Developmental Biology News
September 17, 2025
Top Headlines
Sep. 16, 2025 — Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have cracked open the secrets of plant stem cells, mapping key genetic regulators in maize and Arabidopsis. By using single-cell RNA sequencing, they created a gene expression atlas that identifies rare ...
Sep. 15, 2025 — Volcanic eruptions on the remote island of Nishinoshima repeatedly wipe the land clean, giving scientists a rare chance to study life’s earliest stages. Researchers traced the genetic origins of an ...
Sep. 9, 2025 — Tiny ocean microbes called Prochlorococcus, once thought to be climate survivors, may struggle as seas warm. These cyanobacteria drive 5% of Earth’s photosynthesis and underpin much of the marine food web. A decade of research shows they thrive ...
Aug. 30, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a surprising new healing mechanism in injured cells called cathartocytosis, in which cells "vomit" out their internal machinery to revert more quickly to a stem cell-like ...
Aug. 24, 2025 — Researchers discovered that bees use flight movements to sharpen brain signals, enabling them to recognize patterns with remarkable accuracy. A digital model of their brain shows that this movement-based perception could revolutionize AI and ...
Aug. 18, 2025 — NASA-backed simulations reveal that meltwater from Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier lifts deep-ocean nutrients to the surface, sparking large summer blooms of phytoplankton that feed the Arctic food ...
Aug. 17, 2025 — Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however. UC Berkeley researchers ...
Aug. 8, 2025 — Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered bacteria and a modified viral replication system, ...
July 25, 2025 — Fermenting stevia with a banana leaf-derived probiotic turns it into a powerful cancer-fighting agent that kills pancreatic cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. The secret lies in a metabolite called CAME, produced through microbial ...
July 21, 2025 — What scientists once dismissed as junk DNA may actually be some of the most powerful code in our genome. A new international study reveals that ancient viral DNA buried in our genes plays an active role in controlling how other genes are turned on ...
July 21, 2025 — Gene editing may hold the key to rescuing endangered species—not just by preserving them, but by restoring their lost genetic diversity using DNA from museum specimens and related species. Scientists propose a visionary framework that merges ...
July 16, 2025 — Hawaiian coral reefs may face unprecedented ocean acidification within 30 years, driven by carbon emissions. A new study by University of Hawai‘i researchers shows that even under conservative climate scenarios, nearshore waters will change more ...
Latest Headlines
updated 10:02am EDT
Sep. 15, 2025 — A groundbreaking project is piecing together Leonardo da Vinci’s genetic profile by tracing his lineage across 21 generations and comparing DNA from living descendants with remains in a Da Vinci ...
Sep. 14, 2025 — By analyzing tooth enamel chemistry, scientists uncovered proof that Jurassic dinosaurs divided up their meals in surprising ways—some choosing buds and leaves, others woody bark, and still others ...
Sep. 14, 2025 — Sweetpotato, a critical food crop for millions, has finally had its genetic code fully decoded after decades of mystery. Scientists unraveled its extraordinarily complex genome of six chromosome ...
Sep. 13, 2025 — Scientists in Tokyo have uncovered “Inocles,” massive strands of extrachromosomal DNA hidden inside bacteria in human mouths. These giants, overlooked by traditional sequencing, could explain how ...
Sep. 5, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered microbial DNA preserved in mammoth remains dating back more than one million years, revealing the oldest host-associated microbial DNA ever recovered. By sequencing nearly ...
Sep. 4, 2025 — A small tissue fold in fly embryos, once thought purposeless, plays a vital role in stabilizing tissues. Researchers show that it absorbs stress during early development, and its position and timing ...
Aug. 25, 2025 — A stunning discovery in North Greenland has reclassified strange squid-like fossils, revealing that nectocaridids were not early cephalopods but ancestors of arrow worms. Preserved nervous systems ...
Aug. 24, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping ...
Aug. 20, 2025 — Two independent research teams have unveiled near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon, a reptile with the rare ability to change sex depending on both chromosomes and nest ...
Aug. 17, 2025 — By flipping a single genetic switch, researchers made one fruit fly species adopt the gift-giving courtship of another, showing how tiny brain rewiring can drive evolutionary ...
Earlier Headlines
Aug. 15, 2025 — Scientists at UC San Diego have discovered a small but powerful section of DNA, called HAR123, that could help explain what makes the human brain so unique. Instead of being a gene, HAR123 acts like ...
Aug. 6, 2025 — Apple snails can fully regrow their eyes, and their genes and eye structures are strikingly similar to humans. Scientists mapped the regeneration process and used CRISPR to identify genes, including ...
Aug. 16, 2025 — Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with ...
Aug. 5, 2025 — A group of Chinese scientists has created powerful new tools that allow them to edit large chunks of DNA with incredible accuracy—and without leaving any trace. Using a mix of advanced protein ...
Aug. 7, 2025 — Scientists discovered that jewel wasp larvae that undergo a developmental "pause" live longer and age more slowly at the molecular level by nearly 30%. This slowdown is tied to conserved ...
July 29, 2025 — Scientists at UC Merced have engineered artificial cells that can keep perfect time—mimicking the 24-hour biological clocks found in living organisms. By reconstructing circadian machinery inside ...
Aug. 9, 2025 — The newly described Mirasaura grauvogeli from the Middle Triassic had a striking feather-like crest, hinting that complex skin appendages arose far earlier than previously believed. Its bird-like ...
July 24, 2025 — Half a billion years ago, a strange sea-dwelling creature called Mollisonia symmetrica may have paved the way for modern spiders. Using detailed fossil brain analysis, researchers uncovered neural ...
July 16, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a surprisingly simple “tissue code”: five rules that choreograph when, where, and how cells divide, move, and die, allowing organs like the colon to remain flawlessly ...
July 7, 2025 — Scientists found that embryonic skin cells “whisper” through faint mechanical tugs, using the same force-sensing proteins that make our ears ultrasensitive. By syncing these micro-movements, the ...
July 7, 2025 — Scientists have decoded the sea spider’s genome for the first time, revealing how its strangely shaped body—with organs in its legs and barely any abdomen—may be tied to a missing gene. The ...
June 27, 2025 — A groundbreaking study suggests that the famous Cambrian explosion—the dramatic burst of diverse animal life—might have actually started millions of years earlier than we thought. By analyzing ...
June 25, 2025 — Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn ...
June 23, 2025 — In a remarkable twist of science, researchers have transformed a fungus long associated with death into a potential weapon against cancer. Found in tombs like that of King Tut, Aspergillus flavus was ...
June 20, 2025 — Even after 20 million years of evolutionary separation, two tiny worm species show astonishingly similar patterns in how they turn genes on and off. Scientists mapped every cell s activity during ...
June 19, 2025 — During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers ...
June 18, 2025 — New research is shaking up our understanding of evolution by revealing that some species may not evolve gradually at all. Instead, scientists discovered that certain marine worms experienced an ...
June 16, 2025 — Sea anemones may hold the key to the ancient origins of body symmetry. A study from the University of Vienna shows they use a molecular mechanism known as BMP shuttling, once thought unique to ...
June 15, 2025 — Underground fungi may be one of Earth s most powerful and overlooked allies in the fight against climate change, yet most of them remain unknown to science. Known only by DNA, these "dark ...
June 10, 2025 — Bumblebee queens don t work nonstop. UC Riverside scientists discovered that queens take strategic reproductive breaks early in colony formation likely to conserve energy and increase the chance of ...
Friday, August 15, 2025
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
- Whispers in the Womb: How Cells “hear” to Shape the Human Body
- How a Lost Gene Gave the Sea Spider Its Bizarre, Leggy Body
Friday, June 27, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Friday, June 20, 2025
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Monday, June 16, 2025
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Friday, June 6, 2025
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
- DNA Floating in the Air Tracks Wildlife, Viruses -- Even Drugs
- Two Plant Species Invent the Same Chemically Complex and Medically Interesting Substance
Friday, May 30, 2025
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History
- Could 'pausing' Cell Death Be the Final Frontier in Medicine on Earth and Beyond?
- Cannabis Pangenome Reveals Potential for Medicinal and Industrial Use
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- Study Deepens Understanding of Cell Migration, Important for Potential Medical Advances
- Yeast Can Now Produce Human DNase1
- In Nature's Math, Freedoms Are Fundamental
- Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced for First Time
- New AI Tool Reveals Single-Cell Structure of Chromosomes -- In 3D
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- Zika Virus Uses Cells' 'self-Care' System to Turn Against Host
- Discovery Offers New Insights Into Skin Healing in Salmon
Monday, May 26, 2025
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- Ancient DNA Used to Map Evolution of Fever-Causing Bacteria
- 'Selfish' Genes Called Introners Proven to Be a Major Source of Genetic Complexity
- Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Researchers Identify a Dual Origin of Cells Controlling Puberty and Reproduction
- Unlocking the Secrets of Bat Immunity
- Songbirds' Great Risk Results in Great Genetic Reward
- Hand2: Positional Code That Allows Axolotls to Regrow Limbs Found
- Live View: Stress-Induced Changes in Generations of Cancer Cells
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
- 'Cutting to Survive': How Cells Remove DNA Bridges at the Last Moment
- Mice Use Chemical Cues Such as Odors to Sense Social Hierarchy
Friday, May 16, 2025
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- Key Player in Childhood Food Allergies Identified: Thetis Cells
- Scientists Use Fossils to Assess the Health of Florida's Largest Remaining Seagrass Bed: Surprisingly, It's Doing Well!
- Improved Model System Allows Researchers to Study Embryo Development
- Scientists Track Down Mutation That Makes Orange Cats Orange
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Marsupial Research Reveals How Mammalian Embryos Form
- Artificial Intelligence and Genetics Can Help Farmers Grow Corn With Less Fertilizer
- Making Connections: A Three-Dimensional Visualization of Musculoskeletal Development
- UV Light and CT Scans Helped Scientists Unlock Hidden Details in a Beautifully-Preserved Fossil Archaeopteryx
- Genome of Near-Extinct Northern White Rhino Offers Hope for Reviving the Species
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- With AI, Researchers Predict the Location of Virtually Any Protein Within a Human Cell
- Scientists Film the Heart Forming in 3D Earlier Than Ever Before
- 'Loop'hole: HIV-1 Hijacks Human Immune Cells Using Circular RNAs
Friday, May 9, 2025
- A More Realistic Look at DNA in Action
- Novel, Needle-Free, Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccines With Broad Protection Against Human and Avian Virus Subtypes
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Bacteria: Recording Gene Activity More Efficiently
- AI-Designed DNA Controls Genes in Healthy Mammalian Cells for First Time
- Building Vaccines for Future Versions of a Virus
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- A 'roadmap' Of the Fruit Fly Brain
- Comb Jellies Reveal Ancient Origins of Animal Genome Regulation
- Cracking the Code: Deciphering How Concrete Can Heal Itself
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Monday, May 5, 2025
- Certain Traits in Romantic Partners Can Amplify the Impact of a Person's Genetic Risk for Alcohol Problems
- Biological 'clocks' Key to Muscle Health and Accelerated Aging in Shift Workers
- Biological Particles May Be Crucial for Inducing Heavy Rain
- Genomic Survey Uncovers Evolutionary Origins of Secretoglobins
- Saving the Asian 'unicorn' -- If It Still Exists
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Electricity-Generating Bacteria May Power Future Innovations
- Designer Microbe Shows Promise for Reducing Mercury Absorption from Seafood
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
Thursday, April 24, 2025
- No More Copy-Pasting: DNA Base Editing for Better Lactobacillus Strains
- One Gene Defines the Many Patterns of Snake Skin
- Scientists Repurpose Gene Editing Tool to Help Uncover Hidden Microbial Diversity
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Researchers Crack the Code of Cell Movement
- How Bacteria in Our Aging Guts Can Elevate Risk of Leukemia and Perhaps More
- Childhood Exposure to Bacterial Toxin May Be Triggering Colorectal Cancer Epidemic Among the Young
- How DNA Self-Organizes in the Early Embryo
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
- E-I-E-I-Omics: New Discoveries in Corn Genetics Could Help Grow More Productive, Resilient Crops
- New Technique Expands Tissues So Hundreds of Biomolecules Can Be Seen Inside Cells
Monday, April 21, 2025
- Engineered Microglia Show Promise for Treating Alzheimer's and Other Brain Diseases
- The Eukaryotic Cell Emerged as an Evolutionary Algorithmic Phase Transition
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Microbes in Brooklyn Superfund Site Teach Lessons on Fighting Industrial Pollution
- Early Mutations and Risk Factors for Stomach Cancer, and Develops a Pre-Cancer Model for Stomach Cancer Prevention
- Uncovering the Relationship Between Life and Sound
- Forward Genetics Approach Reveals the Factor Responsible for Carbon Trade-Off in Leaves
- Bite-Sized Chunks of Chicken With the Texture of Whole Meat Can Be Grown in the Lab
- Metabolism Shapes Life
- New Human 'multi-Zonal' Liver Organoids Improve Injury Survival in Rodents
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- Studying How Seals Adapt to Extreme Environments Could Lead to Benefits in Human Reproductive Health
- How Circadian Clocks Maintain Robustness in Changing Environments