Long believed to be a single, globally distributed species drifting freely across the open ocean, the bluebottle – also known as the Portuguese man o’ war – has now been revealed to be a group of at least four distinct species, each with its own unique morphology, genetics, and distribution.

When West Virginia University biology undergraduate student Isabella Tuzzio tested fish from central Appalachian streams, her research revealed microplastics in every fish she sampled. Tuzzio said her results from the study, which was the first of its kind in Appalachia, suggest significant environmental risks, as well as potential risks to human health.

Using adult human cells to produce novel multicellular organisms, researchers find that the cells express both ancient genes, which are shared with our predecessors as far back as single celled organisms, and embryonic genes. They also reverse age-related modifications to DNA. The studies may lead to insights into regenerative medicine

In a recent study, researchers have discovered that the genes related on extracellular matrix (ECM) and the Wnt signaling pathway characterize the independently acquired lip hypertrophy in cichlids of East African Great Lakes. Through advanced omics-based experiments and comparative histological analyses, they found that hypertrophied lips of cichlids had a larger proteoglycan-rich layer. This study provides vital insights into the evolutionary biology of lip hypertrophy in cichlids of East African Great Lakes.

Three dimensional immunohistochemistry (3D-IHC) reveals spatial and molecular details of biological tissues, but current methods are slow and limited in depth. Researchers from Japan have developed a fast, high-sensitivity 3D-IHC method using nanobodies fused with peroxidase and a novel signal amplification system. Their technique labels neurons and glia in 1-mm-thick brain tissue within three days, offering a powerful new tool for neuroscience and disease research, including Alzheimer’s pathology.

Millions of years ago, during periods known as “Snowball Earth,” when much of the planet was covered in ice, some of our ancient cellular ancestors could have waited out the deep freeze in pools of melted ice that dotted the planet’s icy surface, according to a new study.