Japan is an island nation surrounded by the ocean. Fish are deeply familiar to us, yet they hold many mysteries and possibilities—from their ability to change sex depending on environmental conditions to their remarkable vitality in passing life to the next generation. Fascinated by fish traits, Professor Kohei Ohta researches and explores the world of fish with endless curiosity. His research spans from fundamental studies on the origins of life to applied technologies that support Japan’s future fisheries. In this feature, he shares insights into the fascinating aspects of fish reproduction, the potential of aquaculture technologies, and the outlook for sustainable food production.

A major new report published today warns that nature loss is not just an environmental issue, it is already disrupting our food system, threatening catastrophic impacts on our economy and society. The report has been produced by the UK’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and Anglia Ruskin University.

A new genomic study reveals that ancient hybridization and gene flow have shaped the genetic diversity and morphological evolution of rare wild water lilies in Hainan, offering key insights for conservation under climate change.

Researchers have developed a new way to understand how cells survive heat stress by tracking how genes shift under changing temperatures. Studying skin fibroblasts from humans and heat-adapted one-humped camels, they created models of gene interactions using small datasets by measuring the magnitude of gene changes rather than simple on/off responses. Findings reveal that camels exhibit stronger cellular resilience than humans, offering new insight into heat adaptation and a powerful tool for studying environmental stress biology and ecological responses to environmental change.

The University of Oldenburg in Germany is set to acquire a unique research facility, as recommended by the German Council of Science and Humanities. The 'NaviGate' building has been designed for the study of animal navigation in realistic conditions. The centrepiece of the new building will be a “Non-Magnetic Multisensory Virtual Reality Dome”. There, it will be possible to generate magnetic fields or simulate disturbances such as electromagnetic pollution and light pollution.

The first quantitative spatial and temporal analysis of wild meat consumption in Central Africa reveals a sharp increase in demand that is largely driven by urban populations, threatening wildlife populations and raising concerns about long-term nutritional security in rural areas.