A small, nest-dwelling tick found across large parts of Texas could play an outsized role in how the United States responds to African swine fever (ASF) should the virus reach domestic or wild pigs.

In a recent study, researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Department of Biology mapped where Ornithodoros turicata — a soft tick species native to Texas and the southwestern United States — is most likely to survive and examined what that means for ASF preparedness.

The study is part of a $1.4 million Department of Homeland Security-funded research project through the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS), DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Center of Excellence housed at Texas A&M. Led by Dr. Meriam Saleh, a clinical assistant professor in VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, this project seeks to understand whether Texas-derived populations of the tick could help sustain or transmit the virus if it were introduced into the U.S. — and how that risk could affect the food supply, trade and cross-border livestock movement. By supporting research at the intersection of animal health, border security and supply chain resilience, CBTS helps address emerging transboundary threats before they escalate into large-scale economic or homeland security challenges.

Researchers at the University of Maine have discovered that planktonic lobster larvae preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. Using a newly developed DNA probe, researchers found that 30% of larval and post-larval lobsters sampled had DNA of Calanus finmarchicus in their digestive tracts, whereas this species comprised only a few percent of the available zooplankton. Scientists have also observed declines in both the availability of this key food source, meaning lobster larvae have to depend on less nutritious resources, threatening their chance of survival.

A research group from the University of São Paulo analyzed over 1,600 articles and found that research increased by 9.5% annually between 1974 and 2025. The authors advocate for regionalized solutions and public policies to bridge the gap between evidence and implementation.

Even in protected areas, birds are disappearing from America’s prairies, and unpredictable weather isn’t helping. That’s the takeaway from a new analysis of 16 years of bird survey data at 40 tallgrass prairie sites in western Minnesota. The sites were all protected areas — a mix of state parks, wildlife management areas, and private conservation easements. The results suggest that grassland birds are disappearing even from supposed strongholds.

A 30-year conservation effort has helped the critically endangered Galápagos snapdragon (Galvezia leucantha subsp. leucantha) recover from just six individuals to a small, carefully tended wild population. Following tireless conservation efforts and the planting of 94 nursery-propagated plants that were reintroduced to Playa Tortuga Negra and Caleta Tagus, the wild adult population has grown from six individuals in 2007 to 28 healthy adults today – 20 at Playa Tortuga Negra and 8 at Tagus Cove. In 2021, the project recorded its first evidence of natural seedling regeneration in the wild — a significant milestone demonstrating that the reintroduced plants were able to reproduce naturally and generate a new generation under wild conditions. Although these first naturally recruited seedlings did not survive a later drought, their emergence represents an important step toward a self-sustaining population and highlights the value of the long-term restoration effort. Their loss also underscores an important remaining challenge. Water scarcity remains one of the biggest ongoing threats to this critically endangered plant.The full study has been published in Nature Conservation, an open-access journal.

What animal can live for up to 40 years and show remarkable resistance to cancer? The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) challenges conventional views of aging and age-related disease. At Kyushu University, Professor Kyoko Miura studies the biological mechanisms behind this unusual resilience. Over the past 16 years, she has built one of the world’s largest naked mole-rat colonies from just 30 animals. Her research may offer new insights into healthy aging and disease resistance.