Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is one of the most demanding places on Earth when it comes to survival. Its waters plunge below freezing, long periods of darkness restrict growth and feeding, and food webs shift with relentless climate swings. Yet one group of fish — the notothenioids, or Antarctic icefish — not only survived here but flourished. From a single ancestor tens of millions of years ago, they evolved into dozens of species. Some cruise near the surface, others prowl the seafloor, and still others dart through the open water. A new study led by Rice University, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals the secret behind this success: Icefish reorganized their skulls in ways that unlocked new feeding strategies and ecological opportunities.

Some of nature’s most important secrets are hidden in plain sight. David Stern, Ph.D., has spent his career unlocking such mysteries, from fruit fly genetics to the proteins insects use to hijack plants. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is proud to announce Stern’s appointment as Investigator. Stern, a Senior Group Leader at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia campus since 2011, will move his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City in February 2026.

Human-caused biodiversity loss has accelerated over the past fifty years. An opinion article published September 30^th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by a team of renowned international authors, including Anne Larigauderie, former Executive Secretary of Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), concludes that stopping biodiversity loss is contingent on transformative social and cultural changes across multiple scales.

Low nitrogen availability is the number one limitation to plant growth in most ecosystems. Plants in the bean family and other closely related families evolved a symbiotic relationship with bacteria capable of acquiring nitrogen from the air, where it is abundant. Scientists want to genetically engineer crop plants to do the same. Results from a new study bring them a step closer to their goal. 

Rising sand temperatures threaten hatchlings by skewing sex ratios and increasing deformities. But could this heat also impair their brains? In a first of its kind study, hatchlings were trained in a maze using visual cues to test their learning and ability. Surprisingly, even those from hotter nests showed no cognitive deficits. In some cases, they adapted to changes faster than they learned the original task. This unexpected behavioral flexibility offers a rare glimmer of hope for their survival in a rapidly changing world.