A night without sleep produced increased markers of connections between brain cells, showing that sleep in humans may be important for restoring cellular balance in the brain, according to a study published June 23^rd in the open access journal PLOS Biology by David Elmenhorst from the Forschungszentrum Jülich Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and colleagues.

The environment experienced by young zebrafish influences both the shape and electrical activity of the neurons in the eye, which impacts subsequent behaviour.

Mississippi State scientists are part of an international team investigating when and where cotton was first domesticated. Their findings, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, weave together a clearer picture of cotton’s genomic past while offering insight to help improve the crop’s future.

A new algorithm could drive breakthroughs in understanding cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other potentially fatal conditions.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo developed the machine learning algorithm, called  RNovA, to detect changes in the proteins in human cells.

The genetic mechanisms regulating the metamorphosis of worker and queen bees from genetically identical insect larvae is poorly understood. A team of researchers recently identified 842 candidate enhancer sequences from 17,349 worker Apis mellifera transcription start sites that may help regulate the development of worker honeybees in this genus’ complex social caste system.

N6‑methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent internal RNA modification, dynamically regulating RNA metabolism and cancer biology. In colorectal cancer (CRC), dysregulated m6A controls tumor growth, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapy resistance. This review integrates evidence on m6A machinery, its coordination with oncogenic signaling (Wnt/β‑catenin, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, p53) and metabolic pathways (glucose, amino acid, lipid), and translational implications. Key regulators include writers (METTL3, METTL14), erasers (FTO, ALKBH5), and readers (YTHDF, IGF2BP families). m6A‑dependent regulation of metabolic enzymes (HK2, PKM2, FASN) links epitranscriptomics to bioenergetic adaptation, positioning m6A as a central hub integrating signaling and metabolism for potential biomarker and targeted therapy development.

A new graph-based deep learning framework may improve the reconstruction of gene regulatory networks from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data by integrating global network structure learning with biologically informed statistical modeling, according to a study published in Computational Biomedicine.

Aquatic fungi are microorganisms that play a key role in the ecological balance of rivers. They help decompose organic matter, degrade contaminants and are part of the nutrient and energy cycle in freshwater ecosystems. Despite their ecological importance, a study published in the journal Freshwater Biology now warns that the biodiversity and biological functions of these microorganisms in these natural environments are at risk due to rising temperatures, prolonged dry periods and the loss of riparian vegetation caused by climate change.