EurekAlert! News by Subject: Biology

Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jun-2026 01:16 ET (25-Jun-2026 05:16 GMT/UTC)

4-Feb-2026

Sounding out animal reactions to the 2024 eclipse

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

No natural phenomenon provides a rarer chance to study the secrets of the animal world than a total solar eclipse.

Journal: Ethology Ecology & Evolution

4-Feb-2026

A double-edged sword: Chronic cellular stress promotes liver cancer—but also makes tumors vulnerable to immunotherapy

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A key molecular mechanism drives the growth of liver cell cancer while simultaneously suppressing the body's immune response to the tumor. This has now been published in the journal Nature by a team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University Hospital of Tübingen, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, California. However, the results also show that this very mechanism could help identify patients who respond particularly well to immunotherapy in the future, thus opening up new therapeutic approaches.

Journal: Nature

4-Feb-2026

New transgenic zebrafish models decades of muscle atrophy in weeks

MDI Biological Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Published in PLOS Genetics, new research from MDI Biological Laboratory introduces a transgenic zebrafish that rapidly reproduces the molecular and cellular hallmarks of age-related muscle decline (sarcopenia). By conditionally activating a single atrophy-linked gene, the model—dubbed “atrofish”—compresses years of muscle aging into days or weeks. The platform reveals early protein loss in muscle fibers, uncovers a surprising link between muscle degeneration and nerve loss, and offers a fast, cost-effective way to test interventions aimed at preserving muscle and neuromuscular health during aging.

Journal: PLOS Genetics
Funder: Morris Discovery Fund, MDI Biological Laboratory, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Inspire Foundation

4-Feb-2026

Scientists discover oral compound that helps “reset” the body clock forward

Kanazawa University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Japanese research team has discovered a new compound that can advance the body’s internal clock—offering hope for faster recovery from jet lag and better adaptation to night-shift work. The compound, called Mic-628, specifically activates the transcription of a clock gene named Period1 (Per1). When given orally to mice, it advanced their body clocks and activity rhythms, regardless of dosing time. The findings suggest a new approach to controlling circadian rhythms through drug action rather than light exposure.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

4-Feb-2026

What's the ROI on R&D in aging? New simulation tool, silverlingings.bio, explores geroscience's impact on US GDP growth and individual health

American Federation for Aging Research
Reports and Proceedings

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to announce the release of silverlinings.bio, an interactive report and simulation tool developed by AFAR Scholar-in-Residence Raiany Romanni-Klein, PhD. At silverlinings.bio, users can input their own timelines and assumptions for specific scientific breakthroughs in aging biology, then see the ROI in terms of US lives saved & GDP growth.

Funder: American Federation for Aging Research, Amaranth Foundation, Methuselah Foundation

4-Feb-2026

Scientists ID potential treatment for deadliest brain cancer

University of Virginia Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have identified a molecule that blocks the gene responsible for glioblastoma, raising hopes that the molecule could become a much-needed new treatment.

Funder: Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation

4-Feb-2026

Pigs and grizzlies, not monkeys, hold clues to youthful human skin

Washington State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The secret to youthful appearance and repairing scars may lie in a microscopic skin structure humans share with pigs and grizzly bears — but, surprisingly, not monkeys. While it had been thought these ridge and valley-like skin microstructures — called rete ridges — form during fetal growth, researchers at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine found they actually develop shortly after birth and identified a key molecular signal that drives their development.

Journal: Nature

4-Feb-2026

Oysters play unexpected role in protecting blue crabs from disease

Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by scientists from William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS shows that oyster filter feeding can significantly reduce the spread of a common blue crab parasite.

Journal: Ecology

4-Feb-2026

New line of bovine embryonic stem cells shows promise for lab-grown meat, biomedical applications

University of Connecticut
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources have developed a novel line of bovine embryonic stem cells, which have significant potential for a variety of new innovations, from lab-grown meat to models for human tissue replacement.

This work, led by Xiuchun “Cindy” Tian, professor of biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science, and her former and current graduate students Yue Su, Jiaxi Liu, and Ruifeng Zhao, was published in Stem Cells.

Journal: Stem Cells