Individual biological variation refers to the naturally occurring differences in measurable biological characteristics among individuals of the same species, arising from the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, developmental, and environmental factors. It encompasses intra-individual (within-person, over time) and inter-individual (between-person) variability in parameters such as gene expression, metabolic activity, immune responses, and physiological biomarkers. This process underlies differential susceptibility to disease, heterogeneity in drug response, and variation in phenotypic traits. In research and clinical laboratory science, individual biological variation is quantitatively characterized to distinguish physiological fluctuation from pathological change and to establish reference change values and personalized reference intervals.
Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Long before refrigerators existed, people relied on microorganisms to keep food—including meat—safe to eat. Ph.D. research by VUB researcher Ana Sosa Fajardo (VUB ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 27, 2026
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From the ability to detect the smell of wet soil to the scent of ripe fruit, the human olfactory system has evolved over thousands of years in response to how people live and what they eat, according to a new genetic study ...
Evolution
Apr 16, 2026
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In a new study, appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists selectively bred Japanese quails into two groups: laying either relatively large or small eggs. As the quails don't do much ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 14, 2026
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204
It has long been known that environmental conditions can shape how traits are inherited, a phenomenon known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. However, the molecular signals responsible for encoding this biological ...
Evolution
Apr 13, 2026
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Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered that changing just one letter in DNA can completely alter sex development in mice. In the new study, published in Nature Communications, a single-letter insertion in a non-coding ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 9, 2026
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83
New research is significantly revising a widely cited evolutionary model, the Inhibitory Cascade Mode (ICM). Benjamin Auerbach, professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, ...
Evolution
Mar 30, 2026
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89
For more than 40 years, the Golden State Killer haunted California. A serial rapist and murderer active in the 1970s and '80s, he eluded detectives for decades. By 2018, hope of identifying him was fading, until a woman—curious ...
Biotechnology
Mar 29, 2026
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90
Why do animals behave differently, and what are the consequences of this? A research team from the Collaborative Research Center NC³ at Bielefeld University and the University of Münster now provides a new explanation: epigenetic ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2026
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57
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a main cause of bacterial pneumonia worldwide. It can also cause ear and sinus infections and, in more severe cases, meningitis or sepsis. It shares the human respiratory tract with many closely ...
Evolution
Mar 19, 2026
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39
As its name suggests, the common buzzard is one of Europe's most familiar birds of prey, often spotted perched on fence posts scanning for mice and worms, or performing spectacular loop dives over fields to attract mates. ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 10, 2026
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