Variation in tissue mechanical properties play an important role in generating animal body shape diversity, as a new study from EMBL researchers and their collaborators has shown. Using a combination of theoretical modelling and experimental perturbations, the researchers showed how a combination of such properties results in a unique 'mechanotype’ for a species. Mechanotypes can help us predict body shape, and the scientists hypothesise that evolution might act on mechanotypes to give rise to the diversity of animal body shapes that we see around us today.

Writing in Frontiers in Marine Science, researchers recently shared the results of remote stereo camera observations of pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea. It is the first attempt using stereo videography, a non-invasive method, to assess a vulnerable population of these sharks. Models indicated that one third of the mean fishing pressures observed on thresher sharks in nearby habitats would be sustainable for the sharks in the study region. Beyond this number, the removal of more thresher sharks would result in population decline.

A 16-year study of nearly 400,000 km of road surveys reveals widespread declines in South Africa’s raptors and other large birds, with half of the species showing significant population losses. The findings highlight urgent conservation concerns and the need for robust, long-term monitoring to protect these ecologically vital predators.

A computational method called scSurv, developed by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo, links individual cells to patient outcomes using widely available bulk RNA sequencing data. The approach uses single-cell reference datasets together with patient survival data to infer the contributions of individual cells within complex tissues. The model identified cell populations associated with survival across several cancers, offering a way to uncover disease-driving cells and support the development of more targeted treatment strategies.

Animal studies have shown that some cartilage cells can transition to a bone-like phenotype, challenging the belief that bone cells arise solely from stem cells in the bone marrow and growth plate. However, the molecular mechanisms driving this process remain unclear. Researchers have now developed in vitro and in vivo models of bone formation that enable tracking of cartilage-to-bone transition, providing new insights into the mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in cartilage-derived bone formation.

Coral reef health is being threatened by climate change and human activity. A group of researchers recently developed an acoustic assay that tracks the number of photosynthetic oxygen bubbles created by a coral reef to help determine the photosynthetic rate and health of the ecosystem.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed CarGAP, a groundbreaking chemo-optogenetic tool that uses vitamin B₁₂ and green light to precisely control gap junctions, the microscopic channels enabling direct cell-to-cell communication. This innovation allows on-demand closing and opening of these intercellular bridges, providing unprecedented spatiotemporal control over vital molecules and electrical signals. Demonstrated in both mammalian cells and living fruit flies, CarGAP provides a powerful new way to study development, immunity, and neural activity, with far-reaching potential for understanding disease mechanisms and advancing regenerative medicine.