Biology

Did you know your brain might be more receptive to learning new things depending on the time of day? This study examined how a 24-hour cycle alters brain plasticity and neuronal excitability in rats.

UOsaka and MIT scientists revealed that the motor proteins KIF18A and CENP-E work together to align chromosomes during mitosis. Cancer cells with reduced CENP-E levels are especially sensitive to KIF18A inhibition, and dual inhibition of both proteins leads to efficient cell death. The discovery offers new insights into chromosome mechanics and a potential strategy for targeted cancer therapy.

- A research team led by DGIST Professors Pyungok Lim, Jongchan Lee, and Minsik Kim identifies a mechanism that delivers plant aging signals to chloroplasts - The findings of the study are published in Nature Plants, one of the world’s most renowned journals in botany

The balance of nutrition in early childhood affects height.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in ACS Applied Nano Materials a new method to precisely measure nuclear elasticity—the stiffness or softness of the cell nucleus—in living cells. By employing a technique called Nanoendoscopy-AFM (NE-AFM), which inserts a nanoneedle probe directly into cells, the team revealed how cancer cell nuclei stiffen or soften depending on chromatin structure and environmental conditions. The findings provide fundamental insights into how the physical properties of cancer cell nuclei change during disease progression, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment evaluation.

A novel study from scientists at National Taiwan University challenges the long-held view of ketone bodies as mere energy substrates, revealing instead that those produced during lactation act as epigenetic signals that promote beige adipocyte formation and protect against obesity.

Duke-NUS scientists have built one of the largest and most comprehensive maps of the developing human brain, marking a major step forward in testing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions

A new species of jellyfish has been discovered! Researchers at Tohoku University named this venomous creature Physalia mikazuki, after the crescent moon helmet worn by Sendai’s feudal lord Date Masamune.

Researchers at The University of Osaka and The University of Tokyo developed a photoactivatable alkyne tag that enables stable, selective visualization of biomolecules inside living cells. The technology would contribute to reveal previously unseen molecular communication, paving the way for advances in cell biology and drug discovery.

$5.5 Million partnership with WCS and WorldFish will expand Bangladesh’s Marine Protected Area network and strengthen community-led ocean stewardship

Merging Molecular Biology and Photochemistry for Breakthrough Innovation

A collaboration team of researchers from the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Graduate School of Science at Nagoya University, and the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) reports in ACS Nano an integrative modeling workflow to understand with atomistic precision biomolecular dynamics from high-speed atomic force microscopy experiments.

In the marine green alga Codium fragile, unusual carotenoids rapidly dissipate harmful chlorophyll triplet states, protecting the organism from light-induced damage. Using EPR spectroscopy and quantum chemical simulations, the study revealed the structural and electronic principles behind this photoprotection, offering insights for potential bio-inspired solar technologies.

A Hiroshima University ecologist proposes a flexible anytime, anywhere bird survey approach to expand biodiversity data collection

Modified yeast developed to efficiently adsorb targeted elements from solutions

Lab tests confirm that Pin1 inhibitors could reduce and stop outbreaks of herpes simplex virus-1

Researchers from The University of Tokyo have found that single cells in collective chemotaxis act like agents in distributed reinforcement learning, utilizing the environment as an “external memory” and exhibiting highly intelligent behavior.

SOSE researchers are looking at a possible vaccine for H. pylori, a widely common bacterium that causes stomach ulcers and raises the risk for stomach cancer.

Researchers at The University of Osaka discovered that the protein TMEM217 is essential for sperm motility and male fertility. TMEM217 stabilizes a protein complex that produces the signaling molecule cAMP, which powers the sperm’s tail. Mice lacking TMEM217 have immotile sperm, but treating the sperm with a cAMP-like molecule restored motility and fertility via IVF. This finding opens doors for new diagnostics and therapies for male infertility.

Researchers from The University of Osaka in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new therapy for a severe form of male infertility called non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver specific mRNA into the testes of infertile mice, they were able to restart sperm production. The sperm produced were then used in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to successfully generate healthy and fertile offspring. The findings provide a crucial proof-of-concept for treating male infertility caused by genetic defects.

A team of international researchers has developed alternatives to antibiotics that prevent infection of cow udders, called bovine mastitis, to address rising antibiotic resistance and concerns around milk contamination from antibiotic residues.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have discovered precursor T follicular regulatory cells (preTfr), comprising 30-50% of circulating Tfr in human blood. preTfr are significantly reduced in severe COVID-19 and sepsis, correlating with increased anti-interferon-gamma autoantibodies and activated atypical B cells. Unlike stable conventional naïve regulatory T cells, preTfr are specifically depleted during severe disease. When stimulated, preTfr up-regulate suppressive molecules including IL-1RA and show enhanced wound healing capacity. Conversely, mRNA vaccination increases preTfr frequency, suggesting controlled immune participation. The findings identify preTfr as a therapeutic target for preventing autoantibody production during severe infections.

Ancient black holes, How good cholesterol is made, Self-healing plastic, Dengue’s genetic imprint, Korean mussel power & Space clean-up. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

A Kyoto University study has revealed, for the first time, how the body produces the “good cholesterol” that can prevent heart disease

In a bold step toward climate action, leading microbiology societies and organizations have unveiled their first joint global strategy to harness the power of microbial science in addressing the climate crisis. This landmark strategy has been published across 6 scientific journals, including Sustainable Microbiology.

Cell membranes in our body relies on membrane viscosity to transport membranes and carry-out cellular functions. But measuring this viscosity has been notoriously difficult, with scientists often relying on model membranes. Now, a collaborative research team has developed a new method to directly measure the viscosity of living cell membranes directly.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in ACS Nano, how proteins in cells can be controllably activated through heating, an effect that can be used to initiate programmed cell death.

Researchers at The University of Osaka and Kanazawa University have developed a novel method for analyzing cancer metabolism, revealing new insights into cancer's inefficient energy process. This breakthrough, published in Metabolic Engineering, combines biological experiments with advanced information science techniques to uncover the role of cancer-specific inefficient metabolism.

An international research group led by The University of Osaka has developed scODIN, a novel computational tool to classify cell types from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Existing methods struggle to balance speed and accuracy, often misclassifying rare or transitional cells. scODIN overcomes this limitation by combining a hierarchical classification system (Tier system) with k-nearest neighbor inference. This approach allows for the rapid and accurate classification of large datasets, processing 650,000 cells in just six minutes. The tool's improved accuracy stems from its ability to identify cells at varying levels of detail, recognize intermediate phenotypes through double labeling, and recover cells affected by dropout events. scODIN promises to accelerate biomedical discoveries by enabling more precise and efficient analysis of complex biological processes and disease mechanisms.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that the radial spoke protein CFAP91 is crucial for flagellum formation in sperm, and that the proximal protein EFCAB5 is important for sperm motility. Loss of function of either of these proteins impairs spermatogenesis, suggesting that their mutation or loss can lead to male infertility.