Underwater cameras around the Isles of Scilly have given scientists a glimpse of how sea life can thrive in well-protected UK waters.

Chinese researchers led by Prof. WANG Wenda and Prof. TIAN Lijin from the Institute of Botany have revealed a breakthrough in understanding the light-harvesting efficiency of coccolithophores.

Seeds in Madagascar’s forests are getting smaller, and new research published in Ecology Letters suggests that human activities are playing a role in this shift. Researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University combined data from more than 2,800 plant species, 48 living and 15 extinct fruit-eating animals (frugivores) – including birds and lemurs. The results show that both past human-driven frugivore extinctions and current human pressures are shaping seed size across the island.

Cell migration is important for growth and immune protection in the human body. While the interaction between cells and their environment generates the force necessary for cell movement, the underlying molecular machinery remains unclear. Now, researchers from Japan have identified molecular interactions that exert weak forces needed for cell migration. Their study revealed that the abnormal activity of shootin1b protein promotes cell migration in brain cancer cells, offering hope as a novel therapeutic target.