In marine environments, sponges tend to eat other organisms to get their nutrients. But a new study, published by the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) researchers in Functional Ecology, demonstrates how sponges may also use photosynthesis, just like plants. This phenomenon can help with the productivity – or amount of energy and food produced – in tropical coral reefs, and perhaps in other ecosystems where sponges are common too.

A team led by Professors Jianping Weng, Sihui Luo and Lianxin Liu from the University of Science and Technology of China published the study Hepatic IFRD1 suppresses metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease via GLUD1/α-KG axis in Science Bulletin.This study identifies the IFRD1-GLUD1-α-KG cascade as a vital link between metabolism and epigenetics. It establishes the first clinical association of IFRD1 with MASLD, reveals a GLUD1-dependent pathogenic pathway, and validates α-KG’s epigenetic function, offering a novel metabolism – epigenetics - targeted therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Pangolins, which look like a cross between an anteater and a pinecone, are the most-trafficked mammals in the world. In a new study, researchers used DNA and specimens from museum collections to determine that Himalayan pangolins belong to a different species than their Asian pangolin cousins. This new demarcation could help scientists differentiate between different pangolin species killed by poachers and ultimately help conserve these rare mammals.

A study published in Neurology involving people over age 80 shows that the presence of Alzheimer’s disease biology can identify patients at greater risk of progressing to dementia, even when initial cognitive differences are subtle.

The use of biomarkers, particularly blood-based biomarkers such as p-Tau217, improves diagnostic accuracy in a population in which clinical assessment is limited by the coexistence of multiple conditions.

The arrival of new drugs that slow disease progression reinforces the need for earlier and more accurate diagnosis, including in older patients who could benefit from these therapies.

By harvesting the energy destined for nonradiative decay and redirecting energy flux in dye-sensitized Er³⁺-based nanoparticles via an active shell (Yb³⁺), a three-order-of-magnitude enhancement at 1525 nm was achieved. The mechanistic insights and design principles inform the development of efficient NIR-II nanoprobes, demonstrating substantial potential for advancing vascular biology.

A comprehensive 15-year study published in the Biodiversity Data Journal details the growing threat of extreme weather on White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) in Bulgaria. The research, which is part of the topical collection "Restoration of species of conservation importance," analyzes the admissions and treatment outcomes of injured storks at the Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Centre (WRBC) of the Green Balkans NGO between 2010 and 2025. The researchers found that juvenile storks are exceptionally vulnerable to extreme conditions. Also,  survival rates for fire-related incidents were strikingly low at just 33% (32 out of 97 wildfire recorded cases of collapsed nests, etc.).

Researchers led by Kaoru Sugimura from the University of Tokyo have identified the mechanism that ensures average cell size is constant across samples of developing Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) wings. They have found that rather than every cell behaving in the same way, several distinct groups of cells that differ in when and how many times they divide work together to reproduce the average cell size with remarkable precision. This new framework for understanding how developing animal tissues control cell size could widen avenues for research into conditions associated with abnormal cell size, such as cardiac hypertrophy and cancer. The findings were published in the journal Development.

AI Identifies Key Social Deficits in an Autism Mouse Model Without Prior Knowledge

Developed by Biology-Trained Researchers, Published in Leading Computer Vision Journal IJCV