New clues to origins of complex life revealed by biologist in Nature journal

Mississippi State University

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image: 

This figure presents a modern tree of Life, highlighting eukaryotes (organisms with complex cells) based on genome-scale analyses from Valt et al. (2025). The newly identified and ancient supergroup Disparia is shown alongside other major branches, including several formerly unplaced protist lineages and the new organism Solarion arienae. Colored dots mark the positions of well-known complex multicellular groups such as animals, plants, fungi, and seaweeds, providing familiar reference points on the tree. Built using large gene datasets and advanced phylogenomic tools (including PhyloFisher, originally developed in the Brown Lab), this tree illustrates how new genomic discoveries continue to reshape our understanding of early eukaryotic evolution.

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Credit: Matthew W. Brown, Ph.D.

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State biologist Matthew W. Brown, the university’s Donald L. Hall Professor of Biology, is part of an international research team whose groundbreaking discovery is featured Nov. 19 in Nature—one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals. The published research unearths a new organism and phylum, reshaping the tree of life.

The study “Rare Microbial Relict Sheds Light on an Ancient Eukaryotic Supergroup” describes the discovery of Solarion arienae, a previously unknown unicellular organism that provides new insight into the earliest stages of complex life on Earth. This microscopic protist—a tiny, single-cell organism seen only via a microscope—was discovered through collaboration between Brown’s lab at MSU and Ivan Čepička’s laboratory at Charles University in the Czech Republic. The organism displays two distinct cell types and a unique predatory structure unlike any seen before.

By analyzing Solarion arienae’s genetic and cellular makeup, the research team identified traces of ancient mitochondrial pathways—molecular machinery inherited from the bacteria that originally gave rise to mitochondria.

These findings suggest that the earliest eukaryotes were far more metabolically versatile than their modern descendants.

The study also establishes a new phylum, Caelestes, and introduces a previously unrecognized eukaryotic supergroup, Disparia, reshaping the deepest levels of the tree of life and transforming scientists’ understanding of how complex cells evolved.

Brown, who served as co-corresponding author, said the discovery “offers a rare window into early eukaryotic evolution, helping us reconstruct how the building blocks of complex life first came together.

“The existence of Solarion and the discovery of its closest relatives fundamentally expands our view of eukaryotic biodiversity, supporting a revised framework of early mitochondrial evolution, and to me, most importantly demonstrates how classical cultivation can still reveal lineages that reshape our understanding of life’s deepest branches,” Brown added.

Last month, Brown was named the 2025 recipient of MSU’s Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award, the university’s highest honor for research achievement. The award, established in memory of MSU alumnus and former vice president for research Ralph E. Powe, recognizes one faculty member each year whose work exemplifies innovation and global impact.

A leading figure in evolutionary biology, Brown has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers with nearly 9,000 citations and secured nearly $4 million in research funding. His work explores microorganisms and how complex organisms evolved from microbial ancestors, combining microscopy, genomics, bioinformatics and evolutionary biology to study how life unfolded across eons of time.

Also this fall, Brown received new support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which awarded an $870,000 collaborative grant to Brown’s MSU lab and one at Texas Tech University, led by Brown’s former MSU graduate student and Texas Tech Assistant Professor Alexander K. Tice. The project will expand a widely used software suite that helps scientists construct large-scale evolutionary datasets with greater precision and transparency. The Brown Lab will receive $436,427 to advance the tool’s development, extend its reach across the tree of life and host international training workshops for evolutionary biologists.

Brown’s work has been featured in multiple high-impact journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where his study on 750-million-year-old microbial fossils also sheds light on Earth’s early evolutionary history. His research also has been supported by a National Science Foundation grant exceeding $1 million to explore the evolutionary history of one of life’s oldest lineages, the Amoebozoa.

Since joining MSU in 2013, Brown has earned numerous accolades, including the 2018 College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Eminent Scholar Award and election as a fellow of the Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology.

For more details about Brown’s research, visit www.amoeba.msstate.edu.

For more information about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biological Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.biology.msstate.edu.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.

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Journal

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-025-09750-0 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup

Article Publication Date

19-Nov-2025

New augmented reality tech can turn any surface into keyboard

University of Texas at Dallas

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University of Texas at Dallas computer science doctoral student Daniel Honrales demonstrates PropType, a patent-pending technology that overlays an augmented keyboard surface onto handheld objects.

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Credit: The University of Texas at Dallas

Virtual keyboards are a frequent source of frustration for augmented reality (AR) users. The virtual surfaces are slow and error prone, and raising an arm to type on them can cause muscle strain known as “gorilla arm.”

To improve virtual-typing experiences, University of Texas at Dallas researchers have designed a unique interface that allows users to transform everyday objects into typing surfaces within an AR environment.

The patent-pending technology, called PropType, overlays an augmented keyboard surface onto a handheld object and can adapt to curved surfaces.

Student researchers have created a video demonstrating PropType being used on surfaces such as water bottles, coffee cups, books and soda cans.

“By integrating objects already present in the user’s surroundings, PropType reimagines text input in AR, creating a seamless connection between the physical and virtual worlds,” said Dr. Jin Ryong Kim, assistant professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. “PropType capitalizes on the tactile feedback provided by the objects themselves, offering better key confirmation and reducing reliance on visual cues.”

The technology provides an alternative to common AR typing solutions such as external physical keyboards, which can disrupt a device-free immersive experience.

“PropType leverages the familiarity of handheld objects to offer a more intuitive and accessible alternative to traditional keyboards, particularly in mobile or hands-free scenarios where conventional input methods are impractical,” Kim said.

Researchers in Kim’s Multimodal Interaction Lab presented PropType and received a Best Paper Honorable Mention Award in April at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, the world’s premier conference in human-computer interaction, held in Yokohama, Japan. They later showcased the work in September at the 38th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Busan, South Korea.

Developing PropType involved challenges such as adapting the interface to different shapes and sizes of objects. The researchers studied how 16 participants interacted with props to understand grab postures and typing gestures. Then they developed custom keyboard layouts for different objects. The researchers included an editing tool that allows users to customize keyboard layouts and visual effects.

Kim’s research focuses on haptics, or touch and physical feedback in digital systems, which can include vibrations and heat.

“Touch carries a lot of information; it’s another form of communication that is underexplored in virtual and augmented reality,” he said.

Kim and student researchers have received honors for other projects, including the Best Demo Award at the IEEE World Haptics Conference 2025 and a Best Demo Honorable Mention at the IEEE Haptics Symposium 2024 for their work on thermal masking and thermal-tactile integration.

Thermal masking is a phenomenon that tricks the brain into feeling heat or cold in a specific spot on the body, even though the source of the heat or cold is generated from a different location. For example, researchers place a heat actuator — a device that produces heat — on a user’s arm and a tactile actuator, which produces vibrations, on the same arm several inches from the heat actuator. When researchers activate both actuators, the brain senses the heat at both locations.

The researchers presented a paper on the subject at the 2024 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems and created a video to demonstrate the technology.

“By delving into how tactile sensations can override thermal perceptions, we aim to create more immersive and responsive user interfaces,” Kim said. “Our work holds promise for revolutionizing applications in virtual reality, medical simulations and beyond to create experiences that feel almost tangible.”

Kim’s co-authors on the PropType article include Dr. Hyunjae Gil, a former postdoctoral researcher in computer science who now is an assistant professor at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea; Iniyan Joseph BS’25; and Ashish Pratap, a computer science doctoral student. The work was supported by the South Korean government through a grant from the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation of South Korea.

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DOI

10.1145/3706598.3714056 

Daniel Honrales, a computer science doctoral student at The University of Texas at Dallas, uses tracking marker rigs, the objects on his fingers and attached to the mug, to capture movement on a virtual keyboard.

Credit

The University of Texas at Dallas

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

PropType: Everyday Props as Typing Surfaces in Augmented Realit

 

Compuscript and ResearchGate launch Journal Home partnership to boost global visibility of publishing program

Compuscript Ltd

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Compuscript, an independent open-access publisher and provider of advanced scholarly publishing solutions, and ResearchGate, the professional network for researchers, today announced the launch of a new Journal Home partnership. The collaboration will expand the global reach, discoverability and researcher engagement of four key biomedical journals published by Compuscript: Acta Materia Medica, Zoonoses, BIO Integration, and Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications.

Through this partnership, each journal will gain a dedicated Journal Home presence on ResearchGate, strengthening its visibility across the platform’s community of more than 25 million researchers. The Journal Home integration enables readers to more easily discover journal content, supports authors through enhanced article-level exposure, and fosters deeper engagement between journals and the researcher community.

Key features of the partnership

• Dedicated Journal Home profiles offering streamlined access to journal information, published articles and submission pathways.
• Automatic integration of published articles into authors’ ResearchGate profiles, increasing visibility and readership while providing real-time engagement insights.
• Improved discoverability via prominent placement across ResearchGate’s article pages, feeds, search results and researcher profiles.

“We’re delighted to launch this Journal Home partnership with ResearchGate,” said Morgan Lyons, CEO of Compuscript. “This collaboration strengthens our commitment to improving author experience, broadening the reach of the research we publish, and ensuring our journals are visible where researchers actively read, share and connect.”

 

About the journals

• Acta Materia Medica — Advancing research in biomaterials, translational medicine and medical technologies.
• Zoonoses — Focusing on infectious diseases that arise at the human–animal–environment interface.
• BIO Integration — Publishing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of biology, engineering and clinical science.
• Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications — Highlighting novel insights in cardiovascular biology, medical innovation and clinical application.

 

About Compuscript

Compuscript provides technology-driven, end-to-end publishing solutions for academic and professional content. Publishers and organisations worldwide rely on its workflows to produce, enhance and deliver high-quality journals, books and digital media. Founded in Ireland in 1991, Compuscript’s mission is to streamline scholarly communication and make high-quality publishing accessible to all.

 

Compuscript media contact: sales@compuscript.com

Compuscript, Shannon Industrial Estate, Shannon, Co. Clare, Republic of Ireland

Tel:+353 61472743

www.compuscript.com

UTA study probes status of rural health care, hospitals

Researchers analyze how the Rural Emergency Hospital model is shaping access to care in vulnerable Texas communities

University of Texas at Arlington

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New research from The University of Texas at Arlington examines the widening health care gap between rural and urban communities and how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) program, launched Jan. 1, 2023, is helping address the crisis.

“We need to continue to spotlight the challenges faced by our rural communities so that these persistent problems can be addressed,” said Suzanne B. Daly, assistant professor of research at UT Arlington.

Dr. Daly, along with UTA nursing professor Elizabeth Merwin and statistician Wei You, published their findings in The Journal for Rural Health. The study highlights the severity of the rural health crisis: 111 rural hospitals have closed nationwide since 2005. Texas, home to the nation’s largest rural population, about 3 million residents, has seen 20 closures during that time, and 13% of the state’s 159 remaining facilities are at “immediate” risk of closing, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

“Many rural hospitals close due to serious financial challenges,” Daly said. “The driving idea for the REH program is that the REH model will provide rural hospitals with financial stability while also ensuring rural communities have access to basic health care via the emergency department and certain outpatient services.”

Under the REH program, rural hospitals eliminate inpatient care and focus solely on emergency and outpatient services. Participating hospitals must have been open and licensed Medicare providers on Dec. 27, 2020, maintain a transfer agreement with a Level I or Level II trauma center, and meet specific emergency department staffing requirements.

The model still faces obstacles. Eliminating inpatient services can be a barrier for some rural hospitals, particularly in areas with older populations where the local hospital is often the only inpatient provider. Transportation also remains a significant hurdle for patients in remote regions.

In Texas, five hospitals have converted to REH status, but one closed entirely just nine months after making the switch.

“A lot of this comes down to funding, and, unfortunately, rural communities generally have less funding,” Daly said.

She added that more research is warranted to understand the REH program’s impact.

“We really need a true understanding of what is happening in the new Rural Emergency Hospitals and the communities they serve,” Daly said. “Are we seeing access-to-care issues? What is happening with transportation? What is happening with the hospitals themselves? Are they financially stable or do they continue to experience problems? What is driving hospital leaders’ decisions to convert or not convert?

“There are many unknowns with this program. We need more time and in-depth research to determine its effects on rural communities and health care access.”

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Journal

The Journal of Rural Health

DOI

10.1111/jrh.70079 

Article Title

The new Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Program: Will it improve access to care for rural Americans?