Jan

17

The free-energy principle explains neural network behavior

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists show that the free-energy principle can explain how neural networks work.

Jan

13

How does gravity affect antimatter?

by jens wilkinson | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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Scientists find that antimatter reacts to gravity the same way that regular matter does.

Dec

23

Super-thin wearable electronics just got more flexible

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Dec

17

Cassava engineered to produce healthier tapioca starch

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Reducing the amount of starch branching enzymes in cassava plants made more resistant and thus healthier tapioca starch.

Dec

10

Diazoxide pills for Alzheimer’s disease?

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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Drug therapy with with diazoxide relieved symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the brains of mice and improved memory.

Oct

8

Zebrafish imagine a danger-free future to avoid threats in virtual reality

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

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By imaging the brain while zebrafish “swim” in virtual reality, scientists have learned that even fish can create internal models to predict future outcomes.

Sep

22

Kleefstra syndrome in mice reversed after birth

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Researchers used a postnatal supply of GLP to reverse neural and behavioral symptoms of Kleefstra syndrome in mice!

Sep

10

A faster and more sensitive antibody test for COVID-19

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Fast and sensitive: A new antibody test for the COVID-19 virus. Just a pinprick of blood and results in 30 minutes.

Jul

26

Opossums are the first genome edited marsupials

by masataka sasabe | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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A new piezoelectronic microinjection method has allowed the first successful genome editing in marsupials: albino opossums.

Jul

19

Methylation mutation directly linked to autism

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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A mutation in a gene needed for H3K9 methylation is directly linked to autism spectrum disorders and early neurodevelopment.

Jun

25

Melatonin in mice, circadian rhythms, and daily torpor

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

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A new breed of lab mouse allows the study of naturally occurring melatonin. These mice will adjust better to jetlag than regular lab mice and experience daily torpor.

Jun

2

Why (mouse) mothers take risks to protect their infants

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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The calcitonin receptor and its ligand amylin act in the brain to motivate mouse mothers to protect their pups, even in risky/dangerous situations.

May

26

Dietary amino acid linked to cancer in flies

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Researchers have found a dietary amino acid linked to oncogene expression / tumor formation; reduced consumption reduced cancer in flies.

Apr

30

Cancer cells killed with artificial glycosylated metalloenzyme

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists have developed two cancer therapies that use an artificial glycosylated metalloenzyme to specifically target cancer cells in mice.

Apr

9

H2AK119ub1: How you inherit acquired traits from your mom

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Apr

8

COVID-19: Changing the way we do research

by jens wilkinson | Interviews

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COVID-19 series — Part #4: Team Leader Aki Minoda from RIKEN IMS talks about how the pandemic has affected the way we work.

Mar

26

Telework: a societal game-changer

by jens wilkinson | Interviews

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COVID-19 series — installment #3: Team Leader Osamu Sakura (@RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project) talks about how the pandemic has affected society through the need for telework.

Mar

18

Decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic

by jens wilkinson | Interviews

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COVID-19 series — installment #2: RIKEN CBS Unit Leader Rei Akaishi talks about government decision-making during the pandemic.

Mar

5

Confronting a string of epidemics including COVID-19

by jens wilkinson | Interviews

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COVID-19 series — installment #1: RIKEN Executive Director Shigeo Koyasu talks about epidemics and what a good response looks like.

Feb

19

Next stop: clinical hair regeneration

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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A new recipe for continuous cyclical hair regeneration in mice. This means that the hair will continue to fall out and regrow like normal hair.

Jan

22

Godzilla-sized zooplankton for better aquafarming

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists have created extra large zooplankton to help feed the fish in aquafarms. The new plankton were created using an ion beam to generate mutations.

Dec

10

Electric rays to help us map the ocean floor

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Electric rays and sting rays could map the ocean floor through their natural behavior, helping us find resources and collect data on other ocean life.

Nov

26

Bacterial drug resistance studied by robotic E. coli evolution

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Experimentally evolving E. coli under pressure from a large number of antibiotics was able to identify constraints underlying evolved drug resistance.

Nov

9

New artificial skin helps avoid animal testing

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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A new artificial skin that reproduces proper tension can be used to research skin function and disease while reducing the need to experiment on animals.

Oct

2

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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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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.

Sep

11

FABP4: A preschool-aged biomarker for autism

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Reduced FABP4 was found in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder, making it a potential new biomarker for the condition.

Sep

3

Microbial infections are a parasitic plant’s dream

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Parasitic plants use quinones produced by their host to attack. Now we know that crops produce quinones as an immune response against microbial infection. How can we protect crops from both kinds of attack?

Aug

27

Gut bacteria double team worsens symptoms of multiple sclerosis

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Joint activity of two gut bacteria leads to excessive MOG-specific T-cell activity and demyelination of neurons in the spinal cord of a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Aug

19

Something smells fishy: categorizing odors in the brain

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Calcium imaging and mathematical model explain how categories and mixtures of odors are represented in the fly brain and consistent across individual flies.

Jul

8

Photosynthetic bacteria spin spider silk for the masses

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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A little genetic engineering and a special recipe allows photosynthetic bacteria to mass-produce super lightweight spider silk for use in manufacturing.

Jun

25

Blood cell mutations linked to leukemia are inevitable

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Researchers show that blood cell mutations increase with age identify risk factors for developing leukemia in Japanese and European populations.

Jun

10

Organic nitrogen in soil helps crop growth

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists used a multi-omics analysis to show that soil solarization helps crops grow because it increases organic nitrogen in the soil.

May

12

Consciousness, brain connections, and the claustrum

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

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Research shows that the claustrum acts as a ‘consciousness conductor’ that synchronizes and connects areas within the mouse brain.

May

7

A new imaging biomarker for the aging brain

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Enlarged ventricles is a sign of an aging brain. New research shows that this phenomenon can be predicted by lagging brain circulation that is detected by MRI.

Apr

29

Sphingolipid S1P: Potential new target for schizophrenia treatment

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Sphingolipid S1P is reduced in brain white matter of people with schizophrenia, making S1P receptors a good target for new treatments.

Apr

27

Staining that lights up whole organs and bodies

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists have developed a staining procedure that makes see-through tissue, organs, and bodies useful.

Apr

23

Artificial gravity protects the immune system of mice in space

by adam phillips | Featured, Research News

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Mice who experienced artificial gravity on the ISS suffered less damage to their immune system (thymus) than weightless mice did.

Apr

14

Ultraprecise clocks and the Tokyo Skytree verify Einstein’s theory of relativity

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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Time measured at the top and bottom of the Tokyo Skytree with ultraprecise clocks has verified the time dilation effect predicted by Einstein.

Mar

20

Low-protein diet changes sperm and health of future offspring

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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Low-protein diets in male mice alter sperm and result in offspring that have metabolic problems like diabetes in adulthood.