Biology

A couple raising a daughter born through IVF has reached a custody agreement with the girl's biological parents following an alleged embryo mix-up at a fertility clinic. The arrangement determines the child's living arrangements and contact with both families. The case has drawn attention to how clinics handle embryos and the legal gaps facing families affected by such errors.

Scientists report finding a distinct change in the brains of people with long COVID that may help explain some of the illness's most debilitating symptoms, including a possible burnout of the brain's reward system. The findings could shed light on fatigue and motivation problems reported by many patients, though the research is still emerging and its wider implications remain to be confirmed.

WIRED reports that artificial intelligence systems, having already made striking progress on mathematical problems, are now being turned toward the broader sciences. The article suggests AI tools that can reason, prove and model are poised to assist research in physics, biology, chemistry and beyond, raising questions about how scientists will work alongside machines.

NHS England has stated that trans people should use hospital spaces, such as wards and changing facilities, according to their biological sex rather than their gender identity. The guidance, reported by BBC News, is drawing significant attention and debate in the UK, with reaction spanning both support from those who back sex-based provisions and criticism from trans rights advocates.

The head of MI5 has issued a warning about the threat of bioweapons being used in terrorist attacks, according to the Western Mail. The security service chief reportedly cautioned that hostile actors could seek to deploy biological weapons, highlighting an evolving danger beyond conventional terrorism. Further details of the warning, its timing and the specific intelligence behind it were not provided in the available reporting.

Google, Meta and the U.S. government are joining the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in a $1.8 billion initiative to use artificial intelligence for biology research. The partnership will focus on building large-scale biological data resources to accelerate scientific discovery. The unusual combination of big tech companies and federal government backing has drawn attention to the growing role of AI in life sciences.

NHS England has stated that trans people should use hospital spaces, such as wards and facilities, according to their biological sex. The guidance marks a clear position from the health service on how transgender patients are accommodated in English hospitals. The announcement is drawing strong attention and debate, with reactions split between supporters who welcome clarity on single-sex spaces and critics who see it as a setback for trans patients' dignity and care.

A Wall Street Journal opinion piece examines a deadly letter as a warning about biological warfare, arguing the incident underscores how biological agents could be weaponised and why governments should treat the threat more seriously. The piece calls attention to gaps in preparedness and the need for stronger safeguards against biological attacks.

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub is partnering with the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health in a $1.8 billion initiative to fund large-scale biological data collection for training AI models. The effort aims to give researchers access to vast biological datasets, positioning AI as a core tool for biomedical and energy-related science.

Biologists analyzed DNA methylation across 864 dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, looking at how genes are regulated rather than the genes themselves. The work, covered by Popular Science, aims to explain why large dog breeds tend to have shorter lifespans than smaller ones, a long-standing puzzle in canine biology.

Researchers in Japan report that cognitive decline caused by a continued habit of eating high-calorie food stems from abnormalities in the synapses, the junctions between nerve cells. The finding offers a biological explanation for how poor diet can impair brain function over time. The study is drawing attention for connecting everyday eating habits directly to changes at the cellular level in the brain.

The New York Times reports that researchers have created a cell-like system described as almost alive, prompting the question of what should be done with it next. The headline raises scientific and ethical questions about synthetic biology, but the snippets collected offer no further detail on who made it or how.

Researchers at Virginia Tech report that the degree of food processing affects both metabolism and brain activity, offering new insight into why ultra-processed foods may drive overeating and weight gain. The findings add biological evidence to a growing public debate about the health effects of processed diets.

The Economist reports that artificial intelligence is advancing to the point where scientists may be able to design and build entirely new organisms from scratch. The claim points to AI's growing role in biology, where machine-learning tools are increasingly used to predict protein structures and engineer genetic material. The development raises both scientific promise and questions about safety and ethics of synthetic life.

New research indicates that when microplastics interact with water, they may break down into smaller particles with the potential to cause biological damage. The findings add to growing concern over how plastic pollution affects human health and the environment, with scientists warning that these altered particles could pose risks to living cells.

The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit seeking records on a Trump administration policy that permits the killing of endangered animals. The group says the public is entitled to know the legal reasoning and documents behind the policy. The case adds to ongoing disputes over the administration's weakening of endangered species protections.

New reporting says microplastics are not just inert particles: they can act chemically, interacting with surrounding materials and potentially causing biological harm in living organisms. The finding adds to growing concern about how pervasive plastic particles affect human health and ecosystems, and is likely to fuel ongoing debate over plastic pollution and regulation.

Scientists report that reprogramming gene expression networks could potentially reverse biological aging. The finding suggests that aging may not be a one-way process, as manipulating which genes are active in cells can restore younger biological characteristics. Researchers in the longevity field say such approaches could open new paths to treating age-related diseases, though experts caution the work remains early and much more study is needed before clinical use.

NPR's Planet Money examines how biologists may play a surprising role in slowing the development of artificial intelligence. The piece suggests that insights from biology — particularly around the human brain — could offer ways to understand or restrain AI progress, framing biologists as unlikely participants in debates dominated by engineers and policymakers.

STAT reports on a startup working toward 'general biological intelligence', an ambition to build systems that can understand and model biology the way general AI aims to model cognition. The idea is drawing attention for its scope: rather than targeting a single disease or narrow task, the company is positioning its technology as a general-purpose engine for biological discovery.

Following legal action brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the US Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to address asthma-linked air pollution in parts of Texas and Tennessee. The case targets smog-forming pollution affecting communities in those states, and environmental groups are presenting the move as a step toward stronger enforcement of federal air quality standards.

New research indicates that microplastics do not remain inert once they enter water: they take on chemically active properties that could cause biological harm. The finding suggests the tiny plastic particles pervasive in rivers, oceans and drinking water may interact chemically with living organisms, raising fresh concerns about their effects on human and environmental health and intensifying calls to curb plastic pollution.

Researchers report the discovery of seven molecules in breast milk that appear connected to how babies grow, according to a new study covered by SciTechDaily. The finding offers a closer look at the biological makeup of human milk and its potential role in infant development. Details on the study's methods, sample size, and peer review status have not yet been widely reported.

Researchers, including teams linked to Harvard's Wyss Institute, are reporting progress on reversing biological aging by reprogramming gene expression networks. The approach aims to reset older cells to a more youthful state without erasing their identity, a step that could eventually inform therapies for age-related diseases. The coverage is drawing attention for its implications for longevity research.

Questions are being raised over whether the UK Armed Forces are prepared to respond to a biological attack, described as potentially the country's deadliest threat. The discussion focuses on military readiness against biological weapons and what defences exist. Details on the armed forces' actual capabilities remain limited, and it is unclear what prompted the debate.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's 'It's Debatable' series tackles whether the United States is adequately prepared for a biological attack. The discussion weighs current defenses, public health readiness and the risks posed by biological threats. There is no indication yet of a specific incident or new policy driving the debate.

A new 'biological data center' reportedly uses millions of living human brain cells to process information, blending lab-grown neural tissue with computing hardware. The claim, reported by IFLScience, points to emerging biocomputing research where neuron cultures perform tasks alongside or instead of silicon chips. The development is drawing attention for its implications for computing efficiency and the ethics of using human-derived cells.

New reporting says microplastics are not chemically inert: their surfaces can react with surrounding substances, meaning the tiny particles may trigger biological harm rather than just physically accumulating in tissue. The claim adds to growing concern about how widespread plastic particles in food, water and air could affect human health, and researchers are calling for closer study of their chemical behaviour inside living organisms.

New research indicates that alcohol interacts with the brain via immune cells, adding an immune-system dimension to how drinking affects neural function. The finding is circulating among neuroscience and biology communities, with readers sharing the study as a fresh angle on alcohol's effects on the brain and potential implications for understanding addiction and alcohol-related brain changes.