Hydrogen boride (HB) nanosheets can inactivate viruses, bacteria, and fungi within minutes in the dark conditions. By coating surfaces with HB nanosheets, it rapidly inactivates SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and other pathogens. The nanosheets work by denaturing microbial proteins, offering a safe, effective, and versatile antimicrobial coating for everyday items.

Environmental factors and DNA methylation are known to play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While environmental factors are known to alter neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe of the brain, researchers have now observed differentially methylated regions in key brain areas as well as heightened expression of RABGGTB—a gene related to autophagy and synaptic function. These findings shed light on the interplay of environmental and genetic factors in ASD.

Achieved the first spectroscopic observation of hydrogen (H₂) and deuterium (D₂) molecules physically adsorbed within an atomic-scale space known as a picocavity.Employed picometric rotational/vibrational spectroscopy to elucidate their structure and dynamics at the single-molecule level.Observed distinct spectral responses for H₂ and D₂, and theoretically demonstrated that these differences arise from non-trivial isotope effects due to quantum nuclear effects.

This advancement in precision molecular spectroscopy within picocavities opens new possibilities for well-controlled studies of functional materials for energy applications, such as hydrogen storage systems and catalytic surfaces, as well as for developing single-molecule quantum control technologies.

Kyoto, Japan -- In nature, ecosystems are tightly linked through the flow of organisms, detritus, and nutrients across boundaries arbitrarily imagined by humans. These systems are deeply in tune with seasonal changes, fostering a harmonious ebb and flow of resources.

Many of these connections remain poorly understood, especially the mechanisms responsible for maintaining biodiversity at the landscape level. One important example is the environmental drivers underlying variations in life-histories, or how organisms grow, survive, and reproduce in natural ecosystems. But as human activities ravage biodiversity on a global scale, elucidating the factors that cause variations in an organism's life-history is fundamental for understanding not only population persistence and adaptation to fluctuating environments, but also effective conservation and management.

Motivated to shed light on these factors, a team of researchers at Kyoto University is studying how seasonally recurring resource subsidies affect life-histories. Via a large-scale field experiment in a temperate forest-stream ecosystem, they are testing whether the seasonal timing of terrestrial subsidies contributes to maintaining variations in life-history traits of red-spotted masu salmon, a common freshwater fish in Japan.

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that the Wnt5a protein, secreted by inflammatory fibroblasts within cancerous tumors, inhibits angiogenesis and consequently promotes hypoxia within tumors. Hypoxic conditions help sustain the inflammatory fibroblasts, which also secrete the growth factor epiregulin, thereby promoting tumor growth. This newly proposed mechanism for tumor growth offers a promising new target for cancer therapies and possibly other conditions linked to inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Kyoto, Japan -- Diabetes is characterized by the pancreas producing too little insulin, but there is a rarer condition in which it produces too much. A hormone-producing tumor originating in the pancreas -- an insulinoma -- is the cause. Patients with the condition often experience severe hypoglycemia, resulting in convulsions, impaired consciousness, and sometimes even death.

The definitive treatment for an insulinoma is surgical removal, which depends on precise localization. However, existing diagnostic methods are limited by low sensitivity or high invasiveness, resulting in urgent clinical demand for a new means of detection.

"As endocrinologists and researchers, we frequently encountered patients experiencing severe hypoglycemia who faced delays or difficulties in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, negatively impacting their quality of life," says first author Takaaki Murakami of Kyoto University.

The Arctic is one of the coldest places on Earth, but in recent decades, the region has been rapidly warming, at a rate three to four times faster than the global average. However, current climate models have been unable to account for this increased pace. Now, researchers at Kyushu University have reported in a study, published April 29 in Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research, that clouds may be to blame.