Physiology explores how living systems function, from the microscopic signals inside a single cell to the complex rhythms of an entire organism. This field seeks to understand the mechanical, physical, and biochemical processes that keep life moving, offering crucial insights into health, disease, and the body's remarkable ability to adapt.

On Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category from bioRxiv to make these rapid discoveries accessible to everyone. For each study, we provide both a clear, plain-language explanation and a detailed technical summary, ensuring that whether you are a curious student or a seasoned researcher, you can grasp the latest findings without getting lost in jargon.

The papers listed below represent the newest physiological research recently shared on bioRxiv, ready for you to explore.

A high-resolution, sex-stratified atlas of transcriptional and alternative splicing dynamics in the fasting mouse liver

This study presents a high-resolution, sex-stratified transcriptomic atlas of the fasting mouse liver that reveals a phased transcriptional transition, an amplification of circadian rhythms, and a novel layer of circadian-regulated alternative splicing, demonstrating that sexual dimorphism primarily reflects quantitative differences in a conserved metabolic program.

Treeby, J. M., Kung, S.-Y., Saer, B. R. C., Prillo, J. G., Hunter, A. L., Fustin, J.-M.2026-04-30❤️ physiology

Loss of lmx1ba drives premature osteoarthritis through disruption of skeletal homeostasis

This study demonstrates that the continued expression of the transcription factor LMX1B in adulthood is essential for maintaining skeletal homeostasis, as its loss in zebrafish disrupts coordinated bone remodeling and soft-tissue integrity in mechanically active joints, leading to premature and progressive osteoarthritis.

Moss, J. J., Bowers, F., Chang, J., Devlin, A., Cross, S. J., Newham, E., Rayfield, E. J., Lane, J. D., Hammond, C. L.2026-04-29❤️ physiology

The aging modulator miR-29 is essential for adult cardiomyocyte function

This study reveals that while miR-29 upregulation drives premature aging, its basal expression is essential for maintaining adult cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function and preventing dilated cardiomyopathy.

Roiz-Valle, D., Folgueira, C., Moledo-Nodar, L., Tartiere, A. G., Cicuendez, B., Romero-Becerra, R., Rodriguez, F., He, Y.-W., Freije, J. M. P., Sabio, G., Lopez-Otin, C., Caravia, X. M., P. Ugalde, A (…)2026-04-28❤️ physiology

GPR180 deficiency impairs mitochondrial function and insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells

This study demonstrates that GPR180 is a critical, cell-autonomous regulator of pancreatic β\beta-cell function that maintains glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by ensuring mitochondrial metabolic competence and preserving endocrine cell identity.

Antal, M., Dahlby, T., Makovicky, P., Novak, A., Horvath, C., Stanikova, D., Gazova, S., Brumarova, R., Ivanovova, E., Horejsova, M., Friedecky, D., Krizanova, O., Novotova, M., Gasperikova, D., Wolfr (…)2026-04-25❤️ physiology

MetAR: A semi-automated meta-analysis of skeletal muscle androgen receptors association with age

This study utilized a novel semi-automated meta-analysis pipeline (MetAR) on 16 human skeletal muscle RNA-seq datasets to demonstrate that aging is significantly associated with reduced expression of androgen receptors and their regulatory pathways, providing a molecular basis for age-related anabolic resistance and muscle loss.

Williams, R. M., Engman, V., Soria, M., Hiam, D., Wadley, G. D., Lamon, S.2026-04-24❤️ physiology

C26 and CT26 colorectal cancer models exhibit divergent cachexia phenotypes, intramuscular inflammation, and protein turnover signaling

This study demonstrates that while both C26 and CT26 colorectal cancer cell lines induce skeletal muscle atrophy, the C26 model uniquely drives severe systemic cachexia characterized by body weight loss, impaired muscle function, and heightened inflammation, whereas CT26 exhibits a milder phenotype with less impact on overall physical function.

Lu, X., Tlais, H., Rehman, H., Martens, A. N., Hartz, A. L., Figueiredo, V. C., Markworth, J. F.2026-04-24❤️ physiology

Normobaric hypoxia alters the transcriptional response of healthy human skeletal muscles to a single session of high-intensity interval exercise

This study demonstrates that normobaric hypoxia significantly alters the transcriptional response of human skeletal muscle to high-intensity interval exercise, specifically inducing a unique gene expression profile at 24 hours post-exercise characterized by mitochondrial downregulation and HIF-1 mediated regulation.

Li, J., Taylor, D. F., Kuang, J., Wang, Z., Zare, N., Atakan, M. M., Cui, K., Ouzhu, N., Bianba, B., Garnham, A., Lin, W., Peng, L., Girard, O., Bishop, D. J., Li, Y., Yan, X.2026-04-24❤️ physiology