Researchers from the University of Osaka have demonstrated that mitochondrial hyperfusion, when induced by low levels of DRP1 or cellular stress, activates an immune response through the RIG-I–MAVS pathway. Dependent on the involvement of the BAX protein, the release of mitochondrial RNA into the cytosol enhanced natural killer cell cytotoxicity and reduced tumor growth in a xenograft model. The findings provide new possibilities for cancer research and treatment.

An Osaka Metropolitan University research team conceptualized eye-level streetscapes along routes to parks as a complementary dimension of park accessibility to explain residents’ walking behavior and extend the traditional distance-based accessibility.

An international team, including the University of Tokyo, has created a sensor inspired by the lateral line in fish – their “sixth sense” organ – which measures the pulse of lab-grown 3D heart tissue (cardiac organoids). The device, called a biomechanical well plate, looks like a small white box containing four liquid-filled wells. When an organoid is placed in a well, each beat causes the liquid to bulge into an air cavity below, changing the air pressure. This change bends a cantilever sensor, which sends live data wirelessly to an app. The device is precise, reusable and less labor-intensive than some other methods. Due to its scalability, hundreds of tests could potentially be monitored simultaneously, with advantages for drug screening and future personalized medicine. 

Researchers at Okayama University of Science are advancing Veterinary Medical Engineering through collaboration between veterinary medicine and engineering to improve the health and wellbeing of both animals and people. As part of the university’s “Quality of All Lives” Project, the team has developed Makiyoru ONE, a compact bandage pressure measurement device that enables veterinary nursing students to visualize and quantify bandaging pressure during practical training. By transforming tacit skills into measurable data, the device improves learning efficiency and helps students acquire clinical techniques more effectively. Beyond education, the project is developing innovative technologies for animal healthcare, livestock production, disaster preparedness with companion animals, and veterinary clinical practice. Guided by the concept of One Wellbeing, the initiative aims to establish the emerging field of Veterinary Medical Engineering while creating practical solutions that enhance the quality of life for both animals and humans.

In May 2024, auroras were observed at unusually low latitudes across the globe, lighting up skies that rarely see such displays. Inside Earth’s magnetosphere, the region of space surrounding our planet and dominated by its intrinsic magnetic field, something significant was finally being observed. It started with a large sunspot firing a rapid series of powerful solar eruptions. Clouds of magnetized plasma merged as they traveled through space and impacted Earth's magnetosphere. No geomagnetic storm this powerful had ever been measured in the Earth’s ring current region, a belt of charged particles in space near our planet. Two sources of ring current ions are known: solar wind and Earth's ionosphere, the electrically charged upper layer of the atmosphere. For decades, scientists have debated how much each source contributes to the ring current. During most storms, both contribute. However, during a storm driven by a dense solar wind, some scientists expected solar wind ions to continue to play a notable role. Yet the first direct measurements of ring current composition from a super geomagnetic storm revealed that solar wind ion contributions were minimal, and the level of Earth-origin ion dominance had never been observed before. The findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that understanding how much Earth's ionosphere contributes to the ring current may be essential to accurately predict the severity of super geomagnetic storms. The dominance of ionospheric ions, which are far heavier than solar wind particles, may have intensified the magnetic disturbance and concentrated the ring current peak unusually close to Earth. The researchers also make a case for a proposed Japanese multi-satellite mission to understand exactly how ion supply processes work.

In contrast to the misconception that breastfed babies sleep less as breastmilk is easily digested, a new study of 82,918 infants found that children who received breast milk during the first six months of life were less likely to experience short sleep duration at one year of age than those who were exclusively fed formula. Using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, the researchers proposed biological mechanisms that may help explain this association.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often linked with oxidative damage. However, they are essential for cell signalling. A new study highlights their crucial role in plant development and morphogenesis. Using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, researchers found that disrupting the two genes responsible for producing ROS molecules led to disrupted plant growth and formation of disordered cellular masses. The study reveals a fundamental mechanism connecting cell division, tissue structure, and plant development.

The academic significance of this study has been highly recognized internationally, as evidenced by the simultaneous publication of a highlighted Dispatch article in the same journal by Professor Christine Foyer (University of Edinburgh, UK), a world-leading authority in plant reactive oxygen research.

Plant development: RBOH genes

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982226004641

Accounting for atmospheric degradation of levoglucosan is essential for accurate identification of biomass burning sources in tropical regions, but as much as 88% of levoglucosan may be lost before measurement. After correcting for this atmospheric loss, the researchers identified urban domestic use of fuels, rather than agricultural burning, as the dominant source of PM_2.5 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 

An Osaka Metropolitan University researcher evaluated Japan’s Location Optimization Plan, a national compact city policy, using a quasi-experimental analysis across 1,595 SMCs from 2008 to 2022. The findings caution against one-size-fits-all compact city policies and suggest that small cities may need more selective, context-sensitive approaches, including smart-decline principles.

A research team at Saitama University has used first-principles quantum-mechanical calculations to clarify how various atomic-scale defects control the electronic structure, excitonic behavior, and optical properties of carbon quantum dots. The findings provide atomistic design guidelines for environmentally friendly carbon nanomaterials with potential applications in fluorescence sensing, photocatalysis, bioimaging, photothermal therapy, and optoelectronic devices.