Imagine the world’s oceans with their beautiful blue color. Now, imagine that the same oceans were green. This is the intriguing possibility suggested by new research from Nagoya University in Japan. A research group has found evidence that cyanobacteria, important bacteria in the evolutionary process, flourished in green seas. Their findings not only tell us about the history of our planet but also suggest a new way to look for alien life on other planets.

This study achieved CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), China's most economically vital freshwater fish. Targeting the tyrb gene critical for pigmentation were performed. Mutations confirmed by sequencing caused a golden phenotype with melanophore reduction. Using multiple gRNAs enhanced mutation rates (88.9%) and triggered large DNA deletions. This successful gene editing in grass carp enables rapid creation of golden germplasm, addressing industry demands for improved aquaculture varieties.

Biologists have discovered that bombesin, a neurohormone controlling appetite in humans, also regulates feeding in starfish, revealing its ancient evolutionary origin dating back over 500 million years. 

The study not only sheds light on the deep evolutionary roots of appetite regulation but also suggests potential applications for managing starfish invasions in shellfish farms impacted by climate change. 

Alongside weight-loss inducing drugs such as Ozempic, compounds that mimic the action of bombesin are in development for treatment of obesity. 

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania, the University of Algarve and the University of Porto in Portugal, and the University of Leipzig, have discovered that chimpanzees living in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania employ a degree of engineering when making their tools, deliberately choosing plants that provide materials that produce more flexible tools for termite fishing.