The anatomical differences in our vocal tracts could be one of the sources of our Tower of Babel—the vast difference in languages spoken around the world, according to a study published October 13^th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Steven Moran and Tiena Danner from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and colleagues.

A team of scientists in China, Thailand, and Mexico has discovered a giant among fungi in the forests of Yunnan Province in China. The new species Dianjunus rex, which grows up to 50 cm tall and weighs up to 2.2 kg, constitutes on its own a new genus and new family within the order Xylariales of the Ascomycota. Analysis of its genome suggests that the new family arose approximately 65 million years ago, soon after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, when new niches for wood-decomposing fungi may have opened up. The authors speculate that ‘D rex’ record-breaking fruiting bodies may help with spore dispersal in dense forests.

Genetic alterations in TP53 and CDKN2A can shape the immune response during early oral cancer development. Researchers from Tokushima University reveal that imbalanced p53–RB signaling activated the cGAS–STING pathway, allowing increased inflammatory signaling and infiltration of cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. This immune response was associated with delayed progression to invasive oral cancer. The findings highlight how specific tumor-suppressor alterations can influence antitumor immunity and progression during early carcinogenesis.

A small number of random genetic mutations cause simple RNA droplets to transform into cell-like structures. In this process, they form cavities, can move and are able to take up cargo. This has been demonstrated through research using nanostructures based on ribonucleic acid led by Prof. Dr. Kerstin Göpfrich at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) in cooperation with experts from the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Augsburg. Just a few molecular changes are enough to trigger these complex processes in very simple synthetic cells – a principle that the researchers also hope to harness for medical applications.