Low nitrogen availability is the number one limitation to plant growth in most ecosystems. Plants in the bean family and other closely related families evolved a symbiotic relationship with bacteria capable of acquiring nitrogen from the air, where it is abundant. Scientists want to genetically engineer crop plants to do the same. Results from a new study bring them a step closer to their goal. 

Rising sand temperatures threaten hatchlings by skewing sex ratios and increasing deformities. But could this heat also impair their brains? In a first of its kind study, hatchlings were trained in a maze using visual cues to test their learning and ability. Surprisingly, even those from hotter nests showed no cognitive deficits. In some cases, they adapted to changes faster than they learned the original task. This unexpected behavioral flexibility offers a rare glimmer of hope for their survival in a rapidly changing world.

Researchers from Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1423 – Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling – at Leipzig University and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg have discovered in a joint project how unstructured segments of surface proteins regulate the biological function of a cell. Their study, recently published in the renowned journal Nature Communications, sheds new light on the interplay between G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) – located in the membranes of nearly all body cells – the messengers that activate them, and the signalling processes within a target cell. This interplay has a major role in drug discovery.

Hypoxia, or low oxygen in the body, is common in solid tumors. Now, researchers have identified that an RNA molecule, EUDAL, enables oral cancer cells to resist chemotherapy by keeping a growth receptor permanently switched on under low-oxygen conditions. This drives autophagy, a cellular process that helps tumors evade treatment. These findings suggest that EUDAL is both a warning sign for poor treatment response and a potential therapeutic target, offering new hope against stubborn cancers.