A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy describes a machine learning (ML) model that can be used as a surrogate for laborious in vitro experiments. This in silico approach aims to increase the fitness of clinical adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids to make gene therapies more economically viable for patients.

Shawn Demehri, MD, PhD, a physician-investigator in the Cutaneous Biology Research Center and Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School in the senior author of a new study in Cell Reports, Epigenomic Regulation of Stemness Contributes to the Low Immunogenicity of the Most Mutated Human Cancer.

An international collaboration between four senior scientists from Mainz, Valencia, Madrid, and Zurich has published groundbreaking research in the journal PNAS, shedding light on the most significant increase in complexity in the history of life's evolution on Earth: the origin of the eukaryotic cell.

A new butterfly species, Satyrium curiosolus, was discovered in a recent study at Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. It has unique evolutionary history, having likely remained in isolation for up to 40,000 years, leading to flatlined genetic diversity and exceptionally high levels of inbreeding. Due to its specific ecological associations and low genetic diversity, this butterfly may soon face challenges with climate change adaptation and will require special conservation strategies. The discovery was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Onboard the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station), the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, dubbed ELVIS, is not about resurrecting rock-n-roll legends but pioneering scientific discovery. Using innovative holographic technology to deliver detailed 3D views of cells and microbes, the system allows scientists to study the adaptability and resilience of life under extreme conditions. Knowledge gained could reveal how life might persist on distant moons and planets, significantly enhancing our search for life outside Earth.