsy therapy.
Scientists repeatedly sampled microbes from six sites up to 1.5 kilometers deep across four years inside a former goldmine. Microbial ecosystems appear to be structured around shared functions rather than shared species. Each ecosystem was organized around two broad groups of microbes: a stable group and a responsive group. Ecosystems were very different among sites but largely stable through time. Study could have implications for underground engineering projects, including carbon storage.
In response to stress or damage, cells undergo senescence and stop dividing. However, if senescent cells accumulate in tissues over the long term, chronic inflammation occurs and the risk of cancer increases. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which senescent cells protect themselves from oxidative stress and a specific form of cell death known as ferroptosis. In the long term, these findings could provide new avenues for cancer therapies and the treatment of age-related diseases.
This is the first demonstration of how impressive leaf mimicry can also be used to enhance the attractiveness of a sexual signal. Katydids create songs by rubbing specialised structures on their wings together but in many tropical species, the leaf-mimicking portion makes up the majority of the wing surface. The researchers found that males are able to use the acoustic properties of these structures to their reproductive advantage.