New species of tiny pumpkin toadlet discovered in Brazil highlights need for conservation in the mountain forests of Serra do Quiriri

In a study published recently in Nature Methods, scientists at The Ohio State University report on a new approach to immobilize extracellular vesicles in a way that mimics their interactions with tissues, a tricky environment compared to bodily fluids because these particles have a specific characteristic: They’re sticking to a surface. The new technique enables label-free immobilization of extracellular vesicles and particles without damaging them, allowing researchers to study them individually or in clumps and observe how they interact with cells.

 

Drone footage revealed constant violations of Mexico’s whale shark tourism rules, even when far fewer boats were on the water than regulations allow. The findings raise broader questions about whether popular wildlife encounters — from manta rays and sea turtles to whales and even elephants — are truly “ecotourism” and highlight the need for stronger monitoring and community-led stewardship.

Kyushu University researchers have created a novel “ACTG” naming system for human gene types, and launched the Joint Open Genome and Omics Platform 1.0 (JoGo 1.0), a global database cataloging 4.7 million gene types from more than 19,000 genes. Integrated with other public resources, the platform establishes a universal language for human gene types, empowering applications in fields such as disease research, drug development, and evolutionary biology.

A research team led by Prof. ZHU Min—member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and affiliated with the CAS Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP)—has identified a new species of fossil lungfish from Early Devonian deposits in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province. The findings, published recently in the journal Current Biology, help fill a long-standing gap in scientists' understanding of lungfishes' early evolutionary history.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a spectrum of liver conditions ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis (MASH), fibrosis, and cirrhosis, represents a global health epidemic with no approved pharmacotherapies.