Drones can be a valuable, non-invasive tool for observing elephant families and aiding long-term conservation efforts.

Elephants can habituate to drones - showing fewer signs of disturbance both during a single flight and after repeated exposures. Disturbance behaviors were 70% less likely on successive drone flights.

Careful flight protocols matter - when flown high (120 m or above), with a downwind approach, and steadily, drones cause minimal stress.

Just under half of all trials showed no signs of disturbance, and those that did quickly returned to levels comparable with pre-exposure.

The findings have been published today in Nature: Scientific Reports.

Using different structural biology techniques, researchers from EMBL Grenoble's Marcia Group captured a molecular ‘movie’ showing how a large RNA molecule folds and assembles itself.

The findings reveal how RNAs avoid folding errors and evolve into complex cellular machines.

New research led by the University of Plymouth, with partners at universities and healthcare facilities in the UK and USA, has found that targeted ultrasound can be used to change the function of a deep region of the human brain. Specifically, it can be used to target the nucleus accumbens, a tiny element of the human brain triggered when we experience something enjoyable, and used to help us learn behaviours that lead to rewards. With surgical treatments currently the only option to target this area of the brain, those behind the study believe it marks a turning point for neurotechnology, showing that a non-invasive ultrasound approach can influence behaviour and may one day help restore mental balance.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have developed a breakthrough method for quantitative imaging of ATP levels inside living cells. The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces qMaLioffG, a genetically encoded fluorescence lifetime indicator that allows scientists to observe how cells produce and consume energy in real time.