Social amoebae are unicellular organisms that act in concert, requiring extensive communication. Pierre Stallforth and colleagues studied modes of communication among cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, using fluorescent labeling and various imaging techniques. The authors found that, in addition to signaling molecules drifting from cell to cell freely or inside membrane vesicles, the amoebae also create tunneling nanotubes that physically connect the membranes of cells. 

How do blood vessels form to reliably supply the body with oxygen and nutrients? A research team at the University of Basel has uncovered a key mechanism by which cells join to build new blood vessels. Their study reveals how pushing and pulling forces enable individual vessel segments to connect and form a continuous blood vessel. The findings deepen our understanding of vascular development and provide a foundation for the development of vascularized organoids.

Researchers have developed a low-cost, semi-automated, AI-driven method that uses remote cameras to survey bumblebees and potentially other insects.

A comprehensive review explores the developmental trajectory of integrating metasurfaces with photodetectors, highlighting the transition from traditional bulk optics to fully integrated, single-chip optoelectronic sensing architectures.

Study: Casdatifan, a new generation HIF-2α blocker, demonstrated durable tumor responses in heavily pretreated patients with advanced kidney cancer. The findings link treatment activity to HIF-2α biology and biomarker changes, supporting precision medicine approaches.

Researchers at IBEC have discovered that epithelial tissues adapt to prolonged stretching by slowly reorganising their keratin cytoskeleton into large multicellular networks. Using advanced live imaging, engineered tissue models and computational simulations, the team found that this process eventually pushes the cell nucleus out of its surrounding keratin cage. The findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism by which tissues respond to sustained mechanical stress, with potential implications for development, organ physiology and diseases linked to defective keratin organisation.  

Discover how St. Jude researchers discovered a new mechanism that enhances Sonic hedgehog signaling during heart and lung development.