Autophagy is essentially the 'rubbish collection' of our cells. If there are problems in this process, which is so important for our health, diseases such as Parkinson's can result. In their latest study, leading cell biologists at the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna investigated mitophagy – a form of autophagy – and came to a remarkable conclusion: the researchers have described a new trigger for mitophagy. This discovery has led to a reassessment of the hierarchy of factors that trigger autophagy. The newly discovered signalling pathways could also open up novel therapeutic options. The study has been published in the renowned journal Nature Cell Biology.

New research from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the University of Turku reveals that female gorillas make strategic decisions about when to take risks and challenge powerful groupmates. The study found that 42 percent of aggressive interactions originated from lower and targeted higher ranks - more than expected. Among females of different reproductive states, pregnant females took the greatest risks by targeting more powerful group members, highlighting a link between energetic needs and risk-taking. Females targeted more powerful groupmates when there were more males in the group, potentially protecting females, but they targeted less powerful groupmates when there were more females in the group, suggesting that females prefer to target weaker opponents when given the option. These findings suggest that animals can adapt their competitive behaviour and risk-aversion according to the social context and their individual needs.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of molten salts with a collection of exciting properties, which have been employed for wide-ranging applications across chemistry, biology, and materials science. However, their inherently high viscosity hinders the ability of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore their structure-property relationships on large spatiotemporal scales. Coarse-grained (CG) models address this challenge by retaining essential structural features while eliminating some atomic details, significantly reducing computational costs. A team of theoretical chemists presented the latest advances in IL CG models, with particular emphasis on the procedures for developing efficient CG models and parameterization methods with the aid of machine learning models. They also summarized applications of CG models in biological and electrochemical systems. This work was published in Industrial Chemistry & Materials on 09 Jun 2025.

Enzymes are vital to metabolism and drive countless biological processes in humans, plants, and industry. Yet, when overwhelmed by excess substrate, some enzymes slow down — a phenomenon known as substrate inhibition. This can hinder drug effectiveness and industrial efficiency. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have explored this mechanism and found that beta-carotene may help counteract it.

The laminin-411 protein is vital for the formation of the myelin membrane by oligodendrocytes, report researchers from Japan. Furthermore, the A4G47 peptide from the E8 region of laminin-411 was found to be the main active amino acid sequence that drives myelin formation. The research findings have the potential to transform current cell culture practices to study myelination and may enable the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat demyelinating diseases.  

A new study, led by University of Groningen molecular biologist Danny Incarnato, identifies hundreds of shapeshifting regulatory RNA switches in E.coli bacteria and human cells.