Out-of-equilibrium states that deviate from thermodynamic equilibrium are crucial not only for biological systems but also for designing synthetic functional materials. Now, researchers from Japan have developed supramolecular 2D nanosheets capable of transforming into dimensionally distinct out-of-equilibrium structures depending on ultraviolet light intensity. This work opens a new avenue for designing advanced adaptive materials that exhibit diverse responses depending on the light energy applied.

Researchers report on how two species of parasitic ants—Lasius orientalis and Lasius umbratus—invade and overtake a host ant colony. In both cases, the parasitic ant queen invades the nest and sprays the host colony queen with what is likely formic acid. This manipulates the host colony worker ants to attack and execute their own queen.

Researchers at The University of Osaka developed the Balloon-Assisted Bronchoscope Delivery (BDBD) technique and in a first-in-human clinical trial, the team successfully demonstrated that this technique is both safe and effective, enabling access to lesions smaller than 20 mm. By using a small balloon to gently widen airways, it allows endoscopes to reach deep, peripheral lung tumors, promising more accurate cancer diagnosis and new minimally invasive treatment options.

Conventional borehole backfilling suffers from various technical limitations, making infrastructure demolition and renewal difficult. In an innovative development, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology have proposed a novel circulating mixing method that pumps backfill material from the bottom of boreholes with unprecedented uniformity throughout the entire depth. This technology can revolutionize urban construction and renewal projects, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

Addressing the urgent demand for clean energy, Japanese researchers utilized a single-step solution plasma process to synthesize high-performing, cost-effective, bifunctional catalysts for metal–air batteries. Their cobalt-tin hydroxide/carbon composites rival traditional platinum- and ruthenium-based materials in both performance and long-term stability. This breakthrough significantly lowers manufacturing costs and enhances the scalability of next-generation batteries, poised to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.

A 3 months study conducted in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Japan, revealed that healthcare workers experience reduced environmental satisfaction and concentration due to lack of natural light and excessive ambient noise. When designing ICUs, architects should focus on increasing natural light and mitigating noise. These factors could help enhance healthcare worker satisfaction, productivity, and quality of patient care.

Much research has been conducted to understand how people perceive and benefit from public goods. However, the effect of public goods on inequality, which can be swayed by public opinion, has not been well examined. In a new study, researchers explore how a better understanding of the benefits of public goods can change public opinion regarding taxation and public expenditure, potentially leading to reduced inequality through a larger government and higher taxation.

By fusing enzyme fragments to antibodies, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, developed an innovative enzyme switch “Switchbody,” which is activated when bound to its target antigen. Switchbody is based on a trap-and-release of enzyme fragment that dynamically controls enzyme activity, offering new opportunities in diagnostics, therapeutics, and precision bioprocessing.

Researchers from The University of Osaka fabricated a nanopore surrounded by a gate as a cooling system with enhanced efficiency for semiconductor chips. Applying a voltage to the gate induces the flow of ions through the nanopore. Creating a salt gradient makes the ion flow unidirectional. Heat is dragged along with the ions, resulting in heat transfer. Changing the applied voltage from negative to positive switches the system from cooling to heating.