A remarkable new discovery is shedding light on one of the greatest survival stories in Earth’s history, and answering a decades-old scientific mystery. Lystrosaurus, a hardy, plant-eating mammal ancestor, rose to prominence in the wake of the End-Permian Mass Extinction some 252 million years ago, the most devastating extinction event our planet has ever experienced. While countless species vanished, Lystrosaurus not only survived, but thrived in a world marked by extreme environmental instability, intense heat, and prolonged droughts.

The Tennessee State University College of Agriculture (TSUAg) and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) have launched a joint seed funding program to support collaborative research projects focused on some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges. The inaugural initiative brings together the strengths of Tennessee’s land-grant institutions to encourage innovative, interdisciplinary research led by teams from both universities. Through a combined investment of $300,000 from UT AgResearch; the UT Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development; and Tennessee State University College of Agriculture, six joint seed grants were selected for funding in the program’s first round. Each project received $50,000 and is co-led by faculty from TSUAg and UTIA.

In what looks like a pile of rocks in Shark Bay, UNSW scientists have discovered a hidden clue to how the ancestors of plants and animals may have first evolved.

BUFFALO, NY — April 9, 2026 — A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on March 27, 2026, titled “ATF5 is required for the maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis and skeletal muscle health during aging.”

As climate change intensifies harmful algal blooms worldwide, an international team led by Hiroshima University has developed a hybrid modeling approach that combines algal movement simulations, AI, and long-term monitoring data to sharpen forecasts of these bloom events—linked to environmental damage, mass fish die-offs, economic losses, and risks to human health.

Embedded ethics in human stem-cell-based embryo model research: An interdisciplinary and international team of ethicists, lawyers, and scientists, including Jesse Veenvliet from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, proposes an embedded ethics framework to facilitate responsible research and governance with human stem-cell-based embryo models. In that way, the field could move forward while maintaining public trust.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are malignant disorders arising from hematopoietic stem cells, yet the precise epigenetic abnormalities occurring in the primitive stem cells remain poorly understood. A collaborative team led by Professor Xuetao Cao at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has generated the base-resolution DNA methylation map of human MDS hematopoietic stem cells. The study reveals the distinct patterns of methylation in MDS stem cells, offering insights into MDS pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.