Kyoto, Japan -- Almost all animal species -- including humans -- have blood cells, but between different species our blood tells different stories. The lineage and components of blood cells vary widely, and this variety is a testament to how animals have evolved to protect themselves from infectious diseases.

Thanks to advances in hematology and immunology, we now have detailed knowledge of the components and functions of both human and mouse blood cells. However, their evolutionary history has remained largely unknown. This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to investigate when and how blood cells originated, and how they diversified.

The team began by developing a new analytic method to compare gene expression profiles across various cell lineages and animal species. With this they were able to construct phylogenetic trees of cell lineages and estimate the evolutionary history of these lineages in animals. They also included unicellular organisms in their comparison in order to trace the origin of blood cells back to possible single-celled ancestors.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have categorized a unique, previously unclassified type of heat wave in Japan, so-called “moist heat waves” which are accompanied by an approaching tropical cyclone. These heat waves are accompanied by high humidity and/or heavy precipitation, and their frequency has been rising over the last thirty years, accounting for approximately a quarter of the heat wave days surveyed. They may potentially trigger multiple natural hazards at once.

Real time data collected during the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake response show that unclear tasks and command structures, and lack of meal- and rest breaks increased self-reported fatigue among disaster responders.

While omnidirectional cameras can provide a 360-degree field of view, they often struggle to detect small moving objects, as important visual details are lost due to distortion and low resolution, even when distortion reduction methods are applied. A new study addresses this problem by building an annotated training dataset and refining a You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based detection model through transfer learning. The method substantially outperformed standard YOLO models, especially for small and distant objects.

Kyoto, Japan -- Like schools of fish and flocks of birds, our cells too can migrate collectively in coordination with their neighbors. This harmonious movement of cells occurs during embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. However, since individual cells can only sense limited local information, how they are able to coordinate as a larger collective has remained poorly understood.

Previous studies have demonstrated that this collective migration involves adhesion between cells and waves of ERK signaling activation, named for the ERK proteins involved, and may also be influenced by ZO-1, a scaffolding protein best known for its role in cell-cell adhesion. Building on this knowledge, a team of researchers at Kyoto University was motivated to uncover the elusive mechanism behind collective cell movement.

Using live-cell imaging of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells -- model mammal cells often used in biomedical studies -- the researchers were able to directly observe the movement of cell collectives. They simultaneously monitored ERK activity using a FRET biosensor and visualized ZO-1 localization using fluorescently tagged ZO-1.

What if some of the most important scientific discoveries are already hidden in data collected years ago? Researchers at Tohoku University are exploring how AI and data-driven science can reveal new insights from past experiments and scientific literature. Their review highlights how old data could help accelerate discoveries in chemistry and materials science. 

Researchers at Kyoto University and Tohoku University have developed a new porous polymer gel that selectively recognizes specific molecules (referred to as ‘guests’ in the study) through coordination chemistry and converts these invisible molecular-scale interactions into strikingly visible, macroscale deformation. The study demonstrates how subtle differences in molecular structure can directly alter the shape, color, and mechanical properties of a soft material, opening new possibilities for “smart” stimuli-responsive materials and molecularly programmable soft matter that can sense and react to its environment.

Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered a new principle that could help accelerate the development of cheaper and more efficient fuel cells. The team discovered that dual-atom catalysts follow a previously unknown “dual-Sabatier optima” pattern, overturning long-standing assumptions in catalyst science and opening new possibilities for clean energy technologies.

Scientists identified a key breakpoint in the RELA gene that helps predict how harmful mutations cause a rare inherited inflammatory disease. Mutations in a location before amino acid P290 reduce protein levels, whilst those located after P290 produce disruptive proteins. The finding could improve diagnosis and treatment selection for patients with RELA deficiency.