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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2026 05:16 ET (18-Jun-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

Singapore scientists show targeting cancer stem cells can prevent gastric cancer recurrence

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists from A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB) have identified the specific cells responsible for gastric cancer's tendency to return after treatment. The study also demonstrated that eliminating these cells stops tumours from growing, even in advanced disease that has spread to other organs.

Journal: Science

Newly discovered Philippine pitcher plant already in danger from climate change, poaching

Ateneo de Manila University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new species of pitcher plant found only on Palawan Island is already at risk of extinction due to frequent severe weather conditions and human encroachment.

Journal: Phytotaxa

Key lung immune cells can intensify allergic reactions

Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by scientists at VIB and UGent reveals that immune cells in the lung, long thought to protect against inflammation, can, under certain conditions, make allergic reactions such as asthma worse. Their work appears in the journal Immunity.

Journal: Immunity
Funder: EOS, ERC, FWO, Ghent University

New PET imaging breakthrough expands possibilities

Virginia Tech
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chemist Wei Liu and his graduate student Chao Wang have found a new way to tag molecules to aid in PET scans, expanding tracer options and opening possibilities for earlier diagnoses and more precise treatments for hard-to-detect diseases.

Journal: Science

DNA floating in air reveals the hidden past of ecosystems

Umea University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

DNA captured on air filters and stored since the 1960s acts as an ecological time capsule, according to a recent publication in Nature Communications. The findings show that tiny fragments of genetic material can paint a detailed picture of life across the landscape. They also reveal a distinct decline in biodiversity over three decades.

Journal: Nature Communications

Combined oral contraceptive use among people with migraine with aura persists, despite cautions

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety found that COC use among this population has declined over the last two decades, but not fully stopped. About 15 percent of reproductive-aged people who were diagnosed with migraine with aura still received prescriptions for these contraceptives.

Journal: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

Life on lava: How microbes colonize new habitats

University of Arizona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Taking advantage of a "natural laboratory" in Iceland, a research team from the University of Arizona studied how microbes colonize fresh lava flows as soon as they cooled. The research provides insights into how a biological community is established over time, beginning the very moment new habitat is created.

Journal: Communications Biology
Funder: National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate, Geological Society of America, American Philosophical Society, Heising-Simons Foundation

Worrying about money and food ages the heart faster than traditional risk factors

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A novel analysis investigating the contribution of social determinants of health (SDoH) to cardiac aging has found that financial strain and food insecurity are the strongest drivers of accelerated biological aging and increased mortality risk. The study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, published by Elsevier, underscores the complexity and interplay of novel social risk factors that may contribute to cardiovascular events and emphasizes the need for targeted preventive interventions and patient-centered care.

Journal: Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Boston Children’s receives a $7.5 million grant from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to provide clinical research coordination for the IMPACT Network

Boston Children's Hospital
Grant and Award Announcement

Boston Children’s Hospital today announced that it has received a grant of $7.5 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) to support its role in the Clinical Coordinating Center (CCC) for the Innovative Medicine and Precision Approaches to Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Network, an international network of sites designed to accelerate clinical trials for individuals with autism, both with a known rare high-penetrance genetic etiology and those with profound autism without a genetic cause identified.

Funder: Aligning Research to Impact Autism