Land plants – such as mosses, ferns and trees – are some of the most structurally complex photosynthesizing organisms on Earth. But their evolutionary story is deeply tied to their ancestors: simpler green algae that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. Among these algae, a group related to land plants that can still be found today – the Coleochaetophyceae – stands out. These freshwater algae form branching, disc-shaped structures that resemble some of the building blocks of plants’ bodies. Interestingly, the closest living algal relatives of land plants – the Zygnematophyceae – are much simpler in structure, suggesting that plant-like complexity appeared and disappeared multiple times throughout evolution. Now, an international team of researchers led by the University of Göttingen has used DNA and data from fossil evidence to shed new light on this enigmatic group of algae: Coleochaetophyceae. The results were published in Current Biology.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a complex, multifactorial condition that presents significant diagnostic challenges. Current clinical guidelines are often inadequate for idiopathic cases or emerging biomarkers, and artificial intelligence (AI) models struggle to integrate multimodal data.

To address these issues, this research developed RSA-KG, a graph-based, RAG-enhanced AI knowledge graph. The system synthesizes multimodal clinical data by integrating 5 international RSA guidelines, utilizing natural language processing (NLP) and multimodal models for data processing.

Evaluations demonstrated that Large Language Models (LLMs) enhanced by RSA-KG significantly outperformed both naive retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and raw models in diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, reproductive specialists rated the outputs from the RSA-KG system more favorably than those from raw models or other medical LLMs. RSA-KG represents a novel approach to RSA management, overcoming the limitations of traditional AI by modeling systemic interactions and integrating real-time evidence.

Reperfusion therapy is the mainstay of treatment for ischemic stroke (IS) but frequently exacerbates secondary injury. Following cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, lactate accumulates markedly. Traditionally regarded as a metabolic byproduct, lactate has gained new significance with the discovery of protein lactylation. In addition to experimental evidence, recent computational models have been developed to predict potential proteins and sites of lactylation. Nevertheless, the roles of lactate and lactylation in cerebral ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury remain unclear and even controversial. Current studies suggest that ischemic and reperfusion phases differ in their pathological changes, and accumulating evidence indicates that non-histone lactylation may aggravate injury. Proposed mechanisms include the promotion of neuronal death, exacerbation of neuroinflammation, modulation of mitochondrial function, and alteration of angiogenesis. Furthermore, potential crosstalk between lactylation and other post-translational modifications, whether synergistic or antagonistic, may influence disease progression, yet such interactions in cerebral I/R injury have not been systematically investigated. Current strategies to modulate lactylation include targeting lactate levels, lactate dehydrogenase, transporters, and modifying enzymes. This review summarizes multiple factors influencing non-histone lactylation and discusses potential intervention strategies, highlighting their advantages and limitations and providing new perspectives for the treatment of cerebral I/R injury.

Once a lab novice, UD senior Sean Fletcher uncovered key molecular insights into HPV. Using computational biology, he identified conserved regions in the viral E2 protein vital to replication and cancer risk, and found mutations that may disrupt E2 function and increase cancer potential.

Plankton are tiny and highly diverse marine organisms that can act as indicators for the health and biodiversity of ecosystems in the face of factors such as climate change. In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers used a technique called ultrastructure expansion microscopy to extensively study the cellular structure of over 200 planktonic marine microbes. The study, recently published in the journal Cell, was part of a plug-in project for the EMBL-led Traversing European Coastlines (TREC) expedition, and takes the first steps towards a planetary atlas of plankton.

Land use is at the heart of the many emergencies facing our world today: climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice and food insecurity. These – exacerbated by unsustainable practices such as industrial agriculture – combine to create simultaneous and interconnected crises. To overcome these challenges, large parts of the Earth's surface must meet several demands at the same time – from species conservation and food production to human well-being. This is where multifunctional landscapes come in, because they can meet many ecological, social and economic goals at once. Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel have evaluated how using land in such ways can support nature conservation and ecosystem restoration. Their review article shows ways to redesign land use and nature conservation using integrated approaches. This was published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity.