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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Jun-2025 17:10 ET (28-Jun-2025 21:10 GMT/UTC)

Hebrew University celebrates Dr. Uria Alcolombri – Israel’s sole winner of the Frontiers Planet Prize 2025 National Champions

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Grant and Award Announcement

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem proudly congratulates Dr. Uria Alcolombri on being named one of the 19 Frontiers Planet Prize 2025 National Champions – and the only Israeli scientist to receive this honor in this year’s prestigious global competition.

Tiny new species of snail named after Picasso

Pensoft Publishers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of malacologists discovered a new snail species, Anauchen picasso, in Southeast Asia that exhibits a highly complex and rectangularly angled shell shape, resembling a cubist-style painting. A. picasso is among 46 new species of microsnails discovered in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The discovery was published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.

Journal: ZooKeys

Monkey database reveals shift towards open science

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A database about monkey behaviour reveals how science is evolving towards a more open, collaborative approach.

Journal: Journal of Animal Ecology

Researchers at TalTech find that the activation of AMPK is dependent on muscle type

Estonian Research Council
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the Laboratory of Systems Biology, Department of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia, recently found that the extent of AMPK activation is not the same in all muscles. The muscles in our body are different, as they are adapted to the work they perform. Muscles performing continuous work, such as the heart and postural muscles that keep us upright all day, have more mitochondria that make ATP to fuel the work.

Journal: AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism
Funder: Estonian Research Council

One gene defines the many patterns of snake skin

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In many animals, skin colouration and its patterns play a crucial role in camouflage, communication, or thermoregulation. In the corn snake, some morphs display red, yellow, or pink blotches, and their dorsal spots can merge or turn into stripes. But which genetic and cellular mechanisms determine these colourful patterns? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) discovered that a single gene, CLCN2, is involved in these variations. The study, published in Genome Biology, opens new perspectives on the evolution and genetics of animal colouration.

Journal: Genome Biology

Mice exhibit altruistic rescue behavior driven by oxytocin

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers led by Dr. HU Li from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. CHEN Zhoufeng from Washington University School of Medicine and the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation have found that mice can instinctively exhibit rescue-like behavior toward anesthetized conspecifics—without any prior training or external rewards. The study, published in PNAS, offers compelling evidence that prosocial behavior may be deeply rooted in biology, extending even to small mammals like mice.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Chinese scientists prove swamp forest collapse linked to human activity

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chinese scientists have discovered that fragile swamp forests in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region suddenly collapsed around 2.1 thousand years ago (ka)—with human activity as the cause.

Journal: Science Advances