A research team led by Director KIM V. Narry at the Center for RNA Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has discovered compact viral RNA elements that can make mRNA more stable and increase protein production. These elements could provide a simple way to develop longer-lasting and more efficient mRNA technologies for vaccines and other RNA-based therapeutics. The study also uncovered an unexpected mechanism by which viruses recruit cellular enzymes to protect their RNA from degradation.

This review synthesizes the global evolution of aquatic ecosystem health research and calls for a paradigm shift from isolated, indicator-based assessment to integrated, watershed-scale governance. Led by Qiuwen Chen from Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, the research team argues that aquatic ecosystem health must be understood as a coupled social–ecological and process-based property—linking ecological structure with hydrological and biogeochemical processes, socio-economic drivers, and adaptive governance—rather than as a simple aggregation of water-quality or biological metrics.

Almost 90% of Americans believe that it’s always best to take the full course of antibiotics, even when you feel better. The reality is more complicated.

In England and Canada, socioeconomic inequalities are associated with differences as people age, with less wealthy people showing reduced mobility and function compared to their wealthier peers, according to a study published August 13^th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Stephanie Schrempft from Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, and colleagues.