Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, the Max Planck Institute of Biology in Tübingen, Germany, and a consortium of international scientists explored the evolutionary success of leaf beetles, the most diverse herbivores on Earth. They showed that symbioses with bacteria have evolved repeatedly and independently in different beetle lineages, and contribute significantly to the efficient digestion of plant food. These symbiotic relationships provide clues as to how genetic material was exchanged between bacteria and beetles. Key findings highlight the role of horizontal gene transfer, the incorporation of foreign bacterial genetic material into the beetle genome, which is thought to be the result of earlier symbioses. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of microbial partnerships and genetic exchange in shaping the dietary adaptations of leaf beetles, which facilitated the evolutionary success of leaf beetles.

Whirlpools are mostly associated with death and danger on the high seas, but these glowing vortexes are working to help humanity. One of the most difficult steps in creating diagnostic tests is purifying samples to remove unwanted particles while concentrating biomarkers of interest. Due to the specific wavelengths of vibrations used to create these whirlpools, they efficiently trap cells, bacteria and other larger bioparticles found in saliva while leaving antibodies and viruses free to flow forward through multiple biosensing chambers.

Created by Tony Jun Huang, the William Bevan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke, and his Acoustofluidics Lab, they represent the first step in a new single-chip diagnostic prototype that can detect viral RNA and a full spectrum of antibodies to enhance our ability to navigate and neutralize future pandemics.

Astrophysicists led by a team from Trinity College Dublin have – for the first time – imaged a large number of exocomet belts around nearby stars, and the tiny pebbles within them. The crystal-clear images show light being emitted from these millimetre-sized pebbles within the belts that orbit 74 nearby stars of a wide variety of ages – from those that are just emerging from birth to those in more mature systems like our own Solar System.

A first-of-its-kind study found subtle, but distinct vowel pronunciations in Pacific Islanders attending more diverse schools compared to students in a predominately white high school. The findings support a long-held theory from cultural anthropology—there’s a stronger tendency for groups to differentiate along ethnic lines where more groups share the same social space.

Pioneering researchers of self-generated spin torques have discovered a new one, anomalous Hall torque, that completes a triad of torques likely present in all conductive spintronic materials. Dubbed the Universal Hall Torques, the triad have unique spin behavior favorable to cutting-edge technologies, like human brain-inspired computing that processes massive amounts of data with much greater efficiency.

The Universe really seems to be expanding fast. Too fast, even. A new measurement confirms what previous — and highly debated — results had shown: The Universe is expanding faster than predicted by theoretical models, and faster than can be explained by our current understanding of physics. This discrepancy between model and data became known as the Hubble tension. Now, results published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters provide even stronger support to the faster rate of expansion.

A new tool could make it easier to study scarce plant molecules. Researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego have developed so-called microbial cell factories—using E. coli and yeast—to produce a special class of plant hormones, known as strigolactones, at unprecedented levels. By amplifying production of strigolactones, which occur in such low amounts in plants, researchers now have the ability to study these elusive plant molecules in much greater depth than before. The work could help improve sustainable agricultural practices by offering deeper insights into how plants make and use their natural hormones to adapt and survive.  

A mussel bed in Northern California is as healthy and biodiverse as it was about 80 years ago, when two young students surveyed it shortly before one was sent to fight in World War II. Resampling the site reveals a thriving mussel bed community that also shows the mark of climate change.

A mussel bed in Northern California is as healthy and biodiverse as it was about 80 years ago, when two young students surveyed it shortly before one was sent to fight in World War II. Resampling the site reveals a thriving mussel bed community that also shows the mark of climate change.