A new species of giant saber-toothed cat has been identified, providing fresh insights into the history of North America’s prehistoric predators. This remarkable animal, which lived between 5 million and 9 million years ago, weighed as much as 900 pounds and preyed on animals weighing 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. Researchers made this discovery after a thorough comparison of seven uncategorized fossil specimens with previously identified fossil and bone samples found around the world.
The Role of Forearm Bones in Identifying New Species
One of the most surprising aspects of this discovery was the role of the humerus, particularly the elbow region, in determining the species of this giant cat. Traditionally, researchers have used teeth as the primary means of identifying saber-toothed cats. However, in this case, the elbow bones were crucial to recognizing Machairodus lahayishupup. By comparing humerus fossils from various species of big cats, including modern lions, pumas, and tigers, researchers discovered that the large, muscular forearms of this new species were unlike any other known cat. This enabled them to confidently categorize it as a previously unidentified species of saber-toothed cat.
Through detailed measurements and digital models of fossilized bones, the team was able to distinguish the unique characteristics of this new cat. The largest of the humerus fossils analyzed was more than 18 inches long, significantly larger than the humerus of a modern adult male lion, which averages around 13 inches in length. This difference in size and structure strongly suggests that Machairodus lahayishupup was a giant among the saber-toothed cats.
A Powerful Predator of the Past
Scientists estimate that Machairodus lahayishupup weighed an average of around 600 pounds, but it could have taken down prey as large as 6,000 pounds, based on the strength of its forelimbs and hunting habits. These cats likely preyed on large herbivores such as rhinoceroses, giant camels, and ground sloths, which were abundant in North America at the time.
Study co-author Jonathan Calede, an assistant professor at Ohio State University, described these animals as regularly hunting bison-sized creatures. “This was by far the largest cat alive at that time.” He emphasized that Machairodus lahayishupup was by far the largest cat alive in North America during that period.
Tracing the Evolution of Saber-Toothed Cats
The identification of Machairodus lahayishupup raises intriguing questions about the evolution of saber-toothed cats across different continents. While giant saber-toothed cats have been known to exist in Europe, Asia, and Africa, this new find indicates that North America also hosted its own giant species during this period. The question of whether these large cats evolved independently on each continent or shared a common ancestral species is one that researchers are eager to explore further.
Calede and co-author John Orcutt, who began this project as a graduate student, believe that their findings contribute significantly to the understanding of saber-toothed cat evolution. They propose that the discovery of similar large cats across multiple continents points to either a pattern of repeated independent evolution or a common ancestor that dispersed globally.
Lando Norris has taken victory in an eventful wet-dry British Grand Prix, the McLaren driver leading home team mate Oscar Piastri on an action-packed afternoon that also saw Nico Hulkenberg finally clinch his maiden F1 podium.
With the race starting in dry conditions, polesitter Max Verstappen initially led away from Piastri – but the Australian soon got ahead just as rain started to fall heavily at Silverstone.
While the McLaren quickly built a strong lead, this was neutralised when the Safety Car was deployed, marking the first appearance for the vehicle during the event.
An action-packed event ensued from there, with Piastri receiving a 10-second time penalty for slowing too much when preparing to lead the pack away following another Safety Car restart, while a spin for Verstappen moments later saw the Dutchman drop backwards.
As conditions changed and drivers started to switch to slick tyres later on, Piastri served his penalty during his pit stop and Norris took over the lead of the race – and from there Norris maintained his advantage to seal the win in front of a cheering crowd, crossing the line 6.812s ahead of Piastri.
Behind them the big story came courtesy of Hulkenberg, the Kick Sauber driver remarkably climbing from P19 on the grid to claim his first podium in third place on his 239th Grand Prix start, having fended off a potential challenge from Lewis Hamilton to hold onto the dream result.
Hamilton had to settle for fourth in his first race at Silverstone as a Ferrari driver, while Verstappen recovered to fifth following his earlier spin in the Red Bull and Pierre Gasly claimed a solid sixth place for Alpine.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was seventh – having just lost out on sixth to Gasly in the final moments – with Alex Albon taking eighth for Williams. The other Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso crossed the line in ninth, while George Russell rounded out the top 10 for Mercedes.
Ollie Bearman just missed out on points at his home race, the Haas driver ending up in P11 ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz in P12 and the other Haas of Esteban Ocon in P13, the Frenchman having made contact with team mate Bearman in the latter stages.
Charles Leclerc was 14th on a difficult day for the Ferrari man, having been one of those to gamble on swapping to slick tyres following the formation lap, while Yuki Tsunoda was the final driver classified in 15th for Red Bull.
Five drivers retired from the event, with Franco Colapinto the first to do so after stalling his Alpine in the pit lane.
Liam Lawson exited on Lap 1 following a collision with Ocon, the Racing Bulls driver having to pull off the track, while Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was the next to record a DNF after a spin into the gravel.
Isack Hadjar suffered a heavy crash in the mixed conditions, though fortunately the Racing Bulls man reported that he was okay, and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli became the final retiree following a tough afternoon for the Italian.
AS IT HAPPENED
One day on from a thrilling Qualifying session – in which Verstappen stormed through to claim pole position ahead of the McLaren pair of Norris and Piastri – the attentions of the paddock had switched to the 52-lap British Grand Prix.
There had been two changes to the starting order following that session, with Antonelli moving from seventh to 10th thanks to a grid drop for his Lap 1 collision with Verstappen in Austria, while Bearman had taken a 10-place penalty due to a red flag infringement in third practice, meaning that he would line up in 18th.
Colapinto, meanwhile, was set to start from the pit lane, Alpine having made changes to his car under parc ferme conditions following his spin into the barriers during Q1 of Saturday’s Qualifying.
Rain had been falling on and off at Silverstone in the hours prior to the race, leaving plenty of question marks over the forecast for the Grand Prix. While the intermittent showers looked to have abated as the start time neared, conditions remained damp and gusty when the cars started to line up on the grid.
Given the weather, it was confirmed that the formation lap would be started behind the Safety Car, while it was also revealed when the tyre blankets were removed that all 20 cars would start on fresh intermediate tyres. However, a number of cars – Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Hadjar and Bearman – dived into the pits to bolt on slick tyres prior to the start, leaving gaps on the grid.
Verstappen made a strong launch from pole, holding onto the lead ahead of Piastri and Norris, before Norris soon faced a challenge from a racy Hamilton. The Ferrari had to back out, allowing Gasly to get in on the action and close in on the seven-time World Champion.
There was drama further back for Lawson, who found himself out of the running following a collision with Ocon. With the Racing Bulls car pulling off the track, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, while elsewhere Colapinto also retired early on after stalling in the pit lane.
Just as the VSC period was ending, Bortoleto became the next car to spin off into the gravel, though fortunately the Kick Sauber was able to get going again. There remained a piece of the Brazilian’s front wing near the track, however, sparking a yellow flag.
Bortoleto subsequently stopped, meaning that another VSC was called on Lap 6 – which also brought a pause to an increasingly interesting battle at the front between Verstappen and Piastri, with the Australian having been closing the gap to the World Champion.
Behind them, Norris remained in third ahead of Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso, Sainz, Albon, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg. By Lap 7 the VSC had come to an end, allowing Piastri to recommence his chase of Verstappen, bringing the margin down to less than half a second.
After looking at making a move a few times, Piastri surged ahead of Verstappen just one tour later to take the lead of the race, sparking cheers from the crowd. Further back, Antonelli was tussling with Leclerc back down the order, the former having pitted under the first VSC for another set of hard tyres.
While Antonelli initially got ahead, Leclerc went on to retake the position – before Antonelli headed into the pits on Lap 10 to switch to intermediate tyres amid increasingly dark skies at Silverstone, rain seemingly on the way.
And soon the rainfall had indeed arrived, sparking several more pit stops as Verstappen tried to fend off Norris. Going side by side, Verstappen ran off the track which allowed Norris through before both dived into the pit lane.
McLaren double-stacked their drivers and it proved to be a slightly slow stop for Norris, meaning that Verstappen found himself ahead of the Briton as they re-emerged from the pits. By Lap 12, Piastri was still in the lead, with Albon running amongst the leaders having not yet pitted.
The Williams soon made a pit stop, allowing Verstappen to again run in second from Norris in third amid heavy spray being kicked up. In the increasingly tricky conditions, on Lap 14 the Safety Car was deployed, neutralising what had been a significant lead for Piastri.
Replays showed Leclerc having an off, the Monegasque reporting water in his visor as he bounced across the grass. Meanwhile, as the Safety Car continued to lead the pack around, Piastri led from Verstappen and Norris with Stroll an eye-catching fourth, the Canadian known to perform well in wet conditions.
The other Aston Martin of Alonso, however, was not quite so happy in P10. The Spaniard voiced his annoyance about his strategy, given that he had started P7 in comparison to Stroll in P17 – but would things change when the Safety Car came into the pits on Lap 17?
With plenty of spray still around, Piastri maintained his lead as racing recommenced – but the Safety Car was then called out again on Lap 18 after Hadjar crashed heavily, the Racing Bulls machine running into the rear of Antonelli.
Fortunately the Frenchman radioed in to report that he was okay, before admitting that he could not see the Mercedes. Antonelli, meanwhile, was able to continue on down in P15, with the incident set to be investigated after the race. The total number of cars left in the running was now down to 16.
Antonelli made his third pit stop of the afternoon on Lap 21, before the Safety Car period again came to an end later in the lap. Piastri was noted for a potential infringement, the Australian having seemingly slowed too much at the restart – leading to Verstappen briefly getting past. The Dutchman then dramatically spun as the race recommenced, dropping him down to P10.
By Lap 24, Piastri was leading by three seconds from Norris, with Stroll now in third ahead of Hulkenberg, Gasly, Hamilton, Russell, Alonso, Sainz and Verstappen. That soon changed when Hamilton went wide through Copse, allowing Russell to go through.
While Piastri remained in front, the Australian was handed a 10-second time penalty for slowing too much behind the Safety Car. The stewards were also kept busy as they prepared to investigate Tsunoda and Bearman for a collision at the restart, which sent Bearman into a spin, while Antonelli had also joined the list of retirements.
“You have a 17-second gap to Stroll – head down,” Piastri was informed by his race engineer upon being told of his penalty. Tsunoda, meanwhile, had been handed a 10-second time penalty of his own for causing a collision with Bearman.
Elsewhere, Hamilton was making moves after snatching P5 from Gasly, with Hulkenberg the next in the Briton’s sights – but the German was in fighting mood himself, having closed to within a second of Stroll in the battle for third. Could the German achieve a long-awaited debut F1 podium?
While Hamilton had brought the gap down to 1.7s by Lap 34, Hulkenberg was now around half a second behind Stroll – and just one lap later, the Kick Sauber swept through to move up into third. This left Stroll at the mercy of Hamilton, the Ferrari man soon following through to take fourth.
Further back, with DRS having been enabled, Verstappen had taken P9 from Sainz, with Alonso some three seconds up the road from the Dutchman in P8. Up at the front, Piastri was leading Norris by two seconds.
“The track is pretty decent – it’s starting to dry up a bit,” Hamilton reported when asked about the conditions, the Ferrari man suggesting that there would be a “crossover” in the laps ahead. Come Lap 38, Alonso became the first to make that switch, bolting on the medium tyres, while Russell was the next to stop for the hard compound.
The call did not initially look to be paying off for Alonso, the Aston Martin driver sliding around as he struggled for grip – before Russell had a spin through the gravel, the Mercedes man subsequently managing to return to the track.
After struggling to pass Hulkenberg, Hamilton pitted on Lap 42 for slicks, the World Champion returning to the track with soft tyres bolted on. A flurry of action saw several others make the call, with Stroll also opting for softs while Verstappen, Gasly, Sainz, Bearman and Tsunoda had gone for the mediums.
The next to make the move was Hulkenberg who pitted for the medium compound – and, with Hamilton having a wide moment, the German emerged back in third place. Piastri then made a stop on Lap 44, serving his penalty in the process which brought him back out in second.
Intra-team drama hit for Haas when contact occurred between Ocon and Bearman, with both making synchronised spins. Meanwhile Norris stopped for medium tyres before returning to the track ahead of his team mate – but an aggressive Piastri was chasing him down, running wide at one point as he tried to cut the gap.
Piastri radioed in to suggest that the team could consider swapping positions if they felt that his penalty was unfair – an idea that Norris would perhaps be less inclined to support. McLaren went on to state that they would not be making any team orders as the race entered into the final laps.
As the chequered flag fell, Norris crossed the line to take his first home victory and the eighth win of his F1 career, the Briton sparking cheers from the fans along the way. Piastri followed 6.812s down the road – and behind him, Hulkenberg claimed third to seal that long-awaited first podium.
Hamilton took fourth place after being unable to catch the Kick Sauber, with Verstappen ending up in fifth following his earlier spin. Gasly was still on the move until the very end, the Frenchman overtaking Stroll on the final lap to snatch sixth on an impressive afternoon for the Alpine driver.
With Stroll having to settle to seventh, Albon followed in eighth – the Thai driver breaking a string of consecutive DNFs – while Alonso and Russell rounded out the top 10.
Bearman took 11th place in his first home race as an F1 driver, ahead of Sainz in 12th and Ocon in 13th. The Haas duo are amongst those set to visit the stewards following the Grand Prix regarding their collision in the latter stages.
Leclerc’s difficult afternoon ended in 14th, while Tsunoda was the last classified runner in 15th place.
A total of five drivers did not make the finish, with Colapinto, Lawson, Bortoleto, Hadjar and Antonelli all failing to reach the end, with both Hadjar and Antonelli due to visit the stewards after the race over the contact that occurred between them.
Following the race, Norris is now just eight points behind Piastri in the championship standings, with Verstappen still in a more distant third.
Key quote
“The last few laps I was just looking into the crowd,” said race winner Norris. “I was just trying got take it all in, enjoy the moment because it might never happen again. I hope it does but these are memories that I’ll bring with me forever so – incredible achievement.”
What’s next
After a couple of weekends off, F1 will return to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix on July 25-27. Head to the RACE HUB to find out how you can follow the action.
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Wiaan Mulder hit 264 not out as South Africa dominated the opening day of the second test against Zimbabwe, reaching 465-4 at stumps on Sunday.
Mulder scored at run-a-ball pace with three sixes and 34 boundaries in 259 deliveries at Queens Sports Club in the two-test series.
The visitors lost the toss and were struggling at 24-2. Mulder helped to turn the innings around with two major partnerships — 184 for the third wicket with David Bedingham (82) followed by a stand of 217 with Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the fourth wicket.
The 19-year-old Pretorius — who was man of the match in the first test for his 153 on debut — hit 78.
Zimbabwe pacer Tanaka Chivanga took 2-85 in 18 overs.
Zimbabwe was hoping to rebound from its heaviest test defeat on runs in the series opener, which it lost by 328 runs. A ninth straight win equaled South Africa’s longest winning streak in men’s test cricket, with the 2002-03 Proteas.
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Wiaan Mulder hit 264 not out as South Africa dominated the opening day of the second test against Zimbabwe, reaching 465-4 at stumps on Sunday.
Mulder scored at run-a-ball pace with three sixes and 34 boundaries in 259 deliveries at Queens Sports Club in the two-test series.
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The visitors lost the toss and were struggling at 24-2. Mulder helped to turn the innings around with two major partnerships — 184 for the third wicket with David Bedingham (82) followed by a stand of 217 with Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the fourth wicket.
The 19-year-old Pretorius — who was man of the match in the first test for his 153 on debut — hit 78.
Zimbabwe pacer Tanaka Chivanga took 2-85 in 18 overs.
Zimbabwe was hoping to rebound from its heaviest test defeat on runs in the series opener, which it lost by 328 runs. A ninth straight win equaled South Africa’s longest winning streak in men’s test cricket, with the 2002-03 Proteas.
WIMBLEDON — Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title nearly six years ago at the US Open. She had a partner in crime, Elise Mertens, and they would repeat that doubles triumph two years later at the Australian Open.
This was before Sabalenka became an irresistible force in singles, a three-time major champion and found herself closing in on a one-year reign as No. 1 in the PIF WTA Rankings.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Sabalenka has now beaten Mertens in 11 of their 13 singles meetings, most recently on Sunday, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the fourth round at the All England Club. For in those years of their partnership, Sabalenka came to know the intricacies of Mertens’ game, her strengths and, more importantly, her weaknesses.
Sabalenka, who has more wins against the No. 24-seeded Mertens than any other player on the Hologic WTA Tour, advances to Tuesday’s quarterfinals. She’ll face 37-year-old Laura Siegemund, who ended the unlikely run of lucky loser Solana Sierra with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Sabalenka finished with six aces and won 32 of 38 first-serve points. And while both players had 18 unforced errors, Sabalenka had 36 winners, nine more than Mertens.
Sabalenka is:
The first woman to reach the quarterfinals in all of their first three Grand Slam appearances as World No. 1 since Lindsay Davenport (Australian Open 1999 and 2005, and Roland Garros 2005).
Improved her tiebreak record to 16-1 (including 14 straight) this season.
The first woman to reach the quarterfinals at all three Grand Slam played in 2025 — Iga Swiatek can equal this record on Monday.
The fourth woman in the last 30 years to reach the quarterfinals at each of the first three Majors of the season without dropping a set in the first four Rounds after Venus Williams (1998), Kim Clijsters (2006) and Justine Henin (2006).
Sabalenka, sporting fingernails painted a becoming shade of Wimbledon green, is on a terrific tear at the Grand Slams. She’s reached the quarterfinals (at least) in the past 10 majors in which she’s appeared. Her 16 Grand Slam match-wins are more than any other woman this year, as are her 46 overall wins.
Mertens, currently ranked No. 19, remains a formidable player at the age of 29. The Belgian won the title at the Libema Open last month and came into this match with a career record of 15-7 at Wimbledon. She’s got some pop in her shots, anticipates well and is quite handy at net. This was her third appearance in the fourth round.
The players traded breaks in the opening set — Sabalenka scored in the fourth game and Mertens countered in the seventh. But with Mertens serving at 4-5, Sabalenka cranked up the decibels and the pace. A terrific return forced a Mertens netter forehand for set point. Sabalenka followed up by blasting a backhand winner — and a scream that matched it in intensity.
Mertens, however, was undeterred. She broke Sabalenka in the third game of the second set. But serving at 3-2, Sabalenka broke back.
This is the essence of the three-time Grand Slam champion’s game: At deuce, Sabalenka took a second serve and smoked a cross-court backhand that hit the line, sending up a small cloud of chalk. Then raised her level on the next point and Merten couldn’t land her forehand.
The decisive blow in the second-set tiebreak was a backhand laser return from Sabalenka with Mertens serving a 3-all. She closed it out with a wonderful forehand volley that Mertens could barely get a frame on.
Mertens is now 0-6 against No. 1 players for her career, half of those losses coming to Sabalenka.
Pentameric architecture of CryoRs and unusual central channel. (A) Overall view of the CryoR1 pentamer in detergent micelles and nanodiscs. (B) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (C) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. (D) Overall view of the CryoR2 pentamer in crystals. (E) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (F) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. C terminus is colored dark red. — Science Advances
Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful these are, for the structural biologist Kirill Kovalev, they are more importantly home to unusual molecules that could control brain cells’ activity.
Kovalev, EIPOD Postdoctoral Fellow at EMBL Hamburg’s Schneider Group and EMBL-EBI’s Bateman Group, is a physicist passionate about solving biological problems. He is particularly hooked by rhodopsins, a group of colourful proteins that enable aquatic microorganisms to harness sunlight for energy.
“In my work, I search for unusual rhodopsins and try to understand what they do,” said Kovalev. “Such molecules could have undiscovered functions that we could benefit from.”
Cryorhodopsins are a group of proteins found in cold-loving microorganisms. They have the remarkable ability to turn cellular electrical activity on and off Credit Daniela Velasco/EMBL
Some rhodopsins have already been modified to serve as light-operated switches for electrical activity in cells. This technique, called optogenetics, is used by neuroscientists to selectively control neuronal activity during experiments. Rhodopsins with other abilities, such as enzymatic activity, could be used to control chemical reactions with light, for example.
Having studied rhodopsins for years, Kovalev thought he knew them inside out – until he discovered a new, obscure group of rhodopsins that were unlike anything he had seen before.
As it often happens in science, it started serendipitously. While browsing online protein databases, Kovalev spotted an unusual feature common to microbial rhodopsins found exclusively in very cold environments, such as glaciers and high mountains. “That’s weird,” he thought. After all, rhodopsins are something you typically find in seas and lakes.
These cold-climate rhodopsins were almost identical to each other, even though they evolved thousands of kilometres apart. This couldn’t be a coincidence. They must be essential for surviving in the cold, concluded Kovalev, and to acknowledge this, he named them ‘cryorhodopsins’.
Rhodopsins out of the blue
Kovalev wanted to know more: what these rhodopsins look like, how they work, and, in particular, what colour they are.
Colour is the key feature of each rhodopsin. Most are pink-orange – they reflect pink and orange light, and absorb green and blue light, which activates them. Scientists strive to create a palette of different coloured rhodopsins, so they could control neuronal activity with more precision. Blue rhodopsins have been especially sought-after because they are activated by red light, which penetrates tissues more deeply and non-invasively.
To Kovalev’s amazement, the cryorhodopsins he examined in the lab revealed an unexpected diversity of colours, and, most importantly, some were blue.
The colour of each rhodopsin is determined by its molecular structure, which dictates the wavelengths of light it absorbs and reflects. Any changes in this structure can alter the colour.
“I can actually tell what’s going on with cryorhodopsin simply by looking at its colour,” laughed Kovalev.
Applying advanced structural biology techniques, he figured out that the secret to the blue colour is the same rare structural feature that he originally spotted in the protein databases.
Phylogeny of CryoRs. (A) Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of MRs. The tree includes 2199 sequences reported in (1), 3 sequences of DSE rhodopsins reported in (17), and 40 sequences of CryoRs found in the present work. (B) Enlarged view of the tree branch containing CryoRs. Amino acid residues in helix B at the position corresponding to that of T46 in BR are shown at the tips. (C) Rectangular representation of the phylogenetic tree of the CryoRs and nearby DSE and ACI rhodopsins clades. The inset in the left bottom corner shows amino acids of the seven-letter motifs of CryoR1-5, DSE, and ACI rhodopsins (numbering corresponds to CryoR1). The unique arginine (R57 in CryoR1) is boxed for clarity. — Science Advances
“Now that we understand what makes them blue, we can design synthetic blue rhodopsins tailored to different applications,” said Kovalev.
Next, Kovalev’s collaborators examined cryorhodopsins in cultured brain cells. When cells expressing cryorhodopsins were exposed to UV light, it induced electric currents inside them. Interestingly, if the researchers illuminated the cells right afterwards with green light, the cells became more excitable, whereas if they used UV/red light instead, it reduced the cells’ excitability.
“New optogenetic tools to efficiently switch the cell’s electric activity both ‘on’ and ‘off’ would be incredibly useful in research, biotechnology and medicine,” said Tobias Moser, Group Leader at the University Medical Center Göttingen who participated in the study. “For example, in my group, we develop new optical cochlear implants for patients that can optogenetically restore hearing in patients. Developing the utility of such a multi-purpose rhodopsin for future applications is an important task for the next studies.”
“Our cryorhodopsins aren’t ready to be used as tools yet, but they’re an excellent prototype. They have all the key features that, based on our findings, could be engineered to become more effective for optogenetics,” said Kovalev.
Evolution’s UV light protector
When exposed to sunlight even on a rainy winter day in Hamburg, cryorhodopsins can sense UV light, as shown using advanced spectroscopy by Kovalev’s collaborators from Goethe University Frankfurt led by Josef Wachtveitl. Wachtveitl’s team showed that cryorhodopsins are in fact the slowest among all rhodopsins in their response to light. This made the scientists suspect that those cryorhodopsins might act like photosensors letting the microbes ‘see’ UV light – a property unheard of among other cryorhodopsins.
“Can they really do that?” Kovalev kept asking himself. A typical sensor protein teams up with a messenger molecule that passes information from the cell membrane to the cell’s inside.
Kovalev grew more convinced, when together with his collaborators from Alicante, Spain, and his EIPOD co-supervisor, Alex Bateman from EMBL-EBI, they noticed that the cryorhodopsin gene is always accompanied by a gene encoding a tiny protein of unknown function – likely inherited together, and possibly functionally linked.
Kovalev wondered if this might be the missing messenger. Using the AI tool AlphaFold, the team were able to show that five copies of the small protein would form a ring and interact with the cryorhodopsin. According to their predictions, the small protein sits poised against the cryorhodopsin inside the cell. They believe that when cryorhodopsin detects UV light, the small protein could depart to carry this information into the cell.
“It was fascinating to uncover a new mechanism via which the light-sensitive signal from cryorhodopsins could be passed on to other parts of the cell. It is always a thrill to learn what the functions are for uncharacterised proteins. In fact, we find these proteins also in organisms that do not contain cryorhodopsin, perhaps hinting at a much wider range of jobs for these proteins.”
Why cryorhodopsins evolved their astonishing dual function – and why only in cold environments – remains a mystery.
“We suspect that cryorhodopsins evolved their unique features not because of the cold, but rather to let microbes sense UV light, which can be harmful to them,” said Kovalev. “In cold environments, such as the top of a mountain, bacteria face intense UV radiation. Cryorhodopsins might help them sense it, so they could protect themselves. This hypothesis aligns well with our findings.”
“Discovering extraordinary molecules like these wouldn’t be possible without scientific expeditions to often remote locations, to study the adaptations of the organisms living there,” added Kovalev. “We can learn so much from that!”
Unique approach to unique molecules
To reveal the fascinating biology of cryorhodopsins, Kovalev and his collaborators had to overcome several technical challenges.
One was that cryorhodopsins are nearly identical in structure, and even a slight change in the position of a single atom can result in different properties. Studying molecules at this level of detail requires going beyond standard experimental methods. Kovalev applied a 4D structural biology approach, combining X-ray crystallography at EMBL Hamburg beamline P14 and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in the group of Albert Guskov in Groningen, Netherlands, with protein activation by light.
“I actually chose to do my postdoc at EMBL Hamburg, because of the unique beamline setup that made my project possible,” said Kovalev. “The whole P14 beamline team worked together to tailor the setup to my experiments – I’m very grateful for their help.”
Another challenge was that cryorhodopsins are extremely sensitive to light. For this reason, Kovalev’s collaborators had to learn to work with the samples in almost complete darkness.
CryoRhodopsins: a comprehensive characterization of a group of microbial rhodopsins from cold environments, Science Advances (open access)
Isla won twice at the World Freestyle Championships in Blackpool
A 12-year-old girl says it was “mind-blowing” to walk away from a dance competition as a double world champion.
Isla, from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, competed at the World Freestyle Championships at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on 28 and 29 June.
She entered the freestyle solo and slow dance categories, facing up to 60 dancers from countries including South Africa, Ireland and Norway.
Isla, who trains at Dynamics School of Dance in Bristol, said: “It’s like living in a dream.”
Family handout
Isla’s mother said her daughter’s achievement at this age was “crazy”
Isla’s mother Fiona said she was “absolutely shocked” by the result, especially as her daughter had only recently taken up dance.
“To achieve something like this, being so young, is crazy,” she said.
Fiona said her daughter was so nervous after a win on the Saturday of the competition as she waited to compete in a final the next day.
“She told me she couldn’t feel her legs… and slipped on her opening move… so to win from that, we just weren’t expecting it at all,” she added.
Family handout
Isla said winning both titles feels like she is “living in a dream”
Emma Mounter, head of Dynamics School of Dance, said: “Everyone at the dance school is just super proud.
“She’s extremely hard working and anything we throw at her, she takes on the chin and works exceptionally hard.”
Isla said she was grateful to her dance teachers Ms Mounter and Maizie Rugman, and her sponsor Alex Weston “for everything they have done to help me achieve this”.
Her mother said she was not sure when it would sink in but “we can’t wait to see what’s ahead for Isla”.
Pakistan’s Under-18 men’s hockey team continued their dominant run at the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2025, crushing Sri Lanka 9-0 in their second group-stage match in Dazhou, China, on Sunday.
The Green Shirts were in complete control from the outset, with Assam Haider netting a first-half hat-trick to lead the charge. Abdullah Awan, Zubair Latif, and Atif Ali also added to the tally before the break, giving Pakistan a commanding 6-0 lead.
After the restart, Adeel struck twice in quick succession, while Atif Ali scored his second goal of the match to complete the rout. Sri Lanka remained scoreless, unable to penetrate Pakistan’s rock-solid defence.
The emphatic victory follows Pakistan’s 8-0 demolition of Hong Kong in their tournament opener, underlining the team’s strong form and title ambitions.
Pakistan will next face Bangladesh on July 8, followed by their final pool match against hosts China on July 9.
The 11-nation tournament is being held in Dazhou from July 3 to 13 — the first time the Chinese city is hosting an event of this magnitude. The competition features emerging talent from across Asia, with national sides vying for regional supremacy.
A minister has vowed to “break down barriers” to new onshore wind farms in the week Labour launched its onshore wind strategy.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Michael Shanks visited Westmill Wind Farm in Watchfield, on the Oxfordshire-Wiltshire border near Swindon, to talk to those involved with, and who have benefitted from, the project.
The farm has five turbines and was commissioned in 2008. It claims to be the first 100% community-owned onshore wind farm built in the south of England but owners say it took more than 15 years to get planning approval.
The government said its strategy for easing planning rules was crucial to achieving clean power targets by 2030.
Shortly after being elected to power in 2024, Labour lifted the ban on onshore windfarms implemented by David Cameron’s Conservative government in 2015.
The Onshore Wind Strategy represents the government’s next step in promoting the industry, with emphasis being placed on improving the planning system and including communities in the process.
Shanks said onshore wind had many benefits including unlocking “skills and investment and supply chain jobs right across the country”, as well as helping to meet the government’s green targets.
“We’ve already announced, in the [upcoming] Planning and Infrastructure Bill, reforms to how the planning system works, but the action plan we’re announcing on onshore wind is also about breaking down all of those barriers,” he added.
“This isn’t about saying local communities shouldn’t have a voice in the process.
“That is really important, but it is about saying it shouldn’t take years and millions of pages of planning applications to get projects delivered.”
The strategy was “greatly welcomed” by Mark Luntley, chair of Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative, during the visit, who agreed that community buy-in was crucial for the acceptance of similar projects.
For some reason Dame Edna Everage sprang to mind in the wake of the British & Irish Lions’ less-than-marvellous display against the NSW Waratahs on Saturday. As Edna once waspishly told a fellow grand dame: “I’m trying to find a word to describe your outfit … affordable.” It was not dissimilar to the lacklustre Lions in Sydney: all dressed up and nowhere to hide.
It has been an awkward few days all round, with increasing amounts of potential comedic ammunition available to Aussie hecklers. “Mr Farrell, welcome to our hotel, we’ve held the family suite for you.” “Mate, was the pitch really damp on Saturday or were you blokes just wallowing in your own mediocrity?” It is reaching the point where the Lions need to start delivering a few short sharp punchlines of their own.
“Maybe we should play Fiji instead?” was briefly a possibility as the Wallabies hovered on the brink of losing their warm-up Test in Newcastle. But it is a dangerous game to play when, self-evidently, there continues to be a risk of the Lions rocking up underdone to Brisbane for the first Test on Saturday week. Australia may not be the best team in the world – they went into the weekend ranked eighth – but where does that leave the Lions if the series heads south?
Among other things, it makes the first Test absolutely pivotal. This is not a hard and fast law – as recently as their last tour in 2021 the Lions won the opening Test in South Africa only to go on and lose the series – but we should expect Joe Schmidt’s Australia to grow stronger over the course of the three Tests.
Hence the importance of picking the smartest-possible starting XV – and a complementary bench – for that challenge. In some ways Saturday’s scratchy 21-10 win over the Waratahs has simplified the equation. Let’s just say it was not the worst game to miss. There are occasions when players’ reputations are enhanced simply by sitting in the stands and the Waratahs game was one of them.
The Waratahs celebrates Ethan Dobbins’ try. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
So the moment has come for Andy Farrell to cease his ruminative beard-stroking, replace the light pencil with proper ink and get down to it, dah-ling. There is still the Brumbies game this Wednesday to assist deliberations further but the time for experimentation has all but expired.
The front row, in theory, should be straightforward. The Lions may have waxed and waned to date but their scrums have gone pretty well. Dan Sheehan is first among equals at hooker and Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter, probably in that order, are both tough hombres at loosehead. But the picture at tighthead is murkier: do the Lions go with the proven farmer strength of Tadhg Furlong, the maturing Will Stuart or the previously little considered Finlay Bealham?
If Furlong is back anywhere close to his best, Farrell will be tempted. But at this point a wider Irish question presents itself. The Lions could possibly select as many as 10 or even 11 players from the Ireland side who finished the Six Nations with a laboured 22-17 win over Italy. No disrespect to the Azzurri but there is rather less snap and crackle about some of Ireland’s leading lights than a year ago.
That could mean the usual assumptions about the benefits of cohesion do not hold as much water. And if Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy are bolted on to start in the second row it also raises other related back-row questions. On tour form alone Ollie Chessum might just be edging in front of Tadhg Beirne, and Jac Morgan a gnat’s nostril ahead of Josh van der Flier.
Of course it matters not, in theory, where a qualified Lion hails from. But assuming Jack Conan starts at No 8, is there realistically enough time left to develop the kind of ingrained understanding the all-Irish trio possess? Possibly not, a scenario that will be niggling away in the back of Farrell’s mind.
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At least nobody disputes Jamison Gibson-Park will start at 9 and Finn Russell at 10; all things being equal, the back three should comprise James Lowe, Blair Kinghorn and Tommy Freeman. Which leaves the midfield and the bench. Do the Lions go for a they‑shall-not‑pass central defensive brick wall of Bundee Aki and Gary Ringrose or reunite Russell with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones?
Captain Maro Itoje pledged ‘passion and energy and the zeal you would expect of a Lions squad’ back in May. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho/Shutterstock
It would seem even Farrell remains undecided. At the weekend he acknowledged that Test matches tend to be tighter tactical affairs than the lead-up games. “We are good when we are direct,” he murmured. But the Lions could do with some extra pace – hence the likelihood of Henry Pollock being among the replacements – and Jones offers that. Farrell will further have noted the way in which Fiji ran at the Wallabies and kept their potentially influential centres quiet as a result.
The Lions should also keep in mind their captain’s pledge at the squad announcement back in May. “I want us to play with passion and energy and the zeal you would expect of a Lions squad,” said Itoje back then. The cameras in the visiting dressing room at the weekend did not catch a tremendous amount of that and one or two individuals look to have plenty on their youthful minds.
So stick or twist? Strip back the gameplan or keep the faith? Put Farrell Jr on the Test bench ahead of Fin Smith for pure psychological effect? It says everything about the concertina-ed nature of this Lions trip that such debates remain live at this late stage. But ultimately the answer is simple: go all out or go home. As the great Dame Edna might have put it: “Don’t chicken out now, possums!”
