EurekAlert! News by Subject: Biology - Home

Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Oct-2026 01:15 ET (31-Oct-2026 05:15 GMT/UTC)

Study links birth control pills to more binge eating

Texas A&M University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study in JAMA Network Open followed 422 women who were already using combined oral contraceptives, tracking their eating patterns daily for 49 consecutive days. The goal: to examine whether binge-related eating changes depending on whether women are taking hormone-containing pills or hormone-free pills within the same cycle.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health

Study reveals the ‘inner life’ of bees

Macquarie University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research finds bumblebees show ‘liking’ and ‘disliking’ responses to taste, pointing to emotion-like processes underlying behaviour

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Templeton World Charity Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Center

Four new groups of indigenous cacao varieties discovered in Peru

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new genetic analysis of hundreds of cacao trees representing traditional Amazonian varieties grown on farms across Peru has revealed four previously unidentified, genetically distinct groups. Lambert Motilal with colleagues from the Cocoa Research Centre, The University of the West Indies, and Martha S. Calderon and Danilo E. Bustamante, with their colleagues from the Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, partnered to explore Peru's untapped cacao diversity. They present these findings in the open access journal PLOS One on July 6, 2026.

Journal: PLOS One

Cleveland researchers discover potential new treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New study from University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and the Cleveland VA identifies a potential new treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease.

Scientists found that blocking the enzyme 15-PGDH protected brain cells and improved outcomes in multiple preclinical models of Parkinson's disease.

The findings suggest that drugs already being developed for other uses could potentially also be used to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Journal: Redox Biology

New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new HIV vaccine developed by La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), Scripps Research scientists, and IAVI has the potential to protect humans from developing HIV infection and AIDS.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Sea stars offer a window into how organs take shape

Marine Biological Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biologists have long puzzled over how organs develop into their final shapes, and the nearly transparent bodies of young sea stars may offer a unique window into the organ development process.

Journal: Discover Developmental Biology

Why the first trimester of a pregnancy could be vital in driving human brain evolution

Swansea University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has examined just how mothers influence the size of their child’s head – and as a result, its brain size and future IQ – during the first trimester of their pregnancy.

The evidence for this rests on indirect studies of prenatal oestrogen as measured by digit ratio - the relationship between the length of index and ring fingers, known as the 2D:4D ratio.

Journal: Early Human Development

Survival comes at a price: Mizzou study links salt adaptation to increased risk of disease

University of Missouri-Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Missouri found that wood frogs have evolved to survive increasingly salty freshwater habitats caused by road salt, mining, runoff, and seawater intrusion. However, this adaptation comes with a significant tradeoff.

Journal: Ecology and Evolution

Engineered 'bone-suture-bone' implant promotes normal skull growth

Editorial Office of West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An engineered triphasic biomaterial scaffold successfully recreated the cranial suture stem cell niche lost in craniosynostosis, a condition that causes premature fusion of skull bones. Using a pore-size-guided “bone-suture-bone” design, the scaffold maintained skeletal stem cells while supporting surrounding bone formation. In mouse models, the construct prevented re-fusion, restored craniofacial growth, and improved skull morphology. The findings may advance regenerative therapies that directly address the underlying causes of pediatric craniofacial disorders.

Journal: Bone Research
Funder: University of Michigan Micro-computed Tomography Core, University of Michigan Orthopedic Research Laboratories