Kyoto, Japan -- Humpback whales are one of the most popular species for whale watching. Since they are active close to the water's surface, groups of whale watchers can often see them breaching and diving during breeding periods. One popular whale watching destination is the Ogasawara Islands -- also known as the Bonin Islands -- a remote archipelago about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo. These isles serve as a key breeding ground for humpback whales, which migrate in large numbers every December to May to these coastal waters.

Scientists have identified one of the main habitats of humpback whales in the Ogasawaras to be the Chichijima Island group, also home to the archipelago's main human settlement. Yet exactly which areas around Chichijima are critical for these whales has remained a mystery. This motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University, the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology to model the whales' distribution using sighting survey data.

The team examined visual survey data collected from vessels used by the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association in 2013 and also from 2015 to 2018. This data includes the locations of 160 groups of whales, totaling 234 individuals, that were confirmed during the five-year survey. The team then used two species distribution models to combine this data with topographic factors such as water depth, seabed slope, and distance from the coastline in order to predict the most suitable habitats for humpback whales.

How do animals benefit from living in colonies? By tracking over one-third of Adélie penguins in an Antarctic colony, we found that penguins often departed together and used information from conspecifics when searching for foraging sites. Individuals that had been unsuccessful on their previous trip were especially likely to reach new sites by using social information. These findings suggest that colonies can function as information hubs, helping animals make better decisions about where to forage.

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool, but it lacks data on how isotopes from natural materials affect results. To bridge this gap, a researcher from Kyushu University studied how oxygen isotopes affect the results of Raman spectroscopy on forsterite. They found that higher oxygen isotopes result in lower wavenumbers; where the isotopes are located can cause peak splitting and new vibrational modes; and peak broadening due to a decrease in symmetry of the material.

Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they're actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage.  A new study found that the deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan's Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community of these ‘living pink rocks,’ including four species completely new to science. Researchers identified at least 12 species in a small patch of seafloor 35–38 meters deep, but only three were also found in nearby shallow waters, suggesting the deeper habitat is not simply a continuation of the one near the surface.

A common concern for accepting immigrants is their effect on the host country’s welfare system. In a redistributive welfare system, where immigrants participate in the healthcare system, natives are inclined towards accepting high-income immigrants. A new study explores this question through a novel survey experiment, establishing a causal link between the perception of immigrants’ participation in the healthcare system and preferences towards different types of immigrants.

What gives certain flowers their striking, glossy appearance? Researchers investigating the hardy ice plant uncovered a fascinating optical mystery hidden within the flower’s microscopic surface. By combining advanced imaging techniques with biomimetic material design, the study explores how nature manipulates light in unexpected ways. The findings not only deepen our understanding of plant optics but also open new possibilities for designing innovative reflective materials inspired by nature.

A new study from Shinshu University, Japan, proposes that underground methane released after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake may have contributed to the devastating Wajima fire nearly an hour after the mainshock. The research introduces the “delayed seismic champagne effect,” a newly proposed geohazard mechanism in which earthquake shaking triggers gas bubble formation, migration, and explosive release underground. The findings could provide new perspectives for earthquake evacuation planning and disaster prevention.

Researchers at Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Diamond and Carbon Applications (Germany), have developed a buried-growth process for nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). By employing nitrogen-radical selective etching, which simultaneously enhances metal-mask durability through nitridation, the team enabled a continuous etching–growth sequence within a single MPCVD process. Optical measurements confirmed highly aligned NV centers selectively buried in predefined regions. This integrated approach provides a stable and scalable platform for orientation-controlled diamond qubits and future room-temperature quantum technologies.