Japan

Researchers at the University of Osaka developed the CLiB assay, a high-throughput platform to engineer protein-based lipid-binding probes. By screening a library of protein variants, they created a highly sensitive probe for the signaling lipid PI(3,5)P2. This tool allowed the team to visualize how cells remodel their membranes to engulf damaged materials, providing a framework for developing next-generation biosensors and unlocking new insights into the dynamic landscape of biological membranes.

Base-mediated degradation of carbon−Carbon main chain polymers bearing alkoxycarbonylmethylene repeating units

Multifunctional facility associated with more frequent stays among residents

Study across five periods of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals changing long COVID patterns and the need for continued support

Black-box optimization, particularly Bayesian optimization, is a practical approach for weather-intervention design, achieving meaningful rainfall reduction even under a very limited budget of expensive weather simulations, finding effective actions with only a small number of trials.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have synergistically combined three strategies for energy dissipation to enhance the toughness of elastomers. Rotaxane molecules with sacrificial bonds are incorporated into an elastomer. Under increasing external force, three mechanisms become sequentially activated: sliding of the rotaxane molecules, force-induced bond scission in the rings to form linear chains, and entanglement of the resulting chains. A polyurethane elastomer synthesized using this strategy was five times tougher than a conventional polyurethane.

Variability, transport, and fate of riverine perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a heavily PFOA-impacted coastal sea

A field experiment with the Japan Marrow Donor Program showed that adding one factual sentence to HLA match letters—telling potential donors that compatible registered donors are limited—raised progression to confirmatory typing by 7.3%. The intervention was low-cost and simple, while combined messages weakened the effect. The result could help reduce donor dropout and improve stem cell transplant coordination.

A research group has developed “TP-An,” a molecule that enables even low-energy, long-wavelength light to be used more effectively by solar cells and photocatalysts. The molecule can be used even at high concentrations that are difficult for traditional materials, suggesting their usefulness in technology.

Cricket mothers transmit environmental information that determines embryonic developmental timing. Researchers have demonstrated that entry into developmental arrest is controlled by an integrated program of transcriptional, epigenetic, and metabolic reprogramming. Their study uncovers a system-level mechanism linking environmental cues to embryonic fate.

Researchers from the University of Osaka have demonstrated that mitochondrial hyperfusion, when induced by low levels of DRP1 or cellular stress, activates an immune response through the RIG-I–MAVS pathway. Dependent on the involvement of the BAX protein, the release of mitochondrial RNA into the cytosol enhanced natural killer cell cytotoxicity and reduced tumor growth in a xenograft model. The findings provide new possibilities for cancer research and treatment.

Location Optimization Plan associated with higher caseloads in small municipalities

Study suggests PM2.5 source apportionment may be significantly biased

Hiroshima University researchers use the previous 20 years of data to project what the currently implemented treatment and management strategy does for the HBV and HCV cases in 2050.

Researchers at the University of Osaka found that direct survey questions may overstate negative attitudes toward the news media in Japan. In two web-based randomized experiments, 45.1% of respondents agreed that “the mass media are harmful to society” when asked directly, compared with an indirect estimate of 29.7% from a list experiment. The findings suggest that, where media criticism is easy to express, direct questions may inflate anti-media sentiment.

New experimental evidence demonstrates that discrete space-time crystals can be realized in classical soft-matter systems, thereby moving beyond the traditional complexities of quantum mechanics.

Researchers have identified “DNA switches” that become active as honeybee larvae grow into worker bees, offering new insight into the development of these important pollinators and the ecosystems they support.

A Hiroshima University-led study conducted with Rakuten Securities finds that practical digital skills, positive financial attitudes, and self-protection are more consistently associated with lower old-age anxiety than traditional financial knowledge alone.

Researchers find that neurons routinely sustain DNA breaks during cortex formation, but a rapid repair system corrects the damage before harm occurs.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, carry out computer experiments to track how water nanodroplets wet surfaces

Kanazawa University-led researchers developed a one-step recycling method that recovers toxic lead (Pb) and valuable metals including gold (Au) and indium (In) from flexible perovskite solar cells, supporting sustainable solar energy technologies.

Cells have surface receptors that couple to proteins and other molecules to initiate or inhibit certain behaviors. Researchers have found that one of these receptors helps set developing cells on the path to becoming neurons much earlier than previously thought.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that using a sequence analysis approach that incorporates awareness of insertions and deletions in extramembrane domains enabled accurate reconstruction of ancestral rhodopsins that folded correctly and functioned as predicted when expressed in E. coli. The researchers’ ConsistASR analytical pipeline could be used to engineer other ancestral proteins in the future.

Researchers demonstrate a systematic screening method that can help find promising catalyst candidates without the tedious trial-and-error of every single possible combination.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed a quantum mechanical model for concentrated organic radical solutions considering stochastic collisions between molecules. The first-order contribution to intermolecular interactions is averaged to zero by collisional fluctuations, but the second-order term survives and enhances the magnetic susceptibility. These results explain experimental observations of an anomalous increase in the magnetic susceptibility at the solid-to-fluid transition that cannot be predicted by conventional theories.

A research group led by Dr. Keiko Ueno, Assistant Professor at the Innovative Clinical Research Center, Kanazawa University, has revealed the status of collaboration between fire-based emergency medical service (EMS) agencies *1) and community-based long-term care *2), welfare *3), and health organizations *4) in Japan. The study identified six key practical measures essential for building a collaborative model that sustains long-term coordination between medical care and social support needs.

Astronomical observations provide new insights into how galaxies formed and grew during the Universe's first billion years

Researchers at Kanazawa University identified dopamine-driven neural mechanisms of motivation in a mouse model of behavioral addiction, offering insights into treatment.

South-facing green walls help lower temperatures in indoor and outdoor environments

Researchers at Kanazawa University have identified a previously unrecognized mechanism by which structural changes in the cerebellum influence social behavior. The study demonstrates that disruption of specialized extracellular structures surrounding cerebellar neurons alters neuronal activity across brain circuits involved in social behavior. The findings provide new insight into the neural mechanisms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).