Okayama University of Science soccer players are using Google Gemini as a “thinking partner” to reflect on their performance, identify challenges, and improve team operations. What began as a faculty-led generative AI seminar has expanded into student-led learning and the use of AI across activities ranging from data analysis and training to public relations and community engagement.

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), a photoelectric effect that generates photocurrent without a p–n junction, can persist even when a material’s average crystal structure remains centrosymmetric, a study from Institute of Science Tokyo has found. Researchers demonstrated this in CuCrP₂S₆, a van der Waals material that transitions from a non-centrosymmetric to a centrosymmetric average structure. The finding challenges the conventional view of BPVE and suggests a new strategy for enhancing photoelectric conversion.

Fungal bloodstream infections can be life-threatening, and accurately identifying the causative fungal species is important for clinicians to administer appropriate treatment. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed an innovative workflow that uses various genomic and sequence-analysis techniques to identify fungal species in blood samples much faster than conventional methods. Their approach could help patients receive the most effective treatment for their specific fungal infection as soon as possible.

Bacterial toxins can create pores in epithelial cell membranes, threatening cell survival and weakening the body’s protective barriers. Yet when these barriers are breached, cells may have an unexpected response. Researchers at Juntendo University investigated a lipid signaling pathway involving 12-HHT and BLT2 to understand what happens inside cells after toxin-induced membrane damage. Their study sheds new light on the cellular events that unfold as damaged cells fight to recover from injury.

Gait is a fundamental activity of daily living that reflects physical and cognitive function. Researchers studied 421 older individuals and found that mild cognitive impairment was associated with slower gait speed during both comfortable and fast walking, even after accounting for frailty. The findings add evidence that gait speed, already used to assess physical function, may also help assess cognitive function and support future cognitive screening in daily life.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed a method for distinguishing the L- and D-forms of amino acids based on current waveforms generated by single molecules passing through a nanogap. The L/D ratio of amino acids is a potential biosignature of life. Major features of the amino acid composition were captured for astrobiologically relevant samples. The method could be used to develop electrical instruments for extraterrestrial life detection.

Chiba University’s Synergy Institute for Futuristic Mucosal Vaccine Research and Development (cSIMVa) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) at the University of Ghana signed an MOU to build a global research hub and establish a sustainable joint research framework.

A research team led by Associate Professor Yohei Funakoshi, Associate Professor Kimikazu Yakushijin, and Professor Hironobu Minami of the Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology at Kobe University Hospital, together with Associate Professor Goh Ohji of the Division of Infectious Disease Therapeutics and Takaji Matsutani of Anymics Inc., has developed the pGen-SHM plot. The method combines the generation probability (pGen) of individual B-cell receptor (BCR) sequences with somatic hypermutation (SHM) associated with antigen-driven maturation. This enables the visualization and objective assessment of the maturation of the BCR repertoire after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Kyoto, Japan -- Fertility treatments are becoming more and more advanced, including with cryopreservation, or the freezing of eggs and sperm. However, studies involving animal sperm often use a lactose solution containing chicken egg yolk and OEP, a detergent containing sodium lauryl sulfate: the former carrying the risk of microbial contamination and high batch variability, while the latter has the potential to damage oocytes during in vitro fertilization.

These issues with current sperm cryopreservation solutions motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University and RIKEN to see if they could find a better alternative. They set out to develop a more reliable, chemically defined cryopreservation solution for rat sperm that does not contain egg yolk or OEP, which they then evaluated for its IVF efficacy.

"We were particularly interested in whether rat sperm could be cryopreserved without egg yolk, which has been used for many years in conventional sperm preservation solutions," says first author Kohtaro Morita.

Researchers led by the University of Osaka analyzed lymphatic malformations from 34 patients and found shared molecular features regardless of whether PIK3CA mutations were detected. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was activated in malformed lymphatic vessels, while spatial transcriptomics highlighted NFATC1, associated with the calcineurin-NFAT pathway, as a possible contributor to the disease pathogenesis. The findings deepen the understanding of lymphatic malformations and may help refine existing treatments and identify new therapeutic targets.