STRASBOURG, France, 31 October 2025 — The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) has released the fourth edition of its HFSP Science Digest, a 60-page compendium highlighting the creativity and global reach of HFSP-supported frontier research. Featuring the work of 89 scientists, including 19 HFSP Fellows and 70 members of HFSP Research Grant teams, research in this year's edition looks at life across many scales, from the smallest molecular assemblies to the vast complexity of ocean ecosystems.

Among its central themes, this year’s edition explores one of the most vital intersections of our time: the link between basic life science and medicine. It features studies that illuminate the inner workings of diseases, immunity, and brain and gut health, underscoring how curiosity-driven research often yields insights with profound medical relevance. Among these is a special article on the biology of sleep, "Illuminating the Brain's Nighttime Choreography, and the Cost of Disrupted Sleep," which brings together multiple HFSP-supported teams exploring one of the most universal yet least understood processes in human life. From modeling the molecular mechanisms that regulate our circadian rhythms to mapping the neural circuits of social behavior during adolescence, these studies reveal that sleep is far more than rest; it is an active, dynamic state crucial for memory, learning, mental health, and even social development. In tracing these connections, the HFSP Science Digest emphasizes that understanding the brain's nighttime rhythms may hold the key to preventing diseases linked to modern lifestyles and disrupted biological clocks.

The 2024 edition also introduces a section dedicated to marine organisms and ecosystems, broadening the perspective of frontier research to include the delicate and dynamic systems that sustain life on Earth. Research on corals, sea anemones, and deep-sea organisms, emphasizes HFSP’s commitment to marine biology and support for scientists that are analyzing the rhythms, resilience, and evolution of life. Oceans cover over 70% of our planet's surface, and marine organisms represent more than 95% of the biosphere. The Digest highlights how exploring these marine frontiers can illuminate fundamental principles of biology and shed light on the consequences of biodiversity loss and climate change.

“Here, integration becomes a key concept”, comments Guntram Bauer, Chief Scientific Officer of HFSP. “Only by linking insights across scales can we begin to understand how biological processes interact at system level. This also demands a continued commitment to support interdisciplinary research and think even more broadly to address global problems, such as climate change, by integrating social and behavioral sciences”.

The HFSP Science Digest reflects HFSP's mission to support bold, interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of the life sciences. The featured projects exemplify the power of collaboration across borders, disciplines, and generations, the kind of ambitious research that HFSP has championed for over three decades.

The full HFSP Science Digest is available online. Hard copies can be requested at communications@hfsp.org