Biological Science: Research Guide

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 [...]

A new ultra-sensitive imaging system can make cancer cells light up, paving the way for faster and earlier detection. Researchers have created a compact Raman imaging system that can reliably tell tumor tissue apart from normal tissue. The goal is to support earlier cancer detection and make molecular imaging easier to use beyond specialized research [...]

Dropping a well-timed swear word might be the simplest way to unlock extra strength and focus when you need it most. Blurting out a swear word when things get tough often brings a sense of relief. Research now suggests it may do more than ease frustration. A study published by the American Psychological Association indicates [...]

A low-dose antibiotic developed in Leiden may stop C. difficile infections more effectively by targeting the pathogen while preserving the gut microbiome. Researchers in Leiden have developed a new antibiotic called EVG7 that can combat the dangerous gut bacterium C. difficile using only a very small dose. The treatment also sharply reduces the chances that [...]

A new experimental drug from Northwestern University is showing added potential as an early treatment approach for Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study, researchers at Northwestern reported finding a previously unrecognized, highly toxic sub-species of amyloid beta oligomers, which are toxic clusters of peptides. The team says this subtype appears to help set off some [...]

Sulthiame reduced breathing interruptions in sleep apnea patients, pointing toward a viable drug treatment. A European clinical trial has found that the drug sulthiame can reduce breathing pauses and improve sleep quality in people with obstructive sleep apnea, with researchers from the University of Gothenburg playing a key role in the work. The results suggest [...]

Your “roommate’s” genes could be affecting the bacteria living in your gut, and vice versa, according to a rat study published today (December 18) in Nature Communications. By analyzing more than four thousand animals, researchers found that the mix of microbes in a rat’s gut is influenced not only by its own DNA but also [...]

High-intensity interval training outperforms standard home exercise in improving fitness for patients with inflammatory muscle disease. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in eBioMedicine, finds that high-intensity interval training improves physical fitness and muscle endurance more than standard home-based exercise in people recently diagnosed with inflammatory muscle disease. Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are rare [...]