What happens when evolution rewires a brain for life in total darkness? In a study of the blind Mexican cavefish, researchers uncovered an evolutionary surprise: unlike their sighted relatives, cavefish become more active in light rather than darkness. Using whole-brain imaging at cellular resolution, the team revealed that neural circuits have effectively flipped their responses to light and dark. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how evolution reshapes the brain and could shed light on neurological disorders ranging from Parkinson’s disease to autism and ADHD.

This peer-reviewed Perspective synthesizes a decade of research on a surprising candidate for autism science: the laboratory Beagle. Drawing together scattered studies, the review authors argue that dogs carrying engineered changes in the Shank3 gene reproduce core human features of autism spectrum disorder, including social withdrawal, altered sensory responses, and reduced attention to the eyes of a face. The synthesis assembles, for the first time in one place, the parallels between mutant dogs and autistic people, alongside early signals that oxytocin, a psychedelic, and a third compound may soften these traits. The authors frame the dog as a complementary, ethically governed model, not a replacement for existing ones.

An international team of researchers studying vocal dialects in the endangered population of sperm whales that live in the Mediterranean Sea have captured the cultural evolution of new dialects in process. Using 20 years of recordings they showed that whales living in the eastern Mediterranean around the Hellenic Trench in Greece had developed a new form of the vocal dialect used by animals in the western basin, studied around the Balearic Islands.

Human fetal tissue research has contributed significantly to our understanding of human development and continues to support progress in regenerative medicine. However, the use of fetal tissue obtained following induced abortion raises important ethical considerations. In 2022, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) published standards for obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation. At present, Japan has no laws or guidelines that specifically govern fetal tissue research.

A research group led by Professor Misao Fujita, Professor Mitinori Saitou, and Professor Yasuhiro Takashima of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi) and the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University has examined the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding human fetal tissue research in Japan. Drawing on an analysis of legal frameworks, regulations, and social contexts in Japan and other countries, the authors identified three key challenges in applying the ISSCR standards domestically: (1) minimizing burdens on potential donors; (2) determining the role of male partners in decisions regarding fetal tissue donation; and (3) addressing legal uncertainties surrounding the storage, use, and disposal of fetal tissue. The study proposes possible approaches to each of these issues.

These findings were published online in Regenerative Medicine on 11 June 2026.

A new study has uncovered a fundamental link between brain size and offspring size, helping to solve a long-standing evolutionary puzzle: why do birds lay such disproportionately large eggs?

Using artificial intelligence to detect images of African leopards and rattlesnakes and freezing samples of endangered marine organisms far below zero degrees Fahrenheit are just some of the ways that new technologies can help protect biodiversity and threatened ecosystems. San Diego State University and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) announced a partnership to increase the impact of such innovations developed through SDZWA’s research, conservation, and wildlife care initiative

Rice bioengineer Julea Vlassakis has won $1.1M in federal funding for a project researching Ewing sarcoma.