With the help of newly identified bones, an enigmatic 3.4-million-year-old hominin foot found in 2009, is assigned to a species different from that of the famous fossil Lucy providing further proof that two ancient species of hominins co-existed at the same time and in the same region.

Statins save lives by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but they can bring muscle pain, weakness and, in rare cases, severe muscle breakdown that can lead to kidney failure. UBC researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to pinpoint the cause: Statins interact with a critical muscle protein called the ryanodine receptor (RyR1), which acts like a gatekeeper for calcium inside muscle cells, opening only when muscles need to contract. When statins bind to it, they force the gate open, causing calcium to leak continuously—a toxic effect that can damage muscle tissue. By adjusting only those parts of the statin molecule that are responsible for the negative effects, scientists could preserve the part that lowers cholesterol while reducing the risk.

An international team led by Covadonga Orejas, a researcher at the Gijón Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC); Veerle Huvenne, a researcher at the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC); and Jacob González-Solís, professor at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona, has published the first comprehensive study on the seamounts of the Cape Verde archipelago, their biodiversity, ecological functionality and socio-economic relevance in the journal Progress in Oceanography.

New research from Anglia Ruskin University in England has found that most people struggle to recognise when a horse is in pain – a finding that could have serious implications for animal welfare.

The study, published in the journal Anthrozoös, is the first research to investigate how well people can spot discomfort in the faces of horses compared to in humans. 

Meadows are quietly losing their diversity – often before we even notice. A research team led by Prof. Dr Lena Neuenkamp has now demonstrated in Nature Ecology & Evolution that spatial data can predict changes in species diversity over time with astonishing accuracy.