EurekAlert! News by Subject: Biology

Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2026 11:15 ET (20-Jun-2026 15:15 GMT/UTC)

2-Jun-2026

City birds dazzle females with ‘borrowed’ human items

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bowerbirds in an Australian city use a range of human items – from glass and plastic to banknotes and even a pair of handcuffs – to impress females, new research shows.

Journal: Royal Society Open Science
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council

2-Jun-2026

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names three new Quantitative Biology Fellows

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Grant and Award Announcement

Damon Runyon has awarded Quantitative Biology Fellowships to three outstanding young scientists applying computational approaches to persistent biological questions. Their projects will use machine learning, spatialomics, advanced network modeling, and other technologies to better understand breast cancer risk, improve response to immunotherapies, and identify new chromosomal drivers of cancer. Each postdoctoral scientist will receive independent funding ($240,000 total) to train under the joint mentorship of an established computational scientist and a cancer biologist.

2-Jun-2026

Sharks thrive in hot spots of prey

Florida International University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from FIU have discovered that bigger species of shark, such as the Caribbean reef shark, prefer to hunt in small reef areas that are densely populated with prey.

Journal: Animal Conservation
Funder: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2-Jun-2026

Robot fish could help explain how our ancient ancestors first learned to walk

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have developed a fish-like robot that shows how some species of modern fish are able to walk on land, and could help unravel how early vertebrates evolved similar abilities hundreds of millions of years ago.

Journal: Nature Communications

2-Jun-2026

T cells may be key to stopping measles virus—and its deadly relatives

La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have discovered how T cells target paramyxoviruses, a viral family that includes measles virus and Nipah virus.

Journal: Cell Reports Medicine
Funder: Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations

2-Jun-2026

Epigenetic changes can be inherited without changing DNA in animals

Queen Mary University of London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, a sea anemone has revealed that epigenetic changes can be inherited across generations, offering rare experimental evidence that information beyond DNA sequence can persist in animal lineages.

Journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution

2-Jun-2026

WVU study shows pregnant women who sit less and move more have fewer adverse outcomes

West Virginia University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study by researchers at West Virginia University and two other university-affiliated medical centers found a greater-than-expected significance in the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, for women who spend more time sitting compared to those who include even light activity in their daily routines.

Journal: Journal of the American Medical Association

2-Jun-2026

Trace Institute launches to build a new science of reality

Trace Research Institute
Business Announcement

The Trace Institute, a new non-profit research organization is launching today to pursue the most fundamental question in science: what is the true nature of reality? Their results may reboot society.

2-Jun-2026

From flat moss to forests and flowers: New discovery may explain how plants conquered land

University of Copenhagen
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have identified a previously unknown protein that may help explain how plants managed to colonize land more than 400 million years ago. The protein was studied in moss, and the new findings contribute to our understanding of plant evolution and life on Earth.

Journal: New Phytologist