🧬 biology

Chromosome-level reference genome assemblies of five Brassicaceae species inhabiting challenging ultramafic substrates

This study presents high-quality, chromosome-level genome assemblies for five Balkan Brassicaceae species adapted to ultramafic substrates, utilizing PacBio HiFi and Hi-C technologies to provide foundational resources for comparative genomics and evolutionary adaptation research in this understudied biodiversity hotspot.

Mahnaz Nezamivand-Chegini, Miloš Duchoslav, Raúl Wijfjes, Gabriela Šrámková, Jana Nosková, Vít Bureš, Tereza Koberová, T (…)2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Metastasis-associated DNA methylation alterations persist after accounting for immune and stromal cell heterogeneity in primary colorectal tumors

This study identifies distinct DNA methylation alterations associated with metastatic progression in primary colorectal tumors that persist after accounting for immune and stromal cell heterogeneity, revealing specific epigenetic signatures linked to gene silencing and potential biomarkers for metastatic risk.

Alos B. Diallo, Sabin D. Hart, John P. Zavras, Scott M. Palisoul, Fred W. Kolling, Louis J. Vaickus, Jiaoyuan E. Sun, Lu (…)2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Synthesis of Polyethyleneimine Functionalized Metal Organic Framework MIL-100(Fe) for Gene Delivery Application

This study developed a biocompatible, PEI-functionalized MIL-100(Fe) nanocarrier that effectively condenses plasmid DNA and demonstrates enhanced transfection efficiency with reduced cytotoxicity in colon cancer cells, presenting a promising nonviral gene delivery system.

Niloofar Khandan-Nasab, Somayeh Khosrojerdi, Alireza Hashemzadeh, Seyed Mohsen Saleh, Reza Kazemi Oskuee, Saeedeh Askari (…)2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Continuous evolution enables bacteriophage T7 adaptation for pneumonic plague treatment

This study demonstrates that a continuous evolution system can rapidly reprogram bacteriophage T7 to infect *Yersinia pestis* by evolving its tail fiber protein, resulting in a potent therapeutic candidate that fully protects mice from pneumonic plague when combined with antibiotics.

Ida Steinberger-Levy, Sharon Ehrlich, Ram Nechooshtan, Arik Makovitzki, David Gur, Yinon Levy, Moshe Aftalion, Inbar Coh (…)2026-07-14
🧬 biology

From Sound Waves to Meaning: A Physics-Based Acoustic Analysis of Prosody and Intelligibility in EFL Speech

This study employs a physics-based acoustic framework to demonstrate that higher proficiency in EFL speech correlates with measurable improvements in prosodic features—such as pitch range, vowel space area, and intensity contrast—which collectively serve as strong predictors of enhanced intelligibility.

Mohamed Mekheimer, Moataz Ismail, Bunder Sebail Alshammari, Khaled Alfraidi2026-07-14
🧬 biology

A Synchronization-Driven Learning Rule for Pattern Separation in Self-Organizing Probabilistic Spiking Neural Networks

This paper proposes a novel synchronization-driven synaptic learning rule for self-organizing probabilistic spiking neural networks, demonstrating that moderate feedback inhibition optimizes pattern separation and stability, thereby outperforming conventional Hebbian learning and enabling successful obstacle avoidance in a simulated autonomous agent.

Faramarz Faghihi, Ahmed Moustafa, Samuel Neymotin2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Dose-Response Relationships Under Combined Regulation of Load Magnitude and Velocity Loss: A Study of Adolescent Female Water Polo Players

This study on adolescent female water polo players demonstrates that combining 60% 1RM load with 40% velocity loss induces the most significant and persistent neuromuscular fatigue, while identifying CK, RPE, and RSImod as highly sensitive indicators for monitoring training responses across different load and velocity loss combinations.

Hongxing Xun, Shenbiao Hu, Wenfeng Liu, Bo Jiang, Binghong Gao2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Integrative Taxonomy Improves Biodiversity Characterization of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems at Flemish Cap

This study demonstrates that applying integrative taxonomy to marine invertebrates from the Flemish Cap significantly expands and refines DNA reference databases, thereby enhancing the accuracy of biodiversity assessments and supporting non-invasive conservation strategies for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems.

Marina Parrondo, Bruno Almón, Nair Vilas-Arrondo, Diana Casado-Albarrán, Francisco González-Carrión, Celso Domingos, And (…)2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Dichaete/Sox2 reawakens organogenic potential in differentiated epithelia

This study demonstrates that the transcription factor Dichaete (the *Drosophila* homolog of Sox2) is sufficient to reactivate latent organogenic potential in differentiated epithelia, inducing the *de novo* formation of entire wings and other appendages through a conserved mechanism that relies on local positional cues and a specific downstream mediator network.

Xubo Zhang, Mengqi Liu, Jianhui Xiang, Shian Wu, Jie Shen, Jianhua Huang, Jean-Paul Vincent, Jianzhen Zhang, Wei Dong2026-07-14
🧬 biology

Syllable-timescale organization of auditory–motor feedback control

By integrating behavioral experiments, neurocomputational modeling, and EEG recordings, this study provides convergent evidence that auditory–motor feedback control in speech production is organized at the syllable timescale, where feedback delays disrupt speech and modulate neural suppression specifically when aligned with syllable duration.

M. Florencia Assaneo, Liliana Sanchez-Zepeda, Rebeca Hernández-Soto2026-07-13