Last update: 9 hours ago

Inquiry-based biomimicry course inspires students to design solutions by learning from nature

Biology news

Hackers meet their match: New DNA encryption protects engineered cells from within

Engineered cells are a high-value genetic asset that is key to many fields, including biotechnology, medicine, aging, and stem cell research, with the global market projected to reach $8.0 trillion USD by 2035. Yet the only ...

Biotechnology

report

13 hours ago

Inquiry-based biomimicry course inspires students to design solutions by learning from nature

Research and innovation in Texas A&M University's biomedical engineering department often centers around clinical impact on patients. Beyond the lab, however, some faculty are finding breakthroughs in the classroom.

Biotechnology

9 hours ago

Microbial hockey: Scientists discover how bacteria rotate tiny pucks

At the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Jérémie Palacci's research group is venturing into metallurgy—albeit with a twist. Instead of traditional tools, the scientists use E. coli bacteria, often associated ...

Cell & Microbiology

18 hours ago

Oldest dog DNA suggests 16,000 years of human companionship

The discovery of the oldest ever dog DNA suggests they have been our best friends for nearly 16,000 years—5,000 years earlier than had previously been thought, new research said Wednesday.

Evolution

14 hours ago

Irish bog plant revives ancient remedy as a new weapon vs superbugs

Long before we had modern antibiotics to rely on, people often turned to traditional medicines from plants to treat infections.

Plants & Animals

16 hours ago

Researchers enhance original forestry decision-making software

Mississippi State researchers have developed an updated version of a widely used forestry decision-making tool, improving accessibility and usability while maintaining its analytical strength.

Ecology

22 hours ago

From teeth to thorns: Coincidences shape the universal form of nature's pointed tips

We thought it was evolution, but an experiment with pencils shows that tips like teeth and thorns may owe their rounded shape to mechanical wear. Most of us have been stung by a bee, bitten by an animal, or scratched by a ...

Evolution

Apr 10, 2026

SoCal's hybrid bees outsmart Varroa mites before they even hatch

Southern California is home to a flying black-and-yellow treasure. While commercial honeybee hives nationwide are collapsing under attack from deadly parasites, a unique hybrid bee found only in this part of the state has ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

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SNIPE bacterial defense system shreds phage DNA before infection can begin

What if the Trojan horse had been pulled to pieces, revealing the ruse and fending off the invasion, just as it entered the gates of Troy? That's an apt description of a newly characterized bacterial defense system that chops ...

Cell & Microbiology

Apr 10, 2026

Camera-tagged Adélie penguins caught eating sea snails in East Antarctica

There are many poorly understood links in the food web, often referred to as trophic relationships. Out in East Antarctica, a previously unconfirmed link between sea snails and Adélie penguins might reveal more than meets ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

Nicotine's last biosynthesis steps mapped in wild tobacco, ending a long mystery

Nicotine, a potent insecticidal alkaloid unique to the nightshade family, has been employed in agriculture as a pesticide since 1690. It also has therapeutic potential for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

Underwater architects: Nest-building in cichlids reveals more than hardwired instinct

We associate nests with shelter, warmth, and a safe retreat—and usually picture a bird's nest made out of twigs, grass and feathers. Yet many other animals take advantage of such refuges, with nests being built by a diversity ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

Tropical trees are more neighborly than trees further from the equator, study finds

Tropical trees are better neighbors than trees in temperate forests, according to a study published in the journal Nature by researchers from 29 different institutions including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

Bacteria from bumblebees can produce vitamin B₂ in soya drinks

Researchers at DTU have developed a new method that can reduce the time needed to find new bacteria for fermentation. They have now identified a bacterium that can be used both for acidification and to increase the vitamin ...

Cell & Microbiology

Apr 10, 2026

Unraveling the complexities of the Borna disease virus 1

Cases of Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) are extremely rare in humans, but in those who develop disease, the outcome is severe, almost always resulting in fatal encephalitis or inflammation in the brain. This zoonotic virus ...

Molecular & Computational biology

Apr 10, 2026

Unexpected predator: Jellyfish shown to hunt polychaete worms

Most polychaete species spend their lives in burrows in the seabed. However, adult individuals of two species, Alitta succinea and Platynereis dumerilii, leave their burrows to spawn during warm summer nights around the full ...

Plants & Animals

Apr 10, 2026

Climate change is outpacing evolution. Scientists are using DNA to catch up

Evolution works over millennia. Climate change is moving far faster. That mismatch is killing some of the planet's most vital ecosystems, from California's towering redwoods to the seagrass meadows along its coast, both of ...

Ecology

Apr 10, 2026

Alzheimer's-linked protein tau plays a role in cell division

All processes such as wound healing, hair growth, and the replacement of old cells with new ones depend on cell division. During this process, chromosomes inside the cell must be evenly divided between two daughter cells. ...

Cell & Microbiology

Apr 10, 2026

Rod-shaped synthetic swimmers reveal a 'sweet spot' for active turbulence

Inspired by the collective dynamics of bacteria like E. coli and Bacillus subtilis, researchers at the University of Twente asked a simple but fundamental question: what happens when artificial swimmers are made rod-shaped ...

Cell & Microbiology

Apr 10, 2026