A team led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems to achieves multiple types of precise DNA manipulations ranging from kilobase to megabase scale in higher organisms, especially plants.

A new analysis of the bite strength of 18 species of carnivorous dinosaurs shows that while the Tyrannasaurus rex skull was optimized for quick, strong bites like a crocodile, other giant, predatory dinosaurs that walked on two legs—including spinosaurs and allosaurs—had much weaker bites and instead specialized in slashing and ripping flesh. Reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on August 4, these findings demonstrate that meat-eating dinosaurs followed different evolutionary paths in terms of skull design and feeding style despite their similarly gigantic sizes.  

In a new study published in the BMC Biology, researchers in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, analyzed 156 limbs from 28 O. serratus fossil specimens to reconstruct the precise movement and function of these mysterious ancient arthropod appendages—shedding light on one of the planet’s earliest and most successful animals.

Raman spectroscopy is based on the principle of inelastic light scattering, enabling precise analysis and identification of materials by detecting spectral characteristics of low-frequency modes such as vibrations and rotations in molecules, solids, and two-dimensional materials. This technology offers advantages including label-free detection, rich information content, and non-destructive analysis, demonstrating broad application prospects in chemistry, biology, medicine, environmental science, and other fields. However, as a higher-order light-matter interaction process, Raman scattering has an inherently tiny scattering cross-section, with signal intensity far lower than fluorescence and Rayleigh scattering.

There are 157 non-native species have successfully invaded Dongting Lake, which is the second largest freshwater lake in China. Although some non-native species become important species in local aquaculture, aquarium trade and other industries. Many non-native species have caused significantly negative impacts on native biodiversity, environmental safety, human health and sustainable development.

Erratic cell membranes have puzzled scientists for decades. But when physicist Rana Ashkar’s team looked at membrane behavior on the nanoscale, they were able to identify the elusive biophysical laws that membranes have been following to all along.