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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jun-2026 15:16 ET (9-Jun-2026 19:16 GMT/UTC)

Contraception and castration increase lifespan in mammals

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international research team, including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, examined how different forms of reproductive suppression affect longevity in mammals. Using data from 117 mammal species housed in zoos and aquariums worldwide, combined with a meta-analysis of 71 published studies, the researchers found that ongoing hormonal contraception and permanent surgical sterilization increase life expectancy by on average ten percent.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Australian Research Council, Canada Research Excellence Chair Program

Researchers identify Tapt1 gene as essential maintainer of protein synthesis and brain development

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Prof. XU Zhiheng from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has identified Tapt1, together with its partner Suco, as important genes for brain development. They play a vital role in maintaining the balance between protein synthesis and degradation.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

TBX4: a multisystem developmental architect with emerging roles in human disease

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

T-box transcription factor 4 (TBX4), a highly conserved member of the T-box gene family, plays a foundational role in mammalian development. Known primarily for orchestrating hindlimb formation and lung morphogenesis, TBX4 has recently emerged as a key regulator linking genetic, epigenetic, and signaling networks to diverse human diseases.

Journal: Genes & Diseases
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

How human interaction drove evolution to make bears less aggressive

Oxford University Press USA
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution reports that Italian bears living in areas with many villages evolved and become smaller and less aggressive.

Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution
Funder: University of Ferrara, Italian Ministry for University and Research

Refining the uncharted landscape of human transcription factors: a strategic framework for future prioritization

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have comprehensively analyzed genomic binding data of transcription factors (proteins that regulate gene expression) in humans, revealing a substantial amount of unmeasured data. Their findings emphasize the urgent need for strategic prioritization in future data collection efforts to overcome research biases and deepen our understanding of disease mechanisms. To support the global research community, the results are now publicly available as an open-access database.

Journal: Briefings in Functional Genomics

Raising strong yeast as a petroleum substitute

Osaka Metropolitan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers enhanced Saccharomyces cerevisiae to increase its tolerance for high 2,3-butanediol concentrations. This was achieved by introducing mutations into the genomic DNA and successfully obtaining a mutant strain that proliferates 122 times more than the parent strain.

Journal: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Funder: The Green Technologies of Excellence

Protected areas mitigate mammal behavioral disturbances, PKU study finds

Peking University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Peking University, December 17, 2025: A research team led by Professor Li Sheng from the School of Life Sciences at Peking University published a research paper titled "Effects of protected areas on human-induced shifts in nocturnal activity in mammal communities in southwestern China" in Conservation Biology. The study reveals the crucial role of protected areas in mitigating human-induced behavioral disturbances to mammals

Anatomy of a phytoplankton bloom revealed north of Hawai‘i

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Large phytoplankton blooms north of the Hawaiian Islands have been seen in satellite imagery as vast swirls of color nearly every summer, but their origin and ecosystem dynamics have remained mysterious. A recent investigation revealed the confluence of conditions that support the explosion of photosynthetic microbes and the cascade of responses within the microscopic marine world. The highly multidisciplinary study offers the first comprehensive look at the anatomy of these massive biological events

Journal: Progress In Oceanography
Funder: The Simons Foundation - Life Sciences

Study explores why some drug therapies are ineffective for brain tumor patients

University of Plymouth
Grant and Award Announcement

New research taking place at the University of Plymouth's Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, and supported by the Children’s Tumor Foundation, will trial combinations of drugs to try and find the first effective non-surgical treatments for patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)

Funder: Children's Tumor Foundation