A research team led by Professor Gao Zexia from Huazhong Agricultural University in China has successfully cultivated grass carp completely lacking intermuscular bones (IBs)—small, sharp skeletal structures that not only pose consumption risks to consumers but also limit processing efficiency. By runx2b gene editing, the team obtained genetically stable F₂ populations of grass carp without IBs. Comprehensive phenotypic analysis revealed no significant differences between IBs-free and the wild-type grass carp in overall skeletal development, bone mineral density, muscle composition or nutritional content. Multi-omics data further demonstrated adaptive remodeling in Calcium Signaling and Muscle Contraction Pathways, indicating normal physiological compensation. This study provides a feasible strategy for improving the fish efficiency of aquaculture breeding and enhancing the supply of high quality fish protein.

In Biointerphases, a Hiroshima University researcher closely examines the light-emitting organ in a bioluminescent deep-sea fish to reveal layers of guanine platelets that do more than just reflect the light — they scatter the light in complex ways. The platelets are needle-shaped and clustered locally around the light organs, and when light hits the guanine crystals, their shape causes light scattering. Knowing this could provide insights into highly efficient biomimetic designs that maximize and recycle leaked light.

A study published in Insect Science reports that superworms, the larvae of the beetle Zophobas atratus, can biodegrade polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of the most widely produced and hardest-to-recycle plastics in the world. The research, led by scientists from Tongji University, Stanford University, and Michigan State University, provides the most rigorous evidence yet of insect-mediated PVC degradation and sheds new light on the biological mechanisms behind it.