Our single-celled ancestor lived in a world without plants, animals or oxygen-rich oceans. Yet, this seemingly simple microorganism took the first steps toward complex life. From this ancestor emerged all multicellular (complex) life as we know it today: from yeast to blue whales, collectively known as eukaryotes. These organisms are built from cells containing specialized structures, such as a nucleus and other specialized structures, each performing distinct functions.

Walking on two legs has long been considered a milestone in human evolution and one of our most defining characteristics. Until now, researchers assumed that the first humans originated in Africa and that bipedalism developed there around 6 million years ago. However, an international team of researchers say a newly discovered fossil thighbone from Bulgaria could rewrite the history of human origins.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of financial technology worldwide, including in many African countries, but it also brought financial hardships, leading to negative impacts on digital financial inclusion. In a new study, researchers have assessed financial data from more than half of the countries in Africa. They found that financial worries related to the pandemic reduced individuals' likelihood of adopting digital financial services, and that this effect was not uniform but was moderated by demographic and institutional characteristics.

A research team composed of plant virologists from the Plant Virus Department at Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, the Italian National Research Council and BASF-Nunhems Italy, has recently published the findings of a scientific collaboration on investigating the occurrence of resistance-breaking strains of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in tomato and pepper fields. The results, which prove for the first time the emergence of double resistance-breaking strains (D-RB) of TSWV in agricultural settings, have been published in Virology.

Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have developed a human heart cell model demonstrating that the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can directly infect heart tissue, providing new insight into why some people experience serious heart complications during and after infection.

Researchers have found that the size of the amygdala—a region of the brain involved in processing emotions—could be linked to social tolerance in macaque monkeys. Their research, published today in eLife, is described by the editors as important work with a convincing methodological approach, offering new insights into the neural basis of social and emotional processing.

When we think of ice on Mars, we typically think of the poles, where we can see it visibly through probes and even ground-based telescopes. But the poles are hard to access, and even more so given the restrictions on exploration there due to potential biological contamination. Scientists have long hoped to find water closer to the equator, making it more accessible to human explorers. There are parts of the mid-latitudes of Mars that appear to be glaciers covered by thick layers of dust and rock.

HIV-1 Gag virus-like particles (VLPs) have been drawing attention as vaccine platform for their non-infectivity, ability to induce robust immune responses and versatility. However, challenges in their production, purification, and preservation still hinder their application.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and remains a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. While antiviral drugs can cure most infections, global access remains limited and these drugs do not stop reinfection.

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 -- For patients with postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC), neither metformin nor ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) improves symptoms compared with placebo, according...

The cold season is in full swing, throats are scratchy and noses are running. We feel ill and hope it is not the flu. The influenza virus continues to pose a threat to our health. It triggers seasonal epidemics and, from time to time, potentially serious global pandemics. Existing antiviral drugs are often less effective than hoped because the influenza virus mutates rapidly to escape their effect.

Viruses such as human norovirus can travel in vesicles, small fluid-filled sacs that are like shipping containers for cells. Viruses hidden in these containers are often harder to detect and may be more infectious than free-floating viral material. In addition, their prevalence in the environment remains relatively unknown, raising public health concerns.

No "sticky ends"? No problem. A new study by NYU chemists finds that DNA tiles can assemble into 3D structures without the sticky cohesion of hydrogen bonding. This finding, published in Nature Communications, turns a fundamental paradigm in the field of DNA self-assembly on its head.

UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Thomas Algeo has been studying the planet's five major mass extinctions since the Ordovician Period, when global sea levels were much higher than today. In a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Algeo provides context for a study examining the process of colonization and spread of plants, known as terrestrialization.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes are significant public health issues in developing countries. This study aims to evaluate the trimester-specific impact of COVID-19 infection on maternal and neonatal outcomes in a cohort of unvaccinated Iranian women.