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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 24-Oct-2026 19:16 ET (24-Oct-2026 23:16 GMT/UTC)

UROKODIA! 518-million-year-old fossil shows beginning of spider’s bite

University of Leicester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

- Scientists at University of Leicester and Yunnan University identified an ancient member of the Chelicerate family

- X-ray analysis revealed pincer-like limbs that are the beginnings of what would become spiders’ fangs

- An inspiration for many monster movies and the origin of Spider-Man, the fangs of chelicerates made them formidable predators

Journal: Nature
Funder: Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province

Newly discovered marker for metastatic colorectal cancer is the Achilles’ heel of highly aggressive tumor cells

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM* Stem Cell Institute has discovered a promising new approach to treating advanced colorectal cancer. The study, published in Nature, identifies a key marker of particularly aggressive and treatment-resistant colorectal cancer cells. At the same time, the researchers demonstrate using mini-tumors and mouse models that already approved drugs targeting this marker can specifically attack the metastasis-initiating cells and, when combined with standard therapies, significantly improve their effectiveness.

Journal: Nature

Complex food webs sustain ecosystem functioning

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig – iDiv e. V.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Healthy ecosystems depend on more than just having lots of species – they rely on the complex relationships between plants, prey and predators, according to new international research led by the University of Waikato and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv).

Published in the journal Nature, the study found that ecosystems with greater diversity of species – and particularly a greater diversity of predators – function more effectively, helping maintain natural processes that people rely on, such as pest control, climate regulation and ecosystem stability.

Journal: Nature

Fatty liver drives a more dangerous form of cancer spread

Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven, with international partners, have uncovered how fatty liver disease can fuel the most aggressive form of metastatic colorectal cancer. The findings, which appear in the leading journal Nature, not only explain why some patients face dramatically poorer outcomes but also highlight how metabolic conditions such as fatty liver disease may directly influence cancer progression, paving the way for more precise therapies tailored to a patient’s metabolic health.

Journal: Nature
Funder: German Research Foundation, FWO

When parasites stop having sex, they may become less picky about their hosts

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new evolutionary theory suggests that some asexual parasites may temporarily be able to infect a wider range of hosts as harmful genetic mutations build up.

Journal: Trends in Parasitology

Study co-led at Aston University finds no evidence linking prenatal paracetamol use to autism or ADHD

Aston University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), along with Aston Pharmacy School’s Professor Ian Chi-Kei Wong, have shown that using paracetamol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy does not increase a child's risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention‑deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine

Study reveals how mating competition, age and sex shape immune systems in wild bats

University of Maryland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study of wild bats reveals that an animal’s immune system is shaped by more than its need to fight infections. Researchers from the University of Maryland found that sex, age and competition for mates influence how bats balance different types of immune defenses—providing new insight into how evolutionary pressures shape immune strategy.

Journal: Journal of Animal Ecology
Funder: National Institutes of Health

Sponges use photosynthesis, boosting productivity of tropical coral reefs

Universiteit van Amsterdam
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In marine environments, sponges tend to eat other organisms to get their nutrients. But a new study, published by the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) researchers in Functional Ecology, demonstrates how sponges may also use photosynthesis, just like plants. This phenomenon can help with the productivity – or amount of energy and food produced – in tropical coral reefs, and perhaps in other ecosystems where sponges are common too.

Journal: Functional Ecology

Hepatic IFRD1 suppresses metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis via GLUD1/α-KG axis

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by Professors Jianping Weng, Sihui Luo and Lianxin Liu from the University of Science and Technology of China published the study Hepatic IFRD1 suppresses metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease via GLUD1/α-KG axis in Science Bulletin.This study identifies the IFRD1-GLUD1-α-KG cascade as a vital link between metabolism and epigenetics. It establishes the first clinical association of IFRD1 with MASLD, reveals a GLUD1-dependent pathogenic pathway, and validates α-KG’s epigenetic function, offering a novel metabolism – epigenetics - targeted therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Journal: Science Bulletin