The genetic mechanisms regulating the metamorphosis of worker and queen bees from genetically identical insect larvae is poorly understood. A team of researchers recently identified 842 candidate enhancer sequences from 17,349 worker Apis mellifera transcription start sites that may help regulate the development of worker honeybees in this genus’ complex social caste system.

Whether in the vast steppes of Mongolia, the dense rainforest of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, or in Germany’s low mountain ranges—the relationship between humans and dogs shows remarkable similarities across the globe. An international research team from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig has investigated how this relationship takes shape across cultural boundaries. The team—supported by the German Research Foundation—studied the interaction between hunters and their dogs across five continents and found a surprising number of parallels. The researchers report their findings in the scientific journal »Scientific Reports«.

When people are close—both physically and emotionally—their heart rates begin to align, rising and falling together. Could such cardiac alignment be used as a way to measure social engagement and connection in everyday settings?

A compact aperture-adjustable antenna developed by researchers at Science Tokyo could improve high-speed wireless communication across the wide 5G millimeter-wave frequency bands without increasing power consumption. The system maintained strong performance across 57–71 GHz band, improved signal strength by up to 62.2% at 57 GHz and 47.9% at 71 GHz, and achieved data transmission speeds of up to 56 Gb/s. These could support future Beyond 5G and 6G applications, including XR and data-intensive technologies.