Nature Communications

SUTD researchers refine two-photon polymerisation lithography to create high-precision, nanoscale features, advancing 3D printing to enable the production of intricate components for use in high-tech applications.

Researchers from Osaka University found that HSP47, a collagen-specific chaperone, is a key determinant of body fat levels. HSP47 expression levels are upregulated with obesity and greater food intake and decreased with fasting, exercise, calorie restriction, bariatric surgery, and wasting syndrome, suggesting that HSP47 modulation has a profound effect on fat storage.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how they can control chirality inversion in α helical peptides.

- This team developed the PAINT technology that controls the adhesive properties of new organic materials, analyzes melanin formation processes, and facilitates selective melanin formation. - A research paper on the technology, which fabricates local patterns based on melanin-like pigments, was published in Nature Communications, an international academic journal.

Researchers led by Osaka University developed a novel genome editing technique known as NICER, which results in significantly fewer off-target mutations than CRISPR/Cas9 editing. The technique uses a different type of enzyme that makes single-stranded “nicks” in the DNA. Repair of these nicks is more efficient and accurate than repair of double-strand breaks caused by the current CRISPR/Cas9 editing. This technique represents a novel approach for the treatment of genetic diseases caused by heterozygous mutations.

Scientists have found that extracellular calcium mediates the activation of a membrane protein that waves the flag signalling cell death

DishBrain reveals how human neurons work together to process information. Living model of brain could give insights into the mechanisms of how we understand and experience the world.

Roughly 10% of the proteins in our body rely on zinc. A group of researchers has unearthed the secrets behind a tiny but crucial protein that shuttles zinc ions within our bodies, offering a deeper understanding of how our cells maintain optimal health.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how calcium ions can block sodium ion channels located in cell membranes. Structural analysis and computer simulations made it possible to identify where and why calcium ions get stuck.

Viruses in man-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) provided the first evidence of frequent interactions between viruses and bacteria in man-made environments. It found that viruses can potentially help host bacteria adapt and survive in nutrient-depleted man-made environments through a unique gene insertion.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo use computer simulations of glass-forming particles to discover a new type of exotic ordering impacting the fate of the material.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, provide physical insights into ion hydration in water-based solutions, which will aid electrolyte design for energy storage technologies.

The researchers from Osaka University showed how bone erosion caused by cholesteatoma occurs. This study showed that a subset of cells called osteoclastogenic fibroblasts expresses a protein, activin A, which causes the breakdown of the bones. Because of this discovery, novel medical treatments can be developed as first-line management for cholesteatomas.

Soft metal-organic polymer networks can adsorb selected molecules from gas mixtures by opening pores when the molecules bind.

Enantioselection with neither chiral catalysis nor chiral ingredients (absolute enantioselection) has been one of the most active topics of interest but its experimental realizations have been challenging. A team led by researchers at the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) demonstrated the enantioselectivity of helical supramolecules consisting only of achiral molecules solely by exploiting chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. The helicity of the supramolecules is created not by microscopic molecular arrangements but by mesoscopically introduced dislocations. Now CISS effect has been revealed to be relevant for the wider class of chirality ranging from microscopic to mesoscopic length scales.

- A research team led by Professor Hyuk-jun Kwon, a DGIST Professor, successfully developed a graphene-metal organic framework hybrid structure with hierarchical porosity - A technology capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of nitrogen dioxide at the level of one billionth in real-time... Expected to be applied to next-generation healthcare devices

Topological materials’ unique properties make them a great choice for making next-generation devices. In order to exploit them, it was thought that crystalline materials, where atoms are highly ordered, were needed. But now, a research group has verified that even amorphous materials, where atoms are loosely arranged, can have these special properties.

New findings from a cave in northern Laos add to a growing body of evidence that modern humans arrived in Southeast Asia over 80,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

Tam Pà Ling, a cave in northern Laos, reveals new secrets about our earliest human journeys from Africa through to Australia.

Fragments of spherical ‘Buckyball’ molecules have stable electron-accepting ability with great practical potential.

Osaka Metropolitan University scientists investigated numerically the interaction between a quantized vortex and a normal-fluid. Based on the experimental results, researchers decided the most consistent of several theoretical models. They found that a model that accounts for changes in the normal-fluid and incorporates more theoretically accurate mutual friction is the most compatible with the experimental results.

Zinc is essential for our health. Our bodies must constantly regulate its zinc levels, otherwise fatal diseases such as cancers, growth failures, ad immunodeficiency can occur. Now, a research group has unearthed how zinc transporter complexes regulate zinc ion concentrations in different areas of the Golgi apparatus.

A research group led by Osaka University has found that plant cells may be able to detect mechanical forces to determine their own position within the leaf—whether they are on the surface or in the inner tissues—and therefore differentiate into appropriate cell types after damage. These findings reveal how plants regenerate the correct type of tissues when damaged, and may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the high regeneration potential of plants.

- Prof. Jung Ho Hyun’s research team at DGIST has developed a tool to verify the causal relationship between specific neurons and circuits and behavior - This will provide new information for the development of treatments using light for neurological ad psychological disorders

Researchers from Osaka University identified a new protein, NICOL, and described its crucial role in the maturation of sperm, which itself is necessary for male fertility. Mice who lacked this protein were sterile. Such a discovery may have implications for the development of male contraceptives.

The Nobel prize winning physicist Niels Bohr once said, “An expert is a (person) that has made all the mistakes that can be made in a narrow field.” This idea that to master a skill we must learn from our mistakes and avoid making them in future has long been recognized; however, the brain mechanisms and pathways that control this ability have been poorly understood. We revealed a specific brain pathway that allows us to identify and learn from our mistakes to guide better decision-making in future. Our work is an important step towards understanding how the brain controls our daily choices and behavior. The identification of these cells as ‘mistake signalers’ may also help to guide new treatments for mental health conditions associated with impaired decision-making ability.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo use isotopically purified graphite to study the phenomenon of heat flowing like a fluid, which can lead to new heat-sink devices for electronics.

- The effect of the cycle of G proteins in real time on the two-step structural change of cell membrane receptors has been investigated - This study is expected to be applied to pathologies related to G protein-coupled receptors and on research for their treatments

Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 mission contain nitrogenous organic compounds, including the nucleobase uracil, which is a part of RNA.

A study led by scientists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has identified a protease called MT1-MMP that is a major host factor behind the infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the human body, which leads to the infection of COVID-19 and multi-organ failure. By applying a humanised antibody called 3A2 that can inhibit the activity of MT1-MMP, the viral load of infected mice was reduced by almost 90%. The research team also demonstrated that the protease is a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19.