A new study reveals that astrocytes—star-shaped support cells traditionally viewed as passive partners of neurons—play a previously underappreciated role in the maturation of coordinated movement. A research team led by Director C. Justin LEE and Senior Research Fellow HONG Sungho of the Center for Memory and Glioscience within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), in collaboration with Professor Erik DE SCHUTTER from the Compational Neuroscience Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan, has uncovered how astrocytes regulate inhibitory signaling in the cerebellum during development, enabling the emergence of flexible and precise motor coordination.

A “peculiar” ancient relative of the crocodile which experts believe began life on four legs before, in adulthood, it learnt how to walk on just two has been revealed in a new study.

About 40% of East Asians suffer from alcohol intolerance, known as “Asian Flush Syndrome,” caused by an ALDH2 genetic mutation. Beyond facial flushing, this mutation carries serious cardiovascular risks. Carriers experience more severe heart damage during heart attacks, though the mechanism was unclear. A study led by Professor Yin Huiyong at City University of Hong Kong, published in Circulation, reveals that ALDH2 triggers ferroptosis—a form of cell death—during myocardial infarction. This accelerates cardiac tissue deterioration, explaining the heightened vulnerability. The discovery not only solves a long-standing mystery but also opens new avenues for precision prevention and treatment for millions worldwide.

New modular legged robot comprises multiple smaller autonomous robots. Each athletic module is a complete robot with its own motor, battery and brain. Together, modules form larger machines that can be rapidly assembled, repaired or reshaped on the fly. Study marks first evolved robot to set foot outdoors and first modular robot with agility.

The scientific team from the Jurassic Museum of Asturias (MUJA), composed of Laura Piñuela, Ángel García-Pérez and José Carlos García-Ramos, together with researcher Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences, has documented in Asturias the first Jurassic lizard trackways found in Europe. Such traces are extremely rare in the fossil record after the Triassic.

EPFL researchers have developed a light-based method that can produce proteins that switch states, respond to signals, and even compute, using light and the cell cycle.

GLP-1 drugs have come to be thought of as “wonder drugs,” yet the mechanisms behind their many new health benefits have remained unclear. New research from the Salk Institute reveals the mechanism behind one of these benefits: promoting pancreatic beta cells’ health and stress tolerance, long-term. The findings show how GLP-1 drugs can trigger broad genomic responses.