Researchers at Stockholm University have succeeded in creating a molecular blueprint of how one of the world's most dangerous toxins, botulinum toxin, is structured, stabilised, delivered and released. The research, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, paves the way for more effective drugs.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects millions of women, causing pain and diminished quality of life. Current options are limited, with surgery often the only choice. Lehigh University bioengineer Anand Ramamurthi, in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic, has received NIH funding to develop a nonsurgical therapy using nanoparticles to regenerate pelvic tissue and slow or reverse POP progression.

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that droplets within cells, called condensates, are required for ependymoma formation, creating new opportunities for drug development.

Chemists at UCL (University College London) have shown how two of biology’s most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago.

Every living species on Earth has a unique geographical range, with some being widespread and others being very narrow. Several factors shape a species’ range size – and one of them is the evolutionary age of a species. To investigate how evolutionary age is related to present-day range size, a research team led by scientists from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University and Naturalis Biodiversity Center compared over 26,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, reef fishes, and palms.

Industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) in production and daily life contribute to acid rain formation, which degrades soil and aquatic ecosystems while impairing human respiratory health.