Species specificity, as a biological process, refers to the selective interaction, compatibility, or functional activity of biological molecules, cells, or pathogens with organisms of particular species, arising from co-evolved structural and regulatory determinants. It encompasses mechanisms such as species-restricted receptor–ligand recognition, host-range determinants in pathogens, species-dependent expression or sequence variants of target proteins, and immune recognition constraints that limit cross-species functionality. Species specificity thus governs processes like host tropism, cross-species transmission barriers, xenogeneic incompatibilities, and the species-selective efficacy or toxicity of biomolecules, ultimately shaping interspecies boundaries in infection, signaling, and physiological regulation.
University of Exeter scientists studied chemical communication by phages (viruses that infect bacteria). The phages assessed in the study have two choices when they enter a cell: lie dormant or kill the cell and release new ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 31, 2026
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12
Like the males of many animal species, male Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, a commonly studied lab animal, are aggressive toward one another and even fight when competing for resources such as food and females. Researchers ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2026
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20
Livestock breeders could soon have more tools to improve the health and quality of their animals, thanks to a recent study that sheds new light on regulatory elements in the sheep genome.
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 16, 2026
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14
The tiny Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) has always fascinated researchers because, according to the rules of evolution, it shouldn't have survived as a species, let alone thrive as a species for over 100,000 years. Using ...
A research team led by scientists at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, has completed the most extensive genetic sequencing of a jararaca viper to date. The focus of the study was the genome of the golden lancehead ...
Evolution
Mar 11, 2026
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43
When closely related species mate, their offspring sometimes survive but cannot reproduce. This pattern often affects males first, with hybrid males frequently failing to produce functional sperm even when hybrid females ...
Evolution
Mar 9, 2026
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1275
Why does your dog rush to "help" when you are searching for something, while your cat seems… eh, less concerned? New research suggests that this difference may stem from deep evolutionary roots—and that, in certain situations, ...
Evolution
Feb 26, 2026
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219
Industrial yeasts are a powerhouse of protein production, used to manufacture vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and other useful compounds. In a new study, MIT chemical engineers have harnessed artificial intelligence to optimize ...
Biotechnology
Feb 17, 2026
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72
Researchers from The Universities of Manchester and Birmingham have identified the exact nerve cells in the brain that drive important behavioral changes in female fruit flies after they mate. The discovery, published in ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 10, 2026
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25
For flowering plants, reproduction is a question of the birds and the bees. Attracting the right pollinator can be a matter of survival—and new research shows how flowers do it is more intriguing than anyone realized, and ...
Evolution
Jan 27, 2026
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