Biologists always believed that DNA uniquely determines protein structure — that all three-letter codons unambiguously code for one and only one amino acid or call a halt to protein production. But UC Berkeley biologists have found a member of the Archaea, a methanogen, that interprets a stop codon in two different ways, contradicting a standard dogma of biology. The discovery could help biologists introduce flexibility into how stop codons are interpreted, possibly helping to treat diseases caused by misinterpreted stop codons.

Organoid research has rapidly advanced as a transformative platform for modeling development, disease, and regeneration, yet inconsistent reporting has hindered reproducibility and limited data integration across laboratories. The newly introduced Minimum Information about Organoid Research (MIOR) framework establishes a comprehensive, modular reporting system designed to address these challenges. MIOR defines clear requirements for project metadata, biological sources, organoid characterization, culture conditions, engineering strategies, and assay parameters. By distinguishing essential from recommended fields, the framework balances rigor with practical usability. MIOR aims to turn organoid datasets into reusable, comparable resources and strengthen the reliability and translational potential of organoid-based research.

Using catalytic chemistry, researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo have achieved dynamic control of artificial membranes, enabling life-like membrane behavior. By employing an artificial metalloenzyme that performs a ring-closing metathesis reaction, the team induced the disappearance of phase-separated domains as well as membrane division in artificial membranes, imitating the dynamic behavior of natural biological membranes. This transformative research marks a milestone in synthetic cell technologies, paving the way for innovative therapeutic breakthroughs.