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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2026 01:15 ET (17-Jun-2026 05:15 GMT/UTC)

China Agricultural University researchers discover key gene regulating cuticular wax and drought tolerance in sorghum

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As global climate change intensifies and agricultural environments become increasingly arid, understanding the adaptive mechanisms of terrestrial plants is critical for global food security. Plant cuticular wax forms a vital hydrophobic barrier that protects crops from severe water loss, UV radiation, and pathogen infection. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), a major drought-tolerant crop, is valued for its thick cuticular wax layer, which markedly enhances resilience to abiotic stresses. However, the key regulatory mechanisms governing cuticular wax accumulation and very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) biosynthesis have remained largely uncharacterized.

Journal: The Crop Journal

Asian scientists unveil 10-year roadmap for building synthetic cells

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists from six Asian countries have launched an ambitious 10-year effort to build synthetic cells from non-living molecules, marking the region's first coordinated push to create an artificial single-celled biological system.

Journal: Nature Biotechnology

Beyond the sting: box jellyfish reveal diverse and complex reproduction

Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (AIMEC), Tohoku University and JAMSTEC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Tohoku University look beyond the life-taking venomous stings of box jellyfish, and focus on life-creating processes in a new comprehensive study of their reproductive traits.

Journal: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Snap-loading cells into uniform microcapsules

University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, pioneered a new method for encapsulating cells within small, soft capsules. This is useful for various kinds of research where the properties of a cell, including its behaviors and interactions, need to be isolated and measured. Previous methods required more specialized equipment, time and expertise. The new method needs only basic lab equipment and can open up access to advanced 3D cell culture research to a broad range of researchers.

Journal: ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Cell Science Research Foundation, Institute for Fermentation, Takeda Science Foundation, Nakatani Foundation, Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research

EV-encapsulated extracellular microRNAs: orchestrators of systemic communication in immunity and inflammation

Nanjing University School of Life Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a review published in Immunity & Inflammation, Prof. Chen-Yu Zhang from the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Nanjing University has synthesized two decades of progress in extracellular RNA biology. Their article, titled “EV-encapsulated extracellular microRNAs as orchestrators of systemic communication in immunity and inflammation,” traces the remarkable evolution of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) from stable biomarkers in biofluids to active orchestrators of long-range immune regulation and inter-organ crosstalk. The review positions EV-encapsulated miRNAs as a sophisticated “molecular postal system” and “hidden language” that coordinates systemic communication in metabolism, tissue repair, and immune homeostasis.

Journal: Immunity & Inflammation
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

A double agent causes surprises

University of Würzburg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The loss of an enzyme can reprogram cellular metabolism in a way that protects cells from a specific form of cell death. Paradoxically, the presumed blockade of this enzyme has the opposite effect, as demonstrated by a study from University of Würzburg researchers.

Journal: Science Advances

University of Toronto researchers aim to improve access to high-quality research and biomanufacturing tools in resource-limited settings

University of Toronto - Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using synthetic biology and cell-free systems, Associate Professor Keith Pardee and his team have developed a protocol to produce research-quality bioreagents without the use of traditional lab infrastructure. Using freeze-dried reagents reactivated by water and purified through a 3D printed, hand-powered centrifuge, Pardee and his team have a developed a way to effectively bypass the cold-chain, increasing accessibility to proteins by researchers in low-resource settings. This process has been tested in remote areas in Canada and around the world, including on the side of a mountain in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Journal: Science Advances

Ancient oceans began suffocating millions of years before Triassic mass extinction

Virginia Tech
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Oceans began losing oxygen nearly 8 million years before the end‑Triassic mass extinction, according to new research. The findings could offer a road map for today’s warming oceans.

Journal: Nature Communications

Wall lizards in Ohio reproduced their way out of a genetic bottleneck

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Non-native wall lizards living in Cincinnati, Ohio, have thrived against the odds thanks to an ability to expand their population more quickly than any inbreeding-amplified harmful genes could weaken their chances for survival, new research suggests. An estimated 10 of these European common wall lizards arrived in southwest Ohio in the 1950s, brought home by a boy who smuggled them in his luggage after a vacation in northern Italy. Now, hundreds of thousands – and maybe even millions – of them scamper through urban parks and neighborhoods across Cincinnati. They’re called “Lazarus lizards” in a nod to the boy’s family, founders of the Lazarus retail chain.

Journal: Molecular Ecology

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