Adrian Skov

A macroshot of two termites, one with a long nasal horn posturing in front of the camera, the other walking away. Both are standing on leaf litter.

Research Update

Innovation and ecological collapse gave rise to the tropics’ most important decomposers

Thousands of newly sequenced termite samples reveal how new traits and global extinctions paved the way for their evolutionary success.

Photo of a smiling man standing by the deep blue sea.

Research Update

Listening to the natural world and those who study it

Dr. Samuel Ross brings together a wide range of research disciplines and experts to study and help conserve Earth's ecosystems.

https://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2026/4/10/medieval-japanese-poetry-and-buried-trees-help-elucidate-volatile-space-weather

Research Update

Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather

Combining carbon-14 measurements taken at the highest level of precision with historical literature lays a new foundation for studying unpredictable and hazardous solar proton events.

A clownfish with a snowflake mutation, resulting in three symmetrical but wavy patches of white with a black outline, which are distinct from the orange coloring of its body.

Research Update

Mutant clownfish reveals how nature draws boundaries

Researchers have uncovered the ancient and vital role of a gene in the development of clear patterns, providing key clues toward solving the mystery of biological organization.

Four 3D renderings showing the gradual mixing of sediment-laden fluid with a clear one. Colors indicate direction (blue for upward, yellow for downward) and speed (color intensity) of the fluid.

Research Update

How fast does smoke rise, rain fall, and a supernova explode?

Fluid simulation at an unprecedented scale provides a new scientific toolkit for fundamental physics and applied fluid engineering.

Graphical illustration of multiple proteins being recruited from across the interior of a yeast cell to help repair the cell membrane at the site of damage.

Research Update

Writing the catalog of plasma membrane repair proteins

New study identifies 80 proteins involved in plasma membrane repair in budding yeast, laying the foundation for membrane repair studies and future therapeutic applications.

A 3D model of a soldier ant, showing its morphology in very high detail. Portions of its exoskeleton have been digitally removed, revealing high-resolution renderings of its muscles, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and stinger apparatus.

Research Update

Reconstructing the world’s ant diversity in 3D

Antscan provides open access to high-resolution micro-CT scans of 800 different ant species and a revolutionary blueprint for large-scale digitization of small organisms.

Graphic illustration of the papers’ findings. A knob labelled with an alpha can be dialed between 0 and 1, showing how it affects the symmetry of two particles during an exchange operation, shown as two psis inside mathematical bracket notation.

Research Update

A new class of strange one-dimensional particles

For the first time, researchers describe the properties of one-dimensional anyons and provide the recipe for observing these particles with present-day setups.

03 February 2026

A 3D rendering of a pair of hands holding glowing bands of energy like a cat’s cradle. One of the bands fold inwards, reminiscent of the Mexican-hat-like momentum dispersion indicative of Floquet effects. The glowing orbs above the hands, one dark and the other light, represent the electron and hole that together form an exciton.

Research Update

Quantum ‘alchemy’ made feasible with excitons

Researchers demonstrate a powerful new approach to Floquet engineering, which for decades has sought to imbue ‘trivial’ materials with exotic quantum properties.

19 January 2026

A graphical illustration of the ancient, jawless Sacabambaspis, which measured around 25 cm in length, and features a prominent head-shield, and eyes at the very front.

Research Update

The Age of Fishes began with mass death

New fossil database gives unique insights into the earliest vertebrate ecosystems, revealing how mass extinction events are key drivers of evolutionary diversification.

10 January 2026

A macro photograph of a cluster of mushroom-like plants on the forest floor against a mossy backdrop. These are Balanophora fungosa ssp. fungosa from southern Okinawa Island.

Research Update

The evolutionary mysteries of a rare parasitic plant

New study maps the strange genomes of Asia-Pacific Balanophora species, giving new insights into the evolution of parasitic plants and an unconventional role of plastids.

10 December 2025

A photograph of a blue laser light hitting a reflective surface inside a complicated spectroscopy setup, housed in a dark area.

Research Update

Free radicals caught in the act with slow spectroscopy

New experimental setup detects the faint signals of electrons, shedding new light on the physics of photodegradation and other long-term photoemission processes.

06 December 2025