Monday, April 20, 2026

How tiny cave shrimps power the underworld of the Yucatan

Pensoft Publishers

image:
Entrance to a cenote.
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Credit: Fernando Álvarez

Beneath the lush rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula lies a hidden, subterranean world: a vast network of flooded sinkholes and anchialine caves. These unique underwater systems, which mix fresh and saltwater and are influenced by the tides, have no open connection to the surface and have served as an evolutionary refuge for millions of years.

When marine biologist Fernando Álvarez first encountered these sinkholes (cenotes), he was captivated. "My first impression of these incredibly beautiful places was that I had to work there to find out how that rich crustacean fauna had evolved in those exceptionally large cave systems," he recalls.

A recent study published in Subterranean Biology, reveals that the answer lies with a tiny, fascinating creature: the anchialine cave shrimp of the genus Typhlatya.

The Keystone of the Cave Food Web

In most surface ecosystems, sunlight fuels plants, which then feed the rest of the food chain. In the pitch-black depths of anchialine caves, nature has found other ways. Instead of photosynthesis, this ecosystem relies on a chemosynthetic route.

Organic matter from the rainforest floor decomposes and percolates through the porous limestone rock, eventually bringing methane into the cave's waters. Methanotrophic bacteria consume this methane to produce energy and grow. And this is where Typhlatya shrimp comes in. Equipped with specialized, scraping appendages, these shrimps are adapted to graze on these bacterial mats.

Because they convert microbial growth into animal biomass, Typhlatya shrimps act as "keystone species," introducing essential nutrients into the cave's food web. They serve as a crucial initial link that larger subterranean predators feed on.

What we see now is that Typhlatya shrimps are a key component of the anchialine trophic web.
- explains Álvarez

Stable Isotopes reveal ecological niches

To better understand how these shrimps survive, Brenda Durán and Fernando Álvarez used stable isotope analysis (looking at carbon and nitrogen signatures in the shrimps' tissue) to figure out exactly what they are eating.

Over the years my research has evolved from very descriptive taxonomic studies... to more ecological studies about the interactions among species.
- Álvarez notes regarding the motivation behind the study

Their findings revealed that the different species of Typhlatya living in the Yucatan have carved out their own unique dietary niches, allowing them to peacefully coexist.

For instance, Typhlatya mitchelli relies mostly on decaying vegetation and nitrifying bacteria found in shallower cave sections. While, Typhlatya dzilamensis hangs out deeper in the caves near the halocline (the zone where fresh and saltwater mix), exploiting organic material trapped in that layer. Typhlatya pearsei feeds heavily on the methanotrophic bacterial biomass near the cave ceilings.

Interestingly, the study found that the shrimps' diets remain stable across the rainy and dry seasons. However, their diets do shift based on regional geography, such as the difference between the deep, isolated sinkholes of the "Ring of Cenotes" and the sprawling, highly interconnected tunnels of the "Caribbean Cave Area".

A Fragile World Under Threat

These remarkable cave shrimps belong to an ancient lineage that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs, with relatives spanning the globe from the Mediterranean to Australia. Yet, they are now facing a modern, unprecedented threat.

The rapid urbanization of the Yucatan Peninsula brings deforestation, pollution, and severe environmental deterioration.Because these caves rely entirely on the organic matter percolating from the rainforest above, any damage to the surface environment directly destroys the "vertical integrity" necessary for the caves to function. As Álvarez warns:

We are losing the vertical integrity that these anchialine caves need to function; any changes occurring on the surface within the caves’ area will inevitably affect them.

The anchialine caves of the Yucatan Peninsula are complex, unique ecosystems filled with extraordinary biodiversity. To save the remarkable Typhlatya shrimp and the hidden food web it supports, we must protect the forests above ground. "The Yucatan Peninsula is an area of extraordinary cultural wealth and contains sophisticated and unique ecosystems as the anchialine caves, but sadly all this is disappearing," Álvarez reflects.

After all, the survival of this dark, subterranean world depends entirely on the health of the sunlit world above.

Original study

Durán B, Álvarez F (2026) The trophic role of cave shrimps of the genus Typhlatya seen through stable isotope eyes. Subterranean Biology 55: 43-56. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.164068

Journal

Subterranean Biology

DOI

10.3897/subtbiol.55.164068

Article Title

The trophic role of cave shrimps of the genus Typhlatya seen through stable isotope eyes

A cenote

Typhlatya mitchelli

Credit

Fernando Álvarez

Blind eel in an anchialine cave [VIDEO]

The cenotes where Typhlatya shrimps occur.

The cenotes where Typhlatya shrimps occur.

Credit

Fernando Álvarez

NUS CDE researchers develop biowaste coatings to boost CO2-to-fuel conversion

Thin coatings made from crustacean shells, insect exoskeletons and plant matter improve the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals

National University of Singapore College of Design and Engineering

NUS CDE researchers develop biowaste coatings to boost CO2-to-fuel conversion — image:
Assoc Prof Andrew Wong says the research could open new ways to make fuel without oil or oil refining.
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Credit: College of Design and Engineering, NUS

The stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz in the past few weeks has choked off roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, triggering the worst global energy crisis since the 1970s. Beyond the immediate shock, the disruption has underscored how tightly the global economy remains tethered to fossil hydrocarbons — and how urgently alternatives are needed. One of the most promising routes for diversifying fuel production from crude oil is using renewable electricity for electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-value products such as ethylene that today come almost exclusively from petroleum refining.

A team led by Assistant Professor Andrew Barnabas Wong from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS CDE), has now demonstrated a simple way to make that conversion far more efficient and greener. By coating copper catalysts with films just two to five nanometres thick of biopolymers sourced from seafood shells, wood and other biological waste, the researchers achieved 90% selectivity for multicarbon products at an industrially relevant current density of 1.6 amperes per square centimetre (A/cm2) and maintained 83% selectivity at an even higher current density of 2.2 A/cm2.

These are among the highest figures reported for copper-based CO2 conversion. The biopolymers can also fully replace Nafion and other fluorinated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the catalyst electrode, offering a pathway to cost-effective climate technology with fewer PFAS-containing components. This is pertinent at a time when regulatory phase-outs of forever chemicals are gathering steam worldwide.

The study was published in Nature Energy on 17 April 2026 as an open-access article.

How biowaste reshapes the reaction

In electrochemical CO₂ conversion, electricity drives a reaction that breaks apart CO₂ and water molecules and reassembles them into carbon-rich fuels and chemicals like ethanol and ethylene. Copper is the most common and effective catalyst for the conversion. However, coaxing the element to produce the most useful multicarbon products — rather than simple hydrogen gas — requires fine-tuning the chemical conditions right at the catalyst’s surface. That role had traditionally belonged to Nafion and similar fluorinated materials. However, they are very expensive and classified as PFAS, the persistent pollutants linked to various health issues, from decreasing our immunity to increasing our risk for certain types of cancer.

Asst Prof Wong’s team showed that a nanometre-thin biopolymer coating achieves the same result through a fundamentally different route. Using advanced spectroscopy and computational modelling, they found that the coatings concentrate CO₂ near the catalyst, restrict water movement to suppress unwanted side reactions and help shuttle ions more effectively. All of these factors favour the production of ethylene, ethanol and other high-value products instead of hydrogen.

“Our work shows new ways to improve electrochemical CO₂ conversion, which can be used to make fuels without oil or oil refining in the future,” said Asst Prof Wong. “We have also shown that the forever chemicals upon which these technologies rely could potentially be replaced with cellulose, chitin and chitosan, which are materials derived from seafood shells, insect exoskeletons, wood or dead leaves.”

A cheaper, greener electrode

When the coated copper nanoparticles were paired with silver nanoparticles in a tandem system designed to maximise multicarbon output, 90% of the electrical current went towards producing useful multicarbon products at a current density of 1.6 A/cm2. Pushing the current higher forces the reaction to run faster, entailing fewer reactors for the same level of productivity, but typically causes selectivity to drop as unwanted hydrogen gas would be generated at higher rates. In the team’s study, the selectivity held at 83% even at 2.2 A/cm2, suggesting the biopolymer coatings keep the reaction on track under industrially demanding conditions.

The biopolymers also proved capable of fully replacing Nafion as the glue-like binder that holds the catalyst layer together. Cellulose-coated copper bound with chitin achieved 95% multicarbon selectivity, matching or exceeding the performance of Nafion-bound electrodes. At roughly US$50 per kilogram, high-quality chitosan costs around one-thousandth as much as Nafion by weight, pointing to substantial savings if the approach scales.

Towards oil-free fuels and chemicals

Electrochemical CO₂ conversion is part of an expanding suite of climate technologies designed to produce fuels and chemical feedstocks using renewable electricity rather than petroleum, potentially offering a carbon-negative alternative to conventional refining. While the technology is still in its early stages, the team’s biopolymer technology achieves two goals at once: it boosts catalyst performance and opens a route to replace costly, environmentally persistent forever chemicals with abundant, biodegradable alternatives sourced from waste streams.

“Our biopolymer coating approach offers a simple and widely adoptable method to enhance CO₂ reduction selectivity,” said Asst Prof Wong. “Prior to this work, it was believed that materials like Nafion or other water-repelling materials were essential to selectively making ethanol and ethylene from CO2. The materials in this work totally depart from that conventional wisdom as they have very strong attractive interactions with water. This means that there is much new exciting space to explore for improving electrochemical CO₂ conversion to fuels and chemicals.”

Future research includes expanding on these discoveries to adjust the ratio of ethanol to ethylene and to enhance the long-term stability, so that this process can proceed for longer periods without intervention. According to Asst Prof Wong, “Along these lines, other promising developments are in the pipeline.”

From shells and plant matter to clean energy: the coated electrode at the heart of the breakthrough.

Credit

College of Design and Engineering, NUS

Journal

Nature Energy

DOI

10.1038/s41560-026-02040-7

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

A scalable, biopolymer-based microenvironment for electrochemical CO2 conversion to multicarbon products with current densities over 2 A cm−2

Article Publication Date

17-Apr-2026

New study shows editing grapevine DNA could boost resistance to disease and drought

Researchers “switched off” gene linked to how grapevine plants respond to disease

Stellenbosch University

A team of researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Agricultural Research Council have, for the first time, successfully edited the DNA of a woody crop plant in Africa by making precise changes to its genetic material. This is a major milestone for plant biotechnology on the continent.

Using CRISPR technology – a tool that enables scientists to cut and edit DNA at very specific points – the researchers “switched off” a single gene (VvDMR6.1) in grapevine plants. This gene is linked to how the plants respond to disease. The researchers say that this change made the plants less vulnerable to downy mildew, a major disease that affects vineyards around the world.

The findings of their study were published in Plant Stress recently.

According to the researchers, their study demonstrates how a single targeted genetic change can influence multiple stress responses in plants.

“By editing a gene that makes grapevines more vulnerable to disease, we were able to reduce this vulnerability while also influencing how the plants respond to water shortages. Our research shows how modern gene or genome editing technology can be used to improve grapevines so they are better able to cope with disease and droughts,” says lead researcher Dr Manuela Campa from the Department of Genetics at SU.

“This represents a step toward integrating modern genome editing approaches into African crop improvement programmes, particularly for high-value horticultural crops such as grapevine.”

Campa points out that in recent years, scientists have increasingly used genome editing techniques such as CRISPR technology to modify certain genes and increase plants’ resistance to disease.

She notes that an unexpected finding of their study was the reaction of the modified plants to water shortages. “These plants responded better to dry conditions. They were able to conserve water more effectively, suggesting they may be better suited to the increasingly dry conditions expected due to climate change.

“This is an exciting step forward because it indicates that we can make precise changes to plants that improve more than one important trait at the same time.”

With grapevines increasingly under pressure from both disease and changing environmental conditions, Campa notes that their study couldn’t have come at a better time as both pressures are expected to intensify due to climate change.

“Viticulture (planting, managing and harvesting of grapes) faces significant challenges, as disease outbreaks increase after periods of environmental stress.

“Because grapevines are a high-value crop globally and are especially important to South Africa’s agricultural sector, we must develop varieties that can tolerate multiple stresses simultaneously. This can help us to produce grapes sustainably as conditions become more challenging.”

According to Campa, their findings highlight the potential of genome editing as a powerful tool to improve crops in Africa.

“While genome editing has been widely applied in model plants and several crops globally, its use in woody perennial species has remained limited because of their complex regeneration systems and long breeding cycles.

“This work demonstrates that advanced genome editing technologies can be successfully applied to perennial crops in Africa. It opens the door to new research aimed at developing more sustainable and climate-resilient crops.”

Campa emphasises that further studies will be needed to evaluate the edited plants in real-world conditions.

Source: Holm CC, Havenga M, Burger JT, Lashbrooke JG, Campa, M (2026). CRISPR/Cas9-genome editing identifies the dual role of VvDMR6.1 in downy mildew resistance and response to water limitation in grapevine. Plant Stress. doi:10.1016/j.stress.2026.101306

Journal

Plant Stress

DOI

10.1016/j.stress.2026.101306

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

CRISPR/Cas9-genome editing identifies the dual role of VvDMR6.1 in downy mildew resistance and response to water limitation in grapevine.

Mind the gap! Semiconductor industry is relying on the wrong materials

2D materials are widely seen as a promising path toward better computer chips. Researchers at TU Wien now show: some of these materials are unsuitable due to an underestimated effect. But there are alternatives

Vienna University of Technology

A gap on an atomic scale — image:
A 2D-conductor and a dielectric layer: The unavoidable gap in between changes the electronic properties significantly.
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Credit: TU Wien

The miniaturization of electronic components has been a tremendous success story, driving technological progress for decades. Work is already underway on the next revolution in computer chips: 2D materials—ultrathin layers consisting of just one or a few atomic layers—could be ideally suited for even smaller electronic structures.

However, researchers at TU Wien have now shown that many 2D materials once considered highly promising are in fact unsuitable for this purpose. It is not enough to study the properties of the material itself—interface effects must also be taken into account. When 2D materials are combined with an insulating layer, an extremely thin gap inevitably forms between them, drastically degrading their electronic properties. The good news is that this approach also allows researchers to identify which materials are not affected by this problem—potentially saving the semiconductor industry from investing billions in technologies that are fundamentally limited by the laws of physics.

It’s not just the material—it’s the interface

“For many years, researchers have quite rightly been fascinated by the remarkable electronic properties of novel 2D materials such as graphene or molybdenum disulfide,” says Prof. Mahdi Pourfath, who carried out the research together with Prof. Tibor Grasser at TU Wien’s Institute for Microelectronics. “What is often overlooked, however, is that a 2D material alone does not make an electronic device. We also need an insulating layer—usually an oxide. And this is where things become more complicated from a materials science perspective.”

The basic concept of transistors used in computer chips is simple: the conductivity of a semiconductor—this can also be an ultrathin 2D material—can be modulated between conducting and non-conducting states. Which of these states occurs is controlled by the gate, an electrode that must be separated from the active material by an insulating layer.

Mind the gap!

This insulating layer must be as thin as possible in order to allow precise control of the electric fields in the 2D material, enabling extremely small and compact devices. However, when these structures are analyzed at the atomic scale, a problem emerges that has so far received little attention.

“In many combinations of 2D materials and insulating layers, the bonding between them is relatively weak,” explains Grasser. “They are held together only by so-called van der Waals forces, which provide only a weak attraction between the semiconductor and the insulator. As a result, the two layers do not come into close contact—there is always a gap between them.”

This gap is tiny—only about 0.14 nanometers, thinner than a single sulfur atom—yet it has a major impact on electronic performance. A SARS-CoV-2 virus, for comparison, is roughly 700 times larger. “This gap weakens the capacitive coupling between the layers. No matter how good the intrinsic properties of the materials may be, the gap can become the limiting factor. As long as it exists, it imposes a fundamental limit on how far these devices can be miniaturized.”

The solution: “zipper” materials

“If the semiconductor industry wants to succeed with 2D materials, the active layer and the insulating layer must be designed together from the very beginning,” emphasizes Mahdi Pourfath. There are possible solutions: so-called “zipper materials” combine both aspects. Semiconductor and insulator interlock with each other—they are not just loosely connected by van der Waals forces, but form a stronger bond that eliminates the gap.

“Our work is good news for the semiconductor industry,” says Tibor Grasser. “We can predict which materials are suitable for future miniaturization steps—and which are not. But if one focuses only on the 2D materials themselves, without considering the unavoidable insulating layers from the outset, there is a risk of investing billions in an approach that simply cannot succeed for fundamental physical reasons.”

Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.aeb2271

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Device-scaling constraints imposed by the van der Waals gap formed in two-dimensional materials

Article Publication Date

16-Apr-2026

VUB and La Monnaie/De Munt unveil world-first shoe made entirely from pure mycelium at Milan Design Week

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

A prototype shoe made entirely from pure mycelium, the root-like network of fungi, will debut at Milan Design Week. The project is a collaboration between researcher and designer Lars Dittrich of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and head shoemaker Marie De Ryck at La Monnaie/De Munt. It reframes how living materials enter application, moving beyond substitution toward a model in which design mediates between advanced biomaterials research and the demands of traditional craft.

The innovation moves beyond mycelium as a surface material or leather substitute toward its use as a structural component. The pure mycelium sole achieves load-bearing capacity without reinforcement by bonding mycelium sheets into a single, dense construction.

The project builds on fungal materials research by the Microbiology Research Group, led by Prof. Eveline Peeters and Prof. Elise Vanden Elsacker. It forms part of the FWO-funded MycoMatters programme, which develops pure mycelium materials with the performance and scalability required for real-world applications.

Engineering a Living Material
The team developed the shoe over two years through an iterative process that balanced the microorganism’s natural growth with targeted material performance. The key challenge was translating a material grown in flat sheets into a three-dimensional, load-bearing sole. To meet the demands of shoemaking, Lars Dittrich selected two fungal strains with distinct properties: one enables the growth of a foam-like, mouldable material for the sole, while the other produces a more elastic, leather-like sheet for the upper.

Design Mediates Between Tradition and Material Innovation
Biology and craft meet in a process that translates biological growth into form. The collaboration revisits traditional shoemaking and adapts leather sole lamination to work with mycelium on its own terms. The boot follows this logic, built in layers with a robust silhouette that keeps thickness and construction visible. Exposed seams and layered edges work with irregularities, articulating the material’s character.

“This is a conceptual object intended to frame what is currently possible with the material,” says designer Lars Dittrich. “It reflects the state of the art of our research, addressing how we grow and craft this material, made from a microorganism, into a functional three-dimensional form.”

Marie De Ryck, head shoemaker at La Monnaie/De Munt added: "While the initial material samples posed a real challenge and did not immediately meet the technical requirements of a complex shoe construction, the progress we have made is truly inspiring. By integrating the artisanal heritage of La Monnaie/De Munt with this advanced biotechnology, and by feeding our practical experience back into the lab, we have taken a significant step forward in making bio-fabricated footwear a functional reality. This constant drive to evolve our craft lies at the heart of our ‘Green Opera’ strategy. We are continuously seeking innovations that can help ensure a sustainable future for the arts."

Experience the Bio-Lab at Drop City

The prototype will be showcased at Dropcity, the Centre for Architecture and Design located within the iconic tunnels of Milan’s Central Railway Station. The exhibition aims to make the science behind the shoe tangible for the public, mirroring the state-of-the-art research conducted at the VUB.

The exhibition space recreates a working laboratory environment, revealing the processes behind the material’s growth, from initial cultures to production. It offers a rare view into the intersection of biology and fashion.