After creating tiny biological “robots” or biobots, scientists have taken the quest to reimagine life forms a step further, adding nerve cells and observing how they self-organize and alter biobot behavior. The resulting neurobots take on new shapes and show unique behaviors. The researcher seek to understand the rules of self-organization for the nervous system, and ultimately how to work with those rules to guide neurons to new structures in the lab or restore existing tissues in the body.

A new computational tool infers changes occurring at the ends of the chromosomes housing our DNA. It does so by detecting structural alterations in cells and tissues captured in images taken of routine medical biopsies, according to findings published March 16, 2026, in Cell Reports Methods.

In testing the new tool called TLPath, the scientists were able to more accurately predict telomere length from the imaged biopsies than if they based their prediction solely on the age of patients when they donated their samples. The scientists further evaluated the model’s prediction capabilities by demonstrating that it could identify telomere length differences between individuals of the exact same chronological age.

Biobots are fascinating tiny self-powered living robots built exclusively using frog embryonic cells. Developed in the laboratories of Wyss Institute Associate Faculty member and Tufts University Professor Michael Levin and his collaborators, they are remarkably motile, moving autonomously through aqueous environments, and exhibit other exciting properties, including the ability to self-replicate and respond to sound stimuli. 

Now, Levin’s team endowed biobots with a nervous system by creating the first “neurobots.” Their new study shows that novel types of nervous systems self-organize within neurobots, with neuronal processes extending in between neurons as well as towards non-neuronal cells lining the surface of the bots. The study is published in Advanced Science.

Coyotes may be building dens and having litters of pups near you, according to new research from the University of Georgia. But chances are you won’t see them — even if they are denning right next door.

The new international Dream Biology Award invites young scientists to present bold scientific visions in the life sciences. The competition, launched by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague), recognizes original ideas with the potential to significantly advance biological research and deliver meaningful benefits to society. Projects submitted to the competition are expected to be more ambitious than typical ERC or NIH grant proposals. In addition to a unique handcrafted Bohemian glass trophy symbolizing the essence and evolving nature of life, the winner will receive a €10,000 prize.

New molecular insights into the link between hepatocellular carcinoma and intratumoral fibrosis could lead to better treatment strategies, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Through a comprehensive analysis involving clinical data and in vitro and in vivo experiments, they revealed that the SPP1–CD44–Hedgehog signaling pathway is a key driver of fibrosis in liver tumors, hinting at its potential as a therapeutic target.