The Fiji ant plant, Squamellaria, has long been studied for its remarkable ability to form symbiotic relationships with ants. But what makes this relationship truly unique is the way the plant provides separate “condos” for each ant species, preventing conflicts that could arise from competition for resources. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and Durham University in the United Kingdom have made a groundbreaking discovery about the secrets behind this harmonious coexistence.

The study, published in Science, reveals that compartmentalization is the key to mitigating conflicts between unrelated symbionts. By creating separate chambers within its tubers, Squamellaria prevents ant colonies from coming into contact with each other, thereby reducing competition for resources and eliminating deadly conflicts.

“We were able to visualize directly what theory has long predicted – that unrelated partners would conflict by competing for host resources,” said Susanne S. Renner, senior author of the study. “But here we also have a simple, highly effective evolutionary strategy to mitigate these conflicts: compartmentalization.”

The researchers used computed-tomography scanning and 3D modeling to visualize the tubers’ internal structure and understand how the plant enables multiple ant species to live together in harmony. They found that removing the partition walls between the chambers resulted in immediate conflict and high worker mortality, emphasizing the importance of compartmentalization.

This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of symbiotic relationships and the ecology and evolution of species interactions. It highlights the remarkable ability of Squamellaria to adapt to its environment and form mutually beneficial relationships with ants, even when faced with conflicting interests.

The study’s findings also shed light on a long-standing problem in ecological theory – how unrelated partners can form long-term mutualistic relationships despite competing for host resources. By providing separate compartments, Squamellaria has evolved an effective solution to this problem, allowing multiple ant species to coexist peacefully and benefiting from each other’s presence.

In conclusion, the tiny condos of Fiji’s ant plant have unlocked a secret to harmonious coexistence among unrelated symbionts, offering new insights into the complex relationships between species.

The human body begins as a single cell that multiplies and differentiates into thousands of specialized cells. Researchers at the Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN) and the Max Planck Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery: embryonic cells “listen” to each other through molecular mechanisms previously known only from hearing.

Using an interdisciplinary approach combining developmental genetics, brain research, hearing research, and theoretical physics, the researchers found that in thin layers of skin, cells register the movements of their neighboring cells and synchronize their own tiny movements with those of the others. This coordination allows groups of neighboring cells to pull together with greater force, making them highly sensitive and able to respond quickly and flexibly.

The researchers created computer models of tissue development, which showed that this “whispering” among neighboring cells leads to an intricate choreography of the entire tissue, protecting it from external forces. These findings were confirmed by video recordings of embryonic development and further experiments.

Dr. Matthias Häring, group leader at the CIDBN, explained that using AI methods and computer-assisted analysis allowed them to examine about a hundred times more cell pairs than was previously possible in this field, giving their results high accuracy.

The mechanisms revealed in embryonic development are also known to play a role in hearing, where hair cells convert sound waves into nerve signals. The ear is sensitive because of special proteins that convert mechanical forces into electrical currents. This discovery suggests that such sensors of force may have evolved from our single-celled ancestors, which emerged long before the origin of animal life.

Professor Fred Wolf, Director of the CIDBN, noted that future work should determine whether the original function of these cellular “nanomachines” was to perceive forces inside the body rather than perceiving the outside world. This phenomenon could provide insights into how force perception at a cellular level has evolved.

The discovery of a previously unknown reaction pathway for the formation of urea has shed new light on the origins of life. A research team led by Ruth Signorell, Professor of Physical Chemistry at ETH Zurich, has made this groundbreaking finding, which has been published in the journal Science.

Until now, the industrial production of urea required high pressures and temperatures or chemical catalysts. However, enzymes enable the same reaction to take place in humans and animals, removing toxic ammonia from the breakdown of proteins such as urea. As this simple molecule contains nitrogen as well as carbon and probably existed on the uninhabited Early Earth, many researchers view urea as a possible precursor for complex biomolecules.

Signorell’s team studied tiny water droplets, such as those found in sea spray and fine mist. The researchers observed that urea can form spontaneously from carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH₃) in the surface layer of the droplets under ambient conditions. This remarkable reaction takes place without any external energy supply.

The physical interface between air and liquid creates a special chemical environment at the water surface that makes the spontaneous reaction possible. Chemical concentration gradients form in this area, which acts like a microscopic reactor. The pH gradient across the interfacial layer of the water droplets creates the required acidic environment, which opens unconventional pathways that would otherwise not take place in liquids.

The results suggest that this natural reaction could also have been possible in the atmosphere of the Early Earth — an atmosphere that was rich in CO2 and probably contained small traces of ammonia. In such environments, aqueous aerosols or fog droplets could have acted as natural reactors in which precursor molecules such as urea were formed.

In the long term, the direct reaction of CO2 and ammonia under ambient conditions could also have potential for the climate-friendly production of urea and downstream products. This study opens a new window into the early days of the Earth and provides valuable insights into processes that could be significant for evolution.

The discovery of this spontaneous reaction pathway has significant implications for our understanding of the origins of life. It suggests that seemingly mundane interfaces can become dynamic reaction spaces, and biological molecules may have a more common origin than was previously thought.