A study led by Dr. Delia Ricolo and Dr. Jordi Casanova at IRB Barcelona, published in the journal EMBO reports, has unveiled that Wingless triggers calcium entry, which leads to a change in cell polarity, reorganizing the cytoskeleton and allowing contraction of the tissue. As a result, the intestine becomes divided into distinct specialized regions.

A new mechanism for embryonic development

“We knew that Wingless participates in the development of the intestine, but the underlying mechanism remained unclear. We now know that calcium plays a key role in this process,” explains Dr. Ricolo, first author of the work.

The research demonstrates that the activation of Wingless triggers cellular reorganization that allows contraction of the tissue and the formation of the constrictions that lead to the final shape of the fly intestine.

This finding not only contributes to our understanding of embryonic development in insects but also expands the effects of the Wingless signalling pathway, which has been highly conserved throughout evolution. This study sheds light on how biochemical signals can transform cellular architecture during embryonic development. A greater understanding of these mechanisms could give insights into diseases related to morphogenesis and organ development in distinct organisms.

This ability to sporulate, known as sporulation, also enables superbugs to evade hospital cleaning and then come back to life in the guts of compromised patients.

By discovering a new protein involved in sporulation in a group of bacteria, scientists hope it could deepen our understanding of bacteria’s ability to survive against the odds, and even open up new avenues for antimicrobial therapies.

The study, covered in two separate papers published in Genes and Development today, looks at Bacillus — a group of bacteria including cereus, which is responsible for food poisoning, and anthrax. The research team included scientists from the Department of Chemistry, King’s College London, the University of California San Diego, the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, and Mount Holyoke College in the USA.

Professor Rivka Isaacson, co-author of the papers, said: “We have known for a long time that bacteria are able to perform metabolic shut-down in unfavourable environments, transforming into long-lived, indestructible dormant spores which can survive for thousands of years.”

“This happens through asymmetrical cell division, where the bigger part — the ‘mother cell’ — engulfs the smaller part, the ‘forespore’, providing it with nutrients and a protective outer layer. It continues to build up protective layers around its genetic materials until it is ready to be released as a spore.”

Whilst this process is well understood, the mechanisms behind shutting down metabolism have remained a mystery until the scientists discovered a previously uncharacterised protein called MdfA was behind it.

Professor Isaacson explained: “Every cell has a ‘recycling centre’ called a protease, responsible for breaking down old or damaged proteins. We discovered that MdfA — a protein we didn’t know the function of previously, acts as an adaptor that recruits the proteins for recycling.

“In the case of sporulation, this protein instructs the cell to get rid of its metabolic enzymes responsible for active growth, by destruction through the protease, thereby effecting the metabolic shutdown part of sporulation.”

Once MdfA had been identified, chemists at King’s were able to solve the crystal structure of the protein using x-ray crystallography, revealing a completely new molecular shape. This has enabled them to further understand how MdfA binds to a part of the recycling chute in cells, a protein called ClpC.

The scientists also found that when they forced happily growing cells to overexpress MdfA, it became toxic to the cells and they burst.

Whilst MdfA isn’t present in most other forms of bacteria, ClpC and the recycling machine is, so similar proteins may be behind sporulation in other bacteria, including those that cause disease.

Professor Isaacson said: “This discovery has improved our understanding of how bacteria operate and opens up a new way of exploring sporulation. Given that sporulation plays a key part in bacteria’s survival, the more we understand this process, the more we will be able to control and eliminate harmful bacteria.”

The scientists also hope their findings might lead to new strategies for developing antimicrobials.

Professor Isaacson added: “If you can target the cell degradation machinery to remove particular proteins, this can open new avenues for anti-microbial therapies, similar to an emerging form of cancer treatment, known as targeted protein degradation or PROTAC, which repurposes a cell’s recycling system for therapy.”

A team from the Climate Adaptation Services Foundation, the University of Reading and other international institutions has brought together methods to see beyond the limitations of conventional weather records, which typically only cover the last century.

The study reveals how, for example, nature’s own archives — like tree rings — combined with forgotten historical documents can unlock centuries of climate data that modern instruments have missed.

Lead author Timo Kelder said: “We’ve been limited by thinking extreme weather is only as bad as what we’ve measured since weather stations were invented. But our research shows we can use weather models to look back hundreds or even thousands of years to discover what’s truly possible in our climate system.”

A toolkit for scientists and practitioners

The researchers identified four approaches that together create a more complete picture of possible extreme weather:

● Analysing conventional records

● Studying historical and natural archives like tree rings

● Creating “what-if” scenarios based on past events

● Using climate models to simulate physically possible extremes

Tree rings proved especially valuable, with each ring preserving a year’s worth of climate history. Researchers used these natural time capsules to reconstruct 850 years of drought patterns in northwestern China, revealing extreme events that would have been invisible in modern records.

The team also highlighted forgotten weather extremes by digging through historical archives. They found that June 1846 in Durham, UK was significantly hotter than any modern June temperature. Similarly, September 1774 in Oxford was wetter than any month recorded in the 250 years since.

Adapt, adapt, adapt

The study emphasises that with these methods to anticipate the unseen, communities can better prepare for unprecedented weather. The methods can support three layers of preparation:

● Improved early warning systems

● Upgraded infrastructure

● Transformative social changes to reduce vulnerability

The researchers conclude that by breaking free from the constraints of limited modern records, we can finally stop being surprised by “unprecedented” weather events.

Dorothy Heinrich, co-author at the University of Reading, said : “Unprecedented weather doesn’t just break records — it breaks communities, infrastructure, and lives. When the unimaginable happens, being unprepared is a disaster waiting to unfold. But science can help us to imagine the unimaginable, to uncover these risks, and prepare. Our future depends on how quickly and thoroughly we adapt today.”