The Stowers Institute for Medical Research has named Dan Devers as General Counsel, effective January 26, 2026. In this role, Devers will provide strategic and operational leadership on all legal matters across the Institute and its affiliates, including governance, compliance, intellectual property strategy, and partnerships that support the Institute’s mission to uncover new knowledge in foundational biology and develop innovative ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. 

Polyester microfibers in soil negatively impact the development of cherry tomato plants in experiments, raising concerns over the potential effect of high levels of such contaminants

A new study suggests that, with low to moderate levels of global greenhouse emissions in coming decades, more of India could become suitable for growing avocados. However, with high enough emissions, growing zones could shrink and destabilize by 2070. G. Karunakaran of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Indian Institute of Horticultural Research and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on January 14, 2026.

The proinflammatory activation of immune cells called macrophages can be remotely directed using piezoelectric nanoparticles coupled with ultrasound, Boston College researchers report in Scientific Reports. This potentially allows for the precise, on-demand activation of cells specifically at an infection or tumor site, avoiding the toxicity and side effects associated with the systemic administration of traditional therapeutics.

UVA researcher Jing Yang’s recognition as an IEEE Fellow comes for advancing more efficient, reliable and sustainable wireless technologies.

The Oceanography Society (TOS) has named Professor Dr. Oliver Zielinski a Fellow of the Society, recognizing his outstanding and sustained contributions to oceanography through scientific innovation, leadership, education, and service. The TOS Fellows Program honors members whose careers have significantly advanced understanding and stewardship of the ocean while strengthening the global oceanographic community. Dr. Zielinski will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.

Professor Chuanmin Hu, of the University of South Florida College of Marine Science’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory, has been elected a Fellow of The Oceanography Society (TOS), one of the Society’s highest honors, recognizing outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of oceanography through scientific excellence, leadership, service, and commitment to education and public engagement. Dr. Hu will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Koç University in Istanbul have created hydrogel-based artificial cilia that move almost exactly like real biological cilia – the closest imitation achieved so far. The researchers can program each micrometer-sized cilium to move freely in space – just like cilia in the human body. With their research, the scientists aim to investigate how natural cilia function, how they coordinate their movement, and what role they play in brain development, signal perception, and fluid movement, for example. Because the artificial cilia are soft and easy to control, they could one day be used in medical devices to help people whose natural cilia are damaged or not working properly. The fast, low-voltage motion demonstrated in their study could also inspire a new generation of tiny robots that were previously impossible at such small scales. This milestone work will be published in Nature on January 14, 2026.