A new study published in Forest Ecosystems highlights the growing wildfire risk posed by standing dead trees in Yellowstone National Park. Using advanced machine learning and spatial analysis, the researchers mapped tree mortality and assessed the vulnerability of nearby infrastructure, offering valuable insights for fire management and wildfire mitigation efforts in high-risk areas.

In this issue of hLife, the team led by Prof. Min Wang from Ocean University of China systematically mined and characterized the diversity of viral reverse transcriptases from global metagenomic datasets. Viral reverse transcriptases are not only encoded by pathogenic retroviruses; their vast diversity is hidden in the genomes of ubiquitous bacteriophages, which are widely distributed in the human gut microbiomes and various ecosystems on Earth. This study is expected to shed light on their critical roles in microbial ecology and evolution, offering valuable insights for future antiviral strategies and biotechnological applications.

In a paper published in National Science Review, an international team of researchers introduced the one-core-neuron system (OCNS), a “small model” framework designed to tackle the inefficiency of “large models”. By utilizing a single core neuron, OCNS achieves comparable or superior performance in time-series forecasting while reducing parameter requirements to a fraction of those in existing “large models”. This approach highlights the potential of small models in efficient deep learning and more sustainable AI applications.

Cancer is a major public health problem and represents substantial disparities worldwide. This study reported estimates for 36 cancers across 185 countries by incidence, mortality, 5-year prevalence, mortality-to-prevalence ratio (MPR), and mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) to examine its association with human development index (HDI) and gross national income (GNI). Data were collected from the GLOBOCAN 2020. MPR and MIR were calculated by sex, age group, country, and cancer type and then summarized into totals. Segi’s population and global cancer spectrum were used to calculate age- and type-standardized ratios. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess associations. Results showed that breast cancer was the most diagnosed cancer globally. Low- and middle-income countries had high MPR and MIR. Cancers of esophagus, pancreas, and liver had the highest ratios. Males and the older population had the highest ratios. HDI and GNI were positively correlated with incidence and mortality but negatively correlated with MPR/MIR. Substantial disparities in cancer burden were observed among 36 cancer types across 185 countries. Socioeconomic development may contribute to narrowing these disparities, and tailored strategies are crucial for regional- and country-specific cancer control.

Inflammation of the heart muscle, also known as myocarditis, can be caused by various viral infections. Parvovirus B19, known for inducing rashes in children and infants, has recently drawn attention as a potential risk factor for myocarditis in infants. In this research letter, researchers study and report cases of myocarditis in preschool students caused by parvovirus B19 infections. The letter aims to shed light on the detrimental effect of the disease to increase awareness.

By performing single-cell transcriptome sequencing of the zebrafish olfactory epithelium, we revealed the heterogeneity of zebrafish olfactory epithelial cell types and the molecular organization of key components in signal transduction of different olfactory sensory neuron subtypes, and characterized the cell population changes and transcriptional changes associated with exposure to alarm substances.

A recent study published in National Science Review reports the discovery of fossilized chewing lice eggs in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, offering the earliest direct evidence of parasitic lice feeding on feathers of early stem-group birds. The eggs, attached to enantiornithine feathers, reveal early host-parasite relationships during the Mesozoic. This finding supports the hypothesis that lice evolved parasitism in association with basal birds and provides insights into their early ecological specialization. The research enriches understanding of lice-host coevolution and highlights the role of ancient vertebrates in the evolutionary transition of lice from free-living ancestors to obligate parasites.