A group of researchers led by The University of Osaka have identified a novel genetic mutation in Streptococcus pyogenes, a common bacterium which causes strep throat, significantly associated with severe invasive infections. A single mutation in the bacterial ferric ion transporter enhances bacterial growth in human blood. This mutation, unique to Japanese isolates, indicates a novel pathogenic mechanism.  This world-first discovery offers a potential new target for treatments and preventive measures.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo explored how female body odor can influence behaviors in men. They found certain scent compounds in female body odor increased during ovulation and can subtly influence how men feel. When these scents were added to armpit odor samples, men rated them as more pleasant and faces associated with the samples as more attractive. The scents also seemed to reduce stress. The team states this is not evidence of pheromones in humans, but that smell might subtly shape how we people interact.

University Startup Entrepreneurs (USEs) possess the scientific knowledge and institutional support necessary to build and sustain high-tech ventures. But why are they not as successful as Corporate Startup Entrepreneurs (CSEs)? Empirical evidence suggests that differences in motivations, culture, knowledge, and identity could be the answer. USEs seek intellectual stimulation over financial success, struggle with accepting their entrepreneurial identity, and lack knowledge of the market and customers, putting them at a disadvantage compared to CSEs.

Template-assisted synthesis dramatically improves the yield of functionalized oligophenylene cages, report researchers from Japan. By using covalent templates to guide a six-fold Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, the researchers achieved significantly higher yields of around 68% in comparison to conventional methods, which struggle to exceed a 10% yield. The resulting molecular cages feature tailored cavities with inward-facing OH and NH₂ groups for selective molecular encapsulation—opening new avenues for host-guest chemistry and catalysis.

Researchers from Okayama University of Science and collaborating institutions have experimentally demonstrated the mathematical relationship between the number of collisions and the value of pi (π). By suspending the objects to minimize friction, the team successfully observed 31 collisions at a 1:100 mass ratio—corresponding to 3.1, the first decimal place of π—confirming that pi can be derived in real-world experiments.

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed a lipid nanoparticle that delivers mRNA to cells five times more effectively. By attaching a sulfur-containing ring structure—a cyclic disulfide—to lipid molecules, they found that significantly more mRNA can escape from cell components that normally destroy genetic material. When tested as a cancer vaccine in mice, the new delivery system stopped tumor growth. The study, published in the journal RSC Medicinal Chemistry, demonstrates the first successful use of cyclic disulfide-containing lipids to improve mRNA delivery in animals and suppress tumor growth.

Kyoto, Japan -- As the demand for more secure data transmission increases, conventional communication technologies are facing limitations imposed by classical physics, and are therefore approaching their limits in terms of security. Fortunately, quantum communication may help us overcome these restrictions.

Quantum communication harnesses the quantum nature of light by utilizing single photons as information carriers. This is a fundamentally different approach from conventional communication technologies and has the potential to lead to the development of secure, high-performance communication systems.

These future quantum technologies will require new single-photon emission sources. Recently, extremely thin two-dimensional semiconductors with a thickness of only a few atomic layers have shown great potential due to their excellent electrical and optical properties. Although increasing the efficiency of such single-photon generation is extremely important, the capacity of these materials and its strategy had not been thoroughly explored.