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Study finds some sea slugs consume algae, incorporate photosynthetic parts into their own bodies to keep producing nutrients Originally published by Kermit Pattison, Harvard Staff Writer, on June 25, 2025 It could be the plot of a summer sci-fi blockbuster: A creature feeds on its prey and inherits its “superpower. ” Only this is real. Corey Allard in his lab at Harvard Medical School.  Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer A new study led by Harvard biologists describes how some sea slugs consume algae and incorporate their photosynthetic organelles into their own bodies . The organelles continue to perform photosynthesis , providing nutrients and energy to their hosts and serving as emergency rations in times of starvation . Read more   

Originally published  by James Cook University , at phys.org, on June 18, 2025   Edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan                                     Credit: James Cook University A new study has used cutting-edge 3D modeling to confirm that sharks follow the "two-thirds scaling law" almost perfectly, with the discovery set to help reshape how we understand biology across the animal kingdom . The study has confirmed that when it comes to body size , sharks play by the rules—and it could reshape how we understand biology across the animal kingdom. For more than a century, scientists have relied on a theory that predicts how an animal's surface area and volume scale with size . Now, researchers from James Cook University (JCU) and the University of Massachusetts have used cutting-edge 3D modeling to confirm this theory in sharks —one of the ocean's...

The major scientific discovery opens the door to new treatments for the devastating disease.  Originally published by Liz Dueweke / Allen Institute/ on   June 16, 2025 ALS is a cruel disease . It robs the body of its ability to control itself —the ability to move , the ability to communicate . While there are currently no effective treatments to reverse its debilitating symptoms, Allen Institute researchers have opened a window of hope .  For the first time ever, scientists have developed a precise genetic toolkit that can target the exact nerve cells destroyed by the disease and potentially deliver therapies where they are needed mos t—a discovery that could dramatically speed up the quest for a cure. The findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports .  Image of a spinal cord section taken from the lumbar region. An enhancer AAV expressing a bright fluorescent protein in motor neurons was delivered to the animal and spinal cord sections wer...

Originally published by Emma Bryce at livescience.com, on June 13, 2025 Breathing patterns among humans are so unique that they can work as an identification tool, scientists report. They propose someday using breath as a way to diagnose disease .   A new study suggests that human breathing patterns differ from person to person and can even be used to identify individuals. (Image credit: Ippei Naoi via Getty Images) Humans have unique breathing patterns that c an be used to identify and distinguish individuals , a new study has found. In the work, published Thursday (June 12) in the journal Current Biology , researchers could use an algorithm to identify individuals based on these distinct "respiratory fingerprints" nearly 97% of the time . The study authors also think the breathing profiles could reveal potential clues about each individual's mental and physical health . Although it seems straightforward, b reathing is a complex process governed by several bra...

A new stem cell-sorting robot is giving scientists their best shot yet at decoding the third week of human development. Originally published by Srishti Gupta , at Interesting Engineer, on Jun 10, 2025 Gastruloids are stem cell-derived models that replicate a key phase of early embryonic development: the third week of gestation (representative image).  iStock/Rasi Bhadramani Researchers have just unveiled a new sorting machine that could kick-start our grasp of how human life comes into being in the first few weeks . The system , created at the University of Washington in tandem with the Brotman Baty Institute , allows scientists to isolate these cellular models more efficiently than ever before . Gastruloids are stem cell-derived models that replicate a key phase of early embryonic development : the third week of gestation , when the body’s three primary germ layers begin to form. Because the new model sidesteps the red-flagged ethical territory of working with real em...

Originally published by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , on June 10, 2025 edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan   Development of hyperactive variant eNAT10 through NAT10 protein engineering. By engineering the NAT10 protein, which performs RNA acetylation in human cells, based on its domain and structure, eNAT10 was developed, showing approximately a 3-fold increase in RNA acetylation activity compared to the wild-type enzyme. Credit: Nature Chemical Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-025-01922-3 RNA gene scissors (CRISPR-Cas13) are gaining significant attention as a next-generation gene therapy with fewer side effects. They can suppress infection by eliminating viral RNA, such as in coronaviruses, or regulate the expression of disease-causing genes. KAIST researchers have developed the world's first technology that can precisely locate and acetylate (chemically modify) only the desired RNA among countless RNA molecules (mol...