Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries

Research that combined archaeology, history and ecology provides a nuanced understanding of the past that could help conservationists better plan for the future.

Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
March 20, 2025 ~11 min

Evolution: features that help finding a mate may lead to smaller brains

Males and females differing in body size is a common outcome of sexual selection.

Benjamin Padilla-Morales, Postdoctoral Researcher of Bioinformatics, University of Bath • conversation
March 19, 2025 ~7 min


Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds

Textbooks usually depict the epithelial cells encasing the interior and exterior of your body as passive barriers. But researchers discovered they can produce electrical signals like neurons.

Steve Granick, Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering, UMass Amherst • conversation
March 17, 2025 ~7 min

Artificial muscle flexes in multiple directions, offering a path to soft, wiggly robots

MIT engineers developed a way to grow artificial tissues that look and act like their natural counterparts.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
March 17, 2025 ~9 min

‘Pac-Man with a ponytail’ proteins regulate everything from night vision to heartbeats – studying what GRKs look like could improve an array of drugs

Master switches of cell communication, G protein-coupled receptor kinases are the target of many drugs across a range of diseases.

Priyanka Naik, Ph.D. Candidate in Structural Biology, Purdue University • conversation
March 7, 2025 ~7 min

Extreme heat silently accelerates aging on a molecular level − new research

People living in locations that experience frequent extreme heat days age faster at the molecular level.

Eunyoung Choi, Postdoctoral Associate in Gerontology, University of Southern California • conversation
March 4, 2025 ~7 min

AI system predicts protein fragments that can bind to or inhibit a target

FragFold, developed by MIT Biology researchers, is a computational method with potential for impact on biological research and therapeutic applications.

Lillian Eden | Department of Biology • mit
Feb. 20, 2025 ~9 min

p53 is both your genome’s guardian and weakness against cancer – scientists are trying to repair or replace it when it goes awry

The gene that codes for p53 is the most frequently mutated in cancer. Researchers are targeting different parts of its complex pathway to restore its ability to stop cancer.

Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka, Ph.D. Candidate in Integrative Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Feb. 20, 2025 ~7 min


MIT biologists discover a new type of control over RNA splicing

They identified proteins that influence splicing of about half of all human introns, allowing for more complex types of gene regulation.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Feb. 20, 2025 ~7 min

Engineers turn the body’s goo into new glue

They combined a blend of slimy and sticky proteins to produce a fast-acting, bacteria-blocking, waterproof adhesive for use in biomedical applications.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Feb. 17, 2025 ~7 min

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