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This tiny organism contracts 200 times faster than we can blink—here's how

A tiny, aquatic, single-celled organism can contract to one-quarter of its body length in less than 5 milliseconds—hundreds of times faster than a human can blink. Researchers have discovered that the organism, Spirostomum ambiguum, uses a calcium-activated protein network in a f

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Mice actively seek better views to make visual decisions, virtual reality experiments show

Animals don't experience the world passively. A hawk tilts its head to track prey. A person leans forward to read a sign. Scientists call this "active sensing": moving the body to gather better information. A specific version of active sensing is infotaxis, which describes how an

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Primate brains might have evolved to 'catch up' with larger bodies, but then kept growing

A new analysis supports the previously overlooked "brain lag" hypothesis—the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size—while also building on that hypothesis by suggesting that some lineages' brain sizes the

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Swimming crab trapped in plastic bottle survives two months at sea

How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic pollution on crustaceans.

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Nanozymes map nanoparticle routes inside live cells without genetic engineering

Nanoparticles are widely used in medicine to deliver drugs, genes or imaging agents to specific parts of the body. Once a nanoparticle reaches a cell, however, many things can happen—it can reach its target, be degraded, interact with proteins that help transport it, or interact

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Natural born killers—tracking immune cells as they cluster around cancer

There is a constant war going on in your body. Working against you are viruses and cancer cells growing uncontrollably, threatening your tissues and organs. Fighting on your side are immune cells such as lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that includes T cells and B cells. B

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 2

Study demonstrates neurotransmitter communication in immune cells directly for the first t

Researchers at the University of Münster and Ruhr University Bochum have demonstrated for the first time in real time that the body's own defense cells use catecholamines—neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adrenaline—to communicate via the same chemical signals as nerve cells

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Paleontological study shows climate change makes marine animals shrink

Whether mussels, crustaceans or fish, marine animals have been responding to environmental crises with a reduction in body size for hundreds of millions of years. A new study by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), in conjunction with the Universities of Warsa

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Engineers discover 'unexpected motion' in drug-delivery robots

One day, tiny swimming robots may travel through the human body to deliver drugs. The medication would target only areas of need—chemotherapy drugs for a tumor, for example—avoiding healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. A research team led by Ebru Demir, an assistant profes

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Tiny Jurassic bird reveals a key step in bird evolution

The transition from a lumbering, heavy dinosaur body to the flight-adapted bird body plan is one of many fascinating episodes in evolutionary history. Working out how this massive transformation took place relies heavily on fossil records, especially of transitional species. A st

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Making the 'invisible' visible: How high-speed movies could change the way scientists stud

High-speed movies of microscopic worms may sound like a dull night at the cinema, but this advanced imaging capability could help scientists better understand how diseases begin and progress, track subtle changes in cells and study how the body responds to treatments.

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

Caddisfly silk gene evolves quickly without losing adhesive power

Caddisflies are among nature's master underwater builders, capable of spinning sticky silk that they use to form protective cases and webs in freshwater streams. Scientists like the University of Utah's Russell Stewart have long studied this bioadhesive material in the hope of us

Admin Recifes 15/07/2026 1

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