A research team led by Vicent Arbona Mengual from the Department of Biology, Biochemistry and Natural Sciences at Universitat Jaume I has secured a European project under the EIC Pathfinder Challenges programme whose main objective is to generate genetically modified citrus lines with greater resilience to adverse conditions caused by climate change and its exacerbating effects on pests and diseases. The project will focus primarily on sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata).Citrus fruits are functional foods that combine nutritional value with health-promoting properties thanks to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects. In addition to introducing genetic modifications to improve resilience to climate change, the project also aims to promote the biofortification of citrus fruits in order to enhance their nutritional properties by increasing both naturally occurring compounds (flavonoids and furanocoumarins) and non-native compounds (resveratrol). The latter, a stilbene found in grapes and cocoa, has been selected because of its cardioprotective and anti-ageing properties.

Climate change is driving rapid declines in seaweed forests globally, outpacing restoration efforts and undermining seaweed restoration as a viable carbon dioxide removal strategy, according to an essay by Karen Filbee-Dexter at the University of Western Australia, and colleagues, publishing September 8^th in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

The MAIJU smart jumpsuit measured infants during free play at home and produced reference curves for infant motor development. Most of the curves also distinguished children whose development was atypical.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have engineered a different kind of ribosome: one dedicated to making a single type of protein. 

Small mammals called plateau pikas are often treated as pests for competing with livestock for food, but research from China shows they can improve the quality of vegetation for grazing yaks.

New study identifies hundreds of previously overlooked micropeptides linked to cancer progression. Hebrew University researchers have discovered that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)—genetic material once thought not to produce proteins—can encode hundreds of tiny proteins collectively called micropeptides. By analyzing nearly 10,000 tumours across 17 cancer types, the team identified hundreds of micropeptides associated with different stages of cancer progression, revealing a previously underexplored layer of cancer biology that could improve understanding of how tumours develop and help identify future biomarkers.