Microbial clues uncover how wild songbirds respond to stress
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2026 02:16 ET (17-Jun-2026 06:16 GMT/UTC)
Researchers studied wild Northern cardinals to see how everyday challenges shape the gut microbiome. Even brief disruptions, like short handling or rival interactions, triggered microbial changes linked to stress hormones, body condition and beak coloration. Birds with the largest microbial shifts also showed pronounced physiological and visual stress responses, highlighting the gut microbiome as a sensitive indicator of health. The study reveals how subtle, routine stressors influence internal biology, offering new insights into how wild animals maintain resilience and cope with environmental pressures.
How do blood vessels stay strong, flexible, and responsive to the body’s changing need for oxygen and nutrients? The answer lies not only in biology—but also in physics. Researchers at Åbo Akademi University (Finland) and the InFLAMES Flagship have uncovered new molecular pathways that allow blood vessel cells to sense and respond to the mechanical forces generated by blood flow. The findings open new possibilities for understanding—and potentially influencing—vascular health in cardiovascular disease, regenerative medicine, and cancer therapy.
LMU computational biologist helps uncover how the Amazon molly maintains a healthy genome without sexual reproduction
Researchers discovered that a freshwater alga captures low-energy far-red light by precisely arranging ordinary chlorophyll molecules, rather than inventing new pigments. The finding reveals a new structural strategy for photosynthesis in low-light environments and could inform future bioenergy and protein design.
Gut dysbiosis caused by a high-fat diet can allow bacteria to move from the gut to the brain in mice, according to a new study by David Weiss and Arash Grakoui from Emory University, U.S., and colleagues published March 12th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
Scientists have identified ~2.3 million conserved non-coding DNA sequences across 284 plant species from 72 plant families using a new gene-centric alignment approach, revealing ancient regulatory elements that control gene activity across plant evolution.
Do ravens follow wolves to feed on their kills? For decades, biologists assumed they did. Ravens are often seen flying with wolves, following their tracks, or gathering quickly at fresh carcasses
A twist in the tale: New research reveals that ravens don’t simply follow wolves, they remember common hunting grounds and regularly check back for fresh meat.
Large tracking study: Researchers tracked 69 ravens and 20 wolves across Yellowstone National Park for two-and-a-half years to find out that scavengers likely use spatial memory and navigation to locate unpredictable food sources.
By mapping the brains of seals and sea lions, researchers have uncovered specialized neural circuits that have evolved to support the control of complex vocal behavior and learning in the species. Humans are vocal learners, but they are not unique; some birds, bats and some marine mammals have demonstrated the ability to modify or acquire new vocalizations that fall outside of their inherited repertoire through experience or by mimicking novel sounds. Among marine mammals, pinnipeds, a group of mammals that includes seals (phocids) and sea lions (otariids), show clear behavioral evidence of different components of vocal flexibility, ranging from highly developed volitional breathing control to flexible vocal production learning. Harbor seals have even shown the ability to mimic human words and phrases. However, the neurobiological basis for such abilities in these animals has not been fully characterized.
Using histology and ex vivo diffusion MRI tractography (dMRI), Peter Cook and colleagues examined postmortem brains from harbor seals, elephant seals, California sea lions, and coyotes (as a non-vocal-learning carnivore relative). Cook et al. focused on the neural pathways between vocal motor cortex and phonatory brainstem nuclei, as well as known forebrain circuits associated with vocal learning. The findings revealed distinct differences in brain circuitry that appear to align with known differences in vocal flexibility among the species examined. According to the authors, seals and sea lions showed strong bilateral connections between the vocal motor cortex and the brainstem nucleus ambiguus, a pathway associated with voluntary control of vocalization, whereas no such direct connection was found in coyotes. Moreover, elephant and harbor seals showed especially strong connectivity between the anterior ventrolateral thalamus and vocal premotor cortex, forming a forebrain circuit like those involved in vocal learning and mimicry in birds. The findings suggest differences in neural connectivity among these species parallel their varying capacities for vocal flexibility and learning, with harbor seals showing particularly strong neural features associated with advanced vocal control and flexibility.