Life sciences: genetics, neuroscience, ecology and molecular biology.
Researchers have identified where the drug dantrolene binds on RyR1, the calcium-release channel involved in malignant hyperthermia. The findings show that dantrolene works together with ATP or ADP to trigger a structural change linked to closing the channel.
A meta-analysis of maize studies found that sensor-guided, variable-rate nitrogen application reduced total nitrogen use by 18% without affecting grain yields. Nitrogen-use efficiency rose 22%, while partial profit increased 6% relative to uniform-rate applications.
A study using cryogenic electron microscopy of cell extracts found that the protein eEF2 was attached to more than 95% of hibernating ribosomes. The protein also unexpectedly bound to isolated 60S subunits, while other proteins occupied different ribosome sites.
The structure of early training influenced how flexibly mice learned a complex odor-timing task. Recurrent neural networks showed similar effects, suggesting that well-structured practice helps the brain build knowledge that can be reused when tasks become more complex.
Researchers found that sister copies of human chromosomes have a previously unrecognized difference in their large-scale three-dimensional arrangement. The shift is linked to the protein complexes that hold the copies together and could affect how cells find matching DNA during repair.
A study combining data from 46 cohorts found 1,260 genetic variants associated with the Big Five personality traits, including 824 not previously reported. The associations were broadly consistent across genetic ancestry groups and were linked in further analyses to behaviours and life outcomes, although they were not identical across settings or measures.
A new model tracking individual fruits and shipments finds that energy use, sea transport and food loss can dominate the climate impact of citrus. It identifies practices such as removing field heat before cooling and raising shipping temperatures from −1 °C to 1–3 °C, provided phytosanitary conditions are validated.
Researchers analyzed 508 Klebsiella pneumoniae whole genomes from blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures of adults hospitalized in Johannesburg, South Africa, during 2023 and 2024. Most isolates carried genes associated with multidrug resistance, while some bacterial lineages and plasmid types were linked with resistance genes. The study describes patterns in this hospital-based sample; it does not show that these genes caused illness or death.
A study of 712 women and children in rural Bangladesh found widespread blood evidence of exposure to several mold-made food toxins. Estimated intake of ochratoxin A exceeded health-based guidance values for up to 80% of women and 99% of children.
Long-term photographs show that four Bohadschia argus sea cucumbers lived for at least 33 years. The findings suggest that conservation plans and fishery models should use more conservative estimates for how long these animals take to reproduce across generations.
An umbrella review of temperate agroforestry found that more than 65% of assessments reported significantly positive effects on soil carbon and several measures of soil quality. But evidence for productivity and other benefits was more variable, and major gaps remain, including a lack of meta-analyses on cultural benefits.
In male mice, a high-fat diet broadly changed gene activity and largely eliminated the brain’s usual response to high blood sugar. The findings suggest that obesity can impair brain systems involved in detecting glucose.
In healthy adults, a subanesthetic dose of nitrous oxide changed how large brain networks were organized during a visual task. Weaker connections involving the insula, a region involved in integrating bodily and emotional signals, were associated with more unpleasant visual experiences.
A Zenodo article proposes that DNA carries three overlapping information layers: one that specifies amino acids, another that affects how quickly proteins are made and folded, and a third linked to molecular stability and helix shape. An analysis of five human genes found broad compositional patterns at sites where the code allows multiple DNA sequences, with BRCA1 as a reported exception.
Monkeys learned to link arbitrary visual patterns with movements of the left or right hand. As learning progressed, Purkinje cells in two cerebellar regions increasingly distinguished specific visual cue–hand combinations, with the visual cue becoming identifiable before the choice.
