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.
Despite their fundamental differences, plants, animals, and fungi share certain metabolic processes. Biologists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that a unique protein ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 16, 2025
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Researchers have found a new enzyme, taken from Flavobacterium akiainvivens, that has a much broader specificity than the current leading alternatives.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 29, 2025
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19
New research, published in ImmunoHorizons, paves the way for more personalized veterinary care for dogs that could help dog owners make informed decisions that keep their pets healthier longer. The researchers identified ...
Veterinary medicine
Aug 26, 2025
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20
Plants, with their unique immune systems, sometimes launch "autoimmune responses" by mistakenly identifying their own protein structures as pathogens. In particular, "hybrid necrosis," a phenomenon where descendant plants ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2025
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21
Researchers have described how fish larvae rely on species-specific combinations of vision and movement to detect and capture prey.
Plants & Animals
Jul 15, 2025
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74
A new study that looked at gut length variation between cichlid fish species found that some of the genetic loci for the trait are sex-specific even though males and females of the same species have the same gut length. The ...
Evolution
Jul 8, 2025
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18
A study of the genetic basis of plague immunity in prairie dogs has broad implications for conservation. From white-nose syndrome in bats to avian malaria in Hawaiian birds, introduced pathogens are a major cause of population ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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33
A team of molecular and cellular chemists and biologists from Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego, has found that at least one type of octopus has taste sensors on its sucker cups that allow it ...
Researchers from the University of Adelaide, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, University of Queensland and Monash University, have discovered that the genetic mechanism that determines sex in monotremes ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 11, 2025
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35
Researchers at FHAIVE (Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches), Tampere University, have discovered a new response mechanism specific to exposure to nanoparticles that is common to multiple species.
Bio & Medicine
May 9, 2023
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