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I am a biologist at heart, and interested in all aspects of the natural world. I studied a BSc in Zoology and Botany at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and then received my PhD in Zoology at the same institution. I have subsequently spent much of my life teaching others about the fascinating natural world we have inherited. I am lucky enough to live in South Africa, where wildlife and wild places still abound. 

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Bandung,,Indonesia,:,People,Collect,Trash,That,Can,Be,Recycled

Efforts to hammer out a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution have once again hit a wall. After years of work and six formal negotiation rounds, talks wrapped up in Geneva without an agreement. 



Delegates from 185 countries worked past the deadline and into the early hours, but the gap between two opposing sides proved too wide to bridge.



This round of negotiations - billed as a last-chance summit after a similar breakdown in South Korea last year - was seen as a potential turning point. Instead, frustration ruled.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-holding-back-a-plastic-treaty">What's holding back a plastic treaty?</h2>



The main split was clear. One group, known as the <a href="https://hacfornatureandpeople.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">High Ambition Coalition</a>, includes countries like Canada, the UK, and members of the EU. 



They’re pushing for limits on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastics-treaty-talks-slow-progress-yet-restored-hope/">plastic</a> production and a gradual phase-out of harmful chemicals used in plastics.



On the other side, oil-producing nations grouped under the "Like-Minded Group" - including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Kuwait, and Malaysia - want a treaty focused only on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-day-of-zero-waste-a-global-commitment-to-a-sustainable-future/">waste management</a>, not production cuts. 



These countries argue that targeting production would penalize resource-rich developing nations.



"Our views were not reflected without an agreed scope, this process cannot remain on the right track and risks sliding down a slippery slope," said Kuwait.



Bahrain added that it supported a treaty that "does not penalize developing countries for exploiting their own resources."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tensions-boil-over">Tensions boil over</h2>



The emotional toll was visible. France's Ecological Transition Minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, didn’t mince words. "I am disappointed, and I am angry," she said. 



"A handful of countries, guided by short-term financial interests, had blocked the adoption of an ambitious treaty. Oil-producing countries and their allies have chosen to look the other way."



Tuvalu, speaking on behalf of 14 Pacific island nations, voiced deep frustration.



"For our islands this means that without global cooperation and state action, millions of tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-think-their-biotech-breakthrough-could-end-plastic-waste-forever/">plastic waste</a> will continue to be dumped in our oceans, affecting our ecosystem, food security, livelihood and culture."



Colombia was equally direct, nothing that the negotiations were consistently blocked by a small number of states who simply don't want an agreement.



"We have missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going and act urgently. The planet and present and future generations need this treaty," said Cuba. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-treaty-process-in-chaos">Plastic treaty process in chaos</h2>



Midweek, as talks looked increasingly fragile, the chair of the negotiations, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, issued a draft treaty based on overlapping areas. It was rejected across the board.



The High Ambition Coalition said it was too weak. The Like-Minded Group said it was too broad.



Valdivieso scrambled to salvage the talks with closed-door meetings and a revised draft. But shortly before sunrise, it was clear: no deal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-plastic-problem-by-the-numbers">The plastic problem, by the numbers</h2>



Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year. Half of that is used once and tossed.



Only 15% of plastic waste is even collected for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-recycling-day-creating-a-healthier-planet-for-all/">recycling</a>. Of that, only 9% ends up actually recycled.



Nearly half goes straight to landfills. Another 17% is incinerated. The remaining 22% ends up polluting landscapes, oceans, and waterways.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-pose-a-greater-threat-to-some-ocean-animals/">Microplastics</a> have now been found on Mount Everest and in the Mariana Trench. They’re in our lungs, our blood, and our food.



And the problem is accelerating. 



According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (<a href="https://www.oecd.org/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OECD</a>), plastic production could nearly triple by 2060, reaching 1.2 billion tons a year. 



Plastic waste is expected to top one billion tons annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next-for-plastic-talks">What happens next for plastic talks?</h2>



No one is quite sure what happens next. Some countries called for a seventh round of talks. South Africa insisted that it cannot end here. The EU called the latest draft a "good basis for a resumed session."



Whether or not countries return to the table will depend on political pressure, shifting alliances, and the mounting cost of inaction. 



Scientists and environmental groups are urging negotiators not to let the momentum slip away.



In the meantime, national governments may move forward with their own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-packaging-is-leaking-harmful-chemicals-into-meals/">plastic</a> restrictions, bans, or recycling mandates. 



But without a global plan, the patchwork approach will struggle to keep up with a problem that knows no borders.



Consumers, too, are becoming more vocal. The failure to reach a deal may only fuel public demand for action, transparency, and accountability from industries driving plastic production.



The urgency remains. Plastic pollution isn't slowing down - and neither should the effort to stop it.



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Global plastic treaty negotiations end in failure with no solution in sight

Efforts to hammer out a global treaty to tackle plastic...

conciertos-madrid-2026-fechas-artistas-entradas - 1

New analysis of ancient household burners from Qurayyah in northwest Saudi Arabia points to smoke from Peganum harmala seeds being inhaled in daily life nearly 2,700 years ago. 



The work opens a window onto how Iron Age communities used scent, smoke, and bioactive plants to manage health and mood without leaving written manuals.



The <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12102341/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> comes from residues preserved inside clay fumigation devices recovered in domestic courtyards and storage areas. Researchers report plant signatures that hold up even after centuries of heat and decay.



<a href="https://www.gea.mpg.de/person/100725/2944" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Barbara Huber</a>, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI GEA), and <a href="https://uha.univie.ac.at/en/about-us/staff-members/scientific-staff/associate-and-assistant-professors/marta-luciani/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prof. Marta Luciani</a>, University of Vienna, led the study with the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peganum-harmala-residue">Peganum harmala residue</h2>



The team detected two beta-carboline alkaloids, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-arabians-burned-harmal-plants-to-heal-and-protect/">harmine and harmane</a>, inside three Iron Age burners from Qurayyah. These molecules are hallmarks of Peganum harmala, a hardy desert shrub often called Syrian rue.



One additional burner from the same settlement lacked those alkaloids but held a different class of plant compounds, α-amyrin and β-amyrin. That pattern hints at alternating or mixed substances burned in the same kinds of devices.



“Our findings represent chemical evidence for the earliest known burning of harmal, not just in Arabia, but globally,” said Barbara Huber, lead author of the study.



The devices were not found in graves or temples, but in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/home-fragrances-impact-indoor-air-quality-and-the-health-risks-are-alarming/">houses</a>. That domestic context suggests ordinary uses tied to health, sanitation, or mood rather than large public rites.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-the-evidence">Identifying the evidence</h2>



The study used targeted <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2359828/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HPLC-MS/MS</a> to read a molecular fingerprint from residue trapped in the clay matrix. In short runs, the instrument looked for specific ion transitions that match harmine and harmane with high confidence, even at low abundance.



“The integration of biomolecular analysis with archaeology has allowed us to identify not just what kind of plants people were using, but also where, how, and why,” said Prof. Luciani. 



In archaeology, this kind of precise mass spectrometry helps answer not only what plant was there, but also how it was used.&nbsp;



Three burners carried harmine and harmane, while a fourth did not. That contrast matters because it rules out random contamination and points to intentional selection of materials for specific effects.



The context also matters. One burner with harmala signatures sat in a household courtyard, and another was linked to food production areas. Those findspots align with routine, indoor smoke use.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-peganum-harmala-does">What Peganum harmala does</h2>



Harmine and harmane are reversible inhibitors of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antidepressants-may-help-the-immune-system-fight-cancer/">monoamine oxidase A</a>, an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine. 



Temporarily slowing that enzyme can lift neurotransmitter levels, which helps explain mood and sensory shifts.



These alkaloids occur in several plants, but regional distribution narrows the list of plausible sources for Iron Age Arabia. 



Reviews catalog harmala alkaloids across taxa, including South American vines and some Passiflora species, yet those grow far from ancient Qurayyah.



Dose and route shape the experience. Small exposures can relax or mildly stimulate, while larger exposures can bring on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-humans-were-drinking-beer-in-china-over-10000-years-ago/">vivid effects</a>. 



High amounts may cause sickness, which modern case <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4075715/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a> document in clinical settings after ingestion of concentrated seeds.



Smoke is a different route than tea or tincture. Inhalation can deliver a quick, shorter-lived exposure in rooms where airflow, fuel, and seed load all change the outcome.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-signals-from-other-residues">Signals from other residues</h2>



The amyrin-rich burner adds another layer. Pharmacology reviews note anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions for these isomers in preclinical models.



Finding amyrins without harmala alkaloids in one device, and together in another, suggests people alternated recipes or blended resins with seeds depending on purpose. That kind of flexibility lines up with practical home use.



These chemical signatures do not name a resin to species. They do, however, flag a class of botanicals that humans have burned for centuries for their scent and perceived health effects.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Peganum-harmala_psychoactive-plant_arabians_2700-years-ago_Nature-journal_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Peganum-harmala_psychoactive-plant_arabians_2700-years-ago_Nature-journal_1s.webp" alt="The oasis settlement of Qurayyah, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Dried fruits of Peganum harmala, which, as shown here, were already used 2,700 years ago for their therapeutic and psychoactive properties. One of the old fumigation devices used to inhale harmal. Credit: A. M. Abualhassan/Barbara Huber/Hans Sell" class="wp-image-1982804"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The oasis settlement of Qurayyah, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Dried fruits of Peganum harmala, which, as shown here, were already used 2,700 years ago for their therapeutic and psychoactive properties. One of the old fumigation devices used to inhale harmal. Click image to enlarge. Credit: A. M. Abualhassan/Barbara Huber/Hans Sell</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-wider-cultural-thread">A wider cultural thread</h2>



Ethnobotany and pharmacognosy track how communities use plants both as medicine and as part of everyday life. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4075715/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reviews</a> of Peganum harmala describe continued roles in West Asia and North Africa, including pain relief, calming, and household fumigation traditions.



The antimicrobial angle has support, too. A laboratory study of smoke condensates from P. harmala seeds reported clear antibacterial activity and identified harmine as a major constituent in the smoke matrix.



Households in an oasis settlement needed tools to manage pests, odors, and illness in tight quarters. A pungent seed with antimicrobial constituents and mood effects would be a practical choice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peganum-harmala-adds-to-arabian-history">Peganum harmala adds to Arabian history</h2>



Written sources for medicinal plants in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-humans-used-lava-tubes-for-homes-middle-east-saudi-arabia/">Arabia</a> become richer much later. For the Iron Age, physical residues tell the story. 



They show people selecting a local shrub with psychoactive and antibacterial properties, then burning it in domestic spaces.



The <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6575/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Qurayyah</a> finds help to push beyond broad claims about ancient drugs. They connect a plant to a device, a device to a room, and a room to routines that touch health and emotion.



This work also shows how careful chemistry can recover silent practices. Even when seeds are gone and recipes are lost, compounds cling to clay and speak for themselves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-the-research-goes-next">Where the research goes next</h2>



Future work can test more burners from other rooms and towns to see if this pattern holds. It can also examine how resin mixtures changed the experience, from scent to smoke quality to perceived relief.



The method can scale. Each new residue map helps reconstruct a more precise history of household care, sanitation, and sensory life across ancient Arabia.



Modern science can also reevaluate forgotten botanicals. Some may carry leads for safe, targeted therapies, while others serve as cautionary tales about dose and context.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08096-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Biology</a>.



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People were getting high and hallucinating from smoking this psychoactive plant 2,700 years ago

New analysis of ancient household burners from Qurayyah in northwest...

The most complete view yet of the human genome has arrived, and it tackles the messy parts scientists used to skip. 



The new work assembles nearly all of the repeat-rich, shape-shifting DNA that helps explain disease risk and drug response across different people.



It is not a single tidy sequence, but rather 65 complete genomes drawn from diverse ancestries and resolved with unusual clarity. 



That scale and quality move the field toward practical use in precision medicine, where care adjusts to each person’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/missing-parts-of-the-human-genome-have-finally-been-decoded/">genetic</a> wiring.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncovering-dna-s-hidden-changes">Uncovering DNA’s hidden changes</h2>



The hardest regions to read are home to structural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-an-organism-that-defies-the-definition-of-life-sukunaarchaeum/">variants</a>. These include large insertions, deletions, inversions, duplications, and translocations that often change how genes work. 



If you ignore these variants, risk models fall short, and rare disease diagnoses stall. Getting them right is the difference between a vague genetic hint and a confident clinical answer.



The study was co-led by Christine Beck of The Jackson Laboratory and <a href="https://health.uconn.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UConn Health</a>, as part of the Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium (<a href="https://www.internationalgenome.org/human-genome-structural-variation-consortium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HGSVC</a>).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-genome-map-shows">What the genome map shows</h2>



Across 130 haplotypes, the team reports closing 92 percent of the assembly gaps that lingered after earlier references and bringing 39 percent of chromosomes to telomere to telomere status. 



That level of finish lets researchers track long, tangled stretches end to end instead of guessing across voids.



The experts resolved 1,852 previously intractable complex structural variants that older methods could not untie. 



The team also validated 1,246 human centromeres - the control hubs needed for proper chromosome segregation in cell division. These regions long stymied assemblies because of their repeating DNA.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sequences-that-rewire-gene-activity">Sequences that rewire gene activity</h2>



The team cataloged 12,919 insertions from transposable elements, the mobile <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ground-oaks-genetic-secrets-may-inspire-new-medicines-and-pesticides/">sequences</a> that can rewire gene activity - accounting for nearly 10 percent of all structural variation detected here. 



This catalog turns what used to be background noise into an interpretable signal for disease studies.



The research provides contiguous sequences for the immune related Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), along with other regions that influence digestion and development. Each of those regions matters directly to diagnosis or treatment decisions in clinics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-representation-matters-in-genetics">Representation matters in genetics</h2>



For many years, genetic reference data left out large parts of the world’s population. This new study was designed to address that gap by creating a more inclusive and complete resource.



Only recently has technology advanced enough to allow scientists to sequence entire genomes without the large gaps that once limited the field. 



Using these tools, researchers estimate they can now capture more than 95 percent of structural variants within each genome they study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hard-places-practical-payoffs">Hard places, practical payoffs</h2>



The MHC carries dense immune variation associated with more than 100 human diseases, so fully charting it helps clinicians weigh risk with more nuance across populations. 



When the reference is biased or incomplete, those associations skew toward the few ancestries that dominate the data.



The study delivers complete sequences for the following genes: SMN1 and SMN2, which are the drug targets in spinal muscular atrophy. That matters because therapies like nusinersen improve infant survival, and better maps speed diagnosis and treatment eligibility.



The researchers also finished especially stubborn parts of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/y-chromosome-is-disappearing-may-already-be-causing-problems-for-men/">Y chromosome</a>, building on a 2023 effort that first produced a gapless Y sequence. 



Closing and comparing many Ys provides cleaner baselines for fertility research and forensic work that depend on those repeats and palindromes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-a-global-genome-map">Building a global genome map</h2>



This breakthrough research stands on two recent pillars. In 2022, the Telomere to Telomere Consortium published the first complete sequence of a single human genome. 



This achievement proved that full chromosomes were feasible with the latest approaches.



In 2023, the Human Pangenome Reference expanded representation by assembling 47 individuals from many ancestries - a shift from a one genome yardstick to a family of references that reflect global diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-genome-map-and-health">The genome map and health</h2>



When reference genomes miss common variations, clinical pipelines struggle. Expanding structural variant catalogs improves read mapping, variant calling, and interpretation. 



Ultimately, this strengthens rare disease diagnosis and risk prediction across ancestries.



When a rearrangement sits next to a dosage-sensitive gene or flips an enhancer away from its target, the biological effect can be large, and it can be missed by short-read tools. This study makes those events visible at a scale that finally matches clinical need.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-moving-parts-of-genomes">The moving parts of genomes</h2>



The new assemblies also clarify how endogenous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-viruses-can-reactivate-and-fuel-cancer-development/">retroviruses</a> and other transposable elements to contribute regulatory switches.



Recent work shows that long terminal repeats from ancient viruses form distinct subfamilies with their own enhancer motifs. These motifs can rise or fall across primate lineages in ways that influence gene regulation.



At everyday scales, the finished amylase region helps connect gene dosage to diet. People from high starch diet populations tend to carry more copies of salivary amylase - an example of structural variation with clear physiological impact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-the-genome-map">What’s next for the genome map</h2>



Open methods and shared datasets mean other teams can now reach the same level of completeness. That is essential if the benefits of precision medicine are going to reach everyone, not just those already overrepresented in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-dormant-virus-punuivirus-discovered-in-algae-could-revolutionize-gene-editing/">genetic research</a>.



The muscle, immune, and neurodevelopmental regions that used to be black boxes are now spelled out with far fewer interruptions. This clarity sets a new bar for reference genomes, clinical pipelines, and the science that connects DNA to health outcomes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads9164" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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New human genome map could transform medicine

The most complete view yet of the human genome has...

In the depths of&nbsp;Costa Rica’s tropical forests, a surprising story has emerged. Spectral bats - the world’s largest carnivorous bats - are not the solitary hunters many once believed them to be. Instead, these creatures lead richly social lives, filled with affection, cooperation, and care.



A new study led by Marisa Tietge at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Museum für Naturkunde</a> - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science&nbsp;in Germany has revealed remarkable details about their behavior. The findings, published in&nbsp;PLOS One, provide the first clear window into the private world of these elusive animals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-cameras-capture-bat-lives">Hidden cameras capture bat lives</h2>



Studying bats is never simple. Their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geomagnetic-disturbances-throw-nocturnal-birds-off-course/">nocturnal</a> lifestyle and hidden roosts make close observation challenging. 



To overcome this, the researchers installed a motion-sensitive infrared camera inside a hollow tree in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Here, a family of four spectral bats (Vampyrum spectrum) became the focus of months-long monitoring.



These bats, with wingspans reaching up to three feet, were once thought to forage alone. But three months of footage told a different story - one of social cooperation and emotional bonds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rare-affection-documented">Rare affection documented</h2>



The researchers observed that the bats displayed eight distinct behaviors, ranging from grooming and vocal exchanges to playful interactions and even a unique form of greeting. 



In this greeting, one bat would wrap its wings around another in a gesture resembling a hug, a form of physical affection rarely documented in wild carnivorous species.



Beyond social gestures, food sharing also emerged as a central behavior. Adult bats returning from hunts often transferred their prey to younger members of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-have-acoustic-mental-maps-to-navigate-total-darkness/">colony</a>. 



This not only provided nourishment but also served as a form of training, allowing the younger bats to practice handling prey.



At the same time, it eased their gradual transition from relying on milk to consuming a carnivorous diet, preparing them for independence as skilled hunters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-cooperation-revealed">Family cooperation revealed</h2>



Surprisingly, the recordings captured instances of cooperative foraging. Adults sometimes left or returned to the roost together, and males transferred prey to females nursing young. 



These behaviors suggest teamwork, which is a rarity among carnivorous mammals. The observations also revealed a long-term family structure. 



The presence of two young bats, likely born in different years, showed that offspring may remain with parents longer than expected. This hints at extended parental care beyond what is typical for many bat species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-bonds-and-care">Complex bonds and care</h2>



The study paints a picture of spectral bats as deeply connected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-dont-get-cancer-now-scientists-think-they-know-the-reason/">animals</a>. Both parents participate in raising the young, forming strong monogamous bonds and investing heavily in offspring survival. 



Such biparental care is uncommon in bats and especially rare among carnivorous mammals.



“Spectral bats exhibit a level of cooperative behavior and biparental care that is rarely documented in bats - a fascinating area for future research,” Tietge said. “We were astonished by how gentle and cooperative these apex predators are.” 



“The most endearing behavior was forming a tight cuddle-ball when falling asleep: each bat wrapping one wing around its nearest neighbor, all snouts touching.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spectral-bats-even-recognize-humans">Spectral bats even recognize humans</h2>



Their social complexity extended beyond family life. Tietge herself experienced something extraordinary. 



"I was astonished to find that the bats seemed to recognize me after several consecutive weeks of visiting the roost," she said. "At first, I was greeted with threat-like calls, and the bats broke their roosting formation to hide in the corners." 



"But over time, their response shifted to just a few curious looks - no <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marmosets-call-each-other-by-names-with-distinct-vocalizations/">vocalizations</a>, and they remained in a relaxed roosting formation. Even after nine months away, they appeared to recognize me immediately when I returned the following season."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-spectral-bats-teach-us">What spectral bats teach us</h2>



These findings transform our understanding of spectral bats. Rather than solitary hunters, they appear as nurturing creatures that rely on cooperation and affection.



“Rather than hunting and raising young in isolation,&nbsp;V. spectrum&nbsp;shows complex cooperation behavior, strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-show-signs-of-divorce-before-the-breeding-season/">monogamous pair</a> bonds, as well as extended parental investment and biparental care - traits highly unusual in carnivorous mammals, especially bats,” Tietge concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0321338" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Spectral bats lead social lives with hugs, play, and food sharing

In the depths of&nbsp;Costa Rica’s tropical forests, a surprising story...

Slimy layered microbial mats in Shark Bay are more than seaside oddities. They are living laboratories where bacteria and archaea still work side by side, much as they may have done long ago.



A new co-culture from these mats shows a bacterium and an archaeon physically connecting through tiny tubes while trading metabolites in ways that make both partners tick. That kind of teamwork fits neatly with ideas about how complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-was-thriving-before-earths-greatest-mass-extinction/">cells</a> arose.



<a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/brendan-burns" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brendan P. Burns</a> at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) led the study with colleagues including <a href="https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Iain.Duggin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iain G. Duggin</a> at the University of Technology Sydney.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shark-bay-microbes-survive-extremes">Shark Bay microbes survive extremes</h2>



Shark Bay, Western Australia, holds thriving stromatolites, the rock-like piles that grow when layered microbial communities trap and bind sediments in harsh, salty water. 



In Malgana language, Shark Bay is called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46160" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gathaagudu</a>, which means two waters, a name still used by Traditional Owners and regional agencies.



The southern basin can be roughly twice as salty as the open ocean, and the mats ride out heat, desiccation, and intense UV under those conditions. 



Modern mats are not time capsules, but they are useful stand-ins for ancient ecosystems where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rocks-reveal-the-turning-point-when-oxygen-changed-earth-forever/">microbes</a> built layered structures and forged partnerships that shaped the planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbial-mat-microbes-team-up">Microbial mat microbes team up</h2>



Back in the lab, researchers enriched a two-member community from those mats: the bacterium Stromatodesulfovibrio nilemahensis and a newly named Asgard archaeon, Nerearchaeum marumarumayae. 



<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5875740/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Asgard archaea</a> are widely viewed as the closest known prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes, the lineage that includes animals, plants, and fungi.



The team sequenced both genomes and grew the partners under high-salt, low-oxygen settings that fit the mats’ tough environment. 



Each partner seems to cover what the other lacks, a classic sign of syntrophy, where two microbes share metabolic tasks to make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/timeline-of-lifes-evolution-extended-by-nearly-1-5-billion-years/">life</a> work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genes-show-nutrient-sharing">Genes show nutrient sharing</h2>



Genome analysis indicates the archaeon releases hydrogen, acetate, formate, and sulfite, while the bacterium supplies amino acids and vitamins that the archaeon needs. 



These characteristics and interactions may represent an early step in the symbiotic evolution of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/eukaryote" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eukaryotic</a> cells.



That statement does not claim a perfect replay of early evolution. It argues that the features they see line up with long-standing models that link archaeal hydrogen producers and bacterial sulfate reducers to the rise of complex cells.



Those models gained traction after the first enrichment and later formal isolation of an Asgard archaeon, <a href="https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.006435" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum</a>, a slow-growing anaerobe that depends on partner microbes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbial-mat-shows-nanotube-connections">Microbial mat shows nanotube connections</h2>



With cryotomography, the researchers observed chains of budded vesicles attached to the archaeal cell by extracellular fibers, plus internal tube and cage-like elements inside the archaeon. 



They also saw intercellular nanotubes apparently assembled by the bacterium that contact the archaeal surface, hinting at direct physical links during resource sharing.



Archaea in other systems build similar connections, and a 2024 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51159-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> reported nanotubes in a co-culture that bridged cytoplasms and appeared to serve as conduits for molecular exchange. 



That study counted an average of 4.4 nanotubes per host-symbiont contact, showing how dense and structured these links can become under the microscope.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hints-at-complex-cells">Hints at complex cells</h2>



If partners swap metabolites through persistent contacts, selection can push them toward tighter dependence. 



That is the kind of ratchet some researchers think nudged early archaea and bacteria toward the cell-in-cell <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/third-state-of-existence-beyond-life-and-death-confirmed-by-scientists/">arrangement</a> that defines eukaryotes.



The new Shark Bay culture does not show one cell engulfing the other. It does, however, put plausible building blocks on the table: complementing metabolisms, physical tethers, and vesicle traffic that could knit cells into a more integrated unit over time.



That interpretation sits alongside earlier work that first enriched and then formally described Prometheoarchaeum, strengthening the case that Asgard lineages sit near the root of eukaryotic features.



More broadly, archaeal communities are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10117752/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">known</a> to trade vesicles and tube-like structures, which can shuttle proteins, lipids, and genetic material and may help build cooperative networks in extreme habitats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-in-research">Next steps in research</h2>



First, replication matters. Independent teams will want to reproduce the nanotube contacts and metabolite exchanges and test whether those tubes move specific molecules in real time, not just correlate with growth.



Second, comparative context helps. Asgard cultures and co-cultures are slowly expanding, and every new system gives biologists another angle on the relationship between archaeal cell biology and eukaryotic traits.



Finally, place still matters. Shark Bay’s mats are rugged, hypersaline, sunlit, and dynamic, a mix of stresses that can reward tight microbial alliances and keep them around across seasons and storms.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.22.663070v2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioRxiv</a>.



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Strange microbial bedfellows offer clues to how complex life evolved

Slimy layered microbial mats in Shark Bay are more than...

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