A new study by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has uncovered a hidden mechanism explaining why breast cancer can return many years after successful treatment. Published in Nature Communications, the research revealed rogue cells that change their programming to allow them to divide at a remarkably slow pace, meaning they could form microscopic tumours that silently tick away in distant organs, evading detection for decades.

Acid-filled pitchers complete with fangs. Labyrinthine chambers decorated with bristles. Leaves that snap shut in less than a second. Employing strategies like these, carnivorous plants have a reputation as fearsome predators, but they may do more to help their insect neighbors than previously thought. 

Using mass spectroscopy to analyze the nitrogen isotope levels of wasps and pitcher plant leaves, researchers found that the nectar of carnivorous pitcher plants comprises an important part of the insects’ diet. This research provides evidence that this interaction isn’t as simple as a predator eating their prey, and that these pitcher plants likely play a larger role in their local ecosystems than was first thought. 

A new nematode: the first worm “towers” ever observed in the wild are an undescribed species named C. apta.

Possible tower vector: C. apta was found in huge numbers on two beetles invasive to Europe, pointing to likely tower vector.

Global dispersal: C. apta may have co-invaded and established in Europe with their beetle hosts, which might impact native nematode species.