How food is shared inside ant colonies has long been invisible in real time. Researchers in Japan have now used a highly sensitive radioactive imaging technique to watch food move from ant to ant, minute by minute. The method reveals unexpected patterns in how resources spread through a group and could help scientists detect early warning signs of stress or imbalance in insect societies, crucial to ecosystems and agriculture.

Ependymoma is a central nervous system tumor that occurs primarily in children and can arise in the supratentorial region, posterior fossa, or spinal cord. Although molecular classification has substantially improved disease stratification and prognostic assessment, the metabolic phenotypes associated with the major pediatric subtypes have remained poorly defined. Because pediatric ependymoma is rare, assembling a cohort that spans multiple molecularly defined subtypes for systematic metabolic comparison is itself challenging.

 

Diabetes is a highly prevalent chronic condition and a major contributor to the global burden of disease, posing substantial challenges to health systems. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains its leading complication, and people with diabetes face a two- to four-fold higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than the general population. Control of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), collectively referred to as ABC risk factors, is a cornerstone of cardiovascular prevention in diabetes.

Rivers worldwide are under severe stress: They are warming, losing oxygen and as a result emitting increasing amounts of greenhouse gases. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now quantified these global trends over a period of more than two decades. Their results show that rising temperatures and anthropogenic land use are fundamentally transforming river systems, with serious consequences for the climate. The findings have been published in Global Change Biology. (DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70828)

Scientists from the National University of Singapore have successfully engineered a naturally occurring beneficial gut bacterium into a programmable “living medicine” to treat hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a severe brain dysfunction linked to liver failure. The therapy combines two engineered gut-bacteria strains: one absorbs excess gut ammonia and converts it into nutrients lacking in HE patients, while the other reduces ammonia production. Compared with a standard HE antibiotic, the cocktail achieved stronger improvements in anxiety and short-term memory, while also reduced inflammation in the brain.

Cotton genome editing, especially in elite varieties, has proven difficult. Now, in a study published in The Crop Journal, researchers from China have successfully demonstrated CRISPR/Cas genome editing in nonregenerative cotton via sexual hybridization. This work opens up a novel technical avenue for the genetic improvement of elite cotton varieties that are recalcitrant to tissue culture, advancing agriculture and biotechnology.

How are bacterial pathogens able to effectively overcome plants defense mechanisms? Researchers working with Professor Şuayb Üstün at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have found a surprising answer to this question: The pathogens seize tiny compartments in plant cells, known as processing bodies or P-bodies, to selectively deactivate protein production when the plant needs it the most. The researchers describe this previously unknown strategy of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae in the journal Science Advances from April 24, 2026.

Background

Ticks are key vectors of zoonotic diseases in the Northern Hemisphere, including China, yet surveillance and public awareness remain limited. While global studies address risk perception, similar research in China, especially with spatial or longitudinal detail, is scarce. This study assesses tick-borne disease risk perception, influencing factors, and spatial variation in Northeast China and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu (also known as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) to inform targeted interventions.

Methods

In 2019, a cross-sectional questionnaire surveyed 4000 adults in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu using multi-stage sampling. Knowledge was assessed in four domains: tick biology/ecology, bite treatment, tick-borne diseases, and bite prevention, alongside socio-demographic and behavioral data. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression identified knowledge levels and associated factors.

Results

Knowledge of tick biology was relatively high (1830/4000, 45.8% with high knowledge), but awareness of bite treatment, diseases, and especially prevention was low (31.5% with high tick-borne disease knowledge; 21.6% with high prevention knowledge), even among high-risk groups. Urban residents had higher knowledge than those in rural or remote areas. Frequent woodland visits and prior tick bites increased knowledge of tick biology (regression coefficients: 0.311 and 0.387, both P < 0.001) but not prevention. Education and outdoor activity showed mixed associations with knowledge domains.

Conclusion

Major gaps exist in public knowledge of tick-borne diseases, particularly regarding prevention, with notable disparities across regions and risk groups. Targeted, region-specific interventions are urgently needed to improve awareness and protection, especially in high-risk and low-awareness areas.