Music makes people move, but whether musicians intentionally induce specific movements, such as vertical bouncing or horizontal swaying, or what musical features would contribute to these, is more complex. Four musicians composed short excerpts intended to elicit either “tate-nori” (vertical movement), “yoko-nori” (horizontal movement), or neither movement type, and in a listener-rating experiment, participants heard each excerpt and rated the extent to which it made them feel like moving vertically and horizontally. The researchers found that the listeners’ directional dancing inclinations matched the musicians’ intended expressions.

Professor Dongsheng Liu of Tsinghua University, Professor Ziyang Hao of Capital Medical University, and Researcher Yuanchen Dong of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have collaborated to develop a circular single-stranded DNA molecule capable of simultaneously silencing multiple miRNAs. This molecule can be used for multi-gene synergistic tumor therapy. Based on the KIMU principle, the circular single-stranded DNA molecule, an anti- miRNA oligonucleotide (circAMO), can be synthesized with high selectivity and high yield by adjusting the length of the DNA clamp. The unique covalently closed circular structure endows circAMO with high biostability, allowing long-term intracellular gene regulation without any chemical modifications. By designing multiple miRNA binding sites in circAM, one circAMO can simultaneously inhibit multiple oncogenic miRNAs and upregulate the levels of downstream mRNAs, ultimately inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as increasing apoptosis. This strategy provides a new research tool and platform for multi-target gene therapy. The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

A mathematician who has helped transform our understanding of population genetics, one of the most eminent chemical engineers in China, and leading international innovators in biotechnology and retail marketing have been awarded Honorary Degrees from Heriot-Watt University as part of its 2025 winter graduation programme.

In a remarkable stride towards environmental sustainability, researchers at the Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India, have developed a novel approach to predict the adsorption capacity of biochar using machine learning. This breakthrough, detailed in their latest study titled "Machine Learning-Driven Prediction of Biochar Adsorption Capacity for Effective Removal of Congo Red Dye," offers a powerful solution to combat dye pollution.