STRASBOURG, France, 12 October 2026 — How did life begin on Earth? Can plants adapt to a changing climate? What can the rhythmic abilities of aquatic mammals reveal about the evolution of communication? These are among the questions explored in HFSP Science Digest #5, published today by the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO).

Through 30 articles spanning 68 pages, the new edition offers a panoramic view of frontier life science research, from the molecular machinery of cells to animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and the complex interactions between organisms and their environments. The publication brings together research outcomes from recently completed HFSP-funded projects, introduces new scientific directions, and presents in-depth stories that reveal both the discoveries and the people behind them.

Exploring life sciences across disciplines and scales
Organized around six thematic areas, Research Outcomes and Horizons highlights the diversity of HFSP-supported research, from fish and robotics that help scientists understand collective behavior to neural circuits that shape memory and decision-making. Other projects investigate interactions between species, plant development, cell-to-cell communication, and the molecular machinery that keeps cells functioning.

Looking towards the future, The Path of Discovery offers a thematic portrait of newly awarded HFSP projects, introducing the scientific questions and emerging research directions that will shape the next generation of frontier discoveries.
The Digest also takes a closer look at three scientific topics through in-depth reporting: how plants respond to environmental change, the mating behaviors of mosquitoes and their relevance to disease transmission, and how RNA may have emerged on the early Earth. Two interviews with Ukrainian scientists supported through the Scientists for Scientists (S4S) initiative offer a personal perspective on rebuilding their lives and continuing their research amid war.

The scientists behind the discoveries
In the final section, the editorial offers an in-depth look at research by HFSP awardees who presented their work at the latest HFSP Awardees Meeting in Geneva. Three stories explore the rhythmic abilities of aquatic mammals and what they may reveal about the evolution of vocal communication—featured on the cover with an image of Tattoo, a male harbor seal at Zoomarine in Italy—the biological processes that sustain algal blooms, and the surprising possibility that microorganisms can produce oxygen in environments where sunlight never reaches.

“The next frontiers in life sciences may not lie within individual disciplines, but in the connections between them. This edition of the HFSP Science Digest illustrates how bringing together different perspectives and approaches can open new paths to discovery and help us address some of the most fundamental questions about life,” said Guntram Bauer, Chief Scientific Officer of HFSP.

Published annually, the HFSP Science Digest shares the scientific questions, collaborative approaches, and discoveries emerging from HFSP-supported research. Now in its fifth edition, the publication reflects HFSP's longstanding commitment to enabling bold, interdisciplinary and international collaborations that push the boundaries of knowledge in the life sciences.

HFSP Science Digest #5 is available online.

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The Human Frontier Science Program was founded in 1989 by G7 nations and the European Commission to advance international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences. Its aims are to promote intercontinental collaboration and training in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research focused on the life sciences. HFSP receives financial support from the governments or research councils of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, as well as from the European Commission. Since 1990, more than 8,500 researchers from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 31 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.