When University of Rhode Island researchers slipped beneath the surface of the Moosup River recently, they did not expect to find a living freshwater mussel community. The discovery marked the first documented record of freshwater mussels in the river in more than three decades and included rare native species considered sensitive indicators of river health.

Wildlife protection frameworks in both the EU and the UK need stronger and more consistent implementation—and must recognize animals as "individuals capable of experiencing suffering," rather than mere ecological assets.

Climate change is altering the spread of waterborne diseases around the world, according to a comprehensive review published today in Nature Reviews Microbiology. The publication is the most up-to-date, comprehensive analysis examining how climate change influences waterborne diseases.

A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Soybean Association finds that Illinois corn and soybean farmers could lose up to $609 million per year—representing a 3.6% revenue loss—if the state banned the weedkiller glyphosate. The study is published in the journal Weed Technology.

Fossil finds are exciting moments that sometimes introduce the world to an ancient mammal or dinosaur that existed millions of years ago. But a longstanding problem in paleontology is that fossils are often incomplete, and subtle differences between certain species, along with major changes that can occur as an animal grows, complicate species identification. A paper published this month in Paleobiology lays the groundwork for a new approach to correctly identifying ancient animal fossils, with significant implications for vertebrate paleontology.

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Kiel University (CAU) have examined immune system function in an early-branching animal—a sea anemone. They discovered that the immune systems of these animals can selectively distinguish between different microorganisms, protecting beneficial bacteria from harmful bacteria—an ability that has been attributed only to vertebrates to date. So-called "nematosomes" play an important role in this process.

Hiroshima University researchers have used genome editing to transform red perilla into a green look-alike and simultaneously restructured the plant's chemistry to boost levels of compounds prized for their potential health benefits. The findings point to a new strategy for developing high-value crops for the food and pharmaceutical industries. The study was published in Frontiers in Plant Science.

For more than 25 years, lab-on-a-chip technology has allowed researchers to model human organs and blood vessels using real human cells in artificial microscopic environments. These microphysiological systems (MPS) may replicate human cells and mimic organs or even full organ systems under numerous conditions. They have become key to studying everything from heart disease to the effectiveness of new drugs. However, they have been held back by one major limitation: an inability to accurately re-create the blood flow waveforms generated by the human heart.

They are the cell's "gatekeepers": specialized proteins, known as transporters, selectively control which substances enter a cell and which do not. Researchers at the University of Münster and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have investigated these transporters in a specific case: the UapA transporter of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The findings are not only relevant to cell biology but could also offer new approaches to treating fungal infections.

A tiny Asian-origin beetle that has devastated ash forests in North America has been detected in the European Union for the first time, in Hungary and Slovakia, authorities said.

A new study published in Nature Communications reveals a hidden source of antibiotic resistance, providing an early warning sign for researchers and public health officials.

Scientists have long thought humans have a uniquely difficult birth compared with other primates. And it's true that, from an evolutionary perspective, we face an obstetrical dilemma. As we evolved to walk on two feet, our pelvis changed shape and size, and our birth canal became smaller and oddly twisted. Meanwhile, the evolution of our enormous brain meant that a large-headed baby needed to fit through it.

Bacteria can defend themselves against antibiotics with the help of an enzyme released by dying cells, according to a study by a team from the Institute for Biological Physics at the University of Cologne and Wageningen University & Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This discovery helps scientists understand bacterial survival mechanisms and improve the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Social animals use a suite of preemptive behaviors in anticipation of conflict, including staying quiet, monitoring their surroundings, conducting raids and bonding through play. In a review published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution , researchers describe how environmental cues and memories of past events can trigger these behaviors. Over generations, these prewar preparations could affect sociocognitive evolution, population dynamics and community structures.

A team of researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has discovered a completely new genus and species of subterranean freshwater snail in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. The species, Cyllena hermes, is a small, unpigmented, eyeless aquatic snail fully adapted to life underground.

An ancient sea worm may hold the secret to a whole new category of natural materials. Its jaws combine proteins and metal ions in a way that gives them metal-like strength and unusual mechanical behavior, yet they still differ from traditional metals. Researchers believe these "bio-metals" could open new directions in materials science while revealing just how sophisticated nature's designs can be.

The spidery wattle (Acacia araneosa) is a national treasure. The plant is named for its spidery, leaflike phyllodes and shares the same iconic golden flowers as Australia's floral emblem, the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha).

Proteins regulate a wide range of biological processes inside and outside cells by binding to specific molecular partners. In recent years, short peptides that can selectively recognize disease-related proteins have attracted attention as compact molecular tools for biosensors, diagnostic technologies, and drug discovery. However, how such small peptides recognize different proteins depending on their surrounding chemical environment has not yet been fully understood.

An international research team led by the Science Policy and Internationalization Department at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures has published a practical guide in the journal Scientific Data.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination poses a serious threat to global food safety. As a toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal, cadmium can accumulate in agricultural soils through industrialization and urbanization before entering the human food chain. Rice is especially vulnerable because it absorbs more cadmium than other major cereal crops, making it one of the largest dietary sources of cadmium exposure for nearly half the world's population.

Another last-resort antibiotic has fallen victim to the rapid evolution of drug-resistant superbugs. The powerful antibiotic combination ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA), widely used to treat severe hospital-acquired infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa—particularly in critically ill and immunocompromised patients—can no longer eliminate some of these infections.

Hosted by the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), The Simpson Center for Food & Agricultural Policy, Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Pork Council, the two-day workshop brought together representatives from organizations including the Canadian Cattle Association, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Farm Credit Canada, TELUS Agriculture, Royal Military College of Canada and the University of Guelph to examine how geopolitical tensions, biological threats, trade disruptions and supply chain vulnerabilities are reshaping Canada's food system.

Today, oceans host a large variety of fast, resilient marine predators, including tunas, mackerels and various other fish species. Many of these fish belong to a lineage known as Scombridae, whose members are characterized by fins supported by thin, bony structures known as rays.

The "red tide" algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX. The toxin accumulates in shellfish and causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) when consumed.

The first person has been treated with a highly anticipated new gene therapy that aims to turn back the clock on ageing cells. The trial is aimed at retinal cells, with the hope that encouraging them to behave as if they were young again could improve sight in the affected patients. If it proves to be safe, it could open the door to a whole raft of therapies based on the emerging field of cellular rejuvenation. To understand more about this cutting edge research, Madeleine Finlay hears from science editor Ian Sample and from Paul Knoepfler, professor of cell biology and human anatomy at the university of California, Davis.Support the Guardian Continue reading...