Biological Science: Research Guide

Balanophora is a plant that abandoned photosynthesis long ago and now lives entirely as a parasite on tree roots, hidden in dark forest undergrowth. Scientists surveying rare populations across East Asian islands uncovered how its cellular machinery shrank but didn’t disappear, revealing unexpected similarities to parasites like malaria. Some island species even reproduce without sex, cloning themselves to colonize new habitats. This strange survival strategy comes with risks, leaving the plant highly vulnerable to habitat loss.

Repeated environmental changes can lead evolution in unexpected directions, and research from Vermont shows that studying a single population does not capture the full story of an entire species. All forms of life exist in environments that are constantly shifting. Seasons change, wet years follow dry ones, and conditions that once favored survival can quickly [...]

A rare dinosaur discovery sheds new light on the evolution of flight. Fossils of dinosaurs found with well-preserved feathers suggest that some of these animals were no longer capable of flight. The researchers explain that even a detail as subtle as how feathers are replaced can dramatically reshape our understanding of how flight evolved, revealing [...]

The introduction of a nanometric germanium oxide layer drastically improved device performance and stability. As the global demand for clean energy accelerates, solar power continues to attract attention because it is widely available and can be scaled to meet growing needs. Alongside this push, scientists have increasingly explored thin-film solar cells as an alternative to [...]

The research shows for the first time that this compound, which consists of four amino acids, can produce therapeutic effects in brain injuries on its own, without requiring the administration of any additional drugs. An international research collaboration led by the biotechnology company Aivocode, together with scientists from the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia [...]

A clinical trial is investigating whether a stem cell-derived patch can replace disease-damaged cells and restore vision. Age-related macular degeneration is a steadily worsening eye disease and the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans age 65 and older. It damages central vision, making it increasingly difficult to see faces, read text, or [...]

Researchers say the drug likely increases the risk of serious side effects, including heart disease, and that its potential harms probably outweigh any benefits. A large review of existing studies suggests that tramadol, a strong opioid frequently prescribed for chronic pain, offers only limited relief for the conditions it is commonly used to treat. The [...]

Researchers announced over 70 new species in a single year, including bizarre insects, ancient dinosaurs, rare mammals, and deep-river fish. Many were found not in the wild, but in museum collections, proving that major discoveries can still be hiding in plain sight.

A long-standing explanation for magnetoresistance may be incomplete. New evidence suggests a universal interfacial mechanism is at play. A major advance in spintronics came with the discovery of unusual magnetoresistance (UMR). In this effect, the electrical resistance of a heavy metal changes when it is placed next to a magnetic insulator and the magnetization rotates [...]

A team at UNIGE has uncovered a geometric structure once thought to be purely theoretical at the core of quantum materials, opening the door to major advances in future electronics. How can information be processed almost instantly, or electrical current flow without energy loss? To reach these goals, researchers in both academia and industry are [...]

A new study shows that promising single-crystal battery materials degrade for reasons scientists hadn’t fully recognized before. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have identified the source of a long-standing problem in battery performance that has been linked to fading capacity, reduced lifespan, and, in rare [...]

Would you rather fight a horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses? As silly as it sounds, the question captures a real dilemma: do you go for a few high-quality options, or many lower-quality ones? A new study suggests evolution has been running a version of this choice for millions of years, and ants offer one [...]

A new genome-wide mapping method finally shows how thousands of genes connect to drive disease. Biomedical researchers are working intensively to identify the genes that contribute to disease, with the long-term aim of developing treatments that precisely target those genes and help restore normal health. When illness can be traced back to a single faulty [...]

Researchers demonstrated that newly developed molecules designed to block an immune checkpoint can trigger a powerful immune response against tumors. Scientists at MIT and Stanford University have introduced a new method for activating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, offering a potential way to expand the benefits of immunotherapy to a larger [...]

A new stem cell–based therapy challenges traditional pain treatment by using pain-sensing neurons to reduce inflammation and protect joints. Newly released preclinical data describes an unconventional strategy for managing chronic pain while helping preserve joint tissue. The findings focus on SN101, a first-in-class therapy developed from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), and outline a biological [...]

A new twist on bromine-based flow batteries could make large-scale energy storage cheaper, safer, and far longer-lasting. Bromine-based flow batteries store and release energy through a chemical reaction involving bromide ions and elemental bromine. This approach offers several advantages, including widely available raw materials, strong electrochemical potential, and good solubility in liquid electrolytes. The challenge [...]

Scientists are using CRISPR to fast-track the domestication of a wild fruit. For roughly 10,000 years, farming communities have improved crops by saving seeds from plants that produced better harvests. By repeatedly choosing varieties with desirable traits such as larger size, better flavor, and greater resilience, people gradually shaped the fruits and vegetables that are [...]

Using AI, researchers identified one tiny molecular interaction that viruses need to infect cells. Disrupting it stopped the virus before infection could begin. Washington State University scientists have uncovered a method to interfere with a key viral protein, stopping viruses from getting inside cells where they can cause disease. The discovery points toward a possible [...]

A research team developed two flavor-enhancing techniques that transform carob pulp into a delicious, sustainable alternative to cocoa. Rising temperatures and the spread of crop diseases are placing increasing pressure on the global supply of cocoa. In response to these challenges, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) began investigating ways to improve the [...]

A deadly, drug-resistant hospital fungus may finally have a weakness—and scientists think they’ve found it. Researchers have identified a genetic process that could open the door to new treatments for a dangerous fungal infection that has repeatedly forced hospital intensive care units to close. The discovery offers fresh hope against a pathogen that has been [...]

New clinical evidence indicates that a widely used supplement may alter gut microbes involved in vitamin D biology and colorectal cancer processes. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have shown in a precision-focused clinical trial that taking a magnesium supplement can increase certain gut bacteria in people. These bacteria are known to produce vitamin D [...]

A newly identified virus–cell hybrid structure allows viruses to spread faster and more aggressively by hitching a ride on migrating cells. Viruses rely on efficient movement between cells to establish infection and cause disease. Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot reproduce on their own and must enter host cells to multiply, making the way they spread a [...]

Researchers have discovered that indoor tanning may accelerate genetic aging in the skin, leaving young users with more cancer-linked mutations than people decades older. People who use tanning beds have long been known to face a greater risk of skin cancer. New research now shows that young adults who tan indoors experience genetic changes in [...]

Researchers have uncovered that the body uses different molecular systems to sense cold in the skin versus internal organs. This explains why surface chills feel very different from cold experienced deep inside the body.

A newly reconstructed fossil face from Ethiopia reveals surprising complexity in early human evolution. By digitally fitting together teeth and fossilized bone fragments, researchers reconstructed a strikingly well preserved face of a human ancestor that lived 1.5 million years ago. The find represents the first complete Early Pleistocene hominin cranium from the Horn of Africa [...]

What looked like a mysterious exoplanet was actually the sparkling debris from a violent collision between massive space rocks. Even more astonishing, astronomers watched a second collision unfold in the same system, revealing a surprisingly chaotic neighborhood where new worlds may be born. In a rare skywatching surprise, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST) recorded the [...]

A rare earthquake in Myanmar revealed how a long, mature fault can transmit energy directly to the surface. The discovery may change how scientists evaluate the danger posed by major faults around the world. The powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025, has provided scientists with a rare opportunity to closely examine how [...]

A new study reveals that wildfires on Alaska’s North Slope have reached levels unseen in the past 3,000 years. Wildfires across Alaska’s North Slope have been more frequent over the last century than at any point in the previous 3,000 years, according to new research published in the journal Biogeosciences. The work was carried out [...]

Climate change is increasing the likelihood of massive hurricanes and typhoons in the western Pacific, North Atlantic, and Gulf regions. New research shows that the ocean conditions responsible for the most powerful hurricanes and typhoons are becoming warmer in both the North Atlantic and the Western Pacific. These changes are driven by heat stored in [...]

A hidden cellular cleanup system may hold the key to healthier tear glands—and new hope for treating dry eye disease. Roughly 5 to 15 percent of people experience dry eye problems, a condition marked by symptoms such as redness, stinging or burning sensations, and tired, uncomfortable eyes. Dry eye disease (DED) develops when the tear [...]