Hypoxia, or low oxygen in the body, is common in solid tumors. Now, researchers have identified that an RNA molecule, EUDAL, enables oral cancer cells to resist chemotherapy by keeping a growth receptor permanently switched on under low-oxygen conditions. This drives autophagy, a cellular process that helps tumors evade treatment. These findings suggest that EUDAL is both a warning sign for poor treatment response and a potential therapeutic target, offering new hope against stubborn cancers.

A collaborative team led by Ana Boskovic and Jamie Hackett at EMBL Rome explored how different paternal preconception environments influence embryonic development. Their findings revealed that:

- An imbalanced paternal gut microbiome or altered diet disrupts the expression of key genes involved in extra-embryonic tissue development or growth.

- Genetic background modulates these effects, indicating that a complex interaction between genetics and environmental influences underlies inheritance.

- Paternal age impacts offspring development at the earliest stages of embryogenesis.

University of Utah biologist Çağan Şekercioğlu’s magnum opus began 26 years ago as an effort to determine a particular statistic for bug-eating birds in tropical rainforests. BIRDBASE now helps identify species that are at greatest risk of extinction.