Category: 7. Science

  • The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025

    The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025

    Upcoming titles:

    “What Is Intelligence?: Lessons from AI About Evolution, Computing, and Minds,” by Blaise Agüera y Arcas (MIT Press)

    The convergence between neuroscience and artificial intelligence in the past few years has sparked lively discussions, including debate about what both fields consider to be fundamental aspects of cognition, consciousness and intelligence. In his new book, AI researcher Blaise Agüera y Arcas synthesizes ideas from computer science, machine learning and neuroscience to provide a bold perspective on intelligence, arguing that the ability of a system to predict may be fundamental not only to intelligence, but also to life itself.

    Publication date: 23 September 2025

     

    “The Great Balancing Act: An Insider’s Guide to the Human Vestibular System,” by Jeffrey Sharon (Columbia University Press)

    How does the vestibular system integrate a barrage of sensory information to enable animals to navigate the world? In “The Great Balancing Act,” Jeffrey Sharon addresses these and other questions about this elegant sensory system that helps regulate proprioception and spatial reasoning. Sharon discusses how the vestibular system evolved and how it interacts with brain areas that process vision, abstract thought and memory. He ends the book on a forward-looking note, explaining how insights from basic neuroscience are propelling exciting advances in prosthetic implants and gene therapies to help rebuild cellular structures in diseased vestibular systems.

    Publication date: 14 October 2025

     

    “Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection,” by Ben Rein (Penguin Random House)

    Neuroscientist Ben Rein offers readers a nuanced assessment of the relationship between social psychology and neuroscience. A well-known science communicator, he skillfully distills years of social and behavioral neuroscience research to explore why social connection is essential for humans’ mental health and well-being. Rein places neuroscience at the center of his new book, arguing that to date, the conversation around loneliness and isolation in modern-day society has failed to incorporate it.

    Publication date: 14 October 2025

     

    “How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past,” by Steve Ramirez (Princeton University Press)

    In this new page-turner, Steve Ramirez provides an overview of the history of memory research with a personal touch. Part scientific exploration, part memoir, Ramirez delivers a wide-ranging assessment of the field, all while weaving in his journey as a scientist and his relationship with his colleague and friend, neuroscientist Xu Liu. He recounts the scientific advances that broadened neuroscience’s understanding of memory storage and encoding, analyzes how the field is trying to address debilitating memory disorders and examines the extent to which memory research is intertwined with the human condition.

    Publication date: 4 November 2025

     

    “Neuroethics: The Implications of Mapping and Changing the Brain,” by Walter Glannon (MIT Press)

    Ethical considerations frequent the minds of clinicians and basic neuroscientists alike. Here Walter Glannon considers the past 25 years of the neuroethics field and offers his take on some of its most pressing issues. He tackles questions about the safety and efficacy of psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders, brain computer interfaces, the increasing interactions between neuroscience and AI, behavioral control and neural interventions, and much more.

    Publication date: 11 November 2025 

     

    “Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language,” Gregory Hickok (MIT Press)

    In 424 pages, cognitive neuroscientist Gregory Hickok surveys the landscape of neurolinguistic research, providing a detailed analysis of the neural mechanisms that regulate speech, including motor coordination, word recognition and perception and encoding. He carefully considers some of the predominant research ideas that have shaped our understanding of the neural architecture of language and evaluates their pervasiveness. In the exemplary case of the dual stream model of speech processing, Hickok argues that even though some of its core ideas remain useful, its persistence could obstruct further progress in our understanding of language perception and brain organization.

    Publication date: 25 November 2025

     

    Also published in 2025:

    “Crosscultural Perspectives on Mind and Brain,” edited by Judy Illes and Melissa Perreault (Academic Press)

    The eighth volume of “Crosscultural Perspectives on Mind and Brain” places its focus squarely on how Indigenous knowledge can contribute to and enrich scientific understanding of the brain. Judy Illes and Melissa Peurreault feature essays, written by cognitive neuroscientists, neuroethicists and philosophers, about the importance of Indigenous perspectives in modern brain research and how to improve global neuroliteracy through community-tailored science communication.

    Publication date: 4 August 2025

     

    “Space, Time, and Memory,” edited by Lynn Nadel and Sara Aronowitz (Oxford University Press)

    As sweeping as its title, this summer release examines three mystifying concepts through the lenses of philosophy, psychology and neuroscience. Edited by Lynn Nadel and Sara Aronowitz, the book sprang from a workshop of the same name held at the University of Arizona in 2022 and features contributions from a variety of brain experts, including Charan Ranganath, Ida Momennejad and György Buzsáki. Nadel and Aronowitz curate a range of perspectives to showcase the value of taking a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the fundamental processes of the brain.

    Publication date: 28 June 2025

     

    “Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders—and How We Can Change That,” by Nicole Rust (Princeton University Press)

    In this ambitious book, neuroscientist (and Transmitter contributing editor) Nicole Rust evaluates her field’s triumphs and failures, and the future of neurological disease studies. She provides a balanced critique of the molecular neuroscience framework long used to study brain disorders and proposes an alternative for how to move forward. Laying out her “grand plan,” Rust calls for a shift away from seeing neurological diseases as step-by-step, ‘domino chain’ processes to a more holistic view of them as states within complex, shifting dynamical systems. Read an excerpt from Chapter 9 of “Elusive Cures.”

    Publication date: 10 June 2025

     

    “Natural Neuroscience: Toward a Systems Neuroscience of Natural Behaviors,” by Nachum Ulanovsky (MIT Press)

    The call to study behavior under naturalistic conditions has drawn increasing attention among modern-day neuroscientists—and Nachum Ulanovsky finds himself at the forefront of this movement. In “Natural Neuroscience,” he asks the field to move away from overly controlled experiments and outlines the advances that are making it possible to examine behavior under more naturalistic conditions. Ulanovsky describes in detail how this research is helping the field to understand navigation, sensory processing, memory and more. Read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of “Natural Neuroscience.”

    Publication date: 15 April 2025

     

    Textbooks:

    Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, Enhanced Edition (Fifth Edition), by Mark Bear, Barry Connors and Michael Paradiso (Jones & Bartlett Learning)

    The classic undergraduate introductory neuroscience textbook by neuroscientists Mark Bear, Barry Connors and Michael Paradiso is a mainstay in neuroscience departments everywhere. As the book celebrates its 30th anniversary, it remains as relevant as ever. The new edition features chapters that are updated with the latest research advances, improved visuals and figures, and 26 new “Path of Discovery” essays, in which neuroscientists tell stories about their key contributions to the field. Essay contributors include Emery Brown, who discusses his work on brain wave oscillations; Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz, who examines the value of studying linguistic networks in infants; and Gül Dölen, who shares how she studies psychedelics in octopuses. These additions reinvigorate a classic textbook that has already taught scores of young neuroscientists.

    Publication date: 14 July 2025

     

    Theoretical Neuroscience: Understanding Cognition, by Xiao-Jing Wang (CRC Press)

    In his new textbook, computational neuroscientist Xiao-jing Wang dives deep into theory and modelling to put the field of quantitative and computational neuroscience into historical perspective. He deftly guides readers through biophysical models of single neurons, recurrent network dynamics of neuronal populations and everything in between. In the textbook’s final chapter, Wang shares his forward-looking views on some of computational neuroscience’s most pressing mysteries, such as the dynamical nature of the restless brain, what constitutes human cognitive uniqueness and whether brain theory can incorporate emotion. Check out Wang’s conversation with Paul Middlebrooks about the book.

    Publication date: 27 February 2025

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  • Toothless sharks? Ocean acidification could erode predator’s vital weapon, study finds | Ocean acidification

    Toothless sharks? Ocean acidification could erode predator’s vital weapon, study finds | Ocean acidification

    Sharks without teeth might sound like the stuff of dreams to swimmers and surfers. Now a new study has found that ocean acidification could leave the apex predators without their critical survival weapon.

    Shark jaws carry several rows of teeth and new ones quickly push forward to replace losses. However, rapidly acidifying oceans are damaging shark teeth and could speed losses past replacement rates. Sharks with bad teeth could struggle to feed themselves efficiently, “potentially affecting shark populations and marine ecosystem stability”, the study said.

    Ocean acidification is caused by rapid carbon dioxide absorption creating a chain reaction that lowers pH levels. Projections suggest oceans could be far more acidic by the year 2300, falling from a current average pH of about 8.1 to 7.3, a change that will have “profound implications for marine organisms”, the study said.

    To test acidification effects, researchers kept 60 freshly fallen shark teeth in artificial seawater tanks, one matching the current ocean average pH of 8.1, another with the projected 7.3 pH. The teeth, safely collected from a German aquarium, had already been naturally discarded by six male and four female blacktip reef sharks.

    Maximilian Baum, who conducted the study, with a blacktip reef shark jaw. He found increased root corrosion and altered serration. Photograph: Roman Müller-Böhm

    After eight weeks, teeth in the more acidic tank suffered about twice as much damage, said Maximilian Baum, the study’s lead author and a researcher working with Germany’s Heinrich Heine University’s Institute for Zoology and Organismic Interactions. Effects included “increased root corrosion … and altered serration”, he said.

    Dental stress would add to sharks’ other problems, which include prey shortages caused by overfishing.

    Reducing human-caused CO2 emissions is vital to mitigate ocean acidification. Previous research has found acidification damages denticles, a toothy scale on sharks’ skin.

    Even moderate drops could affect more sensitive shark species, such as those that use fewer rows of teeth or have slower replacement rates, said Baum.

    “I think there will be effects on the teeth of ocean predators in general when they are highly mineralised structures like we have in sharks,” he said.

    Previous studies have shown that acidification harms shells, corals and mussels, “and that was also the reason why we did this study, to show us the effects on larger predators”.

    More optimistically, Baum believes sharks may adapt by increasing tooth replacements and improving strengthening and repair.

    Lisa Whitenack, a professor at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny College who is a shark tooth expert and not part of the study team, said the new research added to initial findings on shark teeth and acidification. She too suggested tooth replacement may keep pace with acidification losses and added that corroded teeth may still be effective.

    “It will be interesting to see in future studies if the damage to teeth seen in studies like this one results in a functional effect on a tooth’s ability to do its job … [and if] damaged teeth can still cut or puncture prey.”

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  • New method developed for investigating the internal structure of atoms

    New method developed for investigating the internal structure of atoms

    The ability to describe the internal structure of atoms is important not only for understanding the composition of matter, but also for designing new experiments to explore fundamental physics. Specific experiments require samples of atoms or molecules with particular properties, which depend heavily on the phenomenon to be explored. However, the knowledge of the energy-level structure of many atoms remains incomplete, particularly in the case of the rare earth and actinide atoms.

    The samarium cell at high temperature (~1040 °C) during the experiment.

    Razmik Aramyan

    Spectroscopy is one of the most widely used techniques for studying the structure of atoms. This technique is based on the principle that electrons absorb or emit energy when they move between energy levels in an atom. Each element has a unique set of wavelengths of light that are emitted or absorbed due to these transitions. This is known as the atomic spectrum.

    “High-resolution, broadband spectroscopy is essential for precision measurements in atomic physics and the search for new fundamental interactions,” explains Razmik Aramyan, PhD student in the group of Prof. Dr. Dmitry Budker and main author of the paper. “But progress is often hindered by the difficulty of measuring complex atomic spectra, mainly due to two technical limitations: the difficulty of properly distinguishing the signals emitted by the sample and the limited range of wavelengths that instruments can detect.” To overcome those limitations, Aramyan and his collaborators have applied and further developed a method known as dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS), which allows to measure atomic spectra at a wide band of electromagnetic frequencies with high resolution and high sensitivity.

    The DCS is based on the optical frequency comb technique, for which the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 2005. Optical frequency combs are specialized lasers that measure exact frequencies of light. In DCS, two of these combs are used in coherent mode, enabling more accurate measurements of the sample’s spectrum than conventional methods.

    In order to detect weak signals with high precision—one of the challenges of DCS—the group also implemented multiple photodetectors to improve what is known as the signal-to-noise ratio. This combination made it possible to clearly read the experimental data and determine the different wavelengths of the spectrum. “This study introduces an enhanced multichannel DCS approach that combines a photodetector array with a novel scheme for resolving frequency ambiguities, enabling ambiguity-free, high-signal-to-noise-ratio broadband measurements”, summarizes Aramyan.

    This is the first step toward implementing “Spectroscopy 2.0”, an international project that aims to develop what is known as a “massively parallel spectroscopic tool”: one that can perform a large number of spectroscopic measurements simultaneously. This tool will be used to perform spectroscopy of dense atomic and molecular spectra under intense magnetic fields.

    First successful application: the spectrum of samarium vapor

    DCS is particularly well suited to filling gaps in atomic data, as the current publication confirms. Thanks to their innovative approach, Aramyan and colleagues were able to record the spectrum of samarium vapor at different temperatures and analyze the spectral behavior at different samarium concentrations. When comparing their results with existing data sets, they found spectroscopic lines that were previously unknown.

    “We have discovered several previously undescribed samarium absorption lines. This illustrates the potential of our method to uncover previously unknown atomic properties. It opens up promising possibilities for massively parallel spectroscopy, for example for the spectroscopy of atoms in pulsed, ultra-high magnetic fields,” concludes Aramyan.

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  • Scientists finally pinpoint Jupiter’s birth using “molten rock raindrops”

    Scientists finally pinpoint Jupiter’s birth using “molten rock raindrops”

    Four and a half billion years ago Jupiter rapidly grew to its massive size. Its powerful gravitational pull disrupted the orbits of small rocky and icy bodies similar to modern asteroids and comets, called planetesimals. This caused them to smash into each other at such high speeds that the rocks and dust they contained melted on impact and created floating molten rock droplets, or chondrules, that we find preserved in meteorites today.

    Now, researchers at Nagoya University in Japan and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) have for the first time determined how these droplets formed and accurately dated the formation of Jupiter based on their findings. Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows how the characteristics of chondrules, particularly their sizes and the rate at which they cooled in space, are determined by the water contained in the impacting planetesimals. This explains what we observe in meteorite samples and proves that chondrule formation was a result of planet formation.

    Time capsules from 4.6 billion years ago

    Chondrules, small spheres approximately 0.1-2 millimeters wide, were incorporated into asteroids as the solar system formed. Billions of years later, pieces of these asteroids would break off and fall to Earth as meteorites. How chondrules came to have their round shape has puzzled scientists for decades.

    “When planetesimals collided with each other, water instantly vaporized into expanding steam. This acted like tiny explosions and broke apart the molten silicate rock into the tiny droplets we see in meteorites today,” co-lead author Professor Sin-iti Sirono from Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Earth and Environmental Sciences explained.

    “Previous formation theories couldn’t explain chondrule characteristics without requiring very specific conditions, while this model requires conditions that naturally occurred in the early solar system when Jupiter was born.”

    The researchers developed computer simulations of Jupiter’s growth and tracked how its gravity caused high-speed collisions between rocky and water-rich planetesimals in the early solar system.

    “We compared the characteristics and abundance of simulated chondrules to meteorite data and found that the model spontaneously generated realistic chondrules. The model also shows that chondrule production coincides with Jupiter’s intense accumulation of nebular gas to reach its massive size. As meteorite data tell us that peak chondrule formation took place 1.8 million years after the solar system began, this is also the time at which Jupiter was born,” Dr. Diego Turrini, co-lead author and senior researcher at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) said.

    A new way to date when planets form

    This study provides a clearer picture of how our solar system formed. However, the production of chondrules started by Jupiter’s formation is too brief to explain why we find chondrules of many different ages in meteorites. The most likely explanation is that other giant planets like Saturn also triggered chondrule formation when they were born.

    By studying chondrules of different ages, scientists can trace the birth order of the planets and understand how our solar system developed over time. The research also suggests that these violent planet formation processes may occur around other stars and offers insights into how other planetary systems developed.

    The study, “Chondrule formation by collisions of planetesimals containing volatiles triggered by Jupiter’s formation,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports, on August 25, 2025, at DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-12643-x.

    Funding information:

    This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 25K07383, by the Italian Space Agency through ASI-INAF contract 2016-23-H.0 and 2021-5-HH.0 and by the European Research Council via the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme ERC Synergy “ECOGAL” Project GA-855130.

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  • Revolutionary Cortisol Test Lets You “See” Stress With a Smartphone Camera

    Revolutionary Cortisol Test Lets You “See” Stress With a Smartphone Camera

    A groundbreaking biosensor powered by protein design and smartphone cameras could transform how we measure the body’s stress hormone, cortisol, bringing lab-level precision to point-of-care testing. Credit: Shutterstock

    A protein-based biosensor measures cortisol with high accuracy. Smartphone compatibility makes stress testing more accessible.

    Cortisol plays a key role in regulating essential body functions such as blood pressure and metabolism, and disruptions in this stress hormone can contribute to a variety of health problems.

    Traditionally, measuring cortisol required visits to a doctor’s office or other clinical facilities. A recent breakthrough in artificial biosensor technology now offers the possibility of point-of-care testing, providing more accurate results than existing methods.

    Smartphone-enabled testing

    Andy Yeh, an assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has developed a luminescent artificial sensor that attaches to cortisol molecules in blood or urine. Once bound, the sensor produces light, which reveals the concentration of the hormone. A study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society confirmed that this method can reliably detect cortisol across the full range of levels important for human health.

    Yeh showed that the sensor could be paired with a smartphone camera, allowing cortisol levels to be measured either at home or in a clinic. This approach combines high sensitivity with affordability, eliminating the need for expensive laboratory equipment and making precise hormone monitoring far more accessible.

    Designed from scratch

    Yeh specializes in artificial protein engineering, which relies on AI-based computational design to create entirely new proteins rather than modifying ones already found in nature.

    For this project, he built a protein-based biosensor where cortisol binding causes two engineered proteins to draw close together at the molecular level. This interaction produces a light signal, with brighter emissions corresponding to higher cortisol levels.

    Andy Yeh in the Lab
    UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh’s lab focuses on artificial protein design. Credit: Impact Creative for UC Santa Cruz

    To Yeh’s knowledge, this is the first example of a completely computationally designed biosensor that can perform with such high sensitivity and dynamic range for detecting a small molecule analyte. Using a camera to measure the amount and color of light emitted allows cortisol levels to be read with more sensitivity than current tests provide.

    Point-of-care applications

    This new diagnostic tool would be in a “mix and read” format—similar to the technique used in Covid-19 nasal swab rapid tests. The test requires just a drop of blood or urine, which is mixed with a solution that contains the biosensor. Then, a smartphone camera and app could translate the light emitted into a direct measurement of cortisol levels.

    “You can read the signal directly — the output of the sensor is light emissions, so essentially you can just take a picture of the test with your smartphone,” Yeh said. “Ideally, that’s really field compatible.”

    Dynamic results

    The test’s high level of sensitivity is a vast improvement over traditional tests, which don’t usually offer enough quantitative results when outside of the cortisol normal range. Yeh’s solution covers a wider dynamic range, offering quantitative results for healthy, too-low, and elevated levels of cortisol.

    “This sensor is very, very sensitive compared to the current standard methods used in the hospital,” Yeh said. “The dynamic range is huge compared to the traditional assay.”

    Down the line, Yeh envisions that this technology may also be used in a drug-development or diagnostic setting to better understand and treat the health issues that arise from cortisol deficiencies or surpluses.

    Reference: “De Novo Design of High-Performance Cortisol Luminescent Biosensors” by Julie Yi-Hsuan Chen, Xue Peng, Chenggang Xi, Gyu Rie Lee, David Baker and Andy Hsien-Wei Yeh, 28 July 2025, Journal of the American Chemical Society.
    DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c05004

    This research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the UC Santa Cruz start-up fund.

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  • The hidden DNA organizer linking fertility and cancer

    The hidden DNA organizer linking fertility and cancer

    A research team at Kyoto University has discovered STAG3-cohesin, a new mitotic cohesin complex that helps establish the unique DNA architecture of spermaotogonial stem cells (SSCs), the stem cells that give rise to sperm. This “DNA organizer” is crucial for sperm production in mice: without STAG3, SSCs cannot differentiate properly, leading to a fertility problem. In humans, the researchers found that STAG3 is highly expressed in immune B cells and in B-cell lymphomas (a type of blood cancer), and blocking it slowed the growth of these cells. This discovery might open the door to new strategies for treating infertility and certain cancers.

    This research is led by Prof. Mitinori Saitou, Director/Principal Investigator at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University (also Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine), Dr. Masahiro Nagano (then Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine, currently Research Fellow at ASHBi and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and Dr. Bo Hu (then Ph.D. student, currently Research Fellow at ASHBi). The results of this study will be published online in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology at 10:00 am GMT (6:00 pm Japan Standard Time) on August 25, 2025.

    Background

    Our bodies contain many different types of cells, yet they all contain the same DNA. What makes each cell type unique is how this DNA is modified, packaged, folded, and organized. Think of DNA as a very long piece of string. Inside every nucleus, about two meters of this DNA string must be folded and stored in a space smaller than the width of a human hair. This folding is highly organized, with special boundaries called insulation that separate different regions of DNA and control which genes are turned on or off. Ring-shaped protein complexes called cohesins serve as the key players that create these boundaries. Cohesin complexes were previously thought to exist in two main forms: mitotic cohesins (contain STAG1 or STAG2 together with RAD21) and meiotic cohesins (contain STAG3 together with REC8 or RAD21L).

    Germ cells are unique because they pass DNA to the next generation, and they undergo major changes in DNA folding during development. These cells undergo massive reorganization of their DNA packaging during development. Notably, SSCs have a unique way of organizing their DNA with unusually weak boundaries, but scientists do not yet understand how this happens.

    Key findings

    Because cohesin complexes contribute to DNA boundaries, and SSCs are mitotically dividing cells before entering meiosis, the research team decided to map where different cohesin proteins were located in SSCs cultured in vitro, and which proteins were present at each site. They found that RAD21, which normally partners with STAG1 or STAG2 in dividing cells, was instead partnering with STAG3. This protein was previously thought to function only during meiosis. Using immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (a technique that identifies which proteins stick together), they confirmed that RAD21 and STAG3 form a complex, revealing a new type of cohesin, which they referred to as STAG3-cohesin.

    To find out what this new complex does, the researchers created two types of genetically modified SSCs in vitro: one set completely lacked STAG3, while the other contained only STAG3 (without STAG1 or STAG2). They discovered that STAG3-cohesin is responsible for the unusually weak DNA boundaries in SSCs. Most importantly, in mice missing STAG3, the SSCs could not progress from their stem-cell state to the next stage of sperm development in an efficient manner. This led to a fertility problem, showing that STAG3-cohesin does more than organize DNA and is critical for proper germ cell development.

    As STAG3 functions in mitotically dividing cells, the team then investigated whether it might also function in other human cell types. By analyzing large datasets of all human cell types, they found that STAG3 is highly expressed in immune B cells and in B-cell lymphomas, a type of blood cancer. Interestingly, blocking STAG3 caused these lymphoma cells to grow much more slowly in laboratory studies, suggesting that STAG3 could be explored as a possible target for future cancer research.

    Outlook

    This study has revealed STAG3-cohesin as a new type of DNA-organizing protein complex that works very differently from previously known complexes. Because of its unique properties, further research on this complex is expected to advance our understanding of how gene activity is controlled through DNA organization. One of the most striking discoveries was that simply changing STAG3 levels could alter the proportion of stem cells in the testis. This suggests a novel mechanism that regulates the SSC state at the boundary between normal cell division and the start of meiosis.

    Beyond germ cells, the discovery that blocking STAG3 slows the growth of B-cell cancers points to a possible role for STAG3 in future cancer research. Although more research is needed to uncover the precise mechanisms, these findings offer new insights that could advance stem cell biology, reproductive medicine, and cancer treatment.

    Glossary

    • Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs): The stem cells in the testis that self-renew and also differentiate to give rise to sperm.
    • Mitosis: The process by which a cell produces identical copies of itself, resulting in daughter cells with the same genetic information.
    • Meiosis: A specialized form of division unique to germ cells, through which sperm or eggs are generated.
    • Insulation: The “boundaries” within the 3D structure of DNA. They prevent enhancers (DNA elements that help turn genes on) from influencing genes across the boundary, effectively dividing the genome into separate functional regions.
    • B cells: Immune cells that play a central role in antibody production within the immune system.
    • Cohesin complex: A ring-shaped protein complex that holds chromatids together and helps organize DNA into loops essential for gene regulation and mitosis.

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  • Biallelic TSEN2 variants causing pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2

    Biallelic TSEN2 variants causing pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2

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  • An extensive survey on helminth community of Caretta caretta from the neritic feeding grounds of Northwestern Adriatic sea

    An extensive survey on helminth community of Caretta caretta from the neritic feeding grounds of Northwestern Adriatic sea

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  • ‘Would have been nearly impossible with conventional methods’

    ‘Would have been nearly impossible with conventional methods’

    A University of Galway research team studied a rare ocean phenomenon, shedding new light on changing climate conditions in the Arctic.

    In their study, they used an Air-Sea Interaction Profiler, a unique robotic instrument that specializes in small-scale changes on the ocean’s surface.

    What’s happening?

    As the University of Galway reported, the ocean phenomenon is called cabbeling and occurs when two masses of water meet with different temperatures and salt concentrations.

    The researchers’ fully autonomous Air-Sea Interaction Profiler took precise measurements of the water’s temperature, salinity, and turbulence. They spent several weeks on an expedition in the Greenland Sea to conduct their study.

    The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.

    Because it can capture rapid changes on the scale of seconds to minutes, it allowed the team to detect cabbeling in action, which would have been nearly impossible with conventional methods,” Kevin McGraw, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Galway and lead author on the study, wrote.

    Why is cabbeling important?

    The Greenland Sea is one of the world’s most climate-sensitive places and a body of water that is changing rapidly with our evolving climate.

    The researchers’ study of cabbeling here provides new insights into Arctic sea ice melt and the mixing of different waters. Their measurements show how cabbeling can increase heat below the ocean’s surface and impact marine habitats.

    Scientists now have a better idea about the role of cabbeling in Arctic ice loss as global weather patterns continue to change. The researchers believe their findings will help more accurately predict how ocean heat moves through Arctic regions that are steadily warming and experiencing rapid sea ice melt.

    What’s being done to address climate shifts in the Arctic?

    There is a growing body of research about Arctic sea ice melt, as many researchers are working to understand and address this issue.

    Thanks to continued research studies, we now understand why oceans are changing color and getting hotter. We can also see the impacts of microplastics in our oceans and the surprising sources of ocean pollution.

    This new use of robotic technology and the resulting observations from the University of Galway add to this knowledge base to help us prepare for the future of our planet.

    You can do your part to protect our world’s oceans by reducing your environmental footprint with lifestyle changes such as driving an electric vehicle and using solar energy to power your home. These sustainable upgrades have become more affordable than you might expect, especially when you pair your solar setup with battery storage and use EnergySage to find the best installation deals.

    To raise public awareness about climate-related ocean issues, it’s beneficial to stay informed about ocean research projects and share what you learn with others. Ocean changes are among the most concerning critical climate issues in our world today, and they affect everyone regardless of location.

    Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

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  • Parabolic Flights to Test Electrolyzer for Future Moon and Mars Missions

    Parabolic Flights to Test Electrolyzer for Future Moon and Mars Missions

    What can parabolic flights teach scientists and engineers about electrolyzers and how the latter can help advance human missions to the Moon and Mars? This is the goal of a recent grant awarded to the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C) project, which is sponsored by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The $500,000 award for this research is part of NASA’s TechLeap Prize program with the goal of testing experimental electrolyzer technology that can be used for future missions.

    Parabolic flights are frequently used by NASA, research agencies, and academic institutions to simulate short-term microgravity for astronauts and scientific experiments. The simulations are conducted when the aircraft performs a bell-shaped curve by flying upward, then straight, then pitching downward, resulting in approximately 20 seconds of weightlessness for all passengers and experiments. It is estimated that each mission conducts between 15-20 parabolas, enabling consistent data and personal experience in weightlessness. The purpose of parabolic flights is to conduct Earth-based research that can’t be conducted in outer space or could serve as a precursor to a space-based experiment, as this study hopes to demonstrate.

    “Humans have an intrinsic drive to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Kevin Supak, who is a Program Manager at the SwRI San Antonio office and project co-lead. “Exploring space catalyzes technological advancements that have far-reaching benefits in our daily lives—often unanticipated innovations arise as a direct result of overcoming the unique challenges of space exploration. Establishing permanent presences on other planetary bodies could pave the way for unprecedented scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs.”

    This research comes after similar work conducted in 2024 by Subak and SwRI in collaboration with Texas A&M University using parabolic flights to test boiling liquids under reduced gravity environments. Also, like this most recent work, the 2024 research aimed to explore how liquids boiled on different planetary surfaces, especially with the Moon and Mars exhibiting one-sixth and one-third the gravity of Earth, respectively. One aspect of that study was to evaluate the rate and amount of boiling that occurred on different surfaces, including stainless steel and plastic.

    As its name implies, electrolyzers use electric currents to separate liquid water into their molecular components of hydrogen and oxygen using a process called electrolysis. On Earth, electrolyzers are used for a myriad of industrial and commercial applications, including vehicle fuel, renewable energy, and fertilizer production. For space applications, electrolyzers are currently used on the International Space Station (ISS) to provide the rotating crew with breathable oxygen while venting the hydrogen into space.

    Like the ISS, future crews on the Moon and Mars will require the appropriate infrastructure for producing breathable oxygen and learning how to use electrolyzers in those reduced gravity environments could prove valuable, as the ISS’ zero-gravity environment has demonstrated their efficiency and reliability. Also like the ISS, having an electrolyzer on the Moon or Mars would negate the need for oxygen resupplies from Earth. Additionally, while the ISS vents unused hydrogen into space, astronauts on the Moon and Mars could use this hydrogen for fuel on return trips back to Earth, also resulting in negating fuel resupplies from Earth.

    “In a partial gravity environment, like the Moon or Mars, a reduced buoyancy effect on gas bubbles in an electrolyzer poses challenges that aren’t present on Earth,” said Supak. “We lack an understanding about chemical processes that leverage bubble nucleation in low gravity, which is the gap we aim to fill.”

    How will electrolyzers contribute to future missions to the Moon and Mars in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!

    As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!

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