A research team led by Nick Strausfeld at the University of Arizona made an unexpected discovery: The brain of Jiangfengia, a creature that lived in the lower Cambrian, is very similar to that of living crustaceans. This places the extinct animal in the ancestry of insects and crustaceans, not spiders and their relatives, as had been previously assumed.

RNA-binding proteins use a dual binding mechanism involving zinc finger (ZnF) domains and intrinsically disordered regions (IDR), reports a new study from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. Using advanced molecular modeling, the study analyzes a “FUS protein-RNA” complex—revealing how the protein uses its ZnF domain for RNA sequences recognition and its flexible IDR domain for its non-specific interactions. This breakthrough strategy is likely common to nucleic acid binding, offering fresh insights into molecular science.

A new collaborative study between Reichman University and the Technion reveals, for the first time, how living bacteria are able to survive inside dust particles transported through the atmosphere by desert storms originating in the Sahara Desert and Egypt, ultimately reaching Israel.

Could DNA be glycosylated? A new study published in Engineering explores this intriguing question, suggesting that DNA might undergo glycosylation, a process that could revolutionize our understanding of cellular biology. Discover how this potential discovery could impact the ceullar sociomateriality from gene regulation to disease prevention and treatment.

This article highlights a new synthetic biology platform developed by researchers at South China Agricultural University. The platform, known as FerTiG, is designed to degrade tetracycline residues in various aquatic environments. By integrating multiple functional modules into a single enzyme assembly, FerTiG offers enhanced stability and efficiency for antibiotic removal. The study demonstrates its effectiveness in different water matrices and confirms its biosafety through ecological and in vivo tests. This work presents a potential solution for addressing antibiotic pollution in water sources.

Ecologists have observed a species of nocturnal spider attracting prey to its web using the bioluminescent beacons of already trapped fireflies. This rare example of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signal for its own gain is documented in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology.