Biology

A preliminary mouse study suggests that mimecan helps regulate how tendons gain strength and stiffness during maturation.

Early rice gets the flower, Exercising against cancer, Efficient artificial photosynthesis, New “living pink rocks”, Unlocking megathrust earthquakes, Longevity protein demystified and Death gene paradox. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Disrupting a single enzyme gene in red perilla reshaped its metabolism, producing green plants enriched in health-promoting molecules.

Scientists have found a way to spot early signs of skin aging, discovering that collagen's hidden internal structure begins to unravel before the fibers themselves break apart.

Sperm velocity found to drop in Japanese rice fish that spawn consecutively

- Prof. Hyuk-Jun Kwon’s research team presents a roadmap for an intelligent artificial olfactory system that combines the novel material metal-organic frameworks with AI - Overcomes existing limitations by mimicking the principles of the human olfactory system, poised to drive innovation across future industries such as disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring - Published in Progress in Materials Science, one of the world’s leading journals in materials science (top 0.7% in JCR)

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed an improved technique called “tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization” (t-SPESI), allowing the analysis of regions within individual cells with greater sensitivity and stability. Through device miniaturization and molecular modification of the probe surface, the team achieved higher sensitivity and long-term stability, successfully visualizing lipid distributions in mouse brain tissue at a pixel size of 5 µm.

Hiroshima University researchers have demonstrated a proof of concept for the mass-production of genome-edited T cells that can be used to treat malignant tumors, using a genetic engineering technique called Platinum TALEN.

Researchers at National Taiwan University and the University of Southern Denmark show that obesity in male mice raises let-7 microRNAs in sperm, which silence the enzyme DICER1 and impair mitochondrial function in the fat tissue of their offspring. Weight loss reverses part of the effect in both mice and men.

- Prof. Hyosang Lee’s research team identifies the dual role of the TWIK-1 potassium ion channel in the spinal cord and peripheral sensory neurons, suggesting the potential for the treatment of neuropathic pain - Published in the international journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

How did a large crab end up trapped inside a plastic bottle with an opening smaller than its body? Hiroshima University researchers investigated this unusual marine mystery, revealing a lesser-known impact of marine plastic pollution on crustaceans.

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.

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.

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.

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

Sweet power nanogenerator, Cosmic fossil, Dopamine and Alzheimer's link, Sustainable 3D printing, Quantum dots for brain diseases, Smart trolley and Bamboo and bone. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus SciCom Coffee talk: Inside a University Merger.

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.

• Joint collaboration on BCI development and access to GMP-certified research facilities • Partnership supports Korea’s “K-Moonshot” initiative by combining DGIST’s biomedical engineering expertise with Ybrain’s neurotechnology

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

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).

Pomacea canaliculata, commonly known as the apple snail, a pest commonly found in Hong Kong’s wetlands and farmlands, feeds on aquatic plants and deposits its eggs on terrestrial plants or stone bunds. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the “100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species”. The Division of Science of Lingnan University and its collaborative research team analysed the genomes of the Pomacea canaliculata and its close relatives, and discovered that despite being aquatic animals, they possess the trait of terrestrial reproduction, and their egg masses also exhibit desiccation resistance, UV screening, and predator deterrence. This capability may originate from an infection by a virus during the Jurassic period, where their ancestors integrated the viral gene to evolve in their own genome, and scholars point out that this could not only provide foundational insight into how land invasion occurred, but also suggest potential avenues for developing inhibitors to eradicate the snail pest from the root. These research findings were recently published in the top international academic journal Advanced Science.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of an emerging foodborne disease-causing bacterium in wild raccoons and environmental water. They found genetic similarities between the strains found in both, suggesting possible transmission between wildlife and water. Genomic analyses of samples taken from the raccoons showed that many strains found in the animals carried virulence genes associated with diarrhea outbreaks in humans.

Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they're actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. A new study found that the deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan's Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community of these ‘living pink rocks,’ including four species completely new to science. Researchers identified at least 12 species in a small patch of seafloor 35–38 meters deep, but only three were also found in nearby shallow waters, suggesting the deeper habitat is not simply a continuation of the one near the surface.

Hiroshima University researchers say a newly proposed three-step “detour” pathway for making dolichol, a molecule cells need to properly process proteins, may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved “detour” and evidence of a possible “backup route,” to produce a molecule essential to life.

- Professor Yu Seong-woon’s team identifies a novel role of the “p53” gene that controls chronic stress-induced brain disorders - Successful prevention of depression and memory impairment using the anticancer drug “RITA”: a novel concept of mental disorder treatment is expected - Published in “Autophagy”—the world’s leading academic journal in the field of autophagy

PHABCON 2026, advanced research on human-animal bonds as pathways to healing, care, and connection.

A new paper in Nature finds that previously unrecognised group of young worker honeybees are responsible for engineered microenvironments that have a critical role in queen development.

Researchers at The University of Osaka used a focused laser beam to make in vitro models of cytoskeletal networks that exhibit dynamic cell-like motions. This technique provides spatiotemporal control of the network structure, unlike conventional methods based on self-organization and photochemical reactions. The models could be used to determine the structure–motion relationship of cytoskeletal networks, which has applications for understanding cell division, migration, and adhesion and the creation of protein-based robots and synthetic cells.