A new study reveals that the illegal wildlife trade — worth billions annually — is deeply connected to other forms of organized crime, including arms dealing, drug trafficking and human smuggling.

By mapping these criminal intersections, researchers found that tackling the illegal trade in animals and plants requires understanding how it converges with other serious crimes. This approach can help law enforcement agencies focus on the key actors driving these global networks, rather than low-level offenders.

Peroxisomes are essential cell organelles that play a vital role in lipid metabolism and cellular detoxification. To perform these functions, numerous enzymes must be correctly transported into the organelles. A research team at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, led by Professor Ralf Erdmann and Dr. Ismaila Francis Yusuf has now discovered a previously unknown quality control mechanism that governs peroxisomal protein transport in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This mechanism is crucial for maintaining peroxisomal function. The study was published in Cell Reports on October 28, 2025.

In their new study an international team led by the University of Vienna reports the discovery and extraction of ancient DNA from a tiny 5 cm long Neanderthal bone found in the Crimean peninsula, shedding light on long-distance migrations during the Late Pleistocene period 40,000 - 50,000 years ago. The Neanderthal bone, called "Star 1", after the site from which it was excavated – Starosele Cave – was found using a biomolecular method that uses ancient proteins to determine if a bone belongs to humans or animals. Ancient DNA extracted from the bone showed that it was genetically closest related to Neanderthals from the Altai region of Siberia, over 3,000 kilometers away. Climate modelling suggests that Neanderthal groups probably migrated across the vast Eurasian steppes during a time of favourable climate. The study was published in PNAS.

Protein designers have now created new calcium channels, built bottom-up from scratch. Naturally occurring ion channels, present in the membrane of excitable cells, generate electrical impulses. These electrophysiological signals help direct muscle contraction, the heartbeat and the release of neurotransmitters. Synthetic ion channels could serve as tools for biomedical research, from neuroscience experiments to heart biology models and synthetic cell signaling circuits. 

A joint research team from POSTECH, Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has developed a 3D-bioprinted retina-on-a-chip and retinal vein occlusion model.