A new regional assessment shows that Southeast Asia is a major net source of greenhouse gases, with land-use change and rising fossil fuel use overwhelming natural carbon sinks, reservoirs that store carbon-containing chemical compounds for a long period. 

The process of aging is associated with a decline in immune functions and persistent low-level inflammation. Now, researchers from Japan have discovered a strain of Lentilactobacillus capable of preventing and even reversing aging-related immune alterations. Feeding aged mice with heat-inactivated YRC2606 resulted in lowered levels of inflammatory cytokines and signaling proteins. These findings point to the possibility of a functional food intervention that has the potential to benefit an increasingly aging population.

A human ‘tubuloid’ model captures the slow progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), addressing key limitations of animal and stem-cell models. Researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo grew 3D tubuloid structures from adult patient kidney cells and exposed them to the chemotherapy drug cisplatin to replicate key features of CKD: DNA damage, cellular senescence, inflammation, and fibrosis. This realistic platform provides a new way to develop and test treatments for a condition affecting millions globally.

An analysis by Shinshu University and the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan shows that wholesale prices for flounder—a key Fukushima catch—remained stable after the August 2023 ALPS-treated water discharge. Using a predictive market model based on pre-discharge data, the study found no significant price decline, providing reassurance for fisheries stakeholders and informing future policy debates on nuclear-water disposal.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) refer to a group of man-made chemicals that are widely used due to their water- and stain-resistant properties and exceptional chemical stability. However, they often accumulate in the environment, causing environmental and health hazards. A team of researchers has recently shown how zinc oxide nanocrystals capped with specific ligands can efficiently defluorinate perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a well-known perfluoroalkyl substance. This approach could solve PFAS recycling challenges.

Features of urban areas, such as street connectivity or access to green spaces, can impact cardiometabolic health. However, most studies in this area do not provide actionable findings for effective urban planning. Researchers now discuss how parametric urban design, an advanced computational approach, could overcome the existing methodological limitations and increase the applicability of findings. Their insights could help clinicians, public health researchers, and urban designers to refine their current approaches and develop health-focused environments.

Imagine suddenly losing your ability to smell certain foods; no longer sensing the aroma of fresh bread or ripe fruit. This is what happens to roundworms when they stop reproducing. They can still move and function normally, but they lose their ability to detect certain food odors that once led them to their meals. Their own genes have essentially betrayed them.

Researchers at Nagoya University have found the gene that causes this sensory decline. Published in Aging Cell, this is believed to be the first time scientists have identified a gene that actively shuts down food-odor detection in aging animals.

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has successfully demonstrated 2 Tbit/s Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication using small optical communication terminals that can be mounted on satellites and HAPS, marking a world first for this technology.

This experiment involved horizontal free-space optical communication between two types of small portable optical terminals developed by NICT: a high-performance FX (Full Transceiver) installed at NICT Headquarters (Koganei, Tokyo) and a simplified ST (Simple Transponder) installed at an experimental site 7.4 km away (Chofu, Tokyo). Despite the difficult conditions of an urban environment with atmospheric turbulence that disrupts laser beams, the system maintained a stable total communication speed of 2 Tbit/s via Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) transmission of 5 channels (400 Gbit/s each). This is the first time in the world that terabit-class communication has been realized using terminals miniaturized enough to be mounted on satellites or HAPS.

Moving forward, NICT plans to further miniaturize the terminals for implementation onboard a 6U CubeSat. NICT aims to conduct free-space optical communication demonstrations at speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s between a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite (altitude approx. 600 km) and the ground in 2026, and between a satellite and HAPS in 2027. Through these experiments, NICT will demonstrate compact, ultra-high-speed data communication capabilities and pave the way for the realization of Beyond 5G/6G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN).

A team of researchers from YOKOHAMA National University, Japan, have discovered a previously unknown species of marine fungus that can kill harmful, bloom-forming algae.

The new species, Algophthora mediterranea, is a form of microscopic chytrid fungus that can occupy a broad range of hosts, suggesting that chytrid fungi – a diverse group of aquatic fungi – may play a greater role in marine ecosystems than previously thought.

Critically, the fungus was identified as a destructive parasite in a species of algae, Ostreopsis cf. ovata, known to cause toxic blooms that have adverse health effects on humans. The findings are published online in Mycologia on December 15, 2025.

A joint team from UOsaka has uncovered the core principles of the loss maximization in rotor-driven gas-liquid two-phase flows. Performing numerical simulations on the supercomputer "SQUID", they identified the causes as direct collisions between the rotor and the liquid surface and pressure imbalances around the rotor. The findings suggest that, in a resonant state, the enhanced fluid motion is drawn toward the front of the rotor, and the flow instability is intensified behind it. The insights from this research would open the possibility of improving energy efficiency, enhancing reliability and lifespan, and providing new design guidelines for various industrial applications.