Pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and preterm birth often arise during the late stage of pregnancy. However, researchers have primarily relied on placental cells from early pregnancy to study these conditions, which may not fully reflect the biology of late-stage complications. Now, a research team in Japan has successfully developed human placental stem cells from the smooth chorion (a part of the placenta) taken from full-term pregnancies. These new stem cells, called Ch-TS cells, share the same characteristics as placental stem cells from early pregnancy and can develop into the key cell types essential for proper placental function. This advancement allows scientists to study placental complications using cells from the actual time period when these complications occur, potentially leading to better understanding, earlier detection, and improved treatments for pregnancy-related conditions.

The natural phenomenon of upwelling, which occurs annually in the Gulf of Panama, failed for the first time on record in 2025. A study led by scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) indicates that the weakening of the trade winds was the cause of this event. This finding highlights the climate’s impact on fundamental oceanic processes and the coastal communities that depend on them

Water cure: study found that common shrews shrink their brains in winter not by losing cells, but by losing water

Brain scans: team used MRI scanning, the same technology used in hospitals, to peer inside the brains of live shrews across seasons

What humans can learn: brain shrinkage in humans is typically a sign of disease, like Alzheimer’s. But shrews can shrink their brain without compromising function or causing damage. Shrews could become a model system for exploring potential pathways for medical treatment of human brain disease

Scientists from an International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) working group have called for new research to enhance habitat protection for juvenile fish species. Experts from the ICES' Working Group on the Value of Coastal Habitats for Exploited Species (WGVHES), led by Dr Benjamin Ciotti from the University of Plymouth (UK), undertook a comprehensive review to evaluate the approaches being used to assess juvenile habitat quality. Their resulting study highlights a major gap in the evidence needed to evaluate habitat quality which is in turn leading to a mismatch between policy needs and available science, with management decisions often relying on incomplete or indirect indicators.