The It Ain't Magic Science Blog

Understanding non-coding DNA: gene “enhancers”

NETCAGE is a newly developed technique for determining the structure of portions of the non-coding genome called ‘enhancers.’

Chromosome copying errors pinpointed in developing embryos

The DNA duplication process changes during embryogenesis and chromosome copying errors increase during the transition.

RIKEN Research Fall Issue

Fall is here, and with it comes the latest issue of RIKEN Research. This issue covers tactile learning during sleep, supercomputers and simulations, solar cells, fly olfaction, tumor vaccines, and more

Big news in iPS cell transplants

iPS cell-derived retinal cells have been successfully transplanted from one monkey to another without need of immunosuppressant drugs.

Mathematical model predicts self-organized learning in real neurons

The free energy principle predicted how real neural connections changed as neurons “learned” in a dish.

Heat shock system helps dried up bug come back to life

An international collaboration has determined that cooption of the Heat Shock Factor (HSF) gene system is what allows larvae of the sleeping chironomid to be able to survive severe desiccation.

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Latest research animations

Self-assembly of spider silk

This gut microbe might protect against diabetes and reduce insulin resistance

NEW: One-way hydrogel guides motion of tiny worms!

Latest Posts

May

22

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Perceptual memories linked to positive emotions, such as joy or happiness, are strengthened during sleep, specifically during periods of deep non-REM sleep.

Feb

20

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists found that one-month-old infants with certain gut bacteria were less likely to develop food sensitivities and food allergies later in childhood.

Jan

23

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A new bioplastic that dissolves in saltwater — no more pesky microplastics!

Dec

6

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

High-fidelity, low error quantum gates allow more reliable and accurate quantum computations, making the future of quantum computers more promising.

Dec

5

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

“Naturally occurring selective nanopore ion channels in deep-sea hydrothermal vents are similar to ion channels found in cells and could help explain the origin of life.

Dec

4

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

By changing albumin’s identity, drugs can carried to their targets and then removed from the body after being used.

Oct

16

Protein antigens in meat, milk, and other foods suppress gut tumors

Protein antigens in meat, milk, and other foods suppress gut tumors

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Food antigens were found to prevent small intestinal tumors in gut-tumor prone mice by making ensuring we have enough T cells for defense.

Oct

2

Stem cell exhaustion and proliferation: An aging fly’s tale

Stem cell exhaustion and proliferation: An aging fly’s tale

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Blocking the gene ced-6 led to stem cell exhaustion in aging fruit flies and prevented repair of damaged intestines.

Aug

30

Chromosome copying errors pinpointed in developing embryos

Chromosome copying errors pinpointed in developing embryos

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

The DNA duplication process changes during embryogenesis and chromosome copying errors increase during the transition.

Aug

20

Predictive grid cells help self navigation in the brain

Predictive grid cells help self navigation in the brain

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists have discovered grid cells in the brain that map an animal’s (or human’s) future position in space.

Aug

7

Dopamine reduces beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease

Dopamine reduces beta-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Increasing dopamine in the brains of AD model mice led to increased neprilysin, which broke down amyloid-beta plaques and improved memory.

Jul

8

RIKEN discovers new T cells related to immune disorders

RIKEN discovers new T cells related to immune disorders

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Immune-related diseases like multiple sclerosis associated with genetic variation in newly discovered, rare T cells.

Jul

2

Will the “love hormone” ever be used to treat a rare genetic disease?

Will the “love hormone” ever be used to treat a rare genetic disease?

by masataka sasabe | Drop of science, What's Up With Us

One of the pitfalls of researching an extremely rare disease: getting enough data to support clinical trials could be impossible.

Jun

27

Purple biomass makes a good crop fertilizer

Purple biomass makes a good crop fertilizer

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Biomass made from purple marine bacteria provides more than enough nitrogen to plants without harming the environment

Jun

20

Atlas of the aging lipidome highlights kidneys and gut bacteria

Atlas of the aging lipidome highlights kidneys and gut bacteria

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

The atlas revealed sex differences in the aging kidney lipidome and lipid byproducts of gut bacteria that accumulate throughout the body.

May

22

Root growth improved in soil contaminated with cesium

Root growth improved in soil contaminated with cesium

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Overactivating the ABA signaling pathway in plants prevented cesium in soil from blocking root growth in plants.

May

17

Japanese people are a mixture of three separate ancestral groups

Japanese people are a mixture of three separate ancestral groups

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

A new study shows that the current Japanese population is derived from 3 ancestral groups, one of which brought Denisovan DNA to the party.

May

13

Space Café Tokyo explains sus sci-fi media

Space Café Tokyo explains sus sci-fi media

by kelly | What's Up With Us

Our very own Kelly writes about how much fun she had at Space Café Tokyo. Softcore science and beer.

May

10

Recipe for hydrogen: sprinkle manganese oxide with iridium atoms, add water

Recipe for hydrogen: sprinkle manganese oxide with iridium atoms, add water

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A few iridium atoms also go a long way. When sprinkled on manganese oxide, hydrogen is produced with 95% less iridium!

May

6

Stable green hydrogen production in a PEM electrolyzer

Stable green hydrogen production in a PEM electrolyzer

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A little structurally manipulated manganese goes a long way when using a PEM electrolyzer to make hydrogen from water.

Apr

24

Brainless memory makes the spinal cord smarter than previously thought

Brainless memory makes the spinal cord smarter than previously thought

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

The spinal cord learns how to direct limb muscles to avoid aversive sensations and recalls the memories using separate neural circuitry. Oh, and without a brain!

Apr

22

Eco-friendly ammonia production for fertilizers and alternative fuel

Eco-friendly ammonia production for fertilizers and alternative fuel

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A new process that allows ammonia to be produced using much less energy than the standard methods.

Apr

11

Cubes of brain tissue allow drug discovery without animals

Cubes of brain tissue allow drug discovery without animals

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Modeling the blood-brain-barrier with brains-in-a-cube allows drug testing without the need for animals.

Apr

3

Gut bacteria could help overcome milk allergy

Gut bacteria could help overcome milk allergy

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Analysis shows that some gut bacteria could help improve oral immunotherapy against milk allergy.

Apr

2

Detecting pathogens: the evolution of plant immunity

Detecting pathogens: the evolution of plant immunity

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Scientists find recognition receptors for plant growth and plant immunity that share a common evolutionary origin.

Mar

21

Genomic “butterfly effect” involving TADs explains risk for autism

Genomic “butterfly effect” involving TADs explains risk for autism

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

De novo mutations in three-dimensional structures in the genome containing known ASD genes were found to be associated with ASD risk.

Mar

19

Heat used to transform antiskyrmions to skyrmions and back

Heat used to transform antiskyrmions to skyrmions and back

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

Scientists discover a way to transform antiskyrmions to skyrmions and back using heat and magnetic fields.

Jan

23

Real webshooters? Synthetic spider silk spun from artificial gland

Real webshooters? Synthetic spider silk spun from artificial gland

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists create a microfluidic device that spins artificial spider silk from spidroins proteins, duplicating silk’s complex molecular structure.

Jan

15

Omics Omics Omics: Analysis predicts ovarian cancer-treating drug

Omics Omics Omics: Analysis predicts ovarian cancer-treating drug

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Multi-omics analysis prediction: drugs that inhibit Ras signaling will help prevent tumor formation in serous ovarian cancer.

Dec

27

First hydride-ion battery that works at room temperature

First hydride-ion battery that works at room temperature

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Researchers develop a new solid electrolyte that can conduct hydride ions, thus allowing better hydrogen-based batteries and fuel cells.

Nov

10

Plants to the rescue: cleaning up our dirty soil

Plants to the rescue: cleaning up our dirty soil

by adam phillips | Drop of science

A brief review of phytoremediation and research into how plants can be used to clean the environment.

Nov

1

Stolen genes used for parasitic mind control

Stolen genes used for parasitic mind control

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Parasitic horsehair worms evolved to control their praying mantis hosts by stealing their genes (horizontal gene transfer).

Sep

27

Machine learning contributes to better quantum error correction

Machine learning contributes to better quantum error correction

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

Researchers have developed an autonomous method for handling error correction in quantum computing. This will help quantum computers maintain their advantages over standard computers.

Sep

20

Laser melting ice-core sampler for studying climate change

Laser melting ice-core sampler for studying climate change

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

This laser melting ice core sampler can determine temperature changes thousands of years ago on very fine timescale.

Aug

31

Gut bacteria reduces insulin resistance, protects against diabetes

Gut bacteria reduces insulin resistance, protects against diabetes

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists discover gut bacteria that reduce insulin resistance in your body and sugar in your poo.

Aug

23

Scary places burned into our minds by constant memory replay

Scary places burned into our minds by constant memory replay

by riken research highlights | Research Highlight

Researchers discover the mechanism through which places associated with negative experiences are burned into our memories.

Aug

18

Toward human hibernation: cold-resistant mouse stem cells

Toward human hibernation: cold-resistant mouse stem cells

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Cold-resistant stem cells from “deep torpor” mice are a big step toward understanding why tissue survives hibernation.

Aug

15

A researcher’s journey part 2: emotional memory and being human

A researcher’s journey part 2: emotional memory and being human

by adam phillips | Interviews

Joshua Johansen from RIKEN CBS explains emotional memory, what his lab is doing, and what makes a good researcher.

Aug

8

Mathematical model predicts self-organized learning in real neurons

Mathematical model predicts self-organized learning in real neurons

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

The free energy principle predicted how real neural connections changed as neurons “learned” in a dish.

Black smokers and electroecosystems

Black smokers are deep-sea hydrothermal vents found in the ocean. Now scientists believe that they may host electroecosystems in which the primary producers use electric currents as their energy source.

Electrolithoautotrophs

Learn what electrolithoautotrophs are and how the scientists proved that A. ferrooxidans can use electric potential to fuel growth.

Big news in iPS cell transplants

iPS cell-derived retinal cells have been successfully transplanted from one monkey to another without need of immunosuppressant drugs.

Simple but revolutionary modular organoids

A new way to construct complex 3D organoids without using elaborate techniques! The trick using modular cubes with hydrogel layers.

Massive filaments, galaxies, and supermassive black holes

Big telescopes yield big data! Detailed observations gas filaments connecting galaxies in a distant proto-cluster in the early Universe.

Social novelty in the brain: haven’t I seen you someplace before?

Social novelty and contextual novelty are segregated in the SuM region of the hypothalamus and in projections to the hippocampus, allowing memories of meeting new people to be formed separately from memories of new places.

May

22

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Perceptual memories linked to positive emotions, such as joy or happiness, are strengthened during sleep, specifically during periods of deep non-REM sleep.

Feb

20

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists found that one-month-old infants with certain gut bacteria were less likely to develop food sensitivities and food allergies later in childhood.

Jan

23

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A new bioplastic that dissolves in saltwater — no more pesky microplastics!

Dec

6

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

High-fidelity, low error quantum gates allow more reliable and accurate quantum computations, making the future of quantum computers more promising.

Dec

5

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

“Naturally occurring selective nanopore ion channels in deep-sea hydrothermal vents are similar to ion channels found in cells and could help explain the origin of life.

Dec

4

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

By changing albumin’s identity, drugs can carried to their targets and then removed from the body after being used.

Oct

16

Protein antigens in meat, milk, and other foods suppress gut tumors

Protein antigens in meat, milk, and other foods suppress gut tumors

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Food antigens were found to prevent small intestinal tumors in gut-tumor prone mice by making ensuring we have enough T cells for defense.

Oct

2

Stem cell exhaustion and proliferation: An aging fly’s tale

Stem cell exhaustion and proliferation: An aging fly’s tale

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Blocking the gene ced-6 led to stem cell exhaustion in aging fruit flies and prevented repair of damaged intestines.

Aug

30

Chromosome copying errors pinpointed in developing embryos

Chromosome copying errors pinpointed in developing embryos

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

The DNA duplication process changes during embryogenesis and chromosome copying errors increase during the transition.

Super-thin wearable electronics just got more flexible

A method for making super-flexible and ultra-thin wearable electronics uses water-vapor plasma to create gold-gold bonds.

H2AK119ub1: How you inherit acquired traits from your mom

H2AK119ub1. Say that three times really fast! But seriously, it allows maternally acquired traits to be inherited.

Talking science Illustration with Misaki Ouchida

Whether it’s bird anatomy or science cartoons, Masaki Ouchida can do it all. She spoke with us about her career in science illustration, from the US to Japan.

New treatment assembles cancer drug inside the body

Cancer drugs assembled inside the body on cancer cells should reduce harmful side effects to other tissue.

May

22

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

Strong emotions plus non-REM sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Perceptual memories linked to positive emotions, such as joy or happiness, are strengthened during sleep, specifically during periods of deep non-REM sleep.

Feb

20

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

Gut bacteria in babies predict childhood food allergies

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists found that one-month-old infants with certain gut bacteria were less likely to develop food sensitivities and food allergies later in childhood.

Jan

23

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

Bye-bye microplastics: new plastic is fully ocean-degradable

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A new bioplastic that dissolves in saltwater — no more pesky microplastics!

Dec

6

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

Scientists develop new and improved quantum gates

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

High-fidelity, low error quantum gates allow more reliable and accurate quantum computations, making the future of quantum computers more promising.

Dec

5

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

“Naturally occurring selective nanopore ion channels in deep-sea hydrothermal vents are similar to ion channels found in cells and could help explain the origin of life.

Dec

4

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

Albumin drops medicine off at cancer site then leaves the body

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

By changing albumin’s identity, drugs can carried to their targets and then removed from the body after being used.