A team of researchers from Japan, China, and Brazil has announced the discovery of a new species of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Japan, marking the first time a pterosaur has been named based on body fossils found in the country.

There are about 1,350 known ribbon worm species, but scientists estimate this is only about 10% of what's really out there. A new study emphasizes this point emphasized with the discovery of over 100 ribbon worm species off the coast of Oman, most of which are new to science.

While studying embryos in vitro can have many ethical and technical complications, there is a model that serves as an excellent substitute. Two-dimensional “gastruloids” are made from colonies of human pluripotent stem cells that can replicate the third week of gestation in which the three germ layers of the body are established. In APL Bioengineering, researchers discuss a sorting system comprised of a microscope, a camera, a sorting stage, and devices for collecting and releasing the microrafts that the gastruloids are grown on. The system is controlled by custom software that automates the process.

A research team at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School (HMS) led by Wyss Founding Core Faculty member George Church, Ph.D. has devised a solution for creating microglia with strong functional similarities to human microglia from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) within four days, compared to 35 days it takes to obtain similar, yet less fine-tuned cells in a conventional differentiation process.