When pollinators visit flowers, they produce various sounds, from wing flapping during hovering, to landing and takeoff. Francesca Barbero studied these vibroacoustic signals to develop noninvasive and efficient methods for monitoring pollinator communities and their influences on plant biology and ecology. The researchers found that the bee sounds led the snapdragons to increase their sugar and nectar volume, and even alter their gene expression that governs sugar transport and nectar production.

An invisible intruder puts the delicate balance in our lungs to the test: the mold Aspergillus fumigatus, harmless in nature, can become a serious danger if the immune system is weakened - and change the entire bacterial world in the lungs. But that's not all: the intestines and metabolism also appear to be affected by a lung infection.

The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for advanced tools to predict future outbreaks. The study introduces CoVFit, an AI-driven model that analyzes spike protein mutations to assess the fitness of SARS-CoV-2 variants. By combining molecular and epidemiological data, CoVFit provides early insights into the transmissibility and immunity evasion of emerging variants, offering a powerful tool for pandemic preparedness, vaccine design, and global risk assessment.