A new study in Science Bulletin reveals that maternal PAN2 protein is essential for early embryonic development by regulating mRNA poly(A) tail length. Using an oocyte-specific conditional knockout mouse model, researchers found that PAN2 deficiency causes embryos to arrest at the two-cell stage due to abnormal poly(A) tail elongation, maternal mRNA accumulation, and impaired zygotic genome activation. PAN2 recognizes substrates via the PAN3-PABPC1 complex, preferring tails lacking guanosine but enriched in uridine.

Researchers have described a new species of leafless flowering plant found on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand, and its otherworldly appearance has earned it a fittingly dramatic name: Thismia daemona, the “devil flower”.

A comprehensive in silico scan of human respiratory viruses identified 3CLpro cleavage motifs within influenza NP and PA. Experimental validation confirmed that 3CLpro-mediated cleavage triggers rapid protein degradation and cytoplasmic mislocalization. Consequently, both ectopic 3CLpro expression and SARS-CoV-2 replication effectively inhibit replication across diverse influenza virus strains, revealing a broad-spectrum antiviral mechanism.

In a paper published today (2 September) in Proceedings of the Royal Society, researchers from St Andrews alongside colleagues from Dartmouth College, suggest that fireside storytelling may have provided the key catalyst to move human communication away from the ape-like systems our modern ape cousins still use today, and towards our uniquely human use of language. 

Now, in a Nature Communications study published on August 13, 2026, scientists at Scripps Research offer a blueprint for how to stabilize the various versions of influenza’s HA protein and use it to build nanoparticle vaccine candidates. Influenza is the latest target made compatible with the nanoparticle technology, specifically called self-assembling protein nanoparticles (SApNPs), which work by organizing many copies of viral proteins into clusters that the immune system can more easily recognize. This framework could eventually be applied to inform design of next-generation vaccines across diverse flu viruses.

Ying Zhang in URI's College of the Environment and Life Sciences is leading a collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation that will leverage existing collaborations and coastal research networks in Rhode Island and Louisiana. With nearly 40% of Americans living in coastal counties, this research is highly relevant to building community resilience and economic sustainability in both states.