Ultrathin magnetic films for next-generation memory devices face a trade-off between atomic ordering and surface flatness. Researchers from the University of Toyama addressed this using a two-step heating method to grow highly ordered 5-nm-thick FePd films. The process involves low-temperature deposition for smooth layer-by-layer growth, followed by an annealing step to promote atomic ordering. The findings provide a simple strategy for developing energy-efficient magnetic random-access memory and high-density magnetic storage technologies.

Certain systems exhibit collective dynamics driven by nonreciprocal interactions, where particles do not exert equal influences on one another. Researchers from Tokyo University of Science demonstrated such behavior in a colloidal system containing more than 10,000 particles. Instead of growing into large static aggregates, the particles formed self-propelled pairs that sustained a dynamic, fragmented state. The experiment provides a platform for studying nonreciprocal interactions and their role in shaping collective dynamics in large-scale systems.

A newly identified role for C/EBPγ reveals how lung adenocarcinoma cells simultaneously acquire invasive properties and strengthen DNA repair. The findings uncover a potential driver of treatment resistance and a promising therapeutic target.

High-coverage Jomon and Yayoi genomes reveal continuity with modern Japanese, continental ancestry, and prehistoric starch adaptations in Japan.

A spinout from the University of Osaka is developing a slim, lightweight, single-use endoscope designed specifically for gastric cancer screening. By simplifying conventional endoscope design, the device aims to reduce patient discomfort, lower costs, and lessen the burden on healthcare professionals. Its disposable format removes the need for cleaning and disinfection, while future integration with AI and digital platforms could support more accessible and efficient screening.

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan have discovered that the natural turnover of gut cells in the fruit fly depends on how much food the flies get, rather than any specific nutrient. They found that gut cell death was prevented when nutrient levels were high and the insides of gut cells were viscous and less fluid. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this finding goes against traditional ideas in nutrient biology, which hold that nutrient sensing relies on biological signaling pathways activated by specific nutrients.

Kyoto, Japan -- Inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, or IBMFS, describes a group of disorders in which inherited genetic abnormalities impair the bone marrow's ability to produce sufficient healthy blood cells. Patients with these disorders are also at increased risk of developing myelodysplastic syndromes -- MDS -- a group of blood cancers in which the bone marrow produces excess abnormal blood cells and insufficient healthy ones.

When young patients are diagnosed with either condition, an underlying germline genetic abnormality can generally be suspected as the cause. The genetic basis and mechanisms of these diseases remain unknown in many patients, but advances in genomic analysis are identifying an increasing number of causative genes.

Recently, germline variants in the genes SLF2 and SMC5 were reported to cause Atelis Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder frequently accompanied by blood abnormalities. During a follow-up with syndrome patients, a team of researchers at Kyoto University found that some had developed MDS at a young age, and further that clinical features of IBMFS were evident. The team hypothesized that the abnormalities in SLF2 and SMC5 represent a previously unrecognized cause of IBMFS, and indicate a predisposition to MDS.

Movement is a central aspect of almost every animal’s survival, whether it relates to local exploration or global migration. Even more sophisticated behaviors, such as the collective interactions for which many types of ants are famous, are built upon the motion of the individual. As such, understanding this individual behavior is integral to piecing together the life and ecology of an animal. By recording how individual ants explore a laboratory environment, researchers have come up with a model for how these ants navigate based on stochastic physics. As one of the most rigorous descriptions of ant exploration behavior to date, this model allows researchers to explore how these ants might behave in new environments, and highlights how physics-based tools and models can be used to quantify and understand living systems.

In a recent study performed in mice, researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have identified ways in which low-frequency noise in our environment coming from sources such as ACs and water pumps can trigger blood vessel damage to kidneys, even if the sounds are inaudible.

Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a smart hydrogel film that changes color to signal food spoilage in real time. By immobilizing anthocyanins, a natural plant pigment, onto a metal-organic framework, the team stabilized the pigment against light and heat while preserving its pH sensitivity. Flexible, largely biodegradable, and able to seal its own surface cuts, the film offers a reliable, objective way to assess food quality and extend shelf life.