Human eggs are some of the most patient cells in the body, lying dormant for decades until needed. A study published today in The EMBO Journal shows that the cells deliberately slow the activity of their internal waste disposal systems as they mature, most likely an evolutionary design which keeps metabolism low and damage at bay. The research is the largest-scale study of healthy human eggs collected directly from women and could lead to new strategies to improve success rates for the millions of IVF cycles attempted worldwide each year.

Although music is considered a purely auditory experience, visual cues can unconsciously influence performance judgements—a phenomenon known as the sight-over-sound effect. To explore how one’s musical expertise can affect this bias, researchers from Japan conducted a controlled study using recordings from Japanese high school brass band competitions. Their results reveal that the effect predominantly appears in musicians without genre-specific experience, highlighting how specialized training can shape multisensory evaluation in music perception and judgement.

Amphidromous fish – which migrate between freshwater streams and the sea – can move between habitats thanks to ocean currents. Since island streams are generally small and vulnerable to human impact, understanding how exactly fish populations are connected between streams and between islands is important for the conservation of geographically isolated species. In a study now published in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and collaborators sought to understand these dynamics by investigating the genetic connectivity among populations of the amphidromous goby Luciogobius ryukyuensis at four islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan: Okinawa, Kume, Ishigaki, and Iriomote. 

A research group led by Teppei Matsuda, Assistant Prof. Ryota Yamagami, and Prof. Hiroyuki Hori (Ehime University), in collaboration with Associate Prof. Akira Hirata and Aoi Ihara (Tokushima University), as well as Prof. Takeo Suzuki (University of the Ryukyus), has identified a novel tRNA modification enzyme in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. This enzyme specifically catalyzes 2′-O-methylation of the ribose at cytidine located at position 6 in tRNA^Trp.

What’s the driving factor behind nemo’s evolutionary diversification, and why does this matter? Anemonefish are one of the few examples of adaptive radiation in marine environments — where species rapidly diversify to fill ecological roles. Understanding how this happens can teach us how biodiversity forms and is maintained, especially under changing environmental pressures.

Scientists have long assumed that anemonefishes’ tight-knit relationship with sea anemones, their protective hosts, was the main engine behind their evolutionary diversification. Our study instead shows that distinct ecological lifestyles also shape how different species evolve. Some species are “adventurers” that roam widely with powerful muscles and low energy costs, while others are “homebodies” that stay close to their anemone, have smaller muscles, and use more energy to swim.

This matters because it underscores how different behaviors and physiological traits influence biodiversity. In a time of rapid environmental change, understanding these hidden dimensions of animal adaptation helps us better predict which species may be more resilient or vulnerable.

Now, a team of researchers has found that some corals survive warming ocean temperatures by passing heat-resisting abilities on to their offspring. 

The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, are the result of a collaboration between Michigan State University, Duke University and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, or HIMB, at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This work, funded by the National Science Foundation and a Michigan State University Climate Change Research grant, is crucial in the race to better conserve and restore threatened reefs across the globe.