Follow news and analysis in the Life Sciences category on Curious Tech Portal, written from studies, universities and other primary sources of research.
Showing 1–16 of 16
Life Sciences
Researchers discovered that plant growth compounds help crops use nitrogen better by controlling a specific internal regulator when photosynthesis is blocked. This finding comes from a single study published in Nature Communications.
Nature Communications2 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers demonstrated that an engineered bacterial strain called AS109 can deliver genes and trigger temporary expression across a wide variety of crop species outside of traditional plant models. This evidence comes from a single published laboratory study testing different plant species and strains.
PLOS Biology3 min read
Life Sciences
Scientists identified a novel receptor protein called Itr4 in a fungal pathogen that helps coordinate sugar metabolism and affects brain infection. This discovery is based on laboratory findings and genetic analysis.
PLOS Biology2 min read
Life Sciences
A scientific expedition to Serra do Aracá found numerous likely new species of lizards, snakes, and amphibians. This comes from a single field report about a recent exploration.
Revista Pesquisa FAPESP2 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers found that raising the level of a specific gene in just a small fraction of brain cells leads to wide-scale molecular and lipid changes in the surrounding brain tissue. This study was conducted entirely in mice.
PLOS Computational Biology3 min read
Life Sciences
Three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing optogenetics, a tool that uses light to control brain cells. This report is based on a university news announcement celebrating the prize and highlighting the contributions of its faculty members.
Caltech3 min read
Life Sciences
Scientists discovered that an epigenetic regulator called RBBP5 controls how cells manage protein folding rhythms and stress responses. This finding is based on laboratory experiments using mouse cells.
PLOS Biology2 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers developed a new multi-gene chip to detect cellular stress related to salt and water balance in salmon. The evidence comes from laboratory testing across multiple species and a single saltwater challenge experiment.
PLOS ONE3 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers have mapped out real cell-state landscapes from experimental data, turning an old visual idea into a practical tool. The evidence comes from recent studies mapping thousands of cells during embryonic development.
Quanta Magazine2 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers found that people learn better by shrinking complicated goals into simple rules that free up brain space. This discovery comes from six different experiments and computer modeling.
Nature Communications3 min read
Life Sciences
Stanford's Karl Deisseroth shared the 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for optogenetics, a way to switch brain cells on or off with light using proteins called opsins. This is an explainer about a well-established lab tool, not a new study, and it makes no claims about treatments for people.
Stanford Report3 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers used a mapping technique to capture high-resolution protein footprints across the Drosophila genome to see how gene transcription starts. The evidence comes from a single study on fruit flies and provides a resource for linking structural data to live cell data.
Nature Communications3 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers in Japan found that a protein called CHP3 helps mouse muscle cells grown in the lab mature and fuse into muscle fibres: removing it held the process back, and adding more sped it up. The work was done only in a standard line of mouse cells in dishes, not in animals or people.
Scientific Reports3 min read
Life Sciences
Recordings from electrodes inside the brains of epilepsy patients, and new work in mice, show that waves of electrical activity in the brain form spirals and ripples, not just simple straight waves. Several neuroscientists think these waves help the brain process information, but others argue they are only a by-product of neurons firing.
Quanta Magazine3 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers in China found that the rice gene Ghd7 controls another gene, PCF3, which shifts the balance between starch and protein in rice grains, and that combining favourable versions of both can raise yield and eating quality together. The work combines genetic analysis with field trials in two regions of China, but the combination still has to be tested in breeding programmes.
Nature Communications3 min read
Life Sciences
Researchers in Poland identified genes whose activity stays steady in lab-grown human airway tissue as it matures, making them better yardsticks for gene activity measurements than the reference genes commonly used. The work was done in cell cultures and tested on two target genes.
Scientific Reports3 min read