Epilepsy affects millions of people worldwide, and roughly one-third of such patients continue to experience seizures despite medication. In a recent study, researchers from Gunma University have developed a 410-base pair compact genetic switch that selectively targets inhibitory neurons in the brain to restore the excitatory–inhibitory balance. This compact switch can be delivered using viral delivery vectors, enabling effective seizure suppression across multiple epilepsy mouse models while preserving the capacity of the therapeutic genes.

Researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have discovered a new genus and species of subterranean freshwater snail, found in a single karstic spring on Mt. Kyllini in Korinthia. The eyeless, unpigmented species was named Cyllena hermes after Hermes, the Greek god said to have been born in a cave on the mountain, and Cyllene, the nymph who nurtured him. The species is classified as Vulnerable due to its reliance on one isolated water source. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Subterranean Biology.

A research team at Saitama University has discovered that calmodulin-binding peptide (CBP) can switch between two distinct target proteins depending on the surrounding metal-ion environment. Specifically, CBP binds calmodulin in the presence of calcium ions but recognizes human midkine in the presence of sodium ions. By combining surface plasmon resonance experiments with AlphaFold 3 structural prediction, the team uncovered a previously unrecognized mechanism of ion-dependent molecular recognition by a naturally occurring peptide. This finding opens new possibilities for peptide-based molecular recognition, diagnostic technologies, and drug discovery.

Researchers improve method to understand how the remains of extinct megafauna and other animals came to be found in underwater caves.  

Honeybees given prebiotics and probiotics may survive better under temperature-related stress, suggesting that such nutritional supplements might enhance colony resilience

A collection of fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming feature tooth marks that provide evidence that some bites were likely created by Tyrannosaurus rex, according to a study published July 15, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Bethania C. T. Siviero from Loma Linda University, USA, and colleagues.

Scientists have described a new species of colobus monkey in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), report John Hart at Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation and colleagues on July, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One.

A team of researchers has confirmed the discovery of a previously unknown species of African monkey in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking one of the most significant primate discoveries in decades.