Life Sciences

A rare cancer-fighting plant compound has finally been decoded
  1. Life Sciences

A rare cancer-fighting plant compound has finally been decoded

Researchers at UBC Okanagan have figured out how plants make mitraphylline, a rare natural substance that has drawn attention for its potential role in fighting cancer. Mitraphylline is part of a small and unusual family of plant chemicals known as spirooxindole alkaloids. These molecules are defined by their distinctive twisted ring shapes, which help give […]
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Back from the dead: “Extinct” fish rediscovered in a remote Bolivian pond after 20 years
  1. Life Sciences

Back from the dead: “Extinct” fish rediscovered in a remote Bolivian pond after 20 years

Scientists have confirmed the rediscovery of Moema claudiae, a rare seasonal killifish species in Bolivia that had been considered possibly extinct. The finding renews hope for protecting this unusual fish and the fragile wetland ecosystems it depends on. The species had not been observed for more than 20 years. Its original habitat was destroyed and […]
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Scientists say evolution works differently than we thought
  1. Life Sciences

Scientists say evolution works differently than we thought

For decades, many evolutionary biologists have believed that most genetic changes shaping genes and proteins are neutral. Under this view, mutations are usually neither helpful nor harmful, allowing them to spread quietly without being strongly favored or rejected by natural selection. A new study from the University of Michigan challenges that long-standing assumption and suggests […]
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We are living in a golden age of species discovery
  1. Life Sciences

We are living in a golden age of species discovery

Roughly three centuries ago, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus set out to catalog and name every living organism he could find. He is now widely regarded as the founder of modern taxonomy after introducing the binomial naming system and formally describing more than 10,000 species of plants and animals. Scientists have continued that mission ever since, […]
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A traditional Brazilian plant shows unexpected strength against arthritis
  1. Life Sciences

A traditional Brazilian plant shows unexpected strength against arthritis

A research team in Brazil has found strong evidence that the Joseph’s Coat plant (Alternanthera littoralis) is both safe and effective at reducing inflammation, easing pain, and protecting against arthritis. The study was carried out by scientists from the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and São Paulo State […]
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Why evolution rewarded ants that sacrificed protection
  1. Life Sciences

Why evolution rewarded ants that sacrificed protection

The question is playful and unrealistic, but it points to a serious idea: the tension between quantity and quality. New research suggests this same tradeoff has shaped evolution, especially in the rise of complex animal societies. How ants choose numbers over toughness A study published on December 19, 2025, in the journal Science Advances reports […]
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Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples
  1. Life Sciences

Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples

By examining DNA preserved in decades-old air samples collected by the Swedish Armed Forces, scientists at Lund University in Sweden have uncovered clear evidence that the seasonal release of spores by northern mosses has changed dramatically over the last 35 years. The research shows that moss spores are now released several weeks earlier than they […]
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This “mushroom” is not a fungus, it’s a bizarre plant that breaks all the rules
  1. Life Sciences

This “mushroom” is not a fungus, it’s a bizarre plant that breaks all the rules

In the damp shade beneath moss-covered trees, high in the mountains of Taiwan and mainland Japan or deep within the subtropical forests of Okinawa, an unusual organism quietly grows. At first glance, it resembles a mushroom. In reality, it is a plant called Balanophora, and it possesses some of the smallest flowers and seeds known […]
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From biting flies to feathered dinosaurs, scientists reveal 70 new species
  1. Life Sciences

From biting flies to feathered dinosaurs, scientists reveal 70 new species

A new species of mouse opossum with an exceptionally long nose and tail, Marmosa chachapoya. Credit: © Pedro Peloso From biting fruit flies and a tiny long-nosed mouse opossum to a feathered dinosaur preserved with evidence of its final meal, scientists at the American Museum of Natural History identified more than 70 species new to […]
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Your body feels cold in two different ways
  1. Life Sciences

Your body feels cold in two different ways

Researchers led by Félix Viana, co-director of the Sensory Transduction and Nociception laboratory at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), have discovered that the body does not sense cold in a single, uniform way. Instead, the skin and internal organs rely on different molecular systems to detect drops in temperature. The Institute for Neurosciences (IN) is […]
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Good Reads

The traffic controller: GARLH4 dictates neuroligin synapse-type preference

Neuroligin isoforms are commonly thought to intrinsically specify synapse identity. In this issue, Yamasaki et al. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202507190) show that the auxiliary protein GARLH4 (LHFPL4) instead dictates neuroligin preference via competitive hierarchy, enabling dynamic reassignment between excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic domains.
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Worlwide

The traffic controller: GARLH4 dictates neuroligin synapse-type preference

Neuroligin isoforms are commonly thought to intrinsically specify synapse identity. In this issue, Yamasaki et al. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202507190) show that the auxiliary protein GARLH4 (LHFPL4) instead dictates neuroligin preference via competitive hierarchy, enabling dynamic reassignment between excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic domains.
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