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Journal articleBagchi D, Majumdar A, 2026, , Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability, Vol: 38, ISSN: 2639-5932
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Journal articleMaia RA, Oki Y, Medina I, et al., 2026, , Theoretical and Experimental Plant Physiology, Vol: 38
Large-scale mining disasters in tropical regions impose long-term pressures on ecosystems by degrading soil fertility and exposing native vegetation to chemical and physical disturbances. This study investigates whether Eugenia florida, a native tree species found in both tailings-impacted and reference areas of the Rio Doce Basin in Brazil, exhibits physiological adjustments that confer resilience to combined edaphic and thermal constraints. We assessed soil properties and 16 physiological traits related to nutrient status, photosynthetic efficiency, photoprotection, and thermal tolerance. Soils in the impacted area exhibited markedly lower organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and nutrient concentrations, along with increased iron concentration. Despite a 10% reduction in nitrogen balance index, plants in the impacted area exhibited 10% more chlorophyll and 19% more flavonoids, indicating compensatory pigment production and enhanced antioxidant capacity. Photosynthetic performance remained stable across environments, but individuals in the impacted area displayed elevated regulated energy dissipation and reduced unregulated energy loss, suggesting efficient photoprotective adjustments. Transient fluorescence analyses revealed intensified excitation fluxes and greater heat dissipation per reaction centre. Thermal thresholds, defined as temperatures causing 15% and 50% reductions in photosynthetic efficiency, were significantly higher in impacted individuals. Multivariate analyses identified excitation flux traits as key predictors of thermal resilience. Physiological function in E. florida is sustained through integrated plastic responses under long-term soil degradation and thermal constraints. Its ability to modulate energy fluxes and antioxidant defences highlights its potential as a candidate species for ecological restoration in tropical regions increasingly affected by human disturbance and climate extremes.
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Journal articleHui T-Y, Epopa PS, Millogo AA, et al., 2026, , Parasites and Vectors, Vol: 19, ISSN: 1756-3305
Background Spatial-temporal variation exists in the density and species composition of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which will in turn influence the transmission of the disease. While there has been extensive research on seasonality and other main drivers of the vector populations, the heterogeneity partitioned as random effects at various spatial-temporal scales is just as important but has not attracted the same attention. Methods To investigate the relative contributions of the between-house, between-village, and between year variations, as well as other house-level covariates such as inhabitant number and bed net usage on vector density and species composition, intensive Pyrethroid Spray Catches (PSC) sampling was conducted across a 60-month period between 2012-2019 from four villages in the Sudano-Sahelian region of Burkina Faso. Results For density, measured by female Anopheles gambiae s.l. counts, our modelling showed that the between-house variation was the largest variance component, followed by the between year then between-village variation, after accounting for seasonality and other covariates. Density increased with the number of inhabitants within a household but was uncorrelated with bed net presence. A subset of female mosquitoes was genotyped for species identification, and the composition of An. coluzzii and An. gambiae, the two dominant vectors in the region, varied markedly across villages without an overall trend. The between-village variance contributed up to 76% of the total random variation in species composition, followed by the between-year variance. The between-house variation was statistically insignificant. Neither household size nor bed net usage had any impact on species composition. Conclusions Interestingly, the between-house component of variation was the largest contributor when measuring mosquito density, but it was the least important for species composition. For between-village variation the converse was found. Together with
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Journal articleDe Lorm TA, Heon SP, Bernard H, et al., 2026, , Forest Ecology and Management, Vol: 619, ISSN: 0378-1127
Replanting a tree plantation - that is, clearing old trees and replacing these with young plants - drastically alters its habitat structure and microclimate, leading to changes in its biodiversity. Nevertheless, we lack an understanding of how the replanting of oil palm plantations - the most prominent oil crop globally - affects mammals and birds, while the amount of area replanted will increase exponentially over the next decades. We therefore studied how the bird and mammal community of an oil palm plantation in Malaysian Borneo changed in response to replanting. Using camera traps for mammals, and acoustic recordings and BirdNET for birds, we show that both communities are transformed. Mammal species richness slightly dropped, because of the absence from replanted plantations of long- and pig-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis and M. nemestrina), both endangered primate species. Bird species richness did not significantly differ between replanted and mature plantations. However, the detection frequency of most species changed, as the bird community shifted from forest and woodland species towards open-habitat species. The detection frequency and species richness of different trophic niches stayed largely constant, indicating that birds will still be able to perform similar high-level ecological functions in replanted plantations. Overall, our results show that replanting reshaped mammal and bird communities, but that their diversity and abundance does not collapse. These findings stress the importance of staggered replanting, as opposed to replanting large stretches of plantation in one go, to bolster landscape level biodiversity, and underscore that tree plantations are temporally dynamic habitats.
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Journal articleCasadio R, Lu ZJ, Mathews DH, et al., 2026, , J Mol Biol, Vol: 438
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Journal articleDi Domenico F, Kucharczyk MW, Patel R, et al., 2026, , PAIN Reports, Vol: 11
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Introduction:</jats:title> <jats:p>Multiple mechanisms contribute to the experience of pain where the use of model organisms to dissect mechanistically sensory regulatory circuitry is a vital component of discovering underlying causes of persistent pain in disease states. Such disease states can be modelled in animals using surgical procedures that, ethically, should involve administration of analgesia. However, since basic pain researchers often wish to measure pain-related events, animals may be denied perioperative analgesia to avoid adversely influencing experimental outcomes.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods:</jats:title> <jats:p>We conducted a structured review of perioperative analgesia usage in rat spinal nerve ligation (SNL) and cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) models. Using a combination of behavioural testing and in vivo electrophysiology in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, we assessed the impact of perioperative pregabalin on nociceptive behaviours in the acute recovery phase, and behavioural and electrophysiological experimental outcomes in the established phase, of rat SNL and CIBP models.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results:</jats:title> <jats:p>A literature search revealed that, for studies using rat models of SNL or CIBP, only 5.37% and 12.69%, respectively, reported the use of perioperative analgesia. We then demonstrated that the use of pregabalin as a perioperative analgesic reduced mechanical hypersensitivity in the acute period after SNL surgery, with no impact on behavioural, electrophysiological, or neuropharmacological outcomes in the established p
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Journal articleOh J, Jim矇nez JI, Kim J, 2026, , Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Vol: 100, ISSN: 0958-1669
Precision fermentation is redefining microbial food manufacturing by enabling programmable biosynthesis of nutrients and functional ingredients. Despite this progress, industrial-scale deployment is limited by metabolic burden, growth-production trade-offs, biosafety concerns, and the costs of downstream processing. Conventional intracellular systems inherently generate host-derived impurities and endotoxins, challenging food-grade standards. Here, we review platform-level advances that decouple biosynthesis from cellular constraints and streamline process design, with a focus on approaches aligned to food industry requirements. We highlight cell-free systems and non-replicative minicells as intrinsically contained production chassis, detail advances in secretion and efflux engineering for efficient extracellular product recovery, and discuss division-of-labor microbial consortia to address resource allocation limits. Together, these innovations integrate biosafety and process efficiency, providing a safe-by-design framework for next-generation microbial food systems that meet both regulatory and industrial needs.
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Journal articleBose A, Bopanna Y, Shetty P, et al., 2026, , Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, Vol: 331, Pages: G125-G139
Hyperactivating mutations in guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) are monogenic causes of early-onset inflammatory bowel disease, familial diarrheal syndrome, and congenital secretory diarrhea. The mechanisms linking elevated cGMP levels to immune imbalance remain poorly defined. Here, using a preclinical model of a disease-associated GC-C mutation, we observe pleiotropic alterations in the small intestinal epithelium. Transcriptomic and functional analyses revealed impaired Paneth and goblet cell differentiation, compromised barrier integrity, heightened epithelial permeability, and increased proinflammatory cytokine levels. Intestinal organoids from mutant mice exhibited amplified cGMP responses to GC-C ligands and defects in secretory lineage specification, confirming cell-autonomous mechanisms. Strikingly, oral zinc administration suppressed aberrant GC-C activity, normalized cGMP levels, and restored barrier function. These findings highlight the central role of epithelial cGMP signaling in coordinating barrier integrity and immune-epithelial interactions and identify zinc as a tractable therapeutic strategy for GC-C-mediated intestinal disorders.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Activating mutations in GUCY2C, which encodes the receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C), cause early-onset diarrheal disease and gastrointestinal inflammation. Knock-in mice carrying a familial diarrheal syndrome mutation exhibited impaired gut barrier function. Mutant organoids showed defective secretory lineage specification associated with reduced Wnt3 expression. Zinc administration, which lowers epithelial cGMP levels by inhibiting GC-C, reversed most pathological changes in both mice and organoids.
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Journal articleSchlenker P, Lamberton J, Lan N, et al., 2026, , Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc, Vol: 101, Pages: 2033-2052
The waggle dance of bees has given rise to some of the most striking and detailed studies of animal communication. But because of its gradient character, the waggle dance has widely been taken to have properties that are wholly distinct from those of human language. We argue that this is mistaken, and that the waggle dance represents the oldest instantiation of an iconic system also found in human language, notably in sign language. The waggle dance helps bees locate a food source through four properties: (1) food distance is conveyed through the duration of the waggling phase; and (2) food direction is conveyed through the orientation of the waggle run. In addition, (3) while in bees that dance horizontally, the waggle run points towards the food source, in bees that dance vertically the information involves transposition: the angle of the dance relative to 'upwards' is interpreted as the angle of the food direction relative to the sun. Finally, (4) the number of waggle runs increases with food quality. We show that properties 1 and 2 are instantiated in sign language classifier predicates, highly iconic constructions that produce visual animations of the orientation and movement of an entity. Furthermore, classifier movement (property 3) can be interpreted either directly or with 'viewpoint shift', a more flexible version of transposition. Property 4 seems to be instantiated more generally in the pragmatics of human and animal communication, as repetition can convey intensification and/or excitement (e.g. Go, go, go!). We further show experimentally that properties 1-3 are instantiated in some gestures understood by non-signers. Thus the waggle dance is a primitive form of a semantic system also found (through convergent evolution) in human language. It is remarkably ancient, at least 20 million years old according to phylogenetic reconstructions. While the horizontal dance (without transposition) is usually thought to be ancestral, a closer look at extant phyloge
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Journal articleBernardini F, 2026,
Sex-ratio distorters enable pre-zygotic sexing for sex-specific transcriptomics in Anopheles gambiae embryos
, Cell reports, ISSN: 2211-1247 -
Journal articleBourne A, Amatiello FG, Elger K, et al., 2026, , J Invertebr Pathol, Vol: 219
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) experience variable colony losses across regions and years, with infectious diseases representing a key component of colony health challenges. Among the most prevalent pathogens are the microsporidian parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, whose impacts on host survival and transmission vary widely depending on context. While nutritional supplementation is commonly used to support honey bee health, its effects on Nosema infection outcomes remain unclear. Here, we experimentally tested whether dietary enrichment alters survival and infection intensity following exposure to a mixed Nosema inoculum. Newly emerged worker bees were challenged with Nosema spores and maintained on either a basic sucrose diet or the same diet supplemented with a commercial pollen substitute. Dietary enrichment significantly increased both mortality risk and infection intensity in Nosema-infected bees, while having no detectable effect on survival in uninfected controls. These results indicate that supplementation can, counter intuitively, exacerbate nosemosis by promoting parasite replication rather than enhancing host resistance. Our findings highlight the importance of distinguishing nutritional effects on host tolerance versus resistance, and caution that interventions intended to improve bee nutrition may inadvertently increase pathogen production and transmission potential under certain conditions.
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Journal articleSong G, Ma Z, Fan M, et al., 2026, , Nat Commun
Immune effects of membrane attack complexes (MAC) have been widely attributed to their abilities to cause cell death. Here, we show that the MAC component, C9, forms non-cytolytic aggregates with pro-inflammatory effects. Intracellular aggregates of C9 are detected within inflamed tissues of patients in association with endothelial cell (EC) activation but not increased cell death. We identify NUMBL as a Rab35 effector that directly binds surface-bound C9 to promote C9 internalization and entry into the endolysosomal pathway. Within acidified endolysosomes, C9 forms insoluble aggregates that are targeted for degradative aggrephagy in a process that activates NF-κB. For C9 aggrephagy to occur, ZFYVE21, a Rab5 effector, complexes with RNF34 to bridge C9 aggregates to LC3B+ aggresome membranes. We detect C9 aggregates in vivo, and we show that a ZFYVE21-RNF34 signaling axis is required for C9 aggrephagy and NF-κB -dependent EC activation in three separate mouse models. Mice with conditional loss of ZFYVE21 in ECs show reduced aggregraphy, resulting in attenuated systemic inflammation and reduced tissue injury following skin transplantation. Our data show that the C9 component of MACs forms intracellular aggregates with alarmin-like properties.
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Journal articleStorer F, McClure CD, Gomez AE, et al., 2026, , PLoS Biol, Vol: 24
The RNA-binding protein Sex-lethal (Sxl) is classically known as a master regulator of sex determination and mRNA splicing in Drosophila melanogaster. However, this role is not conserved across species, and functions beyond the canonical pathway remain poorly understood. In this study, we uncover a splicing-independent role for Sxl at the chromatin level in the Drosophila brain. Using Targeted DamID (TaDa) profiling in neurons, we identify widespread binding of Sxl to promoter regions, independent of sex or RNA binding activity. Notably, Sxl chromatin occupancy exhibits near-complete overlap with Polr3E (RPC37), an RNA Polymerase III subunit, with Sxl binding abolished upon Polr3E knockdown. Depletion of Sxl in mature male neurons induces widespread transcriptional changes, particularly in metabolic genes, and improves negative geotaxis during aging, phenotypes that closely mirror Polr3E knockdown. Conversely, overexpression of the brain-specific SxlRAC transcript leads to severe climbing deficits and upregulated gene expression associated with metabolism and translation. Manipulating Sxl levels in the brain significantly impacts select tRNA production and global protein synthesis rates. Together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for Sxl in regulating Pol III activity via Polr3E, modulating tRNA synthesis and supporting neuronal metabolism. Given the emerging tie between Pol III regulation and neuronal aging, our study highlights Sxl as a novel factor in neuronal homeostasis.
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Journal articleMajumdar A, Upadhyay MK, Ghosh A, et al., 2026, , Adv Sci (Weinh)
Global agricultural carbon loss demands refined tillage practices. This study evaluates a hybrid furrow tillage field (FTF) approach that combines the bed geometry of conservation tillage with controlled, localised disturbance of conventional tillage. Distinct from strip-tillage and permanent-bed planting, FTF is designed for puddled, lowland rice systems, featuring a continuously water-filled furrow and an alternately wet-dry mid-bed. A two-year, twelve-site field trial across the Gangetic deltaic plain of West Bengal, India, assessed FTF through agronomy, geochemistry, crop physiology, and molecular microbiology, and presented all CO2-flux and labile-carbon results as short-term responses. FTF produced CO2 efflux comparable to no-tillage (3.94-4.38 vs. 2.43-2.84 g C m- 2 d- 1) while sustaining nutrient bioavailability close to conventional deep tillage (6.29-7.11 g C m- 2 d- 1), demonstrating that hybrid bed-and-furrow geometry can decouple short-term CO2 flux from nutrient-mineralisation benefits. Microbial diversity and gene-ontology profiles indicate active microbial interactions with reduced soil-to-atmosphere CO2 transfer. Molecular modelling identifies AmtB and HypC-HypD as candidate CO2-handling routes; mid-bed physical properties independently contribute to flux reduction. Long-term SOC stability requires multi-year, multi-soil-order validation with isotopic partitioning. The study integrates CO2 flux chambers, Kriging interpolation, elemental bioavailability analysis, plant ultrastructural observation, metagenomics, and molecular modelling.
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Journal articleNematbakhsh M, Koufopanou V, Cass A, et al., 2026, , Virus Evolution
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Killer yeasts secrete protein toxins that inhibit other yeast strains, a trait often encoded by M satellites of L-A dsRNA viruses. These systems serve as important molecular models, yet their adaptive significance in natural settings remains unclear. This study surveyed 60 strains from a natural Saccharomyces paradoxus population in the UK to characterise dsRNA viral genomic diversity. Our survey revealed 27% of strains showed killer activity mediated by dsRNA viruses. Additionally, five of 18 non-killer strains also contained dsRNA viruses. Deep sequencing of pooled dsRNAs from 17 strains identified six distinct M satellite types, including three novel lineages, with single nucleotide and structural polymorphisms creating multiple variant sequences within types. Predicted preprotoxin proteins generally contained post-translational modification sites necessary for toxin maturation, although with variable numbers among different types, potentially affecting processing and expression. Eight L-A virus sequences were also assembled. These were all closely related to each other and clustered phylogenetically with viruses from other European S. paradoxus strains. Extended 5′ sequence analysis revealed novel structural features in both L-As and their M satellites, including a pair of inverted repeats ending in a pair of inverted conserved motifs (GA5–6 and corresponding U5–6C in Ms and GAAUA and corresponding UAUUC in L-As) which is in turn flanked by a pair of direct repeats. The pair of conserved motifs also exists in all described Saccharomyces cerevisiae M satellites. The observed diversity of dsRNA satellites within a single yeast population is a challenge to explain, with many evolutionary forces potentially contributing.</jats:p>
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Journal articlePai H, Sakai T, Posbeyikian A, et al., 2026, , PLoS Genet, Vol: 22
Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) are known for their rapid evolution, even at the intraspecific level, yet the rates of evolution differ significantly across NLRs. However, the degree to which evolutionary patterns reflect functional divergence remains poorly understood, notably in important crop species. Within the NRC (NLR Required for Cell Death) network in Asterids, sensor NLRs detect pathogen presence but require NRC helpers for signaling and to confer immunity. We conducted a comparative analysis of NLRs across 40 Solanales and 29 Asterales genomes to explore NRC network expansion and diversification within the less-studied Asterales order. Our findings reveal that the NRC network has expanded less in Asterales compared to Solanales. We functionally validated an Asterales NRC network with 2 helpers and 9 sensors in common lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Through selection analysis and structural modeling of NRC gene family in the Lactuca genus, we found distinct evolutionary trajectories between NRC helpers and sensors. Sensors reliant on the phylogenetically conserved helper NRC0 experience limited diversification, whereas sensors dependent on other NRC helpers show higher rates of positive selection and gene duplication. Our results highlight the lineage- and function-specific evolution of the NRC network, offering insights into the evolutionary pressures shaping plant immune receptor networks.
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Journal articleMajumdar A, Bagchi D, Kotta-Loizou I, et al., 2026, , J Hazard Mater, Vol: 513
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic resistance (ABR) represent one of the most pressing global health threats, driven by the complex interplay between human, animal, and environmental factors. The One Health resistome framework recognises that resistance genes circulate continuously across clinical, agricultural, and environmental compartments through horizontal gene transfer, co-selection mechanisms, and anthropogenic contamination. This comprehensive review synthesises current evidence on integrated AMR surveillance, examining how digital technologies are transforming our capacity to monitor, predict, and respond to resistance emergence. Key advances include whole-genome sequencing enabling high-resolution pathogen tracking, metagenomics revealing environmental resistome diversity, machine learning algorithms predicting resistance phenotypes with >85% accuracy, and point-of-care diagnostics extending sophisticated testing to resource-limited settings. Geographic information systems facilitate spatial hotspot identification, while wastewater-based surveillance provides early warning capabilities, detecting resistance genes before clinical manifestation. Despite technological progress, substantial challenges persist: fragmented data streams across sectors, lack of standardised environmental monitoring methods, limited laboratory capacity in low- and middle-income countries, and chronic underfunding. Emerging technologies, portable nanopore sequencing, CRISPR-based diagnostics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain-enabled data governance promise to address these gaps. Realising comprehensive One Health resistome surveillance requires sustained investment in interoperable digital infrastructure, international standardisation, capacity building, and political commitment to cross-sectoral coordination, prioritising equitable global implementation.
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Journal articleGodson A, Eddie L, Schuster M, et al., 2026, , New Phytol
RD21-like proteases are papain-like cysteine proteases with a C-terminal granulin domain that are abundant and ubiquitous in angiosperms and have often been implicated in immunity. We previously found that the activity of RD21 in Nicotiana benthamiana (NbRD21) is suppressed during infection with Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we studied the role of NbRD21 in immunity and proteome processing. NbRD21 was disrupted by genome editing and rd21 mutants were subjected to disease assays and shotgun proteomics. Dipeptide substrate zLR-AMC was used in protease assays and agroinfiltration was used to transiently express NbRD21 and candidate substrates. Genome-edited lines lacking NbRD21 develop normally but have drastically reduced zLRase activity and are significantly more susceptible to P. syringae. Shotgun proteomics revealed an increased accumulation of c. 20 diverse receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in untreated rd21 knockout lines, but their transcript levels are unaltered when compared to wild-type plants. 35S-driven GFP-tagged RLKs accumulate more upon transient expression in rd21 plants than in wild-type plants. These data indicate that NbRD21 post-translationally controls RLK homeostasis, either by directly degrading RLKs or indirectly by regulating endocytic RLK recycling.
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Journal articleLau R, Giblin S, Sugar A, et al., 2026,
SpyCEP dismantles neutrophil immunity via disorder-drivenchemokine remodeling and GAG targeting
, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, ISSN: 0027-8424Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus; GAS) employs sophisticated virulence strategies to evade human immunity, including secretion of the cell envelope protease SpyCEP, which cleaves and inactivates key neutrophilattracting chemokines such as CXCL8. Here, we integrate cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and native mass spectrometry (MS) to investigate how SpyCEP disrupts CXCL8 function. We demonstrate that a disordered aromatic and acidic region within the cleaved autocatalytic maturation loop (CAML) of SpyCEP mimics receptor N-domains and binds an allosteric site on CXCL8. The resulting interaction forms a dynamic fuzzy complex and is coupled to dimer dissociation, consistent with enhanced access to the cleavage site. This disordermediated substrate engagement differs from classical protease mechanisms that rely on rigid recognition interfaces. Additionally, glycan microarray and NMR analyses show that the CAML region mediates glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding, suggesting a means to recruit SpyCEP and maximize encounters with GAGenriched CXCL8 reservoirs. Together, these findings provide a structural and biophysical framework for understanding how SpyCEP combines substrate engagement with GAG targeting to dismantle chemokine gradients and inhibit neutrophil recruitment. More broadly, this work highlights the role of intrinsic disorder in protease recognition and suggests new avenues for antivirulence therapies and vaccine strategies targeting SpyCEP.
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Journal articleGhosh M, Goodman D, 2026,
Partial recurrence can enable robust and efficient computation
, Communications AI and computing, ISSN: 3091-292XNeural circuits are sparse and bidirectional. Meaning that signals flow from early sensory areas to later regions and back. Yet, between connected areas there exist some but not all pathways. How does this structure, somewhere between feedforward and fully recurrent, shape circuit function? To address this question, we designed a recurrent neural network model in which a set of weight matrices (i.e. pathways) can be combined to generate every network structure between feedforward and fullyrecurrent. We term these architectures partially recurrent neural networks (pRNNs). We trained over 25,000 pRNNs on a novel set of reinforcement learning tasks, designed to mimic multisensory navigation, and compared their performance across multiple functional metrics. Our findings reveal three key insights. First, in dense-cue environments, most pRNN architectures match or exceed the task performance, learning speed or robustness of fully recurrent networks, despite using as few as one quarter the number of parameters; in sparse-cue environments, many match but a substantial fraction underperform. These results demonstrate that partial recurrence can enable energy efficient, yet performant solutions. Second, each pathway’s functional impact is both task and circuit dependent. For instance, feedback connections enhance robustness to noise in some, but not all contexts. Third,different pRNN architectures learn solutions with distinct input sensitivities and memory dynamics, and these computational traits help to explain their functional capabilities. Overall, our results demonstrate that partial recurrence can enable robust and efficient computation- a finding that may help to explain why neural circuits are sparse and bidirectional, and shows how these principles can inform the design of artificial systems.
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Journal articleEndres R, 2026,
The unreasonable likelihood of being: origin of life, terraforming, and AI
, npj Systems Biology and Applications, ISSN: 2056-7189The origin of life on Earth via the spontaneous emergence of a protocell prior to Darwinian evolution remains a fundamental open question in physics and chemistry. Here, we develop a conceptual framework based on information theory and algorithmic complexity. Using estimates grounded in modern computational models, we evaluate the difficulty of assembling structured biological information under plausible prebiotic conditions. Our results highlight the formidable entropic and informational barriers to forming a viable protocell within the available window of Earth’s early history. While the idea of Earth being terraformed by advanced extraterrestrials might violate Occam’s razor from within mainstream science, directed panspermia—originally proposed by Francis Crick and Leslie Orgel—remains a speculative but logically open alternative. Ultimately, uncovering physical principles for life’s spontaneous emergence remains a grand challenge for biological physics.
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Journal articleZhao Z, Vercellino I, Whitelegge JP, et al., 2026, , Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723
Robust oxygenic photosynthesis requires the efficient assembly and repair of the multi-subunit oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII) complex. Previous cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of PSII assembly/disassembly intermediates have relied on the analysis of deletion mutants or removal of PSII subunits in vitro. Here we report the cryo-EM structures of naturally occurring dimeric PSII intermediates from the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vestitus at a resolution of about 2.2 Å. These intermediates contain inactive dimers lacking the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) and semi-active dimers with the OEC present in one of the two monomers. Our structural data provide a mechanism for how assembly and disassembly of the Mn4CaO5 cluster is coordinated with the binding and release of the extrinsic proteins: restructuring of the C-terminal tail of D1 subunit during assembly or disassembly of the Mn cluster triggers conformational changes in D2, CP47 and CP43 to drive the binding/release of the extrinsic proteins. A combination of structural and mass spectrometry data also suggests that the inactive PSII complexes may include damaged complexes containing oxidized D1-His332, a monodentate ligand to one of the Mn ions of the OEC.
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Journal articleAguirre-Guti矇rrez J, Cortes I, Nunes MH, et al., 2026, , Nature Reviews Biodiversity
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Journal articleEneli AA, Siu PC, Perez MF, et al., 2026, , G3 (Bethesda), Vol: 16
Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is transmitted by mosquitoes from the Anopheles genus. Efforts to control the spread of malaria have often focused on these vectors, but little is known about the demographic history of populations and species of Anopheles mosquitoes. Here, we adapt and apply an innovative generative deep learning algorithm to infer the joint evolutionary history of Anopheles gambiae populations sampled in Guinea and Burkina Faso. We further develop a model selection approach and discover that an evolutionary model with migration fits this pair of populations better than a model without post-split migration. For the migration model, we find that our method accurately captures population genetic differentiation. These findings demonstrate that machine learning and generative models are a valuable direction for future understanding of the evolution of malaria vectors, including the joint inference of demography and natural selection. Understanding changes in population size, migration patterns, and adaptation in hosts, vectors, and pathogens will assist malaria control interventions, with the ultimate goal of predicting nuanced outcomes from insecticide resistance to population collapse.
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Journal articleStegemann A, Liu S, Retana Romero OA, et al., 2026, , Nat Neurosci
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Journal articleGao C, Meng X, Chen X, et al., 2026, , Science, Vol: 393, Pages: 65-70
Plants activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) to combat pathogens. However, how these systems coordinate immune activation while preventing autoimmunity remains poorly understood. In this study, we uncovered a regulatory mechanism in which surface immune signaling unlocks nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor activation through mRNA splicing. We identified an N-terminal prodomain in the potato late blight resistance protein Rpi-vnt1.1 that inhibits resistosome formation, preventing potential autoactivation of this NLR. Upon pathogen perception, PTI signaling induced alternative splicing of Rpi-vnt1.1 mRNA, removing this inhibitory element. This primed Rpi-vnt1.1 for activation by the Phytophthora infestans effector AVRvnt1, enabling resistosome assembly and immune signaling. The widespread conservation of N-terminal extensions in coiled coil-type NLRs points to a common regulatory mechanism in preventing potential autoactivation while preserving pathogen sensitivity.
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Journal articleGottweis J, Weng W-H, Daryin A, et al., 2026, , Nature, ISSN: 0028-0836
Scientific discovery is driven by scientists generating hypotheses for complex problems that undergo rigorous experimental validation. To augment this process, we introduce Co-Scientist, a multi-agent artificial intelligence (AI) system built on Gemini for structured scientific thinking and hypothesis generation. Co-Scientist aims to help scientists discover new original knowledge. Conditioned on their research objectives and previous scientific evidence, it formulates demonstrably novel research hypotheses for experimental verification. The system’s design involves agents continuously generating, critiquing and refining hypotheses accelerated by scaling test-time compute. Key contributions include (1) a multi-agent architecture with an asynchronous task execution framework for flexible compute scaling, and (2) a tournament evolution process for self-improving hypotheses generation. Automated evaluations show continued benefits of test-time compute scaling, improving hypothesis quality over time. Although this is a general-purpose system, we focus the validation in three biomedical applications: drug repurposing; novel-target discovery1; and explaining mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance2. Specifically, Co-Scientist helped to identify new drug-repurposing candidates and synergistic combination therapies for acute myeloid leukaemia that were validated through in vitro experiments. These real-world validations demonstrate the potential of Co-Scientist to accelerate scientific discovery and usher in an era of AI-empowered scientists.
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Journal articleBanks AM, Abdulmutalib U, Wain B, et al., 2026, , Trends in Biotechnology, ISSN: 0167-7799
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics in food and textile applications, yet post-consumer PET waste persists and accumulates in the environment as macro- and microplastics with adverse health and ecological impacts. Although PET-hydrolysing enzymes have been extensively studied in vitro, whole-cell microbial systems capable of using PET as a growth substrate remain limited, particularly for difficult-to-collect waste. Here, we engineer an environmental bacterium to directly assimilate PET. A strain of Pseudomonas umsongensis capable of metabolising the PET monomer terephthalic acid was isolated and engineered to secrete the high-activity PET hydrolase polyester hydrolase Leipzig 7 via a recombinant twin-arginine translocation motif signal peptide. PET bioavailability was further enhanced through solvent-based pretreatment to generate an amorphous, macroporous substrate. The engineered strain demonstrated direct PET utilisation and hydrolysis, supporting self-sustaining microbial growth. Additionally, in non-sterile wastewater the strain survived and hydrolysed PET microplastics, highlighting its potential for bioremediation and sustainable upcycling applications.
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Journal articleNozawa LCC, Banks-Leite C, Lima MR, et al., 2026, , Journal of Biogeography, Vol: 53, ISSN: 0305-0270
Aim: We investigated how bird functional diversity varies across forest habitat types with distinct successional trajectories, namely (1) natural succession forests, with naturally regenerating forests established on former grasslands; (2) secondary forest remnants resulting from deforestation; and (3) conserved forests. Location: Araucaria forests in southern Brazil. Time Period: 1991 to 2015. Taxon: Birds. Methods: We compiled functional trait data for bird communities from 47 sites of Araucaria forests under three distinct successional trajectories. We calculated standardised effect sizes for functional richness (SESFRic) and functional dispersion (SESFDis), and generalised linear models were initially fitted. To account for spatial autocorrelation, we fitted spatial models (spaMM) to assess whether forest habitat type, forest cover, and patch size help explain functional variation in bird assemblages. In addition, we performed canonical correspondence analysis to evaluate differences in trait composition among forest habitat types. Results: Functional richness and dispersion decreased with increasing forest cover. However, only functional dispersion differed among forest habitat types, indicating environmental filtering across all habitats. Forest cover was the main predictor of functional richness, suggesting that habitat amount limits bird species coexistence. Natural succession forests had lower functional dispersion when compared with secondary forest remnants and conserved forests. Although conserved forest and secondary forest remnants had partially similar responses in functional dispersion, we found significant differences in community trait composition and functional space. Natural succession forests supported insectivorous species that forage in air in addition to species with broader bills, while secondary forest remnants held birds that feed on insects and fruits on ground strata. Conserved forests sustained birds with vertebrate consumption and that
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Journal articleZhu T, Graystock P, Gill R, 2026, , Royal Society Open Science, Vol: 13, ISSN: 2054-5703
Exposure to pesticides may place the process of animal thermoregulation at risk, with impacts on organism fitness and function across landscapes. Quantifying such impacts whilst finding mitigative solutions is thus important especially given pesticide applications are forecast to continue across changing thermal landscapes. Here, we expose an important insect pollinator - bumblebees - to a cholinergic pesticide (neonicotinoid) and characterise the impact on adult body temperature. We further investigate how near infrared (NIR; 660 or 850 nm) mediates this pesticide effect using three exposure durations (5, 10 or 20 minutes per hour). Held at 18oC ambient, pesticide only exposed bees exhibited a steep body temperature drop (nearly 8oC) over the 73hr assay (relative to control bees that maintained their body at ~30oC). Promisingly, for pesticide and NIR exposed bees, 660 nm for 5 minutes more than halved the rate of body temperature decrease (relative to pesticide only bees), and intriguingly this counter effect lessened with increased NIR exposure time. Additionally, 850 nm for 20 mins may also alleviate body temperature decline by nearly 40%. Our study reports a mechanism by which pesticides threaten the critical functioning of a non-target organism and provides a potential therapy worthy of further investigation.
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