EurekAlert! News by Subject: Biology - News by Subject: Biology

Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Dec-2025 23:11 ET (28-Dec-2025 04:11 GMT/UTC)

A better way to monitor drug therapy at home

University of Montreal
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Inspired by living cells, researchers have designed DNA molecules that allow drug concentrations in blood to be measured digitally using an inexpensive reader.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Sniffer dogs tested in real-world scenarios reveal need for wider access to explosives, study finds

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In 2009, the US National Research Council called on law enforcement personnel to standardize the collection and analysis of forensic evidence. Here, scientists tested whether the latest training standard for canine detection of explosives is predictive of real-world performance. They tested 56 teams over 19 trials, including both standardized assessments and real-world scenarios. Performance in both types of trials was correlated, validating the new standard. However, the trials proved difficult: none of the teams currently met the officially required benchmarks. The authors recommend that canine teams should have access to a wider range of explosives for training to improve compliance.

Journal: Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Funder: National Institute of Standards and Technology

Research: HUST professor Yiwei Li and Bi-feng Liu develops novel tissue-mimicking hydrogel technology for mechanical cell reprogramming and cancer cell transdifferentiation therapy

Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

July 10, 2025 - A research team led by Professor Yiwei Li and Professor Bi-Feng Liu from the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) published an important research article titled "Mechanical Cell Reprogramming on Tissue-Mimicking Hydrogel for Cancer Cell Transdifferentiation" in the journal Research. The paper can be accessed through this link: https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0810.

Professor Yiwei Li and Professor Bi-Feng Liu serve as corresponding authors, with doctoral students Xueqing Ren and Research Scientist Dr. Yachao Wang as co-first authors.

This study developed an innovative tissue-mimicking hydrogel system that achieves cell reprogramming through purely mechanical signals for the first time. The technology not only enhances the stemness and bidirectional differentiation potential of fibroblasts but also promotes cancer cell transdifferentiation into adipocytes, providing novel therapeutic strategies for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment.

Journal: Research
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities, HUST, Henan Medical Science and Technique Foundation

From caraway to cure: Engineering CBD-like seizure treatments without cannabis

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UNLV-led team of researchers has co-opted a common kitchen spice to create a new class of cannabidiol (CBD)-like medicines that show powerful seizure-reducing effects — offering a safer, more affordable, and more effective treatment for childhood seizure disorders than existing frontline therapies. Caraway seeds — a seasoning commonly used in both savory and sweet dishes, and also known as meridian fennel — are the key ingredient behind researchers’ method.

Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology
Funder: NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Ants alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics, study finds

University of Bristol
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ants make a series of clever architectural adjustments to their nests to prevent the spread of disease, University of Bristol research has uncovered.

Journal: Advanced Materials

At least eight bat species commute or forage over pig farms in Northern Italy

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

At least eight bat species commute or forage over pig farms in Northern Italy, and the frequent absence of physical barriers and biosafety measures preventing contact between bats or bat feces and pigs could increase exposure risks to the diverse coronaviruses that circulate in these species

Journal: PLOS One

Ancient lead exposure shaped evolution of human brain

Southern Cross University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Hominids experienced lead exposure as far back as 2-million years ago, new research finds, challenging the theory that the neurotoxicant is an exclusively modern health hazard. The work also suggests that Homo sapiens, both ancient and modern, possess a gene variant that protects them against neurological damage from lead.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, NIH/National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Australian Research Council, Australian Research Council, Australian Research Council, Australian Research Council, Australian Research Council, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences