A new study from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) shows that certain gut bacteria found in one-month-old infants are associated with future development of food sensitivities and the development of food allergies, particularly to eggs, while other types of bacteria are not. The study also found factors that predicted which type of bacteria would be present in the guts of newly born babies. Together, the findings suggest that certain probiotic supplements might be a good early defense for preventing food allergies, especially for at-risk infants. The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a new material that harnesses the power of enzymes more effectively. These materials have improved the reaction efficiency and long-term stability of enzymes in electrochemical biosensors used in health care and other applications. Furthermore, the researchers significantly enhanced device performance.

By using optically active liquid crystals as reaction sites, researchers at University of Tsukuba have successfully achieved the living polymerization of polymers with aligned helical structures. In this process, optically inactive monomers adopt the chiral (mirror-image) structure in liquid crystals as they grow, resulting in optically active polymers. This breakthrough represents a pioneering achievement in both asymmetric chemistry and polymer chemistry.

Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology, in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology, Nagano College, and the Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, have evaluated the deformation behavior of tools and sheet using a digital image correlation method in V-bending of sheet metals with plastic tools manufactured by a 3D printer.

This method clarifies the deformation of the plastic tools during thin sheet metal bending, opening possibilities for design of plastic tools for stamping sheet metal products, particularly in small-lot production.

Current optical and electron microscopy imaging techniques are not suited for measuring the dynamic characteristics of living microorganisms at tiny scales due to complex sample preparation methods or resolution or speed constraints. To address this issue, a team of researchers adapted the high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) technique to capture nanoscale physical and mechanical data at a faster rate to accommodate living samples. The new technique, high-speed in-line force mapping (HS-iFM) has been used to characterize the mechanical properties and appearance of dividing E. coli cells at both high resolution and speed.

Japanese collaborators detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. 

Food allergies can be life-threatening due to the rapid and exaggerated immune response. While mucosal mast cells (MMCs) are excessively proliferated during food allergies, the precise mechanisms that cause the overproduction of MMCs remain undiscovered. Now, a new study by scientists from Juntendo University, Japan, reveals the role of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII)-expressing mucosal mast cells in IgE-mediated food allergy.

New research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan challenges conventional wisdom that larger group size reduces cooperation by showing that fluid connections and innate prosocial instincts enable humans to thrive in larger social circles.

This novel finding regarding the nonreciprocal diffraction of acoustic waves could open doors for next-generation communication devices.