Complex life began to develop almost a billion years earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed. This is shown by research conducted by, among others, NIOZ researcher Anja Spang. The study challenges several long-standing scientific theories in this area. The availability of abundant oxygen, for example, does not appear to be a prerequisite for the evolution of complex life.

A recent study by the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar and Northeastern University highlights how climate change impacts pollination systems in the tropics, Mediterranean, and temperate zones. Using climate projections and simulations across 11 ecological networks, the study indicates that tropical plant-pollinator systems exhibit the highest sensitivity to rising temperatures, while temperate species may cope better. Analysis of conservation strategies to support pollination systems across these regions indicates a failure of a one-size-fits-all template and suggests designing region-specific strategies to effectively protect biodiversity and pollination services in the face of future warming.

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) controls what moves in and out of the cell nucleus. Scientists have long debated how its flexible components team up with transport factors to create a barrier that is both fast and highly selective. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy and synthetic nanopores, the researchers showed that transport factors continuously reorganize the NPCs central transporter to enhance its selectivity and speed. The findings overturn previous rigid or gel-like models of the nuclear pore complex, offering new insight into diseases—such as cancer and neurodegeneration—that are linked to NPC breakdown. They also provide a blueprint for designing smart, nanopore-based technologies for drug delivery and filtration.

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (GFMR) and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) are pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Discovery Awards: Christina Camell, PhD (Associate Professor, University of Minnesota) and Elaine Fuchs, PhD (Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor, The Rockefeller University and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute).

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Discovery Awards support research projects with strong potential to develop pioneering discoveries to understand the underlying biological mechanisms that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline. Two, three-year awards totaling $525,000 each are made each year.

This month Genome Research publishes a special issue highlighting novel advances in computational biology. In collaboration with the 29^th International Conference on Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB), Genome Research publishes a collection of novel computational methods and their applications in genomics, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. These include algorithmic innovations in haplotype assembly and phasing, the analysis of genomic variation and its association to phenotype, and metagenomic data analyses. 

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence »Balance of the Microverse« at the University of Jena and the Leibniz-HKI, together with international partners, have uncovered a mechanism that determines how our gut microbiome processes healthful plant compounds. The »chemical cookbook« of gut bacteria varies from person to person—and is often disrupted in chronic diseases. The findings pave the way for personalized nutrition plans that specifically promote balance in the microbiome.