Experts from the University of Nottingham have created life-size 3D-printed insect models to explore how some species trick predators into thinking they're more dangerous than they really are — and avoid being eaten as a result.

 

In the new study, published in Nature, a team of experts, led by Dr Tom Reader and Dr Christopher Taylor in the School of Life Sciences, used 3D printed models to investigate Batesian mimicry – a phenomenon where a harmless species evolves to resemble a harmful species, fooling predators into avoiding them.

 

Mimics vary greatly in how closely they resemble the species they imitate, raising questions about what limits evolution of the less accurate mimics. For example, why are some hoverflies almost indistinguishable from wasps, whilst others only vaguely resemble them?

With a new mapping tool, Princeton engineers have revealed how a factory inside cells builds ribosomes, the machinery responsible for protein synthesis. The system opens the door to treatments and medicines.

BUFFALO, NY — July 2, 2025 — A new research perspective was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on May 29, 2025, titled “Peto’s paradox’s relevance is off the scale.”

A highly multi-disciplinary research team at the Wyss Institute has made a significant breakthrough to help patients with Rett syndrombe by leveraging an AI-driven drug discovery process in combination with innovative disease modeling. Their study identified a drug known as vorinostat as a promising treatment for Rett syndrome, demonstrating disease-modifying abilities across multiple neuronal and non-neuronal tissues in preclinical models. The Wyss-enabled startup Unravel will be initiating a clinical trial to assess the drug in female patients with Rett syndrome later this year.  

By creating artificial ageing in mice, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have been able to track the formation of aneurysms in the walls of blood vessels. One finding of the study, now published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, surprised the researchers: the mice were simultaneously protected against hypertension by activating a different signalling pathway in the cells of the vessel wall – compensating for the strain exerted on the ageing vessels. The findings create potential for future complementary blood pressure medicines.

After flu infection, memory T cells in the lung migrate to nearby lymph nodes via CCR5, forming a long-lasting immune reservoir. This discovery reveals a backup strategy for lung immunity and may inform future vaccine design.

Oocyte quality is the key limiting factor of female fertility. However, compared with other species, the research and understanding of human oocyte quality and human reproductive health is limited. This review will highlight the current understanding of the physiological and pathological factors on human oocyte quality and discuss the potential treatments. In physiology, researchers discuss the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, granulosa cells, key subcellular structures, maternal mRNA homeostasis, the extracellular matrix, maternal microenvironment, and multi-omics resources related to human oocyte quality. In pathology, they reviewed the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal defects, ovarian dysfunction including premature ovarian insufficiency and polycystic ovary syndrome, human oocyte development defects, and aging. Furthermore, they outline the emerging scientific prospects and challenges for future mechanisms exploration and clinical treatment. This review seeks to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms regulating human oocyte quality and to provide novel insights into clinical female infertility characterized by defects in oocyte quality and oocyte development.