A team of researchers from Utrecht University, Durham University, and other institutions observed something remarkable at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Zambia. Several chimpanzees from one particular group were seen dangling blades of grass from their ear holes or their behinds, for no apparent reason. The behaviour was not seen in other chimpanzee groups at the same sanctuary, despite similar living conditions. “This shows that, like humans, other animals also copy seemingly pointless behaviours from one another,” says Utrecht University researcher Edwin van Leeuwen. “And that, in turn, may offer insights into the evolutionary roots of human culture.”

POSTECH Achieves First-Ever Ribosomal Synthesis of Cyclic Peptides : Opening New Avenues for Next-Generation Drug Design

Dr. Xuyu Qian, newly appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has published groundbreaking research in Nature (2025) mapping human brain development at unprecedented single-cell resolution. His innovative use of spatial transcriptomics to analyze over 18 million cells reveals how the human cerebral cortex forms during fetal development. Combined with his widely-adopted brain organoid protocols (cited over 2,000 times), which helped establish the link between Zika virus and brain malformations, Dr. Qian's human-centric approach promises new therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and malformations of cortical development.

Dr. Jin Wang from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences/ State University of New York at Stony Brook and Dr. Xiaona Fang from Northeast Normal University published an article titled “Identifying early warning signals of cancer formation” in the journal Quantitative Biology. Using theories of nonequilibrium potential landscape and steady-state probability flux, and indicators such as entropy production rate and mean flux derived from time-series gene expression data, they identified early warning signals during gastric cancer development, providing theoretical basis for early diagnosis.

Landmark research on MCL-1, a critical protein that is an attractive target for cancer drug development, helps explain why some promising cancer treatments are causing serious side effects, and offers a roadmap for designing safer, more targeted therapies. 

The WEHI-led discovery, published in Science, has uncovered a critical new role for MCL-1, revealing it not only prevents cell death but also provides cells with the energy they need to function.  

The findings reshape our understanding of how cells survive and thrive, with implications for both cancer treatment and developmental biology.