A research team has identified two forms of a gene linked to feeding in juvenile Siberian sturgeon and found that both respond to meals and fasting. 

A new review in Infectious Diseases & Immunity brings together the evidence on how hantavirus infection affects the mouth and saliva. A severe sore throat lasting 2 to 3 weeks can be an early sign; very low platelet counts raise the risk of oral bleeding, and saliva shows promise as a non-invasive testing sample. For Andes virus, the only hantavirus known to spread between people, infectious virus has been recovered from saliva and gum fluid, so dental teams in endemic regions, and those seeing returning travelers, should know the signs and take sensible precautions.

A research team has measured how length relates to weight in 13 freshwater fish species in Xinjiang's Upstream Reservoir, creating a baseline for a fishery that has experienced a steep decline. 

A research team has developed a virus-based tool that lets scientists temporarily reduce gene activity in cowpea and investigate what those genes do. The system produced long-lasting gene silencing across seven genetically diverse varieties and helped reveal how four related genes influence defense hormone accumulation after insect attack. 

A research team has mapped a broad network of potential genetic switches involved in how rice seedlings respond to cold, offering new clues to differences between cold-sensitive and cold-tolerant varieties. 

With the rapid advancement of electronic skin and wearable health-monitoring technologies, flexible sensors are evolving from single-parameter detection towards the synergistic sensing of multiple parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and physiological signals. Conventional multi-parameter devices typically require the integration of distinct sensing units alongside independent electrodes and signal transmission lines; this often results in complex device architectures, cumbersome manufacturing processes, and limited system integration. In contrast, functional materials exhibiting both thermoelectric and piezoresistive effects can independently distinguish between temperature and pressure by utilising voltage changes induced by temperature gradients and resistance changes caused by external forces, respectively, offering the potential to simplify device structures while enhancing multi-parameter sensing capabilities.

Persistent inflammation and oxidative stress can reinforce each other, damaging oral tissues and hindering repair. A new review examines how tetrahedral framework nucleic acids—tiny, programmable DNA structures—could both neutralize harmful reactive oxygen species and deliver therapeutic molecules to affected tissues. Promising laboratory and animal studies point toward future approaches for periodontal disease, jawbone damage and oral mucosal disorders, although major challenges remain before clinical use.