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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2026 16:16 ET (30-Oct-2026 20:16 GMT/UTC)

Research alert: Breakthrough helps expand genetic alphabet

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated that one of biology’s most essential enzymes can accurately read and transcribe an expanded genetic alphabet containing eight DNA letters instead of the four used by all known life.

Journal: Nature Communications

New “devil flower” species discovered in Thai national park

Pensoft Publishers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have described a new species of leafless flowering plant found on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand, and its otherworldly appearance has earned it a fittingly dramatic name: Thismia daemona, the “devil flower”.

Journal: PhytoKeys

SARS-CoV-2 uses its “scissor” (3CLpro) to chop the influenza virus’s guts (NP and PA)

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A comprehensive in silico scan of human respiratory viruses identified 3CLpro cleavage motifs within influenza NP and PA. Experimental validation confirmed that 3CLpro-mediated cleavage triggers rapid protein degradation and cytoplasmic mislocalization. Consequently, both ectopic 3CLpro expression and SARS-CoV-2 replication effectively inhibit replication across diverse influenza virus strains, revealing a broad-spectrum antiviral mechanism.

Journal: Virologica Sinica
Funder: National Key R&D Program of China, China Postdoctoral Science Fund, Natural Science Foundation of China, Major Project of Guangzhou National Laboratory, Regional Joint Key Project of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen science and technology planning project, Shenzhen Medical Research Fund

Storytelling apes: Are you sitting comfortably….

University of St. Andrews
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a paper published today (2 September) in Proceedings of the Royal Society, researchers from St Andrews alongside colleagues from Dartmouth College, suggest that fireside storytelling may have provided the key catalyst to move human communication away from the ape-like systems our modern ape cousins still use today, and towards our uniquely human use of language.

Breathing without brakes

University of Connecticut
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Hyperventilating. Breath holding until they turn blue. This abnormal breathing is frequent and disturbing in people with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disease. Now University of Connecticut researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of Current Biology why those episodes happen, and show how medications for an entirely different disease might help.

Journal: Current Biology

New design strategy expands nanoparticle vaccine approach to influenza viruses

Scripps Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Now, in a Nature Communications study published on August 13, 2026, scientists at Scripps Research offer a blueprint for how to stabilize the various versions of influenza’s HA protein and use it to build nanoparticle vaccine candidates. Influenza is the latest target made compatible with the nanoparticle technology, specifically called self-assembling protein nanoparticles (SApNPs), which work by organizing many copies of viral proteins into clusters that the immune system can more easily recognize. This framework could eventually be applied to inform design of next-generation vaccines across diverse flu viruses.

Journal: Nature Communications

Bay to bayou: University of Rhode Island biologist to lead $4 million NSF grant to advance wetland restoration in Rhode Island and Louisiana

University of Rhode Island
Grant and Award Announcement

Ying Zhang in URI's College of the Environment and Life Sciences is leading a collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation that will leverage existing collaborations and coastal research networks in Rhode Island and Louisiana. With nearly 40% of Americans living in coastal counties, this research is highly relevant to building community resilience and economic sustainability in both states.

First results published from major algal gene sequencing project

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of more than 100 scientists have taken a major step towards unlocking the secrets of some of Earth’s tiniest but most important organisms.

A new study led by the University of East Anglia reveals that different species of microscopic algae can behave in strikingly different ways because of their genetics.

The team hope the findings could lead to breakthroughs in biotechnology - from cleaner fuels and carbon capture systems to advanced nanotechnology for medical treatments and sensors.

The 100 Diatom Genomes Project, led by Prof Thomas Mock from UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, is the largest algal genome sequencing project to date.

Its aim is to sequence the genomes of 100 diatom species - a class of microalgae - to provide insights into their roles in capturing carbon dioxide and as the foundation of diverse aquatic food webs.

Journal: PLOS Biology

UCSB professor lands DARPA award to develop mini DNA factories

University of California - Santa Barbara
Grant and Award Announcement

UCSB's Max Wilson is developing a system that can receive instructions and synthesize a sequence of DNA or RNA without any chemical input. Like a wireless DNA printer in a living cell.

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